Happy New Year! Tom is back for our first episode of 2025. And thank you to Lee Overstreet for filling in 2 weeks ago. Ascend Acoustics has added Titan dome tweeter versions of their Sierra Luna V2 & Duo V2 speakers, as well as piano gloss white as a finish option. RSL is offering a limited-edition white finish on their CG3 line of speakers & SpeedWoofer 10E sub. LG’s Transparent Signature OLED T can actually be purchased now. And PML Sound International, the parent company of Paradigm & Anthem, just bought GoldenEar.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Things did not go according to plan over the holidays for either host.

00:16:35 – What We Watched

Rob watched Challengers, and it made him do a skit with Tom to describe how it made him feel.

00:34:03 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Stefan for his PayPal donation, plus our 134 Patreon Patrons, including Bill and Joe, as well as Brandon and Mike for sending Amazon gift cards to Rob, Gurinder, Bill, and Infinite Gary for sending movie codes, and Greg for sending Tom a pair of KEF Egg speakers and a cute little PSB sub.

Thanks also to Brad 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: Mike, Chris, Kevin, Curtis, Bill, Greg, Brad, John, Brandon, Stefan, and Josh. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:42:52 – News: Ascend Titan Luna & Duo Speakers

Ascend’s Sierra Luna V2 & Duo V2 are now available with either the SEAS Titan dome tweeter or the RAAL ribbon tweeter: https://ascendacoustics.com/collections/sierra-series

00:46:16 – News: RSL Limited-Edition White Finish

RSL’s CG3 Series speakers & SpeedWoofer 10E are available in white for a limited time: https://rslspeakers.com/pages/white-limited-edition-special

00:50:00 – News: LG Transparent OLED T for $60K

Your see-through 77″ OLED can now be purchased: https://tinyurl.com/f2n5bvhx

00:52:11 – News: PML Sound Buys GoldenEar

The parent company of Paradigm, Anthem & Martin Logan just bought GoldenEar: https://tinyurl.com/ykry97tf

Comments:

00:53:00 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Dual Screens for Ilango

Making your theater more like Gary’s has to be the right move, right?

00:54:03 – Comment: Andrew L – Onkyo Hidden CI Web Interface

Onkyo’s manual tells you about the normal admin web interface for their AVRs. But there’s a secret CI version, too.

QUESTIONS:

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It’s our final episode of 2024! And unexpectedly, Lee Overstreet joins Rob H as Tom was forced to be away with the flu. It wasn’t the plan. But we answer lots of questions, since we’re taking next week off for Christmas!

LG has discontinued all of their Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray players. Apple will release their own WiFi+Bluetooth chip next year, and a new Apple TV 4K will be one of the first devices to get it. And a new HDMI 2.2 spec will be announced at CES in January.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBVtn5

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom is away sick. So we catch up with Lee Overstreet.

00:06:13 – What We Watched

Lee has been watching Another Life on Netflix. Rob watched Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.

00:19:21 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Daniel, as well as: Brandon for offering another AV Receiver to Tom; Dan for saying he’ll send Rob something made from the same Apple Wood tree as Tom’s cheese board; and, Infinite Gary for sending more movie codes to Tom.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: John, Trevor, Infinite Gary, Brandon, Jeremy, Mark, Julian, Joe Klusnick, Daniel, Henry, Curtis, and Will. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen! And Merry Christmas!

In the news:

00:27:12 – News: LG Discontinues Disc Players

No more Blu-ray or Ultra HD Blu-ray players from LG: https://tinyurl.com/m74metcp

00:31:02 – News: New Apple TV 4K in 2025

Apple’s own Proxima WiFi+Bluetooth chip is set to first appear in a new Apple TV 4K next year: https://tinyurl.com/48x8tmzb

00:32:34 – News: HDMI 2.2 Coming at CES 2025

A new, higher bandwidth HDMI spec and a new category of cables will be announced next month: https://tinyurl.com/yc88zf7h

Comments:

00:36:23 – Comment: Joe – Gonna Try 16:9

Thanks to the big haul of gear he bought, he’s going to find out if he likes having a screen that’s every bit as wide as his 2.35:1 screen, but also taller.

00:40:22 – Comment: Alan – Dual Sonos Amp Correction

Using two Sonos Amps together doesn’t split the bass.

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Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE2 speakers are Klippel optimized, leaving only one speaker in Ascend’s entire lineup that hasn’t been redesigned yet. Auro-3D was acquired by Goerdyna Group, owners of Dynaudio. Tom shares an update on what’s happening with his house. And too much cycling talk.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Update on Tom’s house.

00:15:15 – What We Watched

Rob watched Anastasia, and Smile 2. Tom’s been watching OceanXplorers

00:27:59 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Bill for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, as well as Infinite Gary and Ilango for sending us movie codes, George and Dan for sending Tom their AV Receivers, and Galen for talking us up to SVS.

