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Audio Video News
Sony Announces Pricing and Availability of 4K/Ultra HD Bravia TVs
SV Staff  |  Apr 16, 2014
Sony continued to push 4K/Ultra HD as it announced pricing and availability for its new Bravia 4K Ultra HD TV lineup, a 4K media player, and new 4K content options.
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The Connected Life
Spring Cleaning: Give Your System Some Spit and Polish
John Sciacca  |  Apr 16, 2014
A few weeks ago I got an email notification from my Kaleidescape movie server saying temperatures has exceeded safe operating range and the server would be shutting itself down if temps didn’t soon return to normal. “What the hell?!” I wondered. Nothing had changed in my rack, I hadn’t added any new gear or changed anything with the ventilation and the server was exactly where it had always been sitting and working fine for the past few years. Of course, I immediately blamed my 7 year old daughter, accusing her of all manner of destructive behavior, but when she assured me she was (in this case) innocent, I searched further.
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Audio Video News
Sam’s Club Launches Ambitious Service Program for TVs and Electronics
SV Staff  |  Apr 16, 2014
Sam’s Club has announced a $99 service program that gives members who purchase a TV worth $500 or more a four-year protection plan that includes delivery, set-up, haul-away, and recycling of old TVs.
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Vote
Do You Have a Wireless Music System at Home?
SV Staff  |  Apr 15, 2014
Wireless music systems are all the rage these days with new entrants and options coming along every few weeks. And it’s no surprise: What’s more convenient than being able to enjoy music in and around the house without having to worry about running wires all over the place? Take a few moments to tell us what kind of wireless system you have and, as always, feel free to leave a comment and tell us about your setup.
Do You Have a Wireless Music System at Home?
Yes, I have an Apple AirPlay-based system and I love it.
15% (75 votes)
Yes, I have an Apple AirPlay-based system and it’s okay.
8% (40 votes)
Yes, I have an Apple AirPlay-based system and I don’t like it.
1% (7 votes)
Yes, I have a Bluetooth-enabled system and I love it.
5% (28 votes)
Yes, I have a Bluetooth-enabled system and it’s okay.
4% (22 votes)
Yes, I have a Bluetooth-enabled system but I don’t like it.
1% (4 votes)
Yes, I have a Sonos system and I love it.
32% (165 votes)
Yes, I have a Sonos system and it’s okay.
3% (15 votes)
Yes, I have a Sonos system but I don’t like it.
0% (2 votes)
I don’t have a wireless music system but my whole house is hard-wired for sound.
4% (21 votes)
I don’t have a wireless music system but my AV setup has wireless surround speakers.
1% (4 votes)
I don’t have a wireless music system but I have a wireless subwoofer in my AV setup.
0% (1 vote)
Nope, my stack of audio gear is hard wired.
25% (129 votes)
Total votes: 513
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Signals
Will Beats Music Measure Up?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 15, 2014
Beats Music is a new subscription music service that is an offshoot of the wildly popular hardware company (mainly headphones) founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Beats Music is a logical extension: if people love the headphones so much, maybe they’ll extend the affection upstream and into content selection. Recently launched (January 21), the early numbers for Beats Music are in....

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Audio Video News
Panasonic Announces Entry-Level Smart TV Pricing
SV Staff  |  Apr 15, 2014
Panasonic has announced pricing and availability of its entry-level Life+Screen AS530 Series of 1080p smart TVs, featuring 39-, 50-, 55-, and 60-inch screen sizes.
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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: BlueAnt PUMP HD Wireless Waterproof Sportbud
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 14, 2014
As someone whose life seems to revolve around the outdoors, I’m all ears whenever I hear about a new “active” piece of electronics gear. The new BlueAnt PUMP HD wireless waterproof sportbud promised to deliver audiophile-grade performance in a rugged, IP67-waterproof rated Bluetooth-compatible package.As soon as it arrived, I charged it up and hit my favorite bike trail.

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Ask S&V
Optimizing Sound Quality with a High-Performance Blu-ray Player
Al Griffin  |  Apr 14, 2014
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

QI have an Oppo BDP-105 Blu-ray player, a Marantz AV7701 preamp, five Marantz monoblock amps, and Definitive Technology speakers. Given the rave reviews of the Oppo player’s built-in DACs, how would you recommend I set my system up to optimize sound quality? Should I bypass my preamp and hook the Oppo up directly to my monoblock amps, or should I use an HDMI connection to run everything through the Marantz? —Dick Costello / via e-mail

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Audio Video News
Digital Projection to Ship Laser Projector in July
SV Staff  |  Apr 14, 2014
Digital Projection International (DPI) has announced that it will begin shipping a high-brightness laser projector in June. Hailed as the first of its kind, the HighLite Laser WUXGA 3D projector is a three-chip DLP design said to deliver 10,000 ANSI lumens from a stable solid-state light source capable of producing over 20,000 hours of illumination, according to the company. Native resolution is 1920 x 1200.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-4520CI A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 11, 2014

Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,499

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Top-drawer room correction
Strong dynamics
Bounteous custom features
Minus
Bluetooth requires accessory

THE VERDICT
The Denon AVR-4520CI and Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction combine to produce a close to perfect-sounding receiver.

Denon and its sister brand Marantz are among the most popular A/V receiver makers. The AVR-4520CI is Denon’s top-of-the-line model, the brand’s best shot at building every feature worth having into a nine-channel powerhouse. It does not attempt to be all things to all people (Bluetooth users, for instance). But it does offer a feature set that is strong in custom integrator features; hence the CI designation in the model number. And, as I discovered in this review—you won’t mind if I give away the ending, will you?—it also offers the best implementation of Audyssey room correction I’ve ever heard. Room correction has always seemed like a great idea, but the results have been hit or miss. Here it consistently produced great sound.

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