SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

By SoundStage! | The SoundStage! Network | Schneider Publishing Inc.

What's SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast about?

The official podcast for SoundStage!, featuring host Jorden Guth for seasons 2 and 3, plus hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger for season 1

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SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast episodes:

06.21.2024
Sound Researcher Dr. Sean Olive - Tonmeister | NRC, Harman, and Floyd Toole | Target Curves
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Dr. Sean Olive, senior fellow at Harman International, to discuss his time at NRC with Dr. Floyd Toole, his move from there to Harman, the development of the Harman target curves for...
06.07.2024
Munich High End 2024 Retrospective - About the Show | The Vibe | 2024 Favorites
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage’s Doug Schneider, Jason Thorpe, and Matt Bonaccio to discuss the biggest audio show in the world, what’s new, what’s different, and what were their favorite sights and sounds this time around. Sources: Coverage...
05.24.2024
The History of Bryston According to CEO James Tanner - Medical Origin | Expanding Products | To Present Day
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by James Tanner, CEO of Bryston Ltd., to discuss the company’s origins in the medical industry, the design of its original amplifiers, how the company has evolved over time, and how he eventually...
05.10.2024
Sound Engineer/Educator Marcela Rada on Immersive Audio - Education | Experimentation | Mix Maxing
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by sound engineer, educator, and content developer Marcela Rada to discuss her obsession with sound, her personal history, how she became involved with the recording industry, and what’s different about mixing for immersive...
04.26.2024
Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC - Origin | Dr. Floyd Toole | Music Types | Twin Tweeters | Measurements
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Ian Colquhoun, founder of Axiom Audio and now also the owner of Bryston and Magnum Dynalab, to discuss the origins of the company, its connection with the National Research Council, his own...
04.12.2024
Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 2) - Anthem Room Correction | FIR and IIR Filters | In-Room Response
This week, host Jorden Guth continues his conversation with Dr. Peter Schuck, technical director at Paradigm Electronics Inc. The two cover the birth of Anthem Room Correction, the pros and cons of IIR and FIR filters, side quests, diversions, why...
03.29.2024
Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 1) - Education | NRC | DSP | Athena Project
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Dr. Peter Schuck, technical director at Paradigm Electronics Inc., to discuss his history in hi-fi, how he ended up at the NRC, how his work with Dr. Floyd Toole evolved into the...
03.15.2024
PSB's Paul Barton (Part 2) - Measurements | Diffraction | Waveguides | Diminishing Returns
This week, host Jorden Guth continues his conversation with Paul Barton, founder of PSB Speakers. If you haven’t listened to season 3, episode 1 yet, do check that out first! In this second half of their conversation, the two discuss...
$PSB's Paul Barton (Part 2) - Measurements | Diffraction | Waveguides | Diminishing Returns$
03.01.2024
PSB's Paul Barton (Part 1) - Music and Violins | Starting Making Speakers | Dr. Floyd Toole and NRC
Welcome to season 3! This week, host Jorden Guth sits down with Paul Barton, founder of PSB Speakers, to discuss his personal history, his love of music, his passion for violin, and the origin story of PSB Speakers—all as a...
02.16.2024
Selling Emotions: Conradin Amft on T+A's History and Future - Then to Now | Hi-Fi Tomorrow
For the final episode of season 2 of the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth is joined by T+A COO Condradin Amft to discuss the company’s history and heritage, its entry into the headphone market, and how hi-fi will evolve...
02.02.2024
Sonus Faber Suprema Speaker System Deep Dive - Technical Highlights | Trickle-Down Technologies
When Sonus faber introduced its massive new flagship loudspeaker system, Suprema, at this year’s CES, most of the press responded by asking about the price and finishes and little else. In this episode of the podcast, host Jorden Guth and...
01.19.2024
The Tao of the Reviewer - Hi-Fi Reviewers' Systems and Needs | Writing a Hi-Fi Review
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! Access editor and producer of the podcast Dennis Burger to discuss his recent article about how reviewers’ reference systems are often necessarily different from the systems they wish they could own....
01.05.2024
2023 SoundStage! Awards - Products of the Year | Outstanding Achievements | Choosing
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and SoundStage! Australia editor Edgar Kramer to discuss their respective 2023 year-end awards. Sources: “The 2023 SoundStage! Network Awards for Outstanding Achievements and Products of the Year” by Doug Schneider:...
12.22.2023
From Wilson Audio to T+A , then Back - InSight Videos | The Two-Day Rule | The Filming Approach
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider to tell the origin story of SoundStage! Network’s InSight video series, how they’ve evolved, and the details of their most recent globetrotting trip to Wilson Audio and T+A. Sources: Muraudio's...
12.08.2023
Simaudio’s North Collection: The Future of Hi-Fi? - Development | BRM-1 | Reception and Reviews
