Listening, Part 2: How We Compare Gear

07/28/21 • 112 min

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.

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.

Previous Episode

Audiophile Madness: Where Is The Line?

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.

Next Episode

Resolution, The Double-Edged Sword

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.