The HiFi Hobbyist Podcast

alan gillies
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This podcast is part of the HiFi Hobbyist Multichannel project for people whose hobby is High Fidelity audio reproduction. It started life as a blog in 2020 and has expanded to include videocasts and AI-generated audio discussions. The HiFi Hobbyist podcast is a new channel that aims to discuss the issues raised in more detail through a dedicated audio podcast channel where in-depth talks will be alternated by AI discussions of the same issue. We will also produce occasional special editions. Our goal is to publish once a week. You can visit the main HiFi Hobbyist site at hifihobbyist.net

  1. 5D AGO

    The HiFi Hobbyist's guide to Beethoven's 9 Symphonies in which select our top 5 Beethoven symphonies

    This week’s podcast is the first of a four-week cycle. This week we will review Beethoven’s nine symphonies and choose a top five. This will be followed next week by letting our AI protagonists discuss the symphonies and the Hi-Fi Hobbyists ranking. After that, the following week’s podcast will consider some of the greatest recordings of Beethoven’s 9 Symphonies cycles, both from a musical and audio perspective, as befits a Hi-fi hobbyist podcast. The four-week cycle will conclude with an AI discussion of the different recordings. The podcasts are all accompanied by extracts from the Symphonies. This week’s recordings are performed by performed by The Fulda Symphonic Orchestra, who were recorded live on March 10, 2002 at the Grosser Saal der Orangerie. The recordings are provided by classicals.de and used under Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence. I hope you enjoy this week’s podcast and if you do, please come back in future weeks for the later podcasts.

    53 min

  2. FEB 7

    The AI Debate about CHi-Fi: Hi-Fi Hobbyists dream or nightmare?

    This week’s podcast is a generated debate to decide whether Chi-Fi represents a dream or a nightmare for the Hi-Fi Hobbyist. The AI protagonists use the sources from last week's podcast to create their arguments.  Once again, the music accompanying this podcast consists of tracks of Chinese music by Kazoom, played on traditional Chinese instruments, hosted by Pixabay.com, and used under a Pixabay licence.

    21 min

  3. JAN 31

    Chi-Fi: Is it a HiFi Hobbyists dream, or a nightmare?

    A few weeks ago, the main Hi-Fi Hobbyist looked at the emergence of Chi-Fi. Chi-Fi describes an industry phenomenon where independent Chinese brands deliver high-performance audio equipment at disruptive prices. It marks a shift from OEM manufacturing of Western designs to the emergence of Chinese designed kit offered by Chinese brands and sold on global platforms such as Amazon. This podcast looks in more detail at how it has developed, and the implications for Hi-Fi Hobbyists and Hi-Fi manufacturers in the West.

    53 min

  4. JAN 24

    Two AI protagonists debate whether Class AB or Class D amplification is better

    In last week's podcast we looked at the different amplifier classes and how they linked to the sound quality of key exemplar amplifiers of each type. One of the conclusions was that the vast majority of modern amplifiers are either Class AB or Class D. For this week's podcast, we have generated a debate between two AI protagonists, one championing the virtues of Class AB, the other, the benefits of Class D amplifiers.  For accompaniment, we have stuck with electronic techno by Nick Panek, this time a track entitled "Ridiculous". It is hosted by Pixabay and used under a Pixabay licence. I hope that you enjoy the debate. Happy listening!

    21 min

  5. JAN 17

    What class is your amplifier in?

    A few weeks ago, we looked at the the difference between valves and solid-state components such as transistors or integrated circuits in hi-fi amplifiers. One of the issues that emerged from that podcast was the question of amplifier topology or class. It appeared from the research undertaken that the amplifier topology could have as much impact on the ultimate sound as the nature of the devices doing the amplification. In this podcast, we will consider the most common amplifier classes, the characteristics of the sound with which they are associated and some examples of highly regarded amplifiers within each class. The very fact that there are highly regarded amplifiers in each class suggests that no one class is best, but rather each has its own characteristics, and in conjunction with the loudspeakers used will generate its own particular sound quality.

