SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStageXperience.com editor Joseph Taylor and SoundStageAccess.com editor Dennis Burger for a wide-ranging debate about AI-generated music—and what happens when machines can make music without musicians.

Is AI music actually art? Does it matter whether a human being created what we’re listening to? Are record companies helping accelerate their own obsolescence? And could the renewed popularity of vinyl, CDs, and other physical media become a form of resistance to a future flooded with synthetic music?

Joseph and Dennis approach the subject from very different perspectives, leading to a discussion that ranges from creativity and artistic intent to streaming economics, record conglomerates, science fiction, bots, and the increasingly blurry line between human- and machine-made culture.

And somehow, amid all of that, there’s still time to discover just how badly Jorden can pronounce “Angine de Poitrine.”

Sources:

“Artificial Intelligence and Unintelligent Music” by Joseph Taylor: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/features-menu/pulse-menu/1213

“Can Kids Save Us from the Existential Threat of AI Music?” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1400

Man crashed out #drummer #jokerchallenge #redrumclub: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/98hCBawtI3M

“What Makes a Good Reference Recording?” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1219

Rationality: From AI to Zombies by Eliezer Yudkowsky: https://www.readthesequences.com/

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This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! Ultra senior editor Jason Thorpe to talk about My Audiophile Neighborhood, his ongoing SoundStage! Global series chronicling what happens when he introduces friends and neighbors to better sound.

But the conversation quickly becomes about something bigger: If we want hi-fi to thrive, how do we actually create new enthusiasts? Jorden and Jason discuss why good communication matters, why the hobby’s obsession with constant upgrading can work against it, the realities of the generation gap, and why advocacy has to extend beyond preaching to people who are already converted. Most importantly, they explore why praxis—putting ideas into action—is every bit as important as theory when it comes to bringing new people into hi-fi.

Sources:

Jason’s blog posts on SoundStage! Global: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/181-jason-thorpe

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This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Michael Johnson, Global Marketing Director for Monitor Audio Group, to discuss the Monitor Audio Experience Centre, creating gateways to audiophilia, and the company’s ten-year roadmap. They also explore whether vinyl represents hi-fi’s past or future, the role active speakers might play at Monitor Audio, and why video games could be an important way to introduce a new generation to better sound.

Sources:

“Monitor Audio: From Concept 50 to Hyphn and Beyond” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/monitor-audio-from-concept-50-to-hyphn-and-beyond-into-hi-fi-making-monitor-audio-speakers-the-response/

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This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Dominique Lingruen, vice president of sales for Linkplay Technology Inc., parent company of WiiM—a fast-growing hi-fi brand whose expanding lineup includes streamers, amplifiers, wireless speakers, subwoofers, and other products designed for the modern connected audio system.

Topics of conversation include Dominique’s personal history in hi-fi, WiiM’s meteoric rise, the importance of personalization, how the company is reaching a younger and more female audience, what happened with AirPlay, and—perhaps most importantly—the best recipe for banana pancakes.

Plus, what does WiiM even mean? Jorden finds out.

Sources:

WiiM Amp Ultra Streaming Integrated Amplifier review by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1358-wiim-amp-ultra-streaming-integrated-amplifier

“The WiiM Amp Ultra—What’s Happened to Me?” by Jason Thorpe: https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/1297-the-wiim-amp-ultra-whats-happened-to-me

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Host Jorden Guth welcomes Emotiva founder Dan Laufman back to the podcast for a conversation about where hi-fi is headed. From the retro-inspired Nostala line to the need for high-value, long-lasting audio gear, Laufman explains why making great sound more accessible is essential to the industry's future.

Sources:

“Dan Laufman on the Value of Emotiva”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dan-laufman-on-the-value-of-emotiva/

Emotiva BasX TA2+ stereo receiver by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1393-emotiva-basx-ta2-stereo-receiver

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Host Jorden Guth is joined by Matt Simmonds, Vice President of Product Development at Lenbrook, for a behind-the-scenes look at how modern hi-fi products come to life. Simmonds discusses his family's history in audio, the origins of Bluesound, the importance of industrial design, and how companies weigh innovation, market trends, and emerging technologies like AI when deciding what products to build next.

Sources:

"Bluesound's High-Style Pulse Sub+ Subwoofer"—SoundStage! Talks (December 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2-ljBZQ4uE

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This week, we pick up the ball from where the previous episode left off. Host Jorden Guth once again moderates a chat between podcast producer Dennis Burger and guest L. Paul Hales about the future of hi-fi and the place room correction has in that future. Topics include how one defines a good speaker, why kick drums can lose their oomph, why you wouldn’t EQ a piano, and a complete break-down of Paul’s five-point problem with room correction.

Sources:

“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/

“JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin” by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin

“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?” (S5:E4): https://youtu.be/xdyxqp9kYvE?si=lZwAeCePVYoVOLl6

“Chest-Pounding Bass, Done Smarter 🔊 Theory’s Renegade Approach to LFE”: https://youtu.be/vtOgOT5hsu0?si=0J9qiAfDGGK-8XHR

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This week, host Jorden Guth moderates a conversation between podcast producer Dennis Burger and returning guest L. Paul Hales, founder and chief designer of California-based Pro Audio Technology. Together, they explore the future of hi-fi and the role room correction may play in shaping it. This is the first installment of a two-part discussion.

Sources:

“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/

“JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin” by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin

“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?” (S5:E4): https://youtu.be/xdyxqp9kYvE?si=lZwAeCePVYoVOLl6

“Chest-Pounding Bass, Done Smarter 🔊 Theory’s Renegade Approach to LFE”: https://youtu.be/vtOgOT5hsu0?si=0J9qiAfDGGK-8XHR

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This week, host Jorden Guth sits down with SoundStage! Ultra’s Jason Thorpe and SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider to discuss their trip to Vienna for High End 2026—the first time the world's most important hi-fi show has been held outside Munich in more than two decades. Did the move affect the show? Was there a demographic shift among attendees? What were the most impressive products, rooms, and demonstrations? And perhaps most importantly, were the Vienna sandwiches up to par?

Sources:

High End 2026 coverage from Vienna, Austria, on SoundStage! Global: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2026-vienna-austria

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JL Audio's new Primacy active loudspeaker system has generated plenty of discussion since its debut, but how did the project come together—and what does it say about the future of high-end audio?

In this episode, host Jorden Guth speaks with Doug Henderson, Garmin's Director of Home Audio, about his 50-year journey in the audio industry, from selling hi-fi in Manhattan during the 1970s to leadership roles at Dahlquist, Bowers & Wilkins, and now JL Audio. Henderson explains how the Primacy project evolved, why active DSP-based loudspeakers represent a major shift in home audio, and how technologies developed for automotive and marine audio helped shape JL Audio's flagship home-audio system.

The conversation also explores changing listening habits, the importance of making high-performance audio more accessible, and what the next generation of music lovers may expect from hi-fi systems in the decades ahead.

Sources:

“Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/

“JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin”: by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin

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