Gentle Ben

Mods, please remove ad -- not sure how to -- all sold, thank you

We're doing some remodeling and going with some in-wall speakers, adding an 85-inch TV, etc. and she says she's ready to start the project and it was time to start converting over and she just used the word "downsize" and I ran with it. Believe me, my music and movie enjoyment won't be affected. Plus I am getting up in age (married 50 years) and don't need quite the big sound I once loved.

LOL! I know ... Are you married?

SOLD SOLD SOLD Wife says time to downsize. Selling four speakers for what I think are good, solid prices for equipment in excellent+plus condition. All four years old. -- 2 RF-7IIs front tower speakers (enough said) -- 1 RC-64II center channel -- 1 R-115SW 15-inch sub (with brand new power amp panel) All four speakers for $2,650 and to be picked up in the Baton Rouge region. I can deliver if not too far away or meet you halfway. Shipping these titans would cost you a good bit of cash extra. Will sell separate but I first want to sell them as an ensemble. Will not sell RF-7IIs as separates. With original boxes and owners manuals, all cloth grills in like-new condition. Additionally, I have one R-115SW ($150) that needs a new amp panel. Included separately are two RS-52IIs ($500 pair); two RS-41IIs ($200 pair) Just add $800 to original asking price if you these five extra speakers. Call or text Ben at (225) 803-9815. Will accept PayPal (F&F), USPO Money Order or certified bank check.

sold

***SOLD*** Like new Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A3010 audio/visual 9.2 channel receiver. 150 watts per channel. Black, loaded with features and connections. Only three years old and paid $1,400+ new and is well taken care of, looks and runs like new. Includes box, both a CD owners manual and a printed manual in a binder, YPAO calibration microphone, two remote controls (main and mini), power cord. This receiver supports ARC (audio return channel); Dolby True HD and DTS Master and other Blu-ray formats. Easy, on-screen set up with most settings already dialed in; loaded with latest firmware. Weighs about 40 lbs. so it is rock steady. Selling for $400. Will accept U.S. Postal Money Order, PayPal "gift" method. Will share shipping charges depending on final sales price. Send PM if interested but better to send email to benreed@cox.net. Live in Baton Rouge. Visit (cut and paste) the following link for more specs: http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a3010_black_u/?mode=model#mode=paging&list=within

Thanks for all the tips. Unfortunately they only produced modest improvement. Still a lot of dropouts. So I replaced both new AC1900 routers with a Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 with one 2.4GHz channel and two 5GHz channels (six antennae) and it seems to have done the trick. The router is in my den and I am now getting full strength wi-fi throughout the house on both 5G channels -- without the two extenders. Wonder if this more expensive model produces a stronger signal that overpowers whatever interference that was present. Of course, will it stand the test of time and during peak usage hours in the neighborhood? All this set up was done at 1 p.m. and now it is 3 p.m. And I have not changed any SSIDs or passwords yet. Didn't want to add in more variables or conflicts. Just used the defaults. But now I have about 75 feet of loose wire I am going to have to disconnect and run up to the attic and down the wall into the den. I don't so much dread the labor as much as f#ckin up the signal! Also will keep an eye on performance of his router and report back if things change at all.

Want to add that both routers tested have sent great signals via the LAN ports. No loss of Internet signals to anything hard-wired, like my receiver, TV, Blu-ray, Apple Box, etc. Just can't get or keep a wi-fi signal to iPhone 6s, iPad2s or newer Toshiba laptop ... even with extenders. They all hook up, then drop almost immediately. Any chance my Cisco DPQ3212 (Docsys. 3.0) modem could be dropping signal or producing weak signal. Cable company says its fine. And, of course, the router companies told me it was "environmental." So I'm leaning on you guys to help with the possibility of stereo equipment being involved.

Are there any pieces of home stereo equipment that interfere big-time with wifi signals. Since upgrading my system my wifi signal in my den has just about come to a halt. All other rooms within range in the house seem to be fine. But the den and nearby kitchen are cutoff. I can rule out a known problem with wireless speakers, all of my equipment is hardwired, even my two subs. Could my newly installed ceiling speakers be a problem? They are the newest addition. I have tried two brand new routers -- Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 and a Linksys 1900AC. Both with same poor results. I do get an LTE cellular signal when wifi is not up and running. I have to have some major interference in that portion of the house. I have added two extenders and even used one as a LAN wired Access Point and it won't hold either. I even moved the routers into the den and sit just a few feet away and signal is none to intermittent and very weak to enable getting on the Internet. I am checking into an older microwave oven (do they interfere when not running?) and my cordless phones are older 1.9GHz Panasonics. OK, so I am checking here to learn whether the sound system might be my culprit. (The room is a standard 18 x 21 feet with 8 foot ceilings; leather couch and two recliners. Sheetrock walls and hardwood floors.) Equipment all purchased in the past year unless noted, items requiring Internet access are all supplied via wired LAN, nothing wireless, not even Bluetooth. This is set up for 7.2.4 Atmos: -- Yamaha Adventage RX-A3050 A/V receiver -- Emotiva XPA-7 external amp -- Panasonic 65VT50 plasma TV (3 years old) -- Panasonic BDP-500 blu-ray -- Onkyo CD player (7 years old) -- Denon turntable -- Cox Cable Contour box -- Klipsch RF-7ii fronts x2 -- Klipsch RC-64ii center -- Klipsch R-115SW subs x2 -- Klipsch RS-52ii side surround x2 -- Klipsch RB-41ii rear x2 -- Klipsch CDT-5800-C ii celing x4 Only the four ceiling speakers are driven by the Yamaha receiver. All other seven speakers are powered by the XPA-7. I sure hope those new ceiling speakers are not the culprit. Did putting those four big magnets in the attic to drive those 8-inch woofers form an enveloping magnetic cocoon in my den? Add in the 95-pound XPA-7 amp and two 15-inch subs to boot. No, my router is not on top or right beside the stereo equipment -- it gave the same problem when router was 30-feet away in my office. My den just seems to be a dead/weak spot. I have not read anywhere yet that wired speakers cause wi-fi interference. But I figure someone here may have a clue. Please advise or direct me to someone for help. Driving me nuts.

