LATEST ADDITIONS

SmartStream
Rogan, Young, and Spotify
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 02, 2022
Over the last two years, social media has faced increased scrutiny for the information posted on its platforms. In response, Twitter and Facebook started either including links for more information on a subject or removing posts with false information. This past month, the same focus has turned to entertainment streaming platforms via Spotify.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
Pro-Ject Introduces its First Automatic Turntable
Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 01, 2022
It’s been a long time coming but turntable specialist Pro-Ject Audio Systems USA yesterday announced the availability of its first fully automatic turntable.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Criterion Collection in 4K: The First Wave
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 28, 2022
Once the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc format showed that it had legs, one question I found myself regularly being asked was, "When is The Criterion Collection going 4K?" The esteemed boutique label certainly didn't rush in, but by the end of 2021, fans and collectors were offered four premiere releases: Citizen Kane, Menace II Society, Mulholland Dr., and Uncut Gems.
Continue Reading »
Spatial Audio File
Introducing: Spatial Audio File
SV Staff  |  Jan 28, 2022
Sound & Vision has long been an advocate for surround sound music. Back in the SACD and DVD-Audio disc heyday, we regularly reviewed multichannel music releases in those formats, and when they eventually ground to a halt, we moved on to music-only Blu-ray audio discs and then Deluxe Edition box sets. The latter now serves as the most common outlet for surround music on disc, most often presented on Blu-ray in the immersive Dolby Atmos sound format.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
News & Gear: Mid-Winter 2022
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 27, 2022
Since CES 2022 ended a few weeks ago, new A/V gear has trickled into the market and A/V companies have continued to issue press releases, though at a slower than usual pace. Here’s some of the latest news to cross our desks.
Continue Reading »
Subwoofer Reviews
OSD Black Trevoce 12 EQ DSP Subwoofer Review
Al Griffin  |  Jan 26, 2022

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Deep bass from a compact design
DSP and app control
Minus
Control app not user-friendly
Unreliable Auto On/Off function
No wireless connection option

THE VERDICT
OSD Audio’s powerhouse Trevoce 12 delivers deep bass from a compact cube. And with onboard DSP and app-based control, users can tune the sub’s output for best performance in their listening space.

OSD Audio is a maker of many audio-related things, its extensive product line covering most bases for custom residential and commercial installations. But the company also has a fair number of consumer offerings, including a sizeable range of subwoofers. Last year I reviewed its Nero TubeBass 10, a cylinder-shaped model that provided a decent wallop of bass given its compact size and $179 price. Now, for this review I'm stepping up to the Trevoce 12 EQ DSP, a flagship subwoofer from the company's swanky Black Series that still tops out at a reasonable $600. (OSD Audio also plans to launch a 15-inch model in the near future with a $799 price.)

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Will Dolby Atmos Improve Sound Quality if I Don’t Add Height Speakers?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 26, 2022
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I own an NAD T 787 A/V receiver that only supports regular HD video pass-through and Dolby True HD/DTS-HD Master Audio processing. This receiver features NAD’s MDC (Modular Design Construction) for hardware upgrades. NAD offers an audio module with Dolby Atmos support, along with outputs for two sets of height speakers. If I stick with my current 5.1 speaker setup, would the Atmos module upgrade improve sound quality? Or will my receiver simply downmix the Atmos soundtracks to 5.1/7.1 surround with no audible improvement? —Phil Tomaskovic, via email

Continue Reading »
A/V Veteran
HDMI 2.1a: What You Need to Know
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 25, 2022
At the January 2022 CES in Las Vegas the latest version of HDMI, HDMI 2.1a was announced. What does it bring us, and perhaps more to the point, what will it demand from us?
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
NAD Adds 200-Watt Stereo Amp to Master Series
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 24, 2022
NAD is aiming to take value and performance to new levels with the latest addition to the flagship Master Series, the M23 “hybrid digital” stereo power amplifier.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Suicide Squad
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 21, 2022
Picture
Sound
Extras
Blurring the line between sequel, reboot and remake, The Suicide Squad fairly leaps off the screen with something too often conspicuously absent from the DC Cinematic Universe: a sense of fun. Written and directed by James Gunn after his famous firing from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy series (and before he was rehired), The Suicide Squad gleefully embraces excess in every way imaginable. It's rated R for its gore, language, and nudity, yet seldom misses an opportunity to pause and appreciate the absurdity of it all—a drastic tonal shift from its joyless 2016 predecessor, simply titled "Suicide Squad."

Continue Reading »

Pages

X