Audio Video News

Technics SL-1200GR Turntable: $1,699

Vinyl lives! And what better way to experience treasured records — past and present — than with the Mother of All Turntables, the iconic Technics SL-1200, re-engineered and resurrected as the SL-1200 GR (yet another one of our 2017 Top Picks of the Year ). Technics, itself an iconic audio brand that made a triumphant comeback a few years ago, has equipped the table with a new direct-drive motor that’s as steady as she goes. Comparing the SL-1200GR favorably to tables costing much more, LP enthusiast Michael Trei called it “the long-awaited return of the best-selling high-performance turntable in history. While I can’t really comment on its DJ-ing capabilities, I can say that it’s an excellent choice for the audiophile who wants a no-fuss solution that will likely last through a nuclear war.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Newly engineered from the ground up
Exceptional pitch stability
Includes 78 rpm speed
Minus
DJ features are irrelevant for most users
Detachable headshell may limit tonearm performance
No factory-installed cartridge option

Full Review Here

 

Elite Screens Aeon CLR Screen: $799

Resident video maven Tom Norton installed a 90-inch-diagonal screen from Elite’s Aeon CLR series for his review of Epson’s LS100 ultra-short-throw (UST) LCD projector. Sporting a 0.5-inch “edge-free” design that mimics the ultra-thin bezels of today’s flat-panel TVs, the screen is a high performing ambient-light-rejecting (ALR) screen designed specifically for use with UST projectors and it can be had for a fraction of the cost of other ALR screens. As Norton put it, “The Elite Aeon CLR is a great option for a budget UST projection system.” And might we add, one worthy of Sound & Vision’s 2017 Top Picks of the Year status.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Affordable UST screen option
Good color uniformity
Good ambient light rejection
Minus
Less-than-ideal brightness uniformity
Screen reflections from overhead lighting
Arduous self-assembly procedure

Full Review Here