the ecoustics podcast

Have audiophiles become so accustomed to compromised sound that we've forgotten what great loudspeakers should sound like? Paul Hales, the designer behind PRO Audio Technology, Theory Audio Design, and Theory Professional, joins us to challenge some of the audio industry's most sacred cows. From loudspeaker measurements and room correction to digital signal processing and conventional design wisdom, Hales explains why much of what audiophiles believe deserves closer scrutiny.

With decades of experience designing speakers for everything from living rooms and private screening rooms to outdoor installations and live venues, he makes a compelling case for rethinking how we...

CDs were supposed to be finished, vinyl was supposed to be a fad, and streaming was supposed to make owning music unnecessary. The latest RIAA numbers tell a very different story. In this episode, eCoustics Editor-in-Chief Ian White joins Podcast Editor and Producer Mitch Anderson to unpack why U.S. CD revenue surged 58.6% in the first half of 2026, vinyl revenue climbed another 17.7%, and physical music revenue overall jumped 25.9%.

They also dig into why Gen Z is buying physical media, rising vinyl prices, the resurgence of used CDs, collectibility, ownership, and why listeners are still spending money on records...

Upon returning from CEDIA Expo, held September 1-4, 2026 at the Denver Convention Center, we sit down with experienced A/V journalist, Caleb Denison who runs the very popular YouTube channel CalebRated to discuss the trade show, products that stood out, and the general state of the custom A/V market. Please join us as we take a deep dive into the latest in big screen and big sound showcased at CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association), with eCoustics Editor-at-Large, Chris Boylan and eCoustics Founder, Brian Mitchell.

Panel:
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor-at-Large
Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder...

RGB backlighting and Super Quantum Dot (SQD) technology are mounting the strongest challenge yet to OLED’s dominance in 2026. After testing and reviewing the year’s major contenders, we are ready to reveal our picks for the best TVs of 2026 so far. Join Senior Reviewer Al Griffin, and Editor-at-Large Chris Boylan as they break down their favorite models, explain what sets each one apart, and debate whether OLED still deserves the crown.

• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production...

When Dolby Vision 2 - the latest version of the company's dynamic HDR solution - was first announced in late 2025, there was a lot of uncertainty about how, when and why it was coming. Over the past 10 months, things have become clearer, including its imminent availability on select Hisense TVs.

Tune in with eCoustics founder Brian Mitchell, Senior Reviewer Al Griffin and Editor at Large Chris Boylan as we discuss the latest developments with Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max and what's coming over the next few weeks and months.

Additional details about Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby...

Jacob Wendt leads from behind the drum kit without treating every song like a personal drum clinic. His forthcoming album, The Gallery, arrives in late summer and was recorded by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Recording, aka “Hackensack West,” using an all-valve signal path from microphone to cutter head.

In this episode of the eCoustics Podcast, Eric Pye (@audioloveyyc) and Mitch Anderson (@black_circle_radio) join Wendt and Gray to discuss the new album, Wendt’s previous release Silver Street, quintet chemistry, horn arrangements, live versus studio recording, and the difficult art of leading a band without elbowing everyone else ou...

Host Mitch Anderson interviews IsoAcoustics’ Sean Morrison and Matt Reilly about hi-fi isolation, vibration control, and why speakers, tube amps, turntables, and audio components may perform better when properly isolated. From floating a CBC Radio studio on 3,000 pucks to becoming an OEM solution for more than 50 hi-fi manufacturers, IsoAcoustics explains why the quietest product in your system might be doing more than you think.

Thank you to our sponsor of this episode, SVS! www.svsound.com

• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://www.sourceoflightandpower.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimi...

In this episode, Matt Yocum, an SVS artist and working film sound engineer, explains how modern movie soundtracks are built and why low frequency clarity plays a critical role in shaping the final experience. Drawing on his work across major film and television projects, Yocum discusses how much of what audiences hear is created in post production, how he approaches mixing for the LFE channel using SVS subwoofers, including the SB 4000, and why he often relies on dual subwoofer setups instead of one. The conversation also explores why SVS has become part of his workflow and what that says about...

