Our Listeners of the Week are Daniel for his donation, Mark M. for alerting us to a problem on our website, and Heath for mentioning us to Aperion Audio when he ordered his Verus II Grand speakers and netted himself a 20% discount!

In the news, Dolby Vision is now possible using software only, and the LG G6 Android Smartphone is the first to add Dolby Vision support.

Rob was wrong, Marantz SR6010 and SR6011 AV Receivers only have their small “porthole” displays, no larger displays hidden behind their front panels. Infinite Gary found a good article explaining HDR video. Nathan D. got a kick out of the press release for the $22,000 Esoteric Grandioso G1 Master Clock Generator. Buddy L. says we were wrong and he really did need an external amp for his ESS Heil speakers. Jay P. took our advice and broke open his piggy bank to get a bigger subwoofer. And Josh A. mentions Draper manual roll-down screens with tab-tensioning for a taut screen without electricity.

Karl R. asks about an Ultra HD setup disc, and sending UHD signals through his AV Receiver. He also gets our recommendations for Peerless PRG or Chief RPAU projector mounts, plus a Ceiling Plate and Adjustable Extension Pipe, as well as an Elite Saker Tab-Tension Electric screen. Heath B. will have a shorter room than he thought. We go over seating placement, screen size, speaker placement, and subwoofer concerns. And Brian R. asks why Ultra Short Throw Projectors don’t get more coverage.

Shannon H. got worried over claims that the subwoofer crawl does not work. Ian E. is temporarily running a phantom center and wants to know why it sounds so different, as well as what’s causing a bad noise in his Surround speakers. And Russell K. is preparing to add infinite baffle subwoofers to his loft and has some placement concerns about those as well as his in-ceiling Atmos speakers.

Ted M. is upgrading to dual subwoofers and wants to read more about multiple subwoofer setup and bass optimization. He also asks for an explanation of minimum phase, and whether he should add additional side Surround speakers. Jonathan F. bought earphones at a store without doing online research and wonders if the shopping experience is actually more pleasant that way. Will T. asks about lowering his Surround speakers, whether he should add two or four Atmos speakers, and gets our suggestions for either a Marantz SR6011 or Denon AVR-X4300H 7.2.4 AV Receiver. And Mitch R. is debating Receiver and amplifier choices, projection screen choices, and whether he needs to remove his ceiling fan or not.

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Our Listeners of the Week are Weldon for his donation, and Bret R. for letting Accessories4Less and SVS know he bought a Marantz SR7009 AV Receiver and dual PB13-Ultra subwoofers from them, respectively.

In the news, Caavo is a $400, voice-controlled HDMI switch and universal remote replacement that “watches” your content using AI.

Nathan D. notes the rapid pace of Oppo UDP-203 firmware updates. Karl R. exceeded his 4K HDR projector budget, but snagged a near-flagship model. And John M. shared a link to AcousticModelling.com where you can graph a prediction of how your acoustic panels will perform.

Mark H. asks if we have a rule of thumb for allocating percentages of a home theater budget to various components. Bill C. wants to know if Klipsch RF-10 Towers are junk and why they’re being sold at such a low price. And Infinite Gary gets some clarification about HDR and Dolby Vision signals vs. display capabilities, some speculation about 12-bit flat panel displays and future OLED TVs, an explanation of what “pants-flapping bass” really means, and a discussion of why we don’t recommend changing your subwoofer configuration based on content and why EQ can’t make everything sound the same.

Jim W. saw “Atmos” appear on his AV Receiver’s display while watching Netflix and wants an explanation. Nick B. is deciding between two or four subwoofers, the best way to calibrate and level match them for two rows of seating, and how to tackle his HVAC and soundproofing concerns. And Bob N. requests a refresher on different amplifier Classes and why some people claim a certain Class sounds better than others.

Justin B. gets our comments on Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2, Ascend Sierra Luna Satellite, Polk LSiM703, RBH SV-61R, RBH SV-661R, Axiom Audio M5HP, and Axiom QS10HP speakers. Corey M. wants to add in-ceiling Atmos speakers, and we feel comfortable recommending RBH A-600. And Ian E. managed to make his RBH Impression Series Center speaker audibly distort, which we suspect is a cabinet defect, and RBH seems to agree.

John B. requests a list of 4K content services and playback devices. Jay P. has an enormous volume of air, but a set budget for a subwoofer. We discuss some of his options, as well as his shortlist of speaker candidates. Everett L. needs a replacement tricolor filter for Digital Video Essentials. And Allen G. wants a simple, RCA input headphone amplifier, so we suggest the Topping TP21, SMSL SAP II Pro, or SMSL SAP VI.

Adriano M. has a friend who needs an HDMI Matrix switch with optical audio extraction. Weldon B. noticed his NVidia Shield TV offers settings for 60 frames per second and 59.94 fps output, and wants to know which one to use and why. And Mitch needs to buy a new AV Receiver, so we go over the feature differences that might influence his decision.

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Our Listeners of the Week are: Justin for his donation, Karl R. for letting Oppo know he heard about their UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player from us, and John S. for mentioning us to RBH Sound when he ordered a pair of R5Bi bookshelf speakers.

Tom is away this week, so we welcome back Lee Overstreet and James Bujold as our guest co-hosts.

In the news, a new reference design specification for HDBaseT now supports HDMI 2.0 with 18 GBps bandwidth. And Nathan D. and Nathan W. both pointed us to a Marantz UK FAQ response regarding Dolby Vision and HLG HDR signal pass-through that says a firmware update will be necessary, and only the latest Receiver and Pre-Pro models will get it.

