Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 Portable Audio Player Review
by Simon Lucas
There's no doubting the build and specification of Astell & Kern's flagship A&ultima SP3000 DAP - the South Korean specialist has gone to town, come back, and then gone even further back into town - but can it justify the asking price?
Brandon Cronenberg's third feature lands with justified fanfare, pushing boundaries, and blending horror and dark sci-fi themes like only a Cronenberg would.
The sub-£300 soundbar market is a crowded one. Each manufacturer has its own take on how best to get your TV to sound fab. And there are some respectable solutions out there. Is Yamaha ready to join the fight?
The Alpha iQ powered loudspeaker pair represent PSB's first foray into the world of wireless streaming speakers. It's a crowded market but with 50 years of experience under its belt has the company managed to hit the ground running?
Batman's latest imaginative animated outing adapts the 1920s-esque DC Elseworlds comic by Mike "Hellboy" Mignola for some H.P. Lovecraft-inspired gothic mutant madness.
Samsung confirms UK pricing as it launches 2023 TV line-up
by Ian Collen
Samsung might have left it until launch day, but it has finally confirmed the UK pricing for the majority of its core 2023 line-up, with its QD-OLED and Neo QLED TVs now available in the UK and Ireland.
David Bowie and Nic Roeg dream team on Walter Tevis’ scathing attack on everything from cold war paranoia to existential loneliness to the nihilistic acceptance that to be human is an ever downward spiral of addiction, and deliver a wonderful cult-classic that gets more prescient as time goes on…
AVForums Podcast: Movies Edition - 20th March 2023
by Phil Hinton
Cas and the team are back for the Movies Edition of the AVForums podcast. This week they talk boxing movies, Shazam 2, the latest TV shows and what's fresh on 4K UHD Blu-ray.
‘Family’ is seemingly the theme of March’s Blu-ray release schedule – be they loved (syrupy Sirk melodramas), hated (post-War British social taboo explorations), awkwardly distanced from (elegant remakes of classic humanist introspections) or even just dead (grotty LA revenge jams), there’s something for everyone this month, regardless of how you feel about your own… EDIT - Updated with new competitions!
The best Emmerich disaster flick that Emmerich didn't direct (and better than some of the ones he did), 2003's The Core is blissful so-bad-it's-good hokum.
Keira Knightley continues her succession of historical/biographical leads with this sobering Zodiac-esque look at the reporter who exposed the killing spree of the Boston Strangler.
The welcome blast of fun and humour into the dour DC Cinematic Universe that was the first Shazam! continues with this sequel from returning director David F. Sandberg. And while still charming thanks to the family dynamic and its core cast, it sadly doubles down on the worst aspects of the first film… namely everything else…
Klipsch showcases new Reference Premiere subwoofer collection
by Ian Collen
Designed to work in perfect harmony with the company’s similarly named speakers, the four new additions promise to go lower and louder than ever before.
The Recording Industry Association of America’s 2022 figures point to a shift in physical music preferences last seen in 1987, while streaming still dominates the market.
Integra gets set to launch its new flagship DRX-8.4 AV receiver
by Ian Collen
The 11.4-channel network AVR comes with Dirac Live calibration and boasts a wider range of custom-friendly software tools and audiophile-quality sound.
Despite an award-winning director, award-winning star and award-winning writer, Marlowe - foolishly not based upon an actual Raymond Chandler / Philip Marlowe book - is a frustratingly banal neo-noir crime thriller that feels like one big, fat missed opportunity.
5
Hi-Fi
Elipson launches its new-generation Horus speaker range
by Ian Collen
A fresh take on a classic series, the new line-up is available now as both standalone products and, with a slight delay, a full 5.1 package.
Antoine Fuqua's 2001 crime thriller earned a powerhouse Denzel Washington his first and only Best Actor Oscar, and remains an intoxicating, tense 24 hours on the violent streets of LA, landing on a stunning native 4K disc with outstanding Atmos.