Bob Ankosko

New ProductsPremiere Design
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Shape Wireless Speaker System
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 14, 2017  |  1 comments
You’ve gotta hand it to the design team at Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen. Always super creative and always thinking outside the box—the speaker box, in this case. What could easily be mistaken for wall art or a serious acoustic diffuser is a unique modular speaker system. Indeed, the BeoSound Shape is the only wireless speaker system we know of that is modular and customizable in terms of performance and aesthetics. In other words, it’s ridiculously flexible.
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New ProductsPremiere Design
Back to the '70s: Tannoy Legacy Series Speakers
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 12, 2017  |  1 comments
Do you feel like you’re back in the ’70s, when vinyl ruled and fashion was…well, let’s just say, questionable?

There’s a good reason for that: Tannoy’s new Legacy Series is based on the popular High Powered Dual (HPD) Series released in 1974, the year after Pink Floyd mixed The Dark Side of the Moon at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios on a pair of newly installed Tannoy Lancaster monitors.

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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Grace Digital Mondo+ Internet Radio
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 11, 2017  |  0 comments
Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $200

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Multiple streaming options via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Chromecast built-in
Remote control
Minus
Lackluster sound quality

THE VERDICT
The Mondo+ is a versatile internet radio that offers easy access to a multitude of streaming sources, but we expected better sound quality for the price.

My first thought was “clock radio” as I lifted the Mondo+ out of its box. It’s tough to gauge the heft of a product from a picture, so I guess I was expecting something a bit more substantial. Even so, the plastic-encased Mondo+ is nice and compact—about the size of a loaf of bread—and attractive with a smooth gray finish and large color display that serves as a gateway to wireless streaming options and system settings, including—you guessed it—an alarm clock.

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New Products
Spinning in Style: Pro-Ject Special-Edition Turntables
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 20, 2017  |  0 comments
I’ve been a hard-core Beatles fan for…well, let’s just say a very long time. So I was more than a little intrigued when I saw Pro-Ject’s Fab Four turntables (my name, not theirs) at the May press event unveiling Giles Martin’s stereo remix of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The thought of a “new” Beatles record being played on a table that pays homage to the greatest band ever was compelling. Maybe it’s time to revisit my long-dormant vinyl collection...
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Audio Video News
Remembering 9/11
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 11, 2017  |  0 comments
Sixteen years ago today I was sitting in my office in midtown at the north end of Times Square working on my editorial for the November 2001 issue...
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New Products
Apple HomePod: Apple Revisits Home Audio
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 28, 2017  |  0 comments
I tried to contain my excitement when Apple announced HomePod, declaring it “a breakthrough wireless speaker for the home that delivers amazing audio quality.” And to think that it will use “spatial awareness to sense its location in a room and automatically adjust the audio.” Fantastic! With that kind of technology, I might be forced to end my longstanding (but tenuous) relationship with Windows once and for all, trade in my Samsung Galaxy for an iPhone, and embrace Apple Music.
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New ProductsPremiere Design
Steinway Lyngdorf S-15 Speaker System
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 23, 2017  |  0 comments
It’s not new but Steinway Lyngdorf’s S-15 remains stunning in its aesthetic and technical design. Visually, this tiny treasure has little in common with your garden-variety box speaker—nor should it, considering its pedigree. For starters, it’s 10 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and only 3 inches thick—or about a half-inch wider and an inch thicker than the 1997 Webster’s New World College Dictionary collecting dust on a shelf in my office.
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New Products
Let's Take It Outside
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 10, 2017  |  0 comments
You can make all the excuses you want, but there’s really no good reason these days for not enjoying some form of A/V entertainment outdoors, whether you’re listening to music or watching a video in your backyard, at the park, or on the beach. Allow us to inspire you with a dozen products guaranteed to enrich your outdoor experience…or adventure.
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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
ATSC 3.0: TV’s Next Generation
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 19, 2017  |  3 comments
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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New ProductsPremiere Design
Teac AI-503 USB DAC/Integrated Amplifier
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 10, 2017  |  0 comments
As much as it might look like it, this is not your father’s long lost amplifier—the one you remember sitting on a rack in the den next to the Dual turntable and AR-3s—recently discovered in a remote corner of the attic. Nope, behind those vintage VU meters is a thoroughly modern USB DAC/integrated amp designed for the post-analog age or, more specifically, the Age of Hi-Res Audio. Simply put, Teac’s mission with the compact AI-503 is to preserve the fine details and nuances of your carefully curated music collection, whether you’re pulling tunes off your home network, a USB thumb drive, or a digital audio player.
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