Al Griffin

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How Do I Know Which HDR Formats My Receiver Supports?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 09, 2017
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Q TV reviews in Sound & Vision routinely discuss support for the HDR10 and Dolby Vision high dynamic range formats. I don't always see comments about HDR support in AV receiver reviews, however. Does an AVR need to support a specific HDR format, or does HDMI take care of that? —James Hardaway

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How Do I Make Movie Dialogue Sound Clear?
Al Griffin  |  Oct 13, 2016
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Q My audio setup consists of a Yamaha RX-A3030 receiver, M&K speakers with 2 Paradigm front effect speakers, and a Velodyne sub. Although I’m in my late 70s and have trouble hearing high frequencies, regular TV broadcasts sound clear on the system. Movie dialogue, on the other hand, sounds muted and is difficult to understand when I watch DVDs or Blu-rays. What steps can I take to make movie dialogue match what I hear with regular broadcast TV? —Bill Vandervoort, Chanute, KS

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How Do I Optimize Tidal Music Streaming for Headphones?
Al Griffin  |  Sep 16, 2015
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Q I want to optimize Tidal music streaming so I get the best sound quality. But I’m a million miles away from being an audiophile and find the whole thing really confusing. Right now I stream Tidal using either my iPhone or iPad, and have a pair of Bose QC headphones. I looked into buying a headphone amp, but am unsure if such devices improve the quality of streamed music. Can you point me in the right direction? —Lee Cooper

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How Do I Separate HDMI Audio From Video?
Al Griffin  |  Oct 08, 2014
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Q I just bought a Roku 2 streaming box that only has one output type: HDMI. My Adcom preamp-processor lacks HDMI switching, however, so I am forced to connect the Roku to an HDMI input on my Samsung TV and use its optical digital output to route audio signals to the Adcom. My problem is that the Samsung TV only passes two-channel audio through its digital audio output. Is there a reasonably priced device that can separate 5.1 digital audio from the HDMI signal, or am I stuck forever with two-channel sound? —Joe Simone

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How Do I Set Up My AVR to Play Music While Watching Baseball?
Al Griffin  |  Sep 14, 2015
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Q My Yamaha RX-A2010 A/V receiver is connected to a Samsung 4K TV, Verizon HD set-top box, and Oppo Blu-ray Disc player. Here’s my question: Is it possible for me to watch a baseball game while listening to music? Whenever I play music from a turntable or other audio source, I’m not able to see video on the screen. What am I doing wrong? —J. Rivera / via e-mail

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How Do I Set Up My Blu-ray Player When Using a Soundbar?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 08, 2016
Q I recently purchased a Bose SoundTouch 130 soundbar and have a Samsung BDP7500 Blu-ray player connected to it. Here’s my question: There’s a setting in the Samsung player’s menu for speaker size and distance. Since I’m using a soundbar that gets calibrated using a headset in five positions, is it necessary to also adjust the Blu-ray player’s speaker size/distance settings, or should I just leave those alone? I called Bose tech support, and they had no answer for me. —Peter Palagonia/Las Vegas, NV
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How Do I Set Up Rear Speakers?
Al Griffin  |  Jul 13, 2017
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I recently bought a 7.1-channel receiver, along with a 5.1 speaker system. Due to space limitations, I plan to install the surround speakers in the rear of room behind the seating area. Here’s my question: Should I configure the rear speakers in my receiver’s setup menu as Surrounds or Back Surrounds? —Greg Smith

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How Do I Stream Music to an AV Receiver and Echo Speaker?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 18, 2018
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Q I’ve ripped most of my CD collection to my computer using iTunes. At this point, I’d like to maybe get a portable media storage unit and transfer my iTunes library to it so I can play music through my AV receiver and Amazon Echo speakers. Is that a good idea? All suggestions are appreciated, but I am looking for an inexpensive solution. —John McGlynn / Boca Raton, FL

A There are a few ways to skin this cat. Here are some suggestions that won’t cost much money.

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How Do I Switch Between an AVR and Stereo Amp?
Al Griffin  |  Dec 28, 2017
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Q I currently use a receiver for watching movies in 5.1 surround and for listening to stereo music. I’d like to expand my system with a dedicated stereo preamplifier and amplifier for music playback but have realized that I would need to switch the cables of my main left/right speakers from the receiver to the amplifier every time I changed over from movies to music. Is there some type of switchbox that would enable such a setup? If so, is there an audiophile-grade version that wouldn’t negatively affect the sound? One more question: Would I be able use my subwoofer with both configurations? —Raphaël Rainville / via e-mail

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How Do I Turn Off My TV’s 120 Hz Feature?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 20, 2014
Q I recently learned that my television’s 120 Hz feature is global—when I turn it on, it remains on for all sources. I'm not a fan of this because I don't like seeing the “Soap Opera Effect” on TV and movie sources, though I do like it when playing videogames because the higher frame rate gives them a silky-smooth look. Here’s my question: Do you know of any TVs with a 120 Hz feature that can be turned on or off for specific inputs? —Ricky Meadows / via email
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