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Best Gear of Spring 2023
Spring has been kind to us. We’ve had the opportunity to evaluate and recommend a number of interesting products in recent weeks. Among them, a streaming speaker guaranteed to rock your house, luxury headphones from an iconic high-end brand known for its top-shelf electronics, two terrific TVs — one OLED, one mini-LED — a “spatial audio” speaker you can balance in the palm of your hand, and more. Read on for a rundown of our latest Top Picks in just about every AV category.
China’s TCL is making remarkable strides in the ever-competitive TV market with an expansive range of budget models in screen sizes ranging from 32 inches all the way up to 98 inches. Though the 65-inch 6-Series R655 Roku model we reviewed falls at the higher end of the brand’s price spectrum, it’s a decided 5-star bargain in the relatively new world of LCD TVs that use mini-LED backlighting to bolster picture brightness and contrast. It’s also a visually striking TV that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range (HDR) in addition to offering a near-reference quality Movie picture mode, voice control through the Roku app and remote, and home-screen access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, HBO Max, Disney+, and other streaming services, including The Roku Channel with its wealth of free content. Also on tap is a handy Game mode that automatically unlocks superpowers not otherwise available — from 4:4:4 chroma to 144 Hz support to VRR (variable refresh rate) and ALLM (auto low latency mode).
LG’s svelte Gallery Edition series of 4K OLED TVs just keeps getting better. Building on the success of last year’s impressive G2, which uses an aluminum heat sink to increase brightness by drawing heat away from the display panel, the G3 goes a step further with the addition of a micro lens array to (in conjunction with LG’s excellent Alpha 9 processor) reach new levels of peak brightness by better focusing light from the millions of pixels that make up the image. The difference is immediately noticeable, resulting in the brightest OLED we’ve tested to date and all but removing criticisms around limitations in brightness. Add to that lifelike color, impressive contrast, superb detail and you have a topnotch OLED TV.
Definitive Technology has returned to its roots with the DM70 tower, the latest iteration of the bipolar design it pioneered 30+ years ago. Like all of the company’s bipolar tower designs, the DM70 follows the path set forth by founder Sandy Gross: mating front- and rear-firing drivers with an integrated subwoofer. In this case, the DM70’s slender 4-foot-tall cabinet mates two driver complements, each comprising a 5.25-inch woofer and 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter, with a built-in bass module that draws on a 250-watt amp to power a 10-inch woofer augmented by a pair of 10-inch passive radiators. The beauty of this design is you get rich, three-dimensional sound with deep effortless bass from two minimalist speakers wrapped in black fabric.
JBL has once again brought its heritage in studio monitors to bear in a consumer speaker but this time with a twist. At a glance you wouldn’t know it, but the 4329P is actually a “press and play” speaker made for streaming via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the latter through Apple AirPlay and Chromecast. As you’d expect from JBL, it’s an impressive audiophile-caliber affair that mates an 8-inch woofer and a horn-loaded 1-inch tweeter with a 300-watt amplifier in a ported cabinet best suited for placement on an optional stand. Hard-wire connections include Ethernet jack, optical and USB-B digital inputs, balanced XLR stereo inputs, a stereo minijack input, and an RCA Sub Out, which activates an 80-Hz high-pass filter when connected. In a wireless setup, internal processing is limited to 96 kHz/24 bits but can be expanded to 192/32 with the hard-wire Ethernet connection.
The Era 300 is the latest in a new generation of small, Atmos-compliant “spatial audio” speakers designed to deliver a hassle-free immersive listening experience. At $449, it costs more than the competition, though it is engineered to a fare-thee-well and delivers excellent sound quality on its own, in tandem with a second Era 300, or as a rear surround speaker in a soundbar-based home theater setup. The speaker supports streaming via Bluetooth and AirPlay 2 with voice control through Alexa or the new Sonos Voice assistant and includes Trueplay tuning to compensate for room acoustics no matter when you place it. Of course, it also fits in the long-admired Sonos multiroom ecosystem.
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Wouldn’t it be great if you could make that hulking subwoofer sitting in the corner of your room all but disappear yet still enjoy kick-ass bass? Impossible? Not at all. With 25 years of experience under their belts, the subwoofer kings at SVS have taken on what may be their most challenging design ever — a subwoofer designed to be placed in the wall. The new 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer features two beefy 9-inch drivers mounted on a solid aluminum baffle that’s part of a shallow, narrow enclosure designed to fit between standard wall studs. The structure uses internal bracing to keep it inert and is powered by a separate Class D amplifier/digital controller that can be mounted in your rack: SVS’s impressive Sledge STA-800D2C, which is rated to deliver 800 watts RMS and 2,500 watts of peak power. The amp’s DSP section provides a variable crossover, phase control, room gain compensation, and a three-band parametric equalizer, all of which can be conveniently set using the SVS Subwoofer Control Smartphone App. Once secured to the studs, the woofers are concealed by a magnetic grille that can be painted so it blends in with the wall. It’s not completely invisible but pretty close.
