EP:99 Is Home Theater Dying? / The AV Experience Podcast

[@BrandonBaecker]

Disagree with Ryan. Having a successful career with a 6 figure salary used to mean you were very comfortable. Now it's barely surviving in some regions and certainly not even able to afford a home. In my area, housing, rent, property taxes, and even insurance costs have skyrocketed in a VERY short amount of time, far faster than salaries can even keep up. I am doing well myself, but subsequent generations are definitely going to have a harder time. My small house is worth 300k more than when I bought it just 6 years ago. Debt is a personal choice. Affordability is not.

[@twrex-13]

I'm always confused by the term "6 figure salary" anyway. That's an ENORMOUS range of potential compensation, and far bigger range than the $0-99,999 bracket. Someone making $105,000 a year isn't making that much more than someone making $80,000. But someone pulling in $750,000 definitely is - and even then, they might be in a debt spiral playing Keeping Up With The Joneses. A 6 figure salary is, in many ways, a misnomer for "making enough money to live comfortably", but that could again mean as many things as there are people

[@BrandonBaecker]

@@twrex-13 I think it had more to do with the fact that it used to be the point where a responsible person didn't have to worry about money and could have the "American Dream" and live comfortably. It's really a legacy term now since, due to inflation and other factors, that's really no longer the case in many regions.

[@HiFinest343]

One thing that may be having people spend their hobby money elsewhere, is the infectious elitist attitudes in the forums/chats. I know this exists in all hobbies, but it’s particularly distasteful in home theater. If you don’t have single digit FR, a fully treated family room with multiple 18” subs, and a 10k-lumen projector, your system won’t be celebrated. That deters buyers in a down-economy, more than the cost of entry does. Even the “enjoy the journey” message implies you haven’t reached end-game, and probably won’t, so just be content with what you have. Social media makes it really hard to “enjoy what you have” when the poisonous comments don’t allow you to celebrate your expressed hard work. True in any hobby and any walk of life, but particularly negative in HT…

[@airman6822]

It's hard to be content, especially these days when the culture is constantly telling you to have more and get it now. It also doesn't help that every 30 seconds there is a better product released. It feeds the beast, so to speak. I think the HT movement is alive, however, considering the condition of the economy and uncertainty in the world, I'm not surprised there is more caution out there.

[@paulupton7698]

Totally agree with everything you said.

[@Youthman]

HiFinest, I’m excited for next week’s topic. You don’t want to miss it.

[@BrandonBaecker]

Ironically, I got lit up on that thread by a couple people for even mentioning HT gatekeeping and elitist attitudes in the space. They actually proved my point for me, which gave me a good laugh.

[@ascendav]

@@BrandonBaeckeris there a specific thread OP is referencing?

[@t-rex1480]

I know Jonathan was simplifying and knows this, but to help clarify, port tune is the frequency at which the port is tuned to by design. It is dependent on the driver parameters, internal box volume, and port dimensions. Its the resonant frequency of the port, and when the port takes over in terms of output while the driver is doing very little. Vented/ported designs use the port as another source of output in addition to the driver. They work together and there is a transition from when the driver is doing most of the work to when the port is doing most of the work. Port tune is not arbitrary, it is chosen based on the three parameters above and the designers goals. Anyone looking to understand subwoofer design should learn and play with winisd, which is free.

[@towmky]

I joined AVS and tried to introduce and participate. I was humble and respectful. When I asked for help advice on my project I was completely ignored for over a year, (and counting). The “moderators” quickly send new people to the back pages and keep decades old subjects on the front pages. The group is way too political and “clicky”. If you aren’t someone who has been a high posting member for many years you are on the outside and nobody will interact with you. Home theater isn’t dying, but AVS Forum is dying of suffocation resulting from having its head stuffed up its own butt.

[@jvonengeln]

Hello. Please link the post you made that was ignored on avs, or reach out to me via PM on avs. There are 1.5 million members on avsforum. It seems rather ofd to think they are all against you and clicky? I’ve not found that to be the case, and maybe I can stir up your thread and help you get some attention to it!

[@Saturn2888]

Being one of the youngest if not _the_ youngest person in the Kansas City home theater community, I've been asking myself this question as well. I'm about to watch the podcast, but I wanted to write down my thoughts in case I forget. One of the folks said it's because people my age (37) can't buy or aren't buying houses. Thinking about that, my wife and I were the youngest homeowners in my neighborhood, and I think we still are 7 years later. That's a major show-stopper. People buying houses in my neighborhood today are making way more than I did when I moved in. The houses are almost double their price from 2017, not even a decade ago. This tells me it's not that home theater is dying, but that the hobby can't exist without places to put a home theater. Still... I had a 5.1 home theater in my apartment, so maybe I'm just really into it like that. I'm also someone who had a home theater as a kid. My dad built one in the basement (which he'd recently fixed up) in 1995 using one of those "home theater in a box" sets that had Dolby Pro Logic and a 10" subwoofer! Along with our 52" rear-projection TV, he even mounted rears speakers and ran wires through the drop-ceiling. It was really easy for me to build my own home theater because I could use his old one for parts as I slowly bought my own before moving out. This is probably controversial, but I really think today's movies suck. I don't know a better way to describe it. They're not something I'm interested in watching and the kids movies are definitely not for kids (so many innuendos). I stopped watching modern movies around 2017, and I think they're only getting worse. In fact, until I started buying discs last year, I started thinking all movies were bad in hindsight and that I was stupid to like them. Even recently, my dad told me how bad movies have become without me prompting him. I never assumed my parents would care or notice. It wasn't until I started buying discs and picking up older movies that I started appreciating movies again. I don't know anyone my age who's buying a Blu-ray player; that's an "old people" thing to do. Heck, I only bought Blu-ray players to rip discs and add them to my ever-growing Plex library. I still keep the discs as a backup. I was one of the early adopters of Netflix's streaming service in 2008, and that continued until a few years ago when I realize I wasn't using streaming services or appreciating what's on there. The only reason I can think most folks my age will wanna build a home theater is for gaming. This is precisely why I built mine, and why I kept it around for so many years even though I wasn't watching movies. Both PC and console games support spatial audio today, and most PC games have supported surround sound since the late 90s with consoles getting Dolby Pro Logic II and Dolby Digital in the early 2000s, so it's not like I'm the first person to come up with this idea. I might be in the super minority here, and it's possible I'm completely wrong in my view. The folks I know my age or younger have no interest in home theater nor do they wanna front the cost for putting one together. To them, it sounds ridiculous; even the $2K I spent on 7.1 speakers in 2019. I also think aesthetic choices have changed since the 90s, and people want their house looking cleaner without visible speakers and wires everywhere.

[@WhiteGhost0891]

I own a ONKYO RZ70 and dang it is good , I also was o e affected by Onkyo HDMI board issue in past which was fixed by them very promptly. I will say the RZ70 is a power house and free of any issues.

[@Youthman]

Is Home Theater Dying? EP:99 The AV Experience Podcast The AV Experience Podcast Sponsor: Ascend AV - bit.ly/Ascend-AV Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 27:43 - Is Home Theater Dying 01:03:01 - Tekton Threatens to Sue Reviewers 01:58:45 - Answering Your Home Theater Questions Join us for MWAVE 2024 - midwestavexperience.com/ Upgrade your home theater - midwestavexperience.com/sales/ Subscribe to Jonathan's channel - www.youtube.com/@UCuRtth32AdSquNATtmptF1A FREE Home Theater Design Tool - bit.ly/Home-Theater-Design-Tool Audio Advice Brands - bit.ly/Audio_Advice_Brands Shop TV's - bit.ly/Shop_ALL_TVs Shop Projectors - bit.ly/Shop_Projectors Shop Receivers - bit.ly/Shop-AV-Receivers Shop Subwoofers - bit.ly/Subwoofers-All ------ Ways You Can Support the Channel: Become a Patron: / youthman Subscribe to Youthman Newsletter - youthmanreviews.com/newsletter/ Youthman Courses - www.youthmancourses.com/ Youthman Merch - teespring.com/stores/youthman/ Follow Us: KZbin: Subscribe to this Channel: goo.gl/YEJ23p Youthman Crew Facebook Group - / youthmancrew Instagram: / youthmanreviews Twitter: / youthmanreviews Website: youthmanreviews.com/ ____ Disclaimer: Affiliate Links are used in the description of this video. I earn from qualifying purchases.

