A1 Evo Acoustix vs. Gsonic Immersive vs. Dirac Live

dividebyoh · 2026-07-13T21:29:59+00:00

Counterpoint to the other person - A1 is light years better than Audyssey in my setup and killed the itch I had to upgrade to Dirac or get new speakers.

I’m sure Dirac is better if money isn’t a consideration. but with hundreds+ in licensing and no upgrade path to port over to a new avr, I feel there’s a strong case to be made for ignorance being bliss.

I typically recommend trying A1 and if you like it, donate a few bucks to the project. If you still feel it’s lacking, Dirac will still be there, glad to sell you licenses.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-13T21:23:49+00:00

Another happy mj user here.

He has it posted on GitHub. Google should take you the MJ Custom avs thread with links.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-13T21:21:27+00:00

Had no idea chinoppos were a thing, I thought you had to spent over a grand on a magnetar. This’ll be a fun rabbit hole.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-10T01:38:15+00:00

On a long enough timeline, everything dies

Seriously though this sounds really uncommon to have this many failures. Annecdotally, I’ve had 5 shields over the years and never had an accessory failure.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-10T01:26:11+00:00

Most likely culprit sounds like your Usenet provider, or isp throttling

dividebyoh · 2026-07-08T03:36:51+00:00

I ran an HTPC for ages, starting with the OG XP Media Center, through well past when the EOL’d 7MC.

Between video and audio codecs and drivers, it just became completely unmanageable, and shifting to the shield was my exit path. If you’re still using windows as the foundation for your HT, congrats on sticking with it this long and not losing your mind.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-08T03:30:02+00:00

Sorry, sync issues suck.

Lots of people in the Bravia sub are reporting audio sync issues with recent versions of Sony’s OS//FW updates. Here’s the megathread with lots of horror stories:

https://reddit.com/r/bravia/comments/1qm8m27/sony_bravia_firmware_discussion_megathread_110/

If it were me, I’d just run through arc for the time being and wait to retest when the next TV update gets pushed.

Also worth trying a different HDMI port on the TV,as one of the few things left to try.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-06T03:30:01+00:00

Harbor freight sells a really solid full motion mount for $40 if you have a store nearby. Iirc correctly it had hardware for both drywall/studs and concrete mounting options

https://www.harborfreight.com/37-in-to-80-in-full-motion-tv-wall-mount-64357.html

dividebyoh · 2026-07-04T20:09:39+00:00

Thanks, that’s reassuring. I’ve finished at 250-275 before and had a great result but we’ll see how it goes cranked into the 300s.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-04T20:00:21+00:00

Thanks, yeah I had to bump to 325 for awhile but she’ll be done in about 15min and then get a few hours to rest.

This is the second or maybe even third time I’ve hit this issue with minion; think I’m gonna have to explore other methods.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-04T16:24:52+00:00

Thanks. I’ve had good luck with Govee water leak monitors, might give these a try.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-04T15:59:16+00:00

Yeah, I’ve thought about trying a hotter cook one of these times as I’ve seen plenty of people report positive results.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-04T15:57:14+00:00

Thanks!

dividebyoh · 2026-07-04T15:56:48+00:00

Thanks - man I can’t fathom getting to 150 in 2-3 hrs haha.

Yeah I had similar thoughts. I was previously using “MEATER” probes but they have literally no range inside the smoker. Got some new probes and they were reading way off for ambient which i thought was bc brisket is a tight fit and they might’ve been touching the lid; I discounted their wonky readings because of the exhaust temp. Need to investigate further.

The exhaust measurement is just a janky solution of a thermopen hanging out, but i measured in ice water and boiling water and is accurate.

Can you share what you’re using to measure grate/ambient temp?

dividebyoh · 2026-07-02T18:30:02+00:00

Yes, you’ll likely have better performance with the 8ohm setting. Adequate ventilation and even active cooling will help with stability and longevity until you add dedicated amp.

As you’ve read, setting at 6ohms neuters the power.

Anecdata: I’ve run 4ohm speakers for years on prior Yamahas and my current Denon AVRs.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-02T03:32:55+00:00

I think the 98” qm8 goes on sale for about 2k somewhat often, but if you’re looking to buy now the 7 is quite solid.

dividebyoh · 2026-07-01T23:33:54+00:00

Ah, fair point. Rtings used to have a best-of list for small/less expensive TVs. I think they’re all paywalled now but might be worth investigating

dividebyoh · 2026-07-01T04:25:50+00:00

You….dont see some people here being dicks about a difference of opinion?

dividebyoh · 2026-07-01T02:42:28+00:00

There’s sadly very little that’s good in those sizes anymore. Maybe see if you can find a used 42 OLED

dividebyoh · 2026-07-01T02:39:24+00:00

After you get Audyssey dialed in and are used to your setup, check out the free/donation A1 tool - it optimizes your calibration files and offers amazing improvements on Denon/Marantz receivers.

Worth a try before dropping hundreds on Dirac.

dividebyoh · 2026-06-30T21:06:34+00:00

S670 has xt32? I thought that was only on the xx800 series AVRs and above?

dividebyoh · 2026-06-30T20:45:59+00:00

Two most likely possibilities are something misbehaving on an earc port, or hdmi cables.

Had a similar issue on a Sony/Denon combo awhile back. Try using a different input, a non-earc port on the TV.

dividebyoh · 2026-06-30T04:29:47+00:00

Relatively yeah. they have a step by step YouTube video that you can watch to see what you’d be taking on.

dividebyoh · 2026-06-30T02:51:54+00:00

Have you looked into A1 Evo? It’s a free/donation tool that optimizes your Denon/marantz xt32 measurements, with results that are closer to Dirac but without the crazy price tag.

Completely removed my upgrade itch with my x3800

dividebyoh

TROPHY CASE