Paul's Posts

Thankfully, mistakes happen. Without those mistakes, we'd never make forward progress into the new. What's often frustratingly confusing about those mistakes is when we make them along a proven and... Read more...

It's about time

It's been 8 years since we introduced the groundbreaking DirectStream DAC. 8+ years since designer Ted Smith blew me away with the sound of his prototype and we began the... Read more...

Linear thinking

We all have different ways of processing the information around us. Some of us must have the facts/evidence presented in what I would call a linear/serial stream: this fact followed... Read more...

Overkill

What an odd concept. Overkill. Makes me think of Monty Python's "not dead yet!" As (sometimes) obsessive audiophiles we are often accused of overkill but I prefer a different description.... Read more...

Megan Burtt

Wow. Sometimes things and projects just fall into place. Beautifully. Such is the case with Octave Record's latest release from singer and songwriter, Megan Burtt. Goosebump-good music. Her album reminds... Read more...

Personal standards

We all have our personal standards by which we determine whether or not something lives up to our expectations. When I play a new track of music I expect a... Read more...

Credence Clearwater

Poking around last night for something to watch on Netflix we ran across Jeff Bridges, The Dude, narrating a well put together film on Credence Clearwater Revival's concert at London's... Read more...

Keeping time

We're all aware that jitter in the digital audio stream is to be avoided. Jitter is all about timing deviations where the audio data isn't exactly where it is supposed... Read more...

When better should be ignored

It is comforting to believe that we use the best simply because it is the best. Tell that to Mark Levinson (the man) when he tried to force a change... Read more...

It might seem obvious

In yesterday's post on subwoofers, I cautioned about the use of series crossovers: one low pass filter in the receiver feeding another in the subwoofer. What I did not address... Read more...

Double Duty

For those that have receivers or integrateds with dedicated RCA subwoofer outputs, this post may have some interest. For the most part, a dedicated subwoofer output on a receiver or... Read more...

Effortless

Perhaps one of the keywords describing what I am after in sound quality is effortless. When a system plays at all levels without ever drawing attention to itself we might... Read more...

Uneven speaker cable lengths

Without question, my obsession with symmetry and fears of getting things wrong has always prompted me to make sure my speaker cables were exactly the same length. Down to the... Read more...

What Would Edison Say?

If inventor Thomas Edison hopped in a way-forward time machine to see how his phonograph had been improved upon in the intervening 144 years, do you think he’d be surprised... Read more...

Is Simple Good Enough?

The more I get involved in the recording arts the more I become convinced simple is key. Yes, we can get a bit more intimate with close miking, and we... Read more...

Performance Audio

It’s been suggested to me that the term High-End audio should be retired and in its place, we refer to it as Performance Audio. It’s a fresh notion but, for... Read more...

Unexpected Pleasure

If you’ve ever enjoyed a deep scalp massage you’ll know there’s little comparison between that and scratching your own head when washing your hair. The difference between the two is... Read more...

Two forms of simplicity

The word simple means easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty. It is simple for me to push a button on the elevator and be whisked up or down to... Read more...

Desert Island Disc

Whenever I hit the road to attend a HiFi show or help set up a system I make sure I am armed to the teeth with my reference material. Going... Read more...

Room Or Speaker?

There seems a persistent notion that rooms need to be of a certain quality in order to take full advantage of what a speaker has to offer. If your room... Read more...

Purchase or Audition Locally