[@ballstadt]

Quite frankly, with the way Tekton has handled this, Erin and Amir have better grounds for a libel suit than Tekton.

[@Youthman]

I’m posting that clip at 2pm ET.

[@nicholasvail8129]

I have so much to say about the topic to the tech dad video. Home theater gurus outlook with my own experiences. Would love to speak on this. At the very least - could give some content on discussion. The room is the most important. Everyone - “EVERYONE” makes compromises. This theater discussion though is very much tailored to the client - of the room. It’s very personal for sure.

[@BrandonBaecker]

Linus was hurt more by that water block review than Billet Labs was after Gamer's Nexus posted their video. The reason it hurt Billet Labs so much is because Linus auctioned off their $20,000 prototype block without their permission. People love Billet Labs for the way they handled it.

[@ballstadt]

When I review a product, I try to focus on the positives and include the negatives. If it performs way below expectations, I reach out to the company before publishing to make sure it's not a defective unit or set up incorrectly. I've never had anything so bad that I didn't publish, but I have had a few where feedback on the review has been "yeah, didn't seem like you were impressed."

[@Youthman]

Same with me.

[@Saturn2888]

I think there are some misconceptions on how Atmos works with the middle height channels. The reason the top middles aren't always used is because Dolby doesn't have them as base layer speakers. The only time front wides, top middle, and any other oddball non-7.1.4 speakers are used is with objects. That's why you might not hear sounds there. Objects (I've heard) are also lower bitrate than sound coming out or discrete speakers, so that's why they're probably less used. Windows Spatial API (in apps and games) also only supports 7.1.4, but it supports up to 20 objects. Thing is, literally no game use those objects, so my top middles never get used. There's no negative repercussion the same way there's no problem having front wides. They take up space and might not get used based on the mix. Both Storm and Trinnov can upmix to those speakers from what I've heard, but it's still upmixing; not native. The movie theater Atmos is the same.

[@Palindromeguy1]

Great show, Johnathan for president and judge Rusty overseeing youthman and Ryan attorneys. My wife was listening in the background and said are you still watching your speaker videos because why are they talking about going to court.

[@WhiteGhost0891]

They added music normalize in Amazon music setting bring non Atmos music down to Atmos music level , the only thing with having this on is you will use more volume on receiver.

[@richardzagozeski892]

Will you ever do a MWAVE in Canada? To go to the USA now, you need a Pass Port, not like the OLD DAYS, where you just needed your Drivers License to cross the border.

[@Youthman]

Unfortunately it’s not likely as it would be cost prohibitive to move an entire show to Canada.

[@Youthman]

It would be MUCH easier for you to visit us than it would be for us to move the entire show to you.

[@JewelFamily-zf1sm]

@Youthman HTG (Steven) goes by the Dolby Studio Spec which is what the content is mastered in.

[@ballstadt]

I think the dedicated space group is growing - might not be black hole rooms and theater recliners, but spaces dedicated with a 100"+ screen and surround sound systems are increasing. What may make it seem like it's shrinking is that where I was 20 years ago, the 5.1 setup in the living room with a pile of components and speaker wire strung around the baseboards is evolving into the soundbar/streamer with a big flat panel, and the performance is very similar.

[@richardzagozeski892]

Moral here is don't have 8 foot ceilings, go for 10 or 12 foot ceilings. Use JTR slant speakers mounted on wall next to ceiling. Screw what Dolby says.

[@ascendav]

I’m not quite understanding what you mean. Can you elaborate?

