SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

Host Jorden Guth welcomes Emotiva founder Dan Laufman back to the podcast for a conversation about where hi-fi is headed. From the retro-inspired Nostala line to the need for high-value, long-lasting audio gear, Laufman explains why making great sound more accessible is essential to the industry's future.
Sources:
“Dan Laufman on the Value of Emotiva”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dan-laufman-on-the-value-of-emotiva/
Emotiva BasX TA2+ Stereo Receiver by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1393-emotiva-basx-ta2-stereo-receiver
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions and the origins of Nostala00:04:34 Listening to the music or the speakers?00:07:23 Who is this retro-revival supposed to appeal to?00:10:14 Retro-inspired electronics, too?00:12:45 Making sense of model names00:19:42 These young audiophiles are a different breed00:23:11 Audio isn’t like other electronics00:30:13 Education is empowerment00:33:51 The return of Emofest00:35:21 The soundtrack to Dan’s life00:37:39 Outro music: “After 2AM” by Ziggy

Host Jorden Guth is joined by Matt Simmonds, Vice President of Product Development at Lenbrook, for a behind-the-scenes look at how modern hi-fi products come to life. Simmonds discusses his family's history in audio, the origins of Bluesound, the importance of industrial design, and how companies weigh innovation, market trends, and emerging technologies like AI when deciding what products to build next.
Sources:
"Bluesound's High-Style Pulse Sub+ Subwoofer"—SoundStage! Talks (December 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2-ljBZQ4uE
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions and family traditions00:06:34 Career-type decisions00:10:19 Why Bluesound?00:14:00 Design matters00:20:53 Avoiding cannibalism00:27:51 Polishing that crystal ball00:33:51 AI versus the real world00:43:04 Outro music: "Brother” by Montessori

This week, we pick up the ball from where the previous episode left off. Host Jorden Guth once again moderates a chat between podcast producer Dennis Burger and guest L. Paul Hales about the future of hi-fi and the place room correction has in that future. Topics include how one defines a good speaker, why kick drums can lose their oomph, why you wouldn’t EQ a piano, and a complete break-down of Paul’s five-point problem with room correction.
Sources:
“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/
“JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin” by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin
“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?” (S5:E4): https://youtu.be/xdyxqp9kYvE?si=lZwAeCePVYoVOLl6
“Chest-Pounding Bass, Done Smarter 🔊 Theory’s Renegade Approach to LFE”: https://youtu.be/vtOgOT5hsu0?si=0J9qiAfDGGK-8XHR
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions00:01:59 What makes a speaker good?00:07:28 A thought experiment00:15:54 Get that kick drum out of my ass 00:25:07 Paul’s five-point problem with room correction00:33:31 The question of burn-in00:37:23 A band of speakers?00:38:25 Outro music: "Goosefeet” by Javapysch

This week, host Jorden Guth moderates a conversation between podcast producer Dennis Burger and returning guest L. Paul Hales, founder and chief designer of California-based Pro Audio Technology. Together, they explore the future of hi-fi and the role room correction may play in shaping it. This is the first installment of a two-part discussion.
Sources:
“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/
“JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin” by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin
“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?” (S5:E4): https://youtu.be/xdyxqp9kYvE?si=lZwAeCePVYoVOLl6
“Chest-Pounding Bass, Done Smarter 🔊 Theory’s Renegade Approach to LFE”: https://youtu.be/vtOgOT5hsu0?si=0J9qiAfDGGK-8XHR
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions00:09:59 Can bad rooms benefit from room correction?00:16:43 Dennis enters the chat00:23:15 The parable of the piano 00:30:12 Direct vs. reverberant sound00:36:14 Grimes theory of economic unfairness, but speakers instead of boots00:40:59 Outro music: "Techné” by Art Against Agony

