Paul's Posts

Measuring perfection
Measuring perfection
In an address to an assemblage of physicists at the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1900, Lord Kelvin stated, "There is nothing new to be discovered in... Read more...
Our own worst enemy
Our own worst enemy
In a recent Facebook post Michael Beckerman posited: "High-end audio, in every iteration, is essentially a victim of it's own success. They have been so good at what they do,... Read more...
Whatever happened to Pono?
Whatever happened to Pono?
Why is it so hard for quality audio to gain a foothold in the mainstream? I ask myself who doesn't want quality? Everyone wants better quality, the question, of course,... Read more...
The 16th bit
The 16th bit
We should feel sorry for the 16th bit. You know, the last little guy in the digital word of a CD, the ending of the ubiquitous 44.1/16. The technical term... Read more...
Seeing through other eyes
Seeing through other eyes
Walking in another's shoes. Seeing through other eyes. All phrases that refer to empathy: our ability to understand where someone else is coming from. It's often a difficult switch because... Read more...
The bit conundrum
The bit conundrum
We worry about the timeliness of hot food delivery, but not so much digital audio data. Identical bitstreams will sound and perform the same regardless of how they are delivered.... Read more...
Unlucky 4
Unlucky 4
It doesn't sound like much. The difference between 48 and 44 is only 4 but that can make a lot of difference when it comes to audio. The industry standard... Read more...
Purity at the source
Purity at the source
In yesterday's post, I spoke of how CD quality streaming on Qobuz bested by a country mile the same on Tidal. But it makes one wonder. How could that be... Read more...
Streaming wars
Streaming wars
Sometimes wars are won without much of a battle. Such is the case with the Streaming Wars. As I have reported more than a few times I am not a... Read more...
Acquiring taste
Acquiring taste
Other than the essentials: sweet, salty, savory, our tastes are learned. And those learned tastes don't apply to only flavors, they cover quite a bit of ground. I remember forcing... Read more...
A good use for CDs
A good use for CDs
We love our CDs. I have hundreds of them, perhaps bordering on a thousand. Many have been memorialized on a hard drive and that gives me easy access to build... Read more...
Community forums
Community forums
The idea of a forum as a place where people gather to talk and exchange goods dates back well before Roman times when they were at their most popular. Forums... Read more...
The challenge of better
The challenge of better
With few exceptions, I help people's home systems sound better by pulling their speakers away from the wall behind them. It's a simple tweak and one that almost always works... Read more...
The ladder of excellence
The ladder of excellence
I remember the very first time I heard a high-end audio system: a pair of JBL corner horns, an Audio Research pre and power amp, and a Thorens turntable. It... Read more...
Building rooms
Building rooms
In yesterday's post, I shared with you our progress on building the new Music Room Two, home to Infinity's IRSV. If you've never watched the original video series on building... Read more...
The IRSV
The IRSV
The Infinity IRSV remains one of the greatest loudspeakers ever built. Since its launch in 1985, only a sparse handful of speakers have reached its level of dynamics, transparency, and sheer... Read more...
Clearing cobwebs
Clearing cobwebs
New information, new ideas, new concepts, different points of view all help us clear the mental cobwebs that collect over time. Like our fondness for an old pair of slippers,... Read more...
Higher and higher
Higher and higher
As the frequency goes up, so too goes the price tag for amplification. Folks aren't as concerned with the quality of bass amplification as they are with the midrange region... Read more...
Music's emotions
Music's emotions
As an aspiring author, I understand the mechanics of evoking emotion through well-crafted stories or poems. We relate to collections of words because their meaning often generates empathy encouraging emotion:... Read more...
Long or short
Long or short
As our three new listening rooms take shape in the new building it's time to meet with the electricians to design our equipment feeds. Of course we're going with dedicated... Read more...
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