AV Rant #628: Subwoofer Divorce
Our Listeners of the Week are Robert and Nathan for their donations, our 82 Patreon Patrons, including Brian F. and Steve, and Nathan for meeting up with Tom, Brian for telling Chief we recommended their projector mounts, and Jay Edward for going way back in the AVRant
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In the news, Philips will support both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, but only in Europe. DTS:X for games is coming to Windows and Xbox One. And NVidia G-Sync graphics cards can now work with FreeSync monitors.
Karl R. recommends using your state’s library share card program if your local library isn’t signed up with Kanopy.
0:12:40 Nathan D. asks if the newest HDCP 2.3 copy protection will once again cause headaches for early adopters. LG chose Synopsys DesignWare for their HDMI 2.1 solution, so they should be ok. But we can’t be sure about other TVs and AV Receivers. Then we discuss whole house audio solutions, including the Dayton DAX66 or Monoprice Multizone Controller plus an iTach Flex RS232 adapter and the Monoprice Whole Home Audio app (also on Android), or the more expensive, but great, option of Yamaha MusicCast.
0:26:13 Karl R. asks which has the better audio and video quality: physical 1080p Blu-ray discs, or 4K HDR iTunes with Atmos.
0:29:27 Joseph S. gets our opinions of the Ascend Sierra Luna speakers.
0:33:53 Patrick P. has us explain how one speaker driver is able to play multiple different frequencies at the same time.
0:41:14 John gets our options for the best TVs under $1,000, including the: TCL 65R615, Vizio P65-F1, or the smaller Samsung QN55Q6FN if you really want VRR.
0:43:16 & 1:02:29 Matt E. wants smaller, on-wall speakers that could still sound good without a subwoofer. We like the Revel Concerta and RBH Ultra-1 form factor, but they’re bass shy, so we recommend SVS Prime Satellite, Ascend HTM-200SE, or Ascend Sierra Luna, plus SVS Prime Elevation or Boston SoundWare 4.5 for Surrounds. Then we suggest an SVS SB-1000, SB-2000 or RSL SpeedWoofer 10S if he makes room for a sub.
1:01:23 Juan H. makes sure it’s ok to buy Emotiva amps on Amazon. And we mention Monoprice Monolith on Amazon, too.
1:03:05 David B. gets our suggestions to maybe paint or cover his sub, or choose a wood grain finish on a PSA S1510. Then we share ideas for Surround and Atmos speaker placement.
1:11:32 Steve from Next Gen Home Theater gets our suggestions to use Avantree AudiKast + Clipper Pro Bluetooth Low Latency combo to make his headphones wireless, or to get an Astro Gaming wireless headset.
1:14:18 Reggie H. gets some ideas about why the trim level test tone is so quiet with his new subwoofer.
1:16:12 Nick asks how to tell if your AV Receiver allows you to assign which speakers are powered by built-in amplifier channels, and which speakers are powered by a separate amp.
1:19:22 Nick A. gets some thoughts on matching or replacing his BK Electric subwoofer.
1:26:18 Tap T. gets our opinions about whether it’s better to have all of your gear in one, central location with a professionally installed control and automation system, or to have gear in each room that you control with Harmony remotes and voice assistants that you program yourself.
1:38:32 Boshko wants to output Atmos and DTS:X from his computer, so we talk about what type of connection he needs, and suggest getting an inexpensive NVidia 1050 if he’d also like to watch Netflix in HDR.
1:41:49 David F. shares his experience trying different combinations of six overhead speakers. And we agonize over whether he should audition many speakers, or just buy a pair we know is really good and never listen to anything else.
1:48:35 Greg L. and Justin B. get our suggestions to try the picture settings listed by Projector Reviews and Sound and Vision for JVC’s X590 / RS440, and JVC’s own HDR settings for the RS500 projectors.
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