The Hifi Podcast with Darren and Duncan

In this episode, the guys talk about the sensory focus that comes from listening in the dark, sharing experiences and stories about the practice in the audiophile hobby. Darren's suggestion for new listeners seems like a winner, and both agree that dark listening has a lot to do with our human evolution and deep personal response. A listener question is answered about analog EQ versus digital EQ, and the album of the week is a stunner of an EP from a lesser-known Icelandic singer.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Darren answers a question that has been in Duncan's mind for a while: What does Bridge Tied Load or BTL mean as it relates to amplifier design? The guys answer a question about properly powering a big set of Dunlavy speakers from a listener who stumbled across a big pair for a great price. The album of the week is only found on Bandcamp, and it features a couple acoustic virtuosos Duncan has followed for years.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

The show is back after a week break to deal with Duncan's Covid bout and the installation of PS Audio's new speakers at Darren's house. Questions were stacking up, so the guys took this week to pick their favorites and deliver an all-questions episode. After a check-in with a listener suffering from "tweakitis AKA restless audiophile syndrome," the guys talk about live versus recorded sound, tall speakers in a low-ceiling room, bypassing binding posts and more. This week's album comes from a pair of brothers in Switzerland whose jazz influences vary from Balkan to British to Brazilian.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode, Darren and Duncan trade stories related to audio that are either funny, uncomfortable or just plain unexpected. A great listener question about where to go after a component breaks is answered, and the album of the week was chosen in part because Duncan could not get the songs out of his head.   This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan explore what they see as several misconceptions in the audio hobby. Class D amps, recording quality and audiophile cables are included the discussion, which is by no means a comprehensive list but a first pass at the common audiophile subject matter. A few listener questions are also answered, and this week's album recommendation is a fantastic full-length debut from an L.A. based group that offers spacious imagery and a stunning, well-defined center vocal throughout.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode, the guys explore the reasons behind why some products -- mostly preamplifiers -- invert the signal phase. Darren explains that it's a decent reason behind the practice, and how to adjust to it in your system if you've got a piece of gear that does this. Earlier on, a question about a difficult room setup is fully discussed, offering reasons behind why the space is challenging, and options for mitigating its problems for best sound. The album of the week is a strange one to be sure, but fully worth waiting til the end to find out about.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

After the usual intro segments, this is another hefty episode of listener questions. Topics covered include finding speakers that jibe with a hyperacusis condition, locally served music files versus streamed, updates on Darren's server experience, and more. In the middle of the podcast somewhere, hosts Darren and Duncan point folks who want to contribute to the 'cast toward a local audiophile in need, who experienced a recent loss. The album of the week comes by way of France, and features a 5-string bass player whose albums always seem to exhibit the most exquisite recording quality.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

It's been a hell of a week here in Colorado, and after the fires and the fallout, the idea of how to protect your hifi system from danger and disaster seemed like an appropriate topic for this week's podcast. In this episode, Darren and Duncan discuss inrush currents and voltage spikes associated with some of the problems Mother Nature can throw at you, as well as flooding and more, and they offer ways to protect your beloved gear in the event that the worst comes to reality. The album of the week is an exciting one for Duncan, featuring a new album he mastered by a band he's truly fond of.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Just about a year ago, a listener in Brooklyn, NY reached out with some ideas about building an all-Klipsch-Heritage-based dancehall and party space in the basement of his new house. In the year since, he got right to it, wasting no time and creating a space that his producer friends and he believe puts on some of the best-sounding dance parties in the whole region. In this episode, he checks back in with a few more questions and a ton of information about the year of parties that has Darren and Duncan wishing they were New Yorkers, if just to catch one of these events. Replete with a 1000-watt fog machine, a police beacon light and an upstairs Hifi system area for folks to take a "break from the basement beating," this place sounds absolutely incredible. Later in the episode, this week's album recommendation is a recent release, it's a bit more well known, it features incredible music and is a real test piece for any hifi system.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

As audiophiles, we listen in many different styles and sizes of rooms. Our spaces to setup well-tuned systems are, more often than not, the only ones we're given to work with. On the other side of the coin, sometimes it's the gear we already have which tells us what kind of space it should be in, and more specifically, how close we should listen. In this episode, Darren and Duncan talk about the pros and cons of nearfield, midfield and farfield listening as it relates to speaker type and sonic presentation. And this being the thick of the holiday season, not one, but two album recommendations round out the show in the annual music genre we know and love so well.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Welcome back! In this episode, Darren, designer of an amplifier that TAS just named "2021 Product of the Year (huzzah!)," takes us patiently and steadily through a basic concept involving operational amplifiers, or amps-on-a-chip, explaining how feedback is heavily used in many modern op-amps to broaden what, in some cases, is a staggeringly low bandwidth to begin with. Don't worry - if Duncan can understand this by the end of the show, so can you. Don't miss more questions and a surprising yet completely amazing album recommendation to round out the show.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

It's beginning to look a lot like winter (finally), the chestnuts- er, questions are piling up, and the guys thought it would be fun to try to answer them all. In this episode, questions about capacitor burn-in, DIY projects, tube noise, outriggers and more are answered, and the album of the week is not one, but TWO lovely albums which share a lot in common. They come by different origin -- from Great Britain and France -- each with their own unique vibe, and somehow they sound great together. Don't miss it.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode, hosts Darren and Duncan discuss preamplifiers, starting with the "why" and continuing through the "what" and "how". Some preamplifier makers out there are aiming for a neutral sound... but is that really what we want in a preamplifier? Darren's opinion on this as one of the possible roles of the box in the middle of a system chain might surprise some. This week's album recommendation features an amazingly out-of-the-box young cello player and his debut album from a few years back. As always, several listener questions are answered, including an interesting excoriation for a curious misstep in last week's episode.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

The HiFi podcast audience is in for a treat this week, as the guys sit down with their friend and mentor, Paul McGowan, for a wide-ranging discussion about HiFi audio and other things. Paul shares what's going on lately with his recording project, jumps in with the guys to answer a listener question about black backgrounds, and offers a look back at some periods of time in audio's recent past when things were really happening. The album of the week is the second one we've picked from famed drummer and composer Tony Allen, and everyone is going to have to be OK with that because this album is unbelievably lights out good.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

We all started somewhere with this hobby, and we were all beginners at one point. But compare being a beginner now, after decades of the growth of the internet, to learning about the audiophile hobby in the 70s, 80s or 90s. There is almost too much information available now, and too many choices and paths to take. It's no wonder that some beginner audiophiles struggle to figure out where to start. In this podcast episode, the hosts go through their steps for the beginner and highlight where he or she might begin their personal audio hobby.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, the guys deliver a more focused and nuanced set of guidelines for evaluating gear, whether it be components, speakers or cables. The topic comes up on the podcast again and again, because it's the literal backbone of the audiophile hobby. The ability to listen and perceive subtle differences is so important, and it becomes easier over time, after lots of exposure. Following these rules will ensure the listener maximizes the evaluation process, truly getting to "know" a piece of equipment through and through.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

This week, a listener question once again prompts the podcast topic, and while the guys don't exactly agree with the premise, its a great excuse to talk about the subject matter: How to optimize and get the best from a low-cost audio system. Questions about intermodulation and power round out the early segment, and this week's album pick features one of the best instrumental recordings the guys have heard in a long time.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In a recent episode, hosts Darren and Duncan talked about a system's ability to collect and drain RF interference through the connected enclosures and low-impedance paths to ground. In this show, the guys -- and Darren specifically -- drill down further into high frequency bogey man land. Are modern chassis boxes even good at being faraday cages? How do designers maximize effectiveness in removing RF from a circuit, and what about tubes? Lots of questions answered in this fairly geeky episode of The Hifi Podcast. Stay tuned, because the album of the week is jaw-dropping.  This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

This episode gets a great start thanks to so much goin on in Darren's two systems at home, including the reintroduction and repainting of the Dunlavy IVa system, cables burning in and the planned LPS addition to his reclocker. Also, his parents are in town, which means there are now distinctly fewer electrical components to trip over on the ground. 

Questions about the Matrix X-SPDIF 2, hexagonal listening rooms and more are answered, and the fellas are saved by a listener with a solid explanation of how to pronounce the French tube amp maker Jadis. (It's zha-dees)

When it comes to polarizing debates in hifi audio, none is more common than the subjectivist versus the objectivist. As the guys tackle this well known topic, it becomes clear there is appreciation for both sides. Both have some decent points and also some failings. The guys share personal experiences and try to find some humor in the sometimes exasperating debate.

 

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Have you noticed the absolute proliferation of cool digital audio products in the sub-$500 market lately? With so much buzz around new class D modules and affordable R2R DACs and even budget speakers that are "specs monsters", the hosts of The Hifi Podcast believe now is the best time to be a budget audiophile.

There are some interesting quirks in some of the eye-poppingly cheap gear from China, with occasional designs focused solely on being impressive in one area or specification. Still, the sheer volume and variety of enjoyable and reasonably-priced products coming from the world's most populous country is energizing, and a complete boon for the growth of our zany hobby.

Earlier in the episode, the guys find it difficult to stay "on segment", with a diversion into the self noise of resistors and a discussion about objectivism and subjectivism in hifi audio. A listener question about power cables brings the boys back to reality.

This week's album recommendation is surprising. Debut albums shouldn't sound this good, and this one from an up and coming UK artist is musically fascinating to boot.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

No speaker DIYer likes to read  a paper about the effects of edge diffraction on speaker baffles AFTER cutting out the driver holes. An inch left or right, and that tweeter could have sounded much better. 

No DIY amplifier builder wants to miss out on that important forum post where a fellow DIYer discovers an error in a schematic.

DIY audio projects  can provide immense listening satisfaction to the adventurous audiophiles who attempt them, but sometimes, challenge and trouble can hide around every corner. In this episode, the guys share some important things they've learned along the way in their own DIY projects. 

Cables, amps, speakers or digital are in focus, with some added attention to the art of soldering. This week's album recommendation has been in Duncan's library for a year, and is finally getting its due time in the spotlight.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

"Not all distortion is horrible" is a notion many come to observe at some point along the audiophile journey. Maybe that's not the best way to put it. How about,  "some distortions are less horrible than others".

In past episodes of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan have talked about complex versus simple distortions, and the fact that simple circuits and simple devices distort simply. And simple distortion is much, much more tolerable to our ears.

Intermodulation distortion (IMD) is a complex beast of a distortion, creating byproducts of the difference between competing frequencies. A shimmering cymbal hit with fundamentals of 9KHz and 9.1KHz for example will produce an IMD product of 100Hz. Yes, that's right - artificial bass noise created from within the amplifier, for just these two tones. Imagine what happens with real music playing!

This week's episode focuses on IMD and explains why amps are the biggest culprits of this sonic bugaboo.

Also in this episode, the guys answer a couple questions about system battery power and round listening rooms. The album of the week is a killer sounding new joint from perhaps the biggest name in bluegrass right now.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

The owner of a very popular U.S. hifi audio cable maker calls hifi audio "a drug." And he's not wrong at all. Think of the yearning to listen after periods of being away from our systems. Think of the teleportation to a different place when everything's clicking. Think of the times we had to bargain, beg and borrow to upgrade to the next best thing. And on that topic, think about how we chase the audio dragon and are always interested in "better," or at least "different."

Hifi is a drug, and in this episode, after listener questions are answered and the guys check in on each others' audio projects, they come to grips with the notion.  As they see it, there are worse addictions and worse drugs -- metaphoric or actual. But it's always good to pull on the ol' honesty glasses from time to time.

This week's album comes by way of an unknown drummer but features a very well known guitarist.  The story goes, during their three-night run in Memphis they recorded everything. And the recording quality is staggeringly good.

They also all three developed food poisoning. After the show, they all felt horrible about how they felt they played that they shelved the project. Listen to the final segment of the podcast to hear what happened next.

But. Did the fellas pull it off is the real question. Were hosts Darren and Duncan able to recommend yet another Charlie Hunter album without being noticed?

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

When it comes to wave frequencies, sound waves we can hear live near the absolute bottom of any spectrum you wish to peruse. Sound waves are not electromagnetic or radio waves, but to an RF engineer they might as well be “DC.”

And sound waves, though different, can in one way or another be affected by these other guys. Radio frequency and electromagnetic waves can influence the electronics we use as source gear or amplifiers, thereby changing the sound waves we hear.

None of this is news, especially to audio designers. But in this week’s podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan dive into the topic of shielding, explaining how modern audio designers deal with EMI and RF, and covering the act of draining and grounding from a overall system perspective.

This week’s album is but a single, but oh, what a single it is. Coming from Poland, young guitar prodigy Marcin serves up his take on Beethoven’s classic Moonlight Sonata.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

For podcast hosts Darren and Duncan, the hifi audio expo Rocky Mountain Audio Festival was more than their "hometown show."  Years before the two worked in the industry, the show represented a connection to the whole world of audio, accessible through a portal just down the road. It was as close to audiophile teleportation as it got for the guys.

In more recent years, it took on a new feeling as the two began to represent their companies and transition to the other side of the audio show affair. And after years of stressed-out system setups in hotel rooms and back-breaking schlepping of gear up and down freight elevators, it has still never gotten old.

Darren and Duncan are personally crushed to see their favorite hifi audio event be put to rest, so in this episode they talk about the news and go through some great memories from RMAF past. And they spend a good amount of time explaining what has been so special about the event and how it has managed to improve over the 10 years since its founder's unexpected death.

This week's album rec is a surprising debut album from a young lady whose voice will stop you in your tracks. A lady called Lady Blackbird and an album called Black Acid Soul.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

As a listener,  being restricted by a budget is a form of not getting your lunch for free. A designer might look at a single objective as the highest priority -- and then have to perform all kinds of feats to make that happen. A musician may want more sub bass on a mix than is prudent.

And on, and on. There are so many examples of places in audio where clever ideas simply can't compete against the laws of physics.

