Episode 31

It’s a specification you see a lot when shopping for preamplifiers and amplifiers for a high end audio system: input and output impedance, expressed in the ohms. Watts are much more easy to understand relating to eventual experience, as well as frequency response bandwidth. But impedance

If you’ve ever wondered what sonic effect input and output impedance have and what role they play, settle down for this one because Darren explains it all. The discussion of impedance ultimately brings up capacitance in cables, so that’s a cherry on top for the cable deniers. But it’s all wrapped up in the same concepts, and this one is a can’t miss episode for those who want to know more.

Episode 32

One has an audiophile dad, and the other’s father is a composer, conductor and  music professor.  Both spent teenage years chasing better sound and experimenting with audio gear.  Each has a unique taste  for music, informed by years of aural experiences.

In this week’s episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan walk down memory lane as each shares the story of how he became an audiophile. Purely for entertainment, this diversion from the usual  audio topics still attracts some interesting audio-based discussion.

Episode 33

If you’ve ever heard to a locomotive passing left to right in your listening room before, you know there are some cool experiences to be had as an audiophile where music doesn’t even factor in. The great thing about this audiophile hobby is how stinkin’ broad it is and capable of making all kinds of interests and rabbit holes rewarding on their own.

It’s true that there is a bit of disdain shown in some areas of the audiophile sphere for folks who would rather listen to gear than music, but in this week’s episode of The Hifi Podcast, hosts Darren and Duncan suggest realigning that perspective to be more welcoming of different approaches to fun with this hobby.

Episode 34

Resident speaker guru Chris Brunhaver is back with a wide ranging discussion (no surprise there) with the guys about what’s going on currently in the world of speaker design. Multiple pole gaps, magnetic speaker parts, woven poly cones and hysteresis…. sounds about right for a visit from Chris.

Also in this episode, listener questions about woofer movement when playing back records and about how to set up a listening environment with no sweet spot are answered.

Episode 35

The language of amplifiers is often spoken using terms like noise, harmonics, load, phase, bandwidth and more. From the perspective of an amplifier designer, the discussion of noise is paramount. Noise affects all segments of a circuit and can generate from many different sources.

The Hifi Podcast’s own amplifier design wizard Darren takes us back into noise land to look at the different types of noise coming from different places in the circuitry, and explains which types are more benign than others.