Innehållsförteckning för May 2018 från Sound & Vision

Samsung May Use LG LCD panels in future TV models, reports the Korea Herald. Samsung has been seeking a new supplier to replace Sharp, which bowed out after being acquired by Foxconn… LG and Meridian are teaming up on the design of LG audio products. They’ll include soundbars and wireless speakers (see this month’s New Gear)… Sony’s Android Smart TVs will run Comcast’s Xfinity TV Partner app in 2018. Watch live, on demand, and cloud DVR material via the X1 program guide… Vizio’s SmartCast TV platform now has a working NBC app. Just the thing to catch that SNL skit they’re talking about at the water cooler… Channel Master’s Stream+ combines over-the-air TV reception with support for all apps in the Google Play store except Netflix and Amazon Video. It includes…

Last year in our annual front projection update (May 2017, available at soundandvision.com), we wrote about how the category wasn’t about to be left behind on the 4K, Ultra HDTV revolution. Nothing in this business stands still, of course, and we’re happy to report that “front projection’s reinvention,” as we dubbed it last year, is moving into yet another phase. Not only are 4K-compliant projectors more readily available, better performing, and in some cases much cheaper, we’re also seeing a batch of fresh ultra-short-throw home theater projectors reaching the market in 2018. So what does this mean for you if you’ve always dreamed about sitting back in front of that giant 100-inch screen? Read on to find out. Let the Revolution Begin Let’s start with the premise that, for now…

PRICE $7,250 as reviewed JUST AS NOT EVERYONE PREFERS to eat turkey on Thanksgiving, there are some people who don’t like to have tower speakers standing at attention (and drawing attention) in their family’s living room. At our family’s traditional Thanksgiving chow-down (at Christmas, we have a ho-ho-hoedown), we serve baked ham as an alternative to the delicious, funny-looking bird the rest of us enjoy. (Those who don’t like either choice get bread and water.) For people who can’t or won’t have tall, floorstanding speakers in the vicinity of their TV, the acoustic equivalent of baked ham is a set of in-wall speakers. (Those who don’t like in-room or in-wall speakers get their own kind of bread and water: a cheap soundbar with no subwoofer. Only those on the naughty…

PRICE $1,300 WHY ON EARTH WOULD A magazine devoted to the latest and greatest in surround sound review a receiver that made its debut in 2011? Seven years in receiver years is—well, a lot of years. But the NAD T758 V3 is not some old wheezer on its way out. The company’s Modular Design Construction allows the addition or swapping of slide-in modules offering new connections or features. “Instead of planned obsolescence,” the company says, “we have planned evolution.” The combination VM130 video and AM230 audio module that pushes this model from V2 to V3 adds Ultra HD video, Dolby Atmos, USB, and—via USB dongle—plug-ins for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, thus accommodating a control app and NAD’s BluOS, a grab bag of wireless audio streaming and multi-room features. The V3 also…

FULL-ON/FULL-OFF Contrast Ratio: 1,354:1 PRE-CALIBRATION measurements were made with the Hisense Laser TV’s Theater preset active. Post-calibration measurements were made in the same mode. All measurements were made using the 100-inch-diagonal Screen Innovations Short Throw screen that’s included with the projector. HD/SDR AFTER calibration in Theater mode, the projector’s black level measured 0.020 ft-L and peak white 27.08 ft-L for a contrast ratio of 1,354:1. An Advanced Picture Options menu provides various Active Contrast presets, but none of these had any effect on picture contrast; instead, they appeared to alter picture gamma with negative results. Maximum light output was measured at 31.76 ft-L with contrast set to maximum in Vivid mode. BEFORE calibration in Theater mode with Low color temperature selected, the Laser TV displayed mostly good grayscale tracking, with…

The dramedy action film American Made from director Doug Liman (Swingers, Edge of Tomorrow) is based on the true story of airline pilot Barry Seal (played here by Tom Cruise), who in the late 1970s was recruited by the CIA to become a drug runner for the Medellin cartel in Central America. Seal eventually became a key figure in what would turn out to be one of the biggest political scandals in the following decade, the Iran-Contra “gate.” While this might sound like heavy material, American Made is far from a heavy film. Liman and screenwriter Gary Spinelli infuse the story with a major dose of comedy, giving it more of a “Big Short with action” feel. Cruise slides right into the role of rapscallion Seal with charisma to spare,…

