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Soundbar Reviews
Roundup: Six Soundbars Put to the Test
Brent Butterworth  |  Nov 13, 2013
A Satisfying Substitute for Real Home Theater Sound?

I’ll assume that you, as a Sound & Vision reader, would prefer a conventional 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system to a soundbar. But I’ll also assume that you don’t have 5.1 or 7.1 in every room of your home. Or in your vacation home, or your parents’ home, or your kids’ rooms. For these situations, even the cognoscenti—that means you—might be tempted by the convenience and low cost of a soundbar. Still, though, you’re probably not going to risk your status as an audiophile by buying one of those bottom-of-the-barrel, $150 cheapies at Costco.

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Audio Video News
CES Unveiled Offers a Peek at January's Big Show
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 13, 2013
At the annual CES Unveiled event in New York City last night a few dozen companies offered a glimpse of products they plan to show at CES in early January. Here are a few that caught our eye…
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Audio Video News
Sharp Wireless Universal Player Due Out in 2014 Nets CES Innovation Award
SV Staff  |  Nov 13, 2013
Sharp announced that the WiSA Universal Player it plans to introduce early next year has received an International CES Innovations 2014 Design and Engineering Award in the High Performance Home Audio category.
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Vote
SV Poll: What’s Your AVR Deal Breaker?
SV Staff  |  Nov 13, 2013
When it comes to buying AV gear, no product requires more thought and consideration than the AV receiver, which serves as the core component of many home theater systems. Given the typical AVR’s copious features, what’s the one you can’t live without or, put another way, which of the things listed below is the ultimate deal breaker in your book? Be sure to scroll down to Comments and tell us why.
SV Poll: What’s Your AVR Deal Breaker?
Ineffective room correction/EQ
21% (205 votes)
Lack of effective dynamic volume/dynamic range modes
3% (34 votes)
No AirPlay
5% (48 votes)
No Bluetooth
1% (9 votes)
No Wi-Fi
3% (26 votes)
Not enough power
35% (338 votes)
Too few features
7% (72 votes)
Too many features
7% (66 votes)
Overly complicated operation
18% (181 votes)
Total votes: 979
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Other Tech
Getting Started in Computer Audio
SV Staff  |  Nov 12, 2013
Michael Lavorgna’s “Getting Started in Computer Audio,” which appeared in the October print edition of Sound & Vision, is now available online here.
Signals
The Pendulum Swings
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 12, 2013
Is our most fervent technology infatuation about to reverse course?

Without question, smartphones are awesome, and they have dramatically changed our everyday lives. We measure our self-worth by the number of bars we have. When our phones are fully charged, we are happy. When they are discharged, we are in full panic mode. Kids today probably can’t fathom how anyone functioned before the advent of smartphones. They ask, “Dude, how did people post pictures of themselves on Facebook while water skiing?”

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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
IK Multimedia iLoud Portable Personal Studio Monitor
Leslie Shapiro  |  Nov 11, 2013
IK Multimedia has just released its latest product, aimed at musicians and music lovers alike: the iLoud portable speaker. The company claims it is “studio quality” and equips it with a guitar/microphone input. Hmm, “studio quality”—I’ve heard that one before, but I decided to check it out. Is it actually something I would have used in my own recording studio?

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New Products
New Gear
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 11, 2013
Cool new gear: JVC’s smart HDTV, a Bluetooth receiver for audiophiles, and a novel—uh, make that unusual—iPhone/Pod sound/security system, and more.
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Ask S&V
How Big a Subwoofer Do I Need?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 11, 2013
Q How big a subwoofer would I need to produce good home theater-quality bass in a 3,100-cubic-foot room? Would the Hsu VTF-15H be up to the job, or is there a better choice in my target price range (around $1,000)? —Steven Winter / via e-mail
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Tech2
Panasonic 4K Tablet Event
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Nov 08, 2013
Above the streets of Hollywood, at the top of the swanky W Hotel, Panasonic held a party to show off their upcoming 4K tablet.

That’s right, a tablet with 4K resolution.

What I wasn’t expecting is that it’s huge. I guess it’s still technically a tablet with a 20-inch 15:10 screen, but wow.

They also had their new 4K LCD. Fellow S&Ver Lauren Dragan and I headed to Hollywood and Vine to check it out (that’s where the hotel is, not just some random location we wandered by).

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