Leaked from today's 404 episode:
- The Audiophiliac's top music tracks for testing speakers and headphones.
- Pick up Steve's mixtape, Chesky Records' Ultimate Demonstration Disc.
- Before you buy a sound bar speaker, read this..
- Are the Beatles groovy again?.… Read more
Steve Sphere Guttenberg returns to close out the week and he's calling on all our listeners to submit and vote for their favorite speakers, sound bars, headphones, subwoofers, and other home theater products for the first ever Stevie Awards for Excellence in Audio. So far, my personal top pick, the Koss PortaPros, are leading the headphones category!
Steve also tells Jeff and me about the leaps in technology that blew his mind growing up, the most prolific of which happens to be a head-shaped JVC binaural recording device that he used as a wingman in bars around New York … Read more
CNET's Steve Guttenberg goes by a couple nicknames like "The Gutman," "The Audiophiliac," and "Sphere," but today we'll hear from the more tender side of our favorite audiophile as he tells us the story of how his life changed on this day back in 1972.
After he accepts our challenge to explain leap year in three sentences or less, he'll tell us why he can't stop laughing when hears the phrase "Mastered for iTunes," and we're both surprised to hear that he has a special thank-you message for Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, and Monster Headphones.… Read more
CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg (not that one) is back on the show and telling us why iPod docks, Beats Audio, and Spotify are ruining the music industry. Steve also has a few ideas on how to make one last buck off said music industry, and advises us on the rules of listening to music in public.
He still also has a pair of V-Moda earplugs to give away to a few lucky 404 listeners, so be sure to add him on Twitter and mention both of us in a Tweet for a chance to win!
The 404 Digest for Episode 881 Spotify and the search for meaning in music. Steve says: " They should stop making CDs." Do people really care how their gadgets sound? Planet Money podcast: Manufacturing the song of the summer. Episode 881 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read moreThe Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg makes an unusual midweek appearance on today's 404 episode and as usual, the discussion topics cover Steve's audiocentric stream of consciousness with a touch of disillusionment, like a Web site that takes the creativity out of naming your band, a mask that enhances audio, the unnatural origins of 3D, and the degrading quality of CD-Rs over time.
The 404 Digest for Episode 802 Korn and Hoobastank should've used Band Name Maker. Tape Op magazine offers free subscriptions to print edition. Add Steve Guttenberg on Twitter. Check out Steve's blog on all things audio, The Audiophiliac. Episode 802 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read moreSteve "The Gut Man" Guttenberg's age remains a mystery in today's 404 Podcast preshow, but he's definitely younger than Wilson, who will celebrate his 39th birthday this year. Steve heads up the Audiophiliac blog on CNET and today he's making sure that younger generations, specifically teenagers, know the importance of actually listening to music, instead of just letting it play in the background of a million other digital activities.
A big part of Steve's life is reviewing headphones and home theater technology, but before we get to all that, Steve is curious about something else: women's obsession with shoes.… Read more
CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg joins us for another Friday episode of The 404, and there's a lot to discuss, including a new trailer for the upcoming "Back to the Future" video game, Steve's encounters with John Lennon, Andy Warhol, and Warren Beatty in the 1970s, how to convert stereo into 3D sound, and more earbud advice for Wilson's freakishly small canals.
Steve tables his usual list of audio-related speaking points to tell us about his celebrity encounters while working at an East Village movie theater in the 1970s. He begins with a story about an awkward encounter with John Lennon and Yoko Ono just two years after the Beatles split, then tells us why he cussed out pop art star Andy Warhol, and finishes with a brutal rebuff from Warren Beatty! When's the book coming out, Steve?
We're going to record a special yuletide episode of The 404 entirely dedicated to the "Back to the Future" trilogy, but we can't wait any longer to show you the debut trailer for the upcoming "Back to the Future" video game!
It's a five-part game that picks up on the adventures of Marty and the Doc as voiced by Emmett Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd! The first part entitled It's About Time comes out this month, part two called Get Tannen! comes out in February 2011, and parts three and four--Citizen Brown and Double Visions, will drop in March and April, and the finale Outatime doesn't have a release date just yet. It's only available for download on PC/Mac, iPad, and PSN--sorry XBox fans!
I swear that today is the last you'll hear about Wilson's tiny ear canals, because I think we found a solution. I reviewed the Monster Jamz headphones for CNET last month and ran into similar fit issues, so the company sent me its SuperTips Sample Pack of gel and foam tips that comes with a variety of alternate shapes and sizes. With Steve Guttenberg's help, we'll finally solve this mystery!
Just after the break, Steve tells us about a professor at Princeton University who converts stereo into 3D sound! Edgar Choueiri is the director of the Engineering Physics Program and a rocket scientist, but he also happens to be an audiophiliac and set up a special 3D sound room using two closely spaced speakers and his revolutionary 3D Pure Stereo system. Check out the Audiophiliac blog for more details.
