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Jiles McCoy Live ep 307 featuring Infigo Audio - Why Class A Amps are Best!

Hi there! Episode 25 is here and not nearly as sassy as our other episodes. We start out talking about our week where Amanda clarifies that Zoey and Levi did NOT have the same sickness and Ashley talks about her mystery tattoo experience. During Spill the tea, Amanda talks about the sequel to a Christmas movie original (that she doesn't even like) and Ashley brings in a heartwarming tribute. Go-Off's include people asking for payment before they're even done ringing up items and Starbucks being out of the PSL the day it came out AND not removing the sign for it! In Why are People Like This Amanda talks about a new online trend and Ashley talks about people not being able to accept differing opinions. Our topic for the week is "Where Would I be If...". We  end with two new That's What I Like and our weekly Would You Rather. 

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Email: pettythoughtsbubblybits@gmail.com

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• If you haven't listened yet, here's "Quiet Amplifier."
• The other Wilco song that features a present joint vocal (okay, so most of it is unison, not harmony like I said. So sue me!) It's a live performance, too - with Feist. Enjoy!
• Strumming a snare is a thing! I couldn't find the video of Levon Helm doing it on "I Shall Be Released," by The Band but this drum forum proves that I didn't hallucinate it.
• That Tom Waits snare detail was also from that Fresh Air interview shared on a previous episode's show notes.
• All twee drum wizardry speculation aside, this account is abundant proof that Glenn Kotche can do anything.
• We mentioned Jeff Tweedy's book yet again.
• We talked about the amazing song "One Sunday Morning" from The Whole Love.
• Well, look at that! A hearing aid can also be a "quiet amplifier." There's probably another meaning in there somewhere.
• "Everyone Hides" is next!
• And here's our humble Instagram page. Bye!

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.

Two separate listener questions about Chromecast audio devices feature as the questions of the week, and the guys help make digital source decisions, like whether to use a high quality DAC along with a DSP, effectively doubling the amount of conversions going on.

The album of the week features an incredible Norwegian pianist and his just released and  impeccably recorded jazz album.

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.

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.

Earlier in the show, listener questions are answered, covering topics like dynamic range compression and speaker wall construction philosophies.

This week's album recommendation is a rare throwback, to a blues master of the 20th century. It's an album that was in Darren's first audiophile library, and which remains a favorite many years on.

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.

You're moving to a new house, and the dreaded system setup is on the horizon. You bought a new piece of gear that's supposed to wipe the floor with what you've currently got, but right out of the box, the opposite seems to be the case.

Moving speakers inch by inch for hours and feeling like you're getting nowhere is an unfortunate part of the hifi audio hobby, whether we like it or not. The complete sonic change of character of new gear as it settles in can neither be measured or easily explained.

Why do we do this again? In this episode of The Hifi Podcast, Darren and Duncan explore the more frustrating side of being an audiophile, and  share experiences and knowledge gained from going through this time and time again.

When it comes to component break-in, Darren's perspective as a hifi audio manufacturer design engineer offers clarification and even proof of the mystical transformation capacitors, resistors and active components go through as they begin their (hopefully) long life of music playback.

Whatever your experiences, this episode is a fun trip into the audiophile's mind. Be sure to stick around to the end, where a listener goes into more detail about a little-known genre called "Deep House," and the album of the week is revealed -- this one from a 14-year-old Croatian musical prodigy.

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.

In this week’s episode, listener questions abound, and Darren and Duncan settle in to answer all of them. One listener shares his room size and speaker placement needs, and the guys consider some options about a speaker type for his situation.

Another listener with wireless KEF LS50s wants to add tubes to the mix, and it turns out there are a few options out there for doing just that.

A listener wonders whether it’s just him or if the windows being near his system tends to collapse the sound stage. 

A vinyl fan asks about current source phono preamplifiers (as opposed to the standard voltage source ones), also known as transimpedance preamplifiers. Darren goes into detail about the pros and cons for this kind of design, and explains exactly how it works.

