SoundGuys Podcast

Join our team of experts Chris, Adam, and Lily to explore every facet of audio and related technology. Everything you want to know about the science of sound comes to you monthly. We’re going to show you the world as you’ve never heard it.

Bluetooth is going to get soooo much better featuring Bluetooth SIG Vice President of Marketing Ken Kolderup 02/02/2020

Bluetooth is going to get soooo much better featuring Bluetooth SIG Vice President of Marketing Ken Kolderup Bluetooth LE and the Low Complexity Communications Codec (LC3) are going to make huge improvements to the Bluetooth standard. This will include hearing aids, broadcast communications, audio sharing, multistream audio and more. We met up with Ken Kolderup at CES 2020 and got the low-down of what’s coming. It’s going to make people’s lives better, and significantly raise the bar of baseline audio coming from Bluetooth in general. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/12978392

SoundGuys wish list for 2020 01/01/2020

SoundGuys wish list for 2020 2020 arrives, and we’re excited to see what the new year has in store. But we also have a few wishes along the way. Are true wireless earbuds bad, and even harmful? Will Google’s Pixel Buds 2 be great? What about gaming headsets? Will they ever get their stories straight? We’re hopeful, and cautiously optimistic. And we’re breaking it all down and we have a few more surprises along the way in this episode of the SoundGuys podcast! /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/12580112

The headphone jack debate continues… 12/02/2019

The headphone jack debate continues… Lily Katz has this month’s Sound Bite and she has something to say about your precious headphone jack. She doesn’t need a headphone jack in her phone and she lays out her reasons for it. But how can a true “SoundGuy” (well SoundGirl) not care about the best audio possible? Well, she does. But she doesn’t necessarily get it from her phone. Home is where the headphone jack is, after all. Isn’t that how the saying goes? /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/12239753

It’s time to take a stand 11/02/2019

It’s time to take a stand There is a problem brewing in the world that has festered for too long. It’s time we all spoke out against this evil that hurts us every day. Of course, we’re talking about hand dryers in the bathroom. What else would we be talking about? /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/11882969

What do your car and headphones have in common? 10/01/2019

What do your car and headphones have in common? When you hop into a modern car and close the door, the outside world just fades away. Great insulation, right? That gets you part of the way, but sound technology similar to what you might already have in your headphones contributes to the serenity in surprising ways. How does a car get so quiet that you can kick back, relax, and enjoy your music? Adam Molina breaks it down for you in this month’s sound bite! /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/11461895

The real reason manufacturers ditched the headphone jack 09/02/2019

The real reason manufacturers ditched the headphone jack The headphone jack is controversial, but ditching it means more than just forcing customers to buy new headphones. It’s actually forcing customers to buy your new headphones. Chris Thomas takes a deep dive into why the headphone jack is disappearing on our phones, and it goes a lot deeper than you might think. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/11083997

Can music really improve your workout? 08/02/2019

Can music really improve your workout? Lily Katz takes us on a journey filled with exhaustion and endorphins to examine if music can really improve your workout. How can a simple song motivate you to go harder, faster, and stronger and push through the pain? Will this podcast help you become a better you? You’ll find out! /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/10759169

The Intense History of Sound in Video Games 07/01/2019

The Intense History of Sound in Video Games Today, we take sound in video games from granted. But how did sound evolve from the pings of pong to the toe-curling growls of The Last of Us? What innovations now allow us to slash boxes to the beat in Beat Saber, and what music genres have grown out of the video game community? It’s a wild ride with the SoundGuys, and they’ve brought a friend for the ride. Juan Carlos Bagnell of SomeGadgetGuy.com joins us on our journey through the bleeps and bloops of video game sound. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/10346720

Can you hear me now? Why does my mic suck? 06/01/2019

Can you hear me now? Why does my mic suck? Sometimes when you’re on a call, the person on the other end has no idea what you’re trying to say. Fortunately, we have some experience in that realm, and Adam breaks down the four most common reasons why your microphone might suck, and how to fix the problem. So check it out! /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/10009118