If you crave subterranean bass output but are on a tight budget, Polk’s XT10 subwoofer is worth a look. Okay, for three hundred bucks it can’t hit the lowest of lows but it can deliver plenty of oomph down to 30 Hz and do so from a cabinet that’s reasonably small and lightweight. Inside, a 50-watt Class D amp feeds a down-firing 10-inch woofer. The port also fires from bottom of the enclosure so you won’t have to worry about mischievous cats or kids tossing Legos into it. Around back is a basic set of controls to adjust level, phase, and low-pass crossover (40- 160 Hz) plus a line-level LFE input and a set of stereo RCA inputs.
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Juke Audio’s streaming amplifier is a different kind of streamer — one that provides a simple and affordable way to retrofit an existing hard-wired multiroom speaker system, or power a new one. In addition to supporting AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, the Juke communicates directly with a wide array of supported apps and is available in a six- or eight-zone configuration, offering 12 or 16 channels, respectively. The system is easy to use and, though its Class D amplifiers are only rated for 20 watts per channel, they are stable down to 2 ohms and deliver high-quality sound. Remarkably, one eight-channel Juke can accommodate up to 48 speakers, and up to 10 Jukes can work together in a system that supports 480 speakers!
At $850, OSD Audio’s Nero XA7180 home theater amplifier is one of the most cost-effective solid-state amplifiers Sound & Vision has tested in recent years. The Class AB amp boasts a Class-H design, indicating the use of dual voltage rails to increase efficiency, and is rated to deliver 7 x 122 watts into 8 ohms (all channels driven). More to the point, the amp boasts something you don’t find at this price level: balanced XLR inputs in addition to the standard RCA connections. Going yet a step further, everything — including a beefy toroidal power supply — is housed in a sturdy cabinet featuring a thick top plate secured with countersunk screws and a handsome brushed-aluminum faceplate. Add to that the ability to produce clean power that meets spec and it’s easy to see why the amplifier earned our Top Value designation.
Mark Levinson has been producing luxury audio gear for more than 50 years but never ventured into the realm of headphones — until now. At just under a grand, the No. 5090 headphones aren’t cheap but they do live up to their pedigree, having quickly established themselves as one of the best performing wireless sets on the market in terms of sound quality (they’re tuned to the Harman Curve), battery life (up to 34 hours), comfort (the earpads and headband are covered in padded-leather), streaming tech (Bluetooth v5.1 with aptX Adaptive and LDAC), and active noise cancellation (ANC) with three levels of adjustment, including one that automatically adapts to your surroundings. You can control the ’phones using the buttons on each earcup or via the app, which also lets you adjust bass contour, set timers, and cycle through custom parameters you’ve created.
Top 4K TVs
TCL 6-Series mini-LED QLED 4K Roku TV: $999
Reviewer Mark Henninger was so impressed with the R655 — particularly its natural color, HDR presentation, and gaming prowess — that he gave Performance a 4½ star (out of 5) rating: “This TV will absolutely wow you with its picture quality,” which translates into a “particularly crisp and punchy image as long as you are seated centered to the screen.” The caveat, of course, is the image doesn’t look as impressive to viewers seated off to the side — a compromise many will be willing to accept given the attractive price/performance ratio. Even so, there was no mistaking the “visual feast” of detail, color, and action conveyed in the 4K HDR stream of Avatar: The Way of Water. The bottom line: A thousand bucks gets you a “peak bang-for-the-buck” Top Pick TV packed with the latest video formats and technologies, presented in an easy-to-use Roku interface.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Very bright
Deep blacks
Excellent contrast
Wide color gamut
Minus
Limited viewing angles
Full Review Here (posted 4/6/23)
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LG G3 OLED Evo 4K TV: $3,299
The G3 supports Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR) and is equipped with dynamic tone mapping that effectively converts HDR10’s static metadata into dynamic metadata to minimize clipping while retaining as much image detail as possible, useful Filmmaker and Cinema picture modes, controls for fine tuning color, brightness, and contrast, and a dizzying selection of setup options. Though we can’t guarantee your experience will be the same as ours, the out-of-box performance of the set LG delivered for this review was so close to ideal that active calibration offered no visible improvements. Drawing on a broad range of movies, from the ornate Victorian-era environments in Topsy-Turvy to the vivid animation of Trolls World Tour, veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton was never disappointed: “Regardless of genre, the LG G3 sets a high bar for its competition.”
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Stunning brightness
Excellent color
Outstanding blacks
Minus
Cluttered WebOS
Little else
Full Review Here (posted 5/17/23)
Stereo/All-In-One Speakers
Definitive Technology Dymension DM70 Bipolar Tower Speaker: $4,000/pair
Reviewer Mark Henninger was mesmerized by what he heard when he powered up a pair of DM70s: “Their most obvious quality is stereo imaging that's transcendental in nature. The soundstage is vast and enveloping, and the imaging is so accurate that it is as if the performers are right there in the room with you. I know that's a cliché, but it's also how it really sounds!” But what about that pair of integrated subwoofers — what do they bring to the party? For starters, they are rock solid down to 30 Hz and having two of them helps smooth out peaks and dips in the bass. At four grand a pair, these speakers don’t come cheap but they do deliver in spades and are an exciting choice for stereo music.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent soundstage and imaging
Powerful and adjustable bass output
Disappears when the lights are out
Minus
Each speaker requires a power outlet
Cloth grille is not removable
Can't be placed up against a wall
Full Review Here (posted 4/14/23)
JBL 4329P Powered Streaming Studio Monitor: $4,500/pair
Using Chromecast via Roon to zero in on streaming performance, the 4329Ps aced just about everything reviewer Daniel Kumin threw at them — from the subtleties of Suzanne Vega singing à cappella on “Tom’s Diner” to “Jack of Speed,” a clean and ultra-punchy track from Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature played at levels you’d expect to hear in a recording studio. “The 4329Ps’ displayed no loss of clarity, dynamism, or bottom-end heft, despite snare-drum strikes that rifled across my studio like gunshots.” Likewise, the JBLs conveyed the sub-20 Hz bass heard on Belà Fleck’s “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo” without breaking a sweat leading Kumin to conclude: “JBL’s largest and most capable streaming speaker to date is an unreserved success.”
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Outstanding sound quality and dynamics
Deep bass extension
Subwoofer output
Minus
No music-data or volume display
On the large side for stands
Full Review Here (posted 5/3/23)
Sonos Era 300 Wireless Spatial Audio Speaker: $449
As impressive as the sound is with one speaker, things get really interesting when you play Dolby Atmos tracks with two speakers in play, each of which houses six drivers, including two woofers and tweeters that fire forward, to the sides, and up from the top. As reviewer Rob Sabin put it, “The image went edge-to-edge, and with Atmos tracks, utterly filled the room up and out toward my seat. Classic jazz tracks remixed for Atmos, such as "Have You Met Miss Jones" by the Oscar Peterson Trio, became more adept at recreating the acoustics of the recording space.” Throw in a Sonos Sub and things get even better with bass that dips down to 30 Hz, though the price goes up considerably. The Sonos Era 300 will surprise and delight you with its simplicity and ability to deliver clean, spacious, full-bodied sound from a speaker you can balance in the palm of your hand.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent stereo and spatial audio
Works alone or in a stereo pair
Good 'smarts with Alexa, Sonos Voice
Bluetooth-compatible
Impressive industrial design
Minus
No compatibility with Atmos tracks on Tidal
Does not work with Sony 360 Reality on Amazon
Sensitive to placement
Full Review Here (posted 5/10/23)
Subwoofers
SVS 3000 In-Wall Subwoofer: $2,000
The system is meticulously engineered for optimal acoustic output and thermal efficiency (a necessity due to the mounting location) and requires a fair amount of effort to install so hats off to our resident bass guru David Vaughn for using the 3000 in his den to provide bass support for an all-in-wall home theater speaker system. Talk about commitment: once he choose a location (a process unto itself) and cut into the drywall, there was no turning back! With the installation complete, Vaughn followed on his usual setup/calibration routine.
So how’d it perform? Starting with one of his go-to test music tracks, The Eagles’ live performance of “Hotel California” from 1994’s “Hell Freezes Over,” Vaughn was immediately impressed with the 3000’s “quick, clean and precise” performance and remained so as he continued his audition with a variety of lossless audio tracks stored on a local server, including “Brass Monkey” by The Beastie Boys, which (not surprisingly) rattled dishes in the adjoining dining room. The quick, non-lingering bass on Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity” was a standout: “This sub reminded me of the performance of the SVS SB-3000, one of the best subs I’ve ever reviewed at any price.” Moving on to movies, Vaughn fired up Sonic the Hedgehog, which features a stunning Dolby Atmos soundtrack that “showcased the sub’s ease in handling LFE-heavy scenes before indulging in the sonic excesses of Godzilla vs. Kong at reference levels. “I really thought I would damage the sub by playing the sub at such an insane volume. But I’m happy to report that we both survived. In fact, the sub impressed me with its ability to dig deep.” Sure, there are standalone subs that can play lower and louder with more authority than the 3000, but as Vaughn put it, “they are larger than a mini-fridge and don’t have the aesthetic appeal that the 3000 In-Wall provides.”
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Tight and fast bass response
Adjustable tuning controls via app
Frees up floor space
Minus
Installation limitations based on room construction
In-wall convenience comes with a steep price
Full Review Here (posted 5/31/23)
Polk Audio Monitor XT10 Subwoofer: $299
Though the bass could be a bit boomy with music, resident bass expert David Vaughn was “pleasantly surprised by [the XT10’s] sub-30 Hz performance” with movies. “During the opening sequence of Overlord — one of the most bass-intensive discs out there — the XT10 was able to rattle pictures on the wall. As the German anti-aircraft guns attempted to repel the aerial armada approaching the French coastline, the bass dipped below 25 Hz and the explosions from the flak were surprisingly impactful.” While the lows are not as tight or accurate as what you’d get from a sub costing three to four times as much, Polk’s XT10 produces a generous amount of bass for the price, making it a solid value and a great soundbar companion.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Compact design
Plenty of output above 30 Hz
Wallet-friendly price
Minus
Weak output below 30 Hz
A bit boomy
Full Review Here (posted 3/22/23)
Audio Electronics
Juke Multiroom Streaming Amplifier: $1,349 (Juke-6), $1,499 (Juke-8)
To put the Juke through its paces, Mark Henninger used the amp to power a pair of Arendal 1961 tower speakers in a straight stereo setup. “The Juke will happily drive a pair of tower speakers — full-range — and as long as you don't push it into clipping, it sounds great.” Raising the stakes, he then connected eight Arendal 1961 tower speakers to a single Juke and let ’er rip. Satisfied with what he heard, he upped the ante yet again and wired up eight stereo pairs for a total of 16 speakers. When he cranked up the volume with all speakers playing the same source, the result was “reasonably loud and undeniably clear” sound. Ideal for homes with hard-wired distributed-audio systems, Juke's streaming amplifier offers an affordable, efficient way to bring multiroom audio streaming into the fold.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Plug-and-play upgrade
Simple and reliable
Low cost per zone
Expandable
Minus
Only 20 watts RMS per channel
No EQ
Full Review Here (posted 4/3/23)
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OSD Audio Nero XA7180 7-Channel Amplifier: $850
To put the XA7180 through its paces, reviewer Mark Henninger started with stereo listening, running a pair of tower speakers full range: “The amp is not the weak link. Used as a two-channel audiophile amp with high-fidelity speakers, the sound reflects the speakers’ capabilities, not the amp’s limitations.” Moving to full-bore surround sound, performance remained every bit as impressive with the amp driving seven of the nine speakers in a home theater setup fed by a flagship Denon AVR acting largely as a preamp/processor. On Avatar: The Way of Water, the “sound was so energetic that my neighbor complained about their walls shaking. This had never happened before. I definitely noticed the physicality of the sound — this amp moves sizeable quantities of air.” The moral of the story: OSD’s Nero XA7180 is proof that you don’t have to break the bank to get loads of clean power.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Inexpensive
Fanless design
RCA and balanced XLR inputs
Auto standby
12-volt power trigger
Minus
Needs 6-inch clearance when rack mounted
Full Review Here (posted 5/24/23)
Headphones
Mark Levinson No. 5909 Wireless Headphones: $999
Recording-engineer-turned-audio-reviewer Leslie Shapiro characterized the 5090’s sonic signature as truthful and accurate with controlled and detailed bass, a warm midrange, and a pleasant high end. “The Harman Curve is bright, with a slight emphasis on the high-end, but it never tips into harshness.” Listening to a music in variety of genres, Shapiro marveled at the detail and nuance of the acoustic guitar and vocals on “Just Say I’m Sorry,” the recent duet by P!nk and Chris Stapleton, and the immersive yet intimate soundstage on U2’s remake of “With or Without You.” If you’re looking for wireless headphones that deliver reference-quality sound, Mark Levinson’s No. 5090’s are worth a listen.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-quality sound
Excellent connectivity options
Exceptional active noise cancellation
Minus
Annoying voice confirmation
On-Head detection setting is too short
Full Review Here (posted 4/26/23)
To browse all Sound & Vision-recommended AV gear, broken out by category, visit our Top Picks page.
Also see 2022 Top Picks of the Year
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COMMENTS
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