OLED TV prices are either staying the same or going up a bit. M&K Sound has new THX Dominus Certified in-wall speakers. APC has two new Back-UPS BE power protection models.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBgwkE

00:00:00 – Intro

Quick word about OLED TV prices this year.

00:07:03 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Holdovers. Tom re-started Ahsoka.

00:22:25 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf and Dane for their PayPal donations, plus our 129 Patreon Patrons.

Thanks also to Dane for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Ryan, Jay, J.R, Brandon, Dane, and Alvin. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:26:35 – News: M&K THX Dominus Speakers

IW500 is M&K Sound’s first THX Dominus Certified in-wall speaker, as well as their first horn-loaded design: https://tinyurl.com/2a3h4dx5

00:31:54 – News: APC Back-UPS BE Series

Higher wattage, basic battery backup power protection with some quality-of-life upgrades:

– BE900G3: https://tinyurl.com/msh4byae

– BE1050G3: https://tinyurl.com/2y359b9u

Comments:

00:34:59 – Comment: Stephen – Mystery Hum Fixed

We talked about cables and wires picking up interference, and that helped him solve an issue without even asking us.

QUESTIONS:

00:39:40 – Dazz: Fireplace Setup

Mounting a TV on a stone facia. Wall-mounted speaker aesthetics. Slim Receiver. Efficient Bookshelf speakers. Hidden wires.

– https://avgadgets.com/fluance-ai81-elite-powered-tower-speakers-big-sound-and-big-value/

– Marantz NR1711 from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/2krcbpy9

– Marantz Cinema 70S: https://tinyurl.com/4hjsn7vu

– https://hsuresearch.com/collections/speakers

– Monoprice Flat Wire: https://tinyurl.com/4c84kdxa

– Sewell Ghost Wire: https://tinyurl.com/2p92pnyc

00:56:18 – Todd: Level Matching Surrounds

Two pairs of Surrounds. Different physical distances. We go over ways to level match them.

00:59:44 – Dean: Reoriented Room

Mostly an update to share results, but we have some thoughts on subwoofer placement.

01:05:39 – Jonathan: Why Discs Sound Better

He thinks discs almost always sound better than streaming. Is that just because of bitrates and lossiness?

01:13:28 – Dan: Subwoofer Phase & Perfect Speakers

Harman’s papers on multiple subwoofer placement linked below. JL Audio’s awful subwoofer phase setup advice. Why do plate amps fail? How do you know when your speakers are good enough?

– Subwoofers: Optimum Number & Locations: https://tinyurl.com/ye28r5u3

– Low-Frequency Optimization: https://tinyurl.com/3rcrmzbn

– Multi-Sub Optimizer Software: https://tinyurl.com/4xtwb5he

– JL Audio’s phase alignment: https://tinyurl.com/5xybtfn3

01:35:46 – Ryan: Damping, Graphing, Comparing & EQ’ing

Should Bookshelf speakers on stands use isolation pads? Can you measure and graph your audio on an Android phone? Methods to A-B compare two pairs of speakers. And which frequencies impact which instruments?

– AudioTool for Android ($8): https://tinyurl.com/5453kvt4

– Dayton iMM-6 Calibrated Phone Mic: https://tinyurl.com/3sjekhy3

– SOLUPEAK P3 2-in 2-out Speaker & Amp Switch: https://tinyurl.com/munnt6hu

– https://avgadgets.com/everyone-that-says-their-av-upgrade-is-slightly-better-is-a-liar/

– https://avgadgets.com/why-subwoofer-extension-is-important/ (with instrument frequency chart)

– Sweetwater Subjective Audio Terms chart: https://tinyurl.com/33wyy2y7

– Another Frequency chart: https://tinyurl.com/463js47b

01:47:47 – Jay: Bluetooth Earphone Codec Issues?

Could the codecs of his music files be responsible for Bluetooth earphone signal drops?

01:49:34 – J.R: That Missing Slam

Turns out, his surround sound setup provides plenty of slam. It’s only his more expensive, dedicated 2-channel gear that needs a boost.

– https://avgadgets.com/subwoofer-doesnt-work-with-stereo-heres-the-two-step-fix/

01:55:02 – Raf: Adding Even More Speakers

Since his X8500H can handle 13 speakers, which additional pair should he add?

01:57:48 – Daniel: New Front Speakers

Our suggestions for three new speakers up front that don’t break the bank, and could easily be repurposed in the future.

– Ascend HTM-200 SE: https://tinyurl.com/3dr8rw86

– https://hsuresearch.com/pages/speaker-bundle

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