44: New Gear For Beginner Audiophiles

Frombeginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio

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44: New Gear For Beginner Audiophiles

Frombeginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio

ratings:

Length:

34 minutes

Released:

Sep 30, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

On this show we talk about some new gear from Elac, Pro-Ject, Audioquest, Amazon Music and more!

Released:

Sep 30, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (58)

Michael O'Neal and his co-hosts bridge the gap between the clueless big box stores and the snobby stereo shops. Every show is filled with gear reviews, commentary, and interviews aimed to find out what makes a real world difference in your listening experience, how to get the most bang for your buck, and frankly, how to begin experiencing your music in the way it was intended.

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3: A Deep Dive Interview with Andrew Jones, The Speaker Designer Who’s Breaking The Rules of the Audiophile Industry: Today’s show is a real treat. We got to sit down with Andrew Jones (Of TAD / Pioneer Fame) of ELAC. We’d first heard of Andrew a couple years ago when he made these insanely affordable Elac Debut B6 Speakers (See Episode 1 for A Review of these $ by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
58 min listen
4: The Great Subwoofer Bake-Off, and Nicholas Brown of SVS: On today’s show, Paul and I test out various ways to integrate a subwoofer into your 2-channel and multichannel system, including doing the infamous “subwoofer crawl”. We also check in with Nicholas Brown from SVS live from CES, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
63 min listen
8: Speaker Placement 101: No matter how high end your speakers are, you’ve got to put them in the right place to maximize the sound. The old adage says “a cheaper, well placed pair of speakers will sound better than a more expensive, poorly placed set. In this solo episode, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
41 min listen
1: Origin of Beginner Audiophile, Paul’s System Walkthrough, Testing PS Audio Sprout/ELAC System: Origin of Beginner Audiophile. Our audiophile stories. What IS an audiophile. Tour of Paul’s system. We test the ELAC B6 and Sprout. Gear Guide: Paradigm Monitor 7 speakers Tidal Chromecast 1MOREUSA E1001 Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones 1MOR by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
55 min listen
2: Michael’s System, and The Great Headphone Bake-Off, Starring 1MoreUSA, Audio-Technica, & Mr. Speaker: Today Michael tells the story of how he fell down the rabbit whole of audiophilia and walks us through his reference system. Then, we do the Great Headphone Bake-Off, volume 1, testing $100 vs $150 vs $1800 headphones. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
47 min listen
7: Do Speaker Cables REALLY Matter??: On today’s Beginner Audiophile, we “bake off” 4 different speaker cables from Monster, Blue Jeans, Analysis Plus, and Monoprice to see if A: if we can hear any difference, and B: if the difference is palpable enough for us to make a buying decision. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
44 min listen
17: Everything You Want to Know About Subwoofers, But Were Afraid To Ask: Ahhhhhh….subwoofers. That “Punch you in the chest” feeling when your favorite song really moves you. Although subwoofers are easy to plug in and turn up loud, that doesn’t give us a true audiophile experience. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
55 min listen
13: Songs To Test and Tune Your System With, Backing Up Your Audio, and More!: On today’s show Harris and Michael talk about songs and albums they use to “test and tune” their systems. We also briefly talk about a couple pieces of gear we are testing: The AudioControl Rialto 600 integrated amplifier, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
50 min listen