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Simaudio product director Dominique Poupart and marketing director Étienne Gautier to discuss the company’s new North Collection, how it was developed, what it means for the future of hi-fi, why the remote...
11.24.2023
How SVS Built a Hi-Fi Community - History | Products | Community Building
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SVS president Gary Yacoubian and VP of marketing Nick Brown to discuss the company’s history, its unique approach to hi-fi and home theater, and how it actively engages with its customers. Sources: SVS: https://www.svsound.com/ “The...
11.10.2023
Audio Video Show 2023 Highlights - Warsaw Vibe | Good and Bad Shows | Bringing Matt | Best and Worst Products
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and SoundStage! Ultra senior editor Jason Thorpe to discuss Warsaw 2023, why it’s such a special show, what it’s like to be there, and what it was like...
10.27.2023
Dan Laufman on the Value of Emotiva - Origin | Hi-Fi Manufacturing | Profits | Ethics
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Emotiva’s Dan Laufman to discuss the origins of his passion for hi-fi, the history of electronics manufacturing in the neoliberal era, how to make an profit in the audio business ethically, the...
10.13.2023
Martijn Mensink On the Magic of Dutch & Dutch - Active Speakers | Cardioid Dispersion | Acoustics
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Martijn Mensink of Dutch & Dutch to discuss how an old clock radio incubated a love of music that developed into a passion for good sound that evolved into a career in...
09.29.2023
House of Sound NYC - McIntosh | Sonus Faber | The Other Brands | New York | Luxury
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by David Mascioni, Global Director of Brand Marketing for McIntosh, to discuss the origins of the original World of McIntosh Townhouse in New York City, how it developed, why it closed, and how...
09.15.2023
Legendary Laurence Dickie - Bowers & Wilkins | The Iconic Nautilus | Vivid Audio | Loudspeaker Engineering
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by legendary speaker designer Laurence Dickie to discuss his history with Bowers & Wilkins, the design of the iconic Nautilus, how his thinking on speaker design has evolved over to years, whether or...
09.01.2023
Six Months into a PhD in Hi-Fi - Learning | Controversies | Revelations | The Future
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and podcast producer Dennis Burger to discuss what Jorden has learned in six months of hosting the podcast, since he’s been able to speak to some of the...
08.18.2023
Monitor Audio: From Concept 50 to Hyphn and Beyond - Into Hi-Fi | Making Monitor Audio Speakers | The Response
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...
08.04.2023
Anthony Grimani on Speakers, Rooms, Acoustics - Dolby to THX | Rooms| Hi-Fi vs. Home Theater | Speakers | Room Correction
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...
07.21.2023
Speaker and Headphone Measurements Mash-Up - Misinformation | What Matters | Active vs. Passive | Listening
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...
07.07.2023
KEF’s Jack Oclee-Brown - Tangerine Waveguide | Blade Speakers | Uni-Q | Meta Materials | Lotus Cars | Aspirational Hi-Fi
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...
06.23.2023
James Hale on “Art+Tech” - Mixing Hi-Fi and Music | The Inspiration for… | Technology and Art
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...
06.09.2023
Music Maven Mark Waldrep Rolls with the Changes - High-Res Controversy | MQA Snow Job?
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...
05.26.2023
Bernie Grundman, the Music Master - Mastering Defined | Digital vs. Analog | Radio vs. Streaming
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...
05.12.2023
What We Measure and Why - What Does(n’t) Matter | Signal-to-Noise Ratio | Competence | (Im)Perfect Volume Controls
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...
04.28.2023
Daryl Wilson: Growing Up and Into Wilson Audio - The Wilson Household | Building WATT/Puppy Speakers | North Star Measurements and Listening | Pink Floyd Fridays
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Wilson Audio CEO Daryl Wilson to talk about what it was like to grow up alongside the storied brand, which his father, David, and mother, Sheryl, founded; how his path through life...
04.14.2023
Simaudio’s Étienne Gautier & the Art of Marketing Moon - Baumgartner Restoration | Taskmaster
Host Jorden Guth is trotting the globe this week and is tight on time, so he and producer Dennis Burger dug into the vaults to pull out an interview from last year with Simaudio’s marketing director Étienne Gautier. In this...
04.04.2023
The Music Man - Joe Taylor on Vinyl and Cassettes | Next-Gen Audiophiles | Curated Music Selections
In this episode, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! Xperience senior editor Joseph Taylor to discuss his love for vinyl, the cassette tape revival, creating the next generation of audiophiles, and the ways in which music mastering has changed...
03.18.2023
The Inveterate Adventurer - Headphones as Hi-Fi’s Gateway Drug | Bluetooth Quality | The Best Noise-Canceling Cans
In this episode, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! Solo editor Geoff Morrison to discuss headphones as a gateway drug into hi-fi, traveling with over-ears vs. on-ears, and mixing audio for a variety of headphones, speakers, and even YouTube. They...
03.03.2023
Introducing Jorden - Hi-Fi Marketing | A Love Letter to KEF | The Three Best Speakers at Florida International Audio Expo 2023
