Home > Podcast > AV Rant #908: Cheap Audiophile Cables

AV Rant #908: Cheap Audiophile Cables

April 11th, 2024

We mostly settled Tom’s OLED & Roku settings. Masimo is separating from their Sound United consumer audio brands to protect their stock price. Roku has ways of putting ads on HDMI inputs. Best Buy issued mass layoffs of Geek Squad employees. And more cinemas will be getting Dolby Vision.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:06:51 – What We Watched

Rob watched Past Lives. Tom finished Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and watched Road House (2024).

00:23:40 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Greg for sending Tom an Apple TV 4K, Curt for offering to send Tom an Apple TV 4K, Jack for alerting Tom about a security issue on https://avgadgets.com/ , and Aaron for sending more Canadian movie codes to Rob.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Max, Sasi, Mark, Aaron, Steve, and Ciso. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:26:20 – News: Masimo Spins Off Consumer Audio

Masimo bought Sound United back in 2022 and created a Masimo Consumer division. Now that division is being spun off as a separate company to protect the parent company’s stock price: https://tinyurl.com/y3keuxnt

00:29:40 – News: Roku Patents Ads on HDMI Inputs

We were all thinking it: there just aren’t enough ads! So Roku found a way to bring ads where there were no ads before: https://tinyurl.com/3s62xrjf

00:31:52 – News: Geek Squad Layoffs

Reportedly, Best Buy has issued mass layoffs of Geek Squad employees: https://tinyurl.com/3uk6pm2e

00:37:13 – News: Dolby Vision Coming to More Cinemas

They won’t be full-on Dolby Cinemas, but premium cinemas around the world will be able to show Dolby Vision: https://tinyurl.com/ypuw93p4

Comments:

00:41:27 – Comment: Sasi – The AliExpress Audiophile

Want pretty-looking speaker wires at low prices? Consider the many knock-offs sold on AliExpress, perhaps.

QUESTIONS:

00:44:15 – Kiran: 2-Channel Audiophile Debate

Why would Pure Direct Mode be better than proper bass management & EQ?

– https://avgadgets.com/psychology-of-home-theater/

– https://avgadgets.com/how-audiophiles-are-a-low-key-cult/

00:54:23 – Max: What a Sweep Should Sound Like

Advanced room correction programs let us target any curve we want nowadays. So what exactly are we aiming for?

01:08:02 – Infinite Gary: Sending Back Gear

A new video processor didn’t live up to the hype for Gary. What have we tried out and decided to send back?

01:13:49 – Sasi: Nailing Down Overheads

Some more nitty-gritty about overhead speaker positions and angles.

01:24:05 – Mark: SPL Meter & Front 3 Matching

We have SPL Meter suggestions. And we discuss trying to even out mismatched speakers with basic EQ.

– Galaxy CM-140 Verified by Cross-Spectrum Labs: https://tinyurl.com/66bxav3f

– BAFX Advanced: https://tinyurl.com/3vsnryv6

– Gain Express: https://tinyurl.com/4zkhwjmv

– https://avgadgets.com/using-an-spl-app-in-your-home-theater/

– https://avgadgets.com/why-subwoofer-extension-is-important/ (includes chart of which instruments play which frequencies)

01:38:00 – Steve: Compromise & Atmos AVR Choices

If he doesn’t upgrade his AV Receiver, he’ll either have to give up 4K Dolby Vision or his on-screen display. If he does upgrade, what should he get?

– Denon X3800H from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/ynhx5uh9

– Onkyo TX-NR7100 from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/yz3w7x39

– Denon X1700H from A4L: https://tinyurl.com/5fmccay4

– https://avgadgets.com/i-switched-from-audyssey-to-dirac-and-i-wish-i-hadnt/

01:46:26 – Jay: Tri-Pole Surrounds & Wireless Sub Kits

If you’re using Tri-pole Surrounds with side-firing drivers, how close can your absorption panels be? And which wireless subwoofer kits do we recommend these days?

– SVS Soundpath Tri-Band: https://avgadgets.com/svs-soundpath-tri-band-wireless-audio-adapter/

– Outlaw Audio OAW4: https://tinyurl.com/yc528v5b

01:51:00 – Nelson: First Reflection Panel Placement

How to figure out where your first reflection points are without a mirror. And do panels need to go floor-to-ceiling?

01:54:13 – Dev: What Bass to Expect in an Open Room

How to determine subwoofer size in an open concept room, and what should you expect to hear, exactly?

– https://avgadgets.com/is-my-subwoofer-big-enough/

– https://avgadgets.com/hsu-announces-the-vtf-tn1-subwoofer/

01:58:19 – Ciso: Measuring Decay Times

What’s the procedure for measuring before & after decay times in your room as you add more and more acoustic panels?

– https://avgadgets.com/ultimate-rew-tutorial-taking-measurements/

02:08:08 – Paul: Gaming Monitor

Should he go ahead with an Alienware AW3423DW purchase?

– HDTV Test on 42″ OLED vs Alienware: https://youtu.be/b5e9IBIwGMg

– Alienware 16:9 32″ QD-OLED: https://tinyurl.com/2e94xvey

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