GRACE NOTES

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Grace Notes
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+: Significantly Superior Sound
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 07, 2018
Let’s get this straight right from the start: critical listening over any phone’s built-in speaker is just not recommended. However, we all know that there will be times, plenty of times actually, when you will indeed use that built-in speaker on your phone. Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ makes that a reasonable option. Go ahead and listen. I won’t judge.

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Grace NotesAudio Video News
Samsung to Acquire Harman International
Leslie Shapiro  |  Nov 14, 2016
This morning we can take a break from the post-election fallout and concentrate on a news item that is less contentious, and certainly more interesting. Electronics powerhouse Samsung is set to acquire Harman International for approximately $8 billion when the sale closes in mid-2017. While we at Sound&Vision know Harman from their home audio brands, the bulk of their business has been in the automotive world. Samsung sees the future of connected cars and this acquisition is their foot in the proverbial car door. This is the biggest acquisition in Samsung history, and one that marks a concerted effort to grab a huge piece of the automotive industry.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphone
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 20, 2014
The new Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear headphone takes everything I loved about the original Momentum over-ear headphone and puts it in a smaller, infinitely more stylish and affordable package. Coming in a range of colors, and at a lower price, this headphone retains the sound quality and voice of the original but makes it more accessible to more people.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
ShareBrand: Headphones with Heart
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 26, 2014
Everywhere you turn, new ways to support causes and ideas have been created. Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding is inescapable. Friends just used Honeyfund to let wedding guests finance their honeymoon. Perhaps more philanthropically, another friend is getting help with medical payments through GiveForward.com. My bicycle rides are logged onto the Plus3 website that, through corporate sponsors, donates money to charities based on how many miles I ride. (I’ve personally raised almost $700 and burned 1.4 million calories; that’s a lot of M&Ms.) It seems that new ways to raise money for a cause are being created daily. Enter ShareBrand.

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Grace NotesAudio Video News
SiriusXM Blurs the Line Between Satellite and Streaming
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jul 15, 2019
As a long-time subscriber to SiriusXM, I tend to ignore emails and notices from them. I pay and renew every six months and forget about them in between payment dates. So I’m glad I spotted the latest email from them because they’ve announced a host of new features, stations, and exciting new ways to listen to SiriusXM outside of the car.

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Grace Notes
SiriusXM: Then and Now
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 08, 2016
Fourteen years is a very long time when talking about technology. So much has changed since then, yet some things remain oddly the same. Fourteen years ago, Ken Pohlmann and I wrote an article for Sound + Vision magazine comparing Sirius and XM. You would think that they have changed immensely since then, but some things haven’t. Back then, there were two companies. Was there a difference in sound quality? We definitely had a strong opinion then, but since the companies merged in 2008, could there still be a difference?

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Grace Notes
Sit Down and Shut Up!
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jul 24, 2017
Summer’s here and the time is right…for summer concerts, of course! There’s something magical about sitting under the stars serenaded by your favorite artist that only happens in the summer. But in actuality, there’s another side to the midsummer night’s dream of lovely music. What is it about outdoor concerts that brings out the worst in an audience? Who’s attending these concerts, and why are they making them so miserable for the rest of us? Nowhere else could the outrageous behavior seen under the summer sky be tolerated.

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Grace Notes
Skyfall: Selling England by the Pound
Leslie Shapiro  |  Nov 13, 2012

Bond is back, and better than ever, in Skyfall (MGM/Eon Productions). The film marks the 50th anniversary of the series that's seen us through the Cold War, with a variety of actors capturing the iconic 007 through 23 films. As with every good anniversary celebration, this one reflects on a glorious past - and imagines an equally glorious future.

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Grace Notes
Slacker’s Bass and Beats Radio
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 09, 2012

It’s no secret that here at Sound+Vision, we’re fans of Slacker Radio — I’ve been singing their praises since they first launched. Now there’s a new reason to love Slacker. While it’s easy to create your own stations personalized for your own tastes in music, Slacker has just announced a new free station, Bass and Beats, that is designed to showcase “the best low frequency tracks ever.”

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Grace Notes
Some Favorite Musical Moments of 2016
Leslie Shapiro  |  Dec 26, 2016
2016 is wrapping up and it was a tough year for music. We lost so many influential musicians: David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell, Merle Haggard and most recently, George Michael. Throughout the year, though, we’ve also had some wonderful musical moments that remind us of why we love music. It makes us laugh, it inspires us, it brings us together. Thankfully, most of my favorite musical moments of the year were captured on YouTube videos, so continuing in the spirit of Christmas, I give you my Top 4 Musical Moments of 2016. Enjoy!

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Grace NotesAudio Video News
Sony Shows Off Concept N: Headphone-less Headphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Mar 21, 2016
Sony’s Future Lab made some waves at South By Southwest by debuting an entirely new concept in personal listening. The Concept N device doesn’t go on or over the ears at all - instead, it hangs comfortably around the user’s neck with multi-directional drivers aiming up towards the listener, allowing outside sounds to still be audible. Extremely directional speakers direct the sound to the listener’s ears while preventing other people from hearing the sound very clearly. In a slightly noisy environment, other people around the listener can’t hear what is being played over the device.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Soul X-Shock True Wireless Earphones for Endurance Junkies
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 19, 2018
Cable cutters are all the rage these days; even headphones have become completely and totally free from cables. The new X-Shock earphones from Soul Electronics are absolutely wireless, even for charging. For marathon listening sessions, the X-Shock has up to 60 hours of charging capabilities between the earphone and portable charging box.

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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
Soundmatters DASHa: A Kindle-Specific Bluetooth Speaker
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 26, 2014
As a non-iPhone user, the preponderance of iPod-ready devices gets a bit old. I’m over it. So it was a welcome relief when Soundmatters announced the DASHa, a Kindle-ready version of their very popular (and rightly so) DASH7 Bluetooth speaker. The DASHa is “Certified Made for Kindle” and it only comes in a matte black finish that matches the Kindle. It’s currently only available through Amazon, although other Kindle distributors might be added. It is compatible with Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HDX.

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Grace Notes
Speaker Angle: Thanks to Genelec, There's an App for That
Leslie Shapiro  |  Sep 04, 2012

How often has this happened to you? You walk into a friend's house and notice - yikes! - their loudspeakers are poorly aligned. Maybe they're pointing straight ahead, maybe they're toed way in, or maybe they're just pointing off in random directions. Whatever the problem, you'll note the missing sweet spot. But what can you do about it, without your gear? Well, there's an app for that.

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Grace NotesNEWS============
Stairway to Heaven Copyright Infringement: Does the Song Remain the Same?
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 18, 2016
On May 10, 2016, a jury will begin a trial to decide if Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page copied parts of the song “Taurus” by the band Spirit for their mega-hit “Stairway to Heaven.” A ruling last week by a U.S. District Judge determined that the case should move forward, stating the following: “While it is true that a descending chromatic four-chord progression is a common convention that abounds in the music industry, the similarities here transcend this core structure. Enough similar protectable expression is here that the issue of substantial similarity should [be heard by a jury].”

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