Crutchfield: The Podcast

Cohosts J.R. and Eric are joined by Crutchfield's in-house A/V demo expert, Dave. The trio talk about what makes a great demo as well as their favorite (and least favorite) demos that they've experienced during their time at Crutchfield. Then, J.R. reveals results from a company-wide poll of Crutchfield employees' favorite scenes to throw on and put their home theater system to the test.

Tune in to hear if any of your favorite scenes are included in the conversation. If they aren't, be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Looking for some great music to test an audio system? Check out our Spotify profile! (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4z0kIU5KvlzbK0wUBDJiEa) And if you want to get a sense of what new speakers can do before you buy them, try out our SpeakerCompare tool. (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/BI5)

Read episode transcript

Acclaimed speaker designer Andrew Jones returns to the podcast... er, Crutchfield LIVE... to discuss his latest creation, MoFi's SourcePoint 10 bookshelf speakers. (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/BEV) He discusses an assortment of topics with J.R., from his decision to join MoFi's team to his thinking behind his newest design to his feelings on car audio. It's a casual and always entertaining conversation. And if video is your preference, check out the interview on our YouTube channel. (https://youtu.be/2T0M3492BcE)

J.R. and Eric can't resist kicking off the show with a little hard selling in the spirit of Black Friday deals (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B5F) but then quickly segue into an easygoing interview with Crutchfield employee Tara.

Tara leads our video and social media team — she's a self-professed headphone addict (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B5G) and has also been a Sonos fan (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B5H) from the very start. During their chat, she and J.R. chat about their history as onscreen cohosts way back when, their favorite old gear, and Tara's totally one-of-a-kind treehouse (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B5I), which is a full-functioning listening and screening room.

If you're in need of A/V inspiration, this episode is not to be missed!

When we talk about Legendary Service at Crutchfield, Norm is always top of mind. In this audio version of our live-streamed show, Crutchfield Live, which you can watch on YouTube and Facebook, J.R. chats with Norm about his history as an A/V installer, his expertise, and what he does at Crutchfield these days. Plus, the duo answer customer questions about all kinds of gear.

Our headphone guy Jeff (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B0Q) got the rare opportunity to chat with Grammy award-winning mixing engineer Manny Marroquin (http://www.mannymarroquin.com/). A veteran of the music industry for over 30 years, Manny has worked with the best artists in the business, including Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, and Kendrick Lamar.

Jeff talks with him about his history in the business, his studio, his groundbreaking restaurant and live venue (https://www.verse.la/), and his recent work with Audeze (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B0R) designing the Audeze MM-500 open-back planar magnetic studio headphones (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/B0S).

Before, after, and at spots in between the interview, J.R., Eric, and Jeff provide the "Crutchfield take" on Manny's philosophy and work. Before all is said and done, J.R. breaks out the new Audeze MM-500 headphones for Eric and J.R. to try out for themselves!

J.R. introduces this audio version of our live-streamed show, Crutchfield Live, which you can watch on YouTube and Facebook. He talks with Mark of Car Audio Fabrications (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4FiN46mPTtkJxzRXJY21lQ), a YouTube channel devoted to making the car audio gear we sell look and sound great in all sorts of vehicles. Be sure to check out the Crutchfield Live episode with Mark (https://youtu.be/VaeYWaGOz6Y) to see the custom builds that he talks about in the episode!

Eric H. returns as co-host, and J.R. interviews Dolly in our corporate sales department. In this episode they discuss building a home entertainment system over time, musical tastes, and Dolly's work designing A/V systems for retail clients. Plus, J.R. decides he might have a future as a music rights enforcement officer! Oh, and visit https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/crutchfield-podcast.html to see Eric's pic of his improvised soundproofing.

J.R. and Crutchfield staff writer Eric A. (not to be confused with regular cohost Eric H.) chat with Chris Stringer (Syng CEO/Chief Design Officer) and Chris Kyriakakis (Syng Chief Audio Scientist) about Syng's Cell Alpha powered speaker. (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/ATQ)

They discuss balancing design with audio performance, the true meaning of stereo, the concept of "sweet spots" and a lot more. It's an informative discussion that might challenge your ideas about what home audio can and should be.

J.R. welcomes Advisor Tony to the show in this mash-up of two episodes of Crutchfield Live, which you can catch every other Thursday on YouTube and Facebook. The duo walk us through the process of qualifying Tony's 2010 Mazda 3 using our vehicle selector tool (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9X9) and then using filters to narrow down choices for all types of car audio gear.

Some of the gear discussed includes:

Hertz car speakers

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9XA)

Boss car stereos with Apple CarPlay

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9XB)

Kicker subwoofers

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9XC)

JL Audio amplifiers

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9XD)

Plus, J.R. answers a number of customer questions, including one that a listener named Buzz sent into the show! If you'd like to have your question answered on the podcast, send an email to us at [email protected].

Cohosts J.R. and Eric are back in the studio to discuss a recent interview with Advisor Rodell, who's really into wireless gear (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T1). They chat about all kinds of topics, from similarities between Crutchfield and a fine dining experience, specialized short throw projector screens (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T2), covering songs by Katy Perry, and JBL's recent visit to our HQ (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T4). 

Check out some of the gear they talk about:

Eton Aqualite solar powered lantern and water bottle

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T6)

NAD D 3020 V2 integrated amp and DAC

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T7)

Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ear noise-cancelling headphones

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T8)

Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 portable Bluetooth speaker

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9T9)

Portable chargers

(https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9TA)

Plus, don't forget to check out what's happening on our livestream show, Crutchfield LIVE (https://www.crutchfield.com/r/9TB).