Thank you to Ilango 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: Ryan, Dan, Mohsen, Chris, Travis, Karl, Jack, Drew, Ryan, Infinite Gary, Dazz, Ilango, and John. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:35:02 – A Little Surprise for Tom from Dan

Thank you, Dan! Your unexpected gift to Tom is awesome!

In the news:

00:37:34 – News: Ascend HTM-200SE2

The SE2 version is Klippel optimized and only slightly more expensive: https://tinyurl.com/5n7dw6m6

00:43:53 – News: Auro-3D Acquired by Dynaudio

Goerdyna Group owns Dynaudio, Libratone, XEO, and now Auro-3D: https://tinyurl.com/y78zsare

Comments:

00:45:37 – Comment: Alan – 2 Sonos Amps for 4.2

Alan corrects us about being able to use your choice of subwoofer and speakers with a Sonos setup, since two Sonos Amps can be used together to make a 4.2 system.

00:50:37 – Comment: Dazz – Ascend Speakers & Cold Cycling

A shout out to Ascend Acoustics’ customer service and last of the original SE Series speakers. And a prompted tirade about cycling in cold weather for Tom.

QUESTIONS:

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Masimo Consumer clarifies that “discontinued operation” is just an accounting term, so the former-Sound United brands aren’t shutting down in January. Reps from JVC say they can replace the laser light engine in their projectors at a service center. And Rob is bad and annoying at podcasting.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob is too embarrassed to say what he bought. It was so irresponsible. Will he ever reveal what it was?

00:11:34 – What We Watched

Tom didn’t watch much of anything this past week. But Rob finished Season 2 of Arcane: League of Legends.

00:27:25 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Steven and Marc for their PayPal donations, plus our 130 Patreon Patrons, including Will, as well as Dan for sending Tom his KEF speakers and offering Lee a Q Acoustics Center, Infinite Gary for sending more movie codes for Tom to test, Steve for sending Tom an Apple TV 4K, Greg for sending Tom two 2-channel amps and offering to send some KEF Egg Desktop speakers, Joe Klusnick for offering to get Rob a deal on a Kaleidescape Strato V (but Rob already spent all his money and then some), and George for sending Tom a Denon X4000 Receiver.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Will, James, Greg, Marc, Steve, George, and Stan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:36:25 – News: Masimo Consumer Clarifies “Discontinued Operation”

It’s an accounting term. The former-Sound United brands aren’t shutting down in January. But Masimo is still looking to separate. And no buyer has emerged: https://tinyurl.com/mtkbnc8c

Comments:

00:41:16 – Comment: Will – More Reasons to Use Apple Movies

Free upgrades and more Atmos make Apple Movies the preferred choice for online purchases, in Will’s opinion.

00:44:30 – Comment: Karl – JVC Laser Replacement

What happens after 20,000 hours on a laser-driven projector? JVC says you don’t have to replace the entire projector anymore: https://youtu.be/QcOa1fAQCrA

00:49:48 – Comment: Marc – He Used Wires Afterall

Marc (the Wood Whisperer) really didn’t want to see any speaker wires. And thanks to an electric fireplace that turned out to be removable, he didn’t have to! No wireless adapter kits needed.

QUESTIONS:

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We are back to our old selves. A Masimo investor conference made it pretty clear they are done with Masimo Consumer, aka the former-Sound United brands such as Denon, Marantz, B&W, et al. And with no buyer for them yet, they might simply shut them down and cease operations altogether.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBT2J2

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom got a new phone. Quick Black Friday thoughts.

00:17:23 – What We Watched

Rob watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and the second Arc of Arcane: League of Legends – Season 2. Tom’s been watching The Great British Bake Off. And Netflix with ads sucks.

00:39:05 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Brad for his PayPal donation, plus our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Infinite Gary for sending Tom a movie code, Ryan for sending Tom his NHT Center speaker, Mirage Omni S8 subwoofer, and offering to send even more NHT speakers, Dan for persisting through UPS hurdles to send Tom a laptop and KEF speakers, Tony for sending Tom his Def Tech CS9080 Center and offering to send Lee one as well, and Herb from Cross-Spectrum Labs for contacting Jason Ehrlich from Kinetics Noise Control to get Tom some acoustic panels.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Sasi, Mark, Ilango, Karl, Brandon, “Brenda’s husband, Andrew”, Dave, Jim, and Brad. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:49:01 – News: Masimo is Done with Sound United

Via Justin – An investor conference has made it clear that Masimo has no interest in continuing to run the former-Sound United brands. And with no buyer in sight, they might simply cease operations entirely in early 2025: https://tinyurl.com/y8ufxfva

And Voxx International is selling off bits and pieces of their Premium Audio Company brands to stay afloat, as well: https://tinyurl.com/2hwn8rz4

Comments:

00:59:57 – Comment: Greg – BACCH4Mac

If you don’t want to pay around $30,000 for a pre-made BACCH processor, you can get their software and microphone package for your Mac computer for $6,000 – $7,000 instead: https://www.theoretica.us/bacch4mac/

01:03:15 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Philharmonic BMR Towers

New speaker purchase, and first impressions.

QUESTIONS:

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