Paul's Posts

If you've ever played around with cameras you'll know it's easy to change perspective. We can zoom in for closeup details or move back for a panoramic view. Each image... Read more...

Changing expectations

I have built an imaginary world in my head. In this world, I know what to expect from my sound system; how to deal with people; how food is going... Read more...

Music's story

Music conveys story and emotions more easily than most art forms. Take literature for example. Novels and short stories can evoke emotion and action through the ideas put forward by... Read more...

Negative Voltage

When I was first learning electrical engineering one of the terms I struggled with was negative voltage. How could a voltage be negative? There was ground and there was +... Read more...

Bias Backfire

We’re conditioned by our culture to believe that bias affects opinion. That if we’re told something’s going to be a certain way that’s what we’ll experience. I would argue that’s... Read more...

Conspiracies

I sometimes get the craziest comments. Following the recent upgrades to DirectStream a flood of people smelling a conspiratorial cover-up have emerged. Weird, right? The general line goes something like... Read more...

Right or wrong?

It takes all sorts of different people to build a community. Some members are strong and resolute in their opinions and findings. It doesn't take them more than a few... Read more...

Music is more than sound

We find ourselves focusing on performance and sound quality a lot. Yet, music can be so much more than just sound. Music is communication. A means of reaching deep into... Read more...

The sound of noise

Ultrasonic noise should have no sound to it. It is, after all, "ultra" sonic which means it is beyond our hearing. Yet, we know removing ultrasonic noise riding on the... Read more...

History lessons

In yesterday's post on listener fatigue, we came to understand it's the over-etched quality of upper frequencies that often lead to our ear's protective mechanisms engaging. Too much unnatural detail... Read more...

Getting tired?

We're elated when our systems sound open, lush, and musical. We're not so happy when they cause us fatigue. Yet, fatigue can be a useful indicator of system setup. When... Read more...

Blind faith

When we hear a change in our systems or setups that we cannot explain or prove—or worse when it goes against accepted doctrine—some of us go with it while others... Read more...

Perfection vs. procrastination

It's easy enough to mistake procrastination for perfection. "As soon as I get this last little tweak, I'll go ahead and launch my new initiative or buy that new product."... Read more...

5-star reviews

When we are in a new town we look for restaurants with 5-star reviews. We are almost always disappointed. A 5-star review of a steak house is likely not going... Read more...

The truth of it

Here's an interesting fact. If you set a CD transport on an uneven surface and it lists to one side or another more than about 2 degrees, the sound is... Read more...

Group auditions

In yesterday's post, Synchronicity, I asked for volunteers to listen to three tracks and offer opinions on how the sound might have changed between our two DirectStream DAC firmware versions,... Read more...

Synchronicity

Now that Windom has been launched it might be interesting to try a new kind of experiment. My friend Seth suggested a synchronous listening evaluation. I will propose three tracks... Read more...

Audiophile day

Today is Audiophile Day. October 2nd of each year has officially been set aside as a special day for those of us that love music and revel in the beauty... Read more...

Windom is here

As promised, Windom is here and ready for DirectStream owners to enjoy. Windom is the newest upgrade for DirectStream and elevates the DAC's performance way beyond anything yet heard. Go... Read more...

Broken rules

How important is it to follow the rules? Probably pretty important if you're a surgeon, less so if you're assembling a stereo system. Rules are guidelines that help us navigate... Read more...

Country/Region

Country/Region