    23 min

  6. JAN 10

    Two AI protagonists debate the merits of the HiFi Hobbyist ranking of Jethro Tull albums

    In last week's podcast, I selected my favourite five Jethro Tull albums. The selection was based on musical and lyrical quality, rather than the sound quality of the original releases, but as this was a Hi-Fi Hobbyist podcast, sound quality was raised, especially in relation to the Steve Wilson remixes where available.  For this week's podcast, we have generated a debate between two AI protagonists, one set the task of defending my ranking, the other required to oppose it in classic debating fashion.  We have reused the version of Bourrée from J.S. Bach's Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996, that inspired Jethro Tull’s famous Bourrée track when Ian Anderson heard Martin Barre play it on his guitar. This version is by Jakob Lindberg, and the recording is in the public domain.

    20 min

  7. JAN 3

    The HiFi Hobbyist Top Five Jethro Tull Albums - Ranked!

    Jethro Tull have been producing music since 1968, and therefore selecting 5 favourite Jethro Tull albums for this podcast is a difficult task. This week's podcast is the Hifi Hobbyist's attempt to select a Top Five Jethro Tull albums. Only five in the list in order to try to explore the merits of each title in some detai,l particularly with reference to the sound quality of each album. The Jethro Tull catalogue has been well served by a series of remixes by Steve Wilson, often on the 40th anniversary of the original release. Many of Jethro Tull’s early albums, in particula,r push the boundaries of what was then technically possible, and this perhaps explains why the quality of some of the original releases was less than ideal. In selecting my favourite 5 albums, I have taken into account that some of the Jethro Tull albums can be seen as companion pieces. Thus, a Passion Play and a Thick as a Brick both represent concept albums and share a common tongue-in-cheek approach. Heavy Horses and Songs from the Wood represent a more rural and folksy approach to music. Stormwatch whilst musically similar to Heavy Horses and Songs from the Wood looks forward lyrically to the more apocalyptic themes of A. Crest of a Knave and Rock Island represent a harder rock sound, whilst Minstrel in the Gallery and Too old to Rock'n'Roll, Too Young to Die can be seen as concept albums based around relatively short individual tracks. In order to reduce my options, I elected to set the criteria that no two albums that represent companion pieces could appear in my top five. The selection is based on musical and lyrical quality, rather than the sound quality of the original releases, but as this is a hifi hobbyist podcast, we will certainly discuss sound quality, especially in relation to the Steve Wilson remixes where available. As usual, we cannot use Tull’s music for copyright reasons, so the music featured is a version of Bourrée in E minor from J.S. Bach's Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996. This is the piece that inspired Jethro Tull’s famous Bourrée track when Ian Anderson heard Martin Barre play it on his guitar. Our version is by Jakob Lindberg, and the recording is in the public domain.

    32 min

  8. 12/27/2025

    The HiFi Hobbyist New Year Podcast - Two AIs debate how to perform Messiah

    Welcome to this week’s podcast, which is a generated debate about the different approaches to performing and recording Handel’s Messiah, as discussed in last week's Christmas podcast.  The AI protagonists debate the merits of the newer authentic or "historically informed" performances compared to the more traditional larger scale performances popular in the early years of vinyl LP records.  The selections of Messiah that accompany the podcast are again supplied from Wikimedia Commons. They are used under a Creative Commons 2.0 licence. Given the topic and the availability of the recordings, some of the musical clips are longer than usual. I do hope that you enjoy the podcast!

    28 min
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About

This podcast is part of the HiFi Hobbyist Multichannel project for people whose hobby is High Fidelity audio reproduction. It started life as a blog in 2020 and has expanded to include videocasts and AI-generated audio discussions. The HiFi Hobbyist podcast is a new channel that aims to discuss the issues raised in more detail through a dedicated audio podcast channel where in-depth talks will be alternated by AI discussions of the same issue. We will also produce occasional special editions. Our goal is to publish once a week. You can visit the main HiFi Hobbyist site at hifihobbyist.net

Information

  • Creator
    alan gillies
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The HiFi Hobbyist Podcast

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