One question that had been on the guys’ minds lately is volume and listening. What is the correct volume for a given room, system or piece of music?

Finishing up the show, the album of the week is revealed. This time, a banjo-led acoustic folk / bluegrass outfit shows up with a record full of catchy melodies.

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.

Im Gespräch mit Amplifier-Gründer Christian Oldendorff von Amplifier Ventures

Veränderungen durch die Corona-Krise

Die neue Normalität? Digitalisierung, Umstrukturierungen, Social Distancing, all das ist uns nicht mehr fremd. Wir befinden uns auf dem Weg in die Post-Corona-Ära, denn wir passen uns an die aktuellen Umstände an.

In unserer neuen Podcast-Reihe möchten wir weiter in den Austausch gehen, um über die sogenannte “neue Normalität” zu sprechen. Es folgen spannende Insights, Tipps, Anregungen sowie Innovationen.

Wie können Ineffizienzen in der Schifffahrt - wie 20 Milliarden US-Dollar teure Verschwendungen an Treibstoffen durch Schiffe in Wartezeit - ausgeglichen werden? Wie reduziert man den hohen Anteil an Leerfahrten? Wie kann die Schifffahrt sauberer gestaltet werden? Der Hamburger Christian Oldendorff ist von Kindesbeinen an mit der Schifffahrt vertraut. Wer könnte da schon mehr von der Branche berichten als einer der Zwillingsbrüder und Eigentümer der Reederei Nord?

Mit Amplifier verschreibt sich Christian zusätzlich der Optimierung von Lieferketten, die das visionäre Unternehmen als “Backend-Betriebssystem der globalen Wirtschaft” versteht. Mittels eines zwei bis drei Millionen Euro hohen Kapitals jährlich und Impact Fokus will Amplifier Ventures die Schifffahrt zukunftsfähig machen. Die Themenbereiche des Funds reichen über jegliche Facetten der Schiffslogistik bis hinein in spannende Technologien zur Tiefsee. Im Gespräch erzählt Christian von Steuerungsprozessen und Innovationen zur Einsparung von Ressourcen von Robotik bis hin zu SaaS-Technologien. Was verbirgt sich hinter der “nächsten Welle der Transformation”?

Damit Du immer auf dem neusten Stand bist und weiterhin interessante Ansichten aus der Startup-Szene erhältst, abonniere unseren Newsletter

Überblick der Folge:

9:23 > Wer ist Christian Oldendorff? 11:10 > Infrastrukturen bei der Schifffahrt 15:36 > “Die nächste Welle der Transformation” 18:24 > Amplifier Ventures 20:00 > Lieferketten als Betriebssysteme 24:42 > Innovationen im Schiffsbetrieb 29:02 > Steuerung & Automatisierung 31:47 > Themen des Funds 35:16 > Wie würde der Elon Musk der Schifffahrt denken?

Bewertung abgeben und Baum pflanzen

Zusammen mit ReviewForest haben wir eine Kooperation gestartet und unseren eigenen (virtuellen) Wald erstellen lassen. Für jede erhaltene Bewertung lassen wir einen Baum im Namen des Bewertenden in Mexico pflanzen! Außerdem wird für jede Bewertung 1€ für die Umweltbildung von Kindern an den Kinderakademien von Plant-for-the-Planet investiert. Weitere Informationen gibt uns Leon Heuser im kurzen Interview mit Jan.

