We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent discuss Darko’s coverage of the Munich High End show, including his insistence that he’s noping out of trade shows going forward. Will we really never see him again IRL? Next up: did Audio Judgement do this crossover A/B blind test right … and can a chancy collection of cheap caps and chokes credibly conquer the chi-chi stuff? Finally, they contrast two articles from high-end audio sites that posit very different proposals about blind testing.

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

• “The last hi-fi show I will ever attend” by Darko Audio: https://youtu.be/SfQjv6H1dzk?si=LJPyoIIVRkQXpJnY
• “Cheap vs Expensive Crossover (Blind Test)” by Audio Judgement: https://youtu.be/jx7OaMghqJU?si=5f3usI89gV6kXr52
• “Do Blind Listening Tests Work? My Sessions with the Colorado Audio Society” by Steven Stone: https://pmamagazine.org/do-blind-listening-tests-work-my-sessions-with-the-colorado-audio-society/
• “Magic Snake Oil: Roger Skoff Writes the Real Truth about HiFi” by Roger Skoff: https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/magic-snake-oil-roger-skoff-writes-the-real-truth-about-hifi/
• “The History of Snake Oil” by Andrew Haynes: https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/the-history-of-snake-oil

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent catch up with all the news we should have covered last episode, including the Harman acquisition of Sound United, and what it means for the fate of Bowers & Wilkins, Dolby, and the half-dozen audio dealers left in the U.S. Then they ask The Absolute Sound’s philosopher-in-chief Tom Martin to blink twice if he’s OK in his recent video about cable lifters before moving on to a discussion about guinea pigs being used as guinea pigs to answer science’s pressing questions about compression (but not that kind of compression!).

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

• “Masimo Sells Sound United to Harman/Samsung, Creates Audio Empire?” by Wayde Robson: https://www.audioholics.com/editorials/masimo-deals-sound-united-to-harman-samsung
• “The VIABLUE Rocket cable lifter system briefing” by Tom Martin: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-via-blue-rocket-cable-lifter-system-briefing/
• “Compressed music might be harmful to the ears”: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/05/07/compressed-music-might-be-harmful-to-the-ears
• “Auditory changes in awake guinea pigs exposed to overcompressed music” by Thamara Suzi Dos Santos, Pierrick Bordiga, Paul Avan: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378595524001734
• “8 Hour Music Video for Guinea Pigs! Natural Stress and Anxiety Relief for Guinea Pigs!” by PetTunes - Music for Pets: https://youtu.be/mxBk0ItjoEg?si=f5ByWuRwrjG5NwOb
• Harriet (tortoise): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_(tortoise)

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent dig into the news about a new $25/month music streaming service that claims it’s the first to deliver lossless and immersive audio. (Please don’t tell Apple Music or Qobuz or Tidal or Amazon!) Then they look on as an AudioXpress writer does a Marianas Trench-level dive on the return of the 78 rpm record, and question whether these can deliver as profound a musical experience as lathe-cut records. They conclude by pondering which paper towel is best for cleaning up the drool after Stereophile, Hi-Fi+ and Hi-Fi News review dCS’s almost-$300K, five-chassis DAC.

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

• “Pure Audio Streaming”: https://pureaudiostreaming.com/
• “audioXpress May 2025 Brings the Best in DIY Audio with Tubes” by audioXpress Staff: https://audioxpress.com/news/audioxpress-may-2025-brings-the-best-in-diy-audio-with-tubes
• “Spinning a Record to Pieces at 12,500fps” by The Slow Mo Guys”: https://youtu.be/n-DTjpde9-0?si=cL98sZEXtdlhul3-
• “dCS Varèse Music System D/A Processor” by Jason Victor Serinus: https://www.stereophile.com/content/dcs-var%C3%A8se-music-system-da-processor
• “dCS Varèse” by Alan Sircom: https://hifiplus.com/articles/dcs-varese/
• “dCS Varèse” by Andrew Everard & Paul Miller: https://dcsaudio.com/assets/hfnfebdcsvarese.pdf