Tom Andry

Florida

Host at Podcast – AV Rant

Editor In Chief at AV Gadgets

Featured in: Favicon

avrant.com Favicon

avgadgets.com Favicon

audioholics.com Favicon

protoolreviews.com

Articles

AV Rant #962: Distress - AV Rant

2 weeks ago | avrant.com | Tom Andry

Nintendo Switch 2 will launch June 5, but initial pre-orders have been delayed in the US (and now Canada), and more Switch 1 games than we thought aren’t backwards compatible yet. Sony showed off their full 2025 BRAVIA Lineup. Kaleidescape’s Strato M is their least expensive player yet. And the JBL Synthesis SDP-80 gets HDMI 2.1.Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC8m8D00:00:00 – IntroStress behind the scenes!00:18:54 – What We WatchedRob watched Flow.
Do You Need Angled Speakers for Atmos?

2 weeks ago | avgadgets.com | Tom Andry

The first time you see an Atmos system with a bunch of angled speakers hanging from the ceiling, you might have thought it looked pretty cool. Way more interesting than a bunch of in-ceiling speakers that look more like air vents than speakers. Clearly, angled speakers are the way to go? Or are they? If you place your speakers at the recommended angles (see Dolby’s recommendations here), you’d want speakers that fire straight down. The idea is simple.
AV Rant #961: Can’t Find It, Don’t Deserve It - AV Rant

3 weeks ago | avrant.com | Tom Andry

Arendal’s smaller, less-expensive 1961 Series of speakers has returned. Sony suspends all Home Cinema Projector sales in Europe due to sanctions. LG drops support for DTS in 2025. TCL’s 2025 TV lineup. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC7wTk00:00:00 – Intro00:07:36 – What We WatchedRob finished S.3 of Invincible, and started S.2 of Silo. He also watched Conclave. 00:22:36 – Listeners of the WeekOur Listeners of the Week are our 132 Patreon Patrons, including John.
AV Rant #960: Against Tom’s Will - AV Rant

4 weeks ago | avrant.com | Tom Andry

Rob was a little surprised by this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner…and by Venom: The Last Dance. WiiM 2-channel Vibelink Amp. Netflix adds HDR10+. HDR by Barco gets two permanent installations. Christie has a new, smaller Dolby Cinema projector. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC6MrB00:00:00 – IntroCanadians will head to the polls next month. 00:09:50 – What We WatchedRob watched Venom: The Last Dance, and Anora. Tom continues to watch The Golden Girls.
AV Rant #959: We're AV Flood Now - AV Rant

1 month ago | avrant.com | Tom Andry

Rob had yet another leak from the same drain pipe again. Sonos cancels their “Pinewood” streaming video box. Sony refreshes their X700 Ultra HD Blu-ray player. And Sony showed off their flagship RGB mini-LED TV slated to launch in 2026. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC5STt00:00:00 – IntroNow with even more water damage!00:08:27 – What We WatchedTom started rewatching The Golden Girls. Rob’s been watching S.3 of Invincible, and watched High Life.
AV Rant #958: Underlying Tension - AV Rant

1 month ago | avrant.com | Tom Andry

PlayStation 3 (yes, 3) just got a System Software update to keep Blu-ray playback working. Older Warner Bros. DVDs (and HD-DVDs) are suffering from disc rot. TCL launches their QM7K miniLED TV Series. And HearAdvisor provides measurements and playback samples for earplugs. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC592600:00:00 – IntroCanadian politics, baby!00:15:19 – What We WatchedRob watched Heretic.
Why Do Subwoofers Like Rectangular Rooms?

1 month ago | avgadgets.com | Tom Andry

There are a lot of suggestions and recommendations out there for how to set up subwoofers in a rectangular room. Heck, all of the scientifically based subwoofer setup articles (including ours) only work in rectangular (and enclosed) rooms. Why do subwoofers work best in rectangular rooms? Let’s discuss!Before we begin, we have to answer the question about the shape. Why do all guides on placing subwoofers insist that your room be a rectangle? The simple fact is that most rooms ARE rectangles.
Which Receiver Will EQ Zone 2?

2 months ago | avgadgets.com | Tom Andry

You are a self-described “power” user. You try to eek every last drop of performance out of your purchases. You use your products until they fall apart. You aren’t getting rid of anything until you know you got all the value out of your hard-earned money! You are ready to buy a new receiver, but you want to get all of the performance out of it. One way to do that is to take advantage of all of those different zones of audio.
Warning Signs That Your Home Theater Sucks - Part 2

2 months ago | avgadgets.com | Tom Andry

If you don’t know the warning signs, you might not know that your home theater system sucks. That’s okay, we are here to help. In our first article, we identified some of the problems with the room and how you experience dialogue. This time, we are more about the bass. You’ve set up your system and are pretty sure you’ve followed all the “rules” (as laid out by Dolby and Reddit). But your bass is terribly uneven. Some bass notes are far too loud while others are basically non-existent.
Physics Affects Home Theater, No Matter What You Read on the Internet - Speakers

2 months ago | avgadgets.com | Tom Andry

People read stuff on the Internet that makes them think that physics don’t affect their home theater gear. Especially their speakers. More than any other piece of home theater equipment, speakers have the most misinformation circling them. Let’s discuss!Question: Which small speakers sound the best? Answer: They are all different levels of suck. Speakers require volume. That’s just a fact of physics.