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, the guys and their regular guest host Chris Brunhaver talk about the many sides of this truism of audio.

In the questions segment of the podcast, Chris explains all about "power response," and the guys discuss the pros and cons of upsampling.

This week's album, Sideways EP by CLN, is some really cool electronic music that experiments with organic sounds and presentations.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

When bringing a vintage piece back to its original glory, whether as a DIY project or with the help of a professional, you have to decide if the restoration is going to attempt to use vintage parts from the same era (if that's even a possibility), or whether newer and better components should be used.

This is more of a temptation with speakers, as material science advancements have wrought incredible performance increases over the years. But it's also more challenging with speakers.

Speaker drivers can be so unique and quirky that entire speaker designs can revolve around minimizing the unique issues that arise. So the act of updating a speaker means you'd really want to understand the speaker fully, from drivers to crossover components, and in the end an update may not be possible without a total crossover overhaul, threatening to entirely change everything that made the speaker worth restoring to begin with.

This is some of the thought process behind Hifi Podcast hosts Darren and Duncan's plans to modify their Dunlavy speakers. Armed with a decent understanding of the crossover and a growing understanding of the drivers, the guys take this episode to talk about epiphanies learned and consider possible next steps.

Neither of their sets of Dunlavys are broken, per se, although Darren's does need a new tweeter. But that's a simple fix -- the more tempting option could involve beryllium or textreme. Tune in to find out where the projects are headed.

This week's listener questions are about bass traps and  the above DIY projects, and the album of the week, Afrobeat Revolution by Tony Allen gets an enthusiastic recommendation.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode, the guys talk about harmonic distortion and the difference in sound between a steel beam hitting a concrete floor and a stack of bamboo hitting the same floor.

What does a cheaper Class D amplifier have in common with the steel beam? What is negative second order harmonic? And what's so interesting about square waves for measuring amplifiers, when music is made of sines?

These questions and more are answered as hosts Darren and Duncan discuss the nature of harmonics, and how different distortion characteristics affect human ears.

Great questions from listeners discuss how to choose the right phono cartridge, and how to find humor in audio. The album of the week, Dreamlike by Electric Kif, rounds out the show.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

When hifi speaker makers offer more than one "flavor" of speaker, it's typically to satisfy both audiophiles who seek more resolution, and those who want a more "fun" speaker. This is a wise move, as neither camp is likely to be swayed by a middle-of-the-road compromise.

One of the joys about the audiophile hobby is that you don't have to compromise your desired path. What sounds good to you IS good for you. It's because of this that we see so many approaches to the same objective in hifi audio.

This freedom and variety means that many people are chasing many different sounds. And when it comes to the topic of system resolution, this is an area where we see people differ more than others.

"Resolution is a double-edged sword" means that with it, you can reach new heights. But you're also presented new challenges. In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, the guys talk about what resolution means, and how to find your resolution "sweet spot."

Just for fun, this episode was done in backwards show order. Enjoy.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

This week's episode is spurred from a listener question about how The Hifi Podcast hosts Duncan and Darren actually go about shooting out different pieces of gear in a reference system. Some say you should move quickly between A and B to avoid getting caught in biases and to stay within the "auditory memory window"; others suggest taking things slowly and letting subtle differences build up in your mind with time.

Well, you must be new to hifi audio if you don't know that there are a ton of ways to do everything  while still reaching a similar result. The same goes for this, although the guys certainly do have their preferred methods. Listen in as they talk about checklists, memory, mental peace and more in this wide ranging discussion about listening.

Also in this episode, a listener question about a career path in audio design is answered, and the album of the week features a musical act that toes the line between audiophile gadget music and melodically sweet and memorable art that anyone would love. 

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Harmonizers. Resonators. Grounding boxes filled with dirt. Green dots, quantum tunneling, past-time-disentanglement, beeswax, tellerium,  C37 lacquer, nano liquid... the list goes on and on. What some folks in the hobby consider heretical snake oil, others have tried and found some degree of success in their audio journeys.

But where is the line? Perhaps the "madness line" is different for each person, and since this is supposed to be a fun hobby, perhaps there is no line that needs to be drawn.

Regardless, in this episode of The Hifi Podcast, the guys discuss where their line lies on the scale of interesting or "out there" audio approaches.

This week's questions segment is a good one, including a tip from a listener to help another podcast listener who had a question last week. And interesting idea for a cue lever delay is in there, as well as talk about step up transformers and hysteresis distortion.

This week's album is a killer acoustic record that has been a staple of Darren's system for many years. A quintessential American folk singer in a recording that drips with feeling and life. Tune in to find out who and what.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

It begins with a flip of a switch, and often on the first power-up of a new component. What's supposed to be one of the most fun parts of the experience descends quickly into horror when the dreaded HUMM comes through the speakers.

Most of us have heard this horrible noise before, but it isn't always clear what the cause is, exactly. In this episode, engineer Darren takes us down to the ground as we try to understand voltages, currents and potential differences on our ground lines.

This week's album recommendation takes us into the electronic music world, with an album full of remixes of a fun 3-track EP released late last year.

 

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In this episode, the hosts look back on the last year of podcasts, as this week's marks a year of recording for Darren and Duncan. Listen on to find out why this isn't the 53rd episode, and hear about how the idea for this show came about. From inventing new circuits while hiking in the woods to red lights and ribbon mics in the back yard, it's been an exhilarating and rewarding journey.   This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com. Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Being the right distance away from your speakers, and in a position in the room that minimizes room influence is a large part of the effort of creating audiophile sound. This is mostly what you hear when the topic of the sweet spot comes up.

But today, the guys focus on  the physical makeup of that area, and how it affects the sound.

How comfortable are you? What's directly behind your ears? How high are you sitting? What's the mood like, and where are the distractions?

These questions and more are discussed  in this episode's focus on the sweet spot. Earlier on, two listener questions about DAC and streamer setup tips and tweaks are answered in typical comprehensive fashion, and this week's album of the week makes the guys try their best not to snicker as they describe one of the best-recorded digital albums this year.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

The audiophile hobby is a lot like cooking, and it behooves the chef to expose himself to as many sonic flavors as possible.

But the audiophile hobby is also expensive, and like car collecting, the possibility of a wide range of exposure requires lots of time, money and probably a mix of both.

This week on The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan pinch themselves about their years of access and exposure to all sorts of hifi gear, and they sort out for each other what devices and products have captured the #1 spot for themselves.

What is Darren's favorite power cable? Duncan's favorite solid state amplifier? And what kind of wacky listener questions will be answered this week? Tune in to find out, and be sure to stay to the end for a memorable audiophile album recommendation.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

When it comes to selecting a room for an audio system, many factors come to play. And many constraints need to be managed in order to get something reasonable for music playback.

At the same time, a listening room at a ranch in Texas will have little in common with one in an apartment in Hong Kong. In this episode, Darren and Duncan discuss the needs of both rooms, and talk about the ideal conditions all of our rooms should aspire to.

