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AV Rant #706: 2 Hour+ Club

July 3rd, 2020

Our Listeners of the Week are our 119 Patreon Patrons, including Clarence K., as well as Ken S. for telling Parts-Express we recommended them for buying speaker wire.

Tom was forced to be away again this week, so a huge thank you to Lee Overstreet for being our guest co-host for the second week in a row!

Pictures shown in this episode:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPb9HX2

In the news:

– Vizio announced their 2020/2021 TV lineup with HDMI 2.1 ports and features: https://youtu.be/MfI3RbDgxRE
– Vizio’s first OLED TVs are the first in North America with every flavor of HDR: https://is.gd/DGxC6W
– Vizio’s P Quantum X models have lots of local-dimming zones, and 3,000 nits: https://is.gd/7lMTO7

– YouTube in 4K is coming to Apple TV 4K hardware, but details about HDR and codecs are scarce: https://is.gd/fYRcjJ

Comments:

– Aidan C. shared a doc listing which versions of Plex on various hardware support the most audio and video formats: https://is.gd/N9BJrE

– Brian F. shares a funny story about his home theater maybe sounding too realistic.

0:21:49 Neil M. gets us to double check his Audyssey and REW bass measurements, and we discuss how diffusion might help his higher frequency decay times.

0:29:20 Ken B. asks if his father should exchange a 2.0 SoundBar for a 3.0 SoundBar, or just add a Center speaker to his existing stereo setup, and whether he’ll need a new Receiver, since he wants to use his TV’s built-in apps.

0:34:12 Mike S. shares his full home theater construction journey, including many helpful tips about what he learned and would do differently the next time. Mike reviews the HT Design Sheffield home theater recliners and GiK 242 absorption panels. Then he asks if he can turn his subwoofer sideways, why his Center speaker seems a bit unclear, whether he should upgrade to 13 speaker channels, and whether he can easily improve his back row frequency response somehow.
– HTMarket HT Design Seating: https://is.gd/M6w6wH
– GiK 242 panels: https://is.gd/huddiS

1:02:48 Aidan C. asks if there’s a way to automatically change picture modes depending on room lighting, which Atmos speakers he should add, which passive desktop speakers we recommend, and why AirPlay is causing a strange speaker size setting glitch.
– Audio Engine P4 speakers: https://is.gd/znR0zw

1:12:21 Gurinder asks if raising his back row sofa and wall treatments will hurt the sound in his front row, and shares a story about SVS customer service.

1:15:20 Clarence K. recommends IKEA’s Sanela velvet curtains, and then asks what he should do with a single, spare KEF Q100 speaker.
– IKEA Sanela curtains: https://is.gd/S70tkV

1:19:01 Stefan asks if he can used stacked 10-inch NHT subs along with one SVS SB-3000, whether a 60-foot cable needs to be balanced, which Atmos speakers he could install, which physically small amps could drive those Atmos speakers, and whether he should go to great trouble to move any of his speakers.
– B&W M-1 speakers: https://is.gd/ZwHRfa

1:32:54 Dan W. managed to get Dolby Vision to his OLED while sending HDR10 to his Epson 5050UB projector by using an HDFury Integral 2, but it doesn’t look quite right.
– HDFury Dolby Vision on HDR10 displays: https://is.gd/ZkXqKF
– HDFury Vertex 2: https://is.gd/NOgnV2

1:37:29 Kris B. asks how to extend a speaker wire, and which outdoor Bluetooth speakers we recommend.
– Butt splice: https://is.gd/Jc5mYw
– Sonos Move: https://is.gd/63xma4
– UE Megaboom 3: https://is.gd/2WMMyo

1:40:02 Alex Y. took our buying advice, and now he asks what he should watch first to test it out.

1:42:50 Manuel T. asks what he should put under his bookshelf speakers, and the best way to handle Audyssey microphone placement.
– SM Pads: https://is.gd/v0rAQq

1:47:04 Joe P. asks if he should have a 20 Amp electrical line installed, and if it’s ok to plug a 15 Amp battery backup into it if he does.

1:48:55 Stephen M. asks about a 1dB difference between what he measured vs. what his ears tell him, and whether Atmos is worth a try when his Surround speakers are mounted up high.

1:54:15 Ken S. asks about spacing for three rows of seats, how high his seating riser should be, how he should position his Surround speakers, what’s an inexpensive but decent 2-channel amp, which speakers he should buy, which Atmos speakers, which subs, and which long Ultra High Speed HDMI cable.
– AudioSource AMP100: https://is.gd/RWc3ON
– Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE: https://is.gd/npXANQ
– Boston Acoustics SoundWare 4.5: https://is.gd/pRIV7O
– Dual SVS PB-1000: https://is.gd/qPnMBI
– Monoprice Monolith 10″ Ported: https://is.gd/H0WOAy
– Monoprice SlimRun Ultra High Speed fiber optic HDMI: https://is.gd/6ycaMs

2:07:50 Infinite Gary asks a ton of manual speaker setup settings questions.

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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