We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent gaze deep into what they assumed would be the abyss of the EISA Hi-Fi Awards and see some pretty sensible selections gazing back. Then, Brent humors Dennis by letting him rant about video game music, and the two of them dig into the mechanics of how a guy made some of the world’s most memorable music with just a few bloops and bleeps. Then, they dig deep into the sometimes glorious, sometimes sordid history of Monster Cable by way of a cheapaudioman video essay, and recount their own decades of struggle in dealing with a company that makes your average rock band look like a well-run business.

And for Patrons: What goes through Brent and Dennis’ minds when they read a glowing review of an idiosyncratic speaker? Find out in real time…

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

• A roundup of EISA Hi-Fi Awards for 2025-2026: https://stereophile.com/content/eisa-hi-fi-awards-2025-2026; https://hometheaterhifi.com/press-releases/eisa-awards-for-2025-26-announced/; https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/eisa/2025-2026-awards/2025-2026-hi-fi/2006-eisas-best-products-of-2025-2026
• “Super Mario Bros: Koji Kondo’s 8-Bit Masterpiece”: https://www.20k.org/episodes/super-mario-bros
• “8-Bit to Orchestras: Video Game Music Scores”: https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/episodes/8-bit-to-orchestras-video-game-music-scores
• “The Truth About an Audio Empire That Almost Ruled” by cheapaudioman: https://youtu.be/6mmPkqVzhb4?si=mTWc-MU5VOOSSxWz
• “Audiophile Music Scandal EXPOSED! The UNTOLD Story…” by cheapaudioman: https://youtu.be/tPLsS6kCebw?si=TjbQJkIFSDQUj9gc
• “Monster Cable Correspondence”: https://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/mcp/index.htm

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent do some sleuthing work to ascertain whether a crackpot article about Tom Waits is A.I. slop or just straight-up plagiarism, and whether or not Dr. Sean Olive has a substance-abuse problem. Then they sort through two lists of speakers that audiophiles all either love or hate to find which speakers are on both lists, wonder why it seems like every audiophile who’s ever “polled” must be over 70, then (sort of) fondly reminisce about the (mostly) lousy speakers from the days of their youth—many of which are on one or both of these lists.

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

• “Why Tom Waits’ “Martha” Is the Ultimate Emotional Litmus Test for Hi-Fi Systems”: https://inews.zoombangla.com/tom-waits-martha-hi-fi-test-track/
• “Why this iconic Tom Waits song is a regular in our test rooms – and can unveil the true essence of hi-fi” by Harry McKerrell: https://www.whathifi.com/streaming-entertainment/music-streaming/why-this-iconic-tom-waits-song-is-a-regular-in-our-test-rooms-and-can-unveil-the-true-essence-of-hi-fi
• “Why Do Audiophiles Hate These 9 Legendary Speakers?” by Skylabs Audio: https://youtu.be/gR_s3dfDiHw?si=3MaZLz9D4oEbnpv_
• “25 Best Speakers of All Time, as Voted by Thousands of Audiophiles Worldwide” by Andy G.: https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/08/best-speakers-voted-thousands-audiophiles

We’re on Patreon! Find us at https://www.patreon.com/AudioUnleashed This week, Dennis and Brent dive deep into the subject of infrasonics by way of a “studio-quality” MP3 album that tunes baroque music to the planet’s Schumann resonance and thus allows you to be calm and focused (i.e., the sonic opposite of Audio Unleashed), and they also ponder the utility of two new subwoofers bigger than our dynamic duo put together. Next up, Dennis gets a rare opportunity to critique mindless capitalism (i.e., Brent) as he heaps surprising praise on an article about politics from Stereophile, of all places. Then they opine on whether Focal’s new $69K beast truly is the ultimate speaker and the one they’d buy if they were actually able to retire someday.

💿 Michael Gaughn’s Jour et Nuit on Bandcamp: https://michaelgaughn.bandcamp.com/album/jour-et-nuit

Brent’s audio projects:

💿 Plaid Pants, Brent’s latest album! https://cygerbutterworth.bandcamp.com/album/plaid-pants

💿 The Audiophile Society's Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album (engineered by Brent): https://theaudiophilesociety.com/collections/albums/products/the-audiophile-societys-headphone-evaluation-and-spatial-audio-test-album

Further Reading:

• “You’ve Heard Classical Music. But Not Like This” by Brainwave Research UK: https://brainwave-research.com/funnel/classical-magic-download/classical-magic-download-offer-meta/
• “Ascendo Pushes World's Largest Subwoofer Record Further with New 64" and 100" Models” by Joao Martins: https://audioxpress.com/news/ascendo-pushes-world-s-largest-subwoofer-record-further-with-new-64-and-100-models
• The Boston Audio Society Music and Test CD: https://www.bostonaudiosociety.org/bas_cd.htm
• “Re-Tales 56: The Impact of Tariffs on the Hi-Fi Industry” by Julie Mullins: https://stereophile.com/content/re-tales-56-impact-tariffs-hi-fi-industry
• “Paul Hales Unleashed” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/paul-hales-unleashed-the-realities-of-global-audio-manufacturing/
• “New Focal Diva Mezza Utopia Reinforces Wireless High-End All-In-One Concept” by Joao Martins: https://audioxpress.com/news/new-focal-diva-mezza-utopia-reinforces-wireless-high-end-all-in-one-concept
• “ELAC announces Debut ConneX DCB61” by John Darko: https://darko.audio/2025/07/elac-announces-debut-connex-dcb61/