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AV News & Editorials

AV News

Tidal’s Hi‑Res Streaming Gets Cheaper!

— March 28, 2024 00:00

Tidal’s Hi-Res Streaming Gets Cheaper!

Tidal charges a hefty premium for high-res music. Starting on April 10th, 2024, Tidal will be discontinuing its tiered offerings and consolidating everything into a single service at $10.99/month!

In-Wall & Outdoor Speaker Reviews Preview

Coastal Source Celebrates 15 years with New Bollard 1000 Series Speakers

— March 27, 2024 00:00

Coastal Source Celebrates 15 years with New Bollard 1000 Series Speakers

Coastal Source released their new Bollard 1000 series outdoor speakers. All models come with weatherized tweeters and elliptical drivers and can be combined with subwoofers for 2-way or 3-way designs.

AV News

A Return to Blu‑ray as Streaming Value Evaporates

— March 22, 2024 00:00

A Return to Blu-ray as Streaming Value Evaporates

The SVoD market has found its ceiling as streaming services continue to chip away value for consumers, it only gets worse from here. There's no better time for a return to physical media!

Subwoofer Reviews Preview

RSL Speedwoofer 10E: Entry Price of Great Bass Just Went Lower!

— March 25, 2024 13:20

RSL Speedwoofer 10E: Entry Price of Great Bass Just Went Lower!

RSL’s new Speedwoofer 10E is a 10” woofer sub with a 300-watt amp that somehow only costs $300 shipped. Learn how RSL’s brought many of their core technologies to a much lower price point.

AV News

ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery Plan New Sports Streaming Service

— March 11, 2024 11:00

ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery Plan New Sports Streaming Service

ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to create a new streaming service for sports fans. The joint venture will combine live TV with on-demand content, covering all major sports.

AV Gadget Reviews Preview

Apple Vision Pro: Another 3D Comeback?

— March 21, 2024 00:20

Apple Vision Pro: Another 3D Comeback?

The $3,500 Apple Vision Pro is here. Although not for everyone, this product — and future products of this type — can deliver a 3D video experience far better than any previous technology.

Editorials

Are Aging Baby Boomers Spelling the Demise of Hi‑Fi Audio?

— March 05, 2024 10:00

Are Aging Baby Boomers Spelling the Demise of Hi-Fi Audio?

During COVID people spent money like water, but did audio companies learn anything from the post-pandemic AV recession? Will aging Baby Boomers embrace new technologies designed for younger consumers?

AV Gadget Reviews Preview

The $299 WiiM Amp Breathes New Life Into Old Speakers

— March 20, 2024 00:15

The $299 WiiM Amp Breathes New Life Into Old Speakers

The new WiiM Amp is a compact streaming amplifier that turns any pair of passive speakers into a modern streaming audio system for only $299. It offers 60 wpc, HDMI ARC, bass management, and ESS Sabre DACs.

AV News

EU Regulation to KILL Lamp Projectors for Mercury Hazards

— February 29, 2024 00:00

EU Regulation to KILL Lamp Projectors for Mercury Hazards

An EU regulation will begin the decline of lamp-based projectors worldwide and toxic heavy metal, mercury inside the bulbs are to blame. Get ready to see growth in LED and Laser projector technology!

Subwoofer Reviews Review

Definitive Technology Descend DN15 15" Subwoofer Review

— March 19, 2024 00:00

Definitive Technology Descend DN15 15" Subwoofer Review

The Descend DN15 is a large and powerful 15” subwoofer with a 500-watt RMS amplifier from Definitive Technology. Can this BIG sub produce audiophile sound and deep bass? Read our review to find out.

AV News

Sony 360 Reality Audio Vs. Dolby Atmos Music: The New Format Wars

— February 26, 2024 00:00

Sony 360 Reality Audio Vs. Dolby Atmos Music: The New Format Wars

Sony 360 Reality Audio vs. Dolby Atmos Music may seem like a kinder, gentler format war. But it's part of a broader competition involving MPEG-H 3D Audio for the music & digital broadcast TV markets.

Subwoofer Reviews Preview

Hsu Research VTF‑TN1 15" Subwoofer: Deeper Bass, Lower Cost!

— March 14, 2024 10:00

Hsu Research VTF-TN1 15" Subwoofer: Deeper Bass, Lower Cost!

Hsu replaces their top dog 15” ported subwoofer with the higher performing, lower cost VTF-TN1 flagship bruiser. Read our preview to see how this modern miracle was achieved for only $1,200!

AV News

JBL Synthesis and ARCAM Now ‘Certified for Envy’ By madVR Labs

— February 22, 2024 00:00

JBL Synthesis and ARCAM Now ‘Certified for Envy’ By madVR Labs

Harman Luxury Audio Group and madVR Labs have announced that several AVRs and processors from Harman brands have achieved “Certified for Envy” status from madVR Labs. Read on.

Bookshelf Speaker Reviews Review

Focal Theva No.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Review

— March 11, 2024 00:30

Focal Theva No.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Review

Focal’s Theva No.1 is their new entry-level bookshelf speaker that replaces the venerable Chora series. Focal makes high quality speakers, but how do they fare in a lower price point? Read on.

AV News

Prime Video Removes Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Unless You Pay More

— February 13, 2024 13:30

Prime Video Removes Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Unless You Pay More

Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service began running ads AND stripped off Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos! If you want them back, you have to pay for the ad-free tier which is an additional $2.99/month.

Subwoofer Reviews Preview

The REL T/9x Red Subwoofer: Beyond the Black Box

— March 05, 2024 00:00

The REL T/9x Red Subwoofer: Beyond the Black Box

Rel's T/9x Red Subwoofer($1,650) adds Italian racing red paint and a souped-up driver. The pure carbon fiber center cap reduces weight and adds stiffness to the 10-inch driver. Read on to learn more.

AV News

‘LG Labs’ Exhibition Focused on Innovation at CES 2024

— February 06, 2024 00:00

‘LG Labs’ Exhibition Focused on Innovation at CES 2024

At CES 2024, the “LG Labs” exhibition inside the LG Electronics booth showcased a vacuum tube OLED jukebox called the DukeBox, a high-tech camper, and a tiny 4K projector called the CineBeam Qube.

Floorstanding Speaker Reviews Preview

Focal’s Aria Evo X Loudspeakers: Overview & First Listen

— March 01, 2024 00:00

Focal’s Aria Evo X Loudspeakers: Overview & First Listen

Focal’s new Aria Evo X loudspeakers include five models: N°1, N°2, N°3, N°4, and a center channel. Our demo at FAE 2024 reveled them to have near Kanta level performance at about half the price.

AV News

Harman Buys Roon, But Why?

— January 29, 2024 10:30

Harman Buys Roon, But Why?

Harman acquired Roon, the music management software company with a passionate audiophile following. Roon will retain its team and operate as an independent business within Harman. So why the acquisition?

Subwoofer Reviews Preview

The KEF KC92 Subwoofer: 11Hz Deep Bass, Small Box!

— February 27, 2024 00:00

The KEF KC92 Subwoofer: 11Hz Deep Bass, Small Box!

KEF’s new KC92 Subwoofer ($2,000) uses a pair of force-cancelling 9-inch drivers and 1,000 watts RMS of specially-designed Class D amplification to deliver bass down to 11Hz! Read on to learn more.

AV News

New ‘Lenbrook Media Group’ Formed with Focus On Content Delivery

— January 29, 2024 00:50

New ‘Lenbrook Media Group’ Formed with Focus On Content Delivery

The Lenbrook Group of Companies has formed Lenbrook Media Group to commercialize BluOS, MQA, and SCL6 across the digital audio supply chain. This new entity will be led by Mike Jbara. Read on.

AV Gadget Reviews Preview

ZapperBox Helps You Ditch Cable With Their M1 Over The Air DVR

— February 23, 2024 00:35

ZapperBox Helps You Ditch Cable With Their M1 Over The Air DVR

Looking to cut the cord to cable? ZapperBox's new M1 ($250) over the air DVR may help. The M1 promises 4K video, Dolby Atmos and Dolby AC-4 sound, is HDR video compatible AND has NO monthly fees.

AV News

IsoAcoustics Mobile App and Product Selector Now Available in 7 Languages

— January 27, 2024 00:30

IsoAcoustics Mobile App and Product Selector Now Available in 7 Languages

IsoAcoustics has expanded the global reach of its Product Selector tool and mobile app with support for 6 additional languages. It’s easier than ever to find the right isolation products for your speakers.

Bookshelf Speaker Reviews Review

Sonus faber Duetto Powered Wireless Speaker Review

— February 20, 2024 00:00

Sonus faber Duetto Powered Wireless Speaker Review

The Sonus faber Duetto are an impressive pair of active bookshelf speakers. At 4K/pair they deliver truly amazing sound but the prototypes I reviewed were buggy.

AV News

DALI’s New Grand Vokal Center Speaker Boasts High Output, NOT High Price

— January 23, 2024 08:00

DALI’s New Grand Vokal Center Speaker Boasts High Output, NOT High Price

DALI’s new Grand Vokal ($1,000) is designed for large rooms, offering more output (111dB SPL) and higher power handling. It should be a perfect match for DALI’s Oberon tower speakers.

Audio Amplifier Reviews Preview

Adcom Stages Comeback With Updated Classic Amps

— February 16, 2024 00:00

Adcom Stages Comeback With Updated Classic Amps

Adcom is relaunching in the USA and is now making “updated and modernized versions” of its classic audio hifi products, including the legendary GFA-555 stereo power amplifier.

AV News

Wilson Audio WASAE Center Speaker Saves Space at a BIG Price

— January 22, 2024 00:00

Wilson Audio WASAE Center Speaker Saves Space at a BIG Price

The Wilson Audio WASAE Center speaker ($9,500) is a space saver for a premium price. It uses the same 5.75" mid-woofer and 1" soft-dome Convergent Synergy MK5 tweeter as larger Wilsons. Read on.

AV Preamp and Processor Reviews Review

Anthem AVM 90 15.4CH Preamp Processor Review

— February 12, 2024 00:00

Anthem AVM 90 15.4CH Preamp Processor Review

The AVM 90 8K is the first worthy successor to Anthem's D2v. Objectively and subjectively it's Anthem’s best-sounding preamp processor—EVER. Possibly the apex predator of 15.4CH pre-pros under $8,000.

AV News

New Scalable AURO‑CX Audio Codec Demoed at CES 2024

— January 18, 2024 00:00

New Scalable AURO-CX Audio Codec Demoed at CES 2024

AURO is back with a new, next-gen audio codec called AURO-CX. The folks behind AURO-3D say that AURO-CX delivers scalable quality, channel count, sample rate, and objects, in one powerful bitstream.

Wireless & Computer Speaker Reviews Review

Kanto ORA Powered Desktop Speakers & sub8 Review

— February 07, 2024 00:00

Kanto ORA Powered Desktop Speakers & sub8 Review

Kanto’s new ORA powered desktop speakers push their technology further than ever by introducing an active crossover and other innovations. What does this do to the sound? Read on to find out.

AV News

New Firmware for PAC AVRs Adds Roon, Auro 3D, Improved Dirac & More

— January 17, 2024 00:00

New Firmware for PAC AVRs Adds Roon, Auro 3D, Improved Dirac & More

The Integra DRX-8.4, Onkyo TX-RZ70, and Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 are now Roon Ready, and support Auro 3D. Dirac Live also gets an upgrade and you can stream Spatial Audio directly to your AVR!