SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

Latest Episodes:

House of Sound NYC - McIntosh | Sonus Faber | The Other Brands | New York | Luxury Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by David Mascioni, Global Director of Brand Marketing for McIntosh, to discuss the origins of the original World of McIntosh Townhouse in New York City, how it developed, why it closed, and how the concept evolved into the new House of Sound at a new location, with much more representation for the entire McIntosh Group and its collaborators.

Sources:

“Inside the Incredible World of McIntosh Townhouse - SoundStage! InSight (December 2019)”: https://youtu.be/PeskkKlY4ds?si=SZBLugld9miiLyMp

"McIntosh Sound in the Jeep Grand Cherokee - SoundStage! Talks (January 2021)": https://youtu.be/d7_EoVrq12o?si=Ma7PhS3rS7QSLrX4

"Sonus faber Olympica Nova at World of McIntosh Townhouse | SoundStage! InSight (October 2019)": https://youtu.be/TBJRoH5uGQE?si=4TYfeW9rz7B6rB_U

https://houseofsoundnyc.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 Introductions
00:00:45 David fell in love with hi-fi at the World of McIntosh
00:27:54 Music Break: "Tell Me All the Lies" by Funky Giraffe
00:28:52 What’s different about the House of Sound?
00:43:53 The soundtrack to David’s life

Legendary Laurence Dickie - Bowers & Wilkins | The Iconic Nautilus | Vivid Audio | Loudspeaker Engineering Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by legendary speaker designer Laurence Dickie to discuss his history with Bowers & Wilkins, the design of the iconic Nautilus, how his thinking on speaker design has evolved over to years, whether or not he draws inspiration from nature, and why his speakers are an exercise in engineering, not industrial design.

Sources:

"From the Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus to Vivid Audio Speakers - Laurence Dickie’s Tapered Tubes (Ep:58)" by SoundStage!: https://youtu.be/dcef8tuxezU?si=6BDD7fWbYLp4ypiG

"A Family of Linear-Phase Crossover Networks of High Slope Derived by Time Delay" by Lipshitz, Stanley P.; Vanderkooy, John: https://secure.aes.org/forum/pubs/journal/?elib=4598

https://vividaudio.com/

https://www.blastloudspeakers.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 Introductions
00:01:05 The road to Bower & Wilkins and beyond
00:25:40 Music Break: "The Magnetic Buzz" by Moon Walk
00:26:33 Convergent evolution vs. convergent design
01:02:23 The soundtrack to Laurence’s life
01:04:45 "Golden Diamond" by Shahead Mostafafar

Six Months into a PhD in Hi-Fi - Learning | Controversies | Revelations | The Future Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and podcast producer Dennis Burger to discuss what Jorden has learned in six months of hosting the podcast, since he’s been able to speak to some of the hi-fi industry’s most influential and respected luminaries. As Doug often tells him, “Talking to these people is like getting a PhD course in hi-fi.” So has doing so helped Jorden? Listen and find out.

Sources:

Status and Culture by W. David Marx: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659558/status-and-culture-by-w-david-marx/

How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog by Chad Orzel: https://chadorzel.com/?cat=4

Why Amplifiers Don't Sound the Same - Understanding Voltage and Current for Loudspeakers (Ep:71): https://youtu.be/pTeAJJQ9a10?si=huMJjMK62SiAEFCk

Neil Young and Rick Rubin: World Record, Recording on Tape, and Creative Process | Apple Music: https://youtu.be/PZ-AVFpB3KI?si=FcAlAmr3OrXf10r4

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 Introductions
00:01:48 Lessons learned from the experts
00:23:43 Music Break: "Baby I'm Stuck in a Cone" by Ge Filter Fish
00:24:38 Artist’s intent, analog vs. digital, and more
00:40:45 What’s next?
00:47:52 The music that moves us

Monitor Audio: From Concept 50 to Hyphn and Beyond - Into Hi-Fi | Making Monitor Audio Speakers | The Response Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

This week on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth is joined by Monitor Audio global marketing director Michael Johnson and technical director Michael Hedges to discuss how the Concept 50 speaker was developed; how it evolved into the company’s new flagship retail offering, the Hyphn; what makes a Monitor Audio speaker sound like a Monitor Audio speaker; and what’s in store for the future.

Sources:

Monitor Audio Hyphn Speaker 1 - From Visionary Concept to Cutting-Edge Completion: https://youtu.be/uk5vckG5Imw

Monitor Audio Hyphn Speaker 2 - Advanced Acoustical Concepts and Daring Industrial Design: https://youtu.be/5BTZ5REwjCQ

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 Introductions
00:00:40 How Michael and Michael fell in love with hi-fi
00:06:38: Making speakers the Monitor way
00:24:27 Music Break: "Dollshade" by Van Crankin
00:25:29 How the Concept 50 and Hyphn actually came together
00:33:26 The response so far…
00:40:49 We love rock’n’roll

Anthony Grimani on Speakers, Rooms, Acoustics - Dolby to THX | Rooms| Hi-Fi vs. Home Theater | Speakers | Room Correction Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

This week on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth is joined by Anthony Grimani, former director of technology for THX and founder of Performance Media Industries, to discuss his history with Dolby and THX, why the room is such a crucial component of any sound system, home theater vs. hi-fi, room correction, and whether the world needed yet another speaker company.

