LATEST ADDITIONS

A/V Veteran
Never Underestimate the Impact of Room Acoustics on Sound Quality
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 14, 2022
Looking to improve the sound of your system? Before you start switching out gear, assess the acoustics of your room. You may be surprised by what you find.
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Signals
Remembering a Remarkable Man
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 13, 2022
I’d like to tell you about Thomas Yuen, former chairman and CEO of SRS Labs, who died earlier this year at the age of 70. I didn’t know him well, but he made a tremendous impression on me.
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Music Reviews
Pink Floyd: P.U.L.S.E Restored & Re-Edited - Deluxe Edition
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 10, 2022
Performances
Sound
I continue to feel blessed I was able to see Pink Floyd's Division Bell Tour, their last jaunt around the world, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 17, 1994. Even though I was in the nosebleeds, way up near the top of the back of the stadium, I quite enjoyed the band's overall visual spectacle and the live quad sound system to their intended effects.
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Spatial Audio File
I Wanna Spatial Audio With Somebody
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 10, 2022

One thing that struck me as a most interesting common thread connecting the five tracks I’ve chosen for this week’s all-new Atmos recommendations here in your trusty Spatial Audio File column is how, to get the most out of these mixes, you really need to listen to them with your eyes closed and your head swaying along with their respective rhythms. Hence, these five finely Atmos-ified cuts are best experienced while on the beach and/or in your personal listening space, and not necessarily when you’re driving a vehicle. (You have been duly warned!)

As per usual, each of these tracks has been quite thoroughly test-driven aurally via personal deep-dive listening sessions on both my home system and headphones alike. Fact is, engrossing myself in the very best offerings of Made for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos tracks found within the burgeoning Apple Music library always tend to make the vibes of my week much cooler overall.

With that said, this week’s quintet of eyelid-gazing and ear-canal-fulfilling fully immersive tracks are. . .

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Projector Reviews
Epson LS12000 4K Pro-UHD Laser LCD Projector Review
Kris Deering  |  Jun 09, 2022

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $4,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Laser light engine
HDMI 2.1-compatible (4K/120Hz)
HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG support
Minus
Not native 4K
No frame-by-frame adaptive processing for HDR
No 3D Support

THE VERDICT
Offering great image punch, clarity, and good contrast, Epson's LS12000 impresses with most content, though its HDR performance is hindered by the lack of dynamic tone mapping.

After what felt like a lifetime since its last new home theater projector announcement, Epson recently launched the LS12000 4K PRO-UHD laser model. Selling at the surprisingly low retail price of $4,999, the new Epson boasts serious chops when it comes to features and specifications, and I felt fortunate to have a review sample sent my way. Let's dive in and see what this new projector brings to the home theater game.

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SmartStream
OS Update Will Expand Apple TV’s HDR Capabilities
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 08, 2022
While Apple didn't directly discuss updates to its Apple TV streaming device at this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), there are new features to look forward to this fall.
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Home Movie Theaters
Hollywood Comes Home
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 07, 2022
How a sound-editor-turned-custom-installation-pro transformed his former home studio into a home theater.

Kent Oberlin had a great gig working in the post-production department at the sprawling Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, CA, former home of the legendary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) lot where The Wizard of Oz and many beloved films from Hollywood's golden era were made and where contemporary films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home are made today.

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Signals
Time for a Comeback
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 06, 2022
Times are tough. I don't need to tell you that. The $100 tank of gasoline is here, not to mention the $8 pound of hamburger. Ouch! Your humble correspondent has been absolutely devastated. Instead of lighting my Cuban cigars with Franklins, I am forced to use Grants. The horror.

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Music and Soundtrack Features
Remaster Class: Deep Purple: Machine Head
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 03, 2022
Fifty years on, Deep Purple's March 1972 masterstroke Machine Head remains a clarion call for hard rock fans the world over. Stamped onto polished metal, the band name/album title stack appearing atop a funhouse-mirrored image of the five-man group on the cover is the perfect visual representation of in-tune artists at the nexus point of transitioning from their late-1960s blues psychedelia phase into a signature sound clearly on the cusp of birthing heavy metal.
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Spatial Audio File
El Spatial Audio Romance-O
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 03, 2022

Sum-sum-summertime is officially in full-full-full swing, which means cueing up the latest five-spot of my all-new Atmos recommendations here in Spatial Audio File can only lead to many fun, fun, fun hi-res listening times ahead.

As always, each track herein has been fondly and thoroughly test-driven aurally via personal listening sessions on both my home system and headphones alike. As you’ll soon find out when you scroll and read on down, the artists themselves totally get why listening to the very best offerings of immersive Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos tracks available in the always expanding Apple Music library is the right way to go.

And this week’s quintet of winning summertime fun immersive tracks are. . .

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