AV Rant #774: Blackest Home Theater EVER
A stealth Denon AV Receiver launch gives us hope for even more models with more than one HDMI 2.1 input this year. And pre-production Sofabaton X1 reviews seem like mostly good news, too.
Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWSQzW4
00:00:00 – Intro & Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are Eric and Randall for their PayPal donations, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, including Eric, as well as Randy & Jonathan for both talking us up to SVS, and Jorge for talking us up to GiK Acoustics.
Jorge also kindly gave permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/
And we greatly appreciate the notes of gratitude sent to us for keeping the podcast going from: Joe, Jon, Chris, Jason, Jorge, Eric, and Randy. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:10:08 – News: Denon S760H stealth launch
Some people managed to purchase the new 7.1-ch Denon AVR-S760H that includes three HDMI 2.1 inputs: https://is.gd/9q30LQ
00:13:32 – News: Sofabaton X1 pre-production reviews
Sofabaton X1 remains available via Kickstarter: https://is.gd/jbkZ5e
Some of our questions about soft buttons and how to navigate the screen have been answered by videos such as OSReviews’: https://youtu.be/ExNE1klrPPs
00:19:15 – Comments:
– Gurinder tells us about a way to fix the rubberized backing on your Harmony remote when it gets sticky and gross.
QUESTIONS:
00:19:54 – Karl: COMPLETELY black room
We go over the blackest paint, fabric, and carpet options. Plus Karl asks if any brands are part of our identity.
– Musou Black paint: https://is.gd/FeofCB
– Fidelio & Baritone velvet at SeymourAV: https://is.gd/v8yfH0
– Syfabrics Triple Black: https://is.gd/dJUiKB
– Masland Panache Black carpet: https://is.gd/BVDtRf
00:34:15 – DJ: Master Volume catalogue (BEQ)
The Bass EQ catalogue also keeps track of the ideal master volume setting for hitting THX Reference Volume: https://is.gd/SPJNSs
– BEQ thread at AVS Forum: https://is.gd/7HCEID
00:37:11 – Joe: Is a door truly necessary?
We discuss a fully enclosed room vs. an open doorway vs. no wall at all.
– https://avgadgets.com/6-steps-to-know-when-it-is-time-to-upgrade-your-speakers/
00:49:46 – Dwain: Maybe I won’t hear a difference?
Dwain questions his plan for a new Pre-Pro + amp after seeing how other things he thought were a “given” aren’t actually so different.
– https://avgadgets.com/speakers-with-different-sensitivity-ratings-problems-and-solutions/
00:56:58 – John Q: Dynamic EQ when you have a House Curve?
We also double check some graphs, and discuss RT60 targets.
01:08:14 – Dazz: Bizzare Apple TV 4K image
Firmware updates got rid of it, but we speculate about the cause.
01:10:53 – Travis D: VCR to HDMI converter
– RetrotTINK 2X-Mini: https://is.gd/75ARHg
– https://www.zkelectronics.com/
01:13:45 – Scott S: JVC NZ9 too bright?
We go over subwoofer selection, and then discuss mounting and adjusting the light output of a JVC NZ9 projector.
– https://www.thescreeningroomav.com/contact
– Peerless mount for JVC projectors: https://is.gd/DfYtVZ
01:22:54 – Jon Z: Revel Performa3 vs. Ascend Sierra-2
01:28:33 – Chris M: OLED vs. JVC projector
01:33:05 – Jason S: 7.2.4 or 7.2.6?
We go over what we think Jason needs in his room as far as configuration, Receiver + amp, and in-ceiling speakers.
– https://avgadgets.com/best-atmos-speakers-for-your-home-theater/
– Onkyo TX-RZ50: https://is.gd/ayV8co
– Emotiva BasX A3: https://is.gd/dU7qHa
– Outlaw Model 5000X: https://is.gd/fjHynZ
– Monoprice Amber 8″ in-ceiling speaker: https://is.gd/gIdHzc & back cans: https://is.gd/d16o1F
01:41:37 – Raul: Run speakers Full Range w/ 2.0 Receiver?
Raul wants to know if it’s ok to run his Elac speakers Full Range, or if there’s a cheap, easy way to add a high pass filter.
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