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, William Jennings, Personal Audio Editor at eCoustics, shares his impressions of the headphone and tube gear landscape at the show, focusing on what stood out in real listening conditions. The conversation highlights key trends in personal audio, the continued role of tube amplification, and the products that earned his Best in Show consideration, offering a clear and practical take on where the category is heading and what is worth paying attention to.

Thank you to SVS for sponsoring this episode!

Host: Mitch Anderson, eCoustics Producer
Guest: William Jennings...

Two episodes in one!

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, Karlee Little, Social Media and Gaming Relations at Audeze, walks through the new LCD S20 closed back headphones and what sets them apart in the current lineup. The discussion covers the fundamentals of the design, including how SLAM technology works, what listeners should expect from a fully analog and passive headphone, and where this model fits for both gaming and music use.

Guest:
Karlee Little, Social Media & Gaming Relations - Audeze

Co-hosted by: 
Mitch Anderson, Producer - eCoustics
William Jennings, H...

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, this episode features Kendall Costello, Sales Operation Analyst at Loewe, and Amir Hejazi, Senior Engineer at Loewe, discussing the company’s latest TVs and headphone lineup. The conversation focuses on design priorities, key features, and how Loewe is positioning its products in a competitive premium market, with insight into how engineering and product strategy come together across both categories.

Guests:

Kendall Costello, Loewe Sales Operation Analyst
Amir Hejazi, Loewe Sr. Engineer
Chris Boylan, eCoustics Editor-at-Large
Brian Mitchell, eCoustics Founder & CEO

Credits:
Original intro mu...

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, HiFi Bear unboxes the T10 Bespoke eCoustics Special Edition In-ear Computers, a custom release created for a show floor raffle. This episode focuses on the design, presentation, and what sets this limited edition apart, offering a first look at a unique collaboration built specifically for the event. Oh yeah, they sound great too.

Panel:
Hi-fi Bear - T10 Bespoke
Captain Kangaroo - eCoustics Producer


Credits:
Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of...

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, Lenny Coco of Mobile Fidelity Distribution discusses why vinyl still holds relevance in a digital first world, and how it fits alongside modern streaming habits. The conversation avoids framing the formats as competitors and instead looks at how each serves a different role for listeners, with Coco offering his perspective as both an industry insider and music fan. In the end, the focus stays on what matters most: the connection to the music, regardless of how it is delivered.

Sponsor: Please check out the latest SVS subwoofers, speakers and more.

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, eCoustics Editor in-Chief Ian White shares a straightforward take on what he saw and heard across the show. This episode covers the systems and brands that delivered, including QUAD, ATC, DeVore Fidelity, Advance Paris, Focal, Michell, Unison Research, TEAC, Amphion, and Dynaudio, along with a look at rooms and products that were less convincing. It is an honest assessment of what worked in real listening conditions, what felt overpriced, and how the gap between performance and cost continues to shape the high-end audio market.

Sponsor: Please check out the latest SVS s...

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, this episode brings together Kornelijus and Jamie O’Callaghan of the IAG Hi-Fi Division for a deep dive into the legacy and future of QUAD’s electrostatic loudspeakers, including the ESL 2912X. We break down what makes electrostatic panel speakers fundamentally different from traditional designs, why QUAD has remained committed to the technology for decades, and how the latest generation improves on transparency, dispersion, and real world usability. The conversation also explores how these iconic speakers fit into a modern hi-fi landscape increasingly dominated by compact and wireless solutions, and why QUAD continues to a...

In this episode, we sit down with Jordan Pries, owner of The Electric Kitsch record store in Bay City, Michigan and working musician (he wrote our podcast theme song!), for a clear eyed look at what it takes to survive and stay relevant through 14 years of industry shifts and the rise of Record Store Day. 

