LATEST ADDITIONS

SmartStream
Alexa Now Controls Fire TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 10, 2017
Alexa can now search and control playback on Fire TV players, sticks, and Fire TV Edition Smart TVs.
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New Products
Let's Take It Outside
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 10, 2017
You can make all the excuses you want, but there’s really no good reason these days for not enjoying some form of A/V entertainment outdoors, whether you’re listening to music or watching a video in your backyard, at the park, or on the beach. Allow us to inspire you with a dozen products guaranteed to enrich your outdoor experience…or adventure.
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Audio Video News
UHD Alliance Steps Up Its Game with Full-Time Prez
SV Staff  |  Aug 10, 2017
The UHD Alliance, the industry group charged with fostering an ecosystem around the benefits of 4K Ultra HD and high dynamic range (HDR) technology, has appointed respected AV industry veteran Mike Fidler as its first full-time president.
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Ask S&V
Which In-Ceiling Speaker Should I Use for Dolby Atmos?
Al Griffin  |  Aug 10, 2017
Q I have a 5.1-channel surround speaker setup in my basement that uses Infinity speakers. Is it better to have overhead speakers that are angled toward the viewer, or ones that fire directly down at the sitting position? —Steve Thompson
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Audio Video News
New Staffing Company Targets Custom Electronics
SV Staff  |  Aug 10, 2017
Brent Wiseman and Tres Huber, veterans of the custom installation and construction industries, have formed a company to address “critical labor and personnel shortages in the custom electronics/integrator industry.”
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Audio Video News
Disney to End Netflix Deal and Start Streaming Service
SV Staff  |  Aug 09, 2017
The Walt Disney Company yesterday announced plans to end its licensing deal with Netflix and launch its own streaming services.
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Tower Speaker Reviews
Dayton Audio Epique CBT24 Speaker System Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Aug 09, 2017

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $1,995 pr (assembled); $1,295/ pr (kit)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Remarkable, panel-speaker-like stereo imaging
Neutral tonal balance
Complete absence of “floor-bounce” thickening
Minus
Curtailed bass requires subwoofer support
Needs custom- or auto-equalization for best performance
Modest subwoofer localization

THE VERDICT
A genuine rarity—a truly distinct take on consumer loudspeaker design— Dayton Audio’s Epique CBT24 delivers exceptional performance with exceptional stereo imaging. Extremely unusual looks and the need for modest equalization and a subwoofer shouldn’t deter adventurous listeners.

And now for something completely different: Dayton Audio’s Epique CBT24.

What’s an Epique CBT24? A 24-driver, no-crossover, one-way tower loudspeaker that stands 5 feet tall yet is no more than 3.5 inches wide over its full, dramatically arched length. A tower speaker with a unique geometry, pedigree, visual aesthetic, and equally unique technical story (and even marketing plan).

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Music Reviews
The Brain Box: Cerebral Sounds of Brain Records 1972-1979
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 09, 2017
Performance
Sound
Let there be Kraut! So goes the Kampfschrei, or battle cry associated with the Krautrock movement of the 1970s. If you’re unfamiliar with this relatively experimental musical form, it probably won’t surprise you to learn Krautrock’s origins are rooted in, of course, Germany. Rather than follow the more blues-based framework that served as the springboard for much of the rock that came out of the U.K. and U.S. during that era, the progenitors of Krautrock sought to build their music more on the avant-garde and progressive fringes, laying down a free-form template for the post-punk, improv jazz, electronic, ambient, and even New Age tuneage that would follow. Incidentally, the scene also has been referred to as kosmische Musik, or cosmic music—and rightly so, since its practitioners often seemed to shoot for the stars.
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Audio Video News
Modulus Previews ‘All-in-One’ Media Hub
SV Staff  |  Aug 09, 2017
Austin, TX-based Modulus Media Systems today announced that it will unveil an all-in-one media center at CEDIA 2017, which opens in San Diego September 5.
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Audio Video News
RIP: ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ Glen Campbell
SV Staff  |  Aug 09, 2017
Glen Campbell, the Arkansas born country pop singer/guitarist know for such memorable hits as “Wichita Lineman” (1968), “Galveston” (1969), “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975), “Southern Nights” (1977), and many more died yesterday following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81.
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