AV RantAV Rant #500.1: Part 2: The Second Barrel

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AV Rant #500.1: Part 2: The Second Barrel

August 25th, 2016 Tom

AV Rant 500th_1000px We return with a 2nd part to our 500th Episode Celebration!

We have even more Listeners of the Week: Kris I., Efrain M., and Lee V. – thank you all so much for donating to support AV Rant Podcast!

More news: Valens Semiconductor responded to CE Pro 18 Gbps HDBaseT inquiries. And Jonathan F. confirmed that the Denon AVR-X220W and AVR-S910W received their DTS:X firmware updates! Furthermore, cross-brand upmixing is present, indicating that other models should be receiving similar updates soon.

Infinite Gary bought a Lexicon MC-8 Pre-Pro, and he asks about speaker options, XLR vs. RCA connections, the Outlaw Audio Model 5000 amplifier, and Center speakers with boundary compensation, such as the: Revel C208, Focal Pro Twin 6 Be, and Aperion Audio Verus Grand Center. Nick B. gets some clarification on Reference Volume and what’s going on with Audyssey Dynamic EQ. And Luke gets our honest advice about where we think his money is best spent. DIY Movie Poster Acoustic Panels top our list, followed closely by auditioning Center speakers from brands offering free 2-way shipping, such as: SVS Prime, Aperion Audio Intimus 5C, and Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1.

Chris wants to know if it’s worth upgrading a piece at a time in his wide open living space. We think it is, and we think affordable speakers like the: Pioneer Andrew Jones, EMP Tek E3 Series, NHT Super Series, or Focal Bird would be a great place to start. Jonathan F. read the Audioholics Towers of Power article and wants to know if the comments about massive headroom allowing for great linearity at moderate SPLs hold water. Dave M. wants to know if Dolby Surround Upmixer and DTS Neural:X Upmixer will do a better job with 7.1 soundtracks vs. 5.1 soundtracks. And Scott H. is hearing nasty sounds from Dolby Digital Plus soundtracks streamed by Netflix that we think might be solved by a Denon AVR-X1000 firmware update.

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