Our Listeners of the Week are our 58 Patreon Patrons, as well as Heath for talking us up to AV Science and SVS, Ted’s wife for telling Accessories4Less that the Denon AVR-X4400H she bought Ted for his birthday was an AVRant recommendation, Chris for letting Accessories4Less and HSU know we recommended them, Cesar for telling Monoprice his speaker wire purchase was because of us, and Ron, Patrick, and Kris for offering to help Tom’s son with his gaming PC build.

In the news, Larry let us know that Sinemia has launched in Canada, offering a similar discount movie ticket subscription as MoviePass in the States. And Antoine gave us a heads up about the JVC LX-UH1 4K DLP projector for $2,500.

Chris tried the Monoprice 9723 $100 subwoofer, but he was unimpressed. Bob took our advice to move his seats and will upgrade to one of the 5.1 speaker sets we suggested. Noah recommends Monoprice’s projection screens as an inexpensive alternative to Elite Screens. And Joseph shared his photo comparing the sizes of the Focal Little Bird, Focal Bird, and SVS Prime Satellite speakers.

0:20:34 Chris T. asks what difference strictly driver size makes, what are the pros and cons of ported, sealed, and cylinder subwoofers, what are the pros and cons of upmixing content to utilize more speakers, what’s the best way to watch Ultra HD Blu-rays on a 1080p display, and whether the crop of $1,500 4K DLP projectors are worth considering. Then we recommend Blue Jeans Cable for customizable wall plates, explain why NavePoint speaker wire is so inexpensive, figure out the dimensions of a backer box for HSU in-wall speakers, share some opinions on a video about Oswalds Mill Audio, and talk about backing up 3D Blu-rays and playing them on a 2D display.

0:48:08 Jonathan F. gets our thoughts on the Audioholics preview of REL T/i Series subwoofers.

0:54:02 Nick wants to add a second subwoofer to his Sunfire True in a small room, so we think an SVS SB-1000 could suffice, although an SB12-NSD would be our top choice.

0:57:12 Heath B. applied our advice with fantastic results. He saved money with a male electrical inlet rather than a full in-wall power kit. And he asks how to best align his projector’s image using his mount’s adjustments plus the projector’s lens shift.

1:04:30 Adriano M. asks for speaker recommendations in Australia on behalf of a friend, and we think either KEF or Jamo would fit the bill.

1:10:07 Brock R. wants to know if he should return the Oppo UDP-203 he just bought, and we point to Acoustical Solutions Signature Sound Barrier Ceiling Tile as an example of drop ceiling tiles with an STC rating for soundproofing.

1:15:17 Josh S. gets our thoughts on Rtings long-term OLED burn-in test, and we speculate about future 77-inch OLED pricing.

1:23:54 Ted M. asks if there’s such as thing as a reference waterfall graph for audio decay times.

1:27:32 Bob G. gets us to make a single choice for three Front speakers for $1,500. Rob picks Aperion Verus II Grand bookshelf pair and Center, while Tom agrees, but offers three RBH R-515E Impression Elite as an alternative.

1:31:13 Infinite Gary gets clarification about Surround Back speaker placement and toe-in. Then we discuss dynamic range compression of music in movie soundtracks, and what sorts of differences you might hear if a cable is of very poor quality.

1:36:28 Jeremy P. gets our honest recommendation for a cheap anamorphic lens and video processor for use with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio screen.

1:40:56 Jeff G. gets our thoughts on whether to wait or buy a 4K HDR-compatible projector now, and we recommend the new TCL 6-Series for a relatively inexpensive 65-inch 4K HDR flat panel.

1:47:57 Jeremy W. gets our general feedback about the positioning and setup of his home theater, and the gear he’s purchased. The one thing we agree could benefit from an upgrade is his subwoofer.

1:54:08 Cesar R. gets our recommendation for Outdoor Speaker Depot MK650 in-ceiling speakers for his low ceiling.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are Earle and James for their donations, our 57 Patreon Patrons, including James, and Gary for telling Emotiva his A-300 amplifier purchase was our recommendation, Earle for telling Ed Mullen at SVS that he bought dual SB16-Ultra subwoofers because of us, and James (making a trifecta of support) for telling Accessories4Less that his latest AV Receiver purchase was because of us.