Zum Mitmachen einfach eine Bewertung abgeben und schon könnt ihr euren eigenen Baum in diesem Wald entdecken: Wald von Startup Insider

Weiterführende Links Bewertungswald von Startup Insider: https://reviewforest.org/startupinsider Amplifier: https://amplifierlab.io/ Reederei Nord: https://www.reederei-nord.com/ sendinblue: https://de.sendinblue.com/ Edeka FTC: https://foodtechcampus.de/ Startup Insider: https://inside.startup-insider.com/

Personen im Podcast Christian Oldendorff, Amplifier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-oldendorff-377b8915a/ Moderator: Jan Thomas, CEO Startup Insider / https://www.linkedin.com/in/janthomas2/

Über den Startup Insider Podcast

Startup Insider ist der neue Podcast für die deutsche Startup- und Gründerszene. Unsere Redaktion liefert seit mehreren Jahren den wahrscheinlich besten Newsletter der deutschen Startup-Landschaft. Jetzt kommt unser Podcast: Mit zwei bis drei Folgen pro Woche präsentieren wir die wichtigsten Startup-Nachrichten und Updates. Hier kommen Unternehmer, Investoren und Experten zu Wort. Anschließend an unsere erste Podcast-Reihe "Startups & Corona", folgt nun eine weitere spannende Reihe über die Post-Corona-Ära: "Die neue Normalität".

Desktops of the last 30 years have become dominated by the computer monitor. Gone are the days of a big desk full of a mess of papers, or the clean workspace with perhaps a small lamp on one side and a rotary telephone on the other. As the visual element of computing has taken more real estate, its seems that less and less has been offered to the sonic element. Tiny speakers the size of beer cans seem to dominate the landscape, and while computer audio and streaming fidelity have increased, the idea of a decent pair of monitors on small stands flanking the computer screen is still foreign to many.

The fact is, nearfield listening offers a potential for some of the most enjoyable sound in your life, and moving away from "in-the-head" sound of headphones can increase the focus applied to work at these desks, whether at home or in a traditional office. In this episode, Darren and Duncan explain why fidelity and soundstage need not be sacrificed on the desktop, and offer a path for setup of a stereo system that will make you look forward to sitting down and getting some work done.

Elements like boundary interaction, surface coupling, toe-in, speaker width and rake all come into the equation and are perhaps more prone to fine adjustment rewards than a larger system. The guys go through each element and also offer a number of great setups and desk-appropriate speakers they've heard for the task of achieving a rewarding desk audio system.

Earlier in the episode, Darren talks about his latest phono preamplifier being chosen as Stereophile's Analog Component Of The Year, and at the end, the album recommendation of the week is revealed which features a French pianist playing Middle Eastern jazz with a sizzling group of Israeli players.

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.

Bill Johnson, the founder of Audio Research Corp. and a legend in our business, said that he wanted power supply components to be of such high quality that music could be enjoyed through each of the parts.

We know that all audio equipment uses power — usually DC in variety — to amplify or produce the music we love, and his point is clear: clean power is as essential to the eventual excellence of a product as any of the other parts therein.

We also know that the power supplied to our homes is AC, and must be converted to DC before these devices can do their magic work, so it makes sense that the more pure the DC power is, the better for the rest of the audio circuit.

But do you know how this is pulled off? If the terms “ripple” or “rectifier” aren’t part of your lexicon, this week’s podcast will change that as Darren and Duncan winnow down to the nuts and bolts of what makes power supplies tick — and how the good ones are made. And even if you are familiar, this podcast will undoubtedly offer something new for your perspective.

A treasure trove of power-specific information is laid out in a way that dips in and out of engineer land to reveal in plain terms how the alternating current from our walls is converted and made clean and pure before it makes its way through our beloved stereo components and eventually to our ears as music.

Generally, there is a distrust of switch mode supplies in our hobby, but the guys explain that the real truth isn’t that simple. A good power supply is good because excellent decisions are made in its design and arrangement, regardless of what it’s called.

Be sure to stick around to the end, where a truly stunning album pick of the week is revealed — one that will light up your audio system like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

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.

We’ve all been there. You sit a friend down in front of your system in the sweet spot, and try to blow their mind. Maybe they know a little about audio, and maybe they don’t. Maybe you’re trying to explain through music exactly why you’re so obsessed with wringing out the best musical playback you can from two speakers and a chain of expensive gear.