In a not too distant future, the wealthy plunk down big bucks to enter Westworld, a Disneyland for adults populated by “hosts”—human-like A.I. androids capable of fulfilling their every desire. With a cast of A-list names such as Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, and Ed Harris, this psychological, character-driven drama series goes beyond the gimmickry of its 1973 original to offer up a well-crafted exploration of what it means to be human as well as the blurred lines between good and evil and past and present. Could it be a replacement for Game of Thrones? Only time will tell. Westworld is the first TV series to get a 4K Ultra HD release, and oddly enough it’s also one of the dwindling number of series to be shot on…

McIntosh XRT2.1K Speaker System McIntosh Labs • (607) 723-3512 • mcintoshlabs.com If you’re easily intimidated, McIntosh’s flagship XRT2.1K towers probably aren’t for you—assuming you could even afford them in the first place. Two of these mini skyscrapers will set you back $130,000, but they are the stuff audiophile dreams are made of: 162 custom drivers meticulously arranged in a pair of 7-foot aluminum towers finished with seven layers of high-gloss piano black paint. Each speaker is a four-way design with six 8-inch woofers and two 6.5-inch lower midrange drivers housed in a large ported cabinet and capped off with a magnificent line array consisting of 28 2-inch upper midrange drivers and 45 0.75-inch tweeters—all perfectly aligned on a panel suspended in front of the main enclosure on four steel spiders,…

My system consists of a Sony XBR-X900E TV, a PlayStation 4Pro console, and a Yamaha YAS-207 soundbar. The PS4 Pro does not play Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs, so I’m planning to buy an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Here’s my problem: I want to connect both the PS4 Pro and the disc player to the Yamaha, but the soundbar only has one HDMI input. I’ve looked around for an HDMI switcher that’s compatible with both 4K/60-Hz video signals and high dynamic range but haven’t been able to find one. Will I have to switch the cable connected to the soundbar from my sources on an as-needed basis to maintain best picture and sound quality? Paul Trava / via e-mail I wouldn’t suggest doing that—unplugging and replugging cables each time you switch…

Emotiva DC-2 Desktop DAC Supercharge your desktop rig! That’s what you’ll be able to do with the DC-2, an update of Emotiva’s reference-quality DC-1 digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Emotiva CEO Dan Laufman calls the new half-height DAC a “no-holds-barred converter for any enthusiast whose music library is stored on a computer or hard drive.” Moving Up: The upgrades begin with a new 32-bit AKM Verita DAC—equipped to handle a range of hi-res audio formats, including DSD—an AK4136 sample rate converter selected for its “extremely low jitter and detailed sonics,” a beefed-up headphone drive stage, and a new low-noise switch-mode power supply. Connections include a USB port, standard (RCA) and balanced (XLR) analog inputs and outputs (one each), and three digital inputs (coaxial, BNC, and optical). You can select inputs and adjust…

PRICE $25,000 THESE DAYS, IF YOU WANT A TRUE native 4K projector (no pixel-shifting required) that doesn’t have a Sony badge on it, you’ll have to spend $35,000 and up for the privilege. Meanwhile, Sony now has four different models below that mark, starting at $5,000. Since the debut of the VPL-VW1000ES (in 2011!), we’ve been waiting for other manufacturers to join the native 4K fray—and yet, here we are. This past year, Sony introduced a few new treats to the company’s 4K line. The biggest announcement, however, was the VPL-VW885ES, a consumer projector showcasing a new laser light engine. At $25,000, it slips in at the exact same price as the original VW1000ES and just below its still-current follow-up, the VW1100ES (which I tested in 2014, review at soundandvision.com).…

SUPERSUB X (blue) Close-miked response, normalized to level @ 80 Hz: lower –3 dB @ 22 Hz, –6 dB @ 20 Hz, upper –3 dB @ 127 Hz using LFE input. SPECS Invisa Signature Point Source: 5.25 in poly cone woofer (4), 1 in folded planar magnetic tweeter (1); 8.5 x 28.5 x 3.75 in (WxHxD), 14 lb • Invisa MPX: 4.5 in poly cone woofer (2), 1 in Folded planar magnetic tweeter (1); 7.25 x 13.875 x 3.75 in (WxHxD), 6 lb • Invisa HTR 7000: 7 in poly cone woofer (1), 1 in folded planar magnetic tweeter (1); 10 x 5 in (diameter x D), 4.5 lb • SuperSub X: 8 in fiber cone active woofer (2), 10.5 x 9.5 in Medite passive radiator (2); 1,400 watts peak;…

