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JUNE 2018 Volume 83 No. 5

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28 62

34
Smart
Speakers
Your
Essential
Guide

COLUMNS FEATURES
Rob Sabin Track One: What’s in a Wire? Speaker Cables Can You Hear the
Plus, our new family across the pond. 10 Difference? 28
Ken C. Pohlmann Signals: I Live My Life a
Quarter Mile at a Time 19 Smart Speakers Your Essential Guide
34
Al Griffin Ask S&V:
Light Bright 20 74
Michael Antonoff Apptitude:
Bingeing on Free 21
John Sciacca The Connected Life:
Fundamentals Never Change 22
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 58 54 18

REPORTS
FEATURE REVIEWS P40-44
Apple HomePod Wireless Smart
DEPARTMENTS Speaker Pod power.
by Rob Sabin 40
Letters An abundance of Star Trek, and
System Building 101. 14 TEST REPORTS P46-64
Perfect Focus
New gear, top news, how to, and more. 16 JVC DLA-X590R D-ILA Projector
Eye opener.
46
by Thomas J. Norton
New Gear A look at the hottest new A/V
gear and gadgets. 24
KEF Q Series Q350 Speaker System
Entertainment Blade Runner 2049, It,
Geostorm, and more on Ultra HD Blu-ray. 66
Coincident Atmos.
by Mark Fleischmann 50
Cambridge Audio CXUHD Ultra HD
All Aboard James Loudspeaker
Steampunk Speaker 74 Blu-ray Player
Digital director.
by Al Griffin
54
46 Monoprice Monolith 12” and 15” THX
Ultra Subwoofers
Exploring new depths.
by David Vaughn
58
Naim Uniti Atom Wireless Music
Player
A Naim you’ll remember.
by Daniel Kumin
62
66
40

soundandvision.com ON THE
WEB
Visit The “How We Test” link on our Website for a
detailed explanation of our testing regimen and a list of
our reference gear. soundandvision.com
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 “ oldenEar’s New Triton Reference Redeines
Ultra High-End Performance and Value! ”
“Hearing my reference tracks on those über-expensive ( $85,000) speakers, I was
surprised at how well the Reference compared … unbridled excellence”
“ he Triton Reference presents a serious
challenge to speakers in the multi $10K range”
– Robert Deutsch, Stereophile
GoldenEar’s Triton One is one of the best selling high-end
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and winning an enviable and unmatched collection of the industry’s
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Clearly, we knew that the One would be a very hard act to follow.
here was a spirited discussion within our product development
group about an all-out assault on the ultimate, cost-no-object,
state-of-the-art, to produce a six-igure loudspeaker to do battle
with the most esoteric and expensive loudspeakers on the planet.
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“We Make High-End Affordable.” We are pleased and proud to
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“ Undeniably stellar … Yes, it does deliver the
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he Triton Reference is an evolution of everything that we have
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ponents in the T Ref: including larger, more powerful, active sub-
bass drivers with huge “Focused Field” magnet structures, upper-
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here are a myriad of other signiicant upgrades and reinements,
including: new internal wiring with a specially developed twist,
further development of our signature balanced crossover including
- Al Griin, Sound & Vision
ilm capacitors bridged across the high-pass section on the upper-
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Sonically, the Reference has been engineered to perform with a
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Call us or check our website for your nearest dealer
TrackOne
June 2018
WHAT ’S IN A WIRE?
Plus, our new family across the pond.
Our so-called “lashback” feature
this issue, ofered as part of the
ongoing celebration of our 60th
year, is a juicy tidbit from 1983
that proved one of the most
controversial articles in our
predecessor Stereo Review’s his-
BY ROB SABIN, tory. he subject? Premium speaker
EDITOR
cables. More to the point, whether
they really make a diference or are just a waste of money.
I won’t be a spoiler here (see page 28), but the piece
embraced with full gusto what was then just a smoldering
debate and rocketed it into a bona ide ireight—with the
“subjective” high-end audio community on one side and
the mainstream objectivists and measurement freaks,
represented by SR, on the other.
here’s a great back-story behind the story, which
you’ll read about. But what struck me as I stumbled
on the article in our archive was how this debate still
remains at the forefront today. here are many more
companies selling premium speaker cables and inter-
connects today than in the early 1980s, and at least two
of them—Monster, the de facto inventor of the cate-
gory in 1979, and perhaps Audioquest—have enjoyed
widespread acceptance by big-box retailers and a more
mainstream audience. his, no doubt, thanks to every-
day shoppers who have taken at face value the recom-
mendations of well-spifed loor personnel looking to
attach these notoriously high-proit add-ons to the sale
of a receiver, speaker system, or TV.
I’ve sometimes been asked by readers (and have
occasionally written about) whether I think expensive
wires make a diference, and why we don’t test prem-
ium audio cables. To respond to the irst question
emphatically: Deinitely, maybe. I’m not being coy. I
believe—indeed, I know from experience—that both
interconnects and speaker cables can make readily
audible diferences, sometimes really big ones, in the
sound of an audio system. Where I question their value is
when they are connected to very average gear that lacks
the resolution to expose these diferences. I’ve mentioned
in these pages how, when I started my career at a high-
end audio magazine in the early 1980s, the ever-evolving
reference system was so revealing that you could easily
hear the efect of big changes in humidity on phono
cartridge damping. Changing out cables in that system,
either interconnects or speaker cables, was like replacing
Customer Service and Subscriptions
soundandvision@emailcustomerservice.com, call (800)
264-9872 (international calls: 386-447-6383), or write to: P.O. Box
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address, and phone number on any inquiries.
any other major component: You’d lip the system back
on and excitedly take your seat to see what the heck you
were going to get. But are you going to hear anything
that dramatic with a $600 AVR and a $1,000 5.1-channel
speaker kit when you swap in $100 worth of cables
for 16- or 14-gauge zip cord? Not likely. Bottom line:
Unless you’re dealing with really premium equipment,
particularly speakers, just buying decent copper cables of
heavy enough gauge will probably be enough.
he reason we don’t test cables is because I’ve never
been convinced that the same cables can be counted
on to sound the same in two diferent systems, even
high-end systems. My experience was that their efect
on the sonics could be less desirable, more desirable,
or just diferent depending on what components they
were connected to. So having one of our reviewers
discussing the potentially very subtle diferences he
heard on his own system never struck me as having value
to a wide audience.
Bottom line: I wouldn’t dismiss outright that fancy
speaker cables and interconnects can be worthwhile.
But I’d look seriously at the gear you own or what you’re
buying before plunking down a big investment. he
reality is that, if you’ve got the kind of components that
can readily reveal cable diferences, your high-end audio
salon has probably already sold them to you without
much struggle.
On a separate note, Sound & Vision is proud, as of
this issue, to be a member of the AVTech Media family
of publications. Based in the U.K., our new parent is the
publisher of three superb British magazines that some
of our old-timers might be familiar with. he lagship
is none other than HiFi News & Record Review, which
holds the title of the oldest remaining audio equipment
magazine on the planet. Its two siblings include Hi-Fi
Choice and Home Cinema Choice. AVTech Media also
runs a successful consumer audio show called he Hi-
Fi Show Live. As part of this shit in ownership, we’ll be
moving to a regular bimonthly publication schedule, with
our usual July/August issue to be followed thereater by
similar double-month issues. (Don’t worry—all existing
subscriptions will be extended to relect the change.) We’re
happy to be part of a company with such a rich history in
A/V publishing and broad international reach, and look
forward to working with our new colleagues.
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 June 2018 Volume 83/Number 5

Editor-in-Chief: Rob Sabin

Executive Editor: Claire Crowley

Senior Editor, Technical Editor, Video: Thomas J. Norton

INTEGRATE Audio Editor: Mark Fleischmann

Technical Editor, Audio: Mark J. Peterson

AND CONQUER Editors-at-Large: Bob Ankosko, Darryl Wilkinson

Contributing Technical Editors: Kris Deering, Barb Gonzalez,

Achieve separates-quality
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a single component. Geoffrey Morrison, John Sciacca, Michael Trei, David Vaughn

Contributors: Michael Antonoff, Anthony Chiarella,

Brandon A. DuHamel, Avi Greengart, Corey Gunnestad,

Fred Kaplan, Josef Krebs, Ken C. Pohlmann, Leslie Shapiro

Music Editor: Mike Meler

Movies Editor: Chris Chiarella

Logistics Manager: John Higgins

Technical Consultant: Joel Silver, Imaging Science Foundation

Art Director: Heather Dickson

This thin column represents
Copy Editor: Ken Richardson
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Web Monkey: Jon Iverson
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Letters
E-mail them to letters@soundandvision.com. Please note: Questions about the features and
functions of a particular product are best directed to the manufacturer. Questions about what product you should
buy are best directed to a dealer who knows all the details of your system, your preferences, and your personal
habits. All submissions are considered the exclusive property of Sound & Vision magazine and AVTech Media
Americas Inc. We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity. Due to the volume of mail that we receive, we regret
that we cannot respond to every letter.
I. Lirpa
I have been following the exploits of
Lirpa ever since I read what I believe
was his irst-ever appearance, in
Audio. As you can see, I’m a bit hazy
in regard to time and place, but I
remember clearly in regard to his
name: It was I. Lirpa. I was not aware
of any name change to Loof Lirpa or
Lirpa Loof. I am aware of his eldest
son, Eno Lirpa, and a daughter, Lirpa
Lirpa (of whom you may not have
heard because I invented them both).  (Track One, “A History of Lirpa Labs”)
Could you please look into, and
straighten out, this matter—and
quickly. (I’m 92 years old and don’t
have a lot of time to wait for answers.)  our archive. hat said, the point’s well
Paul Alter
Pisburgh, PA
If I were in a generous spirit, I might
consider Rob Sabin’s “History of Lirpa
Labs” to be a (not very good) April
Fools’ joke. I’m afraid, however, it
is merely the result of him failing to
give the history of Professor Lirpa the
respect it is due.
First of all, there is no Loof Lirpa,
at least not in the audio industry and
certainly not in Professor Lirpa’s
family. he founder, chief engineer,
publicist, janitor, and chief bottle
washer of Lirpa Labs is Professor
I. Lirpa of Bucharest. In 1983 Len
Feldman claimed that the I stood for
Igor, but most historians believe that,
like Harry Truman’s middle initial,
the I stands by itself and does not
represent a name.
In any case, the professor had two
children, Bif and Gladys, with no
Loofs or Sloofs amongst the progeny.
No one has unearthed a reason for
his daughter’s uncharacteristically
normal name. I’m afraid Rob was
misled by fake facts planted by the
Russians. If Loof Lirpa seems like a
mythical character it is because he is,
in fact, nothing more than a myth.
Sabin also shows he does not
have a reporter’s nose for digging as
he gave up his research ater ind-
inga 1980 article. Lirpa was irst
14 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
We welcome
questions and
comments
mentioned in the April 1972 issue
of Audio magazine and appeared
yearly until the mid ’80s, when his
presence in the declining magazine
became more sporadic. You can
ind almost all of the appearances at
american-radiohistory.com/Audio-
Magazine.htm.
Sco Soloway
Evanston, IL
For the record, my editorial in April
never claimed that 1980 was the irst
reference to Lirpa in Audio, only the
earliest I had hands-on access to in
taken—if I’d perhaps read a bit more
deeply into that review I might have
noticed that Professor Lirpa was indeed
I. Lirpa and not a Loof. Although,
Lirpa was known to be aloof, but not
in that way. Scott’s excellent sleuthing-
out of that remarkable scanned Audio
library residing at the link provided did
ofer some additional insight here, so
we might give proper credit where it’s
due. hat 1972 Lirpa item, assuming
it is indeed the irst reference, was not
a review but a technical notice about
a new quadraphonic matrix speaker
that would somehow allow you to
skip all those extra ampliiers otherwise
required for quad. It was not bylined,
but the editor-in-chief at the time,
and therefore the fellow who could
presumably take credit for introducing
Lirpa to the world of hi-i, was George
W. Tillett. Gene Pitts, who I mentioned
as the longtime editor of Audio and
the person running it in 1980, was
an assistant editor in 1972. So we
might rightly assume he carried on
a tradition. I am deeply grateful to
you for setting us straight, Scott—
though I doubt as much as Mr. Alter,
who is presumably running out of
time faster than I am.—RS
A Trek a Minute
Proof that dreams can come true: You
can’t go a day without a pop-culture
reference to Star Trek. his televis-
ion phenomenon has become an
embedded part of our culture. Ater
the original Star Trek television series
went of the air in 1969, new ilms
and new television series have kept
the franchise alive for over 50 years.
But there has always been some-
thing missing. To ill that gap, 11 new
fan-produced episodes under the
banner Star Trek Continues (STC)
successfully provide closure to the
original Star Trek series, which was
prematurely cancelled.
he love that is poured into
the work by these fans (who are
otherwise all acting and ilm
production professionals) is obvious.
he authentic re-creation of the style
and look is more than nostalgic, it’s a
museum-quality reproduction—but
also alive. he artists who created STC
have propelled the show a step further
than the original 1960s Star Trek
series by severe attention to contin-
uity and being true to the future
history timeline. he self-referential
back-story woven into new plots
is incredible.
Star Trek (the original television
series) was a space opera illed with
corny moments. STC has captured
those moments (I say this lovingly).
Star Trek oten used allegory to make
commentary on political and social
issues of its day. STC has taken the
same path, updating to contempo-
rary issues and magically connecting
the episode plots to the concerns in
today’s headlines about racism, abuse,
human trafficking, medical ethics,
and political divisiveness.
STC two-part episodes 10 and 11
come full circle by brilliantly resolving
plot issues let unattended since the
unprecedented second pilot episode
“Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
Of course, those story possibilities
let dangling for 50 years absolutely
required a return visit to wrap up
the series and set the stage for what
came next in the 1979 Star Trek: he
Motion Picture.
Sound & Vision readers will no
doubt be interested in the ine pro-
duction values of STC. he sets,
costumes, lighting, art direction,
sound—all these are reproduced
as if the show was being ilmed in
1969. Even the camera lens and 1960s
broadcast television 4:3 aspect ratio
are used.
I am not in any way affiliated with
STC. I am only a fan (of the original
Star Trek and STC). Warp speed.
Peace, live long and prosper!
George J. Perkins
Madison, WI
I’m sure many of you will already be
familiar with what the team from Star
Trek Continues has accomplished here,
but until receiving George’s letter, I was
not. Lucky me, as I only recently fully
embraced Star Trek and its later spin-ofs
and am picking my way through them
via streaming and late-night TV. (I’m
inding myself partial to Voyager at the
moment.) All 11 STC episodes, produced
between 2013 and fall 2017, are avail-
able at YouTube, and ISO iles can be
downloaded to burn your own DVD and
Blu-ray Discs (complete with box art) at
startrekcontinues.com. Episodes run
between 40 minutes and an hour each,
and it’s all free. Just a quick look at the
STC preview trailer will convince you
how faithful these producers and actors
remained to the original characters and
precepts, assisted by what George reports
as a generous policy during the shooting
period by CBS/Paramount about fan use
of their intellectual property, one which
apparently ended abruptly when other
parties abused the privilege and forced
STC to abandon production two epi-
sodes short of their goal. What got done
before the clock ran out is absolutely
great stuf.—RS
The Art of System Building
here’s no shortage of what to write
about in your ever-changing industry;
however, there is something I have not
seen anywhere that I think could help a
lot of people: a how-to guide for select-
ing A/V equipment combinations.
in the pages of Sound & Vision and its
predecessor Stereo Review from time to
time in the past. One reason we don’t do
it more oten is that, although our team
could put together lists of what we think
makes for good, better, best systems
at various price points based on our
experience with individual products, we
rarely have all the equipment on hand
simultaneously to truly test how a full
system interacts.
What I can ofer are some topline tips
about what will most afect the sound
of a system and where, therefore, to be
careful with your money. Tip #1: It’s
all about your speakers. By far, these
transducers that turn electricity into
sound waves have the most sway on the
character of your system, and although
better speakers all approach neutrality
from a frequency measurement per-
spective, the nature of driver selection
and crossover and cabinet design play
a huge role in giving diferent speakers
their own personality. here are fewer
places these days to audition speakers
in advance, but some careful reading of
reviews that describe a speaker’s basic
sonic nature and a money-back return
policy from an online retailer (or two)
can provide an alternative.
Tip #2: If you’re listening to a lot of
digital content, and who isn’t these days,
the D/A conversion at the front end can
create really noticeable diferences on
decent speakers. It’s absolutely worth
considering an outboard asynchronous
USB DAC or an amp with one built in
if you really care about music. And
you’ll hear diferences among high-
end DACs, too, albeit more subtle than
with speakers.
Tip #3: Get some decent power
behind you. It’s not about playing loud,
it’s the dynamic headroom that a great
ampliier delivers that can give a sys-
tem authority and control over the
speaker drivers.
here’s more to this, of course. But by
paying attention to these basics, you’re
bound to come away with an exhilarat-
ing audio system you love.—RS
CORRECTION:
In a confused moment, we incorrectly referred
to a key surround sound feature of the Denon
AVR-X3400H A/V receiver reviewed in the April
issue as “DTS:X Virtual”—an error that we, as
diligent editors, made sure we consistently
carried throughout the review. Of course, the
correct nomenclature is “DTS Virtual:X.” We
apologize for the error and any confusion it
might have caused.

Enter to WIN
When I built my dream theater, I
spent months reading equipment
reviews before I started shopping.
While this was helpful, what I was really
looking for was someone to tell me
how to put it all together. For example, I
went with a receiver, but should I have
CRUTCHFIELD’S GREAT GEAR GIVEAWAY
bought a pre/pro instead? Would an
external DAC be beneicial for music
listening? At what point should a power
conditioner be considered?
I realize this is probably the job of
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brick and mortar stores, it’s getting
harder and harder to ind that trusted
someone. What I think a lot of readers
could beneit from would be a few
budget examples, how you and your Sign up for your chance to win
team would spend it, and why. So if
you had $5,000 to spend and you D&UXWFKHOG*LIW&DUG
needed everything (TV, receiver,
speakers, wires, remote, accessories,
etc.), what would you get? What if it
was $2,000 or $10,000?
Enter now crutchfield.com/SVS
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Via e-mail

Mike, system-building exercises like the

one you describe have indeed appeared
Perfect focus
NEW GEAR, TOP NEWS, HOW TO, AND MORE...
Edited by Claire Crowley
Defining the Internet
of Things
15 Minutes with Futurist Dave Evans
YOU CAN’T SEE
the Internet of Things,
but trust me, it’s
there—and grow-
ing rapidly as every
imaginable kind of
“thing” becomes (or at
least tries to become)
net savvy. But what
exactly does IoT
mean? And if we
move beyond the quaint Jetson-
esque vision of the future, what are
IoT’s real-world implications? To get
a handle on where our increasingly
interconnected world is heading, we
tracked down Dave Evans, former
chief futurist for Cisco and co-founder
of the Silicon Valley IoT startup,
Stringify.—Bob Ankosko
S&V: Let’s start with the basics.
We’ve been hearing a lot about
IoT—the Internet of Things—over
the past couple of years. It’s so
all encompassing. How do you
define it?
DE: In the simplest sense, the
Internet of Things is about everyday
objects connecting to the internet—
things such as your coffee pot, your
lights, your car, wearable devices,
on and on. Historically speaking,
computers and networking devices
were primarily connected to the
internet, but today billions of other
types of things are getting con-
nected. They connect because there
is some value in doing so. For
example, your wearable might
connect to a service for uploading
fitness stats so you can track your
progress or get feedback on how to
improve your workouts. In a more
technical sense, this is about devices
(things) with embedded technology
and sensors connecting to the inter-
net and using standard protocols to
exchange information.
16 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
S&V: Let’s break things
down a bit. What are
the key areas of IoT?
DE: The key areas are
the things themselves,
the embedded tech-
nology and sensors
within these things,
the internet, the APIs
(application program-
ming interfaces), the
cloud, and new business models.
What’s most interesting is that the
types of things we can connect to the
internet are no longer confined to com-
puters and other traditional devices.
They are everyday objects that expand
their capability and value because of
their connections—not just to the
internet but to other things as well,
which means they can work as a
system. Imagine if your smart home
could automatically turn off the lights,
lock the front door, adjust the temp-
erature, and set the alarm system when
it’s time to go to bed. This is a much
better experience than going to each
thing individually and adjusting it.
The embedded technology and
sensors within these things refers to the
innate capabilities of the devices them-
selves. Thanks to Moore’s Law, tech-
nology that was once impossible is now
commonplace and embedded in every-
day things. The tiny computer inside of
a smart thermostat has more comput-
ing power than the entire planet had a
few decades ago. Thanks to MEMS
technology (Micro-Electro-Mechanical
Systems), sensors have become smal-
ler and cheaper. Sensors that track temp-
erature, humidity, vibration, accelera-
tion, location, and more are now easy to
place into everyday things, giving those
things the ability to sense the world in
ways that were previously impossible.
More and more companies are
exposing their services through open
APIs, which provide standardized ways
in which one can access a given
service. For example, it is now trivial
for your smart thermostat to con-
nect to a weather service via an API
to determine how best to set itself.
Your smart irrigation system can
now easily connect to that same
service to determine whether or not
to run the sprinklers that day.
The cloud helps to hide the
complexities of the infrastructure
behind these services, so developers
can now focus on accessing services,
without worrying about the infrastruc-
ture.
And, of course, all of this leads to
new business models. As the world
becomes more open, more connected,
and more aware thanks to billions of
sensors, more companies can offer
access to these services, which cre-
ates entirely new opportunities. This
also lowers the barriers to entry so
anyone with a great idea can change
the world with IoT.
S&V: Which of these areas are most
compelling right now? And how does
home entertainment fit in?
DE: When we talk about the Internet of
Things, we often focus on the things
themselves. While the things are of
great value, one could argue that it’s
really the intelligence in the cloud that
has the greater value. The software
world is opening up through extensive
use of APIs. This essentially means
that a dumb thing can now become an
intelligent thing, simply by having a
connection and tapping into the vast
knowledge that is in the cloud.
This has huge implications for home
entertainment. Obviously, we have
seen increased access to internet-
based services such as Netflix, but this
is very much the beginning. Televi-
sion—with your permission—will
watch you while you watch it and learn
what you like and what you dislike, per-
haps by observing your facial expres-
sions. This information will be analyzed
and fed through machine learning
algorithms to intelligently tailor content
that is best suited for you. One could
even imagine smart programming that
recognizes that children are also
watching TV and automatically avoids
inappropriate shows.
But it goes beyond smart tele-
visions. Information about the shows
you are watching could also be
automatically fed to other nearby smart
devices. For example, getting statistics
on your favorite sports team sent to
your iPad while you’re watching the
game or getting information on where
to buy a jacket or dress an actor or
actress is wearing.
S&V: Voice control is all the rage today
with Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant,
and other virtual assistants vying to
dominate the space. Will voice control
be the dominant means of control for
home entertainment and smart-home
applications in the near term and
longer term?
DE: Ultimately this is all about tech-
nology adapting to us. Since the
inception of technology, we have
always had to adapt to it. But now,
something profound is happening:
Technology is adapting to us. A voice
command, a gesture, an emotion, and
even a thought, in some cases.
Voice will be one of the domi-
nant ways in which we interact with
technology, but certainly not the only
one. There are times when voice
is simply not appropriate. In a noisy
room, for example, a gesture might
be a better solution for turning down
the lights.
Control of smart devices will be
active and passive. An example of
active control is when you walk up
to a thermostat and adjust it manu-
ally. An example of passive control
Continued on page 19
This Just In...
By Mark Fleischmann
Sound United
Bought Classé,
Canadian maker of high-
end amps, from Bowers &
Wilkins. It adds another
dimension to the company’s
existing ownership of Denon
and Marantz, among other
brands...
Ads on Alexa?
So far, the only ads on the
voice platform are those
incorporated into supported
streaming services. But
Amazon is talking to Proc-
tor & Gamble and other
companies about product
placement...
Dish Added Google
Assistant
to all generations of its
Hopper DVR and Wally
receiver. Use it to navigate
or search content...
Pay-TV Rate Hikes
are rampant this year, with
Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, and
Dish Network continuing
to gouge consumers (and
Charter expected to follow)
at rates that usually far
exceed inflation. Cox, where
increases are from one to
five bucks, attributes them to
“the rising cost of program-
ming content” and “new
features and functions” such
as voice remote and TV
Everywhere...
Dish’s Hopper Duo
is a two-tuner HD DVR with
a 500-GB hard drive, which
can store up to 125 hours of
HD video, plus Bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, VOD, PIP, and voice
remote. There’s no upfront
cost, but the DVR fee is $10/
month...
Cable Operators
regulated by the FCC can
also raise rates—by 2.09
percent, with the latest
inflation adjustment. This
applies only in areas proven
to have scanty competition...
ESPN Is Coming
to Samsung smart TVs along
with Freeform, another
Disney-owned network.
They are initially on 2017
models and various mobile
devices and eventually will
make it to earlier smart TV
models...
Streaming “Pain
Points”
may hinder the growth of
online video services, says
an IBM Cloud Video study.
Among consumer com-
plaints are buffering,
delayed starts, inadequate
programming, crude
recommendation tools, and
(in some cases) ads...
Philadelphia Viewers
have lost WYBE (channel
35) due to the TV station’s
spectrum-sharing arrange-
ment with other channels in
the post-auction spectrum
repack. It will remain a
pay-TV must-carry channel,
but many antenna viewers
may be unable to receive it
due to the transmitter
move...
The Spectrum Repack
is running short of funds,
according to Rep. Greg
Walden (R-OR)—no
surprise, since Congress
allocated only $1.75 billion
to a process estimated to
cost $3 billion. Low-power
transmitters and translators
are in danger of getting lost
in the shuffle, reducing free
TV service to low-income
viewers and cord-cutters...
Cord-Cutters Are
Saving
$115/month by dumping
pay-TV for streaming. They
tell LendEdu that they spent
an average of $33.74/month
on streaming before cutting
the cord and $35.33/month
afterward, saving $51.38/
month via password
sharing...
$20/month for
Streaming
is what 42 percent of con-
sumers are willing to spend,
they tell Phenix. “Most
platforms that provide ‘live
streaming’ capabilities offer
either scale or speed, not
both,” notes Phenix CEO
Stefan Birrer...
Kaleidescape
will use forensic water-
marking technology from
NexGuard in its Blu-ray-
quality movie player,
allowing protection of Ultra
HD content with HDR.
The company needs to
demonstrate its anti-piracy
seriousness to maintain
cordial relations with
studios...
“Power at a Distance”
wireless charging is now
a thing, with the FCC’s
approval of the WattUp Mid
Field transmitter from the
startup Energous. It has
greater range than existing
wireless charging schemes,
charges multiple devices,
and works with any brand
of device as long as it has
the receiver...
Control4 Bought Ihiji
and is combining their
BakPak and Invision remote
management technologies
into a single service plat-
form. That will enable the
combined dealer base to
implement cloud-based
monitoring and service
for more than 2,000 third-
party products...
RTI Added Yamaha
MusicCast
with a two-way driver that
supports the wireless
multizone system. Now
MusicCast products can
be integrated into RTI
automation and control
systems...
YouTube Is Skewering
small content providers by
raising the threshold for
payment to contributors with
4,000-plus hours of watch
time and 1,000-plus sub-
scribers in a 12-month
period. “We’ve arrived at
these new thresholds after
thorough analysis and
conversations with creators
like you,” says a Google
executive with an appar-
ently inexhaustible appetite
for irony...
Time Spent With
Friends
has dropped 13 percent in
15 years as people have
become more distracted
by mobile devices, reports
Britain’s Office for National
Statistics—especially those
under 25. “Easy internet
access enables people to
talk to friends via social
media apps, but they’re still
doing so alone,” says the
study...
NFL May Go Online
for future seasons of Thurs-
day Night Football, the
league is warning TV
networks. If they don’t ante
up, the program may to go
a streaming service...
soundandvision.com 17
Hands
HiFiMan Sundara Headphones
By Steve Guttenberg
Here Comes the Sun
PRICE $499
HIFIMAN ROCKED MY WORLD
back in 2009 with its revelatory HE-5
headphones. These were the first
planar magnetic headphones I’d
ever heard, and the sound was so
clear and sweet, I’m pretty sure you’ll
feel the same way about HiFiMan’s
latest planar, the Sundara.
Before we go any further, you
might be wondering how planar
magnetic designs work. They use
thin-film, flat diaphragms with
a printed “voice coil” across
most of their surface area, with
magnets arrayed on the front
and/or rear of the diaphragm.
That’s radically different than
standard dynamic head-
phones’ moving-coil drivers
that are energized only from
the edge of the diaphragm.
When the signal’s cur-
rent passes through
a planar headphone’s
flat conductors, it inter-
acts with the magnets,
which makes the
diaphragm
move.
18 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
Unlike electrostatic headphones
that must be used with dedicated
amplifiers, Sundara, like all other
planars, can be plugged into any amp
with a standard headphone jack.
HiFiMan didn’t invent planar
magnetic headphones. Yamaha,
Fostex, and others were making
planars in the mid 1970s, but that
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Q Eighty percent thinner
diaphragm
Q New HiFiMan aesthetic
Q Improved comfort
Minus
Q Can’t hush external noise
generation of planars was nearly
extinct by the 1990s. Thanks to
HiFiMan, Audeze, MrSpeakers,
Oppo, and so many more, planars
are now back in a big way and
dominate the high-end head-
phone market—but HiFiMan took
the lead in ’09.
Sundara looks and feels like a
clean break from HiFiMan’s HE
Series of headphones. First, the
new aluminum and leather head-
band makes for a more comfort-
able fit; materials are upgraded for
improved durability; and the new
planar diaphragms, which are 80
percent thinner than the HE-400
Series’, promise improved sound
quality. The round earpads aren’t
as thick as some competing
headphones, but Sundara’s comfort
over long listening sessions was
above par. The uncluttered
lines give Sundara a more
contemporary look than the
HE-400 and HE-500
models.
The 3.5mm jacks on the
aluminum earcups allow
for easy cable swapping
or upgrading to higher-end
aftermarket cables, or
balanced cables. Sundara’s
58-inch-long standard cable
is terminated with a 3.5mm plug,
and a 6.3mm adapter is included.
The Sundaras sounded fine with my
iPhone 6S, and better of course at
home with an Audeze Deckard
headphone amp.
Not all open-back headphones
are equally open, so even before
HiFiMan • hifiman.com
HiFiMan Sundara Headphones
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
THE VERDICT
HiFiMan ups its game with
Sundara’s new headband design
that makes for a more comfort-
able fit and a new diaphragm that
improves sound quality.
you start playing music, you can
feel somewhat cut off from the out-
side world. That’s not the case with
Sundara: You hear it all. That’s good
for sound quality and wide-open
imaging, but Sundara won’t hush
outside noise one tiny bit.
With a recording with natural
imaging like Ry Cooder’s A Meeting
by the River album, Sundara brought
me into the session. I was with the
band, more so than I heard from
HiFiMan’s HE-400i headphones.
Sundara is a higher-resolution device,
yet there’s no sense of exaggerated
detail or presence. The HE-400i is
no slouch, but it sounds unfocused
and opaque after you get used to
Sundara’s sound.
By chance, I’ve been listening to
a lot of Elliot Smith’s music of late.
His voice touched me first, then his
jangly guitar, and lastly his words.
Listening at hushed, late-night
volume, Sundara pulled me deep into
Smith’s emotionally naked music.
To finish, I popped on the newly
revised Audeze LCD-2C planar
magnetic headphones ($799), and
they had a sweeter balance with
electronica wizard Amon Tobin’s
complex music. Still, the massively
deep bass coursing through his
Bricolage album was better defined
over Sundara, while the LCD-2C’s low
end felt a tad sluggish, and some of
the electronic music’s texture was
forfeited over the LCD-2C compared
with the Sundara.
The HiFiMan Sundara feels like a
recommitment to advancing the state
of the art for $500 headphones. The
bar has been raised!
SPECS
Type: Open-back, over-the-ear •
Driver: 93mm, planar magnetic •
Impedance: 37 ohms • Sen-
sitivity: 94 dB/1mW • Weight
(Ounces): 13.1
PERFECT FOCUS
Signals
 . 
I Live My Life
a Quarter Mile
at a Time
Who uttered that famous
declaration? Was it: a)
Confucius, b) Friedrich
Nietzsche, c) Vin Diesel, d)
Dominic Toretto? Of course, that is a trick
question because both c) and d) are correct.
he movie was he Fast and the Furious, a
cinematic masterpiece about street racing
and skid marks.
Which brings us to the bar graph. It
shows total music album sales (physical
and download) in the U.S. from 2000 to
2017. Album sales were once the revenue
champion of the music business. Not any-
more. We bought 785 million albums in
2000 and a mere 169 million in 2017. If
you’re in the business of selling albums,
right about now you’re downsizing and
sending out your résumé. Oh, hang on,
someone just texted me.
Instead of buying long-
duration music, we choose
to nosh on streams.
Anyway, album sales are down. here are
lots of reasons. For starters, by their nature,
albums lend themselves to physical media,
and sales of physical media aren’t great. LP
sales in 2017 were 14 million, modestly up
from 2016. hat’s good. But CD sales were
88 million and downloaded album sales
were 66 million, both down bigly. Are
album sales declining because we don’t like
albums or because we don’t like the physi-
cal media that holds them? I think—wait, I
have to check my Facebook page.
So, anyway, I don’t think the real
problem is the physical media. We’ve been
happily buying physical music media for
100 years, and I don’t see why we should
now hate physical media. Rather, I think,
the problem is short attention span. When
you buy an album, you’re making a poten-
tial time commitment that fewer and
fewer of us are willing to make. Forty-ive
minutes of music? hat’s an impossibly
unreasonable demand for someone’s
undivided attention. Oh shoot—I have to
answer this e-mail.
Where was I? Well, when you buy an
album, you might have to sit down and
listen to the whole thing. And to do that
uninterrupted, without distraction, as a
continuous piece of entertainment, seems
unlikely. Sure, we used to sit down in a
chair precisely aligned between two speak-
ers, preferably behind closed doors, and
do just that. But doing that today is just—
whoa! Did you see that Tweet?
So, instead of committing to big chunks
of music, we’re choosing to not commit at
all. Instead of buying long-duration music,
we choose to nosh on streams. In 2012
there were 90 billion song streams; in 2017
there were 618 billion. You see why all the
people in album companies are sending
their résumés to the streaming companies.
With song streams, each song only lasts a
few minutes, the stream content is con-
stantly morphing, and it’s easy to tune in,
turn away, and tune back in. his is ideal
for a lifestyle that embraces multitasking,
which is a polite way of describing not
really paying attention.
Sorry, I spaced out for a minute. Here’s
something else to worry about. he one
tiny bright spot in album sales, LP sales, is
being propped up by what I’ll charitably
call “legacy” albums—that is, reissues of old
albums from the olden days when people
still bought lots of albums. For example,
in 2017, the top-selling LP album was he
Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
Band (72,000 copies), a recording that’s 50
years old. And the second-best-selling LP
album in 2017? he Beatles’ Abbey Road
(66,000 copies). At some point,
the reissue well will run dry—
ha! Look at that crazy skate-
board video!
So anyway, it takes about 10
seconds to race a fast quarter
mile. It’s good that cars are
getting faster because, frankly,
paying attention to anything
for more than 10 seconds is
getting harder and harder
to do. hat’s because—look!
A chicken!
Futurist
Dave Evans
Continued from page 16
is when your thermostat
detects a change in wea-
ther and automatically
adjusts itself.
This will only become
more advanced over time. Today, we are very
much in the active control phase of home
automation—meaning, most of the time, we
actively control our smart devices. We utter a
voice command to control the lights, lock the
front door, or set the temperature. Over time,
smart homes will evolve into intelligent homes
that learn our habits and make adjustments
automatically. Much like how your e-mail sys-
tem over time learns the difference between
normal e-mail and junk e-mail, expect to see
more and more learning abilities in the smart
home as it evolves.
S&V: Companies such as Piccolo and Leap
Motion are working on gesture control. What
role do you think motion-based interfaces will
play now and later on?
DE: I believe motion-based interfaces will play
a part in the larger orchestration and control of
things. For example, when you use a modern
computer today, you may actively switch
between using the keyboard, mouse, a touch-
screen, and even voice input. All these ways
to interact with technology work together.
One does not necessarily obsolete the other.
Motion-based interfaces will play a role where
they complement other forms of control, or
when those other forms of control are simply
not appropriate. I believe gesture-based
technology will play a significant role in two
areas that are growing very quickly: augmented
reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
S&V: Where do you see video displays
heading in the smart home? How soon before
large-scale projection and/or rollup “video
walls” become commonplace? Or do you see
something different emerging?
DE: We are only a few years away from rollup
displays, the thickness of wallpaper, being
very affordable. We are even seeing 3D print-
ing of flexible video displays that can roll up.
However, augmented reality is catching up
quickly. Although augmented-reality and
virtual-reality headsets are quite bulky by
tomorrow’s standards, Moore’s Law once
again dictates that they will rapidly become
smaller, lighter, and cheaper. Within a decade,
it is reasonable to assume that we will have
normal-looking glasses, capable of displaying
just about any image, which begs the question:
If everyone can have a personal display in front
of their eyes, wherever they are, will we need
large displays that are fixed to the wall?
The full version of this interview appears on
soundandvision.com.
soundandvision.com 19
 PERFECT FOCUS
Q&A
 
Light Bright
Why are different units of bright-
ness measurement used for
different display technologies? For
example, I’ve seen lumens used for
home theater projectors, foot-lamberts for movie
theaters, and nits for high dynamic range–capable
TVs. Wouldn’t it be less confusing for the aver-
age consumer to lump everything together as a
single measurement?
Nathan Robertson / via e-mail
It would be less confusing for average consumers
if there were a single light measurement unit that
could be used to compare video displays. Unfor-
tunately, light measurement is a complex topic, and
one that can’t be lumped into a one-size-its-all
spec. Let’s break it down.
Brightness is a term that describes not light
output, but the subjective impression of light.
And since that impression can be altered by many
factors—ambient room light, for example—it can’t
be translated into a quantitative unit.
Lumens, on the other hand, is the SI (Interna-
tional System of Units, aka the metric system)
unit of measure for luminous lux, or the per-
ceived power of light. Lumens measurements are
weighted to account for the eye’s sensitivity to light,
and they quantify the total power of light in all
directions. While projector manufacturers typically
cite lumens measurements for their products, a
Why are different units of
brightness used for different
display technologies?
more common application of lumens ratings is for
LED lamps and bulbs.
Foot-lamberts is a measurement unit that, as
you’ve noted, is used for movie theaters and quanti-
ies luminance relected of of a projection screen.
Sound & Vision typically cites foot-lamberts
measurements in our reviews of projectors and
lat-panel LCD and OLED displays. he SMPTE
(Society of Motion Picture & Television Engi-
neers) recommendation for movie theaters is
16 t-L—and that’s with the projector measured
open gate, with no ilm running to reduce the light
output of the projector’s lamp. New laser-based
digital projection systems used in theaters are
capable of greater light output than the SMPTE
recommended spec—up to 31 t-L for 2D sources
in the case of Dolby Cinema theaters.
Finally, there’s nits, which is equivalent to cd/m²,
the SI unit of measure for luminous intensity (1
nit is equal to 1 cd/m²). Similar to luminous lux,
20 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
Play-Fi Goes
Whole-Home
he DTS Play-Fi ecosystem
now includes wholehouse loss-
less streaming thanks to a free
sotware update. Speakers are
synced to one another, and if a
video source is used, they are
lip-synced. Stream with your
personal library, internet radio
stations, or services such as
Amazon Music, Deezer,
iHeartRadio, Juke, KKBox,
Napster, Pandora, Qobuz, QQ
Music, SiriusXM, Spotify, and
luminous intensity is weighted to account for Tidal. he update is available for
the sensitivity of the human eye, but it difers in numerous Klipsch products: the
that the measurement is directional rather than hree and Capitol hree wireless/
omnidirectional. Why are nits used to quantify USB speakers, Gate wireless
the light output of high dynamic range displays? A adapter, PowerGate amp, RSB-8
likely reason is that HDR speciications are based and RSB-14 soundbars, and
on the reference lat-panel display monitors that RW-1 speaker. Also compat-
are used to master content, as opposed to ible are the McIntosh MB50
projection systems that incorporate screens. streaming player, Onkyo G3
smart speaker, Paradigm PW
I have searched extensively for an HDMI splitter Link preamp/player, Phorus PS10
that will let me connect a high dynamic range speaker, Pioneer Elite F3 smart
source to both my new Dolby Vision–capable speaker, and Polk S6 speaker.
Vizio TV and my legacy Anthem receiver (for —MF
lossless audio).
Oppo’s UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player has
dual HDMI outputs and supports Dolby Vision.
It also has an HDMI input that would enable
passthrough of another HDR-capable source
like a Chromecast Ultra, Roku Ultra, Fire TV, or
Apple TV 4K. Here’s my question: Is there a less
expensive option than the Oppo that would
deliver the same result?
Andy Lutz / Houston, TX
he HDfury Vertex ($349) is the only HDMI
TiVo Does
splitter I know of that claims to pass through Ultra Cable,
HD and HDR formats (including Dolby Vision)
to a TV while simultaneously passing lossless audio
Streaming
to a receiver with HDMI 1.4 inputs (the HDMI TiVo has long chafed against its
version your receiver presumably has). While I initial identity as a DVR plat-
haven’t personally tested one, a Sound & Vision form. Its Next-Gen Platform bids
reader recently reached out to report success using for attention from both cable
the Vertex in a similar coniguration to yours. operators and streaming services,
Another option is LG’s UP-970, an Ultra HD combining linear programming,
Blu-ray player that costs less than $200 and is expec- video on demand, and DVR
ted to provide Dolby Vision support pending a long- into a user-friendly interface
awaited irmware update. he UP-970 also provides with hyper-personalization,
dual HDMI outputs, which would let you make program recommendations,
separate connections to both your TV and receiver. and voice control. It will run
If you need to hook up an additional high on Amazon Fire, Android TV,
dynamic range source to the player, Oppo’s and Apple TV platforms, smart-
UDP-203 ($549) and UDP-205 are the only Ultra phones, the web, and Linux-
HD Blu-ray players that feature an HDR-capable based sotware that can run in
HDMI input. (Another model, the Cambridge set-top boxes, smart TVs, and
Audio CXUHD, has an HDMI input, but that cable boxes. Whether cable ops
connection doesn’t support HDR. See our review and streamers will be interested
in this issue.) he HDMI input on both remains to be seen. Comcast,
Oppo players only supports passthrough for instance, has invested heavily
of HDR10-format signals and not in keeping its user
Dolby Vision, however, so you should interface up to date.
take that limitation into account And TiVo might
before buying. need, say, Netlix
more than Netlix
needs TiVo.—MF
PERFECT FOCUS
Apptitude

Bingeing on
Free
Most streaming services
ofer free trials to irst-time
subscribers, so it’s possible to
feast on a tower of see-food
without paying a dime. hese trials extend
from one week to 30 days, but the onus is
on the new subscriber to cancel just before
their credit card is charged.
Timing is everything when it comes to
wringing the most content out of any free
trial. Not all services roll out an entire
season at once. In the case of Star Trek:
Discovery, for instance, CBS All Access
adds episodes on a weekly basis. When
the season ends, you’re able to watch all
the archived shows. So, it would be wise
to let a new season’s episodes accumulate
until they’re all out. And if you want to
enjoy another original All Access series,
he Good Fight, you need to know that the
last of the 13 episodes in he Good Wife
spinof ’s second season won’t be posted
until the last Sunday in May. Good things
come to those who wait.
With premium cable channels making
their content available to non-cable sub-
scribers, the consumer is in a position to
ind a better deal. When my cable operator
started charging $15 a month for Starz
ater the irst year of a two-year agreement
It’s possible to feast on
streaming without paying.
in which it had been included in a promo-
tional package, I dropped it to keep my
monthly FiOS bill from rising above $200.
But I was already hooked on Outlander.
What to do?
As an Amazon Prime subscriber, I
noticed I could add Starz for just $8.99 a
month. Even better, I could try out the
channel for a week. hough chomping
at the bit to catch up on the fate of Claire
and Jamie, I chose to hold my horses. he
day ater the Season hree inale aired on
cable, I added the Amazon channel to my
smart TV, then binged on the series before
the week ran out. By cancelling in time,
I paid nothing.
I’m planning to take Hulu for a spin
next. If you’re curious about why its origi-
nal series, he Handmaiden’s Tale, keeps
winning awards, plan on starting your free
30-day trial around mid-June. hat’s
because the show’s sophomore season,
which wraps around a pregnant Ofred
(Elisabeth Moss), was set to premiere in
late April and conclude this July. Hulu
is spacing out the 13 new episodes on a
weekly basis. So, starting your trial with
the last episode in sight should give you
enough time to binge on both seasons and
also check how he Mindy Project turned
out ater it moved from Fox to Hulu.
To put your mind at ease, I’ve read the
ine print on these streaming deals so you
don’t have to (at your own peril). Hulu’s
legalese is typical for a service that takes
your credit card information. You’re
required to provide a payment method
to access a subscription, including a free
trial. You won’t actually be charged until
the trial period ends. If you do nothing,
a recurring payment will appear on your
credit card statement. However, if you
cancel before the trial ends, you’ll incur
only periodic e-mails with discount ofers
to come back. So, it’s important to keep
track of when your free trial began and
the date your paid subscription will be
applied to your credit card. If you miss
the cutof, there are no partial monthly
refunds. You’ll have access until the next
billing cycle.
One caveat is that these free trials are
one-time ofers. Unless you’re attuned
to deleting cookies, switching credit
cards, and registering under an alias,
these streaming services won’t be so ame-
nable to giving you a second free ride.
LG Does 8K, Voice,
and More
LG is looking for ways to shine in the
always-cutthroat TV market. he com-
pany has shown a prototype of what it
bills as the world’s irst 8K OLED set,
with resolution of 4320 x 7680 pixels,
beating its own 77-inch 4K OLED dis-
play, which sells for $10,000. LG’s 2018
TVs now embrace both the Amazon
Alexa and Google Assistant voice
control platforms. LG is also building
Google Assistant into its hinQ speaker,
which supports high-resolution audio
and features audio tweaking by high-end
audio’s own Meridian. he LG/Meridian
partnership has produced the SK10Y
soundbar, with Dolby Atmos height-
enhanced surround, lossless audio, and
Chromecast. Looking further into the
future, LG will participate in trials for
ATSC 3.0, the next-generation Ultra
HD-capable broadcast television stan-
dard. he FCC has already given the
go-ahead for TV makers to build ATSC
3.0 tuners into sets. It’s voluntary, not a
requirement.—MF
HDR Grows and
Grows
here’s plenty of news about HDR, the
metadata-driven high dynamic range
technology that makes Ultra HD and
other video look a whole lot better.
Technicolor’s Advanced HDR and
HDR10+ (the form championed by
Samsung, Panasonic, and the Fox studio)
have been incorporated into the UHD
Blu-ray format. he HDR10+ people are
also courting makers of UHDTVs other
than themselves as well as makers of BD
players and set-top boxes. On the sot-
ware side, Warner Bros. is joining co-
inventor Fox in the HDR10+ camp, and
Amazon Prime Video has upgraded its
HDR library to the new format.—MF
soundandvision.com 21
PERFECT FOCUS
Best Buy
The Connected Life Dumps CDs
he nation’s largest consumer
electronics chain has banged
  another nail into the Compact
Disc format’s coffin. Best Buy
will no longer sell CDs. Declin-

Fundamentals get a “designed

especially for
ing sales were blamed. Anony-
mous sources quoted by Bill-

Never Change you” system for

considerably less,
especially since
board say CD sales accounted
for only 0.1 percent of 2016
revenues. However, the chain
As I’ve mentioned in previous lat panel pricing will continue selling LPs in
columns, prior to becoming a has plummeted displays that also include turn-
custom installer I was a golf so drastically. tables. In related news, Target
professional at a club in California’s Wholehouse audio is also far more afordable with is changing terms for CD and
Bay Area. I bring this up because we recently started new wireless technologies like Sonos, PlayFi, Blue- DVD sales. Instead of pay-
receiving Golf magazine in the mail. (Bizarrely we’re sound, and HEOS. ing labels and distributors up
also suddenly getting he New Yorker and Money, front, it will pay for discs only
none of which we subscribed to.) As I lipped through 2. Come Prepared ater retail purchase. he big-
a recent issue of Golf, I was reminded of really how If you’re building or remodeling, get an installer gest CD retailers are Amazon,
little has changed in the golf world since I let. involved as early as possible, but deinitely before with 24 percent of the market,
Month ater month, nearly every issue features some the sheetrock is installed. When you meet with and Walmart, with 22 percent.
new club or ball that can add 5 or 10 yards to your drive, the installer, bring your blueprints, electrical plan, So while you might argue that
an iron, wedge, or putter to shave strokes of your round, and any relevant cabinetry schematics. Also have the CD format is failing, you
and any other number of tips guaranteed to improve a rough idea what you’d like the system might also argue that
your game and lower your score. If this were cumula- to be capable of as well as an overall Best Buy and Target
tively true, by now every golfer would be shooting project budget. have failed to market
negative scores and hitting the ball 500 yards or more. CDs efectively with
But the fact remains that even with all the modern 3. Know Your Limitations paltry, risk-averse
tech at their disposal, the majority of golfers still struggle Have a realistic expectation of the system selections that pale
to break 100. Especially when “playing it down” by the you can aford for your budget. You also need to factor compared to what’s available
rules. All of them. in additional costs like labor, cabling, mounts, and a online.—MF
Sure, there’s no question that technology has helped control system. By telling the installer your wants—
the average golfer to hit the ball farther, play better, audio in four rooms, robust Wi-Fi network, surround
and enjoy the game more. And no one would want to
abandon their modern jumbo-headed, composite driver
sound with a 55-inch TV, etc.—along with your bud-
get, they will be able to design the best-performing
Bose
and high-tech balls for a wooden-shated mashie niblick
and feathery of the Jones era. But to get truly good at
system to meet your goals. Augments
golf, the fundamentals haven’t changed. One must do 4. Be Open-Minded Aural
the same things today as one did a hundred years ago,
and that’s put in the work and practice.
he installer will likely ofer some ideas you hadn’t
considered. Partly because they’re aware of possi-
Reality
As I write this, tomorrow will be my 20-year anni- bilities you aren’t and also because they continually Bose is getting into augmented
versary working as a custom installer, and this is my interact with people both designing and living with reality—with a twist. his AR
15th year writing this column. technology. Take their input as more than just platform will specialize in
another sales pitch. delivering audio. “Rather than
superimposing visual objects
It struck me just how little has 5. Search Your Feelings on the real world,” the com-
changed in the industry. Choosing a custom installer is about building a pany says, “Bose AR adds an
relationship, oten a very long-term one. I have audible layer of information
many clients I’ve worked with for well over 10 years. and experiences,” using a
During that time, the technology has certainly So deinitely make sure you’re comfortable with “wafer-thin acoustics package
improved and become drastically more afordable. I the installer you select. hings like how long they’ve with jaw-dropping power and
recall the irst “lat” panel display I sold, a 42-inch Fujitsu been in business, references from past clients, and clarity.” Applications might
about 6 inches thick that rocked 480p resolution and how quickly they respond to phone calls or e-mails include travel guides associ-
70:1 contrast ratio and sold for just under $12,000. can be a harbinger of things to come. If you don’t ated with landmarks, transla-
Today, a set with those specs would be a giveaway when feel you trust them completely, maybe this installer tion of signs, and information
you opened a checking account! isn’t right for you. about things you see or places
In a reminiscent mood, I looked back at my very irst you visit. When playing music,
Sound & Vision column, “5.1 hings You Should Know .1 What the Custom Installer Offers You you can control playlists via
Before Going with a Custom Installer,” and it struck A custom installer can deliver a well-designed, voice or touch and navigate
me just how little has changed in this industry over the -installed, and -integrated system that’s among tracks with head-
years. Here’s a quick recap of those 5.1 things from my easy to use and enjoy. Gone are the pile nod gestures for yes, no, or
irst column, still as true today as they were then. of remote controls and the rat’s nest of next. here’s no word on
wiring, and you’ll never have to won- when Bose AR headsets
1. Custom Doesn’t Have to Mean Expensive der if your system is set up correctly will be available but the
While some people are installing fantastic entertain- and operating like it should. Further, company is investing $50
ment systems costing hundreds of thousands of should you run into any issues, you’ll million in startups develop-
dollars, the vast majority are not. hese days, you can have someone to reach out to for a quick ix. ing apps, services, or technolo-
gies for the platform.—MF
22 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
PERFECT FOCUS
Reference Tracks
mikemettler
Simple Minds Find the Right Sonic Mixture
That Enables Them to Walk Between Worlds
When the time
comes to record
new music, veteran
bands oten run the
risk of being trapped trying to
replicate their past successes to
a sonic T by playing it safe and
serving up a relatively pale
companion to the recognizable
sound they’ve established over
their careers.
It’s something that was clearly
permeating the brainwaves of
Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr
and his songwriting foil, guitar-
ist/keyboardist Charlie Burchill,
as the pair began to construct the
tracks that would comprise their
new studio album, the aptly
Courtesy BMG
named Walk Between Worlds
(BMG).
“You want to keep the essence
of the band and put the stuf
you’re known for up front, but
at the same time, you only want
it to be retro to a point,” admits
Kerr (kneeling in photo). “You
want it to feel like it’s got a con-
temporary heartbeat and it’s an
extension of the story—but it’s
not the same old story. Knowing
that, you’re damned if you
change, and you’re damned if
you don’t. Change—but don’t
change too much! Change, but
only just enough.”
To that end, Simple Minds
show they’ve changed exactly
enough over the course of
Worlds—eight tracks on the
standard edition, 11 on the
deluxe version—by detly walk-
ing the ine line between deliver-
ing upliting singalong anthems
(the instantly seductive tone of
lead track “Magic”) and pushing
the aural envelope (the synth-
and-guitar-meshed forward
thrust of “he Signal and the
Noise”). I got on the line with
Kerr, 58, to discuss how he’s
developed his personal listening
skills and the secret to the band’s
longevity. With the sweet sound
of Worlds, Simple Minds have
succeeded in transporting the
listener somewhere else, making
sure there’s not even the slim-
mest chance we’ll
ever forget about
them.
MM: Since the core
Worlds album has
eight songs, I have a
feeling you guys very
much thought about
presenting it in vinyl
terms.
JK: We certainly
came to that, yes.
In the recent era,
albums just got too
long. I don’t care
who you are—I don’t
think anyone has 12 great, qual-
ity songs to go with, so if you
can make those 42 or 43 minutes
count, then I think you’re onto
something. And if you can give
the listeners a low—something
akin to what we used to think of
as Side 1 and Side 2—then that
just seems to work.
MM: Your voice is in fantastic
shape on this album. What’s the
secret of keeping at the top of
your vocal game?
JK: I’m one of these rare things—
I’m a Scotsman who doesn’t
drink! (both laugh) For years, I
didn’t go to soundchecks because
once I started a tour and had a
few dates under my belt, I want-
ed to save my voice. But I go to
soundchecks all the time now,
mainly because I wanna listen
to the house PA. And if it sounds
amazing, I get them to play
records over them!
MM: So you’ll play artists like
Genesis or T-Rex over the PA
before a show, because you know
how they’re supposed to sound?
JK: Yeah! It could be that, or even
some vocal music from a Welsh
choir. T-Rex is deinitely gonna
get played, as is Bryan Ferry, and
he Velvet Underground. When
the audience comes in, I want to
be listening to “Let’s Dance”
[David Bowie’s big 1983 hit].
Sometimes, when Charlie and
I are debating about something
on a song, I’ll go, “I know what
that’s gonna do coming out of
the PA! Never mind the speakers
here in the studio—once that
track starts over the PA, we’re
already in overdrive before we’ve
even gotten to the verse.” I know
how that irst 60 sec-
onds will be an event
for people.
MM: You’re now look-
ing at celebrating 40
years of Simple Minds.
Did you really think
you’d still be doing this
gig all this time later?
JK: Back when you’re
only 18 or 19, you don’t
even know what next
year’s gonna be. What I
can tell you is the ambi-
tion then is the same
now—it’s exactly the
same. We wanted to
write songs, we wanted
to record them, and we
wanted to take them
around the world—and
by doing so, we became a great
live band. And 40 years later,
we’re fortunate inasmuch that
we’re still being allowed to get
out there and rise to that chal-
lenge. People are coming to the
show thinking, “Ahh, can they
still cut it? Is it gonna be what it
was?” And you just wanna be
better than they think you’re
gonna be.
An extended version of the
Mettler-Kerr Q&A, including
a discussion of why recording
a string section at Abbey Road
helped Kerr come full circle from
when he “froze” in that storied
studio in 1979, appears in the
S&V Interview blog on sound-
andvision.com.
CD
LABEL: BMG
AUDIO FORMATS: 44.1-kHz/16-bit PCM Stereo
(CD), 44.1-kHz/24-bit PCM Stereo (download)
NUMBER OF TRACKS: 11
LENGTH: 55:03
PRODUCERS: Andy Wright, Gavin Goldberg,
Simple Minds
ENGINEERS: Gavin Goldberg (mixing);
Lewis Chapman, Ronan Fay, Kevin Burleigh
(assistants)
PERFORMANCE
SOUND
soundandvision.com 23
NewGear THIS MONTH’S HOT
STUFF...

