the ecoustics podcast
Passionate about music, movies, HiFi audio, headphones and home theater, eCoustics has been covering the A/V industry since 1999. Join our diverse cast of journalists, audiophiles, industry experts and special guests for always spirited, sometimes controversial discussions about the latest news, happenings and trends in the audio, video and music industries. Whether you're listening through stereo loudspeakers with a vintage tube amp, rocking a multi-channel home theater, on-the-go with wireless speakers or headphones, streaming music or spinning vinyl, the experienced team at ecoustics breaks down what you need to know to really enjoy music and movies at home and on...
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From JAL to Jazz Kissa: Why Japan Became the Cultural Capital of Audio
Japan has become the world’s most in demand travel destination since the pandemic, but beyond cherry blossoms, bullet trains, Lawson runs, anime and those dangerously good 7-Eleven egg salad sandwiches, there’s a deeper pull that audiophiles can’t ignore.<br /><br />In this episode of the eCoustics podcast, resident Japanophile Eric Pye (@audioloveyyc) and reluctant future convert Mitch Anderson (@blackcircleradio) go all in on Japan’s cultural gravity and its quiet takeover of audio: the pilgrimage to e-Earphone, late night jazz kissa listening rooms, Technics heritage, Three Blind Mice pressings, JICO styli, portable travel rigs, flying JAL, record hunting...
Tube Amps in 2026: Rolling Glass, Blowing Fuses, and Why Valves Still Reign Victorious
Vacuum tubes are supposed to be extinct yet here we are in 2026 still arguing swapping and occasionally getting electrocuted. In this episode Mitch Anderson, Eric Pye, and Jeremy Sikora strip the romance out of valves and talk about why they still matter without leaning on lazy audiophile clichés. <br /><br />The discussion cuts through tube rolling reality versus placebo and the ongoing new production versus NOS debate. It also looks at why Ray Tubes are suddenly on everyone’s radar and what Jeremy’s amp building class at the American Wireless Communication Museum teaches you that spec sheets never will.<...
From Kloss to Kelley: The Modern KLH Story - Five Ks, No Strikes
eCoustics Vintage Editor Eric Pye and Producer Mitch Anderson sit down with Dave Kelley, President of KLH, for a grounded conversation on loudspeaker design, KLH’s history, and how a legacy brand operates in today’s market without leaning on nostalgia as a crutch.<br /><br />The discussion traces the influence of Henry Kloss, the shared DNA linking Klipsch, Kelley, Kyocera, and KLH, and how those ideas continue to inform real-world speaker engineering. Attention turns to KLH’s current lineup—specifically the Model Three, Model Five, and Model Seven—with the Five and Seven competing for Eric’s eCoustics 2025 Editors’ Choice Floorstanding...
CES 2026 Best in Show: Soundbars, Wireless Speakers, TVs & Projectors
Fresh off a week in Las Vegas, the eCoustics team breaks down the CES 2026 Best in Show award winners across speakers, soundbars, wireless audio, TVs, home theater projectors, and headphones, explaining who stood out, why these products impressed us in controlled demo booth conditions, and what those design and performance choices are likely to cost you when they hit the market later in 2026. <br /><br />View all Best in Show CES 2026 Awards:<br />https://www.ecoustics.com/articles/best-ces-2026/<br /><br /><br />Panel:<br />Brian Mitchell, Host and eCoustics Founder<br />Chris Boylan, Editor at Large<br />Robert Silva, News C...
HEOS Can Do All That? Phil Jones on Multi-Room Audio, Hi-Res Streaming, and Everything You’ve Been Ignoring
If you want music in every room without juggling multiple apps, this is your episode. HEOS isn’t just in Denon and Marantz gear — it’s built into a growing ecosystem of speakers, AVRs, soundbars, and components across the Harman Lifestyle portfolio. It’s become a serious multi-room, multi-zone streaming platform with Hi-Res audio, major music services, stereo pairing, and full Alexa/Google voice-assistant support.<br /><br />Phil Jones of Harman Lifestyle joins us to lay out what HEOS can really do — including the tricks Sonos, BluOS, and WiiM would probably prefer you didn’t mention. Simple to run, surprisingly deep, and absolu...