Sounding off on privacy 05/01/2019

Sounding off on privacy Sometimes your headphones come with an app to help get the most out of your cans. But what happens when your headphones want to know more about you than just what the next track is? Privacy is becoming a huge issue all around the internet, and our experience with privacy recently intersected with an episode from our sister podcast, the DGiT Daily. Privacy violations can happen where you least expect them. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/9608783

Loudness Wars! 04/02/2019

Loudness Wars! Since digital music became popular, audio engineers have been pushing the idea that louder is better. Unfortunately, that just isn’t true. As music gets louder, fine details within the music become undetectable, and the experience is ruined. This all came to a head in 2008 when the game Guitar Hero had to remix some tracks for the game. Most notably, was Metallica’s Death Magnetic and suddenly, the music sounded better. Since then, it seems the loudness was have come to an end. This is our sonic histo /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/9232829

Introducing Sound Bites 03/18/2019

Introducing Sound Bites We love sound here at the SoundGuys, and after a year of podcasting, we've come across a lot of great topics that are super interesting, but there isn't enough there for a full episode. So we're introducing a new kind of episode called Sound Bites. Sound Bites will be short, to the point, give you something really neat, and then let you go about your day. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/9052001

Weaponizing Sound 02/15/2019

Weaponizing Sound When most of us think of sound, we think about music that gets our foot tapping, or maybe a pleasant background noise like birds chirping or waves washing up against a shoreline. It’s soothing, and calming. But, like most everything else in life, it can also have a darker side. What if you wanted to use sound…to harm? /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/8641769

CES 2019 Wrap Up 01/14/2019

CES 2019 Wrap Up This round table discussion of CES 2019 was recorded at the Blue Microphone podcasting suite at Treasure Island. Jonathan Feist of Dronerush.com led our discussion for our laryngitis-laden podcast hosts. We break down the hows and whys behind The SoundGuys Best of CES awards. It’s a great look inside the tech from one of the the largest consumer electronics shows in the world. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/8254376

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas 12/21/2018

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas You always know when the holidays are approaching because of the music you hear. From stores to radio stations to shopping malls, you are awash in the spirit of the season. Holiday music has a real psychological effect on you - for better or for worse, and we wanted to explore that, and what you can do about it. Featuring special guest interviews with Dr. Eric Spangenberg and Dr. Linda Blair. We even get an appearance of the Grinch, courtesy of Small Town Titans. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/8011814

Codecs: The Alphabet Soup That Matters 11/15/2018

Codecs: The Alphabet Soup That Matters When shopping for a nice set of headphones for yourself or someone on your holiday list, you might run into codecs, and you might not be sure what to do with them. What are they? Do they matter? Help us SoundGuys! Fortunately, we’re here to do just that. Including a special appearance by Gary Sims, we break it all down for you. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/7568306

Spooky Audiophile "Ghost" Stories (That People Still Believe) 10/16/2018

Spooky Audiophile "Ghost" Stories (That People Still Believe) Three tales that will surprise and shock you. These spooky audio myths come straight from the cult of audiophilia, and we’re here to help you sort through fact and fiction. Are Monster cables any better than coat hanger wire soldered together? What is jitter? And how far does one need to go to break in those headphones and get them just right? These scary (read: not scary) tales are served up with a healthy dose of fact in the SoundGuys Podcast. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/7199924

Sound: The Original Internet 09/15/2018

Sound: The Original Internet You might be surprised to find out that before we had fiber optic cables linking the world, we had to reply on other means of communication. Those older means almost always involved sound. You know about the dots and dashes of the telegraph, and the screeching handshake of the modem. But did you know computer geeks in the 80’s used to transmit video games over FM radio? /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/7048756

