Podcast #1266: Ara's New Setup

On today's show we discuss Ara's new family room TV and Audio setup and what his plans are for the future. We also read your emails and look at the week's news.

News:

• Marantz Introduces The CINEMA Series 2 Receivers
• Dolby Vision 2 HDR Is Officially Arriving On Certain Hisense TVs
• Nearly A Third Of U.S. Homes Get TV Only Via Streaming
• Peacock hikes prices for fourth straight year, this time by $3

Other:

• Theatrium - A home Assistant or HomeKit Dashboard for your AppleTV

Parts List for Ara's New Home

Family Room:

Mantel Mount MM815 Motorized Drop Down & Swivel TV Mount - $700 The MM815 is a remote-controlled drop-and-swivel TV mount. Press one button to lower the TV to eye level and rotate it as needed. It comes with an RF remote, is silent, and has two memory presets.

Sony BRAVIA 7 II PRO True RGB 4K HDR Google TV with Gemini (Model Number K75XR70PRO)- $2300 The Sony BRAVIA 7 II PRO is Sony's 2026 mid-range True RGB Mini-LED TV (65 inches and up) with independently driven red, green, and blue backlight LEDs, XR processing, and about 2,000 nits of peak brightness for stronger color volume and contrast than a typical white Mini-LED. It is 4K at 120 Hz, supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and has HDMI 2.1 gaming features (VRR, ALLM, 4K/120). Google TV includes Gemini for voice search and recommendations, plus AirPlay 2. The Pro bundle adds a three-year replacement warranty, a backlit rechargeable remote, extra Sony Pictures Core credits, and an enhanced Voice Zoom 3 dialogue mode; picture hardware is the same as the standard 7 II.

From RTINGS:

Pros:

• Great black levels with minimal haloing.
• Bright details in HDR stand out incredibly well.
• Fantastic SDR brightness helps it overcome glare during the day.
• Fantastic upscaling and great low-quality content smoothing.
• Colors are incredibly bright and vivid.

Cons:

• Dark scenes are hard to see during the day.

Sonos Arc Ultra - $1099 The Sonos Arc Ultra supports Dolby Atmos that has a 9.1.4 driver layout and Sound Motion woofer to produce wide, height-enhanced surround and stronger bass from a single bar. It connects to a TV with one HDMI eARC cable, supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, and the rest of the Sonos ecosystem (including optional Sub and rear speakers), and can be controlled with the TV remote, Sonos app, touch controls, Sonos Voice Control, or Alexa. Trueplay tunes the sound to the room, and AI speech enhancement is meant to keep dialogue clear. It is a long, low-profile bar (about 46 inches wide) sold in black or white.

Sonos Sub 4 - $899 The Sonos Sub 4 is a wireless subwoofer for Sonos S2 systems, pairing with current soundbars and speakers to add bass down to about 25 Hz. Two inward-facing 5-by-8-inch woofers and dual Class-D amps use a force-canceling layout so the cabinet stays relatively still and the bass stays clean. It has the same slot-style shape as earlier Subs, in black or white matte, and can stand upright or lie on its side. Updates over the Sub 3 include Wi-Fi 6, a faster processor, more memory, lower idle power, and a slightly lighter cabinet; setup is through the Sonos app, with optional Ethernet. Two Sub 4s can be used with the Arc Ultra.

Master Bedroom:

Sony BRAVIA 3 II 4K HDR LED Google TV (Model Number K55XR30M2) - $798 - The Sony BRAVIA 3 II is Sony's 2026 entry-level 4K LED set, sold from 43 to 100 inches. It uses a direct-lit LED panel, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and the XR processor for color, motion, and upscaling. HDR covers Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. All four HDMI ports are 2.1, with 4K/120, VRR, and ALLM. It runs Google TV with Gemini, AirPlay 2, and Chromecast, plus built-in speakers that pass Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to a soundbar. The picture is good in bright rooms; but as you would expect, the contrast and HDR are limited compared with higher BRAVIA models. If you are going to use this for anything more than casual viewing or you are really critical of picture quality you may want to look elsewhere. But for those on a budget or used in a secondary room, it's a solid TV.