Episodes
![Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 2 - A/B Tests | Bass | Athena | Brains, Rooms, Hearing and Listening](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_11_2afqse_300x300.jpg)
Friday Jul 19, 2024
Friday Jul 19, 2024
This week, host Jorden Guth continues his conversation with Dr. Floyd Toole, exploring the origins of the Athena project at Canada’s NRC, the reasons for and details of his move to Harman International, some of the most misunderstood aspects of his research, the origins of his legendary book Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, his legacy, and the music that moves him.
Closing credits music: “Longitude” by Rowan Hudson's Passing Ships
Sources:
“Canada’s NRC: A Forthcoming Look at Its Role in the Advancement of Canadian Loudspeaker Design” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1849-canadas-nrc-a-forthcoming-look-at-its-role-in-the-advancement-of-canadian-loudspeaker-design“The Loudspeaker Class of ’74: A Canadian Reunion” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1866-the-loudspeaker-class-of-74-a-canadian-reunion
“Floyd Toole, NRC, SoundStage!—Filming of Our Upcoming Documentary” by the soundstagenetwork on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k8ykCTEOhZI?si=BfcmIAWg1s6BKyQm
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:01:19 The limits of A/B testing00:04:59 Why you have to measure everything00:15:42 All about that bass00:18:40 Athena, assemble! 00:23:47 How our brains make sense of rooms 00:27:28 “Emahoy” by Rowan Hudson's Passing Ships00:28:45 Working with the CBC00:31:14 How hearing loss impacts judgment00:37:48 Another fateful phone call00:41:20 L.A. is no place to live00:44:02 The hint of a corporate target00:46:22 Herding engineers00:51:13 Listening tests at Harman00:53:22 Publishing the Harman research00:55:55 A feature, not a bugbear00:58:47 “Horse Latitudes” by Rowan Hudson's Passing Ships01:00:10 Evolution or revolution?01:02:35 The two-sub solution01:07:54 The birth of Sound Reproduction01:11:05 Rewriting the book01:13:42 Unanswered questions and Dr. Toole’s legacy01:45:59 The music that moves Dr. Toole
![Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 1 - Two Ears and a Brain | Transistors | Rules and Data](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_10_6gmnuj_300x300.jpg)
Friday Jul 05, 2024
Friday Jul 05, 2024
This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by the loudspeaker legend himself, Dr. Floyd Toole, whose research at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC), followed by his tenure at Harman International, resulted in arguably more improvements to the fidelity of audio we hear at home than anything attributable to any one person. In this first of our two-part discussion, Dr. Toole discusses his path from university to the NRC and right up to the onset of the Athena project, where we’ll pick up in the second part.
Sources:
“Canada’s NRC: A Forthcoming Look at Its Role in the Advancement of Canadian Loudspeaker Design” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1849-canadas-nrc-a-forthcoming-look-at-its-role-in-the-advancement-of-canadian-loudspeaker-design
“The Loudspeaker Class of ’74: A Canadian Reunion” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1866-the-loudspeaker-class-of-74-a-canadian-reunion
“Floyd Toole, NRC, SoundStage!—Filming of Our Upcoming Documentary” by the soundstagenetwork on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k8ykCTEOhZI?si=BfcmIAWg1s6BKyQm
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:04:39 The dawning of the age of the transistor00:11:05 Two ears and a brain00:21:28 A fateful interview00:27:58 Music break: "Turkish March” by T. Bless & the Professionals00:29:24 Friday afternoon experiments00:33:54 The differences between musicians and audiophiles00:38:54 An industry operating without rules00:49:45 What can we learn from a set of data?00:54:01 “When I Get Home” by Brian Claxton
![Sound Researcher Dr. Sean Olive - Tonmeister | NRC, Harman, and Floyd Toole | Target Curves](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_09_dtr7br_300x300.jpg)
Friday Jun 21, 2024
Friday Jun 21, 2024
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 headphones and earphones, and his thoughts on the future of immersive audio and more.
