PS Audio founder and CEO, Paul McGowan, writes a daily blog: short, informative, fun, often controversial, but always interesting. Subjects range from personal stories, how to setup your system, news of the day, streaming, vinyl, tubes, transistors, loudspeakers, holographic imaging and more. Kind of like the Car Talk of audio. Not much is sacred, and there’s rarely a mention of our own products.
Easy to subscribe and even easier to unsubscribe if you wish. Join us.
Paul's Posts
On the matter of power
Great sound starts at the wall. For years, I assumed AC power was just AC power. If the lights came on and voltage looked stable, what could be wrong with...
The room is the system
Your listening room is as important as your equipment. I’ve walked into homes with extraordinary components that failed to impress simply because the room and setup were both ignored. I’ve...
The break-in reality
Everything in audio changes with time and use. I’ve never trusted first impressions of brand-new gear. Fresh out of the box, a loudspeaker can sound stiff and closed-in. An amplifier...
Planars vs. dynamics
Speaker design is always about compromise. The first time I heard a well-set-up planar loudspeaker, I was stunned by the openness and speed. Voices seemed suspended in space, free from...
Beyond the numbers
Low distortion numbers don’t guarantee great sound. I’ve met engineers and audiophiles who obsess over vanishingly small distortion figures—0.001% THD or better. On paper, that’s impressive and we work towards...
The engineering and listening cocktail
The rarest skill in loudspeaker design is the ability to merge engineering precision with the art of listening. Over my many decades in this business, I’ve met a few talented...