Crutchfield: The Podcast

For years, JR and Huffy have ended episodes by thanking Bill Crutchfield. This time, they get to do it with him in the studio. To celebrate Sony’s 80th anniversary, Bill joins the guys for a conversation about the products, people, and shared values behind a partnership that began in 1975. From the tiny transistor radio that helped spark Bill’s interest in electronics to Walkmans, Betamax, CD players, and Crutchfield’s early adventures in online shopping, it’s a trip through decades of innovation — with a few stories you won’t find on a spec sheet.

JR and Huffy share their own Sony memories, and Bill offers his perspective on Sony’s departure from the car stereo business before answering a question promised back in the podcast’s early days: what gear does he enjoy at home? This episode also marks a pause for Crutchfield The Podcast, with no return date set. It’s a fitting way to close this chapter: good stories, a little friendly ribbing, and a chance to thank Bill in person for letting the guys talk about the coolest stuff on the planet. Share your memories, questions, and thoughts on the show’s future at podcast@crutchfield.com.

www.crutchfield.com/podcast

What’s the difference between a FLAC file and a WAV file? Is Apple Lossless really lossless? Does high-resolution audio always sound better? JR and Huffy bring in Zak from Crutchfield’s video team to decode the alphabet soup of digital music formats, including PCM, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, DSD, and the mostly-retired MQA. Whether you’re sorting through a hard drive full of old downloads, ripping a CD collection, or starting a music library you actually own, this episode helps make sense of what those letters and numbers mean.

The conversation gets beyond file formats, too. The guys explain bit depth and sample rate, why a well-mastered CD-quality song can beat a poorly mastered high-res track, and where great sound can get lost between your source, DAC, amplifier, speakers, Wi Fi, and Bluetooth. They also compare the lossless offerings from Apple Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Spotify — plus why convenient Bluetooth listening can still be exactly the right choice, even for people who care a lot about sound quality. Email us if you have any questions you’d like us to answer on the show, podcast@Crutchfield.com .

Zak really likes his WiiM streaming devices. Here’s a link to all our current WiiM products:

WiiM at Crutchfield | Find the Right Gear for You

You're probably using a DAC right now — you just don'tknow it. JR and Huffy kick off this episode with a game of "Where's the DAC?", a series of scenarios where you try to identify which device in the audio chain is handling the digital-to-analog conversion. From there, JR walks through the surprisingly interesting history of how standalone DACs went from a niche audiophile topic to a full product category at Crutchfield — and what the wave of early returns taught the team about setting customer expectations. The big takeaway: a better DAC will reveal how good your music sounds, not fix how bad it sounds. Garbage in, garbage out still applies.
The guys also get into bit rates, sample rates, and whyyou probably shouldn't lose sleep over which DAC chip brand is inside your gear — but you should know what to look for when it matters. JR discusses three noteworthy standalone DACs worth knowing about: the Cambridge Audio DacMagic200M, the iFi ZEN DAC 3, and the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt. If you have questions or want to tell JR which DAC chip brand you think sounds best, send an email to podcast@crutchfield.com
Links from this episode of Crutchfield: The Podcast
Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M (Silver) Stereo DAC/headphone amplifier/preamp with built-in Bluetooth® (Silver) at Crutchfield
iFi ZEN DAC 3 Desktop USB DAC and headphone amplifier at Crutchfield
AudioQuest DragonFly® Cobalt Plug-in USB DAC/headphone amplifier, compatible with Apple® and Android™ mobile devices at Crutchfield
DAC buying guide
Guide to high-fidelity computer audio
Intro to high-resolution audio

JR goes full deep-dive this month on a topic that's beenteased on this show more than once — how to match car subwoofers to amplifiers so your bass system performs the way it should. Huffy is here too, playing the role of someone who just wants great low end. The episode has two parts: if you just want the quick answers on which impedance subs tobuy for the most common setups, JR serves up the fish in the first few minutes. If you want to actually learn how to fish — understanding what impedance is, why two ohms is the sweet spot for most sub amps, and how series vs. parallel wiring affects what your amplifier sees — that's the rest of theshow. 
Along the way, JR introduces the "Rule of Twos," a simple memory tool for getting dual voice coil sub wiring right, and explains when you can safely go to one ohm versus when you probably shouldn't. The episode also covers powered subs and pre-loaded enclosed subs for anyone who'drather skip the math entirely — and no judgment there. Visual learners: here are some links to Crutchfield's subwoofer wiring diagrams and YouTube videos, because some of this stuff really does need a picture. Please send your follow-up questions (and pushback from your knowledgeable friends) to podcast@crutchfield.com. 
 
·        Subwoofer wiring diagrams
·        What are dual voice coil subwoofers?
·        How to match subwoofers and amplifiers
·        How to wire multiple subs to your amplifier | Crutchfield
·        How to match amps and subs in your car | Crutchfield

JR and Huffy are joined by Dylan Wold, Pioneer's vendor trainer, fresh off a day of training Crutchfield's sales advisors on the brand-new Pioneer SPHERA — the first aftermarket car stereo with built-in Dolby Atmos®. If you've heard "Dolby Atmos" and pictured helicopter sounds flying over your head in a movie theater, Dylan is here to reset those expectations. This is about music: bigger soundstages, better instrument placement, and hearing songs you know by heart in a way that genuinely feels like the first time. Crutchfield has the SPHERA installed in demo cars at both locations, and the reactions from everyone — skeptics included — have been unanimous.

Dylan tells us how SPHERA works (spoiler: it's simpler than you'd think), what it takes to get the most out of it, which factory and aftermarket system combinations to watch out for, and why 92% of the Billboard Top 100 is already recorded in Dolby Atmos and waiting for you. Plus, JR gets his own band's music played through the up-mixer live on air, and our co-worker Dave Delamere stops by to demonstrate the calibration system in action. If you're considering a new car stereo, this one's worth your time. Questions? Email podcast@crutchfield.com or talk to a Crutchfield advisor who's been trained on the Pioneer SPHERA firsthand.

Pioneer SPHERA radio
Crutchfield: The Podcast