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Election day
Terri and I voted weeks ago and placed our ballots in the Boulder ballot dropbox. We've already received email confirmation they were recorded and counted. One more important thing off...
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Is louder better?
If we're playing a dynamic piece of music at a moderate level it's likely we'll not hear the soft parts of the score. A little compression would enable us to...
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The FET
One of the most important secret weapons available to the high-performance stereo equipment designer is the Field Effect Transistor, better known as the FET. Originally envisioned by Austrian physicist Julius...
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A sad event
Sadly, following a massive three-day fire at Japan's Nobeoka City factory of semiconductor producer Asahi Kasei Microsystems (AKM), we have lost one of the great audio houses. AKM was one...
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The stereo pyramid
When I picture building a stereo system the image that first forms in my head is that of a pyramid. The pyramid's base is AC power and upon that is...
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The break-in myth
When we take home new equipment it must spend time getting comfy within our system. New out-of-the-box gear can often sound tight, restricted, harsh. Over time and usage, products loosen...
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Audiophile labels
By the headline, you might think I am referring to record labels, but I am not. If you’re reading my words you own the label audiophile. You have an interest...
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Say what?
While emailing back and forth with several new members of PS Audio's HiFi Family it became apparent they weren't aware of our podcast, Ohm's Law. In fact, turns out they...
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Effortless is a virtue
One of the joys of a great system is often never noticed. Effortlessness. When the music just flows without strain, without drawing attention to itself, without making a fuss. We...
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Dips and bumps
Have you ever noticed how it's the dips we tend to focus on rather than the bumps? That when things seem normal or even going great, we take them as...
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Recording power
The art of great recordings comes more from the engineer than their equipment and the same is true for just about any artist: A painter's skill vs. her oils and...
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The finer details
For lunch yesterday I planned to cook a yummy batch of risotto but found myself unable to begin without first determining which Arborio rice to use: bulk or the fancy...
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Blind squirrels
There's an old saying that even a blind squirrel on occasion finds a nut. A humorous aphorism about stumbling into success. The more we get involved in the recording industry...
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Vinyl best
In my earlier post, Audio Pedigree I waxed on about how nice it would be to know the true origins of our music's recordings. Remastered vinyl "improved" by digital enhancement...
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The perfect spot
Your seating position is compromised. If you've done your system setup homework your chair sits at a comfortable distance from the loudspeakers. With the precision of a ruler, you've tweaked...
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The asymptote
When energy is first applied to the building of a high-end audio system big improvements come quickly. Over time changes get increasingly smaller despite the same energy applied. We refer...
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Take our breath away
It doesn't happen often but when it does it makes everything worthwhile. Losing your breath. Sometimes my connection to the music is so intimate, personal, emotional, that I stop breathing...
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Temporary Circumstances
Boy, talk about aptly named. Octave Record's latest release, Temporary Circumstances, is more than half gone. We just launched it yesterday. This is one hell of a great recording and...
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Human engineering
If you were to have a choice in audio product design engineers would their temperaments be emotionally invested or analytically detached? It's an interesting question because I imagine the final...
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Audio pedigree
Pedigrees authenticate bloodline lineage. They're important for dogs, royals, and source materials. If you're hoping to purchase an analog recording, it's not genuine if it was first recorded digitally. Which...
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