AV Rant #630: WAY Better
Our Listeners of the Week are our 81 Patreon Patrons, including Bryan W., and James C. for donating via PayPal, being a Patron, talking us up to Accessories4Less when he bought some KEF LS50 speakers, and sending Lee a birthday gift card!
Many things conspired against our schedules this week. So Lee Overstreet is our guest co-host. Our thanks to him for filling in on super short notice, once again.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmAH8fS7
In the news, Karl R. gave us a heads up about Sonos teaming up with Sonance. Anthem announced their new Anthem Room Correction (ARC) Genesis software. And Disney+ will be the only place to stream Captain Marvel.
Mike H. shared a Smarter Every Day video that helps to visualize how multiple different frequencies can be added together to create any waveform.
0:16:37 Justin L. wants to try separates, and he’s considering an Emotiva MC-700 pre/pro. We recommend using a Denon X3400H, but also mention the Anthem MRX-520, NAD T 758 V3, and Outlaw Model 976 as options offering different room correction programs.
0:24:22 Matt E. asks if Ascend Sierra Luna as Surrounds would be worth the price increase over SVS Prime Elevation speakers. Then we talk about potential subwoofer and Center speaker positioning options, and a bit about which measurements relate to acoustic treatments.
0:41:22 Jonathan F. gets our take on the new REL subwoofers and how they no longer have speaker wire inputs.
0:45:47 Nathan D. gets our speculation about when we think big sporting events will be broadcast in 4K HDR and immersive audio.
0:49:51 Mark R. asks if he should install Edmund Optic glass on the front of the cubbyhole he made for his projector.
0:51:55 Dan H. requests a deep dive on bass management vs. the dedicated LFE channel, as well as the LPF for LFE setting, and why we don’t advocate more strongly for perfectly matching speakers in every position.
1:10:58 Lee Overstreet shares details about his two television upgrades and the many bumps in the road he faced along the way.
1:22:04 James C. loves his KEF LS50 speakers, and he wants to know why we don’t recommend them more often.
1:26:29 Chad B. found our recommended Neiko self-adjusting wire strippers very helpful. Now he wants to extend his IR remote to a rack outside his theater, so we recommend a Logitech Harmony Hub, and possibly the 3.5mm to ethernet adapter that Mike S. recommended. And if he doesn’t want to use Harmony, a wired IR distribution kit, or the Sewell BlastIR Wireless Pro are options. Then Chad asks about trim levels, Plex disc backups, and how to quickly fast forward or rewind on the NVidia Shield.
1:38:28 Brenden G. asks how the Rythmik L12 sealed subwoofer stacks up against SVS’ offerings.
1:41:30 Bryan W. gets our take on Surround speaker mounting height and potential places to put a second sub in his L-shaped room.
1:51:47 Damien D. upgraded his TV, but discovered his AV Receiver won’t pass-through Dolby Vision. He wants 5.2.4 Atmos anyway, so we recommend the Marantz SR6012 or Denon X4400H, while also mentioning the Onkyo TX-NR787 or TX-RZ730 as less expensive options.
1:57:13 Infinite Gary asks why we always relate seating distance to screen width, and wants to know if screen height should also be considered.
2:00:34 Gabriel J. unexpectedly had the lamp in his projector go out. He asks if he should just replace the lamp, buy a new projector with his $500 max budget, or consider a flat panel TV. We think he should keep an eye out for a deal on a BenQ HT2050A, or get a BenQ
2:09:49 J Pierre asks what the benefits are if you get a “4K Native Resolution” Blu-ray player – an Ultra HD Blu-ray player – vs. a “4K Upscaling” Blu-ray player.
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