Tom is using the Maxwell headset again. And he is audio-only this week. It wasn’t the plan. But there’s a lot going on behind the scenes! You’ll hear all about it.

MadVR has introduced their Envy Core Video Processor and optional Premium Pack to bring down the price of entry. And Value Electronics crowned Sony the King of TVs once again at their annual shootout.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBCx9j

00:00:00 – Intro

Find out why Tom is using the Maxwell headset again this week, and what everybody thought about the sound quality of its mic.

00:12:28 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Fall Guy (Extended Edition). Tom watched Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House. And we’ve both been watching Olympics coverage.

00:33:10 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Ari for his PayPal donation, plus our 129 Patreon Patrons, including J. Karl, as well as J. Karl again for sharing his knowledge about air compressors, and Sasi for giving us a shout out to Kinetics Noise Control.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: John, J. Karl, James, Nelson, Steve, Ari, and Sasi. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:37:29 – News: MadVR Envy Core

A new, less expensive video processor with an optional Premium Pack, and an introductory price for the rest of this year: https://tinyurl.com/46ua3ff4

– MadVR Comparison Chart: https://tinyurl.com/tzkx4sk7

00:51:15 – News: 2024 King of TVs

Value Electronics held their annual TV shootout. But they separated OLEDs and LCDs, and have fewer participants: https://tinyurl.com/4cvt25vz

Comments:

00:56:23 – Comment: John – BenQ HT3560 Feedback

He hit a small snag after buying a projector we had recommended, but it all turned out great.

QUESTIONS:

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Another new microphone test! Tom uses the Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset to record this week. No post processing applied so you can hear its own microphone noise reduction in action. JBL has introduced their MA Series AV Receivers and Stage 2 Series speakers with a focus on good looks and ease of use. And leaks revealed the Google TV Streamer.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:41 – Audeze Maxwell Headset

We won’t call it a full review, but Tom shares his early impressions of the $300 Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset, and you can hear a demo of its microphone noise reduction in action: https://tinyurl.com/bddvjk2a

00:21:38 – What We Watched

Rob watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Deadpool & Wolverine in IMAX Laser. Tom’s been watching The Olympics, and tried to make it through Madame Web.

00:49:10 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Allen and Ari for their PayPal donations, plus our 131 Patreon Patrons.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Terry, Michael, Ari, John D, and Henry. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:50:28 – News: JBL MA Series AV Receivers

MA stands for Modern Audio, and JBL thinks that should mean better looks and being easier to use: https://tinyurl.com/4r628wzn

00:57:05 – News: JBL Stage 2 Series Speakers

Looks that perfectly match the JBL MA Series Receivers, and attractive price points: https://tinyurl.com/ye3y39sp

01:03:59 – News: Google TV Streamer

The replacement for the Chromecast with Google TV has leaked, and it’s no longer a dongle: https://tinyurl.com/hk3terxz

QUESTIONS:

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Kaleidescape’s new Strato V Movie Player is a standalone unit that significantly lowers the price of entry. Is Apple buying Masimo Consumer (formerly Sound United)? We have our doubts. And top performing subwoofer options in India from a helpful listener.

Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBB6mY

00:00:00 – Intro

00:08:01 – What We Watched

Rob watched Upgrade, and Deepwater Horizon. Tom watched more Tour de France coverage, and Icarus on Netflix.

00:23:56 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are our 131 Patreon Patrons, including Bertrand.

We also appreciate the notes of gratitude for keeping the podcast going from: Jay, Bertrand, Sasi, Joe, and Patrick. Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen!

In the news:

00:26:04 – News: Kaleidescape Strato V

By including 1TB of onboard storage, Kaleidescape’s newest Movie Player can be used as a standalone device, significantly lowering the price of entry: https://tinyurl.com/bdhc4er7

00:34:39 – Rumor: Apple Buying Masimo Consumer?

We believe the rumors that Masimo Consumer (formerly Sound United) will likely be up for sale. But we doubt Apple actually intends to buy them: https://tinyurl.com/y3uad35a

Comments:

00:47:25 – Comment: Dazz – Car Audio Backer Boxes

A potentially inexpensive, pre-made solution for in-ceiling speaker backer boxes using a car audio solution.

