SOUND AND VISION SYSTEMS LIMITED

The Marantz Grand Horizon looks like a sculpture and sounds like a serious stereo system. It produces room-filling scale, deep bass, and refined detail from a single enclosure that blends naturally into real homes. It is expensive, but for listeners who want audiophile sound without racks of gear, the Grand Horizon is one of the best all-in-one systems available. For many households, it may be the most practical path to hi-fi sound.

As we hurtle ever-closer toward TBHE —The Big Holiday Event — with December continuing to unfold at its usual, breakneck, “where did all the time go” pace, I’m going to continue onward with my music box set recommendations for any/all of your potential gift recipients and/or personal wishlist coffers accordingly. Here in Part 3, I’ll cover five more great boxes that are sure to make any music lover’s ears smile (well, you know what I mean).

On a clear evening, turning a patio into an open-air theater still lands. Open-air theaters are dear to me because I grew up in Greece, where outdoor moviegoing has been part of the culture for decades. Bottom line, I grew up watching movies outdoors at night, and that’s what I did with Anker’s Nebula X1 projector, paired with its optional X1 accessory pack and a 15-foot inflatable outdoor screen.

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But wait... there’s more! Lest you think that the dwindling sands of the 2025 hourglass held no further physical media releases of note, the studios have staged a grand finale. Rather than a quiet drift into the new year, these final weeks have bestowed a stunning infusion of digital excitement, from long-rumored 4K upgrades to genre-defining box sets that arrived just in time to drive one last nail into our holiday budget. So, before we close the book on ‘25, check out these eleventh-hour recommendations.

AT A GLANCE Pros: Wide soundstage with clear separation Onscreen Menus Endless Source Options from streaming music (onboard) to Sonos Connect Cons: Dirac Live setup is extremely finicky—could require customer support. Minimal Equalizer in app—must go to onscreen menu Some menus outdated—not intuitive—looks like old computer command line font

We’re in the thick of it now. It’s the final weekend ramp-up ahead of the BTHD—Big Time Holiday Day —and this is the exact moment a certain level of purely palpable panic sets in as you realize you’re still missing that perfect gift for the audio nut, er, enthusiast in your life.

Ken Micallef reports from Japan: Showcased at a recent press event in Kawasaki, Japan, Denon officially debuted two new X-Series AV receivers. As the company put it, these units are built “for listeners who demand more from their home theater, more power, more precision, and more control.” And thus, meet the next generation of Denon’s X-Series AVRs: namely, the AVR-X2900H ($1,349) and AVR-X3900H ($1,849). This X-Series pair follows the recent launch of the Denon S-Series AVR-S980H 7.2 receiver ($949; 7.2 channels, 90W per channel).

Shanling has announced the launch of EC Play, a compact portable CD player that combines the, quote, “nostalgia” of CDs with modern wireless and high-resolution audio features. Said to be “designed to bring back the convenience and enjoyment of portable CD listening,” EC Play is purported to be the most compact model Shanling has produced to date.

Astell&Kern have just announced an expansion of their A&ultima flagship player line with the launch of the SP4000T digital audio player and Clarus in-ear monitors. Both of these new A&K products are making their global debut at High End Vienna 2026 (June 4–7, 2026) in Booth HX4, M04 in the Austria Center Vienna.