30 episodes

This is Audio Unleashed: the world’s only totally unfiltered, freewheeling, fearless discussion about the latest events in the world of audio, featuring veteran audio reviewers Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger. With decades of experience, a modest grasp of science and logic, and a marginal degree of financial security, they can tell the good from the bad, and the proven from the preposterous — and they’re not afraid to tell you what’s what.

Audio Unleashed Brent Butterworth & Dennis Burger

    • Technology

This is Audio Unleashed: the world’s only totally unfiltered, freewheeling, fearless discussion about the latest events in the world of audio, featuring veteran audio reviewers Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger. With decades of experience, a modest grasp of science and logic, and a marginal degree of financial security, they can tell the good from the bad, and the proven from the preposterous — and they’re not afraid to tell you what’s what.

    “I'm Not a Redneck; I'm a Hillbilly!”

    “I'm Not a Redneck; I'm a Hillbilly!”

    We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedThis week, Brent and Dennis talk about Jabra blowing out of the True Wireless earphone market with two last hurrahs, Passion for Sound redefining what it means to be an audiophile reviewer, and Lenbrook teaming up with HDTracks to start a new MQA-centric streaming service. 
    Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
     
    📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
     
    📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
     
    📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
     
    Further Reading: 
    “GN Group Announces Surprising Decision to Exit True Wireless Earbuds Consumer Space” by Joao Martins: https://audioxpress.com/news/gn-group-announces-surprising-decision-to-exit-true-wireless-earbuds-consumer-space
    “Jabra Unveils Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 Generation 2 True Wireless Earbuds” by Joao Martins: https://audioxpress.com/news/jabra-unveils-elite-8-active-and-elite-10-generation-2-true-wireless-earbuds
    “Why I'm quitting being an audiophile reviewer” by Passion for Sound: https://youtu.be/P0beuLLYR5c?si=WlR9G0O4rBH28s09
    “FLAC or MQA? ‘Yes!’ says HDTracks & Lenbrook’s new streaming service” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2024/06/flac-or-mqa-yes-says-hdtracks-lenbrooks-new-streaming-service/

    • 58 min
    “A Nixon-in-China Kind of Thing”

    “A Nixon-in-China Kind of Thing”

    We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedThis week, Brent and Dennis talk about the flaming dumpster fire that is Spotify, get straight to the heart of what a “Speaker Improver” actually improves, and ponder the age-old question: When do DACs stop burning in?
    And for Patrons: a virtual tour of High End Munich 2024.
    Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
    📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
    📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
    📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
    Further Reading: 
    “Spotify Is Not Offering Refunds After It Bricks ‘The Car Thing’” by Collin Woodard: https://jalopnik.com/spotify-is-not-offering-refunds-after-it-bricks-the-car-1851499512
    “Spotify says it will refund Car Thing purchases” by Will Shanklin: https://www.engadget.com/spotify-now-says-it-will-refund-car-thing-purchases-193001487.html?guccounter=1
    “Spotify raises prices on premium plans to boost profits” by Wendy Lee: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spotify-raises-prices-premium-plans-162702081.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
    “Spotify's Phony War On Bots” by Benn Jordan: https://youtu.be/kVY7-Ti77UQ?si=EMKay-FMnVHz6dxT
    “The Problem with Music” by Steve Albini: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-music
    “Ted Gioia on AI's Threat To Music” by Rick Beato: https://youtu.be/ibMd_Jx9daw?si=LKqRpAn8_InPxliv
    “Akiko Audio Speaker Improver” by Malcolm J. Gomes: https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/akiko-audio-speaker-improver/
    “Burn in for DACs” by Paul McGowan, PS Audio: https://youtu.be/LYtBuoaYwNY?si=lJFIqbbr793cFNXo
     

    • 1 hr 5 min
    “Harry Pearson = Jesus!”

    “Harry Pearson = Jesus!”

    We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedThis week, Brent and Dennis ponder whether Class D can really live up to the performance of Class A and Class AB amps, talk about testing USB cables and why they aren’t in Singapore, and deconstruct a new manifesto by John Darko.
    And for Patrons: Which company has ruined its own cred with a disastrous software update? 
    Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
    📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
    📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
    📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
    Further Reading: 
    “Is Class-D Amplification Now Better than Class-A/B and Class-A?” by Robert Schryer: https://pmamagazine.org/is-class-d-amplification-now-better-than-class-a-b-and-class-a/
    Lachlan does another blind test of USB cables, nobody can tell the difference, chooses to discount the results and prefer his magic USB cables” by u/blorg: reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/1crkiz3/lachlan_does_another_blind_test_of_usb_cables/?share_id=iyNIc119UUqLVBbEe5qIB
    “The Music-First Audiophile Manifesto” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2024/05/the-music-first-audiophile-manifesto/
    PDF grab of Darko homepage, May 13, 2024: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jIrdTzbJbKgKaVtjq7MsPfuYpGH5j0woY4ZF53Gj2Wg/edit?usp=sharing