A Focal 300 Series In-Wall/Ceiling

Speakers
Focal, known for its great-looking (and -sounding)
speakers, has expanded its mid-priced 300
Series of in-wall/ceiling speakers with three
models that feature the brand’s signature
flax cone woofers and inverted-dome
aluminum-magnesium tweeters. All
have a low-profile frame with a
magnetic grille and are designed
for quick installation (no tools
required) and high power
handling. Three’s Company:
The 300 IW6 ($499) is a two-way,
single-woofer design suitable for
music and home theater applications,
while the more elongated IWLCR6
(shown, $799) has two woofers flanking a
midrange/tweeter complement that can be
rotated 90 degrees, making it ideal for use as a left-, center-,
or right-channel speaker in a home theater. The ICLCR5 ($799) is also well
suited for home theater with a left/center/right channel selector and pivoting
midrange/tweeter module that lets you direct sound toward the listening area.
Focal USA • (800) 663-9352 • focal.com/us

G Integra DRX-7.1 A/V Receiver

Integra’s DRX-7.1 is aimed at “film and music lovers with big rooms and high expectations.” To help meet those expectations, the 9.2-channel
receiver is THX Select certified and rated to deliver 140 watts per channel (into 8 ohms) with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing for sur-
round layouts with up to 5.2.4 channels (or 7.2.4 if you connect its multichannel preouts to a stereo amp). It supports three high dynamic
range (HDR) formats—Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma)—wide color gamut, Rec. 2020 video passthrough, and
“virtually every high-resolution and lossless
audio format.” One-Cable Connectivity:
The DRX-7.1 is one of the first receivers
to support the HDBaseT standard,
which enables 4K/60p/4:4:4 video and
uncompressed audio to be transmitted
up to 328 feet over a Cat6 (or above)
Ethernet cable along with control sig-
nals and up to 100 watts of power.
Price: $2,400
Integra • (800) 225-1946 •
integrahometheater.com

24 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

 G Peerless-AV HDS-WHDI100 PeerAir
Wireless HD System
Let’s say you bought a great little TV for your newly remodeled
kitchen so you can watch Netflix while you’re cooking dinner.
Problem is, you’re not about to carve up those pristine walls to
run an HDMI cable from your family room. With Peerless-AV’s
HDS-WHDI100 PeerAir system, you can skip the wires and
wirelessly stream an HD signal from a source component up to
100 feet away. No Static at All: The system, which comprises a
compact transmitter and receiver, creates its own (802.11n) Wi-Fi
network to avoid interfering with your existing Wi-Fi network.
The transmitter has two HDMI inputs and a passthrough port so
you can watch a movie on a local hardwired TV while wirelessly
streaming that same movie to a second TV, often eliminating the
need for an extra cable box. Price: $299
Peerless-AV • (800) 865-2112 • peerless-av.com

G McIntosh MCT500 SACD/CD Transport

Audiophiles with to-die-for disc collections will appreciate McIntosh’s latest audio marvel: a high-performance SACD/CD transport that
plays “all common disc types” as well as audio files stored on a disc or USB drive. Supported file formats include AAC, AIFF, ALAC, DSD (up to
DSD128), FLAC, MP3, WAV (up to 192 kHz/24 bit), and WMA. Of course, the MCT500 is a transport—not a player—so it must be connected to
a preamp, receiver, or integrated amplifier with digital inputs and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Silky Smooth: The transport reads audio
data at twice the normal rate to improve tracking and error correction, and disc handling is described as smooth and quiet, thanks to a
die-cast aluminum tray and advanced digital servo. Balanced, coaxial, and optical digital outputs are provided in addition to
McIntosh’s proprietary MCT connector, which is required for SACD playback. Price: $4,500
McIntosh • (607) 723-3512 • mcintoshlabs.com

26 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

 J Monitor Audio Vecta V240 Corner Speaker
Versatility is a beautiful thing, and Monitor Audio’s Vecta V240 has it in spades. It looks great, has an
ingenious single-point-connection bracket that simplifies installation, and can be mounted vertically
or horizontally. But that’s not all: The speaker is weather resistant, so you can take it outside and
mount it under the eaves. Built to Last: The speaker’s ceramic-coated aluminum magnesium
(C-CAM) drivers—two 4-inch woofers and a 1-inch anodized gold dome tweeter—are mounted on a
curved baffle to “ensure a controlled soundfield” and encased in a high-density ABS enclosure with a
rust-proof grille. An IP-55 rating means the V240 is dust resistant and able to withstand a direct water spray. Price: $575 each
Monitor Audio (distributed by Kevro International) • (905) 428-2800 • monitoraudio.com

D SonarWorks True-Fi Headphone App

Ready to make your ordinary headphones extraordinary? With
its True-Fi headphone app, SonarWorks aims to deliver a sonic
experience that gets closer to the way artists intend their music to be
heard. The app effectively analyzes and EQs the frequency response
of 138 popular headphone models from 38 brands to create a flat,
“studio reference” response curve. Get Personal: Once the app
works its magic, you can personalize the sound to compensate for
age-related hearing loss and even tweak the bass since most of us
prefer a little boost
over completely
flat sound. Visit
sonarworks.com for
a list of headphones, an audio demo, and a free
trial. The app is available for Mac and PC, and
SonarWorks offers a 15-day money-back
guarantee. Price: $79
SonarWorks • sonarworks.com

J Elac Debut 2.0 Speaker System

Elac’s nine-model Debut 2.0 speaker series builds on the Andrew Jones–
designed Debut series introduced in 2015. The cabinets have been
redesigned with a front-mounted port for greater placement flexibility and
are made of thick MDF, internally braced to reduce cabinet vibrations and
unwanted colorations. A new silk-dome tweeter with a wide-dispersion
waveguide has also been added along with an aramid-fiber woofer that
was redesigned to improve stiffness and
damping. Something for Everyone:
The line comprises two two-way
bookshelf speakers ($250/pair
and $300/pair), a couple of
two-way center speakers ($200
and $280) designed to mini-
mize power requirements from
low-cost receivers, two three-way
towers ($600/pair and $800/
pair), an add-on Dolby Atmos
height module ($250/pair), two
wall-mountable speakers, and
an app-controlled 400-watt
subwoofer with a 10-inch driver
($450). All cabinets are finished
in black ash vinyl.
Elac • (714) 252-8843 •
elac.com

soundandvision.com 27
SPEAKER CABLES:
CAN YOU HEAR THE DIFFERENCE?
The results of blind listening tests with eleven audio experts.
by Laurence Greenhill
In the early 1980s, esoteric high-end audio as we know it
today was just taking of as an alternative to the mass-
market equipment ofered in neighborhood TV/appli-
ance stores. Fueled by an underground audio press that
included magazines and newsletters such as Sound &
Vision sister publication Stereophile, he Absolute Sound,
International Audio Review, he Audio Critic, and others, a
cottage industry emerged, one populated by small manufacturers of
low-volume, high-priced exotica claiming greater faithfulness to
the music than the gear reviewed and advertised in the pages of
Stereo Review, High Fidelity, Audio, et al. Some of these claims were
founded—true advances were indeed being made by start-ups run
by technicians with irst-class bonaides and good ears. But the
High End also attracted its share of half-baked products and at least
a few charlatans looking to cash in selling accessories that had little
higher performance than a dime-store engagement ring.
In the midst of all this, the premium cable business emerged,
driven in no small part by the success of the early Monster Cable
products that followed the company’s founding by engineer/audio-
phile Noel Lee in 1979. he editors of our precursor Stereo Review
were suspicious of the beneits of such speaker cables and intercon-
nects, which were suddenly being profered by an ever-widening
mix of high-end specialists, oten at prices far higher than Mon-
ster’s. he highly objective measurement-based testing approach
employed by Julian Hirsch and his colleagues already ran counter
to the high-end community’s subjective reviews, which focused
solely on claimed sonic diferences that SR’s instruments couldn’t
detect. It wasn’t long before Stereo Review began positioning itself
as the skeptical voice of reason in what its editors deemed an audio
industry gone mad.
It was no surprise, then, that in 1983, the magazine jumped at the
opportunity to conduct a double-blind listening test, which editor-
in-chief Bill Livingston and his colleagues hoped would reveal, sci-
entiically, that high-end cables were indeed a hoax and provided no
higher performance than the everyday lamp cord in common use at
the time. he pitch was made by accomplished
research psychiatrist Laurence Greenhill, an
active member of the Westchester (county)
Audiophile Society based in the New York City
suburbs, and a reviewer for the audio journal
High Performance Review. Greenhill’s science
background and personal interest in acoustic
perception and subjective listening had led him
to write some articles on these subjects, and
eventually to fascination with a new audio
testing device called the ABX Double Blind
Comparator System. his box (as explained in
Greenhill’s article) used logic circuitry to ran-
domly trigger relays that allowed listeners to
compare two unknown sources instantaneous-
ly while eliminating the need for (and there-
fore, the bias of) a test administrator to select
the sources; hence the term double-blind. he
system had been developed by members of the
Southeastern Michigan Woofer and Tweeter
28 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
Marching Society, a DIY hobbyist group out of the Detroit
area (of which former long-time Stereo Review contribu-
tor Tom Nousaine was an active member).
By chance, Greenhill lived a few miles away from
Hirsch, and their casual acquaintance provided the entrée.
he SR editorial team worked up the test protocol with
Greenhill and some Audiophile Society colleagues and March-
ing Society member/ABX officer David Clark. To keep things from
getting unruly, they settled on testing three speaker cables at 30-foot
lengths, including thin, 24-gauge of the type found at electronics
outlets; 16-gauge lamp cord bought at a hardware store; and 11.5-
gauge Monster Cable to represent the premium segment. As the
most visible and successful purveyor in the category, Monster was
an obvious choice, though, as Greenhill told me recently for this
article, it’s noteworthy that Monster’s early speaker cable was essen-
tially also twisted-ilament copper like the other test subjects, with
nothing particularly advanced in the cable design compared with
later products that came from Monster and other manufacturers. An
11-member listening panel was recruited largely among experienced
high-end audiophiles from the Westchester Audiophile Society, with
Greenhill’s own young son and another high-schooler illing out the
mix. he 50 hours of tests were conducted in Greenhill’s personal
listening room with equipment borrowed from manufacturers.
he resulting article created a irestorm. As you’ll read, the panel
identiied, to a statistically signiicant degree, the 24-gauge from the
other two contenders with pink noise as the source. More critically,
they also identiied, again with statistical signiicance, the Monster
Cable from the 16-gauge with pink noise. But the latter results
didn’t hold when choral music was used, and none of the Monster
versus 16-gauge results passed the higher threshold of a 75 percent
or greater detection rate said to be psychoacoustically signiicant.
Interestingly, it was not the results of the test (which were mixed,
ater all), but the article’s written conclusion that set of so much
heated discussion. As originally submitted, Greenhill’s balanced
conclusion acknowledged that the panel had indeed heard statisti-
cally valid diferences, at least with pink noise,
and that the test should be seen not as a blan-
ket result for all audiophile cables, but simply
as research on these three, largely similar test
subjects that were distinguishable mostly by
level changes easily associated with gauge.
SR’s editors, however, rewrote the ending to
create something akin to a blanket condem-
nation of the category and pressured Green-
hill to accept the changes, a decision he later
regretted. “hey felt my conclusion didn’t
grab the reader as it should, but that was my
point,” Greenhill recalled. “I wanted to con-
clude that this test wasn’t a fair judge of all
cables, but revealed you could tell level difer-
ences based on the size of the cable. hey
wanted it to be a condemnation of [high-
end] audiophiles.” (You can read Stereophile’s
description of the controversy on stereophile.
com; search for “he Horse’s Mouth.”)
 Table I shows the results of the listening panel’s pre-test evalua-
tions of the three cables tested (let part) and their ratings of the
cables during the open listening tests (right part), together with a
statistical analysis. he ratings in the upper half of the chart are
mean scores derived by averaging the questionnaire responses
of all the panelists; the numbers shown in parentheses below
them are their standard deviations—that is, the statistical spread
around each mean score. hus, the higher the standard devia-
tion, the wider the range of scores.
he article as published was picked apart and attacked by the high-
end press, and the Monster Cable company, not unreasonably, felt
unfairly maligned as expressed in a letter to the author from Noel
Lee. Greenhill, for a time, became a pariah in the high-end commu-
nity, though he continued reviewing and has for many years been a
regular contributor to Stereophile. He now lives in California and, at
76, is still a practicing hospital physician and a teacher at the Univer-
sity of California, San Francisco. Today, 35 years later, the debate over
audiophile cables remains as active as ever.—Rob Sabin
Some audiophiles believe that the seemingly innocuous wires used
to connect stereo ampliiers to loudspeakers actually have a consider-
able efect on a system’s overall sound quality. Unsatisied with the
performance of 16-gauge heavy-duty lamp cord or “zip” cord (“gauge”
he lower half of the table indicates whether the diferences
in the ratings of the three cables are statistically signiicant. he
method of comparison used, the Student’s paired test, estimates
the probability that an observed diference in preferences could
have occurred by chance. he number given for each compar-
ison in each category or test represents the probability that the
diference did not occur by chance alone. Probabilities below
95 percent are considered statistically insigniicant and are indi-
cated by “NS.”
is a measure of thickness; the lower the number, the thicker the wire),
these purists install exotic, expensive, and physically imposing cables
instead. A 30-foot run of special audio cable may cost anywhere from
$55 (for a pair of Monster Cables) to more than $300 (for Levinson
wire). Ater purchase, these thick and massive wires are terminated
with special lugs or pressure-itting banana plugs ($25 per pair), coat-
ed with a contact cleaner (Cramolin), and installed with loving care.
Does it make any diference? Is all this trouble and expense neces-
sary to achieve the best possible sound? he editors of Stereo Review
have long maintained that for normal home cable runs (in the 20- to
50-foot range) to 8-ohm speakers, 16-gauge zip cord provides opti-
mal power transmission between a system’s ampliier and speakers.
he “official” view has been that heavier and/or more expensive audio
cables represent—for ordinary home installations—electronic overkill.
soundandvision.com 29
SPEAKER CABLES
Nevertheless, equipment-oriented audio hobbyists have continued to
tinker and experiment with their systems’ connections. Quick to respond
to a felt need, audio manufacturers have illed the marketplace with a
variety of exotically named wires: Discwasher Smog-liters I, Audio-
Source UHD, Live Wire 301X4, Mogami Neglex 2477, Oracle Leonische,
Fulton Golds, Monster Power Line, Big Red Live Wire, and so on. Is
this just another case of the mystique and glamour of high-end audio
inducing otherwise sensible music lovers to waste their money? Or is
there some real sonic advantage to using audiophile speaker cables?
Our view is that if there are audible diferences among speaker
cables, they probably derive from measurable diferences in their
respective electrical properties. Nelson Pass of hreshold Corp., for
instance, claims that subtle sonic diferences can be correlated with
diferences in electrical resistance, capacitance, and inductance, which
vary according to overall cable length. And these factors can result
in measurable diferences in frequency response and signal level,
depending on the particular speakers and ampliiers the cables con-
nect. But the measurable diferences in electrical characteristics and
performance between audiophile cables and cheaper, 16-gauge zip
cord seem too small to explain the apparently huge audible diferences
that are sometimes reported.
Just how diferent in electrical characteristics do cables have to be
before there are audible efects on frequency response and signal
level? In order to answer this question, among others, we embarked
on a series of laboratory and listening tests. Because of logistical,
time, and budget restrictions, only three cables were exhaustively
tested: (1) 16-gauge heavy-duty lamp cord, purchased from a subur-
ban hardware store for 30 cents a foot; (2) 30-foot lengths of New
Monster Cable, costing $55 a pair; and (3) 24-gauge “loudspeaker
cable,” available from many sources at about 3 cents a foot.
Although the high electrical resistance of 24-gauge wire makes it
inadvisable for runs of more than a few feet, its low price and small
diameter make it appealing to decorators, who use it unashamedly.
It seemed the ideal “worst case” cable—if any cable would sound
diferent, 24-gauge should be the one. he 16- and 24-gauge wires
were cut to the same 30-foot lengths as the Monster Cable, and all
the cables were terminated with Monster’s X-Terminators for con-
sistency in the connections.
Lab, Tests
For the irst part of our tests, Julian Hirsch measured the three select-
ed cables’ resistance and interconductor capacitance. he results are
easily summarized: in 30-foot lengths, the 16-gauge zip cord had a
resistance of 0.24 ohms, the Monster Cable 0.09 ohms, and the 24-
gauge “loudspeaker cable” 1.8 ohms; their interconductor capaci-
tances were 420, 600, and 400 picofarads, respectively.
he cables were then connected between a high-quality power
ampliier (a Perreaux PMF 21508) and two pairs of high-quality
speakers (Spendor BC-1s and KEF 105.2s). A 1,000-Hz square wave
was fed to the speakers through the cables, and the cables’ efects on
the signal were monitored by subtracting the waveform at the speaker
terminals from the waveform at the ampliier output. Photographs
30 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
were made of the oscilloscope displays. here were no observable
diferences between any of the cables driving either speaker system.
All the measurements were then set aside and not shared with the
listening panel until ater the listening tests.
Open Listening
In the initial open (non-blind) phase of the listening tests, the
listeners individually evaluated the sound of seven diferent music
selections played with each of the three diferent cables while know-
ing which cable was in use at each moment. hey were asked to ill
out an elaborate, eight-page questionnaire. In addition to ten ques-
tions about the sound of the diferent cables, the form asked about
the panelist’s age, occupation, degree and kind of involvement with
audio, and any prior attitudes toward the speciic cables being tested.
he procedure was designed to collect information on the panelists’
various biases and to suggest how those biases might change in a
group-listening situation. For example, a listener’s preference might
be inluenced by knowledge of a friend’s preference or by the reputa-
tion that a particular brand or type of cable has acquired through
reviews in the “underground” hi-i magazines.
Controlled Listening
he heart of our whole project was the set of controlled listening tests.
hese difered from the initial open tests in that the listening proce-
dure was designed to maximize psychoacoustical fairness. hat is, in
order to keep the listeners’ biases about the weight, appearance, cost,
or brand of the cables from inluencing their sonic preferences, the
tests in this part were double blind—neither the listeners nor the test
administrator knew which cable was being listened to. Switching
between the diferent cables was practically instantaneous (less than
Table II. he two charts on this page show the results of the controlled,
double-blind listening comparisons of the three cables. At right are the
results for the panel as a whole, together with a statistical analysis of the
comparisons. he scores for each member of the panel in each compari-
son are shown in a separate chart.
he ABX comparator system is statistically similar to flipping a coin
and predicting whether it will come up heads or tails. Each of the two
results is equally probable, so random predictions are likely to be correct
50 percent of the time. Since each of our comparisons comprised iteen
trials, a listener would have gotten a score of 1.5 if he could hear no dif-
ferences between the cables and were just guessing. Any score much
above 1.5 is thus better than chance and might be signiicant.
50 milliseconds) in order to make subtle sonic diferences as apparent
as possible (human beings have notoriously poor long-term memo-
ries for sounds).
To make possible such a double-blind, instantaneous-switching
test, we used a laboratory-grade audio comparator developed and
sold by the ABX Company. It consists of control circuits and relays
that can rapidly switch between diferent inputs. he listener com-
pares sounds and decides whether a particular source, designated X,
is sonically the same or diferent from each of two other sources, des-
ignated A or B (hence ABX). he trick is that source X is actually
either A or B; each connection is made at random by the ABX com-
parator and is not identiied for either the listener or the tester. he
listener writes his response on a test form. Digital memory circuits
store the sequence of connections for retrieval and analysis at the
end of the test.
Level matching between cables to compensate for their difering
electrical-loss characteristics was not performed for every compari-
son in this part. he basic premise of these tests was that measurable
diferences among cables would become audible if they were large
enough. Matching all measurable parameters—including signal
loss—would make the hypothesis untestable. For one comparison,
however, of Monster Cable with the 24-gauge speaker wire, we did
compensate for level diferences by switching in a precision attenua-
tor between the preampliier and the power ampliier whenever the
lower-resistance Monster Cable was selected by the ABX system.
he purpose of this was to determine if there were any audible dif-
ferences between the two cables other than those resulting from a
volume-level change.
Some audiophiles refuse to accept the validity of this kind of con-
trolled listening test. hey argue that either the test procedure or the
Using published tables of the binomial (“bell-curve”) statistical
distribution, we calculated the likelihood of correct scores in each
comparison for the entire panel. We found that 91 or more correct
answers out of a total of 165 in each comparison gave a probability
of 95 percent or more that the results were not due to chance. Results
meeting this criterion are thus indicated as statistically signiicant.
We also used, however, a stronger criterion: psychoacoustical sig-
niicance. In psychoacoustical testing, it is generally accepted that the
threshold at which a phenomenon can be considered deinitely audi-
ble is when listeners are aware of it at least 75 percent of the time.
switching systems will mask important sonic diferences. he whole
procedure and test setups are designed to increase listeners’ sensitiv-
ity to small diferences and to bypass some of the limitations of the
human hearing system so that the results will be applicable to all
listeners, not just those participating in the tests. Let’s review three of
the main features of this phase of our tests: (1) he ability to switch
almost instantaneously from one cable to another with a precision
set of low-resistance relays makes perceived sonic diferences as
vivid as they can be given our limited sonic memories. (2) he dou-
ble-blind listening setup relieves the tester and the listeners from
having to compensate for preconceptions about the diferent cables.
(3) he use of numerous listeners making a large number of com-
parisons produces sufficient data for meaningful statistical analysis
and generalization.
he procedure for the controlled listening tests can be quickly
summarized: six cable comparisons were carried out using the ABX
comparator and either pink noise or a choral music selection. Mon-
ster Cable was compared with 24-gauge wire, gain matched and
unmatched; next, Monster Cable was compared with 16-gauge zip
cord; then the 16-gauge and 24-gauge cables were compared with
each other. Each comparison consisted of a series of iteen tests; in
each test, as explained previously, the listener was asked to identify
which of two constant sources, A and B, was the same as the switched
source X. he choice and order of cables being compared and pro-
gram sources being used were determined by a table of random num-
bers, with switching randomly controlled by the ABX comparator.
Results were examined only ater each listener completed the series
of comparisons, and results were held conidential so that each panel
member knew only his own score—ater all, the egos of these “golden
ears” were on the line. Moreover, in our account of the results we will
his is the basis for our deinition of a “hit” as at least twelve out of
iteen correct answers. Applied to the scores of the whole panel, this
meant that 124 answers out of 165 trials for each comparison had to
be correct before we concluded that the diferences between the
cables were indeed audible.
Results that meet the 75 percent rule are due to more vivid efects
than those producing a merely statistically signiicant result. An
additional clue to the magnitude of the diferences between the
cables tested is the number of listeners who scored a hit in each com-
parison; the more hits, the more striking were the audible diferences.
soundandvision.com 31
SPEAKER CABLES
consider mainly the performance of the group as a whole; individual
panelists will be identiied by code letter—to protect the guilty! Fur-
ther details of the test setup can be found in the box labeled “Test
Methods and Equipment.”
he listeners were all males with an average age of about thirty-
nine years (ranging from thirteen to sixty). Although two were high-
school students, most of the remaining nine were middle-aged pro-
fessionals with a serious involvement with audio. Six panelists owned
expensive esoteric twin-lead speaker cables, two owned interwoven
audiophile cables, and one even used 14-gauge zip cord. Seven
thought that controlled, double-blind tests like those we used were
valid, but the others thought such tests missed the boat.
Half the panelists thought that sonic diferences between speaker
cables could not be explained by measurable diferences in the cables’
electrical characteristics. Before the listening tests even began, ten out
of the eleven listeners expected the “better” cables to show improved
bass, “punchiness,” and frequency response.
he let-hand portion of Table I summarizes the pre-test attitudes
of the listeners. In terms of attitudes, Monster Cable scored sig-
niicantly higher on appearance and reputation than either 16- or
24-gauge cable. Although 16-gauge scored highest on frequency of
use and cost-efectiveness, the preference was not statistically signii-
cant in these categories. Generally, the panel seemed to prefer Mon-
ster Cable from the start, suggesting that it would come out on top in
the non-blind open listening tests, which is just what happened.
The Open Tests
When the listeners knew which cable they were listening to, Monster
Cable scored signiicantly higher, as the data in the right side of
Table I show. It was preferred to 24-gauge in seven out of ten catego-
ries. Monster Cable also scored signiicantly higher than 16-gauge in
three categories. In the pink-noise portions of the test, 16-gauge
scored higher than 24-gauge.
Subjective comments from the panelists were consistent with the
numerical scoring. hey reported that Monster Cable conveyed deep-
er bass, more impact, more ambience, and a fuller, lusher sound with
greater transparency and that the program could be played louder
than with the other cables. In comparison, the sound with 16-gauge
was said to be “congealed and homogenized,” revealing less “space
and expanse” in the music. Listeners also noted that 24-gauge pro-
duced a drop in level and rollofs in frequency response at both ends
of the audio spectrum. he “clipped and compressed” qualities of
24-gauge were even said to give it a “New England” sound!
It is important to emphasize again that these ratings and comments
came from listeners who knew which cables they were listening to.
he panelists’ strong pre-test biases in favor of Monster Cable could
have inluenced their reactions during the open listening tests no
matter how conscientiously they tried to ignore them. Eliminating
the listeners’ awareness of which cable was being auditioned was,
therefore, a major consideration in our design of the controlled lis-
tening tests.
The Controlled Tests
he most striking result of the controlled listening tests (see Table
II) was the selecting out of the 24-gauge wire. All the comparisons
in which it was not matched in gain level with the other cables show
a high degree of statistical signiicance. With pink noise, every panel-
ist was able to distinguish non-level-matched 24-gauge wire from
either of the two heavier cables in at least twelve out of iteen tries,
Let to right: pencils, Monster Cable, 16-gauge zip cord, 24-gauge
“speaker wire.”
32 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
or 75 percent, which is an accepted threshold of signiicance in
psychoacoustical testing. Even when the levels were matched
between 24-gauge wire and Monster Cable (Comparison No. 2),
four listeners still heard a diference. While one listener might have
just been making lucky guesses, it is very unlikely that four out of
eleven were doing so.
It is reasonable to assume that because Monster Cable is thicker
and has lower electrical resistance than 24-gauge wire, it is a more
electrically “accurate” signal conductor. he audible diferences
between them in our controlled listening tests strongly suggest, there-
fore, that 24-gauge is too thin for optimal audio performance—in
30-foot lengths, at least.
When 16-gauge wire was pitted against Monster Cable using pink
noise as the program material (Comparison No. 3), three of the pan-
elists correctly identiied it in twelve out of iteen tries. Again, it is
very unlikely that this could have occurred by chance (the odds are
less than 1 in 999). But when choral music was used instead of pink
noise (Comparison No. 5), none of the panelists correctly distin-
guished 16-gauge from Monster Cable to a psychoacoustically signii-
cant degree (75 percent of the time). his suggests that both 16-gauge
and Monster Cable are ine conductors for music signals of typical
complexity, but a very sensitive listener under the best conditions
might ind an audible diference—not necessarily a preference—
between them on wide-band (pink-noise) test signals.
In sum, ive out of the six sets of controlled listening compari-
sons gave results that are statistically signiicant using the binomial
distribution (see caption for Table II). In only two sets of compari-
sons, however—both testing 24-gauge wire against a heavier cable
using pink noise—were the results above the stricter 75 percent
threshold usually considered necessary to establish an audibly sig-
niicant diference.
Comments
While it may not be news that the thin 24-gauge speaker cable
sounded diferent from the other cables tested, what does this result
mean in terms of cable measurements and their audible efects? A
1- to 2-dB decrease in sound level was measured for the 24-gauge
wire during the pink-noise listening tests, and a number of panel
members reported a loss of treble and bass response with 24-gauge
during open listening. Was the wire also changing the perceived
frequency balance?
Julian Hirsch’s measurements of the 24-gauge wire showed it to be
much higher in resistance than Monster Cable or 16-gauge wire. Its
1.8-ohm resistance resulted in a 1.76-dB insertion loss with an 8-ohm
resistive load, which means that fully one-third of the ampliier’s out-
put was being dissipated by the cable over the 30-foot runs we used.
his accounts for the unanimously audible decrease in level. Frequen-
cy response was also afected because the 24-gauge cable’s relatively
high series resistance interacted with the system impedance of the
KEF 105.2 speakers used in the tests to produce 1.25-dB frequency-
response depressions at 100, 1,000, and 4,000 Hz. his perhaps
explains the subjective impression that with the 24-gauge wire the
sound was “duller.” Note that even in the double-blind, matched-level
test of 24-gauge vs. Monster Cable (Comparison No. 2), four panel
members heard diferences. he level-matching procedure corrected
only for an overall level mismatch, not for frequency-response chang-
es caused by the 24-gauge wire.
he panelists’ initial preference for Monster Cable was only partly
vindicated by their ability to distinguish it from 16-gauge cable in
the controlled pink-noise test (Comparison No. 3). What the panel-
ists noticed during this comparison was either the result of the
measured 0.16-dB insertion-loss diference between the two cables
or the corresponding 0.04-dB frequency-response variation when
they were connected to the KEF 105.2 speakers. he former is far
more likely.
It seems that tests with real music signals decrease the ability
of listeners to distinguish small sonic diferences between cables.
Although three panelists heard a diference between 16-gauge and
Monster Cable with pink noise, the panel as a whole was unable
to hear any signiicant diference between them with choral music
(Comparison No. 5). Even when Monster Cable
was compared with 24-gauge using choral music
(Comparison No. 6), only three panel members
had psychoacoustically signiicant scores (twelve
out of iteen or better), though the group’s score
in this non-level-matched comparison did reach
the less strict level of “statistical signiicance.” It
seems likely that the diferences between 24-gauge
and Monster Cable would be even harder to hear
(if audible at all) if the levels were matched and
typical music, not pink noise, were used.
Because of our short auditory memories, notic-
ing very subtle sonic diferences requires a more
or less constant signal as well as instantaneous
switching between the components being com-
pared. One must wonder how real are the vast
sonic diferences reported in the underground
audio press among such components as cables,
preampliiers, and power ampliiers, since the
results derive from uncontrolled, non-level-
matched listening tests using only wide-dynamic-
range musical material.
he inal signiicant conclusion one can draw
from our data is that at least one genuine “golden ear” does exist. Lis-
tener J on our panel had 80 percent “hits” (psychoacoustically signii-
cant scores) with an average score of 12.7 (out of 15). Obviously, cer-
tain listeners—whether through talent, training, or experience—can
hear small diferences between components. But the majority of the
panelists, although by no means poor or unskilled listeners, heard
only diferences resulting from the relatively large, easily measured
variations in signal level and frequency response in the 24-gauge
comparisons. Note, however, that J was the only panel member to
score a hit for both music and level-matched pink-noise comparisons
between Monster Cable and 24-gauge (Nos. 2 and 6). In these two
tests only a third of the listeners achieved psychoacoustically signii-
cant scores, showing that the audible diferences in these tests were
not very obvious despite the overall statistical signiicance of the
group’s scores.
Conclusions
Our tests were certainly not exhaustive, since
only three diferent cables were compared. Yet
the results demonstrate that while Monster Cable
and 16-gauge lamp cord are both audibly difer-
ent from and probably superior to 24-gauge wire,
16-gauge is good enough to be indistinguishable
from Monster Cable when playing music. An
esoteric cable would have to be substantially bet-
ter than Monster Cable in order to be demonstra-
bly superior to 16-gauge wire. One of the listeners
on the panel ran a quick but controlled listening
test of Monster Cable against high-capacitance
Mogami Cable (with its “damper” removed) and
8-gauge Levinson HF-lOC twin-lead, both prod-
ucts more costly than Monster Cable. He did no
better in distinguishing Monster Cable from the
other two than chance would allow.
So what do our ity hours of testing, scoring,
comparing, and listening to speaker cables
amount to? Only that 16-gauge lamp cord and
Monster Cable are indistinguishable from each
other with music and seem to be superior to
the 24-gauge wire commonly sold or given away as “speaker cable.”
Remember, however, that it was a measurable characteristic—higher
resistance per foot—that made 24-gauge sound diferent from the
other cables. If the cable runs were only 6 instead of 30 feet, the over-
all cable resistances would have been lower and our tests would prob-
ably have found no audible diferences between the three cables. his
project was unable to validate the sonic beneits claimed for exotic
speaker cables over common 16-gauge zip cord. We can only con-
clude, therefore, that there is little advantage besides pride of owner-
ship in using these thick, expensive wires.
Laurence Greenhill is a research psychiatrist who is currently study-
ing the efects of drugs on perception. He has been an audio enthusiast
since the late Sixties and has written a number of articles on perception,
audio, and subjective listening tests.

