Drawn from Paul McGowan’s The Audiophile’s Guide series, these daily tips offer concise, expert insight into refining high-end stereo systems. With a half century of experience at PS Audio, McGowan distills complex concepts into practical steps—ideal for us audiophiles seeking to elevate realism, correct system flaws, and make their music come alive.
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The Daily Tip
Tip Number 41: Speaker Break-In Isn’t a Myth—It...
Few moments beat that first unboxing. You’ve probably waited weeks—researched, measured, maybe even rearranged the room. The speakers go in, you cue something familiar... and the sound might come across...
Tip Number 40: Check the Speaker’s Vertical Lobe
You’ve likely taken great care with speaker setup. Toe-in appears dialed. Distances seem locked in. The image probably floats where it should. But when you lean forward, something changes. Stand...
Tip Number 39: Cable Dressing Isn’t OCD—It’s Au...
The system might already be well sorted. Your signal path feels short, interconnects are likely quality, grounding probably stable. You’ve taken care to match gear that plays well together. Still,...
Tip Number 38: Don’t Let the Door Swing Your Im...
You’ve done the work. The triangle likely measures out. Toe-in seems aligned to the millimeter. First reflections are probably dialed. Yet something leans. Vocals tend to drift slightly left. Instruments...
Tip Number 37: Don’t EQ Around the Problem
You’ve likely done something most audiophiles don’t: embraced room correction. Maybe it was Dirac. Maybe REW into a miniDSP. Either way, the results might seem promising. Bass cleans up. A...
Tip Number 36: Cover the Screen, Not Just the Wall
You’ve likely done this right. A pure two-channel setup. No surround gear, no TV-driven compromises. But the room does double duty, and the screen—OLED, plasma, maybe a big LCD—sits quietly...