This week, we thank Tim, Brian, Tom, and Karl for their support of the podcast. Thanks guys! In the news a new ambient light-rejecting screen (LINK), new HDMI cables (LINK), Google’s Chromecast Audio (LINK and LINK), and some Atmos speaker setup help (LINK). David has a suggestion about William’s streaming weirdness, Howard is looking for a shorter power cord (LINK and LINK), and Allen is curious about ribbon tweeters and which type (direct, bipole, dipole) surround speakers to pick (LINK). Infinite Gary has some Ultra HD Blu-ray questions (LINK and LINK), Adrian wonders if Yamaha can make a good sub (LINK), and Jonathan is having second thoughts about his speaker choices. Rob has an Ethernet cable he REALLY wants to use and would like to move his gear downstairs (LINK), John has a surround speaker setup question, and David is worried that he is sitting too close to his back wall (LINK). Martin wants to know if he can save some money with a less expensive Blu-ray player (LINK), Brian is looking for a subwoofer, and Tim can’t seem to get lossless audio in his theater. Lastly, Kevin is looking for setup and calibration help for his new dual SVS subwoofers.

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This week, we thank Ilango for his donation, John, Ken, and James (LINK for the sound panel covers) for their support of the podcast, and Herb, Karl R., Jonathan, Kris, Scot, Gabe, Jason, Gary, and Scott for their words of encouragement and support. In the news audiophile op-amps (LINK) and 8k displays (LINK and LINK). Bryan is looking for a BIG picture (LINK) and wants to know what we think about BIC America speakers, Kevin wants to know why SVS doesn’t make sealed cylinder subs, and Justin is worried about upgrading his HTPC to Windows 10 and how that will affect streaming to his Denon receiver. Scott wants to know if we would buy the new Apple TV or the new Amazon Fire TV (LINK), Karl has some questions about the settings on his receiver, and Mike needs a new center, a way to deaden sound, has a recommendation for DIY custom ear-molds (LINK), and is curious how surround sound upmixers work. Jonathan doesn’t completely hate “soap opera effect,” John wants to know which services we use to stream music (LINK), and William gives us more information about his streaming weirdness. Kris is looking for very tall speaker stands (LINK and LINK), wants to know more about Atmos speakers, and wonders how to measure the dispersion of a speaker at home. Jay found an article about “HyperSound Clear” and wants our opinions (LINK), Dev is worried about how his US receiver will work in Asia (LINK and LINK) plus is curious about the Samsung 50J5100 HDTV, and Francisco is worried that his Onkyo is underpowered for this Martin Logan Theos speakers. John wants to backup all his Blu-ray discs and needs to know how (LINK, LINK, and LINK), Ken loves his Lumagen Radiance 2020 (LINK) but it is having problems with his HTPC (LINK), and Ken loves his Nvidia Shield TV.

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This week, we thank Scott B for his donation, Scot S and Karl for talking us up to SVS, and Jefferson for buying from ATS Acoustics and SpoonFlower and letting them know he heard about them from us. You guys are our Listeners of the Week! In the news, Crutchfield will now sell SVS Subs (LINK), Rob was on ThEndUsr Podcast (LINK), and Denon, Marantz, and Pioneer release new recievers (LINK). Jack loves his Philips Fidelio X2 headphones but wonders if an expensive aftermarket cable or perhaps a DAC/amp upgrade can make them sound better, William has a weird Netflix problem, and Ashley is looking to set up Plex on his Mac Mini (LINK, LINK, and LINK). Joseph found a speaker cable with some interesting features (LINK), Jonathan updates us on his theater build and asks about using a sub for a center channel stand, and Allen is looking for speakers for his dedicated theater (5 for under $4k). Larry has a spouse/2nd subwoofer issue, Matthew is trying to decide between EMP Tek and SVS Prime speakers plus has questions about setup including setting up a projectors, and Miguel can either put his front speakers 4 feet or 15 feet apart. We come up with an interesting solution. Alberto is looking to buy some used equipment (LINK and LINK), Kris is trying to maximize his bass by adding a curtain and a mid-bass module, and Scot is looking at a new, mid-level display compared to an older, flagship display. Which would we choose? Lastly, Thomas sent us a video of his theater (LINK) and wants recommendations while Nicholas needs subs and wants suggestions.

