Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i Sound & Vision

I’d like to draw your attention to two entries in our Letters section this month that got me thinking about our current state of audiophile affairs. One, from Paul Thiel of Crescent Springs, Kentucky, headlined “The Great Equalizer,” asks whether the disappearance of standalone graphic equalizers from the home audio market, along with the jacks to connect them, was the result of automated room EQ coming to bear...or perhaps proof that manufacturers were mistaken in the notion that consumers were interested enough in audio to want to tailor the frequency response of their systems. As you’ll read in the response, our resident audio historian and audio technical editor Mark Peterson reminds us that the tape loop and pre-out/main-in connections required to hook up even a stereo (much less multichannel) equalizer…

Dolby Laboratories wants to know exactly how viewers respond to its HDR, surround sound, or color palette technologies. So Dolby’s chief scientist and neurophysiologist Poppy Crum has been running 15 to 20 experiments per day in which volunteers sit on a couch attached to brain monitors, heart rate monitors, galvanic skin response sensors, thermal imaging cameras, and lie detectors. You can see the results on a video by online publication The Verge: https:// www.theverge.com/2017/7/18/15983954/ dolby-labs-bio-sensor-emotion-trackingmovies- next-level-lauren-goode. “Am I in The Matrix yet?” quips correspondent Lauren Goode. Netflix and Hulu are also known to be using eye trackers to monitor viewer response.…

How would you like to save money on a TV package from a major cable operator and dump the set-top box at the same time? That’s what Charter is offering with Spectrum TV Stream, which offers more than two-dozen channels for just $19.95/ month. The catch is that this skinny bundle does not include sports programming because it adds too much to the cost. You do get local channels plus CNN, AMC, and others. Pay $15/month more to get premium channels like HBO and Showtime. The IPTV service supports Android, iOS, Amazon, Roku, Xbox One, and Samsung smart TVs. The downside? As overstuffed standard cable packages dwindle, so might marginal cable channels, as providers like Charter negotiate to get only the channels they really want. Viacom recently announced that it…

Don’t you hate peeling sticky labels off your new phone and other CE purchases? You are not alone, according to an Ipsos poll of 819 consumers. Eighty-two percent confess to frustration, 81 percent to difficulty, and 53 percent to annoyance— because the labels leave a sticky residue. “As the survey demonstrates, the label might seem a small part of the product, but it can have a significant impact on consumer experience.” That quote is from a product manager for Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials, which paid for the survey, so it must be true.…

It’s no surprise that Parks Associates finds 59 percent of U.S. broadband households subscribe to a streaming service like Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu— or that the trend is upward. But those streaming subscribers are also in an exploratory mood, with “an increase in households subscribing to two, three, or even four or more services,” reports Brett Sappington, Parks’s senior research director. He cites Crunchyroll as an example. The Japanese animé channel has more than a million subscribers worldwide. “They understand their target segment extremely well,” Sappington told TWICE, “and they have crafted an experience that caters to that audience, including forums and events to foster a user community.”…

PRICE $2,000 HERE’S THE TOP SONY TV NEWS for 2017: The company started selling its first big-screen OLED models. With an elegant “One Slate” design and an ability to emit sound from actuators positioned directly behind the glass screen, Sony’s A1E line (November 2017 and soundandvision.com) is destined to give LG’s OLEDs some competition. But when you consider that a 65-inch model costs about $4,000 after discounts, the Sony OLEDs are pricey. Fortunately, there are plenty of other Sony Ultra HDTVs to choose from, including the midrange X900E series, which lists for $2,000 for the 65-inch model and will run you about $1,800 on the street. Like other UHDTVs from the company, the XBR-65X900E that Sony shipped me to test is compatible with high dynamic range (HDR) sources in HDR10.…

E-mail them to HTLetters@sorc.com. Please note: Questions about the features and functions of a particular product are best directed to the manufacturer. Questions about what product you should buy are best directed to a dealer who knows all the details of your system, your preferences, and your personal habits. All submissions are considered the exclusive property of Sound & Vision magazine and TEN: The Enthusiast Network. We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity. Due to the volume of mail that we receive, we regret that we cannot respond to every letter. It’s a Wee One First, thank you! My wonderful televisions always come from your reviews—plus it’s always fun reading. I’m greatly enjoying watching OLED’s development and hoping there will be a 46-inch model available at some time.…

PRICE $99, $199, $299 PERIODIC AUDIO IS A BRANDnew company that launched with just three in-ear headphones, the Mg (Magnesium), the Ti (Titanium), and the Be (Beryllium), for $99, $199, and $299, respectively. The three headphones look nearly the same, differing only in the color of the earpiece end caps. The Mg and Ti are similar shades of silver, while the Be is gold. The three models’ 10mm drivers are all mechanically exactly the same but differ in their diaphragm materials—magnesium, titanium, and beryllium—so it made sense to look at all three models as a group. Periodic Audio distinguishes itself from the pack of startup headphone makers because founder Dan Wiggins has a long history of designing microphones, headphones, and speakers. He’s worked with Apple, Blue, Polk, Sonos, Infinity, and…

