Paul's Posts

Low bass is as much about finesse as it is about weight. Many listeners avoid subwoofers because they associate them with boomy, exaggerated bass or they don't want more boxes.... Read more...

A season of thanks

Community is at the heart of everything we do. As the year winds down and the holiday lights start to glow a little brighter, I find myself thinking about how... Read more...

Priorities

It’s easy to chase gear and forget why we got into this hobby in the first place. Somewhere along the way, it’s easy to lose sight of the music. You... Read more...

DOA

You can have great components and still end up with a lifeless system. There’s nothing more frustrating than assembling a system from well-regarded gear and getting a sound that leaves... Read more...

Patience

Most great systems aren’t built in a weekend—they evolve over years. In the early stages of building a system, there’s a rush to get everything dialed in. We want it... Read more...

When better isn't better

Upgrading gear doesn’t always improve the experience—it has to serve the system, not just the specs. As always, there’s a constant pull toward better. Better DACs, better amps, better cables.... Read more...

Warm sound

"Warm" isn’t always a compliment—it can mean rolled-off highs and sluggish bass. When people describe a system as warm, they usually mean it's pleasant. Non-fatiguing. Smooth. But warmth can be... Read more...

Fighting back

Acoustics aren't optional—they're in charge whether you like it or not. Every stereo system plays two instruments: the speakers and the room. You can have state-of-the-art gear and meticulously chosen... Read more...

Problem solving

Solving one problem by creating another isn’t a solution. Passive power conditioners (i.e., any device NOT a regenerator) offer a trade-off: they reduce noise but at the cost of dynamics... Read more...

Is cleaner better?

Cleaner power isn’t always better power. That might sound counterintuitive, especially in high-end audio where noise and distortion are the enemies. And it’s true—our systems do benefit from a lower... Read more...

Perfection

There’s no perfect format. Only better implementations. Vinyl has its following. So does CD, SACD, high-res downloads, and streaming. Each format has its loyalists—and its myths. But after decades of... Read more...

Relearning

A great system lets you hear the same recordings differently. I’ve been listening to the same core library of music for decades. Albums and CDs I know backwards and forwards.... Read more...

Clocks

Good audio is about timing. We tend to talk a lot about frequency response—how deep the bass goes, how smooth the highs are—but equally important is timing. Not the tempo... Read more...

Mastering

A bad master can ruin a great recording. I’ve lost count of how many albums I’ve been excited about, only to be let down by what I heard. Not the... Read more...

Taking out the garbage

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about how the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” doesn’t always apply—especially in digital audio. But if we look a little deeper, it’s clear that... Read more...

GIGO

Garbage in, garbage out. It’s one of those acronyms that just feels right. Feed a system poor input, and you're going to get poor results. In computing, data processing, and... Read more...

Lifting veils

A more revealing audio system doesn’t add detail—it removes what's been hiding it. I remember the first time I truly heard the room around a solo violin, the decay of... Read more...

The truth of transients

If transients aren’t right, nothing is. Think about a snare hit. A string pluck. A trumpet attack. These are transient events—rapid, complex bursts of energy that tell your brain something... Read more...

Loud!

Loud doesn’t equal dynamic. It’s a common trap. You turn up the volume and the system feels more alive. The bass hits harder, the treble shines: “Now that’s dynamic!” But... Read more...

Your Room, Their Vision

Every recording engineer had a room in mind when they made your favorite album. It’s easy to forget that music is recorded in physical spaces. Rooms with size, shape, and... Read more...

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