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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One
Chris Chiarella  |  May 31, 2024  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras

By 1985, DC Comics was juggling a vast stable of characters with too many variations across an unwieldy menagerie of alternate planes of existence. How to simplify matters and also make an honest buck? The answer arrived in the form of Crisis on Infinite Earths, a popular and influential crossover comic book maxi-series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez that effectively reset the lineup for a new generation of fans.

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Ask S&V
How Should I Power a Home Theater Setup with Only 5 Ceiling Speakers?
John Sciacca  |  May 30, 2024  |  0 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I am installing my first home theater setup and using five ceiling speakers that were already pre-wired into the house when we bought it. Should I buy a receiver with Dolby Atmos or a better quality non-Atmos receiver? I do not want to add any more speakers, so I’m wondering if the Dolby Atmos is worth it or would I not notice the Atmos effect using only the ceiling speakers? — Mark Miller

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Music Disc Reviews
Yes: The Yes Album – Super Deluxe Edition Box Set
Mike Mettler  |  May 30, 2024  |  0 comments
Performances
Sound

Because of his close association with Yes’ signature sound, guitarist Steve Howe is assumed to have been a member of the British progressive giants from the outset — but he only came aboard with the five-man band’s third studio release, February 1971’s The Yes Album. Though his fretboard predecessor, Peter Banks (who later co-founded the prog-adjacent ’70s outfit Flash), foreshadowed the aural adventurism to come on July 1969’s Yes and July 1970’s Time and a Word, it was The Yes Album that cemented the wide-ranging, time-signature challenging sonic template for one of the most forward-thinking progressive acts of the past six decades.

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Integrated Amp Reviews
WiiM Amp Review: Value-Priced Multi-Room Audio
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 29, 2024  |  0 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
Equalizer settings for each input
Can input/output Bluetooth and AirPlay
Uses passive speakers you may already own
Minus
No way to see the input or what song is playing
Could be easier to navigate with fewer clicks/taps
No headphone jack
No Bluetooth aptX for streaming hi-res audio

THE VERDICT
The reasonably priced WiiM Amp is the perfect device to leverage a house full of speakers to create a multi-room sound system. You may have Alexa, Google, or Apple HomePods. Or, passive speakers connected to other WiiM devices. This amp makes it easy to control streaming from the most popular music services anywhere in your home.

Many of us use smart speakers throughout our homes. They control everything from lights to microwaves and washing machines. Usually, these are inexpensive devices like the Amazon Echo, which are not optimal for music listening. But they are perfect for controlling more capable smart speakers and amps.

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SmartStream
Comcast Now Offers Netflix, Apple TV+ and Peacock Bundle
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 29, 2024  |  1 comments
Comcast is offering a discounted streaming bundle to Xfinity internet and TV subscribers in an attempt to win back some of the millions of users who have cut the cord in the past six months. What are the details of the deal and why are these competitors are now becoming partners?
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Audio Video News
SVS to Demo New Ultra Evolution Series Speakers in Philadelphia on Thursday
SV Staff  |  May 28, 2024  |  1 comments
SVS is hosting one of the first public demonstrations of its new flagship Ultra Evolution Series speakers at World Wide Stereo in metro Philadelphia on Thursday (May 30th)
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A/V Veteran
Music Hath Charms
Tom Norton  |  May 28, 2024  |  1 comments
The quotation "To soothe the savage breast" from William Congreve (1629-1670) reads in its entirety, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast. To soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak." Congreve might have been on to more than he realized.
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Sponsored
Sound & Vision Is Celebrating Klipsch's Collaboration with Marvel Animation's X-Men '97, Now Streaming on Disney+
SV Staff  |  May 24, 2024  |  0 comments
As the official home speaker of X-Men '97, Klipsch is hosting a sweepstakes giving away a prize package (valued at $544) that includes a custom vinyl-wrapped X-Men '97-themed Flexus Core 200 Sound bar featuring Cyclops graphics, with a 3-month Disney+ Basic subscription and X-Men '97 poster. This special edition sound bar will not be sold at retail, it is only available as a sweepstakes prize. Open to US residents only - click the photo above to enter.
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Footloose (1984)
Ralph Potts  |  May 24, 2024  |  3 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras

Upon its release 40 years ago, Footloose thrilled audiences with its spirited dancing, electrifying soundtrack and inspiring story about a Chicago city-boy, Ren McCormick, who arrives in an uptight small town where dancing has been banned due to its potentially sexual influence on the minds of its teenaged residents. Ren quickly falls for the minister’s daughter, but his love for music and dancing gets him into hot water equally fast, not only with the town leaders but a local hard case with a score to settle.

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Shows
AXPONA 2024 Rewind: Fidelity Imports, Dreammedia, Perlisten, Primare, QED, Titan Audio
Dennis Young  |  May 23, 2024  |  2 comments
Subwoofers remain a relatively rare sight at high-end two-channel shows, however they are appearing more frequently. But at last month's AXPONA 2024, Perlisten shook things up with the debut of its R18S subwoofer.
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