Welcome back, Tom. He tells us all about his big family reunion, which was great! Our thanks to Lee Overstreet for guest co-hosting last week. We both watched something we enjoyed this week. And the founders of the Alamo Drafthouse aren’t retiring just yet; they’re opening the Metro Private Cinema in New York to provide high-end, dinner and a movie experiences.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCmD4Z

00:00:00 – Intro

Thank you to Lee Overstreet for co-hosting with Rob last week. And Tom returns to tell us all about his big family reunion.

00:16:48 – What We Watched

Rob watched Sinners. Tom watched Invincible S.2 & 3.

00:34:20 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are James and Matthew for their PayPal donations, plus our 130 Patreon Patrons, as well as Sasi for having his Apollon Audio Eigentakt amplifiers shipped to Rob before it makes its way to Sasi so that Rob can review it.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Jason, Anonymous, Jack, and Sasi. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:43:03 – News: Metro Private Cinema

Via Karl – After selling the Alamo Drafthouse franchise to Sony Pictures, the founders are now opening the Metro Private Cinema in New York: https://tinyurl.com/bd6r5hap

Comments:

00:47:33 – Comment: Anonymous – Finding LibreDrive Sellers

Rob linked to a UK seller of optical drives that are ready to go for MakeMKV. But their website is closed right now. Are they gone? Is there an alternative?

– https://shop.uhdfriendlydrives.co.uk/

00:50:04 – Comment: Jack – Shokz OpenSwim Pro

Tom’s cousin, an avid swimmer, backs up our recommendation for these particular bone conduction headphones.

– https://shokz.com/products/openswimpro

00:52:08 – Comment: Sasi – BlueSound PowerNode 2025

Another mini AVR option that could be hidden behind a TV while powering 3 Front speakers.

– https://www.bluesound.com/usa/powernode

QUESTIONS:

00:53:53 – Adam: Emotiva XMC-2 vs. ToneWinner AT-300

With a used Emotiva XMC-2 Pre-Pro being offered to him, how does it stack up against ToneWinner’s AT-300 model? And what are its HDMI and Dirac features going to be like in use?

01:04:07 – Leighton: Precise Subwoofer Placement

When we say to put subwoofers at the mid-points of walls, exactly which part of the subwoofer should line up with that mid-way mark?

01:10:07 – Jason: From 2 Subs to 4 Plus Bass Shakers

Jason was running dual subs plus bass shakers, and it was dialed in perfectly with a miniDSP 2x4HD. But now he has four subwoofers, leaving him no spare output for his bass shakers. What to do?

– https://avgadgets.com/how-to-add-tactile-transducers-to-your-home-theater/

– https://avgadgets.com/how-to-get-bass-you-can-feel-from-your-home-theater-subwoofer/

01:19:52 – Infinite Gary: Deep Extension vs. Digging Deep

We get Tom’s take on Film Grain Synthesis. Then we discuss the marketing language used for sealed subwoofers vs. ported subs.

– Film Grain Synthesis: https://tinyurl.com/yckfmdfj

– https://avgadgets.com/the-case-against-port-plugs/

– https://avgadgets.com/everything-you-know-about-bass-in-home-theater-is-wrong/

01:33:24 – David: Go For KEF LS50s?

David has successfully downsized a bit. Now he’s wondering if it makes more sense to sell his large RBH speakers and get KEF LS50s in their place. We also discuss phantom Center imaging and cross-firing speaker toe-in.

– https://avgadgets.com/cross-firing-speaker-toe-in-when-and-why/

01:50:59 – Sasi: A Little Dent in His List of Q’s

Sasi sent us oodles of questions. We make a dent! Lux meter and multimeter recommendations. Epson LS12000 settings. Rob’s Denon A1H room correction choices. Stock UMIK-1 vs. Cross-Spectrum Labs Calibrated UMIK-2. Harman (a Samsung Company) reducing investment budget for research.

– Klein ET130 Lux Meter: https://amzn.to/3GP1R9f

– Fluke 17B+ Multimeter: https://amzn.to/4lUZrET

– Epson LS12000 Settings by Projector Central: https://tinyurl.com/5b8umbmn

– David Susilo’s Quick LS12000 Settings: https://youtu.be/BHgWKV5rzWk

– LS12000 Review by Projector Reviews: https://tinyurl.com/36tvarau

Thanks for listening. Now, don't forget to:

• 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!

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