Our Listener of the Week is Matt G. for letting Ascend Acoustics know he bought his Sierra-1 speakers thanks to AV Rant’s recommendation!

In the news, Jonathan F. sent us the announcement that IMAX now offers a $400,000 private home theater package and $10,000 “Home Premier” playback system. Antoine gave us the heads up on Sony’s four new “XBR” 4K TVs with HDR10 support. Walmart’s $49/year ShippingPass subscription looks to take on Amazon Prime. And Panasonic’s DMP-UB900 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player will be available in September for $700.

Kris I. found a list of Auro-3D movie theaters. And Dorsel F. is very happy with his dual SVS PB-1000 subwoofers that we recommended!

Ted M. completely changed his speaker purchase plans when his wife vetoed his first choice. But she surprised him by buying the M&K Sound MP150 speakers for him! Ted asks about matching subwoofers, speaker placement, amplifier requirements, separates vs. a Receiver, and self-powered speakers vs. passive speakers.

Adrian A. wants to get into vinyl, and we suggest the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB might be worth the extra money over the AT-LP60. Justin B. asks if we’d rather have Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2 bookshelf speakers or the Sierra Towers with the standard dome tweeter. And Adriano M. saw a video presentation of Audio Pixels and wants to hear our take.

Jim B. is temporarily running his system without any subwoofers, and that resulted in some scary and very bad sounds after Audyssey seemingly tried to boost the bass from his Front speakers too much. Matt G. decided to buy Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 speakers, and he wants to know how they compare to Towers, and whether the CBM-170SE will provide a good timbre match in the future. And Infinite Gary asks about beryllium tweeters vs. ribbon tweeters, Guilford of Maine fabric color choices, BT.1886 gamma vs. 2.2 or 2.4 gamma, color contouring after a calibration, 4K resolution pass through on his Anthem D2v Processor, and why Back to the Future on Blu-ray looked like it was shot on a camcorder on his new TV.

Jerry D. wants to know how Rob is able to use dual SVS PC13-Ultra subwoofers in an apartment. John W. wants to know at what point a room gets too large for bookshelf speakers. And Nick B. found Dr. Earl  Geddes’ approach to multiple subwoofer setup (additional LINK 1 and LINK 2) very interesting, and wonders if it is worth paying his $400 software-based setup fee.

Will T. would like our recommendation for the Monoprice 6.5-inch Kevlar in-ceiling speakers with backer boxes, as well as some advice on how to set his subwoofer volume prior to running YPAO. And Sean F. is nearly ready to put up drywall in his theater, so he has some final questions about series. vs. parallel wiring, clearance for a ceiling fan, insulating a false wall, choosing speakers to go in that false wall, light loss through acoustically transparent screens, and any last ideas we might have before he closes up his walls!

Lastly, just for fun, we take a look at Boston Dynamics’ “SpotMini” robot, which is clearly the beginning of Skynet.

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Our Listeners of the Week are Jerry D. for his donation, and anyone else we might have missed while Tom is away! Lee Overstreet joins Rob H. for an extra long episode! And we hope our AV Rant Listeners can help Lee find a new sound card/audio interface; Rob suggested the Behringer UCA-222.

In the news, the Epson Home Cinema 5040UB projector with HDR10, DCI-P3 color, motorized zoom, and “wobble-K” resolution will be available in August for $2,999. Amazon has begun streaming some Dolby Vision content. And SVS introduced their new SVS SoundPath Pivoting Wall/Ceiling Bracket for small speakers up to 7.7 lbs.

Our good friend, Herb, from Cross-Spectrum Labs explains why their calibrated measurement microphones are on backorder. Ray Coronado helps us out with the Lion AV Tech list of THX Certified Video Calibrators. Tyler F. showed us the hilarious “Vinylfied” website. Kris I. is interested in HDTV Test’s comparison of HDR10 to Dolby Vision. Samsung demonstrated their HDR10 Evaluation Disc. And Ted thanks us for getting him to switch out of “Native” color mode on his plasma TV!

Matt G. wants a “fuller” sound from his speakers. We mention the Pioneer Andrew Jones Speakers, ELAC Debut Series, Ascend Acousitcs CMT-340SE, and EMP Tek Impression Series. We suggest the MiniDSP 2×4 for subwoofer EQ. And we try to sort out Dish vs. DirecTV image quality. Mark O. similarly wants “fuller” sound, and he specifically asks about the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 and Aperion Audio Verus Grand Bookshelf speakers.

Jason S. fixed his hum! But he still has HDMI handshake issues. Jerry D. sorts through compatible formats using PLEX on Xbox One, and he winds up with our recommendations for using Handbrake Video Transcoder. Infinite Gary wants us to discuss the broadcast equipment used for the 4K MLB Network on DirecTV, and also why his video calibrator said to wait 200 hours before calibrating Gary’s OLED. And Will T. wants the lowdown on 7.2.4 AV Receiver options, the new 2016 Receiver models from Denon and Marantz, and good setup discs such as Disney WOW or Spears and Munsil HD Benchmark.

Eric S. asks all about Front Height speakers and whether 5.1.2 is really Atmos or not. Josh A. has four subwoofers in a small room and apparently wants even more by asking about Rythmik F25 and SVS PC13-Ultra subs. Jonathan F. gets our thoughts on the Murphy Corner-Line-Array speakers. And Moanis wants to know if he should buy a 2015 LG OLED TV.

Nick B. is nailing down his theater build plans, but has concerns. We explain why the Seymour AV Center Stage UF screen fabric and Millibel AT Masking Panels should work for him. We go over Anthony Grimani’s seating placement suggestions. And we clarify a graph and table about distortion from Audioholics’ Status Acoustics Titus 8T speaker review. Martin B. gets our recommendation for the Denon AVR-X2200W AV Receiver. And John M. wants neutral gray paint, so we suggest the Sherwin Williams 235 “Gray Screen” paint options.

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Thank you to our Listeners of the Week, Antoine and Justin for their donations, and Justin B. for letting SVS know his dual PB-1000 subwoofer purchase was thanks to our recommendation!

In the news, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ‘Ultimate Edition’ will be the first 100GB Ultra HD Blu-ray release, Logitech is beta testing Harmony Remote integration with Amazon Echo, and AV Rant Listener Antoine forwarded confirmation that Samsung won’t have 3D on any of its 2016 TVs. Bill C. found a $74 100-inch motorized projection screen that we think is worth checking out. Jeb B. thinks HDR in Forza Horizon 3 sounds interesting. Philip B. is mildly interested in the Soundlazer VR Kickstarter. And Jim D. wants us to add Dark Matter and Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards to our list of recommended TV shows.

Will T. wants to know the best way to position and integrate two or three subwoofers in his L-shaped room using Yamaha’s YPAO. Robert F. asks about auto-setup for Atmos speaker positions, dual subs sounding quieter than a single sub, positioning and using a ported sub and a sealed sub together, and whether acoustic panels mounted up high are worth it. And Justin B. asks many, many questions, including: making a damage claim with APC, dual subwoofer choices under $1000 for a large room (Outlaw Audio Ultra-X12 when they go on sale), stacking subwoofers, sealed vs. ported, getting a silent noise floor, connecting alternate Front L/R speakers, bookshelf vs. tower speakers, Room EQ Wizard Help Section, using a PC Software Equalizer APO, MiniDSP choices, Surround and overhead speaker placement, SpoonFlower “Quilting Weight” Cotton fabricfor acoustic panels, acoustically transparent material measurements, and our guess on 4K HDR TV pricing later this year. Whew!

Harvie W. asks why auto-on stopped working when he added a second subwoofer, and he wants to know how to fix it. Dave wants to know how to get his Yamaha Processor to display that it’s really using Dolby Atmos. Ted M. asks about room analysis software, and whether we agree with acoustician Bob Hodas that EQ is only the last 5% of room tuning. And Cesar D. wants to play one source in surround sound while playing a different source through headphones all from his Emotiva XMC-1 Processor.

Michael R. asks about PC audio output settings and connecting a PC to two displays and two sound systems. Infinite Gary asks about “green push”, and whether a 4K projector could ever equal OLED picture clarity. Randy C. gets us to recommend Visual Apex Outdoor Theater equipment and Behringer PA speakers with a Behringer 502 mixer, or the Pyle Pro 1237UB PA Speakers with remote control. And Joseph S. wants to know why one of his subwoofers stops playing when he sets his Yamaha AV Receiver to stereo listening mode.

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Thank you to our Listeners of the Week: Joseph, Terry, and Rick for their generous donations! Tom reviews the SVS Prime Bookshelf speakers with some comments on the SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers, too. Check the bottom of the post for pictures of the SVS Prime and Ultra Bookshelf speakers.

In the news, Jonathan F. sent us Plex’ blog post explaining that the NVidia Shield TV is now a full Plex Server. Tyler F. sent us several links out of InfoComm all about projectors such as the: Optoma ultra-short throw with HDR, Panasonic 27,000 lumen 3-chip laser, Acer low noise V9800, and Digital Projection 3-chip laser. Projector Central’s laser projector list also details many more models. E3 brought us announcements of the new Xbox One S with an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, Microsoft dropping Xbox One TV DVR support, Sony confirming the 4K Playstation Neo, and Playstation VR launching October 13 for $399. Vizio launched nine SoundBars with Google Cast. Nathan D. forwarded Denon & Marantz’ new AV Receiver model announcements that include more 11 speaker models and built-in HEOS. And Abby Savage is featured in an SVS Artist & Producer Systems Q&A.

