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. Bottom endMost of the music we love doesn't go very low in frequency. The lowest note on a standard bass guitar is around 41Hz. A kick drum... Bottom end
  2. The easy way outDSD is one of the most misunderstood formats in audio, and the thing that confuses people most is this: why some SACD players convert it to... The easy way out
  3. The magnifying glassA revealing HiFi system brings out everything great as well as the opposite. You've invested in a genuinely revealing system and now you're worried it's going... The magnifying glass
  4. BoxesWhat the chassis does to the sound is one of those things that should be obvious but isn't. A circuit lives in a physical enclosure. That... Boxes
  5. In the beginningThe most important thing I can tell a new audiophile is this: the gear matters less than where you start. Almost everyone gets this backward. They... In the beginning
  6. Turn it upMost people turn it up when the music and the system click. That instinct is understandable but backward. High volume flatters almost anything, but only to... Turn it up
  7. At the end of the dayA couple of days ago I wrote about the takeover of our local bank by a conglomerate and how that made us feel.  And it occurred... At the end of the day
  8. Giving a hootA well-set-up stereo playing a great recording can do something remarkable: make the speakers disappear. The room fills with music from a stage that seems to... Giving a hoot
  9. The soul of the machineYou can always tell when a business has lost its way. Terri and I banked at the same local outfit for many years. The people there... The soul of the machine
  10. Two better than one?Two boxes almost always beat one. The exception is when someone designs the one box like it was really two. The trouble with most all-in-one streamer/DACs... Two better than one?
  11. The eyes have itI was driving down the road on a pleasant Saturday afternoon when someone pulled out of a driveway ahead of me. I slowed to let them... The eyes have it
  12. Scratchy sound A record can be factory fresh and still crackle like a campfire. That's rarely your fault. New vinyl arrives with surface noise baked in — clicks,... Scratchy sound
  13. Million dollar babiesMillion-dollar loudspeakers are becoming more commonplace. The same could be said for a few thousand-dollar ones that make people happy for decades. The question isn't whether... Million dollar babies