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1 week ago | 
stereophile.com | Harman Kardon |Mark Levinson |Mark Henninger
Masimo Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Masimo Consumer Audio division, which is made up of the former Sound United hi-fi brands, to Harman International, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, for $350 million in cash. Pending regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025.
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1 week ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
Performance Features Ergonomics Value PRICE $749 (Hadenys, open-back); $599(Azurys, closed-back) AT A GLANCE Plus Shared aluminum/magnesium “M-shaped” driver keeps voicing consistent Comfortable, lightweight build with replaceable cables and pads Hadenys delivers a wide, open stage; Azurys isolates well without obvious colorations Both offer deeper-than-expected bass extension for single-ended dynamic designs Minus Azurys’ cups can warm up during long sessions Asking price edges above most...
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2 weeks ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
Performance Features Ergonomics Value PRICE $1,999.99 AT A GLANCE Plus • Glasses-free 3D technology delivers a surprisingly comfortable viewing experience • Excellent 2D performance with a high refresh rate and snappy response time • Effective eye tracking maintains a stable 3D effect • Versatile performance across games, VR-style content, and productivity tasks • Polished Samsung build quality and design Minus • Noticeable resolution drop in 3D mode • Brief delay for eye tracking to lock...
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2 weeks ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
AV Excellence: Our Curated Top Picks for 2025Mark Henninger | Apr 24, 2025 | First Published: Mar 28, 2025 Year after year, these sources typically arrive at a consensus—though the concept of labeling a single product as "best" remains inherently subjective. After all, what might be "best" for one person's budget and preferences may not align perfectly with another's needs. Some products stand out for their top performance, but they usually have high prices.
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3 weeks ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
Movie-server specialist Kaleidescape has signed on as the newest member of the 8K Association (8KA), a trade group that promotes standards and best practices for ultra-high-definition video. The move places the California-based company alongside display makers, chipset suppliers, and content providers working to accelerate an 8K ecosystem.
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3 weeks ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has announced the Px7 S3, a third-generation over-ear model that the company positions as its “most advanced and capable” wireless headphone to date. The new design replaces 2023’s Px7 S2e and brings several firsts to the line, including a discrete on-board headphone amplifier, an upgraded eight-microphone active-noise-cancellation (ANC) system, and upcoming support for both spatial-audio processing and Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast broadcast mode.
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3 weeks ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
It's the last day of AXPONA 2025. Late on Sunday afternoon, somewhere between exhaustion and curiosity, I was camped on the Renaissance Convention Center carpet when a father‑and‑daughter team approached. Tom Adamczyk and his daughter Monika weren’t exhibiting; but they were sponsors. They urged me to leave the show and audition a “world‑class” private cinema they’d built under their design/build outfit, VIP Home Theaters. Their pitch: We don’t just design the room—we build the speakers, too.
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3 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Mark Henninger
At AXPONA 2025’s Ear Gear Experience, Manley Labs president EveAnna Manley unveiled a long-rumored project: the company’s Precision Line and Phono Stage. Designed to marry tube tradition with modern functionality, the unit houses 10 triodes powered by Manley’s proprietary switch-mode supply. Behind its sculpted faceplate are six inputs, each assignable for line-level or RIAA-equalized signals, offering up to 75dB of gain.
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3 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Mark Henninger
Do-It-All, Done Right? Arcam’s SA45 Makes the Case Arcam’s $4999 SA45 aims to prove that “do-it-all” and “high-end” can coexist. For the first time at a show, Jim Garrett, a senior director of product strategy & planning at Harman International, gave a live demo of the British brand’s SA45 streaming integrated amplifier. The SA45 sports a minimalist aluminum chassis and a nearly nine-inch color display.
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1 month ago | 
soundandvision.com | Mark Henninger
Free, ad-supported television (FAST) services began to take root in the early-to-mid 2010s, when a handful of pioneering platforms set out to recreate the linear TV experience in a streaming environment. Pluto TV was one of the first to offer curated, round-the-clock channels, initially focusing on reruns and older content but quickly finding an audience that appreciated the familiarity of a “live” feed. Around the same time, Tubi and Xumo also launched, using the same free, ad-based model.
