Episodes
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
Friday Mar 29, 2024
Friday Mar 29, 2024
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 pioneering Athena project, and exactly what sorts of tests he and others constructed and conducted to determine listener preference with regard to the effects of the room on loudspeaker performance.
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 Introductions00:07:58 The Energy 22 crossover00:15:41 Commerce or science?00:29:35 Music break: “Precursor” by Aquartos00:30:22 The five-point preference scale00:34:54 What makes a good test track?00:36:01 The circle of confusion keeps spinning00:50:38 “Day 1” by Aquartos
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Friday Mar 15, 2024
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 how the research at NRC contributed to the evolution of PSB speakers. Along the way, Paul gives the most cogent explanation ever of baffle diffraction and waveguides, and discusses how different driver materials affect the performance of a speaker.
Sources:
PSB Speakers: https://www.psbspeakers.com/
“PSB's Paul Barton (Part 1)”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/psbs-paul-barton-part-1-music-and-violins-starting-making-speakers-dr-floyd-toole-and-nrc/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:00:44 Why the measurements matter 00:06:07 Explaining diffraction00:10:04 Waveguides are more than felt00:16:21 Music break: “Scorched Earth” by Maya Belsitzman00:17:59 Room correction and exotic materials00:22:21 Exploring different driver materials00:24:25 Diminishing returns and setting priorities00:38:06 “Your Papa and Mama” by Dialgo
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Friday Mar 01, 2024
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 lead-in to a discussion about his time at the NRC doing research with Dr. Floyd Toole.
Sources:
PSB Speakers: https://www.psbspeakers.com/
Messiah Violin, by Stradivari: https://www.ashmolean.org/messiah-violin-stradivari
“Making the Violin”: http://www.makingtheviolin.com/
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:28 Introductions00:01:06 The origins of Paul’s love of music and hi-fi 00:12:11 Making speakers in high school00:14:50 Pre-industrial light & musical magic00:18:00 The small world of Canadian hi-fi00:21:23 The road to meeting Dr. Floyd Toole00:29:23 Planting seeds for the future
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Friday Feb 16, 2024
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 into the future.
Sources:
“44 Years of T+A—Germany's Hi-Fi Giant in Detail”: https://youtu.be/lzW18SuAJW0?si=SUjQkUfzU-obTWDv
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:01:53 The long road to today’s T+A 00:20:44 Music Break: “Finale” by David Morton00:22:15 Where does T+A—and the hi-fi industry—go from here?00:34:05 Outro: “Mirrors Sometimes Lie” by Marco Martini
Friday Feb 02, 2024
Friday Feb 02, 2024
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 SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider ask the real (and really tough) questions about the design and technical specifications of this world-class 4.5-way system comprised of two towering speakers and one or two massive subwoofers.
Sources:
Sonus faber Suprema product page: https://www.sonusfaber.com/en/products/suprema
“Suprema: the Sonus faber sonic revolution”: https://youtu.be/8rvz6C-D6Ng?si=f9aCKCfleNgivNRu
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:01:53 Supreme in minute technical detail 00:38:58 Music Break: “Memory Lane” by Vox Portent00:22:01 The 30,000-foot view of the Suprema experience01:06:27 Outro: “Turquoise Soil” by Vox Portent
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
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. Dennis also gives Jorden some tips on writing a good review.
Sources:
“The Needs of the Many versus the Needs of the Reviewer” by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1273-the-needs-of-the-many-versus-the-needs-of-the-reviewer
“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/
“Speaker and Headphone Measurements Mash-Up”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/speaker-and-headphone-measurements-mash-up-misinformation-what-matters-active-vs-passive-listening/
“Simaudio’s North Collection: The Future of Hi-Fi?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/simaudio-s-north-collection-the-future-of-hi-fi/
Baumgartner Restoration: https://www.youtube.com/c/baumgartnerrestoration
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:05:44 The needs of the many vs. the needs of the reviewer 00:19:52 Music Break: “Threads of Smoke” by Tamuz Dekel00:22:01 How does Dennis write a review?00:50:50 Outro: “Turquoise Soil” by Tamuz Dekel
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Friday Jan 05, 2024
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: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1843-the-2023-soundstage-network-awards-for-outstanding-achievements-and-products-of-the-year
“The SoundStage! Australia Products of the Year Awards 2023” by Edgar Kramer: https://soundstageaustralia.com/index.php/features/832-the-soundstage-australia-products-of-the-year-awards-2023
Audiophile Atmos—Dominique Fils-Aimé Surrounds with Our Roots Run Deep: https://youtu.be/74YJo-KM_Po?si=pWqHAGO6nRCOYomd
2023 SoundStage! Awards—Best Hi-Fi Products and Outstanding Achievements with Dominique Fils-Aimé: https://youtu.be/pQf2W60g5T0?si=iIsNb1Os2lSlkJIH
“Tell Me Taylor Swift Fans Don’t Care About Sound Quality” by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1270-tell-me-taylor-swift-fans-dont-care-about-sound-quality
“Seven Shades of AC/DC’s Back in Black–Finding the Best Version to Test Your System With” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/system-one/1280-seven-shades-of-acdcs-back-in-black-finding-the-best-version-to-test-your-system-with
Chapters:00:00:00 Announcement00:00:20 Introductions00:05:44 How SoundStage! does it different 00:18:25 Music Break: "Walkabout Australia" by Hans Johnson00:19:21 Recognizing the people who make the magic happen00:46:26 Outro: “Too Many Steps” by Oran Loyfer
About SoundStage!
SoundStage! was established in 1995 and has grown to become the largest group of online publications and resources dedicated to hi-fi, home theater, movies, and music.
You can find our portal site at www.soundstage.com