Paul's Posts

Ever notice how some systems can be cranked up without ever sounding aggressive? That’s no accident. In fact, it is rare. A great system doesn’t just get louder—it effortlessly scales.... Read more...

Hard to believe

This morning marks the opening of the Chicago audio show known as Axpona. Now, that's probably not news to many of you, but what I am about to unfold just... Read more...

Planars and ribbons

In my YouTube videos, I’ve been guilty of using "planar" and "ribbon" interchangeably at times. Oops. They are, in fact, very different creatures. A planar magnetic driver, like the kind... Read more...

Colors

Sound has color, but not in the way a painter might think. When we talk about the "color" of sound, we’re really talking about its harmonic character. Some sounds are... Read more...

First Watt

The first watt is the most important watt. Most of our listening happens at just a few watts of power, yet we obsess over high-powered amplifiers, thinking more watts mean... Read more...

You might have missed it

Something extraordinary just happened. Back in the 1950s, when computers filled entire rooms and had less brainpower than a modern toaster, Alan Turing asked a provocative question: Can machines think?... Read more...

Music without borders

Music doesn’t recognize borders. Neither should we. As audiophiles, we’re part of a global community bound not by geography but by a shared passion—to get closer to the music, to... Read more...

Where's your focus?

Most of us have both vinyl and digital in our systems. I certainly do. But where do we focus? Where do we put our energy, our investment, our tuning efforts?... Read more...

Getting it right

When something is right, we don’t notice it. That’s the curse of perfection. The better something works, the more invisible it becomes. A system with impeccable tonal balance, seamless imaging,... Read more...

Like it or not

Physics can be a cruel mistress. The perfect listening position is often just that—a position. A single chair, perfectly centered, where everything is dialed in just right. Move too far... Read more...

The topology challenge

Designing a preamp or amplifier comes down to a series of choices: single-ended or balanced? Tubes or solid-state? Class A for purity or Class D for efficiency? Every choice shapes the... Read more...

Trust

Music isn’t math, and specs don’t tell the whole story. Trusting our ears means letting go of preconceived notions. A component with “perfect” measurements can sound sterile and lifeless, while... Read more...

Embrace the space

We all get it—pulling our speakers out into the room isn’t exactly interior design-friendly. A pair of FR10s or 20s standing proudly away from the walls can look, well, a little... Read more...

Garbage In, or the Weakest Link?

Yesterday, I talked about the Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO) philosophy—the idea that if the source isn’t perfect, nothing downstream can fix it. A flawed recording, a subpar DAC, or... Read more...

GIGO

The Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO) philosophy is built on solid logic: if you start with a flawed input—or worse, fail to capture everything on the source—you’re not just passing... Read more...

The great debate

When it comes to upgrading a system, we audiophiles tend to fall into one of two camps: Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO): The idea here is simple—if your source is... Read more...

Chasing what's important

We spend a lot of time chasing low distortion, and that's a good thing. Regardless of how much energy we're investing in the chase for lower numbers, I think it's... Read more...

The audiophile university

It’s easy to poke fun at self-proclaimed experts, yet I don't know of an audiophile university handing out degrees. Some of the best minds in audio never needed a degree... Read more...

Surprise!

Every now and then, a system surprises me. Maybe it’s a new piece of gear, a new design idea, or maybe it’s just a good day when everything falls into... Read more...

Hearing vs. listening

Hearing is easy. Listening is an art. As audiophiles, we don’t just hear music—we immerse ourselves in it. How often have you sat down with music playing, only to realize... Read more...

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