SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 1 - Two Ears and a Brain | Transistors | Rules and Data Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by the loudspeaker legend himself, Dr. Floyd Toole, whose research at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC), followed by his tenure at Harman International, resulted in arguably more improvements to the fidelity of audio we hear at home than anything attributable to any one person. In this first of our two-part discussion, Dr. Toole discusses his path from university to the NRC and right up to the onset of the Athena project, where we’ll pick up in the second part.

Sources:

“Canada’s NRC: A Forthcoming Look at Its Role in the Advancement of Canadian Loudspeaker Design” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1849-canadas-nrc-a-forthcoming-look-at-its-role-in-the-advancement-of-canadian-loudspeaker-design

“The Loudspeaker Class of ’74: A Canadian Reunion” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1866-the-loudspeaker-class-of-74-a-canadian-reunion

“Floyd Toole, NRC, SoundStage!—Filming of Our Upcoming Documentary” by the soundstagenetwork on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k8ykCTEOhZI?si=BfcmIAWg1s6BKyQm

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:04:39 The dawning of the age of the transistor
00:11:05 Two ears and a brain
00:21:28 A fateful interview
00:27:58 Music break: "Turkish March” by T. Bless & the Professionals
00:29:24 Friday afternoon experiments
00:33:54 The differences between musicians and audiophiles
00:38:54 An industry operating without rules
00:49:45 What can we learn from a set of data?
00:54:01 “When I Get Home” by Brian Claxton

Sound Researcher Dr. Sean Olive - Tonmeister | NRC, Harman, and Floyd Toole | Target Curves Jun 21, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Dr. Sean Olive, senior fellow at Harman International, to discuss his time at NRC with Dr. Floyd Toole, his move from there to Harman, the development of the Harman target curves for headphones and earphones, and his thoughts on the future of immersive audio and more.

Sources:

Dr. Sean Olive on 35 Years of “Fast Car” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1259-dr-sean-olive-on-35-years-of-fast-car

Audio Musings by Sean Olive: https://seanolive.blogspot.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:04:27 What is a Tonmeister?
00:12:19 Sponsored by Canada’s best and brightest
00:18:10 All roads lead to California
00:24:54 Music break: "Paris Café” by Wesly Thomas
00:26:13 Manager of subjective evaluation
00:36:03 The origins of the Harman target curve
00:42:41 How to train your listeners
00:49:09 “I Will Always Remember You” by Marek Jakubowicz

Munich High End 2024 Retrospective - About the Show | The Vibe | 2024 Favorites Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage’s Doug Schneider, Jason Thorpe, and Matt Bonaccio to discuss the biggest audio show in the world, what’s new, what’s different, and what were their favorite sights and sounds this time around.

Sources:

Coverage of High End 2024 - Munich, Germany: https://soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2024-munich-germany

High End Society: https://www.highendsociety.de

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 What’s Munich all about?
00:20:01 Music break: "Scapes" by Gray North
00:20:48 Favorite sights and sounds
00:46:30 “Diagrammatic” by Oliver Michael

The History of Bryston According to CEO James Tanner - Medical Origin | Expanding Products | To Present Day May 24, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by James Tanner, CEO of Bryston Ltd., to discuss the company’s origins in the medical industry, the design of its original amplifiers, how the company has evolved over time, and how he eventually joined forces with Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun.

Sources:

“Canadian Hi-Fi Trilogy: Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab—All Under One Expanding Roof”: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1785-canadian-hi-fi-trilogy-axiom-audio-bryston-and-magnum-dynalab-all-under-one-expanding-roof

Bryston: https://bryston.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:01:52 Bryston’s origin story
00:16:11 Expanding product lines
00:25:40 Music break: "Deadman Pass" by The Talbott Brothers
00:27:32 Bryston in the 2000s and beyond
00:53:25 “Pirate Blues” by Leon Laudenbach

Sound Engineer/Educator Marcela Rada on Immersive Audio - Education | Experimentation | Mix Maxing May 10, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by sound engineer, educator, and content developer Marcela Rada to discuss her obsession with sound, her personal history, how she became involved with the recording industry, and what’s different about mixing for immersive formats like Dolby Atmos.

Sources:

Marcela Rada: https://marcelarada.com/

“Audiophile Atmos—Dominique Fils-Aimé Surrounds with ‘Our Roots Run Deep’”: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/encore/1120-audiophile-atmos-dominique-fils-aime-surrounds-with-our-roots-run-deep

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:04:12 An education in audio
00:09:05 Experimentations with immersive audio
00:20:37 Music break: “You Won't Be the Last” by Moon
00:21:29 Maxing mixes that translate well
00:33:06 Different flavors of immersive audio
00:45:39 “Smile” by Aves

Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC - Origin | Dr. Floyd Toole | Music Types | Twin Tweeters | Measurements Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Ian Colquhoun, founder of Axiom Audio and now also the owner of Bryston and Magnum Dynalab, to discuss the origins of the company, its connection with the National Research Council, his own relationship with Dr. Floyd Toole, and how the company’s speakers evolved after the legendary NRC research wound down.

