More Disc Reviews
My latest disc reviews for Sound & Vision Magazine: Sully on UHD with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack 10 Cloverfield Lane on Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack
More Disc Reviews Read MoreContent
Blu-ray review: The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2
My latest Blu-ray/Atmos review is up at Sound & Vision: The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2 I did not review The Hungry Games – Catching Fur, but if you're a fan of Sesame Street parodies, this is a good one. May the cookies always be in your flavor.
Blu-ray review: The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2 Read MoreBlu-ray reviews
I've started contributing movie reviews to Sound & Vision, one of the last home theater magazines still available in print form (Home Theater Magazine merged with them back in 2013). You can also find some of my reviews on their site online; Everest is up. I'm focusing on titles with Dolby Atmos soundtracks and/or 3D for now.
Blu-ray reviews Read MoreOrb Audio Mod2X review
It's been a long time since I've done a full formal home theater speaker review, but my "reference" Carver HT5.2 speakers are over 15 years old and I've had the upgrade urge for most of the past decade. When Orb Audio reached out early last year* and offered to send over a complete set of speakers with sub, I thought it was time to start the process of finding a new mid-priced system for our home theater — or at least start listening to something new. Orb sells complete packages that start at $600 and go up to $2500; I …
Orb Audio Mod2X review Read MoreAvi’s Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide 2013
My long tradition of getting behind with work covering new product launches ahead of the holiday season — and therefore not finishing my holiday gift guide until the last possible moment — continues. The guide is up over at techpinions.com.
Avi’s Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide 2013 Read MoreLast Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide 2012
It's up over at techpinions.com
Last Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide 2012 Read MoreCD Players Are Not Dead (Yet)
Apple’s iTunes now sells more music than any other retail outlet and CD sales are famously in decline, so you’d be forgiven if you thought nobody makes CD players any more – or at least nobody would be foolish to launch new ones. That's why I was somewhat delighted to read this press release: Parasound has just introduced a new CD player, the Zcd. This isn’t a CD player aimed at the mass market, but it isn’t targeting money-is-no-object audiophile snobs, either. It costs $400; mass market CD players start at $17.99 at Target, and audiophile brands can top $4,000. …
CD Players Are Not Dead (Yet) Read MoreMy Holiday Gift Guide is Up
My Last Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide is now up over at Slashgear.com. Happy Holidays, -avi
My Holiday Gift Guide is Up Read Morequick review: beats by dr. dre
Question: My son is here with me today and… he brought up Beats headphones. I was wondering if you’ve seen/have them and your thoughts. He’s sold on how “cool” they are but I’m curious if they’re all hype or not. I get in a lot of headphones but hadn't gotten extended time on the beats until HP gave me a pair to test with its new TouchPad tablet (the TouchPad has a special Beats Audio mode. I tested it with the mode enabled and disabled, the difference is too subtle for most people to notice, but it’s a nice branding …
quick review: beats by dr. dre Read MoreSlate talks about the wonders of outboard DACs, I talk headphones
Fred Kaplan is apparently writing for Slate now*, and he correctly points out that digital music often sounds terrible, either due to poor sampling or poor encoding. He recommends using an outboard DAC to correct the problem. It's a great suggestion for people who listen to music in one spot using high end speakers or headphones, but not at all practical for those who are mobile, using an MP3 player or a smartphone as their playback source. Aside from echoing his related note to bump up the encoding rate when you rip music or download higher quality encoded music in …
Slate talks about the wonders of outboard DACs, I talk headphones Read More