AV Rant

We announce the 3 winners of our Sofabaton U3 Giveaway! GTA VI pre-orders are selling like crazy despite the inflated price. Xbox prices go up (a lot) for the third time. Everything Apple, except iPhones, got way more expensive. And PlayStation Store is yanking 551 titles with no apology. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCY1xK 00:00:00 […] The post AV Rant #999.9l: Sofabaton U3 Winners appeared first on AV Rant.

It’s the final week to enter our Sofabaton U3 Giveaway! Kaleidescape Strato K introduces 4K Cinematic format. Valve’s Steam Machine prices are high. And the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170SE2 completes the Signature SE2 speaker lineup. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCXn2f 00:00:00 – Intro Life updates. And how’s Tom’s back? 00:10:55 – Sofabaton U3 Giveaway It’s the […] The post AV Rant #999.9k: Take a Breath appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom is back. Thanks to Lee Overstreet for filling in last week, and sharing the slideshow of his vacation to Vancouver where he met Rob H. in person! Fox Corporation is buying Roku. Wharfedale Elysian R Series speakers bring AMT tweeters and new color options. And we continue our Sofabaton U3 giveaway with good news […] The post AV Rant #999.9j: Total Gamechanger (Sofabaton U3 Giveaway) appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom’s away. Lionsgate joins Movies Anywhere. Apple TV 4K gets Hi-Res Lossless Apple Music. Lee and Rob met in person! 00:00:00 – Intro 00:06:05 – Sofabaton U3 Review Our official Sofabaton U3 review. Positives, negatives, and some comparisons to the X2. – https://www.sofabaton.com/product/u3/ 00:26:27 – Sofabaton Discounts Don’t be mad at Sofabaton if the discount […] The post AV Rant #999.9i: Sofabaton U3 Review and Giveaway (and Lee Visited Vancouver!) appeared first on AV Rant.

SVS launched their long-awaited Auto-EQ functionality for their R|Evolution subwoofers. Sony announced the sizes and prices of their TrueRGB LCD TVs in their Bravia 7 II and Bravia 9 II Series. Valve increased prices on their SteamDeck…by a lot. And the cost of a lifetime subscription to Plex Pass is going up by 300%. Yup. […] The post AV Rant #999.9h: Running in Crocs appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom is back! Thanks to Lee Overstreet for guest co-hosting last week. ICEpower announced their new Class-D amplifier modules using an all-new design they’re calling Super Conductor. RBH separated their entry-level speakers into the dome tweeter Impression Series and the folded ribbon tweeter Inspire Series while introducing new flagship Tower 88 models in each. Pictures […] The post AV Rant #999.9g: Taking a Gamble on Dual Centers appeared first on AV Rant.

We announce the winners of our Sofabaton X1S Universal Remote giveaway! Everyone else can enjoy a 35% discount code if you buy an X1S through our affiliate link. Nintendo announced a price increase for the Switch 2, plus a new bundle before that happens. JL Audio released their Primacy Series luxury speakers. Pictures shown in […] The post AV Rant #999.9e: Sofabaton X1S Giveaway Winners! appeared first on AV Rant.

There’s still time to enter our free draw to giveaway at least one Sofabaton X1S universal remote! Just email us. RGB-backlit LCD TVs go by many different marketing names, but four of the biggest brands have revealed screen sizes and prices they’ll be offering this year. Valve’s Steam Controller has a price and a release date. […] The post AV Rant #999.9c: Moar Panels! appeared first on AV Rant.

We will be giving away at least one Sofabaton X1S Universal Remote. Email us to enter the free, random draw. Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO, with John Ternus taking his place in September. Optoma HCPro-5400 is a bright, RGB laser, DLP projector. PerListen X-Series on-wall speakers. And Disney Infinity Vision. Pictures shown in […] The post AV Rant #999.9b: Sofabaton X1S Giveaway appeared first on AV Rant.

Oh, we’re getting creative with our episode numbers now! HSU is running their first sale on their D15-Chimera and D15-SC Super Charger to coincide with AXPONA. SVS has launched their new 3000 Micro R|Evolution subwoofer. Paradigm announced their all-new Premier V2 Series of speakers. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCR8gz 00:00:00 – Intro Our ridiculous episode numbers. Rob’s […] The post AV Rant #999.9a: We Justify Cable Risers appeared first on AV Rant.

Schedules made us record a day late. Tom has some horrible surprise news to share. Sony is calling their RGB backlit LCD TVs “True RGB”. Revel announced their new Performa 4 Series speakers, which are literally the same as the Arcam Radia Series. And Sofabaton’s next universal remote will be the U3. Pictures shown in […] The post AVRant Podcast #999.9 – Sofabaton U3 Preview appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom has returned. Thank you to Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick for guest co-hosting last week. Kaleidescape is celebrating their 25th Anniversary. PlayStation 5 console prices are going up…a lot. And we discuss the improvements that Sofabaton brought to their X2 Hub-based remote with their latest firmware updates. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCPFZs 00:00:00 – Intro […] The post AV Rant #999.8: AI Slump appeared first on AV Rant.

We’re back! Last week’s absence was spur of the moment, so apologies for that. Now Tom is away this week. But Lee Overstreet and Joe Klusnick are here to guest co-host with Rob. Barco is buying VerVent Audio Holding, the parent company of Focal and Naim. Xbox Mode is coming to all Windows 11 PCs. […] The post AV Rant #999.7: Blows Up Good appeared first on AV Rant.

