AV Rant #860: The Curse of Dr. Toole!
Rob is back! Premium Audio Company added new features to Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer AVRs, including Klipsch Optimized Mode. Disney+ added an ASL option to Ant-Man. LG Display’s 10.5G OLED factory is delayed again. And BenQ announced new projector models.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjADb6k
00:00:00 – Intro
00:04:27 – What We Watched
Rob watched Barry. Tom watched Star Wars. Visions Vol. 2
00:12:47 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 137 Patreon Patrons, including Jared, as well as Greg for sending Rob several Harmony Remotes and a couple pairs of earphones.
We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Dan, Stan, Jared, Jeremy, Josh, Joseph, Bob, Julian, Brannon, and Rich. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:17:49 – News: New Onkyo + Klipsch Features
Via Andrew – Premium Audio Company updated Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer AVRs to provide more gaming info, and automatically set crossovers for Klipsch speakers: https://bit.ly/3VQbvvm
– https://avgadgets.com/speaker-specs-and-subwoofer-crossover-should-you-match-them/
00:21:01 – News: Disney+ Adds ASL Option
Ant-Man is the first movie on Disney+ to get an American Sign Language option: https://bit.ly/3HUEatF
00:24:02 – News: LG’s 10.5G OLED Factory Delayed
Cheaper, huge OLED panels probably won’t be coming until 2028 now: https://bit.ly/3LRq0KX
00:28:32 – News: New BenQ Projectors
BenQ announced TK860i, HT3560, HT4550i, and V5000i models: https://bit.ly/3pk1nik
– HDTV Test: 100″ UST projector vs 98″ TCL Flat Panel: https://youtu.be/6bqKbFj04IQ
Comments:
00:33:41 – Comment: Stan – Profound Hearing Loss
An expert opinion on hearing protection.
00:40:12 – Comment: Nathan – Don’t Turn Up that SoundBar
More hearing loss concerns, and a suggestion to switch to headphones.
00:40:38 – Comment: Jeremy – JPorter Studios Waterloo
A high-efficiency speaker design: https://bit.ly/3nM34Vx
QUESTIONS:
00:42:01 – Brian: Good-looking Acoustic Panels
Where to buy attractive absorption panels, print your own images for DIY panels, and match panels to your wall color.
– GiK Art Panels: https://bit.ly/3LUzAN0
– GiK Impression: https://bit.ly/42BIc28
– Acoustimac AcousticArt: https://bit.ly/44RUk0z
– Acoustimac Wall Design: https://bit.ly/3I12aLM
– SpoonFlower Performance Fabric: https://bit.ly/3nHMDcR
– https://avgadgets.com/how-good-do-printed-acoustic-panels-look/
00:55:27 – Dan: Contentious Questions
Why is “Audiophile” a bad word? Is jitter a concern? Can’t disc players sound different? Power amps can sound different, right? Shouldn’t all displays look identical? Is QD-OLED a mistake? Do we like IsoAcoustics?
– https://avgadgets.com/how-audiophiles-are-a-low-key-cult/
– https://avgadgets.com/to-the-audiophile-magic-is-real/
– https://avgadgets.com/why-you-shouldnt-listen-to-audiophiles/
– Video about digital audio that goes off the rails at the end: https://youtu.be/grzoqEb2KMk
– The Best Digital Audio Explainer: https://xiph.org/video/
– https://avgadgets.com/player-led-versus-display-led-dolby-vision/
– https://avgadgets.com/best-ultra-hd-blu-ray-player-for-your-display/
– https://avgadgets.com/speaker-impedance-rating/
01:24:17 – Galen: Roku OS Updates
Where to see what was changed: https://bit.ly/42I9iEv
01:27:01 – Jay: Which Up-Firing Atmos Speakers?
With no other options, which Atmos Modules should he try? Or should he just go to 7.1 instead?
– https://avgadgets.com/best-placement-of-up-firing-dolby-atmos-enabled-modules/
– https://avgadgets.com/7-1-or-5-1-2-atmos-which-is-best/
– Klipsch Reference Atmos Modules: https://bit.ly/2EVChxd
01:31:12 – Jared: Is Crutchfield’s SpeakerCompare a Scam?
Crutchfield’s online SpeakerCompare has you use profiled headphones to “compare” speakers. But they also have a demo room version using a pair of in-walls: https://bit.ly/3MgcemD
01:36:57 – Joe N Tell: That There Harman Speaker Curve
We use Joe’s corrections about the Audyssey Editor App and its inability to allow you to perfectly match the Harman Speaker Target Curve to launch into a discussion about how Dr. Floyd Toole himself says to NOT use that curve as an EQ target!
– Joe’s interview with Audyssey Labs: https://youtube.com/live/lSm0iJ9cQ_Y
01:50:10 – Jeremy: Bigger Screen, Dimmer Image
He wants to go larger and acoustically transparent. Will his projector manage without its fan getting too loud?
– JVC NZ3 Projector Calculator: https://bit.ly/41xXTq8
– https://avgadgets.com/why-you-shouldnt-have-a-projection-screen-larger-than-135/
01:54:05 – Josh: All About Bitrate
Are audio and video bitrates on discs a good indication of sound and image quality?
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