SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

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 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:00:40 How Michael and Michael fell in love with hi-fi00:06:38: Making speakers the Monitor way00:24:27 Music Break: "Dollshade" by Van Crankin00:25:29 How the Concept 50 and Hyphn actually came together00:33:26 The response so far…00:40:49 We love rock’n’roll

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 Announcement00:01:06 From Dolby to THX and beyond00:06:34 Why the room is a crucial component00:21:49 Home theater vs. hi-fi?00:28:09 How to start dealing with the room00:42:55 Music Break: "Talk" by Con Davison00:44:09 Did we really need another speaker company?00:55:36 How to find the right speaker for your room00:58:30 Is room correction the answer?01:08:04 No, but seriously, what is hi-fi?

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 Announcement00:00:20 What we measure with transducers and why00:25:09 Musical interlude: "You Don't Really Exist" by Nim Sadot00:26:40 When measurements go wrong and why bass always wins01:04:01 Brent on the music that moves him

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 Announcement00:00:20 Design choices and how they matter00:20:22 Musical interlude: "Wanting You" by Jamison Dewlen00:21:34 The value of aspirational products00:42:11 The soundtrack to Jack’s life

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 Announcement00:00:20 How SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider inspired “Art+Tech”00:22:56 Musical interlude: "My Bet" by RocknStock00:24:05 It’s about the music, silly!00:39:39 …except for opera

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 Announcement00:00:20 Does high-res matter?00:35:25 Musical interlude: "Concerto in Fm (Bach)" by Ohad Ben-Ari00:37:21 The most important component of your system00:41:45 Is MQA a snow job?00:48:54 The beauty of Bach

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 Announcement00:00:20 What does a mastering engineer do? 00:20:25 Musical interlude: “Say No More” by Julian Hartwell00:22:49 Digital vs. analog and radio vs. streaming00:35:24 What music moves Bernie Grundman

In this week’s episode, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and electronics measurements specialist Diego Estan to discuss the publication’s measurement philosophy and methodology, and also get to the root of what the heck quadrature is and why you should have paid attention in physics class. Along the way, they discuss some of the best-measuring gear they’ve experienced, some of the most idiosyncratic, and how and why these measurements matter. They also talk about an important topic to Doug: volume-control accuracy, something that surprised Jorden. 
Sources:
“This is Why We Measure” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1240-this-is-why-we-measure
“Should You Buy More Amplifier or More Speaker Than You Need?” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1172-should-you-buy-more-amplifier-or-more-speaker-than-you-need
“NAD Masters M23 Stereo/Mono Amplifier Measurements” by Diego Estan: https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2912:nad-masters-m23-stereo-mono-amplifier-measurements&catid=97:amplifier-measurements&Itemid=154 
“Atoll Electronique IN200 Integrated Amplifier Measurements” by Diego Estan: https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2772:atoll-electronique-in200-signature-integrated-amplifier-measurements&catid=97:amplifier-measurements&Itemid=154 
“Is 'Trickle Up' Tech the Future of Hi-Fi?” by Dennis Burger:  https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1243-is-trickle-up-tech-the-future-of-hi-fi
Chapters:0:00 Announcement0:20 What we measure20:43 Musical interlude: “An Issue” by Lalinea21:52 How much do these measurements matter?1:03:59 Canadians rock!