Expertise

Contrast ratio vs black level
Tied together, but not the same importance.
The Connected Car: 2013 Edition
New in-dash receivers play nice with smartphones. Plus: Sync and MyLink app updates.
The "mad scientist" of Sony audio
The engineer who guides development of Sony audio electronics—right down to the choice of solder

What's New

Shopping Made Simple: Digital Recorders

Looking to record your favorite music and videos? Get ready to go digital
- By Michael Riggs
- Posted October 17, 2001
Despite all the huffing and puffing over copy protection, making your own audio and video recordings is easier than ever. And for audio in particular, recording quality is also better than ever. The tough part is sorting through all the alternatives - a task we'll strive to simplify here.

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Burning Choices

Should you go with a computer burner or a stand-alone deck when making your own CDs?
- By Rich Warren
- Posted October 3, 2001
I'm burning with desire. I'm burning Perlman and Pearl Jam, Miles, Little Feat, Nine-Inch Nails, and Collins - both Judy and Phil. I'm also burning with TDK, Harman Kardon, Roxio, Sound Forge, and Nero.

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The Setup

How to get the most out of your Satellite-TV system
- By Frank Doris
- Posted September 6, 2001
More and more people are mak ing the switch from cable to satellite TV, and why not? A satellite system can deliver hundreds of TV and music channels digitally with amazingly clear picture and sound quality. And depending on your system and programming package, you can get Dolby Digital surround sound, HDTV movies, blazingly fast Internet access, and more.

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Home Theater: Digits Triumphant
- By David Ranada
- Posted August 6, 2001
The annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) doesn't often generate a notable quote. Then again, last April's conclave in Las Vegas was the occasion for a notable event - the surprise appearance of the legendarily reclusive filmmaker George Lucas at a Sony press conference.

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Bose Wave/PC Interactive Music System

CD to MP3 to ABC
- By Michael Antonoff
- Posted August 6, 2001
When Dr. Amar Bose visited the magazine where I worked in the early 1990s, he teased staffers by hiding under a cloth the source of the luxurious-sounding music filling the room. Moments later he revealed that it was actually emanating from an unassuming clock radio. Since then, the Bose Wave radio has landed on countless tabletops and nightstands.

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Behind The Numbers

How to read our lab tests for DVD players
- By David Ranada
- Posted August 6, 2001
Some readers shy away from the "in the lab" boxes in our test reports, probably because it's hard to judge what represents desirable performance if you don't have a lot of experience with the kinds of figures we publish.

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Sony SCD-CE775 SACD Changer
- By Ken C. Pohlmann
- Posted July 26, 2001
When I reviewed the first Super Audio CD (SACD) player, Sony's ultra-expensive SCD-1, in these pages almost two years ago, I envisioned the format as designed for audiophile "purists" who turned up their noses at CD and even (for reasons still very debatable) DVD playback.

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15 Minutes with Chris Martin of Coldplay
- By Mike Mettler
- Posted July 19, 2001
It's always nice when the good ones cut through the dross. Case in point: the admirable ascension of London's Coldplay, which has built an appreciative following with its Gold-selling debut album, Parachutes (Nettwerk/Capitol). This disc has all the makings of a future classic as its songs swing from light balladry to intense jamming in the turn of a friendly chord.

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Super Audio CD Goes Surround

SACD goes from two to six channels — and head to head with DVD-Audio.
- By Michael Gaughn
- Posted July 16, 2001
Perfect sound forever. Well, some people will tell you that the compact disc doesn't offer either. Diehard audiophiles complained from the day the CD was first introduced that it sounded cold, metallic, and sterile compared with the LP. And the discs can deteriorate over time, if ever so slowly.

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All Systems Are Go!

Our expert recommends home theater systems for people in three radically different situations.
- By The Gear Guy
- Posted July 12, 2001
Do I get letters? You bet I do! Everyone has a question for the Gear Guy. I get letters from people who want to buy high-definition TVs, minisystems, exotic speakers - you name it. I also get lots of eviction notices, subpoenas, and an occasional letter bomb. But that's another story.

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The Rock Market is Booming

There's no downturn in new music at SXSW 2001. On the contrary: turn it up!
- By Ken Richardson
- Posted July 11, 2001
It seems like yesterday that the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival began as a local gathering in Austin, Texas. But it's actually been 15 years - and today, what is simply known as SXSW has morphed into the American music industry's largest event.

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Hot Topics - Summertime Cool

10 high-tech portables let the good times roll
- By Jeffrey Spaulding
- Posted July 10, 2001
Cool began with jazz - be-bop in particular, which still is cool. In the '60s, it meant stuff like bell-bottoms - which aren't cool anymore, unless a girl's wearing them. A guy wearing them as a joke could be cool, I guess, but the lines are kind of fuzzy there. Afros definitely aren't cool anymore, at least not on white guys - or at least not at the moment.

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