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New Products
2020 TV Review Preview
Al Griffin  |  Apr 13, 2020
Many of us stuck at home have been watching lots of TV lately (too much!), but some may also be wondering about buying a new TV. Spring is when the new sets show up, and while you might not be able to wander into a Best Buy or other store to browse them at present, you’re probably itching to check out the reviews. To that end, here are the models Sound & Vision currently has in the review pipeline, along with the sets we anticipate testing as they arrive in the months to come.
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Signals
Does Launching During a Pandemic Help or Hurt Quibi?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 13, 2020
You are probably familiar with the Chinese proverb: “May you live in interesting times.” One could debate the meaning of that expression; it may well be intended as a subtle curse. Certainly, no one can dispute that we are now living in interesting times. Maybe topsy-turvy times is a better way to describe it. Things that formerly were good (hugging) are now bad, and bad things (wearing a mask in a bank) are now good. Similarly, people are wondering if formerly sturdy business models are now shaky. Which brings us to Quibi.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator: Dark Fate
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 10, 2020
Picture
Sound
Extras
Linda Hamilton is back as pistol-packin' mama Sarah Connor and badass as ever, her days dedicated to a familiar mission: ridding the world of killer robots. Dark Fate is James Cameron's first active role in the franchise he created—here as a producer and co-writer—since 1996's T2:3D theme park ride, which surely accounts for much of the movie's old-shoe feel.
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Vintage Gear
Classic Fisher Tube Amp Makes Rare Appearance
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 09, 2020
The Fisher SA-1000 tube amplifier is a sight to behold with its stately gold faceplate and signature tube cage. The amp also happens to be a legendary piece of audio gear that dates back to the early days of hi-fi.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
LG Announces Pricing & Availability for 2020 LCD TVs
Al Griffin  |  Apr 09, 2020
LG announced today that the 2020 lineup of NanoCell LCD TVs it first showed at CES in January is starting to become available. The lineup includes 4K sets with screen sizes ranging from 49 to 86 inches, plus a pair of 8K models.
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SmartStream
Free Arts & Culture Streaming: From Shakespeare at the Globe to the Met, and More
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 08, 2020
As many of the world's famous venues have been temporarily shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing requirements, they are turning to streaming of classic performances. To satisfy fans, and perhaps attract those who haven't attended a show, the theaters are offering free streaming of videos for a "limited engagement."
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Accessory Reviews
Record Doctor VI Record Cleaning Machine Review
Michael Trei  |  Apr 08, 2020

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $300

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Digs deep to leave records sparkling
Far more effective than brush cleaners
Affordable
Minus
Hands-on manual operation
Loud vacuum motor

THE VERDICT
The Record Doctor VI is a bare-bones wet record cleaning system that delivers superb results at a bargain price.

It's easy to dismiss the recent resurgence of interest in vinyl records as a youth-driven phenomenon, with millennials embracing vinyl more for its hipness factor than for the great sound that it can deliver. But in the course of my day job setting up and maintaining high-end turntables, I'm finding that much of the rekindled attention is actually coming from my fellow Boomers and Gen-Xers. Some of us never stopped playing our records. Others, it seems, simply stashed theirs in the basement decades ago when CDs seemed so convenient and are just now pulling them out to appreciate all over again.

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Speaker SetupSpeaker Tech
Subwoofer Setup: How to Get Great Bass in 3 Steps
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 07, 2020
Subwoofers are like the magic beans of audio, expanding a playback system's dynamic range in a way that dramatically enhances the listening experience. There's an attitude among some audiophiles that subwoofers represent, if not the spawn of the devil (there are numerous such spawns in audio lore), a bad compromise at minimum. But the truth is that adding a modest but well-designed subwoofer to speakers, even compact bookshelf models, can result in better performance than what you'd get from full-range towers that cost considerably more.
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A/V Veteran
Can Movie Theaters Survive the Shutdown?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 07, 2020
A month or so ago, my local AMC theater sent out a notice that they were only selling seats separated by a few feet to minimize close contact. A few days earlier I had gone to the Dolby Cinema screen in the same complex to see Onward, but it was a weekday afternoon and there were only about a half dozen of us spread out across the theater’s 250 seats. Today, thanks to the corona virus, that theater is closed for the duration. That’s true throughout the world...
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Audio Video News
HBO Offers Free Streaming of Select Shows
Al Griffin  |  Apr 06, 2020
Good news for those of us in the U.S. on lockdown who have already blazed through all the good stuff on Netflix and are seeking something different: HBO is offering free streaming of select shows including The Sopranos, The Wire, and Six Feet Under through April 30 on its HBO NOW or HBO GO apps. So, if you happen to be one of the few who for some reason missed out on these early gems from the New Golden Age of Television, you’re now in luck.
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