SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

SoundStage! | The SoundStage! Network | Schneider Publishing Inc.
  • 4.1 (32)
  • Arts
  • Updated Semimonthly

The official podcast of SoundStage!, featuring host Jorden Guth (seasons 2–5) and Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger (season 1).

  1. Jul 17

    Hi-Fi Nerd Fight Part 2—Dennis Burger vs. Paul Hales on Room Correction

    This week, we pick up the ball from where the previous episode left off. Host Jorden Guth once again moderates a chat between podcast producer Dennis Burger and guest L. Paul Hales about the future of hi-fi and the place room correction has in that future. Topics include how one defines a good speaker, why kick drums can lose their oomph, why you wouldn’t EQ a piano, and a complete break-down of Paul’s five-point problem with room correction. Sources: “Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/ “JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin” by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin “Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?” (S5:E4): https://youtu.be/xdyxqp9kYvE?si=lZwAeCePVYoVOLl6 “Chest-Pounding Bass, Done Smarter 🔊 Theory’s Renegade Approach to LFE”: https://youtu.be/vtOgOT5hsu0?si=0J9qiAfDGGK-8XHR Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:01:59 What makes a speaker good? 00:07:28 A thought experiment 00:15:54 Get that kick drum out of my ass  00:25:07 Paul’s five-point problem with room correction 00:33:31 The question of burn-in 00:37:23 A band of speakers? 00:38:25 Outro music: "Goosefeet” by Javapysch

    Hi-Fi Nerd Fight Part 2—Dennis Burger vs. Paul Hales on Room Correction

  2. Jul 3

    Hi-Fi Nerd Fight Part 1—Dennis Burger vs. Paul Hales on Room Correction

    This week, host Jorden Guth moderates a conversation between podcast producer Dennis Burger and returning guest L. Paul Hales, founder and chief designer of California-based Pro Audio Technology. Together, they explore the future of hi-fi and the role room correction may play in shaping it. This is the first installment of a two-part discussion. Sources: “Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/ “JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin” by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin “Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?” (S5:E4): https://youtu.be/xdyxqp9kYvE?si=lZwAeCePVYoVOLl6 “Chest-Pounding Bass, Done Smarter 🔊 Theory’s Renegade Approach to LFE”: https://youtu.be/vtOgOT5hsu0?si=0J9qiAfDGGK-8XHR Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:09:59 Can bad rooms benefit from room correction? 00:16:43 Dennis enters the chat 00:23:15 The parable of the piano  00:30:12 Direct vs. reverberant sound 00:36:14 Grimes theory of economic unfairness, but speakers instead of boots 00:40:59 Outro music: "Techné” by Art Against Agony

    Hi-Fi Nerd Fight Part 1—Dennis Burger vs. Paul Hales on Room Correction

  3. Jun 19

    Vienna Verdict: Did High End 2026 Deliver?

    This week, host Jorden Guth sits down with SoundStage! Ultra’s Jason Thorpe and SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider to discuss their trip to Vienna for High End 2026—the first time the world's most important hi-fi show has been held outside Munich in more than two decades. Did the move affect the show? Was there a demographic shift among attendees? What were the most impressive products, rooms, and demonstrations? And perhaps most importantly, were the Vienna sandwiches up to par? Sources: High End 2026 coverage from Vienna, Austria, on SoundStage! Global: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2026-vienna-austria Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:06:46 Taking attendance 00:09:22 Quantity and quality of the rooms 00:14:23 How’d it sound? 00:28:33 The best record Jason ever heard 00:31:30 Bowers & Wilkins 800 D5 00:32:40 A demographic shift? 00:35:02 The offsite controversy 00:36:27 A 21st century player piano 00:43:53 Outro music: "To Be the One” by Israel Wasserman

    Vienna Verdict: Did High End 2026 Deliver?

  4. Jun 5

    A Mission, Not a Job—JL Audio’s Doug Henderson

    JL Audio's new Primacy active loudspeaker system has generated plenty of discussion since its debut, but how did the project come together—and what does it say about the future of high-end audio? In this episode, host Jorden Guth speaks with Doug Henderson, Garmin's Director of Home Audio, about his 50-year journey in the audio industry, from selling hi-fi in Manhattan during the 1970s to leadership roles at Dahlquist, Bowers & Wilkins, and now JL Audio. Henderson explains how the Primacy project evolved, why active DSP-based loudspeakers represent a major shift in home audio, and how technologies developed for automotive and marine audio helped shape JL Audio's flagship home-audio system. The conversation also explores changing listening habits, the importance of making high-performance audio more accessible, and what the next generation of music lovers may expect from hi-fi systems in the decades ahead. Sources: “Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/are-jl-audio-s-primacy-speakers-the-future-of-stereo/   “JL Audio’s Primacy Active Loudspeaker Systems: Charting a New Course Under Garmin”: by Roger Kanno: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/232-roger-kanno/1266-jl-audios-primacy-active-loudspeaker-systems-charting-a-new-course-under-garmin Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:05:29 From Harmony Hut to Dalquist 00:09:09 Memories of Saul Marantz 00:10:35 JL Audio’s turf  00:16:46 DSP and the Art of High-Fidelity 00:19:31 The origins of Primacy? 00:22:52 Why speakers look the way they do 00:26:17 Pricing Primacy 00:30:01 What we got right and wrong 00:35:33 Peering into the crystal ball 00:39:51 Outro music: "The Buddha’s a Beatle” by 5 Sided Cube

