The first listen is always the most honest.
There’s something about hearing a new system—or even a new recording—for the very first time. In that moment, you haven’t learned its character, you’re not acclimated to its flaws or strengths, and your brain hasn’t started rationalizing. You simply react. Goosebumps or not. Engagement or not. Music or not.
I’ve come to trust that first impression. If a system moves me in the first minute, it almost always holds up over time. If it leaves me cold, no amount of break-in or mental adjustment changes that. It might improve in certain ways, but the essence—the emotional connection—is set.
That’s why I love doing first listens for new products at PS Audio. When we finish a prototype—whether it’s a new amplifier, DAC, or loudspeaker—I’ll sit down, press play, and just listen. No measurements, no adjustments, no second-guessing. Does it make me forget about the gear? Does it make me want to hear more music?
That first moment often decides whether we keep refining a design or start over. Because if it doesn’t move me at first listen, it won’t move you later—and moving you is the whole point.
