Sound & Vision October/November 2020

Customer Service And Subscriptions soundandvision@email-customerservice.com Call (800) 666-3746 (international calls: 386-447-6383) or write to: Sound & Vision, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 Please include your full name, address, and phone number on any inquiries. Going to the Movies IT’S EARLY SEPTEMBER, and somehow, miraculously, Christopher Nolan’s new film Tenet has been released in theaters. As is usual for the director, his latest is an IMAX production, and despite early reviews indicating it doesn’t measure up to his last film, 2017’s Dunkirk, I am still primed to see it as soon as humanly possible. But there is a dilemma. I live in New York state, and the governor hasn’t yet cleared movie theaters for reopening. Schools, indoor restaurants, bowling alleys, malls, museums, and gyms have been given the green light, but not theaters—even IMAX ones! What to do? Theaters…

I previously reported in the September Track One column that CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association) Expo, the largest U.S. trade show devoted to home theater and related technologies, would be going virtual for 2020. In this issue’s Wide Angle (page 16), you’ll find a preview of products scheduled to launch at CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020, and we plan to follow up with additional coverage in our December/January issue. In the meantime, you can find Sound & Vision’s complete coverage of CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020, which happened online September 15-17, at our website, soundandvision.com. Next up: all-digital CES 2021, the virtual version of the technology mega-tradeshow.…

Audio Above Everything My Sound & Vision finally arrived—I sure missed your magazine! It’s one of the few I subscribe to, extending way back to the days of Stereo Review. (When Cindy and I got married, she wanted to get me a subscription to Playboy, but I told her I’d rather have Stereo Review!) As Al Griffin discussed in his September issue Track One column, Covid-19 has given me more time to do things that I previously never took time out to do. Lots of social distancing with the Harley, and I actually started buying vinyl again. I didn’t have one LP in the house before this summer, but I dusted off the turntable and started re-collecting albums I had cherished the most, ranging from Isaac Hayes to the early Beatles.…

The new VPL-VW915ES SXRD projector from Sony ($20,000, available October 2020) is a native 4K-resolution (4,096 x 2,160) model that uses a Z-Phosphor laser light source capable of operating for up to 20,000 hours. The projector is specified at 2,000 ANSI lumens brightness. Dynamic Laser Control and Advanced Iris features work to deliver increased contrast, while a Dynamic HDR Enhancer provides scene-by-scene processing to optimize HDR performance. The VPL-VW915ES also features Sony’s new “X1 for projector” picture processing and Super Resolution Reality Creation to enhance lower-res images. The Invisa Home Theater Reference 7000 from GoldenEar Technology ($599 each) is designed for use as a ceiling-mounted left-, right-, or center-channel speaker, or as a side or rear surround. It can also serve as height-channel speaker in many home theater installations. A flat,…

Atmos Made Easy It was around this time last year that I reviewed LG’s SL8YG, a 3.1.2 soundbar equipped with upfiring 2.5-inch drivers and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing. What was notable about that model, as well as other soundbars to arrive from LG in 2019, was the company’s effort to go upscale via a sleek new design and custom processing from England’s Meridian Audio. The new SN8YG reviewed here continues that upward trajectory, mostly through the addition of a few key features. Design-wise, the SN8YG has a similar look to last year’s model. The soundbar’s 2.2-inch height allows for placement in front of a TV without worry about intruding on the screen’s bottom, and its curved edges and aluminum mesh wraparound provide a welcome respite from the blocky, insubstantial look…

Take Five I’m all about simplicity so I welcomed The Fives with open arms. A follow-up to The Sixes Klipsch introduced a couple years ago, the new speakers are smaller and take connectivity to the next level with the addition of an ARC (audio return channel)- enabled HDMI port. If I had to pick one word to describe this system, it would be versatile. The Fives can accommodate just about any audio setup. Jack in your source — or grab your phone and open your favorite music app — hit play, and you’re off. No need to deal with an outboard power amp or receiver and the system is equipped with an arsenal of connections that go well beyond that handy that HDMI input, which makes supercharging TV sound a one-cable affair.…