Paul's Posts

One way to lower blood pressure is to spend time in a sauna. Now, one might conclude the reason for lower blood pressure is the relaxing nature of a sauna,... Read more...

The wonders of progress

Not that long ago, if you wanted to watch a movie at home, you’d have to dust off a DVD, pop it into a player, and wait as the disc... Read more...

Old fears

I receive a lot of questions from people. What's great about that is how much each question educates me. Take for example this one:"Is it really the case that the... Read more...

Don't look in the mirror

What do they say about aging? "Beats the alternative." The only reminder I get that I’m aging is when I catch my reflection in the mirror. From the inside, everything... Read more...

It's all relative

My friend Gary wrote the following to me: "When Edison introduced his first disc records and phonograph in 1912 - the Edison Diamond Disc - he conducted Edison Tone Tests around... Read more...

PVC mystery

If you take a digital audio file and transfer it over to Poly Vinyl Chloride, it takes on a certain magic. Is it the grooves in the record? The cartridge... Read more...

It shouldn't work

For a few hours each morning I am writing a new Audiophile's Guide series. My plan is to complete 9 full books to make a set that will cover the entire... Read more...

The finer details

One of the reasons why I write this daily post is to try and help the members of our community gain an understanding of a complicated subject. On the surface, stepping... Read more...

Arte TV

Terri and I do not watch much television. Too much violence or depressing stuff for the most part. If it's not on Disney we'll typically do something else in the... Read more...

What they don't teach in school

Everytime I start writing about three letter acronym devices like FETs and BJTs I am reminded of the fondness our chief engineer, Bob Stadtherr, has for the best recursive acronym of... Read more...

The guessing game

Interpolation is somewhat of an intimidating word. So too is upsampling. But, at the end of the day, both are just fancy terms for a way of making a digital... Read more...

When zero means something

We all agree zero means nothing, right? Have you ever noticed that in audio, we use zero as something? In a volume control or on a VU meter, 0dB means... Read more...

The great divide

In the 1960s, Acoustic Research (AR) faced tough competition from loudspeaker brands like JBL, Klipsch, and Altec Lansing, which dominated with large, visually impressive speakers known for powerful bass and... Read more...

Keys

Here's something I never thought would happen in my lifetime. No keys anymore. My home's front door opens with a code, the PS Audio Mothership opens with an electronic entry... Read more...

Physical media

I still love the idea of physical media but I am not certain why. With all the work we've done perfecting streaming through the AirLens, it isn't for sound quality... Read more...

What's wrong with feedback?

I often write about the evils of too much feedback in an audio circuit. But that's likely deceiving. Feedback on its own is a valuable tool. In the right hands... Read more...

Elbow grease over upgrade

Received the kindest note from a HiFi Family member. "Hi Paul I recently bought your book "the loudspeaker" and sacd and on my first try my jaw dropped! You don't... Read more...

Brand stories

My underpants are branded by Ralph Lauren. I don't know what to make of that. I simply purchased the ones that were on sale. And who the hell is Ralph... Read more...

Progress

If you look up the subject of today's post the dictionary defines it as: "Positive change, growth, or development in any specific field of knowledge or activity—a journey toward achieving... Read more...

The threat of new

New products and new ideas can go one of several ways: we can feel energized and excited, or retreating and threatened (and everything in between). In yesterday's post I shared... Read more...

Purchase or Audition Locally