Best Gear of December 2019

The editors of Sound & Vision would like to extend a heart-felt Happy New Year to everyone as we get ready to ring in a new decade while taking stock of our Top Picks for the month of December, which produced a handful of AV gems that may have gotten lost during the 2019 holiday shuffle. Among them, a thoroughly modern take on the classic stereo receiver, a killer all-in-one wireless music system, and a unique product that gives enthusiasts a simple way to migrate treasured music and 4K movie discs to a rich digital environment with a user-friendly interface. May 2020 be prosperous and filled with the latest and greatest AV technology has to offer!

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The Wizard of Oz

Picture
Sound
Extras

With its childlike innocence and a universal charm that's born of its exquisite characters, The Wizard of Oz is likely the greatest family film of all time, the sort we may never see again. The adventure of a willful Kansas farmgirl transported to a strange, wondrous land is a heart-tugging journey of music and laughter that should continue to enthrall generations to come. There are 80 years' worth of observations for me to draw upon here, but I'll just go with this: Not enough can ever be said of Margaret Hamilton's turn as the gleefully, irresistibly, deliciously wicked villain.

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Atlantic Technology Launches First Wireless Headphones with Holiday Discount

As a follow-up to the FS-HAL1 earphones that shipped earlier this month, Atlantic Technology is now shipping its first full-size wireless headphones, previewed almost a year ago at 2019 CES.

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How Streaming Has Grown in the Past Decade

The past decade has been the time when streaming came into its own. See how the streaming players and services have developed over the past ten years.

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Amina Improves Performance of ‘Invisible’ Speakers

Amina Technologies, the U.K.-based maker of “invisible architectural speakers,” say it has updated the performance and installation flexibility of its sound panels, which use exciters integrated in aluminium honeycomb or composite soundboards to radiate sound.

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SkyFi’s ‘To-Die-For’ Vintage Setup Spans the Decades

SkyFi Audio does more than just sell cool vintage gear. The New Jersey-based hi-fi specialist offers a “Stereo Concierge” service for audiophiles who crave a unique system but don’t have the time or inclination to research and find “the right” gear.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/skyfi-s-die-vintage-setup-spans-decades

Denon DRA-800H Stereo Network Receiver Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $499

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Audiophile-quality sonics
Easy access to networked and internet-streamed music
Extensive HDMI switching
Minus
Non-backlit remote

THE VERDICT
Denon’s modern take on the classic stereo receiver delivers excellent sound quality, video switching for 2-channel home theater, and all the amenities of an app-driven, internet-connected music system.

As I uncrated the Denon DRA-800H stereo receiver and set it on my rack for review, I was struck by a powerful wave of nostalgia. Back in my early days of audiophilia, stereo—no wait, stereo and vinyl—was pretty much the game. Buying a basic receiver was a typical rite of passage for a high school or college student back then, and it was staring at rows of them at the local TV/appliance store—with their shiny brushed chrome faceplates, dials and buttons, and backlit tuning displays—that got me hooked on audio in the first place.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/denon-dra-800h-stereo-network-receiver-review

Christmas Movies: Ho, Ho, Ho!

For those pining for Part 2 of my latest tome on projectors and screens, it will come soon enough. But posting it on Christmas Eve seemed like an invitation for it to plunge into the reindeer-and-chestnuts memory hole. With the biggest holiday of the year fast approaching as I write this (not counting Super Sunday), you'll likely be looking for relief from Uncle Harry's annual Christmas dinner ramblings: "when I was your age..." So fire up the old home theater and settle in for a movie or two—a movie about the holiday, on the holiday.

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Hands On: Does Amazon Music HD Make the Grade?

Amazon Music HD came out of the gate with hi-res guns a-blazing. Can the online retail giant deliver on the level of quality their customers have come to expect from its other services?

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Toy Story 4

Picture
Sound
Extras

On her first day at pre-school, Bonnie, the kid who received Andy's toys at the end of Toy Story 3, makes (literally) a new friend out of a discarded spork. She calls him Forky and he soon becomes her favorite toy. But that's just the first act. On a road-trip with Bonnie's family, cowboy-toy Woody reunites with his old flame Bo Peep. Bo, now a "lost toy," has acquired the skills of an action hero—a sort of RamBoPeep.