Mark O. wants three new Front speakers for under $1,000. Ascend Acoustics CMT-340SE, RBH Impression Series, and Paradigm Monitor Series top our recommendations. We also discuss NHT Media Series upward-firing Atmos-enabled speakers, and speculate about Emotiva Airmotiv speakers based on their design. Abby S. is helping her workplace find a woven acoustically transparent screen. Since they can build their own DIY screen frame, we highly recommend SeymourAV DIY Center Stage UF or SnapAV Dragonfly Ultra AcoustiWeave screen fabric. And Will T. wants a 5.1.4 Receiver with a large front display for under $800. The Denon AVR-X4200W from Accessories4Less fits the bill.

Jonathan F. asks us why we still go out to movie theaters when we have nice home theaters. Jason P. wants the settings for getting the best quality audio out of an AppleTV 4. Mitch R. asks if he should rearrange his acoustic panels to accommodate the size of screen he wants, and he also asks if the JVC DLA-X770R is really worth the large price increase over the DLA-X570R. And Charlie H. listened to AVRant with his wife, and it killed his dreams! Now he wants to know how to convince her he still needs new speakers, so we point out Aperion Audio and SVS free 2-way shipping.

Hector has a Dayton Audio DTA-120 amplifier but wants higher output capability. We mention the Lepai LP7498E, and Crown XLi 800 amps for higher wattage, or the Topping VX1 with USB. We also discuss phantom Center channels and three identical Front speakers, coaxial and concentric drivers, and AVRant’s release schedule. Ted M. wonders if he should buy a projector or a Receiver first, we suggest a SeymourAV Center Stage UF screen for his close seating distance, and we talk a bit about Dirac Unison. And Damian D. is recalibrating his projector, so we mention optimized PS3 settings, Receiver pass-through settings, and suggest the THX Tune-up App.

Karl R. asks about less expensive 4K HDR-compatible projectors, so we mention the Epson HC 5040UB and JVC DLA-X550R. We compare those to some other models, and also explain DLP-Link 3D glasses. Informal Gadget on Twitter asks about a Receiver upgrade. And Nick B. asks about optimizing his Atmos speaker placement and bass management and potentially having two different room correction configurations.

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Our Listeners of the Week are Michael and Larry for their donations, as well as Fred R. for letting Epson know his 8350 projector purchase was thanks to our recommendation, and Anthony S. for letting Accessories4Less know he heard about them from AVRant when he bought his Marantz SR6010 AV Receiver.

In the news, you can now watch copy-protected cable TV on your Xbox One using an HDHomeRun Prime Network CableCARD Tuner. All 2017 Sony TVs support HDR, even their 1080p HDTVs. You’ll soon be able to use PlayStation VR to watch 3D Blu-rays. Nathan D. let us know that Microforum and Viryl are making new vinyl record pressing machines. And he also forwarded us the announcement that Trinnov will expand their Altitude32 Processor to 48 channels.

Bill R. thinks THX Certified Streaming could be useful. Buddy L. shared his happiness over finally having his beloved ESS Heil speakers. Infinite Gary took our advice and concluded that Atmos is an enhancement after all. Ted M. reminds Audyssey users to measure in more than one location for the best results. And Vince H. suggests counting ceiling tiles instead of paces at your local movie theater when you’re trying to figure out your preferred field of view and ideal screen size.

Brandon G. wants to send 4K video to his display and lossless audio to his Receiver from a source with only one HDMI 2.0 output. Unfortunately, an HD Fury Integral or a new Receiver are his only options. We also discuss potentially adding HDMI 2.1 features to existing HDMI 2.0 devices with firmware updates. John W. wants to hear a rule of thumb for how far away Front speakers should be from the front wall. And BD is using satellite speakers in a large room. We suggest the HSU HB-1 Mk2 or Focal Super Bird speakers to replace them, as well as some ways to inspect a used subwoofer before buying it.

Justin B. has a Vizio TV that randomly shuts itself off. We try a bit of troubleshooting, and conclude it’s likely a failing power supply. Nick B. asks about placing a subwoofer behind an acoustically transparent screen and using subs as speaker stands. We also discuss building a room within a room with help from Sound Proofing Company, and go over why buying a Receiver with pre-outs often makes more sense than buying a dedicated Pre-Pro. And Chris D. wants some info on ambient light rejecting screens, including how well they might work outdoors.

Brian H. needs some assistance planning his theater layout in a converted garage. Christian S. learns all about IMAX Theatres, and gets our suggestion for a new subwoofer (or two). David F. is making progress with his theater build, and we evaluate his acoustic panel placement. His very large screen continues to cause headaches, though, so we share some thoughts on how to mount and position it. And Jeb B. told his neighbor she got a good deal on her new OLED TV, but he wants confirmation.

Robert G. wants to upgrade his Polk Tower speakers for under $400. All of our recommendations are bookshelf speakers, including: Ascend Acoustics CBM-170SE, KEF Q300, RBH R5Bi, SVS Prime Bookshelf and Aperion Intimus 5B. Micheal S. gets more setup advice for his bedroom setup involving YPAO, listening modes, crossover choices, and HDMI vs. optical and bitstream vs. PCM output. And Tim B. added a network power line adapter to his home that’s causing a hum in his self-powered speakers. He also asks about setting distance and speaker trim levels when the listening area is very large and has no real sweet spot.

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Our Listeners of the Week are Anthony and Jonathan for their donations, and Jefferson for letting Cloner-Alliance know he heard about them from Lee Overstreet on AVRant.

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