Is Bluetooth Dangerous? NO! Part 1 09/01/2018

Is Bluetooth Dangerous? NO! Part 1 If you do a Google search for “Is Bluetooth Dangerous?” you are met with page after page of disinformation about the supposed dangers of Bluetooth radiation, and non-ionizing radio frequency radiation. This is part of a campaign by a few organizations to capitalize on your fear, and sell you some worthless trinkets on the side. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6994829

Drones Gone Wild 08/15/2018

Drones Gone Wild Drones are becoming more common in today’s society. Consumer products can be seen zipping around our parks. Commercial applications range from civil engineering projects to search and rescue. Drones are enhancing our society every day - at least our human society. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6919868

The Sound of Every Day 08/01/2018

The Sound of Every Day Whether you realize it or not, you deal with technology based on sound every day. Home-roasting coffee requires sound cues from the roasting beans. Sound waves can make objects levitate. Sound can be used to sterilize your fruit juice. Ultrasounds are used in many applications of healthcare. There's an awesome and ridiculous piece of sound tech designed to shag away teenagers - no kidding. Sound can also affect your buying habits. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6869152

The USB-C Train Wreck 07/15/2018

The USB-C Train Wreck What led us to relying on USB Type-C connectors for audio? Why don’t they work very well or at all? The SoundGuys break down the loss of the headphone jack, and the difficulties surrounding USB-C audio with the help of Robert Triggs of Android Authority. Why is this universal standard not universally standard? It turns out, there are a lot of reasons and we break them all down for you on our fourth episode of the SoundGuys podcast. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6811986

The State of Smartphone Audio in 2018 06/13/2018

The State of Smartphone Audio in 2018 If you listen to music today, chances are you’re doing it on a smartphone. So, we decided to take a look at smartphone audio and see where it is today. There have been some polarizing changes made to the medium in the last few years - do the changes matter? Can an audiophile still get a great experience even if a smartphone lacks a headphone jack? Come with us as we explore wired and wireless audio coming from the most important gadget you own, how it’s working today, and how it will be working, tomorrow. Full transcript available at SoundGuys is: Chris Thomas - Lily Katz - Adam Molina - Produced by: Adam Doud - Make sure to subscribe to the SoundGuys Podcast on iTunes and visit and our for reviews, news, and everything you ever wanted to know about sound and audio equipment. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6701202

Smart Speakers: A New Legal Frontier 06/11/2018

Smart Speakers: A New Legal Frontier Smart Speakers are taking the world by storm, but is that opening up new, legal cans of worms that we’re not prepared to deal with? What happens when your entire life is recorded from within the sanctity of your home? Do you have a reasonable expectation of privacy when your every word is recorded, transcribed and stored? Does this create a constitutional crisis?Join us on the SoundGuys Podcast as we explore this phenomenon that is seemingly innocuous, but actually potentially sinister. Are you safe in your own home, once you invite Alexa in? Full Transcript available at SoundGuys is: Chris Thomas - Lily Katz - Adam Molina - Joined by special guest: Jay StanleySenior Policy AnalystAmerican Civil Liberties Union Produced by: Adam Doud - Make sure to subscribe to the SoundGuys Podcast on iTunes and visit and our for reviews, news, and everything you ever wanted to know about sound and audio equipment. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6691615

The MP3 revolution 06/11/2018

The MP3 revolution The .MP3 is arguably one of the most important innovations in digital media. Without MP3s we don’t have iPods, Podcasts, or P2P file sharing. Arguably, the smartphone looks completely different today if not for the MP3 format. And it all started with a woman in a diner waiting for a cup of coffee. Join us on the SoundGuys Podcast as we explore the history of the MP3, and discover how the MP3 turned not one, but two entire industries on their heads with the creation of a new file format. Full Transcript available at SoundGuys is: Chris Thomas - Lily Katz - Adam Molina - Produced by: Adam Doud - Make sure to subscribe to the SoundGuys Podcast on iTunes and visit and our for reviews, news, and everything you ever wanted to know about sound and audio equipment. /episode/index/show/soundguys/id/6691190

SoundGuys Podcast

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