Audio Video News

Bluesound Pulse Sub+ Subwoofer: $749

With its new Pulse Sub+, Bluesound offers a bigger and better take on the Pulse Sub we reviewed in 2017. For starters, it doesn’t look like a subwoofer — a trait sure to please décor-conscious system builders. Its trapezoid-shaped cabinet is slim enough to slide under a sofa or end table or you can stand it on end (as shown below) using a second set of rubber feet that attach magnetically and provide vibration relief. If you want to get really fancy, you can even mount the Pulse Sub+ on the wall using the supplied bracket. The sub is available in black or white and operates wirelessly when used with Bluesound products such as the Pulse Soundbar or Powernode 2i streaming amplifier; otherwise, it has a line-level input for integration with any system. Like many new subwoofers, there’s no remote — setup and control are handled via the BluOS Controller app, which makes it easy to adjust volume, phase, delay, crossover frequency, and more.

Regardless of where you put the Sub+, this very unsubwoofer-like bass module will rock your world with a 150-watt smart amp/digital processor and 8-inch driver combo rated to rumble down to 22 Hz (±2 dB). Testing its might with the spectacular Amazon Olympics opening scene from Wonder Woman 1984, reviewer Al Griffin reveled in the sound of driving drums, thundering horse hooves, and the pounding bass in Hans Zimmer’s score. Turning to music, he was equally impressed with how the Sub+ “deftly handled the relentless deep bass, synth patches, and exaggerated kick drum” in 1984’s "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. “Its 150-watt amplifier and 8-inch driver provided substantial amounts of bass, and its DSP kept the sound precise and controlled.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive kick from a slim, elegant cabinet
Refined sound
Extensive control via smartphone app
Minus
No remote control
No auto-calibration/room EQ feature

Full Review Here (posted 2/10/21)

SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer: $800

Ohio’s SVS has been building quality subwoofers for more than 20 years but somehow never got around to making one of those super-compact subwoofers that leaves you scratching your head — until now. The new 3000 Micro packs an 800-watt (RMS) amplifier, digital signal processing, and two opposing 8-inch woofers into a remarkably small cube that’s not quite 12 inches square. As you might imagine, these are no ordinary woofers. Rather, each 8-incher is a custom driver built to do one thing: deliver deep bass at high levels from a tiny cabinet. Adding to the allure of this mini marvel is SVS’s excellent app, which provides instant access to a generous helping of features, including low-pass frequency/slope controls, a three-band parametric equalizer with adjustable “Q” (bandwidth), and room-gain compensation with a selectable high-pass filter.

Running through his arsenal of bass torture tracks, reviewer Dan Kumin was thoroughly impressed with the 3000 Micro’s ability to play low and loud, including its ability to clearly render the strong, down-sliding electric-bass notes in Bela Fleck's “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo.” “At levels I'd call ‘solidly loud demo’ (roughly 83dB SPL on average) the 3000 Micro matched my everyday [SVS PC-12-Plus tubular] subwoofer perfectly.” Kumin also pitted the little brute against KEF’s KC62, a Top Pick winning mini-sub that costs almost twice as much, and “heard nothing to distinguish the two…at loud-but-not-too-loud levels.” Plumbing the depths further, Kumin cued up the "Flight to LAPD" scene from Bladerunner 2049 featuring a Hans Zimmer score that dips well below 20Hz and was, once again, captivated by the 3000 Micro’s ability to deliver deep, accurate bass at satisfying levels.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Highly compact form factor
Notable extension and output for size
Excellent control app
Minus
No auto-EQ/correction

Full Review Here (posted 6/30/21)

KEF KC62 Subwoofer: $1,500

In a grand departure from the typical black-cube subwoofer, England’s KEF and companies like Bluesound (whose Pulse Sub+ is also featured in this post) have made a conscious effort to bring style to a speaker category that routinely gets shortchanged in the looks department. And, in the case of KEF’s KC62, the beauty is anything but skin deep, extending to the heart of its extruded-aluminum cabinet where you find a "force-cancelling" (back-to-back) double-woofer that joins two outward-facing drivers in a common magnet structure. KEF calls the clever design Uni-Core and its goal is to coax deep bass from a (roughly) 11-inch cube with the help of “smart” digital processing, current sensing feedback that limits output on the fly to squelch audible distortion, and a Class D amplifier that delivers 500 watts to each driver. Guess what? It works.

Listening tests confirmed the KC62’s ability to deliver solid bass that was smooth and clean down to 25 Hz at levels that were loud, though not earthshaking, making it ideally suited for smaller spaces and moderate listening levels. When hitched with a pair of small monitors, the KEF had no difficulty in "keeping up," wrote audio guru/reviewer Dan Kumin. “Deep bass stayed solid, dynamic, and undistorted, and the next octave displayed zero boom, thud, or unseemly whooshing.” When called to support a larger tower-based speaker system, the sub revealed rich orchestral bass on Prokofiev’s “Dance of the Knights” (Romeo & Juliet) at moderately loud levels, leaving Kumin impressed that a “breadbox-size subwoofer can produce actual 25Hz-and-lower content at musically useful levels. The KC62 will match the performance of a well-engineered 12-inch sub in every important parameter except peak dynamics and level.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Incredible extension from incredibly small design
Highly flexible controls and features
Wireless option
Elegant finish
Minus
Limited peak output
Pricey

Full Review Here (posted 2/24/21)

AV Electronics

Yamaha RX-V6A 7.2-channel A/V Receiver: $650 (up from $600 when reviewed)

Yamaha’s RX-V6A, one of three affordable receivers we reviewed toward the end of 2020, delivers cutting-edge features at an unprecedented price so even budget-minded enthusiasts can partake in the spoils of the latest audio technology. The V6A conveys impressive sound quality with movies and music and supports streaming through Yamaha’s MusicCast platform and Apple AirPlay2 as well as 4K at 60 fps (frames per second), 4:4:4 chroma subsampling at 18Gbps, and Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR). The receiver is also equipped with Yamaha’s YPAO automated setup program and ready to receive firmware updates that will bring HDMI 2.1 compatibility to three of its seven HDMI inputs along with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, which enables you to experience the sensation of height from an ordinary speaker setup.

With seven 100-watt channels of onboard amplification, you can power a traditional 7.1 surround system or a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos setup with height channels. Of course, to reach this level of technical sophistication in a $600 receiver, there is a tradeoff: Except for the de rigueur analog phono inputs, all connections are digital — so if you want to hook up a retro gaming console you’re out of luck unless you have an analog-to-HDMI converter. Bottom line: The V6A is a thoughtful, forward looking AVR that delivers much of the latest audio and video technology at a reasonable price. As reviewer Michael Trei put it, “Yamaha’s latest mid-price receiver adds up to an excellent foundation on which to build a great multichannel system.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
HDMI 2.1-ready (via firmware update)
Versatile speaker switching
Built-in phono preamp
Minus
Small front panel and onscreen displays
Lacks analog video connections

Full Review Here (posted 12/30/20)

Simaudio Moon 280D Streaming DAC: $3,000

A few months ago the upscale Moon division of Canada’s Simaudio released the latest update of the 280D streaming DAC (digital-to-analog converter) it introduced back in 2015. Though the model number remains the same, 280D has been received a number of significant upgrades, making it one of the top music players in its price category. The streamer is now Roon Ready, meaning it is fully compatible with the Roon music-management system audiophiles love, and employs an asynchronous DAC that decodes MQA files as well as native DSD up to DSD256 and PCM up to 32 bits/384 kHz, including DXD.

Moon’s software-based MiND 2 (Moon intelligent Network Device) streaming module has also been updated with support for Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect in addition to providing ready access to hi-res streaming through Tidal and Qobuz, CD-quality streaming via Deezer Hi-Fi, and aptX-enabled streaming over Bluetooth. The 280D also boasts a balanced analog stage, provides eight digital inputs, and accommodates synchronized multiroom playback on multiple MiND 2 devices, all controllable through an easy-to-use app. All of these new capabilities are put to good use in a device that promises overall outstanding sound quality. As reviewer Howard Kneller put it, the 280D excels at converting digital sources to analog and streaming music from local sources and online music services with a “high level of fidelity.” Add to that a generous 10-year warranty and the Moon 280D is easy to recommend.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Outstanding performance and build quality
Multiroom wireless streaming capability
Compatible with AirPlay 2
Roon Ready
Minus
Lacks front panel display
No HDMI input

Full Review Here (posted 7/7/21)