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. Value vs. vanityThere is nothing wrong with wanting beautiful things. A well-designed piece of equipment — one where engineering and aesthetics have come together into something that looks... Value vs. vanity
  2. The eagle has landedMost industries have their roots in being as run of the mill has humanely possible—as little controversies as possible—while others, like ours, thrive on a few... The eagle has landed
  3. The great debateThe debate about tubes versus solid-state has occupied this hobby for sixty years, and for most of that time we were active participants. Our BHK amplifiers... The great debate
  4. Live musicA great concert doesn't necessarily sound great. But it teaches you something no recording can. Live music has physical presence. An orchestra at full volume doesn't... Live music
  5. DifferentAt some point in building a system, the changes stop making the music more music and start making it just different. You swap a cable and... Different
  6. Great recordingsNot all great music makes great use of great equipment. Some recordings — beloved, important ones — were made under conditions that weren't ideal. Small studios,... Great recordings
  7. RelationshipsThe most important relationship in a two-channel system isn't between the source and the DAC or the cartridge and the preamp. It's between the amplifier and... Relationships
  8. Zig Zag  Tone controls vanished from serious audio equipment around 1975, and our hobby has been quietly arguing about it ever since. The purist argument goes something... Zig Zag
  9. Small mattersMost amplifiers are rated at their maximum power. Most music happens at a tiny fraction of it. Think about what a typical listening session actually draws.... Small matters
  10. Hand wringingYesterday's post about fearing the future sparked a lot of comments and emails to me. Yup, I know, this time it'll all be different. Right? Well....... Hand wringing
  11. Fear of the futureYesterday I wrote about the digital circus surrounding the introduction of digital audio: the world is ending, our health and lives at stake, and all the... Fear of the future
  12. The digital circusEarly digital audio sounded genuinely bad. Not in a "slightly disappointing" way. Harsh, fatiguing, flat. CDs arrived promising perfect sound forever, and what we got had... The digital circus
  13. Get it rightMost music asks an amplifier for only a few watts—until it suddenly doesn’t. A musical peak 10 decibels above the average level requires ten times the... Get it right