Our Listeners of the Week are Kris I. for his donation, Infinite Gary for letting Ascend Acoustics know that he heard about them from AV Rant, and Ted M. who is graciously offering to match all donations dollar-for-dollar this week from Oct. 10 – 17!

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Kevin N. is the winner of our 500th Episode SVS Giveaway! He chose the SVS 5.1 Prime Satellite speaker package, and he says it will be his first “real” speaker system. So we’re extremely happy for him! Congratulations, Kevin! And since he’d like suggestions for a new Receiver to go along with his new speakers, we think the Denon AVR-X2200W from Accessories4Less is a great choice.

In the news, the biggest surprise from Google’s press conference last week is the inclusion of Dolby Vision support for the 4K Chromecast Ultra. And SVS launched their new 16-Ultra Series Subwoofers.

Philip B. shared an article about Douglas Trumbull’s Magi and Magi Pods 4K 3D 120fps theater systems. And Partha S. let us know that Velodyne subwoofers ended up being the most affordable option in India.

Antoine B. asks if 5.1.4 Atmos is really worth it over 5.1.2, and he also asks about DIY absorption panel materials. Casey wants to know if he’ll hear a worthwhile difference when he upgrades his Polk Audio speakers. We also sort through Receiver models that can handle 7.2.4 Atmos and DTS:X. And we recommend some external amplifier options, including: Emotiva BasX A-500, Monoprice No Logo, Dayton APA100, and Monoprice Monolith. And Michael R. lives in Canada, and he wants a Bluetooth boombox. Tom recommends a Creative Roar model, and Rob recommends a JBL Charge 3. Michael would also like adjustable speaker stands for his Surrounds, so we recommend the Quest Telescopic TM100B or Dayton Audio SS-SAT stands. Lastly, we discuss speaker wire gauge for longer runs.

John M. asks about the light output capabilities of the Epson 5040UB HDR10 projector and just how many nits we’re actually aiming for with HDR projection. Matt G. wants to know if his Xbox One would be a better Blu-ray player than his standalone Sony player, and he also gets some of our suggestions for games that aren’t shooters, sports, or racing. “McMansion” Kris solved a crazy Denon Receiver troubleshooting problem by replacing it with a Marantz model, but we try to speculate about what might have caused his issues. And Moanis asks what he should choose if neutral gray wall paint is vetoed by the aesthetics committee.

John W. wants to include his 2-channel integrated amp in his system, so we suggest the connection path he should use. We also talk about cleaning tweeters, where an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. Jon wants a slim Center speaker to either match his Klipsch Icon Towers or “force” him into upgrading all three Fronts. We suggest HSU Research, Revel On-Walls, GoldenEar SuperSats, and Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE. We also lament the discontinuation of HSU’s STF-2 subwoofer, but still recommend the HSU VTF-1 MK3 as a good match for Jon’s Klipsch subwoofer. We also talk a bit about bi-amping and up-firing Atmos-enabled speakers. And Josh S. wants to incorporate a subwoofer into one room of his whole house audio setup. We suggest using the built-in crossover capabilities of an SVS Plus Series or SVS Ultra Series subwoofer, or using a MiniDSP 2×4.

Rodney gets us to examine his theater plans. We go over speaker and subwoofer placement and options, and recommend Sonance or RBH Sound for in-ceiling speakers. Greg wants to know if a more powerful amplifier is worth it, and we can’t help but suggest that he opt for the KEF in-wall speakers that match his existing KEF Towers and Center. And Steve W. wants to know if it’s possible to put artwork on the back of a projection screen.

Thanks for listening. Now, don't forget to:

• Check out the AV Rant YouTube channel to watch our show videos.
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