Are Sonic Goals For HiFi Gear Regionalized?
Is there really such a thing as a “British Sound”? What about Germany? A Singapore Audio Show? Japan? Here in the US we often consider sonic goals within our own small community of the HiFi friendly. But what about other cultures, forums and listening rooms from abroad? In this week’s episode of The Occasional Podcast Richard Mak joins the show to talk about the differences in a few of the Asian markets, such as Japan, China and Singapore.
A continuation of the series TOP did on Brit-Fi, S11E4 explores the ins-and-outs of high fidelity in a new part of the world. What may be surprising to some, is that most of the HiFi market of the world is never really covered by the US audio press, so brands, products, even micro trends that exist in one part of the world might be completely foreign to another. Richard sits down on the show to chat about all this and more, along with some great feedback, impressions and best sounds from the Singapore 2024 audio show.
The Occasional Podcast recently covered CAF 2024, The Best Vintage Amplifiers To Buy At A Garage Sale, interviewed Jason Stoddard of Schiit Audio, and covered the future of digital and class D with Michal Jurewicz of Mytek and High End Munich 2024, but previous episodes include how tos, tips, tricks and education in all things high fidelity audio from episodes like last week’s Hot Headphones For The Holidays, an Interview With John Devore, Measurements explained with Andrew Jones, 3 things to know about streaming audio, 5 things to consider when buying a tube amplifier, interviews with Steve Guttenberg, how to’s and more from audio’s greatest talents, including Michael Fremer, another interesting conversation about the History Of The BBC’s LS3/5a Loudspeaker, A Beginner’s Guide To Tube Amplifiers and A View From The Booth: Reference Systems, Accuracy & Why Audiophiles Love Jazz So Much: including rare interview with the late audio legend engineer Al Schmitt. The finale from season 5 includes the yearly “best of awards” and you can also find episodes covering British HiFi, Subwoofers/Setup/Tips, and the how to: Budgeting From Entry Level To High End. Season 4 highlights include Joseph Audio, Pro-Ject Turntables, and Rob Watts. One can still download this season’s educational show with TOP’s Beginners Primer To High Fidelity Digital Audio alongside the latest on Two-Way Speaker Design. Fan favorite What Is Mastering? What Happens When An Album Is Remastered? is also still available as well. If you are interested in further exploring the analog realm, the Guide To Buying A Turntable (and records) might point you in the right direction.
Options to stream this week’s interview on Singapore Audio Show, direct from the embed below or subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.