Audio Video News

The editors of Sound & Vision would like to extend a heart-felt Happy New Year to all readers as we kick off 2019 by stepping back into 2018 briefly to revisit a handful of gems that may have gotten lost in all the holiday hullabaloo. Among them, a gift of sorts from the speaker connoisseurs at GoldenEar Technology, a no-holds-barred stereo integrated amp that looks as dazzling as it sounds, a super-sophisticated subwoofer that will delight inveterate tweakers, and a pixel-shifting 4K projector that delivers gigantic images with near perfect color for less than two-grand. May 2019 be prosperous and filled with the latest and greatest AV has to offer!

Top Picks for the holiday month of December include an advanced wireless speaker system, 12-terabyte movie server, and spectacular 8K video projector at prices ranging from $2,000 to $25,000. But don’t despair, we’re also highlighting a trio of audio products that can be had for considerably less, including an outstanding Bluetooth speaker system that sells for $250 and a versatile hi-res streamer you can pick up for $600.

Along with warmer spring weather that couldn’t come soon enough for those of us who live in the Northeast, the early months of 2024 brought a treasure trove of new gear with a decided audio slant — all bona fide Sound & Vision Top Picks ranging in price from $200 to $7,200. Here we present a dozen great AV products, including one of the best and brightest OLED TVs we have ever reviewed, and a host of audio options ranging from a set of a killer studio monitors that can be had for 200 bucks (!) to an integrated amplifier that will get you into the hi-rez streaming game for $700 and an AV receiver guaranteed to make any audiophile drool. Capsules are organized by price, least to most expensive. Let’s take a closer look...

As we get ready to close out October and look forward to a (hopefully) scary good time of trick-or-treating with a little malevolent merry-making thrown in for good measure, we pause to consider eight product that have made Sound & Vision Top Pick status in as many weeks. Our mid-fall additions reveal an interesting split between everyday audio such as the impressive entry-level speaker from Magnepan and upscale gear like Kaleidescape’s state-of-the-art movie server and Sony’s latest 4K laser projector. And then there’s the surprise $4,000 preamp/surround processor from Monoprice (of all brands), which delivers a level of performance and flexibility usually reserved for cost-no-object pre/pros. Read on to see which of these remarkable products capture your imagination.

The month of February yielded a short but sweet list of Sound & Vision Top Picks that run the gamut from a low price/high performance 5.1 home theater speaker system and combo amp/digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to a decidedly upscale video projector that will leave enthusiasts drooling and a super refined, seven-channel power amplifier from a brand that is synonymous with “high end.” Can you guess who it is?

Speakers are front and center in our January 2019 mix of Top Picks — from a full-on audiophile-approved 5.1 speaker system to a Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar system that provides an easy path to immersive surround sound plus two distinctly different takes on the ever-popular wireless speaker. Rounding things out is an impressive (and long overdue) update of the original Sonos Connect:Amp and an AVR that nabbed Top Value Pick status for packing an insane level of performance and features into a $700 piece of gear.