ANNOUNCEMENT: We will be interviewing Phil Jones from Sound United on Dec. 11, so email us your questions for him! 

PRIZE DRAW: When we reach 100 Patreon Patrons, Andrew L. has graciously offered to send a hand-made collectible of a Sci-Fi-themed model to one lucky Patron! Let’s see if we can get to 100 by Christmas!

Our Listeners of the Week are Raf for his donation, our 92 Patreon Patrons, including Jack R. and Andy S., as well as Mike S. for sending Tom and Rob Amazon gift cards, Damien D. for giving us a shout out when he bought some Ascend Acoustics speakers, and Gurinder for talking us up to EluneVision when he bought a projection screen.

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJLPUok

In the news:

– JansZen Audio Lotus will be the world’s first fully self-contained electrostatic headphones once their Kickstarter is funded: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidjanszen/janszen-lotus-electrostatic-headphones-bliss-on-the-go

– Ascend Acoustics has officially launched their Sierra Duo LCR wall-mountable, M-T-M, RAAL ribbon tweeter speakers: http://ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/duo/duo.html

0:18:10 Bob gets our recommendation for speakers to mount above his fireplace.
– Klipsch RP-440D SB: https://is.gd/g6ZxDh
– KEF HTF8003: https://is.gd/habvxZ
– RBH Ultra-3: https://is.gd/Cd42wA

0:22:26 Mark G. has a humorous correction about the image he sent us to help him diagnose how his Vizio TV was damaged. We update our thoughts.

0:26:03 Phil D. asks about optimizing his crossover settings for his in-ceiling speakers.
– AudioCheck Sweep Generator: https://www.audiocheck.net/audiofrequencysignalgenerator_sweep.php

0:33:43 Matthew H. wants to know what’s different between the Denon X3600H and X3500H, other than the channel count. And we discuss in-wall HDMI cables for a 16-foot run.
– Z Electronics comparison: https://is.gd/hlYOt8
– Monoprice Certified Premium HDMI: https://is.gd/1YATKR

0:42:03 Infinite Gary asks if some of the terms in Crutchfield’s “Learn the Language of Good Sound” are independent, or if they interact with each other.
– Crutchfield audio glossary: https://is.gd/eR7F8f

0:46:13 Chris M. asks about minimum comfortable room dimensions, and just how bad a square room is for acoustics.

0:55:27 Eric V. gets the latest on what’s needed to backup Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.
– MakeMKV: http://makemkv.com/
– LibreDrive Optical Drives: https://is.gd/zyxfTe

0:59:06 Karl R. gets our take on the recent headlines proclaiming The Mandalorian is “fake HDR”: https://is.gd/iVBHIi

1:10:09 Jack R. gets our comparison of the Epson 5050UB vs. the BenQ HT5550 projectors.

1:15:18 Earl E. asks about a confusing list of Dolby Atmos Receivers with Dolby Vision Compatibility, and Onkyo’s first IMAX Enhanced Receiver model.

1:20:54 Andy S. and Ryan L. ask about the disappearance of 5.1 audio on YouTube, the new NVidia Shield’s video output settings, and whether we agree that it’s become much too difficult to know exactly how things ought to look and sound, and what settings are needed to get there.

1:39:17 Mike S. asks whether he should board up an opening in his wall, or fill it with insulation.

1:41:06 Tony T. gets an explanation of what “Source Level” and “Subwoofer Level Adjust” settings do in his Receiver.

1:47:31 Damien D. asks where he should mount his new Surround speakers.

1:50:12 Tom T. wants suggestions for 4K TVs to use as a computer monitor in the 43″ – 55″ size range.
– Samsung Q70: 55″ w/ 120 Hz & VRR: https://is.gd/70GdoM ; 49″ w/ 60 Hz & no VRR: https://is.gd/KsLKXN
– Sony X900F: both 49″ & 55″ w/ 120 Hz, no VRR: https://is.gd/7x7l3K ; https://is.gd/Oqk1Sp
– Vizio M Quantum 43″: https://is.gd/SqC6kv

• 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!