Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE2 speakers are Klippel optimized, leaving only one speaker in Ascend’s entire lineup that hasn’t been redesigned yet. Auro-3D was acquired by Goerdyna Group, owners of Dynaudio. Tom shares an update on what’s happening with his house. And too much cycling talk.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Update on Tom’s house.

00:15:15 – What We Watched

Rob watched Anastasia, and Smile 2. Tom’s been watching OceanXplorers

00:27:59 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Bill for his PayPal donation, plus our 133 Patreon Patrons, as well as Infinite Gary and Ilango for sending us movie codes, George and Dan for sending Tom their AV Receivers, and Galen for talking us up to SVS.

Thank you to Ilango for giving Tom permission to use his photos on https://avgadgets.com/

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Ryan, Dan, Mohsen, Chris, Travis, Karl, Jack, Drew, Ryan, Infinite Gary, Dazz, Ilango, and John. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

00:35:02 – A Little Surprise for Tom from Dan

Thank you, Dan! Your unexpected gift to Tom is awesome!

In the news:

00:37:34 – News: Ascend HTM-200SE2

The SE2 version is Klippel optimized and only slightly more expensive: https://tinyurl.com/5n7dw6m6

00:43:53 – News: Auro-3D Acquired by Dynaudio

Goerdyna Group owns Dynaudio, Libratone, XEO, and now Auro-3D: https://tinyurl.com/y78zsare

Comments:

00:45:37 – Comment: Alan – 2 Sonos Amps for 4.2

Alan corrects us about being able to use your choice of subwoofer and speakers with a Sonos setup, since two Sonos Amps can be used together to make a 4.2 system.

00:50:37 – Comment: Dazz – Ascend Speakers & Cold Cycling

A shout out to Ascend Acoustics’ customer service and last of the original SE Series speakers. And a prompted tirade about cycling in cold weather for Tom.

QUESTIONS:

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Masimo Consumer clarifies that “discontinued operation” is just an accounting term, so the former-Sound United brands aren’t shutting down in January. Reps from JVC say they can replace the laser light engine in their projectors at a service center. And Rob is bad and annoying at podcasting.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Rob is too embarrassed to say what he bought. It was so irresponsible. Will he ever reveal what it was?

00:11:34 – What We Watched

Tom didn’t watch much of anything this past week. But Rob finished Season 2 of Arcane: League of Legends.

00:27:25 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Steven and Marc for their PayPal donations, plus our 130 Patreon Patrons, including Will, as well as Dan for sending Tom his KEF speakers and offering Lee a Q Acoustics Center, Infinite Gary for sending more movie codes for Tom to test, Steve for sending Tom an Apple TV 4K, Greg for sending Tom two 2-channel amps and offering to send some KEF Egg Desktop speakers, Joe Klusnick for offering to get Rob a deal on a Kaleidescape Strato V (but Rob already spent all his money and then some), and George for sending Tom a Denon X4000 Receiver.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Will, James, Greg, Marc, Steve, George, and Stan. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:36:25 – News: Masimo Consumer Clarifies “Discontinued Operation”

It’s an accounting term. The former-Sound United brands aren’t shutting down in January. But Masimo is still looking to separate. And no buyer has emerged: https://tinyurl.com/mtkbnc8c

Comments:

00:41:16 – Comment: Will – More Reasons to Use Apple Movies

Free upgrades and more Atmos make Apple Movies the preferred choice for online purchases, in Will’s opinion.

00:44:30 – Comment: Karl – JVC Laser Replacement

What happens after 20,000 hours on a laser-driven projector? JVC says you don’t have to replace the entire projector anymore: https://youtu.be/QcOa1fAQCrA

00:49:48 – Comment: Marc – He Used Wires Afterall

Marc (the Wood Whisperer) really didn’t want to see any speaker wires. And thanks to an electric fireplace that turned out to be removable, he didn’t have to! No wireless adapter kits needed.

QUESTIONS:

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We are back to our old selves. A Masimo investor conference made it pretty clear they are done with Masimo Consumer, aka the former-Sound United brands such as Denon, Marantz, B&W, et al. And with no buyer for them yet, they might simply shut them down and cease operations altogether.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBT2J2

00:00:00 – Intro

Tom got a new phone. Quick Black Friday thoughts.

00:17:23 – What We Watched

Rob watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and the second Arc of Arcane: League of Legends – Season 2. Tom’s been watching The Great British Bake Off. And Netflix with ads sucks.

00:39:05 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Brad for his PayPal donation, plus our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Infinite Gary for sending Tom a movie code, Ryan for sending Tom his NHT Center speaker, Mirage Omni S8 subwoofer, and offering to send even more NHT speakers, Dan for persisting through UPS hurdles to send Tom a laptop and KEF speakers, Tony for sending Tom his Def Tech CS9080 Center and offering to send Lee one as well, and Herb from Cross-Spectrum Labs for contacting Jason Ehrlich from Kinetics Noise Control to get Tom some acoustic panels.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Sasi, Mark, Ilango, Karl, Brandon, “Brenda’s husband, Andrew”, Dave, Jim, and Brad. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:49:01 – News: Masimo is Done with Sound United

Via Justin – An investor conference has made it clear that Masimo has no interest in continuing to run the former-Sound United brands. And with no buyer in sight, they might simply cease operations entirely in early 2025: https://tinyurl.com/y8ufxfva

And Voxx International is selling off bits and pieces of their Premium Audio Company brands to stay afloat, as well: https://tinyurl.com/2hwn8rz4

Comments:

00:59:57 – Comment: Greg – BACCH4Mac

If you don’t want to pay around $30,000 for a pre-made BACCH processor, you can get their software and microphone package for your Mac computer for $6,000 – $7,000 instead: https://www.theoretica.us/bacch4mac/

01:03:15 – Comment: Infinite Gary – Philharmonic BMR Towers

New speaker purchase, and first impressions.

QUESTIONS:

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Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick guest co-host one more time now that Tom is back! It’s a 3-man show to put a bow on this chapter in AVRant history.

Bose bought McIntosh and Sonus Faber. Kaleidescape won an award from Fast Company. We finally discuss Lee’s future LCR speaker options. And we answer lots more questions so nobody is left hanging this week.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick are both here for a special 3-man wrap up show! Tom and Rob cannot thank the two of them enough for all their help and support while Tom was forced to be away.

00:06:37 – What We Watched

Lee finished watching Oppenheimer, and has now had the full Barbenheimer experience. Joe watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, and Gladiator.

00:13:53 – Listeners of the Week

Tom and Rob already thanked our list of Listeners of the Week during Episode #942. But thanks again to all our PayPal donors, and our 132 Patreon Patrons.

In the news:

00:16:44 – News: Bose Buys McIntosh Group

McIntosh and Sonus Faber are now owned by Bose, and automotive products seem to be the focus: https://tinyurl.com/4cekx96k

00:21:25 – News: Kaleidescape Awarded by Fast Company

Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech awards included Kaleidescape’s latest products: https://tinyurl.com/ydnx6hns

Comments:

00:23:37 – Comment: Lee’s 80’s Movie Stubs

Lee found his collection of movie ticket stubs from the 80’s, and he had the foresight back then to write down every movie title.

00:27:08 – Comment: Nathan – HDMI-CEC to the Rescue?

For a one TV, one source setup, HDMI-CEC actually helped him a lot. Might it help Rob’s aunt?

Special Feature:

00:29:02 – Lee’s Future LCR Speakers

A custom TV stand places restrictions on Center speaker size. There’s also a budget to work within. But Lee doesn’t want any audible compromises. So we discuss his list of candidates:

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It’s the return of Tom! Like, for real. We catch up on his current situation, say lots of thank yous, and answer some home theater and AV questions like we’re almost back to normal. TCL CSOT held their DTC2024 conference and showed off inkjet printed OLED displays that are ready for mass production, and a prototype QDEL display that’s also inkjet printed.

Here is our PayPal link. Anything donated via this link goes directly to Tom and his family: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5A2CNKZ8DY396

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBSmG1

00:00:00 – Welcome Back, Tom!

We catch up on Tom’s current living situation, and express our gratitude for all the support Tom has received from our AV Rant Listeners.

And thanks again to https://www.anker.com/ for providing Tom with a Solix Portable Power Station, GaN Prime Power Banks, and other helpful items following the two hurricanes.

00:16:51 – A Second AVRant Episode This Week!

We’re easing Tom back into things, and we never got to Lee’s and Joe’s final discussion topics before Tom’s return! So keep an eye out for AV Rant #943 later this week for even more home theater & AV questions answered!

00:20:22 – What We Watched

We both watched the first few episodes of the second (and final) season of Arcane: League of Legends on Netflix. And Rob watched Transformers One.

00:45:42 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Dan and Raf for their PayPal donations, plus our 132 Patreon Patrons, as well as Ryan for offering to send Tom an NHT SC-1 Center speaker and possibly a Mirage Omni S8 Subwoofer. Thanks to Sasi, Vince, Tony, and Raj for the free items that have now been delivered to Tom. Thanks to Greg for talking us up to Ascend Acoustics.

And we appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Mohsen, John, Hector, Tony, Raf, Carlos, David, and Marc. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:54:07 – News: TCL CSOT Inkjet Printed OLED & QDEL

At TCL CSOT’s DTC2024, they showed an inkjet printed OLED that’s ready for mass production, and a prototype QDEL display: https://tinyurl.com/fryjkcbk

QUESTIONS:

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