The latest from The Occasional Podcast is here. An interview with Robert Harley of The Absolute Sound kicks of Season 14 in true bravado. Robert drops some serious history, names, and his unique perspective on HiFi and audio culture.
This week in episode 1, host Brian Hunter kicks things off with a dive into some of the more nuanced ways to listen and observe audio with the help of Editor-In-Chief of the Absolute Sound, Robert Harley. Together they cover some of the great contributions from audiophile designers over the years, talk about analog, critical listening and idea of “regionalized” sounds. A great listen for anyone who has a vested interest in HiFi history, critical listening and legendary sounds.
The Occasional Podcast recently covered the Florida Audio Expo 2026, the History And Ongoing Legacy Of The Quad ESL 57, Pro Audio Vs. HIFi– how they might be more alike than you think, and also an interview with teenage speaker designer Lucca Chesky. There is a huge list of 2026 recommendations for Best Value in Hifi, New products for 2026 and covered Capital Audiofest. They also interviewed Stereophile’s Michael Trei, The Best Vintage Amplifiers To Buy At A Garage Sale, chatted with Jason Stoddard of Schiit Audio, and covered the future of digital and class D with Michal Jurewicz of Mytek. Previous episodes include how tos, tips, tricks and education in all things high fidelity audio from episodes like 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 and an interviews with Steve Guttenberg.
Options to stream this week’s interview with Robert Harley, direct from the embed below or subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.