From the early days of RSD to today’s global frenzy, Jordan breaks down what has changed, what has not, and what customers rarely see, including the financial realities, supply chain headaches, and the role RSD plays in keeping the lights on. We als...

Recorded from the show floor at AXPONA 2026, the team from SVS breaks down their latest powered subwoofer, the SVS 3000 Micro R|Evolution, and why this compact design hits harder than it has any right to. We dig into the engineering behind the output, the tradeoffs of going small without sacrificing performance, and the bigger question hanging over it all is whether SVS is quietly undercutting its own lineup with each new release that raises the bar and resets expectations.

Guests: Gary Yacoubian & Nick Brown

Co-Hosted by: Mitch Anderson & Brian Mitchell

Credits:
• Original intro mu...

If you’re lining up for Record Store Day 2026, this episode focuses on the one name that matters most: Zev Feldman, known as The Jazz Detective. Best known for his first-release live recordings of Bill Evans on Resonance and Elemental, Feldman has already delivered 14 Evans RSD titles, with a 15th arriving April 18.

For Record Store Day 2026, he goes further than ever with 11 new jazz releases (including the Evans) across Resonance, Elemental, and Time Traveler Recordings, the label he co founded to bring back rare and hard to find 1970s jazz albums from the Muse catalog. This is not filler...

Join Chord Electronics’ digital audio consultant Rob Watts as he dives deep into the challenges of reproducing lifelike sound from 16-bit/44.1kHz PCM. From his groundbreaking DAC designs—spanning $650 to $20,000—to why off-the-shelf chips can’t compete, Rob explains how his unique approach goes beyond conventional measurement-based audio engineering. He also previews Chord’s next flagship product, the Quartet M Scaler, which will build on the Hugo M Scaler, and shares his thoughts on DSD, the importance of cables, and hidden sonic factors like RF and power supply issues. Even 45 years after the CD’s debut, there’s still high-resolution audio left to...

Japan has become the world’s most in demand travel destination since the pandemic, but beyond cherry blossoms, bullet trains, Lawson runs, anime and those dangerously good 7-Eleven egg salad sandwiches, there’s a deeper pull that audiophiles can’t ignore.

In this episode of the eCoustics podcast, resident Japanophile Eric Pye (@audioloveyyc) and reluctant future convert Mitch Anderson (@blackcircleradio) go all in on Japan’s cultural gravity and its quiet takeover of audio: the pilgrimage to e-Earphone, late night jazz kissa listening rooms, Technics heritage, Three Blind Mice pressings, JICO styli, portable travel rigs, flying JAL, record hunting...

Vacuum tubes are supposed to be extinct yet here we are in 2026 still arguing swapping and occasionally getting electrocuted. In this episode Mitch Anderson, Eric Pye, and Jeremy Sikora strip the romance out of valves and talk about why they still matter without leaning on lazy audiophile clichés. 

The discussion cuts through tube rolling reality versus placebo and the ongoing new production versus NOS debate. It also looks at why Ray Tubes are suddenly on everyone’s radar and what Jeremy’s amp building class at the American Wireless Communication Museum teaches you that spec sheets never will.<...

eCoustics Vintage Editor Eric Pye and Producer Mitch Anderson sit down with Dave Kelley, President of KLH, for a grounded conversation on loudspeaker design, KLH’s history, and how a legacy brand operates in today’s market without leaning on nostalgia as a crutch.

The discussion traces the influence of Henry Kloss, the shared DNA linking Klipsch, Kelley, Kyocera, and KLH, and how those ideas continue to inform real-world speaker engineering. Attention turns to KLH’s current lineup—specifically the Model Three, Model Five, and Model Seven—with the Five and Seven competing for Eric’s eCoustics 2025 Editors’ Choice Floorstanding...

