Fresh off the heels of AXPONA (and right on the precipice of Munich), Duncan talks about the details involved in planning a show appearance and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the show from a manufacturer's perspective. Questions about capacitors, audio literature, gain balancing and more are answered, and this episode features not one, but two recommended albums. Saving the best for last, the show finishes with an interview with author, poet, professor, audio reviewer and occasional fly fisher Garret Hongo.

AXPONA, Ground Wires, Questions & An Interview With An Author

Well, it's finally happened. Your favorite podcast has dusted off the microphone and is getting itself back in gear after a few months shy of a yearlong hiatus. For new listeners, this should serve as a fine guide for ingesting the nearly 200 hours of previously published audio talk.  For long-timers, you'll find out why we took a break, and what's ahead for the show. This episode's album recommendation comes from a familiar name to podcast listeners, an artist who traveled to Cuba to record this stunning duet which Duncan considers already to be 2023's best recording.

How To Listen To This Podcast, And Welcome Back

After a visit to chez Tweak to hear the always-improving desktop system, Darren decided to push Duncan into a project the best way he knew how: by giving him a pair of Seas Excel tweeters and posing the question, "what if you had state-of-the-art soft domes in that thing?" Talking, of course, about Duncan's improbably excellent 2-day speaker project, and in this episode the guys talk about the next possible iteration of the silly little first-order gems. Listener questions are answered, a blind study on network switches is shared, and the album of the week ventures into Brazilian tradition.

Duncan's Next Half-Day Speaker Project

In this episode, PS Audio design engineer Darren Myers takes us through the process of designing printed circuit boards, which are known as PCBs. It turns out there are tons of considerations in play when selecting the material of a PCB, and determining the position of components and the makeup of the traces. Listener questions about tweaks and credibility are answered, and this week's album recommendation is a fascinating release from a pair of producers who craft sonic landscapes only from recordings of one instrument -- in this case the upright double bass.

Exploring The Ins and Outs of PCB Design

In this episode, the pros and cons of the integrated amplifier are covered in typical Hifi Podcast style. Darren shares impressions and experience from the perspective of a designer, and both guys try to frame the situations where the integrated approach is either better or... not better. This week's questions share a common theme which takes Duncan back into recording engineer jibber jabber, and the solo viola de gamba performance as the album of the week is a can't miss.

A Case For (And Against) the Integrated Amplifier

In this episode, Darren and Duncan reflect on their experiences with friend and mentor Bascom King, whose recent passing has taken a great mind from the HiFi community. Bascom was an audiophile engineering legend and responsible for many incredible amplification designs over a long career. Hear about how he inspired so many, and learn a little about his upcoming posthumous amplifier release, the BHK 600 amplifiers. The guys also read a couple of emails, and this week's album recommendation comes by way of Australia and is one to not miss.

Remembering Bascom H. King

In this episode, Darren asks Duncan questions about recording different instruments. Duncan dives into a number of pro audio topics en route to categorizing instruments by their difficulty in recording. A question about powering Dunlavy speakers is answered, and several listener-emailed music recommendations are shared. This week's album is the latest from an artist whose music has been picked for the album of the week before, but this may be his best work yet.

The Hardest and Easiest Instruments to Record

The guys are back in the saddle after a week off, and this time sitting down with the designer of the curious tube monoblocks that are living in Darren's Wilson system at the moment, a local audiophile friend and engineering technician named Jordan Kamper. Jordan describes his thought process behind those and other DIY creations of his that the guys have heard. Listener questions about "hybrid digital" and fiber optic Ethernet conversion are answered, and this week's album pick is a longtime favorite of Kamper's.

Tubes, Tubes, Tubes with Jordan Kamper

Darren's and Duncan's DIY speaker project from several years back is the topic du jour in this episode of The HiFi Podcast. The guys offer tips and inspiration in describing the DIY journey from beginning to completion, from driver choice to final damping moves. This week's album recommendation is a soothingly simple recording of jazz standards from two delicate players playing in a sonically glorious room.

Lessons From Our DIY Speaker Journey

PS Audio speaker designer Chris Brunhaver is back this week, and spends some time demystifying the common speaker specifications used to judge speakers. He and the guys share what's been going on with them lately as well, which is has been plenty. This week's album recommendation is a rare electronic album that borders on audiophile, and involves an artist's struggle with losing and regaining his hearing over the course of the pandemic.

Speaker Specs Demystified with Chris Brunhaver

PS Audio's Senior Analog Design Engineer Darren Myers and The Music Room Testing Technician Duncan Taylor discuss all things hifi audio, covering such audiophile topics as speakers, amplifiers, DACs, preamplifiers, vinyl, cables, music, stereo soundstages, tweaks, adjustments and much more.