Sources:
Dr. Sean Olive on 35 Years of “Fast Car” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1259-dr-sean-olive-on-35-years-of-fast-car
Audio Musings by Sean Olive: https://seanolive.blogspot.com/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:04:27 What is a Tonmeister?00:12:19 Sponsored by Canada’s best and brightest00:18:10 All roads lead to California00:24:54 Music break: "Paris Café” by Wesly Thomas00:26:13 Manager of subjective evaluation00:36:03 The origins of the Harman target curve00:42:41 How to train your listeners00:49:09 “I Will Always Remember You” by Marek Jakubowicz
![Munich High End 2024 Retrospective - About the Show | The Vibe | 2024 Favorites](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_08_7d37xj_300x300.jpg)
Friday Jun 07, 2024
Friday Jun 07, 2024
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 of High End 2024 - Munich, Germany: https://soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2024-munich-germany
High End Society: https://www.highendsociety.de
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 What’s Munich all about?00:20:01 Music break: "Scapes" by Gray North00:20:48 Favorite sights and sounds00:46:30 “Diagrammatic” by Oliver Michael
![The History of Bryston According to CEO James Tanner - Medical Origin | Expanding Products | To Present Day](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_07_t8uhq6_300x300.jpg)
Friday May 24, 2024
Friday May 24, 2024
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 joined forces with Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun.
Sources:
“Canadian Hi-Fi Trilogy: Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab—All Under One Expanding Roof”: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1785-canadian-hi-fi-trilogy-axiom-audio-bryston-and-magnum-dynalab-all-under-one-expanding-roof
Bryston: https://bryston.com/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:01:52 Bryston’s origin story 00:16:11 Expanding product lines00:25:40 Music break: "Deadman Pass" by The Talbott Brothers00:27:32 Bryston in the 2000s and beyond00:53:25 “Pirate Blues” by Leon Laudenbach
![Sound Engineer/Educator Marcela Rada on Immersive Audio - Education | Experimentation | Mix Maxing](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_06_iky5qt_300x300.jpg)
Friday May 10, 2024
Friday May 10, 2024
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 formats like Dolby Atmos.
Sources:
Marcela Rada: https://marcelarada.com/
“Audiophile Atmos—Dominique Fils-Aimé Surrounds with ‘Our Roots Run Deep’”: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/encore/1120-audiophile-atmos-dominique-fils-aime-surrounds-with-our-roots-run-deep
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:04:12 An education in audio 00:09:05 Experimentations with immersive audio00:20:37 Music break: “You Won't Be the Last” by Moon00:21:29 Maxing mixes that translate well00:33:06 Different flavors of immersive audio00:45:39 “Smile” by Aves
![Axiom Audio’s Ian Colquhoun and NRC - Origin | Dr. Floyd Toole | Music Types | Twin Tweeters | Measurements](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_05_sv4ue2_300x300.jpg)
Friday Apr 26, 2024
Friday Apr 26, 2024
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 relationship with Dr. Floyd Toole, and how the company’s speakers evolved after the legendary NRC research wound down.
Sources:
“Canadian Hi-Fi Trilogy: Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab—All Under One Expanding Roof”: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1785-canadian-hi-fi-trilogy-axiom-audio-bryston-and-magnum-dynalab-all-under-one-expanding-roof
Axiom Audio: https://www.axiomaudio.com/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:03:31 Axiom’s origin story 00:12:30 Busting the myth of different speakers for different music00:25:46 Music break: “Empty Pockets” by Bamtone00:26:52 Axiom as OEM00:30:27 OEM no more00:29:34 The twin-tweeter controversy00:47:07 Measurement artifacts01:08:34 “Wherever I Am” by Bamtone
![Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 2) - Anthem Room Correction | FIR and IIR Filters | In-Room Response](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog13678086/2160x2160_2024_audiophile_podcast_04b_300x300.jpg)
Friday Apr 12, 2024
Friday Apr 12, 2024
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 flat in-room response isn’t actually the goal, and how ARC has evolved in response to market pressures.
Sources:
“The History of Anthem Room Correction (ARC®)”: https://www.anthemarc.com/advanced-topics/the-history-of-arc.php
“The Detection Thresholds of Resonances at Low Frequencies” by Olive, Sean E.; Schuck, Peter L.; Ryan, James G.; Sally, Sharon L.; Bonneville, Marc E.: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=7868
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:03:15 IIR vs FIR 00:09:15 Pesky patents and water picks00:11:58 Untested waters00:17:01 Music break: “Hulullúlulu” by Art Against Agony00:08:01 ARC is finally born00:23:46 Why flat sounds flat00:26:59 Removing the cap00:38:56 “First” by IamDayLight 00:40:51 The music that moves Peter
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