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. Imagine thatWhen I started this journey over 50 years ago, the audiophile gold standard wasn’t imaging—it was tonal balance. Back then, we didn’t talk much about soundstage... Imagine that
  2. The magic actWhen I tell newbies to the Listening Lab that what they are looking at is about to disappear, I get a raised eyebrow: the towering loudspeakers,... The magic act
  3. DecayMost people hear ‘decay’ and think of a trip to the dentist—but in audio, it's not your teeth that suffer when things go wrong. We spend... Decay
  4. Big and smallEvery system has dynamics, but it's only the rare few that handle peaks as well as they handle quiet passages. At a basic level, dynamics describe... Big and small
  5. Is it right?A wide soundstage is not necessarily a precise one—but it certainly is enticing. It’s common to hear people describe a system with “huge soundstage” as if... Is it right?
  6. SharingYesterday we spoke of honing one's listening skills, something many of us take for granted (because we've been doing it for so long). Today, let's focus... Sharing
  7. The art of listeningTruly discerning what a system is doing takes time, practice, and intention. The first time someone sits down in front of a high-end system, the reaction... The art of listening
  8. Better at nightYour system sounds better at night. No, you're not imagining it. And no, it's not just because of that glass of Pinot or Merlot. What you’re... Better at night
  9. What's Watt?A 50-watt amp might sound great—until the music asks for 51. Watts don’t tell you how good an amp sounds. But they do tell you what... What's Watt?
  10. SensitiveSome people are sniveling and sensitive—you hand them a Kleenex and hope for the best. Speakers, on the other hand, list their sensitivity in decibels and... Sensitive
  11. A likely storyWhen a bad guy goes under an alias, it’s usually to hide their identity. When a pop star uses one, it’s for branding. But when audio... A likely story
  12. Going lowWe usually talk about impedance when matching sources to loads—like making sure your preamp and amp play nicely together, or that a phono cartridge is loaded... Going low
  13. Are you coherent?If your system doesn’t preserve phase coherence, it doesn’t matter how expensive it is—music won’t sound real. Phase coherence means all the frequencies in a signal... Are you coherent?