6: Resolution Demystified, Oppo Sonica DAC/Streamer Review, What is The WAF?: On today’s Beginner Audiophile, we start by explaining the WAF, audio file resolution, and Michael gives an aptX update. Then we jump into the review of the OPPO Sonica DAC and what made a huge difference while we tested it. Finally, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
58 min listen
22: Talking Amps & Watts with Patrick Norton, The Winner of the 1moreUSA Triples, & Your Questions!: Episode 22 of Beginner Audiophile is jam packed! Patrick Norton Co-Hosts this one with Michael O’Neal. We talk about the reality vs. myth of amps vs. watts in amplifiers, dig into reviews of the Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless and the Hive Home Security by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
74 min listen
11: A BIG Announcement, LA Audio Show Wrapup, Anthem MRX 1120 Review, and YOUR questions!: On today’s show we have a special announcement! We have a new Co-host, Mr. Harris Fogel! (Star of Episode 9) Harris has been in the biz for many many years, and will offer years of “insider” perspective. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
67 min listen
5: When Things Go Terribly Wrong…: …or at least, when things don’t go the way you expect them to. Today’s episode is about patience. I received a piece of gear that I couldn’t get to connect to the interwebs, and Paul and I fiddled for hours with the Oppo Sonica DAC until we got by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
52 min listen
27: The State of The Audiophile | Klipsch "The Sixes" Review | Jabra Elite Sport Earbuds: Audiophilia: Is it on the rise, or is it declining? Well...both, kinda. Join Patrick Norton and Michael O'Neal as they discuss how, in some ways, the industry is on the rise, and in some ways, on the decline. We also talk about... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
75 min listen
10: 4 Epic LA Audio Show Interviews, starring Sonus Faber/Mcintosh, 1MoreUSA, Paradigm, and Cambridge Audio: Just back from the LA Audio Show, and we got some GREAT interviews with William Kline of Sonus Faber/Mcintosh, Ari Morguelan from 1MoreUSA, Chris Sipes from Paradigm/Anthem, and Gregg Chopper from Cambridge Audio, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
81 min listen
15: The Turntable/ Record Player Renaissance, and Why You Should Care: Today we’re talking a bit of turntables, and what it takes to set one up. Turntables used to be the “gold standard” for listening, until digital files came along. Now, we are romanticizing the process…and it’s well worth it. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
63 min listen
16: How To Audition Like a Pro, Sonus Faber Speaker Review, and more!: On this episode of Beginner Audiophile Harris and Michael talk about what a pro-audio show is like, and our secret to maintaining consistency as we audition gear. Michael then reviews the Sonus Faber Principia 1 Bookshelf Speakers, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
51 min listen
12: Wireless Technologies, USB DAC Review, New Music Recommendations: On today’s show, after catching up with Harris and Michael, we talk about DTS-PlayFi and other wireless home technologies, give some feedback on the ELAC UB5, Harris reviews the AudioQuest Dragonfly and the Night Owl carbon headphones, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
67 min listen
23: Buying Older Gear, Marantz AVR Review, Setting up your Audition Songs, Your Questions…: Patrick Norton and Michael O’Neal catch up on the latest news, what gear is in the review funnel, and talk about the Elac Debut 2.0. Then we talk about how to set yourself up to audition gear at a stereo show or a conference. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
69 min listen
19: The Vinyl Revival, and Killer Systems You Can Afford: On today’s show we chat with Matthew from Vinyl Revival in Melbourne Australia. We had a great convo about the renaissance of “good” audio, getting huge bang for the buck out of your turntable, and his choices for systems costing $1000, $2500, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
