Page 8 - 2022-08-01 Sound & Vision

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Customer
Service and Shifting Gears
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soundandvision@email-
customerservice.com AS WE WERE gearing up to produce this issue, my long-time colleague Al Griffin announced he was leaving Sound & Vision to
pursue a new opportunity and asked if I would consider taking up the reins. I was honored and, a er some discussion with the
Call (800) 666-3746
or write to: management team at AVTech Media, agreed to serve as interim editor for this issue. This is my second time around as editor of
S&V, the magazine I helped launch 23 years ago and have been affiliated with as editor at large for the past decade.
Sound & Vision,
P.O. Box 420235, Shepherding this issue through the production cycle brought back fond memories of working with the magazine’s original
Palm Coast, FL staff and contributors, many of whom still write for us. Ken Pohlmann and Dan Kumin have been with S&V from Day 1 and were
32142-0235 regular contributors to our predecessor, Stereo Review, and John Sciacca has been in the mix for 20 years. This elite list also
Please include your includes our current music editor Mike Me ler and contributing technical editor Rob Sabin—each of whom have served in
full name, address, various capacities over the years, including editor-in-chief—and, of course, Al Griffin, who was one of the magazine’s first
and phone number senior editors and played a key role in se ing up our original TV testing facility.
on any inquiries.
Over the past four years, Al has done an outstanding job as editor of Sound & Vision and will be missed by readers and S&V
staffers alike. I wish him all the best as he starts a new chapter in his career and have no doubt that he will thrive in his new role.
I wish I could take credit for the stellar lineup in this issue but, truth be told, Al had already mapped out most of the content
before he handed over the keys, including his review of a motorized projection screen from Elite that rises up from an unas-
suming case that sits on the floor and then disappears when it’s not in use. If you like the idea of a 100-inch screen you can
summon on command, turn to page 40. And for anyone who’s looking to upgrade to a new TV or video projector, we have
in-depth reports on two options. The first is LG’s G2 evo/Gallery Edition 4K OLED TV (page 36), which garnered a 5-star
performance rating for reaching new heights in brightness and delivering an overall outstanding picture. The second is
Epson’s new laser-based LS12000 projector (page 28), which offers admirable near-4K performance for $5,000.
On the audio side, we’re proud to present a mix of gear that includes a budget turntable from accessory-maker-turned-
A/V-powerhouse Monoprice at one end of the spectrum (page 54) and Trinnov’s 16-channel beast of an amplifier on the
other (page 62). If 16 channels of bridgeable class-D power is more than you need, don’t miss Dan Kumin’s review of the
outstanding A35.8 eight-channel amplifier from Sweden’s Primare on page 32. Within these pages you’ll also find our usual
detailed reports on products from three classic brands: an all-in-one Atmos-enabled soundbar from Bowers & Wilkins (page
44), a super high-end A/V receiver from JBL Synthesis (page 58), and an intriguing streaming amplifier from Marantz (page
50). I hope you enjoy the issue. It's been fun pulling it together.—BOB ANKOSKO

MOVIES AND MUSIC APLENTY

What’s the point of owning great gear if you don’t have great
content? There is none, of course, which is why I call to your
attention Mike Mettler’s revealing behind-the-scenes look at
how Steven Wilson and his bandmates used Dolby Atmos to
create a 360-degree soundscape for Porcupine Tree’s new
album, Closure / Continuation (page 24). Mike also delves into
two iconic albums from the early 1970s—Elton John’s Madman
Across the Water (page 72) and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid
(page 74)—world’s apart but each brilliant in its own way.
Not to be outdone, movies editor Chris Chiarella has
come up with a wonderfully eclectic mix of reviews that
runs the gamut from the new Ultra HD Blu-ray releases
The Batman and The Northman to a series of memorable
classics, including the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western
A Fistful of Dollars and 1971’s Shaft, featuring the soulful
Isaac Hayes-backed soundtrack. The Entertainment
section begins on page 66.—B.A.

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8 August September 2022 soundandvision.com