Fresh off a week in Las Vegas, the eCoustics team breaks down the CES 2026 Best in Show award winners across speakers, soundbars, wireless audio, TVs, home theater projectors, and headphones, explaining who stood out, why these products impressed us in controlled demo booth conditions, and what those design and performance choices are likely to cost you when they hit the market later in 2026.  

View all Best in Show CES 2026 Awards:
https://www.ecoustics.com/articles/best-ces-2026/


Panel:
Brian Mitchell, Host and eCoustics Founder
Chris Boylan, Editor at Large
Robert Silva, News C...

If you want music in every room without juggling multiple apps, this is your episode. HEOS isn’t just in Denon and Marantz gear — it’s built into a growing ecosystem of speakers, AVRs, soundbars, and components across the Harman Lifestyle portfolio. It’s become a serious multi-room, multi-zone streaming platform with Hi-Res audio, major music services, stereo pairing, and full Alexa/Google voice-assistant support.

Phil Jones of Harman Lifestyle joins us to lay out what HEOS can really do — including the tricks Sonos, BluOS, and WiiM would probably prefer you didn’t mention. Simple to run, surprisingly deep, and absolu...

In this episode, the eCoustics team cut through a year of hype, delays, and eyebrow-raising price hikes to talk about the products that genuinely moved the needle across hi-fi, head-fi, and home theater. We cover the TVs and projectors that finally earned their bragging rights, the headphones and earbuds that didn’t just chase trends, and the loudspeakers and portable gear that reminded us why good engineering still matters.

It’s a wide-ranging, candid discussion about what impressed us.And because the timing couldn’t be better, the ink is barely dry on our massive eCoustics Editors’ Choice awards l...

This episode examines the results from the 2025 Ultra-Short Throw (UST) Projector Showdown with event organizer, Brian Gluck of ProjectorScreen.com and emcee, Phil Jones of ProjectorReviews.com. The UST Projector Showdown allowed 6 judges to rate 9 UST projectors side-by-side with identical 100-inch screens, which underwent testing 15 different categories.  The models in the competition included the:

• Epson QS100 3-Chip Laser-Lit LCD Projector – 4,500 Lumens ($4,999)
• Formovie Theater Premium Triple Laser DLP Projector – 2,200 Lumens ($2,799)
• Hisense L9Q Triple Laser DLP Projector – 5,000 Lumens ($5,999)
• Hisense PT1 Triple Laser DLP Projector – 2,500 Lumens ($2,999)
• Hisense PX3 Pro Triple Laser DLP Projector – 3,000 Lumens ($3,499)
• JMGO O2S Ultra Triple Laser...

Confused by the Denon vs. Marantz AVR maze? Join eCoustics Founder Brian Mitchell, Editor at Large Chris Boylan, and Phil Jones, Global Director of Training at Harman International, as they break down 19 AVRs ranging from $400 to $7,200. Though Denon and Marantz have been under the same corporate roof for over a decade (now Harman International, owned by Samsung), not all AVRs are created equal.

Discover the subtle—and not-so-subtle—differences, what really matters for your Dolby Atmos setup, and which brand might make your wallet sigh. Perfect for home theater enthusiasts ready to cut through the hype and make a sma...

Back in the 80s and 90s, earplugs at a concert were a one-way ticket to dweeb status. Protecting your hearing? Please. You might as well have stayed home with a VHS and some Tang. These days it’s the opposite—walk into any venue and half the crowd is rocking hi-fi earplugs that make the music sound better and keep your ears intact.

Etymotic’s new Music Pro Elite are at the front of that shift, and Tim Monroe, Sr. Director of Engineering, along with Chris Roth, Principal Engineer at Etymotic Research, join us to break down why and ho...

The Bowers & Wilkins 801 isn’t just another loudspeaker—it’s the one Abbey Road Studios trusted when the music actually mattered. For 45 years, the 801 has been part of legendary recordings that shaped how we hear music, and now it’s back in the spotlight with the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition. Andy Kerr, Director of Marketing and Communications at Bowers & Wilkins, joins eCoustics CEO and Founder, Brian Mitchell to dig into how this speaker became the reference at the world’s most famous studio, why Abbey Road didn’t exactly choose it by accident, and what makes this anniversary edition more than just a...

