Episodes

  • Everyone Talks About Target Curves, But This Part Matters Most

    Everyone Talks About Target Curves, But This Part Matters Most
    Jan 23 2026
    On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Chuck Back, Managing Partner of Trinnov Audio and Procella Audio US, for a conversation that digs into one of the most talked about and least clearly explained topics in calibration: target curves. With nearly 50 years in high end audio, Chuck has spent decades designing and tuning systems at the highest levels. He also spent more than 20 years as EVP and General Manager of M&K Sound, where he was an early advocate for home theater and worked closely with dealers, integrators, and technology partners like Dolby, DTS, and Lucasfilm. Target curves get mentioned constantly, but they’re often treated like a preset you pick and forget. Chuck slows things down and breaks apart what target curves actually are and what they’re trying to accomplish when tuning a system. We walk through some of the most commonly referenced curves, including the well known Harman curve and the classic B&K musical target curve, and talk about what each one is designed to do. More importantly, we discuss how these curves are meant to be used and why they should be treated as tools that guide decisions rather than rules that every system has to follow. In the second half of the episode, we switch gears and step into Audio over IP, with a focus on Dante. While this technology has been in the professional world for years, it’s starting to show up more often in residential systems. We talk about the problems Audio over IP is especially good at solving, and whether it makes sense to move away from traditional analog setups or go digital if you’re starting from scratch. If you’ve ever wondered why two systems calibrated “correctly” can sound completely different, or wanted a clearer understanding of how target curves shape what you hear, this episode is a great listen. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠⁠⁠Paradigm Electronics⁠⁠⁠. At Paradigm, sound is not just heard, it’s felt. It’s audio that stirs emotion and is designed to move you. ⁠⁠⁠Paradigm - Authentically Canadian, Acoustically Brilliant.⁠⁠⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠iHeartRadio⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pandora
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    55 mins
  • What to Look For When You See Speaker Measurements

    What to Look For When You See Speaker Measurements
    Jan 8 2026
    On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re kicking off the new year by sitting down with Adam Pelz, a name many of you already know, but one that’s worth properly introducing if you don’t. Adam is the Owner and President of Bespoke Cinemas, and he’s spent years designing, installing, and dialing in high performance home theaters. He’s ISF, THX, and ARCOS certified, an expert instructor with the Home Acoustics Alliance, and currently serves as Chairman of CEDIA Standards. This episode tackles a topic that gets mentioned all the time but rarely explained in plain language: Spinorama data. Adam walks us through what these speaker measurement graphs actually are, how they’re created, and why they matter when you’re evaluating a speaker. We talk about how these measurements are taken in an anechoic chamber, capturing a speaker’s output from all directions, and what parts of the graph are actually useful versus what people tend to misread or overemphasize. We spend a lot of time focusing on how to read these graphs in a practical way. Not to turn listeners into measurement experts, but to help them better understand what Spinorama data can and cannot tell you about how a speaker will behave in a real room. Adam does a great job of cutting through the noise and explaining what deserves your attention and what probably doesn’t. We also touch on CEDIA RP22 standards and he even gives us a glimpse at the upcoming RP1 standards and what they aim to address. We would love to do a part two with Adam, especially to dig into topics like speaker sensitivity, and how measurements translate into real-world performance. If there are questions or topics you want us to cover next time, drop them in the comments and we’ll make sure they make it into the follow-up. One quick heads-up before you hit play: toward the end of the episode, Ryan’s mic starts dropping out due to an internet issue that we didn’t catch until after the fact. We apologize for the hiccup. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠⁠Paradigm Electronics⁠⁠. At Paradigm, sound is not just heard, it’s felt. It’s audio that stirs emotion and is designed to move you. ⁠⁠Paradigm - Authentically Canadian, Acoustically Brilliant.⁠⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ ⁠⁠iHeartRadio⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Pandora
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • The Real Reason Bass Is So Hard to Get Right

    The Real Reason Bass Is So Hard to Get Right
    Dec 16 2025
    On this episode of The Front Row Podcast, Peter Aylett from Officina Acustica and Cinema Bureau joins us once again to close out the year with a conversation about subwoofer placement and low frequency in a room. This episode feels like a natural continuation of our earlier discussions around room design, but this time we zoom in on the part of home theater that tends to cause the most head scratching once the system is powered on. We spend time talking about active room treatment, and why it may be one of the most important developments in audio over the last decade. We also revisit the long standing sealed vs ported subwoofer discussion and break down why neither option is inherently better than the other. Peter explains how each design plays a different role depending on the room, and the type of experience you are trying to create. Rather than treating it as a simple checklist decision, we talk about how subwoofer design choices tie back into room size, layout, and how bass actually behaves in someone’s space. Placement is a major focus of this episode, especially why putting a subwoofer in a convenient spot is rarely the best choice. We spend time talking about why measurements matter, and how room interactions can create peaks and nulls. Understanding what is happening at the listening position is key, and Peter does a great job of explaining how to approach this in a practical way without overcomplicating it. We touch on infrasonic subwoofers, when they make sense, and why you might consider them. This episode closes out the year and helps tie together many of the themes we have covered so far, from designing the room first to making informed equipment decisions and now dialing in low frequency performance. If you are planning a new build or looking ahead to improvements in the new year, this is a fitting way to wrap things up. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Martin Logan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. MartinLogan delivers high-performance audio that fuses cutting-edge technology with sleek, elegant design. Engineered for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts alike, MartinLogan products bring every sound to life with incredible clarity and power. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MartinLogan – Bringing you truth in sound since 1983.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠iHeartRadio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pandora
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • The One Thing Most Theaters Get Wrong

    The One Thing Most Theaters Get Wrong
    Dec 2 2025
    In this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we sit down with Peter Aylett from Officina Acustica and Cinema Bureau, a thirty year veteran of the industry and one of the most respected voices in acoustics. Peter is known throughout the professional community as a mentor, teacher, and lecturer, and his work has shaped the standards many integrators follow today. He is a longtime CEDIA instructor, and currently serves as Chair of the CEDIA and CTA R10 Standards Committee. This week, we dive into home theater and entertainment room design, and Peter immediately flips the usual approach on its head. Most of us in this hobby, myself included, tend to buy gear first and then try to build a room around it. Peter explains why that approach often limits what the system is capable of and why it makes much more sense to start with the room, the goals you want to achieve, and the experience you are trying to create. He breaks down how to think about the space itself before choosing products, and why that mindset leads to better results every time. He also surprises us with a few things many enthusiasts never think about. One of those is why carpet is not the acoustic advantage many believe it to be. We also get into the do’s and don’ts of building a baffle wall, and why small design decisions can have a big impact on performance. This is only part one of a two part series with Peter. In the next episode, we’ll be getting into low frequencies, and the challenges that come with managing bass. If you have questions you want us to ask Peter in part two, drop them in the comments and we'll make sure to ask when we shoot part 2 in the next week or so. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠Paradigm Electronics⁠. At Paradigm, sound is not just heard, it’s felt. It’s audio that stirs emotion and is designed to move you. ⁠Paradigm - Authentically Canadian, Acoustically Brilliant.⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠iHeartRadio⁠ ⁠Amazon Music⁠ ⁠Pandora
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • Inside the Components That Make or Break Your Speakers

    Inside the Components That Make or Break Your Speakers
    Nov 20 2025
    In this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we’re finally kicking things off on the audio side, and we could not have asked for a better guest to start with. We’re joined by Geoffrey Heinzel, co managing partner and designer at Ascendo Immersive Audio, and someone who brings a wealth of experience in how speakers are designed and engineered. We dig into what actually goes into designing a speaker from the ground up. Geoffrey walks us through the decisions behind different tweeters and drivers, the materials used, and why certain designs come with advantages and trade offs. He also helps break down parts of speaker design most people never think about, like cabinet enclosures, porting, and one of the most overlooked components of any speaker, the crossover. What does it do and how much can it influence what you hear? You might be surprised by how big of a role it plays. This episode is really the start of us getting into the audio side of home theater. Over the next few episodes we’ll be discussing room design, measurements, setup, and everything that goes into getting great sound at home. We would love to Geofrrey have him back for another episode, so if you have questions you want us to ask him next time, drop them below and we’ll make sure they make it into the conversation. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Martin Logan⁠⁠⁠⁠. MartinLogan delivers high-performance audio that fuses cutting-edge technology with sleek, elegant design. Engineered for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts alike, MartinLogan products bring every sound to life with incredible clarity and power. ⁠⁠⁠⁠MartinLogan – Bringing you truth in sound since 1983.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠iHeartRadio⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pandora
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • Why Cinema Might Never Be the Same Again

