This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Trinnov Audio general manager Jon Herron to discuss the company’s history, the synergy between physical room acoustics and DSP room optimization, why different frequencies of sound require a different approach, and how the company’s new WaveForming technology is a whole new approach to perfecting bass performance in-room.

Sources:

“Trinnov Amethyst DAC-Preamplifier-Processor" by Al Griffin https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/39-trinnov-amethyst-dac-preamplifier-processor

Trinnov Audio: https://www.trinnov.com/

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:31 Introductions and origins stories 00:09:51 What makes Trinnov different? 00:26:59 The broken promise of Atmos 00:31:59 Music Break: “Once Upon a Time in the West Elevator” by Jamison Dewlen 00:33:17 A deeper dive into old-school acoustics 00:36:23 Why bass misbehaves 00:43:59 How WaveForming works 00:59:24 “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Will Taylor

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Pro Audio Technology owner/president L. Paul Hales to discuss his history in audio, how audio research has guided the development of his speakers over the years, what really matters in audio and what doesn’t, and why most consumer speakers fall short in one significant way.

Sources:

“Theory Audio Design Sys5.2.2.8515 5.2.2 Dolby Atmos Surround Speaker System” by Vince Hanada: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1111-theory-audio-design-sys5-2-2-8515-5-2-2-dolby-atmos-surround-speaker-system

Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 1: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dr-floyd-toole-an-oral-history-1-two-ears-and-a-brain-transistors-rules-and-data/

Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 2: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dr-floyd-toole-an-oral-history-2-ab-tests-bass-athena-brains-rooms-hearing-listening/

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:31 Introductions and origins stories 00:30:16 Music Break: “Harpstrings and Chill (Gymnopédie No. 1)” by Lalinea 00:31:19 Hi-fi PA speakers? 00:43:08 The origins of Pro Audio Technology 00:59:40 What really matters in audio? 01:12:14 “Gymnopédie No. 1” by T. Bless and the Professionals

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by the SoundStage! Network’s Joseph Taylor, Jason Thorpe, and Dennis Burger to discuss records and turntables, from the perspective of two old pros and one recent convert to the format.

Sources:

“A Vinyl-Apathist’s Quest for His Perfect First Turntable” by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1297-a-vinyl-apathists-quest-for-his-perfect-first-turntable

“Confessions of a Recent Vinyl Convert” by Dennis Burger: https://soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1301-confessions-of-a-recent-vinyl-convert

“Record Store Day and Vinyl Culture” by Joseph Taylor: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/features-menu/pulse-menu/1151-record-store-day-and-vinyl-culture

“Read the Instructions! The Perils of Cartridge Setup” by Jason Thorpe: https://soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/1231-read-the-instructions-the-perils-of-cartridge-setup

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:31 Introductions 00:15:01 Tea ceremony for music 00:26:39 Music Break: "Homecoming" by Rex Banner 00:27:27 How much difference do cartridges make? 00:36:34 The psychology of sound quality 01:03:08 "Afternoon Dissection" by Chameleon Treat

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined once again by Simaudio product director Dominique Poupart and marketing director Étienne Gautier to discuss how making its products locally affects the quality of the components, their serviceable life, rolling changes to production, and adapting to tough times like global pandemics.

Sources:

North Collection: https://simaudio.com/en/product-category/north-collection/

“Simaudio’s North Collection: The Future of Hi-Fi?” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/simaudio-s-north-collection-the-future-of-hi-fi/

“Simaudio’s Moon 791 Streaming Preamplifier: Uncompromised” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1841-simaudio-s-moon-791-streaming-preamplifier-uncompromised

“Moon by Simaudio Has Exited the Echo Chamber” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1201-moon-by-simaudio-has-exited-the-echo-chamber

“Simaudio’s Étienne Gautier & the Art of Marketing Moon” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/simaudio-s-etienne-gautier-the-art-of-marketing-moon-baumgartner-restoration-taskmaster/

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:31 The origins of Simaudio 00:04:03 How manufacturing at home keeps a company nimble 00:22:03 Music Break: "Threads of Smoke" by Tamuz Dekel 00:23:14 Local manufacturing’s impact on repairability 00:49:24 "Alice Loses Her Temper" by Maybird

This week, host Jorden Guth continues his conversation with Dr. Floyd Toole, exploring the origins of the Athena project at Canada’s NRC, the reasons for and details of his move to Harman International, some of the most misunderstood aspects of his research, the origins of his legendary book Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, his legacy, and the music that moves him.

