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"Art+Tech"
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Latest

Music Everywhere: Grace Digital CastDock X2 Wi-Fi Speaker

Details
Music Everywhere

September 2016

Thanks largely to Google’s Cast system, Wi-Fi speakers are rapidly replacing Bluetooth models. Wi-Fi units use your wireless network to transmit sound, and since they’re not subject to the data-transfer limitations of Bluetooth transmission, they have the capability to provide better performance. The Grace Digital CastDock X2 is rated to handle music files up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution.

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Sennheiser HD 630VB Headphones

Details
Feature Reviews

Sennheiser HD 630VB headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

September 2016

There can be no doubt that Sennheiser is one of, if not the, best-known headphone brands. The company offers models for every conceivable application, ranging in price from under $20 to the flagship HD 800S ($1699.95 USD). Sennheiser is also one of the few brands that is both familiar to the mass market and respected by audio engineers and audiophiles the world over.

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Metalwood: "Twenty"

Details
CD music

September 2016

Cellar Live 020116
Format: CD

Musical Performance
****

Sound Quality
*****

Overall Enjoyment
****

By definition, improvised music lives in the moment, and jazz, the musical genre most closely associated with improvisation, is an art form obsessed with constant innovation. It is unusual for jazz to look backward, but two nostalgic trends -- both related to trumpeter Miles Davis -- broke with tradition and were surprisingly long-lived.

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Optoma NuForce HEM8 Earphones

Details
Feature Reviews

Optoma NuForce HEM8 earphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

August 2016

How many drivers do earphones really need? I’ve heard models with as many as eight per ear. I’ve also heard excellent earphones that have just one driver per ear. With their HEM earphone models, Optoma NuForce lets you decide. You can get the single-driver HEM2s ($119 USD), the two-driver HEM4s ($299), the three-driver HEM6s ($399), or the four-driver HEM8s ($499). All share the same enclosure shape and features. When NuForce asked which I wanted to review, I opted for the top-of-the-line HEM8s.

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"Here Comes Mr. Jordan"

Details
Blu-ray movies

August 2016

James Gleason Scores Lots of Laughs in One of His Bigger Roles

The Criterion Collection 819
Format: Blu-ray

Overall Enjoyment
***1/2

Picture Quality
****

Sound Quality
***

Extras
***1/2

It’s likely that Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), the first film based on Harry Segall’s 1938 play Heaven Can Wait, is probably less well known to contemporary audiences than Warren Beatty’s 1978 remake, which reverted to the play’s title. Then there’s film director Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait (1943), which was based on an entirely different play by Leslie Bush-Fekete and was the reason the 1941 film bore a different title.

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Why Most Audio Products Don't Deserve Glowing Reviews

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Pulse!

August 2016

Recently, while working on an article that sought to pick the best of a bunch of wireless speakers, I was struck by a question put to one of the article’s writers by a manufacturer’s PR rep: “Why wasn’t our speaker chosen?”

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Music Everywhere: Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT Bluetooth Headphones

Details
Music Everywhere

August 2016

Lately, it seems, I’ve reviewed nothing but over-ear headphones, which have become lightweight enough to be serious contenders in the portable-headphone market. Still, on-ear cans have some features that appeal more to people on the go; because they block out fewer external sounds, they let you have birds with your Bach -- and they’re safer to wear when you’re out and about. Wearing over-ear ’phones, you can get so wrapped up in the music that you can’t hear that quiet car approaching from the rear. On-ear models can also be cooler and more comfortable to wear over long periods.

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Arcam MusicBoost DAC-Headphone Amp and Case for Apple iPhone 6/6s

Details
Feature Reviews

August 2016

As anyone who has recently visited an Apple Store can tell you, iPhone protection is big business -- a high-quality phone case can easily cost $50 to $70. Another big iPhone-related business is headphones -- something that an iPhone owner checking out the Bose, Beats, or B&W options at that same Apple store can readily confirm. The argument in favor of a good case is easy to make -- fixing a broken iPhone can be startlingly expensive (yet another iPhone-related business). But what good, ultimately, are pricey headphones if the sound delivered by your iPhone’s headphone output is, at best, mediocre?

