SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast

When the world was turning away from vinyl, Heinz Lichtenegger saw an opportunity. He founded Pro-Ject Audio Systems at a time when the future of the turntable looked uncertain—and helped build a company that would eventually ride the vinyl revival to worldwide success.

This week on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, host Jorden Guth talks with Lichtenegger, owner of Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH, about his personal journey into hi-fi, the circumstances that led to Pro-Ject's founding, and how the company navigated the decline and resurgence of vinyl.

They also explore why Pro-Ject resists the temptation to load its turntables with unnecessary features, the importance of the physical and tactile experience of listening to music, the challenges of an increasingly competitive analog market, and why Lichtenegger believes a good hi-fi system should be a lifetime investment.

Sources:

“High End 2026: The White Whale Resurfaces—Heinz Lichtenegger Brings Back Platine Verdier” by Jason Thorpe: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/shows-events/high-end-2026-vienna-austria/1276-he-2026-the-white-whale-resurfaces-heinz-lichtenegger-brings-back-platine-verdier

Pro-Ject Audio Systems Debut Reference 10 turntable and Pick it Pro balanced cartridge by Al Griffin: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1390-pro-ject-audio-systems-debut-reference-10-turntable-and-pick-it-pro-balanced-cartridge

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:36 Introductions
00:05:42 The features war
00:15:10 Funding a crazy enterprise
00:18:48 A lifetime investment
00:21:51 The analog avalanche
00:26:50 The importance of touch and feel
00:29:05 A more competitive market
00:32:01 The matter of education
00:42:21 Outro music: “SG” by Fryderyk HD

What does the future hold for KEF—and for loudspeaker design in general?

This week, host Jorden Guth sits down with Jack Oclee-Brown, KEF’s VP of Technology, at SoundStage!’s 2026 yet-unnamed audio camp, an annual gathering of leading hi-fi designers in Port Cunnington, Ontario, Canada. Their conversation begins with the retreat itself and the profound influence of legendary acoustics researcher Dr. Floyd Toole on KEF’s approach to loudspeaker engineering.

From there, they explore KEF’s VECO technology, the importance of a holistic approach to loudspeaker design, and the surprisingly capable new LS Luxe. What makes this speaker so special, and what might it reveal about where KEF—and the wider hi-fi industry—is headed?

Sources:

KEF’s Jack Oclee-Brown - Tangerine Waveguide: https://www.soundstage.life/e/kef-jack-oclee-brown-the-tangerine-waveguide-blade-loudspeakers-aspirational-hi-fi/

Inside VECO: https://www.soundstage.life/e/inside-veco-kefs-breakthrough-active-speaker-technology/

The Science and Precision Behind KEF's Speaker Production: https://www.soundstage.life/e/the-science-and-precision-behind-kefs-speaker-production/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:36 Introduction to the SoundStage! audio camp
00:03:35 All roads lead to Floyd Toole
00:12:51 How’s VECO doing?
00:15:51 A holistic design approach
00:23:26 The delightful, surprising LS Luxe
00:29:59 Outro music: “imok” by Folly Tree

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStageXperience.com editor Joseph Taylor and SoundStageAccess.com editor Dennis Burger for a wide-ranging debate about AI-generated music—and what happens when machines can make music without musicians.

Is AI music actually art? Does it matter whether a human being created what we’re listening to? Are record companies helping accelerate their own obsolescence? And could the renewed popularity of vinyl, CDs, and other physical media become a form of resistance to a future flooded with synthetic music?

Joseph and Dennis approach the subject from very different perspectives, leading to a discussion that ranges from creativity and artistic intent to streaming economics, record conglomerates, science fiction, bots, and the increasingly blurry line between human- and machine-made culture.

And somehow, amid all of that, there’s still time to discover just how badly Jorden can pronounce “Angine de Poitrine.”

Sources:

“Artificial Intelligence and Unintelligent Music” by Joseph Taylor: https://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/features-menu/pulse-menu/1213

“Can Kids Save Us from the Existential Threat of AI Music?” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1400

Man crashed out #drummer #jokerchallenge #redrumclub: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/98hCBawtI3M

“What Makes a Good Reference Recording?” by Dennis Burger: https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1219

Rationality: From AI to Zombies by Eliezer Yudkowsky: https://www.readthesequences.com/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:36 Introductions
00:10:35 Isn’t it ironic?
00:20:22 Rage against the machines
00:29:13 The complicity of record conglomerates
00:34:31 Physical media as rebellion?
00:37:40 I have no mouth and I must scream
00:47:26 Who’s listening?
00:49:34 The bots ain’t trying to get laid
00:52:16 Technological Stockholm Syndrome?
00:59:04 The ghosts are becoming machines
01:04:33 Outro music: "I as a Black Hole" by BΔΔ RΔΔ

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by SoundStage! Ultra senior editor Jason Thorpe to talk about My Audiophile Neighborhood, his ongoing SoundStage! Global series chronicling what happens when he introduces friends and neighbors to better sound.

But the conversation quickly becomes about something bigger: If we want hi-fi to thrive, how do we actually create new enthusiasts? Jorden and Jason discuss why good communication matters, why the hobby’s obsession with constant upgrading can work against it, the realities of the generation gap, and why advocacy has to extend beyond preaching to people who are already converted. Most importantly, they explore why praxis—putting ideas into action—is every bit as important as theory when it comes to bringing new people into hi-fi.

Sources:

Jason’s blog posts on SoundStage! Global: https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/181-jason-thorpe

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:36 Introduction to Jason’s audiophile neighbors
00:09:35 Wanting something but not knowing what
00:15:09 The importance of Orwell and engaging prose
00:20:04 The compulsion to upgrade is optional
00:25:35 The generation thing
00:30:02 The importance of advocacy
00:36:15 The importance of praxis
00:39:22 The importance of incentive structures
00:43:40 Outro music: "Kumare Brothers" by Dialgo

This week, host Jorden Guth is joined by Michael Johnson, Global Marketing Director for Monitor Audio Group, to discuss the Monitor Audio Experience Centre, creating gateways to audiophilia, and the company’s ten-year roadmap. They also explore whether vinyl represents hi-fi’s past or future, the role active speakers might play at Monitor Audio, and why video games could be an important way to introduce a new generation to better sound.

Sources:

“Monitor Audio: From Concept 50 to Hyphn and Beyond” on the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast: https://www.soundstage.life/e/monitor-audio-from-concept-50-to-hyphn-and-beyond-into-hi-fi-making-monitor-audio-speakers-the-response/

Chapters:
00:00:00 Announcement
00:00:36 Introductions
00:02:32 The Experience Centre
00:07:46 Sound and the tech that creates it
00:11:19 Conveying experiences
00:15:25 A gateway to hi-fi?
00:19:44 The ten-year roadmap
00:21:53 Is vinyl the past or the future?
00:28:39 What about active speakers?
00:36:12 Audio for video games
00:41:23 Outro music: “Let the Road Begin” by Ziv Moran