Now that the Sofabaton X2 Universal Remote is widely available, Sofabaton is running a sale on the X1S model. And we have a promo code you can use for extra savings: TOMX1S20 . RSL launched their online Encore Store with a cosmetic grading system on open box items for extra cost savings. The new CEO of […] The post AV Rant #999.6: Death Knell For Xbox appeared first on AV Rant.

Paramount Skydance gave their best and final offer to buy Warner Bros Discovery, and Netflix declined to match it. RTings now requires a paid membership to view their full product reviews, a change made in light of AI scraping all their data and leading to far fewer page visits. Tom has updates about his back, […] The post AV Rant #999.5 – Too Many Names appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom is back. And so is his TV! Rob has fresh insights about the Sofabaton X2 Universal Remote. Tom has thoughts about computer monitors. Skyworth is taking over Panasonic’s TV division. Xbox CEO and President both left, and the former President of CoreAI is taking over. Paramount Skydance made their best and final offer to […] The post AV Rant #999.4: 4 Foot Speaker Stands? appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom is away this week. But we have a TV update anyway. Lee Overstreet AND Joe Klusnick both join Rob H. for the long-awaited 3-man episode. It finally happened! Lee’s MantelMount experience. Joe’s Kaleidescape viewing. Arcam Radia Series AV Amplifiers, Pre-Pro, Amps & Speakers. Arendal 1610 Series 8 Speakers. And why not lease your PS5 […] The post AV Rant #999.3: The Fabled Pod appeared first on AV Rant.

The latest in Tom’s QD-OLED TV repair saga. Our own subwoofer, computer monitor, and universal remote adventures. KEF Coda W self-powered wireless speakers enter a new, lower price bracket. Valve delayed its Steam Machine and Stream Frame. TCL is updating its Google TV interface to run on Android 14, which will add HDMI QMS support. […] The post AV Rant #999.2: Signs Point to “Yes” appeared first on AV Rant.

We aren’t ready to call this Episode 1,000 just yet. Updates on Tom’s TV. LG Display is now manufacturing OLED SE, OLED EX, and Tandem OLED panels for greater differentiation at various price points. The new DALI SONIK Series of speakers replaces the Oberon Series. Pictures shown in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCJxnR 00:00:00 – Intro We technically […] The post AV Rant #999.1: COULD Care Less appeared first on AV Rant.

Welcome back, Tom! Thanks to Joe for co-hosting last week. Updates on Tom’s bad back. And his TV is still broken. Emotiva Differential Reference Design Series offers four, stackable, 2-channel Separates you can purchase individually, or in a money-saving bundle: the DRA-1, DRP-1, DRD-1, and DRS-1. Pictures shows in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCHJG4 00:00:00 – Intro Tom returns! […] The post AV Rant #999.0: There’s Your D appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom is away this week, so Rob is joined by Joe Klusnick for an extra-long episode. SVS SB-3000 & PB-3000 R|Evolution subs are available now. miniDSP Tide16 is a 16-channel Pre-Pro with the full Dirac Live Suite included. Sony is selling 51% of its TV & Audio business to TCL. Sony Pictures will stream exclusively […] The post AV Rant #998.6: Marathon with Joe appeared first on AV Rant.

Tom had a horrible week with a bad back and his new TV broke. He’s here for half the podcast. But on top of that, our email forwarding broke again! We can nail down that it was from Jan 6 – 11. If you emailed us during that time, all we can do is apologize, […] The post AV Rant #998.5: Disaster Week (More Missing Emails) appeared first on AV Rant.

Happy New Year! And Happy Anniversary to Tom! CES 2026 is happening as we speak. We mention LG’s RGB Stripe OLED & Samsung’s V-Stripe RGB QD-OLED monitor tech. Hisense’s 116UXS RGB miniLED Evo adds a 4th sub-pixel. TCL’s RM9L is an RGB miniLED LCD, but their X11L flagship uses SQD-miniLED with Super Quantum Dots. LG’s […] The post AV Rant #998: CES 2026 Displays appeared first on AV Rant.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! This will be our final episode of 2025. So we’ll see you all in 2026 next episode! We each made a big purchase. Andrew posted his Sofabaton X2 Review over at AVGadgets, and Rob has fresh Sofabaton X2 thoughts, as well. Dolby Vision + Atmos Theater that isn’t a Dolby […] The post AV Rant #997: Merry Xmas from Tom & Rob appeared first on AV Rant.

Many missing emails were re-sent to us by listeners who noticed we hadn’t answered their questions on the podcast yet. Thank you! We’re sure there are still some more out there. So please feel free to email us again. We’re so sorry that we inadvertently left people hanging! Emotiva released their Nostala LB12 speakers. And the original […] The post AV Rant #996: Glitch in the Matrix appeared first on AV Rant.

Warner Bros. agreed to sell to Netflix, but Paramount Skydance made a hostile takeover bid to stop them. Rob's croaky voice. And we were missing emails! The post AV Rant #995: Rob’s a Hoarse appeared first on AV Rant.

We are back! Happy Thanksgiving! We spill the beans about why we don’t have a full Sofabaton X2 review for you just yet, but we still have updates and insights to share. We both bought big ticket items over Black Friday. And Tom watched multiple movies! Google and Disney have made up. Netflix has killed […] The post AV Rant #994: Sofabaton X2 Update appeared first on AV Rant.