AV Rant #999.9f: Sofabaton U3 Hardware Preview
Tom is away this week, so Lee Overstreet is guest co-hosting. He and Rob both unbox a Sofabaton U3 Universal Remote live on camera, and share immediate impressions of just the hardware. The final firmware isn’t available yet. And apparently it’s new AV Receiver week! Yamaha RX300A & RX500A are entry-level models. Denon X2900H & X3900H are mid-tier models. And Emotiva LXR-11 & LXP-16 are high-end, high-channel count models. So there’s something for everyone.
Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCUhfj
00:00:00 – Intro
Welcome back, Lee. And congrats again to the three winners of our Sofabaton X1S giveaway last week.
00:03:54 – Catching Up with Lee
Just some small, quick updates in our personal lives.
00:05:34 – Sofabaton U3 Unboxing and Hardware Preview
Not a review! The final firmware wasn’t ready at the time of recording, and we didn’t even power them on. But we each unbox a Sofabaton U3 Universal Remote and share our immediate impressions of the hardware.
– https://www.sofabaton.com/product/u3
00:26:13 – Sofabaton U3 Early Bird Deal
The brand new U3 Universal Remotes are all available to pre-order at a discount right now.
Sofabaton U3 Early Bird pre-orders: $100 instead of $130
00:32:24 – Sofabaton X1S & X2 Discounts
Via our links and discount codes, you can get the Sofabaton X1S and X2 Universal Remote at reduced prices.
Sofabaton X1S:
– from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4rLZW73
– Code: TOMX1S35 = 35% off
– from Sofabaton’s website: https://dada.link/NXdEBn
– Code: TOMX1S = 25% off
Sofabaton X2:
– from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4u4orgZ
– Code: THOMASWT = 15% off
00:35:04 – Our Contact Info
Rob and Lee are both on Blue Sky
– Rob: https://bsky.app/profile/firstreflect.bsky.social
– Lee: https://bsky.app/profile/leeoversky.bsky.social
00:37:38 – What We Watched
Lee is watching For all Mankind, and Foundation on Apple TV. Rob watched Good Fortune on Crave.
00:52:50 – Listeners of the Week
Our Listeners of the Week are our 121 Patreon Patrons.
And we appreciate the note of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from Corey. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!
In the news:
00:54:15 – News: Yamaha RX300A & RX500A
New entry-level Receivers from Yamaha. We dig the way the $400 RX300A handles Atmos support.
– RX300A: https://tinyurl.com/5bmcrb93
– RX500A: https://tinyurl.com/mw6tunvx
01:02:25 – News: Denon X2900H & X3900H
New mid-level Receivers from Denon. Dirac comes to the X2900H.
– X2900H: https://tinyurl.com/ynv6xtdw
– X3900H: https://tinyurl.com/mpez6mwh
01:10:50 – News: Emotiva LXR-11 & LXP-16
A whole new LX Series from Emotiva. Both can process 15 speakers and 4 subwoofers. The Receiver has 11-channels of Hypex Ncore Class-D amplification built-in.
– Emotiva LX Series: https://tinyurl.com/3jdw59zy
Comments:
01:18:54 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Panasonic T400 & R-012
In what could be the final update from Gary’s “Panasonic basement” finds, we see an electric typewriter, and a “Mister Thin” AM radio.
QUESTIONS:
01:20:55 – Nick: Maximum Switch 2
Will he need a new AV Receiver in order to get every possible drop of performance out of his Nintendo Switch 2?
01:27:48 – Bill: Center on a Budget
Our suggestions for a low-price and low profile Center speaker.
– RSL CG23M: https://tinyurl.com/4as99k3n
– Polk Monitor XT35: https://tinyurl.com/26swm6pt
01:34:43 – Corey: 100″ Hisense Bummer
Corey loves the 85″ Hisense U8QG he bought. But his brother-in-law is disappointed by the picture of his 100″ Hisense QD7QF. We offer our advice for buying in Canada.
– B-Stock TCL 98QM751G: https://tinyurl.com/kefayyyu
– B-Stock TCL 98QM7K: https://tinyurl.com/yttcfam4
– Hisense 100U78QG: https://tinyurl.com/z9kjwbxn
01:44:04 – Trevor: Adding Outdoor Speakers
We share good news about adding a pair of outdoor speakers via Zone 2. Plus outdoor speaker wire and outdoor speaker suggestions.
– Belden Outdoor Speaker Wire: https://tinyurl.com/5n8ndzf8
– Dayton IO8XT 8″ Speaker: https://tinyurl.com/yn8jfez8
– OSD AP650 6.5″ Speaker: https://tinyurl.com/mu9kt33e
01:51:05 – Paul: Budget Powered Speakers
Our suggestions for a pair of self-powered speakers to connect to a TV for under $200 CAD.
– Kanto YU: https://tinyurl.com/2pwm3tef
– Edifier R1700BT: https://tinyurl.com/y3yt2m22
– Edifier R1280T: https://tinyurl.com/y9z6tjcs
01:54:22 – Infinite Gary: How Long Will His OLED Last?
Can he expect his newer OLED to last longer than his oldest OLED?
01:56:28 – Henry: Add Middle Heights?
His Receiver can power 7 speakers. Would it be worthwhile to add one pair of Height speakers up high on his side walls?
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.
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