Whatever the case, talking to non-hifi people about hifi can be more challenging than it seems. Our lexicon of descriptive words and labyrinth of technical jargon can be overwhelming for most, and it can be difficult to find the right music to play or the right words to explain to them why what is going on in the room is remarkable to you and should be remarkable to them.

Many folks understand a piece of gear is special when they hear how much it costs. Some are delighted by the visual stimulus of a lit-up tube amplifier or a staggering set of tall speakers. But we as their friends want them to be enthralled by the floating images in space, the tonal contrast of a sound or the dynamic swings of an excellent recording.

Darren and Duncan have been there too, and in this episode the guys discuss this unique topic at length, using stories and example systems to map out ideas for initiating the uninitiated. The ultimate goal is to create more audiophiles through your friendly interactions, and by the end of the episode you may come away with some fresh motivation for it.

Be sure to stay til the end, where Duncan’s album pick of the week is revealed and thoroughly explained. This one is a must-listen.

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.

Would millions of people be interested in learning about cars if Ferrari wasn’t making super cars or if Lamborghini didn’t exist? Possibly not. Their amazing achievements not only represent the top of what’s possible, but also serve to inspire all of us to devote ourselves to learning more about what makes a great car truly special.
 

Audio is no different, and the top end of hifi audio, known commonly as “ultra-fi,” makes the same case for its existence. While many may decry the sometimes eye-popping dollar amounts required for access, or wonder just what you’re paying for with these luxury monstrosities, those lucky few with access to listening to the top of the absolute top will beg to differ. Most often, with staggering prices comes staggering performance, and Darren and Duncan attempt to break down why that is… and how.
 

What goes into making a state-of-the-art audio product? Where does the money go? And why do these ultra-expensive audio products exist in a hobby where real joy can be had with equipment far more modest and affordable? These questions and more are (hopefully) answered by the guys as they ruminate on a special segment of audio.
 

Don’t forget to listen through to the end to get this week’s album recommendation, which is focused on a young musician with an old voice and old soul, who is guaranteed to entertain and show off your audiophile system. 

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.

If you’ve ever looked at a calculus equation as it relates to DIY audio and wondered just how the heck is that going to correlate with the sound signature you want to achieve, you’re not alone. Darren talks about his experiences going through school to get his Electrical Engineering degree (EE), in the hopes of convincing some that an application-focused approach to audio design is completely valid and appropriate, and can sometimes lead you to a better understanding of the big picture.
 

Making audio equipment for yourself can result in unique rewards that aren’t possible when you’re simply buying cool gear, but the guys don’t pass up a chance to remind that it can also, sometimes, be a little dangerous. You have to keep your head on straight when you’re soldering new caps into a recently run amplifier, for instance, as Darren will attest.
 

One of the beautiful things about DIY audio is giving yourself a chance to listen to products that would never see the light of day at a normal, successful audio manufacturer for the sheer impracticality of it, or the difficulty in producing it at a reasonable scale and scope.
 

The guys round out the episode talking about their album pick of the week, which features a modern super group of sorts in the jazz department. Each member of this group gets a few moments of adoration as Darren and Duncan gush over this recent album full of intricate new fusion jazz.

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.

In a tough hobby full of myriad choices and sometimes wanton expense, there are a range of things to think about adjusting based on what’s already there.

Instead of suggesting new speakers or recommending component matching for synergy, the guys are looking at five ways a good system can be improved as it stands already.

Specific approaches and ear-approved moves are mentioned which have made serious differences for Darren and Duncan in their systems, and while you may think this is a topic that has been covered in detail before, it’s highly possible some new ideas might be lurking in their audiophile-friendly list.

Make sure and listen through to the end, where, after the most important item is broken down, the guys take a few minutes to talk about this week’s album recommendation, which is a really delightful listen.