Closing credits music: “Longitude” by Rowan Hudson's Passing Ships

Sources:

“Canada’s NRC: A Forthcoming Look at Its Role in the Advancement of Canadian Loudspeaker Design” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1849-canadas-nrc-a-forthcoming-look-at-its-role-in-the-advancement-of-canadian-loudspeaker-design “The Loudspeaker Class of ’74: A Canadian Reunion” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1866-the-loudspeaker-class-of-74-a-canadian-reunion

“Floyd Toole, NRC, SoundStage!—Filming of Our Upcoming Documentary” by the soundstagenetwork on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k8ykCTEOhZI?si=BfcmIAWg1s6BKyQm

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:28 Introductions 00:01:19 The limits of A/B testing 00:04:59 Why you have to measure everything 00:15:42 All about that bass 00:18:40 Athena, assemble! 00:23:47 How our brains make sense of rooms 00:27:28 “Emahoy” by Rowan Hudson's Passing Ships 00:28:45 Working with the CBC 00:31:14 How hearing loss impacts judgment 00:37:48 Another fateful phone call 00:41:20 L.A. is no place to live 00:44:02 The hint of a corporate target 00:46:22 Herding engineers 00:51:13 Listening tests at Harman 00:53:22 Publishing the Harman research 00:55:55 A feature, not a bugbear 00:58:47 “Horse Latitudes” by Rowan Hudson's Passing Ships 01:00:10 Evolution or revolution? 01:02:35 The two-sub solution 01:07:54 The birth of Sound Reproduction 01:11:05 Rewriting the book 01:13:42 Unanswered questions and Dr. Toole’s legacy 01:45:59 The music that moves Dr. Toole

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by the loudspeaker legend himself, Dr. Floyd Toole, whose research at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC), followed by his tenure at Harman International, resulted in arguably more improvements to the fidelity of audio we hear at home than anything attributable to any one person. In this first of our two-part discussion, Dr. Toole discusses his path from university to the NRC and right up to the onset of the Athena project, where we’ll pick up in the second part.

Sources:

“Canada’s NRC: A Forthcoming Look at Its Role in the Advancement of Canadian Loudspeaker Design” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1849-canadas-nrc-a-forthcoming-look-at-its-role-in-the-advancement-of-canadian-loudspeaker-design

“The Loudspeaker Class of ’74: A Canadian Reunion” by Doug Schneider: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1866-the-loudspeaker-class-of-74-a-canadian-reunion

“Floyd Toole, NRC, SoundStage!—Filming of Our Upcoming Documentary” by the soundstagenetwork on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k8ykCTEOhZI?si=BfcmIAWg1s6BKyQm

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:28 Introductions 00:04:39 The dawning of the age of the transistor 00:11:05 Two ears and a brain 00:21:28 A fateful interview 00:27:58 Music break: "Turkish March” by T. Bless & the Professionals 00:29:24 Friday afternoon experiments 00:33:54 The differences between musicians and audiophiles 00:38:54 An industry operating without rules 00:49:45 What can we learn from a set of data? 00:54:01 “When I Get Home” by Brian Claxton

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Dr. Sean Olive, senior fellow at Harman International, to discuss his time at NRC with Dr. Floyd Toole, his move from there to Harman, the development of the Harman target curves for headphones and earphones, and his thoughts on the future of immersive audio and more.

Sources:

Dr. Sean Olive on 35 Years of “Fast Car” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1259-dr-sean-olive-on-35-years-of-fast-car

Audio Musings by Sean Olive: https://seanolive.blogspot.com/

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:28 Introductions 00:04:27 What is a Tonmeister? 00:12:19 Sponsored by Canada’s best and brightest 00:18:10 All roads lead to California 00:24:54 Music break: "Paris Café” by Wesly Thomas 00:26:13 Manager of subjective evaluation 00:36:03 The origins of the Harman target curve 00:42:41 How to train your listeners 00:49:09 “I Will Always Remember You” by Marek Jakubowicz

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage’s Doug Schneider, Jason Thorpe, and Matt Bonaccio to discuss the biggest audio show in the world, what’s new, what’s different, and what were their favorite sights and sounds this time around.

Sources:

Coverage of High End 2024 - Munich, Germany: https://soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2024-munich-germany

High End Society: https://www.highendsociety.de

Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:28 What’s Munich all about? 00:20:01 Music break: "Scapes" by Gray North 00:20:48 Favorite sights and sounds 00:46:30 “Diagrammatic” by Oliver Michael