Thank you to our Listeners of the Week, Grant, Jimmy, and Rick B, for your generous donations!

Pomegranate! (listen to Ep. 510 if you want to know what that’s about)

Tom reviews the ToughTested Solar Dual USB 10,000mAh Battery Pack. In the news, new 7.2.4 AV Receivers and Pre-pros are now available: Onkyo PR-RZ5100, TX-RZ3100, and TX-RZ1100 that are THX Certified and use AccuEQ; Integra DRC-R1, DRX-R1, and DRX-7 that add HDBaseT and MQA; and, Pioneer Elite SC-LX901, SC-LX801, and SC-LX701 that drop THX and use MCACC. All of these Receivers use Pioneer’s D3 Class D amps. ATI introduced their Class D Hypex N-Core AT52 and AT54 Series amplifiers. And Infinite Gary let us know about the new Outlaw Audio Model 7140 Class A/B amplifier with a Class F power supply.

Scott S. loves the most recent update to the Plex App on the NVidia Shield TV that has granted lossless bitstream audio output support, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. And Karl R. pointed out that Apple’s new favorite things – dongles and proprietary cords – are on sale.

Fab F. has decided to build a dedicated theater in his basement. We discuss which room we think he should use, how to contend with ductwork, where he should place his speakers, and that pesky 4 ohm setting on Receivers. Kevin A. wants new Front L/R speakers that can play loud and clean, and he’s deciding between passive and active. We shorten his list of candidates down to the EMP Tek R5Bi for passive, and the JBL LSR305 for active. And Vince H. asks about Tom’s and Rob’s plans regarding the PlayStation 4 Pro and HDR displays. He wants a large HDR TV and a new Receiver, we suggest the: Vizio P-Series, LG OLED B6 Series, Sony XBR Z9D Series, and LeEco uMax85 for TVs, and the Marantz SR6011 for a Receiver.

James B. wants to know which projectors under $1,500 we recommend these days, so we mention BenQ projectors, and the Epson Home Cinema 3700. Tim B. wonders, what’s the deal with oxygen-free speaker wire? And Travelling IT Guy wants an inexpensive 65-inch TV, so we recommend the 1080p Vizio D-Series, UltraHD Vizio D-Series, and Samsung 1080p J6200 Series.

Jonathan F. sent us some articles to rant about: first, London’s audiophile listening clubs; and second, the rise of analog recording studios. Infinite Gary wants to know why the Center speakers he’s auditioning have more dramatic differences between them than the expensive SoundBars he was trying before. And Justin B. asks for our opinions about Philharmonic Audio speakers, how futureproof his Marantz SR6010 will be, and also asks for an explanation of how the Dolby Surround Upmixer works, and what he ought to see on his front display.

A different Justin B. is moving to a smaller room with a smaller budget. He’s planning to buy high sensitivity speaker kits from DIY Sound Group. We suggest Power Sound Audio and Tekton Design if he’d like non-DIY options. (Rob also mentioned Reaction Audio before realizing they’ve suspended business for the time being.) And we point to the Dayton Audio RSS460HO 18-inch driver as a suitable option for his DIY subwoofer. Nathan W. gets the low down on whether Chromecast with Plex can handle lossless bitstream audio. And Grant M. requests our help with Marantz SR7010 pre-out settings, placement of his overhead speakers, GoldenEar on-wall vs. in-wall speaker choices, and absorption panel placement ideas.

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