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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Tenet
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 02, 2021
Picture
Sound
Extras
This is how director Christopher Nolan does time travel. Actually, to hear him tell it, this is how he does a spy thriller, inspired by the Bonds of his youth and enhanced with all of the mind-bending trappings we've come to expect from one of filmdom's brainiest auteurs. The central conceit of Tenet—one that commands audiences to pay full attention lest they be left behind—is the recent discovery of a temporal anomaly, possibly man-made, that can send certain objects backwards in time, rather than in the usual direction.
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Throwback Thursday
Charlie's Playlist: Man vs. Machine
Michael Antonoff  |  Apr 01, 2021
It didn’t rise to the level of Kasparov versus Deep Blue, but still, it was another example of man vs. machine. This time it was radio DJ Charlie Bermant playing music from 1967 versus playlists I asked two different smart speakers to generate.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Gear for Spring 2021, Part 2
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 01, 2021  |  First Published: Mar 31, 2021
The pandemic lingers yet life goes on in various forms around this great nation and A/V companies continue to move forward with new products and updates to existing gear. Recent weeks have revealed a number of intriguing entries, including a 23-speaker reference sound system for the road. Can you guess which vehicle?
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Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsDesktop Speaker Reviews
IK Multimedia iLoud MTM Powered Monitor Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Mar 31, 2021

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $700/pair

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superbly accurate tonal balance
Remarkable bass extension
Highly adaptable onboard EQ options
Onboard auto room correction
Minus
Finite output may not suit far-field listening
No auto on/off
No built-in sub integration option

THE VERDICT
IK Multimedia’s powered monitor is a great desktop audio option, and it also delivers sufficient output for far-field listening in small-size rooms.

With few of us straying far from home these days, or from our computer with its constant stream of information, entertainment, hope, and fear, desktop audio is having a moment.

For this reason, many are discovering a need for some- thing better than the crappy 2.1-channel "computer speaker" systems we bought back in the early 'aughts. What we need is an ultra-compact active monitor—like IK Multimedia's iLoud MTM.

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SmartStream
Hands-On: Vidgo Live TV Streaming
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 31, 2021
The Vidgo Live TV streaming service launched at the end of 2019. Similar to lesser-known PhiloTV and FuboTV, it is holding its own against the popular YouTube TV and Hulu+Live TV. The experience is not as robust as what you'll get from YouTube, Hulu, AT&T TV, or Sling TV, but it may be enough to give basic cable channels to those who've cut the cord.
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Signals
Fractured Fairy Tales
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Mar 29, 2021
Okay, children! Time for a bedtime story! Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. While walking through the forest, she came upon a quaint little village. In that village there were three ways to watch movies...
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Paramount Presents: Elizabethtown, Love Story and The Greatest Show on Earth
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 26, 2021
The Paramount Presents line kicked off last April, reintroducing viewers to some of the most enduring titles in the studio's vast library in reverent new Blu-ray editions. Thomas J. Norton recently reviewed the 13th release, The Court Jester, and three more are now available, spanning quite different eras of filmmaking.
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Audio Video News
Best Gear of March 2021
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 25, 2021
Along with the Gift of Spring, March delivered an international mix of gear, including wireless earbuds that bring a personal twist to on-the-go listening, a fantastic space-saving speaker system from one of Canada’s most popular audio brands, and the latest Top Pick offerings from two family-owned hi-fi companies that have been operating in far-flung parts of the world for decades.
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Ask S&V
Are Preamp Outs on AVRs and Pre-Pros the Same?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 25, 2021
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Do the preamp outputs on A/V receivers work as well as those on a standalone preamp-processor? What functionality does one lose when using pre-outs on a receiver? —Ravinder Dhawan, Watchung, NJ

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On-Wall Speaker Reviews
PSB PWM-1 On-Wall Surround Speaker System Review
Michael Trei  |  Mar 24, 2021

Speakers
Performance
Build Quality
Value
Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $6,193 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Dynamic sound for on- wall speakers
Versatile installation options
Solid build quality
Minus
Sub pricey compared with standalone units

THE VERDICT
PSB’s classy but low-profile PWM1 on-wall speakers and CSIR SUB subwoofer won’t attract attention, and they're not meant to. An excellent choice if you want a great-sounding speaker system for movies and music that won’t take over your room or your life.

A common notion among audiophiles who dismiss on-wall speakers is that speakers need to be positioned well out into a room in order to get big, spacious sound. But that kind of thinking misses the point. For many, on-wall speakers can be an excellent option if you don't want to dedicate your living room to a hi-fi or home theater audio system, but also expect dynamic and enveloping sound that's a step above what you'd get from in-wall speakers.

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