The HiFi Five Episode 39: Is Vinyl All That? Guests: Jefferson Douglas -- CEO of Tubelandia Music Mike Lavigne -- audiophile hobbyist Amadeus Meitner -- Managing Director, EMM Labs and Meitner Doug Schneider -- founder of SoundStage! Topics: Which is the best sounding format, and what does best sounding mean? When great vinyl beats state-of-the-art digital, what are we really hearing -- the format, better mastering, or better gear? If master tape is the ultimate reference, which gets ...
Aug 27
1 hr 13 min
The HiFi Five Episode 38: Buying Used Components and Repairs Guests: Morrison Agen -- Hardcore HiFi, a dealer and component repair and restoration business Jay Caceres -- Jay’s Audio Lab, a dealer in used components Peter Glenn -- Director of Quality Assurance at The Music Room, a dealer in used components Jim Yager -- audiophile hobbyist Topics: Is buying used actually the smartest way to build a great high-end audio system? What high-end components are safest to buy us...
Aug 13
1 hr 4 min
The HiFi Five Episode 37: Southwest Audio Fest 2026 Show Report Guests: Chad Crawley -- audiophile hobbyist Gary Gill -- founder and organizer of the Southwest Audio Fest and Capital Audio Fest Matt Philpot -- YouTube channel Everyday Audiophile Keith Rochelli -- audiophile hobbyist Joey Veloso -- President of the DFW Audiophile Club Topics: Was Southwest Audio Fest better than last year—or did it take a step backward? Which new components were the biggest surprises… an...
Jul 30
57 min
In this The HiFi Five Special Episode Ron Resnick interviews Mr. Roger Hwang, the CEO of Crystal International Group Inc. and Crystal Claire Cosmetics Inc., who explains the many recent corporate and personnel developments at Audio Research Corporation and at Acora Acoustics.
Jul 15
21 min
The HiFi Five Episode 35: Dynaudio Withdrawal and Distributor Life Today Guests: Brian Ackerman -- Founder of Aaudio Imports Bill Leebens -- CEO of Leebens Marketing and Management Doug Schneider -- Founder of SoundStage! Hiram Toro -- Founder of Supreme Acoustic Systems and of Decibel+ Topics: Is this an isolated case, or the first major warning sign that the economics of importing high-end audio into North America have changed fundamentally? What role did tariffs really play in Dyna...
Jul 15
57 min
In this Episode 34 the guests and Ron explain thirteen full system recommendations from $500 to $100,000! The HiFi Five supports budget and student audiophiles! Guests: Erin Hardison -- Erin’s Audio Corner Danny Kaey -- Sonic Flare Eric Neff - Reviewer for HiFi+ Magazine Andrew Quint -- Senior Writer at The Absolute Sound Additional Topics: How should audiophiles divide their budget among speakers, amplifier, preamplifier, source components and cables? Would you rather have outstanding sp...
Jul 9
1 hr 13 min
The HiFi Five Episode 33: Axiss Lawsuit Guests: Chad Crawley -- audiophile hobbyist Erin Hardison -- Erin's Audio Corner Kerry Harvey -- commercial transactions attorney who has litigated dozens of cases and served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and audiophile hobbyist Doug Schneider -- founder of SoundStage! Steven Stone -- Senior Reviewer at The Absolute Sound
Jul 5
1 hr 22 min
The Hi-Fi Five Episode 32: Getting Kids into Music and Audio Guests: May Anwar -- Scientist, college educator, co-founder of M101 Audio and the creator of “Passport to Sound” Steve Lefkowicz -- Senior Associate Editor at Positive Feedback Joe Pavel -- audiophile hobbyist parent Max Pavel -- audiophile hobbyist kid Topics: • Are headphones and earbuds creating tomorrow’s audiophiles -- or replacing traditional stereo systems? • Could video gaming ultimately do more to create music lo...
Jun 25
1 hr
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, ...
Jun 11
1 hr 16 min
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 somethi...
May 28
1 hr 16 min
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