OK, now follow me here. You got to get into the game and be ready to play it right. I have a nearly 3-year-old Panasonic 65-inch VT50 plasma which means two things -- it is one of the best and most accurate TVs ever made. Color accuracy and black levels are still reference quality. Unfortunately plasma has all but been phased out because of manufacturing costs and weight vs. LED and OLED, etc. And mine doesn't want to show any signs of wanting to go out on me. Good thing, it set me back $3500. Now we get to your dilemma ... What to buy now? Considering the entire industry is about to hit a sort of Renaissance of quality, and more change, play your cards and money closely to the vest. I'd say pay around $2k or less for a 65- to 75-inch Vizio or Samsung and be ready to move it to a bedroom in 3-4 years. Right now you can get an 80-inch Vizio at Costco for just over $3k and I'd bet it will be eye-popping for a few years. In three years or so you will see 4K as a new standard and Sony, Samsung, LG, et al will drop below $4000 for sets 75- to 85-inches. By that time you'll be ready to move your baby to another room or on to your kids. It is all market and R&D related. Make room for the new. Just know when it's time to get into game, when to pass and when to play. Seeing how your wife is putting up the ante now, explain to her how you are going to be frugal now but only with the understanding you are going all-in down the road in a few years. Sell it to her big now and not twice. NOTE: A lot of wives don't get new gear until you introduce them to it. But once they catch on, good luck getting it back -- think iPhones, iPads, etc.

Something to consider, I found that when putting in 4 CDT-5800s in the ceiling, the RS-52iis sides and RS-42iis rears started cancelling one another out directionally, causing a totally diffuse room. I actually improved the sound by downsizing my rear speakers to RB-41iis and can better hear separate sounds in Atmos and music. Don't smother your room with wide dispersion speakers if you're putting Atmos. Just what I've found. Indeed I will also go to RB-51iis on the sides if it improves Atmos and DTX:2 later.

Bought and watched the totally remastered "The Fifth Element" in Dolby Atmos and tuned up video. This classic sci-fi/comedy has been bumped up to reference quality sound and video. I was simply amazed at the improvement.

LOL! Yes, RS, of course. My bad. But I do have RF-7IIs up front. By the way, I just a minute ago replaced my RS-42IIs in the rear with a pair of RB-41IIs direct firing speakers and was able to angle them even more downward. Might try to do the same with the 52IIs with a pair of RB-51Is and see if that works. Your idea of the hinges and chains sounds doable. I'm also thinking the RBs will mesh better with my ceiling Atmos speakers. The 42s and 52s were seeming to clash and fill the 18x21 room with too much diffuse sound. Even making my RC-64II center sound boxy and base-y.

I have a pair of RF-52IIs as side surrounds and a pair of RF-42IIs as rears. Both pairs had to be mounted near the ceiling at 8 feet so I angled them down as much as possible using the keyhole bracket, about 15-20 degrees. It works but I've now added four CDT-5800Cs into the ceiling for Atmos and now I think I need to angle them down even more. Any strong brackets out there that might help with more angle with these big suckers?

Dude, you need to see the movie. All joking aside, even Keanu acts well in this. Yes, it is a love story told from multiple perspectives, but the dialogue and flow of the story and the building of tension from Dracula's manipulation is superb. I imagine the ATMOS track will add atmosphere (fancy that huh) to the dread the movie's tone sets. Crap man, I will buy it for you and ship it. You need to see this. The Fifth Element & Leon The Professional are day-one purchases. Looking forward to remastered Atmos version of both. I guess I'll make it a Gary Oldman trifecta.... & pick up Dracula with Atmos. I've never seen it (or even part of it) in the theater, DVD, or cable. One could argue I'll be seeing the best version with my 1st viewing. Thanks for the recommendation ! Picked up Fifth Element because it had been totally remastered in Atmos and video. Wow! Kicked *** in both ways. Amazed and pleased. Reference quality for sure. Indulge yourself with this classic.