Special Features

This season, there are a lot of ways to bring joy to A/V enthusiasts. Movies and TV shows on disc are a great start, so much so that they get their own separate guide, whereas here we take a look at and give a listen to the gear, accessories, and music—particularly on vinyl—that are destined to bring a little warmth to the winter months.

Since the home theater isn’t the only room in the house (just the best room), we’ve also sprinkled in some practical home goods and/or just plain fun items that honor our favorite stories and characters, including a certain Pixar film marking a milestone.

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The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono ($299.98, Apple/Capitol/UMe)
Sixty years ago, it was a monaural world (“mondo mono”), and so records were commonly mixed for a single channel, to play from a single speaker, and people dug it.

The Fab Four certainly did, as this was typically their preference, with the stereo version often rushed, almost as an afterthought. Beyond simple reissues of the U.K. original albums, those released in America during calendar 1964 (and a bit into 1965) dropped, added and otherwise rearranged songs to give us record-buying Yanks a steady stream of compelling, calculated releases over this crucial period of the British Invasion (thank you, Ed Sullivan), and they’re what many of us here in The States grew up with.

These seven mono albums have been out of print on vinyl for almost 30 years, now comprising an eight-LP box set, with six of the titles (all except the double-LP The Beatles’ Story, an audio documentary of sorts combining clips, quotes, and music) also available individually:

• Meet The Beatles!
• The Beatles’ Second Album
• A Hard Day’s Night Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Something New
• The Beatles’ Story
• Beatles ’65 (actually released 12/15/64)
• The Early Beatles

For ‘60s-era authenticity and no shortage of modern audiophile sparkle, each has been analog cut for 180g vinyl from the original mono master tapes. All feature faithfully reproduced album art plus newly created inserts with expert essays about each album's creation and more, housed in a sturdy slide-out library box. Taken together, they transport the listener to a time and place when life was simple, TV was black-and-white, and one speaker was plenty.

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Beetlejuice Collector Advent Calendar ($90, insighteditions.com)
With the sequel finally happening this year, and to great acclaim, Insight Editions has embraced the spirit of the season (did you catch that?) with this wonderfully themed surprise-a-day set.

Inside are a baker’s dozen premium little gifties developed specially for this calendar, which is cleverly disguised as the Handbook for the Recently Deceased. These are not chocolates (would you eat anything Beetlejuice gave you?) but high-quality, useful items to enjoy throughout the year, reminding us of our favorite undead troublemaker and his cohorts.

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Talking Heads: 77 Super Deluxe Edition Vinyl
Stop Making Sense 2CD+Blu-ray Deluxe Edition (both Rhino; rhino.com)

I used to think that the ‘80s was the best time to be a Talking Heads fan, but maybe a better answer would be TODAY. Rhino’s Talking Heads: 77 Super Deluxe takes us back to where it all began, and how, on vinyl, this being one of several new commemorative configurations. Its magnificent red box houses LPs of the remastered original album, rarities (coveted B-sides, demos, outtakes, and alternates), as well as their historic final live set at NYC’s CBGB, 10/10/77, across two platters only available here. A set of four 45RPM 7” singles with picture sleeves is also supplied, repeating some of the content from the LPs in an era-authentic manner. The hardcover book is its own beast, lovingly art-directed and boasting liner notes from all four bandmates.

77 kicked off an incredible streak of studio albums that would lead them to Speaking in Tongues, the tour for which yielded the concert event Stop Making Sense, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and presented in its own assortment of audio/video flavors.

We heartily recommend the CD/Blu-ray set, carrying the complete concert remastered in stereo on its two compact discs plus Dolby Atmos and high-res stereo on Disc 3 (an audio-only BD; not the movie itself, although that’s sold separately), all with an expanded new booklet.

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Dalstrong Game of Thrones Collection Chef Knives ($169 each)
Turn heads at your next feast when you pull out one of Dalstrong’s new eight-inch chef knives… ideally not from someone’s back.

Choose a house, as they do in Westeros: We were drawn to the inspired gold titanium nitride-enrobed House Lannister Edition--flashy to be sure but the coating also adds durability--with Houses Stark and Targaryen also on offer, each in its own colorway and with a subtly different silhouette.

Since the Valerian stuff is hard to come by, this blade uses high-carbon, high-chromium German steel that’s razor-sharp right out of the box and will stand up to the longest winter. It’s full-tang (a single piece of metal from tip to endcap), bound to a tough-as-Jon-Snow G10 handle. The decorative etching features scenes unique to each house that also cleverly work to keep food from sticking.

Even the handle rivet is laser-engraved with the appropriate sigil. Sub-zero temps have fortified the blade to better resist rust while extreme heat has enhanced the hardness, but I like to think of it as forged in ice and fire. Naturally, it comes with its own leather sheath, and to make it even more fan-friendly, there’s an exclusive sculpted magnetic pin. (It’ll look spiffy next to your hand of the king badge.)

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Marvel Studios: The Art of Ryan Meinerding by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry ($65, abramsbooks.com)
As Head of Visual Development at Marvel Studios (a curious but oh-so-cool title) since the original Iron Man, Ryan Meinerding (hard to spell but easy to love) helped craft the crucial look and feel of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

That’s a tall order to be sure, creating visions that are at once fantastical yet tactical and believable, which is important when you're talking about gods and super-science, and many characters have looks that evolve from movie to movie. The book is big but not obnoxiously so, its 300+ pages crammed with hundreds upon hundreds of keyframes, concepts, and character designs, ranging from his early work-in-progress sketches to finished illustrations, framed by his personal insights. The book leads off with a gracious introduction by Marvel Studios Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige… with a portrait of Feige by Meinerding, of course.

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WiiM Amp Pro ($379, wiimhome.com)
The snazzy-looking li’l Amp Pro is WiiM’s top-of-the-line audiophile streamer/amplifier, combining a premium ESS ES9038Q2M DAC, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connectivity with 60W per channel for 8 ohms/120W for 4 ohms and Post-Filter Feedback (PFFB) technology.

Stream music up to 24-bit/192 kHz from Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, and others, as well as casting music via Chromecast and more, in addition to our own tunes stored on a USB flash drive. The comprehensive connectivity options also include an HDMI ARC port to bring next-level stereo to your TV (Dolby Digital and PCM stereo supported), with a subwoofer out for that extra oomph. The nifty WiiM Home app provides room correction, tailored EQ and smart home integration to go multiroom with Amazon Echo, Google Home, and other WiiM devices, and/or we can use the included Bluetooth voice remote with built-in Alexa.

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R2-D2 Chauffeur Car Diffuser ($199, hotelcollection.com)
Don't be fooled by the name: While low and discrete to fit your ride, this scent diffuser is USB-C rechargeable to be completely portable and sit just about anywhere, but sure, it’s a luxurious alternative to that cardboard pine tree dangling from your rearview mirror.

It packs a motion detector so it activates on its own, just like R2, and even kind of looks like the dome atop the galaxy's most famous astromech droid. (More like R5-D4’s flat-top, come to think of it.) He uses interchangeable little bottles of Hotel Collection’s diffuser oils (sold separately) with an available Star Wars line in fragrances like "Jedi" and "The Empire."

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Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 ($279.99, jabra.com)
Does stereo, even really good stereo, ever leave you wanting more? These true wireless earbuds employ Jabra’s proprietary Spatial Sound to deliver Dolby Atmos with Dolby Head Tracking for immersive cranium-surrounding audio, great for premium music streaming as well as movies.

They combine a comfortable noise-isolating fit with the company’s strongest noise cancellation to further transport the listener, with 10mm drivers for respectable kick. Elite 10 Gen 2 supports Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, plus their new “LE Audio” smart case and included cables can add wireless streaming functionality to just about any source, even without Bluetooth. Battery life is good for a long day on the go, with USB-C and optional wireless charging.

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U-Turn Audio Orbit Theory Turntable (prices vary, uturnaudio.com)
With the vinyl resurgence only showing signs of increasing, we have to ask: So, what are you spinning your LPs on? U-Turn Audio is bringing old-school to the masses with highly customizable turntables starting as low as $249 for their Orbit Basic, all the way up to their top-of-the-line Orbit Theory ($999 and up).

The belt-driven Theory comes standard with a natural hardwood plinth in one of three colors, adjustable-height sorbothane-damped feet, an ultralight one-piece magnesium armtube and a grooved acrylic platter with machined aircraft aluminum-alloy spindle and pulley. We can also add an optional built-in phono preamp and switch to a step-up Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge. The result? Warm, rich, detailed analog audio. Theory pairs elegantly with:

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U-Turn Audio Ethos Powered Speakers ($449-549 plus optional grills)
Relying upon acoustic design rather than digital processing, U-Turn’s bookshelf loudspeakers keep the audio signal fully analog from the vinyl to our eardrums.

They’re designed for line level input and can be configured in a number of different ways: Bluetooth, too. ("Bluetoo"...?) They're built like absolute brutes (in the good sense) and they pack the goods inside: toroidal transformer, passive crossover, custom 4” woofer and 1” silk-dome tweeter with neodymium magnets and a slim, wide bass port around back. They play clean and they play loud, the Class AB architecture delivering 2x40W RMS/2x80W peak. The MDF Cabinets come in three different colors and, like the turntables, are all hand-assembled in Woburn, Massachusetts. Speakers and ‘tables alike come neatly boxed with a generous array of cabling so they can connect right out of the box without hassle, and U-Turn confidently provides a three-year warranty on both products.

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Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays LP (Craft Recordings)
Their duet with Sara McLachlan on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" has been on heavy radio rotation for years, but what about irresistible originals like "Elf's Lament," their collab with a young with Michael Bublé, or their brief instrumental take on “Rudolph”? I’ve been playing these 20 tracks daily, reminding me that BNL are all terrific musicians with a distinctive sound that makes for the funnest holiday album I've ever heard, now making its worldwide vinyl debut 20 years after its initial release and available in an assortment of colors from different retailers.

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UP 15th Anniversary
I wasn’t there in 2009 when Up landed in theaters, which maybe isn’t such a bad thing, considering how I behave when I watch it. I’ve more than made up for my oversight since, exalting it among my absolute favorite films and celebrating it with a selection of thoughtful, tasteful merch in my own menagerie. For this year’s auspicious occasion, Disney Store has been rolling out some great new products, and here are my top three picks:

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Carl Fredricksen Mini Backpack ($89, all items at shopdisney.com)
Like most Loungefly products I've gotten my hands on, this backpack uses a vegan polyurethane “leather” that wears like iron, the entire build quality is legit in fact, and the compact size is just right for a day at the parks, just be prepared to stop frequently to field compliments.

The design leans hard into vintage, rustic theming with faux weathering, brass-toned zippers, plus little details that push it over the top: die-cut, 3D layering, with clear vinyl lenses in Carl’s glasses and goggles. Co-pilots Dug and Russell appear on the two side pockets, and a scene-specific all-over print adorns the lining. And because this is Act III Carl, he’s actually smiling again!

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Ellie and Carl Limited Edition Doll Set ($249.99)
This display-ready duo captures Carl and Ellie—she with her endearing smirk—in their prime as they head out for one of their famous picnics, decked out in animation-accurate cloth outfits, with detailed accessories and rooted hair on their giant heads.

The scenic packaging reproduces their sidewalk, white picket fence and mailbox (before its major plotpoint) with flag. They arrive hand-in-hand inside a glorious, heavyweight window box complete with a certificate of authenticity, worthy of taping inside your adventure book.

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Grape Soda Water Bottle with Straw ($24.99)
Upping your hydration game is always a worthwhile New Year’s resolution, and this reusable water bottle will make it that much easier to keep.

It’s styled as a 21-fluid-ounce vessel for everyone’s favorite fruit-flavored carbonated refreshment, but that’s just a suggestion, and with its frosted, translucent plastic body, no one will know for sure what’s inside. A large black-and-white-and-purple bottle cap is there of course, now home to a durable straw that stays in place with a little ring so we’re less likely to lose it.