In this episode, host Jorden Guth talks with Badar Qureshi, president of PML Sound International—the company behind Paradigm, Anthem, MartinLogan, and GoldenEar Technology—about how his years at Toyota shaped his approach to building world-class audio gear. They discuss where and how each brand’s products are made, why lean manufacturing matters in today’s unpredictable world, how the pandemic affected production, and the surprising parallels between crafting high-performance cars and high-fidelity speakers.

Sources:

“Paradigm's Prestige Series | SoundStage! InSight” by SoundStage! Network: https://youtu.be/_q7pMJ3LSjs?si=6CuOUDp72lZLX-h0

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This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is is once again joined by Ian Colquhoun, founder of Axiom Audio. This time, they’re on Ian’s boat having a conversation about the ins and outs and what-have-yous of hi-fi manufacturing in the 21st century, with topics including the current trade war, as well as the unconsidered logistics of this sort of work. Ian’s company, Colquhoun Audio Laboratories, owns the Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab audio brands.

Sources:

“Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/axiom-audio-s-ian-colquhoun-and-nrc-origin-dr-floyd-toole-music-types-twin-tweeters-measurements/

“Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/axiom-audio-s-ian-colquhoun-and-nrc-origin-dr-floyd-toole-music-types-twin-tweeters-measurements/

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This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by Andrew Welker, Chief Product Officer at Colquhoun Audio Laboratories, owner of Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab, This podcast is a first for us: it is recorded entirely inside an anechoic chamber! The two discuss Welker’s history with hi-fi, as well as the importance of having a human element in quality control despite the fact that we’re living in an increasingly automated world.

Sources:

“Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/axiom-audio-s-ian-colquhoun-and-nrc-origin-dr-floyd-toole-music-types-twin-tweeters-measurements/

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This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined once again by Jack Oclee-Brown,  VP of Technology at KEF, to discuss the company’s new VECO technology, what inspired it, how it works, how it was developed, and the new products that rely heavily on it.

Sources:

“Xio with VECO: KEF’s Revolutionary Velocity Control Technology in Its First Soundbar Explained”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K842LVG1Ur0

“KEF's Breakthrough VECO Speaker Technology to Lower Distortion–Explained by Its Inventors”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pXeETlY4uU 

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Due to an embargo on confidential information, we have to delay the release of our 8th episode this season until July 8. In that episode, we'll feature a podcast with KEF's VP of Technology, Jack O'Clee-Brown, discussing some exciting new KEF loudspeaker technology!

This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined once again by Pro Audio Technology owner/president L. Paul Hales, who shares his unique perspective about manufacturing in America and overseas, why different products for his different brands are made where they are made, how the current trade war chaos is affecting manufacturing and business decisions, and what the future may hold. 

Sources:

“Marrying Hi-Fi with Pro Audio - Paul Hales”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/marrying-hi-fi-with-pro-audio-paul-hales-pro-audio-technology-origins-what-matters/

“What Do Knitting and Hi-Fi Have in Common? (Hint: It’s Politics)” by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1339-what-do-knitting-and-hi-fi-have-in-common-hint-its-politics

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This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth chats with SoundStage! Ultra editor Jason Thorpe about his adventures at High End 2025, the final year in Munich. Jason was there with SoundStage! Contributor Matt Bonaccio and SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider. They dig into the best gear Jason saw, his sense of larger trends, and what the upcoming move may or may not mean. 

Also, sandwiches.

Sources:

High End 2025 coverage on SoundStageGlobal.com: https://soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2025-munich-germany

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This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is sits down for a one-on-one with Gabi Rynveld, PR and brand ambassador for International Audio Holding, to discuss the history of Siltech and Crystal cable, the importance of manufacturing in the Netherlands, how distinct companies maintain their personality and brand identity under the umbrella of one manufacturer, and more.

Sources:

“The Rolex of Hi-Fi Cables - Siltech's Flagship Royal Crown Series”: https://youtu.be/yN-nEreboLE?si=gTkHHRv4FGSwsyB-

“Ultra Hi-Fi: Crystal Cable's "Core" Silver-Gold Cable Line—the Diamond Series 2 Update”: https://youtu.be/vpWM6DeyXDE?si=GPM0Sgo8QqTyy6o_

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This week, SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast host Jorden Guth is joined by Jack Oclee-Brown,  VP of Technology at KEF, to discuss the decisions that go into what products are made where, and the intricate relationship between measurements and manufacturing.

Sources:

“KEF’s Jack Oclee-Brown” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/kef-jack-oclee-brown-the-tangerine-waveguide-blade-loudspeakers-aspirational-hi-fi/ 

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This week, host Jorden Guth joins Martijn Mensink of Dutch & Dutch to discuss what aspects of the company’s beloved 8c speakers are made where, how the decision is made to craft some things in-house and outsource other elements, why driver manufacturing and DSP development are very different enterprises, and what the future holds for the design and manufacture of products of its type.

Sources:

“Martijn Mensink On the Magic of Dutch & Dutch”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/martijn-mensink-on-the-magic-of-dutch-dutch-active-speakers-cardioid-dispersion-acoustics/

"Dutch & Dutch 8c Active Loudspeakers Reviewed" by Diego Estan: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1270-dutch-dutch-8c-active-loudspeakers

"Intro to Dutch & Dutch and the 8c Active Loudspeaker - SoundStage! InSight": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2R9lEJH4Og&ab_channel=soundstagenetwork

"Dutch & Dutch 8c Active Loudspeaker in Detail - SoundStage! InSight": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW-6R5HP8SE&ab_channel=soundstagenetwork

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