Sources:

Axiom Audio: https://www.axiomaudio.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:03:31 Axiom’s origin story
00:12:30 Busting the myth of different speakers for different music
00:25:46 Music break: “Empty Pockets” by Bamtone
00:26:52 Axiom as OEM
00:30:27 OEM no more
00:29:34 The twin-tweeter controversy
00:47:07 Measurement artifacts
01:08:34 “Wherever I Am” by Bamtone

Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 2) - Anthem Room Correction | FIR and IIR Filters | In-Room Response Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth continues his conversation with Dr. Peter Schuck, technical director at Paradigm Electronics Inc. The two cover the birth of Anthem Room Correction, the pros and cons of IIR and FIR filters, side quests, diversions, why flat in-room response isn’t actually the goal, and how ARC has evolved in response to market pressures.

Sources:

“The History of Anthem Room Correction (ARC®)”: https://www.anthemarc.com/advanced-topics/the-history-of-arc.php

“The Detection Thresholds of Resonances at Low Frequencies” by Olive, Sean E.; Schuck, Peter L.; Ryan, James G.; Sally, Sharon L.; Bonneville, Marc E.: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=7868

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:03:15 IIR vs FIR
00:09:15 Pesky patents and water picks
00:11:58 Untested waters
00:17:01 Music break: “Hulullúlulu” by Art Against Agony
00:08:01 ARC is finally born
00:23:46 Why flat sounds flat
00:26:59 Removing the cap
00:38:56 “First” by IamDayLight
00:40:51 The music that moves Peter

Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 1) - Education | NRC | DSP | Athena Project Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Dr. Peter Schuck, technical director at Paradigm Electronics Inc., to discuss his history in hi-fi, how he ended up at the NRC, how his work with Dr. Floyd Toole evolved into the pioneering Athena project, and exactly what sorts of tests he and others constructed and conducted to determine listener preference with regard to the effects of the room on loudspeaker performance.

Sources:

“The History of Anthem Room Correction (ARC®)”: https://www.anthemarc.com/advanced-topics/the-history-of-arc.php

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:07:58 The Energy 22 crossover
00:15:41 Commerce or science?
00:29:35 Music break: “Precursor” by Aquartos
00:30:22 The five-point preference scale
00:34:54 What makes a good test track?
00:36:01 The circle of confusion keeps spinning
00:50:38 “Day 1” by Aquartos

PSB's Paul Barton (Part 2) - Measurements | Diffraction | Waveguides | Diminishing Returns Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth continues his conversation with Paul Barton, founder of PSB Speakers. If you haven’t listened to season 3, episode 1 yet, do check that out first! In this second half of their conversation, the two discuss how the research at NRC contributed to the evolution of PSB speakers. Along the way, Paul gives the most cogent explanation ever of baffle diffraction and waveguides, and discusses how different driver materials affect the performance of a speaker.

Sources:

PSB Speakers: https://www.psbspeakers.com/

“PSB's Paul Barton (Part 1)”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/psbs-paul-barton-part-1-music-and-violins-starting-making-speakers-dr-floyd-toole-and-nrc/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:00:44 Why the measurements matter
00:06:07 Explaining diffraction
00:10:04 Waveguides are more than felt
00:16:21 Music break: “Scorched Earth” by Maya Belsitzman
00:17:59 Room correction and exotic materials
00:22:21 Exploring different driver materials
00:24:25 Diminishing returns and setting priorities
00:38:06 “Your Papa and Mama” by Dialgo

PSB's Paul Barton (Part 1) - Music and Violins | Starting Making Speakers | Dr. Floyd Toole and NRC Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to season 3! This week, host Jorden Guth sits down with Paul Barton, founder of PSB Speakers, to discuss his personal history, his love of music, his passion for violin, and the origin story of PSB Speakers—all as a lead-in to a discussion about his time at the NRC doing research with Dr. Floyd Toole.

Sources:

PSB Speakers: https://www.psbspeakers.com/

Messiah Violin, by Stradivari: https://www.ashmolean.org/messiah-violin-stradivari

“Making the Violin”: http://www.makingtheviolin.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:28 Introductions
00:01:06 The origins of Paul’s love of music and hi-fi
00:12:11 Making speakers in high school
00:14:50 Pre-industrial light & musical magic
00:18:00 The small world of Canadian hi-fi00:21:23 The road to meeting Dr. Floyd Toole
00:29:23 Planting seeds for the future

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