AV Rant #488: Foreshadowing
Our Listeners of the Week are Andy and Derek for their donations, and Fabricio J. for letting SVS know he bought a PC-2000 subwoofer during their Outlet Store sale because of AV Rant!
In the news, Emotiva released details and pricing for their XMC-1 Processor Enhancements that add HDCP 2.2 and 7.2.4 Atmos and DTS:X decoding. And John M. sent us an article explaining Samsung’s plans to skip OLED TVs and focus on Quantum Dot QLED TVs instead.
Our own Producer Austen figured out just how much “a ton” of money really is. And Infinite Gary sent a link to the Dolby Institute Podcast Series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at movie sound artistry.
Robert F. is setting up 5.2.4 Atmos speakers and wants to know where to place them and what to call them. Craig Eggers from Dolby offers some Atmos setup tips. Robert also asks about using an older Receiver as an external amplifier, as well as wanting to double check some of Audyssey’s settings. Dorsel Fields on Facebook asks if there’s such a thing as “too much subwoofer” for his small room. We think a pair of SVS SB-1000 would be suitable. But for insanely deep extension, the HSU ULS-15 Mk2 is a high value choice.
Tyler F. has us revisit JVC’s projectors where Projector Reviews details WCG and HDR capabilities of the JVC DLA-X750R. We also discuss why we aren’t super excited for HDR projectors just yet. Justin B. found out a replacement Audyssey microphone would cost $25, but a power surge rendered his whole situation moot. Now he’s looking for an upgrade and asks about Yamaha vs. Marantz, YPAO vs. Audyssey, and 5.1 vs. Atmos. Justin also asks about setting up a one-man, 2-channel system for $1500. We recommend Magnepan MMG speakers, and HSU STF-2 subwoofer, a Slimline Marantz NR1506 Receiver, and possibly the Emotiva BasX A-300 amplifier in the future. Justin’s final questions are about Vandersteen speakers, and contacting Ascend Acoustics to visit their headquarters in San Clemente, California.
Led already has a pair of in-ceiling speakers and asks about expanding to Atmos. He wants a decent timbre match to his Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, and we go a little outside the box by suggesting Axiom Audio or RBH Sound. For inexpensive 2-channel amps, we recommend the Dayton APA100, Monoprice Stereo Amp, or Emotiva BasX Series. And we explain a bit about speaker wire lengths and gauge, frame interpolation processing in 120Hz TVs, surround sound upmixing, and Audio Return Channel (ARC).
Tony C. gets our thoughts on the best way to set up a 5.1.2 Atmos layout, as well as how to use some Audyssey MultEQ XT measurements to level match and integrate dual subwoofers. Ted M. has us recommend the TEAC HA-P50 Headphone Amplifier for his new Oppo PM-3, plus we talk about speaker positioning. And Josh A. read Tom’s Salk Sound Veracity HT2-TL Review and wants to know why Tom “slammed” Salk last week.
Gaylen is buying his son an Xbox, and it’s good timing: Microsoft just dropped the price on Xbox One consoles. David F.’s SVS PC12-NSD subwoofer got wet during a storm, but it wasn’t plugged in, so hopefully letting it dry and cleaning it will be enough. And we think Bob should get a Marantz SR7010 Receiver, but he’ll probably get the Marantz AV7702 Mk II Pre-Pro.
Nick B. has some clarifications about his basement room, and we describe how lens shift in projectors works. Adriano M. used JBL Pro speakers and QSC commercial grade amplifiers and wonders if it’s worth selling and replacing them. And Bill R. gets our recommendation for Yamaha Outdoor All-Weather Speakers. He also did a head-to-head comparison of the Focal Electra 1008 Be vs. the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2 speakers.
Everett L. could use AV Forums Audyssey Setup Tutorial plus a few extra pointers from us. And Ian E. wants better computer speakers, plus the ability to use his Definitive Technology Supercube 3 subwoofer, so our top recommendation goes to the AudioEngine A5+ Powered Speakers.
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Hey guys, Question..
I was curious about the quality of the monoprice no logo 2 channel 300watt amp you’ve suggested. I almost pulled the trigger a few days ago when it hit $199 on their website. I was unsure of its quality so hesitated and now it’s back up to the Amazon price of $278ish.
Did I miss an opportunity there or is going with an emotiva basxa300 the decidedly better option for the dollar. It would be to drive a second zone or front channel relief for my receiver.
Also looking at a gradual swap for old onkyo thx select htib (speakers only) setup I inherite, with either some elac debut or unifi, emp teks or fluance signature series. Driven by a Marantz sr5009.
Thank you for the info Tom and Rob. Appreciate what your doing.