All photos courtesy of Make-A-Wish’s Mary Holguin and Screen Innovations’ Jason Russell (projection screen, AV rack, Cinema Now Showing sign).
ProSource was busy making plans for a fundraising event to support the Make-a-Wish Foundation (MaW) last year when the pandemic struck. The buying group, which represents hundreds of A/V specialty retailers and custom integrators around the country, was hoping to top the $110,000 it raised in 2019 but was forced to regroup. Then they received a fortuitous call: MaW’s Central and South Texas Chapter wanted to know if ProSource would be interested in making a donation to help make an 8-year-old’s wish come true. Turns out, Miles, who had been diagnosed with a semi-rare liver disorder known as portal vein thrombosis, thought it would be cool to have a home theater.
Apple today announced a sound quality makeover for its subscription-based Apple Music streaming service that expands its Spatial Audio surround-sound platform with support for Dolby Atmos and brings lossless audio to its music catalog.
Since CEDIA sold the rights to the annual CEDIA Expo trade show a few years ago, the organization has been busy honing and expanding the world-class educational programs it produces for professional integrators who design and install A/V entertainment and smart-home systems. The Indiana-based association also plays a key role in developing industry standards with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). We recently caught up with Walt Zerbe, CEDIA’s senior director of technology and standards, to learn why industry standards and recommended practices are important and what they mean for enthusiasts.
Bluesound, the sister company of Canada’s NAD and PSB specializing in wireless streaming gear, today announced the next generation of its popular Node hi-res music streamer and PowerNode streaming amplifier.
As we continue to emerge from the Great Pandemic with even the most reluctant of reluctant states finally looking to lift restrictions, Spring 2021 continues to pay dividends with an eclectic and, in some cases, season-specific mix of A/V news and gear, ranging from outdoor TVs and speakers to solar-powered headphones and new wireless speakers that don’t rely on Wi-Fi. Let’s take a closer look…
We didn’t really plan it this way but two of our Top Picks for April have more than just A/V in common — they both sell for less than 200 bucks. Our first low-cost specimen is a no-frills subwoofer from a brand you may not know that delivers surprisingly respectable performance down to 30 Hz. Then there’s an all-around great performing portable speaker from a brand you most definitely do know. Rounding out the mix is a serious desktop speaker setup and a sweet sounding home theater ensemble from an exotic brand whose speakers you thought you couldn’t afford.
British hi-fi titan Bowers & Wilkins (a.k.a. B&W) has expanded its small but growing line of headphones with two sets of wireless earbuds, one of which provides a “true 24-bit” audio connection, adaptive noise cancellation, and Bluetooth 5.0 featuring aptX HD and aptX Adaptive audio processing.