Two listener questions are tackled, one about taming a system’s forwardness with subwoofers, and another about crafting a taller soundstage…. possibly with subwoofers.

The album pick this week comes from a guitarist from Sweden and is a mellifluous audiophile treat.

 

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In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan talk about one simple trick that will help you know you're on the right path when it comes to speaker setup and system integration.

Following their advice, when you throw frequency response analysis out the window, literally,  you're left to focus on elements of timing. And  if you do this, it might just get you thinking about what's important in a hifi stereo system.

This week's album recommendation comes from another legend of his chosen instrument,  a modern maestro of the highest caliber. He's often heard as part of a virtuoso duo or leading a band of who's whos in the player scene. This is the first time he's produced a pure solo album, and it's not surprising how great it is considering who we're talking about. Tune in to find out more.

 

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Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In the used hifi market, shipping skills pay the bills. Which bills? Who knows. Heartache bills, perhaps.

Seriously though, shipping knowledge specific to hifi (admittedly bizarre products that are fragile, heavy, delicate and absurdly weighted at the same time) can help prevent the abject tragedy of smashed hifi gear.

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan talk about the challenge of buying and selling hifi gear on the used market, but specifically look at shipping challenges.

From crazy rigid enclosures to unbalanced chassis to fragile switches and knobs, audiophile equipment is one of the tougher nuts to crack when it comes to the chaotic world of ground shipment.

But, armed with a few pointers and techniques, and more importantly the right perspective, the guys think anyone can become a second hand hifi shipping master.

This week’s album is another new offering from a legendary master of strings, whose instrument of choice is the stand-up double bass. Somehow after listening, you may as the guys do, end up talking more about the guitarist.

 

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Does a stereo system have to present floating, 3D images in order to be considered truly hifi? Does it need to be called "holographic" in order to be enjoyable?

Does a bear poop in a toilet? Holographic sound may be one major thing both of The Hifi Podcast hosts chase, but it's not the only thing to love in a hifi system, by far.

Regardless, many in the audiophile hobby are after this sort of fun, and as Darren and Duncan discuss, the elements which can have an effect on the holographic presentation of a system come from many different places in a rig.

The effects also seem to be cumulative, making this another quasi tweak-fest episode.

This week's album recommendation is an audiophile-level recording of a duet of masters, and is a perfect opportunity to shout out one player who is well known to many audiophiles. This album isn't nearly as well-known, so be sure to listen through to the end.

 

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Taste is the reason we get into hifi audio, being the driver of our interest and also being held captive by our changing interests along the journey.

The longer you spend in the audiophile hobby, or more specifically the more you improve a system and make it more revealing and resolving, the better the chance your tastes in music and perhaps sound character overall will evolve.

This is all part of the trip that is this gear-laden, expensive and dizzying hobby. A hobby where the goals change constantly, and where hitting moving targets is a necessary skill.

Hosts Darren and Duncan talk about their own musical and audio evolutions, and the considerations and decisions that should be in play as a system changes.

This week’s album recommendation comes from Mali, via a world famous acoustic guitarist with a bunch of great recordings.

 

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There's a good chance you've heard a 50-year-old recording in the last month, if not more recently than that. Plenty of recordings in the last century or even half century are still great to listen to on a hifi system, and worth revisiting even today in the 2020s.

Think of one vintage recording you like. Now imagine that recording taking place in today's music scene, using today's computer-based recording technology, with today's engineers embracing modern concerns.

What are the chances this recording would wind up severely dynamically limited? Compressed and squashed and reduced, and then maximized so that its lyrics will be perfectly intelligible coming from a bluetooth speaker that's been kicked over in the sand?

One small aspect of the discussion about music production in this week's Hifi Podcast is the serious tragedy that's been happening to important music in recent years. Fifty years from now, will any serious music lovers want to listen to one of the greatest voices of our time, given that Adele's music is maxed out with severe dynamic limiting?

This and more are on the discussion table for this week's Hifi Podcast, as well as listener questions and the ever-popular album of the week recommendation.

 

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Hifi audio can be finicky. Quite a few things can get in the way of showing off the potential magic of a component, making the buying process a rather maddening endeavor.

Whether it's that the component isn't burned in yet, or it needs cabling with different electrical qualities, or whether, once inserted into a system, it then points to and shows off a weakness somewhere else in the chain.

These are just some of the issues that get in the way of a new owner falling in love with a piece of gear, and in this episode of the Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan talk about how to deal with these things while managing the window of return and other considerations.

This week's album of the week is intriguing, as it offers Duncan an opportunity to gush (without regulation, it would seem) about one of his favorite musicians of all time.

 

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The language of amplifiers is often spoken using terms like noise, harmonics, load, phase, bandwidth and more. From the perspective of an amplifier designer, the discussion of noise is paramount. Noise affects all segments of a circuit and can generate from many different sources.

The Hifi Podcast's own amplifier design wizard Darren takes us back into noise land to look at the different types of noise coming from different places in the circuitry, and explains which types are more benign than others.

Noise from a record, for example, can be much more noticeable at first, but seem to disappear when the music plays. Not so with input stage noise, for example, or even ripple from a gain stage with limited PSRR.

Also in this episode, the guys answer some questions about tube amps, the use of a variac and whether 4 Ohm or 8 Ohm taps sound better on an 8 Ohm pair of speakers.

This week's album recommendation is incredible, and features a few-take, casual-but-tight live trio set from a group produced by, but not fronted by the one and only Charlie Hunter.

 

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Resident speaker guru Chris Brunhaver is back with a wide ranging discussion (no surprise there) with the guys about what's going on currently in the world of speaker design.

Multiple pole gaps,  magnetic speaker parts, woven poly cones and hysteresis.... sounds about right for a visit from  Chris.

Also in this episode, listener questions about woofer movement when playing back records and about how to set up a listening environment with no sweet spot are answered.

Be sure to listen to the end, where the guys suggest a new acoustic album full of young virtuoso players. This one's a classic marriage of excellent recording and exceptional music.

 

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If you’ve ever heard to a locomotive passing left to right in your listening room before, you know there are some cool experiences to be had as an audiophile where music doesn’t even factor in.

The great thing about this audiophile hobby is how stinkin’ broad it is and capable of making all kinds of interests and rabbit holes rewarding on their own.

It’s true that there is a bit of disdain shown in some areas of the audiophile sphere for folks who would rather listen to gear than music, but in this week’s episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan suggest realigning that perspective to be more welcoming of different approaches to fun with this hobby.

Also in this episode are a couple of listener questions, one of which concerns the rebuilding of 30-year-old crossovers.

This week’s album recommendation threatens to become your library’s best-sounding album. That’s beside the fact that it’s also immensely winsome and deep and emotional, and features some world class musicianship.

 

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One has an audiophile dad, and the other's father is a composer, conductor and  music professor.  Both spent teenage years chasing better sound and experimenting with audio gear.  Each has a unique taste  for music, informed by years of aural experiences.

In this week's episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan walk down memory lane as each shares the story of how he became an audiophile. Purely for entertainment, this diversion from the usual  audio topics still attracts some interesting audio-based discussion.

Two separate listener questions about Chromecast audio devices feature as the questions of the week, and the guys help make digital source decisions, like whether to use a high quality DAC along with a DSP, effectively doubling the amount of conversions going on.

The album of the week features an incredible Norwegian pianist and his just released and  impeccably recorded jazz album.

 

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It's a specification you see a lot when shopping for preamplifiers and amplifiers for a high end audio system: input and output impedance, expressed in the ohms. Watts are much more easy to understand relating to eventual experience, as well as frequency response bandwidth. But impedance?

If you've ever wondered what sonic effect input and output impedance have and what role they play, settle down for this one because Darren explains it all. The discussion of impedance ultimately brings up capacitance in cables, so that's a cherry on top for the cable deniers. But it's all wrapped up in the same concepts, and this one is a can't miss episode for those who want to know more.

Earlier in the show, listener questions are answered, covering topics like dynamic range compression and speaker wall construction philosophies.

This week's album recommendation is a rare throwback, to a blues master of the 20th century. It's an album that was in Darren's first audiophile library, and which remains a favorite many years on.

 

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“You can’t handle the truth!” is a phrase that comes to mind on the topic of the revealing nature of a hifi system. Sometimes, we don’t want the actual reality of a crash cymbal in our listening rooms. Have you ever heard a crash cymbal from the “business end,” i.e. away from the drummer?

In hifi audio, many paths lead to the same place, and many tweaks and changes can get you there in a unique way. There’s no reason a system must have all distortions completely neutralized, laying bare only the remaining distortions which can’t be controlled… unless that’s exactly what you want.

Hifi audio is supposed to be fun, after all. In this week’s episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan look at both sides of the coin when it comes to audio truth.

A listener also asks a question about vintage Yamaha NS-1000 speakers, and this week’s album recommendation is a new release from a brilliant artist who is one of Darren’s favorites.

 

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Noise, noise noise. It's all noise. To the serious audiophile, reducing noise at every point of a stereo system is job #1. Compression artifacts keep us from touching MP3s with a ten foot pole. Digital streams must contain vanishing amounts of jitter. Conversion to analog requires careful filtering. Interconnects should reject RF and EMI, and hold their own in the vicinity of power cables. Power cables shield the system from the outside world. Mechanical isolation disconnects components from vibration noise. Power supply ripple is smoothed out. 

This audiophile hobby is completely obsessed with noise, and for good reason. When the noise is removed, the music flows and the magic happens. It's the recipe for success with audio, and in this episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan go around the signal chain to discuss many different types of noise.

More listener questions are also tackled, as usual, with this week's questions centering around speaker spikes and philosophical arguments for and against separates versus integrated.

This week's album recommendation is a real mind bender. An instrumental work from a session and touring legend on the bass guitar goes in serious audiophile directions while remaining fairly genre-ambivalent. It may be hard to nail down, but this record will prove a real challenge for the subs, and a delight for the ears.

 

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What would it be like if the deleterious effects of room boundaries and interaction were a thing of the past? In the future, will audiophiles have the same problems we do now, or will we be arguing about the best-sounding audio software for our brain implants?

Audiophiles tend to get bogged down in debate over our here-and-now problems like whether to bi-amp or what speaker cabinets are more inert than others.  It can be a fun exercise to imagine the future possibilities with an audio buddy, and Darren and Duncan give it a go.

Also in this episode, a listener asks about his 12-watt EL-84-based tube amp and whether it's a good match for his Harbeth P3 speakers. Another listener asks which turntable setup is recommended to sound better than his DAC -- a trickier challenge than it first seems.

This week's album recommendation comes from one of the guys' favorite world music singers, and features tunes in French, Spanish and English. Apparently the artist crafted the record while traveling on the road with a circus. As you do.

 

 

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In this week’s podcast, speaker expert and PS Audio design engineer Chris Brunhaver stops by once again to chat about his favorite topic: Photography.

Just kidding, of course. Chris’ insights about how speakers work, what companies make what materials for whom and his seemingly endless and encyclopedic knowledge of the speaker industry are once again in the spotlight as hosts Darren and Duncan pepper him with questions about all things speakers.

The guys also tackle a listener question about buying hifi gear online, and talk through suggestions for a another listener who recently had to move his stereo system downstairs.

This week’s album recommendation is one of Darren’s favorites, featuring some excellent tracks for system demonstrations and evaluation.

 

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In the history of hifi audio, there have been many more  truly small companies than those that can be considered large for the industry. There are specific pros and cons to both, and in this episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan discuss the topic at length.

Small companies like Morrison Audio or Linkwitz Labs can offer products that require more knowledge and setup than  products from, say  Bowers & Wilkins or  Magnepan. The resulting sound can be exquisite, and offer a unique characteristic or approach.

Conversely, a huge company like Sony can afford to lose money in the R&D of a ground-breaking product that contains a feature set that would be unheard-of from a smaller company.

Whatever the case,  it's interesting what is possible for each type of hifi audio manufacturer, and cool to see both find relevance in our audiophile world.

This week's album recommendation comes via a duo from Canada, who is one of Duncan's favorite go-to artists for interesting, borderline jazzy electronic music.

 

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Just outside PS Audio headquarters in Boulder, Colorado,  lives one of the better recording studios in the area, called Coupe Studios. Between the audiophile equipment company and the recording studio lies a creek. Which seems like such a perfect analog for the knowledge barrier that exists between audiophiles and the recording world.

Priorities among the two entities when it comes to design and execution are completely different, yet at a point some of the goals are the same. It's not  surprising or really very problematic for recording engineers to not know about or care about audiophile desires, and vice versa, but it's always an interesting study to examine how the other side ticks.

In this episode, Darren and Duncan chat about recording and production, and wander about in the land of the pro audio folks to discover what things are important on that side of the divide.

In the listener questions segment, an emailer asks for recommendations for speakers to pair with a homemade relatively low watt ultralinear amplifier, and another listener recommends a pair of finely crafted bookshelves and an album.

This week's album of the week recommendation is a funk fest from the U.S. Pacific Northwest. 

 

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The addition of a subwoofer or subwoofers to a hifi system can be game-changing. Frequencies all over the spectrum can be made  more clear and understandable with the support of existing sub frequencies to complete the transient music information.

But none of that happens until the sub or subs are integrated properly with the speakers, blended in a way that their waves add to rather than detract from the main speakers.

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan go through the steps of subwoofer integration, from placement to level and crossover adjustment.

Also in this episode, the guys answer listener questions about output transformers and turntable isolation, and at the end they show off the album of the week. This week's pick features a young guitar player from New York who rips through a set of jazz standards with a delicious-sounding hollow-body guitar.

 

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A hifi audio trade show is a tale of two realities. One side features attendees -- end users and consumers -- hustling from room to room, auditioning possible or future purchases, and mixing and mingling with audio hobby friends from around the world. The surroundings are posh, the sounds are (hopefully) lush, and the excitement is high.

However, from the manufacturers and dealers' perspective, the other reality is an effort in pretending everything is fine. Setup at a trade show resembles a reality TV game show, with contestants pulling their hair out as they fight off challenge after challenge in order to maintain an equanimous façade for the judges, AKA the show-goers.

The Hifi Podcast hosts Darren and Duncan know this scene well, and have each survived a good number of trade show setups and showcases. In this episode, they share some nitty gritty details, remember some funny stories, and  give a little perspective on the events behind the scenes.

Also in this podcast a question about bi-amping is tackled, and a listener shares a couple of great albums from an amazing vibraphonist.

This week's album recommendation is another great piece of music, with one caveat, which Duncan shares from his experience with it.

 

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If you’ve ever heard an album or a specific group of albums in your library sound amazing on your system, hang on to that memory. Once you make a change to your setup, you may notice an entirely different set of sounds and records coming to the forefront of recording and playback quality in your listening room.

Systems grow, they change, and they settle in. It’s entirely possible that not every piece of music will be played back perfectly at all times, and that’s okay. In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan talk about identifying and understanding what genres work best for your system, and discuss the idea of letting that music evolve as your system and tastes evolve.

The guys also get back to some great listener questions including DIY advice on single full range driver speakers, and the best bang for the buck with interconnect cables. Darren also shares his $50 DIY interconnect plans (check that out by clicking here - https://www.psaudio.com/article/how-to-make-a-50-high-end-xlr-interconnect/) for those interested in making their own.

This week’s album recommendation is a doozie, with some very interesting recording methods and instruments in the mix. The guys do their best to pronounce the name of this one, and a listener with a connection to Croatia helps correct the pronunciation of last episode’s album of the week.

 

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You're moving to a new house, and the dreaded system setup is on the horizon. You bought a new piece of gear that's supposed to wipe the floor with what you've currently got, but right out of the box, the opposite seems to be the case.

Moving speakers inch by inch for hours and feeling like you're getting nowhere is an unfortunate part of the hifi audio hobby, whether we like it or not. The complete sonic change of character of new gear as it settles in can neither be measured or easily explained.

Why do we do this again? In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan explore the more frustrating side of being an audiophile, and  share experiences and knowledge gained from going through this time and time again.

When it comes to component break-in, Darren's perspective as a hifi audio manufacturer design engineer offers clarification and even proof of the mystical transformation capacitors, resistors and active components go through as they begin their (hopefully) long life of music playback.

Whatever your experiences, this episode is a fun trip into the audiophile's mind. Be sure to stick around to the end, where a listener goes into more detail about a little-known genre called "Deep House," and the album of the week is revealed -- this one from a 14-year-old Croatian musical prodigy.

 

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Have you ever stumbled upon a YouTube video showing off a piece of hifi gear, or perhaps an entire system? Knowing the limitations of such a lengthy and compromised signal chain as it relates to showcasing a fine-tuned stereo system, such a display can seem relatively useless for any meaningful understanding of what's going on.

But is that completely true? The growing trend of showing off changes to a system or individual pieces of gear via video on YouTube is in part a response to a lack of hifi shows in our virus-dominated time, and also a nod toward a new way of approaching the audiophile hobby, one where the customer researches and learns about audio gear alone, from the comfort of his or her home.

In this episode of the Hifi Podcast,  Darren and Duncan look at all sides of this phenomenon and try to understand both the value and caveats inherent to the practice.

Also in this podcast, a listener shares a couple of great hifi tips, and when the guys reveal the album of the week, they discover more depth of meaning to the title of the record in question.

 

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In this week’s episode, listener questions abound, and Darren and Duncan settle in to answer all of them. One listener shares his room size and speaker placement needs, and the guys consider some options about a speaker type for his situation.

Another listener with wireless KEF LS50s wants to add tubes to the mix, and it turns out there are a few options out there for doing just that.

A listener wonders whether it’s just him or if the windows being near his system tends to collapse the sound stage. 

A vinyl fan asks about current source phono preamplifiers (as opposed to the standard voltage source ones), also known as transimpedance preamplifiers. Darren goes into detail about the pros and cons for this kind of design, and explains exactly how it works.

One question that had been on the guys’ minds lately is volume and listening. What is the correct volume for a given room, system or piece of music?

Finishing up the show, the album of the week is revealed. This time, a banjo-led acoustic folk / bluegrass outfit shows up with a record full of catchy melodies.

 

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It's about the system, and everything therein matters. You may have heard this before. When it comes to records, excellent vinyl playback hinges on the interactive choices made when assembling not only the record player system but also the library.

Beyond that, the physical constraints of the vinyl itself requires music on the black discs to be mastered differently than for digital, and released with more natural dynamic range.

Further, the type of music that lends itself to vinyl lovers' libraries can offer more audiophile moments than many other genres and styles found in digital, where an expectation that a listener might be hearing music while mowing the lawn is a complete possibility.

The systems surrounding vinyl and digital playback couldn't be more different, and that's why, in practice, they sound so different from each other.

Many audiophiles these days are deciding that either the cost is too high for entry to vinyl playback that can make your hair stand up, or they'd just rather not fuss with all that hassle.

In this week's episode fo The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan grapple with that topic, address a  listener question about integrated amplifiers, and deliver yet another lights-out album of the week.

 

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In this week’s episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan focus on a couple of great listener questions. After the usual “what’s up with us, audio-wise” reports, the guys dig into the topic of how to decide when an audio product is ripe for a modification.

Given recent podcast focus on tweaks and mods, and their own re-build projects involving a pair of Audio Research D-115 tube amplifiers, it makes sense that there should be some guidelines to help identify which products can be modded, and which ones should be left alone.

After tackling that question, the guys move on to answer one from an old friend of Duncan’s. This DJ is focused on turning his basement into a Klipsch-powered party zone, featuring several DJ turntables and a huge collection of great vinyl from the “Deep House” genre.

From SPL to sound absorption, proper cabling and amplifier matching, the guys attempt to lend a hand in what promises to be a seriously fun spot for enjoying music and dancing. Along the way they learn more about this jazz and funk-infused dance music that combines elements of “Chicago House” and complex chord progressions found outside of the traditional dance music sphere.

As for the album of the week, this one is one of Darren’s and Duncan’s favorite holiday records. It features one of the absolute greats to ever touch a piano, and was recorded two years after he suffered a stroke. But you would never know that by listening… the brain is an amazing, curious machine. As always, sound quality is superb — this album belongs in every audiophile’s library regardless of the season.

 

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Horn mouth diffraction, cardioid bass, high Q drivers, acoustic filters, constant directivity and line arrays. This is the world of loudspeakers from the perspective of someone who designs them, and in this week’s episode Darren and Duncan sit down with an expert who does exactly that, to chat about the devices which make the music we love so much.

Speaker design engineer Chris Brunhaver brings a lifetime of experience and diverse influences to the discussion, and the guys flesh out this all-important audiophile topic over local beers as the fire glows and the snow falls outside.

Part I of this speaker series focuses on non-traditional, interesting approaches to making sound, why it’s done and how some of these things are made. From open baffle science to new patents in horn design to 6-foot-long ribbons and dipole characteristics, this week’s episode of The Hifi Podcast is sure to offer something you haven’t heard before.

Listener questions about power cable priority and streaming options are answered as well, and at the end, an absolute stomper of a new album is revealed as the album pick of the week.

 

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There’s something to be improved in almost any piece of off-the-shelf audio gear, because the decisions made to put the components on the store shelf in the first place include some compromises or choices based around availability of parts, not highest fidelity.

Sure, a few hifi companies strive to build products purely for the highest sound quality, going out of their way to source the finest ingredients and eschewing PCBs for point to point wiring or spending an arm and a leg on cabinet design. Some amps get impracticably hot, some speakers stand menacingly large, some drivers are the best money can buy.

But more often than not, practicality drives many decisions for consumer products, even in hifi, and some real fun and potentially untouchable sound can be had by diving in an tweaking a thing or two.

In this week’s podcast, Darren and Duncan steer away from the more dangerous high voltage projects to address the many elements of speakers that can be adjusted or replaced, and end up talking about the important role of cables in answer to a listener representing the school of thought that cables make little difference in a system.

Before diving into the tweaks however, the guys share some interesting news and reports about their latest hifi audio acquisitions and projects. Be sure to listen to the end, where a spectacular modern electronic album makes the recommended listening list.

 

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Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

If you've ever felt the itch to crack open the crossovers of a pair of speakers and drop in some V-Caps on the tweeter, or replace the feet of an amplifier with blocks of wood, this podcast episode is for you.

And if you've ever been curious what the heck is the matter with people who put beeswax in fuses or bitumin on chassis lids and who talk about quantum materials, maybe this will shed new light on the tinkerer's world in the audiophile  game.

Our amplifiers, DACs, turntables, cables and speakers are made of ingredients, the recipe of which varies  from brand to brand and model to model. Not surprisingly, most components sound different from one another, and one of the main tenets of this hobby is the art of matching  these components for synergy and best sound.

It's really not far-fetched to understand that making different choices in how those are constructed can change the way they sound. This week, the guys talk about where that approach can go right and improve something or align it to your tastes, and where that can go horribly wrong.

Also in this episode a listener question prompts Darren and Duncan to discuss DSP-based active speakers, and at the end, another young virtuoso's record is revealed as the week's recommended audiophile album.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Desktops of the last 30 years have become dominated by the computer monitor. Gone are the days of a big desk full of a mess of papers, or the clean workspace with perhaps a small lamp on one side and a rotary telephone on the other. As the visual element of computing has taken more real estate, its seems that less and less has been offered to the sonic element. Tiny speakers the size of beer cans seem to dominate the landscape, and while computer audio and streaming fidelity have increased, the idea of a decent pair of monitors on small stands flanking the computer screen is still foreign to many.

The fact is, nearfield listening offers a potential for some of the most enjoyable sound in your life, and moving away from "in-the-head" sound of headphones can increase the focus applied to work at these desks, whether at home or in a traditional office. In this episode, Darren and Duncan explain why fidelity and soundstage need not be sacrificed on the desktop, and offer a path for setup of a stereo system that will make you look forward to sitting down and getting some work done.

Elements like boundary interaction, surface coupling, toe-in, speaker width and rake all come into the equation and are perhaps more prone to fine adjustment rewards than a larger system. The guys go through each element and also offer a number of great setups and desk-appropriate speakers they've heard for the task of achieving a rewarding desk audio system.

Earlier in the episode, Darren talks about his latest phono preamplifier being chosen as Stereophile's Analog Component Of The Year, and at the end, the album recommendation of the week is revealed which features a French pianist playing Middle Eastern jazz with a sizzling group of Israeli players.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Did your favorite hifi audio brand used to be for sale only at respected hifi dealers, but now they make bluetooth speakers you can find at Best Buy?

Is the company that made the amp or speakers you love struggling to keep the doors open amid staggering overhead costs?

What makes a brand ready for the "mainstream," and a viable candidate for purchase by a big conglomeration? Darren and Duncan ponder these questions and more as they tackle the sticky subject of mergers and acquisitions in the high end audio business.

Prompted by a listener question, the guys delve into whether this consolidation is good for the industry or good for the consumer, and think about all the things that can happen when an audio company is bought.

Listener questions also take center stage in this episode, with a few good ones the guys dig into before offering the album of the week -- a stunner of an electronic album.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Excellent listener questions have been flowing in, and Darren and Duncan pick two good ones to discuss at length in this episode of The Hifi Podcast.

Will asks what elements of different products the guys have seen when popping the hood of a device or poking around the inside of a speaker. Darren shares his feelings about Audio Research PC boards and layout, and Duncan brings up the inside of Vinnie Rossi equipment and some elements of his favorite speakers.

The discussion wanders toward packaging, where excellent design can make a difference, and then wanders further into SNAFUs and ways that package and product design can go horribly wrong.

The second question centers around tubes - where to add them, whether to go modern or vintage, whether to go all-tube or hybrid and asks for opinions on several modern tube amplifiers. The guys tee off on this one, as they are both big fans of tubes in a system, and each of the points is covered in detail.

Before the questions, the episode begins with Darren's ongoing DIY super subwoofer project and Duncan's latest DIY endeavor, a speed build of a pair of mini monitors for his testing system at The Music Room.

This week's album pick centers around a wild guitarist from Norway, and highlights the breadth and depth of his discography.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

"MMmmm, feels like it's a bit heavy around 6KHz... those cymbals are a little dark."

If you've ever found yourself saying something like this, chances are you've spent some time developing you listening skills and abilities, which is one of the most important elements of being an audiophile.

The idea of "Golden Ears" having to do with actual ears is wrong. Superior listening skills happen in between the ears, and are a product of focused efforts to get better at understanding and identifying what's happening to the music in your system. Practice makes perfect, and you have to actively work at getting better before you  can pick apart the sound in front of you or recognize what makes the best sound reproduction so excellent.

From surrounding yourself with different audio systems to actually recording and manipulating audio, Darren and Duncan offer tips and steps to help you develop your listening abilities.

This week, the guys also take on reader questions, announce a couple of hifi audio news items, and at the end of the podcast, reveal an absolute sizzler of an album recommendation.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Bill Johnson, the founder of Audio Research Corp. and a legend in our business, said that he wanted power supply components to be of such high quality that music could be enjoyed through each of the parts.

We know that all audio equipment uses power — usually DC in variety — to amplify or produce the music we love, and his point is clear: clean power is as essential to the eventual excellence of a product as any of the other parts therein.

We also know that the power supplied to our homes is AC, and must be converted to DC before these devices can do their magic work, so it makes sense that the more pure the DC power is, the better for the rest of the audio circuit.

But do you know how this is pulled off? If the terms “ripple” or “rectifier” aren’t part of your lexicon, this week’s podcast will change that as Darren and Duncan winnow down to the nuts and bolts of what makes power supplies tick — and how the good ones are made. And even if you are familiar, this podcast will undoubtedly offer something new for your perspective.

