AV Rant Listener Efrain —

Let us know there’s at least one website where you can buy 7.1 and even 9.1 Auro-3D audio-only content:

http://www.2l.no/

Efrain also linked to a tutorial on how to separate just the audio from any Blu-rays you might already own. Please keep in mind that breaking any copy protection might be illegal in your country:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/473-ripping-blu-ray-easy-way/

AV Rant Listener Cesar —

tried out the RocketFish Wireless Subwoofer Kit from BestBuy and was not satisfied with its inconsistent performance.

He found the Episode Wireless Subwoofer Kit from SnapAV, and he is much happier with its performance:

http://www.snapav.com/p-920-es-sub-wireless.aspx

AV Rant Listener Damon —

wanted to know if there’s such a thing as a silent dehumidifier for home theater enthusiasts who need to keep the humidity in their theater under control.

If anyone knows of such a thing, please let us know, because we certainly aren’t aware of any stand-alone or installed units that we’d be ok with running while a movie or music is playing in the same room!

The only suggestion we had was to do an air exchange with an adjacent room. This can work really well, and it can be very close to silent by employing a “dead vent” system to move the air in and out of your theater:

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/soundproofing101/the-dead-vent/

AV Rant Listener John M. —

wants to put together a 5.1 surround sound system for $1000.

Tom suggested the EMP Tek Cinema 5 Compact Home Theater System:

http://emptek.com/cinema5.php

Rob likes the Pioneer Andrew Jones Gen. 2 speakers:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers

with an HSU STF-2 subwoofer:

http://hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html

We both agree that the best bet for an AV Receiver will come from accessories4less.com though, with the Denon AVR-X1000 being a likely top choice:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx1000/denon-avr-x1000-5.1-channel-networking-receiver-w/airplay/1.html

AV Rant Listener Cameron K. —

wants to buy a portable headphone DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) and amplifier.

He’s leaning towards the AudioQuest Dragonfly. And for its approx. $150 selling price, we honestly don’t have much to suggest that would perform any better for less money:

http://www.audioquest.com/usb_digital_analog_converter/dragonfly-dac

Tom likes the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS, which sells for about $190. It offers separate volume control on the DacMagic itself:

http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/products/dacmagic-xs-usb-dac-headphone-amp

Rob likes the idea of having a portable DAC/amp that also works easily with a smartphone or tablet.

The FiiO E18 isn’t just USB OTG (On the Go) compatible for easy use with several Android phones, it’s also the only unit on our list here with its own battery! That could be a huge bonus if you really want to make this a portable usage case. It can even charge your phone as a backup battery:

http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000049935442&MenuID=105026002

And for iPhone and iPad users, you can get Apple’s Camera Connection Kit to turn the Lightning port into a USB connection:

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Lightning-Camera-Adapter-MD821ZM/dp/B009WHV3XA

Getting iDevices to work with external DACs can be a little bit hit or miss, though. One portable DAC that works for sure is the…

HRT MicroStreamer, which sells for about $200:

http://www.hirestech.com/product/?pid=107

Some folks, like AV Rant Listener John S. —

have huge, open concept rooms that require massive output from subwoofers if you really want to hear and feel the full impact of deep bass the way you would in a much smaller room.

Audioholics developed their Subwoofer Room Size Rating to let readers know which subwoofers could handle the 5000+ cubic feet that some listeners need to pressurize: http://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/subwoofer-room-size

So here are a handful of subwoofers that can hit that “Extreme Room” size rating while selling for a semi-reasonable price:

– The HSU VTF-15H sells for about $1000 after you factor in shipping. That still makes it about the least expensive option for hitting these sorts of output levels, though:

http://hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-15h.html

– The Rythmik FV15HP is a “giant killer”. Insane output and quality. Shipping puts it close to $1500:

http://rythmikaudio.com/FV15HP.html

And, of course, there’s SVS.

– The SVS PC13-Ultra gives you the smallest footprint with its tall cylinder form factor. You can also lay it on its side to fit it below a screen at the front of a room or behind a couch at the back. Shipping’s included, but it’s still $1700:

http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/cylinder/pc13-ultra#.U8a9ZGdOWUk

– The SVS PB13-Ultra is very well known as one of the first subs to ever get that Audioholics Extreme Room rating. $2000 makes it the most expensive on this list:

http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/ported-box/PB13-Ultra#.U8a-M2dOWUk