This week, hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger visit the Audio Science Review forums to shine a spotlight on an overlooked comment by Dr. Sean Olive. The topic? Who should and shouldn’t be included in listening panels and whether a university janitor’s opinions about good sound are as valid as those of your average AES member (4:28 to 21:25). 

Next up (22:25 to 39:08), they opine about something of a unicorn: an article about audiophilia in a completely mainstream publication. In this case, it’s a piece by Sasha Frere-Jones in the latest issue of Harper’s titled "Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon.”

In this week’s final segment (39:52 to 57:34), Brent and Dennis watch a new episode of SoundStage! Real Hi-Fi, in which founder Doug Schneider discusses what skateboarding and hi-fi have in common, and why the resurgence of popularity of the former is good for the latter. 

Sources:

"Headphones and the Harman target curve" on Audio Science Review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/headphones-and-the-harman-target-curve.17914/page-18&mibextid=Zxz2cZ#post-1381960

"Where Are We At With The Harman Curve?" by Brent Butterworth: https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/features/217-where-are-we-at-with-the-harman-curve

"The Relationship between Perception and Measurement of Headphone Sound Quality" by Sean Olive: https://seanolive.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-relationship-between-perception-and.html

"Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon” by Sasha Frere-Jones: https://harpers.org/archive/2022/12/corner-club-cathedral-cocoon-audiophilia-and-its-discontents/

“View of the World from 9th Avenue: by Saul Steinberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_the_World_from_9th_Avenue

“Hi-Fi Will Never Die, Because Skateboarding Didn't - SoundStage! Real Hi-Fi (Ep:48)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksUDpzu8gHA

“Rubik’s Cube: A Craze Ends” in The New York Times Archives: https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/30/business/rubik-s-cube-a-craze-ends.html

"Rubik’s Cube And Spin Master: A $50 Million Deal With Endless Possibilities" by Joan Verdon: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2020/11/15/rubiks-cube-and-spin-master-a-50-million-deal-with-endless-possibilities/