SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

Sound Researcher Dr. Sean Olive - Tonmeister | NRC, Harman, and Floyd Toole | Target Curves

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Peter Schuck: Room-Correction Pioneer (Part 1) - Education | NRC | DSP | Athena Project

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

PSB's Paul Barton (Part 2) - Measurements | Diffraction | Waveguides | Diminishing Returns

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