Our Listeners of the Week are Andy and Derek for their donations, and Fabricio J. for letting SVS know he bought a PC-2000 subwoofer during their Outlet Store sale because of AV Rant!

In the news, Emotiva released details and pricing for their XMC-1 Processor Enhancements that add HDCP 2.2 and 7.2.4 Atmos and DTS:X decoding. And John M. sent us an article explaining Samsung’s plans to skip OLED TVs and focus on Quantum Dot QLED TVs instead.

Our own Producer Austen figured out just how much “a ton” of money really is. And Infinite Gary sent a link to the Dolby Institute Podcast Series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at movie sound artistry.

Robert F. is setting up 5.2.4 Atmos speakers and wants to know where to place them and what to call them. Craig Eggers from Dolby offers some Atmos setup tips. Robert also asks about using an older Receiver as an external amplifier, as well as wanting to double check some of Audyssey’s settings. Dorsel Fields on Facebook asks if there’s such a thing as “too much subwoofer” for his small room. We think a pair of SVS SB-1000 would be suitable. But for insanely deep extension, the HSU ULS-15 Mk2 is a high value choice.

Tyler F. has us revisit JVC’s projectors where Projector Reviews details WCG and HDR capabilities of the JVC DLA-X750R. We also discuss why we aren’t super excited for HDR projectors just yet. Justin B. found out a replacement Audyssey microphone would cost $25, but a power surge rendered his whole situation moot. Now he’s looking for an upgrade and asks about Yamaha vs. Marantz, YPAO vs. Audyssey, and 5.1 vs. Atmos. Justin also asks about setting up a one-man, 2-channel system for $1500. We recommend Magnepan MMG speakers, and HSU STF-2 subwoofer, a Slimline Marantz NR1506 Receiver, and possibly the Emotiva BasX A-300 amplifier in the future. Justin’s final questions are about Vandersteen speakers, and contacting Ascend Acoustics to visit their headquarters in San Clemente, California.

Led already has a pair of in-ceiling speakers and asks about expanding to Atmos. He wants a decent timbre match to his Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, and we go a little outside the box by suggesting Axiom Audio or RBH Sound. For inexpensive 2-channel amps, we recommend the Dayton APA100, Monoprice Stereo Amp, or Emotiva BasX Series. And we explain a bit about speaker wire lengths and gauge, frame interpolation processing in 120Hz TVs, surround sound upmixing, and Audio Return Channel (ARC).

Tony C. gets our thoughts on the best way to set up a 5.1.2 Atmos layout, as well as how to use some Audyssey MultEQ XT measurements to level match and integrate dual subwoofers. Ted M. has us recommend the TEAC HA-P50 Headphone Amplifier for his new Oppo PM-3, plus we talk about speaker positioning. And Josh A. read Tom’s Salk Sound Veracity HT2-TL Review and wants to know why Tom “slammed” Salk last week.

Gaylen is buying his son an Xbox, and it’s good timing: Microsoft just dropped the price on Xbox One consoles. David F.’s SVS PC12-NSD subwoofer got wet during a storm, but it wasn’t plugged in, so hopefully letting it dry and cleaning it will be enough. And we think Bob should get a Marantz SR7010 Receiver, but he’ll probably get the Marantz AV7702 Mk II Pre-Pro.

Nick B. has some clarifications about his basement room, and we describe how lens shift in projectors works. Adriano M. used JBL Pro speakers and QSC commercial grade amplifiers and wonders if it’s worth selling and replacing them. And Bill R. gets our recommendation for Yamaha Outdoor All-Weather Speakers. He also did a head-to-head comparison of the Focal Electra 1008 Be vs. the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2 speakers.

Everett L. could use AV Forums Audyssey Setup Tutorial plus a few extra pointers from us. And Ian E. wants better computer speakers, plus the ability to use his Definitive Technology Supercube 3 subwoofer, so our top recommendation goes to the AudioEngine A5+ Powered Speakers.

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Thank you to our Listeners of the Week: James C. for his donation and for putting our logo on the PVP iSound induction speaker; and Ash for updating our artwork!

In the News, Tom suggests trying Netflix’ Fast.com to gauge your download speeds. Karl R. sent the headline that Philips will launch their BDP-7301/7501 Ultra HD Blu-ray player in June for $399. Andy provided a heads up on Andrew Jones’ ELAC Uni-Fi self-powered speaker. And the announcement of the Yamaha RX-A60 Aventage Receiver lineup.

Herb from Cross-Spectrum Labs let us know that auto-setup microphones respond poorly in heat and humidity, so cooling and drying them can improve their performance. Mark M. suggests Anti-Fatigue Foam Mats make better subwoofer/speaker dampers than mousepads. And Infinite Gary found a retailer claiming to have “The World’s Best Home Cinema”.

