Technology
Sound & Vision
The Big Clean
Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?
5 min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.
10 min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Full-Featured 4K
THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.
10+ min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Party Animal
FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.
7 min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.
3 min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.
4 min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
BACK TO THE GARDEN
AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.
10+ min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Big Sound, Small Price
DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.
10+ min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.
10+ min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Stand and Deliver
IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.
9 min |
August - September 2024
Sound & Vision
Brothers in Atmos
How producer/keyboardist Guy Fletcher convinced Mark Knopfler to mix classic Dire Straits material and his new solo album One Deep River in Atmos.
3 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Making a Big Purchase
I can remember sitting in the hospital room writing that month's edition of this column (called \"The Custom Installer\" at the time) after my daughter, Lauryn, was born in November 2006. Fast-forward 17 years, and now Lauryn is 17 years old, taking college classes, and driving.
3 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Sony Pulse Elite Headphones
As much as I love playing video games on my main audio system, I recognize that, unlike music, a video game soundtrack filled with effects and voice chat is not one that a non-gamer will enjoy. So when I dive into a Grand Theft Auto Online session, unless I'm alone, I rely on headphones when using my PlayStation 5. And with its acquisition of Audeze, Sony's PlayStation-branded Pulse Elite headphones promise to do more than just look the part of a gaming headset; they offer planar-magnetic driver technology that for a high-fidelity listening experience.
2 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
RUNNIN' INTO THE
What Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers achieved over their rightfully acclaimed multi-decade career stands as a benchmark for how to match universally appealing songwriting with uncompromising sound quality.
10+ min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Pixel Perfection
SAMSUNG'S 77-INCH QN77S95D TV is the third version of its OLED TVs, which combine quantum dots and blue OLED light. This technology is called \"Quantum-OLED\" by Samsung Electronics and \"QD-OLED\" by Samsung Display, the company that makes the screens. It uses quantum dots to change blue OLED light to red and green light for its RGB pixels.
10+ min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Multichannel Mastery
REMEMBER WHEN cars ran on gasoline, cell phones flipped, and you needed a forklift to get a flagshipmodel AV receiver onto your equipment rack?
10+ min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
I Dream of XGIMI
A SELF-DESCRIBED purveyor of “smart projectors and laser TVs,” mentioned in answer to a man-on-thestreet projector query. Though Internet have done much to espouse Xgimi’s evolutionary stable of products, I am willing to wager that the name still escapes a majority of S&V readers.
8 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Dedicated to Discs
THOUGH THE famous Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) quote, \"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,\" has been twisted over time from the original quote, \"The report of my death was an exaggeration,\" both very much apply to the state of physical media today.
10 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Sharper Image
THE QN75QN900D Neo QLED TV is the 75-inch model in Samsung's 2024 flagship 8K mini-LED LCD TV series, and it delivers a brilliantly bright, colorful, and detailed picture from most content.
9 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Value-Priced Multi-Room Audio
MANY OF us use inexpensive smart speakers throughout our homes to play music and control everything from lights to microwaves and washing machines. Devices like the Amazon Echo are great at controlling smart devices along with other more capable smart speakers and amps, but they don't typically deliver a great listening experience on their own.
9 min |
June - July 2024
Sound & Vision
Pinnacle Picture Performance
IT IS a small miracle that you can buy a TV as good as the 77-inch Samsung S90C Quantum Dot OLED for $2500.
10 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
AV Masterpiece
THE AV PROCESSOR is the less well-known sibling of the AV receiver. The main difference being that processors don't have built-in amplification.
6 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
Sit and Listen Streaming
FOR ANYONE who has been waiting for streaming music to be a high-quality sit-and-listen experience, the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase streaming integrated amp fits the bill.
8 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
Worth the Splurge?
AS A RULE I'm not particularly susceptible to the \"audio-jewelry\" school of component design; I'm a value/performance guy.
9 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
Focus on Gaming
OPTOMA BOASTS of being both the top 4K UHD projector brand globally and the number one Digital Light Processing (DLP) brand in the United States for 2022, citing the PMA Research Worldwide Projector Census, making the company no stranger to the world of projected light.
8 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
Sonic Surprise
OVER THE YEARS I've reviewed hundreds of audio and video products covering all the usual bases. But not up to now a soundbar.
10+ min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
Deep Concentration
IN THE realm of high-fidelity audio, the Bowers & Wilkins DB3D subwoofer offers a fusion of compact design and powerful performance.
7 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
When Less is More
MY EXPERIENCE with Bowers & Wilkins dates back over thirty years to my high school days, when I first admired the 801 Matrix in Stereophile magazine.
10 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
SHARP, BRIGHT, & BUDGET-FRIENDLY
IN JUST a few short years the home projector landscape has undergone a radical revolution in terms of price and selection.
6 min |
February - March 2024
Sound & Vision
They are Coming.I Can't Hold Them Back Any Longer.
This is my last communication. Outer walls breached. Door is splintering. Hinges giving way. Out of ammo. Just one grenade left. I'll take as many as I can with me. God have mercy on my soul.
3 min |