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Editor's Eye
Why S&V’s Disc Reviews Count
Al Griffin  |  Oct 19, 2018
Clockwise from top left: Josef Krebs, Mike Mettler (right) with Graham Nash, Tom Norton, David Vaughn, Chris Chiarella with the comedian Gallagher.

A recent reader comment on this site gave high praise to the magazine’s AV equipment reviews, but then went on to condemn our “weak” attempts to review movies on Blu-ray disc. The gist of the message was that movie disc reviews are best left to websites that can cover them on a timely basis, as opposed to the weeks or even months that it can take for Sound&Vision to turn out reviews of the same titles.

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Music Reviews
Classic Yes on Vinyl: The Steven Wilson Remixes
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 18, 2018
Performance
Sound
Calculating how many times key entries in the Yes catalog have been remastered, remixed, repackaged, and reissued can sometimes feel akin to tallying how many official live albums The Grateful Dead have released over the years—well, okay, maybe not quite that many, but still…. It can also be somewhat arduous to keep up with all the ongoing Yes release permutations without a scorecard, let alone decide which ones are worth purchasing.
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Audio Video News
64 Audio Targets Audiophiles with Custom In-Ear Monitors
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2018
In-ear monitor (IEM) specialist 64 Audio has introduced four custom in-ear monitors, including a special-edition model produced in collaboration with Grammy-nominated bassist Nathan East.
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Audio Video News
TVs Top Holiday Wish Lists…Again
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2018
As we head into the holiday season, TVs are once again the most-wanted tech gift among American adults who are expected to spend a record $96 billion on tech purchases through the end of the year, according to new research from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Sony XBR-65Z9F LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2018

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive HDR brightness
Excellent black level and shadow detail
Superior off-center viewing angle for LCD
Minus
Some backlight blooming artifacts
Unimpressive built-in sound

THE VERDICT
Sony’s Master Series Z9F LCD makes a strong claim for top-dog status in today’s Ultra HDTV market. It produces superb images, with enhanced off-center viewing so all guests will be happy at your next Super Bowl party.

In mid-2016, Sony launched a new flagship LCD design, the XBR-Z9D. The series incorporated Backlight Master Drive, a local dimming technology that was a big step forward in realizing the peak brightness potential of high dynamic range (HDR). The Z9D series has remained at the top of Sony’s TV lineup for two years—an eternity for UHDTV technology. But it now shares space with the new XBR-Z9F Master Series LCD models, which are available in 65- and 75-inch sizes, along with the company’s new A9F Master Series OLED TVs.

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SmartStream
Updated Fire TV Stick 4K Can Handle More Formats and Control Your TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 17, 2018
Amazon’s updated Fire TV Stick 4K boasts an improved processor and a newly designed Alexa Voice remote.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Self-Powered Wireless Controller Aims to Simplify Smart Home Control
SV Staff  |  Oct 17, 2018
Berlin-based Senic has announced a self-powered wireless controller that aims to simplify the smart home experience by providing one-click control over Sonos speakers, Philips Hue lighting, and other smart devices.
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Audio Video News
Creedence Clearwater Revival Celebrates 50 Years with 7-LP Box Set
SV Staff  |  Oct 17, 2018
Video Premiere: Abbey Road’s Miles Showell on how he mastered albums from the band’s prolific 1968-1972 period.

Craft Recordings is celebrating the brief but astonishingly prolific career of one of America’s greatest rock-and-roll bands, Creedence Clearwater Revival, with a 50th anniversary LP box set comprising all seven of the band’s studio albums on 180-gram vinyl.

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Speaker TechA/V Veteran
When Is a Subwoofer a Subwoofer?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 16, 2018
A recent product announcement from Amazon touted the launch of a “subwoofer” to supplement the response of Amazon’s popular Echo vocal assistant. Presumably it will work with the even smaller Echo Dot as well. But for me it raised a couple of eyebrows.

Given that the low frequency response of an Echo alone probably doesn’t reproduce any useful output much lower than 100 Hz (admittedly an educated guess), the Echo Sub certainly can't hurt. But given its size and its 6-inch driver, there's no way that such a product it can be considered a subwoofer...

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Audio Video News
First Audio Amplifier on Display at New York AES Show
SV Staff  |  Oct 16, 2018
The Audio History Library & Museum is paying tribute to the early days of audio in a special display it has put together for the 145th International AES Convention, which opens tomorrow (October 17) and runs through Saturday at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.
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