Paul's Posts

"Recordings that sound great on a high-end audio system means they won't sound very good on earbuds or Sonos speakers." This viewpoint seems to answer the question of why many of today's... Read more...

Manuals and males

I don't read product manuals and I avoid asking for directions. It's probably a male thing. I am most appreciative of devices and services that are easy enough to use and understand... Read more...

Different and better

New isn't always better. Take for example what used to be one of my favorite beers, Fat Tire. This craft brew was once a lovely, crisp amber ale. The new... Read more...

One of those moments

When Jeff Dorgay of Tone Audio Magazine wrote "one of those "oh shit" moments" in his review of the BHK600, I immediately related to what he was saying. It is... Read more...

Setup or equipment?

Which would you choose as most important? Setup or equipment? Or, put another way, which would sound best—mediocre equipment setup properly, or the opposite? My first reaction is setup. I... Read more...

Remarkable performance

When someone asks me what our criteria is for releasing a new product my answer often surprises them. "It has to be remarkable". That's so hard to quantify, right? I... Read more...

The soul of HiFi

Do our high end audio systems have a soul? Mine certainly has a character or a flavor to it and, sometimes, I think it has a mind of its own.... Read more...

The cost of concert tickets

Is the cost of a high end audio system worth it? One could easily argue that if live music is our standards of reference, we're always going to be better... Read more...

Turntable or cartridge

Is it possible to suggest which is more important, the turntable or the cartridge? I think the answer's easy. The cartridge is more important that the turntable. It's actually the... Read more...

Cold fusion

The holy grail, the breakthrough that could potentially save the planet from climate collapse, would be a practical fusion reactor. Hydrogen in, electricity and water vapor out. With a fusion... Read more...

Moody Blues

Cary, a reader in Thousand Oaks California wrote to me with the following question: "With the technologies available at the time, how is it possible for everything by The Moody... Read more...

Habits and fixes

I have an eating problem. Without fail, I somehow manage to slop food onto my shirt or pants or both. I am 75 years old and still haven't figured out... Read more...

Magic wands

When we're working on new product directions, one of the first questions we ask is where this potential new product fits in: an addition to an existing genre (like a... Read more...

The $10K switch

My car company offers a $10,000 upgrade in performance. A bigger motor? Different wheels? A rear spoiler? No, it's a software upgrade. Pay the $10K and within a few minutes you're... Read more...

What would it take?

Trying to convince a round-Earth believer that our globe is actually flat is about as easy as the opposite. When emotions run high facts do not matter. Take for example... Read more...

The cynic

It's easy to dismiss cynics as little more than an irritating trolls, but I would argue they have their value. The typical cynic questions everything and rarely accepts new ideas... Read more...

Clarity

Isn't clarity something we all strive for in both our lives and our sound systems? It surely is in mine. Clarity in a stereo system implies the elimination of sonic veils.... Read more...

Organic chickens

While at the market the other day I noticed a carton of organic egg whites. Must have come from organic chickens? Probably not true any more than believing Pure AC... Read more...

Can speakers disappear?

To some of us, the idea of the disappearing speaker is easy to relate to because we've heard it for ourselves. To others, it's hard to imagine. Yet, if we... Read more...

SoundStage

With our latest Octave Record's release of SoundStage, we're getting both kudos and questions. Kudos for how good it sounds and questions about soundstage and what it means. Soundstage is... Read more...

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