The HiFi Five Podcast

The Hi-Fi Five Episode 31: High End Vienna 2026 Show Report

THE HIFI FIVE Episode 31:  High End Vienna 2026 Show Report Learn what really happened at the show, best sounding exhibits, most exciting component debuts and industry discussions! Guests: Edgar Kramer -- Editor-in-Chief of SoundStage! Australia Mikhail Kuzemchenko -- audiophile hobbyist Carlo Lo Raso -- Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Greg Weaver -- The Audio Analyst on YouTube, Senior Editor at Positive Feedback The first High End Vienna has come and gone, and opinions are already divided. Did Vienna actually improve on munich? On this episode of The HiFi Five, we ask: Was moving the show from Munich a mistake -- or a major upgrade? Why didn’t High End Society secure additional venue capacity instead of effectively encouraging satellite shows? Favorite affordable and favorite cost no object systems. Which mega-buck systems failed to impress? Which affordable systems embarrassed components costing ten times as much? What products created the most buzz?

The HiFi Five Episode 30: DACs and Digital Playback

The owners of MSB and veteran reviewers tackle some of the biggest -- and most divisive -- questions in digital audio: Guests: Daniel Francis -- Co-owner and Industrial Designer of MSB Technology Jonathan Gullman -- Co-owner and CEO of MSB Technology Doug Schneider -- Founder of SoundStage! Steven Stone -- Senior Reviewer, The Absolute Sound Topics: Why are some experienced audiophiles still obsessed with “obsolete” DAC chips from the 1990s?  Are vintage multi-bit designs hearing something modern DACs miss? Non-oversampling and filterless DACs:  More natural and analog -- or technically compromised nostalgia? Can measurements really tell us what a DAC will sound like?  Which specs matter, which are marketing, and how do you know the measurements themselves are trustworthy? How should an audiophile’s digital budget be split between DAC and streamer? USB, I²S, co-axial, XDMI, etc. do digital interfaces actually sound different?   If the bits are the same, what exactly are listeners hearing? If live music includes ambient noise, why are DAC companies obsessed with “blacker backgrounds” and vanishingly low noise floors?  Does technical silence really sound more believable? Where should the clock be located? Have we nearly reached the end of meaningful DAC progress?  Are today’s flagship DACs approaching the ceiling -- or are major breakthroughs still coming?

The Hi-Fi Five Episode 29: Field Coil Loudspeakers

The HiFi Five Episode 29:  Field Coil Loudspeakers GUESTS Frank Doris --  Editor of Copper Magazine, Senior Associate Editor at Positive Feedback Rich Pinto -- Founder and Designer, Treehaus Audio Peter Qvortrup -- Founder and Managing Director, Audio Note UK Ken Songer -- Founder and Designer, Songer Audio TOPICS Why are field coil drivers something special sonically? Permanent magnets and electromagnets both generate a magnetic field.  Why does the sound coming off the cone sound different when it's moved by one type of magnet versus the other? What is the technical advantage of using an electromagnet?Are most field coil drivers fabricated in-house or bought off the shelf? Does the type of power supply — tube or solid-state — affect the sound of the driver? How does the sound change as you change the power supply voltage to the electromagnet?  Why? Is there any scenario where a permanent magnet driver is the better engineering choice than a field coil driver for a loudspeaker? Are there any specific objective measurements which demonstrate the technical superiority of field coil drivers? Can you imagine traditional loudspeakers manufacturers like Magico or Wilson moving to field coil drivers?

The HiFi Five Episode 28: Multi-Channel for Audiophiles

The HiFi Five Episode 28:  Multi-Channel for Audiophiles Guests: Ulrike Schwarz — Grammy award-nominated co-founder of multi-channel recording firm Anderson Audio New York Andrew Quint — Senior Writer at The Absolute Sound  Arian Jansen — founder and designer of Sonorus Audio Danny Kaey — Sonic Flare, hifi reviewer

The HiFi Five Episode 27: AXPONA 2026 Show Report

The HiFi Five Episode 27:  AXPONA 2026 Show Report with Jeff Dorgay, Erin Hardison, Lee Scoggins and Dave Solomon