SV Staff

A momentous occasion in the history of consumer electronics took place 34 years ago this week when Sony offered the CDP-101 for sale in Japan.

As voice control technology spreads like wildfire throughout the AV world, Amazon is looking to keep its lead over the competition with redesigned Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers, new Alexa features, and a new family member, the Echo Spot.

Tom Petty, a leader of the American rock scene for more than four decades and the voice behind some of the most memorable songs in the rock/pop catalog, died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest Monday evening. He was 66.

As September gives way to October, it’s time to reflect on what the past month (or two in this case) has brought us in the way home entertainment goodness. A fair amount, as it turns out. Recapping the virtues of our eight most recent Top Picks, we find four remarkable (and remarkably different) speaker systems to meet almost any need, an AV receiver that has been boldly reinvented for the wireless age, a spectacular soundbar from a brand you forgot about, headphones that will make even the most reluctant “speakers-only” audiophile smile, and a super-capable AV processor from one of audio’s stalwart companies. Which ones will make your upgrade list?