In this first episode of the second season of the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, new host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider to discuss the road forward. Although Jorden has been working for about ten years in high-end hi-fi...
02.04.2023
Season 1 Grand Finale - TAS Speaker-Sensitivity Rant | 500 vs. 250W Amp | Geoffrey Morrison Plans | Goodbye
In their final episode as co-hosts of the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger kick off a super-sized rant by digging into Robert Harley’s editorial from the February 2023 issue of The Absolute Sound to discuss what speaker...
01.20.2023
The Connected Future of Something or Other - CES 2023 | The Harman Curve Again | Looking Forward
In this week’s first segment (2:26 to 22:02), Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger talk about the former’s experiences at CES 2023, and reminisce about what the show used to be, both in terms of hi-fi and as an overall barometer...
12.29.2022
How Much a Lemon is S’posed to Squeeze - Favorite Products of 2022 | Audio Distribution Changes | JBL and Headphones
This week, hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger kick off the discussion by digging into SoundStage!’s year-end coverage (3:17 to 26:06). In addition to discussing their favorite products of the year, they also talk about three people who deserve recognition...
12.16.2022
That One Where Geddy Lee Raps - TAS on Taiko | CheapAudioMan Power Cable Test | ”XTC, Curated”
This week, hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger start by taking a look at The Absolute Sound’s coverage of the Taiko Audio Extreme music server and evaluate some claims made by the manufacturer and reviewer alike (4:48 to 20:43). Does...
12.03.2022
Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the Grocery Store - Audio Science Review Misses | Audiophilia in Harper’s | Hi-Fi and Skateboarding
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...
11.17.2022
An Ultra-Mega Special Guest - Steve ”The Audiophiliac” Guttenberg | Dolby Atmos | SVS and Totem Acoustic Speakers
This week, hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger are joined by their old friend Steve Guttenberg—aka ”The Audiophiliac”—to discuss his recent interview with Professor Edgar Choueiri, the man behind the BACCH-SP Stereo Purifier (4:00 to 20:15). Steve was also kind enough...
11.04.2022
A Purposeful Grimace & A Terrible Sound - Lavardin ”Memory Distortion” | Spotify Platinum | Products from Audio Video Show 2022
In this week’s first segment (3:54 to 26:09), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger dig into a review of the Lavardin ITx20 amp and discuss the manufacturer’s claims about “memory distortion” and how its circuitry eliminates that. This leads to...
10.20.2022
Dennis Said Something Nice - Qobuz’s THX Spatial Audio | Hi-Fi Components that Matter | Factory Tours
In this week’s first segment (3:28 to13:55), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger discuss a story about a new Qobuz playlist featuring songs mixed for THX Spatial Audio. The mixes are designed to make the sound from your headphones seem...
10.11.2022
A Statler & Waldorf Approach - Surround Sound & Dolby Atmos | CanJam SoCal + Headphone Giveaway | Reel-to-Reel Tapes
In this week’s first segment (7:24 to 22:07), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger discuss a new piece by Andrew Heinzman about why he thinks surround sound, Dolby Atmos, and headphone virtualization don’t work for music. There’s some agreement. There’s...
09.23.2022
Look at My Curves - Sonarworks SoundID SR | AirPods Pro 2G Noise Canceling | JBL’s L75ms Integrated Music System
In this week’s first segment (3:20 to 24:00), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger have a conversation about a proposed new headphone tuning standard from Sonarworks called SoundID SR. What does it do and why does it exist? And does...
09.16.2022
The Ka-CHUNK Sound - ”Creem” Magazine | 8-Track Tapes | ”AudioXpress” on Room Acoustics | MidJourney
In this week’s first segment (3:33 to 14:28), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger start by celebrating the return of Creem magazine and discussing a new article about the resurrection of 8-track tapes thanks to Sacred Bones Records. Next up (15:26...
09.01.2022
The Race Is On! - Strata-gee.com on Consumer Trends | Stereophile’s 60th | 2022-2023 EISA Awards
In this week’s first segment (2:54 to 13:57), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger opine about a new report from Strata-gee.com about consumer trends in difficult economic times, and speculate about what all of this may mean for hi-fi, especially...
08.18.2022
The Credible Hulk - KEF LS60 Speaker System | The Absolute Sound on Measurements | Copper on Headphones
In this week’s first segment (3:00 to 15:04), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger get the ball rolling by agreeing that Gordon Brockhouse’s review of the KEF LS60 Wireless active speaker system is probably the most important speaker review of...
07.30.2022
MoFi-pocalypse - Mobile Fidelity Digital Debacle | Monitor Audio Studio 20 | iFi Audio Zen One Signature
In this week’s first segment (02:48 to 15:52), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger share their varied opinions on “MoFi-gate,” the biggest scandal in the analog audiophile world right now. It turns out that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab—long lauded for...
07.22.2022
The ”Free Bird” of Hi-Fi - Audio Group Denmark and RF | Pitt & Giblin and ”Future-Fi” | Selective Product Reviews
In this week’s first segment (3:24 to 24:13), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger once again discuss the issue of RF interference, this time with regard to electronics, not speakers. A new product by Audio Group Denmark purports to deliver...

