We mention Jimmy Kimmel and tariffs. Will that get us indefinitely suspended? TCL announced its 2026 flagship TVs in China. X11L will get Super Quantum Dots and WHVA panels. QM9/Q9M & QM10/Q10M will get RGB mini-LEDs. Microsoft is raising Xbox console prices for the second time this year. And if you want to learn more about AoIP, AES67 & Dante, Storm Audio made a webinar to explain.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCv9RD

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:45 – World News Headlines

Context for what’s been on our minds besides home theater this past week. A little longer this time, because, yes, we had to talk about Jimmy Kimmel.

– The Vergecast “Brendan Carr is a Dummy Special Update”: https://youtu.be/NSymehINBgY

00:15:09 – Personal Updates

Tom’s been very hard at work getting moved into his new house. Rob wound up helping Jason Steele from FilmCow identify an earworm:

– Jason mentioning the “mystery music” that was stuck in his head from the day before: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZtA-xRbIYIA?feature=shared&t=485

– It stirred something in Rob’s head, too, and he got it! https://www.youtube.com/live/ZtA-xRbIYIA?feature=shared&t=5932

00:26:03 – What We Watched

Rob watched KPop Demon Hunters.

00:39:50 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Dan and Raf for their PayPal donations, plus our 128 Patreon Patrons.

Thank you to Joe 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: Aras, Jason, Mark, Ilango, Joe, Adam, Raf, Henry, John, and Mohsen. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:44:27 – News: TCL 2026 Flagship TVs

TCL held an event in China to announce their new TV tech coming in 2026. X11L with Super Quantum Dots. And QM9/Q9M & QM10/Q10M with RGB mini-LEDs: https://tinyurl.com/56h67z87

00:49:48 – News: More Xbox Price Increases

5 years into this console generation, and a top-end Xbox Series X will now cost you $800: https://tinyurl.com/32atps3u

Comments:

00:53:49 – Comment: Jason – JVC ECO Mode IR

Jason heard about Julian’s remote control issues, and he thinks JVC’s ECO Mode might be to blame.

00:56:16 – Comment: Joe – Introduction to AoIP

Want to learn more about Audio Over IP, AES67, and Dante? Storm Audio has a webinar: https://tinyurl.com/vazpx2b4

QUESTIONS:

00:58:09 – Ilango: 3 Speakers per Amp

How should he power two different whole house audio rooms that each have three in-ceiling speakers in them?

01:04:47 – Leighton: Ceiling Acoustic Treatments

We describe where absorption panels should go on your ceiling if you choose to mount panels up there.

01:09:24 – Infinite Gary: Controlled Directivity

Is the talk about Perlisten’s DPC-Array legitimate, or just hype? Is controlled directivity a good thing? Does it inherently come along with certain driver layouts?

01:26:01 – Mark: Particular Rockwool?

If you’re making bass traps out of Rockwool insulation, does it need to be a specific version or brand?

01:29:02 – Adam: New House, New Display

Should his parents go for a 115-inch TV, or a projection setup in their new house? Our answer might surprise you. And we give a once-over of the audio plan.

– Ascend HTM-200SE2: https://tinyurl.com/ywuzk6z8

– Outlaw Audio Model 5000X: https://tinyurl.com/4svv5jw2

– Monoprice Monolith M5100X: https://tinyurl.com/2j23mv9r

01:43:15 – Raf: Raising Subwoofer HPF?

If a subwoofer, by default, extends down to 10 Hz, can you gain headroom above 20 Hz by raising its high-pass filter/rumble filter frequency? And could he stick together several 2-inch-thick, self-adhesive fiberglass panels to make bass traps?

01:54:47 – Henry: Inflationary Prices

Are we doomed to witness our home theater purchasing power continue to erode?

02:03:30 – Jason: Sub in a Cubby

An SVS PB-2000 Pro could only fit in the available space if it’s laid on its side, and it would still stick out the front. Can we name a good alternative?

– ToneWinner SW-D4000: https://tinyurl.com/3umjbprc

– ToneWinner SW-D2000 (if a sub on its side is truly a dealbreaker): https://tinyurl.com/ued8yepm

02:10:06 – John: Which Ultra HD Blu-ray Player?

Is it a good idea to have a spare disc player on hand? If so, which Panasonic model is the one to get?

Thanks for listening. Now, don't forget to:

• Check out the AV Rant YouTube channel to watch our show videos.
• Download Tom’s FREE superhero-themed ebook Bob Moore: No Hero.
• If you like it, you can purchase the two full-length follow-ups -  Bob Moore: Desperate Times and Bob Moore: Hostile Territory.
• Check out AVGadgets.com where Tom is the new Editor-in-Chief!
• Download Tom's NEWEST book, Touch of Pain from Amazon now!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS