SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

An Ultra-Mega Special Guest - Steve ”The Audiophiliac” Guttenberg | Dolby Atmos | SVS and Totem Acoustic Speakers

This week, hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger are joined by their old friend Steve Guttenberg—aka ”The Audiophiliac”—to discuss his recent interview with Professor Edgar Choueiri, the man behind the BACCH-SP Stereo Purifier (4:00 to 20:15). 
Steve was also kind enough to stick around for the second segment (20:54 to 46:15) to discuss Dolby Atmos for music and movies alike, as well as some particularly disastrous surround sound mixes from the DVD-A/SACD era. 
Wrapping things up this week (46:50 to 1:06:27), Brent and Dennis dig into two speaker-system reviews from Gordon Brockhouse on SoundStage! Simplifi: the new SVS Prime Wireless Pro, as well as the Totem Acoustic Kin Play Tower. Despite being superficially similar, in that they’re both speakers with their own internal amplification, these are actually two quite different products likely to appeal to two very different consumers.
Sources:
"Professor Choueiri perfected SPATIAL (3D) AUDIO!" by Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ484SKyOAc
"SVS Prime Wireless Pro Active Loudspeaker System" by Gordon Brockhouse: https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/217-svs-prime-wireless-pro-active-loudspeaker-system
“Totem Acoustic Kin Play Tower Powered Loudspeaker System” by Gordon Brockhouse: https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/216-totem-acoustic-kin-play-tower-powered-loudspeaker-system

A Purposeful Grimace & A Terrible Sound - Lavardin ”Memory Distortion” | Spotify Platinum | Products from Audio Video Show 2022

In this week’s first segment (3:54 to 26:09), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger dig into a review of the Lavardin ITx20 amp and discuss the manufacturer’s claims about “memory distortion” and how its circuitry eliminates that. This leads to a larger discussion about another big bugbear in the audio industry: the time domain.
Next (27:03 to 41:30) they unpack the news that Spotify is supposedly introducing a new $20 Platinum pricing tier that adds lossless hi-fi audio, as well as some other new features that are ill-defined as of yet. Will listeners be willing to pay $20 a month for CD-quality music, or is Spotify hoping the other doodads are the biggest draw?
In this week’s final segment (42:21 to 55:17), Brent and Dennis continue a time-honored tradition of vicariously visiting an audio show by way of SoundStage! Global’s coverage thereof. This time around, it’s Audio Video Show 2022, which was held in Warsaw, Poland. 
Sources:
"Lavardin ITx20 Review" by Alan Sircom: https://hifiplus.com/articles/lavardin-itx20-integrated-amplifier/
“The Most Important Algorithm Of All Time” by Veritasium: https://youtu.be/nmgFG7PUHfo
"Spotify could be readying a hi-res audio Platinum plan" by David Nield: https://www.techradar.com/news/spotify-could-be-readying-a-hi-res-audio-platinum-plan
"Audio Video Show 2022 - Warsaw, Poland" by Doug Schneider and Jason Thorpe: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/audio-video-show-2022-warsaw-poland 

Dennis Said Something Nice - Qobuz’s THX Spatial Audio | Hi-Fi Components that Matter | Factory Tours

In this week’s first segment (3:28 to13:55), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger discuss a story about a new Qobuz playlist featuring songs mixed for THX Spatial Audio. The mixes are designed to make the sound from your headphones seem like it’s coming from within the room rather than right in your ears. Does it work? Is it worth your time? And did Qobuz accomplish something that Apple couldn’t with this?
Next (14:58 to 30:48) they pontificate a bit on a new review of the Nordost QNet network switch and QSource linear power supply in Stereophile, except they really don’t talk much about the review itself. Instead, they use it as a springboard for a discussion about which components make a real difference and which components don’t. They also answer the age-old question: “What’s the all-time best jazz-backed beat poem about critical thinking?”
In this week’s final segment (31:24 to 52:10), our dynamic duo uses SoundStage! editor-in-chief Jeff Fritz's “Europe Tour 2022” series as an excuse to talk about factory tours, the value thereof, and whether or not engineering tools can truly be considered beautiful. 
Sources:
"THX Spatial Audio on Qobuz: Listen with ANY Headphones!" by Jacob Green: https://www.audioholics.com/audio-technologies/thx-spatial-audio-qobuz
"Playlist: THX Spatial Audio" by Qobuz USA: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/playlists/thx-spatial-audio-exclusive-tracks/10766496
"NAD C 399 Integrated Amplifier-DAC" by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1179-nad-c-399-integrated-amplifier-dac
"Storm" by Tim Minchin: https://youtu.be/jIWj3tI-DXg
"Giant Steps: A Player's Guide To Coltrane's Harmony for ALL Instrumentalists" by Walt Weiskopf & Ramon Ricker: https://amzn.to/3S6rT7M
“Björk: Sonic Symbolism”: https://pod.link/bjork
"Europe Tour 2022: Arriving in Vicenza and Visiting Sonus Faber" by Jeff Fritz: https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/1136-europe-tour-2022-arriving-in-vicenza-and-visiting-sonus-faber
"Europe Tour 2022: Sonus Faber Speaker Production and Design Lab" by Jeff Fritz: https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/1137-europe-tour-2022-sonus-faber-speaker-production-and-design-lab