00:50:47 – Comment: Sasi – Subwoofer Options in India

Many of the internet-direct subwoofer brands we frequently mention are prohibitively expensive in India. But Rythmik and ToneWinner are available locally.

QUESTIONS:

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Tom is back! Our thanks to Joe Klusnick for guest co-hosting last week. New SVS SoundPath Speaker Level Subwoofer Adapter. Xbox Game Pass price increases and tier changes. Xbox Cloud Gaming on Amazon Fire TV Sticks. And Sonos “Lasso” Atmos SoundBar.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

We find out where Tom was last week.

00:10:51 – What We Watched

Rob watched The Girl on the Train. Tom watched Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, and Star Wars: Tales from the Empire. And we’ve both watched The Acolyte up through Ep.7.

00:31:42 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Brandon for his PayPal donation, plus our 131 Patreon Patrons.

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

In the news:

00:34:10 – News: SVS SoundPath Speaker Level Subwoofer Adapter

Turn your speaker wire outputs into RCA line level pre-outs: https://tinyurl.com/yeyu8tjj

00:38:56 – News: Xbox Game Pass Changes

Game Pass Console goes away. Standard takes its place. And everything’s more expensive: https://tinyurl.com/mr4ckjwc

00:45:59 – News: Xbox on Amazon Fire TV Sticks

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K gets Xbox Cloud Gaming support: https://tinyurl.com/23wz53r4

00:47:12 – News: Sonos “Lasso” SoundBar

A new, more expensive, more capable Atmos SoundBar from Sonos is coming: https://tinyurl.com/yba8urtp

Comments:

00:48:45 – Comment: Infinite Gary – SVS Service & Philharmonic BMR

Kudos to SVS customer service for once again going above and beyond. And he loves his new Philharmonic BMR Monitor speakers.

00:52:03 – Comment: Sasi – In-Wall Speaker Options

Sasi shares his experiences and opinions on the various in-wall speakers he’s tried.

00:57:16 – Comment: Andrew – Onkyo NR7100 Hidden Menus

The front panel button combo to access his Onkyo AVR’s hidden menus was different from what we said, but we found the correct buttons, and now his Xbox works!

QUESTIONS:

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Joe Klusnick returns to guest co-host this week while Tom is away. Paramount and Skydance will merge. Samsung and LG reduce their investments in microLED. MacOS Sequoia adds HDMI Passthrough. And Joe shares his experiences at MWAVE 2024.

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

00:00:00 – Intro

Welcome back to AVRant, Joe!

00:02:39 – What We Watched

Joe watched A Quiet Place: Day One, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Rob watched Love Lies Bleeding, and A Haunting in Venice.

00:19:09 – Listeners of the Week

Our Listeners of the Week are Sasi for his PayPal donation, plus our 134 Patreon Patrons.

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

In the news:

00:21:08 – News: Paramount Merges With Skydance

Paramount Global’s owners have finally found a buyer, but we have some apprehension about Skydance Media’s plans for New Paramount: https://tinyurl.com/2czpdyze

00:26:22 – News: MicroLED Investment Reduction

Samsung Display and LG Display are pumping the breaks on microLED development: https://tinyurl.com/37e5hvkr

00:31:41 – News: MacOS Sequoia HDMI Passthrough

Via Karl: The latest MacOS Beta adds HDMI Passthrough audio, but it doesn’t appear to offer multi-channel lossless formats yet: https://tinyurl.com/3xdvp344

– Techthusiasm’s testing: https://youtu.be/LV7p6vH6VbI

Comments:

00:36:37 – Comment: Nathan – Elite Screens Cinegrey 5D

Nathan’s had a positive experience using Cinegrey 5D ambient light-rejecting projection screen material.

– CarbonBlack was the 0.2 gain material that Rob couldn’t remember the name of: https://www.screeninnovations.com/materials/carbonblack/

00:43:24 – Comment: Sasi – Search, Spreadsheet & Interviews

Sasi shares his method for quickly finding the home theater info he’s looking for. He’s giving away his Subwoofer Selector spreadsheet tool completely for free for anyone to further develop. And where are the AVRant interviews?

– Subwoofer Selector Spreadsheet: https://tinyurl.com/2vvpf82e

QUESTIONS:

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