Bob Ankosko

Other TechNew Products
Nipping Hearing Loss in the (Ear)bud: Asius Technologies Ambrose Diaphonic Ear Lens
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 09, 2014  |  0 comments
It’s no secret that prolonged exposure to loud music can lead to tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) and permanent hearing loss. Any number of famous rock musicians have acknowledged having hearing problems. Hitting closer to home, the Hearing Health Foundation reports that 50 million Americans live with hearing loss, a staggering statistic that includes one in five teens, whose hearing problems are largely attributed to listening to music through headphones—especially earbuds—at high volumes for an extended period.
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Audio Video News
RIP: Tom Nousaine, Colleague and Friend of S&V
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 17, 2014  |  2 comments
Tom Nousaine, former contributing technical editor and columnist for Sound & Vision, died June 8, 2014 in Pinckney, MI. He was 69.

A life-long audio enthusiast, Tom’s work appeared in numerous publications, including Stereo Review (predecessor to S&V, Audio, Sound & Image, Video, Car Stereo Review, Mobile Entertainment, Road Gear, Audio/Video International, The Audio Critic, The $ensible Sound, and Telephony.

Tom was a long time member of the Southeastern Michigan Woofer and Tweeter Marching Society (SWTMS) and served as regional vice president of the Audio Engineering Society and chairman of the AES Chicago Section. He founded the Prairie State Audio Construction Society and the Society for Depreciation Professionals while employed as director of capital recovery for Ameritech, one of the seven regional “Baby Bell” companies that arose out of AT&T’s 1984 divestiture.

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New Products
Eight Great Ways to Park Your Gear
Bob Ankosko  |  May 21, 2014  |  0 comments
In the world of home entertainment, prized possessions run the gamut from media players and perfectly calibrated HDTVs to sophisticated processors and hulking power amplifiers to AV receivers and cable boxes to speakers of different shapes and sizes—all stuff that needs a proper home. You do have a proper home for your AV treasures, don’t you? A home that provides unbending support (think sturdy shelves that don’t sag) and thoughtful features like casters, cable management, and ventilation.
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Audio Video NewsNew ProductsPremiere Design
Immaculate Reception
Bob Ankosko  |  May 19, 2014  |  0 comments

Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 18 Wireless Speaker System

About that headline...It’s inspired by the sheepish “Immaculate Wireless Sound” moniker Bang & Olufsen uses for the wireless system integrated into the stunning BeoLab 18 tower speaker. Actually, the phrase is code for WiSA, the standard that makes it possible to for speakers to receive uncompressed 24-bit/96 kHz audio over the air from B&O’s stand-alone transmitter or one built into the BeoVision 11 TV. We asked Senior Vice President of Product Creation Lou Schreurs to tell us about this impressive speaker.

S&V: How did the BeoLab 18 come into being? What led to the desire to “go wireless?”
Lou Schreurs: We felt the need to rejuvenate our iconic BeoLab 8000 from a design perspective and, at the same time, wanted to bring the speaker into the 21st Century by making it wireless and digital, using our proprietary Digital Signal Processing (DSP) capabilities. The integration of a high-quality wireless system was driven by the desire for convenience without sacrificing audio quality. In some of our customers’ homes, it was not easy to run cables in a neat way, particularly rear speakers, limiting their ability to experience true surround sound...

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Audio Video News
Poll: S&V Readers Enthusiastic and Frustrated by 4K/Ultra HD
Bob Ankosko  |  May 16, 2014  |  5 comments
S&V readers are generally enthusiastic about 4K/Ultra HD, with 18 percent planning to buy an Ultra HD set, but still frustrated by the lack of programming and the piecemeal way in which the technology is being rolled out (we’re with you on that), according to the results of this week’s survey in which we asked for your take on 4K/Ultra HD.

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New ProductsPremiere Design
Thorens TD 209 Turntable
Bob Ankosko  |  May 14, 2014  |  3 comments
Spinning With Style
You don’t come across many companies that have been in business for 100 years. Founded in 1883 as a manufacturer of musical boxes and clocks, Thorens started building Edison-type cylinder phonographs in 1903 and has been making turntables ever since. Although the company branched out into audio electronics in the ’90s, it remains a steadfast bearer of fine turntables. Its latest specimen is the ultra-modern TD 209, which borrows design cues from its higher-end sibling, the TD 309.
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New Products
Airborne 4K
Bob Ankosko  |  May 06, 2014  |  0 comments
NanoTech Entertainment has a little something owners of 4K/Ultra HDTVs might be interested in: the Nuvola NP-1 4K Ultra HD streaming media player, a versatile 3 x 1 x 4-inch device that supports 3D game playing, Web browsing, and 4K streaming. Connect the tiny box to any network with a bandwidth of 6 megabits per second or greater—via Wi-Fi or hard-wire Ethernet—and you’re ready to go.
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New Products
Sharp SD-WH1000U Wireless Universal Player
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 30, 2014  |  0 comments
From 3D to Wi-Fi to preloaded content apps, all kinds of features are packed into today’s upscale Blu-ray players, but Sharp’s SD-WH1000U is the first wireless player. A built-in plug-and-play WiSA-compliant transmitter makes it possible to shuttle 96-kilohertz/24-bit sound to up to eight WiSA-compliant speakers for a wire-free 7.1-channel surround experience.
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New Products
Korg DS-DAC 100/100m USB Audio Playback System
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 18, 2014  |  1 comments
Korg is well known among musicians for its electronic keyboards but recently introduced a high-resolution audio playback system comprising its proprietary AudioGate 3 software and one of two USB digital-to-analog converters, the retro-styled DS-DAC-100 ($600) or the ultracompact DS-DAC-100m ($350).
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New Products
Meridian G65 Surround Controller
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 20, 2014  |  0 comments
Founded in 1977 by psychoacoustics expert Bob Stuart, Meridian staked its claim in the world of digital audio before the CD was even born and has lived on the cutting edge of digital technology ever since. In 1994, before the new Dolby Digital surround format (then known as Dolby AC-3) had even made its way into homes, the company introduced the world’s first digital surround controller and named it simply the 565. Twenty years later, the G65 surround controller represents the latest iteration of that iconic processor.
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