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Audio Video News
Crazy Upside-Down Turntable Spins its Way to Reality
SV Staff  |  May 05, 2017
Earlier this year Holland-based Miniot raised $50,000 on Kickstarter to fund the Wheel, a unique minimalist turntable that works horizontally or vertically (as in hung on a wall).
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Ears On
My Big Fat Classical Bucket List
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 05, 2017
Over the past year or two my concertgoing life has accelerated and intensified. I love music, and I live in a great city with a first-class symphony orchestra and several concert halls, yet until recently I've rarely taken advantage of them. Only lately has the desire to attack my classical bucket list taken hold. I mentioned some of this in a previous blog, but never discussed why. So you may be wondering: Why this, why now?

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Headphone Reviews
Beyerdynamic Amiron Home Headphones
Steve Guttenberg  |  May 04, 2017
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $599

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Designed and made in Germany
Concise and clear sound
Extra comfy
Minus
Plastic earcups break the high-end spell

THE VERDICT
The Amiron Home’s open-back design delivers a rich, yet highly detailed sound and the extreme comfort Beyerdynamic’s headphones are known for.

Beyerdynamic is a pretty conservative company, and its sound hasn’t really changed all that much over the last decade. I started to sense something was up in 2015 when I reviewed the flagship T 1 second-generation headphone that took the brightness down a smidge. Now the smoothing trend continues with the Amiron Home open-back, over-the-ear headphone. The look is also fresher, and this headphone definitely has a warmer, sweeter sound than the model it replaces, the T 90. Beyerdynamic is onto something new, and I like it.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Salamander Creates Credenza for Sony Short-Throw Projector
SV Staff  |  May 04, 2017
The furniture gurus at Connecticut-based Salamander Designs have come up with a stylish credenza custom made for Sony’s new VPL-VZ1000ES Ultra Short Throw 4K projector, designed to project a 100-inch image when positioned only 6 inches from the wall.
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The S&V Interview
Director John Badham Reflects on 40 Years of Saturday Night Fever
Mike Mettler  |  May 04, 2017
“It’s just part of our audio culture,” believes Saturday Night Fever director John Badham, who supervised the 4K 1080p print restoration and English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD surround sound updates for the film's Director’s Cut, which was released by Paramount on Blu-ray on May 2 in celebration of the film’s imminent 40th anniversary. Badham, 77, called in from Southern California to discuss how to maintain a gritty look in 4K, matching song tempo to what was being filmed, and the song originally used during the infamous dance-contest rehearsal that had to be replaced at the literal last minute.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Denon Brings Bluetooth to M-Series Minisystem
SV Staff  |  May 04, 2017
Denon has added Bluetooth streaming capability and upgraded analog circuitry to the latest iteration of its popular CD-based M-Series minisystem.
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Ask S&V
Can I Repurpose Back-Surround Speakers for Dolby Atmos?
Al Griffin  |  May 04, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m interested in reconfiguring my speaker setup for object-based audio. Should I leave the surround back speakers in place, or set them up as height speakers? —Michael Welters

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Soundbar Reviews
Sonos Playbase Review
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 03, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Only 2.28 inches tall
Utilizes Sonos Trueplay acoustic tuning technology
Can be part of a Sonos multiroom audio system
Minus
No volume level indicator
Optical digital and network audio inputs only

THE VERDICT
For the folks who don’t mount their TV on a wall—that is, for the overwhelming majority of TV owners—the Sonos Playbase is an elegant way of creating an excellent-sounding home theater system that’s nearly invisible, super-easy to set up, and blessedly simple to use.

A surprisingly salient special survey by Sonos says that something like 70 percent of slender-TV owners select to stand their set on a flat surface rather than sticking it on a wall. (Say that silently seven times.) Seriously—OK, that’s enough of that—Sonos says that the vast majority of people who own a flat-screen TV don’t mount it on a wall. Instead, they set it on a cabinet, cart, table, shelf, the floor, or just about any other semi-sturdy, close-to-flat surface that isn’t already covered with useless sh-tuff.

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Audio Video News
John Mellencamp: Rock and Roll Is Not Coming Back
Bob Ankosko  |  May 03, 2017
John Mellencamp with Carlene Carter, guests in the latest installment of McIntosh and Republic Records’ Direct Connection interview series. Photo by Meredith Truax.

Lit cigarette in hand, pop-rock icon John Mellencamp sauntered to the front of the room in McIntosh’s swanky Soho townhouse. He had a serious look on his face. No hint of a smile. Maybe he’s nervous, I thought to myself as he sat on a stool with a large ashtray at his side. Or is it just that he’s the personification of cool and really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what people think…

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Integra Unveils Custom-Ready Stereo Receiver
SV Staff  |  May 03, 2017
Integra today announced the availability of a new hi-res-capable stereo receiver with custom-installation features.
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