Tyler H. wants to use an Amazon Echo Dot and some in-ceiling speakers without an always-on amp wasting power. We suggest a power-saving outlet, the Lepai LP7498E Class D amplifier, or the Dayton Audio APA100 with auto-sensing. Gabe M. clarified that lossy audio codecs use “perceptual coding” so that we hear as little difference as possible. And SteveTheGeek gets our recommendations for sealed headphones: the Audio Technica ATH-M50x, Sony MDR-7506, and Oppo PM-3.

Nick B. wants to change aspect ratios and screen sizes with 4-way masking. Carada Masquerade offers motorized 2-way masking, while Seymour AV Manual Masking and Electric Roll-down Masking is our top recommendation. Nick also asks about projector lens ratios, and we highly recommend using Projector Central’s Projection Calculator. We also discuss Nick’s plans for the layout of his basement.

Infinite Gary asks about separate horizontal and vertical sharpness controls. A CNET Sharpness article explains why you should deactivate any sharpness or edge enhancement. We also discuss deinterlacing, upconversion, and upscaling, the evolution of Blu-ray players, and whether to import European products.

John M. gets our thoughts on “ambience extraction”. Tim R. gets our suggestions for the BenQ HT2050 projector, Silver Ticket Screen, Marantz SR6010, Denon AVR-X4200W, or Yamaha RX-A2050 5.2.4 Receiver, and Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE, NHT SuperZero, EMP Tek, SVS Prime, ELAC Debut, or Focal Bird speakers, And Jonathan F. shared his thoughts on Audio Test Tracks.

Ash asks about Knauf EarthWool insulation. John B. found a story about electrical shocks from Cable TV coax. And Bill R. wants to compare the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2 and Focal Electra 1008 Be speakers.

Tyler F. asks about JVC projectors and their 4K and HDR capabilities. And Steven R. wants to add online capabilities to his 2-channel audio system. We recommend the Sonos Connect most highly, but also mention Google’s Chromecast Audio, NVidia Shield TV, and the JRiver Id as possible alternatives.

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Our Listeners of the Week are James D. Gary, Jonathan, Nathan, Edward, and Trent. Thank you all so much for supporting AV Rant Podcast with your generous donations!

In the news, AV Rant Listener Antoine sent the link to Definitive Technology’s new BP9000 Series of bi-pole, Atmos-ready speakers.

Infinite Gary shared an article in which Paramount describes the “Laborious Process Behind Ultra HD Blu-rays“. And Nelson W. shared a superb example of why you should always double check your speaker wire connection at both ends!

Nathan D. asks about the lack of fanfare for the new Aperion Verus II Grand Series of speakers and whether Tom will review them. He also asks about network-controllable battery backup power supplies such as the APC S20 or its clone, the Crestron CEN-UPS1250, which offer more advanced controls than our go-to recommendation: the APC J35B. TiVo customer service confirmed that the new TiVo OTA 1TB can accept IR remote commands as well as RF, and we talk a bit about using a Harmony Hub with rack-mounted gear. And we touch upon genuine 4K panel projectors vs. models that “wobble” a 1080p panel.

Johnny D.’s brother-in-law has a simple request: he wants to play one HDMI source in his living room in 5.1 while playing a second HDMI source in Zone 2 in stereo. Sadly, it’s much more complicated than it should be! A Yamaha Zone B Receiver can only play one source at a time. Denon’s AVR-X3100W requires 2.0 PCM output from the source, as does the Monoprice Blackbird 4×2 Matrix Switch. Tom K. wants to make sure his Marantz SR7010 purchase was the right move. He also asks about overhead speaker orientation, and gets some clarification on bitstream vs. PCM audio signals. And Jonathan F. gets us to dive further into full-array local-dimming and static vs. dynamic HDR metadata, as well as our suggestions for “tiny” speakers such as Orb Audio or our top recommendation, the Focal Little Bird.

Bill R. asks for $5,000/pair Tower speaker recommendations on behalf of a friend. In addition to the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower w/ RAAL, and Salk SongTower Supercharged already being considered, we mention the Legacy Audio Classic HD and GoldenEar Triton Series. Justin B. almost certainly has a defective Audyssey microphone. He also gets our comments on DTS Headphone X and the Out of Your Head Software, or recommendations of GIK Acoustics Bass Traps and Acoustimac Bass Traps, our complete lack of knowledge of when Emotiva’s new speakers are arriving, our confirmation that Ascend Sierra-1 speakers can be upgraded to Sierra-2s, and our thoughts on the Dayton Wireless Subwoofer System.

Infinite Gary is getting an LG B6 OLED TV and asks about resolution, using its Smart TV services without an Audio Return Channel connection, and future Ultra HD connection paths. And we finish with Trent G. who asks about speaker positioning below a projection screen, speaker efficiency concerns, elevating Surround Back speakers, acoustic panel priority, bass trapping, and his own experience with “Wobble K”!

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It’s AV Rant Podcast’s 9th Anniversary! Thank you to ALL the AV Rant Listeners for supporting us all these years! A stack of mousepads to all! Wait, no, we don’t have that. Plus, what possible AV problem could mousepads solve? You’ll have to listen to find out!