One last thing before we take off: Gknee is one of the valiant chatroom moderators for CNET TV and keeps the #CNETFans channel SFW (with the help of DAKlives).
She's celebrating a birthday on Monday, so happy birthday in advance Gknee, and a personal thanks from Jeff, Wilson, and me to all the CNETTV moderators who volunteer their work for the love of the game--we couldn't do it without you guys!
Episode 721 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read moreCNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg joins The 404 for an extra long and extra random episode that includes an exciting contest--listen to hear your chance to win a pair of Monster Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers!
We're never entirely sure what will happen when CNET Audiophiliac Steven Guttenberg gets on the mic, but Lil Saint Steve always brings toys when he comes to town, and today he drops knowledge on vacuum-tube amplifiers and how a certain Panasonic Blu-ray player uses a Digital Tube Sound Simulator to enhance its audio qualities.
All this home theater talk gives us the perfect outlet for our rage against NBC's tape-delay of the 2010 Olympics. In our digital age of Twitter, Facebook, smartphones, and a million other gadgets that quench our thirst for instant gratification, everyone already knows the Olympic results before the network finally airs them on television! As a result, the sports tickers on ESPN continue to spoil ratings for browsers who just want to find out what time the events are on, which does not make Jeff a happy guy. Could Twitter, aka the world's collective unconscious, be the source to blame?
Steve is also on the show to give us a preview of a new contest in collaboration with The 404! It won't officially start until next week, but The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound will ask for high-quality demo recordings of you or your unsigned band, which Steve will judge and choose six winners based on what he thinks sounds the best from a technical standpoint.
Each winner will receive a pair of high-end Monster Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers valued at $300-$400! Keep in mind that this won't be a judgment on the songwriting or composition, but rather an analysis of the recording itself. Check out more details after the break, and we'll officially announce the contest a week from today with all the information on how you can enter--so stay tuned!
EPISODE 522 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more
If you're even remotely interested in The Beatles, today's episode of The 404 is a must listen. CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg helps us out today for all things Beatles. To set it all up, Steve gives the three of us a lesson in how the band essentially shaped a decade of music and culture and how they became innovators in the way that bands record music. For example, did you know that it only took the band 4 hours to record and mix the song "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?" Later on in the show, Steve tells us about how the Beatles used a vacuum tube-based machine to record their earlier albums and later switched to solid-state, with adverse affects to the low-end sounds. Lots more Beatles trivia on the show!
We also talk extensively about the latest Beatles Remasters and whether or not they're worth the extra investment. Some claim that there are "near-miraculous improvements in the key areas of information retrieval, hidden details, expanded midrange, etc...," but Steve makes the argument that simply remastering doesn't necessarily improve sound quality. Check out the Audiophiliac blog for Steve's Beatles box set review coming soon, but in the meantime you can enter for a chance to win the entire remastered Beatles CD collection!
EPISODE 423 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read moreCNET official Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg guest hosts today's ball-busting show. Steve brings his usual brand of random topics to the table today that include the most bizarre festival you'll never want to visit and the world's largest ketchup bottle. We also introduce another awesome band in our Becks/Last.FM semiweekly audio draft!
Today's show is very important, for three reasons. First, we're stoked to welcome Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg who brings his expertise to answer all your high-end audio questions on the second half of the show, but not before introducing us to the most horrid festival that you'll never, ever want to visit. Let's just say that the subject matter of this food fair leaves room for plenty of punny jokes to be made, and we take that opportunity every chance we get (see:show title)--too funny!
Second, it's also a very important day because it's the first time we actually get a few bottles of Beck's Beer into the studio to sip on during the show! Don't worry though, we take things in moderation here at The 404 (yeah...), but no amount of self-control can prevent Wilson and me from getting the classic Asian glow.
Finally, all of us are caught offguard when Wilson Tang, infamous for literally feeling indifferent about any music made after 1791, makes an executive decision and chooses Grizzly Bear for today's Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM.
Grizzly Bear is a four-piece band out of Brooklyn here in New York that has been slowly gaining popularity for its dusty mix of folk piano and a mix of other instruments including whistles and an intermittent banjo. After releasing several albums in the past few years, Grizzly Bear just released a new one called "Veckatimest," which includes today's song, "Two Weeks." The album retains Grizzly Bear's unique low-fi sound--mixing airy vocals with refreshingly creative arrangements that are rare to find in today's soundstage. We hope you'll enjoy Grizzly Bear as much as we do!
(Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News and Reviews.)
One more thing: We'd like to congratulate newlyweds Elizabeth and Ian for getting hitched recently. They're both avid 404 listeners and while we doubt that Elizabeth walked down the aisle to our theme music, we're swooning with you and wish you guys the best of love.
EPISODE 379 Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more
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Take the best in technology for a spin with Brian Cooley.