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Nels Cline: "Lovers"

Details
CD music

August 2016

Blue Note Records 002505102
Format: CD

Musical Performance
****

Sound Quality
*****

Overall Enjoyment
****

How you know guitarist Nels Cline might vary. You might know him as the leader of the archly named Nels Cline Singers -- a trio that includes no vocalists -- from his sonically expressive improvisational collaborations with a wide range of artists from Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore to action painter Norton Wisdom, or as a member of the rock band Wilco. In almost every setting, he is a disruptor: slashing shards of noise across a pleasant tonal environment here, cranking the volume there. Inspired by sources as diverse as Jimi Hendrix and Andrew Hill, Cline has extraordinarily open ears and a deep set of technical skills.

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KEF Egg Powered Loudspeakers

Details
Feature Reviews

July 2016

The speaker designed for desktop use is a category that seems to be in flux. A few companies specialize in desktop designs -- Audioengine comes to mind -- but most mainstream speaker makers have either missed the boat or taken a pass on the opportunity to make a statement in this category.

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"In a Lonely Place"

Details
Blu-ray movies

July 2016

Psychotic and Vulnerable: Bogart in One of His Greatest Roles

The Criterion Collection 810
Format: Blu-ray

Overall Enjoyment
****

Picture Quality
****

Sound Quality
***

Extras
***

In a Lonely Place (1950) contains one of film noir’s most often quoted speeches: “I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.”

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What the USB-C Revolution Will Mean for Headphones

Details
Pulse!

July 2016

I’ve recently witnessed a lot of handwringing about Apple’s purported plan to eliminate the 3.5mm analog headphone output jack on its smartphones and tablets. Recently, I asked an Apple employee about it. “There have been a lot of rumors to that effect, from some very reliable sources,” he said, a big smirk on his face. What hasn’t been discussed much, though, is the possibility that Android devices might also soon eliminate the 3.5mm jack -- and how that might affect the sound quality of portable audio devices.

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Music Everywhere: Acoustic Research AR-M2 Portable Music Player

Details
Music Everywhere

July 2016

Reviewers' ChoiceI hadn’t heard much about Acoustic Research in a long time, though the name was very familiar. When I was in college, every other student who was on a budget but appreciated great sound had Acoustic Research AR-3 bookshelf speakers. These used an acoustic-suspension design that produced amazing amounts of bass from a small box. Then AR produced an affordable ($78!), high-quality turntable, the AR-1 -- a belt-driven design that greatly reduced acoustic feedback. Since then, AR speakers and turntables have only appreciated in value, as collectors continue to seek them out.

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AKG N60 NC Headphones

Details
Feature Reviews

AKG N60 NC headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

July 2016

Reviewers' ChoiceWhen it comes to noise-canceling headphones -- which are designed specifically for travel -- audio reviewers focus almost entirely on their sound quality and on the efficacy of their noise canceling; they rarely consider portability. My guess is that most of these reviewers don’t travel much, and don’t consider how much of a drag it is to have to lug a huge headphone case along. I do travel a lot by air, and I also spend a lot of time on public transit. That’s why the AKG N60 NC’s predecessor, the very similar K 490 NC, has been my favorite noise-canceling headphone since it was introduced, in 2012.

Read more …

  1. Paul Simon: "Stranger to Stranger"
  2. Bluesound Node 2 Streaming Tuner, Pulse Mini Streaming Loudspeaker, and Vault 2 Streaming CD Ripper and Storage Device
  3. "Only Angels Have Wings"
  4. The Future of Headphone Listening
  5. Music Everywhere: Sennheiser Momentum Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
  6. Focal Sphear Earphones
  7. Sonos: I'm a Convert
  8. The Allman Brothers Band: "Live from A&R Studios, New York, August 26, 1971"
  9. Bluesound Pulse Flex Bluetooth Speaker
  10. "Bicycle Thieves"
  11. A Cheap Wireless Speaker Shows the Future of Audio
  12. Music Everywhere: Philips Shoqbox BT2200 Mini Bluetooth Speaker
  13. Audioengine HD6 Powered Loudspeakers
  14. Pat Metheny: "The Unity Sessions"
  15. Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD DAC-Headphone Amplifier

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