If you can help Tom’s son pick the parts for a gaming PC, please get in touch.

In the news, a petition to add Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support to the Xbox One S/X. Philips finally released their UHD Blu-ray player Dolby Vision firmware update. And shockingly, Oppo is closing down their business in North America.

Dave and Ted confirm the low audio levels on the 4K disc of Thor: Ragnarok. Ted tried Legacy Audio’s setup tips, but now he’s moving on to experimenting with toe-in. And Kris P. shared his clever idea of using a ceiling mount with a quick release to mount his Center speaker to his fireplace mantel.

0:23:39 Damien D. wants to know if he should buy Klipsch Reference Premiere speakers based on store demos, or consider some other options. And we talk about whether subwoofers need to match the speakers or the room.

0:30:30 Byron S. wants an upgrade, so we suggest projectors, decor, acoustic treatments, and backing up discs for playback via Plex. He also asks about phase plugs, and why some of RBH’s smaller speakers have higher sensitivity than some of their Towers.

0:41:57 Monty N. gets clarification about Rob’s 2017 OLED TV settings.

0:43:03 Travis D. already has a good list of bookshelf speakers to audition. We add some more, so it now includes: Focal, B&W, Martin Logan, SVS, Ascend, KEF, Aperion, RBH, Revel, Paradigm, PSB, and Monitor Audio.

0:46:34 Allen G. would like to upgrade to a 4K HDR projector, so he asks what a Receiver needs in order to pass-through those signals, whether HDMI 2.1 is a concern, when genuine 4K projectors will hit $2,500, and where he can find a list of 4K discs, which would be Next Gen Home Theater.

0:52:26 Leighton wonders where the Spotify app for his Denon Receiver went, and what he can do if he doesn’t want to use Spotify Connect.

0:54:53 Infinite Gary swears he heard a difference between two CD players. He asks what setups we use for 2-channel, why we think so highly of JBL Synthesis, whether small noise differences in the Outlaw Model 5000 amplifier are audible, whether eyeballing speaker positions and setting trim levels by ear is ok, what we think of the Emotiva A-300 amp and its lack of XLR inputs, how he can experiment with Atmos in his theater without touching his existing setup, and which pre-cut, pre-terminated speaker wire we recommend, such as SVS SoundPath, Blue Jeans Cable, and Sewell.

1:11:41 Justin B. has a Harmony Hub that still gets “stuck” repeating commands. We suggest the Harmony software troubleshooter or double checking his network connections.

1:14:41 Adriano M. wants to connect four 4K sources to two displays while extracting optical audio. He found an expensive matrix switch solution, or he could do things piecemeal with a Sewell SwitchDeck, Avantree HDMI audio extractor, and a Sewell SplitDeck.

1:18:41 Darren N. gets a bit of a deep dive into HDR metadata.

1:24:49 Jack R. has a Roku 4 that is sending wildly different volume levels for each app. And he has one blown tweeter in speakers that are old enough that it either means a potentially costly repair, or full replacement.

1:29:00 David F. has a strange HDMI Zone 2 synchronization issue.

1:33:36 Miguel M. wants to upgrade his Canton speakers. We like his options of KEF Q Series, Focal Chorus, and RBH Impression Elite, and we add HSU, SVS Prime, Aperion, and Ascend.

1:39:00 Trevor W. wants to know why we don’t recommend Aperion Intimus speakers even more often, and he asks if he could benefit from a separate amp.

1:41:25 Earle B. needs his anxiety over his dual SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer purchase quelled.

1:43:58 Ted M. wants all the power and headroom, so we don’t bother fighting, we just recommend an Emotiva XPA-3.

1:48:19 Doug S. is moving into a condo, so he asks about a damping platform under his subwoofers and whether yoga mats might work.