TEST METHODS AND EQUIPMENT potentiometer connected between the pre-

ampliier and power ampliier and an Ivie

B oth parts of the listening test, the open

and the controlled, were performed in
a sparsely furnished living room measur-
ing 18 x 11 x 28 feet. he hardwood oak
loor is covered with a Persian area rug,
and sheet-rock walls and large glass win-
dows rise to a “semi-cathedral” ceiling.
Acoustically the room is very live, with a
reverberation time of about 1 second.
High-end equipment was used through-
out the test setup. he system included an
Accuphase AC-2 moving-coil cartridge
(stylus wear approximately 75 hours), a
Magnepan Unitrac 1 tone arm, and a Linn
Sondek LP-12 turntable (Valhalla modii-
cation, of course). Other signal sources
included a Tandberg TD-20A open-reel
tape deck (special equalization model)
running at 15 inches per second and a
Magnavox FD 1000SL digital Compact
Disc player. he Mark Levinson ML-7
stereo preampliier that served as the con-
trol center was equipped with L-3 moving-
coil phono sections. Levinson silver inter-
connect cable ran from the ML-7 to the
power ampliier.
During the open listening sessions a
number of high-quality power ampliiers
were used, including an Electrocompaniet
Ampliwire 1, a Mark Levinson ML-9, and
a Perreaux PMF 2150B. Each of these
high-power units had been tested previ-
ously and found to be in perfect working
order. For the controlled listening tests we
chose the Perreaux unit (more than 200
watts per channel).
he speakers were installed 6 feet apart
along the room’s short wall and about
2 feet out from each side wall. Ininity
RS-3A, Spendor BC-I, and KEF 105.2
systems were all employed in the early
trial sessions and during the open listen-
ing phase. Only the KEF’s were used dur-
ing the controlled tests because of their
built-in overdrive protection. Each listener
was allowed to set the volume level to his
taste at the beginning of his part of the
controlled listening test; the volume was
then let at that level for the entire test ses-
sion. For one of the Monster Cable/24-
gauge comparisons the two cables were
matched in gain level within 1 dB using a
IV-10 spectrum analyzer.
Program material for the open listening
tests included a wide range of sources and
musical styles. Among the recordings
used were the pink-noise band from
Telarc’s “Omnidisc” test album (Telarc
DG-10073/74), Mozart arias from Philips
9500 098, percussion instruments from
Harry Patch’s Delusion of the Fury (Colum-
bia M2 30576), Karla Bonof ’s Restless
Nights (Columbia JC 35799), Berlioz’s Sym-
phonie Fantastique (Reference Recording
R-11), and two selections from a Philips
CD sampler disc (801 027 2), Elton John’s
rendition of “Blue Eyes” and “Once Upon a
Time in the West” by Dire Straits.
he program material for the controlled
tests was restricted to only two selections.
he 3-minute pink-noise band from the
“Omnidisc” was chosen by the panel as
most revealing of subtle sonic diferences.
Choral music sung by the 300-voice Jay
Welch Chorale (Varese Sarabande VSD
l000) was chosen because of the disc’s
unusual degree of stereo separation and
the vocal resonances in the male chorus.

soundandvision.com 33
 Essential Guide to
SMART
SPEAKERS
I
t’s not every day that a new consumer
electronics category comes along that
has an adoption rate projected to
be faster than that of any other device,
including smartphones, computers, TVs,
and radios.
Some 56.3 million smart speakers are
projected to ship this year, nearly twice as
many as last year and 10 times the number
shipped in 2016, according to Canalys. In
the irst quarter of 2017, only 7 percent of
U.S. households
• Amazon Echo Show
34 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
The smart
speaker is
about to
change the
way you live.
Are you ready?
by Michael Antonoff
had smart speakers. By the end of 2020, 75 is in fact attached to a global
percent are expected to have them, according well so broad and deep that
to Gartner and Edison Research. no physical library could
Electriied speakers, the type that put out hold all its knowledge.
sound but didn’t listen to users’ marching Today’s voice recognition
orders, have been with us for a century. Maybe technology is impressive,
because they’ve been around so long and been though speech-to-text
relegated to second-class status behind big conversion used to get a bad
screens and powered bling, there’s now a sense rap. In the 1990s, computer
of sweet revenge as a new kind of speaker— dictation programs had
but a speaker nonetheless—is suddenly the belle to be trained to “type” a
of the ball. particular person’s speech to
What diferentiates a smart speaker from a the screen—and even then,
conventional one is the built-in array of the resulting typos hardly
microphones, typically about a half-dozen, made the efort seem
and far-ield voice-recognition technology worth it.
used for processing human queries and com- hat may be one rea-
mands from a variety of directions, all while son why the consumers
discarding ambient noise. he speaker is embracing smart speak-
connected through Wi-Fi to the internet and ers most quickly are
remote supercomputers steeped in artiicial millennials. Weaned on
intelligence that translate our utterances into
machine-understandable language. Although a
smartphones, they’re
at ease with dictating a
• Above left, the Amazon
Echo One; above, the more
smart speaker looks like a standalone device, it Facebook response, and slender Amazon Echo Plus.

• Sonos One
when they call an airline, they expect the auto-
mated prompt to ask them “to say in a few
words what you’re calling about” rather than
a human to pick up. According to eMarketer,
millennials are the most proliic digital-assistant
users, with 35.8 million of them in the U.S. this
year versus 16.7 million members of Genera-
tion X and 9.9 million baby boomers. (Note
to boomers: here will be 19.1 million of you
using a digital assistant in 2019 versus only
17.2 million Gen Xers, though both generations
will pale by comparison to the 39.3 million
millennials conversing with their assistants.)
Much of the credit for the growth of smart
speakers goes to Amazon, which, just in time
for the 2014 holiday shopping season, unveiled
the Echo speaker—home to Alexa, an intelli-
gent personal assistant. While other companies
have since introduced speakers of their own,
• Top: The speed of smart speaker
adoption is predicted to eclipse other tech.
Boom: Projected smart speaker shipments
for 2018.
• Polk Command Bar
oten licensing Alexa or Google Assistant (irst
released in 2016 as part of the Google Home
Yet people aren’t necessarily
buying a smart speaker
speaker), Amazon-branded Alexa products for its audio quality.
have continued to be the most popular. Accord- With speakers ranging
ing to the Statista Global Consumer Survey, in price from as little
for which more than 10,000 internet users as $50 or less for an
were contacted between November 2017 and Amazon Echo Dot
January 2018 (before Apple’s HomePod came (the mini-me version
out), ownership of smart speakers in the U.S. of the $100 Amazon
was led by Amazon Echo at 15.4 percent and Echo) to $349 for the
Google Home (running Google Assistant) at Apple HomePod (see
7.7 percent. hese were followed by the Lenovo our review in this
Smart Assistant (Alexa), 2.5 percent; Panasonic issue), you can bet that
SC-GA10 (Google Assistant), 2.3%; Sony not all of them are
LF-S50G (Google Assistant), 2%; Harman created equally, in the
Kardon Invoke/Allure (Microsot’s Cortana/ traditional sense of
Alexa), 1.9 percent; JBL Link series (Google being music output
Assistant), 1.4 percent; and Sonos One (Alexa), devices. And there are
1.2 percent. Not mentioned in the survey are diferences among
the growing number of homes with newer the voice platforms,
Samsung TVs compliant with the company’s as well.
Bixby voice assistant for control of TV view- Smart speakers
ing and home automation. (Note: 79.5 per- are showing up in a
cent of the respondents did not yet own a
smart speaker.)
variety of form factors
from soundbars to
• Panasonic SC-GA10
Where are those speakers going? In house- shower speakers. he
holds with just one smart speaker, the majority Polk Command Bar with Alexa built in is a
(52 percent) of respondents said they 43-inch-wide soundbar with an outboard
put it in the living room, a family subwoofer that houses a 6.5-inch driver; it’s
room, or a den, according to the a combo that should appeal to anyone who
Smart Audio Report from NPR wants to upgrade the sound of their TV in a
and Edison Research. he next room tight on space. On the other hand, the
most popular locations were the point of the iLuv Aud Click Shower Speaker
kitchen (21 percent) and the master with Alexa embedded is less about music
bedroom (19 percent). It went on to idelity than showering you with answers even
say that the top reasons for owning while you’re in a soapy condition.
a smart speaker were to listen to Audiophiles may have a sense of déjà vu.
music and to ask questions without In the same way that the MP3 revolution
needing to type. once captured the hearts and minds of
Interestingly, the top three
activities indexed by certain parts
of the day (in order) were getting
traffic, weather, and news reports (5
to 9 a.m.) and inding restaurants/
businesses, requesting recipes/
cooking advice, and ordering food
(5 to 7 p.m.).
Nevertheless, playing music was
the most frequently speciied voice
command in almost every survey.
According to Adobe Analytics
(see page 37), 61 percent of their
respondents put playing music irst. • Google Home Max
soundandvision.com 35
ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO SMART SPEAKERS
consumers—who overwhelmingly chose
convenience over sound quality—those
shopping for a smart speaker today aren’t
necessarily beholden to how it sounds as much
as to how smart it is at answering a query and
whether the particular streaming music service
they subscribe to is supported. Still, a number
of smart speaker manufacturers stress the super-
ior sound quality of their models, something
an online buyer can’t really verify without irst
kicking the tires in person and hearing a
working demo, ideally in an isolated sound
How to Educate Your Speaker
A
smart speaker is dumb until you
connect it to your wireless network
and use a smartphone or tablet app
for setup.
For example, the Alexa app is a com-
panion to your Amazon Echo, Tap, Echo
Dot, and Echo Show (and other Alexa-
enabled speakers) for setup, remote control,
and enhanced features. With the Google
Home app, you can set up and control your
Google Assistant speakers. Depending on
whether you’re using an iOS or Android
phone or tablet for setup, you download a
free app from the Apple App Store or Google
Play Store. Setting up Apple’s HomePod
requires the Apple Home app, usually found
on iPhones by default.
From the app, you’ll be able to name the
speaker and set defaults, such as your loca-
tion and music provider, as well as link
compatible devices like smart lights and
thermostats. (he HomePod not with-
standing, which only works with Apple’s own
Apple Music service for voice control.)
Beyond such simple commands as asking
it to tell you the weather or tune into NPR,
a smart speaker can be deployed to control
connected devices in your home from what
• Samsung’s SmartThings Hub
36 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
room. Barring that, reliable
product reviews, like those
we run in Sound & Vision, can
give you a good clue.
hat said, it’s not always an
either/or choice when it comes
to smartness versus sound
quality, especially in homes
having multiple speakers. With
proper setup and a compatible
sound system, you can use a
less musically inclined smart
is now thousands of options. To bridge the
gap between your vocal cords and the smart
lock on your front door, though, you’ll need
to set up what Alexa calls skills and Google
Assistant calls actions. Skills and actions add
more capabilities, such as ordering a
pizza from Domino’s, requesting a
ride from Lyt, tracking your
condition with Fitbit, controlling
your Dish or TiVo DVR, turning
on a particular ceiling fan, or
dimming the lights.
When a device is already smart,
meaning a Wi-Fi transceiver is
built in, you won’t necessarily
need additional hardware. So,
for example, ater stating your
speaker’s wake word, you can
simply say “TiVo skip” to leapfrog
a block of commercials without
having to pick up the TiVo remote
and then either press its Skip but-
ton or hold down its microphone
button while saying “Skip.” In the
instance of a remote-controlled fan
that wouldn’t know Wi-Fi from
hi-i, however, you’d need to plug
in a Wi-Fi-compatible hub like the
Bond to send the appropriate RF or
IR signals to the device you plan to • Harmony
Elite Remote
operate. (See the “Apptitude” column
in our May issue.) Some smart home devices
might work on other industry wireless
standards, such as Zigbee or Z-Wave;
third-party hubs that can act as intermediary
between your Dot or Google Home Mini are
available for these as well. he Alexa-friendly
Samsung Smarthings Hub opens your
home to voice control of Smarthings-
connected devices.
One of the beneits of controlling appli-
ances in the smart home using your vocal
• Apple HomePod
speaker mainly for voice input
and speech output, and you can
tell it to send music to another
home-networked speaker of
whatever quality you aspire to.
he afordable hockey-puck-like
Amazon Echo Dot and Google
Home Mini are ideal for this. Or
if the smart speaker sports an
auxiliary output (as the Echo Dot
cords is less clutter. Once you’ve added a skill
or an action to your speaker, you’ll be able
to control a ceiling fan without its battery-
powered remote or your smartphone run-
ning a dedicated app. Similarly, you’ll ind
yourself reaching for your TV remote a
lot less. Several of Logitech’s popular
Harmony universal remotes are now
controllable via Alexa, opening up
some degree of voice control of your
home theater system as well as home
automation. And A/V receiver
manufacturers, including Yamaha
and Denon, now ofer modest Alexa
control with the addition of a smart
speaker on the shared network to
take in the voice commands.
Beyond a just adding a skill or
action is something that both Alexa
and Google Assistant call a routine.
hink of it as a macro command
that strings together a series of
orders you issue to achieve a larger
result, typically something you do
routinely. So, for example, you could
create a “movie night” macro that
might involve turning on the Blu-
ray player or switching the TV to
Netlix, turning on the external
sound system, closing the motorized
curtains, launching the connected
cofee maker, putting the air conditioner into
quiet mode, switching on the ceiling fan,
and turning down the overhead lights while
turning up night lights near the loor leading
to the kitchen and bathroom. Unless you had
to get up of the couch to insert a disc, you’d
be able to accomplish all these tasks with-
out budging. Just announce to your smart
speaker that it’s movie night.
By the way, you’re not alone as you teach
your speaker to be smarter. Manufacturer
and user forums that focus on the expanding
capabilities of voice assistants and the ease
(or lack thereof) of setup have sprung up all
over the internet. So, doing a little online
homework before trying to add a skill, an
action, or a routine can save you time and
frustration later on.—MA

