the ecoustics podcast

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.

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 in back alleys, and why Japan still treats music as ritual instead of background noise. This isn’t tourism hype it’s immersion, listening culture, and what the rest of us may have forgotten.

Links for further information:
Japanese Jazz Kissa and the Art of the Piano Trio: Exit to Vintage Street
Jazz Kissa Culture Goes Global: Exit to Vintage Street
Jazz City online store: Purchase Jazz Kissa magazines and books
Tokyo Jazz Joints website
@jazz_kissa on Instagram

Thank you to our sponsor SVS & Shure for supporting this episode!

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.shure.com

In the Episode:
Eric Pye, Vintage Audio Columnist
Mitch Anderson, Producer
Credits:
Original intro music by The Arc of All.
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited.
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Music, Home Theater, and Headphone news by visiting:
https://www.ecoustics.com

#hifi #audiophile #vintageaudio #jazzkissa #japanesejazz #vinylcommunity #consumerelectronics #podcast #jico #ecousticsd #blackcircleradio #audioloveyyc #instavinyl #vinylcommunity

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. 

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.

Along the way, we connect the dots between Talk Talk’s obsessive studio craft, Miles Davis with Jimmy Cobb’s unshakable timing, and the Tron soundtrack, while getting very real about tube amp safety; from blown parts to painful zaps, because high voltage does not care how experienced you think you are.

Thank you to SVS and Shure for their support of our programming!

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.shure.com

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Don't forget to check our website for daily updates on the latest electronics, news, recommendations, and deals on high-end audio, loudspeakers, earphones, TVs, and more.

https://www.ecoustics.com

#raytubes #vacuumtubes #audiovalves #vinylcommunity #audioloveyyc #budgetaudiophiler #blackcircleradio #ecoustics #hifi #audiophile #hometheater #listeningroom #musicindustry #analogaudio

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.

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 Loudspeakers vote based on listening, not legacy. 

If you want a clear-eyed look at where KLH has been and why its modern speakers still deserve serious consideration, this episode delivers without the marketing gloss.

Thank you to SVS and Shure for their support of our programming!

https://www.svsound.com

https://www.shure.com

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Don't forget to check our website for daily updates on the latest electronics, news, recommendations, and deals on high-end audio, loudspeakers, earphones, TVs, and more.

https://www.ecoustics.com

#KLHspeakers #vinylcommunity #audioloveyyc #KLHModelSeven #ecoustics #hifi #audiophile #hometheater #listeningroom #musicindustry #loudspeakerdesign #HIFIHistory

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.  

View all Best in Show CES 2026 Awards:
https://www.ecoustics.com/articles/best-ces-2026/

Panel:
Brian Mitchell, Host and eCoustics Founder
Chris Boylan, Editor at Large
Robert Silva, News Correspondent 
Mitch Anderson, Producer

Credits:
• Original intro music by The Arc of All. sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting:

https://www.ecoustics.com

#ces2026 #cesconvention #audiophile #hifi #hometheater #lifestylesound #interiordesign #audioindustry #ecoustics #projectors #4ktv #luxuryaudio #luxuryav #inwallspeakers #2026tvs #consumertech #futuretech #multimedianews

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.

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 absolutely worth a fresh look.

Thank you to our sponsor SVS for a phenomenal year of collaboration and support of our programming! https://www.svsound.com

On the panel:

Brian Mitchell, Founder & CEO
Chris Boylan, Editor at Large
Phil Jones, Harman Lifestyle

Credits:

Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com
Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com
Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.com

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Headphone, Home Theater and Music news by visiting: https://www.ecoustics.com

#ecoustics #avtrends #heos #musicstreaming #multiroomstreaming #networkstreaming #denon #marantz #qobuz #hifi #audiophile #vintageaudio #hometheater #dolbyatmos #headphones #vinylcommunity #harmanlifestyle