CATEGORIES
OLED For Less
SONY’S NEW XR-65A80J OLED TV isn’t a member of the company’s Master Series—that designation belongs to its XR-A90J OLED models, which are spec’d to deliver higher brightness than the XR-A80J sets. And while we haven’t yet tested those pricier Sony OLEDs, the XR-65A80J is far from being a second-class citizen. Read on to find out why.
Rack Your World
IF YOU’RE A boomer who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s like I did, you’ll remember that no home was complete unless it had a stereo system in the living room.
SPATIAL AUDIO RELATIONS
Ears-on with Apple Music’s new Atmos offerings
THX Onyx DAC/ Headphone Amplifier
THX Does High-Res Audio
Synchrony Redux
PSB SPEAKERS was founded by Paul Barton in 1972. While the brand has long been part of the Canada-based Lenbrook Group, which also includes NAD and Bluesound, Barton began as and remains PSB’s chief designer, cook, bottle washer, and one of the most respected speaker authorities in the industry. His work, including the new Synchrony T600 under review here, has long made use of the Canadian National Research Council’s (NRC) audio testing facilities, including its anechoic chamber.
Over the Moon
SIMAUDIO, an audio manufacturer located in Boucherville, Quebec, is well-known for both the build quality of its products and the whopping ten-year warranty it offers. Many of the company’s wares are decidedly high-end—the 230-pound Moon 888 monoblock amplifier ($118,888 per pair), which is rated to output a massive 888 watts at 8 ohms and double that down to 1,776 watts at 4 ohms, for example.
A Guide To Projection Screens
Screens can be a near-equal partner with your projector in achieving theater-quality (or better!) images. Here are the key things you need to consider when shopping for a projection screen.
Two Decades With Kaleidescape
The luxury video business is hard. Don’t believe me? Consider companies like Pioneer, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Runco, Escient, and ReQuest. And those are just a few brands that have either exited that market or no longer exist.
THE MAKING OF ALL THINGS MUST PASS
A day-by-day account of the recording of George Harrison’s epic first solo album as it sees a 50th anniversary remix and deluxe edition release.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
STEWART HARMONY G2 ACOUSTICALLY TRANSPARENT SCREEN
Vizio V21d-J8 Soundbar
Sound Bargain
What is My Stereo's Gender?
Readers will recall, distressingly, that I have tried their patience on just about every topic that marginally relates to audio. LP grooves, CD bumps, flat response, boomy bass, warm recordings, cold binary bits—I have waxed philosophically on all of them. Which bring us to today’s audio topic: gender.
The Big Short
EPV SCREENS DARKSTAR UST 2 EFINITY PROJECTION SCREEN
Roku Streambar Pro
A Sound Streaming Solution
Qwest for Fire
Qwest TV steps outside the streaming mainstream to offer up a wider swath of multicultural live concert and documentary selections.
KEF MUSIC LOUNGE THEATER: A THX CERTIFIED OASIS
The speaker maker’s appointment-only New Jersey demonstration theater combines comfort with state-of-the-art gear and acoustic treatments
Faceoff - 10 Wire-Free Bud Options That Block Noise So You Can Hear Music
Noise-canceling true wireless earbuds
A Garden Oasis in The Heart of Pittsburgh
This custom-installed outdoor A/V system sets the mood for parties, sports, or just chilling out and enjoying a City of Bridges sunset
The Wireless Meta-verse
WE LIVE now in the wireless world, and the major loudspeaker makers have been quick to embrace it with serious-performance, near-full-range designs. But each seems to have a different idea of what a “wireless speaker” should entail. Some simply connect to an existing component stack via a supplied small wireless transmitter. Others incorporate the whole smart-speaker thang, with full multiroom audio system and Alexa-Google-Siri voice control integration.
Masterclass Acts
The Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp changed its tune during the pandemic from offering in-person seminars with stars to streaming Masterclass sessions. In many ways, the shift broadened the scope of what the Camp has to offer.
Sonos Roam Portable Wireless Speaker
Roam on the Range
Bluesound Pulse Sub+ Subwoofer
Out of Sight Sound What’s the one thing lacking in even the best soundbar? If you said “deep, realistic, room-filling, floor-pounding bass,” then you are absolutely correct.
Evolution of the App
The introduction of the iPhone in 2007—or, more specifically, Apple opening its App Store to third-party developers in 2008—turned out to be one of the most consequential developments ever to hit the home automation market.
Got Livestream If You Want It
A year into the pandemic, the improved quality of livestream concerts is helping to bridge the gap between artists and their socially distanced fans.
A Mighty Mini
Mankind has steadily sought to produce more and deeper bass from smaller and smaller enclosures ever since the first Neolithic audiophile blew through a conch shell and thought, “Damn, I wish this thing went lower, louder!”
TV TRENDS OF CES 2021
THE ANNUAL CES trade show put on by the Consumer Technology Association was an “all-digital” event for 2021. On the plus side, that allowed us to report on the show from the comfort of our homes dressed in hoodies and sweatpants instead of suits.
Mini-LED Made Affordable
IN LATE 2019, TCL flew me to the company’s U.S. offices in California to spend an afternoon with its new flagship, the 75Q825 8-Series Roku LCD Ultra HDTV, a 75-inch 4K model.
Monolith by Monoprice M-TWE True Wireless Earbuds
Noise Cancellation Customized Monoprice is an affordable direct-to-consumer brand, and its Monolith product line features sophisticated A/V gear including speakers, amps, surround sound processors, and now the new Monolith M-TWE earbuds.
The End of Analog
Q Over the years, I’ve discovered that sound and vision are two distinct camps in the home theater realm, and it’s best to keep them separated due to constantly changing video formats.
HEADPHONES AT CES 2021
Once upon a time, CES was a huge show for audio but those days are long gone and showed no signs of returning in the virtual world that was CES 2021, with one possible exception: wireless headphones, a category that has made incredible strides in just the past year or so.