LATEST ADDITIONS

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.

In case you haven’t noticed, live streaming has replaced concerts as the new normal and, though, it may not be ideal (what is these days?), it provides an intimate glimpse of artists performing at home without the grandeur of a live show with its pulsating lights and smoke machines.

PRICE $1,599/pair

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Detailed, dynamic sound
Powerful bass for a bookshelf
Compact form factor
Minus
Requires careful setup and placement for best performance

THE VERDICT
GoldenEar Tech’s compact, passive BRX proves that the company known for powered towers can also make a better bookshelf speaker.

At some point when I reviewed GoldenEar Technology's Triton Reference tower in early 2017, it hit me that the company may have backed itself into a marketing corner with its new offering. After all, how do you push the performance envelope further after developing a "Reference" speaker? The company's agenda, as it turned out, was to scale its $8,500 flagship down in order to deliver variations on the Reference experience.

In just the past couple of weeks, efforts to curb the coronoavirus pandemic has up-ended the lives of millions of people across the globe. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the steady flow of Top Pick-worthy gear that’s essential to establishing a home entertainment sanctuary. From a state-of-the-art DVR from TiVo, the company that helped pioneer and perfect the category 20 years ago, to a compact subwoofer that will shock you with its visceral precision, there’s something to ignite everyone’s AV imagination. As we head into April with a whole new set of expectations about daily life, stay healthy and let us know how you’re spending your newfound “leisure” time while we wait for those dark clouds to lift.