Best Gear of July 2019

Sound & Vision’s Top Picks for July share an admirable trait: They deliver what most of us are looking for: excellent performance at reasonable prices. How reasonable? Prices range from four hundred bucks for a surprisingly refined subwoofer to a full-featured projector with impressive brightness and contrast that can be had for just under $3,000.

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RSL Speakers CG5 5.1 Speaker System Review

Speakers
Performance
Build Quality
Value

Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

PRICE $2,499 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Clean and tidy sound
Excellent tonal match between models
Superb high-gloss painted finish
Minus
Sound is a bit polite with some material
No wood finish option

THE VERDICT
This RSL CG5 system offers relaxed sound that's easy to like, impressive build quality, and great value.

Everybody loves a great comeback story. Whether it's Tiger Woods winning The Masters after a decade of disappointment, or Apple's return to global dominance after nearly going bust twenty years back, it's nice when someone or something can make a strong return.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/rsl-speakers-cg5-51-speaker-system-review

Vizio Rolls Out AirPlay 2, HomeKit Update

Vizio has joined LG and NAD as one of the latest brands to support Apple’s AirPlay 2 platform, enabling wireless streaming from Apple iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

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LG and NAD Get AirPlay 2 Streaming

LG and NAD are the latest AV brands to support Apple’s AirPlay 2 platform, enabling wireless streaming from Apple iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/lg-and-nad-get-airplay-2-streaming

Magnepan’s Flagship Loudspeaker Hits the Road

Road trips are a common enough activity in the U.S., but most, if not all, drivers leave their loudspeakers behind. Not Wendell Diller. The marketing mind behind Magnepan hit the road earlier this year with the company’s 30.7 Magneplanar loudspeaker, a flagship model, in tow. The plan? To visit every one of the company’s U.S. dealers and demo the new $30,000/pair loudspeaker.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/magnepan-s-flagship-loudspeaker-hits-road

Amazon Echo Link Amp Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
High-quality DAC
Alexa voice control
Includes headphone amp
Minus
Cumbersome input selection
No aptX Bluetooth
No hardware remote control

THE VERDICT
The Amazon Echo Link Amp offers an easy way to connect music streaming services to your existing stereo speakers.

With the new Amazon Echo Link Amp ($299), Amazon is sending Alexa off into unchartered territory. The goal: get music out of the phone and into the home, where it can be shared with family and friends. Such a warm, fuzzy idea! Good thing the Link Amp's sound is crisp, clear, and not fuzzy at all.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/amazon-echo-link-amp-review

TV Tech Explained: Mind Your Gamma

Unless you're accustomed to turning on your new set and never touching any of the controls beyond volume (and if you're reading this that's probably not you) Gamma is a control and a subject worth knowing more about.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/mind-gamma

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Now on Digital, 4K Blu-ray Aug. 13

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, the climactic conclusion to an 11-year cinematic journey spanning 22 superhero films and the second highest grossing film of all time, is available in digital release starting today and slated to arrive on 4K/Ultra HD Blu-ray August 13.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/avengers-endgame-now-digital-4k-blu-ray-aug-13

Mind the Gamma

Unless you're accustomed to turning on your new set and never touching any of the controls beyond volume (and if you're reading this that's probably not you) Gamma is a control and a subject worth knowing more about.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/mind-gamma

The Coming Boom in Home Theater

I have a theory. Well, it’s not really a theory. It’s more of a hunch. Actually, it’s not even a hunch. Just a tingling. But sometimes my tinglings are surprisingly prescient. Here’s my tingle: Thanks to societal shifts, in the coming years there will be a huge resurgence — a boom — in the popularity of home theater.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/coming-boom-home-theater

CEDIA Announces 2019 Home Tech Pro Awards

CEDIA today announced the winners of its 2019 Home Technology Professional Awards competition, which recognizes the best custom-installation projects completed by member companies over the past year.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/cedia-announces-2019-home-tech-pro-awards

StormAudio Develops Advanced HDMI Card

StormAudio, the French maker of high-end surround processors, has developed an advanced 4K-compatible HDMI card that delivers “improved switching time and compatibility with all HDMI connectable devices.”

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/stormaudio-develops-advanced-hdmi-card

Space-Age Coffee Table Has Built in Fridge, Speakers

Hong Kong-based Coosno has set out to redefine the everyday (boring) coffee table with something quite unusual…and dynamic: The Coosno Bar.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/space-age-coffee-table-has-built-fridge-speakers

Klipsch ‘Christmas in July’ Promo Ends Tomorrow

Klipsch’s “Christmas in July” promotion, offering discounts up to 30%, ends tomorrow (Saturday, July 27). Here are a few of the deals…

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/klipsch-christmas-july-promo-ends-tomorrow

Severtson Projection Screen Boasts Removable Bezel

Severtson Screens, the 33-year-old family-run company that operates three production facilities in Sun Tan Valley, Arizona, has announced that it is now shipping the 4K Thin-Bezel Series of fixed projection screens.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/severtson-projection-screen-boasts-removable-bezel

Nativ Adds Lossless Classical Music Streaming

Nativ, Hong Kong-based maker of the Vita high-resolution music player/server, has teamed with Idagio to bring lossless classical music streaming to its player.

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New Pro Audio Tech Speakers Are ‘Finest to Date’

Pro Audio Technology, the Lake Forest, CA-based speaker specialist that blurs the line between pro and consumer audio, has introduced a trio of horn-based high output/high sensitivity home theater speakers company founder Paul Hales says are “by far the finest loudspeakers we have ever produced.”

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/new-pro-audio-tech-speakers-are-finest-date

Flashback 1999: MP3-for-All

Twenty years ago, Napster introduced the world to unlimited file-sharing — and the music business has never been the same since.

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LG Ships Ultra-Short-Throw 4K Laser Projector

LG today announced that the CineBeam ultra-short-throw 4K laser projector it previewed at CES 2019 is now available for $5,999.

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VR Brings the Home Theater of Your Dreams to Life

Dreaming of a new home theater space? You might want to find a custom installation company in your area that uses cutting-edge design software from Modus VR.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/modus-vr-updates-home-theater-design-software

BENQ HT9060 DLP Projector Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $8,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-level optics
Maintenance-free LED light engine
Outstanding color accuracy
Minus
Lacks lens memories and motorized adjustments
Disappointing contrast
Limited HDR performance

THE VERDICT
BenQ's latest flagship projector outclasses its predecessor with HDR and wide color gamut sup- port, but contrast performance and HDR handling leave much to be desired compared with the high-end competition.

Back in 2017, I had an opportunity to review BenQ's HT9050 DLP projector, a flagship 4K model featuring a spectacular all-glass lens, an LED light engine, and the latest Texas Instruments DLP imaging device. To sum that review up briefly, I had a lot of issues with the HT9050, which lacked both HDR support and convenience features commonly seen on other models at or near its $8,999 price. Now BenQ has brought out the HT9060, another $8,999 model sitting at the top of its "CinePro" projector line.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/benq-ht9060-dlp-projector-review

Wayne Coyne Bursts Forth With New Sounds, Directly From the Mouth of The King of The Flaming Lips

We talk with Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips about their current concept release, King’s Mouth: Music and Songs, incorporating stereo-friendly elements into a mix, mastering the lost art of the song transition, and why having a great drummer is crucial to a band’s long-term success.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/wayne-coyne-bursts-forth-new-sounds-directly-mouth-king-flaming-lips

64 Audio’s Fourté Noir: Ultimate Audiophile Earphone?

64 Audio, the Vancouver, WA-based company specializing in professional in-ear monitors (IEMs), has outdone itself with the Fourté Noir, a new limited-edition IEM that can be yours for a cool $3,799.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/64-audio-s-fourt-noir-ultimate-audiophile-earphone

Vizio TV, Soundbar Sale Starts Friday at Best Buy

Vizio is following Samsung with its own two-day “Black Friday in July” sale at Best Buy, which kicks off Friday and runs only through Saturday with discounts between 21% and 29% on several HDR-enabled 4K TVs and up to 43% on a handful of Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbars.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/vizio-tv-soundbar-sale-starts-friday-best-buy

LG Doubles Down on OLED

LG today announced that its manufacturing arm — LG Display of Seoul, South Korea — is doubling down on OLED technology and “stepping up its efforts to…advance the OLED era.”

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/lg-doubles-down-oled

PewDiePie Lights Up Your Dashboard

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The most innovative developments in home theater won't happen in the home. They'll be in the car. Now, Tesla has announced another incremental step in that evolution: YouTube streaming to your dashboard.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/pewdiepie-lights-your-dashboard

KEF Unveils New Finish for Q Series Speakers

KEF has unveiled a new satin-matte walnut finish for its award-winning Q Series of speakers.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/kef-unveils-new-finish-q-series-speakers

CEDIA Announces Shark Tank-Style TechStarter Program

CEDIA has announced a Shark Tank-style TechStarter program that will enable new companies to pitch their business models to leaders in residential technology at 2019 CEDIA Expo, which runs September 10-14 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/cedia-announces-shark-tank-style-techstarter-program

Seymour-Screen Excellence Takes Motorized Masking to a New Level

Seymour-Screen Excellence, the joint venture between U.S-based Seymour AV and U.K.-based Screen Excellence, has announced an adjustable ratio, motorized masking system for screens up to 20 feet high that is designed to be built on the wall in sections rather than being assembled on the floor and lifted into place.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/seymour-screen-excellence-takes-motorized-masking-new-level

Blue Velvet

Picture
Sound
Extras

S&M, voyeurism, murder, rape, violence, and torture. . . some of the typically wholesome activities to be found in small-town America. This psychosexual possible-murder mystery—set in a neo-Fifties 1980s logging town—soon gets weird when an innocent local finds a severed human ear in a field. Writer-director David Lynch uses various tactics to keep the viewer as off-balance as his attracted-to-the-hidden-underbelly protagonist.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/blue-velvet

Samsung Rolls Out ‘Black Friday in July’ TV Discounts

Hot on the heels of Amazon’s record-breaking Prime Day extravaganza, Samsung has kicked off a “Black Friday in July” sale, offering promotional discounts on soundbars and TVs, including new 8K models. Discounts range from 17% to 36% with most being around 30% off.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/samsung-rolls-out-black-friday-july-tv-discounts

OSD Unveils Space-Saving Tube Subwoofer

Brea, CA-based Optimal Speaker Design (OSD) has introduced a cylindrical subwoofer that’s rated down to 30 Hz yet occupies less than a square foot of floor space.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/osd-unveils-space-saving-tube-subwoofer

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB Pro-UHD 3LCD Projector Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $2,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Extended color
Excellent brightness and contrast
Great value
Minus
Fan noise with High Power Consumption setting active

THE VERDICT
Epson’s latest UltraBlack model delivers impressive image quality with both standard and Ultra HD/HDR sources at an equally impressive price.

In late 2018, I reviewed Epson's 4010 PRO-UHD 3LCD Projector, a $2,000 model with a bright (2,400 lumens) picture, 4K/Ultra HD display via pixel-shifting, and a wide range of sophisticated setup features such as motorized lens shift and focus that are typically found only on much more expensive models.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/epson-home-cinema-5050ub-pro-uhd-3lcd-projector-review-0

Dish Releases AirTV Mini to Simplify Sling TV Experience

DISH has just released a new AirTV.  The AirTV Mini is a palm-sized dongle that appears to be a promising upgrade from the original 2017 AirTV Player. 

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/dish-releases-airtv-mini-simplify-sling-tv-experience

Best Stereo Speakers, Soundbars & Subwoofers of 2019 (So Far)

In early June, we highlighted a half dozen Top Pick-worthy home theater speakers systems and followed that up with a handful of top performing speakers that should be on the shopping list of anyone looking to go wireless. Continuing on the speaker theme, we now turn to the best stereo speakers, soundbars, and subwoofers we’ve reviewed so far this year. And for good measure, we’ve thrown in a subwoofer guaranteed to rock the house.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/best-stereo-speakers-soundbars-subwoofers-2019-so-far

This Home Theater Puts Acoustics Front and Center

Acoustical treatment is an essential part of any great sounding entertainment space but most people look to hide it or subdue it with panels that blend into the room, often masquerading as modern artwork.

Then there are people who crave the unconventional — in this case, a home theater with unique aesthetics instead of the stereotypical designs often seen in Sound & Vision and other magazines.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/home-theater-puts-acoustics-front-and-center

Bob Dylan: The Rolling Thunder Revue – The 1975 Live Recordings

Performance
Sound

Bob Dylan has long seen the value in releasing extensive historical collections befitting his anointed artistic legacy. The latest entry in the Dylan archival canon is a massive 14-CD box set via Columbia/Legacy, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings, a 148-song, 10-hour collection that focuses on the first, late-1975 leg of the touring Revue. The box contains all five of Dylan’s full first-leg sets that were professionally recorded between November 19 and December 4, 1975 as spread over 10 discs…

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/bob-dylan-rolling-thunder-revue-1975-live-recordings

High Dynamic Games

A recent article I wrote for Sound & Vision on High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology focused on what HDR is and how it gets implemented in different types of displays. The focus of that article was movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray disc and on streaming services, but another topic worth discussing—one that regularly gets overlooked—is HDR gaming.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/high-dynamic-games

Choice Films for Choice Guests

We've all encountered the problem: Guests who haven't yet seen or heard your home theater setup are coming over for a movie night. But which movie to choose? If you know the guests' tastes the choice should be easy. But that isn't always the case. It would help to know which titles might interest them, and perhaps which films they might actively dislike. It's probably best to steer clear of every shade of gray, excessive violence (unless it's cartoonish, as in most superhero movies), politics, and recent Nicholas Cage movies.

War movies and animation can also be dicey with some viewers, though I've included three such selections on my list. The length of the film chosen is also important. If you settle on the new Criterion Blu-ray release of the 1964 Russian film War and Peace be sure to have lots of snacks available. It runs on for 7 hours—all subtitled and only slightly shorter than the entire final season of Game of Thrones!

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/choice-films-choice-guests

Como Audio Unveils Streaming Turntable, Smart Speaker

Como Audio, the Boston-based maker of the Top Pick-designated Solo and Duetto music systems, today unveiled its first streaming turntable and announced plans to ship a new voice controllable smart speaker in the fall.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/como-audio-unveils-streaming-turntable-smart-speaker

CEDIA Cites Mitchell Klein for Lifetime Achievement

Mitchell Klein, a 30-plus-year industry veteran who helped shape the custom installation business in its early days, is the recipient of CEDIA’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/cedia-cites-mitchell-klein-lifetime-achievement

1More Knocks 50% Off Earbuds for Prime Day

China-based headphone specialist 1More has knocked 50% off its wired and wireless Dual-Dynamic Driver earphones for Amazon’s Prime Day sale extravaganza, which began yesterday and runs through midnight tonight (July 16).

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/1more-knocks-50-earbuds-prime-day

CTA Predicts Another Record Year for Consumer Tech

The growing popularity of streaming services, emerging technologies built around artificial intelligence (AI), and in-vehicle technology will help propel the U.S. consumer technology industry to a record-breaking $401 billion in retail revenues in 2019 — a 2.2% increase over last year, according to the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) midyear forecast.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/cta-predicts-another-record-year-consumer-tech

Ready for Prime Day? (Assuming You Even Care)

Amazon’s super hyped “Prime Day” sale extravaganza begins today and ends tomorrow (Tuesday, July 16) at midnight. Yep, last year’s event was so successful that the online retail king decided to extend it to a second day this time around.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/ready-prime-day-assuming-you-even-care

SiriusXM Blurs the Line between Satellite and Streaming

As a long-time subscriber to SiriusXM, I tend to completely ignore emails and notices from them. I pay and renew every six months and forget about them in between payment dates. So I’m glad I spotted the latest email from them because they’ve announced a host of new features, stations, and exciting new ways to listen to SiriusXM outside of the car.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/siriusxm-blurs-line-between-satellite-and-streaming

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Picture
Sound
Extras

The village of Berk is now the overcrowded home not only of our favorite Viking clan, now led by a grown-up Hiccup, but also a huge and motley assortment of friendly dragons. After they encounter a revived gang of dragon-hunters led by the ruthless Grimmel, Hiccup decides that their only solution is to evacuate Berk, where they're an obvious target, and search for a new home where they'll be safe.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/how-train-your-dragon-hidden-world

Sonos Streamlines Control4 Integration

Sonos has streamlined its integration with Control4 home-automation products as part of its latest software update.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/sonos-streamlines-control4-integration

Ultra Rare Find: Nakamichi Dragon CD Changer

Nakamichi made a name for itself in the 1970s building high-end cassette decks that eked every last ounce of performance out of the tape format but the company also made CD players and changers for the home and car in the ’80s and ’90s.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/ultra-rare-find-nakamichi-dragon-cd-changer

Naim Upgrades Integrated Amps, Adds Phono Stage

UK-based Naim Audio has announced the third generation of its NAIT and SUPERNAIT integrated amplifiers, featuring a series of performance upgrades and a built-in phono stage.

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