    A Mission, Not a Job—JL Audio’s Doug Henderson

  5. May 22

    Can Hi-Fi Survive? Paradigm, Anthem, WiiM, and the Future of Audio

    This week on the SoundStage! Network Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth is joined by Blake Alty, product manager for Paradigm and Anthem, along with John Bagby, managing director at PML Sound—the parent company behind Paradigm, Anthem, MartinLogan, and GoldenEar. Together, they discuss how brands maintain distinct identities under one corporate roof, how manufacturing scale affects modern hi-fi, the industry’s generational divide, the partnership with WiiM, and whether high-end audio risks losing touch with ordinary music lovers as million-dollar systems increasingly dominate the conversation. Sources: “Paradigm Shift—The Bagbys Are Back!”: https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1350-paradigm-shift-the-bagbys-are-back “A Fantastic Gateway: A Q&A with Paradigm's Zoltan Balla and Blake Alty on the New Monitor SE 8000F Loudspeaker”: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1186-a-fantastic-gateway-a-qa-with-paradigms-zoltan-balla-and-blake-alty-on-the-new-monitor-se-8000f-loudspeaker Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:07:21 Maintaining separate brand identities 00:11:30 Economies of scale 00:13:54 Defining value in an uncertain economy  00:17:11 The future of million-dollar hi-fi 00:20:39 The myth that kids don’t care about good sound 00:24:03 Headphones 00:25:55 The next generation 00:29:16 Wonder Twin Powers, Activate! 00:33:04 Education matters 00:34:52 Ten years down the road? 00:40:43 Outro music: "Crystal Ball” by Adv3n7ur35

    Can Hi-Fi Survive? Paradigm, Anthem, WiiM, and the Future of Audio

  6. May 8

    Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?

    This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider and SoundStage! Access editor Dennis Burger to discuss the remarkable technology behind JL Audio’s new fully active, DSP-optimized Primacy loudspeakers, including the three-way T6 tower and two-way T3 standmount model. Do these highly integrated speakers point toward the future of high-end audio, or are they a radical detour from traditional hi-fi thinking? Along with debating the concept itself, the group also digs into Doug’s early listening impressions and what makes these speakers so different from most of today’s high-end designs. Sources: “JL Audio’s First Hi-Fi Speakers Rethink Stereo—Primacy T6 and S3” by SoundStage Network: https://youtu.be/m2yuMHwr8TQ?si=rpIeewakT7ulK7Ja Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:03:06 The rumours of JL Audio’s demise… 00:16:47 A radical approach? 00:23:08 We can’t show, but we can tell 00:26:08 Yeah, they cost that much! 00:27:40 The real future of real high-end? 00:32:48 Achille’s heel or nah? 00:33:45 OK, but do they even sound good? 00:42:28 Outro music: "Flying Above the Sun" by Yehezkel Raz feat. Sivan Talmor

    Are JL Audio’s Primacy Speakers the Future of Stereo?

  7. Apr 24

    Steinway Lyngdorf CCO: Hi-Fi’s Nokia Moment?

    In this episode, Steinway Lyngdorf CCO Peter Keller-Larsen draws on his experience at Nokia during the iPhone era to explain why user experience, simplicity, and real customer insight now matter more than ever. From gaming and home cinema to changing listening habits, he argues that hi-fi must evolve—or risk being left behind. Sources: “The Hi-Fi Generation Gap—and What the Industry Must Do”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/the-hi-fi-generation-gap%e2%80%94and-what-the-industry-must-do/ “Yet Another Navel-Gazing Editorial About Boomers, Kids, and the Future of Hi-Fi” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1368-yet-another-navel-gazing-editorial-about-boomers-kids-and-the-future-of-hi-fi “German Hi-Fi Giant T+A's CEO on the Future of Audio”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/german-hi-fi-giant-ta-ceo-on-the-future-of-audio/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions and origin stories 00:06:18 The Danish Steve Jobs? 00:09:38 Dennis was right about gaming . . . 00:18:01 . . . and the physiological benefits of good sound 00:21:49 Plug and play 00:24:52 Opposition research 00:27:09 Who’s getting it right? 00:34:26 Outro music: “Cloud Ten” by Novembers

    Steinway Lyngdorf CCO: Hi-Fi’s Nokia Moment?

  8. Apr 10

    Simaudio’s Étienne Gautier on Fixing Hi-Fi’s Future

    In this episode of the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth is joined by Simaudio’s product director, Étienne Gautier, for a wide-ranging conversation about where hi-fi is headed—and what needs to change. They discuss the lack of industry standards, what hi-fi can learn from other sectors, the real value of trade shows, the role of education, and how today’s “hustle culture” mindset affects both companies and consumers. Sources: “Inside the Moon 371: Étienne Gautier on Simaudio's New Compass Collection”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/inside-the-moon-371-etienne-gautier-on-simaudios-new-compass-collection/ “Simaudio’s North Collection: The Future of Hi-Fi?”: https://www.soundstage.life/e/simaudio-s-north-collection-the-future-of-hi-fi/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Announcement 00:00:36 Introductions 00:03:31 Organizing the industry and setting standards 00:12:03 Cross-polination in hi-fi 00:14:01 Journalistic standards? 00:17:46 Trade show blues 00:19:35 Education and exposure 00:25:33 Coming out of the basement 00:32:03 Connected vs. disconnected 00:31:49 Outro music: “Magilla Trench” by Art Against Agony

    Simaudio’s Étienne Gautier on Fixing Hi-Fi’s Future
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About

The official podcast of SoundStage!, featuring host Jorden Guth (seasons 2–5) and Brent Butterworth and Dennis Burger (season 1).

Information

  • Creator
    SoundStage! | The SoundStage! Network | Schneider Publishing Inc.
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast