AV Rant #383: Playing with Your Mind
This week we have Jorge and Dan to thank for supporting the podcast. You have questions, we have answers. Adrian has a question about power cords and how much of a difference they can really make. Jay points out the one way Tom would spend another dime on Star Wars. Andy has some additional resources for DIY room treatments. Dan took our (mostly Rob’s) advice and loves how his subwoofer blends with his mains. He also noticed a problem that is pretty common. Thanks for bringing it up! Kyle has a question about which separates to buy. Jay has some questions about receivers, Jon needs some headphones, and Todd needs some in-wall speakers. We freaked out Sujay but he has nothing to worry about. Jason bought some room treatments and his wife likes them so much, she wants more. Learn his secret at the end of this podcast. Thanks for listening. Now, don't forget to:
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AV Rant Listener David F. —
Linked us to an editorial by John Watkinson, author of “The Art of Digital Audio”, over at The Register in which he tears into Apple, Beats, Neil Young, Pono, and the whole CD quality vs. high resolution audio debate. It’s an interesting read:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/13/apple_beats_and_fools_with_money/?page=1
AV Rant Listener Fred C. —
Built himself his own subwoofer cabinet to house a Rythmik driver and amp. When he says he braced the heck out of it, that’s a bit of an understatement!
https://www.facebook.com/operadad/media_set?set=a.10202570137589496.1073741825.1078092949&type=1
AV Rant Listener Adrian —
Sent us a link to an episode of Guitar Tone Network’s podcast in which they compare some after market power cords and power conditioners. Yup. Power cords. Now there’s a topic worthy of a rant!
http://guitartonenetwork.com/?q=node%2F77
AV Rant Listener Jay —
found this Ars Technica article in which they ponder if Disney’s ownership of the Star Wars franchise might one day result in us finally being able to watch pristine copies of the truly original (no “Special Edition” added effects and changes to dialogue) Star Wars trilogy:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/could-disney-finally-give-us-the-remastered-unedited-star-wars-we-want/
AV Rant Listener Andy H. —
wanted to add a couple more links to helpful resources for DIY acoustic panels:
1) Guilford of Maine fabrics are a very popular choice for acoustically transparent fabrics with great looks, ideal for wrapping your absorption panels:
http://www.guilfordofmaine.com/patterns/2100
2) Acoustical Surfaces Inc. is another site where you can learn about acoustics and shop for acoustical and soundproofing products and supplies:
http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/
AV Rant Listener Jay —
wanted to know if 4 subwoofers had to be positioned at the mid-point of each wall, or with one subwoofer in each corner, or could they be positioned in other ways while still delivering the benefits of even, uniform bass across every seat in your theater.
Harman put out a white paper several years ago that is one of the main sources for our current recommendations when it comes to subwoofer placement. As you’ll read in the paper, it’s really just all about symmetry:
http://www.harman.com/EN-US/OurCompany/Innovation/Documents/White%20Papers/multsubs.pdf
AV Rant Listener Jon C. —
wants to find some headphones that are suitable for monitoring purposes. They need to be accurate, comfortable, affordable, and play the full audible frequency range. These were our suggestions, but we’re certainly open to adding more in the comments below!
Etymotic in-ears: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/epcomp.html
Shure SE315 in-ears: http://www.shure.com/americas/products/earphones-headphones/se-models/se315-sound-isolating-earphones
AKG K240: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-240-Semi-Open-Studio-Headphones/dp/B0001ARCFA
AKG K550: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K550-Closed-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B005CNR7B0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1400039508&sr=8-7&keywords=AKG+headphones
PSB M4U-1: http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/headphones/M4U-1-Headphones
KEF M500 on-ears: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/kefm500/kef-m500-hi-fi-on-ear-headphones-aluminum/black/1.html?gclid=CJ6-1LC9qr4CFWVp7AodnAgAGQ
Sony Pro MDR: http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/searchResults.do?refine=4294967294&navId=4294967293+4294967199+4294963653&srchTerm=MDR&searchTab=0
AV Rant Listener Todd P. —
is on the lookout for in-wall speakers with paintable grills. Once again, we’ve put together a list of recommendations, but more suggestions are always welcome in the comments below!
HSU: http://hsuresearch.com/products/hiw-1.html
Aperion Audio: http://www.aperionaudio.com/speakers/in-wall-and-in-ceiling-home-theater-speakers/new-intimus-l6-iw-in-wall-speaker
RBH MC Series: http://rbhsound.com/inwall_mc.php
Paradigm: http://paradigm.com/products-current/type=inwall
Focal: http://www.focal.com/en/chorus-700/50-chorus-iw-706-v-3544051691017.html
Revel: http://www.revelspeakers.com/Products/Category/11
Boston Acoustics at Accessories4Less: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/spkinwall/speakers-stands/in-wall-speakers/1.html