Sony has announced the availability of a firmware update for its high-end HT-ST5000 soundbar that adds DTS:X surround sound decoding, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS Digital Surround, Dolby Vision pass-through, and other features.
AT A GLANCE Plus
Unimpeachable audio and basic video quality
Generally good ergonomic design
Eminently useful pop-up Quick Menu
Minus
No aptX for Bluetooth
Local-streaming audio doesn’t display file type/sampling info
Fairly downscaled remote
THE VERDICT
Onkyo’s latest A/V preamp/processor adds the Dolby Atmos/DTS:X and 4K/HDR capabilities needed to bring the brand’s pre/pro current, while maintaining very solid value in the field.
The A/V preamp/processors from Onkyo (and sister brand Integra) have been through five or six generations over the years, and I think I’ve tested or at least used just about all of them. And for that decade-plus span, my overall reaction to them has remained pretty consistent: all the A/V-system quarterbacking any rational being needs at a fair price. Onkyo’s latest iteration, the PR-RZ5100 network A/V controller, seems unlikely to change that conclusion while updating the series to 11.2-channel, 4K/HDR status.
Q I am trying to find a TV with low light intensity since my eyes are extremely sensitive to light. I have been told that an LCD TV with a full array LED backlight will let me dim the screen’s intensity without compromising picture quality. Is this true? If so, how does that work? —Patrick Forte
In this episode of Pixels & Bits, Sound & Vision editor Rob Sabin and contributing tech editor Steve Guttenberg spotlight the Vizio SB3621 36-inch soundbar (00:50), talk about the anticipated arrival of HDMI 2.1 and what it means for today's TV and A/V receiver shoppers (4:18), and review Angeleena Presley's CD, Wrangled (8:18).
McIntosh today announced a portable decoding amplifier designed to bring quality sound to on-the-go music lovers and listeners who want to improve the sound of PC-based music libraries.
“His guitar speaks for itself.” It’s a phrase that could be applied to many a dominant and influential guitar player of the rock era, but it’s no accident it was also stickered on the front of albums bearing the name of Bay Area guitar legend Ronnie Montrose. Montrose initially made his mark laying down indelible riffs for the likes of Van Morrison (“Wild Night”) and The Edgar Winter Group (“Free Ride,” “Frankenstein”), but when he joined forces with a then-unknown Sammy Hagar to form Montrose in 1973, he shepherded a band immediately described as America’s answer to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, all rolled into one. (“Rock the Nation,” indeed.)