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. The ears have it.Cup your hands behind your ears and the sound changes immediately. Your outer ear is part of the audio system. Its curves and folds—the pinna—filter sound... The ears have it.
  2. Bigger is betterWhat's the old male joke about size? Hmmmm, probably not worth repeating :) We audiophiles are remarkably susceptible to bigger numbers. Take sample rates for example.... Bigger is better
  3. Musicality“It sounds more musical.” We audiophiles say that all the time, usually with a pleased expression suggesting we have communicated something terribly important. Then someone asks... Musicality
  4. Pure as the driven snowWe like to think of analog as pure. The microphone hears a continuous event. Analog preserves it. Digital chops it into numbers and does unspeakable things... Pure as the driven snow
  5. I'm always rightAudiophiles are wonderfully open-minded people. Right up until we make up our minds. Once we decide analog is better than digital—or digital better than analog—we begin... I'm always right
  6. Just a little more...You know when your system has gotten right when you keep nudging the volume upward....when you pine for the next track "just to see and hear... Just a little more...
  7. TouchingEvery so often a stereo produces a sound so convincing that I have the ridiculous urge to reach out and touch it. Not the loudspeaker. The... Touching
  8. Secrets uncoveredSome of the best improvements in a stereo system require heading to the bank. This one requires an old CD jewel case or a thin novel.... Secrets uncovered
  9. How much?I’ve always been suspicious of getting something for nothing. A free sample at the market? Fine. A stranger holding the door while my arms are full?... How much?
  10. Button, button, who...?My first major crime in life was pressing the emergency stop button on an escalator, much to the horror and shame of my poor mother, as... Button, button, who...?
  11. What's great sound worth?Years ago, I ran across the claim that replacing the resistors and capacitors in an amplifier with better ones couldn’t improve the sound. Unless the original... What's great sound worth?
  12. The Only Room That MattersThere's only one room that tells the truth about how a piece of equipment sounds. Yours. A trade show room is a hotel room with six... The Only Room That Matters
  13. Mood enhancementWatermelon tastes sweeter when it's cold. Same fruit. Same sugar content. Same everything — except the temperature. Something about the cold amplifies the sweetness in a... Mood enhancement