Our Listeners of the Week are Ed, Michael, Russell, and Alvin for their donations, as well as Kris I. and Bill C. for letting SVS, Parts-Express, and Accessories4Less know they bought products thanks to our recommendations.

In the news, Denon released their HEOS AVR. And via Kris P., Onkyo explicitly mentions Dolby Vision compatibility with their new TX-NR474 and TX-NR575 Receivers.

J. noticed the Dayton Audio APA100 amplifier has been replaced with the Class D APA102. Ed’s high pitch squeal problem on his Vizio P-Series TV got a very specific firmware patch. And James Bujold shared links to Spotify vs. Pandora, and a SnapAV Episode Wirless Subwoofer Kit for up to four subwoofers.

Adam K. has a large room, a large subwoofer, and some additional DJ subs that he wonders whether he should utilize or not. Paco wants a better projection screen, so we recommend Seymour AV, Elite Screens Saker Tab-Tension, EluneVision, and SnapAV Dragonfly. And Informal Gadget asks if the SVS PC-2000 and PB-2000 subwoofers have matching output, and requests same-priced alternatives like the HSU ULS-15 Mk2 or HSU VTF-3 Mk5 HP.

Christian S. purchased dual subwoofers and needs some help optimizing their placement and setup, as well as tracking down the source of some resonance and ringing. Brad W. asks about the balanced vs. unbalanced connections offered by the miniDSP DDRC-88A Dirac unit. And John M. has a large room and good speakers, but he wants to upgrade. We discuss his AV Receiver, his choice of a $1,000 high output subwoofer such as the Rythmik FVX15, HSU VTF-15H Mk2, or Power Sound Audio 15V, his options for auditioning speakers, Towers vs. bookshelves, and Spotify Premium’s streaming quality.

Dave K. asks about converting his open dining room into a theater, so we go over screen size options, flat panels vs. projectors, speaker and subwoofer options, on-ceiling Atmos speakers like the Focal Bird, and acoustic treatments. Karl R. prompts some rants about high frame rate movies. And Scott R. has a somewhat complex 3.2.4 speaker setup that he wants to enhance with room correction and acoustic treatments, although we suggest simplifying with a single Receiver rather than complicating with an external Room EQ.

Nick B. wonders about symmetrical vs. asymmetrical absorption and diffusion panel placement, as well as Anthem Receiver features. Scott H. wants a low-cost outdoor theater and confirms his screen and projector choices while getting our suggestion for a Landscape Burial Subwoofer. Ed needs some assistance finding Dolby Vision content on Netflix. And Brian R. really wants to try separates, but we still strongly suggest using a Denon AVR-X3300W Receiver as a Pre-Pro and simply adding external amps.

Mitch wants prettier acoustic panels, so we recommend SpoonFlower Printed Fabrics or Acoustimac DIY Fabric. Rusty R. is tempted to buy an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Future models from LG and Philips will have Dolby Vision, and the Oppo UDP-203 is the top choice available right now. Ryan T. wants every source in his theater available through a second set of speakers, so we recommend a Yamaha Receiver with MusicCast. And Josh A. wants maximum image quality without any concern for aesthetics, so we suggest Baritone Velvet from SeymourAV and the Gray Screen paint series from Sherwin-Williams to go along with a 2.35:1 Silver Ticket screen while we explain the limitations of his projector’s “blanking function”.

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

• Check out the AV Rant YouTube channel to watch our show videos.
• Download Tom’s FREE superhero-themed ebook Bob Moore: No Hero.
• If you like it, you can purchase the two full-length follow-ups -  Bob Moore: Desperate Times and Bob Moore: Hostile Territory.
• Check out AVGadgets.com where Tom is the new Editor-in-Chief!
• Download Tom's NEWEST book, Touch of Pain from Amazon now!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Liked it? Take a second to support AV Rant on Patreon!