LATEST ADDITIONS

Headphone Reviews
Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote In-Ear Headphones
Steve Guttenberg  |  Jul 20, 2017

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Handmade in Germany
Stunning good looks
Best-in-class sound
Minus
Tangle-prone cable

THE VERDICT
The Beyerdynamic Xelento Remotes look, feel, and sound like a true luxury design.

It’s a stunningly beautiful design: The Beyerdynamic Xelento Remotes are most definitely a looker. Better yet, their ergonomically balanced design made for a perfect fit in the concha of my ears; these are some of the most comfortable in-ears I’ve ever worn. As for the sound, it was spectacular!

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AV Receiver Reviews
Sony STR-DN1080 A/V Receiver Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Jul 20, 2017

Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Fine amplifier sonics and power
Excellent, quick-responding home-network streaming plays most formats, including HRA and DSD
Speaker Relocation & Phantom Surround feature
Minus
Scales only 1080p/24 video to 4K

THE VERDICT
Excellent audio performance and a unique feature set counterbalance a somewhat quirky and (in a few cases) slow user interface.

It’s been several years since I’ve had a Sony AV receiver in my rack, so when the STR-DN1080 arrived on my porch, I was eager to see what the foundational brand’s 7.1-channel Dolby Atmos/DTS:X model had to offer. Sony has been synonymous with consumer electronics for so long that today—in the more specialized corners of the field, such as home theater—it’s easy to overlook the company that was such an early player in the game. But Sony still has an enviable market position, as well as design and engineering firepower aplenty to compete in any sphere they choose.

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Audio Video News
Dirac Teams with Oppo to Improve Smartphone Audio
SV Staff  |  Jul 20, 2017
Dirac Research, the Swedish technology company best known among S&V readers for its Dirac Live speaker setup/room-correction system, today announced a strategic partnership with Oppo Electronics to equip Oppo smartphones with its mobile audio optimization solutions.
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Ask S&V
Can I Use Dipole Speakers in a 7.1.4 Atmos Setup?
Al Griffin  |  Jul 20, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

A Here’s a question that has probably been asked and answered a thousand times. I plan to upgrade my system from a 7.1-channel to a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos configuration. Should I replace my current dipole surround speakers with direct-radiating speakers? Also, which 11.2-channel AV receivers should I consider buying? —Dave Brown / via e-mail

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Brainwavz Offers 2-Year Warranty on Dual-Driver Earphones
SV Staff  |  Jul 20, 2017
Headphones are hot. So hot that news releases touting “latest and greatest” models seem to hit our inbox every other day. The most recent press announcement is from Brainwavz Audio, a Hong Kong-based brand specializing in headphones.
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Audio Video News
CEDIA Announces Finalists for Home Tech Pro Awards
SV Staff  |  Jul 19, 2017
Thinking about hiring a custom installation professional? CEDIA, a.k.a. the Custom Electronics Design and Industry Association, has announced the finalists for its Home Technology Professional Awards competition honoring the “best projects” completed by members in the past year.
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Audio Video News
Samsung Bows Wood-Framed TV
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 19, 2017
We’ve lived with wall-mounted TVs long enough that they’ve become a cliché—or worse, a visual intrusion. Samsung addresses that problem with a TV called The Frame. This wooden-framed TV imitates a framed picture with an “art mode” that lets you select from 100 different still images in 10 categories, including landscape, architecture, wildlife, action, and drawing.
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Audio Video News
Delta Offers Deluxe Headphones
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 19, 2017
Delta flyers in first and business classes are in for a treat. The airline has upgraded their headphones to a version of the LSTN Sound Co.’s Troubadour, a full-size over-the-ear model with wooden earcups and noise cancellation. Similar (but not identical) products sell on the LSTN website starting at $149. The partnership will support the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which has provided ear care and hearing aids to 22,000 people around the world.
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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
ATSC 3.0: TV’s Next Generation
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 19, 2017
15 Minutes with ATSC President Mark Richer

ATSC 3.0 is hailed by its proponents as a revolution in technology that will transform TV broadcasting by bringing together internet and over-the-air signals with a common IP backbone. We reached out to Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, to learn more.

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Reference TracksThe S&V Interview
Little Steven Explores His Musical Roots in Soulfire
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 19, 2017
Believe it or not, even Little Steven—Bruce Springsteen’s longtime guitar foil and songwriting soundboard in The E Street Band, and the decorated Godfather of the Underground Garage and Outlaw Country radio formats—feels the need to recharge the creative batteries every now and then. “This record turned out to be a really wonderful reset, reintroduction, and rebirth of myself,” Little Steven admits about his first solo album in 18 years, Soulfire (Wicked Cool/UMe). “It was a wonderful opportunity to start again, and really show my roots in a way I had never done before. I mean, I never put a blues song on a record before, I never did a doo-wop song before, and I never did a cover of anybody before I did this thing!”
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