A special thank you to our Listeners of the Week: Jeff for his generous donation, and Tom K. for letting Accessories4Less know he bought his Marantz SR7010 from them because of AV Rant, and for letting us know that A4L is starting to notice all the referrals!

In the news, Tom K. gave us the heads up that Warner Music Group has signed a deal with Meridian to use their MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) system on future releases. Infinite Gary sent us a report that Star Trek Beyond will be released in Barco Escape, a 3-screen format similar to the old Cinerama experience. And Tyler F. noted the reports that Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has been purchased by EVA Automation.

Nathan D. got word directly from Oppo that their Ultra HD Blu-ray players should release in late 2016 and early 2017. Jeb B. thinks the reason curved TVs exist is so they can be mounted in old CRT cubby holes. And James B. like our AV Rant-sponsored racing car so much, he sponsored one of his own with his installation company Dynamic Technologies!

Nathan W. wonders if Audyssey is doing a good job of EQ’ing his Triad speakers. Jonathan F. is getting choppy video when upscaling to 4K/60 and wants to know the best connection path, as well as a the best options for adding two more speakers to his setup. And Jefferson G. is finalizing his quad subwoofer setup, and he also wants to know the best way to integrate a Nintendo 64 console into his system.

Simran S. asks about some lesser known audio companies: Bossobass, and Arendal Sound. Infinite Gary asks about Home Theater Geeks’ Darbee Vision interview. And Rusty wants to know what microphones we use and our recommendations, which include the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB, ATR2500, and Blue Yeti.

Leighton asks about lossy vs. lossless audio, analog vs. digital output, and Ascend Acoustics Sierra RAAL vs. Aperion Audio Verus Grand speakers. Ted M. also asks about Ascend’s RAAL tweeters. And Adriano M. got his in-wall subwoofer cable situation fixed, and asks about SVS products in Australia, as well as using mismatched subwoofers together as a pair.

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Thank you to our Listeners of the Week: Dipan and Brandon for their donations, and Nelson W. for letting Accessories4Less and SVS know he bought his Marantz SR7010 and Prime Series speakers because of recommendations from AV Rant!

Lots of News Headlines: The CTA has defined the term Wide Color Gamut Display, Sony adds HDR10 compatibility to their VPL-VW365ES 4K projector, and Antoine alerted us to the new $400 subscription-free TiVo Roamio OTA 1TB DVR. Speaking of TiVo, Rovi is buying TiVo for $1.1 billion. Pioneer Japan is partnering with Dirac, Tyler F. & Chris Heinonen remarked on The Martian: Extended Edition as the first Ultra HD Blu-ray double dip, and The Punisher is getting his own series on Netflix.

Efrain finally received his crowd-funded LH Labs Pulse Infinity Headphone DAC and Amp, Bob G. installed a sliding glass door to help him pressurize his theater with bass, Bill S. is impressed with the Chromecast Audio, and Cliff Heyne gives a big thumbs up to the RBH Sound SI-760 in-wall speakers.

Jonathan F. asks whether dynamic metadata is really necessary for the best High Dynamic Range video when we already have dynamic backlighting systems. Tom K. is interested in the forthcoming Emotiva XMC-1 Pre-Pro Immersive Audio upgrade. He asks about 9 speaker vs. 11 speaker setups and positioning. And we suggest the Focal Bird or Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE as ceiling-mounted speakers.

Srini wants to replace his Squeezebox Radios, and we recommend the Fluance Fi50, Creative Sound Blaster Roar Series, AudioEngine Powered Speakers, or Bluetooth speakers from Accessories4Less. Brock R. gets into the nitty-gritty details of Yamaha vs. Denon Receivers. And Jim W. gets our thoughts on Height speakers and troubleshooting a popping sound in some of his speaker channels.

Jeb. B. & Jeff G. both had some additional thoughts on setting up four subwoofers. Infinite Gary asks about cable vs. disc video quality, older headphone models vs. newer replacements, LG’s newest OLED TVs, and Joe Kane’s appearance on Home Theater Geeks where he dug into HDR signals on front projectors, Dolby’s new “I Ct Cp” color subsampling system, and bias lighting.

Adriano M. found the Polk Audio PWSK1 Wireless Subwoofer Kit, which is probably fine, although we know for sure the AudioEngine W3 Wireless Adapter works well. Dipan is very impressed with his Calibrated UMIK-1 from Cross-Spectrum Labs. He’s still on the lookout for a 13 speaker Processor, but in the meantime, he wants amplifiers with a low noise floor, so we recommend the Monoprice Monolith 7, Outlaw Audio Model 7700, and checking out Classic Audio Parts.

Brandon G. asks about horizontal vs. vertical Center speaker design. James M. asks for ideal room dimensions. And Allen G. gets some further clarification on Reference Volume and how to get the readings on his Radio Shack SPL meter to match Room EQ Wizard.

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