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Mixxim Brings Back the Cassette… As a Music Player

The audio cassette just won’t die. The latest attempt at reviving the ’70s relic comes in the form of a Bluetooth-enabled digital music player that doubles as a legitimate cassette — legit as in it will actually play in some cassette decks.

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WTF! Why Don’t All Streams Have Gapless Playback?

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I just finished listening to the new Giles Martin remaster of The Beatles’ Abbey Road via a 24-bit/96kHz stream from Qobuz. For the first few tracks I felt like I was listening to the original album, but on a much better stereo system. Then the bad news came when I got to the medley on “side two” starting with “You Never Give Me Your Money.” Instead of a seamless flow between songs, I heard distinct gaps between the tracks. It really ruined the experience. Why can’t streams of album tracks that are supposed to segue do so without annoying, and at times jarring, gaps in the sound? There are lots of iconic recordings with the same issue. —Thomas E. Moore, Fairfax, VA

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Round 2 Holiday Deals from Denon & Def Tech

Denon and Definitive Technology have announced Round 2 of limited-time holiday discounts on AV receivers and soundbars.

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Florida Audio Expo Returns to Tampa in February

The Florida Audio Expo, featuring more than 80 exhibitors of high-performance audio gear, will return to Tampa for a three-day event in early February.

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T+A Announces 3rd Generation of All-in-One Audiophile Music System

The German audio company T+A (Theory + Application) has announced the third generation of its all-in-one Caruso Music System built for audiophiles.

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Best AV Gifts of 2019

Still struggling to find that perfect gift for that special someone? In the holiday spirit of helping you wrap things up (figuratively and literally), we present 28 great gifts for your consideration — all Sound & Vision Top Picks and all less than $1,000. Prices start at $80 with a full third of our picks falling under $300. Don’t forget to check for holiday deals on Amazon and other discount sites.

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Naim Mu-so QB 2nd Generation Wireless Music System

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

PRICE $900

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Compact
Built like a tank
Elegant fit and finish
Excellent sound quality
Minus
Sound can be a little bright
App isn’t always intuitive
Pricey

THE VERDICT
U.K.’s Naim Audio has made the awesome Mu-so QB even better with expanded streaming options and streamlined operation.

I loved Naim’s Mu-so QB when I reviewed it a couple years ago so I couldn’t wait to try out the “re-engineered” second-generation QB, which except for a new gray-aluminum top and slightly different grille fabric looks pretty much the same as the original — which is to say as compact and sexy as ever.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/naim-mu-so-qb-2nd-generation-wireless-music-system

Holiday Specials Up to 30% Off from Atlantic Tech

Atlantic Technology is getting in the holiday spirit by offering discounts on a number of its products. Here’s a quick rundown...

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Cambridge Audio Streamers Now Support Qobuz

U.K. audio specialist Cambridge Audio has announced that its network audio streamers now support the high-resolution music streaming/download service Qobuz.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/cambridge-audio-streamers-now-support-qobuz

2019 Holiday Gift Guide, Part 2

With less than 10 days to go before Santa makes his way down the chimney, how’s that holiday shopping going? For those who are still working on it (we sympathize with you), here’s Part 2 of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guide, featuring a few last-minute ideas. Unless otherwise noted, we haven’t done hands-on testing, so be sure to check return policies and try to take items with strong gift potential for a test drive.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/2019-holiday-gift-guide-part-2

Analog Tape Time Machine

The year is 1962. You are working at Decca Records and your job is to listen to audition tapes and pass along your evaluation. The next demo tape on your endlessly replenishing stack is from some unsigned band calling themselves The Beatles. You mount the tape on your machine and listen for a few minutes. Then you rewind it and put it back in its box. Pass.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/analog-tape-time-machine

Vizio Offers 1-Day-Only TV Deals at Sam’s Club

Vizio is running a one-day-only holiday special on two Dolby Vision-equipped 4K smart TVs and a soundbar system at Sam’s Club on Saturday, December 14.

