Our Listeners of the Week are: Joshua for his donation, Tyler S. for telling SVS he bought his new SB-2000 subwoofer based on our recommendation, Josh Z. for sending Rob H. a Dolby Atmos Demo disc to check out, and Heath B. for buying a Marantz SR7010 from Accessories4Less and letting them know he heard about them on AV Rant!

Remember to check out our new AV Rant Podcast YouTube Channel for the video versions of the show!

In the news: DTS is being sold to Tessera Technologies for $850 million. And Jonathan F. found an NRDC Report in which TV manufacturers are accused of cheating on energy consumption tests.

Ted M. thinks everyone should give Tidal Music Streaming a try, and he suggests using Soundiiz to port over Spotify playlists. And Greg F. shared a video showing a Kodi Media Center using a Raspberry Pi in a tiny arcade cabinet.

Jonathan S. is planning a large theater with a bar, and he wants high bang-for-buck gear. We practically beg him to get dual subwoofers, either SVS PC-2000 or Outlaw Audio Ultra-X12, and we suggest KEF, Focal, and Ascend Acoustics speakers to go behind his screen. We also discuss layout, absorption panel placement, and where to put his equipment rack. Kris P. says the Microsoft Edge Browser can pass Dolby Digital audio, and to make ourselves heard regarding the Xbox One’s audio issues at Xbox Uservoice. Kris wants a 5.4.4 Atmos setup, and a Denon AVR-X4200W or Marantz SR6010 are the cheapest options. And Donald G. wants to know if 5.2.2 Atmos is even worth it.

Karl L. needs help deciding between the Denon AVR-X4300H and AVR-X6300H. Heath shared a ridiculous review of “High Fidelity Cables” that claim to use “magnetic conduction” rather than electrical conduction (good grief). Dave P. is having some issues with his Optoma X600 projector, and he wants to know if balanced XLR connections are desirable. And Ted M. asks about amplifier classes, modular Receivers, whether to upgrade his audio or his video first, and whether the Epson LS10500 is worth paying twice as much just for lasers.

Gary F. wants some “no bull” talk about speaker wires and amplifiers, and we deliver. Charles S. has an HDR TV, but an older Receiver, which is thankfully something Ultra HD Blu-ray players can accommodate. And Steven V. is debating whether to wire every room in a distributed audio system in stereo or mono.

Carlos R. has a huge space that he wants to pressurize with bass. We suggest 2x dual (quad) HSU Research VTF-15H MK2 as the flexible, affordable starting point, with the option to consider more expensive alternatives beyond those. Bill might benefit from an external amplifier, but we see no need to spend more than $500 on the Emotiva BasX A-500. We also discuss Bill’s projection screen height and Center speaker placement and tilt. And Partha S. is looking for subwoofers in India. We’re rather ignorant on that front, but Acoustic Arts carries Velodyne and SVS, and Cinebels carries Jamo and Klipsch, so those seem like decent places to start.

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.
• Visit Tom's website for download links as well as links for 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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