2025 Year in Review: The Gear That Actually Delivered (No Excuses, No Hype)
In this episode, the eCoustics team cut through a year of hype, delays, and eyebrow-raising price hikes to talk about the products that genuinely moved the needle across hi-fi, head-fi, and home theater. We cover the TVs and projectors that finally earned their bragging rights, the headphones and earbuds that didn’t just chase trends, and the loudspeakers and portable gear that reminded us why good engineering still matters.<br /><br />It’s a wide-ranging, candid discussion about what impressed us.And because the timing couldn’t be better, the ink is barely dry on our massive eCoustics Editors’ Choice awards l...
2025 UST Projector Showdown: Results Analyzed With ProjectorScreen.com and ProjectorReviews.com
This episode examines the results from the 2025 Ultra-Short Throw (UST) Projector Showdown with event organizer, Brian Gluck of ProjectorScreen.com and emcee, Phil Jones of ProjectorReviews.com. The UST Projector Showdown allowed 6 judges to rate 9 UST projectors side-by-side with identical 100-inch screens, which underwent testing 15 different categories. The models in the competition included the:<br /><br />• Epson QS100 3-Chip Laser-Lit LCD Projector – 4,500 Lumens ($4,999)<br />• Formovie Theater Premium Triple Laser DLP Projector – 2,200 Lumens ($2,799)<br />• Hisense L9Q Triple Laser DLP Projector – 5,000 Lumens ($5,999)<br />• Hisense PT1 Triple Laser DLP Projector – 2,500 Lumens ($2,999)<br />• Hisense PX3 Pro Triple Laser DLP Projector – 3,000 Lumens ($3,499)<br />• JMGO O2S Ultra Triple Laser...
Denon vs. Marantz: Battle of the AVRs – Which One is Worth Your Cash?
Confused by the Denon vs. Marantz AVR maze? Join eCoustics Founder Brian Mitchell, Editor at Large Chris Boylan, and Phil Jones, Global Director of Training at Harman International, as they break down 19 AVRs ranging from $400 to $7,200. Though Denon and Marantz have been under the same corporate roof for over a decade (now Harman International, owned by Samsung), not all AVRs are created equal.<br /><br />Discover the subtle—and not-so-subtle—differences, what really matters for your Dolby Atmos setup, and which brand might make your wallet sigh. Perfect for home theater enthusiasts ready to cut through the hype and make a sma...
From Dweeb to Rock Star: How Hi-Fi Earplugs Like Etymotic’s Music Pro Elite Took Over Concerts
Back in the 80s and 90s, earplugs at a concert were a one-way ticket to dweeb status. Protecting your hearing? Please. You might as well have stayed home with a VHS and some Tang. These days it’s the opposite—walk into any venue and half the crowd is rocking hi-fi earplugs that make the music sound better and keep your ears intact.<br /><br />Etymotic’s new Music Pro Elite are at the front of that shift, and Tim Monroe, Sr. Director of Engineering, along with Chris Roth, Principal Engineer at Etymotic Research, join us to break down why and ho...
Bowers & Wilkins 801 at Abbey Road Studios: Celebrating 45 Years of Iconic Sound with Andy Kerr
The Bowers & Wilkins 801 isn’t just another loudspeaker—it’s the one Abbey Road Studios trusted when the music actually mattered. For 45 years, the 801 has been part of legendary recordings that shaped how we hear music, and now it’s back in the spotlight with the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition. Andy Kerr, Director of Marketing and Communications at Bowers & Wilkins, joins eCoustics CEO and Founder, Brian Mitchell to dig into how this speaker became the reference at the world’s most famous studio, why Abbey Road didn’t exactly choose it by accident, and what makes this anniversary edition more than just a...