[@richardzagozeski892]

@@ascendav I'm talking about the Noesis 110 HT-SL speakers for mounting on the upper walls just below the flat ceiling. They cost $ 1299.00 USD

[@Rayman-expertsoundpro]

Guys, u remember where Jeff had his 110s mounted for Atmos at Mwave? It sounded great and they were above the bed layer speakers. Mine are the same way. Sounds great

[@Saturn2888]

I might be in the minority here, but I know what IRC is. I used to use it to get information on how to code when I was starting out or to chat with devs of a game engine I was working with. I also used it for downloading, but I can't even remember what I downloaded. Music? Games? Movies? Not sure. Still, Slack, Teams, and Discord are all today's IRC with way nicer features and a much simpler connection protocol. IRC was very "underground".

[@justincrossley1913]

Online betting or safe betting is definitely hurting disposable money or savings I have a cousin who almost lost everything I bought an $8000 front projector he bought an $150 front projector

[@richardzagozeski892]

The working poor are investing in Power Ball & Mega Millions tickets, which is a BAD mistake.

[@mikeortiz2139]

Hey Youthman, can yall address this next week. I'm split between an A1H and AV10. Given the comments made about the XLR in the AV10 not being fully balanced vs the all in one approach in the A1H. Objectivity the AV10 should be the better choice, correct?

[@richardzagozeski892]

Your MWAVE is in Kansas City? I like the Marantz Cinema 40 AVR, because of the inputs & the Media analogue inputs on it, so you can plug in 3 RCA (Yellow: Video, & 2 L&R Audio) to hook up a Laser Disc Player to it.

[@Youthman]

Yes, MWAVE is held at the Kansas Coty Convention Center. We would love to have you join us. midwestavexperience.com

[@davidstevens7809]

Ill be present and polite and responding tomorrow nite..cant wait..dont take everything I say literal.. ive been in audio industry for 48 years.soon youll pick sides. Love me /hate me.. haha. What time in louisville do I turn on the chat? Yes I told erin louisville for a reason..rock on!

[@richardzagozeski892]

Why doesn't CEDIA open up their doors to the general public? A lot of people would be interested in going to check out different electronics in person, that they can't find out about in person locally. One example is being to check out a Micro LED display such as Just Video Walls, or Planar displays.

[@tjflashtony]

As cool as it is to see KZbin videos about the latest home theater tech from CEDIA, it’s primary purpose is to connect vendors with integrators. 70 to 80 percent of the show is exclusively for making business connections. Also CEDIA is not just an expo, it’s a large business dedicated to educating integrators and defining the standards of the industry. That’s primarily why youthman has mwave, so that your average Joe Shmoe can get a similar if not better experience than CEDIA.

[@Youthman]

TJ is correct on all accounts. CEDIA is a show for integrators and industry professionals. There isn’t a show just for Home Theater enthusiasts so MWAVE was born.

[@ascendav]

Would be cool if it was open to the public! However, the vendors that do the booths do it specifically for the dealers. It’s all about winning business. Not great for the consumer who wants to go to the show, but it’s how it unfortunately.

[@ZeonStar77]

@Youthman Feel like I am always bugging you guys about this but several episodes in a row have not made it to Apple Podcasts now. I think the last one on there is 92.

[@Youthman]

Thanks for letting me know. I’ll mention it to Ryan as he set it up and keeps it updated.

[@ZeonStar77]

@@YouthmanThank you. Please tell me Ryan will post a video of his super sub once it’s all setup.

[@richardzagozeski892]

There is a simple remote control to replace the Harmony. It is called: TDC 7100 Universal Remote Control. You can use a TDC Tablet & MRX-5

[@donaldwatson4991]

For me i don't know really know anyone with home theater systems that are dedicated or just a living room setup and I've been in this hobby sense the mid 90s . Most people I've talked to are more in to sound bars and not talking about good one's more like $100 to $300 range and think that expensive and doesn't care about anything more then that. And in the future i don't think there will be a middle ground entry level below $2000 to start with . It'll be sound bars or $5000 plus systems to select from.

