LATEST ADDITIONS

SmartStream
Plex Update Brings Superb Discover and Universal Search
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 06, 2022
Plex continues to improve and reinvent itself with the goal of becoming the one app that you turn to first for all streaming. Its most recent addition is Plex Discover (in public Beta). Plex Discover finds trending and popular shows on all of your subscription services.
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Integrated Amp Reviews
Rotel A14MKII Integrated Amplifier Review
Al Griffin  |  Apr 06, 2022
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Surprisingly powerful amp
Clean, detailed sound
Great build quality for price
Minus
limited feature set compared to competition
Streaming options limited to Bluetooth wireless and direct computer-to-USB input

THE VERDICT
Rotel’s affordable A14MKII integrated is light on features but heavy on performance. A great option for listeners who want to keep their audio system simple.

Back in fall 2021 Sound & Vision reviewed Rotel's RA-1572MKII integrated amplifier, an upgraded version of the company's popular RA-1572. Well, at Rotel the upgrades keep coming fast and furious: Just a few months later, word dropped that the same treatment was coming to products at more affordable price points, with the company's A12 and A14 integrated amps getting bumped up to MKII status.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Devialet Announces Super Sleek Atmos Soundbar
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 05, 2022
Devialet, the Paris-based maker of the utterly unique Phantom line of speakers, has brought its considerable design prowess to bear on its latest creation: a super sleek soundbar designed to deliver an immersive Dolby Atmos experience without the need for a separate subwoofer.
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Signals
To Trinitron and Beyond
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 04, 2022
Man, oh, man. Can this really be happening? Over these many years, I have purchased all manner of excellent Sony products: radios, televisions, tape recorders, receivers, amplifiers, turntables, Betamax video recorders, CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray players, MiniDisc players, headphones, boomboxes, speakers, soundbars, videogame consoles, phones, camcorders, cameras — you name it. But will my next Sony purchase be…a car?
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Encanto
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 01, 2022
Picture
Sound
Extras
As young Alma and Pedro Madrigal flee from war in their native Colombia, Pedro is killed. Alma clutches their children as a magic candle appears, smiting Pedro's killers and promising endless magical gifts for the Madrigal family—as long as the candle burns. Alma and her children settle in a small village where the candle creates an enchanted Casita (home) for them.
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Spatial Audio File
A Little Ditty, About Spatial Audio
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 01, 2022
“Jack & Diane,” the second No. 1 single from John Mellencamp’s multiplatinum breakthrough album, April 1982’s American Fool—which was originally released (and still catalogued) under the gimmicky stage name he never personally liked, John Cougar—cemented the feisty Midwestern rocker as an American songwriter to be reckoned with. The track’s most definitely best-they-can Atmos mix only serves to make this knowing tale of growing up in the heartland and clutching onto the fleeting vibrancy of youth that much sweeter.
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Sweepstakes
Andover Spin System Sweepstakes!
SV Staff  |  Apr 01, 2022
Register to win an Andover SpinBase, SpinDeck, SpinSub, SpinStand and TrueGrain Cork Mat (value: $1,384) we are giving away.

"Designed around simplicity and convenience, the Spin System from Andover Audio is all you need to store and play vinyl with matched components and high-grade sound."

[This Sweepstakes is now Closed.]

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Audio Video News
Best Gear of March 2022
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 31, 2022
The predictably unpredictable month of March delivered its usual rollercoaster of weather (at least here in the Northeast). The month that roars also turned out a varied mix of Sound & Vision Top Picks — from an outstanding home theater projector to a set of wonderful sounding wireless earbuds from an iconic audio brand that you didn’t even know makes earbuds. At last, spring is here. Enjoy it.
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Smart Speaker Reviews
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Smart Speaker Review
Rob Sabin  |  Mar 30, 2022

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive Imaging
Excellent timbre
Well-controlled dynamics
Alexa voice-control
Minus
Limited bass output
No wired inputs

THE VERDICT
The Zeppelin remains expensive as always, but the new 4th generation still delivers uncanny imaging and superb timbre from a small desktop speaker design.

The loudspeaker landscape is dotted with so-called classics. Legends like the Klipschorn, the Quad ESL, and the JBL L100 have remained in production for decades or enjoyed successful reboots not just because they appeal to our nostalgia, but because they remain bonafide audiophile-grade products.

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Stream On
Exploring 3D Audio for Headphones on Amazon Music
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 30, 2022
A new spatial audio option for headphones from Amazon Music Unlimited offers yet another Atmos experience that everyone can wrap their head around.
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