New products keep the world of home entertainment moving forward. Though the pace of introductions slowed to a trickle this spring as America was forced into pandemic lockdown, A/V makers are regaining their footing as supply chains slowly return to normal. The last full month of summer saw introductions from the likes of Rotel, Marantz, and many other familiar brands. Here’s the skinny on a dozen recently announced products — from headphones and AV furniture to more cool gear from McIntosh, NAD, and Bowers & Wilkins.
We spotlight 13 products that made Sound & Vision’s Top Pick list over the past three months, starting with affordable noise-canceling earbuds from an unexpected source and ending with a super-refined speaker system for enthusiasts seeking the very best in music and movie reproduction. In between, you’ll find an eclectic mix of soundbars and speaker systems, affordable 4K TVs, and a home-theater amplifier that delivers an insane amount of power from a surprisingly compact chassis.
Despite all of its many challenges, 2020 has so far proven to be a good year for affordable A/V gear. To illustrate the point, we’ve gathered up a couple dozen recent examples — all Sound & Vision Top Picks — and included a few picks from late 2019 as well. To make it easier to browse, we’ve divided the listings into seven categories: Speakers with seven entries, Soundbars (four entries), Subwoofers (three entries), TVs and Source Components (four entries), Receivers & Integrated Amplifiers (two entries), Headphones (three entries), and Accessories (one entry). Will you find your next acquisition on one of the five pages that follow? Read on to find out.
The Quad Electrostatic Loudspeaker (a.k.a. ESL-57), revered by critics the world over as one of the most natural sounding speakers ever built, may well be the most beloved speaker of all time. Here's why.
The summer of 2020 has seen a sizable flow of new gear as A/V makers look to regain their footing after months of pandemic lockdown. Here we highlight a handful of recent introductions with an emphasis on those designed to make outdoor life a little more enjoyable.
At Sound & Vision we celebrated our own special brand of fireworks in July with a handful of Top Picks that command the attention A/V enthusiasts. From a super well-executed soundbar and crème de la crème suite of home theater speakers to one of the best (and most affordable) OLED TVs on the planet, we present five Stars of the Summer of 2020 — a time we will remember for years to come. Kick back, grab a beer or glass of wine, and see which of these gems inspire you. We’re confident that at least one of them will. Here’s to an enjoyable summer, whether you’re staying home or embarking on a much-needed vacation getaway.
AT A GLANCE Plus
Versatile
Easy to set up
Solid construction
Good sound with powerful bass
Minus
No tone controls
THE VERDICT
The Fives accommodate a variety of audio setups without the need for an outboard amp or receiver and deliver pleasing sound with rich, powerful bass.
I’m all about simplicity so I welcomed The Fives with open arms. A follow-up to The Sixes Klipsch introduced a couple years ago, the new speakers are smaller and take connectivity to the next level with the addition of an ARC (audio return channel)-enabled HDMI port. If I had to pick one word to describe this system, it would be versatile.
Darren Revilla is an avid collector of vinyl LPs and vintage audio gear. If you’re looking for an album from an obscure band no one (except collectors) has ever heard of, he’s the guy you ask. He’s also the owner of Revilla Grooves and Gear, the retro-cool shop specializing in vinyl LPs and vintage audio gear he opened five years ago in the heart of Milltown, New Jersey, 15 minutes from the main campus of Rutgers University in neighboring New Brunswick.
Staying at home for three-plus months gave us lots of time take stock of our lives. To rethink family relationships, rekindle dormant hobbies, reconnect with old friends, and reflect on everything — including what entertainment at home looks like. TiVo’s annual Video Trends Report sheds some light on that question.
No question, new product introductions dropped off from what we usually see during springtime but they didn’t grind to a halt. Dozens of products were announced during the historic COVID-19 lockdown that transformed the life of every American for more than three months and continues to threaten our return to normalcy. As we prepare to celebrate the founding of this great country, we pause to take look at some of the gear AV companies have rolled out in recent weeks, including a few you may have missed. Here’s to hoping that the current wave of flare-ups is short-lived.