THIS graph shows the T758v3’s left channel, from Audio1 input to speaker output with two channels driving 8-ohm loads. Measurements for THD+noise, crosstalk, signal-to-noise ratio, and analog/digital frequency response were all within expected performance parameters. Full details available at soundandvision.com. SPECS Power Output: 110 watts (8 ohms, 2 channels driven); 60 watts (8 ohms, all channels driven) • Auto Setup: Dirac Live LE • Video Processing: 4K passthrough, HDR10, 4:4:4, 60 fps • Dimensions (Wx-HxD, Inches): 17.13 x 6.81 x 15.81 • Weight (Pounds): 33.9 • Video Inputs: HDMI 2.0a (3) • Audio Inputs: Coaxial digital (2), optical digital (3, 1 front), stereo analog RCA (4, 1 front), 7.1-channel analog (1) • Additional: Ethernet (1), USB (1) • Video Outputs: HDMI 2.0a (1) • Audio Outputs: Stereo analog (1), 11.1-channel…

THIS graph shows the A52+’s CH1 amplifier channel, with two channels driving 8-ohm loads. Measurements for THD+noise, crosstalk, signal-to-noise ratio, and analog/digital frequency response were all within expected performance parameters. Full details available at soundandvision.com. SPECS Power Output: 5 x 180 watts (8 ohms), all channels driven; 5 x 255 watts (4 ohms); 0.05% THD, RMS continuous power, 20 Hz to 20 kHz • Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 17.25 x 5.9 x 20 • Weight (Pounds): 55 • Audio Inputs: Gold-plated RCA (5, single-ended), balanced XLR (5) • Audio Outputs: Five-way binding posts (5 pair) • Additional: 12-volt trigger input and loop output…

Less than three weeks after the Germans invaded France in May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force found themselves backed up against the English Channel. The evacuation that followed sought to rescue over 300,000 British and French troops using a combination of British warships and hundreds of “little boats.” No one expected this effort, dubbed Operation Dynamo, to succeed. But it did, and the remarkable events from late May to early June 1940 are brilliantly re-created in Dunkirk, one of the best films of 2017. Director Christopher Nolan’s approach, to blend three different time lines for the action on the beach, in the air, and at sea is a bit confusing at first, particularly when the scene shifts abruptly from day to night and back. The actual evacuation took nine days.…

England’s super-secret civilian intelligence agency, Kingsman, is dealt a devastating blow by a mysterious new enemy. It’s been one year since ballsy-yet-compassionate Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and his crew saved the world from an eccentric criminal mastermind, but with their resources and personnel all but eliminated, they must now seek the help of Statesman, their American counterpart. Together, this unlikely team travels the globe to uncover the truth behind the recent attack, as well as the details of another ruthless plot that could soon kill millions. Working from his own script (with Jane Goldman), director Matthew Vaughn spins a story that’s bloody, funny, and full of surprises, although possibly a bit too long. The cast is crammed with Oscar winners, so there are a great many characters and subplots, some of…

FULL-ON/FULL-OFF Contrast Ratio: Infinite (Dynamic), 15,000:1 (Native) MEASUREMENTS were taken in various conditions, with most taken in the Reference preset and with the laser at 80%. The gamma correction preset was selected as 2.4. All calibration was done with the dynamic laser disabled, and the contrast ratio measurements were done with various settings for dynamic dimming, as noted. All viewing and measurements were done on a 140-inch-diagonal, 2.35:1 Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 100 screen (1.0 gain). THE full-on/-off contrast was measured with a Minolta T-10 meter at 12 inches away from the lens face. The highest native contrast ratio (dynamic laser disabled) was obtained with the projector at 100 laser power. This produced a contrast ratio of approximately 15,000:1. Using the dynamic laser in Full mode resulted in an infinite contrast…