Sources:

Grimani Systems: https://www.grimanisystems.com/

Performance Media Industries, Ltd.: https://pmiltd.com/

Sonitus USA: https://www.sonitususa.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:01:06 From Dolby to THX and beyond
00:06:34 Why the room is a crucial component
00:21:49 Home theater vs. hi-fi?
00:28:09 How to start dealing with the room
00:42:55 Music Break: "Talk" by Con Davison
00:44:09 Did we really need another speaker company?
00:55:36 How to find the right speaker for your room
00:58:30 Is room correction the answer?
01:08:04 No, but seriously, what is hi-fi?

Speaker and Headphone Measurements Mash-Up - Misinformation | What Matters | Active vs. Passive | Listening Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and former SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast cohost Brent Butterworth to discuss the what, how, and why of speaker and headphone measurements. What measurements correlate with listening impressions? How do active and wireless products complicate measurements? And what’s the right balance of listening versus measuring when it comes to fully evaluating a product.

Sources:

"Is the miniDSP EARS the Death of Headphone Measurement? Or its Savior?" by Brent Butterworth: https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/features/152-is-minidsp-ears-the-death-of-headphone-measurement-or-its-savior

SoundStage! Network speaker-measurements resource URL: www.SpeakerMeasurements.com

Sean Olive on Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car": https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7084958885526065153/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 What we measure with transducers and why
00:25:09 Musical interlude: "You Don't Really Exist" by Nim Sadot
00:26:40 When measurements go wrong and why bass always wins
01:04:01 Brent on the music that moves him

Show notes

This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by Jack Oclee-Brown, VP of Technology at KEF, to discuss speaker design and engineering, the development of the Tangerine Waveguide, how electromechanical design and industrial design come together, KEF in cars, and more . . .

Sources:

The Sweet Sound of KEF's Tangerine Waveguide: https://us.kef.com/blogs/news/the-sweet-sound-of-kef-s-tangerine-waveguide

"KEF Blade Loudspeakers" by Barry Jones: https://www.soundstageaustralia.com/index.php/reviews/516-kef-blade-loudspeakers

KEF x LOTUS Partnership: https://us.kef.com/pages/kef-lotus-partnership

Metamaterial Absorption Technology: https://us.kef.com/pages/metamaterial

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 Design choices and how they matter
00:20:22 Musical interlude: "Wanting You" by Jamison Dewlen
00:21:34 The value of aspirational products
00:42:11 The soundtrack to Jack’s life

James Hale on “Art+Tech” - Mixing Hi-Fi and Music | The Inspiration for… | Technology and Art Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by James Hale, author of SoundStage! Xperience’s popular “Art+Tech” column, to discuss his unique approach to hardware and music reviews, how the column came about, the value of today’s audio gear as compared with that of decades past, and how technology influences the creation and enjoyment of art.

Sources:

"How Good Can the Focal Utopia Headphones Make Remarkable Recordings Sound?" by James Hale: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/features-menu/art-tech/1104-how-good-can-the-focal-utopia-headphones-make-remarkable-recordings-sound

"Battling Anxiety with Arcade Fire and the Rotel A12MKII Integrated Amplifier-DAC" by James Hale: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/features-menu/art-tech/1072-battling-anxiety-with-arcade-fire-and-the-rotel-a12mkii-integrated-amplifier-dac

http://jameshale.ca/music.html

https://downbeat.com/site/author/james-hale

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 How SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider inspired “Art+Tech”
00:22:56 Musical interlude: "My Bet" by RocknStock
00:24:05 It’s about the music, silly!
00:39:39 …except for opera

Music Maven Mark Waldrep Rolls with the Changes - High-Res Controversy | MQA Snow Job? Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by Dr. Mark Waldrep of AIX Records fame to discuss changes in the audiophile music marketplace over the years, as well as Mark’s controversial and ever-evolving views on high-resolution music recording and playback, as well as why he stopped mastering records altogether.

Sources:

"Audibility of a CD-Standard A/DA/A Loop Inserted into High-Resolution Audio Playback" by E. Brad Meyerand David R. Moran: https://secure.aes.org/forum/pubs/journal/?ID=2#:~:text=The%20test%20results%20show%20that,Authors%3A%20Meyer%2C%20E

"Researching HD-Audio: The Truth" by Mark Waldrep: https://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=6993

https://www.aixrecords.com/

https://www.itrax.com/

“Music and Audio: A User Guide to Better Sound: by Mark Waldrep: https://www.musicandaudioguide.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@markwaldrep5143

https://www.artistconnection.net/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 Does high-res matter?
00:35:25 Musical interlude: "Concerto in Fm (Bach)" by Ohad Ben-Ari
00:37:21 The most important component of your system
00:41:45 Is MQA a snow job?
00:48:54 The beauty of Bach

Bernie Grundman, the Music Master - Mastering Defined | Digital vs. Analog | Radio vs. Streaming May 26, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode, host Jorden Guth is joined by legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman to discuss what mastering is, what it isn’t, how mastering differs from remastering, and why vinyl sometimes sounds better than digital.

Sources:

“Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section” by Joseph Taylor: https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/recording-of-the-month-menu/1175-art-pepper-art-pepper-meets-the-rhythm-section

"Is It Just Me, or Are CDs Too Loud?" by Joseph Taylor: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/feature-articles/on-music/944-is-it-just-me-or-are-cds-too-loud

"The Music Man" on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/the-music-man-joe-taylor-on-vinyl-and-cassettes-next-gen-audiophiles-curated-music-selections/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:20 What does a mastering engineer do?
00:20:25 Musical interlude: “Say No More” by Julian Hartwell
00:22:49 Digital vs. analog and radio vs. streaming
00:35:24 What music moves Bernie Grundman

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