A/V industry expert and custom integrator John Sciacca joins the eCoustics team to break down our top picks from CEDIA Expo 2025, held September 3–6. The annual trade show covers everything from home theater and soundbars to architectural speakers and outdoor A/V systems—gear designed for the pros who install and recommend solutions for luxury homes and yachts. We’ll highlight this year’s “Best in Show” winners across multiple categories—and call out a few products that didn’t quite live up to the hype.

Panel:
John Sciacca, Partner at Custom Theater and Audio
Chris Boylan, eCoustic...

The Rhino in the room can’t be ignored: after decades in the vault, Buckingham Nicks is finally getting a reissue. eCoustics Editors Eric Pye, Jeremy Sikora, and producer Mitch Anderson team up with mastering engineer Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) to dig into why this cult classic vanished, why it’s back now, and what it means for fans who’ve been chasing scratched LPs for years. Along the way, we get into the bigger picture—the state of the reissue market, the future of vinyl cutting, and why Fleetwood Mac drama still drives the mythology around this record. Chaos may have...

The eCoustics team discusses their "Best In Show" picks from Audio Advice Live 2025 -- the largest home theater show open to consumers. With over 1,700 attendees and more than 60 experience rooms featuring hifi and home cinema systems from $5,000 to over $250,000, it was a virtual Disneyland for audiophiles, videophiles and home theatre aficionados.

View a list of all award winners here:
https://www.ecoustics.com/articles/best-audio-advice-live-2025/

Thank you to SVS and HEOS for sponsoring this episode! 

On the panel:

Brian Mitchell - eCoustics Founder (and host)
Chris Boylan - eCoustics Editor-at-Large

Our friend and popular YouTube tech reviewer, B The Installer, joins us on the podcast to discuss the results of the 2025 TV Shootout, where the top-of-the-line 65-inch 4K OLED TVs all went head to head. The four models in the competition included the LG G5, Panasonic Z95B, Samsung S95F, and Sony Bravia 8 II.

Find out how it all went down with B The Installer who was in attendance, along with eCoustics Editor-at-Large, Chris Boylan, who was one of the 9 judges at the event.

With two different perspectives, each offers some surprisingly candid thoughts on t...

In this episode, William Jennings, our Senior Headphones and Portables Editor, dives deep into the wireless headphone and earbud game. He'll name-drop his top picks for 2025 and share his thoughts on where this market is headed.

The good news? Bluetooth and noise cancellation are finally living up to their promises, and the sound gap between wired and wireless is closing fast—especially in the high-end stuff. Whether you're stuck on Sony or Bose, or willing to drop some serious cash on Focal or Bowers & Wilkins, or just wondering if wireless really can stack up to the wired heavyweights—this...

The eCoustics podcast has made it to our 100th episode! Let's rewind and check in with our top contributors and editors to recap the highlights - and lowlights? - in the HiFi and home theater industry over these past four years.

Huge thank you to all of our subscribers, listeners, collaborators, friends, and sponsors for helping to keep us going!

Special thank you to SVS & Q Acoustics for being such longstanding supporters of our podcast messaging. 

www.svsound.com

www.qacoustics.com


Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc...

Qobuz, the leading audiophile-quality music streaming service, just got even better with the introduction of Qobuz Connect. Now subscribers can play their favorite lossless and high resolution audio tracks and albums directly from the cloud to their playback gear of choice, bypassing the phone, PC or tablet for elevated performance, improved functionality and even better sound quality.

We chat with Qobuz VP of business development and Hi-Res Music Evangelist David Solomon on where Qobuz came from, what its mission is and where it’s going in 2025 and beyond. 

Note: eCoustics readers, listeners and viewers can get...