What's SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast about?

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SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast episodes:

Sound Researcher Dr. Sean Olive - Tonmeister | NRC, Harman, and Floyd Toole | Target Curves

Munich High End 2024 Retrospective - About the Show | The Vibe | 2024 Favorites

The History of Bryston According to CEO James Tanner - Medical Origin | Expanding Products | To Present Day

Sound Engineer/Educator Marcela Rada on Immersive Audio - Education | Experimentation | Mix Maxing

Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC - Origin | Dr. Floyd Toole | Music Types | Twin Tweeters | Measurements

Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 2) - Anthem Room Correction | FIR and IIR Filters | In-Room Response

Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 1) - Education | NRC | DSP | Athena Project

PSB's Paul Barton (Part 2) - Measurements | Diffraction | Waveguides | Diminishing Returns

PSB's Paul Barton (Part 1) - Music and Violins | Starting Making Speakers | Dr. Floyd Toole and NRC

Selling Emotions: Conradin Amft on T+A's History and Future - Then to Now | Hi-Fi Tomorrow

Sonus Faber Suprema Speaker System Deep Dive - Technical Highlights | Trickle-Down Technologies

The Tao of the Reviewer - Hi-Fi Reviewers' Systems and Needs | Writing a Hi-Fi Review

2023 SoundStage! Awards - Products of the Year | Outstanding Achievements | Choosing

From Wilson Audio to T+A , then Back - InSight Videos | The Two-Day Rule | The Filming Approach

Simaudio’s North Collection: The Future of Hi-Fi? - Development | BRM-1 | Reception and Reviews

How SVS Built a Hi-Fi Community - History | Products | Community Building

Audio Video Show 2023 Highlights - Warsaw Vibe | Good and Bad Shows | Bringing Matt | Best and Worst Products

Dan Laufman on the Value of Emotiva - Origin | Hi-Fi Manufacturing | Profits | Ethics

Martijn Mensink On the Magic of Dutch & Dutch - Active Speakers | Cardioid Dispersion | Acoustics

House of Sound NYC - McIntosh | Sonus Faber | The Other Brands | New York | Luxury

Legendary Laurence Dickie - Bowers & Wilkins | The Iconic Nautilus | Vivid Audio | Loudspeaker Engineering

Six Months into a PhD in Hi-Fi - Learning | Controversies | Revelations | The Future

Monitor Audio: From Concept 50 to Hyphn and Beyond - Into Hi-Fi | Making Monitor Audio Speakers | The Response

Anthony Grimani on Speakers, Rooms, Acoustics - Dolby to THX | Rooms| Hi-Fi vs. Home Theater | Speakers | Room Correction

Speaker and Headphone Measurements Mash-Up - Misinformation | What Matters | Active vs. Passive | Listening

KEF’s Jack Oclee-Brown - Tangerine Waveguide | Blade Speakers | Uni-Q | Meta Materials | Lotus Cars | Aspirational Hi-Fi

James Hale on “Art+Tech” - Mixing Hi-Fi and Music | The Inspiration for… | Technology and Art

Music Maven Mark Waldrep Rolls with the Changes - High-Res Controversy | MQA Snow Job?

Bernie Grundman, the Music Master - Mastering Defined | Digital vs. Analog | Radio vs. Streaming

What We Measure and Why - What Does(n’t) Matter | Signal-to-Noise Ratio | Competence | (Im)Perfect Volume Controls

Daryl Wilson: Growing Up and Into Wilson Audio - The Wilson Household | Building WATT/Puppy Speakers | North Star Measurements and Listening | Pink Floyd Fridays

Simaudio’s Étienne Gautier & the Art of Marketing Moon - Baumgartner Restoration | Taskmaster

The Music Man - Joe Taylor on Vinyl and Cassettes | Next-Gen Audiophiles | Curated Music Selections

The Inveterate Adventurer - Headphones as Hi-Fi’s Gateway Drug | Bluetooth Quality | The Best Noise-Canceling Cans

Introducing Jorden - Hi-Fi Marketing | A Love Letter to KEF | The Three Best Speakers at Florida International Audio Expo 2023

Season 1 Grand Finale - TAS Speaker-Sensitivity Rant | 500 vs. 250W Amp | Geoffrey Morrison Plans | Goodbye

The Connected Future of Something or Other - CES 2023 | The Harman Curve Again | Looking Forward

How Much a Lemon is S’posed to Squeeze - Favorite Products of 2022 | Audio Distribution Changes | JBL and Headphones

That One Where Geddy Lee Raps - TAS on Taiko | CheapAudioMan Power Cable Test | ”XTC, Curated”

Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the Grocery Store - Audio Science Review Misses | Audiophilia in Harper’s | Hi-Fi and Skateboarding

An Ultra-Mega Special Guest - Steve ”The Audiophiliac” Guttenberg | Dolby Atmos | SVS and Totem Acoustic Speakers

A Purposeful Grimace & A Terrible Sound - Lavardin ”Memory Distortion” | Spotify Platinum | Products from Audio Video Show 2022

Dennis Said Something Nice - Qobuz’s THX Spatial Audio | Hi-Fi Components that Matter | Factory Tours

A Statler & Waldorf Approach - Surround Sound & Dolby Atmos | CanJam SoCal + Headphone Giveaway | Reel-to-Reel Tapes

Look at My Curves - Sonarworks SoundID SR | AirPods Pro 2G Noise Canceling | JBL’s L75ms Integrated Music System

The Ka-CHUNK Sound - ”Creem” Magazine | 8-Track Tapes | ”AudioXpress” on Room Acoustics | MidJourney

The Race Is On! - Strata-gee.com on Consumer Trends | Stereophile’s 60th | 2022-2023 EISA Awards

The Credible Hulk - KEF LS60 Speaker System | The Absolute Sound on Measurements | Copper on Headphones

MoFi-pocalypse - Mobile Fidelity Digital Debacle | Monitor Audio Studio 20 | iFi Audio Zen One Signature

The ”Free Bird” of Hi-Fi - Audio Group Denmark and RF | Pitt & Giblin and ”Future-Fi” | Selective Product Reviews