Sound & Vision December/January 2023

Customer Service and Subscriptions SOVcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com Call (800) 264-9872 or write to: Sound & Vision, P.O. Box 37965, Boone, IA 50037-0965 Please include your full name, address, and phone number on any inquiries. New Horizons for Sound & Vision HI, MY NAME IS MARK HENNINGER and I am the new editor of Sound & Vision. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of prior editors Al Griffin, Rob Sabin, Mike Mettler, and Bob Ankosko and join this team of excellent writers dedicated to bringing you the latest AV and entertainment news and reviews. When I heard Al was leaving, I leapt at the chance to grab the reins of this amazing magazine. We live in exciting times for audio and AV enthusiasts. Having just turned 51, I grew up in a pre-Internet world, one where magazines, movie…

Kaleidescape Questions This letter is generally concerning Kris Deering’s testing of Kaleidescape’s Terra server in Sound & Vision February/March 2022, but also veers off into related ideas. Please forgive my ignorance in some areas. I am incarcerated and your magazine helps keep me updated with the goings on of home sound tech (love it!). So, on with the questions: 1. How many 4K movies—and, alternatively, 1080p titles—fit on a typical 6TB server? I can extrapolate each larger server size from there. 2. What does Kaleidescape charge to buy 4K and 1080p movies? How much for rentals? Can you then purchase the rental for a prorated price? How much? 3. How much is premium video on demand? 4. How many movies are available to purchase in the [Kaleidescape] library? 5. Are TV shows available for rental or purchase?…

French Form & Function Bathys, Focal’s first adaptive noise-canceling headphones, are instantly recognizable due to the company’s unique design sense. They are the result of a multi-year in-house development effort and incorporate the company’s signature M-shaped, 40mm aluminum-magnesium alloy drivers that are made in house in France. Because the sound quality is so good, owning them is a fun experience that makes the high price (compared to competing models) worth it. Features and Setup The Bathys are unapologetically luxurious, full-size, over-ear, sealed-back, Bluetooth wireless (with aptX), active noise-canceling headphones featuring a built-in USB DAC as well as wired analog input. They take a slightly different path than Apple, Sony, and Bose—the big names in this category—with better sound quality, longer battery life, and more ways to connect. Inside the box, you’ll find the headphones,…

Waterboarding is a harsh interrogation technique. Most governments have disavowed and unsanctioned its use. There is a title for a Tom Cruise movie in there somewhere. In any case, waterboarding is essentially a form of torture. And a certain airline likes to waterboard its passengers. But instead of water, they use music. And musicboarding is much, much worse. Music is one of the most universal and wonderful things in life. Play music for a baby, and it will instinctively respond. Throughout our lives, music sparks joy. When we shed our mortal coils, if we are lucky, someone will play music at our funerals. Everyone loves music. Music is also one of the most personal things in life. There are 8 billion people on the planet Earth. If you have a playlist…

Let’s get right to it—The Beatles’ Revolver further solidified the creative validity of the rock album format when it was released in August 1966. For more evidence of that, see Matt Hurwitz’s excellent insider story on page 28 to see how Revolver’s recent Super Deluxe Edition LP/CD box set incarnations came to be. Concurrently, the inherently excellent Revolver Atmos mix by producer Giles Martin was made available digitally. I had to find out why I needed to get this mix into my listening life, so Martin and I got on Zoom together to discuss exactly that. (A longer version of this interview appears in my monthly Spatial Audio File column on the S&V site.) Mike Mettler: The very first Revolver track I listened to in Atmos was “Taxman,” which has always…

After repeatedly encountering the same issues working with customers at my CI firm, I decided a series of columns on working with an installer might help. While this is written through the lens of working on an A/V project, many of these tips are applicable when hiring any trade to do work in your home. And I dare say that following these suggestions will make the project – and your relationship with the installation team – go smoother for everyone. In part one of this series, I covered what you should plan for leading up to the day of the installation. These include things like being there, emailing pictures of the work area, understanding the scope of what is expected, checking over any gear you are providing, clearing out the work…