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A quick shout out to Jason (again) as listener of the week. You know why. In the news, UltraHD projectors with HDR (LINK and LINK) and Sony sort of starts to use Dolby Vision (LINK). Jonathan comments about ARC and HDMI-CEC on the Denon AVR-X2200W (LINK and LINK), Fred found some weirdness on Netflix, and Daniel has subwoofer, speaker, and projector questions. Jason wants our opinion on his speakers and home theater design, Nick wants our opinion on the Seaton Submersive Subwoofers (LINK), and Justin isn’t sure which speakers to buy. James is thinking of DJ speakers for home theater, is offering a 10% discount on printed fabric covers for AV Rant listeners for DIY absorption panels (LINK), and is wondering about settings for projectors (LINK). Tony wonders where Canadians can get printed fabric for absorption panels (James sells in Canada and LINK), Everett is wondering about compatibility with newer 4k displays and older receivers, and Ian has a line on a decent projector deal and wants our opinion plus he is thinking of a new sub, and Harvie is worried that his old stand won’t hold his new 75″ TV.

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Huge thanks to Lee Overstreet for stepping in once again on short notice while Tom is away sick! Feel better soon, Tom!

Our Listeners of the Week are: Jason, Kris, and Daniel for their generous donations; Daniel and Scott for letting SVS know they bought products because of our recommendations; and CoffeeManDave on Twitter for turning new Listeners onto the podcast! Thanks, guys!

James was first to tip us about SVS’ moving sale. Panasonic’s 65″ CZ950 OLED looks an awful lot like an LG. And Samsung’s UBD-K8500 UltraHD Blu-ray player arrives in early 2016 for $500.

Byron (the 1st) asks about subwoofer placement, using EMP Tek E3b for Height and Width speakers, and maybe using a MiniDSP to control a mid-bass module for some extra kick! Infinite Gary read about ELAC’s Omni-directional Super Tweeters, asks for some clarification on surround sound and immersive audio upmixing, and wonders if vintage quadraphonic headphones would be a good Atmos solution. And Byron (the 2nd) sent us CNET’s poll: Is 3D TV dead? Do you care?

Todd reminds us the Onkyo TX-NR818 is an even cheaper Audyssey MultEQ XT32 option…if you can find one. Nathan shared “A Brief Guide to Audio for the Skeptical Consumer“, and we couldn’t find a single thing to complain about! And Robert discovered what “speaker break in” is really all about (your brain), as well as the best excuse ever to get four subwoofers: a square room!

John moved his subwoofer and wants to know the exact reason for the big difference it made in his measurements. He also wants to more details on Pioneer MCACC and whether an SPL meter and some manual EQ are enough to “fix” it. Karl could either spend $30 or $1.80 for Y-Splitters, but he doesn’t need either of them. Setting his speakers to “small” is still giving him a moment’s pause. And since we mentioned leather curtains last week, he found some!

Jonathan’s setup is coming together nicely, but HDMI-CEC and ARC have brought up questions. He’s also back to sending us long articles to read; this one’s all about Sennheiser 3D – yet another immersive audio option! Clint asks about pressurizing a room and air-tight seals. Corey wants to make sure he isn’t overpaying for insulation. And Ryan is really missing his Surround speakers, so he’d like to know if some BIC HT-8C in-ceiling speakers might scratch that itch.

Kevin asks if a sealed SVS sub can pair up well with a ported SVS sub and how he should place them. Josh found a video saying “Expensive wine is for suckers” that applies nicely to audio, as well – especially the part at the end about our brains. And we close out the show with some topics from Lee, including the possibility of CableCARD being replaced by a simple app, and figuring out why his AV Receiver is randomly shutting down (have you noticed the title of this episode?)

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