This is a Special Episode in which we respond to Robert Harley's editorial, "Magazine Ethics," in the April 2026 issue of The Absolute Sound.

Welcome to The HiFi Five -- a weekly news and roundtable discussion show about all things high-end audio!

Featuring:

Jay Caceres - Jay's Audio Lab; pre-owned dealer; audio reviewer 

Elliot Goldman - Bending Wave USA; high-end audio distributor and retailer

Danny Kaey - EMMLabs Advisor Sonic Flare; audio and music reviewer

Ron Resnick (moderator) - WhatsBestForum; audio reviewer

Our fifth chair will host one-time guests and recurring guests.

This show is a candid, freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the high-end audio industry.  We're going to give you insight, opinions and perspectives, while also discussing component categories and music.

Welcome to The HiFi Five -- a weekly news and roundtable discussion show about all things high-end audio!

Featuring:

Jay Caceres - Jay's Audio Lab; pre-owned dealer; audio reviewer 

Elliot Goldman - Bending Wave USA; high-end audio distributor and retailer

Danny Kaey - EMMLabs Advisor Sonic Flare; audio and music reviewer

Ron Resnick (moderator) - WhatsBestForum; audio reviewer

Our fifth chair will host one-time guests and recurring guests.

This show is a candid, freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the high-end audio industry.  We're going to give you insight, opinions and perspectives, while also discussing component categories and music.

What has been your experience on the show so far?  Where would you like us to take the show from here?

How does the Florida Audio show compare to other shows in the U.S. or Canada?

Is it true that Stereophile boycotted the Florida Audio show?

Do dealers do a disservice to their customers by telling customers that every new version of a component, every upgrade, every update will get them closer to the sonic Holy Grail?

Is streaming audiophile quality?

Which do you prefer, Tidal, Qobuz or other?

This week saw the announcement of the industry's first seven figure component — the Borresen M8 at $1,200,000.  Is the race for eye-popping MSRPs good or bad for the industry? 

Why do manufacturers hire a distributor, instead of managing a network of dealers directly?

How difficult is it to find qualified retailers for high-end brands in the USA?

Can high-end products be properly represented by non-traditional home dealers?

What role do print and on-line review magazines play today in building a brand?  How do you spend your marketing dollars?

What are the attributes of a good distributor?

Under what circumstances may a distributor sell direct to a consumer?

What really sells high-end products:  sonic qualities, aesthetics, quick delivery, price, the trade-in deal?

What aspect of vinyl playback do you believe is most misunderstood, and how do different turntable designs try to address it?

Do different turntable drive systems have a consistent sonic signature?  Do most direct drive turntables sound similar?  Do most belt drive turntables sound similar?

What is most important to the sound of the system:  the turntable, the tonearm or the phono cartridge?

How important is speed accuracy (maintaining exactly 33.33) versus speed stability (speed doesn’t vary)?

When listeners describe a turntable as having better “timing” or “flow,” what do you think they are actually hearing?

Should a manufacturer who uses a traditional distributor/dealer model terminate a distributor who sells directly to a consumer? 

What your favorite type of cartridge? Moving coil? Optical?

What set-up variable do you think audiophiles underestimate the most in vinyl playback?

For the same tonearm design why would somebody use a longer arm -- 14" or 12" over the 9" version?

Turntables were invented over 100 years ago. After 100 years of development is there anything that can still be improved on a turntable?

Which is the most technologically impressive audio manufacturer factory you have ever visited?Is there any way to bridge the subjectivist audio/measurements objectivist divide?

Do you personally believe that everything we hear can be measured?

How can any advertiser supported magazine or review site or YT channel maintain editorial independence and honesty?  Doesn’t advertising become influence even unintentionally?

How transparent should media outlets be about who pays their bills?

Over the last 20 years where has the high-end industry made real progress in increasing the believability of reproduced sound, and where has it fallen short?

What is the biggest mistake audiophiles make when putting their systems together?

From which audio designer have you learned the most?

Which product category in high-end audio is the least defensible technically?

How have the scientific studies of hearing and audio at Bell Labs and at Harman impacted your work in audio?

Why has the industry not insisted that reviewers, manufacturers, influencers and marketers to publish their ear hearing measurements as evidence of credibility for their audio pronouncements?

Are there inherent sonic advantages to:  dipole planar speakers, horn speakers, dynamic driver speakers?

If a box speaker, to port or not to port?

Do exotic materials for driver cones sound better than traditional paper cones? 

Does the material used in the cabinet of the speaker -- wood, aluminum, carbon fiber, acrylic resin -- drive the resulting sound?

Welcome to The HiFi Five -- a weekly news and roundtable discussion show about all things high-end audio!

Featuring:

Jay Caceres - Jay's Audio Lab; pre-owned dealer; audio reviewer

Elliot Goldman - Bending Wave USA; high-end audio distributor and retailer

Danny Kaey - EMMLabs Advisor Sonic Flare; audio and music reviewer

Ron Resnick (moderator) - WhatsBestForum; audio reviewer 

Our fifth chair will host one-time guests and recurring guests.

This show is a candid, freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the high-end audio industry.  We're going to give you insight, opinions and perspectives, while also discussing component categories and music.

In Episode 14 we discuss:

If you had to judge a very expensive, high-end stereo system using only one song what track do you choose and why?Why should any audiophile listen to YouTube Influencers?

How should influencers deal with the conflicts of interest between what they tell their audiences and what they sell?

What brands and components do you not sell but which you like a lot and think sound great.

When cable manufacturers test and voice their own designs, how can manufacturers claim great things for their cables if the cables are designed using only their own reference system?

Are forums today like What's Best Forum valuable for hobbyists or merely advertising platforms?

In Episode 13 we discuss:

When is high pricing actually too much? Is $151,000 for speaker cables just absurd? 

How can the absolute sound and Stereophile remain truthful while still making money? Should the magazines help whitewash and cover up component defects?

Is the traditional Harry Pearson-style comparative review dead? What is a review today?  Are today's reviews any different than a long-form product brochure?

Do you really need multiple sources -- vinyl/streaming/disc/tape? Or is this just audiophilia nervosa?