35 min listen
BONUS: A Recent Historical Primer of the Audiophile: Today’s episode is an excerpt from a fantastic New Yorker article entitled “Audiophilia Forever: An Expensive New Year’s Shopping Guide” written by David Denby. (Click here to read the entire article) It does such a great job explaining what an au by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
20 min listen
9: Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck on Stereo Gear, With Harris Fogel: Harris Fogel (http://maceditionradio.com) joins us for a chat about how he became an audiophile, what kind of gear to look at, and how he’d spend $1500 to get great sound! Gear Guide, Topics & Highlights: Philip Glass – Glassworks Album by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
56 min listen
30: Talking Roon with Dipin Sehdev from Roon Labs: Roon. What is it? Do you need it? The best way I can describe Roon is that it's a simplifier. We have all of these disparate music sources and end points in our house, and Roon talks to them all, and puts them into one... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
64 min listen
14: How To Audition New Gear, Unboxing Some Cool Stuff, & Reviewing Some Awesome Earbuds: On today’s episode, after we catch up, we talk about unboxing some new Sonus Faber and Pro-Ject gear, including Michael’s first Turntable. Then we jump into how to audition new audio gear, especially speakers. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
62 min listen
34: Setting Up A New Room | The Great DAC Bakeoff | Listener Questions: Dr. Paul Anderson is back on the show! We are setting up his new place in LA, and spent many hours dialing in the room. We chat about what it takes to set up a new room, in terms of speaker placement, what to listen for, etc. We had... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
59 min listen
20: CES Wrap-Up Part 1, with Patrick Norton: Patrick Norton (http://tekthing.com) joins me, through a hacking cough, to wrap up all things audio and home theater we discovered at CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas at the beginning of January 2018. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
66 min listen
21: Gear, Gear, and More Gear. CES Wrapup Part II, with Harris Fogel: On today's ep. Harris and I talk about what we saw and heard at CES. We've also got a new contest where you can win a pair of 1moreUSA Triple Driver Earbuds! by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
64 min listen
32: Emotiva's Founder, Dan Laufman | CES Quick Hits on AMT and True Wireless Earbuds: Back from a week in Vegas, we've got a doozy for you this episode. After a quick hit of CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) in Vegas (Check out pictures at @beginneraudiophile) Michael talks about Air Motion Transformers (which were a big theme... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
49 min listen
18: Beginner Audiophile Returns! New York Audio Show Breakdown & Listener Q&A!: Fellow audio nerds! We’re back. After a long (inadvertent) haitus, BA is back. Michael gives a breakdown of how audio works based on a great analogy by Steve Guttenberg, then digs into a bunch of your questions. Then, by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
46 min listen
25: Bookshelves + Sub VS. Tower Speakers, and KEF LS50 Wireless First Impressions: Dude. We're getting the BAND back together!! Dr. Paul Anderson and I (The OG!) are back for episode 25 of BA. After catching up, we chat about the incredible KEF LS50 Wireless, and offer our first impressions. Then, we dive... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
63 min listen
33: Andrew Jones from ELAC | NAMM Rundown | Sennheiser Momentum: Howdy! On this episode, we pin down Andrew Jones from Elac for a juicy interview on his philosophy behind creating speakers, and lots more. Michael gives the rundown on NAMM, the North American Music Merchants show. Those are the people... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
64 min listen