This week, host Jorden Guth sits down with SoundStage! Ultra’s Jason Thorpe and SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider to discuss their trip to Vienna for High End 2026—the first time the world's most important hi-fi show has been held outside Munich in more than two decades. Did the move affect the show? Was there a demographic shift among attendees? What were the most impressive products, rooms, and demonstrations? And perhaps most importantly, were the Vienna sandwiches up to par?
Sources:
High End 2026 coverage from Vienna, Austria, on SoundStage! Global: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2026-vienna-austria
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions00:06:46 Taking attendance00:09:22 Quantity and quality of the rooms00:14:23 How’d it sound?00:28:33 The best record Jason ever heard00:31:30 Bowers & Wilkins 800 D500:32:40 A demographic shift?00:35:02 The offsite controversy00:36:27 A 21st century player piano00:43:53 Outro music: "To Be the One” by Israel Wasserman

JL Audio's new Primacy active loudspeaker system has generated plenty of discussion since its debut, but how did the project come together—and what does it say about the future of high-end audio?
In this episode, host Jorden Guth speaks with Doug Henderson, Garmin's Director of Home Audio, about his 50-year journey in the audio industry, from selling hi-fi in Manhattan during the 1970s to leadership roles at Dahlquist, Bowers & Wilkins, and now JL Audio. Henderson explains how the Primacy project evolved, why active DSP-based loudspeakers represent a major shift in home audio, and how technologies developed for automotive and marine audio helped shape JL Audio's flagship home-audio system.
The conversation also explores changing listening habits, the importance of making high-performance audio more accessible, and what the next generation of music lovers may expect from hi-fi systems in the decades ahead.
Sources:
“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/
 
“JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin”: by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions00:05:29 From Harmony Hut to Dalquist00:09:09 Memories of Saul Marantz00:10:35 JL Audio’s turf 00:16:46 DSP and the Art of High-Fidelity00:19:31 The origins of Primacy?00:22:52 Why speakers look the way they do00:26:17 Pricing Primacy00:30:01 What we got right and wrong00:35:33 Peering into the crystal ball00:39:51 Outro music: "The Buddha’s a Beatle” by 5 Sided Cube

This week on the SoundStage! Network Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth is joined by Blake Alty, product manager for Paradigm and Anthem, along with John Bagby, managing director at PML Sound—the parent company behind Paradigm, Anthem, MartinLogan, and GoldenEar. Together, they discuss how brands maintain distinct identities under one corporate roof, how manufacturing scale affects modern hi-fi, the industry’s generational divide, the partnership with WiiM, and whether high-end audio risks losing touch with ordinary music lovers as million-dollar systems increasingly dominate the conversation.
Sources:
“Paradigm Shift—The Bagbys Are Back!”: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1350-paradigm-shift-the-bagbys-are-back
“A Fantastic Gateway: A Q&A with Paradigm's Zoltan Balla and Blake Alty on the New Monitor SE 8000F Loudspeaker”: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1186-a-fantastic-gateway-a-qa-with-paradigms-zoltan-balla-and-blake-alty-on-the-new-monitor-se-8000f-loudspeaker
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions00:07:21 Maintaining separate brand identities00:11:30 Economies of scale00:13:54 Defining value in an uncertain economy 00:17:11 The future of million-dollar hi-fi00:20:39 The myth that kids don’t care about good sound00:24:03 Headphones00:25:55 The next generation00:29:16 Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!00:33:04 Education matters00:34:52 Ten years down the road?00:40:43 Outro music: "Crystal Ball” by Adv3n7ur35

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and SoundStage! Access editor Dennis Burger to discuss the remarkable technology behind JL Audio’s new fully active, DSP-optimized Primacy loudspeakers, including the three-way T6 tower and two-way T3 standmount model. Do these highly integrated speakers point toward the future of high-end audio, or are they a radical detour from traditional hi-fi thinking? Along with debating the concept itself, the group also digs into Doug’s early listening impressions and what makes these speakers so different from most of today’s high-end designs.
Sources:
“JL Audio’s First Hi-Fi Speakers Rethink Stereo—Primacy T6 and S3” by SoundStage Network: https://youtu.be/m2yuMHwr8TQ?si=rpIeewakT7ulK7Ja
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:36 Introductions00:03:06 The rumours of JL Audio’s demise…00:16:47 A radical approach?00:23:08 We can’t show, but we can tell00:26:08 Yeah, they cost that much!00:27:40 The real future of real high-end?00:32:48 Achille’s heel or nah?00:33:45 OK, but do they even sound good?00:42:28 Outro music: "Flying Above the Sun" by Yehezkel Raz feat. Sivan Talmor