Bob Ankosko

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Audio Video News
Winter 2020: Best Affordable Gear
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 17, 2020
Despite all the hardships 2020 has imposed on us, home entertainment has remained a bright spot with A/V gear across all categories providing the means for elevating our music and movie experiences. Thank goodness for that. And thank goodness 2020 is coming to a close. As we look to the New Year with hopes for a return to a normal life, free of restrictions and financial hardship, we present 21 prime A/V specimens for your consideration. All are Sound & Vision Top Picks and all are affordable, at prices ranging from $130 to just under $3,000 with most falling in the under-$1,000 category. Whether you’re contemplating a new turntable or TV, we’re confident one of more of the products highlighted here will speak to you.
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Audio Video News
Wireless that Just Works: WiSA Sees Watershed Year for Wireless Audio
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 23, 2013
Will 2013 be the year of high-quality wireless audio?

Jim Venable, president of the Wireless Speaker & Audio Association (WiSA), thinks so. The association was formed in 2011 to develop interoperability testing and compliance programs for wireless products with a focus on multichannel surround sound systems.

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The S&V Interview
WiSA: We Work to Keep Wireless Sound Simple
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 14, 2021

A conversation with Tony Ostrom, president of the Wireless Speaker & Audio Association.

We’ve tracked the progress of the Wireless Speaker & Audio Association (WiSA) since its humble beginnings many years ago. A lot has changed since those early days when the Association showed up in a CES hotel room to demonstrate a home theater system devoid of speaker cables. It was a remarkable demo, not just because it worked, but because the enabling technology made it possible to send uncompressed 24-bit/96-kHz audio signals through the air from an AV receiver to seven speakers and a subwoofer. Today, wireless music is everywhere and better than ever but in those days transmitting hi-res audio wirelessly was a daunting task. It’s been a few years since we checked in with the Association so we caught up with WiSA president Tony Ostrom to get an update on the technology and the products it enables.

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Audio Video News
Women: We Love Tech, Too
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 12, 2012
Women are embracing technology more than ever before, buying tablets, e-readers, smartphones, cameras, PCs, and other electronics for themselves and their families. And when it comes to the traditional audio/video categories, there’s no question that the gentler sex is an equal partner in major buying decisions. If she doesn’t like the big-screen TV hubby is drooling over, chances are it ain’t gonna happen.
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Premiere Design
Woo Audio WA-234 Monoblock Headphone Amplifier
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 24, 2012
This may well be the most regal headphone amp you’ll ever lay eyes on. Make that amps, as in a pair of Class A monoblocks—one per channel—which is how the WA-234 is sold. But its majestic looks and meticulous industrial design (60 sheets of aluminum are used to create those wavy side panels) tell only part of the story.
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New Products
Woojer Wearable Woofer
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 13, 2014
They call Woojer the “first ever matchbox sized augmented reality haptic audio device,” but it’s really just a wearable woofer. Plug your phone/music player/game system and headphones into the tiny transducer, clip it to your shirt or belt, and literally “feel the sound.” Best part, Woojer transforms any audio signal into a silent tactile sensation felt throughout your body, confirming for family and friends that you have, indeed, lost your mind as you move and groove in your invisible disco.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Wrensilva Launches Limited-Edition Hi-Fi Console
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 30, 2022
And you thought the hi-fi record console was a thing of the past. Nope. San Diego-based Wrensilva today introduced a limited-edition version of its compact Loft console.
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New ProductsPremiere Design
Wrensilva Loft Record Console
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 30, 2017
Stereo consoles were all the rage in the ’60s. Every major TV company sold them—some with an integrated 25-inch screen, some without. Many were imposing pieces of furniture placed front and center in living rooms across America. I have vivid memories of paying $3 or $4 for my first album at the long-gone Jersey-based chain store Two Guys and promptly replacing the Engelbert Humperdinck LP on the platter of our Zenith console with Abbey Road.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Wrensilva Updates the Classic Hi-Fi Console
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 19, 2024
Wrensilva, the San Diego-based company specializing in classic hi-fi consoles, has announced a new range of hardwood finish options and sound quality updates for its hand-crafted Record Console Collection.
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Audio Video News
xMEMS: New Breed of ‘Ultrasonic’ Microspeakers Will Fundamentally Change Earbuds
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 14, 2023
xMEMS Labs, the Santa Clara-based company that has set out to replace century-old speaker technology with silicon-based microspeakers, has announced a radically different kind of solid-state driver for wireless earbuds that uses ultrasonic technology to accurately reproduce music.
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