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.

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Paul's Posts

The engineering and listening cocktail

Paul McGowan

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...

The volume paradox

Paul McGowan

Dynamic music demands dynamic listening. I’ve noticed that when I play music with wide dynamic range—certain classical pieces, well-recorded jazz, even some rock albums—the experience transforms when I turn the...

The vintage trap

Paul McGowan

Great vintage gear deserves respect, but not blind loyalty. I’ve held on to certain pieces of older equipment for decades, not because they’re perfect but because they remind me of...

The live music illusion

Paul McGowan

Live sound isn’t always better. I went to a local nightclub recently to hear a band I’ve followed for years. The musicians were tight, and the energy of the room...

The art of placement

Paul McGowan

Want to know the single most powerful upgrade that costs nothing? Speaker placement. I can't count how many six-figure systems I've heard that sound "meh" because someone didn't quite know...

Good enough?

Paul McGowan

It’s one of the most common setup questions I get: “How much toe-in should I use?” Most speaker manuals will tell you to angle the speakers in until they’re pointing...