    Why Cinema Might Never Be the Same Again
    Nov 4 2025
    In this episode of The Front Row Podcast, we sit down with Tayloe Stansbury, CEO of Kaleidescape, to talk about the changing landscape of cinema and home entertainment. Tayloe isn’t just the company’s CEO, he’s also a longtime Kaleidescape customer and fellow enthusiast with a background in both technology and the film industry. We discuss how the movie industry continues to evolve, from theatrical production and mixing to how films are mastered for the home. Tayloe shares insights into the technical and creative differences between theatrical and residential mixes, and even where we think the film industry is headed. We also touch on Kaleidescape’s Filmmaker Spotlight Series, including our recent conversation with Ron Bartlett, the Oscar-winning sound mixer behind Dune and Blade Runner 2049. Tayloe gives us an inside look at what inspired the series and why it resonates with both filmmakers and enthusiasts. And of course, we talk a little about Kaleidescape itself such as how the process looks once the mezzanine file comes in, where it’s heading and how it fits into the entertainment ecosystem. It’s a great conversation about where the industry stands today and how the relationship between cinema and home entertainment continues to evolve in exciting new ways! We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, Martin Logan. MartinLogan delivers high-performance audio that fuses cutting-edge technology with sleek, elegant design. Engineered for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts alike, MartinLogan products bring every sound to life with incredible clarity and power. MartinLogan – Bringing you truth in sound since 1983. Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: Spotify Apple Podcasts iHeartRadio Amazon Music Pandora
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    1 hr
  • Is HDR Actually Hurting Your Projector’s Picture?

    Is HDR Actually Hurting Your Projector’s Picture?
    Oct 21 2025
    This week on The Front Row Podcast, we’re joined by Rob Brennan, Technical Account Manager at Epson, and someone who’s been around long enough to see just about every shift in display technology. We sit down to talk about HDR - what it is, why it matters, and why it can be such a mixed bag on projectors. If you’ve ever looked at HDR on a projector and thought something seemed off, you’re not alone. Rob helps break down why HDR looks great on TVs, the challenges projectors face, and why tone mapping has become such a big deal when it comes to home theater projectors. We even get into the question that always comes up, sometimes, is it just better to stick with SDR on a projector? So grab a drink, get comfortable, and join us for an honest and practical conversation about HDR, tone mapping, and the ongoing journey to get projectors looking their best. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠⁠⁠Martin Logan⁠⁠⁠. MartinLogan delivers high-performance audio that fuses cutting-edge technology with sleek, elegant design. Engineered for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts alike, MartinLogan products bring every sound to life with incredible clarity and power. ⁠⁠⁠MartinLogan – Bringing you truth in sound since 1983.⁠⁠⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠iHeartRadio⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Pandora
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Manufacturing, Myths, and Misfires of HDMI Cables

    Manufacturing, Myths, and Misfires of HDMI Cables
    Oct 6 2025
    We’re back with part three of our HDMI series featuring James Chen, Managing Director of Kordz. This time, we’re taking a look at the physical side of HDMI: how the cables are manufactured, what testing looks like, and what’s really going on inside once you strip away the jacket. James walks us through the cable-building process and gives us a clear understanding of how design and build quality play a role in performance and longevity. We talk about what makes a high-quality cable, how shielding and conductor design impact performance, and why some cables are rigid and unforgiving while others feel like they might fall apart in your hand. We also discuss why some cables fail, what standards really mean, and how to look past flashy packaging and buzzwords when picking the right one for your system. Coming up in Episode 10, we’re shifting focus to the video side of the chain. Rob Brennan joins us to talk tone mapping and projectors, how HDR gets interpreted by different systems, and why your image might not always look the way you expect it to. And after that? We’re stepping away from video for a bit and finally moving into audio, so be on the lookout for that. So grab a drink, get comfortable, and join us to take a closer look at how the cables are manufactured and what to look for when you’re on the hunt for a new HDMI cable. We want to give a big thank you to our podcast sponsor, ⁠⁠Martin Logan⁠⁠. MartinLogan delivers high-performance audio that fuses cutting-edge technology with sleek, elegant design. Engineered for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts alike, MartinLogan products bring every sound to life with incredible clarity and power. ⁠⁠MartinLogan – Bringing you truth in sound since 1983.⁠⁠ Listen to The Front Row Podcast on your favorite platform and be sure to follow and leave a review on Apple & Spotify: ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ ⁠⁠iHeartRadio⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Pandora
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    1 hr and 31 mins