We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed Although Brent and Dennis will probably never again work up the gumption to attend CES, they can muster the courage to read through others’ CES reports and weigh in with their own opinions. That’s this week’s first segment. Then they check out an article from Darko about age-related hearing loss and its relationship with audio copium, and think real hard about whether buying a $10,000 DAC is worth it if you can’t hear above 12 kHz. They then take a TAS hostage video hostage and use it as a jumping-off point for a deep dive into Class G and H amp topologies.

And for Patrons: What the heck is Snyderman’s Maxim? And would you want a million-dollar audio system if you could only use it to listen to “Hotel California”?

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

Dennis’ relaunched YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AdventureswithCPAP

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• Can You Identify Famous Guitarists From A Single Note? by Rick Beato: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gESY87hn7_Q
• CES 2026: With Onkyo, Premium Audio Co Proves It Can Walk & Chew Gum at the Same Time by Ted Gree: https://www.strata-gee.com/ces-2026-with-onkyo-premium-audio-co-proves-it-can-walk-chew-gum-at-the-same-time/
• Best of CES 2025: The Audio Gear That Matters by Adam Birney: https://www.soundguys.com/best-of-ces-2025-the-audio-gear-that-matters-130847/
• Eclipsa Audio on GitHub: https://github.com/google/eclipsa-audio-plugin
• Klipsch Demos New Powered Speakers, Shows Off High-End Concepts at CES 2026 by Jacob Green: https://www.audioholics.com/bookshelf-speaker-reviews/klipsch-80th-ces
• The Best of CES 2026: The Products We Want to Get Our Hands On Most by Wirecutter Staff: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-ces-2026-products/
• The LG Sound Suite Soundbar changed the way I think about surround sound by Nick Pino: https://www.tomsguide.com/audio/speakers/the-lg-sound-suite-soundbar-changed-the-way-i-think-about-surround-sound
• How age-related hearing loss emboldens hi-fi cope by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2025/12/how-age-related-hearing-loss-emboldens-hi-fi-cope/

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed Brent and Dennis ring in the new year by finding the very fine line between clever and stupid when it comes to A/B tests on YouTube, courtesy of AP Mastering. Next up: John Darko says lazy phrases are the norm in audio coverage but don’t mean anything. Is Darko punching above his weight class without breaking a sweat? And lastly for most listeners, we wonder if the rumors of the audio hobby’s death have been greatly exaggerated, and pine for the days when all audiophiles wore bowler hats.

And for Patrons: When Stereophile does blind testing, Brent and Dennis sit up and take notice… a full 37 years late.

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

Dennis’ relaunched YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AdventureswithCPAP

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• Audiophiles are wrong about YouTube's audio quality by AP Mastering: https://youtu.be/Xq1n9oYKiZU?si=2L6KhfoMimpLf12z
• Ready-made phrases: how hi-fi reviews dress up laziness as expertise by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2025/12/ready-made-phrases-how-hi-fi-reviews-can-dress-up-laziness-as-expertise/
• YouTube Indicates What the Future is For Audiophiles - Interesting Demographics: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/youtube-indicates-what-the-future-is-for-audiophiles-interesting-demo/post?postid=2725195
• 40% of Audiophiles May Be Gone Soon, and No One Is Replacing Them by Alexandra Plesa: https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/09/audiophiles-gone-soon/
• Lumines: Arise: https://lumines.game/

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Brent and Dennis begin with a discussion about the design and manufacture of high-end audio cables courtesy of Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity. How much art is there to appreciate? How much science is there to check? And most importantly, which aspects of the article pissed off our curmudgeonly duo the most?

Speaking of being pissed off, Brent has a bone to pick with Erin Hardison over his most recent video about flat frequency response. You don’t want to miss that.

And finally for most listeners this week, Dennis finally gets to do an entire segment about King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, thanks to an AI clone of the band that popped up on streaming services. Did this whole story somehow prove that Google is more evil than Spotify? Perhaps!

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

Dennis’ relaunched YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AdventureswithCPAP

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• The Art and Science of Designing High-End Audio Cables by John E. Johnson, Jr.: https://hometheaterhifi.com/technical/technical-reviews/the-art-and-science-of-designing-high-end-audio-cables/

• Why "Flat" Response Sounds TERRIBLE! by Erin's Audio Corner: https://youtu.be/LXX6zzA2AY0?si=WgArCIF_uu9TX6Kc
• Børresen X3 Floorstanding Speaker Review by Erin’s Audio Corner: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/b%C3%B8rresen_x3/
• 5,000 Podcasts. 3,000 Episodes a Week. $1 Cost Per Episode — Behind an AI Start Up’s Plan by Caitlin Huston: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/ai-podcast-start-up-plan-shows-1236361367/
• ‘We are truly doomed’: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard despair at AI clone appearing on Spotify: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/10/king-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-despair-at-ai-clone-appearing-on-spotify
• “Rattlesnake” by the fake AI band King Lizard Wizard: https://youtu.be/9MKm5HMth5A?si=rb7FuqHo4EnJeEOC
• “Rattlesnake” by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: https://youtu.be/Q-i1XZc8ZwA?si=OAdN3LLq90DpcM7s
• I've Lost 180 lbs. (82kg) on CPAP. Now What?! by Adventures with CPAP: https://youtu.be/uDD7Ft2jx4w?si=Ge7_bqFyTGeY3zKd

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Brent and Dennis kick things off by investigating whether translating the words of non-English speakers in a way that suits your agenda might be a promising new business model for bad audio websites. Then they’re joined by SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider for a post-mortem on Dennis’ historic and fateful appearance on The HiFi Five. Wrapping things up for normies, they respond to a request from numerous Patrons to look into New Record Day’s power cable conversion testimony to answer the question: Is it worthwhile to do a deep dive into the testing procedures of people who haven’t themselves done a deep dive into the subject of testing procedures?

