David Crosby: Remember My Name

Picture
Sound
Extras

Subtitle it The Ballad of Never-Easy Rider. Produced by Cameron Crowe, David Crosby: Remember My Name is a self-actualized love letter to one of rock's most significant rollercoaster-ride careers. Croz's admitted goal for the film's wished-for postscript is some level of interactive redemption with his chief collaborators of years past—i.e., Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young—all of whom he doesn't speak with to this day. (Why? As he readily admits, the combination of anger and adrenaline always turn him into "instant asshole.")

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Go to a Concert Without Leaving Home

If you love going to concerts but are tired of paying exorbitant ticket prices (if you can even get them) or settling for cheaper seats in the nose-bleed section, MelodyVR is building a library of alternate reality “concert going” options you might find appealing.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/go-concert-without-leaving-home

Insane Deal: LG Knocks 42% Off 86" 4K Ultra HDTV

Every now and then you come across a crazy deal. Like this one…

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How Do I Get Dolby 5.1 from My TV’s Streaming Apps to My Old Receiver

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

Q I’m using the built-in apps on my Sony XBR-55X850C TV for video streaming. The set’s optical digital audio output is connected to an older Denon AVR-4306 receiver. My problem is that I only get Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from the TV’s Netflix app; no other app (HBO Now/Go, Sony Crackle, Hulu, or Disney+) provides DD 5.1. My local AV shop suggested using another streaming device or upgrading to a high-quality optical cable. Any advice or suggestions? —Ken Ashlock, Colorado Springs, CO

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Yamaha Breaks Out the March Madness Deals

Yamaha is offering discounts on a couple of AV receivers and one of its home theater systems in the run-up to the 2020 NCAA Division 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament (a.k.a. March Madness), which kicks off March 19th.

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AudioControl Avalon G4 Four-Channel Amplifier Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $2,200

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Solid performance
Flexible 4-,2-, or 3-channel setup
Five-year warranty
Minus
Intrusive rear-panel lighting

THE VERDICT
The Avalon G4 may be designed for upgrading systems to the new immersive audio formats, but it's also a fine performer that's flexible enough to satisfy other configurations.

Four may be an even number, but a four-channel amplifier like AudioControl's Avalon G4 might seem like an odd duck to some. With Dolby Atmos and other immersive audio formats becoming more common in the custom install market (where AudioControl, which manufactures products at its Seattle facility, has a heavy presence), however, upgrade-anxious customers will obviously need four additional amp channels to complement the company's existing 5- and 7-channel designs.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/audiocontrol-avalon-g4-four-channel-amplifier-review

Best Subwoofers to Buy Right Now in 2020

Ready to up the ante on your AV investment and take your theater or music setup to the next level? Trade that puny boom box for a subwoofer built to deliver deep, palpable bass that reminds you you’re alive and tricks you into thinking for a moment you’re circling the track in a Shelby Cobra while watching Ford v Ferrari? The editors of Sound & Vision have singled out five outstanding yet reasonably priced subwoofers you must consider if your answer is “yes.” All made our coveted 2019 Top Picks of the Year list and are presented here in ascending price order.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/best-subwoofers-buy-right-now-2020

ViacomCBS Adding Content to CBS AllAccess

The CBS All Access channel is about to offer a lot more content thanks to the ViacomCBS re-merger.

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Where Have All the Hi-Fi Shops Gone

When I was a lad I served a turn as a Hi-Fi looker with no bucks to burn…

With apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan, I’d venture that more than a few veteran audiophiles began that way. Back in the day every city of medium to large size had at least one hi-fi shop. Big cities had dozens....I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but by the mid ‘90s there were far fewer shops than before...

