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Tidal’s Hi‑Res Streaming Gets Cheaper!
Tidal charges a hefty premium for high-res music. Starting on April 10th, 2024, Tidal will be discontinuing its tiered offerings and consolidating everything into a single service at $10.99/month!
Coastal Source Celebrates 15 years with New Bollard 1000 Series Speakers
Coastal Source released their new Bollard 1000 series outdoor speakers. All models come with weatherized tweeters and elliptical drivers and can be combined with subwoofers for 2-way or 3-way designs.
A Return to Blu‑ray as Streaming Value Evaporates
The SVoD market has found its ceiling as streaming services continue to chip away value for consumers, it only gets worse from here. There's no better time for a return to physical media!
RSL Speedwoofer 10E: Entry Price of Great Bass Just Went Lower!
RSL’s new Speedwoofer 10E is a 10” woofer sub with a 300-watt amp that somehow only costs $300 shipped. Learn how RSL’s brought many of their core technologies to a much lower price point.
ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery Plan New Sports Streaming Service
ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to create a new streaming service for sports fans. The joint venture will combine live TV with on-demand content, covering all major sports.
Apple Vision Pro: Another 3D Comeback?
The $3,500 Apple Vision Pro is here. Although not for everyone, this product — and future products of this type — can deliver a 3D video experience far better than any previous technology.
Are Aging Baby Boomers Spelling the Demise of Hi‑Fi Audio?
During COVID people spent money like water, but did audio companies learn anything from the post-pandemic AV recession? Will aging Baby Boomers embrace new technologies designed for younger consumers?
The $299 WiiM Amp Breathes New Life Into Old Speakers
The new WiiM Amp is a compact streaming amplifier that turns any pair of passive speakers into a modern streaming audio system for only $299. It offers 60 wpc, HDMI ARC, bass management, and ESS Sabre DACs.
EU Regulation to KILL Lamp Projectors for Mercury Hazards
An EU regulation will begin the decline of lamp-based projectors worldwide and toxic heavy metal, mercury inside the bulbs are to blame. Get ready to see growth in LED and Laser projector technology!
Definitive Technology Descend DN15 15" Subwoofer Review
The Descend DN15 is a large and powerful 15” subwoofer with a 500-watt RMS amplifier from Definitive Technology. Can this BIG sub produce audiophile sound and deep bass? Read our review to find out.
Sony 360 Reality Audio Vs. Dolby Atmos Music: The New Format Wars
Sony 360 Reality Audio vs. Dolby Atmos Music may seem like a kinder, gentler format war. But it's part of a broader competition involving MPEG-H 3D Audio for the music & digital broadcast TV markets.
Hsu Research VTF‑TN1 15" Subwoofer: Deeper Bass, Lower Cost!
Hsu replaces their top dog 15” ported subwoofer with the higher performing, lower cost VTF-TN1 flagship bruiser. Read our preview to see how this modern miracle was achieved for only $1,200!
JBL Synthesis and ARCAM Now ‘Certified for Envy’ By madVR Labs
Harman Luxury Audio Group and madVR Labs have announced that several AVRs and processors from Harman brands have achieved “Certified for Envy” status from madVR Labs. Read on.
Focal Theva No.1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Review
Focal’s Theva No.1 is their new entry-level bookshelf speaker that replaces the venerable Chora series. Focal makes high quality speakers, but how do they fare in a lower price point? Read on.
Prime Video Removes Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Unless You Pay More
Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service began running ads AND stripped off Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos! If you want them back, you have to pay for the ad-free tier which is an additional $2.99/month.
The REL T/9x Red Subwoofer: Beyond the Black Box
Rel's T/9x Red Subwoofer($1,650) adds Italian racing red paint and a souped-up driver. The pure carbon fiber center cap reduces weight and adds stiffness to the 10-inch driver. Read on to learn more.
‘LG Labs’ Exhibition Focused on Innovation at CES 2024
At CES 2024, the “LG Labs” exhibition inside the LG Electronics booth showcased a vacuum tube OLED jukebox called the DukeBox, a high-tech camper, and a tiny 4K projector called the CineBeam Qube.
Focal’s Aria Evo X Loudspeakers: Overview & First Listen
Focal’s new Aria Evo X loudspeakers include five models: N°1, N°2, N°3, N°4, and a center channel. Our demo at FAE 2024 reveled them to have near Kanta level performance at about half the price.
Harman Buys Roon, But Why?
Harman acquired Roon, the music management software company with a passionate audiophile following. Roon will retain its team and operate as an independent business within Harman. So why the acquisition?
The KEF KC92 Subwoofer: 11Hz Deep Bass, Small Box!
KEF’s new KC92 Subwoofer ($2,000) uses a pair of force-cancelling 9-inch drivers and 1,000 watts RMS of specially-designed Class D amplification to deliver bass down to 11Hz! Read on to learn more.
New ‘Lenbrook Media Group’ Formed with Focus On Content Delivery
The Lenbrook Group of Companies has formed Lenbrook Media Group to commercialize BluOS, MQA, and SCL6 across the digital audio supply chain. This new entity will be led by Mike Jbara. Read on.
ZapperBox Helps You Ditch Cable With Their M1 Over The Air DVR
Looking to cut the cord to cable? ZapperBox's new M1 ($250) over the air DVR may help. The M1 promises 4K video, Dolby Atmos and Dolby AC-4 sound, is HDR video compatible AND has NO monthly fees.
IsoAcoustics Mobile App and Product Selector Now Available in 7 Languages
IsoAcoustics has expanded the global reach of its Product Selector tool and mobile app with support for 6 additional languages. It’s easier than ever to find the right isolation products for your speakers.
Sonus faber Duetto Powered Wireless Speaker Review
The Sonus faber Duetto are an impressive pair of active bookshelf speakers. At 4K/pair they deliver truly amazing sound but the prototypes I reviewed were buggy.
DALI’s New Grand Vokal Center Speaker Boasts High Output, NOT High Price
DALI’s new Grand Vokal ($1,000) is designed for large rooms, offering more output (111dB SPL) and higher power handling. It should be a perfect match for DALI’s Oberon tower speakers.
Adcom Stages Comeback With Updated Classic Amps
Adcom is relaunching in the USA and is now making “updated and modernized versions” of its classic audio hifi products, including the legendary GFA-555 stereo power amplifier.
Wilson Audio WASAE Center Speaker Saves Space at a BIG Price
The Wilson Audio WASAE Center speaker ($9,500) is a space saver for a premium price. It uses the same 5.75" mid-woofer and 1" soft-dome Convergent Synergy MK5 tweeter as larger Wilsons. Read on.
Anthem AVM 90 15.4CH Preamp Processor Review
The AVM 90 8K is the first worthy successor to Anthem's D2v. Objectively and subjectively it's Anthem’s best-sounding preamp processor—EVER. Possibly the apex predator of 15.4CH pre-pros under $8,000.
New Scalable AURO‑CX Audio Codec Demoed at CES 2024
AURO is back with a new, next-gen audio codec called AURO-CX. The folks behind AURO-3D say that AURO-CX delivers scalable quality, channel count, sample rate, and objects, in one powerful bitstream.
Kanto ORA Powered Desktop Speakers & sub8 Review
Kanto’s new ORA powered desktop speakers push their technology further than ever by introducing an active crossover and other innovations. What does this do to the sound? Read on to find out.
New Firmware for PAC AVRs Adds Roon, Auro 3D, Improved Dirac & More
The Integra DRX-8.4, Onkyo TX-RZ70, and Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 are now Roon Ready, and support Auro 3D. Dirac Live also gets an upgrade and you can stream Spatial Audio directly to your AVR!