More Episodes from beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio

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57: How Does Equipment THIS Cheap Sound THIS Good??? WTF?: Our good friend Harris Fogel from comes by to do a show! Harris has been globetrotting to all of the audio shows, so he gives a quick rundown of what he's seen. Then we get into the "Chi-Fi" (Equipment made in China) and chat about... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
42 min listen
56: Top 10 Songs to Show Off Your System, with David Solomon from Qobuz| Beginner Audiophile: Our good buddy David Solomon from Qobuz () is a MASTER of picking the RIGHT songs to show off his systems. He and I trade in this episode, talk about our favorites, and why we love them. David's playlist on Qobuz: My 10:... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
87 min listen
55: NAMM Show & T.H.E Show Update. Is Dolby Atmos The Future of Hifi?: So great to be back on the mic! On today's solo show I talk about attending the NAMM show, and how the convergence of the Pro audio and HiFi Audio industry is happening. Then I move onto T.H.E. (The Home Entertainment) Show in Long Beach before... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
36 min listen
54: What's More Important, The Set Up or The Gear? With David Solomon of Qobuz: HEY! We're back! David Solomon of and I sit down in the lobby of the Hilton hotel Long Beach, where T.H.E. Show 2021 was taking place. We talked about how Covid affected (and still affects) the industry, as well as the importance of setup... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
67 min listen
53: How Do We Audition Gear Moving Forward? | GoldenEar Triton 2+ Review and More!: The return of Patrick Norton, who's moved himself out to St. Louis from Oakland CA, and a review of the GoldenEar Triton 2+ and the JDS Labs Atom AMP and DAC. Book reco: DIY Acoustic Panels: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Acoustic... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
51 min listen
52: Dr. Paul Returns! | Parasound Halo Hint 6 Review | BMW Audio Upgrades: Dr. Paul Anderson is back in the house, chatting about his most recent iteration of his system, which includes the Dali Oberon 1, a MUCH cheaper DAC than his $7k Aesthetix, and more! We review the Parasound Halo Hint6 and the BAVSound Upgrade... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
41 min listen
51: How To Introduce Your Friends to Hifi | Jabra Elite 75t Review: It's an amazing thing to be able to "re-introduce" our friends to music again. Think about this: In a sea of Spotify, mp3's, and bluetooth, Some people under the age of 35 LITERALLY may have NEVER heard their music the way it was recorded. ... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
34 min listen
50: Setting Up A New Listening Room From Scratch | KEF LS50 Wireless vs. Passive | Getting Scammed with Used Gear: On today's episode I tell a story of how I (almost) got scammed buying a pair of KEF LS50's, used, how I'm setting up a new listening room from scratch, and did a bake-off of the LS50 Passive vs. Wireless. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
48 min listen
49: Are Headphones Required Now? | HELM Audio Founder Eric Johnson Interview | Long Beach System Breakdown: On today's ep. I chat about my new Long Beach House, and break down the system. (Check out for pics) Then I get into why headphones have gotten so important over the last couple of months. Finally, I chat with Eric Johnson, founder of HELM... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
49 min listen
48: Vintage Audio Buyer's Guide with Mark Cerasuolo: LONG overdue, on this ep I bring vintage audio expert Mark Ceresuolo on, and we talk all things vintage audio, from which companies made the great gear, some origin stories, and what to look for in vintage receivers, speakers, and turntables. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
66 min listen
47: "Mid-Fi" Integrated Amp Bake Off - Peachtree vs. Vincent Audio vs. Parasound: During the course of creating this show, I set a mental "cap" that no piece of equipment would cost more than $3000. With few exceptions, I've stuck to that directive. Today however, we push right up to the edge of that limit with three... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
47 min listen
46: CES Wrap Up | Ported vs. Non-Ported Subs | Our New Fave Wireless Earbuds from Jabra: On today's solo episode, I talk about CES 2020, the state of audio, and what's up with the show. Then I break down ported vs. non-ported subwoofers. Finally, a review of the Jabra Elite 65T True Wireless earbuds, and the 85H headphones. by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
45 min listen
45: Being A Kid in the 70's and 80's, and how it Shaped Our Music Tastes, with Brooks Hollan. AudioQuest Cobalt Review: Everyone has a story. Many of us that were kids in the 70's and 80's had that friend or that kid in school that had all the cool stereo gear. Today my pal Brooks Hollan (@life_of_brooksie) and I talk about being a kid in a very influential... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
64 min listen
43: New "King of True Wireless" Earbuds, News from Emotiva, Powered Bookshelf Comparo, and more!: On this solo episode, I update you about the SVS install I did in Utah, cover the new Emotiva AVR in the news, and review the Hifiman TWS600. After a listener question involving the Amazon Echo Dot, we go listen to some great tunes! Check out ... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
31 min listen
42: Anatomy of an Affordable, KILLER 2 Channel/Home Theater Setup: Today I share the story of a home theater install I did for my good friend Jase Bennett () of The Ohana Adventure. They have (!) subscribers. Jase and his wife have 6 kids, and he wanted an amazing place for all of them to watch... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