The Netgear Nighthawk X4S AC3200 is the first cable modem and router using new DOCSIS 3.1 technology to be sold in stores and online. DOCSIS 3.1 supports gigabit internet download speeds and “blazing-fast Wi-Fi” but does so with conventional coaxial cable wiring— so you can enjoy the boost without waiting for your nabe to get a fancy fiber-optic network upgrade. The Nighthawk is the first cable modem router to be certified by Comcast for its Xfinity network. Owning one might save you about $120/year in rental fees. However, be warned that if you buy the device, you’re responsible if it goes on the fritz—you won’t be able to call the cable company and demand an exchange.…

Things were looking a little lonely at the Federal Communications Commission, what with the Senate stalling on confirmations, but the logjam has broken and the commission has two additional members. The newest one, Republican Brendan Carr, is a telecom expert who has previously served as the FCC’s general counsel. Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel has returned; she has previously served on the FCC, getting bipartisan approval for her work, although her vote against the new digital cable ready standard was unfortunate. Along with chair Ajit Pai (R), commissioner Michael O’Rielly (R), and commissioner Mignon Clyburn (D), the FCC now has three Republicans and two Democrats, which is the norm—the party that controls the White House traditionally has a 3-2 majority. Look for the conservative tilt to make itself felt on net neutrality,…

British researchers have found a security vulnerability in Amazon Echo speakers that would allow hackers to install malicious software and listen in on your conversations. However, they would have to have physical access to the device, plugging an SD card into the speaker base. Then they can get into your Amazon account and make use of the system’s necessary habit of awaiting a wake word, which would normally be “Alexa,” the name of the voice-activated assistant. The problem is found in Echo speakers sold in 2016, not including the newer Dot. The researchers advise avoiding secondhand sales of those units, checking the seal on the box, and not placing the Echo in a hotel room or office. Amazon recommends buying the units from Amazon or a trusted retailer and keeping…

’Tis the season to start driving yourself crazy trying to figure out what the heck to get friends and family members for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa (insert your holiday here). The 2017 Holiday Rush is fast approaching, soon to be top of mind—unless you’re Scrooge or just really good at procrastinating. Me? I fall into the latter camp, so the rush won’t start until a week before December 25th. Same- and next-day delivery has spoiled us and made it exceedingly easy to perfect the art of...well, you know. (Thanks, Amazon.) Whether you tend to get an early or late start, you can rest easy—maybe even rejoice—knowing that an abundance of awesome tech gifts awaits you. For better or worse, most of us are obsessed with technology, whether it comes in the…

BEFORE Calibration AFTER Calibration PRE- and post-calibration measurements were made with the Sony’s Cinema Pro preset active. Maximum standard dynamic range contrast measurements were made with the High Auto Local Dimming setting active. With this configuration, the Sony’s black level measured 0.001 ft-L and peak white 36.58 ft-L, for a contrast ratio of 36,580:1. Native contrast of the panel (measured with Local Dimming turned off) was 5,928:1. DURING HDR tests using a Samsung test disc and custom workflow designed for CalMAN 2016 calibration software, the XBR-65X900E managed 776.1 nits of light output on a 10% window pattern, 515.8 nits on a 25% pattern, and 461 nits with both 50% and 100% patterns. The TV’s measured P3/DCI color gamut coverage (within the UHD Rec. 2020 envelope) when using the same workflow…

BEFORE Calibration AFTER Calibration FULL-ON/FULL-OFF Contrast Ratio in HD/ SDR: 913:1 FOR the picture settings used in this review, go to soundandvision.com. MEASUREMENTS were made with SpectraCal CalMAN, Photo Research PR-650, and Klein K-10A color meters and a Murideo pattern generator. FOR this SDR contrast, the Display mode was Reference, the Brightness control was set to –1, Contrast was at –15, Dynamic Black off, Bright mode (lamp) on Bright, Gamma on 2.4, and PureContrast turned on. The measured peak white level on my 96-inchwide, 2.35:1, Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130 (gain 1.3) was 19.17 ft-L, and the black level (on a full black screen) was 0.021 ft-L. The projector’s lens zoom in this situation was roughly at its mid position. At full zoom (the largest possible image), the full-on/ full-off contrast…

SPEND A FEW MINUTES ON Jeremy Burkhardt’s LinkedIn page, and you quickly gain an appreciation of his passion for custom installation and desire to create products that simplify installation and push the boundaries of performance— to “innovate,” as he would say. You also find an executive who is anything but your typical corporate CEO—a man who talks about breaking “all the corporate rules” in describing his work history as CEO for Speaker- Craft, the pioneering company he helped build before leaving in 2012. Today, Burkhardt is at the helm of Origin Acoustics, the custom installation company he founded in 2014, and his desire for innovation is as strong as ever. Origin was the talk of CEDIA 2017 with the launch of its Valet amplifier, which provides an ingenious way to…