1:51:23 Ray S. wants to add backer boxes to his in-ceiling speakers, but the Dynamat DynaBox is a bit expensive, so we suggest either DIY, or seeing if the Monoprice Back Enclosures will fit.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are Brock and Brandon N. for their donations, along with our 56 Patreon Patrons, including John S., as well as ShoeBoo2 on YouTube for alerting us that our AV Rant Podcast YouTube page is easier to reach than ever, John S. for putting a check mark beside AVRant when he bought an SB12-NSD subwoofer from SVS, and Terry Q. for sending Rob a couple of Ultra HD Blu-rays.

In the news, via Kris P. some devices are now offering VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which is prompting some online outlets to proclaim that HDMI 2.1 has arrived. But it’s really just a case of new features being added to HDMI 2.0 devices. And speaking of updates, Vizio’s latest beta firmware for their TVs unexpectedly added Dolby Digital Plus support for optical audio connections.

Michael M. from Austria reminded us that Europe’s digital radio system is called DAB+, but it did not replace FM broadcasts. And Henry requested some tips for when his second subwoofer arrives, so Rob typed up A 12 Step Guide to Setting Up Dual Subwoofers.

0:17:22 Brock R. asks if it’s a good time to buy a 2017 OLED, or if the 2018 models are worth a higher price. He also gets our input on improving his current theater room and planning for a future theater in his basement. And we recommend Power Sound Audio 15V or SVS PC12-Plus subwoofers to match his HSU VTF-15H.

0:41:55 Marc N. asks how many Aura Sound Pro Bass Shakers a single Dayton SA70 plate amplifier can drive. And we urge him to use butt splice connectors to extend his speaker wire runs.

0:47:39 James P. wants a subwoofer that can do it all: loud, low, and clean for under $3,000. Our top recommendation is a pair of Power Sound Audio V1801, but if he just wants one huge sub, the JTR Captivator 2400ULF fits the bill.

0:53:03 Michael S. gets the update on when older Denon and Marantz AV Receivers will get the Dolby Vision and HLG pass-through firmware update.

0:54:18 Joe K. gives us a list of home theater designers and asks us to pick whom we’d choose if we had an unlimited budget.

0:58:03 Karl R. wants to hear what we think about the Bose audio augmented reality platform.

1:01:17 Chris M. asks if Focal Super Bird speakers can be mounted on the ceiling.

1:04:07 Dan C. wants our take on a 12-pack of studio foam, and the AfterShokz Trekz bone conduction headphones.

1:08:09 Bob B. wants to try Atmos and possibly upgrade his speakers, so we recommend a refurbished Denon AVR-X4300H Receiver,  HSU horn-loaded, Klipsch Reference, RBH Impression, or RSL speakers, and repositioning his existing speakers to serve as Atmos overheads.

1:19:08 David F. wants sealed, over-the-ear, affordable, durable headphones, so we recommend the Audio Technica ATH-M50x, or Sony MDR-7506.

1:21:12 Justin B. wants a pair of small, high output subwoofers for $1,000 each. Our top performance pick would be a JL Audio E-Sub, but they’re too expensive. So we suggest a Power Sound Audio S1500. Or if that’s too big, a Rythmik L22. We also discuss comparing graphs and CEA-2010 measurements, and Elite Screens.

1:32:27 Nick B. was interested in a comment mentioned in The Wirecutter Best Surround-Sound Speakers article about larger speakers almost always sounding better than compact speakers.

1:37:58 Steve T. has a Marantz SR7009 Receiver with a busted HDMI board, so he asks about either getting it fixed, or using the SR7009 as just an amplifier.

1:42:16 Anthony S. wants to upgrade his speakers and Receiver. We think the Denon AVR-X3300W would be nice, although the AVR-X1400H is likely sufficient. And we recommend HSU horn-loaded, and RBH Impression Series speakers again.

1:48:36 John S. wants to know what to look for in a dedicated theater room when he goes house shopping.

1:54:36 Miguel M. asks what we think about Canton Chrono speakers, and what he should put on top of his subwoofers if he uses them as speaker stands.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are Terry for his donation, along with our 54 Patreon Patrons, as well as Ash for making some cool AVRant artwork and displaying it in Gran Turismo for the PS4, Joe K. for talking us up to SVS when he contacted them for an amplifier replacement, and Terry for telling SVS his SB-2000 subwoofer purchase was because of us.

In news and comments, the TCL 6-Series Dolby Vision, Roku TVs have a May 1st release date. Infinite Gary let us know that the Revel Performa Beryllium Series speakers have price points of $4,000/pair and $10,000/pair for the bookshelf and tower, respectively. And Ted M. spoke on the phone with Bill Dudleston from Legacy Audio who offered one more suggestion to hopefully improve the imaging of Ted’s speakers.

0:15:35 Terry G. wants a small, cheap monitor for selecting music tracks or queuing up movies without having to turn on his projector. We recommend the Dell S2418HN, or connecting a DVI computer monitor to his Receiver’s Zone 2 HDMI output.

0:19:20 Byron S. asks if 1.85:1 aspect ratio movies are “supposed” to be taller than 2.35:1 aspect ratio movies. We also discuss less expensive alternatives to a screen with motorized 4-way masking, such as: the SeymourAV Proscenium motorized 2-way masking frame combined with motorized drapes; or, using two screens; one being “TV-sized” with some ambient light, and the other being a constant image width screenfor CinemaScope and IMAX. Lastly, we talk about whether it’s better to put diffusion or absorption on your ceiling.

0:31:29 Nick B. wants to know if EluneVision’s claims about their 4K AudioWeave screen material are too good to be true, and how Elite Screen’s AcousticPro UHD material stacks up.

0:35:46 Peter S. wants to know if any $1,000 sealed subwoofers can match the performance of his SVS SB16-Ultra. And we discuss why he’s having difficulty getting even bass at more than only one seat with his single subwoofer.

0:43:42 Nelson invested in an Audyssey Pro calibration kit, and he wants us to double check his before and after graphs to offer any suggestions for further improvement.

0:49:23 Infinite Gary asks for clarification about Walter Murch’s proposal for binaural sound in movie theaters. We talk about soundstage width, the optimal number of Atmos speakers, and Sony’s professional PVM-X550 55″ OLED monitor. We go over the naming of Denon’s new X8500H Receiver, the vocal imaging of a commentary track for Murder on the Orient Express, and why Kevin Voecks from Revel says a speaker’s enclosure is its single largest expense.

1:09:43 Christian S. thought he’d add more RBH Impression Series speakers, but the new 2nd generation are more expensive and don’t come in Red Burl. We suggest upgrading only his Surround speakers with Focal Little Birds or NHT SuperZeros, or considering the new ELAC Debut 2.0 Series if he really wants Towers. We recommend the Denon AVR-X3300W Receiver. And we get an update on his subwoofer cable hum.

1:16:37 Brent W. has a new basement and wants all new toys. We go over configuration and placement options, suggest going with a pair of high output subwoofers from either HSU or Power Sound Audio, recommend he audition Aperion Audio, Ascend Acoustics, ELAC, KEF, and SVS speakers, and recommend a JVC DLA-X590 projector.

1:30:41 Terry Q. wants to know more about backing up Ultra HD Blu-rays.

1:34:21 John B. gets our input on his mix of Sonus Faber, Klipsch, and Martin Logan speakers. We talk about the importance of damping under his subwoofer. We discuss some crossover settings and setting speakers to large vs. small. And we go over his acoustic panel plans.

1:47:03 Joel N. asks about confirming the trim levels set by a Receiver’s auto-setup program. And we talk about ways to make his semi-dipole Surrounds and Top Middle speakers sound less diffuse.

1:51:52 Adriano M. asks about recessed in-ceiling projection screens, whether tab-tensioning is vital, what we thnk of the new $1,500 4K DLP projectors, how to extract HDMI audio while still being able to pass through full 18 Gbps signals, which we say can be done with a combination of a Sewell SwitchDeck and an Avantree Audio Extractor, and we suggest Monoprice DynamicView Active HDMI Cables for any HDMI cable runs between 25 and 50 feet.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Our Listeners of the Week are Shane and Mb (who might be Chris), along with our 54 Patreon Patrons, including Adriano M., and also Chris H. for telling Accessories4Less we recommended them, Boshko for letting APC and Sewell know he bought products from them because of us, and Dave B. and his brother, Don, who were inspired by us to start their own podcast. You can check out their movie reviews at Movie Chatter Podcast where they’ve posted some kind words and links back to AVRant and We Watch Movies.

