LATEST ADDITIONS

Al Griffin  |  Oct 24, 2019
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

If I subscribe to Tidal Hi-Fi should I bother with 24-bit/192-kHz playback or is 24/96 all I need?

Al Griffin  |  Oct 23, 2019

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $5,998/pair

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Enveloping soundstage from SDA-Pro tech
Dynamic, full-range sound
Flush-mounted elevation module option
Minus
Somewhat bulky cabinet design
Requires SDA-Pro interconnect cable

THE VERDICT
SDA-Pro, the latest refinement of Polk Audio's proprietary tech, elevates the performance of its impressive flagship speaker.

Many years ago (the early 1980s, to be precise), Polk Audio produced the first speakers to feature a technology it had developed called SDA (Stereo Dimensional Array). The idea behind SDA was to eliminate a problem called interaural crosstalk that's a necessary artifact of typical two-channel speaker configurations. Basically put, when listening in stereo, your left/ right ears hear not just sound emanating from the respective left/right speakers, but sound coming from the other speaker as well. According to Polk Audio, this has a constricting effect on the presentation, with the width, height, and depth of the stereo image coming across as a pale representation of what's actually contained on the recording.

SV Staff  |  Oct 23, 2019
Verizon has announced that it will offer 12 free months of Disney+ to its “4G LTE and 5G unlimited wireless” customers when the new streaming service launches November 12.
SV Staff  |  Oct 23, 2019
Apple Corps. has announced that The Beatles – The Singles Collection, featuring remastered 7-inch vinyl reissues of all 22 singles released in the U.K. between 1962 and 1970, ships November 20.
SV Staff  |  Oct 23, 2019
The Hi-Fi Show Live 2019, U.K’s largest specialty high-end audio event, will take place this Saturday and Sunday at the Ascot Racecourse Grandstand in Ascot, England.
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 22, 2019
I've said it before, but it's still true, that whenever we have a new video format the movie studios eagerly line up to sell us our favorites all over again—from VHS tape to Laserdisc to DVD to Blu-ray. But today, with movie streaming swamping video discs sales, the line of consumers eager to replace their existing discs is now shorter than ever.

Ultra HD's, however, appear to be fighting the trend. UHD re-releases of popular films are showing up like flies to a picnic.

SV Staff  |  Oct 22, 2019
Yamaha today reaffirmed its commitment to home audio with a new collection of high-end audio components for the “most discerning and passionate audiophiles.”
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 22, 2019

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $180

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Smooth, detailed sound
Solid construction
Light weight
Comfortable
Minus
Sound can be somewhat muted

THE VERDICT
Charging becomes a secondary concern with Cleer’s Enduro 100 wireless headphones thanks to an insanely long battery life.

I’ve been listening on and off for six days and the tiny battery in Cleer’s Enduro 100 wireless headphones is still going strong. Impressive. No question, headphones that need frequent recharging are…well, annoying and intrude on the freedom that comes with wireless listening.

SV Staff  |  Oct 21, 2019
CEntrance, the Illinois-based maker of portable audio gear for professionals and consumers, is shipping its first headphones.
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Oct 21, 2019
Some stories tell you about one thing. The good ones are entertaining and/or accurate. But the very best stories are multi-layered, fitting small pictures into big pictures, with one brilliantly informing the other to show deeper meanings. To demonstrate what I mean, I'd like to show you a YouTube video posted last week, and a figurative map drawn in1869.

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