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• Veteran Speaker Designer Reveals the Top 3 Reasons Why Designers Can’t Build Great Speakers Anymore: https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/11/veteran-designer-explains-why-speakers-declined/
• GPM Monitor One: il bookshelf di riferimento by G.P. Matarazzo: https://www.avmagazine.it/articoli/diffusori/2077/gpm-monitor-one-il-bookshelf-di-riferimento_index.html
• Test: Sonus Faber Lumina II by G.P. Matarazzo: https://www.avmagazine.it/articoli/diffusori/2051/test-sonus-faber-lumina-ii_index.html
• The HiFi Five Episode 6: Guest Dennis Burger of SoundStage! by The HiFi Five: https://www.youtube.com/live/OORvfQh_zjo
• The Most Pathetic Excuse in High-End Audio (Ep:94) by SoundStage! Network: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3e7dD-Yij0
• I Tried to Debunk Power Cords & Conditioners… and Failed Spectacularly by New Record Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIWVDNiRCiM

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Brent and Dennis once again stare the impending A.I. apocalypse in the face and ponder about what it all means, especially for audiophiles. As a palate cleanser, they then bring in their buddy Geoffrey Morrison of SoundStage! Solo to discuss some fancy new replacement ear tips and how they may affect the sound of your earphones. Then they ask why audio journalists don’t have methodological standards that measure up to a bass-playing comedian on the internet.

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• 50,000 AI tracks flood Deezer daily – as study shows 97% of listeners can’t tell the difference between human-made vs. fully AI-generated music: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/50000-ai-tracks-flood-deezer-daily-as-study-shows-97-of-listeners-cant-tell-the-difference-between-human-made-vs-fully-ai-generated-music/
• Azla SednaEarfit Mithryl and Flare Magic Tips Aftermarket Eartips by Geoffrey Morrison: https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/equipment/accessories/473-azla-sednaearfit-mithryl-and-flare-magic-tips-aftermarket-eartips
• I bought the most EXPENSIVE Guitar Picks on the internet by Davie504: https://youtu.be/0JaOCZhjpaQ?si=5F-B3BgGktUWxIF3

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Brent and Dennis weigh in on whether or not cheapaudioman is really telling the truth about tubes that nobody else is talking about, and answer the literally burning question: Is buying a McIntosh 275 really a death sentence for your chihuahua? Then they dive deep into the philosophy of intention-driven audio, whatever the heck that is, and ponder whether a monastery is really the best place to learn how to calculate standing-wave frequencies. Next, they engage with a LinkedIn post from Steve Temme of Listen, Inc., mostly as a backdoor excuse to talk about THD (total harmonic distortion) and how much it matters, or doesn’t.

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• The Truth About Tube Amps Nobody Is Talking About by cheapaudioman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGVeHUPg0g
• Synergistic Research: Cables, Power, and the Philosophy of Intention-Driven Audio by Michael Horne: https://tmraudio.com/blog/synergistic-research-cables-power-and-the-philosophy-of-intentiondriven-audio/
• Why Headphone Target Curves and THD Don’t Tell the Whole Story by Steve Temme: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-headphone-target-curves-thd-dont-tell-whole-story-steve-temme-strme/

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed Tony Stark once famously said, “We have a Hulk.” Brent and Dennis have a secret weapon much more powerful than that. We have a Floyd Toole! And this week, we sit in conversation with him about the release of the fourth edition of his legendary book, Sound Reproduction, and why it has a different subtitle this time: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones.

📖 Get your copy of the 4th edition of Floyd Toole’s legendary book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers, Rooms and Headphones with DISCOUNT CODE 25SMA4: https://www.routledge.com/Sound-Reproduction-The-Acoustics-and-Psychoacoustics-of-Loudspeakers-Rooms-and-Headphones/Toole-Olive-Welti/p/book/9781032761930

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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent: https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 1 on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dr-floyd-toole-an-oral-history-1-two-ears-and-a-brain-transistors-rules-and-data/
• Dr. Floyd Toole: An Oral History 2 on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/dr-floyd-toole-an-oral-history-2-ab-tests-bass-athena-brains-rooms-hearing-listening/
• Read These 2 Books to Know More about Speakers than Most Hi-Fi Reviewers Do by the SoundStage! Network: https://youtu.be/YfIde7VTA7g?si=XjxdvEhY52wdzDvi
• The Biggest Lie in Audio by Brent Butterworth: https://www.soundstagesolo.com/index.php/features/246-the-biggest-lie-in-audio

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed First things first this week, Brent and Dennis wonder why Wired is doing pretty good blind panel testing when actual audio publications almost never dare, or bother. Then they have a conversation with their buddy Joe Mariano, aka Joe N Tell, about his new speaker measurement and target-curve-calculating app Magic Beans. How does it fare against Brent’s bazillion years of measurement experience and Dennis’s kazillion years of calibrating audio systems? Finally, Dennis asks Brent WTF a “notoriously musical” CD drive even is.

And for Patrons: Can Bowers & Wilkins and other former Sound United brands maintain their identity under their new Samsung/Harman umbrella? And should they?

💿 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

💿 tics by Flip City, mixed by Brent

https://davidaaron4.bandcamp.com/album/tics

Further Reading:

• • We Asked Audio Pros to Blind Test Headphones. The Results Were Surprising by Chris Haslam: https://www.wired.com/story/we-asked-audio-pros-to-blind-test-headphones-the-results-were-surprising/
  • Joe N Tell: https://joentell.com/
  • Magic Beans: https://magicbeansaudio.com/
  • Gramophone Dreams #101: The Shanling ET3 CD transport by Herb Reichert: https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-101-shanling-et3-cd-transport