A treasure trove of power-specific information is laid out in a way that dips in and out of engineer land to reveal in plain terms how the alternating current from our walls is converted and made clean and pure before it makes its way through our beloved stereo components and eventually to our ears as music.

Generally, there is a distrust of switch mode supplies in our hobby, but the guys explain that the real truth isn’t that simple. A good power supply is good because excellent decisions are made in its design and arrangement, regardless of what it’s called.

Be sure to stick around to the end, where a truly stunning album pick of the week is revealed — one that will light up your audio system like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

We’ve all been there. You sit a friend down in front of your system in the sweet spot, and try to blow their mind. Maybe they know a little about audio, and maybe they don’t. Maybe you’re trying to explain through music exactly why you’re so obsessed with wringing out the best musical playback you can from two speakers and a chain of expensive gear.

Whatever the case, talking to non-hifi people about hifi can be more challenging than it seems. Our lexicon of descriptive words and labyrinth of technical jargon can be overwhelming for most, and it can be difficult to find the right music to play or the right words to explain to them why what is going on in the room is remarkable to you and should be remarkable to them.

Many folks understand a piece of gear is special when they hear how much it costs. Some are delighted by the visual stimulus of a lit-up tube amplifier or a staggering set of tall speakers. But we as their friends want them to be enthralled by the floating images in space, the tonal contrast of a sound or the dynamic swings of an excellent recording.

Darren and Duncan have been there too, and in this episode the guys discuss this unique topic at length, using stories and example systems to map out ideas for initiating the uninitiated. The ultimate goal is to create more audiophiles through your friendly interactions, and by the end of the episode you may come away with some fresh motivation for it.

Be sure to stay til the end, where Duncan’s album pick of the week is revealed and thoroughly explained. This one is a must-listen.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Would millions of people be interested in learning about cars if Ferrari wasn’t making super cars or if Lamborghini didn’t exist? Possibly not. Their amazing achievements not only represent the top of what’s possible, but also serve to inspire all of us to devote ourselves to learning more about what makes a great car truly special.
 

Audio is no different, and the top end of hifi audio, known commonly as “ultra-fi,” makes the same case for its existence. While many may decry the sometimes eye-popping dollar amounts required for access, or wonder just what you’re paying for with these luxury monstrosities, those lucky few with access to listening to the top of the absolute top will beg to differ. Most often, with staggering prices comes staggering performance, and Darren and Duncan attempt to break down why that is… and how.
 

What goes into making a state-of-the-art audio product? Where does the money go? And why do these ultra-expensive audio products exist in a hobby where real joy can be had with equipment far more modest and affordable? These questions and more are (hopefully) answered by the guys as they ruminate on a special segment of audio.
 

Don’t forget to listen through to the end to get this week’s album recommendation, which is focused on a young musician with an old voice and old soul, who is guaranteed to entertain and show off your audiophile system. 

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

If you’ve ever looked at a calculus equation as it relates to DIY audio and wondered just how the heck is that going to correlate with the sound signature you want to achieve, you’re not alone. Darren talks about his experiences going through school to get his Electrical Engineering degree (EE), in the hopes of convincing some that an application-focused approach to audio design is completely valid and appropriate, and can sometimes lead you to a better understanding of the big picture.
 

Making audio equipment for yourself can result in unique rewards that aren’t possible when you’re simply buying cool gear, but the guys don’t pass up a chance to remind that it can also, sometimes, be a little dangerous. You have to keep your head on straight when you’re soldering new caps into a recently run amplifier, for instance, as Darren will attest.
 

One of the beautiful things about DIY audio is giving yourself a chance to listen to products that would never see the light of day at a normal, successful audio manufacturer for the sheer impracticality of it, or the difficulty in producing it at a reasonable scale and scope.
 

The guys round out the episode talking about their album pick of the week, which features a modern super group of sorts in the jazz department. Each member of this group gets a few moments of adoration as Darren and Duncan gush over this recent album full of intricate new fusion jazz.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In a tough hobby full of myriad choices and sometimes wanton expense, there are a range of things to think about adjusting based on what’s already there.

Instead of suggesting new speakers or recommending component matching for synergy, the guys are looking at five ways a good system can be improved as it stands already.

Specific approaches and ear-approved moves are mentioned which have made serious differences for Darren and Duncan in their systems, and while you may think this is a topic that has been covered in detail before, it’s highly possible some new ideas might be lurking in their audiophile-friendly list.

Make sure and listen through to the end, where, after the most important item is broken down, the guys take a few minutes to talk about this week’s album recommendation, which is a really delightful listen.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Upgrades, product specifications, room problems and system deficiencies can consume the mind of the active audiophile.

It can take discipline to let go of all of that and realize the beauty of what you've already got. 

Whether it's a visit to a friend's audio system or a friendly compliment to your own stereo, there are ways to adjust our perspectives on this craft and bring us back to what's most important: enjoying music.

Now, there's nothing wrong with working on your system, but if you can't enjoy it, what's the point?

In the second part of this podcast, Darren and Duncan explain the other side of the equation: how to identify sonic problems in what you're hearing.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Some hifi companies, like Boulder's PS Audio, recommend that balanced connection between components is the only way to go. Other companies don't offer that option at all.

Duncan and Darren explain what all the hoopla is  regarding single ended versus balanced operation, bringing up some pros and cons for each and shedding light on the whole affair.

From overly complex topologies to bank-breaking component cost to science-backed noise reduction, there are fine arguments on both sides. But there may be other reasons yet for an audiophile to make the choice between one or the other.

Typically, the guys can't stay exactly on topic for too long. 

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

In audio's past, folks have tried to get along without a subwoofer or subwoofers in the mix. From modern production capabilities to the intentional limits of excellent speakers, the guys explain that subwoofers are an essential part of great speaker systems.

Touching on a few makes and models out there, Darren zeroes in on what type of subwoofer drivers make the most linear - or truthful - bass. He also touches on his upcoming DIY subwoofer project and outlines his choices for that.

Duncan adds a few colorful examples to explain bass interactions with the room, and both offer a couple of wild and crazy approaches they've seen. 

The questions of how big, how loud and what type of subwoofer is best are dealt with, as well as a more modern quagmire: one subwoofer, or two? Or six?

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.

Darren and Duncan break down their opinions on single ended triode amplifiers and their use with speakers with no crossover -- single driver full range speakers. Duncan talks about his DIY corner horns and his latest amplifier purchase - a Decware Mini Torii SEP (pentode) 3.9 Watt tube amplifier and how good it sounds in his new bedroom audio system.

Engineer Darren explains why so much of this is good for an audiophile experience, and talks about distortion profiles, the difference between SET and push pull designs, how tape is similar in some ways to a good push pull, and why people like what they hear when they're hearing high distortion, high output impedance single ended amplifiers.

 

This podcast is powered by CommonGround Cables Whisper power cable. Read customer reviews and order your own at www.commongroundcables.com.

Find all of our album recommendations in one place, at www.thehifipodcast.net.