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Remaster Class: Jethro Tull: Aqualung

Jethro Tull made a bold move with their fourth album, March 1971's Aqualung, by amping up the intensity that informed the eclectic, prog-folk acoustic/electric hybrid the British band had firmly established on their first three LPs. That move effectively catapulted Tull headlong into the slipstream of the first wave of FM radio-favored artists. In fact, one could even argue the opening six-note pattern of the iconic title track is as instantly recognizable as the recurring four-note riff that defines Deep Purple's seminal "Smoke on the Water" (sorry, just wond'ring aloud here).

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Konka to Launch Line of 4K TVs in U.S. Next Spring

The Konka Group of China has announced a “major brand expansion into the North American market” with plans to unveil a series of 4K Ultra HD TVs and smart-home products at the upcoming CES 2020, which opens January 7 in Las Vegas.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/konka-launch-line-4k-tvs-us-next-spring

Aubrey Powell: Pink Floyd’s Perennial Man of Vision

Aubrey Powell, Hipgnosis co-founder and the creative director for Pink Floyd's massive The Later Years: 1987-2019 box set, tells us why having a personal bond with the artist helps with the creative process and why the intended visual message must connect with the music itself.

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Hands On: Roku Soundbar and Subwoofer

The Roku soundbar and subwoofer improve TV sound with a budget price tag that is even better during the holidays.

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Denon and Definitive Technology Kick Off Holiday Deals

Denon and Definitive Technology today announced limited-time holiday discounts on AV receivers and soundbars.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/denon-and-definitive-technology-kick-holiday-deals

Zappiti 4K HDR Media System Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $4,739 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy setup and installation
Sleek, attractive user interface
Scalable—can add other rooms as needed
Minus
Does not retain HDR metadata
No Dolby Vision or HDR10+ Support
Requires wired network for best results

THE VERDICT
An easy to use digital ecosystem with a sleek interface that lets you rip your entire music and movie disc library and access it from any room in the house.

With today's streamers and smart TVs offering myriad apps to watch movies from, one thing has become painfully obvious about discs: they're clunky. While I'm a firm believer in pre-recorded media due to its superior technical merits, I'll admit that shelves overflowing with discs can get overwhelming. Also, let's face it: case spines aren't nearly as sexy as a slick onscreen interface. From early Windows Media solutions to the latest apps like Kodi, I've seen numerous solutions crop up over the last decade to bring pre-recorded media to a modern playback environment.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/zappiti-4k-hdr-media-system-review

Fluance Rolls Out Turntable Deal for the Holidays

Canadian home-audio company Fluance has knocked $100 off its RT84 turntable for the holidays.

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McIntosh Mates Tube and Solid-State Amps in Bold Dual-Mono Design

McIntosh today introduced a one-of-a-kind dual-mono amplifier that combines a 300-watt tube amplifier, 600-watt solid-state amplifier, and crossover in one chassis designed to provide the "ultimate" bi-amping solution.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/mcintosh-mates-tube-and-solid-state-amps-bold-dual-mono-design

Denon Previews New Heos/AirPlay 2-Compatible Wireless Speakers

Denon today previewed a new series of compact speakers that incorporates its high-resolution-capable Heos wireless multiroom platform and supports streaming via Apple's AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/denon-previews-new-heosairplay-2-compatible-wireless-speakers-0

The Big Picture

It's been a while since I last opined on video projectors and screens, and since there are always newbies hanging about it seemed long overdue.

So you've finally decided that a video projector and screen will be in your (hopefully near) future. Flat screens are fine and all that, but they just don't give you the WOW! experience you're looking for. But how to proceed? If you think you can just go out tomorrow, choose a projector and screen at random, and have it all installed by Thursday, think again. To avoid costly mistakes you need to do some homework. Even if you choose a pro to do it (not cheap, but often a good idea), some of the choices involved will be personal...

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/big-picture-0

‘Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood’ Now on Blu-ray

To coincide with today’s release of Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that it is accepting orders for a Collector’s Edition box set that includes a 7-inch vinyl record, vintage poster, and a mini edition Mad magazine parody inspired by the film.

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SVS ‘Reimagines’ its Most Popular Subwoofers

Subwoofer/speaker specialist SVS today introduced a new series of sub-$1,000 subwoofers to replace its popular 2000 Series models, including the Top Pick-designated SB-2000 and PB-2000 models.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/svs-reimagines-its-most-popular-subwoofers

2019 Holiday Gift Guide, Part 1

Santa’s coming in a couple weeks. Is your holiday shopping list complete? And let’s not forget about your own personal wish list. Here we present Part 1 of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guide, featuring gear that grabbed our attention for one reason or another. Unless otherwise noted, we haven’t done hands-on testing, so be sure to check return policies and, if possible, take items of interest for a test drive.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/2019-holiday-gift-guide-part-1

Abbey Road - Anniversary Edition (Super Deluxe Version)

Performace
Sound

The Beatles were, for all intents and purposes, over. While new, original music would follow in May 1970 with the release of Let It Be, the balance of the recording sessions for what ultimately became September 1969's Abbey Road is generally acknowledged as the in-studio swan song for those four Liverpool moptops who forever defined, if not outright created, the popular music artform in the 1960s.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/abbey-road-anniversary-edition-super-deluxe-version

Should I Use My Oppo Player to Upconvert to 4K?

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I use an Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player and an Apple TV as sources, with the signals fed through a Marantz SR7011 AV receiver to an Epson Home Cinema 5050UB projector. From what I understand, the player, projector and receiver can all upconvert standard- and high-def signals to 4K. Which one should I let do the upconversion? —Michael Antoniello, via email

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/should-i-use-my-old-oppo-player-upconvert-4k

A Touch of Class: Meze Audio 99 Classics Headphones

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value

PRICE $309

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Rich, detailed sound
Solid bass
Elegant fit and finish
Light and comfortable
Minus
A little pricey

THE VERDICT
The 99 Classics check all the right boxes: They’re light and comfortable, beautifully built, and sound great.

Endless fascination. That’s the best way to describe my recent obsession with the 50-year-old Beatles classic Abbey Road. I’ve listened to the album hundreds of times over the years on a variety of formats, starting with the original vinyl pressing, yet listening to Giles Martin’s tasteful and, ultimately, reverential remix is like hearing this magnificent collection of songs for the first time.

Of course, a good bit of the credit goes to Meze Audio’s stylish 99 Classics...

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/touch-class-meze-audio-99-classics-headphones

Dali Oberon 5.1 Speaker System Review

Speakers
Performance
Build Quality
Value

Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

PRICE $2,546 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Balanced sound with effortless treble
Solid bass extension
Impressive performance from compact subwoofer
Minus
Center speaker can sound slightly chesty when listening off-axis

THE VERDICT
DALI joins the pantheon of excellent compact, affordable 5.1 speaker packages with this system based around the overachieving Oberon 1.

Over the past 25 years, the Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries company has grown from a small and relatively obscure maker (in the U.S. market, at least) to a much more major player in the world's crowded loudspeaker arena. The Danes' latest move toward the broader marketplace is the Oberon series, an affordable range consisting of two towers, two bookshelf/standmount models, one on-wall, and one center- channel—all two-way, vented- enclosure designs.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/dali-oberon-51-speaker-system-review

Atlantic Technology Rolls Out its First Earphones

Atlantic Technology today announced the availability of its first earphones.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/atlantic-technology-rolls-out-its-first-earphones

Rotel Reintroduces Upscale Michi Brand in U.S.

Rotel today announced plans to reintroduce the high-end Michi brand in the U.S. early next year.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/rotel-reintroduces-upscale-michi-brand-us

2019 Blu-Ray Gift Guide: Boxes of Joy

The time has come to not only celebrate the holidays, but also our favorite movies and TV shows, in high- or ultra high-definition, with Atmos sound (where available), and with extras galore. Once again, we invite you to sit back and peruse our picks of the year's most exciting boxed sets to give and to receive.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/2019-blu-ray-gift-guide-boxes-joy-0

Denon’s $249 Soundbar Boasts DTS Virtual:X Surround

Denon today introduced a $249 all-in-one soundbar featuring DTS Virtual:X processing, which simulates a DTS:X-like immersive sound field without using up-firing height speakers.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/denon-s-249-soundbar-boasts-dts-virtualx-surround

1More Knocks 35% Off Headphones Through Dec. 6

San Diego-based earphone specialist 1More has announced a site-wide “cyber week” sale offering 35% off all models.

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