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Shop 'Til The Music Stops
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 14, 2023
In 1697, in the play The Mourning Bride, British poet William Congreve wrote, “Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast. To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” As it turns out, music also has the power to make us buy more stuff.

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Audio Advice LiveShows
JBL Brought a Party Speaker to an Audio Show
Mark Henninger  |  Aug 13, 2023
Large, powered, wireless party speakers have been around for some time, but 2023 marked the first year I truly took notice. I recently reviewed a Sony party speaker, and this year seems to indeed be the year of the party speaker. At Audio Advice Live in Raleigh, North Carolina, I entered a room in the Sheraton and instead of the typical two-channel high-end system or home theater setups, what I found was a dance floor just waiting for a party to get started. This included disco lights, a DJ rig, and a pair of full-size JBL Partybox 710 speakers handling the PA duties.
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Audio Advice LiveShows
Bowers & Wilkins at Audio Advice Live 2023
Mark Henninger  |  Aug 12, 2023
Bowers & Wilkins had three separate demo experiences at Audio Advice Live 2023. The company exhibited its 801 D3 flagship loudspeakers, powered by Classé electronics, as well as 700 series S3 speakers; a demo of great relevance to me since I have 700 series speakers in for review. And a powerhouse home theater performance with Marantz handling power and processing.
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Audio Advice LiveShows
McIntosh Dual Demos at Audio Advice Live 2023
Mark Henninger  |  Aug 12, 2023
I attended two separate Macintosh demos at Audio Advice Live 2023. They were strikingly different. One was the classic two-channel demo, in this case using new Macintosh equipment that has the classic build quality and aesthetic. The highlight of that demo? Trying to figure out the mysteries of tube sound.

But the other demo also got my attention because it is automotive. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer McIntosh demo—held in front of the hotel—featured an in-cabin entertainment system that is about as over-the-top as any OEM system I've seen or heard in a motor vehicle.

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Audio Advice LiveShows
ELAC at Audio Advice Live 2023
Mark Henninger  |  Aug 12, 2023
I love a great 2.1 system like this pair of Solano tower speaker and a Varro DS1000 12-inch dual-opposed subwoofer. Just a couple of good towers and a powerful, precise sub, along with transparent, competent electronics doing their job. And that's what I found in this all-ELAC rig at Audio Advice Live 2023.

What a fantastic time it is to be an audio enthusiast, that we have this capacity to create true full-range audio delivering an audiophile listing experience with gear that looks great and fits comfortably in a living room environment.

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Audio Advice LiveShows
JVC, Arcam and GoldenEar 7.2.4 System, T66 Towers at Audio Advice Live 2023
Mark Henninger  |  Aug 11, 2023
JVC is renowned for the quality of its D-ILA projectors. They offer some of the highest native contrast that you'll see in a projector that doesn't cost as much as a house. And in this show demo, the company pulled off its usual spectacular exhibition of its projectors' capabilities. In this case, the range-topping DLA-NZ9 ($26,000) took care of business with its 3000-lumen output that filled the screen with convincing HDR.

Meanwhile, GoldenEar is known for its high-performance home theater-friendly speakers, many of which feature integrated subwoofers. All of the company's speaker designs use AMT (folded-ribbon) tweeters.

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Audio Advice LiveShows
JBL and Samsung at Audio Advice Live 2023
Mark Henninger  |  Aug 11, 2023
At the recent Audio Advice Live 2023 show in Raleigh, NC, I stopped by the Harman/JBL/Samsung demo areas and saw a 140-inch micro-LED display outfitted with a JBL synthesis sound system, JBL Classic Series electronics (making their U.S. debut), and other cool gear.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
EPV Elevates Backyard Entertainment with New Wireless Screen Option
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 10, 2023
Before summer slips away, EPV Screens, the custom-installation brand of Elite Screens, is taking backyard movie nights to the next level with a new line of wireless, motorized projection screens.
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Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Sonos Era 100 Speaker Review: Versatile and Compact
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 10, 2023

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $249

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Surprising upper bass accuracy
Bluetooth or Wi-Fi
Privacy controls
Minus
Minimal stereo Imaging
Compressed sound

THE VERDICT
Who says you can't improve on perfection? The Sonos Era 100 is the new replacement for the much heralded Sonos One speaker. Does it offer improvements? Absolutely! With Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, voice assist and extremely loud playback, the Era 100 lives up to the usual Sonos hype with sound that delivers.

Move over Sonos One—there’s a new kid on the block and its time has come. The Era 100 is one of two new products from Sonos, the other being the larger, pricier Era 300. The Era 100 boasts an array of features that address many complaints from earlier products.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
LG Readies Stunning 97” Wireless TV, Extends “Zero Connect” Tech to Smaller Screens
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 09, 2023
LG is extending wireless technology previewed in a 97-inch OLED TV at CES 2023 to smaller, more affordable screen sizes.
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