Paul's Posts

We love to judge
We love to judge
One of the readers of this daily post, Bernard, suggested I remind us of some famous words from Linn founder, Ivor Tiefenbrunn. “If you haven’t heard it, you don’t have... Read more...
Remembering CES
Remembering CES
This May of 2021 marks the tenth year I've been writing this daily post. To date, I've written well over 3,000 of them. I am honored when people take the... Read more...
Phantoms
Phantoms
There are ghosts in our stereo systems. Phantoms of sound that do not physically exist in the real world. We call them the center channel. Think of how much time... Read more...
Room in a room
Room in a room
Our rooms contribute to how reproduced music sounds. Have a room resonance peak at maybe 150Hz? Every track of music played in the room will have that same bass bump.... Read more...
The perfection myth
The perfection myth
Imagine how it must feel to get something so right that there are no flaws, no deviation from expectations, nothing but pure unadulterated perfection. Is it even possible? Is perfection... Read more...
Now you see me…
Now you see me…
Most of us want to be noticed and cared about. Few want only to fade into the darkness. We hope others will pay attention to us. Yet, when it comes... Read more...
Is it real?
Is it real?
How many can recall that most wonderful of iconic ads from Memorex? In the ad copy, it suggests orchestra conductor Nelson Riddle could not tell whether it was Ella Fitzgerald... Read more...
The way music is supposed to sound
The way music is supposed to sound
Tell a false fact or a mistruth enough times and people will believe it to be accurate. I wonder if the same thing applies to music and its reproduction. Could... Read more...
Can't vs. has
Can't vs. has
If you line up three blindfolded food tasters and rate their responses on the difference in taste between arugula and parsley, would it make sense to proclaim there are no... Read more...
Main Street
Main Street
I wonder why some topics raise the hairs on the backs of our necks more than others. Any mention of cables and their sound quality and all hell breaks loose.... Read more...
Why not everything?
Why not everything?
In a recent post, I wrote about balanced audio cables and how they work. Unlike simple RCA cables with their single signal conductor and ground wire, a balanced cable has... Read more...
In or out?
In or out?
Over on the PS Audio YouTube channel, there's a spirited debate over terminology. In a balanced signal, are the two halves out of polarity or out of phase? I suppose... Read more...
Sting of the Dragon
Sting of the Dragon
A am utterly fascinated with cable break-in. For many people, the idea of a piece of wire breaking in or changing its audible character over time is questionable at best... Read more...
Rules need to be broken
Rules need to be broken
There's an old chestnut that goes "rules are meant to be broken". The original quote was made by a man who should know: American General, Douglas MacArthur (who famously broke... Read more...
The normal myth
The normal myth
How many times have you wished for just the normal kind? You know, the one like everyone else has: the standard room, the normal and accepted procedure, the one everyone... Read more...
A touch of spice
A touch of spice
One of the rules of successful cooking is the addition of spices and salts. When properly applied these flavor enhancers transform ordinary ingredients into works of art. We can say... Read more...
Costumes
Costumes
Costumes, uniforms, and appropriate dress rules are important to most in our society. We expect doctors with stethoscopes, scientists in white lab coats, police in uniform wearing a badge. We're... Read more...
Easy isn't always better
Easy isn't always better
How many times have you gotten advice to take the easy path, the quickest road? Why paddle upstream? Unfortunately, the easiest path often nets us the lowest return: snacks vs.... Read more...
Puzzle pieces
Puzzle pieces
Every bit of new information we receive can be viewed as a puzzle piece. Put enough of the puzzle pieces together and suddenly you have a picture of the whole.... Read more...
Point of measurement
Point of measurement
There's typically a bit of confusion when it comes to speaker setup, in particular, around how far out into the room is best for soundstage and depth. Generally, we'd like... Read more...
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