Audio Unleashed

By Brent Butterworth & Dennis BurgerTechnology Arts

Audio Unleashed episodes

June 12, 2024“A Nixon-in-China Kind of Thing”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

This week, Brent and Dennis talk about the flaming dumpster fire that is Spotify, get straight to the heart of what a “Speaker Improver” actually improves, and ponder the age-old question: When do DACs stop burning in?
And for Patrons: a virtual tour of High End Munich 2024.
Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
Further Reading:
“Spotify Is Not Offering Refunds After It Bricks ‘The Car Thing’” by Collin Woodard: https://jalopnik.com/spotify-is-not-offering-refunds-after-it-bricks-the-car-1851499512
“Spotify says it will refund Car Thing purchases” by Will Shanklin: https://www.engadget.com/spotify-now-says-it-will-refund-car-thing-purchases-193001487.html?guccounter=1
“Spotify raises prices on premium plans to boost profits” by Wendy Lee: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spotify-raises-prices-premium-plans-162702081.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
“Spotify's Phony War On Bots” by Benn Jordan: https://youtu.be/kVY7-Ti77UQ?si=EMKay-FMnVHz6dxT
“The Problem with Music” by Steve Albini: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-music
“Ted Gioia on AI's Threat To Music” by Rick Beato: https://youtu.be/ibMd_Jx9daw?si=LKqRpAn8_InPxliv
“Akiko Audio Speaker Improver” by Malcolm J. Gomes: https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/akiko-audio-speaker-improver/
“Burn in for DACs” by Paul McGowan, PS Audio: https://youtu.be/LYtBuoaYwNY?si=lJFIqbbr793cFNXo
1 hr 6 min
May 29, 2024“Harry Pearson = Jesus!”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

This week, Brent and Dennis ponder whether Class D can really live up to the performance of Class A and Class AB amps, talk about testing USB cables and why they aren’t in Singapore, and deconstruct a new manifesto by John Darko.
And for Patrons: Which company has ruined its own cred with a disastrous software update?
Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
Further Reading:
“Is Class-D Amplification Now Better than Class-A/B and Class-A?” by Robert Schryer: https://pmamagazine.org/is-class-d-amplification-now-better-than-class-a-b-and-class-a/
Lachlan does another blind test of USB cables, nobody can tell the difference, chooses to discount the results and prefer his magic USB cables” by u/blorg: reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/1crkiz3/lachlan_does_another_blind_test_of_usb_cables/?share_id=iyNIc119UUqLVBbEe5qIB
“The Music-First Audiophile Manifesto” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2024/05/the-music-first-audiophile-manifesto/
PDF grab of Darko homepage, May 13, 2024: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jIrdTzbJbKgKaVtjq7MsPfuYpGH5j0woY4ZF53Gj2Wg/edit?usp=sharing
54 min
May 15, 2024“One Hillbilly Shootin’ at Another’n”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

This week, Brent and Dennis dig into a blog post by John Siau of Benchmark Audio about audiophile snake oil, deconstruct Jorge Sadurni's Spherical Dual loudspeakers, and weigh in on a Facebook feud about whether diminishing returns are even a thing.
Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
Further Reading:
“Audiophile Snake Oil” by John Siau: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audiophile-snake-oil
“Sadurni Acoustics with Wolf Systems and House of Stereo” by Jason Victor Serinus: https://www.stereophile.com/content/sadurni-acoustics-wolf-systems-and-house-stereo
“The Magico M9 & The Myth of the Law of Diminishing Returns” by The Absolute Sound: https://youtu.be/uqm9P8HSq08?si=v-n_Ryq3P1nvFmsg
“If DAC Chips Perform Perfectly Then Why Don’t All DACs Sound the Same?” by Jerry Del Colliano: https://futureaudiophile.com/if-dac-chips-perform-perfectly-then-why-dont-all-dacs-sound-the-same/
1 hr 2 min
May 01, 2024“A More Tragic Supervillain Backstory”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Y’all have been waiting for it! We’re here to deliver. This week, we dig into the Tekton Design/Erin’s Audio Corner/ASR hullabaloo in the way that only Audio Unleashed can. Is Tekton founder Eric Alexander the real victim here?

With that done, we dig into an article about a guy you’ve never heard of who’s out-streaming most artists you have. What does this mean? Is it an AI thing? And in our third segment, we try to figure out what the heck the Gryphon Audio PowerZone 3 power strip thingy even is.

Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
Further Reading:
“Tekton Troubadour Review: Take 2” by Erin’s Audio Corner: https://youtu.be/ItAwcW-3Kv4?si=TQpkTjBegdT3nds-
“The Legal Risks of Being an Audio Reviewer” by Audioholics: https://youtu.be/V-1A68sdGMQ?si=aE2IVYtJdY9J_hyH
“Tekton Design Impact Monitor loudspeaker” by Herb Reichert: https://www.stereophile.com/content/tekton-design-impact-monitor-loudspeaker
“The History of Tekton Design's Patented Tweeter Array” by Tekton Design: https://youtu.be/8GFnarjmG1c?si=SINzoSm49gheX70f
Patent US9247339B2: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9247339B2/en
“The Rise of the Anonymous Music Star” by Ted Gioia: https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-rise-of-the-anonymous-music-star
“PowerZone by GRYPHON DEBUTS AT AXPONA” by TAS Staff: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/powerzone-by-gryphon-debuts-at-axpona/
Quantum Acoustics: https://www.quantumacoustics.net/theory
1 hr
April 17, 2024“You need cable-lifters, for sure”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Hey fam! A lot of you have expressed your eagerness to hear us cover the Erin’s Audio Corner/Tekton kerfuffle and Eric Alexander’s resulting and wholly unnecessary self-immolation. Sadly, we’d already recorded the tracks for this one before that all played out! Hopefully you still dig what we’ve got for you this week.
First up: A deep dive into the concept of “everything between the Romex and the amp.” Next: Our reaction to John DeVore of DeVore Fidelity’s appearance on The Occasional Podcast from back in November. Then we check out Your Morning Coffee’s new AI-generated theme song and discuss what the heck this all means.
Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0

Further Reading:
“SHOCKING! Tellurium Q Black II power cable review” by Passion for Sound: https://youtu.be/ztLQxC_hIjE?si=Q1wuSCyUwZcIZWRA
“Russ Andrews BMU 3000 Mk II Review” by Andrew 'Harry' Harrison: https://hifiplus.com/articles/russ-andrews-bmu-3000-mk-ii-balanced-mains-transformer/
“Do Power Cables Make a Difference? The Results Surprised Me - Blind Testing the Audioquest NRG-Z3” by cheapaudioman: https://youtu.be/im1aKrc3A6E?si=haqjAkYadn3ycI_2
“Furman Elite-15 DMi and Elite-20 PFi Power Conditioners Review” by Steve Munz: https://www.audioholics.com/power-conditioner-reviews/furman-elite-15-dmi-and-elite-20-pfi-power-conditioners
“John DeVore Of DeVORE FIDELITY Returns!” by The Occasional Podcast: https://theoccasionalpodcast.libsyn.com/john-devore-of-devore-fidelity-returns
Your Morning Coffee Episode 190: https://yourmorningcoffeepodcast.libsyn.com/episode-190
1 hr 3 min
April 03, 2024“We Brought the TAS Fanboys Out of the Woodwork”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0

This week, Brent and Dennis answer questions and respond to criticism from listeners in an extended mailbag segment before being joined by Wirecutter headphone specialist Lauren Dragan for a conversation about the Harman target curve. Then they dig into a Darko Audio podcast about Total Harmonic Distortion. And for Patrons: is Masimo looking to dump or spin off Sound United?

Further Reading:
“Sphere of influence: How Harman and Dr. Sean Olive are reshaping headphone sound” by Jeff Miller: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-plZWX4lqXWa/learn/crutchfield-visits-harman.html
“Let 1,000 Frequency Responses Bloom” by Josh Mound: https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/let-1000-frequency-responses-bloom-r1260/
“Podcast #52 – %THD: why is it MISLEADING?” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2024/03/podcast-52-thd-why-is-it-misleading/
“The Correlation between Distortion Audibility and Listener Preference in Headphones” by Temme, Steve; Olive, Sean; Tatarunis, Steve; Welti, Todd; McMullin, Elisabeth: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=17441
1 hr 4 min
March 20, 2024Michael Fremer Blows a Fuse
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
This week, Brent and Dennis consider a set of listening tests done by the Absolute Sound on fuses. Yep, fuses. Including one that costs $595. This video leads to a series of hilariously histrionic comments from Michael Fremer, whom the Washington Post once described as the “dean” of audiophile writing. Then we report on a Stereophile column about record EQ curves by Michael Trei, who compensates for his lack of hilarious histrionics by conveying useful information. Finally, we celebrate a milestone for Steve Guttenberg, the dean (not “dean”) of YouTube audio reviewers.
Further Reading:
“Synergistic Master and Purple fuse listening tests” by Richard Drutman, The Absolute Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ5rvipm9YM
“Spin Doctor #10: Tone controls, vinyl EQ curves and the Mola Mola Lupe” by Michael Trei, Stereophile: https://www.stereophile.com/content/spin-doctor-10-tone-controls-vinyl-eq-curves-and-mola-mola-lupe
“250,000 Audiophiliac subscribers can’t be wrong!” by Steve Guttenberg, the Audiophilac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4o9DxrST0s
“Lynn Seaton and Christian McBride”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO15LLshzP0
1 hr 10 min
March 06, 2024Will Trade Human Rights for Cheap Turntables
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
This week, Brent and Dennis opine about the current and future state of physical media, including something called the SMini. They also bought a pile of audio stuff from Temu and put it to the test. Is it worth the time and money? Next up: a deep dive into Stereophile’s review of the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature flagship loudspeaker.
Further Reading:
“Key Production Group Reveals its Predictions for Vinyl and Physical Music Releases in 2024” by Platform & Stream: https://medium.com/platform-stream/key-production-group-reveals-its-predictions-for-vinyl-and-physical-music-releases-in-2024-b008067574a1
The 3rd Mini Album - MY WORLD (SMini Ver.) (SMART Album): https://smglobalshop.com/products/pre-order-the-3rd-mini-album-my-world-smini-ver-smart-album
“Red Velvet Birthday SMini album | Unboxing + How to use Smart Music Card” by NOLZA Unboxing: https://youtu.be/PSmRndq3IEA?si=iQusQg8bDSf5J0Lq
“Analog Cassette Tape is Mounting a Comeback” by Ted Green: https://www.strata-gee.com/analog-cassette-tape-is-mounting-a-comeback/
“A portable cassette player in 2024?” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2024/02/a-portable-cassette-player-in-2024/
“Best Audio Products on Temu?” by Audio Unleashed: https://audiounleashed.podbean.com/e/best-audio-products-on-temu/
“Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature loudspeaker” review by Tom Fine: https://www.stereophile.com/content/bowers-wilkins-801-d4-signature-loudspeaker
“Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 Loudspeaker” review by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1274-bowers-wilkins-603-s3-loudspeaker
1 hr 3 min
February 21, 2024“The Flaw of Averages”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0

