If you know a thing or two about hifi audio, there’s a good chance that you’ve shown your stereo system to a friend who is not as experienced. Often times, afterwards, your friend comes to you for advice about his or her system. Given the time, expertise and expense you’ve poured into your rig to get it where it is, this can be more difficult of a challenge than it first seems. In this episode, Darren and Duncan offer advice for talking about hifi audio with the uninitiated, and give some tips on how to help them experience their own excellent sound.

Ultra Hifi… the term evokes the stuff dreams are made of if you’re a fan of high end stereo systems and interested in learning about the best sound that money can buy. But what defines ultra hifi gear, and why is it worthwhile? What does it have to do with the average music lover or the beginner audiophile? In this week’s podcast, Darren and Duncan answer those questions, share a lot of experiences, and at the end offer another stunner of an album recommendation.

DIY audio can automatically draw in certain types of people by its definition. Some people would rather just make their own stuff, be it audio or otherwise. In this podcast, Darren and Duncan explain that there are more ways than one to get into one of the most rewarding sides of this hobby, and there are more personality types than one who could be good at it. You don’t have to be a math genius to step into DIY audio, and anyone can experience exotic and rewarding sound through the act of making it yourself.

System adjustments can run the gamut from tiny changes to wholesale rearrangements. They can cost nothing, or they can cost two arms and three legs. In this podcast, Darren and Duncan list the top five things that you can do to improve your system as it stands. The focus is on changes that can be made without costing too much, and includes some advice you may not have heard before.

It's easy to get caught up in the gear race and the how-to maze when you're an audiophile. We can easily forget that the hobby is supposed to be about enjoying music. Darren and Duncan talk about taking your head out of the sweet spot and training yourself to enjoy what you have made.

Darren and Duncan describe the difference between single ended and balanced setups and how that relates to cables and audio circuit paths. The choice of which way to go may depend more on what components you want to add to a system. Or it may not!

Subwoofers are purpose-built to belt out the lowest sounds we can hear. Darren and Duncan explain why they're not just fun, but actually necessary if you want to build a serious audiophile system. They break down the why and the how, offering tips for room placement and identifying the keys that make the best subs the best. Plus, some wild stories at the end.

Where we discuss the magical combination of single ended triode amplifiers and full range driver speakers. With a short signal path leading to a crossover-less design, the magic of this combination of amp and speaker is legendary.