Tag: amp

Sound & Vision: France is making progress with 4K but what about the UK?

OPINION: One of the things that most annoys me about the current state of play surrounding 4K is that it’s not nearly as prominent as it should be. It’s been nearly ten years since the first 4K TVs rolled off the assembly line into people’s homes, and content is abundant in 4K. Shame it doesn’t…

August 20, 2024
Sound & Vision: Can Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform usher in a new dawn for headphones?

OPINION: Qualcomm caused a bit of a stir at its annual Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, announcing several new bits of tech that could have a big impact on the future of headphones. What’s got everyone so excited is the mention of headphones in the same breadth as Wi-Fi. While Bluetooth has been a very convenient…

July 18, 2024
Sound & Vision: Brightness is very important for HDR TVs

OPINION: Recently, I’ve been testing two TVs that couldn’t be more different from each other. On the one side, a 43-inch Metz Roku smart TV, and on the other a 77-inch LG OLED. As you can see just from the sizes of the screens, there’s a gulf; but there’s also a predictable gulf in terms…

June 21, 2024
Astell & Kern's Kann Ultra player is its most powerful yet

Not content with knocking out impressive portable music players, Astell & Kern has announced the launch of another in the Kann Ultra, it’s most powerful effort to date. The Kann Ultra is the first within the Kann series of players to feature Octa-core processors, a step up from the Quad-core processors available in the previous…

June 15, 2024
Sound & Vision: Sony's PS5 Slim shows there's still life in physical media

OPINION: Unlike my esteemed colleague and his opinion about the new PS5 Slim, I’m not at all certain that this new design heralds the end of game discs. In fact, if anything, it seems to suggest that there is plenty of life left in the old shiny disc. The fact that there are two options,…

June 4, 2024
Sound & Vision: Are Bose's new headphones a smart move or just playing catch-up?

OPINION: Bose’s latest range of headphones have been rumoured and leaked over the last several months, but now they’re a reality with a new series of QuietComfort headphones. The launch does feel somewhat odd, though. I’ve been expecting a follow-up to the Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700 (NCH700 for short) since they went on sale in 2019…

May 12, 2024
Sound & Vision: The most important headphone feature is not what you think

OPINION: Another week, another launch; this time it was Philips’ bi-annual look at products on their way in the next few months, with the focus being on its OLED+908 and its new Fidelio L4 and T2 headphones. I got up close (if not necessarily personal) with each product, and the headphones were a particular area…

April 23, 2024
How to delete iMessage apps on iPhone & iPad

iMessage apps were supposed to be the next big thing for Apple’s iMessage platform, allowing users to play games, share songs and more with other iMessage users from within the Messages app. However, uptake hasn’t been as widespread as Apple would’ve liked. When was the last time you used an iMessage app? Were you even…

March 27, 2024
Sound & Vision: I think we've hit the apex of true wireless performance

OPINION: As you’ve probably gleaned by now, the Sony WF-1000XM5 true wireless earbuds are out, and on the whole, they’ve gleaned positive notices from reviewers. In my review I gave the WF-1000XM5 five stars – though I did point out that these new earphones were more evolution than revolution. It is fascinating to see how…

March 18, 2024
What to expect from Samsung in 2024: Flagships, foldables & more

Samsung has had a strong 2023 with phenomenal tech including the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 6 – but there’s much more to come in 2024. With 2023 now largely in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward at what to expect from…

December 26, 2023