Archive for 'March,2012'
Instant feedback
Back in “the day” a manufacturer would launch a new product to waiting Audiophiles and the first reviews of it would generally start to emerge perhaps 6 months later. In the meantime, many units were sold [...]
Jean Luc Ponty
I am fairly certain that if I asked 10 people to name the instrument that they most associate with jazz, very few, if any of them would name the violin. The gentleman who is the subject [...]
Ever notice how easy it is to say no?
When someone presents an idea it’s really easy to reject that idea and cite examples of why it won’t work. It’s really hard to do the opposite. One’s easy, the other requires work because to be [...]
Auditing your digital music collection
Auditing is a word that conjures images of accountants, grey suits, briefcases and worst of all…NUMBERS! It’s far and away from the kind of thing you want to think about when considering your music collection. Auditing [...]
A practical example
Much of the feedback on this subject centered around the name “high-end” and the general feeling the name’s a turn off because it equates to “high-priced” in people’s minds and doesn’t really describe the concept. I [...]
Shouting out loud
Once we have all the elements to grow the high-end community in place: brand, certification and access then we need to get the word out and watch it grow. This process may be best suited by [...]
Gaining access
I’ve posted about this before: there simply aren’t any good places to go to find pre-packaged entry or mid level high-end audio products. That’s a mistake. If we’ve gone to all the trouble to create a [...]
Identify and certify
Step 2 in building a growing high-end audio community is to identify, qualify and certify a group of products giving people permission to purchase. In the first step we created a simple understandable brand around high-end audio [...]
Building the high-end brand
The high-end doesn’t really have a brand or a neat way to bundle up its concept and present the package to someone interested. That’s a problem. For the process of engaging a new community of high-end [...]
4 steps to success
Since no one else in the high-end seems to have a clue of how to bring in new people, let me suggest a path towards success in this venture and perhaps someone reading this will have [...]
Why more is better
Audiophiles have a small close knit community. