LATEST ADDITIONS

After a long, hot summer (in more ways than one!), the audio and A/V show season recently kicked off with the annual CEDIA Expo. CEDIA stands for the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association, and as the name implies, it caters to attendees in the business of installing custom home theaters and media rooms. As such it also offers a wide range of training sessions to supplement its trade show exhibits.

In recent years CEDIA has moved beyond traditional A/V gear and into peripheral products such as home automation, security, and home health assistance — areas a custom install company might find useful in expanding its services. But traditional audio and video are still CEDIA's core attractions, and in showcasing both current and new products it draws a huge contingent from the A/V press.

If you are of a certain age, you might recall the phrase "duck and cover!" You might also recall your fifth-grade teacher, Miss Boswick, stopwatch in hand, urging you to immediately take shelter under your desk. And there you were, clutching your #2 Ticonderoga, wondering, WTF? If certain potentially atomic events in Eastern Europe have recently rekindled that unfortunate childhood memory, allow me to rekindle two more.

There’s a good reason speakers are so popular in these pages. They make a difference! Pick the right ones and you are rewarded with an immediate improvement in sound quality. Whether you’re buying a new set of stereo speakers, upgrading an existing suite of home theater speakers, or introducing a new subwoofer into the mix, the result should be transformative. A speaker that recreates the recording space in a mind-blowingly lifelike way. A subwoofer that punches you in the gut and gives new meaning to going low. Forget subtle. Forget straining to hear a difference. This is where Sound & Vision comes in. We’ve compiled capsule reviews of our 2022 Top Picks in subwoofers, soundbars, and speakers. With any luck, one or more of our recommendations will play a meaningful role in elevating your listening experience.

Can’t remember the name of that catchy song stuck in your head? No worries, Deezer’s updated SongCatcher feature will not only find it for you but it will play the song, too — a first in the app world.