does), you should be able to tether it to your
A/V receiver and its set of speakers or directly
to another powered speaker.
Understanding the Spy Inside Your Speaker
llowing a smart speaker into your
A house is an act of trust. Ater all, it’s
a listening device connected to the
outside world. Consumers wouldn’t know-
ingly invite someone to bug their home,
so these new voice platforms need to
respect your privacy and provide reason-
able security. As you consider taking a leap
of faith by installing one or more smart
speakers, it helps to know about how these
systems work and how to best protect
yourself from any mischief.
First of, these speakers aren’t constantly
transmitting or recording your household’s
audible activity. Although their microphones
are always listening, they remain deaf to your
chatter until triggered by a wake word. For
an Amazon Echo, that would be “Alexa,”
though the Alexa app allows you to custom-
ize your wake word for Echo products. For
Google Home, you’d say “OK, Google” or
“Hey, Google” to activate the artiicial
intelligence. Apple’s HomePod listens for
“Hey, Siri.” Only ater the system is awoken
will it reach out to the company’s servers—
via an encrypted connection—to seek a
response to your query, or to place your
order through the internet for a dozen
long-stemmed roses.
Second, smart speakers aren’t really
considered vulnerable to traditional hack
attacks from the outside world because they
aren’t directly accessible by anyone beyond
the servers at Amazon, Google, Apple, or
Microsot (depending on the platform).
Nonetheless, the security experts at Symantec
say that a smart speaker could conceivably be
vulnerable to reconiguration by a compro-
mised computer on the same network that
does get hacked (although they have no
record of this occurring to date). So, having
your Wi-Fi network properly secured and
password-protected is as critical as always.
Beyond this, avoiding trouble with your
smart speaker is largely a function of under-
standing and making wise decisions in the
speaker’s setup and use. Here are some basic
steps, courtesy of Symantec, to protect your
Once you start
a relationship
• The Amazon Echo Dot and
Google Home Mini provide
with your smart affordable entry to voice control. speakers. (See the sidebars
speaker, you can
train it to work with
a multitude of other
household gadgets
and appliances that
can be controlled
wirelessly or
through a com-
patible smart
speaker. he Alexa universe,
for instance, purports to sup-
port more than 15,000 skills
privacy and avoid misuse of your smart
speakers:
• As previously mentioned, connect
only with secure Wi-Fi. hat means your
neighbors won’t get a free ride on your
internet service unless you give them your
password—you know, the one you should
regularly change. And use a router that
allows you to set up a dedicated guest
network for visiting friends and family
so you can maintain the privacy of your
primary network at all times.
• Consider smart speakers that allow you
to disable the microphones at will if you feel
the need. he Alexa-driven Sonos One
and the Echo speakers, for example, have a
button on top to toggle the mics of until it’s
pressed again. he Apple HomePod assistant
can be disabled by saying “Hey Siri, stop
listening” or by using the Apple Home app.
• Keep the account passwords for your
Alexa, Google Home, or Apple Home app
(that is, your Apple ID) secure to ensure
someone can’t access them to reconigure
your speaker or view your requests history
from another device.
• Be aware of the dangers of enabling
features like Amazon’s Drop In and Apple’s
Personal Requests. Drop In is an intercom
feature that allows other smart speakers in
your home that you’ve designated, or even
speakers owned by one of your contacts
who has been granted permission,
to automatically connect with
and communicate with your
smart speaker. It can be
deactivated in the Alexa
app if you have privacy
concerns. Enabling
Personal Requests with
the HomePod allows you
to place phone calls from
the speaker, or for you—or
anyone who strolls up to it—to
send a text or hear your recent
texts recited out loud. his is
defeatable during setup or at • An aerial view of the
Amazon Echo Dot reveals the
any time in the Home app. microphone cut-off switch.
now, at least through
Amazon’s own Echo series
“How to Educate Your
Speaker” and “Accessorizing hat
Smart Speaker.”)
From the perspective of home
automation, smart speakers and
their ability to inexpensively
leverage the Wi-Fi and
broadband connections
ubiquitous in today’s homes
have remade an industry once
relegated to the residences of
millionaires. While companies
• Deactivate online purchasing in the
setup app if there’s danger of children or
mischief-makers ordering products or
services from your device. Echo speakers
have online purchasing turned on by
default, but you can use the app to turn it
of or enable purchasing only by reciting
a four-digit PIN.
• Although automated door locks are
frequently pitched as a feature of these
platforms, think twice before connecting any
home security device for voice control, lest
an intruder unlock your home, or deactivate
your security system or cameras, by shouting
through the door.
• Keep in mind that Alexa and Google
Home speakers make recordings of all your
voice requests to better learn your individual
voice signature and improve the perfor-
mance of their voice recognition. hese are
visible as scrollable text in the respective app.
You may from time to time want to delete
sensitive requests from the app or delete all
your recordings, though doing the latter
may subtly afect performance. Erasing all
recordings from an Alexa-enabled speaker
requires logging onto your Amazon account
online and selecting the device from the
“Your Content and Devices” link in the
Account drop-down menu.
It should be evident by these tips that it’s
not outside forces that present the
biggest danger to the security of
your smart speaker, but rather
their improper use and
setup. By understanding
your speaker’s features
and applying common
sense, you can feel con-
ident in enjoying the
beneits of smart speakers
while minimizing any risk.
For more tips, visit https://
www.symantec.com/blogs/
threat-intelligence/security-
voice-activated-smart-
speakers.—MA
soundandvision.com 37
ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO SMART SPEAKERS
• iLuv Aud Click Shower Speaker
like Crestron, Savant, Lutron, and Control4
pioneered the possible with automated control
of lighting, HVAC, window shades, door locks,
security cameras, and multiroom audio, their
proprietary systems typically require specialists
to perform custom installations and make
follow-up visits to add devices and capabilities.
Now, if you’re at all tech-savvy, you should be
able to set up everything yourself using of-the-
shelf products at a fraction of the cost and do
most of what you want to with your voice.
Accessorizing That Smart Speaker
W
hen a speaker was just a
speaker, we never saw lists
of the best albums that
worked with it. But now that speakers
have become smart, we’re inundated
with all types of gadgets that work best
with Alexa or one of her competitors.
It’s almost as if letting a smart speaker
into the home serves as a Trojan horse
that usheres in a legion of other smart
devices.
Who knew that the home-automation
revolution would be commanded by your
voice?
For example, who let in the Furbo Dog
Camera, the device with connected app
that lets you see, talk, and even toss treats to
your dog when you’re away?
• Nest Smart
Thermostat
38 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
As it becomes the
primary interface for • Klipsch Three Speaker
controlling the connected
devices in your home, the
smart speaker is disruptive
technology indeed. hink
of it as the new dynamic
duo, in which the voice-
to-microphone interface
replaces inger-on-screen.
Seen on a continuum, the
migration to voice control
comes a decade ater the mobile touchscreen tioning, unlock the door, ind a recipe, turn on
usurped the mouse-driven graphic user the faucet, order takeout, place or answer a
interface, which a decade before had displaced phone call, get the weather, or change the TV
the keyboard and the C:\ prompt.
Location is everything, of course.
channel—all represent remarkable
advances in convenience. he new
It’s clear that neither computers interface is invisible, with neither a
nor mobile devices are going away remote nor a smartphone
anytime soon. PCs continue to to reach for. It requires the least
dominate the workplace, phones amount of human energy ever
and tablets our in-transit and expended in our mastery of the
public spaces. It’s obvious, digital world—that is, aside from
though, that instances of having to mouth such words as
hands-free control within the “Alexa, tell me a joke.”
home—to play music, launch a
podcast, lower the volume, turn on
the lights, turn up the air condi- • HarmanKardon Allure Portable
Speaker
Once you’ve enabled the voice skill
on your Furbo account, you can start • Furbo Dog Cam
tossing treats to your dog by saying
things like:
“Alexa, ask Furbo to toss a treat every
30 seconds for ive minutes.”
“Alexa, ask Furbo to toss a treat every
30 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
he rub is that the voice command
to Alexa must be given or set up when
you’re still at home and within shouting
distance of your speaker. And it has
to be the master’s voice giving the
command—at least for now.
here are now so many appliances
that can be voice activated. Ater a
popcorn- and chips-fueled game night
with a few of your messiest friends, you
might want to utter these words: “Alexa, ask universal remotes from Logitech’s Harmony
Roomba to start cleaning.” It’s the least you
could do—though only ater you’ve opened
line. And so much more.
Where it all ends is anyone’s guess. At this
the Alexa app and searched for the iRobot year’s CES, Kohler introduced a collection of
Home skill in a one-time setup. voice-controlled bathroom products, includ-
he selection of smart devices that can be ing a mirror with personalized lighting and
voice controlled is mind-boggling. here are stereo speakers. And then there was the com-
door locks, cookers, electrical outlets, and pany’s new toilet, the Numi, with heated seat,
thermostats. TV sets from Sony, Hisense, LG, foot warmer, and hands-free control.
and Samsung (the latter through Samsung’s “Alexa, ask Kohler to flush the toilet.”
own Bixby platform). Light bulbs and ixtures As Stephen Colbert quipped, “he one
like the Philips Hue, soundbars and speak- thing my trips to the bathroom were mis-
ers like the Polk Command Bar and the sing was a cloud-connected computer
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A6, streaming recording the experience and uploading
devices like Google Chromecast, and my download.”—MA
TEST REPORT
Pod Power
By Rob Sabin
Apple HomePod Wireless
Smart Speaker
PRICE $349
FROM CONCEPTION THROUGH
launch, the Apple HomePod
speaker was six years in develop-
ment. That’s a long time to bring to
fruition something as ubiquitous
and seemingly simplistic as a
wireless tabletop speaker. If we
account for the many poor examples
of the breed, we can acknowledge
that a truly excellent wireless
speaker might require some extra
time to create...but six years? The
HomePod was so long in coming
that the “smart speaker” with built-
in voice assistant that it eventually
became hadn’t yet been invented
(by rival Amazon) when the project
was begun. Which, I’m certain,
delayed it even further.
This lengthy R&D, however, is
why you’ll hear Apple promoting
the HomePod, first and foremost, as
an extraordinary audio product—
because that’s what it was conceived
to be: a small wireless speaker like
none that had come before. And the
bar was already high. Even six years
ago, Apple knew how to make an
excellent, if more conventional,
• The nondescript and soly rounded
HomePod nonetheless speaks loudly with
its sound quality.
40 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
tabletop speaker. The boombox-
sized and short-lived iPod HiFi,
launched in 2006, was an extraordi-
nary product for the time, costing the
same as the HomePod today ($349,
then an exorbitant price tag) and
delivering critically acclaimed sound
quality that lived up to its name.
With HomePod, Apple again
sought to invent a remarkable
lifestyle speaker, this time in the more
compact size essential to our times,
and in so doing largely reimagined
what could be done with the tabletop
category. Inside Apple, HomePod
is considered so significant an
achievement and the message of its
sound quality so important that the
firm uncharacteristically invited press
to tour its previously shrouded audio
lab before the launch—to communi-
cate the resources and expertise
brought to bear on the project. These
were indeed impressive, and I’ve
been to a few speaker labs in my
day. I stood wide-eyed in the largest
anechoic chamber I’ve seen, as
well as a variety of other acoustic
measurement spaces developed
specifically for this project.
Apple HomePod Wireless Smart Speaker
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
AT A GLANCE
Plus
The speaker product that
emerged from all of this is a stout little
cylinder standing 6.8 inches tall and
Q Superb sonics with
extraordinary bass
Q Great build quality
5.6 inches wide, with rounded top Q AirPlay capable
and bottom edges. It weighs a Q Easy setup
substantial 5.5 pounds and rests
atop a round, silicone isolation foot
that made for a bit of bad press when
Minus
it was quickly found to leave white Q Integrated music
marks on some wood furniture streaming restricted to
finishes, sometimes in as little as a Apple Music
half hour. Apple acknowledged the Q No bluetooth
issue and said the marks fade over Q More limited smarts versus
time or can sometimes be removed competition
with furniture cleaner. (I had no Q No wired input for TV
such issues resting HomePod on my viewing
dark-wood desk for lengthy periods,
but be forewarned. I’m sure match-
ing HomePod doilies for those with colors: white, with a matching high-
fine furniture won’t be far off.) The gloss top panel, and the Space Gray
acoustically transparent fabric mesh featured on my review sample, with a
grille around the speaker has a black gloss top.
foam-like underlay, so the speaker With no hard-wired connections,
offers a kind of squishy, tactile you get content into HomePod solely
feedback when you grasp it that via your Wi-Fi network, from which it
almost makes it huggable. There are can play files from an iTunes music
no connectors of any kind, just a library in Apple’s iCloud, an Apple TV
supple, nicely braided non-remov- streamer on the same network, the
able power cord. Overall build quality Apple Music streaming service—a
and fit-and-finish are outstanding. $9.95/month add-on—or via AirPlay
The speaker comes in two from your iPhone or other AirPlay-
compliant source.
Let me
emphasize a
THE VERDICT
Apple has created the best-sounding small speaker we’ve heard to date,
but its Apple-centricity and immaturity as a smart device may deter some
buyers.
critical point: Beyond Apple Music,
you cannot use Siri voice commands
to call up music or programming from
any of your other favorite music
services on the HomePod—no
Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, iHeart Radio,
TuneIn, et al. You can still boot each
service’s app on your iPhone, iPad,
or Mac and AirPlay them over to
“ From con-
cept through
launch, the
HomePod was
six years in the
making.
HomePod, but aside from play,
pause, and volume there’s no Siri
control, so you can’t use voice to
request artists, songs, or playlists.
(However, you can ask Siri to tell
you what’s playing or about the
artist while listening to third-
party services.)
Given that the research says music
listening is the number-one thing
folks are doing with these smart
speakers, that pretty much locks
you into an additional $10/month
subscription with Apple Music if
you’re not already using that service.
Outside of Apple Music, Siri does
support podcast bulletins from a
number of news services including
NPR, CNN, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and
some others. I was also able to call up
a live stream of WNYC, my local NPR
station, but not of CNN (which TuneIn
would support were it available here).
This Apple-centric approach—
without even a universal Bluetooth
option and with the requirement of
the Apple Home app to set the
speaker up—isolates the HomePod
market to iOS and Mac users. No
surprise there. But the lack of any
wired analog or optical input also
precludes the speaker’s use for
day-to-day television viewing, though
it is said you can (somewhat incon-
veniently) port video sound from an
Apple TV to the HomePod. I didn’t
have an Apple TV around to try it and
check for lip-sync issues.
The top panel has integrated
touch controls with LED indicators
beneath it. When the speaker is idle,
the panel is totally opaque. Activate
Siri with the “Hey, Siri” wakeup call,
and a smoky, bottle-cap-sized blob
of swirling rainbow colors appears in
the center and pulses to your voice
and to Siri’s response. While music
or other programming is playing, “+”
and “–” icons appear, which can be
tapped or held for manual control of
volume. (You can also ask Siri to
simply raise or lower the volume, or
to set the level to a number from 0
to 100, with or without the word
“percent.”) A touch-and-hold any-
where on the panel brings up Siri to
await your command. You can tap
once anywhere on the touchpanel
to pause or play your selection,
double-tap to skip ahead a track, or
triple-tap to skip back.
Two key HomePod benefits have
been promised for later this year via
firmware updates. Multiroom audio,
including the ability to direct different
streams to different rooms, is awaiting
Apple’s delayed rollout of AirPlay 2.
Likewise, the ability to do stereo
pairing with two HomePods is also
on the way.
Inside HomePod
Stacked up inside the HomePod’s
cylindrical casing is a totem pole
of cutting-edge technology run by
APPLE HOMEPOD WIRELESS SMART SPEAKER
PRICE: $349
Apple • (800) 692-7753 • apple.com
sophisticated software, all intended
to squeeze the absolute biggest
sound possible from what is
admittedly a very small package.
Starting at the top is that touch-
panel and the powerful Apple A8
processing chip used to power both
the audio signal management and
the speaker’s smart functions. This is
the same processor Apple uses in its
iPhone 6 phones. Directly below this
is a 4-inch upfiring high-excursion
woofer designed just for the Home-
Pod; the paper cone offers 22mm
(0.87 inches) of peak-to-peak
movement, extraordinary for such a
small driver. Its output is monitored
by a dedicated microphone; more
on this shortly.
Below the woofer, on a supporting
structure, is a band of six far-field
microphones mounted in a full
360-degree pattern around the
speaker. These mics are used for
both Siri voice control and for room
correction, about which I’ll also say
more in a moment. Below the mics,
near the base of the unit, is a circle
of seven 1-inch aluminum dome
tweeters, each driven by its own
dedicated Class D amplifier and
mounted to its own folded-horn
waveguide to help control direction-
ality of the sound. The end result,
once processing is applied, is that the
speaker has something akin to an
omnidirectional radiation pattern.
The HomePod uses all this stuff to
give itself what Apple calls “spatial
awareness.” Within a few seconds of
• Above, Apple’s audio lab includes a chamber for testing
speaker vibrations (top) and a large, long-wave anechoic
chamber that fully absorbs deep bass signals.
SMART SPEAKER
playing the speaker from any new
location, the circumference micro-
phones have fed signals back to the
A8 chip so it can detect reflections
and establish the distance to room
boundaries. Based on this, the
speaker knows, for example, if
there’s a wall behind it or a pair of
walls in the guise of a corner, and
how far away it is.
It then uses the individually
addressable tweeters to create three
directional “beams” of sound: one
emanating out of what it has deemed
the front of the speaker and a pair
fanning out toward the rear of the
speaker. Although the HomePod
is a mono speaker, the processor
monitors both channels of the
incoming stereo signal to determine
what should be heard directly from
the front and what constitutes
ambient information that is best
bounced off the back walls to create
a more spacious and open sound.
Move the speaker by even an inch,
and its built-in accelerometer will
detect the motion and recalibrate.
Meanwhile, the woofer’s dedicated
microphone is correlating the cone’s
soundandvision.com 41
TEST REPORT
output with what’s coming back
from the room mics and issuing
corrections to achieve maximum
bass with minimum distortion.
Compare the ease of this transpar-
ent process with the (albeit very
effective) Trueplay sequence used
to room-correct a Sonos speaker,
which takes about three minutes and
requires you to walk around the room
with your phone while it listens to
tones from the speaker.
The A8 processor, as if it didn’t
already have enough to do, is also
listening at all times for the “Hey, Siri”
wakeup words and applying echo
cancellation and other sophisticated
processing to allow you to be heard
from extraordinary distances for a
product like this and over the sound
of potentially loud music. I tested this
function with the speaker situated on
my desk in my basement office while
playing hip-hop at 75 percent vol-
ume. After stepping through an open
doorway to the rear of my listening
studio, 25 feet away, I barely had to
raise my voice to get Siri to respond
to the wakeup call. Anything closer
required nothing more than a normal
speaking voice to get her attention
through the rap lyrics.
Setup
After jumping through an almost
laughable number of screens and
steps a while back to introduce an
Alexa-enabled Sonos One to my
system (review at soundandvision.
com), setting up the HomePod was a
breath of fresh air. It was done before
42 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
I knew it. First, you boot up the Apple
Home app on your iPhone or iPad
and power up the speaker by plug-
ging it into the nearest wall outlet.
“ Aer the
Sonos One,
seing up
the HomePod
was a breath
of fresh air.
The app detects the signal via a
dedicated nearfield setup-only
Bluetooth connection, picks up
the Wi-Fi network information from
the phone, then quickly steps you
through just four additional screens
to (1) select a room name; (2) enable
Personal Requests; (3) transfer over
your iTunes, iCloud Music Library,
and existing Apple Music settings
from your phone; and (4) activate a
free trial on Apple Music if you’re not
already subscribed.
And that’s it. You’re done and ready
to ask Siri to fire up some tunes or
feed you the weather. Of particular
note is that second setup screen to
enable Personal Requests. Assuming
you’re the individual whose iPhone
was used to set up the speaker,
enabling Personal Requests lets you
send texts via the HomePod or to
listen to Siri read your recent texts—a
• Along with Space Gray, the HomePod
comes in an all-white version.
• An X-ray rendering shows key
components of the design.
nice convenience.
However, as reported
elsewhere, the Home-
Pod does not recognize
individual voices and
thus allows anyone near
it to request a read of
your recently received
messages, or to send
a text in your guise to
anyone at all. All that’s
required is that you have
your phone currently
connected to the same
Wi-Fi network. That may
not be an issue if you live
alone, but if you’ve got
kids or a visitor intent on
mischief or worse while
you’re elsewhere in the house, it
could spell trouble. If this is a concern,
you can either choose not to enable
Personal Requests during setup or
disable it at any time in the Home app.
Doing so will also prevent you from
using the HomePod to set up
reminders on your phone.
Once the HomePod is set up, you
can use the Home app to tailor its
use. For example, you can choose
to deactivate the swirling Siri display
mentioned earlier; deactivate the
“touch and hold” function that brings
up Siri with a lingering finger on the
touchpanel or toggle on-off the
sound effect that accompanies her
arrival; or change her accent or turn
her into a he by requesting a male
assistant. Critically, you can also
toggle Siri on and off here for those
moments when you want assurance
that the speaker won’t come alive
and start listening upon hearing its
wakeup call. You can also turn Siri
off temporarily just by saying “Hey,
Siri, stop listening.” You reactivate
voice control with the Home app
or by manually tapping the center
of the display and saying, “Hey, Siri,
start listening.”
The Home app is also where you
can introduce HomeKit smarthome
accessories, which are now offered
by about 40 manufacturers and
include lighting and smart power
outlets, motorized shades,
thermostats, locks, various
environmental sensors, and security
and baby cameras (among others).
Till now, these required an iOS device
to operate, but HomePod allows
you to initiate device control or recall
stored scenes via Siri. Setting up
devices and automation is fairly
straightforward. When you intro-
duce a new device to your network,
its packaging includes a printed
Home-Kit ID code that the Home app
recognizes and imports with your iOS
device’s camera. It then automatically
adds it to the network. From there,
you can name it, manually adjust it
within the app, or use the app to
set up scenes that automatically
adjust one or more devices when
the scenes are activated by the app
or Siri. You can also set up “if-then”
automation sequences for your
devices or scenes based on time
of day or activation by a networked
sensor you’ve added.
Apple sent along a Connect-
Sense dual smart outlet ($60) and
Lifx Mini smart bulb ($50) with the
speaker for me to try out. This
worked out well—my home office
is lit by three individual lamps at the
three points of my L-shaped desk.
Automating them required setting
up two scenes, one called “Office
On” to activate the lights and then
“Office Off” to extinguish them. From
that point on, each morning I just told
the HomePod “Hey, Siri, office on” to
light the place up and the counter-
point to shut down when I left the
room. I also set up an automation
sequence to turn the Lifx bulb to
50 percent brightness and change
its color to red at 1 p.m. each day
to remind me to get up and take
some lunch.
Listening
I first used the HomePod casually on
my desk for a while, before moving
it out into my studio for some formal
listening. It was auditioned from a
distance of about 8 feet on a 36-
inch-tall speaker stand that put it at
just about ear height. My studio is a
• Top: Apple’s Home app takes you through just four
simple setup screens. Bottom: The Apple Music app also
lets you see and control what’s playing on HomePod.
pretty wide-open finished base-
ment room (about 20 x 25 feet with
short 6’3” ceilings; it’s an old house).
The only real boundary near the
speaker was my acoustically
reflective plasma TV screen posi-
tioned about a foot rearward. For
test material, I streamed CD-quality
tracks from Tidal using an AirPlay
wireless link originated by my Mac
laptop or my iPhone 6S. The same
titles played from Apple Music
straight into the HomePod sounded
fine, but noticeably inferior to my
audiophile ear.
I also did direct A/B compari-
sons with some of the better desktop
speakers of similar size, including the
Sonos One ($199), the Bluesound
Pulse Flex ($299), and the Riva Arena
($249). The Riva is AirPlay compliant,
but for the first two I tapped into
Tidal to play the same music via
those speakers’ native apps. Only
the Sonos One is a smart speaker
(Alexa), but the Pulse Flex features
Alexa control via another Alexa-
compatible smart speaker on the
network; ditto for the Chromecast-
friendly Arena but with Google
Assistant. I was less concerned with
testing the HomePod against other
smart speakers than seeing how it
fared sonically against my preferred
desktop references.
And I must say, the HomePod
showed them up pretty fiercely. It
proved to have its own distinct voicing
against the other three, all of which I’d
describe as having relatively neutral
balance down to where their woofers
start to roll off. They sound more
similar than different from a fre-
quency balance perspective. But the
HomePod is another animal entirely.
If the HomePod has a dominant
distinguishing characteristic, it is
unquestionably its bass, which is
nothing short of remarkable for such
a small speaker: notably articulate,
controlled, and almost shockingly
deep in a way that I’ve just not heard
from anything near its size. I ran
some bass test tones, and in my
space the SPL meter indicated
surprisingly consistent output from
80 hertz right down to 50 Hz; from
there, it dropped off quickly and was
down 10 decibels by 40 Hz. Apple
rates the speaker to 40 Hz (though
with no ± decibels spec provided),
and I presume closer boundaries and
more room gain would have filled in a
bit more bottom. But the utter lack of
boom or distortion and the profound
detail in the bass notes really made
me sit up and notice.
What was there, depth-wise, was
more than enough to make the other
speakers sound embarrassingly lean.
Critically, the low-frequency
reproduction (perhaps aided by
some modest upper bass con-
touring) seemed to affect the speaker
well up into the midrange, where
it gave extra body to instruments
and vocals and added weight and
warmth the others didn’t share. The
HomePod’s top end at first seemed
a bit reticent against the other
speakers, but I was able to hear well
into the details of cymbal shimmer
and brushed snare, and came to
understand that I was hearing a
better blend of the full spectrum that
allowed the high frequencies their
place without commanding undue
attention. The overall effect was an
incredibly smooth-sounding speaker
with an impactful and undistorted
bottom end, silky mids, and finely
detailed highs. In short, audiophile
quality in any reasonable sense of
the word.
If I had any complaint at all, it was
that, at least in my room at that 8-foot
distance, the HomePod delivered
less overall maximum volume than
the other speakers, something likely
“ The
HomePod’s
bass made the
competition
sound embar-
rassingly lean.
related to a combination of engi-
neering decisions. First, the
HomePod’s limiting circuitry as
engineered by Apple is designed to
ensure that the speaker never, ever
distorts; keeping that deeper bass
reproduction under control likely
means scaling back overall out-
put after a point. And despite the
number of tweeters utilized, multiple
high-frequency drivers ganged like
this in a steerable array are known
to contribute little more than a sin-
gle tweeter’s effective maximum
output. The HomePod is also said to
employ Fletcher-Munson loudness
compensation, which aims to keep
• Colored LEDs behind a plastic lens make
for a smokey, swirling rendering of Siri.
the perceived frequency balance
steady no matter the volume played. I
measured a max cruising volume of
about 70 to 75 dB on most streamed
tracks with peaks hitting 85 dB, give
or take a few. That was still plenty
loud coming from any small speaker,
and I rarely felt I wanted more. The
other speakers clearly had more
output capability, though.
“Moten Swing” is the opening
track on Count Basie & His Atomic
Band, Complete Live at the Crescendo
1958, and it starts out with applause
and piano played at low volume over
the audience chatter and the dining
room’s glass and flatware clinks. The
stand-up bass and tapped high-hat
join, then, at about a minute in, you
get a loud and unexpected horn
blast that portends the rockin’
jam that eventually builds as the
woodwinds and more brass add
to the mix. From the first moment, I
could tell the HomePod was special.
Despite being a mono speaker, its
beam-forming array nicely threw the
ambient crowd noise out the rear to
create a backdrop from which the
music emerged. The string bass line
was beautifully textured, and there
was a nice metallic rattle coming off
the high-hat and discernible decay
from tapped cymbal. Best of all were
the reproduction of the horns and
woodwinds, which were delivered
with tremendous dynamic impact
and well-defined leading edges
on the notes. Critically, the Home-
Pod gave the brass a liquidity and
warmth—there’s that word again—
that made them more dimensional
and deliciously palatable to the ear.
The Sonos One on this track
sounded very good and also quite
natural down to its low-end limit,
even throwing a bit of spread on the
TEST REPORT
SPECS 4 in paper cone woofer (1), 1 in aluminun dome tweeter with folded horn (7) • Inputs: Apple
Music service, iCloud Music Library, AirPlay • Compatible Files: HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), protected
AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, FLAC • Dimensions
(WxHxD, Inches): 5.6 x 6.8 x 5.6 • Weight (Pounds): 5.5
crowd noise, but it was easy to
hear how the bass line was less
discernible and pronounced, and
in direct comparison with the
HomePod, I came to hear both the
initial horn blast and all that followed
grow a bit threadbare and edgy. The
Bluesound Flex, though usually
outstanding on most music, was
overwhelmed dynamically by the
uncompressed horn blast near the
top of the track and offered less
dimensionality generally on piano
notes and the brass and woodwinds.
The Riva Arena, with its Trillium stereo
technology (which uses drivers on
three sides to create a semblance
of a stereo pair), threw a noticeably
more dimensional image than the
HomePod. And it delivered the
opening horn blast with a more
visceral dynamic peak that clearly
exposed the HomePod’s limiting
at work. But even this speaker,
which also delivers good bass for
its size, was totally outmatched at
the bottom by the HomePod. It,
too, made the horns sound less
smooth and weighty, and more edgy,
by comparison.
I could go on at length with how
the HomePod delivered similar
revelations track after track. The deep
opening bass drum thwacks that
open John Mayer’s “Gravity” had not
only more texture and noticeable
decay than I’ve heard on these other
speakers, but on the HomePod
delivered more visceral weight and
dynamic impact; the HomePod’s
smooth midrange, meanwhile, made
Mayer’s giant vocal more solid and
emotive. Massed strings in orchestral
recordings were delivered with a
soothing lushness and texture that
was more reminiscent of the real
thing compared with the other speak-
ers, again perhaps due to the rich-
ness of the lower register.
Similarly, Kehlani’s sparse ballad
“Honey,” a recent go-to reference
track thanks to the finely recorded
near-a cappella arrangement (guitar
and voice) and the syrupy purity of
the artist’s voice, was just magical
on the HomePod; noticeably more
full-sounding and embodied than the
44 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
other small speakers in the mix and
with a huskier and more natural
voice. The difference between the
HomePod and the others was even
more noticeable on the title track
of Livingston Taylor’s 1973 album,
Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
James’s less famous brother had an
equally mellifluous tenor in his youth,
“
The
HomePod
is, indeed,
a remark-
able sonic
achievement.
and the closely miked vocal from this
cover delivered a clear win for the
HomePod, it being the only of the
four speakers to render it with its
warm chestiness and nasality intact.
And when the organ break and its
bass line kicks in, the other speak-
ers sounded almost one-notey
compared with the detailed depth
and note delineation coming from
the HomePod.
If you haven’t already gotten the
message from all this, here’s the
takeaway: The Apple HomePod is,
hands-down, the best-sounding
speaker of its size I’ve ever heard,
and, note-for-note, an absolute
pleasure to listen to every moment
it’s on. It is, indeed, a remarkable
sonic achievement.
Speaker Smarts
As good as it sounds for its class,
the HomePod has gotten pretty
well hammered in the press for its
lack of speaker smarts and gen-
eral flexibility. Putting aside the
aforementioned privacy issue with
activating Personal Requests, the
biggest limitation by far is Siri’s
incompatibility with
music services beyond
Apple Music. And it
goes beyond Apple’s
desire for exclusivity
with their service (which Amazon,
by the way, does not require with
Alexa-enabled speakers). Apple
music has no free service tier,
thereby forcing buyers to be
tethered to a $10/month sub-
scription to simply enable a smart
speaker’s most-used feature.
And although Apple Music is a
good-sounding service, based
on my experience AirPlaying Tidal
tracks to the speaker (admittedly
from an even more expensive
subscription), I can say that Apple
Music noticeably fails to deliver
all the sound quality inherent in
the HomePod.
Beyond this, the HomePod—
trapped as it is in Apple’s
ecosystem—doesn’t have the
incredibly rich and growing
laundry-list of third-party devices
and skills that Amazon can claim
and Google seeks now to emulate.
Unlike with Steve Jobs’s early vision
of having outside developers build
apps for the first iPhones and
allowing that ever-expanding feature
set to drive the product to ubiquity,
there’s no similar infrastructure here
for Siri beyond that for HomeKit
automation. That could really hurt
it in the long run, which would be
a shame given what a fine audio
product it is.
However, if you’re not yet steeped
in Amazon’s Echo world and haven’t
become a smart speaker techno-
snob, you may just find that Home-
Pod does pretty much everything
you need a smart speaker to do
reasonably well enough (if not with
excellence), while delivering the best
damn sound you’ve ever heard from
a compact speaker during the 99
percent of the time you’re just lis-
tening to music and not asking it to
tell you the temperature, recite news
headlines, or give you the Cowboys-
Giants score. Although Siri doesn’t
share the more advanced artificial
intelligence of Google Assistant or
Alexa or the ability to fire
up your Roomba by
voice, it still does the
basics, offering up
weather, traffic, tips on
local restaurants, sports scores,
podcasts, stock quotes, and general
questions about whatever. In other
words, the same stuff you can do with
Siri on your phone.
As for automation, HomeKit is a
more limited platform than Alexa but
still offers enough add-on devices
and sophistication to do what most
people want. And I found it extremely
simple to set up and use.
Conclusion
In the end, Apple’s HomePod proved
itself—to me, anyway—to be the
shining triumph of audio engi-
neering the company portends it
to be. Assuming you’re an iOS user
to start with, your opinion of this
speaker will come down to your
priorities and where you are on the
smart speaker adoption curve. If
you’re already deep into Alexa and
Google territory in your home, with
one or multiple speakers, you may
be used to certain features (Audible,
anyone?) or music services that
simply aren’t available on the Home-
Pod. You’re not likely to swap these
out for HomePods no matter how
good they sound.
On the other hand, if you’re just
dipping your toe into smart speakers
and aren’t put off by the monthly
commitment to Apple music, you
need to ask yourself what you really
plan to use your smart speaker for.
Are you buying one to get a rise out
of your window shades? Or a lift
from your music? Although I
appreciate a lot of what Alexa and
Google Assistant can do and the
advancement of those platforms, I
fall into the category of people who
put the music first. How about this
approach: If what you’re looking for
is a great lifestyle speaker, skip the
whole smart thing altogether and just
buy a HomePod to use as an AirPlay
wireless speaker. If you never even
ask it the time of day, it’s still worth
every penny of its $349 price. And
then some.
TEST REPORT

Eye Opener
JVC DLA-X590R D-ILA Projector
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

By Thomas J. Norton

JVC DLA-X590R D-ILA Projector

PRICE $3,995
TRUE NATIVE 4K PROJECTORS
(those that deliver full UHD reso-
lution to the screen with no reliance
on pixel-shifting) are thin on the
ground when it comes to prices that
most home theater fans are likely to
consider. As I write this, only Sony
offers one model for as little as
$5,000, the VPL-VW285ES (reviewed
in our February/March issue and
also available at soundandvision.
com). To keep costs in line, JVC uses
a pixel-shifting technique employing
three 1920 x 1080 “Full HD” D-ILA
imagers. (D-ILA is the company’s
version of liquid crystal on silicon, or
LCOS.) JVC offers three pixel-shifting
4K projectors in the Procision line,
ranging in price from the $3,995
DLA-X590R, reviewed here, to the
$7,995 DLA-X990R.
JVC’s current version of e-shift is
e-shift5, the fifth generation of the
technology. It’s said to analyze all of
the pixels in the original 4K source, to
retain superior sharpness and detail.
E-shift is on by default with any input,
but it can be turned off with an input
of 1080i or 1080p.
On the face of it, the e-shift tech-
nique seems kludgy. But it works, and
works amazingly well, helped by the
fact that the difference between 2K
and true 4K—at normal viewing
distances on domestically sized
screens—is far less obvious than you
might expect. By falling between the
two native resolutions, and being
arguably closer to true 4K than to 2K,
pixel shifting offers more than just a
taste of the 4K in the source.
There are actually six e-shift
projectors in JVC’s current inventory
(not counting a special limited-
edition model for the 20th anniver-
sary of the company’s D-ILA tech-
nology). The other three models, in
JVC’s Reference line, carry model
numbers beginning with DLA-RS
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Q Impressive blacks
Q Wide color gamut
Q Crisp, natural detail
Minus
Q Not native 4K
Q No automated lens cover
instead of DLA-X, but they’re ident-
ical in design and price to the
equivalent Procisions. They differ
only in that the RS designs are dis-
tributed directly to custom installers
rather than to consumers.
Features
The DLA-X590R is a close sibling to
the pricier DLA-X790R (April issue
and our website). I refer you to that
review for a full description of the
features in the X590R, including a
more detailed explanation of pixel
shifting. To keep this tome
from running past Friday, I’ll limit the
feature discussion here to how the
X590R differs from the X790R.
It’s not a long list. The X590R
offers the same two HDCP 2.2-
compliant inputs (which can each
accept a full 18-gigabit-per-second
bandwidth), the same excellent,
backlit remote control, and full 3D
capability—though the external 3D
synchro emitter ($99) and the 3D
glasses ($179/each) are pricey,
extra-cost options. (My several-
years-old JVC transmitter and glasses
worked fine with the X590R, so if
you’re a veteran JVC owner looking to
upgrade, you should be good with
your older 3D accessories.)
Like that of the X790R, the lens of
the X590R is fully powered and offers
lens memories, but it doesn’t have a
powered lens cover. Also, this
projector has fewer picture modes
and doesn’t offer either a THX picture
mode for standard dynamic range
(SDR) or a BT.2020 color profile.
But I didn’t find any of these to be
significant limitations. The X590R
does have both auto and manual
iris modes.
The SDR gamma adjustments
are only marginally less flexible than
those of the X790R, but they still
offer custom values from 1.8 to 2.6
and the same fine-tuning adjust-
ments (Picture Tone, Dark Level,
and Bright Level).
HD/SDR
The JVC passed both 3:2 HD and
MA HD (motion adaptive HD) in our
standard HD/SDR video tests, but it
failed 2:2 HD (a not terribly uncom-
mon result with other displays). The
projector won’t accept a native 480i
input, which makes our standard-
definition tests irrelevant. It passed
both luma and chroma resolution
but clipped both above white and
below black in the Auto (default)
setting of the Input Level control. It
did, however, extend just enough
below black to allow for accurate
setting of the Brightness control.
The JVC will fully display below black
and above white in the Enhanced
setting of the Input Level control, but
the correct setting of the Brightness
controls in Enhanced dropped to
–16 (from zero in Auto) and offered

• While the JVC lacks a powered lens cover, the

lens itself is powered and offers memories.

