EPISODE · Mar 19, 2025 · 1H 10M
“Fun and Depressing at the Same Time!”
from Audio Unleashed · host Brent Butterworth & Dennis Burger
We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent page through the storied Gray Lady (known to some as the New York Times and to Brent as “employer”) and find, to their amazement, an in-depth profile of high-end vinyl company Acoustic Sounds and its iconoclastic proprietor, Chad Kassem. Then they check out what YouTube star Cheapaudioman says are the biggest mistakes audiophiles can make (besides failing to listen to the Audio Unleashed podcast). They conclude by digging through a Tape Op profile of a man in Burbank, California whose life’s work is getting messed-up tapes to play so you can finally hear A Flock of Seagulls as they were meant to be heard. Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases): 💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants 💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album: https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album 📚 Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly: https://amzn.to/4aMl9Xl 📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp 📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE 📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0 📚 The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back by Jacob Ward: https://amzn.to/4cyzSET Further Reading: “The Wizard of Vinyl is in Kansas” by Ben Sisario: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/arts/music/vinyl-albums-chad-kassem-acoustic-sounds.html “Don't Waste Money on These Audiophile TRAPS!” by cheapaudioman: https://youtu.be/m4ubVpSe_8M?si=oGUpiToYTT39eCuT “How to Make Your Own Audio Diffusers” by Brent: https://www.lifewire.com/make-your-own-audio-diffuser-3134903 Shibuya Hi-Fi Vinyl Bar: https://www.shibuyahifi.com/ “Dan Johnson: Preserving the Past” by Larry Crane: https://tapeop.com/interviews/165/dan-johnson/ Nonagon Infinity Live - 8-Track: https://needlejuicerecords.com/products/nonagon-infinity-live-8-track
What this episode covers
We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashedThis week, Dennis and Brent page through the storied Gray Lady (known to some as the New York Times and to Brent as “employer”) and find, to their amazement, an in-depth profile of high-end vinyl company Acoustic Sounds and its iconoclastic proprietor, Chad Kassem. Then they check out what YouTube star Cheapaudioman says are the biggest mistakes audiophiles can make (besides failing to listen to the Audio Unleashed podcast). They conclude by digging through a Tape Op profile of a man in Burbank, California whose life’s work is getting messed-up tapes to play so you can finally hear A Flock of Seagulls as they were meant to be heard. Buy-now links for products mentioned herein (As Amazon Associates, we may earn a small cut from qualifying purchases): 💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants 💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album: https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album 📚 Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly: https://amzn.to/4aMl9Xl 📚 Budget Travel For Dummies by Geoffrey Morrison: https://amzn.to/3uiIPlp 📚Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms by Floyd Toole: https://amzn.to/3ZlTLtE 📚Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition: Volume 1 by Vance Dickason: https://amzn.to/42pdwk0 📚 The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back by Jacob Ward: https://amzn.to/4cyzSET Further Reading: “The Wizard of Vinyl is in Kansas” by Ben Sisario: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/arts/music/vinyl-albums-chad-kassem-acoustic-sounds.html “Don't Waste Money on These Audiophile TRAPS!” by cheapaudioman: https://youtu.be/m4ubVpSe_8M?si=oGUpiToYTT39eCuT “How to Make Your Own Audio Diffusers” by Brent: https://www.lifewire.com/make-your-own-audio-diffuser-3134903 Shibuya Hi-Fi Vinyl Bar: https://www.shibuyahifi.com/ “Dan Johnson: Preserving the Past” by Larry Crane: https://tapeop.com/interviews/165/dan-johnson/ Nonagon Infinity Live - 8-Track: https://needlejuicerecords.com/products/nonagon-infinity-live-8-track
NOW PLAYING
“Fun and Depressing at the Same Time!”
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Feb 8, 2026 ·4m
Jan 30, 2026 ·6m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m