    • 53 min
    “One Hillbilly Shootin’ at Another’n”

    “One Hillbilly Shootin’ at Another’n”

    We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedThis week, Brent and Dennis dig into a blog post by John Siau of Benchmark Audio about audiophile snake oil, deconstruct Jorge Sadurni's Spherical Dual loudspeakers, and weigh in on a Facebook feud about whether diminishing returns are even a thing. 
    Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
    📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
    📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
    📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
    Further Reading: 
    “Audiophile Snake Oil” by John Siau: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audiophile-snake-oil
    “Sadurni Acoustics with Wolf Systems and House of Stereo” by Jason Victor Serinus: https://www.stereophile.com/content/sadurni-acoustics-wolf-systems-and-house-stereo
    “The Magico M9 & The Myth of the Law of Diminishing Returns” by The Absolute Sound: https://youtu.be/uqm9P8HSq08?si=v-n_Ryq3P1nvFmsg
    “If DAC Chips Perform Perfectly Then Why Don’t All DACs Sound the Same?” by Jerry Del Colliano: https://futureaudiophile.com/if-dac-chips-perform-perfectly-then-why-dont-all-dacs-sound-the-same/

    • 1 hr 1 min
    “A More Tragic Supervillain Backstory”

    “A More Tragic Supervillain Backstory”

    We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedY’all have been waiting for it! We’re here to deliver. This week, we dig into the Tekton Design/Erin’s Audio Corner/ASR hullabaloo in the way that only Audio Unleashed can. Is Tekton founder Eric Alexander the real victim here? With that done, we dig into an article about a guy you’ve never heard of who’s out-streaming most artists you have. What does this mean? Is it an AI thing? And in our third segment, we try to figure out what the heck the Gryphon Audio PowerZone 3 power strip thingy even is.
    Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
    📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
    📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
    📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
    Further Reading: 
    “Tekton Troubadour Review: Take 2” by Erin’s Audio Corner: https://youtu.be/ItAwcW-3Kv4?si=TQpkTjBegdT3nds-
    “The Legal Risks of Being an Audio Reviewer” by Audioholics: https://youtu.be/V-1A68sdGMQ?si=aE2IVYtJdY9J_hyH
    “Tekton Design Impact Monitor loudspeaker” by Herb Reichert: https://www.stereophile.com/content/tekton-design-impact-monitor-loudspeaker
    “The History of Tekton Design's Patented Tweeter Array” by Tekton Design: https://youtu.be/8GFnarjmG1c?si=SINzoSm49gheX70f
    Patent US9247339B2: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9247339B2/en
    “The Rise of the Anonymous Music Star” by Ted Gioia: https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-rise-of-the-anonymous-music-star
    “PowerZone by GRYPHON DEBUTS AT AXPONA” by TAS Staff: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/powerzone-by-gryphon-debuts-at-axpona/
    Quantum Acoustics: https://www.quantumacoustics.net/theory

    • 59 min
    “You need cable-lifters, for sure”

    “You need cable-lifters, for sure”

    We’re on Patreon now! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedHey fam! A lot of you have expressed your eagerness to hear us cover the Erin’s Audio Corner/Tekton kerfuffle and Eric Alexander’s resulting and wholly unnecessary self-immolation. Sadly, we’d already recorded the tracks for this one before that all played out! Hopefully you still dig what we’ve got for you this week. 
    First up: A deep dive into the concept of “everything between the Romex and the amp.” Next: Our reaction to John DeVore of DeVore Fidelity’s appearance on The Occasional Podcast from back in November. Then we check out Your Morning Coffee’s new AI-generated theme song and discuss what the heck this all means.
    Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases):
    📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp
    📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE
    📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0
     
    Further Reading: 
    “SHOCKING! Tellurium Q Black II power cable review” by Passion for Sound: https://youtu.be/ztLQxC_hIjE?si=Q1wuSCyUwZcIZWRA
    “Russ Andrews BMU 3000 Mk II Review” by Andrew 'Harry' Harrison: https://hifiplus.com/articles/russ-andrews-bmu-3000-mk-ii-balanced-mains-transformer/
    “Do Power Cables Make a Difference? The Results Surprised Me - Blind Testing the Audioquest NRG-Z3” by cheapaudioman: https://youtu.be/im1aKrc3A6E?si=haqjAkYadn3ycI_2
    “Furman Elite-15 DMi and Elite-20 PFi Power Conditioners Review” by Steve Munz: https://www.audioholics.com/power-conditioner-reviews/furman-elite-15-dmi-and-elite-20-pfi-power-conditioners
    “John DeVore Of DeVORE FIDELITY Returns!” by The Occasional Podcast: https://theoccasionalpodcast.libsyn.com/john-devore-of-devore-fidelity-returns
    Your Morning Coffee Episode 190: https://yourmorningcoffeepodcast.libsyn.com/episode-190

    • 1 hr 2 min

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