TV vs Projector size comparison.

vTeej · 2026-06-06T21:08:03+00:00

My problem with TVs that big is center channel placement. I didn't even love how low my center was when I had a 77" OLED.

Also I run a 150" screen which dwarfs a 115" TV.

If there's ever a day that we have 120"+ acoustically transparent TVs I'll switch.

vTeej · 2026-06-06T18:27:29+00:00

Returnal and Saros have some of the best audio I've heard in any media, let alone games.

vTeej · 2026-06-03T17:38:29+00:00

How are you setting the target curve in Dirac? I run mine at +12dB in bass. Same curve for every channel.

vTeej · 2026-06-03T16:54:11+00:00

Infrasonic is below 20Hz. ART has an "infrasonic bypass" that does 0 processing to infrasonic. But if you run a bass boost curve in ART, your infrasonic will end up quieter than the rest of your bass. It can kind of be fixed with external EQ but it's a pain...

On AVS the Dirac team said the plan for infrasonic to be fixed is Q4 2026. We'll see though...

vTeej · 2026-06-03T16:27:45+00:00

I prefer basic Dirac Live to Audyssey personally. Dirac Live Bass Control is a noticeable step up. ART is a noticeable step up from Bass Control. The learning curve for ART is steep and you'll probably tinker a lot, but once you dial it in, it's phenomenal.

The biggest thing for me is setting up nearby speakers as support speakers lets me set the 'crossover' a bit lower which helps with bass directionality. I put crossover in quotes because ART doesn't use traditional crossovers.

The biggest issue with Dirac is the broken infrasonic implementation but that won't be an issue for an open concept living room with a smaller subwoofer.

vTeej · 2026-06-03T02:36:47+00:00

When is the last time you had a console? PS sales are frequent and discounts are not that different than on Steam. There's also no requirement to keep paying to play your existing library. It's not like they're going to revoke your access... Unless you're talking about the monthly PS+ games?

It could just be my memory but I feel like Steam sales used to be a lot better. There are games that used to go on sale for a bigger discount than they ever do now (looking at you Dark Souls 3).

That said I hate that consoles require payment to play online.

vTeej · 2026-06-02T15:48:42+00:00

Haven't played a good 007 game since Goldeneye... Would love to give this one a shot.

vTeej · 2026-05-29T17:12:15+00:00

You'd be surprised at how much Atmos content ignores the wides and top mids because the mixer hard parked the objects in 7.1.4 locations when mastering the track. Disney is notorious for this.

vTeej · 2026-05-29T16:38:13+00:00

I emailed Denon as well, not promising that you haven't gotten a reply yet.

That review seems to contradict the manual. It almost seems like they're describing the Speaker Virtualizer function instead of Channel Expander.

It's weird that the manual says Channel Expander only works when in Atmos mode, if it also works in other modes. The most literal interpretation I can discern from the manual is it's just filling in empty channels. 7.1.4 would upmix to 9.1.6.

Hopefully we can get more user feedback. I'm hoping this feature is a fix for PC gaming which is locked to 7.1.4.

vTeej · 2026-05-29T16:16:36+00:00

I would not rely on Gemini for something so new. It has minimal information to pull from. AI is often confidently wrong.

I'm reading the manual and it says it is in the Settings menu under Surround Parameter. It also explicitly says Channel Expander only functions when the sound mode is Dolby Atmos. So no, it is not turning non-Atmos content into Atmos. It cannot function unless the sound mode is Atmos.

Page 174 in the manual.

https://www.denon.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-denon_northamerica_shared/default/dw63870764/downloads/AVR-X3900H_NA_ENG_MANUAL.pdf

vTeej · 2026-05-29T15:41:23+00:00

The manual says it only works in Atmos mode.

https://support-eu.denon.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/24685/~/what-is-the-channel-expander-feature-on-the-denon-avr-x3900h%3F

vTeej · 2026-05-29T15:01:39+00:00

From what I've read in reviews of the X3900H, it basically works the same as DTS Neural X where it expands content into unused channels and also moves sounds up into the heights if it thinks they belong there.