[@BrandonBaecker]

I have a 7.14 setup with a 77 inch OLED in my living room. Even with a less than ideal room layout I made it work, but you have to be passionate about the best experience to want to do that in your home. Once I got it built though, my girlfriend loved it. It just has to be comfy, inviting, and well-designed aesthetically. Even the speaker decisions were based on looks as well as function. I think the modern, comfortable, well-designed media consumption space is the future of this hobby. I've personally never liked theater seating in dedicated rooms as it reminded me of my grandparents' lazy boys ha. I also never wanted any rooms in my house to look like a commercial movie theater anymore than I want my house to look like a McDonald's. :)

[@shanen.6210]

Starke sound sw15 is on sale for $550. Way better deal than the klipse sub if you ask me

[@ballstadt]

Dirac vs ARC vs Audessey is more UI preference than performance. I am giving Audessey the benefit of the doubt - have not used in many years and last experience it would not have been as good, but I also know it's undergone a complete overhaul since then. I prefer ARC, and most everything about the Anthem product line, so it works out well for me. I wasn't a fan of the Dirac UX.

[@marvinabugov4579]

Most recently, given the pandemic, everyone was locked-up and maybe the hobby took a huge resurgence? Since the pandemic, it would seem that with everyone going back to work, maybe there is somewhat less interest. But also various products have become much more sophisticated and much more expensive? I don’t think it is “dying”, but maybe going through some kind of transition right now from the major blip that occurred during the pandemic. It would seem that the lower cost products have been reviewed to death and now only the more expensive products are being reviewed and talked about?

[@williamkramer9069]

Income is increasing and people are continuing to spend to the limit of their income. We (society) went to a 2 income house hold and started spending more to keep up with the jones's.

[@Youthman]

We went to a 2 income household after 5 years of being broke. It had nothing to do with the Joneses, as a Youth Pastor, I simply didn’t make enough income to support a family.

[@chrisk-man8562]

40:20 Moderated forums are giving away to the Toilet, aka "social" media.

[@Youthman]

Hopefully you do realize you are watching a video and commenting on “social” media. 🤷‍♂️

[@chrisk-man8562]

@@Youthman I personally don't lump YT in with the Toilet(Facebook, Shitter, Instascam, etc).

[@chrisk-man8562]

@@Youthman I don't know why my reply didn't post, but, I don't consider KZbin to be among the "social" toilet(Facebook, Instascam, Shitter(Twitter), etc.).

[@Youthman]

Gotcha.

[@richardzagozeski892]

Why doesn't Ryan install a freight elevator in his house? Easier to move items into his basement.

[@12P14D22C]

How do you levelmatch with an spl Meter? Would love to use this As a Quick and dirty method but best i could come up with is to generate a noise with all frequencies from 300hz-4000hz and just use that? But even then its way to crude? I level Match by playing a sweep and measure every speaker, overlay them as good as possible from 300-4000hz. But this takes time .. because the spl Meter will just Show the Level of the loudest frequency? While that is better then nothing you can still be easily 2-3db or more off over the majority of the important frequency range. 300-4000hz is just my Nummer. No scientific reason. Thought process for this Was, what is actuall the most Common frequency range. Having very low male voices is common in cinema and so are alot of higher Notes. To have the score etc in the most important range still in there. If someone has a diffrent range please explain ur reasoning. Would love to hear what others think is important.

[@Youthman]

This should help - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGWbYotoh62ImaMsi=00_7Vz4AmOQqqS_c. Since making this video, I now point the mic upwards instead of directly at each speaker.

[@12P14D22C]

@@Youthman oh yeah, absolutetly that way u dont need to move the mic at all.

[@Youthman]

Yeah, for some reason, my brain thought you should point the microphone directly at the source because your height channels would appear louder than say the front speakers because it’s pointing up towards the ceiling. I was wrong lol.

[@BrandonBaecker]

Threatening litigation for a bad review is a horrible look for your company. Now I know what company (Tekton) to stay away from forever! This dude's ego is getting in the way of him being a reasonable human being. The fact that he threw out his awards is hilarious. Tekton's response did far more damage than any bad review ever could have. He just pulled a pin and dropped a hand grenade at his own feet. Is he going to sue every amateur reviewer that writes a review on the internet? Personally I'd bring on the litigation. What is he going to sue for? What is he going to present during discovery? The bar for libel is incredibly high, and you have to prove someone deliberately knew what they were saying was incorrect, and that they were deliberately trying to cause harm.

[@Youthman]

It’s pretty crazy.

