SVS recently introduced a new line of speakers that has the AV world buzzing, the Ultra Evolution series. The company showcased a 5.2.2 immersion setup and a 2.0 system in two separate rooms at AXPONA 2024 to demonstrate its latest innovations. For example, on all the new models, a diamond/carbon layer is deposited onto the aluminum dome tweeter, with a lattice diffuser added for improved high-frequency dispersion. Glass-fiber midranges and woofers round out the drivers for the line, with the Ultra Evolution Bookshelf ($599/each), Ultra Evolution Titan ($1,999/each), and Ultra Evolution Pinnac ..read more

iFi Audio, the UK-based maker of digital-to-analog converters and DAC/amplifiers for use at home and on the go, has introduced a portable DAC for audiophiles and casual listeners who want to squeeze every last drop of resolution out of the music they stream, whether they’re listening over headphones or speakers. The new Zen DAC 3 ($229) features a built-in 390 milliwatt headphone amplifier and supports PCM resolutions up to 32 bits/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512 as well providing DXD support and full MQA decoding — all from a stylish desktop component 6.2 inches wide, 4.6 inches deep, and 1.4 inc ..read more

Picture Sound Extras Anyone assuming that this is a prequel to the four-movie Hunger Games trilogy — all based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novels — might find themselves bemused. This time we focus on the winning side in Panem’s bloody civil war, with a thoughtful and fascinating character study of the saga’s central antagonist, the future president. After a brief introduction, we jump 10 years into the annual event that pits pairs of children from each of the losing districts against one another in a fight to the death. But the particulars of the competition are still evolving and, in an ..read more

Along with warmer spring weather that couldn’t come soon enough for those of us who live in the Northeast, the early months of 2024 brought a treasure trove of new gear with a decided audio slant — all bona fide Sound & Vision Top Picks ranging in price from $200 to $7,200. Here we present a dozen great AV products, including one of the best and brightest OLED TVs we have ever reviewed, and a host of audio options ranging from a set of a killer studio monitors that can be had for 200 bucks (!) to an integrated amplifier that will get you into the hi-rez streaming game for $700 and an AV re ..read more

Sony used a recent elaborate media event at its Sony Pictures Culver City, CA studio to introduce the next phase in its expanded BRAVIA consumer home theater product portfolio. Holding fast to the company's "lens-to-living room" mantra, the new BRAVIA 9 TV flagship will produce some of the company's brightest images for the home, in an effort to approach the look of the company’s professional grading monitor, introduced last year with a whopping 4,000 nits of peak luminance. The 2024 BRAVIA lineup will consist of four new 4K TV series featuring two full-array mini-LED LCD series, a 4K UHD Whit ..read more

Performance Features Ergonomics Value PRICE $399 AT A GLANCE Plus BluOS 4 Controller App is easy to navigate Full bodied, room-filling sound Attractive, modern design Capacitive controls only light up when in close proximity Minus Equalizer controls are limited to treble and bass No built-in voice control Alexa and Siri, voice control is spotty Play queue wipes out previous songs when adding a new track THE VERDICT While the Pulse M doesn't have the musicality of higher-priced wireless speakers, it's a solid performer, especially at top volume. Its driver configuration does an excellent job o ..read more

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com Q I have an existing housewide audio system with a receiver connected to a speaker selector and speakers and volume controls in four rooms. The bass isn’t very good, and I’d like to improve it. How can I add a subwoofer to my housewide audio system? — Don Hamilton A On the surface, this seems like it would be a simple answer: “Just plug a subwoofer into your receiver and set the volume! Done and done!” But that won’t work correctly for various reasons (unless you never adjust the system’s volume level or don’t mind mism ..read more

Samsung today added a second 98-inch 4K TV to its 2024 lineup but this one costs $11,000 less than the 98-inch QN90D Neo QLED set announced earlier this year. Priced at $4,000, the new DU9000 is now the top model in Samsung’s entry-level Crystal series of LED-backlit LCD 4K TVs, which also includes eight models ranging from a 43-inch set that sells for $330 to an 85-inch model priced at $1,200. The current Samsung TV lineup also includes two 98-inch models that carry over from 2023: the QN990C Neo QLED 8K model ($5,000 but selling for $3,000 as of this writing) and the Q80C QLED 4K model ($7,0 ..read more

Hello S&V readers. This is Bram Stoker speaking to you. I passed away in 1912 so if you do the math, I am communicating from beyond the grave. But that's not important right now. What is important is that the classic movie Dracula is complete B.S. Let me explain. I have a real appreciation for well-written prose so I don't read anything that Mr. Pohlmann writes. But my dear wife, Florence, drew my attention to a recent Signals blog concerning the movie Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror. The blog points out that Nosferatu was a complete copyright rip-off of my novel and Florence sued the pant ..read more

U.K.-based Cambridge Audio today kicked off the 2024 edition of the Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) with word that an updated version of its popular CXA81 integrated amplifier is on the way. Slated to ship in May, the new CXA81 Mk II is the top model in the company’s midline CX Series and will feature a new reference-level digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and improved amplifier circuitry along with a new price: $1,199, which is $200 more than its predecessor. Like its predecessor, the CXA81 is Roon Tested and equipped with a Class AB stereo amplifier rated to deliver 80 watts/channel into 8 ..read more