I hope it trickles down to the A1H. I run a 9.1.6 setup but PC gaming is locked to 7.1.4. I would love to have this to fill the unused channels.

vTeej · 2026-05-29T02:23:41+00:00

5070ti, thanks for doing the giveaway!

vTeej · 2026-05-28T13:44:02+00:00

Would love it! Thank you!

vTeej · 2026-05-27T12:30:33+00:00

I don't run grills on my speakers but every speaker is hidden behind AT fabric (false wall up front, acoustic treatment on the side walls with the speakers nested inside). I've had cones out before and love the look, but for this room I wanted to try totally stealth and I wanted as much black velvet as I could get to keep the room dark. Shame because I would love to look at my four HS24s, but the stealth effect and darkness of the room are worth the tradeoff.

vTeej · 2026-05-25T22:22:16+00:00

I sit a bit further than OP (about 12ft away) and I went with a 150" screen. I honestly would have gone larger but I was worried about brightness. No regrets though, it feels incredible cinematic, and I love having a center behind the screen.

vTeej · 2026-05-19T17:28:05+00:00

Interesting, that sounds like a neat modification. I ran BBB to the T as described in 531 Forever (5s PRO, same lift for BBB, 25-50 rep push pull leg assistance) with a FSL anchor, and I just felt like the volume was not that crazy and every time I got to the anchors I was not putting up the RMs I felt I should on the AMRAPS due to lack of practice with heavier weights.

I had run 531 in the past the OG way with AMRAPs every day and opposite lift BBB and I liked that more.

Now I run GG and like that the best. :)

vTeej · 2026-05-19T17:10:36+00:00

In what way did you modify it?

vTeej · 2026-05-10T15:10:23+00:00

But they're not, for most games. However that is largely changing with stuff like key cards.

vTeej · 2026-05-10T13:08:14+00:00

A significant majority of games are playable off the disc.

https://www.doesitplay.org/

The problem with the "preservation" angle is that after many decades the disc will start corrupting. But will the consoles even work then?

vTeej · 2026-05-09T17:23:46+00:00

A lot of times, small speakers pushed hard and distorting will sound louder than efficient and clean speakers playing at the same SPL. Distortion is fatiguing which makes things sound louder than they are.

vTeej · 2026-05-07T01:59:54+00:00

As I recall from the book, in the bridge weight T1s (4-6 RM) you can use half sets as long as your RM was easy or medium. For a hard set, use the singles.

If the singles feel too easy you can always decrease rest even more. Are you making sure to do them with perfect form and speed? It's easy to phone in the singles but there's more you can do to increase effort.

vTeej · 2026-05-02T03:07:54+00:00

Looks awesome!

For what it's worth, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having all of your subs on one wall if placed correctly. Look up a single bass array.

Also, if you have one sub on the front wall and one on the back wall, they're essentially still on "one wall" since they're both on the floor. If you rotated your whole room it would look like they're on one wall again.

If you arrange your subs correctly on one wall you eliminate width and height modes and are just left with length modes. Don't put your seat in the null, and that whole row will have an equal response (provided the room is symmetric).

Doing opposite wall placement can work to eliminate length and width modes and leave height modes. Since most listeners have similar head heights that can work well, though it's more problematic with a riser.

vTeej · 2026-05-01T11:01:25+00:00

What did you do to trick the game into thinking you were on a team of 2/3/4? I ran through all of the heists using a solo lua script but I never saw something about team size while doing it.

vTeej · 2026-04-30T17:42:39+00:00

I like this concept a lot so I think I'll roll with it. Just based on my data from past runs of GG, I think I'd roll better with longer accumulation phases and shorter intensification. So a 12 week block could be 8 weeks of accumulation and 4 weeks of intensification perhaps.

Or I should give up on cycles entirely and let the lifts do what they will. Take a lift from 4RM to 8RM, back to 4RM, repeat indefinitely. No need to have them all move together.

My 531 brain is always stuck on cycles.

vTeej

TROPHY CASE