The HiFi Five Podcast

The HiFi Five Episode 44:  All About Tape
Guests
Arian Jansen -- the Founder and Designer of Sonorus Audio
Bob Attiyeh -- Founder, Producer and recording engineer of Yarlung Records
Chad Kassem -- Founder and CEO of Acoustic Sounds, Analogue Productions, APO Records, Quality Record Pressings pressing plant and Blue Heaven Studios
Kostas Metaxas -- Founder and Designer of Metaxas & Sins
Larry Toy -- audiophile hobbyist, tape playback expert

Topics
🎧 Can reel-to-reel tape actually sound better than the best digital and vinyl playback? And if so, what does it do better?
💿 Does tape automatically mean better sound? What determines whether a great vinyl pressing can outperform a great reel-to-reel tape?
🎞️ How much sound quality do you lose when making consumer tapes from an original analog master? Can a second- or third-generation tape really compete with the master?
⏳ Can an aging master tape actually sound worse than a vinyl record made from that same tape decades ago? Which causes more sonic damage: tape deterioration or vinyl’s inherent limitations?
💰 How much money does it really take to get into reel-to-reel tape? What equipment do you need to make your best tapes sound better than your best vinyl?
🔧 What’s more important to tape playback: the transport, the tape heads, or the playback electronics? And does an expensive outboard repro preamp make a meaningful difference?
📼 Are record-company production master tapes really as good as today’s audiophile tape releases from Analogue Productions and Rhino?
👨‍🏫 What’s the biggest misconception audiophiles have about reel-to-reel tape?

The HiFi Five Episode 43:  Solid-State Versus Tube Amplifiers
Guests
David Berning -- Founder and Designer of The David Berning Company 
John Curl -- Founder and Designer of Vendetta Research, Designer for Parasound and for Mark Levinson
Michael Fremer -- Founder and Editor of Tracking Angle and the Editor at Large of The Absolute Sound
Ralph Karsten -- Founder and Designer of Atma-Sphere

The HiFi Five Episode 42:  Truths About Cables
Guests:
Matthew Bond -- Founder and Designer, Matthew Bond Audio; formerly Founder and Designer at Tara Labs
Galen Gareis -- Designer at Iconoclast Cables; formerly Principal Engineer at Belden Wire & Cable
 Ralph Karsten -- Founder and Designer of Atma-Sphere tube and solid-state electronics
William Low -- Founder and Chief Designer of Audioquest
Eric Neff -- Reviewer for HiFi+ Magazine
This is the most candid and insightful discussion about cables every recorded!
Topics:

A $25 interconnect vs. a $250,000 one, a 10,000-to-1 price gap. Where does the extra money stop buying better sound?
Expectation bias is real. So how does someone who sells cables justify sighted listening over blind testing?
Can everything that matters sonically about a cable be measured objectively, or do the measurements miss things we can hear?
How much of the sound of a cable is attributable to the electrical characteristics of the two components the cable is connecting? 
How should an audiophile go about selecting cables?
Where does diminishing returns set in on cables?
The "full loom":  real engineering or just a way to sell you more cable?
What's the biggest myth audiophiles believe about cables?

This is the most actionable, answer-packed discussion about set-up issues and conundrums we all face ever recorded!

Guests:
Frank Doris --  Editor, Copper Magazine; Senior Associate Editor, Positive FeedbackPeter Noerbaek -- Founder and Designer, PBN Audio

Lee Scoggins -- Reviewer, Positive Feedback
Norman Varney -- Founder, A/V RoomService

Topics:
What are the most common setup mistakes audiophiles make?
Can measurements really tell you where to put your speakers and listening chair -or do you ultimately have to trust your ears?
What do you do when bass problems simply won’t go away? TubeTraps, subwoofer swarm, digital EQ or active bass?
Process for selecting cables.
What if your system sounds edgy and fatiguing around 4–5 kHz? How do you figure out what’s actually causing it?
Should your equipment rack be between the speakers—or along a side wall? Can its location actually change the sound?
Speakers spikes or no spikes?  Component footers?

The HiFi Five Episode 40:  Are HiFi Influencers Breaking the Rules?
This episode shines a bright line on many questionable practices in the industry, and proposes a remedy.

Guests:
Frank Doris --  Editor of Copper Magazine, Senior Associate Editor at Positive Feedback
Mike Powell -- OCD HiFi Guy and founder of the audio brand Verastarr and online dealer 11Stereo
Stu McCreary -- attorney and Senior Associate Editor and legal counsel for Positive-Feedback
David Robinson -- Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Positive Feedback

Topics:
Are some YouTube, magazine and influencer reviews really paid endorsements in disguise?
If a reviewer, YouTuber or influential audiophile gets free gear, an accommodation price or a huge discount, should you be told?  What about the “ordinary hobbyist” who gets a sweetheart deal because a manufacturer expects him/her to talk about the product online?
When does a long-term “review loan” stop being a loan and become compensation? And what if the reviewer eventually sells the gear and keeps -- or shares -- the profit?
What are the Federal Trade Commission rules already requiring reviewers, influencers and audio companies disclose some of their business relationships?
Should the industry adopt the disclosure rule proposed by Ron in the episode?