A Statler & Waldorf Approach - Surround Sound & Dolby Atmos | CanJam SoCal + Headphone Giveaway | Reel-to-Reel Tapes

In this week’s first segment (7:24 to 22:07), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger discuss a new piece by Andrew Heinzman about why he thinks surround sound, Dolby Atmos, and headphone virtualization don’t work for music. There’s some agreement. There’s some disagreement. There might even be some nuance. Who knows?
Next (23:00 to 35:56) they dig deep into SoundStage! Global’s coverage of CanJam SoCal 2022. What were the highlights of the show for Brent? And which products did Dennis wish he could hear for himself? 
Wrapping things up this week, (36:38 to 46:25), they riff on some recent coverage of a new reel-to-reel tape machine by Metaxas & Sins that looks like it was designed by and for Tony Stark. If this is the future of high-end audio, count us in!
Sources:
"Why Surround Sound Doesn’t Make Sense for Music" by Andrew Heinzman: https://www.reviewgeek.com/129509/why-surround-sound-doesnt-make-sense-for-music/
"Jesse Ray Ernster & Bob Clearmountain on Mixing: 'We’re in!'" by John Baccigaluppi: https://tapeop.com/interviews/151/jesse-ray-ernster-bob-clearmountain-mixing/
"CanJam SoCal 2022 - Irvine, USA" by Brent Butterworth: https://soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/canjam-socal-2022-irvine-usa
SoundStage! Newsletter Signup Form and Focal Celestee headphones giveaway (until Oct. 31, 2022): https://soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2698&Itemid=601
"2022 Golden Ear: Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck" by Jonathan Valin: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2022-golden-ear-metaxas-sins-tourbillon-t-rx-reel-to-reel-tape-deck/
"Metaxas And Sins T-RX Portable Reel To Reel Finally In Production" at HiFi Pig: https://www.hifipig.com/metaxas-and-sins-t-rx-portable-reel-to-reel-finally-in-production/
Elusive Disc: https://elusivedisc.com/music/reel-to-reel-tape/
The Tape Project: https://tapeproject.com/

Look at My Curves - Sonarworks SoundID SR | AirPods Pro 2G Noise Canceling | JBL’s L75ms Integrated Music System

In this week’s first segment (3:20 to 24:00), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger have a conversation about a proposed new headphone tuning standard from Sonarworks called SoundID SR. What does it do and why does it exist? And does it reveal any flaws in the Harman Curve?
Next up (24:34 to 38:36) they react to the reporting on the announcement and release of Apple’s new second-generation AirPods Pro earphones, specifically the claim that these things block “two times as much noise.” Or is it “two times more noise”? And what do either of those things even mean? (Hint: they don’t mean the same thing.)
In the third segment (39:11 to 49:30), they dig deep into Gordon Brockhouse’s exciting new review of the JBL L75ms Integrated Music System for SoundStage! Simplifi. This all-in-one music player combines forward-thinking connectivity and crossover design with retro-yet-timeless styling, all wrapped in a gorgeous walnut cabinet, and Brent and Dennis are here for it.
Sources:
"SoundID SR for Headphones: A new Headphone Tuning Standard" by Helmuts Bems: https://www.sonarworks.com/blog/research/white-papeR
“Apple’s new AirPods Pro can cancel twice as much noise” by Chris Welch and Jay Peters: https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/7/23327631/apple-airpods-pro-new-second-gen-specs-price-release-date-features
"Phiaton 900 Legacy Bluetooth Headphones" by Brent Butterworth: https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/equipment/headphones/349-phiaton-900-legacy-bluetooth-headphones
“JBL L75ms Integrated Music System” by Gordon Brockhouse: https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/211-jbl-l75ms-integrated-music-system

The Ka-CHUNK Sound - ”Creem” Magazine | 8-Track Tapes | ”AudioXpress” on Room Acoustics | MidJourney

In this week’s first segment (3:33 to 14:28), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger start by celebrating the return of Creem magazine and discussing a new article about the resurrection of 8-track tapes thanks to Sacred Bones Records.
Next up (15:26 to 37:09) they dig into the August issue of AudioXpress, which is dedicated to acoustics and acoustical treatments. Unsurprisingly, Brent and Dennis have opinions about how the high-end audio industry covers room acoustics, including the fact that the most thorough and conclusive research on this subject has largely been ignored.
And for something completely different (38:06 to 51:00), they discuss a recent SoundStage! Access article by Dennis about Midjourney, a text-to-image neural network that might give some insights into public perception of the audiophile hobby. 
Sources:
“Sacred Bones Resurrects the Objectively Greatest Audio Format: The 8-Track” by Grace Scott: https://www.creem.com/fresh-creem/sacred-bones-records-sacred-8-track-townes-van-zandt
“8-track player shootout” by Brent Butterworth: http://nebula.wsimg.com/70d6cc9f190ef501628c12bc8abc0c89?AccessKeyId=DF4B3AC4447AE4612BF0&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 [PDF]
“Acoustics and Great Audio Electronics in audioXpress August 2022”: https://audioxpress.com/news/acoustics-and-great-audio-electronics-in-audioxpress-august-2022
"Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms (Audio Engineering Society Presents) 3rd Edition" by Floyd E. Toole: https://amzn.to/3D029FY
“What Do Our Future A.I. Overlords Think About Hi-Fi?” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1212-what-do-our-future-a-i-overlords-think-about-hi-fi
"I Went Viral in the Bad Way: A few lessons from my mistake" by Charlie Warzel: https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/galaxy-brain/62fc502abcbd490021afea1e/twitter-viral-outrage-ai-art/

The Race Is On! - Strata-gee.com on Consumer Trends | Stereophile’s 60th | 2022-2023 EISA Awards

In this week’s first segment (2:54 to 13:57), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger opine about a new report from Strata-gee.com about consumer trends in difficult economic times, and speculate about what all of this may mean for hi-fi, especially given how luxury-focused our hobby has become. 
Next up (14:27 to 28:28) they springboard off an article about the 60th anniversary of Stereophile to discuss how that publication changed the way we read and write about audio, how the industry has changed since the magazine launched, as well as how much it has changed since John Atkinson became editor in the late 1980s. 
Finally (29:09 to 47:43), they dig into SoundStage! Hi-Fi’s coverage of the 2022-2023 EISA Awards. What are these awards, how are they selected, who votes on them, and which of the awards resonates most with Brent and Dennis? 
Sources:
“Data Suggests Inflation-Impacted High-Income Consumers are ‘Trading Down’” by Ted Green: https://www.strata-gee.com/data-suggests-inflation-impacted-high-income-consumers-are-trading-down/
"60 Years of Stereophile!" by John Atkinson: https://www.stereophile.com/content/60-years-stereophile
"Do That Voodoo That You Do" by Brent Butterworth: https://archive.org/details/home-theater-october-1996/page/n120/mode/2up?view=theater
"EISA's Best Products of 2022–2023" by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/eisa/2022-2023-awards/2022-2023-hi-fi/1730-eisas-best-products-of-2022-2023-hi-fi
"Sonus Faber Omnia Wireless Music System review" by Gordon Brockhouse: https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/203-sonus-faber-omnia-wireless-music-system
"EISA HI-FI AWARDS 2022-23" by Darko Audio: https://youtu.be/reAviL5aRk4

The Credible Hulk - KEF LS60 Speaker System | The Absolute Sound on Measurements | Copper on Headphones

In this week’s first segment (3:00 to 15:04), hosts Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger get the ball rolling by agreeing that Gordon Brockhouse’s review of the KEF LS60 Wireless active speaker system is probably the most important speaker review of 2022, and you should definitely read it. 
They follow that with a discussion (16:05 to 38:05) about a new blog post from The Absolute Sound’s Tom Martin that effectively presents bad measurements as proof that measurements are bad.
Finally (38:54 to 51:20), they dig into part two of Copper Magazine’s coverage of the AES Europe Spring 2022 convention, specifically a paper titled “Survey of User Perspectives on Headphone Technology.” There are some interesting revelations here. Will they influence the way Brent reviews headphones? And what do these data tell us about where, when, and how people are using headphones? The results might surprise you. 
Sources:
"KEF LS60 Wireless Active Speaker System” review by Gordon Brockhouse: https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/209-kef-ls60-wireless-active-speaker-system
"Philosophical Notes: What Is the Trouble with Measurements?" by Tom Martin: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/philosophical-notes-what-is-the-trouble-with-measurements
“AES Europe Spring 2022, Part Two” by John Seetoo: https://www.psaudio.com/copper/article/aes-europe-spring-2022-part-two/
“Survey of User Perspectives on Headphone Technology” by Milap Rane, Philip Coleman, Russell Mason, and Søren Bech: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=21669