AV Rant #505: Creative iRoar Bluetooth Speaker Review
Our Listeners of the Week are Jonathan S. Ilango, Dave, and Alan for their generous donations! Ted M. also wants to match all donations dollar-for-dollar during a week of our choosing, so we will be talking that up over the next couple of episodes!
Tom reviews the Creative iRoar Bluetooth speaker that seems to live up to its name.
Remember to check out our new AV Rant Podcast YouTube Channel for the video versions of the show!
In the news, Dolby Vision support on the Oppo UDP-203 is still up in the air. Andy alerted us to the Monoprice Monolith 15-inch subwoofer shown at CEDIA. Sony Pictures and Auro-3D will release 10 movies. Roku’s five new models range in price from $30 to $130. Canadian streaming service shomi is shutting down Nov. 30. And the SVS Prime Elevation speakers finally arrive!
Philip B. found instructions for modifying capacitors with wax and wood, just in case you needed more evidence that some audiophiles are insane.
Mat A. is planning his new theater. We discuss speaker placement, screen size, and seating distance. John M. asks whether the carpet itself or the pad underneath matters more when it comes to acoustics, so we recommend a felt carpet pad. Karl R. asks for our opinions on the BenQ W8000 projector, which seems to go by the model number HT6050 in North America, and its most compelling features are its interchangeable lenses. And Greg P. tracked down a crackling noise problem in his system to his ethernet over powerline adapter, and he wants to know what was going on.
Ted M. has new Legacy Audio speakers on the way, and he wants to know if he should try to repurpose his old speakers. We also go over the relationship between Watts and speaker output. Jonathan F. read the Audioholics Paradigm Persona Series review and wants to know if beryllium is truly so special.
And Josh L. is planning a theater that must also double as a guest room. We go over dimensions, layout, and screen choices such as the 70-inch Vizio M-Series.
Mahi wants a 7.2.6 setup if he can get it. He could add Boston Acoustics in-wall speakers to his existing gear, or get all new Aperion Audio Intimus speakers and Aperion in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. We also discuss his seating distances and suggest a 135-inch acoustically transparent screen from Silver Ticket or Seymour AV. Matt G. got a deal on an Xbox One, and he wants to know if he should’ve bought an Xbox One S instead, and what his audio output settings should be. And Jeff G. wants a bigger CinemaScope screen. We mention Elite Screens Dual Screen and Seymour AV Masking options. And also discuss placement of four subwoofers.
Chris S. built a cardboard box model of his new speakers (yay!) and realized he needs new speaker stands. We suggest Sanus, VideoSecu, or Quest. Muzammil (we are so sorry for surely mispronouncing your name!) wants a “wall of sound”, and we think his Yamaha Receiver’s DSP listening modes can help. And Danny J. wants to know what would be worthwhile about adding a streaming box if you already own a Smart TV.
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