Paul's Posts

I am not a fan of passive radiators in full-range speaker cabinets. In every instance, I was underwhelmed with the sound of their bass and blamed the common denominator, the... Read more...

Legacies

Nothing goes forever. Even our universe is said to have an end. And though we don't actually believe it, the evidence appears pretty conclusive that none of us will make... Read more...

Good deals

Whether it's a hand of cards or buying a new piece of audio equipment, we always like getting a good deal. Good deals don't always have to refer to money.... Read more...

Sonder

In 2006 John Koenig ran into a few roadblocks while writing poetry. He couldn't find the right words to describe complex emotions. So he made some words up and added... Read more...

Withdrawals

I swear music is addictive. If I go more than a few days without my dose I am unhappy. Jittery. Argumentative. And music in the car, or what passes as... Read more...

Synergy vs. Accuracy

We hope for accuracy and pray for synergy. This might sound like an odd thought because we're all so obsessed with getting it right, but since "right" cannot mean perfect,... Read more...

Fluid stability

For most of us, maintaining stability with our systems is paramount. Turn the system on, have it work the way we expect, enjoy the music without hassles. Not much better... Read more...

I am always surprised…

…but rarely shocked when overwhelming evidence doesn't at least spark a modicum of curiosity. Take the subject of Climate Change. We might dismiss California's unprecedented droughts and fires as a... Read more...

Repercussions

Whatever changes we affect in our systems have repercussions: a new preamp changes the synergy of what came before it, records sound different with a new phono cartridge, AC power... Read more...

Observations And Theories

It might sound like a bird’s chirp, but scientists listening to what might be misunderstood as the sound from a video game is actually the billion-year-old echo of the collision of two... Read more...

Isolated

Over time, our civilization has become increasingly isolated from the physical world. We wake from our warm beds and check the outside temperature to know how to dress ourselves. It... Read more...

Death of a monster

Consider this post an unofficial death notice. Monster Cable appears to have died. If you go to their website https://monsterstore.com/ you get a notice no one is home. With a... Read more...

Misconceptions

It's easy enough to have a misconception. It is a notion of one thing that turns out to be quite something else. Misconceptions happen because we go into a situation... Read more...

Measure well, sound bad

Folks are often stumped when a unit that sounds great doesn't measure great. Perhaps the THD is high, or the noise levels higher than expected. We chalk the mismatch between... Read more...

Strangling meaning

One of my readers emailed me worried about Power Plant regenerators. I thought his concern, along with my answer, might be interesting. The concern is one we get a lot.... Read more...

The death of CES

The Consumer Electronics Show has been on life support for years. With the recent announcement from USA Today that "CES has been named one of the 10 Best Auto Shows... Read more...

The myth of Golden Ears

We probably all know someone we consider to have golden ears. A person with hearing so acute they can pass judgment on recordings and stereo systems in microseconds. And they're... Read more...

Tube time

As I look out my office window I see tufts of melted snow, bare trees, a busy highway of squirrel traffic gathering whatever it is they store for the winter,... Read more...

ASMR

Reader Michael Shaw made me aware of ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. From Wikipedia: “ASMR is an experience characterized by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin... Read more...

Seeds of change

It was Henry David Thoreau that wrote: "Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing ever grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream. Every adversity, every failure,... Read more...

Country/Region

Country/Region