LATEST ADDITIONS

Mike Mettler  |  Jul 27, 2022
Performances
Sound
Elton John could do no wrong as the calendar came to the close of 1971. Madman Across the Water, his third album in that calendar year alone, came out in November, and it was considered to be the best entry in his Trident Studios orchestral trilogy, featuring production by Gus Dudgeon and arrangements by Paul Buckmaster. (The previous two releases in said trilogy were April 1970's self-titled Elton John and October 1970's Tumbleweed Connection.)
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 27, 2022
The countdown to Audio Advice Live has begun. In just over three weeks, the 44-year-old specialty consumer electronics retailer Audio Advice is hosting a three-day high performance audio and home theater event in its hometown of Raleigh, NC to showcase the latest and greatest gear from more than 60 brands, including many marquee names in A/V.
Al Griffin  |  Jul 26, 2022
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have an older Pioneer VSX-820 receiver (circa 2010) and currently have my 4K Roku streaming stick plugged in to one of its HDMI inputs. I plan to upgrade to an Ultra HDTV (Vizio M65Q7-J01). If I continue to connect my Roku stick to the receiver, will it pass a 4K signal to the new TV? —Chris Murphy, via email

Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 25, 2022
For many people, music is a form of entertainment. For others, music is their avocation. For some, music is their job. Or maybe it's an artistic calling. For some people, music supposedly can be used to heal.

Roger Kanno  |  Jul 22, 2022
Picture
Sound
Extras
The Northman is a stylish, brutal, and satisfyingly well-made film about a Viking prince named Amleth whose uncle murders his father and kidnaps his mother. He swears vengeance against his uncle and after locating him years later, devises a plan to exact his revenge, even though all is not as it seems. Writer-director Robert Eggers' is also the man behind the critically acclaimed The Lighthouse, a psychological thriller that can be challenging to watch at times. This film, while a little less disturbing and more accessible to squeamish viewers, still has its fair share of gory violence and frightening imagery.
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 22, 2022

While I was listening to the five song selections I made for this week’s Spatial Audio File column, I was struck by the fact that we as listeners can easily have our attention sidetracked by catchy choruses—you know, the ones you just can’t help but sing along with every time you hear them. Call it the “Bohemian Rhapsody” syndrome—which, by the way, is not a bad thing at all, mind you. If anything, it proves the artists/songwriters at hand have handily succeeded in their mission to hook you with their music. But as we’re joyfully singing along, we’re not really paying attention to the music itself since we’re technically “competing” with what we’re hearing in the moment.

Hence, once I got my reflexive singing out of the way—either out loud, or in my head—I buckled down to refocus my critical listening of these five tracks, each of which I thoroughly spec’ed and checked by way of my personal deep dive listening sessions on both my home system and headphones alike. You’ll find all of them, alongside a veritable singalong fest of other stellar Made for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos cuts, within the burgeoning Apple Music library.

Let’s curb our ready-to-sing enthusiasm but instead ramp up our ready-to-listen eagerness by checking out this week’s quintet of readily engaging immersive tracks, which are. . .

Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 21, 2022

Performance
Features
Comfort
Value
PRICE $129

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Good overall sound quality
Dirac Virtuo improves and expands the sound
Super comfortable for long listening
Minus
App is glitchy

THE VERDICT
Dirac’s Virtuo processing makes the affordable and already good sounding Sudio E2 earbuds sound even better.

We get pitched on new "true wireless earbuds" every few days from brands we know and don't know. In a sea of sameness, or at least perceived sameness, it's a category that begs for differentiation so our ears perked up when Dirac, the Swedish company known for its high level of expertise in audio processing, reached out with an offer to review earbuds from Sudio, a Swedish brand we never heard of. Turns out the Sudio E2 earphones are among the first to include Dirac Virtuo, a new type of spatial processing that aims to create "an immersive sound experience with enhanced sound quality."

Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 19, 2022
High dynamic range is still the hot tamale in today's video world. While it's been around for a few years now, nothing new in video has yet made HDR yesterday's news. Here’s why.
Michael Antonoff  |  Jul 19, 2022
With today’s introduction of its 2023 models, Vizio continues to push value and advanced TV technology at the same time. Among its new 4K smart TV offerings are its premium M-Series Quantum X (MQX) models in three screen sizes and its M-Series Quantum 6 (MQ6) in five sizes. Each series tops out with a 75-inch screen and starts shipping this month (July).
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 18, 2022
The acquisition of Bandcamp by Epic Games could lead to some quite intriguing, game-embedded music-streaming opps that could further enhance the already large appeal of the Fortnite franchise and its Soundwave Series.

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