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What's New

Table Talk: How To Set Up a Turntable

A step-by-step guide to increased vinyl enjoyment
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted September 19, 2012
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, thousands are taking part in an almost-forgotten rite. It melds advanced technology, knowledge handed down through the decades, and a little dose of black magic. As most rituals do, it appalls many nonbelievers, but that fact only makes its practitioners relish it more.

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Speaker Angle: Thanks to Genelec, There's an App for That

It’s time to set your speakers straight. Get out your smartphone.
- By Leslie Shapiro
- Posted September 5, 2012
How often has this happened to you? You walk into a friend’s house and notice — yikes! — their loudspeakers are poorly aligned. Maybe they're pointing straight ahead, maybe they're toed way in, or maybe they're just pointing off in random directions. Whatever the problem, you'll note the missing sweet spot. But what can you do about it, without your gear? Well, there's an app for that.

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Don't Take My Word for It...Take Theirs: The Best A/V Books and Courses

A deep dive into of all things audio and video
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted July 20, 2012
- 1
Something's in the air — it must be time for some summer reading. Earlier this week we told you about the new edition of the Rotel Ultimate Guide to High Performance Home Theater. And a reader recently asked me what books he should read to learn more about audio and video. I am unabashedly stealing this idea for an article.
After all, we all learned this stuff somewhere.
From entry level to advanced, here’s a list of many things for the book learnin’.

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Review: Datacolor Spyder 4TV HD

DIY calibration for those who might not trust their eyes.
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted May 7, 2012
Somewhere between a simple setup disc and a full professional calibration is the Spyder from Datacolor.
Consisting of a small colorimeter you attach to your TV, some software, and a Blu-ray (or DVD) with test patterns, the package claims to let you “calibrate” (their word) your own TV.

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Why I Hate Sharing My Picture Settings

No, I won’t show you mine, and I don’t want to see yours.
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted May 4, 2012
- 2
One of the most common requests I get by email, and in comments on reviews, is to share what picture settings I’ve used to achieve the best image.
To put it bluntly: no. This isn’t because my settings are some big secret, it’s because I honestly believe sharing them is a bad idea, and I’d be doing more harm than good.
And once I list the reasons why, you may even agree with me.

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The Schroeder Frequency: A Show and Tell, Part 1

A key aspect of sound that too many enthusiasts and manufacturers ignore
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted March 5, 2012
You have at least two listening rooms. Even if you live in a studio apartment, you have at least two listening rooms. Well, in a sense. Every listening room is, in essence, two listening rooms when you look at it from the perspective of sound.

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Basic Measurement for Better Bass

Enlisting computer-based tools to fight bad bass
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted November 7, 2011
- 4
In order to get the transition between your subwoofer and your main speakers close to perfect, you need measurement gear. Measurement makes your sub setup faster and more accurate. Instead of listening to bass lines to gauge the evenness of your bass response, you just run a quick measurement and get a precise result.

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Bass Management Boot Camp

Easier than doing a push-up: getting a perfect blend between your subwoofer and your main speakers.
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted November 7, 2011
- 3
Like marching and making your bunk, bass management looks easy. But sometimes there’s a huge difference between doing seemingly straightforward tasks, and doing them right.

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