Sound & Vision

For this issue, we’re going to use letters as an extension to the Q&A and tackle a key consideration when shopping for a subwoofer or deciding to build one DIY: Choosing between ported and passive radiator designs. To get things rolling, I plucked a question that sets the table and then pasted in into chatGPT… just kidding! I posted it in my Facebook audio group. I then polled some of my more knowledgeable industry connections for hot takes on this deep topic. Here it is. “What subwoofer type is better, ported or passive radiator? Let’s assume for this comparison that the same active driver is used, the net volume of the cabinets is identical, and the amplifiers have the same wattage. By better, we’re referring to sound quality (frequency response and smoothness)…

Worth the Upgrade The 3rd generation Fire TV Cube has several new features to justify upgrading from your current Fire TV like HDMI pass-through for easy integration with set-top boxes. Additionally, the cube has a more powerful processor that improves picture quality. As the top-of-the-line Fire TV model, the cube combines the functionality of a smart Echo speaker and a streaming Amazon Fire TV. Like other Echo devices, far-field microphones allow hands-free control of the Fire TV Cube and can respond to Alexa smart home commands. If you›re more of a silent type, the new cube is perfectly matched with Amazon›s just-released Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro (sold separately). New Features The Amazon Fire TV Cube 3rd generation has a new design. Instead of a hard cube shape, it now features speaker grill…

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 not considered…

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: Tell me…

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 returning to…

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, you were…