The HiFi Five Podcast

In this The HiFi Five Special Episode Ron Resnick interviews Mr. Roger Hwang, the CEO of Crystal International Group Inc. and Crystal Claire Cosmetics Inc., who explains the many recent corporate and personnel developments at Audio Research Corporation and at Acora Acoustics.

The HiFi Five Episode 35:  Dynaudio Withdrawal and Distributor Life Today
Guests:
Brian Ackerman -- Founder of Aaudio Imports
Bill Leebens -- CEO of Leebens Marketing and Management
Doug Schneider -- Founder of SoundStage!
Hiram Toro -- Founder of Supreme Acoustic Systems and of Decibel+

Topics:
Is this an isolated case, or the first major warning sign that the economics of importing high-end audio into North America have changed fundamentally?
What role did tariffs really play in Dynaudio’s decision to leave the U.S. market
Are U.S. distributors facing the toughest business environment they’ve seen in decades?
Who really pays the tariffs on imported high-end audio—the manufacturer, the importer, the dealer, or ultimately the consumer
How today can foreign imported brands compete against domestic brands?

In this Episode 34 the guests and Ron explain thirteen full system recommendations from $500 to $100,000! The HiFi Five supports budget and student audiophiles!

Guests:
Erin Hardison -- Erin’s Audio Corner
Danny Kaey -- Sonic Flare
Eric Neff - Reviewer for HiFi+ Magazine
Andrew Quint -- Senior Writer at The Absolute Sound

Additional Topics:
How should audiophiles divide their budget among speakers, amplifier, preamplifier, source components and cables?
Would you rather have outstanding speakers with modest electronics, or modest speakers with outstanding electronics? Why?
Should audiophiles select the loudspeaker first, and match an amplifier to the loudspeaker, or select the amplifier first and match a loudspeaker to the amplifier?
Which source experiences faster diminishing returns to improving sound quality, digital playback or vinyl playback?

The HiFi Five Episode 33:  Axiss Lawsuit
Guests:
Chad Crawley -- audiophile hobbyist
Erin Hardison -- Erin's Audio Corner
Kerry Harvey -- commercial transactions attorney who has litigated dozens of cases and served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and audiophile hobbyist
Doug Schneider -- founder of SoundStage!
Steven Stone -- Senior Reviewer at The Absolute Sound

The Hi-Fi Five Episode 32:  Getting Kids into Music and Audio

Guests:
May Anwar -- Scientist, college educator, co-founder of M101 Audio and the creator of “Passport to Sound”
Steve Lefkowicz -- Senior Associate Editor at Positive Feedback
Joe Pavel -- audiophile hobbyist parent
Max Pavel -- audiophile hobbyist kid

Topics:
• Are headphones and earbuds creating tomorrow’s audiophiles -- or replacing traditional stereo systems?
• Could video gaming ultimately do more to create music lovers than the hi-fi industry itself?
• Is streaming producing passionate music fans -- or impatient listeners who never slow down long enough to really listen?
• Is YouTube helping young people discover great music and sound -- or distracting them from both?
• If we could change one thing about the hobby to make it irresistible to younger listeners, what would it be?