The Hobbit Trilogy

Picture (all)
Sound (all)

The Lord of the Rings was a box office phenomenon, which of course meant demand for more movies. And lo, a prequel book had already been written, so after some wrangling Peter Jackson returned to make another trilogy set within J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastical universe. Taking place 60 years before the start of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey gives us Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), content to go about his safe, humdrum existence, until fate and a tall, pushy friend sweep him up in an incredible adventure.

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Steven Wilson Is a Hi-Res Man of the People

"I like to upset people, because it means I'm doing the right thing."

And that, my friends, is Steven Wilson for you in a nutshell. The once and future king of surround sound has taken yet another giant creative leap forward with his new solo album, The Future Bites (Arts & Crafts), which, after a pandemically induced half-year deferral, is finally being released on January 29, 2021.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/steven-wilson-hi-res-man-people

Best Gear of Winter 2021 (So Far)

Home entertainment took center stage in 2020 and will continue to enrich life at home until we defeat the invisible enemy known as COVID-19. Whether a return to quasi-normal life takes weeks or months (my bet is on the latter), A/V gear of all shapes and sizes will continue to not only make possible but enhance our music and movie experiences. All of which brings us to the latest crop of Sound & Vision Top Picks, encapsulated here for your convenience.

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NAD Masters M28 Seven-Channel Power Amplifier Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $4,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Exceptional performance
Exceptional build quality
Dimmable power indicator light
Minus
Pricey

THE VERDICT
It doesn’t come cheap, but NAD’s Masters M28 is a genuinely unique product designed to compete sonically with some of the highest-end amps on the market, regardless of how many channels they offer.

Whether you fall into the "all well-designed amps sound the same when used within their limits" camp or the "amp selection is critical" army of true believers, it's arguable that prior to the turn of the millennium amps designed for high-performance audio had fallen into a rut. They were so good that the advertising for them had to become increasingly creative. But a parade of skilled designers remained convinced that the new concepts they had come up with were superior, and audiophiles still lined up to buy them. The turf was always familiar: tubes remained tubes with their lovable quirkiness, and solid state was dominated by class-A/B designs as it had been since the transistor was invented.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/nad-masters-m28-seven-channel-power-amplifier-review

Will I Lose Pixels & Brightness When Zooming a Projected Image?

Q I ordered an Epson 5050UB LCD projector with 10 lens-shift memory settings and am looking for a projection screen. Information on one screen manufacturer’s website says you lose 25 percent (over 2,000,000 pixels) and up to and 25-30% of brightness when using a lens-shift memory setting to zoom images to fill a 2.40:1 “scope” screen…and when a projector blacks out pixels during this process, it absorbs the light energy, creating excess heat. Is this information accurate? Also, should I instead consider using an anamorphic lens with the projector? —Douglas Bien, via email

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/will-i-lose-pixels-brightness-when-zooming-projected-image

Out with the Old, In with the Old?

I recently bought a new car. It wasn't planned, though perhaps long overdue. Old Betsy...um Mazda...took it on herself to make a frontal run on a low curb at a high enough speed to rip into the oil pan and take out one of the engine mounts. No injuries to this or any other humans, nor any perceptible damage to the curb, but my insurance company decided that it was time to send my 15-year-old filly to pasture.

But, you ask, how does this apply to A/V gear. For starters, the latter tends to last a long time unless the winds blow, the ground shakes, a fire intrudes, or the crick rises.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/out-old-old

Polk Audio Readies React Sound Bar

Polk Audio has launched its latest soundbar, the $249 React. The 2.0 model supports Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 virtual surround sound and, according to Polk Audio, is the most advanced Alexa-enabled sound bar available today. It can also be mated with the company’s React Sub ($199) and SR2 surround speakers ($199/pair) to create a full wireless surround system.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/polk-audio-readies-react-sound-bar