Podcast#1085: Monoprice SS-Pro 8 Speaker Selector and Audio to Show Off Your Sound System
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This week give you our impression of the Monoprice SS-Pro 8 Speaker Selector, take a look at the streaming scorecard for 2022, and we wrap up with our list of music to demo your sound system. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

• With NextGen TV Transition `Stalled,' NAB Asks FCC for ATSC 3.0 Taskforce)
• LG's new OLED TVs will get an audio upgrade to please home theater lovers)
• Netflix Lets Priciest Plan Download to Extra Devices, Adds More Spatial Audio)
• YouTube TV Drops MLB Network)

Other:

• Netflix: secret codes to unlock scores of hidden films and TV shows | Daily Mail Online)

Monoprice SS-Pro 8 High Power Dual Source 300 Watt 8 Pair Impedance Matching Speaker Selector The Monoprice SS-Pro 8 ($100))  is a powerful and efficient dual source, audiophile grade speaker selector for up to 8 pairs of speakers. Featuring robust transformers, the SS-Pro 8 allows you to play all 8 pairs of speakers at once without damaging the amplifier, able to withstand up to 300 watts peak of power per channel. A front panel A/B switch allows you to choose between two amplifier sources, and easily removable snap-in connectors make installation easy. A rotary switch located on the rear panel can be used to set the appropriate impedance based on the number of pair of speakers connected.

• 8-zone speaker selector that allows you to connect up to 8 pairs of speakers or 8 listening zones and control each zone with front panel push-buttons
• Utilizes audiophile-grade impedance-matching transformers to safely distribute maximum power throughout your system
• Easy to use front panel switch to choose between sources
• Designed for use with either 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers
• Protection circuit ensures your amplifier is protected

Streaming Scorecard for 2022 Amid all the doom and gloom in the streaming industry regarding slumping stock prices and hefty losses, streaming audiences continue to grow at a significant pace, with Americans streaming more than 19 million years worth of content last year, according to new data from Nielsen. 

In total, Americans streamed more than 19.4 million years of content last year, up 27% about 15 million years in 2021. The increase was driven by the breadth of new and expanded services, coupled by the depth of content—particularly streaming originals, Nielsen reported. Full article here…) Rick Beato’s Preferred AV Demo List Instead of the typical audiophile spin, music educator Rick Beato provides a musician’s perspective on how to choose and how to listen to music. Full article here…)

From the article:

Throwing my two cents into this discussion, I like that Beato had many popular recordings in his list from artists as diverse as Jay-Z, Steely Dan and Linkin Park. It’s my opinion that besides the lack of knowledge audiophiles have on the production process and mastering in particular, the lack of emotional connection to a piece of music is where system demos most often fail with consumers.

Explaining mastering in the most basic of terms, it is the process in which engineers make sure a recording sounds balanced, full and even. The problem with a lot of popular music over the past few decades has been the issue in which the dynamics of recordings have been squashed or evened out in order for it to sound better on the radio or through a set of earbuds. The problem with heavy levels of mastering, which uses tools such as compressors and limiters, is these tools can remove the musicality and dynamics from a recording. Production professionals will sometimes refer to this trend as the “loudness wars.”

Using the criteria of content that people recognize and music that is well produced, including mastering that lets the music breath, here are some of my top demo choices:

Ara’s List:

• Diana Krall Live in Paris - Fly Me to the Moon
• Stevie Ray Vaughn - Tin Pan Alley
• Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter 
• First 5 seconds of California Roll - Snoop Dog
• Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand in Mine (Theme from Friday Night Lights Movie)
• Madeline Edward - Mama, Dolly, Jesus
• Michael Ray - Holy Water
• Hailey Winters - Everything She Ain’t