The HiFi Hobbyist Podcast

In last week's podcast we looked at the different amplifier classes and how they linked to the sound quality of key exemplar amplifiers of each type. One of the conclusions was that the vast majority of modern amplifiers are either Class AB or Class D. For this week's podcast, we have generated a debate between two AI protagonists, one championing the virtues of Class AB, the other, the benefits o...

A few weeks ago, we looked at the the difference between valves and solid-state components such as transistors or integrated circuits in hi-fi amplifiers. One of the issues that emerged from that podcast was the question of amplifier topology or class. It appeared from the research undertaken that the amplifier topology could have as much impact on the ultimate sound as the nature of the devices d...

In last week's podcast, I selected my favourite five Jethro Tull albums. The selection was based on musical and lyrical quality, rather than the sound quality of the original releases, but as this was a Hi-Fi Hobbyist podcast, sound quality was raised, especially in relation to the Steve Wilson remixes where available.  For this week's podcast, we have generated a debate between two AI protagonist...

Jethro Tull have been producing music since 1968, and therefore selecting 5 favourite Jethro Tull albums for this podcast is a difficult task. This week's podcast is the Hifi Hobbyist's attempt to select a Top Five Jethro Tull albums. Only five in the list in order to try to explore the merits of each title in some detai,l particularly with reference to the sound quality of each album. The Jethro...

Welcome to this week’s podcast, which is a generated debate about the different approaches to performing and recording Handel’s Messiah, as discussed in last week's Christmas podcast.  The AI protagonists debate the merits of the newer authentic or "historically informed" performances compared to the more traditional larger scale performances popular in the early years of vinyl LP records.  The se...

Happy Christmas from the HiFi Hobbyist! This week’s podcast considers Handel's Messiah, which has become a staple at Christmas. We shall consider its origins, its impact, and the HiFi Hobbyists favourite recordings The selections of Messiah that accompany the podcast are supplied from Wikimedia Commons. They are used under a Creative Commons 2.0 licence I hope that you enjoy the podcast!

This week’s generated discussion iis about last week’s podcast about the relative merits of valve and solid-state (transistor) circuitry in high-fidelity audio amplification. It takes the form of a debate about the merits of each technology with each participant championing one of the technologies This week’s music is entitled Digital Sunset by Nver Avetyan and used under a Pixabay licence.  I hop...

This week’s podcast which considers the relative merits of valve and solid-state circuitry in high-fidelity audio amplification. We use the term “solid state’ because the discrete transistors of early designs have now largely been superseded by integrated circuits incorporating many transistors Transistors largely replaced valves in the 1960s, but have retained a niche market in high-end, and also...

This week’s generated discussion uses the evidence gathered for last week’s podcast about Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd to debate the merits of each album with each AI participant championing one of the titles. Will they agree with the (human) HiFi Hobbyist?

This week’s podcast compares arguably the two best albums from Pink Floyd at the height of their powers, The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, as we reach the 50th anniversary of the release of Wish You Were Here. As this is the Hi-Fi Hobbyist podcast, we will pay particular attention to the various reissues and remasters that have emerged over the intervening period.

This week’s generated discussion follows on from last week’s podcast about the role of active loudspeaker technology in domestic Hi-Fi systems. It takes the form of a debate about the merits of active and passive speakers for Hi-Fi hobbyists. This week’s accompanying music is Shattered, created by Electronic-Senses, and used under a Pixabay licence

This podcast explores the role and history of active speakers in domestic hi-fi systems. Although their use is on the increase in the smart speaker market and in some popular hi-fi speaker ranges such as the KEF LS series, many hi-fi hobbyists remain unconvinced, so we seek to answer the question "Why doesn’t active loudspeaker technology play a bigger role in domestic Hi-Fi systems?" This week’s...

Following on from last week's podcast on alternative approaches to manufacturing for British HiFi companies, this week's takes the form of a generated debate about the merits of the two principal approaches as exemplified by IAG and Rega

This podcast examines whether British HiFi manufacturers need to outsource manufacturing to survive. It has been inspired by the challenges to free trade and global supply changes, which have been caused by the UK leaving the EU, closely followed by a global pandemic, and most recently geopolitical upheavals and the imposition of import tarffs by key countries

This bonus podcast is a generated discussion that took a rather unexpected turn, which I found interesting so we have published it as a bonus episode. Charged with generating a debate about last week's podcast, the debate quickly moved to a rather more philosophical discussion about the nature of high-fidelity audio itself. Do we value the purest signal in terms of freedom from noise, or do we ins...

This week's podcast is a generated discussion, following on from last week's podcast. It discusses the historical progression of audiovisual technology convergence in the United Kingdom, tracing its evolution from early broadcast limitations to modern immersive experiences. It begins with the initial analogue mono television era established by the BBC and ITV, followed by the temporary simulcastin...

The podcast tracks the history of audiovisual technology in the UK from the earliest TV services nearly 100 years ago to modern digital technology, with a view to answering the question: does high fidelity audio benefit from accompanying video?

This week's generated discussion looks at last week's podcast and the HiFi Hobbyist Top 10 Bruce Springsteen studio albums

Although the title of this podcast is the hi-fi hobbyist, hi-fi is only ever a means to an end.  The purpose of improving my Hi-Fi setup is to improve the quality of the sound reproduction and therefore the enjoyment obtained from music. Music has always played an important part on the hifi hobbyist site with syndicated record reviews featured prominently from the beginning. One of the artists pro...

Welcome to this week’s generated discussion about last week’s podcast about the not-so-humble Hi-Fi rack.    This week’s music is once again a mix of big band swing tracks created by Nicholas Parnek, and used under a Pixabay licence.     I hope that you enjoy the discussion! 

Welcome to this week’s podcast about the not-so-humble hifi rack.  The podcast discusses the history of specialist hifi funiture, and the technical aspects of providing a solid foundation and controlling unwanted vibrations. The research for this podcast informed my own hobby project to replace my own hifi rack. You can read more about this at the main HiFi Hobbyist website  This week’s music is b...

This week’s podcast is a discussion about the NAD thirty twenty amplifier, probably the best-selling hi-fi amplifier in history, and arguably, the most influential budget Hi-Fi component in history. It follows on from the story of my relationship with the amplifier on the main HiFi Hobbyist site and last week’s podcast covering the amplifier in more detail This week’s music is Liszt’s piano transc...

The NAD 3020 is almost certainly the best-selling hi-fi amplifier in history. Including its various iterations, it reportedly sold 1.1 million units. I bought one of those 1.1 million units in 1980. On the main hifihobbyist.net website, I have told the story of my forty-five-year-old relationship with this iconic amplifier. In this podcast, we will tell the story of its origins, technical innovati...

In this weeks podcast, we feature a discussion of last week's podcast about why HiFi Hobbyists are prone to impulse buying. This discussion is generated using technology and then checked by the HiFi Hobbyist before publication.

This podcast deals with the past, present and future of the CD. It was inspired by a recent videocast at hifihobbyist.net that asked if a CD revival was underway. The podcast goes into much more detail and is accompanied by Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.