This week, Brent and Dennis dig into the biggest question of all in audio: exactly how much is the jitter of your DAC destroying the inner detail of your favorite recordings? They also try to figure out exactly WTH Dolby Atmos even is and chat briefly about the current state of room acoustics.
Further Reading:
“Jitter is RUINING your audio? The TRUTH about jitter!” by Julian Krause: https://youtu.be/f_r33B4jptA?si=6FHdj3Y-GHd-doTI
“Audio Electronics: Is Digital Jitter Really a Problem?” by Ethan Winer: https://audioxpress.com/article/audio-electronics-is-digital-jitter-really-a-problem
“We’ve got a Dolby Atmos issue, and it’s not going away" by Kob Monney: https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/sound-and-vision-weve-got-a-dolby-atmos-issue-and-its-not-going-away-4413957
“Determining Room Acoustics is a Six-step Process" by Norman Varney: https://hometheaterhifi-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/hometheaterhifi.com/technical/technical-reviews/determining-room-acoustics-is-a-six-step-process/amp/
“The enemy of great hi-fi sound lives in plain sight” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2024/01/the-enemy-of-great-hi-fi-sound-lives-in-plain-sight/
“How to Make Your Own Audio Diffusers” by Brent Butterworth: https://www.lifewire.com/make-your-own-audio-diffuser-3134903 (NOTE: This is the article Brent referenced when talking about Floyd Toole's recommendations for listening room acoustics. Unfortunately, Lifewire has violated journalistic standards and basic human decency by substantially reworking this article (and many others) without Brent's permission, and most of the discussion about Toole's recommendations has been removed. However, it still includes useful tips for DIY acoustical treatment, so we're posting the link here, but please don't click on any ads or do anything to support this website.)
1 hr 3 min
February 07, 2024“Take Duane Allman’s Name Outta Your Mouth”
We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed

Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):

📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp

📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE

📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0

This week’s episode starts with a question from our first Patron: Why are headphone measurements the way they are? From there, we dig into a Dolby Atmos kerfuffle from Stereophile, and opine about whether the death of music journalism is a plague or merely a symptom of a larger problem.

Further Reading:
“Why do so many neutral headphones have a big drop in their frequency curve between 9k and 10k hz?" by u/Jirb30: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/19d6tfv/why_do_so_many_neutral_headphones_have_a_big_drop/?share_id=iWE7oKjr0pL4tsxKQqJTb
“Many headphones have this dip around 9 kHz in frequency response graph. Can you help me understand what causes this dip and what the impact it has on sound quality?" by u/GreenNerve: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/xq0te9/many_headphones_have_this_dip_around_9_khz_in/
“Our Passive Soundstage Score And Tests” by Sam Vafaei and Marc Henney: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tests/sound-quality/passive-soundstage#test_2184
“Dolby Atmos: a Bleak Shadow?” by Jim Austin: https://www.stereophile.com/content/dolby-atmos-bleak-shadow
“Why Is Music Journalism Collapsing?" by Ted Gioia: https://www.honest-broker.com/p/why-is-music-journalism-collapsing
1 hr 4 min

About Audio Unleashed

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This is Audio Unleashed: the world’s only totally unfiltered, freewheeling, fearless discussion about the latest events in the world of audio, featuring veteran audio reviewers Brent Butterworth and…