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.

Darren and Duncan break down their opinions on single ended triode amplifiers and their use with speakers with no crossover -- single driver full range speakers. Duncan talks about his DIY corner horns and his latest amplifier purchase - a Decware Mini Torii SEP (pentode) 3.9 Watt tube amplifier and how good it sounds in his new bedroom audio system.

Engineer Darren explains why so much of this is good for an audiophile experience, and talks about distortion profiles, the difference between SET and push pull designs, how tape is similar in some ways to a good push pull, and why people like what they hear when they're hearing high distortion, high output impedance single ended amplifiers.

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 is about everyday people coming together with their friends, with their families, with their community, with their colleagues and saying that they have a voice and that they want to use it in a constructive and powerful way in their communities. It just happens to be that we're dealing in philanthropy.” - Joelle Berman

In this episode, we sit down with two bad**s women for a conversation on the joy and challenges of giving circles–how to get one started, how to reach a consensus as a group, and how to celebrate along the way.

In 2015, LiJia Gong attended marches and supported the #BlackLivesMatter movement. She felt inspired to do more. So she and three friends started gathering, exploring how they might use the bonds of their friendship and shared values to reduce inequality. Their giving circle "Radfund" was born from these conversations. The friends pledged to pool 1% of their annual income and 0.1% of their wealth annually to support organizers in NYC doing the work to challenge structural inequality and  fight for racial and economic justice.  In this episode, LiJia will share  stories and insights she’s learned from building a "political home" for herself and her friends. 

Joelle Berman was recently the founding Executive Director of Amplifier, a global network of 125+ giving circles inspired by Jewish values. From that position supporting so many different giving circles, she had a rare view of the ecosystem as a whole, and was able to pinpoint trends and best practices. (Shout out to Amplifier's founder, Felicia Herman, and Amplifier's current CEO, Liz Fisher, for their work continuing to spread the power of collective giving!)

From their respective experiences as giving circle practitioners and experts, Joelle and LiJia will share how to build a political home and community around the shared activity of giving. Hear more from other community leaders about stage 1 in getting your people together, 🔥sparking the flame by doing something together: https://gettogetherbook.com/resources#spark-the-flame

📙Grab your copy of GET TOGETHER—our handbook on community-building 🔥: bit.ly/gettogetherbook

👋Say hi and learn more about work we do with passionate, community-centered organizations, visit: http://people-and.com/

Hello! I'm going to tell you all about what I'm going to be up to in this podcast - conversations with people who make guitars, and the players who break them.  I'll be chatting with lots of interesting people from the world of guitar - luthiers, players, techs, amp builders, songwriters, gear builders, writers and lots of others too.

Get in touch at makingandbreakingguitars.com, or on socials at @makingandbreakingguitars

Sponsored by my friends at The North American Guitar in London - thenorthamericanguitar.com
 

 We are really psyched to have been able to sit down and talk with Lance Keltner!!! Lance has been a friend for many years and we had a great time talking about his past as well as his current line of boutique amps, Smart Belle Amps!!!!!

Blake and Brian are back for an exciting episode of the Chasing Tone Podcast.

Some of you may have seen Brian’s unwanted addition to an older amp of his. A mouse built a nest inside the chassis. A humorous conversation ensues that leads to a discussion about playing an Rat in front of an AC30. Mixed reviews and reactions. 

Blake had a phone conversation with Bill Finnegan of Klon Centaur fame. Mr. Finnegan has an interesting story about one of the best rigs he ever heard. The pedal involved may surprise you. (Oh and Bill will be joining Blake on the Tone Mob Podcast soon. Stay tuned)

And is that “Parts Caster” worth more to you that it might be to other? What a “Part Caster” is and the guys thoughts are in the conversation.

Blake is getting the band back together, old school gaming, and is the local original music scene dead?  It’s all in this edition of the Chasing Tone Podcast.