Home > Podcast > AV Rant #621: Protection Mode and Hums

AV Rant #621: Protection Mode and Hums

December 14th, 2018

Our Listeners of the Week are Robert G. for his donation, our 76 Patreon Patrons, Jason Gregg an Greg, who both offered to give Tom’s brother a replacement PS3, and Boshko, who told SVS his dual PB12-NSD purchase was because of us.

In the news, Karl R. let us know that Arcam has joined the IMAX Enhanced program. The latest firmware update fixed the HDR light fluctuation issue on 2018 LG OLED TVs. Oppo is now licensing HDR10+, even though they’ve stopped making 4K Blu-ray players. And Tom Cruise went hilariously old school to get you to turn off motion smoothing.

Infinite Gary recommends the Music Hall MMF-1.5 Turntable, although we’ve a sneaking suspicion it’s based on the same design and parts as the Fluance RT81, which is based on the Audio-Technica AT-LP120.


0:15:56 Ed tried using a Monoprice Speaker Selector in reverse so that four amplifiers were all wired to a single pair of speakers, with the hopes of being able to easily switch between active amps. But there was still an electrical connection between all four amps with that speaker selector, so we suggest building a DIY mechanical switch, or possibly trying a Monoprice 4-Channel A/B Speaker Selector to see if it’s A/B channels isolate well enough. The Monoprice 2-Channel A/B Speaker Selector should let him switch between two sources connected to one pair of speakers.

0:25:08 DJ asks if playing Ultra HD Blu-rays on a 1080p display offers any picture quality advantages.

0:27:43 Monty N. gets our thoughts on using a 2.1 setup while renting, and our suggestions to go with RBH Impression Elite Series speakers with an SVS SB-2000 subwooferand a Marantz Slimline Receiver, or considering the Ascend Sierra-2 speakers if his budget allows.

0:36:02 Infinite Gary is interested in the new Paradigm Defiance subwoofers and wants to know how their new ARC equalization compares to the older Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit.

0:42:08 Allen G. discovered several ground loop and other noise issues when he tried to use his older Receiver as just an amplifier along with 12 Volt triggers and some other connections. We start by recommending Sewell Strike Banana Plugs. Then we talk about Harmony Precision IR Cables, and checking his Epson 5040UB picture modes to make sure he’s seeing HDR.

0:54:24 John C. gets our suggestion to try the new HiFiMan Sundara planar magnetic headphones with an Emotiva TA-100 integrated amp. Then we discuss 5.1 vs. 7.1 vs. 5.1.2. And suggest getting a calibrated UMIK-1 from Cross-Spectrum Labs.

1:07:33 Nathan D. wants to help his parents easily switch between a “day mode” and a “night mode” on their TV, so we suggest using a Harmony button sequence, plus some other thoughts.

1:12:42 Bob G. has Snell speakers that we know are high quality, but he’s having trouble with dialogue intelligibility, so we discuss why that might be, before he goes buying new speakers, although we mention an RBH Impression Elite Center or Ascend Sierra-2 as speakers we know would never be “to blame”.

1:19:39 Adam L. gets our thoughts on how best to deploy four in-ceiling speakers.

1:22:29 Rob F. has us try to figure out why Dolby Vision signals sometimes drop out when passing them through his Receiver.

1:25:51 Josh F. has an SVS PB-2000 that’s acting up.

1:28:29 Boshko finds out which Canadian-made speaker brand is our favorite.

1:29:51 Andrew T. gets our lists of podcasting equipment, including: Audio-Technica AT2005USB & AT2020 microphones, ART USB Dual Pre & AudioBox PreSonus 44VSLpre-amps, Audacity & Reaper audio recording software, and ManyCam & OBS Studio video recording software.

1:37:17 J.R. gets our recommendation for the Everything is Alive Podcast. Then we recommend RBH Impression Series or Ascend Acoustics SE Series speakers, and discuss where we think he should position his Surround, Back, and overhead speakers.

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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