PRICE $10,000 HISENSE HAS BEEN SLOWLY making headway in the U.S. TV market over the past few years, mostly through its lineup of affordable big-screen LCD sets. Another product that the company has teased at trade shows, and is now actively selling, is Laser TV, a flat-screen alternative that consists of an ultra-short-throw (UST) laser-driven DLP projector paired with a 100-inch screen. While other companies including Sony and Epson offer their own UST solutions, Hisense seems especially bullish on the category: At last CES, the company announced a second Laser TV offering that incorporates a dual-laser DLP light engine and comes with a 150-inch screen, and there’s also an 88-inch version in the works. While there’s no information yet concerning price or availability for those next-gen Hisense Laser TVs, the…

PC-4000 (blue) Close-miked response in Extended mode, two ports open, normalized to level @ 80 Hz: lower –3 dB @ 17 Hz, –6 dB @ 15 Hz, upper –3 dB @ 190 Hz with Crossover set to Off. Please note: Response is –5.05 dB @ 39 Hz, making the crossover and level settings required for proper integration tricky at best. There are internal EQ adjustments provided to flatten the response in your room, and they should be utilized. SPECS 13.5 in paper-composite cone woofer (1); Class D amplifier, 1,200 watts (4,000 watts peak); stereo RCA input/passthrough, stereo XLR input/passthrough; 47 x 16.5 in (H x dia), 92.4 lb…

UHD BLU-RAY Terminator 2: Judgment Day It’s time to remind everyone what a big deal Terminator 2: Judgment Day still is. The action/adventure genre underwent a serious evolution in the ’80s, and by 1991, to be taken seriously, T2 had to be bigger and better than anything that had come before. And it was. Filmmaker James Cameron’s budgets have grown exponentially, and this sequel was staggering in its scope and complexity. Building upon the computer-generated imagery pioneered for The Abyss, he was able to tell the story of a relentless liquid metal assassin sent from the future to end all of mankind by killing the boy who would grow up to be our last hope. With only his bad-ass mother Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and last-year’s-model über-robot (Arnold Schwarzenegger) standing…

Following his introduction to Marvel’s well-established “Cinematic Universe” in Captain America: Civil War, the beloved Spider-Man has been fully rebooted (again) in the wildly enjoyable Homecoming. Decked out in a new high-tech costume, he’s eager for big adventures, but until then, he occupies himself as a local do-gooder in his Queens neighborhood—when not attending high school. Young star Tom Holland is a perfect fit for Peter Parker and his alter ego, an agile dancer/athlete with an irresistible wide-eyed enthusiasm. A ruthless criminal is selling devastating weapons, however, built from the scraps left by the invading Chitauri in The Avengers, and only Spider-Man is willing to stop him. And that’s my sole gripe: Iron-clad genius Tony Stark is Spidey’s mentor, but a lousy one, dismissing deadly serious reports of major criminal…

Young Mr. Lincoln is a biography that avoids dramatizing any major achievements or historical events that make up a person’s destiny. Instead, they are alluded to by visual metaphor, audio clues, or pieces of Civil War music. At a local fair, we see Lincoln judging a pie contest, having to choose between a Georgia peach and an American apple pie, winning a logsplitting competition by dividing the body in two, and helping a tug-of-war team succeed by hitching their end of the rope to a wagon; all subtly stand in for Lincoln’s moral struggles with slavery, justice and rule of law, and the coming Civil War. The central story involves him, as a young lawyer, first saving from a lynch mob two brothers accused of murder and then defending them…

It’s quite fitting that when Alan Parsons—the well-respected English producer and engineer whose enviable behind-the-board C.V. includes the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, Al Stewart, Pilot, and Ambrosia—finally ventured out on his own as a titular recording artist in the mid-’70s, his collective work was dubbed The Alan Parsons Project. Actually, using his as the possessive pronoun there is somewhat of a misnomer, as The Alan Parsons Project was really defined as a push-pull partnership between Parsons (above left) and Scottish songwriter Eric Woolfson. The APP became the collective’s name mainly because Parsons’ résumé carried quite a fair amount of pre-existing weight, but the group’s overall sonic presentation was most definitely born on a two-way street. One of the defining tenets of the APP was how shrewdly…