Brock R. gets us to compare Denon HEOS vs. Yamaha MusicCast for whole house audio. Mowar wonders if the Emotiva BasX A-300 amplifier is worth its higher price tag over the Monoprice 2-Channel Amplifier. And Infinite Gary asks us to clarify Audioholics’ How To Set Up an AV Receiver video, and wonders how Dolby Vision on Ultra HD Blu-ray will play out.

Nick B. has altered his basement theater plans. He gets our thoughts on the new layout, as well as our suggestions to use Focal Chorus IC 706 V in-ceiling speakers, and Ray Coronado’s suggestion of this handy Riser Height Calculator. Johnny D. gets us to clarify our comments about dual subwoofer placement. And John M. gets our exhaustive list of recommended TV shows, including: Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, The Americans, Mr. Robot, Fargo, 12 Monkeys, Person of Interest, The 100, Penny Dreadful, Bates Motel, Hannibal, Nikita, Salem, Awake, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine from Rob; and, White Collar, Hustle, Leverage, Brickleberry, The League, Archer, Farscape, Attack on Titan, and Legend of Korra from Tom.

Bob wants an amplifier for his Chromecast Audio, and we suggest the Lepai LP7498E Class D Amplifier. Sean’s theater build is progressing nicely, and we point him to Projector Central’s Projection Calculator to help him nail down the placement. And Matthew G. wants to upgrade his speakers and asks if a deal on Polk speakers is worth it. We recommend taking advantage of the free two-way shipping offered by SVS, Aperion Audio, and Ascend Acoustics to audition their speakers instead. We also tackle his questions about Audyssey and THX Listening Modes.

Ted M. asks about Audyssey’s effectiveness with dual subwoofers. Michael R. gets some further clarification about his HTPC build. Will T. has a subwoofer placement question and asks about Monoprice, Dayton Audio, and Silver Ticket speakers. And Fred T. asks for carpet suggestions for his theater, as well as soundproofing ideas for the floor, so we recommend the Serenity Mat from Sound Proofing Company.

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Tom is away this week, so Producer Austen joins Rob H. at a very unusual recording time for us.

Our Listeners of the Week are Fred, Mike, and Jason S. for their donations, as well as: Moanis for taking advantage of Ascend Acoustics’ Summer Sale and letting them know he heard about their speakers from AV Rant; Adriano for letting SVS know his dual SB-2000 subwoofer purchase was because of our recommendation; and Michael I. for contacting GiK Acoustics to let them know he bought their acoustic panels because of AV Rant!

In the News, Integra’s DRX Series AV Receivers include MQA audio decoding, and Schiit Audio explicitly rejects MQA. Bill C. shared Consumer Reports’ “5 Songs to Help You Buy a Great Sound System”. And Nathan D. noticed Oppo’s Ultra HD Blu-ray player has an OLED display, so hopefully the rest of the player isn’t too far behind.

Brian R. solved his IR and RF remote issues with a combination of our advice and his own hard work and observations. Moanis asks about Ascend vs. Aperion, and how high acoustic panels should go on a wall. Infinite Gary wonders about HDR calibration, screen ratio optical illusions, and plasma TV lifespans. And John W. has us list some other podcasts, including: AV Forums Podcast, Dolby Institute, Emotiva Podcasts, HDTV & Home Theater, and Home Theater Geeks.

Johnny D. wants advice to choose between a Denon AVR-X4200W or a Marantz SR6010. Jonathan F. asks us to discuss quotes pulled from Light Illusion’s critique of UHDTV, HDR, HLG & WCG, as well as HDTV Test’s “HDR is Too Dim for Daytime” article. He also asks about auto-setup crossover settings. And Karl R. asks about using an Amazon Echo Dot with his Sonos system, which might involve IFTTT.

Joseph S. wants to find a professional calibrator, so we point to THX Certified Installer Finder, ISF Dealer Locator, and AVS Forum ISF Calibrator Location Thread. Infinite Gary (again) asks about artificial color expansion, using multiple picture modes, adjusting color temperature, and HDR in the cinema vs. at home. And Mike F. wants new Center and Surround speakers and a subwoofer all for $900, so we recommend: Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE, NHT Super Series, or EMP Tek Impression Series speakers with an SVS PB-1000 subwoofer.

Ken M. asks us to compare SVS subwoofer models for his room and setup. Pieter J. has several questions about long wire and cable runs going into his renovation. And Michael R. wants a new HTPC, and we suggest having one built for him using the Tech Buyers Guru HTPC Guide.

Ted M. is still concerned about nailing down his speaker choices with concerns about dynamics, mid-bass slam, positioning, monopoles vs. di-poles, and future Atmos considerations. Jason S. has a new mysterious hum problem for us to tackle. And Michael I. wants to find the best value when it comes to room correction, as well as a way to recreate the tactile bass of a live music festival.

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