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Ascendo’s Seismic Subwoofer Is a Modern Marvel

There’s no denying the lure of powerful, deep, visceral bass. How it pulls you into the action. How it scares the living hell out of you. How it makes music real. We were so intrigued by the beastly 6-foot-tall SMSG50 super subwoofer designed and built by Germany’s Ascendo Immersive Audio that we had to dig deeper. We wanted to know what it takes to design and build a subwoofer of this caliber — one capable of producing peak levels up to 140 dB and deliver 105 dB of sound pressure at 5 Hz. Is a subwoofer that weighs 441 pounds and uses a single 50-inch (!) driver to plumb the infrasonic depths really better than a model of more manageable size with maybe a few 18-inch drivers? We caught up with Geoffrey Heinzel, partner and director of international sales and marketing for Ascendo, to learn more about this modern marvel.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/ascendo-s-seismic-subwoofer-modern-marvel

Distribution Crisis Threatens Record Store Day 2020

Can physical media continue to prosper at a time when streaming has all but consumed today’s music industry while the likes of Spotify and Amazon sign up subscribers at unprecedented rates and the distribution chain responsible for shipping most catalog classics and new releases on LP and CD implodes?

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/distribution-crisis-threatens-record-day-2020

Pink Floyd: The Later Years - 1987-2019

Performace
Sound

Which one's Pink? It's a question the mighty members of Pink Floyd have answered more than once throughout their unmatched 50-plus-year career. No matter who's been at the helm—the wide-eyed lysergic-minded guitarist/vocalist Syd Barrett, the uncompromising iconoclast bassist/vocalist Roger Waters, or the melodic linchpin guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour — the mantra of delivering music that's always high fidelity, first class has been at the core of Pink Floyd's production values from the very beginning.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/pink-floyd-later-years-1987-2019

Disney+ Launches on Vizio Smart TVs

Owners of Vizio SmartCast-enabled smart TVs dating back to 2016 will soon have direct access to the new Disney+ streaming service via an app on the home screen.

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'Players TV' Sports Network to Debut on Samsung TVs

Players Media Group, a Dallas-based startup specializing in sports-centric entertainment, today announced the creation of PlayersTV, a new network dedicated to sports lifestyle and culture entertainment that will launch next month on Samsung TVs.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/players-tv-sports-network-debut-samsung-tvs

Best Speakers to Buy Right Now in 2020

Ready for an upgrade? The editors of Sound & Vision have singled out nine speaker systems that deserve a listen if you’re getting the itch to take your home theater to the next level. All made our coveted 2019 Top Picks of the Year list, meaning they all deliver exceptional sound. Product summaries appear in ascending price order.

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Tech to Make Guests Feel at Home, Part 2

In my last blog, I discussed the generational improvements my custom installation company has witnessed since we started installing whole-house distributed audio systems back in 1995. Of course, almost everything has gotten better — and cheaper — over time, but one thing often overlooked in modern installations is operational simplicity for the guests who visit your home.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/tech-make-guests-feel-home-part-2

Lyngdorf Announces App-Based Streaming Amplifier

Denmark’s Lyngdorf Audio has introduced a compact streaming amplifier that can be fully controlled using a free app.

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DALI Katch One Soundbar Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Very good dialogue intelligibility
Wide stereo imaging
Multiple color options
Minus
Lacks front indicator lights
Pricey

THE VERDICT
The DALI Katch One 2.0 soundbar combines impressive TV sound with an attractive design and multiple color options.

DALI (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries) isn't a well-known brand in the United States, but the company may get more notice once word of its Katch One soundbar gets out. Stylish and simple, DALI's soundbar ($999) strikes an interesting balance between price and sound quality—it's undeniably pricey, but since the Katch One fulfills the promise of an audiophile loudspeaker, you get what you pay for.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/dali-katch-one-soundbar-review

Stealth Acoustics Expands StingRay Speaker Line

With spring fast approaching outdoor speaker specialist Stealth Acoustics has added a new weatherproof model to its popular StingRay line.

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Hisense TVs to Get Free Haystack TV News App

Chinese TV maker Hisense will pre-install the news-focused Haystack TV app in its 2020 TVs under a partnership the companies announced today.

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House of Marley Marks 10-Year Anniversary with Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

House of Marley, the eco-conscious audio company started by members of the late reggae star Bob Marley’s family, today introduced a second-generation wireless earbud featuring active noise cancellation (ANC) to mark its 10-year anniversary.

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Smart Media Consoles Built-to-Order

Okay, so you’re ready to buy one of those sexy ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors that can beam a 120-inch image when placed just a few inches from the wall. But have you thought about where you’re going to put it?

