AV Rant #908: Cheap Audiophile Cables
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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