[@BrandonBaecker]

@@Youthman if every review on KZbin was positive I'd never trust any KZbin ever again, which would be detrimental to everyone. I already barely trust most of them. I seriously hope people aren't stopping themselves from posting reviews because they are negative. Not to mention a part of every review is subjective anyway. You can't sue people for their opinions.

[@Youthman]

Erics issue is with their objective measurements. I read this is his 6th lawsuit in 30 years. Seems like a pattern to me.

[@BrandonBaecker]

@@Youthman also this trend of brands releasing products with incomplete/broken firmware (or promised features coming in firmware that may never arrive) needs to end. Ship a product when it's complete. As soon as it's on store shelves, that's what the customers are buying, and what are you submitting for review. Whether it's TVs or receivers, it seems to happen more and more these days.

[@BrandonBaecker]

@@Youthman I get that. Was more a general comment (and response to Jonathan's comments about not posting the negative review of that projector), but still, even if he had gotten them wrong (which it doesn't even seem like he did), are we going to sue everyone who ever gets a measurement wrong or has equipment fail? Seems ridiculously silly.

[@davidstevens7809]

Whats your opinion of someone stuck on matrix ? You know..dynaquad?

[@richardzagozeski892]

Johnathan: Don't you have a MAD VR ENVY EXTREME?

[@jvonengeln]

I don’t. Michael and Ryan have the MadVR Envy units.

[@NickkaDUB]

Home theater isn’t dying. Movies have just sucked since Covid. Maybe 1 good one per year.

[@richardzagozeski892]

$ 180.00 USD is about $ 245.00 Canadian.

[@paulupton7698]

Everything has a life span.

[@richardzagozeski892]

What the HELL is wrong with Money Orders? In Canada 2 options are available: Canada Post & International Bank Money Order.

[@Youthman]

Most scams in the US involve money orders. They are too easily to be fake.

[@richardzagozeski892]

Sorry your name isn't Johnathon, but Michael. Sorry for my mistake.

[@longplayer8600]

love this show but wth with the political commentary in the chat? come here to get away from that crap.

[@Youthman]

Unfortunately I cannot control the chat. I have zero desire to discuss politics myself

[@longplayer8600]

@@Youthman I worked in DC for 25 years. I need a time-out lol.

[@starlightgrecording559]

@starlightgrecording559 Michael Stevens*** Gerard Stroh!!! I Can't Wait To See The 50 inch Ascando Sub Woofer and I Have 2 18's Subwoofers and The 2 5 Foot Cabinets and they Are 4 feet tall and My Subs You Can't Evan Hear The Infransonics Frequency's My 18 inch Drivers You only Hear it From 20Hz or Higher and When I Had Them Running It Rumbles The House and Now I Have Them in the Garage For Now and My 21 inch Subwoofer Speaker Is More Than Enough and I Have an 18 Subwoofer too Besides My 4 12inch Subwoofers and I Got Running is More Than enough Sub Bass For My Stereo System and Theater is Plenty and I have All of My Big Speakers are in My Garage So Fornow I am Happy What I have Set Up For My Audio System!!!

[@Youthman]

That’s quite the setup!

[@starlightgrecording559]

@@Youthman @starlightgrecording559 Hi Michael Stevens Sir!! I Don't Have the 50 inch Ascando But Ryan Does When They Get it Done But The Stuff I Have Like the 2 18 Subs That Are In 5 Foot Cabinets Are and It Will Make Your House Shake Michael Stevens and When I Do Get A House Big Enough They Will Be Pumping Infransonic Bass and It Might Be 2 or 3 Years Down the Line and The Big Speakers Are in My Garage For The Time Being!!! My 21 inch 2500 Watt Speaker Can Shake Things Off The Countertops And The Speaker Driver is Over 100 Pounds Without Speaker Cabinet!!! I Do Have My 21 inch Subwoofer Speaker and My Ultramax In My House Running Over 5,000 Watts Just on 2 Subs and Using 2 QSC RMX 2450a Running in Bridge Mode Each and Each Amp is Running 2400 Watts on Each Sub Using 12 Gauge Wire!!! From Gerard Stroh!!!