Tom Norton

A/V Veteran
LEDs, OLEDs, and Micro LEDs
Tom Norton  |  Feb 13, 2025
This blog will be old-hat for many veteran Sound & Vision readers, but there are always newbies flummoxed by this whole LED vs OLED vs Micro LED business.

The oldest and most basic form of a flat screen television is the LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display. A layer of liquid crystals is sandwiched between two layers of polarizing filters. When an electric signal is applied to those filters (that signal being the source to be displayed) the liquid crystals align in changing patterns to produce the moving and (where needed) color image.

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Subwoofer Reviews
KEF KC92 Subwoofer Review
Tom Norton  |  Aug 28, 2024

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE: $2,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Tight, clean, deep bass
Small size
Minus
Pricey
No app

THE VERDICT
The KEF KC92 is ideal in a situation where space is a serious consideration but deep, impactful bass is a must. While it will be best suited to modestly-sized home theater spaces, it can also offer impressive performance in larger rooms, even at challenging output levels.

Most audiophiles today are familiar with the KEF brand. It's one of the most widely recognized names in loudspeakers, offering products ranging from the relatively affordable to the high-end. Established in the U.K. in 1961 by Raymond Cook, the company's name was derived from its original location, the Kent Engineering and Foundry. The Hong Kong-based Gold Peak Group acquired KEF in 1992. All of its products are currently designed and engineered in the U.K., but today most of them (including the KC92 subwoofer), are manufactured in China. One major exception to this are the KEF Blades, the company's highest-end loudspeakers that are still built in Kent.

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Home Theater Systems ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
SVS Ultra Evolution Titan Surround Loudspeaker System Review
Tom Norton  |  Jul 10, 2024

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $6,000 (system as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Dynamic, powerful sound
Tight, well-defined bass
Crisp detail
Minus
Best with subwoofers

THE VERDICT
SVS has earned a formidable reputation for producing loudspeakers and subwoofers that outperform their reasonable price points. With the new Ultra Evolution range, they’ve more than upheld their past record. While the Ultra Evolution speakers are the company’s priciest offerings to date, most home theater enthusiasts don’t need to win the lottery or take out a second mortgage to at least consider them.

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene. But time does fly.

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A/V Veteran
Music Hath Charms
Tom Norton  |  May 28, 2024
The quotation "To soothe the savage breast" from William Congreve (1629-1670) reads in its entirety, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast. To soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak." Congreve might have been on to more than he realized.
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A/V Veteran
Dune Week
Tom Norton  |  Feb 27, 2024
Just in case you've been living under a rock somewhere, you need to know that the film Dune: Part Two will arrive at a theater near you this coming Friday, March 1, 2024. That would place its story about 10,000 years into a future envisioned by writer Frank Herbert in his famous 1965 science fiction novel, directed in this latest film incarnation, by Denis Villeneuve.
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4K TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Hisense 65" 65U8K mini-LED 4K TV Review: The Price is Right
Tom Norton  |  Feb 07, 2024

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $900

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Wide Range of Features
Affordable Price
Impressive Picture Quality
Comprehensive Connectivity
High Refresh Rate for Gaming
Minus
Limited Off-Center Viewing Angles
Calibration and Ergonomic Challenges
Intrusive Pop-up Ads on Smart Platform

THE VERDICT
I wouldn't choose the U8K for a video mastering suite. But for the consumer looking for a TV that punches far above its price, the Hisense generated more OMG moments from me on the best source material than I can recall from any TV I've previously reviewed. The only thing keeping it from earning an even higher performance rating is its limited off-center viewing—an issue with most LCD-based televisions.

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Soundbar Reviews
Sony HT-A5000 Soundbar Review
Tom Norton  |  Dec 12, 2023
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE: $1,000

AT A GLANCE

Plus
Do-it-all abilities
Competent audio performance
Minus
Operational complexity
Intimidating manuals

THE VERDICT
The detailed setup and operation of the Sony HT-A5000 soundbar can be a little off-putting, but its performance doesn't disappoint and offers a dramatic upgrade over the on-board sound of virtually any television.

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4K TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Sony Bravia X93L Mini-LED 4K Google TV Review
Tom Norton  |  Nov 08, 2023

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Black levels
Superb color
Affordability
Minus
Menu ergonomics
Remote control

THE VERDICT
Even before calibration, this Sony produced superb images. But calibration truly brought out the best from it in both HDR to SDR. Our samples offered slightly less luminance in HDR than expected, but that was quickly forgotten once the lights dimmed and the viewing began.

For several years now OLED has been king of the HDTV hill, offering the best available HDTV performance. This isn't to say that it has been free of issues; no technology is perfect.

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Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsHome Theater Systems ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Focal Vestia No.3 Surround Loudspeaker System Review
Tom Norton  |  Oct 10, 2023

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $5,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Strong and clear sound
Excellent imaging
Made in France

Minus
Best with a subwoofer for action films
2-way center speaker

THE VERDICT
Unless it happened in the long forgotten, misty days of my earliest reviews, I can't recall ever before reviewing a Focal loudspeaker. But years ago, I did visit the Focal factory in France and was impressed by the company's forward, creative thinking. That remains true today, as the new Focal Vestia lineup clearly demonstrates.

Focal is a long-established, high-end French loudspeaker manufacturer that invests heavily in R&D to stay ahead of its competitors. While its flagship models have always commanded nosebleed prices, the new Focal Vestia line (three floorstanders, a bookshelf model, and the Vestia Center) tops out at $4400/pair in the U.S. for the Vestia No.4. Not exactly white van prices, but more than competitive in the international loudspeaker market.

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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
TCL 85" QM8 Mini LED QLED 4K TV Review
Tom Norton  |  Sep 05, 2023

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Screen size
Black levels
Price
Minus
Limited off-center viewing
Cluttered remote

THE VERDICT
The TCL 85QM8 has a few annoying ergonomic issues, and like most LED/LCD sets its off-center viewing won't challenge an OLED. But its performance is impressive, and its price unexpectedly affordable. Properly adjusted, and on source material ranging from the routine to the awesomely difficult, its performance was consistently irresistible.

One significant difference between building a home theater around a video projector or a conventional flat-screen television has been image size. Projector fans will point to the immersion that big-screen projection offers, with the screen size limited mainly by your available space, imagination, and budget. Until recently, however, TVs bigger than 65-inches were priced beyond the means of most consumers.

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