SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by podcast producer and SoundStage! Access editor Dennis Burger to discuss his latest editorial, “The Stuff in the Middle.” The premise: everyone understands what source devices are. They also know speakers. But these days, most normies doesn’t have a clue what black boxes go in between—if there’s anything between them at all.
Sources:
“The Stuff in the Middle” by Dennis Burger:  https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1317-the-stuff-in-the-middle 
“Do You Care About Features?” by Geoffrey Morrison: https://soundstagesolo.com/index.php/features/434-do-you-care-about-features
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:30 Adventures in hi-fi at the Y00:18:11 “March of the People” Sémø00:20:20 Are old audiophiles the problem?00:50:40 Outro: “Null” by VESHZA

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Jan Lassesen, founder of Norway’s Arendal Sound, to discuss the company’s origins and history, its distinctive philosophy, the benefits of direct-to-consumer sales, and the evolution of the product line that has led to the 1528 series. 
Sources:
EISA Awards: Home Theater Audio 2020-2021: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/testbed/mm4/index.php/eisa/2020-2021-awards/2020-2021-home-theater-audio/1463-arendal-sound-1961-series-eisa-2020-2021
Arendal Sound 1723 Tower S loudspeaker review by Philip Beaudette: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1848-arendal-sound-1723-tower-s-loudspeaker
Arendal Sound 1528 Tower 8 Loudspeaker: “Why I’m Going 3500 Miles to Learn How it Happened” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1920-arendal-sound-1528-tower-8-loudspeaker-why-im-going-3500-miles-to-learn-how-it-happened
Arendal Sound Club: https://club.arendalsound.com/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:04:51 The road to Arendal00:29:35 “Write a Sentence: The Headbanger’s Confusion” by Art Against Agony00:30:33 The evolution of Arendal00:53:35 Outro: “Celestial Rhythms” by Ariel Dahan

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and SoundStage! Ultra editor Jason Thorpe to discuss Warsaw’s Audio Video Show 2024, including what was different about this year, what was the same, and what it all means for the state of the hi-fi industry.
Sources:
SoundStage! Audio Video Show 2024 coverage from Warsaw, Poland: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/audio-video-show-2023-warsaw-poland
Audio Video Show: https://audioshow.pl/ 
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:03:53 Millionaire’s Row and beyond…00:35:16 Music Break: "Emissary" by Art Against Agony00:36:58 What has changed? What hasn’t?01:02:15 Outro: “Borderline Love” by Jessy Gerber

Host Jorden Guth’s new baby finally made his debut, so we’re taking a break again this week and resharing one of our favorite season 2 episodes, in which Jorden was joined by legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman to discuss what mastering is, what it isn’t, how it differs from remastering, and why vinyl sometimes sounds better than digital.
“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 News!00:00:31 Announcement00:00:51 What does a mastering engineer do? 00:20:56 Musical interlude: “Say No More” by Julian Hartwell00:23:19 Digital vs. analog and radio vs. streaming00:35:55 What music moves Bernie Grundman

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider to discuss all of the hot new speakers coming out right now, including models from DALI, Treble Clef Audio, Radiant Acoustics, Arendal Sound, and Focal. They dig deep into the specifics, and also touch on why so many new and noteworthy loudspeakers are coming out now.
Sources:
“DALI Epikore 11 Loudspeaker” by Jason Thorpe: https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1225-dali-epikore-11-loudspeaker
“New DALI Epikore 9, 7, and 3—‘Affordable’ Flagship Speakers from Denmark” by SoundStage! Network: https://youtu.be/BSVHm31EmV4?si=_traJo-IQqWVZZZv
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:31 New Speakers from ALI, Treble Clef Audio, Radiant Acoustics, Arendal Sound00:31:36 Music Break: “Mojo” by Jimit00:32:50 Focal, too. But why now?00:59:24  “Mirleft” by Guy Buttery

Host Jorden Guth is expecting another child with his wife. Producer Dennis Burger has a few written reviews to catch up on for the SoundStage! Network. As a result, we decided it is a good time to take a quick break before we resume season 3 in a couple of weeks.
But we're not going to leave you hanging with nothing to listen to. Jorden Guth went through our archives and thought this was a good change to revisit the 12th episode from season 2: "Anthony Grimani on Speakers, Rooms, Acoustics." If you have not listened to it, we think you will enjoy it. If you have listened to it, you might want to listen again because there is a good change you will pick up on something that you didn't pick up on before. Enjoy!

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Trinnov Audio general manager Jon Herron to discuss the company’s history, the synergy between physical room acoustics and DSP room optimization, why different frequencies of sound require a different approach, and how the company’s new WaveForming technology is a whole new approach to perfecting bass performance in-room.
Sources:
“Trinnov Amethyst DAC-Preamplifier-Processor" by Al Griffin https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/39-trinnov-amethyst-dac-preamplifier-processor
Trinnov Audio: https://www.trinnov.com/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:31 Introductions and origins stories00:09:51 What makes Trinnov different?00:26:59 The broken promise of Atmos00:31:59 Music Break: “Once Upon a Time in the West Elevator” by Jamison Dewlen00:33:17 A deeper dive into old-school acoustics00:36:23 Why bass misbehaves00:43:59 How WaveForming works00:59:24  “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Will Taylor

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Pro Audio Technology owner/president L. Paul Hales to discuss his history in audio, how audio research has guided the development of his speakers over the years, what really matters in audio and what doesn’t, and why most consumer speakers fall short in one significant way.
Sources:
“Theory Audio Design Sys5.2.2.8515 5.2.2 Dolby Atmos Surround Speaker System” by Vince Hanada: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1111-theory-audio-design-sys5-2-2-8515-5-2-2-dolby-atmos-surround-speaker-system
Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 1: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dr-floyd-toole-an-oral-history-1-two-ears-and-a-brain-transistors-rules-and-data/
Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 2: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dr-floyd-toole-an-oral-history-2-ab-tests-bass-athena-brains-rooms-hearing-listening/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:31 Introductions and origins stories00:30:16 Music Break: “Harpstrings and Chill (Gymnopédie No. 1)” by Lalinea00:31:19 Hi-fi PA speakers?00:43:08 The origins of Pro Audio Technology00:59:40 What really matters in audio?01:12:14  “Gymnopédie No. 1” by T. Bless and the Professionals