Indholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2023 i Sound & Vision

Like many of us, you are getting on in years. Whether through disease or simple wear and tear, the delicate mechanisms of your inner ears aren’t quite what they used to be. You might be hearing spurious tones, or just not hearing some things at all. If only you could get back your younger ears. Well, could I interest you in a neuroprosthesis? Neuralink, a start-up company founded by Elon Musk, is developing novel neurotechnologies using brain implants that promise to treat a variety of medical conditions. One of their stated goals is to develop technology that would help remedy aged or damaged hearing. Although Neuralink’s research lies at the cutting edge of medical science, there is a technological precedent: cochlear implants. For many in the deaf community, deafness is…

Q I have a 7.2.4 home theater with a Marantz SR7015 powering the 7.2.2 speakers and a Marantz MM7025 powering the other two overhead Atmos speakers. I can’t exactly remember how I decided to wire it this way, but I’ve since wondered if it makes sense to use the MM7025 to power the two front speakers rather than two of the Atmos speakers. Does this make more sense or does it not matter? Would it alter the Audyssey calibration process (which obviously I would run again after changing)? Are there any disadvantages? Thanks! MIKE ANTONIELLO A Great question, Mike, and a situation I’ve personally encountered on several installs! With the generation prior to your Marantz SR7015—the SR7013, and even the newer SR6014—when driving an 11-channel system such as you describe,…

WE HAVEN’T reviewed a title from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a while, so let’s check in with the residents of the fictional African kingdom, Wakanda. In a deeply emotional opening scene, leader T’Challa dies, echoing the too-soon loss of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. The unfillable void left by the beloved thespian puts this much-anticipated sequel in something of no-win scenario, a superhero flick with no central champion, instead drowning in a sea of supporting characters and subplots that feel like a Thanksgiving dinner that’s no meat and all side dishes… and the stuffing is dry and the mashed potatoes are lumpy, too. Letitia Wright is a capable enough actress but lacks the charisma to embody an enhanced, nation-ruling uber-warrior. Unfortunately, her character Shuri is next in line for…

IN THIS darkly satiric thriller about conceptual dining, mockery is made both of foodies and society’s growing obsession with the dramatically experiential. A group of wealthy culinary enthusiasts, snobby gastronomes, and famous experts are whisked by yacht to a private island where an unforgettable meal awaits them at a highly exclusive gourmet restaurant. There, they expect not to just eat, but attend a veritable drama (only this one will include unexpected audience participation). Gradually, as each course is presented, what is really in store for them from their obsessively controlling epicurean chef (Ralph Fiennes), his scary female maître d’, and cultishly loyal and obedient kitchen staff is revealed. Only unpretentious Margot Mills (Anya Taylor-Joy), an extremely unimpressed escort plus one, might be able to interfere with Chef’s macabrely planned and…

Bob Dylan hit a bit of a rough patch as the freewheelin’ 1980s gave way to the dour 1990s. Dylan ended the MTV decade on a high note with September 1989’s Oh Mercy—a visceral, smoky triumph produced by Daniel Lanois—but he stumbled out of the new-decade gate with the half-hearted mishmosh sheen of September 1990’s Under the Red Sky. Dylan subsequently spent the balance of the ’90s focusing on releasing archival material (including the first entry in his deservedly lauded Bootleg Series) along with newly recorded traditional acoustic folk and covers-oriented albums before returning to form—as he always seems able to do—by bringing Lanois back as his co-producer for September 1997’s songwriter’s benchmark, Time Out of Mind. (Dylan co-produced Mind under current nom de bard, Jack Frost.) Dylan’s 30th studio…

Guitar maestro Joe Satriani has been making strange beautiful music for well over four decades and counting. Given his penchant for exploring the very concept of space itself and all of its dimensions, it should come as no surprise that Satch has wholly embraced the concept of having his music mixed in Dolby Atmos (now available on Apple Music). Recently, Satriani and I got on Zoom to discuss just how cosmically cool his benchmark October 1987 instrumental album Surfing With the Alien sounds in Atmos, which specific Surfing track benefits the most from its Atmos mix, and how the overall mixing and mastering processes differ in the modern Atmos age. (A longer version of this interview appears in my monthly Spatial Audio File column on the S&V site.) Mike Mettler:…

PRESENTING THE Sound & Vision CES 2023 Editor’s Picks! Covering CES involves a trip to Vegas at the beginning of each year. It is the show that sets the tone in AV tech. CES 2023 was big and chaotic, as it should be! Finding twenty Editor’s Choice winners takes a lot of walking, monorail riding, watching, and listening. Even then, we’re talking about show demos, not reviews… so just know it’s a subjective exercise that relies on a fair bit of educated guessing and intuition. Paradigm shifts in home entertainment were on full display. The high-end two-channel audio show that used to be a defining part of the CES experience has disappeared. On the other hand, two of the best audio demos I heard were soundbars. I was surprised (and pleased)…

In 2023, it would be fair to say that Steven Spielberg is a household name. His body of work as a filmmaker transcends generations and has been entertaining moviegoers for decades. I am certainly a fan, and as such, I was very interested in his latest, The Fabelmans. The semi-autobiographical film revolves around young Sammy Fabelman, Spielberg’s onscreen doppelganger. Most of the story takes place in post-World War II Arizona where Sammy and his family live before relocating to Los Angeles after his father, Burt, accepts a job offer. Inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood, the narrative follows Sammy through his formative years and into young adulthood. Its coming-of-age themes include supporting anecdotal threads that reveal the basis for Sammy’s inspiration and love of filmmaking, as well as the life he…

FROM THE pages of DC Comics, Black Adam begins in the ancient land of Kahndaq, where a young slave is bestowed with the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance and freeing Kahndaq from its oppressive king, he was seen as a menace and imprisoned. In the present day, Kahndaq is under the control of the “Intergang,” a mercenary organization, that is opposed by a small group of resistance fighters. While searching for an ancient artifact, an archeologist unknowingly frees the former slave, Black Adam. Unleashed, he begins to dole out his unique form of justice, and the Justice Society—Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone—are called in to challenge him. As a fan of action fantasy films, I couldn’t help but hope that Black Adam…

NOMINATED FOR nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Directing, and Best Original Screenplay, as well as nods to each of the four leading actors, The Banshees of Inisherin tells a simple tale of a man living in a tiny island community off the coast of Ireland who is devastated on hearing that his lifelong friend no longer likes him and doesn’t want to waste any more time talking to him. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, reuniting with writer-director Martin McDonagh 14 years after In Bruges, play Pádraic Súilleabháin, an easygoing, in-the-pub-by-2:00 dairy farmer, and Colm Doherty, a composer and player of songs at the same pub. Smarter and more ambitious, Colm feels his art and life slipping away under Pádraic’s influence. Nonetheless, Pádraic, unable to understand or accept the…

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS are the consummate 1970s band. Their Northern California-bred sound consists of a harmonious amalgamation of rock, R&B, soul, and blues—a veritable melting-pot musical blend that continues to galvanize audiences the world over five-plus decades later, especially given The Doobies are currently on the road all summer long in continuation of their pandemically delayed 50th anniversary tour. While the roots of their ultimate success were duly planted with the infectious singalong nature of their first mega-hit single “Listen to the Music”—from July 1972’s Toulouse Street—The Doobie Brothers truly upped their game with the broader strokes of March 1973’s double-platinum sea-changer, The Captain and Me. My original 1973 Warner Bros. Captain pressing is virtually unplayable today, boasting a well-weathered cover that sports a perfect ringwear halo encircling the jutting,…

By rough count, this past CES marked my twentieth attendance, which may seem like a lot to some, but is merely a drop in the bucket compared to some of the veteran A/V journalists out there. Nevertheless, it’s enough to provide some valuable perspective on attending the show. Over the years, I’ve experienced CES in Vegas during varying weather conditions, including scorching 80-degree temperatures, heavy snowfall, floods, and even a blackout. I’ve witnessed its peak attendance of 170,000 people in 2020 and its return with a post-pandemic attendance of 40,000 people in 2022, along with everything in between. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reported that this year’s show had over 3,200 exhibitors and more than 115,000 attendees. Similar to the recent CEDIA show, CES seemed to be making strides in…

HOW DO you close a 50+ year career in America, one that has brought music and magic to millions of fans and celebrate with them? Well, if you’re Elton John, you return to the city where it all started—Los Angeles—and to one of the locations that symbolizes his incredible success: Dodger Stadium, where he famously played in 1975. Elton did just that on Sunday, November 20, 2022, the third of three nights at the venue (including Thursday and Friday that week), culminating in a stylistically enhanced experience that night, which included special guests. That concert was live streamed on Disney+ as Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, with a live edit and audio mix shot with 28 cameras. The edit continued to be available until January 27, 2023, when…

ACROSS THE century-plus of motion picture history, few characters can be considered as iconic as Rocky Balboa, the everyman boxer who rises from humble beginnings, works hard to become the best version of himself while staying true to his nature and (spoiler alert) eventually comes out on top. With a career-defining script by Sylvester Stallone the writer, penned as a vehicle for Stallone the actor, Rocky was a phenomenon, netting big awards and big box office and yielding six movies before his universe expanded to include the recent Creed spinoff franchise. The first four Rocky movies—universally acknowledged to be the best of the bunch—can now be had in Warner’s “Knockout Collection.” The 1976 debut introduces us to the lovable southpaw, who is given a million-to-one shot at the heavyweight title,…

MADE BY British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter Sir Sam Mendes, Empire of Light is set in the English seaside town of Margate of 1980-81 (where I grew up) in a two-screen cinema. Regular life for duty manager Hilary (Olivia Colman), the box-office and concession staff, and the projectionist is gradually changed after handsome, young black man, Stephen (Micheal Ward), is hired by the manager (Colin Firth) to be a ticket taker. Hilary struggles with bipolar disorder, for which she is taking lithium, and life is made more difficult by her married boss pressuring her into frequent sex in his office. But Stephen gives her hope and gradually a romance develops between them. Unfortunately, the early-Eighties not only brought films like Being There and blacks-and-whites-together Two-tone music (both…

ENDLESS KUDOS to Kubo’s studio, Laika, for doing more than anyone to keep the waning art of stop-motion animation feature films alive. Shout! Factory has been celebrating their most popular titles in recent 4K upgrades (available in standard or steelbook); among them The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline; and now Kubo and the Two Strings. An original story with classic underpinnings, Kubo takes us along on a boy’s quest to acquire some mystical armor in anticipation of a showdown with a powerfully malevolent foe. Armed only with his courage and his family’s magical, musical shamisen, young Kubo teams up with an overprotective talking monkey and a beetle/knight (not Paul McCartney, although the work of George Harrison does show up in the soundtrack) for an exciting and amusing journey. Full of fantastical…