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Video Artist Uses OLED to Display ‘Spooky Actions’

Video artist David Van Eyssen used side-by-side OLED TVs to display his latest “sound and motion” creation over the weekend at the Los Angeles 2020 Frieze Art Fair.

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Is it Dumb to Buy Smart Audio/Video Devices?

Okay. I get it. Contemporary electronic devices are more powerful than old-timey electronic devices. A software engineer recently estimated that a USB-C charger has more computing power than the guidance computer on the Apollo capsules that took men to the moon. Awesome. But I still have an axe to grind.

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Audio-Technica: Wood Makes a Difference in Headphones

Apart from looking beautiful, does making a headphone’s ear cups out of wood make a difference sonically? Audio-Technica thinks so.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/audio-technica-wood-makes-difference-headphones

New Sanus Bracket Integrates Soundbar and TV

Sanus has announced the availability of a universal bracket designed to suspend a soundbar beneath a wall-mounted TV.

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Parasite

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Sound
Extras

Winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or and Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and International Feature, director, co-producer, and co-writer Bong Joon Ho's classist farce, Parasite, focuses on the Kims, a family of poor but proud con artists. Presently scrabbling to get by on lowest-paid jobs in a bug-infested basement apartment in Seoul, South Korea, they dream of climbing up to a better life by tricking the rich using flattery, charm, and well-rehearsed scripts.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/parasite

Take 35% Off this Atmos Soundbar System

Vizio offered us a peak at a few current and forthcoming deals on TVs and soundbars, including dueling 35%-off deals on a four-piece soundbar system.

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HiFiMan's New Planar Headphones Support Wireless Hi-Res Streaming

The headphones specialists at New York-based HiFiMan have introduced a follow-up to last year’s popular Ananda-BT headphones that supports wireless high-resolution streaming.

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Quibi Short Videos Coming to Mobile Phones

Quibi app to stream short-form videos to mobile phones. It uses some innovative technology to optimize the viewing experience for the small screen.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/quibi-short-videos-coming-mobile-phones

British Invasion Pioneer Dave Clark: Still ‘Glad All Over’

Mike Mettler sits down with Dave Clark, the innovative drummer and savvy businessman who helmed The Dave Clark Five, the one band that most consistently gave The Beatles a run for their money on the pop charts during the heyday of The British Invasion in the 1960s.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/british-invasion-pioneer-dave-clark-still-glad-all-over

Aperion Audio Novus 5.0.2 Speaker System Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $2,995

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Natural dialogue Detailed without sounding aggressive Great Value
Minus
Limited deep bass

THE VERDICT
This Aperion Audio Novus system delivers great sound with music and, when combined with a good subwoofer or two, enough visceral thrills to keep up with the most sonically ambitious movie soundtracks.

Aperion Audio had a dilemma. Its flagship speaker line, the Aperion Verus III, costs considerably more than its entry level Intimus range, with the $2,500 flagship Verus III Grand tower selling for nearly three times the price of the $800/pair Intimus 5t tower. Both are bargains in high-end audio's accelerating race to the top, but buyers who might spend more than $800 aren't always keen about making a $2,500 commitment, not to mention the added outlay needed for a full home theater speaker setup. Enter the company's new Novus range, which at $1,400/pair for the Novus towers neatly splits the difference between the two existing ranges.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/aperion-audio-novus-502-speaker-system-review

Origin Acoustics Previews High-Performance Subs

Custom installation innovator Origin Acoustics has announced that it will ship a new line of high-performance powered subwoofers in March.

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Naim Adds Support for Qobuz Hi-Res Streaming

British hi-fi specialist Naim Audio has announced the availability of a firmware update that enables direct access to the subscription-based Qobuz hi-res music streaming service in a half dozen of its products.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/naim-adds-support-qobuz-hi-res-streaming

New Sonus faber Subwoofer Boasts App-Control

Italian speaker specialist Sonus faber today introduced a 600-watt powered subwoofer featuring a leather-wrapped cabinet, app control of multiple setup parameters, and optional wireless connectivity.

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SVS Kicks Off President’s Day Outlet Store Blowout

SVS today kicked off its annual President's Day Blowout offering discounts up to 40% on everything in its Outlet Store, including the company’s award-winning 2000 Series subwoofers.