In the news, via Chris S. and Justin B., RBH has released their 2nd Generation Impression Series speakers. Cabinet build quality and parts quality have gone up, but so have prices. And next month, Elite versions will be released, which basically replace the RBH MC Series.

0:13:54 Mark H. gets more advice on replacing the door that leads to his bedroom addition, and we discuss ventilation, as well.

0:23:02 Daniel W. wants a pair of bookshelf speakers that will be a noticeable difference from his KEF LS50, so we like his idea of trying Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2, and also suggest Revel Performa M126Be, Focal Aria 906, or GoldenEar Aon. We also fail to offer much help for finding a way to repair a pair of STAX electrostatic headphones, other than suggesting to contact STAX, or contact JansZen, the inventors of electrostatic speakers.

0:28:57 Alvin C. asks about Dialogue Normalization, listening modes, and whether Dolby Pro Logic IIz is considered a 5.1.2 configuration.

0:37:26 Michael L. gets our recommendations for a $1,200 5.1 system, including: Yamaha RX-V383 Receiver, SVS SB12-NSD or RSL Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer, and Focal Super Bird, Bird, and Little Bird; or, Aperion in-wall; or, NHT Super Series speakers.

0:44:07 Mike L. wants a subwoofer upgrade, but first he wants to know if he can just assume “bigger is better”, or if there’s a lot more to it than that.

0:51:43 Brandon N. bought and returned a Vizio P Series TV, so we dig into some of the finer points of setup and differences between LG OLEDs and Sony’s X930E.

1:03:09 “Packdevil” wants an affordable projector that can cope with ambient light, so we suggest either the Epson HC 3100 or Epson HC 3700.

1:06:23 Ted M. gets our truly final ideas on what he can try in order to improve the imaging of his on-wall speakers.

1:10:51 Marc asks what’s so special about corner bass traps.

1:14:08 Miles’ mother bought a Samsung 40″ MU6290, only to discover its optical audio output doesn’t always output sound. We go over some settings we believe might fix the problem.

1:19:46 Boshko asks about grounding terminals, plugging subwoofers into power conditioners, using a TV antenna as an FM radio antenna, running whole house audio from his Onkyo Receiver, which he could do via FlareConnect, DTS Play-Fi, or Chromecast Audio, and wall mounts for his Polk speakers, such as the Sewell Universal, or B-Tech Ultragrip.

1:30:37 PJ is considering a 50″ Vizio M Series TV, or an E or D Series so he can get a larger size. We recommend he get a TCL 55P605.

1:31:56 David F. is considering an Onkyo SBT-A500 Atmos SoundBar, but Rob would rather he get a less expensive Sony Atmos/DTS:X SoundBar, and Tom would rather he get a Yamaha Digital Sound Projector.

1:35:42 Jonathan F. agrees with the Sound Guys review of the Devialet Phantom wireless speaker, including that it costs too much. But he loves the high end sound, so we suggest KEF LS50W, or the SVS Prime Wireless speakers.

1:37:36 Chris M. moved his theater to a smaller room, so we advise speaker placement changes and going to 5.1.4 instead of 7.1.2.

1:42:41 Chris V. wants to know if Netflix’ list of devices that support Dolby Atmos is up to date.

1:44:24 Adriano M. wants multiple pairs of Bluetooth active noise cancelling headphones for his dentist office in Australia, and we think the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC fit the bill.

1:51:35 Carlton B. wants the sound of a $2,900 5.1 in-ceiling speaker setup for $500, so we like his idea of a Dayton SUB-1000L with either RBH A-600, Aperion Audio L6-IC, or OSD MK650 speakers, with a Dayton Audio Matrix 6-Zone amplifier.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS