Grace Notes

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Grace Notes
Samsung Galaxy S4: Safe and Sound?
Leslie Shapiro  |  Oct 14, 2013
We love our devices. Love ‘em! When we first get them, we baby them. But the reality is, sooner or later, life happens. Phones slip through our fingers, fall out of pockets, and drop into water or worse. And heaven help them from the atrocities inflicted by active folks—rain-soaked armbands, sweaty bike jersey pockets, damp backpacks, and the occasional boogie board ride in the Atlantic. One solution is to encase them. Thus “protective covers” abound. Unfortunately, those cases often muffle or kill the features we use the most. What to do?

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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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Grace Notes
Satellite Radio's Sounds of Summer
Leslie Shapiro  |  Sep 13, 2011

The beaches are deserted, the kids are back in school, and I just finished driving home across the country at the end of my summer vacation. Sad, I know. Luckily, I had my trusty travel companion - my SiriusXM radio blasting away in my car. But was I alone in my adoration of those satellites?

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CES 2018Grace Notes
Sennheiser Adds the Closed Back HD 820 to Audiophile Lineup
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 11, 2018
Sennheiser has always been known for exceptional sound quality in their headphone lineup, and now they’re expanding into new territory with the new over-ear HD 820 with a closed-back design.

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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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CES 2018Grace Notes
Shure Announces Exciting New Cable Lineup for Wireless Earphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 09, 2018
With so many companies making big announcements, Shure is going low-key with an announcement about a new line of detachable cable options for their wireless earphones. It doesn’t seem like much to get excited about, but it actually is.

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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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CES 2016Grace Notes
Skybuds Wireless Earbuds Keep Your Phone Running Longer
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 06, 2016
Skybuds look like ordinary wireless earbuds, but they have so much more going for them.

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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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CES 2017Grace Notes
Snugs Brings 3D Scanning to Custom Earphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 07, 2017
With Snugs custom eartips, why settle for one-size-fits-all earphones when you can easily go custom?

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