In this episode, hosts Darren and Duncan reach again into the questions inbox to answer listeners who have emailed in their audio curiosities. Roon compatibility with BluOS devices, how and where to use ferrite cores, eliminating RF from nearby 5G towers and other questions are answered. This week's album recommendation features a rare gaffe, where the guys talk about their album pick but describe the name of a different album entirely. They blame the late night of recording after hours of ABX blind testing, but will present both albums on the website and "Albums" page to make up for it.

How To Use Ferrite Cores, And Other Audiophile Questions

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan reflect on what motivates each to work in the industry and try their best to bring something new to the scene. Darren talks about his evolution in amplifier design, why he puts effort into discovering unique and new topologies and what motivates him these days after many circuits discovered. Duncan discusses how his upbringing inspires him to design cable products that bring the listener closer to an experience which places the musician on a personal level, and why that's a place of comfort for him. This week's album recommendation comes from a wildly prolific Norwegian bassist, and is a can't-miss.

What Motivates Us?

Ari Margolis

In this episode, a guest with a lot of experience in music streaming and streamer technology joins the podcast. Ari Margolis, a young dad, local audiophile and friend of the guys stops by to chat about Aurender's approaches and technology, and to help answer common questions about the art of high-end streaming for the modern audiophile. Naturally, a listener question about streamers is discussed, and Ari even picks the album of the week recommendation, which is a killer choice and a new band to hosts Darren and Duncan.

Talking Aurender & Streaming with Ari Margolis

In this episode, the guys tackle a range of listener questions. Balanced phono inputs are explained, including why they aren't as common in phono preamplifiers. Duncan shares more about his DIY Ripole subwoofer and why he hasn't talked about it lately, CD ripping is discussed, A/B switch devices for gear evaluations are considered, and more. This week's album recommendation reaches back into the library for a gem from a Brooklyn-based bassist by way of Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires.

Balanced Phono Inputs & More Questions

In this episode, the guys talk about the sensory focus that comes from listening in the dark, sharing experiences and stories about the practice in the audiophile hobby. Darren's suggestion for new listeners seems like a winner, and both agree that dark listening has a lot to do with our human evolution and deep personal response. A listener question is answered about analog EQ versus digital EQ, and the album of the week is a stunner of an EP from a lesser-known Icelandic singer.

Listening In The Dark

Darren answers a question that has been in Duncan's mind for a while: What does Bridge Tied Load or BTL mean as it relates to amplifier design? The guys answer a question about properly powering a big set of Dunlavy speakers from a listener who stumbled across a big pair for a great price. The album of the week is only found on Bandcamp, and it features a couple acoustic virtuosos Duncan has followed for years.

What Is Bridge Tied Load, or BTL?

The show is back after a week break to deal with Duncan's Covid bout and the installation of PS Audio's new speakers at Darren's house. Questions were stacking up, so the guys took this week to pick their favorites and deliver an all-questions episode. After a check-in with a listener suffering from "tweakitis AKA restless audiophile syndrome," the guys talk about live versus recorded sound, tall speakers in a low-ceiling room, bypassing binding posts and more. This week's album comes from a pair of brothers in Switzerland whose jazz influences vary from Balkan to British to Brazilian.

Live Versus Recorded Sound, And More Questions

In this episode, Darren and Duncan trade stories related to audio that are either funny, uncomfortable or just plain unexpected. A great listener question about where to go after a component breaks is answered, and the album of the week was chosen in part because Duncan could not get the songs out of his head.

Wacky Audio Stories

In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan explore what they see as several misconceptions in the audio hobby. Class D amps, recording quality and audiophile cables are included the discussion, which is by no means a comprehensive list but a first pass at the common audiophile subject matter. A few listener questions are also answered, and this week's album recommendation is a fantastic full-length debut from an L.A. based group that offers spacious imagery and a stunning, well-defined center vocal throughout.

Misconceptions In Audio, Vol. 1

In this episode, the guys explore the reasons behind why some products -- mostly preamplifiers -- invert the signal phase. Darren explains that it's a decent reason behind the practice, and how to adjust to it in your system if you've got a piece of gear that does this. Earlier on, a question about a difficult room setup is fully discussed, offering reasons behind why the space is challenging, and options for mitigating its problems for best sound. The album of the week is a strange one to be sure, but fully worth waiting til the end to find out about.

Why Do Some Components Invert Phase?

The Hifi Podcast with Darren and Duncan

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