46 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

THE VERDICT
We’d like to see JVC offer a true 4K design, rather than a pixel-shifted
one, at a consumer-friendly price. But you’ll forget about all of that after
your first two minutes viewing this outstanding projector—with either a
2K or a 4K source.
no visible picture benefits. I stayed
with Auto for this review.
Even out of the box, the projector
looked good. JVC rates the lamp
life at 4,500 hours in the Low
lamp mode, though I suspect the
obsessed videophile will want to
replace it at well under 2,000 hours,
particularly for maintaining peak
brightness with high dynamic range
(HDR) content. If you do replace a
still functioning lamp for this reason,
keep it for a useful emergency spare.
“ Animation
looks impres-
sive on most
decent displays,
but it was even
more eye-
popping than
usual on the
JVC.
But remember that a new lamp will
also call for a new calibration fol-
lowing its break-in period.
On my 96-inch-wide, 2.35:1
Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130
screen (gain 1.3), with
the iris set to manual in its
maximum setting and the lamp on
High, the peak white level measured
61 foot-lamberts—after I had racked
up 100 hours for a pre-calibration
break-in! This was far too high for
SDR, of course; I turned the lamp to
Low and the manual iris to –13 or –14,
dropping the peak brightness down
to a still more than generous 25 to 27
ft-L on my screen.
Oddly, neither of the two Auto iris
modes made any visible change to
the peak brightness or black levels
relative to the Manual setting. I stayed
with manual mode throughout the
review for both HDR and SDR.
During those first 100 hours, I
watched a broad range of material,
including widescreen black-and-
white movies from my dwindling
collection of standard-definition
DVDs. One, Two, Three (an
JVC PROCISION DLA-X590R D-ILA PROJECTOR
PRICE: $3,995
JVC • (800) 582-5825 • jvc.com
underappreciated Billy Wilder
comedy starring a brilliant, manic
James Cagney in his final lead role)
and Sink the Bismarck! reminded me
that, once upon a time, Cinemascope
movies were sometimes shot in
black-and-white. Despite the limited
resolution of 480i DVD (upconverted
in my Blu-ray player, since the JVC
won’t accept native 480i directly),
these discs looked nearly as good as
the images I see in my sad, local
multiplexes. Ditto for the DVD of
Byron Haskin’s 1953 version of The
War of the Worlds.
Soon, though, I moved on to HD.
The best Blu-rays looked outstanding
on the JVC both before and after I did
a full color calibration. Victoria &
Abdul looked glorious. The vivid
colors in the royal court (particularly
the early banquet scene) and the
intricate details in the production
design were exceptionally clean,
• The 34-pound unit measures 17.9
inches wide, 7.1 high, and 18.6 deep.
PROJECTOR
crisp, and dynamic. I pre-
ferred to leave the e-shift5
feature off with this and other
non-4K films, as I had in my review
of the DLA-X790R. E-shift subtly
softens HD sources, though it looks
superb with Ultra HD 4K.
Animation looks impressive on
most decent displays, but it was even
more eye-popping than usual on
the JVC. I had intended to sample
only a few key scenes from two of my
favorites, How to Train Your Dragon
and its sequel, but I was so blown
away by the brilliant colors and rich
textures that I ended up watching
them nearly all the way through. It
certainly helped that I was able to
watch at peak white levels of around
25 ft-L. Of course, that’s a bit of a
cheat; theatrical projection is lucky
to reach 60 percent of that figure.
But I suspect the filmmakers wouldn’t
object if they saw how amazing
their movies looked at that bright-
ness level (which is still far less
than what most viewers experience
with HDTVs).
soundandvision.com 47
TEST REPORT
Test Bench
JVC DLA-X590R D-ILA Projector
BEFORE Calibration
AFTER Calibration
FULL-ON/FULL-OFF Contrast Ratio (SDR):
27,400:1
THESE measurements and charts were
produced using SpectraCal’s CalMAN
software, together with Photo Research
PR-650 and Klein K-10A color meters and a
test-pattern generator from Murideo. The
picture settings used here will be posted at
soundandvision.com. All measurements
were taken at approximately 14 feet from a
96-inch-wide, 1.3-gain Stewart Filmscreen
StudioTek 130 screen.
THE SDR peak white reading for this
measurement was 27.4 ft-L (93.9 nits), and
the black level was 0.001 ft-L (0.0034 nit).
These measurements were read from my
Stewart screen using the Klein meter in
the approximate middle of the projector’s
zoom range.
FOR HDR, as calibrated, the full-on/full-off
contrast ratio measured 13,869:1 at a peak
white level of 55.4 ft-L (190 nits with a 10%
white window) and a black level of 0.004
ft-L (0.0137 nit).
THE charts shown above are for SDR.
Before calibration in the SDR Cinema
Picture Mode, the grayscale Delta Es
ranged from a minimum of 2.59 at 40% to
a maximum of 5.1 at 60%. After calibration,
the minimum was 0.57 at 80% and the
maximum 1.71 at 50%. The post-calibration
red, green, and blue SDR color Delta Es
were all below 3.35 after calibration, but
cyan, magenta, and yellow were a less
impressive 4.1 to 5.37—with their errors
primarily in luminance (the x/y coordinates
were much more accurate than those Delta
E values might suggest). At a setting of 2.4,
the SDR post-calibration gamma ranged
from a maximum of 2.4 at 90% to between
2.29 and 2.34 from 20% to 80%.
DELTA E is a figure of merit indicating how
close the result comes to the target value.
Delta Es below 3—some experts allow
for 4—are generally considered visually
48 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
indistinguishable from ideal. From 3.0 (or
4.0) to 10.0, most viewers will notice the
deviations but will not likely find them
objectionable.
THE HDR results shown below were
derived with the CMS off. The JVC’s HDR
color performance, in my tests overall, was
better with the projector’s CMS turned
off—even after the latter had been dialed
in during calibration.
OUR experience suggests that post-
calibration HDR Delta Es that exceed
the recommendations shown above are
not uncommon, particularly when
luminance errors are included. But with
luminance errors excluded, the projec-
tor’s post-calibration HDR Delta Es never
exceeded 3.0.
AS with all UHD/HDR displays we’ve tested,
the JVC falls well short of full coverage of
BT.2020. But it did an impressive job with
P3—more significant today than full
BT.2020, as no consumer material we
know of exceeds P3. As calibrated (with
the results from the same measurement on
the DLA-X790R in its BT.2020 color profile
shown in parentheses), and using the
1976 CIE standard, the DLA-X590R covered
69.2% (73.1%) of BT.2020 and 94.2% (98%)
of P3 inside the BT.2020 container.
AS is common for an HDR display, the HDR
peak white varied with the size of the white
window used for the measurement. On the
X590R (the results for the X790R are shown
in parentheses), these results, in nits, were
65 (50) for a 2% window, 140 (110) at 5%,
185 (141) at 10%, 205 (160) at 25%, and 203
(160) at 100%.—TJN
SPECS Dimensions (Wx-
HxD, Inches): 17.9 x 7.1 x 18.6 • Weight
(Pounds): 34 • Video Inputs: HDMI 2.0b
(2, HDCP 2.2 compliant) • Other: Trigger,
remote (RS-232C/Control), LAN (RJ45/
Control), 3D Synchro
It will come as no surprise
to longtime watchers of the
projector parade that this
model’s black levels were on
the edge of being unreadable
by our test gear. Most films
feature truly dark scenes, and
that’s where JVC projectors
excel. But that doesn’t mean
the blackest blacks on the
DLA-X590R are invisible.
When the image fades to full
black in a darkened room,
you’ll still see it as dark
gray—though it approaches
true black more closely if the
full black screen follows a
bright scene more quickly
than your eyes can adjust.
Some of the darkest, most
difficult material—think the
•
JVC’s remote is an
uncluttered, backlit
model that proved easy
to use.
last hour of Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows: Part
2—could be better, but we’ve
become spoiled by the black
levels currently achievable
in the best OLED TVs. No
projector can achieve that,
regardless of cost. The JVC’s
blacks still set a standard
not yet exceeded, in our
experience, by any projector
selling for the same price
or less.
UHD/HDR
On my Stewart screen, the
JVC entered HDR clipping at
just under 190 nits (55 ft-L)
with a 10 percent white
window. This doesn’t even
approach the HDR experi-
ence achievable on a good
flat-screen TV, a limitation of
all current projectors. But it
still produced impressive
punch on bright highlights,
helped to no small degree by
the projection-sized screen.
While our sample’s SDR
performance was respect-
able out of the box, the
default HDR settings varied
from the HDR PQ (gamma)
curve in a way that will pro-
duce a darker image over
much of the brightness
range before the bright HDR
highlights kick in. I’ve noticed
this on a number of displays;
possibly, it’s done deliber-
ately because it pushes
peak white clipping to a
higher level. A reasonable
compromise, perhaps. But
if the JVC’s HDR Gamma
adjustments (particularly
Picture Tone and Dark Level)
are used, together with test
tools available to most
calibrators, the projector
can be adjusted to produce
a very close match to the
PQ curve, which is how I
watched it.
With its PQ curve cor-
rected during a good
calibration, the DLA-X590R
never disappointed on a

diverse selection of HDR material.
The computer-animated Trolls came
across in brilliant, wide-ranging, and
deeply saturated color. Furthermore,
the JVC’s crisp detail accurately
rendered the felt-like textures that
“ Most films
feature truly
dark scenes,
and that’s where
JVC projectors
excel.
dominate the movie’s art design. And
bright highlights stood out against
the otherwise subdued lighting of the
darker sequences. On this projector,
the third act’s banquet scene vividly
demonstrated both the movie’s gen-
erous but subtle use of HDR and its
over-the-top color palette.
The JVC’s blacks in HDR were
also good, though a bit less so than
in SDR—as you might expect, given
the High lamp mode needed for
HDR material versus Low for SDR.
In theory, the blacks should be the
same, but the High lamp setting
needed for the best HDR can
more easily leak light through
the projector’s optical
path in dark
scenes. Still,
• The two HDCP
2.2-compliant inputs
can accept a full
18-Gbps bandwidth.
JVC has done a remarkable job
in keeping this potential issue
under control.
As promised by its 18-Gbps
bandwidth, the projector will play
4K, 60-hertz material at a full 10
bits. The only such Ultra HD Blu-ray
currently on the market, Billy Lynn’s
Long Halftime Walk, looked so
amazing here that it almost tempted
me to sit through the entire movie
again. Almost.
My 3D experience with the
X590R was brief. But the projector’s
inherent brightness produced what
might have been the best 3D pic-
ture I’ve yet seen from any remotely
affordable projector. Kung Fu Panda
2 was vivid, crisp, and rewardingly
punchy in the brightest scenes, and
nicely detailed in darker ones.
JVC vs. JVC
Luckily, the DLA-X790R was still
in house. After touching up its calibra-
tion, I set it up for a face-off against
the DLA-X590R by driving both
projectors with a one-in, two-out
AVProConnect 4K HDMI splitter.
While each projector had more
than 100 hours on its lamp, the
X790R had about 100 hours more
than the X590R. But I don’t believe
that this was responsible for the
increased peak brightness available
from the less expensive X590R,
though this wasn’t evident on SDR
material after the iris
settings were adjusted to equalize
the two projectors’ peak brightness.
(For SDR, the X590R’s iris had to be
turned down considerably to match
the output of the X790R.)
The brighter X590R outdid its
sibling in its rendition of bright
highlights in HDR sources, when
both projectors were driven with
wide-open irises in their High lamp
settings. In the dark street scene in
chapter 2 of Allied, for example, the
bright streetlights, as well as the
lights on the nightclub in the dis-
tance, stood out more brilliantly on
the X590R.
However, that projector’s
advantage in rendering bright
highlights, while evident both visually
and by measurement, was only
obvious in a direct A/B comparison.
The X790R won the day in most other
respects. In dark scenes in SDR
(such as the starfields and cave
scenes in Prometheus) and HDR
(such as the nighttime rooftop
scenes in Allied), the X790R took the
prize. While its blacks measured no
better than those of the X590R (due
to the limits of our Klein color meter),
the more expensive projector did a
better job in rendering the most
difficult black scenes. The difference
was relatively subtle—the X590R’s
blacks are still standard-setters at the
price—but it was visible. A critical
videophile will see it.
I did notice that some bright
animated HDR material looked a
bit overblown in my preferred
settings on both projectors. I
also saw this occasionally
in live-action films. But it
was easily fixed by reducing
the Contrast control by a
few steps. (This will shift
• Rounded edges give the JVC
an aractive, polished look.
PROJECTOR
the calibration, but not
to a visually signifi-
cant degree.)
As noted earlier, the
X790R offers a BT.2020
color profile, while the
X590R does not. The
former’s BT.2020 profile
(which I used in this
comparison but did not
use in my review of that projector)
should provide color that more
closely approximates P3 (the color
found in most Ultra HD Blu-rays). It
puts a color filter in the optical path;
you can hear it snap into place. In
theory, this should sacrifice some
light output. However, I didn’t find
the X790R’s peak brightness to
be noticeably higher without the
BT.2020 filter engaged.
As it turned out, when I consid-
ered the X790R alone, its BT.2020
color profile rendered a color gamut
closer to P3 than did the projector’s
HDR color profile. This was more
evident by measurement than by eye,
but it was still worthwhile. Interest-
ingly, however, the X590R’s HDR
color profile was very close to P3—
far closer than the X790R’s HDR color
profile. Go figure. But nevertheless,
the X790R, in its BT.2020 profile, did
produce marginally deeper reds
than the X590R (for example, Drax’s
tattoos and the red tips of Gamora’s
long hair in Guardians of the Galaxy
Vol. 2), as well as an overall richer
image. The X790R’s better blacks
and contrast also gave its image a
more three-dimensional look—in
both SDR and HDR.
Conclusions
If my face-off had resulted in the
cheaper projector fully outper-
forming its more costly sibling, the
DLA-X590R could be declared one
of the biggest video bargains of
the year. But in a way, it still is. The
differences between these two,
while clearly observable, shouldn’t
be overstated. And there’s much to
be said for the less expensive model
when it offers performance within a
hair of a projector that costs 50
percent more. JVC has another
winner on its hands.
soundandvision.com 49
TEST REPORT
Coincident Atmos
By Mark Fleischmann
KEF Q Series Q350 Speaker System
PRICE $3,150 as reviewed
ONE OF THE HEADLINES I
considered for this review was
“What Becomes a Legend Most.” It’s
a poignant song from Lou Reed’s
New Sensations. Before that, it was
an advertising slogan that sold
mink coats in ads featuring Judy
Garland, Lauren Bacall, and Marlene
Dietrich, among others. Somehow,
it fits KEF, the British speaker man-
ufacturer responsible for numerous
driver-related innovations, including
the Uni-Q coincident array. KEF’s
Muon and Blade towers have the
fragrance of luxury about them.
The LS50 mini-monitor is a crowd-
pleasing peacock, always strutting
down the runway in new colors.
However, less affluent surround
audiophiles can have a slice of
the KEF tradition in the new and
affordable Q Series. And no inno-
cent little minks had to give up
their lives.
Basic Black
Unlike the luminaries above, the Q
Series isn’t especially fancy look-
ing. The matte black vinyl-clad
appearance of my samples was
decidedly plain, aside from a
protruding KEF badge. The line
includes three floorstanding
speakers: the Q950 ($900/each),
Q750 ($750/each), and Q550 ($550/
each). Then there are two monitors,
the Q350 ($650/pair) and Q150
($550/pair), as well as the Q650c
center ($650) and the Q50a
50 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
Atmos-enabled elevation module
add-on ($500/pair). The latter
can sit atop any of the floorstand-
ers or monitors to bounce Dolby
Atmos or DTS:X height channels off
the ceiling.
KEF makes a pointed suggestion
by shipping all Q Series models
except the Q50a without grilles.
And KEF’s online manual for the
Q50a confirms that grilles are
included for that model (see “Inside
the Box”). If you want grilles for the
other speakers, you can buy them at
“
The Uni-Q
array is the
centerpiece
of most KEF
products.
extra cost. But if you do that, your
guests won’t see the fairly subtle blue
Uni-Q Driver Array lettering on the
edge of the basket, and shame on
you for hiding a legend behind drab
fabric. The system under review here
comprises four of the Q350 monitors,
topped with four of the Q50a, plus
the Q650c center and the Kube12b
subwoofer ($700), for a total price
of $3,150.
The Uni-Q array is the centerpiece
of most KEF products. The tweeter
• An additional woofer and a passive radiator
flank the coincident array in the Q650C center-
channel speaker.
AT A GLANCE
is mounted in the center of the throat
of the woofer or midrange driver, Plus
effectively using the cone as a wave-
Q Atmos add-ons
guide, albeit one that is moving with
Q Coincident Uni-Q drivers
the audio signal. The Q350 monitor
Q Sub has three placement
mates the 1-inch tweeter with a
EQ modes
6.5-inch woofer, while on the baffle of
the Q650c center the 6.5-inch Uni-Q
is flanked by one additional woofer Minus
to the right and one Auxiliary Bass
Radiator (passive radiator) to the left. Q Grilles not included
The Q50a places the tweeter at the Q Not as dressy as other KEF
apex of a 5.25-inch woofer. All products
diaphragms are aluminum.
Atmos-enabled speakers are the
convenience-over-performance, and total weight of 45 pounds. It’s
therefore not surprisingly the most powered by an internal 300-watt
popular, method of adding height amplifier, conservatively specified in
channels to your system. The best RMS (not peak) power. Intelligent
effect is achieved by mounting actual Bass Extension, or iBX, uses DSP to
height speakers overhead. However,
that solution is often unpalatable, so
analyze the input signal and reduce
bass extension as volume increases
bouncing the higher frequencies of
the height signals off the ceiling
to ensure there’ll be useable output
even at high volume levels. Even
provides a reasonable sense of
elevation in a practical manner. Dolby
the inputs are smart, auto-detecting
mono LFE or stereo signals and
Labs tells us that Atmos-enabled adjusting gain to match. Three DSP
speakers work best in rooms with a EQ settings tailor the sub’s output
flat, hard ceiling at a height of 8 to 9 to the situation with freestanding,
feet, though up to 14 is acceptable. in-wall or in-cabinet, or corner
Light fixtures, moldings, and
vents probably won’t interfere
much with the ceiling bounce;
vaulted or angled ceilings and
acoustic treatments will.
The Kube12b sub places a
12-inch reinforced-paper cone
driver in the front of a solid,
sealed enclosure resulting in a

KEF Q Series Q350 Speaker System
Performance
Build Quality
Value
placement. This may not be
a substitute for well-done
room correction, but it affords
more flexibility.
Associated equipment
included a Denon AVR-
X7200W A/V receiver, Oppo
BDP-83SE universal disc player,
Micro Seiki BL-51 turntable, Shure
M97xE cartridge, and Denon PRA-
S10 serving as phono preamp. All
movies were on Blu-ray Disc.
Precise, Not Fussy
The Q monitor and center create
a soundstage with precisely
delineated images, and I’d expect
no less of a coincident design
wielded with the benefit of long
experience. But they weren’t bright
or unduly fussy. The all-aluminum-
diaphragm drivers sounded
smooth and well behaved at
high volumes. They had good
bass response, too, even before
factoring in the sub. And that sub
had plenty of output, no doubt
assisted by its robust amp. Starting
with my usual default sub and
processor settings, I knocked
its level down more than once.
Something unusual was going on
• Mounting the tweeter in the center of
the woofer allows the woofer cone to act
as a waveguide.
THE VERDICT
KEF’s Q series combined with its new Kube sub-
woofer line brings the trademark Uni-Q driver array
and a potent bottom end to a lower price point, with
reliable performance and an Atmos add-on option.
here and I wished my reviewer’s
creed hadn’t forbidden the use of
the receiver’s room correction as
one variable too many—though I
“ The Q
monitor and
center create
a soundstage
with precisely
delineated
images.
did get interesting results later on
when I fooled around with the sub
EQ modes.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men
Tell No Tales (DTS-HD Master Audio)
had a thick tonal balance that almost
tipped over into congestion—though
SPEAKER SYSTEM
KEF Q SERIES Q350 SPEAKER SYSTEM
PRICE: $3,150 (Q350, $650 pr; Q650c, $650;
Q50a, $500 pr; Kube12b, $700)
KEF America • (732) 683-2356 • us.kef.com
my room’s uncor-
rected standing
wave undoubtedly
contributed to it.
However, every sub
I review is affected
by that, and yet it
was more problem-
atic this time. A
voiceover by Javier
Bardem localized
heavily in the sub,
prompting me to push
the sub volume down yet again,
which proved to be a good move by
sub. The soundfield was generously
big, notably un-speaker-bound, and
the time I got to the battle-heavy
Dolby Atmos demos.
not as cut and dried as I might have
expected. The overall effect was full
They began with The Mummy, a
Tom Cruise swashbuckler that uses
and rich, confident in its presenta-
tion but not unduly finicky, with a
its Atmos height channels sparingly high comfort level.
and not always in the most obvi- Comfort level continued to be
ous places. My favorite instance an asset in the next Atmos demo,
was the low exhalation of air mov- as my binge on season 7 of Game
ing quietly around the underground of Thrones continued with the last
tomb, a subtle effect that benefited four episodes. Episodes 5 and 6
enormously from timbre-matched are bookended by battles featur-
speakers all around. In a scene ing Queen Daenerys mounted on
where the tomb raiders are under a fire-breathing dragon, repelling
attack, the hiss of airborne first a human army, then an army
explosives precedes a satisfying of the dead (though at a terrible
all-channels boom, with force from price). With the sound mixer opt-
the 6.5-inch woofers as well as the ing for aggressive use of the height
soundandvision.com 51
TEST REPORT
See soundandvision.com/
• The Kube 12b subwoofer
offers separate EQs for
KEF Kube12b Subwoofer
Performance
ON THE TestBench for full lab results and In-Room, Wall/Cabinet, Features
WEB technical definitions. and Corner placement. Build Quality
Value

placement mode from in-room

Test Bench to corner. The sub wasn’t

actually in a corner, but now I
was getting optimum Charlie; I
KEF Q Series Q350 Speaker System wished I’d done it sooner.
The self-titled debut of the
Lounge Lizards (LP) com-
bines saxophonist John
Lurie’s hook-laden quasi-jazz
compositions with Thelonious
Monk covers and the distinctive
atonal guitar playing of Arto
Lindsay. The monitors abetted Teo

directing a pipe-organ blast into the Macero’s clean, ungimmicky pro-

Q350 (purple) +0.65/–3.49 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 56 Hz, –6 dB sub, which rose to the thundering duction, reproducing a bracing
@ 41 Hz; impedance minimum 4.54 ohms @ 177 Hz, phase angle occasion. Complementing this freshness. I liked the way the
–65.15º @ 96 Hz; sensitivity 87 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. high-volume virtuosity was the monitors and sub brought out the
delicacy displayed in extended solo subtle tunefulness of Steve Piccolo’s
Q650C (green) +0.95/–4.80 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 65 Hz, –6 passages for violin and flugelhorn. bass playing.
dB @ 53 Hz; impedance minimum 5.19 ohms @ 15.2 kHz, phase angle At either end of the dynamic scale, The one thing I haven’t said yet
–50.74º @ 4.2 kHz; sensitivity 87.5 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. the speakers had a superb spa- about KEF’s Q Series is what a great
tial sense—and while a good value it is, nestled between the
Q50A (yellow) +3.15/–2.92 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 107 Hz, –6 dB multichannel recording makes step-up Reference line and the
@ 91 Hz; impedance minimum 4.83 ohms @ 223 Hz, phase angle that easier, there was no mistaking compact-satellite-based home
–55.62º @ 136 Hz; sensitivity 86.5 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. the speakers’ contribution to the theater packages. You can have a
seamless integration of instruments 5.1.4-channel Atmos treatment with
KUBE 12b (blue) Close-miked response, normalized to level @ 80 Hz: and their reflections from the original refinement and a whole lot of
lower –3 dB @ 17 Hz, –6 dB @14 Hz, upper –3 dB @137 Hz with EQ venue’s walls. woofing and subwoofing for just
switch set to In-Room, Crossover control set to maximum.—MJP The golden age of the Rolling north of three thousand bucks. At
Stones, the Mick Taylor era, ended $650 a pair, the Q350 would also
with It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (LP). It was serve with distinction in a two-
SPECS Q350: 6.5 in aluminum cone woofer, 1 in alumi-
num dome coincident tweeter; 8.27 x 14.09 x 12.05 in (WxHxD); 16.8
delightful to hear the coincident array
tracking his fluid guitar parts, with
channel starter system—at half
the price of the popular LS50 mini-
lb • Q650C: 6.5 in aluminum cone woofer (2), 6.5 in aluminum cone their ever-changing timbres, as they monitor. And I’m impressed by how
passive radiator, 1 in aluminum dome coincident tweeter; 24.76 x 8.27 x weaved around the much performance KEF got
11.97 in (WxHxD); 30 lb • Q50a: 5.25 in aluminum cone woofer, 1 in alu- monumental rhythm out of the $700 price of the
minum dome coincident tweeter; 7.09 x 6.85 x 10.2 in (WxHxD); 9.4 lb parts and occasional Kube12b sub. A legend
• Kube12b: 12 in reinforced-paper cone woofer; 300 watts RMS; LFE leads of an under-the- has to be earned. KEF
and stereo line-level RCA in; 15.47 x 16.14 x 16.14 in (WxHxD); 45.41 lb weather Keith continues to earn it.
Richards. Charlie
Watts was more Audio Editor Mark
prominent than Fleischmann is the
speakers, often filling all nine of the Job, Mick, and the Lizards usual in the mix, author of Practical
Denon receiver’s amp channels, the Vaughan Williams’ Job orchestral which could only Home Theater: A
KEF system stood up well to these suite and Symphony No. 9 arrived help; the monitors Guide to Video and
massive and extended dynamic on hybrid SACD from Chandos with and sub made his Audio Systems,
challenges, maintaining its surround and stereo mixes. The bass drum kick like now available in
smoothness as well as its poise surround track omits the LFE a mule. It seemed both print and
at high volumes. channel, but that didn’t prevent the muddy, though. I Kindle editions.
receiver’s bass management from switched the EQ

• KEF’s Q50a Atmos module is designed to fit atop

both floorstanding and monitor speakers.

52 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

TEST REPORT
Digital Director
By Al Griffin
Cambridge Audio CXUHD Ultra
HD Blu-ray Player
PRICE $700
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO IS A BRITISH
manufacturer known for their
sleek, well-built, affordable audio
components and speakers. They are
also known for their universal disc
players, which are based on Oppo
Digital units but sold minus the
built-in digital-to-analog convert-
ers and analog audio outputs.
According to Cambridge, this is
meant to “decrease interference
to the signal, improving quality by
reducing video noise.” Since the
brand makes A/V receivers with
built-in DACs designed to mate with
their players, there’s some sound
reasoning behind that strategy.
The company’s newest $700
CXUHD Ultra HD Blu-ray player is
based on the platform for Oppo’s
$549 UDP-203 (reviewed in our
May 2017 issue, also available at
soundandvision.com). Other than
the Oppo’s 7.1-channel analog
output jacks, the two players are
essentially the same, right down to
the basic GUI and setup menus.
They also provide compatibility
with both the HDR10 and Dolby
Vision formats of high dynamic
range (HDR), and besides Ultra HD
Blu-rays, they can play regular and
3D Blu-rays, DVDs, CDs, SACDs, and
DVD-Audio discs.
Like the Oppo, the Cambridge
omits streaming services like Netflix,
Amazon, and Vudu, though its wired
and Wi-Fi network capability can be
tapped to stream video and audio
files from a DLNA server. Audio
formats supported by the player
include AAC, MP3, FLAC, and WAV. It
can also be set up to output a DSD
bitstream when playing SACDs.
54 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
While the CXUHD doesn’t look
substantially different from the
UDP-203 (which I had on hand for
comparison during this test), it does
have a nicer design, with rounded
edges and fewer buttons cluttering
its brushed-metal faceplate. There’s
also no front-panel USB port on the
CXUHD—or a headphone output, for
“ The CXUHD
is based on the
platform for
Oppo’s UDP-203.
that matter. On the other hand, unlike
some other lower-priced players
on the market, the CXUHD has
substantial build quality, something
evident in the smooth action of its
disc tray and in the presence of an
IEC power input on the back panel.
• A brushed-metal faceplate and rounded corners give the
Cambridge an upscale look.
Other back-panel connections
include a pair of HDMI outputs
(one HDMI 2.0a and the second
audio-only), coaxial and optical
digital audio outputs, and a pair of
USB 3.0 ports. In addition, there are
Ethernet and RS-232 control ports
and an IR trigger input and output.
Cambridge’s remote control has a
nicer look than the one that comes
with the Oppo, and its rubbery back
gives it a nicer feel as well. Buttons
are provided to directly control most
player features, from selecting the
Pure Audio mode (which turns off all
video circuits) to switching the video
output format. Unlike Oppo’s remote,
the keypad on Cambridge’s wand isn’t
backlit, and it also omits buttons to
directly call up picture adjustment
menus and enable the player’s AB
Replay mode. The latter button is one
that most people don’t regularly use
(outside of video reviewers, that is);
the former is one that won’t likely be
missed except by tweakers who often
adjust picture settings during viewing.
Setup
To test the CXUHD, I connected its
main HDMI 2.0a output to a Vizio
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Q Dolby Vision compatible
Q High-quality Blu-ray video
upconversion
Q Plays SACDs, DVD-Audio
discs, and Blu-ray 3D discs
Minus
Q No analog audio outputs
Q Remote control not backlit
Q Pricey compared with
competition
M65-E0 LCD Ultra HDTV (January
2018 and our website) and its
second, audio-only HDMI output
to an Anthem AVM 50v preamp/
processor. The speaker system used
for the evaluation was a GoldenEar
Technology suite: Triton Two pow-
ered towers for the front le/right
channels, Triton Five passive towers
for the surrounds, and a SuperSat
50c for the center.
For DLNA music streaming, I
tapped my Netgear Orbi 802.11ac
router’s 5-gigahertz band to send
audio to the player, with JRiver Media
Center 21 software for Mac OS X
 THE VERDICT BLU-RAY PLAYER
Cambridge Audio CXUHD Ultra Cambridge Audio’s CXUHD CAMBRIDGE AUDIO CXUHD ULTRA HD
HD Blu-ray Player
Performance provides faultless video BLU-RAY PLAYER
Features performance in a streamlined PRICE: $700
Ergonomics Cambridge Audio • cambridgeaudio.com
Value
package.

when upconverted by the soldiers scan an

controlling playback. I also con-
nected a Roku 4 streamer to the
player’s HDMI input for viewing
videos from Netflix, Vudu, You-
Tube, etc. Although the Roku 4 isn’t
compatible with HDR, the HDMI
2.0 input on the Cambridge doesn’t
support HDR passthrough, so
no loss there.
Video output settings I selected
in the player’s setup menu included
UHD Auto Custom Resolution, Auto
Color Space (other options: YCbCr
4:4:4, 4:2:2, and 4:2:0), Auto Color
Depth (other options: 12-, 10-, and
8-bit), and Auto Deinterlacing. For
settings in the Audio output menu, I
selected Secondary Audio Off, Auto
HDMI Audio, Multichannel SACD
priority, and PCM SACD output. As
with the Oppo player, a subtitle shift
setting lets you adjust the placement
of subtitles in the frame when using
a projection screen with a 2.35:1
aspect ratio. There’s also a setting
that lets you configure the player
for SDR-only output when display-
ing HDR discs using a regular,
non-HDR TV.
One setup glitch came when I
attempted to upgrade the player’s
firmware. To briefly sum up: There
was a mismatch between the cur-
rent firmware version listed on
Cambridge’s website and the one
available for download over a
network connection. Also, when the
company made the latest firmware
available for me to download via a
Dropbox-type service, the player
wouldn’t load the file. Cambridge
assured me that my player had the
current firmware version, however,
so I continued with my testing.
Video Performance
As expected given its provenance,
the CXUHD passed all of our video
processing tests without breaking a
sweat. Regular Blu-rays looked great
the player. For example,
when I watched the
scene in Passengers
where Jim and Aurora
begin their date with a
drink at the bar, the
picture looked crisp, with
a wide range of subtle
colors. I could also see a
good amount of detail in
her black dress and his
dark gray suit.
I then switched over
to the movie’s Ultra HD
Blu-ray edition in HDR10.
The same scene looked
notably more dynamic:
Blacks had better depth
and detail, and highlights
such as the backlit
surface of the bar were
brighter and displayed
a greater sense of pop.
Colors, too, particularly
of the bottles lining the
shelves of the bar, came
across as more saturated
and with a wider range of
hues. Also, fine details
such as the shimmer of
light on Aurora’s earrings
caught my attention,
whereas they hadn’t when I
watched the regular Blu-ray.
To check out the player’s handling
of Dolby Vision HDR, I viewed the
Ultra HD Blu-ray of Resident Evil:
Vendetta. In an early scene where
abandoned mansion,
looking for zombies,
the contrast created by
deep blacks in the
shadowy space and
bright beams from the
rifle-mounted flash-
lights gave the image
a powerful sense of
depth. I also noted
plenty of detail in the
room interiors and the
uniforms of the soldiers.
Another Dolby Vision
disc I watched, The
Fate of the Furious,
didn’t have the same
visual impact, but I did
see a boost in con-
trast and shadow
detail when, after
switching to the reg-
ular Blu-ray, I returned
to the HDR version.
Audio
Performance
Since the CXUHD hands
the job of digital-to-
analog conversion over
to an A/V processor or
receiver, my evaluation
of the player’s audio
performance was mostly
limited to confirming that things

• The very few buttons keep the CXUHD’s front panel

clean and uncluttered.

soundandvision.com 55
TEST REPORT

• Though the CXUHD lacks

built-in streaming, it’s easy to SPECS Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 16.9 x 3.2 x 12.3 • Weight (Pounds): 11 • Video Outputs:
connect a streaming device HDMI 2.0a (1) • Audio Outputs: HDMI (audio-only), coaxial digital, optical digital • Other: HDMI 2.0 input, LAN,
via the HDMI input. USB (2), RS-232C, trigger in/out

worked. First up: a hi-res FLAC
download of “My Valentine,” a jazz
ballad wrien by Paul McCartney
and played by the Brad Mehldau
Trio. When I streamed it to the
CXUHD from my computer over
Wi-Fi, the player handled it without
a glitch. Not only that, but the sound
retained the lush, warm tone and
spacious presentation I’m used to
hearing with this track.
I always enjoy reviewing universal
players because it allows me to
rediscover the SACDs and DVD-
Audio discs in my collection. It’s easy
to forget how much fun music in
surround can be. When I listened to
Audivi Vocem de Caelo, a John
Taverner composition on a multi-
channel SACD by early music vocal
ensemble Stile Antico, the massed
voices had a soaring quality, and the
reverb trails when they paused
singing for a few beats saturated my
room. Closing my eyes, I felt like I was
listening in a cathedral.
Digging out my Steven Wilson–
mixed multichannel DVD-Audio of
King Crimson’s Discipline, I played the
title track and became caught up in
the intertwined web of guitars. Tony
Levin’s Chapman stick sounded
rubbery and fat, with its impressive
low-frequency reach augmented by
the hypnotic thump of Bill Bruford’s
kick drum. A snare drum rhythm is
introduced about halfway through
the track; here, the sound came
across as dry and crisp, with a firmly
centered positioning that locked
down the mix.
Conclusion
I can’t say that the Cambridge Audio
CXUHD, as auditioned in my sys-
tem, provided any performance
advantage over the Oppo player it’s
based on. But I can see how it would
be a sensible purchase for someone
seeking a Dolby Vision–capable
Ultra HD Blu-ray player designed for
digital-only output. Along with its
excellent video performance, the
CXUHD offers great looks and build
quality, and its HDMI input provides
a convenient way to access stream-
ing services through the addition of
an inexpensive Apple TV, Chrome-
cast, or Roku box. I was impressed
by what I saw and heard during my
time with the CXUHD, and I would
easily recommend it as a streamlined
alternative to Oppo’s excellent Ultra
HD disc players.
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O R D E R AT A M A Z O N . C O M O R Z V O X . C O M
TEST REPORT

Exploring New Depths

By David Vaughn

Monoprice Monolith 12” and 15” THX Ultra

Subwoofers
PRICES $800, $1,300
REPRODUCING A MOVIE
soundtrack in a home environment
isn’t an easy task. At your local
cinema, the theater will hopefully
have sound dampening so you don’t
hear outside noise. And if you’re
lucky, the system will be calibrated
properly and provide enough head-
room so there’s no clipping or distor-
tion during the dynamic portions of
the soundtrack.
In most homes, you have to
contend with a lot of extraneous
factors. The acoustics may not be
right, with the room being too bright
(not just sound-wise but also
light-wise) or too dead (making for
lifeless audio). This can affect your
diagonal, it’s still pretty modest by
serious home theater standards). If I
pop in a Dolby Atmos demo, they’re
amazed by the sound coming at
them from every direction. But I get
the biggest reaction, by far, when a
bottom-heavy scene comes up: “I
can’t believe how much I felt the
bass,” they’ll usually say. “The entire
floor was vibrating!”
Editor-in-Chief Rob Sabin calls me
the resident basshead at Sound &
Vision, and that’s a badge I wear with
honor. My reference system includes
four subwoofers: an SVS PC-Ultra,
a Hsu Research VTF-15H MK2,
and dual JL Audio Fathom f110
cabinets, all calibrated using the
freeware program REW and a
miniDSP to get the subs to play
nice with each other. It took
me days of calibrating to get
back to 1982 and was the brainchild of
George Lucas, who was not pleased
with the way theaters were showing
his films. He hired audio scientist
Tomlinson Holman, who set up a
rigorous program that started at the
production studio before reaching
theaters and, eventually, home com-
ponents. THX certification comes in
four flavors: Compact, Select, Ultra,
and Dominus. THX Select applies to
rooms up to 2,000 cubic feet, and
THX Ultra is for rooms up to 3,000
cubic feet. To attain Ultra certification,
subwoofers (and other speakers)
must undergo myriad tests—for
sensitivity, frequency
response, distortion, etc.—and be
able to play at 85 decibels and have
+20 dB of headroom at the specified
listening distance. The takeaway is
that THX Ultra subs must have low
distortion and the ability to play down
to at least 20 hertz.
The internet-direct subwoofer
market is extremely crowded,
especially in the realm below $1,500.
The Monolith 15” sub checks in at
$1,300, with the 12” version at a
relatively budget-friendly $800.
Currently, shipping is included
with these prices, which makes them
very competitive.

“ The ported the quartet just right, but if you

care about bass like I do, it’s time
designs give well spent.

both models New Kid on the Block

substantial SPL
capabilities.
enjoyment of the movie. Furthermore,
the quality of your gear matters. Sure,
a 32-inch budget TV and soundbar
from the local big-box retailer may
be fine for watching the news, but
do you get the visceral impact that’s
required when Luke blows up the
Death Star?
While every component plays
its part in the presentation, the
subwoofer is arguably the one that
can make the most noticeable
improvement to a budget home
theater system. When I have visitors
over, they often marvel at the size of
the screen (though, at 88 inches
Being the basshead of S&V gives
me certain perks—among them,
the opportunity to sample a lot of
subwoofers and be one of the first to
do so. Enter Monoprice, best known
for cables that deliver high-quality
picture and sound at prices the
masses can afford. As time has
gone on, the California-based
company has started to expand into
self-branded components—such
as Monolith amplifiers, one of which
I reviewed quite favorably in our
June 2016 issue (also available at
soundandvision.com), and now
Monolith THX-certified subwoofers.
These new subs come in three
different sizes: the 10” THX Select and
the 12” and 15” THX Ultra. The latter
two are the subject of this review. The
conception of THX goes all the way

• Monoliith’s 15” model

includes three front ports,
the 12” model two.

58 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com


Monoprice Monolith 15” THX Ultra
Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
Monoprice Monolith 12” THX Ultra
Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
Specs-wise, both subs check
all the right boxes. The 12” has two
ports and sports a 500-watt Class
D amplifier built around a Texas
Instruments 48-bit data path (with
28-bit filter coefficients) and DSP
engine. The 15” has three ports and
is powered by a 1,000-watt Class D
amp built around the same Texas
Instruments DSP engine. The use of
ported designs allows both models
to have substantial SPL capabilities,
and port plugs let you customize the
character and extension to fit your
particular room and tastes.
Not Your Typical Black
Box
Generally speaking, subwoofers
won’t be entered to win any beauty
contests, but these Monolith subs
are quite attractive. For each,
THE VERDICT
Entry into the crowded internet-direct subwoofer
market is a bold move from Monoprice, but the per-
formance of these subs will surely make some waves
and breed some fierce competition.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Q Clean, copious, and
articulate bass
Q Outstanding build
quality
Q Five-year replacement
warranty
Minus
Q No parametric equalizer
Q No app control
Q Extremely heavy
Monoprice has chosen to use
chamfered corners that provide an
octagonal shape to the front face
versus a boring square box. The
woofer, embossed with a Monolith
logo, can be covered using the
removable grille, which is floated
slightly away from the baffle. The
cabinet itself is built with HDF
(high-density
SUBWOOFERS
MONOPRICE MONOLITH 12” AND 15” THX ULTRA
SUBWOOFERS
PRICES: $800, $1,300
Monoprice • (877) 271-2592 • monoprice.com
fiberboard), which adds to the
weight significantly, but this
does help the sub maintain a
sonically inert structure.
Each driver has been
customized for Monoprice
and appears to be well con-
structed to provide extreme
cone movement. The 12-
inch woofer is specified to be
capable of more than 80mm
peak-to-peak mechanical
excursion; the 15-inch woofer
expands this to more than
90mm. To put that in perspective
for the U.S. audience, that’s 3.15
and 3.54 inches of front to back
cone movement, respectively.
Connections on the back
panel include stereo line level
inputs, an XLR balanced
input, an XLR passthrough,
and an IEC power cord
socket. There are six con-
trols on the amplifier: three
knobs for Crossover, Phase,
and Level and three toggle
switches for Crossover (On/
Off THX), EQ (Extended/
THX), and Power (Auto/
Always On). Unfortunately,
Monoprice doesn’t provide a PEQ
(parametric equalizer) or control via best to use some sliding furniture
a smartphone app, as can be found movers (available at your local
on some subs from competitors. I hardware store) to position it.
consider a PEQ and app control as Monoprice includes a pair of white
nice-to-haves, not have-to-haves. gloves in case you want to provide
As I stated earlier, the Monolith your own white-glove service and
subwoofers check all the right boxes. keep oily fingerprints off the satin-
But how do they sound? Spoiler finish, black ash vinyl.
alert: awesome! Given their size, neither of the
subs would fit in the preferred front
Not for Girly Men left corner of my room, due to a
Unboxing either subwoofer is a fireplace hearth and my wall-
two-person job: The 12” weighs mounted front left speaker. (I usually
just under 100 pounds (98.5, to be put the small-footprint, cylindrical
exact), and the 15” weighs 128.5 SVS Ultra there.) So I placed each
pounds. Then there’s the added of the Monoliths in Position No. 2,
weight of the double-boxed ship- which is along the right side of my
ping container. There are no room, about a third of the way—
instructions for unpacking the beast, where I usually keep my reference
but it’s best to open the top of the Hsu Research sub.
outer box, slowly flip the whole thing
over, and lift the outer box off the
inner one. Repeat the process to
remove the sub from the inner enclo-
sure; your back will thank you. Each
sub has spiked rubber feet, so it’s
• The grille, as seen at right,
sits slightly away from the front
baffle when in place.
soundandvision.com 59
TEST REPORT
See soundandvision.com/
• The back panels have
Crossover, Phase, and Level
ON THE TestBench for full lab results and knobs and Crossover, EQ, and
WEB technical definitions. Power toggles.

his grandson search for treasure

Test Bench with a metal detector. With the 15”,

Monoprice Monolith 12” and 15” THX Ultra Subwoofers
My go-to audio tracks to test
subwoofers include Justin Bieber’s
“Baby,” Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity,”
and Joss Stone’s “Sleep Like a Child.”
I moved back and forth between the
12” and the 15” with each of these
songs multiple times, and I was sur-
prised at how well the 12” was able
to hang with its larger sibling. In a lot
MONOLITH 12” (red) Close-miked response in Extended mode with of cases, the 12” was a tad tauter, but
both ports open, normalized to level @ 80 Hz: lower –3 dB @ 19 Hz, –6
I could literally feel the approach-
ing giant before I saw him come
through the fog thanks to its
reproduction of the accompany-
ing low-bass information. The
same scene on the 12” didn’t have
quite the same visceral impact.
Granted, my room approaches
5,000 cubic feet, so it really puts
the 12” in a situation beyond its
intended application.
In most every case, I was able
to hear—and feel—either subwoofer
deliver movie sound that had ample
bass above 20 Hz, such as the
dive-bomb scene on the beach in
the first part of Dunkirk or the battle
in “Blackwater” (season 2, episode
9) from Game of Thrones. Each
sub was able to cleanly reproduce
articulate bass with good exten-
sion down low and plenty of output,
although I always got more oomph
with the larger sub.

“ I could liter-
dB @ 17 Hz, upper –3 dB @ 161 Hz w Crossover switch set to Off. To be fair to the 12” and gauge
its performance in a more suitable
MONOLITH 15” (blue) Close-miked response in Extended mode with
two ports open, normalized to level @ 80 Hz: lower –3 dB @ 16 Hz, –6
ally feel the space, I spent some time with it
in my secondary system that’s
dB @ 14 Hz, upper –3 dB @ 236 Hz w Crossover switch set to Off.—MJP approaching housed a 1,100-cubic-foot room.
In that room it performed marvel-
giant before I ously with movies. So this cer-
SPECS Monolith 12”: 12 in two-layer long-fiber pulp/
glass fiber cone woofer (1) in dual-port cabinet (bungs sup- saw him come
tainly is a case of choosing the
proper subwoofer, or quantity of
subwoofers, for the environment.
plied) • Amplifier: Class D, 500 watts • Inputs: RCA (2), XLR with
passthrough • Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 16.7 x 22.8 x 23.6 through the fog. I’m sure that dual 12” Monoliths
would have performed flawlessly in
• Weight (Pounds): 98.5 • Monolith 15”: 15 in two-layer long-
I’m really splitting hairs between the my larger theater.
fiber pulp/glass fiber cone woofer (1) in tri-ported cabinet (bungs
two subs when it comes to music:
included) • Amplifier: Class D, 1,000 watts • Inputs: RCA (2), XLR
with passthrough • Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 17.7 x 26.8 x 27.6 •
Both sound fantastic. Double the Fun
On some bass-intensive rap Monoprice has definitely impres-
Weight (Pounds): 128.5
tracks, such as N.W.A.’s “Dope Man,” sed me with their initial offering of
the 15” definitely showed that it could THX-certified subwoofers. Each
I set up two user profiles—one As mentioned, you can choose dig a little deeper and play louder warrants a Top Pick—but if you
for the 12” and the other for the to use either sub sealed by instal- than the 12”, which foretold what I can swing the extra cash for the 15”
15”—in my Anthem AVM 60 pre/pro ling the provided port plugs. This would hear later with movie sound- model, it would be my preference,
and calibrated the speaker output will give you the tightest bass, at tracks. Of course, that shouldn’t be a especially if you have a large room.
levels using an SPL meter and test the expense of some low-frequency surprise given the 15” sub’s larger One thing worth repeating: In order
tones from a THX calibration disc. extension. Or, given the multi-port enclosure, woofer, and amplifier. to receive THX certification, these
design, you can close one of the The Ultra HD Blu-ray of Pacific subs need to meet a low distortion
two ports on the 12” or two of the Rim is one of my favorite discs in the number, which really translates
three ports on the 15”; by doing new format. Not only does it boast to clean and controlled bass
so, you’ll get the greatest extension fabulous-looking HDR, but the Dolby response. I truly enjoyed my time
at the expense of reducing maxi- Atmos mix is a stellar example of the with both of these subs and
mum output. I listened to both breed with its ample use of overhead wouldn’t hesitate to recommend
subs in this extended mode, as effects and its deep, sub-20-Hz bass them to a friend, but I would add
well as with all ports open. For content. In the movie, after the Jaeger to this my usual adage: Two is
music, I really liked all ports open, battles the Kaiju off the coast of better than one, because, well...
but for movies, I preferred the Alaska, the Jaeger makes its way there’s never such a thing as too
extended mode. to shore while a grandfather and much bass!

• The cabinets feature a handsome black ash vinyl finish.

60 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

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TEST REPORT
A Naim You’ll
Remember
By Daniel Kumin
Naim Uniti Atom Wireless
Music Player
PRICE $3,000
IS IT AN INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
with onboard wireless and network
streaming, or an audio streamer with
built-in amplification?
Yes. The Uniti Atom, from British
iconoclast Naim Audio, is both of
these, as well as a quarterback for
the company’s Mu-so wireless-
multiroom ecosystem (and a few
other things mixed in). Like all Naim
products since the brand’s inception
in the mid-1970s, the Atom is dis-
tinctly different from most competing
designs in both appearance and
operation; the company’s proxim-
ity to the powerful vibrations of
Stonehenge doubtless has
something to do with this tradition.
That said, the Atom is less different
from its competition than many a
previous design, because this sort
of streaming amp is what the classic
stereo integrated amp seems to
have morphed into, here in the post-
physical-media 21st century. But
perhaps the rest of the world has
simply caught up, or caught
sideways, to Naim.
Still, the Atom has its distinc-
tions. It exploits the digitally
governed analog volume control
Naim uses in their preamps and
integrated amps for maximal
sound quality, along with
the same sort of massive
toroidal transformer
and meticulous power-
supply design. It’s also
packed with a high-zoot
power cord that the
• A high-resolution
color display dominates
the clean front panel.
62 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
maker relies on for noise decoup-
ling. More important (in my book,
anyway), its digital-to-analog
hardware is capable of up to 384
kilohertz/24 bits resolution and
decodes every important hi-res
format up to and including DSD128.
Setup
The Atom is the “all-in-one wireless
player” member of Naim’s Uniti line,
which includes hard-disk library
and CD-player/ripper companions,
among others. It’s a machined-
aluminum art object with the kind of
fit and finish that few other brands
can equal—sort of Bang & Olufsen
but for tech nerds rather than
interior-design geeks. From the
side-inset heatsinks to the front
panel’s gorgeously high-resolution
color display, the Atom’s quality look
and feel are unmissable.
Around back, there are three digi-
tal inputs (one coax, two optical), an
analog-stereo line input, and an
analog-stereo line pre-output. In
addition, there’s a sole, ARC-ready
HDMI port meant for TV-audio
reproduction—stereo-only, of
course. You also get an RJ-45
Ethernet jack (Wi-Fi is built in, too,
with internal antennas integrated into
the heatsinks) and a USB port for
fixed storage, such as on a hard disk
or thumb drive. (A second USB jack
“
The Atom’s
quality look
and feel are
unmissable.
lives up front, along with a head-
phone minijack.)
The only tricky installation bit is
the speaker-cable hookup: The Atom
provides stereo banana-plug sockets
set into the rear panel, but these
aren’t spaced for U.S.-standard
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Q Outstanding sound quality
Q Very high standard of fit,
finish, and industrial
design
Q Generally excellent
ergonomics with well-
conceived app
Minus
Q Premium pricing may scare
off some buyers
Q Occasionally slow
volume-control response
via iOS app
(½-inch) pairs. The unit comes
packed with matching dual-pin plugs
to be affixed to your speaker wires,
but despite the stern warning printed
on the back panel (probably a liabil-
ity issue in the U.K., where their
AC-mains plugs are similar), the
individual bananas I used worked
just fine, and my house has yet to
burn down. I also know not to
connect my speaker wires
directly to a wall outlet.
Otherwise, setup of
network, libraries,
rooms, and so on is
self-guided via clear,
step-wise, onscreen
instructions, and unlike a
few other such products
I’ve experienced, every-
thing proceeded
without a hitch.
Listening
The Uniti Atom
may provide
only 40 watts
per channel of
rated power, but

Naim Uniti Atom Wireless Music Player
Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
apparently
Naim watts are
like U.S. dollars in
Australia: At no point
in my listening did I feel
shortchanged in level,
dynamics, or slam, compared
with my everyday 150-watt-per-
channel power amp. And everything
I played through the little Atom
sounded simply great. I added a
handful of 320-kilobit-
per-second internet-radio streams
to my list of “Favourites” (British,
remember?), and almost every one
sounded unexpectedly hi-fi. (In
doing so, I stumbled across a
wonderful Arnold Bax string quar-
tet, hitherto unknown to me, that
sounded exactly like a bastard child
of Elgar and Bartók—precisely the
sort of discovery that makes me love
internet radio.)
I did most of my evaluative
listening to files streamed from
my own library, which
sounded uniformly as
excellent as I expected.
Stuff like Lyle Lovett’s
beautifully recorded
“Cowboy Man” from
Anthology, Volume One
(a lossless FLAC rip)
was solid and present,
with a razor-sharp stereo
image filling the entire
width of the speakers
and even a bit more;
meanwhile, the steady
thump of kick-drum/
standup-bass unisons
had the kind of meaty
definition I’ve long heard
from my much bigger
everyday setup. Lovett’s
quirky baritone had real
projection out front, as
well as the airy,
THE VERDICT MUSIC PLAYER
An excellent solution, for those who NAIM UNITI ATOM WIRELESS MUSIC PLAYER
can afford it, for a streaming/computer- PRICE: $3,000
audio system where sound quality is as Naim • naimaudio.com
important as features or user interface.
Test Bench
Naim Uniti Atom Wireless Music Player
float-in-
space nature
that signals true
high-fidelity reproduc-
tion. But the Atom’s hallmark
seemed to be its handling of
definition and detail. A 192/24 FLAC
file of the Firebird Suite (Budapest
Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer)
sounded broad and deep, but it
retained impressive soundstage
expansiveness and layering
through even the most complex of
Stravinsky’s textures, with equally THIS graph shows the Uniti Atom’s le amplifier channel with two
satisfying heft and definition to channels driving 8-ohm loads. Measurements for THD+noise, crosstalk,
the big, loose bass drum that pun- signal-to-noise ratio, and analog/digital frequency response were all
ctuates the climax. within expected performance parameters. Full details available at
soundandvision.com.—MJP
The Ergonomic Side
0.1% THD 1.0% THD
For any new-age component
Two Channels Continuously Driven, 8-Ohm Loads 38.4 was 44.7 was
like the Uniti Atom, the hands-
Two Channels Continuously Driven, 4-Ohm Loads 42.8 was 60.6 was
on experience is probably as
important to real-world potential
customers as the sonic one. There’s
a lot going on in a design like the
Atom, so how Naim
SPECS Power Output: 40 watts per channel at 8 ohms
• Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 9.65 x 3.75 x 10.43 • Weight
handles the user (Pounds): 15.4 • Audio Inputs: Coaxial (1), optical digital (2), USB (2,
interface is key. The front 1 front), HDMI 1.4b (1, ARC); analog line-level stereo (1) • Additional:
panel has a quartet RJ-45 Ethernet • Audio Outputs: Stereo speaker level (banana jacks),
of hardware buttons line-stereo (1), headphone (⅛-in stereo, front panel) • Wireless: Dual-
beside the razor-sharp band Wi-Fi-b/n/ac, Bluetooth (aptX HD); Apple AirPlay, Google Chro-
screen (which, though it mecast • Wireless Streaming: Spotify Connect, Tidal, internet radio
seems like it should be a (TuneIn), others via Chromecast • Computer Audio: Streaming via
touchscreen, isn’t one); wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi (UPnP-DLNA/equivalent), USB fixed-storage;
in addition to power, HRA capable up to 192/24, including native-DSD 2.8/5.6 MHz
play/pause, and input
(step-through), there’s
a Favourites button that
calls up a list of inter- hard drive (or a pile of CDs) on top
net streams. The most is a nonstarter.
obvious hardware Naim supplies a very sexy,
control, though, is the motion-activated, illuminated
ginormous, illuminated remote control that duplicates
volume knob set into these commands and adds a
the top panel. This is few more, such as skip, mute,
undeniably cool, but it and (display) brightness. Naim
means that stacking bills this as a two-way remote,
something like a USB but the only real reverse info is a
• Naim’s sleek, all-black
remote is illuminated and
• The heatsinks, which integrate
the required Wi-Fi antenna, are set
motion-activated. into the Uniti Atom’s side panels.
soundandvision.com 63
TEST REPORT
• The large spinner on top operates Naim’s digitally governed
analog volume control.
duplication of the top-panel knob’s
volume-level indicator, a curved-
dashes circle that lights up and
grows or shrinks in length as volume
changes. This is situated around the
remote’s five-way navigation key set.
The interface I imagine the
majority of users will end up
employing most of the time—I did,
anyway—is the Naim app (iOS or
Android). Having loaded this to my
iPhone 6 in response to front-panel
prompts during the Atom’s setup rou-
tine, I found it to be almost entirely
intuitive, with intelligent layout
choices and clean, well-organized
graphics and screens. That said, I
still had a couple of peeves. A
larger typeface for track and title
listings would have been welcome.
(Although there’s a broad selection of
wallpaper themes available, I could
find no way to modify this default.)
And the volume slider found at the
bottom of the screen was sometimes
a bit slow and lumpy in its response.
Nor could my phone’s up/down
volume buttons be designated to
activate it; for smooth, instant vol-
ume adjustment, I needed the Naim
remote control.
Odds, Ends, and the End
The Atom’s front-panel headphone
output—a ⅛-inch stereo minijack—
serves up fine listening. I tried a trio
of headphones from NAD, HiFiMan,
and Sony and had ample level and
copious sonic finesse from all of
them (though the hardest-to-drive
HiFiMan Edition X needed most
of the Atom’s volume-control range
to reach concert-like levels on
The World’s Finest Film Makers Choose M&K
wide-dynamic-range material). A bit
surprisingly, I found no way to select
net-library streaming from the front
panel, where one might find oneself
for headphone listening; doing so
requires either the remote control
or the app. The Atom is expandable
to an outboard power amp via its
RCA-jack line outs, or, I suppose,
a subwoofer, though without bass
management. There’s a ground-
lift switch on the back panel to
break any ground loops, but my
Atom setup remained dead silent
in either position.
In sum, I loved almost everything
about Naim’s Uniti Atom stream-
plifier—everything, that is, except the
price. Which is not to say that $3,000
is unfair for so beautifully conceived,
Visit us at mksoundus.com
Distributed by Audio Gear Group. audiogeargroup.com
engineered, and executed a product;
if the Atom were only a passive piece
of sculpture that did nothing but light
up alluringly and look high-tech,
you could doubtless find plenty of
well-heeled folk to buy it without
hesitation. It’s just that plenty of
brands—NAD and Yamaha spring
to mind, for two—will sell you less
elegant but similar functionality, less
intuitive but similar integration, and
less refined but similar performance
for a great deal less.
Similar, but not identical. And
similar is not identical, especially in
the case of this—or, for that matter,
any—Naim product. If you value
originality as much as quality and
performance, the Uniti Atom just may
seem a bargain.
September 4-8, 2018 San Diego, CA

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Entertainment
Reviews in High Definition
UHD BLU-RAY
Blade Runner 2049
Recycled Memories, Broken Dreams
he 1982 science-iction opus Blade Runner remains an
undeniable visual spectacle that ired the imaginations
of many a viewer. While neither a bona ide critical or
commercial success upon debut, it visualized a Los
Angeles of the future beyond anything we’d
seen before and set the stage for endless fan
speculation that has led to ive diferent
studio-sanctioned cuts thus far. he sequel,
2049, was released to much of that same
indiference. hirty-ive years coming, it still
failed to generate a response beitting a cult
franchise of this magnitude.
he new story is set three decades ater
blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford)
went on one last job to “retire” a group of
rogue replicants, synthetic people created
by the Tyrell Corporation as slaves who
are prone to turn on their human masters.
More reined, more reliable versions have
since been developed, by a far more sinister LENGTH: 164 mins.
conglomerate. Business is good but could
soundandvision.com
66 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Warner, 2017
ASPECT RATIO: 2.40:1
AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos /
TrueHD 7.1 core
MPAA RATING: R
DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve
STARRING: Ryan Gosling, Harrison
Ford, Robin Wright
Warner
always be better… if only there
was a way for replicants to
reproduce on their own.
Young officer K (Ryan Gosling),
meanwhile, is tasked with rid-
ding the world of any remaining
problematic old-school repli-
cants, but a series of shocking
discoveries in the course of his
duties sets him on a far more
dangerous path.
Following stellar praise for
his past work, director Denis
Villeneuve was given tremen-
dous freedom to create his Blade
Runner, and the sights and sounds
he has given us here are utterly
mesmerizing. he movie is also
much too long, languorous in that
Kubrickian sort of way, and vic-
tim to the common sci-i trap of
I had your job once. I was good at it.”
Reference
Excellent
Good
Poor
RATINGS
Fair
PICTURE
3D-NESS
SOUND
EXTRAS
thinking that its simulated technology is
much cooler than it actually is, a pitfall
nimbly avoided by the original.
Shot digitally by sometimes-
collaborator Roger Deakins (Sicario,
Prisoners), Blade Runner 2049 arrives
with a pristine Ultra HD 4K master. he
ine, stable clouds of dust, or the organic
way a stress-inducingly dense cityscape
reveals itself through rain beg the
question, why can’t every movie achieve
such clarity? Behold too far more under-
stated elements, such as the faint pattern
of a leather jacket or a silk kimono, the
cragginess of a familiar face late in the
game, or the translucence of a virtual
girlfriend in a variety of environments.
he 2.4:1 image is a worthy showcase for
the wondrous production design and
state-of-the-art special efects realized on
an epic scale. Shadows are employed
extensively, with enhanced drama born
of high dynamic range, while the color
palette is successfully bleak, sometimes
downright eerie.
We’re informed that 7.1-channel
Atmos is the audio format recom-
mended by Villeneuve, but the underly-
ing Dolby TrueHD does not disappoint:
From the irst boom of the percussion,
this is a mighty track with substantial
low end, including the musical score by
Benjamin Wallisch and Hans Zimmer
plus ample gunshots and explosions.
Surround activity is clean and precise,
with seamless phasing between chan-
nels. Gentle echoes are thoughtfully
sustained, while nuances such as room
tone are well preserved.
he bundled Blu-ray contains all of
the extras. A trio of prologues—one
animated—is set in three diferent
intervening years, starring members of
the movie’s cast. hat eclectic assemblage
of actors is highlighted in one of the
two substantive featurettes, the other
exploring the creation of 2049’s dis-
tinctive look. here’s also a gallery of
rather slight promotional clips, a letdown
for such a potentially momentous sequel.
OChris Chiarella
UHD BLU-RAY

THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US IT

Fox Warner
PACK YOUR LONG UNDERWEAR COULROPHOBICS BEWARE
he Mountain Between Us is part survival adventure and In the late 1980s in the town of Derry, Maine, a young
part love story within a compelling premise. Ben and boy goes out to test a paper boat during a torrential
Alex meet by chance at the airport; their light has been rainstorm. Braving the elements, he places the boat in
cancelled due to inclement weather, and both have urgent the gutter and runs alongside to watch its progress.
need of reaching their destinations. Ben (Idris Elba) is a prominent Unfortunately, he’s too slow and watches it descend into the storm
neurosurgeon who is needed in surgery the following day, and Alex drain. He bends down to see if it’s lost forever and is surprised to
(Kate Winslet) is a photojournalist who's getting married in 24 hours. see a clown staring back at him. Startled, he quickly jumps back. he
hrown together by necessity, Alex charters a small plane to take them clown introduces himself as Pennywise and ofers to be the kid’s newest
to Denver. Beau Bridges nicely ills in the obligatory role of Walter, the friend—instead, the boy becomes the clown’s latest victim. As more
doomed pilot who sufers a debilitating stroke at the worst possible kids start to disappear, a group of young teenagers, led by the boy’s
time, causing the plane to crash in the snow-covered mountains. older brother, band together to get to the bottom of the story before
he survival element of Mountain takes on a paint-by-numbers more people go missing.
aspect as it meanders through a string of nagging plot contrivances that Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, this ilm lands
ultimately keep our two protagonists resolutely and conveniently on in the upper echelon of adaptations of the famed writer's work. I’m
their own with little hope of rescue. hrough this perpetual air of generally not a fan of horror ilms—especially gory ones—but the
danger, a potential romance tries to blossom in the frigid climate but popularity of this one enticed me to give it a go. Director Andy
can’t seem to get of the ground, so to speak, due to unspoken thoughts Muschietti breaks the dense novel into two chapters, the childhood
and feelings, thereby creating the metaphoric mountain between them. story being told in this ilm, and the story jumping ahead 27 years in
he 4K transfer takes the overall brightness of standard HD down a the next installment coming in 2019. In this chapter, he provides just
notch and yet punches up the textural details and sharpness. Daylight enough background information on the history of the cursed town
exteriors ofer some glorious panoramic vistas of the mountain ranges, to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and leaves you anti-
and nighttime sequences are not so egregiously overlit to the point cipating the sequel. As expected, there are a lot of scary scenes, plenty
of being unrealistic. he dimly lit interiors of an ice cavern or an of bullying—a recurring theme in a lot of King stories—and the
abandoned cabin ofer sublime contrast between light and dark occasional gore, but the central focus is always the story, which is
elements, whereas standard HD can take on the artiicial appearance why this works so well.
of a movie set. Shot digitally and inished in a 2K master for its theatrical run,
he 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is present on both the 4K and the 4K upconversion is mostly pleasing. Direct comparisons to the
standard HD discs. It's more than sufficient for the action taking place fabulous-looking Blu-ray show minimal improvement overall other
on the screen and doesn't try to overreach than the dark scenes—and there are
its limitations by being unnecessarily lashy. many—which provide more depth and
his is primarily a dialogue-driven drama shadow detail due to the HDR grading
that's only occasionally punctuated by versus the 1080p release. Colors look about
the various and ever-present elements the same with the exception of red, which
of danger. While the harrowing crash is deinitely more vibrant in UHD.
sequence is the highlight of this mix, there he Dolby Atmos track is quite good at
are signiicant yet subtle touches of auditory providing the suitable ambiance to scare
panache like the scene in the plane prior to and shock the audience. he enveloping
the crash where the droning hum of the soundtrack is on full display as water
engine realistically forces the characters to rushes through the room, houses creak,
have to shout to be heard. BLU-RAY BLU-RAY and general mayhem occurs. here’s also
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox, 2017 STUDIO: Warner, 2017
Bonus features are included on the ASPECT RATIO: 2:40:1 ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
good use of the LFE channel, especially in
standard HD disc and consist of three short AUDIO FORMAT: DTS-HD Master AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos the opening scene.
featurettes, deleted scenes, a photo gallery, Audio 7.1 LENGTH: 135 mins. Housed on the Blu-ray, the supplement
audio commentary with director Hany LENGTH: 112 mins. MPAA RATING: R package contains three featurettes, deleted
MPAA RATING: PG-13 DIRECTOR: Andy Muschietti
Abu-Assad, and the theatrical trailer. DIRECTOR: Hany Abu-Assad STARRING: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden
scenes, trailers, and a UV Digital Copy.
OCorey Gunnestad STARRING: Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard ODavid Vaughn
Beau Bridges

soundandvision.com 67
UHD BLU-RAY

JIGSAW EARTH: ONE AMAZING DAY

Lionsgate BBC Earth
CONFESS YOUR SINS ONCE AROUND
2010’s Saw 3D was ostensibly the inal ilm in the popular Remember those A Day in the Life of… cofee table books
horror saga. And then, lo and behold, a mere seven years that gave us glimpses of Hollywood and the Soviet Union
later, the franchise was rebooted with Jigsaw. Directed by and the like over a single 24-hour span? Imagine that
Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, the story inds the same dynamic applied to some carefully selected,
elaborate, gruesome Jigsaw killings mysteriously starting up all over human-free locales across the globe, and you start to get the idea
again. As before, law enforcement is at a loss as to how the legendary behind Earth: One Amazing Day. his sequel to the 2007 nature
serial killer Jigsaw—dead and buried!—could possibly be committing documentary Earth takes us from the pre-dawn hours well into the
these nasty new murders. Meanwhile, as is the tradition with Jigsaw, night, revealing visions of lora and fauna we’ve likely never seen before.
a fresh group of victims has been ensnared in his intricate traps and (Girafe smack-down!) he single-rotation construct does help to unify
forced to confess their own crimes or risk death. he gore-porn horror the disparate proceedings, even if the voiceover sometimes tries a bit
franchise’s latest installment delivers on all the basics that have deined too hard to entertain us.
the series over the years and includes a twist ending viewers will not he production values on the movie (and the disc) are top-notch,
likely see coming. If you are a fan of the Saw ilms, then Jigsaw should with Dolby Vision high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos dimen-
be wholly satisfying, although it may not count as a genuinely original sional surround enhancing this 4K Ultra HD presentation. Long shots
take on this well-worn concept. astound, serving up abundant detail at great distances. Herds of various
Jigsaw was shot on an Alexa Mini and utilized a 2K digital intermedi- animals are remarkably individualized, with a throng of monochro-
ate in the post-processing stage. he 2.40:1 image arrives on 4K Ultra matic penguins truly popping within the 16:9 frame. Rolling hills
HD in an HEVC 2160p (4K) encodement with Dolby Vision (compat- show appreciable depth as they extend toward the horizon, while
ible with HDR10) high dynamic range. he Dolby Vision is what really strands of fur, blades of grass, litting insects, and stars in the heavens
makes the diference with this transfer. While the detail looks crisp and are all readily discernible. he colors of life are expectedly lush, and
ilmic, the expanded colors and pop in the highlights are what bring when sunset arrives they become achingly beautiful. he stark play
this ilm to life. he vermillion paint on a wall, the eerie green glow of of light and dark as El Sol makes its irst appearance beneits from
lamplight, or the shocking electric blue of, ahem, laser cutters: Jigsaw HDR, particularly the solid silhouettes and the nuances visible within
is, arguably, the best-looking ilm in the franchise on home video. a shadowy valley.
he overhead channels in the Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 com- Referencing the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core of the Atmos track, the
patible) mix carry an abundance of atmospherics that really assist home theater teems with animals singing in happier moments and
in building the tension for this sort of horror. But it’s not just the wailing when the going gets dicey. Efects are surely exaggerated for
atmosphere: here are ample directional dramatic purposes and almost certainly
sound efects that move around the room. added outright as well: A raging ocean
We get excellent dynamics and clear dia- brings low-end power, and rain and
logue with a decent amount of extension thunder ill the surrounds. his is simu-
in the low end as well. lated realism, in contrast to the scrupulous
Jigsaw comes with an anemic selection of on-location photography. he movie's
special features, included on both the Ultra majestic orchestral score is mixed wide and
HD and Blu-ray Discs. here’s an audio with impeccable clarity. As One Amazing
commentary with producers Mark Burg, Day was produced in partnership with
Oren Koules, and Peter Block, and two China—yielding some otherwise unattain-
behind-the-scenes programs. here’s the able footage—a Mandarin Dolby Digital
excellent seven-part “I Speak for the Dead: BLU-RAY BLU-RAY 5.1 track is also provided, with narration
he Legacy of Jigsaw” documentary, which STUDIO: Lionsgate, 2017 STUDIO: BBC Earth Films, 2017 by none other than Jackie Chan.
ASPECT RATIO: 2.40:1 ASPECT RATIO: 1.78:1
explores the entire franchise as well as AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos / AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos / Extras are relatively sparse: a talky
the new ilm, and the brief featurette “he TrueHD 7.1 core TrueHD 7.1 core behind-the-scenes vignette plus brief
Choice Is Yours: Exploring the Props.” An LENGTH: 91 mins. LENGTH: 94 mins. featurettes that illuminate the making of ive
UltraViolet and iTunes Digital Copy is also MPAA RATING: R MPAA RATING: G key segments. An HD Blu-ray of all of the
DIRECTORS: Michael Spierig, Peter DIRECTORS: Richard Dale, Lixin Fan,
included. OBrandon A. DuHamel Spierig Peter Webber above is provided as well.
STARRING: Matt Passmore, Tobin STARRING: Robert Redford, Jackie OChris Chiarella
Bell, Callum Keith Rennie Chan, a bunch of animals

soundandvision.com
68 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

GROUNDHOG DAY
Sony
LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!
Phil Connors, a TV weatherman from Pittsburgh, is
dispatched to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the
annual Groundhog Day festivities where he’s teamed up
with a young and annoyingly cheerful producer and a
smart-aleck cameraman. With impending ofers from other stations,
Connors has short-timer’s disease and isn’t what you’d call a pleasant
guy to be around. In fact, he’s a irst-rate pain in the rear whom his
coworkers want to spend as little time with as possible. Ater a surprise
blizzard traps the team in the small town, things go from bad to worse;
Phil wakes up the next morning to ind it’s Groundhog Day all over
again…and again…and again.
Bill Murray has had quite a career, and Groundhog Day was the
vehicle that showed he was more than just a funnyman. he script from
Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin plays perfectly with Murray’s personal-
ity. Connors goes through several metamorphoses throughout the
movie: sarcastic and pompous in the irst act, scared and desperate in
the second, and hero in the third. Reliving the same day presumably
thousands of times would deinitely give a person time to relect on
their life and improve themselves, and that’s exactly what happens here.
his is more than your average comedy.
I have to hand it to Sony on its UHD releases—they deliver a
best-in-class experience. In lieu of taking an old 2K scan and upcon-
verting it, the studio went through the process of taking the original
35mm elements and minting a terriic 4K scan of the comedy classic.
Some may not like the grainy appearance if they’re used to today's
digital productions, but for us old fogies, this is how the movies looked
when we were growing up. Colors are a tad laid-back given the settings,
but there are a few scenes where the HDR comes into play.
Shockingly, Sony provides a Dolby Atmos
track as well, which is surprising given
the genre. Regardless, it’s a welcome
addition and sounds fantastic. Dialogue
is crystal clear, there’s plenty of openness
in the exterior shots, and there’s even an
explosion that has some good LFE punch.
he studio didn’t skimp on any aspect
of this release.
All of the supplements are housed on
the bundled Blu-ray and include an audio
commentary with director Ramis, an BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Sony, 1993
interview with the late director, two ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
featurettes, a PiP track (remember those), AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos
and some deleted scenes. here’s also a UV LENGTH: 101 mins.
Digital Copy to redeem with your favorite MPAA RATING: PG
DIRECTOR: Harold Ramis
streaming service. ODavid Vaughn STARRING: Bill Murray, Andie
MacDowell, Chris Elliott
ENTERTAINMENT MOVIES
GEOSTORM
Warner
FINGER IN THE DAMN
Facing their own complete extinction due to extreme
storms that are destroying whole cities, the world inally
comes together, sending 17 teams of scientists and
engineers to create a system, a series of satellites all
controlled by a giant space station that can use an assortment of
devices—super lasers, thermal missiles, freezing beams, etc.—to
stabilize the weather. Naturally, someone’s gonna try to seize control of
Dutchboy, as the system is known, and weaponize it to make himself
president of an all-powerful country that will destroy its enemies and
rule the planet.
Contrast is good, producing bright whites of a frozen village in the
desert, ranges of grays and yellows of halls of power and congressional
committee rooms, and deep blacks of the suits’ suits set of by the rich
colors of the Stars and Stripes. Each environment has its own color
scheme, such as the rich blues, silvers, and whites inside the space
station and greens of the astronauts’ uniforms. he range of tones in
each is wide, making objects distinct and solid. Although focus is
frequently shallow in order to isolate combative characters—such as
the two siblings running the project—from each other and the light-
ing is oten hazy, images still have plentiful detail, particularly in the
spectacular and highly convincing CGI sequences of the activated
weather disasters and those set on the space station. Earth, in compari-
son, is oten lat, airy, and visually dull.
here’s not much use of the surrounds for efects pans or atmo-
spherics, just for the ever-present bombastic and uninspired score.
It’s constantly in use, with a slow, steady beat to try to force a rise in
tension, despite a sagging story or static ill-scenes of politispeech or
pseudo-scientiic babble. his before a tsunami of rumblingly sinister
orchestra and electronica crashes over you
in an undiferentiated wash in the regu-
larly inserted disaster set pieces where
everything rapidly swells. Nonetheless, the
priceless dialogue—“proof of sabotage from
the highest level of government . . . trust no
one”—is all clear and crisp even when up
against the cacophony of music and
thunderous (literally) efects.
Extras consist of 16 minutes of inter-
esting featurettes. One focuses on the ilm’s
BLU-RAY sets, miniatures, and CGI. Another, with
STUDIO: Warner, 2017
director Dean Devlin and the cast, delves
ASPECT RATIO: 2.40:1
AUDIO: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 into the development of the concept of a
LENGTH: 109 mins. story about the wackily logical outcome of
MPAA RATING: PG-13 global warming, and one on the interna-
DIRECTOR: Dean Devlin
tional cast’s experience of working together
STARRING: Gerard Butler, Abbie
Cornish, Ed Harris . . . in space. OJosef Krebs
soundandvision.com 69
ENTERTAINMENT MOVIES

BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES II: THE

INFERNAL BATTLEFIELD THE FOREIGNER
Well Go USA Universal
EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU GRIEF RONIN
FIGHTING
he 2014 wuxia ilm Brotherhood of Blades established he Foreigner, a superior action-thriller from Martin
the story of three members of an elite palace guard unit Campbell, the director of two of the best Bond outings
during the Ming Dynasty who must abandon their bro- ever—Casino Royale and GoldenEye—not only delivers
therhood and apprehend one of their own ater he goes both excitement and dramatic complexity but ofers a
rogue, only to ind themselves caught up in an even larger conspiracy. surprisingly moving performance from its star, Jackie Chan. Presented
he Infernal Battleield continues the story of these best-of-the-best in a Blu-ray of impressive picture and sound quality, it makes for
guardsmen. It brings back much of the cast, but this is a standalone ilm memorable home theater.
that doesn’t require viewing the irst to be understood. When a bomb goes of in London, aging Chinese restauranteur,
Shen Lian (Chang Chen), a captain, inds himself trapped in a con- Quan, loses his last surviving family member, sending him on a quest
spiracy by rebels ighting against the palace, and in order to clear his to identify and punish those involved. Since a youthful IRA splinter
name he must align himself with the elusive—and gorgeous—wanted group, “Authentic IRA,” claims responsibility, he decides that Northern
rebel Bei Zhai (Yang Mi) and her cohorts. Classic elements of the wuxia Ireland Deputy Minister Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan, also displaying
genre combine with story lines that may seem familiar from ilms like his acting chops), an ex-IRA member, will ofer him the lead he seeks.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero to ultimately provide a not Facing resistance, in the form of verbal rebufal and then henchmen,
wholly original yet still compelling ilm illed with fantastic choreogra- ex–Special Forces ighter Quan uses increasingly extreme tactics
phy, splendid wirework, and edge-of-the-seat action sequences. he to persuade Hennessy to deliver the names, bringing into play the
political machinations tend to slow the ilm a bit too much, however considerable destructive skills and tactical knowledge he’d acquired
(we’re not talking Phantom Menace shut-up-and-get-on-with-it levels, in Vietnam.
but still), and the plot also becomes a little too convoluted, but these In the bright, crisp picture, contrast is spot on, with everything
nitpicks aren’t enough to make BoB II unsatisfying. distinct and sharply delineated. Colors are well deined, with a wide
Brotherhood of Blades II was shot in the anamorphic format on Arri range of tones—greens and browns of the many countryside scenes are
XT and Arri XT Plus cameras at 2.6K resolution, and a 2K DI was used nicely variegated—with rich primaries, deep blacks, and bright whites.
in post-processing. he Blu-ray arrives with a beautiful 2.66:1 AVC Skintones are natural throughout. Compositions have depth and are
1080p encodement that's clean and free from banding and noise while detailed from front to back so that each tree in the wood stands out
maintaining a ilmic appearance. It has wonderfully nuanced shadows while individual hairs in Brosnan’s beard and lines around Chan’s eyes
free from crush, which is welcome for a ilm that spends much of its are all visible. Combined with the frequent moody modeled lighting,
time in darkened streets and forests at night. igures and faces have sculptural volume.
Brotherhood of Blades II gets a competent Mandarin DTS:X mix he thrilling electronica score—the best I’ve heard in a long time—
(compatible with DTS-HD Master Audio is extremely well served here. Using all
7.1). An English dub in DTS-HD Master 7.1 channels to immerse you, the music
Audio 5.1 is also included. While the completely comes forward into the room,
dynamic range for the DTS:X mix sounds giving great depth of sound, pulsing behind
a bit narrow even as the low end is oddly you in the surrounds and rears, at times
overblown, the overheads are put to good seemingly inside your head, and dispers-
use with frequent rainstorms—apparently, ing all around, well separated into each
weather during the Ming Dynasty was channel. Voices, held up front, are clear, full,
prone to downpours—and lots of atmos- and vibrant. Explosions—not just bassily
phere for the score. Foley efects are well booming but having a higher-range snap
placed throughout the soundield as well. that lends an authentic quality—start at
his is a typically bare-bones release BLU-RAY BLU-RAY the source on screen before rushing
from Well Go USA that comes to Blu-ray STUDIO: Well Go USA, 2017 STUDIO: Universal, 2017 forward to envelop you.
ASPECT RATIO: 2.66:1 ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
with only a nigh-ive-minute behind-the- AUDIO FORMAT: DTS:X / DTS-HD AUDIO: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Unworthy extras consist of two fea-
scenes featurette composed of interviews, Master Audio 7.1 core LENGTH: 114 mins. turettes (amounting to only ten minutes).
some B-footage, and the original theatrical LENGTH: 121 mins. MPAA RATING: R his is a letdown of an otherwise excellent
trailer. A standard-deinition DVD is also MPAA RATING: NR DIRECTOR: Martin Campbell presentation of an involving ilm.
DIRECTOR: Yang Lu STARRING: Jackie Chan, Pierce
included. OBrandon A. DuHamel STARRING: Chen Chang, Mi Yang, Brosnan, Rufus Jones
OJosef Krebs
Yi Zhang

soundandvision.com
70 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
 ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

KICK – 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

INXS
can better
hear how
Hutchence
selectively tempers his
deliberate beat-for-beat three-syllable
enunciation of the key title word of the refrain of “New Sensation”—
“sen-say-shun”—ever-so-slightly diferently with each pass, while his
best work is found in the pleading inlectional shits from verse to
verse in “Never Tear Us Apart” (as well as his layered chorus response
lines in the rear channels) and the warped, warbling free-low
rhymes of “Mediate.”
he band’s intuitive instrumental prowess is also well highlighted.
Tim Farriss’ sharp lead guitar rifs on “Need You Tonight” come at
you in diagonal call-and-response stabs, initiating their parrying in
the front right and following with assertive return thrusting in the
rear let. Kirk Pengilly’s closing sax solo on “Mediate” is detly
Courtesy of Atlantic Records

centered but not mix-dominant. Garry

Gary Beers’ sub-channel-loving low-
end bass complements the vocal
plunges of “Devil Inside” and
supplements Jon Farriss’ sharp,
ping-ponged front-to-back percus-
sion, while brother Tim’s chiming
INXS were riding high as the calendar got deeper and deeper into guitar leads envelop the proceedings just
1987. he alt-rocking Australian sextet had truly come into their own right. Even the opening rear-channel
following the wider international penetration of 1985’s Listen Like shakers on “Guns in the Sky” are the very
hieves. hey were also burgeoning MTV darlings, mainly thanks to deinition of the word crisp—and that’s
the magnetic presence of poster-boy frontman Michael Hutchence. the crux of the sound of Kick right there.
hat said, the band had enough musical acumen to override their Martin and Okell’s Atmos mix is akin to
video-centric image, best exempliied by the churning, layered groove pumping fresh air into a room, clearing
of hieves’ big hit, “What You Need,” itself born of the interlocked away any residual muddle to reveal just how clear and vibrant
songwriting axis of lyricist/vocalist Hutchence and keyboardist/guitarist everything has always been at the album’s core.
Andrew Farriss. Given how wholly crystal-clear and immersive this new Kick mix is,
he band’s October 1987 efort, Kick, sealed the aural deal, ultimately I would absolutely love to hear Martin and Okell tackle other key INXS
going six-times platinum and serving up four Top 10 hits on the U.S. tracks in this fashion, such as the rif-driven seductive chugfest “he
charts. And now, Kick is being properly feted in a four-disc 30th One hing” from 1982’s Shabooh Shoobah, the somewhat funkiied
anniversary box set. In addition to the remastered main album on “Original Sin” and “I Send a Message” tandem from 1984’s Nick
Disc 1, Discs 2 and 3 ofer 27 fascinating demos, alternate mixes, and Launay/Nile Rodgers–produced he Swing, the aforementioned “What
B-sides. But the true kicker of Kick is clearly Disc 4, a Blu-ray with a You Need” and title track from 1985’s Kick
Dolby Atmos mix of the album (and eight iconic promo videos) as CD & BLU-RAY
template precursor, Listen Like hieves, the
shepherded by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. You can also experience it LABEL: Petrol/Atlantic/Rhino ever-skittery “Suicide Blonde” from 1990’s
via Dolby TrueHD 7.1, which I did at home (though I did get the full AUDIO FORMATS: 44.1-kHz/16-bit X, and the touching ballad “Not Enough
Atmos treatment at a separate locale’s listening session). PCM Stereo (CD), 44.1-kHz/24- Time” from 1992’s Welcome to Wherever
bit PCM Stereo (download),
We’ll explore Kick’s impact in the Atmos stratosphere in a moment. 96-kHz/24-bit Dolby Atmos
You Are. Come to think of it, M&O could
But irst, it should be noted the linchpin for Kick’s super sonic results (Blu-ray) do a full-on surround update of 2002’s he
was producer Chris homas, who cut his teeth helming a number of NUMBER OF TRACKS: 59 (39 on 3 Best of INXS to cover all the bases.
key tracks on he Beatles’ 1968 magnum one-for-all opus, he White CDs, 20 on 1 Blu-ray) Incidentally, I asked Martin about the
LENGTH: 3:53:37 (2:46:16 on 3
Album—albeit without a listed credit at the time, but nonetheless CDs, 1:07:21 on 1 Blu-ray)
possibility when I saw him in the Hi Res
undertaken with producer George Martin’s full blessing. homas PRODUCERS: Chris Thomas Audio Pavilion at CES 2018, and ater
further honed his crat behind the board for the likes of Badinger, Sex (original album and bonus his initial, silent Cheshire grin, he said,
Pistols, and Human League, a production potpourri that actually best material); Bob Clearmountain “Wouldn’t that be great fun?” (Perfect
(original album mix); Tim Farriss,
readied him to be the prime choice to harness the late-’80s intersection Andrew Farriss, Kirk Pengilly
moments, impossible to refuse. . .)
between INXS’s pop chops and their underlying punk spunk. (bonus material); Giles Martin, Sometimes you kick, sometimes you get
With homas’ levelheaded production as their stencil, Martin and Sam Okell (Dolby Atmos mix); kicked. But when it comes to the Dolby
Okell opened up Kick in ways I’ve never heard before—and, frankly, Chris Jenkins (near-field mix); CM Atmos mix of Kick, your ears are the
Murphy (box set)
did not expect. Perhaps due to his overall glamorous image and ENGINEERS: David Nicholas
ultimate winners of receiving the brunt
tragic passing in 1997, Hutchence gets overlooked as a singer, but his (original album); Don Bartley of the album’s elegiac full-channel boot—
intriguing vocal choices are oten front and center here, and/or rightly (original album mastering); every single one of us, the audiophile inside.
spread all around you as necessary. With Atmos’ inherent clarity, you Giovanni Scatola, Alex Gordon OMike Meler
(bonus material mastering); Nick
Launay, Julian Mendelsohn, Ben
Liebrand (bonus material)
soundandvision.com
72 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com
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PREMIERE
DESIGN

All Aboard

James
Loudspeaker
Steampunk Speaker James Loudspeaker • (707) 265-6343 • jamesloudspeaker.com

James Loudspeaker sells just about that conjured the age of steam power. he homeowner was so com-
any kind of speaker you could want— mitted to the Wild West theme that part of the house was designed
or imagine. You can choose among its to mimic a mineshat!
dozens of high-performance models CDI asked James to create a tower-style speaker with subwoofers built
and buy “of the shelf ” or have a into the base to conserve loor space but let the rest up to the designers’
particular model customized with imagination. A pair of these speakers would be the centerpiece of the
a special inish or feature. Or, you home’s streampunk-themed media room as well as anchor a discreet
can get creative and dream up your 7.2-channel sound system, so it was imperative that they sound as
own speaker design. he Califor- good as they look. he design team went through several render-
nia-based company prides itself ings before settling on the fantastical design shown here, which
on its ability to meet the unique combines a pair of 10-inch woofers in the speaker’s base with a
needs of its customers, whether that driver coniguration borrowed from James’ QX530 in-wall
means solving an installation prob- speaker: two 5.25-inch midrange drivers and four 0.75-inch
lem or creating something special… aluminum-dome tweeters, each angled at 22.5 degrees and
and personal. James built more than arranged in a unique “quad array” to achieve wide dispersion.
300 custom products in 2017 alone, Everything was assembled by hand and meticulously
but the Steampunk Speaker is per- appointed with pressure gauges, control valves, interlocking
haps its most interesting—and gears, brass accents, and copper tubing. he cabinets are in-
unusual—project. ished with beautiful walnut veneers, leather, and brass hard-
When Denver-based tech inte- ware, including those wonderful wire-mesh grilles fashioned
grator CDI Services called looking to look like stream grates. As a inal dramatic touch, ive
to commission a set of speakers (non-working) vacuum tubes were mounted in the middle
with a “steampunk design,” CEO of the structure.
Mark Schale admits to not having When all was said and done, the tab for James’ intricate
a clue what that meant. Digging handiwork was $20,000 for two speakers. I like to think that
deeper, Schale and his design team the location of James Loudspeakers—California’s legendary
learned that CDI’s client was building a home Napa Valley—contributed in more ways than one to the
outside of Denver and wanted to pay homage to the area’s inspiration needed to come up with this most uncommon
mining history with design elements that would evoke the Gold speaker. If you’re contemplating a custom speaker, be sure
Rush era of the mid-19th century. Copper, wood, galvanized steel, to check out the Custom Page at jamesloudspeaker.com for
and leather inishes were used throughout the home along with props an overview of their extraordinary work.—Bob Ankosko

Sound & Vision (ISSN 1537-5838) (USPS 504-850) June 2018, Vol. 83, No. 5. COPYRIGHT 2018 BY AVTech Media Americas Inc. All rights reserved. Published 6 times a year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/
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74 JUNE 2018 soundandvision.com

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