What’s in a Name? “The Quality Goes in Before the Name Goes On.” If you are of a certain age, that trademarked slogan is imprinted in your brain. It was marketed relentlessly. And it was a darn good slogan. It assured you that any product with the company’s name on it was of high quality. It also redirected your attention to the importance of the name of the company itself; you didn’t need to know anything else about the product; the company’s name ensured that it was good. My, how times have changed. Once upon a time, when you bought an Acoustic Research AR-3 loudspeaker, you were confident that it was designed and built by AR. Likewise, a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck came from Nakamichi. In most cases, products contained…

Blame It on the Emoji If brown and dirty is your idea of a stocking stuffer, you won’t have far to go this December. Bed Bath & Beyond offers the Bluetooth Poop Emoji Speaker ($20, in brown), while Staples sells the Poop 4K Emoji Powerbank ($15, you already know the color) for charging your phone. And Macy’s has the EmojiNation Backpack for little girls and big girls ($35) decorated with a variety of emojis including a poop wearing a crown. It’s good to be king. I have no doubt which emoji will be floating to the top of the Thanksgiving Day Parade this season. Those planning to give headphones are in for a nice selection of sh*t. After all, who wouldn’t want to drape their heads in emblematic doody? Amazon…

Audio Answers After a lull of many years, I’m now in the market for a new audio system and plan to buy highquality tower speakers and a good amplifier. Here’s my question: How do I deliver an audio signal to passive speakers using just an amp and no preamp or receiver? I’ve become accustomed to the convenience of music-streaming apps like Pandora and don’t want my new system to be unnecessarily complicated. Gary Barnett / via e-mail You chose a good time to get back into audio given your desire for simplicity and convenience. There’s a new crop of network-capable integrated amplifiers that streamline the music-listening experience by providing built-in wired or wireless networking capability. In most cases, you just connect speakers, link the amplifier to your home’s Wi-Fi network,…

Mount a TV Like a Pro: Part 2 Last month’s column detailed the first part of mounting a flat-panel TV onto a wall. To recap, it covered determining the size and location of where the new TV will go, figuring out the needed wiring for the install, making a plan for powering the TV, making sure there’s a clear path in the wall for routing the cabling to the TV, and then cutting wall boxes into the sheetrock and running the wiring. So, starting part two, the electricity and all necessary cabling are in place, and we’re ready to mount the TV! Step 1: Get the Correct Mount There are three types of TV wall mounts: flat, tilt, and full motion (also called articulating). Flat mounts hold the TV tightest…

Ronnie Montrose Rocks the Nation with a Fabulous Final Studio Album, 10x10 “His guitar speaks for itself.” It’s a phrase that could be applied to many a dominant and influential guitar player of the rock era, but it’s no accident it was also stickered on the front of albums bearing the name of Bay Area guitar legend Ronnie Montrose. Montrose initially made his mark laying down indelible riffs for the likes of Van Morrison (“Wild Night”) and The Edgar Winter Group (“Free Ride,” “Frankenstein”), but when he joined forces with a then-unknown Sammy Hagar to form Montrose in 1973, he shepherded a band immediately described as America’s answer to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, all rolled into one. (“Rock the Nation,” indeed.) “Musically, Ronnie really had a fiery…

PRICE $2,995 CARY AUDIO IS KNOWN IN THE high-end audio scene for making vacuum-tube and solid-state stereo components, and the brand has also established a foothold in the home theater world with its Cinema 12 preamp/processor and multichannel amplifiers. Cary’s AiOS (All-in-One System) is the first offering in the company’s Lifestyle series. With built-in aptX Bluetooth, wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, AirPlay and PhoneShare support, and onboard Tidal, Spotify, and vTuner streaming, the AiOS really does have everything you need to immediately start playing music. Just download the company’s iOS/ Android app, connect speakers, and you’re good to go. The AiOS supports DLNA/UPnP and SMB connectivity and accepts a wide range of digital file formats through its network and USB inputs. It can play FLAC, ALAC, and AIFF (among several…

ASTELL & KERN’S KANN (ALONG with the recently announced AK70 MK II) makes its debut at a time when the dedicated music player is looking more and more like the passenger pigeon. Apple has just killed the innovative, shape-shifting iPod nano and the puny iPod shuffle, leaving only the now unprecedentedly cheap iPod touch, basically an iPhone without the phone, at $199. With Apple uncharacteristically catering to the middle of the market (let’s not even contemplate the $20 nano knockoffs on Amazon), that leaves the high-resolution musicplayer carriage trade to companies like Astell & Kern, FiiO, and HiFiMan, as well as newly hi-res-conscious big brands like Sony, Onkyo, and Pioneer. Astell & Kern may sound like a company with a royal warrant to supply marmalade to Buckingham Palace. But it’s…