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The Martians are Coming

I first saw George Pal’s 1953 The War of the Worlds as an 11-year old. It terrified me, but I couldn’t look away. I wasn’t aware at the time that it was based on a book by H.G. Wells, a story that had earlier been adapted by Orson Welles into a 1938 radio drama. The latter had panicked hundreds of adults. Scared as I was in watching the film, I knew it was just a movie. A surprising number of those 1938 listeners thought the broadcast was real.

Both that 1938 broadcast and the 1953 film insured that alien invasions from outer space would become a staple of sci-fi films. Since then the Earth has been attacked from beyond dozens of times in movies, television shows, and even in a 1978 progressive rock album from Jeff Wayne. The results, depending on individual tastes, have ranged from stunning to silly.

But no serious film fan today can deny that the 1953 War of the Worlds is a cult classic...

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RBH Celebrates 45 Years with $45K Reference System

Utah-based audio specialist RBH Sound has unveiled a limited-edition audio system to commemorate 45 years in business.

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How to Turn Off Netflix’s Annoying Autoplay Promos

Do you find the previews that automatically play when you launch Netflix intrusive and annoying? Good news: Netflix has responded to the outcry of disgruntled users with a fix.

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2020 Oscar Winning Films on 4K Blu-ray

While the winners of the 92nd Academy Awards (a.k.a. The Oscars) are still fresh in our minds, check out Sound & Vision’s reviews of two winning films.

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Vanco Unveils Budget In-Ceiling/On-Wall Speakers

Illinois-based custom AV specialist Vanco International has introduced a budget line of custom-installation speakers with prices ranging from $150 to $270.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/vanco-unveils-budget-ceilingon-wall-speakers

Hisense TVs to Get Free Pluto TV Streaming Service

Starting this spring, new Hisense TVs featuring the company’s Vidaa U4 smart TV operating system will provide direct access to the free streaming service Pluto TV through a dedicated button on the TV’s remote control.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/hisense-tvs-get-free-pluto-tv-streaming-service

Joker

Picture
Sound
Extras

To the annals of unique interpretations and iconic performances of The Clown Prince of Crime we must now add Joaquin Phoenix and his exquisitely tragic turn as Joker. The film's Arthur Fleck is a new creation fully outside any established cinematic or literary continuity, a man barely able to function on the mean streets of Gotham City circa 1981. We can feel him barely hanging on as he goes about his daily grind: caring for an ailing mother, toiling as a professional clown, and dreaming of a career as a standup comedian.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/joker

2021 Escalade Sports Futuristic OLED Dashboard

Yet another sign that the future has arrived comes in the form of a 38-inch-wide OLED dashboard display in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade slated to hit showrooms this fall.

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Best AV Gear to Buy Right Now

As the new decade gets underway and we get used to “living in the future,” the editors of Sound & Vision have cherry-picked 10 products across three categories that merit a close look by anyone contemplating an electronics upgrade. All made our coveted 2019 Top Picks of the Year list, meaning they’re all stellar performers.

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Are the Days of High-End Video Projection Numbered?

Looking over the list of products that earned a Sound & Vision Top Pick award in 2019, one entry towered over the others: JVC’s DLA-NX9 D-ILA projector. Congratulations to JVC for a job well done in being selected as S&V’s overall Top Pick for 2019!

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NAD C 658 Network Audio Player/Preamplifier Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $1,649

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Great sound quality
Onboard Dirac Live room correction
Well-designed control app
Minus
Overly busy remote control

THE VERDICT
NAD's streaming preamp brings vinyl playback and Dirac Live room correction to the mix for a very complete package at an affordable price.

I'm no stranger to the network audio player/preamplifier category, having evaluated two such specimens in 2019: Cary Audio's DMS-550 and Simaudio's Moon 390. These components act as a hub for switching a range of digital and analog sources, along with streaming music from online services and local networked storage. The DMS-550 and Moon 390 impressed me with their versatility and sound quality, but at $5,000-plus, both are priced outside the range of an average listener. Fortunately, other options exist such as the NAD C 658, a $1,649 network audio player/ preamplifier aimed at audiophiles on a budget. How does the C 658 hold up against the pricier models? Let's give it a listen.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/nad-c-658-network-audio-playerpreamplifier-review