Paul's Posts

When done correctly mastering, recording, and mixing are more art than technique. Just ask our own Gus Skinas. And the art is in the listening (perhaps nothing too surprising to... Read more...

Hearing Inside

Using only words, one of the more difficult concepts to explain is the idea of hearing into the music. It is easy to hear but hard to convey. When in Octave’s studio... Read more...

Originals

One of my readers, Blaine, forwarded me this wonderfully funny example of expressing visually the differences we imagine we hear. Good for a morning’s laugh. However, it did spark a... Read more...

Missing information

I am always fascinated to watch those slow-speed nature videos where you watch flowers open and plants grow. Or, the opposite. A high-speed camera that slows down the wing motions... Read more...

The funny thing about dynamics

It's somewhat of a mystery why vinyl can sound more dynamic when in fact it is more compressed. Much has to do with the technical measurement versus the perceived measurement.... Read more...

Copper

On March 7, 2016, the first issue of Copper Magazine was launched into the world with zero subscribers. Today, 171 issues later, Copper Magazine is read by nearly 50,000 subscribers.... Read more...

Temperament

Seems to me the more complex the system the more I tend to approach its operation as if it had a mind of its own. I often think of equipment... Read more...

Delivering the goods

When you download onto your local hard drive an Octave Records release the copy you store is bit-for-bit identical to the one sitting on the master hard drive at Octave... Read more...

Living in a vacuum

As much as our mental faculties like to focus on one thing at a time, the reality is we do not live in a vacuum. Everything affects everything else. When... Read more...

Another piece of the puzzle

I often tackle the same question multiple times. With each new answer to the same question, the different angle of attack seems to illuminate the lightbulb of understanding for at... Read more...

The setup dance

In my new book, The Audiophile's Guide, The Loudspeaker I liken the challenge of system setup to that of a dance. As in my earlier post about devilish details, the... Read more...

A Monday Treat

I had previously written about the great pipe organ project we were involved in for Octave Records. I still tingle with goosebumps every time I hear the playback of that amazing... Read more...

Know your enemy

I get a lot of flack for my dislike of USB as a medium between the computer and DAC. Truth is, it's not USB I don't like. It's what USB... Read more...

Practical matters

A few years ago when we were researching the PS Audio PowerBase product I spent a few weeks digging into the sonic impacts of vibration control. What I discovered is... Read more...

Obvious vs. faith

My small home theater has 12 loudspeakers that cover the walls and ceiling making it pretty obvious why a movie plays in surround sound. You are surrounded by speakers. The... Read more...

Looking In The Wrong Places

Digital audio is a very complex subject, one most of us don’t really understand at a level deep enough to make a reasoned technological change. Yes, we can change cables,... Read more...

The Decca Tree

Wikipedia describes the Decca Tree as a 3 microphone spaced array most commonly used for orchestral recording. The technique was developed in the early 1950s and first commercially used in... Read more...

Being there

One of the big advantages of Octave Records for me and the other design engineers at PS Audio is being there—at the source of music. You cannot get any closer... Read more...

Appearances

When my friend, Sandy Gross was responsible for marketing Polk Audio in the late 70s and early 80s one of the challenges he faced was acceptance of the brand as... Read more...

While In Rome…

Well, we’re not in Rome but you know how old sayings go. We are on our last day in London because of the show that, unfortunately, got canceled. What better... Read more...

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