From the desk of Paul McGowan

Paul's Posts

Notes on music, gear, and the long pursuit of better sound. New most mornings.

Paul's Posts

More from Paul

  1. Same, but differentThe idea that a lossless compressed file and an uncompressed file should sound identical is perfectly logical — and sometimes, in practice, it might not hold.... Same, but different
  2. The Distortion We LoveSome of the best-sounding audio systems in the world are measurably imperfect — and understanding why might tell you something important about how sound actually works.... The Distortion We Love
  3. Center cabinetThat gear rack sitting between your loudspeakers is doing more damage to your soundstage than almost anyone realizes. It is one of the most common setups... Center cabinet
  4. Naming namesReaders occasionally ask why I will happily name a brand I admire, like Audioquest or Magico or Wilson, but rarely name a brand I think falls... Naming names
  5. Big is betterMore watts does not mean louder music, but it almost always means better music. This confuses people, and I understand why. If you have a twenty-watt... Big is better
  6. TweakingMost high-end loudspeakers come with two sets of binding posts connected by a metal jumper or a short wire link. As most of us know, the... Tweaking
  7. The keys to the kingdomLast night I scrolled through the playlists I had generated, clicked on Evening Jazz with a mellow twist (with a side note for Ella to always... The keys to the kingdom
  8. Dick TracyThe other day I was at the market picking up lunch when my watch buzzed with an incoming call. I tapped the screen and had a... Dick Tracy
  9. How sensitive are you?Speaker sensitivity may be the single most misunderstood specification in all of audio. You see it on the spec sheet as a number like 87 dB... How sensitive are you?
  10. Getting it rightEvery room has acoustic problems, and whether to fix them electronically or leave the signal untouched is one of the most contested debates in audiophile circles.... Getting it right
  11. One box wondersThe dream of one box that does everything well is seductive, and it is closer to reality than most people think. We audiophiles tend to separate... One box wonders
  12. Shared spacesMost of us audiophiles do not have a dedicated listening room, and that is perfectly fine. The fantasy is a purpose-built space with no windows, optimized... Shared spaces
  13. HumA little mechanical hum from a power transformer is normal. A lot of it is a warning sign. I get emails every week from people unhappy... Hum