40 min listen
41: Re-Imagining The "Audiophile Conference", T.H.E. Show Review: Today Dr. Paul and I talk about a "hypothetical" audio conference, and how we might reinvent it. With the advent of lifestyle systems, powered speakers with great DACs and sonic integration, it's time we re-think how people consume these audio... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
56 min listen
40: Speaker Setup Revisited, QoBuz Overview, Listener Q's: Michael's got a new Mac Pro (from 2009) that he's just upgraded, and tells a story of hefting a giant SVS subwoofer up the steps with no help from Fed Ex. Speaking of, this episode is sponsored by SVS. Check out all of their amazing... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
72 min listen
39: Big Room Subwoofer Solutions, Choosing Speaker Wire, A RAD 4k Projector, and Speaker Break-In Redux: On today's episode Patrick Norton and Michael O'Neal chat about an innovative way to break in your new speakers, Michael Reviews the Optoma UHL55 4K Portable Projector, and we answer a few of your questions! This episode is brought to you by SVS... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
61 min listen
38: True Wireless Earbud Bakeoff w/Sennheiser vs. Master & Dynamic, BlueSound Gear, and Your Questions: Airpods? Airpods, really? What do you do when you want great sound in addition to the functionality of True Wireless Earbuds? Today we find out, with this momentus showdown between the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless, and the ... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
61 min listen
37: Interview with an Audiophile, with Matt Rockwell: Today, 30 year audiophile (and one of the two guys that got me into the hobby) Matt Rockwell and I sit down for a chat in his house in Boulder. When I met Matt, he had a $300k+ system. Now, a few years later, he's "pared it down" to a... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
65 min listen
36: The Great USB Cable Bake-Off, Audio News, Your Questions: On today's episode we try a slew of USB audio cables to see if they make a difference in sound. We also check out current audio news, and bang through a few user questions. Follow us on Instagram at... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
40 min listen
35: 2019 Audiophile Gear "Bargains": Today Dr. Paul Anderson and I go through the best "bargains" (in quotes because some are quite pricey...but still relative bargains to the competition) in audio in 2019. Please pardon my cough...I was nursing a bit of bronchitis on this... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
36 min listen
34: Setting Up A New Room | The Great DAC Bakeoff | Listener Questions: Dr. Paul Anderson is back on the show! We are setting up his new place in LA, and spent many hours dialing in the room. We chat about what it takes to set up a new room, in terms of speaker placement, what to listen for, etc. We had... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
59 min listen
33: Andrew Jones from ELAC | NAMM Rundown | Sennheiser Momentum: Howdy! On this episode, we pin down Andrew Jones from Elac for a juicy interview on his philosophy behind creating speakers, and lots more. Michael gives the rundown on NAMM, the North American Music Merchants show. Those are the people... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
64 min listen
32: Emotiva's Founder, Dan Laufman | CES Quick Hits on AMT and True Wireless Earbuds: Back from a week in Vegas, we've got a doozy for you this episode. After a quick hit of CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) in Vegas (Check out pictures at @beginneraudiophile) Michael talks about Air Motion Transformers (which were a big theme... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
49 min listen
31: New LG OLED 4k, Dolby ATMOS, Micca In-Ceiling/Wall Speakers, Your Questions...: In this episode, Michael O'Neal (@beginneraudiophile) and Patrick Norton (@patricknorton) catch up on some Black Friday (I know, I know...) purchases. Michael talks about his home theater install, Pat talks about an amp and a set of gaming... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
51 min listen
30: Talking Roon with Dipin Sehdev from Roon Labs: Roon. What is it? Do you need it? The best way I can describe Roon is that it's a simplifier. We have all of these disparate music sources and end points in our house, and Roon talks to them all, and puts them into one... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
64 min listen
29: Hi-Res Music on Your iPhone, Marantz SR8012 Review, How To Build Your System, and More...: On today's episode Michael O'Neal (@solohour, @beginneraudiophile) starts by talking about how to get Hi Res music to play on an iPhone. (It's not as simple as you might think!) Then Patrick Norton (@patricknorton) jumps on to talk... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
62 min listen
28: Home Theater, Automation, Cool Speakers, Rad TV's, and MORE at CEDIA 2018!: We've just gotten back from the CEDIA show, displaying the latest in home theater, automation, commercial installs, lighting, in-wall speaker systems, projectors, TV's, and more! Patrick Norton (of Tekthing and The Screen Savers) and Michael... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
51 min listen
27: The State of The Audiophile | Klipsch "The Sixes" Review | Jabra Elite Sport Earbuds: Audiophilia: Is it on the rise, or is it declining? Well...both, kinda. Join Patrick Norton and Michael O'Neal as they discuss how, in some ways, the industry is on the rise, and in some ways, on the decline. We also talk about... by beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio
75 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

44: New Gear For Beginner Audiophiles

44: New Gear For Beginner Audiophiles

Description

Titles in the series (58)

More Episodes from beginner audiophile | hifi | gear reviews | stereo | hi-end audio