Like its sci-fi counterpart, the horror film genre is packed with “cult classics.” But there are only a few horror titles that can lay claim to “classic” film status. Universal Monsters films from the 1920s through the 1950s notwithstanding (see Boxes of Joy on page 28), my list is limited to The Shining, The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, Halloween, and Carrie.
China-based Huawei Technologies today previewed its new AI Speaker a launch event for its new Mate 20 X smartphone and the web is abuzz about how much it looks like a certain smart speaker from another company you might have heard of — Apple.
Q Can I use an HDMI 1.3b cable to connect an Ultra HD Blu-Ray player to my regular HDTV? Will the cable downscale the 4K image to 1080p, or do I need to use an HDMI 2.0 cable for it to work? —Charles Kuforiji, via email
A momentous occasion in the evolution of recorded music occurred 20 years ago when a California district court ruled to allow the sale of a curious new portable music player in the face of opposition from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Here’s a compressed history of the events surrounding the birth of the MP3 player.
Impact Monitor Speakers Performance Build Quality Value
Brisance 12 Subwoofer Performance Features Build Quality Value
PRICE $5,350 (as reviewed)
AT A GLANCE Plus
Powerful, dynamic sound
Excellent value
Minus
No furniture-grade finish option
Large, bulky cabinets
THE VERDICT
Tekton’s Impact Monitor Theater system lives up to its name, with performance that reflects the unique priorities of its designer.
With A Phalanx of 38 drivers pointed directly at my ears, it was with some trepidation that I reached for the remote control to start listening with Tekton Design’s Impact Monitor Theater system. After all, I normally subscribe to the less-is-more approach to speaker design, where simpler usually means better. Tekton laughs at this type of thinking, however, throwing more drivers into its designs than there are plot twists in a David Lynch movie.
A 65-inch TV screen is nice but what if you could watch movies and binge-watch your favorite Netflix shows on a screen twice that size? Or maybe you already have a projector you’ve been wanting to upgrade. Either way, with the holidays fast approaching it’s a great time to step back and assess your TV/home theater setup. We’ve compiled snapshots of six top performing projectors that, with the right screen, can make all your big-screen dreams come true. And once you make the switch to a mega screen you might never step foot in a movie theater again — assuming, of course, your new projector is hitched to a first-rate home theater sound system.
Visit our Projector Reviews and Projector Screen reviews pages to see all Sound&Vision reviews in the projection category. Also don’t forget to visit our Top Picks page where you can search for the cream of the crop in all categories, including prospective AV receivers and home theater speaker systems to mate with your new projection setup. For even more on the ins and outs of video projection, see Projector Primer: Closer Than It Looks.
The concept of whether sound exists and actually could flourish in space — or not — was very much on my mind as I sat down with the creative and scientific teams behind National Geographic’s groundbreaking series MARS, which returns for a second season on the National Geographic Channel (a.k.a. Nat Geo) on November 12. I asked nine members of the MARS creative team about the aural choices they had to make about scoring the show, the science of sound in space, and whether they’d sign up for a mission to Mars themselves.
AT A GLANCE Plus
Stunning design with consummate build quality
Pleasurable sound balance
Plush ear pads
Minus
Sound balance may be too rich for some tastes
THE VERDICT
Campfire Audio’s Cascade is a class act, with distinctive good looks and a sweet, easy sound.
Even before I start listening to headphones, their look and feel on my head can have an influence on my first impressions of the sound. On that score, Campfire Audio’s Cascade headphones really had my hopes up. The satin black machined aluminum earcups felt like they could survive a close encounter with a city bus and escape unscathed. The plush, real lambskin-covered earpads promised good times ahead. Yesiree, the Cascade makes a mighty fine first impression. What about the sound, you ask?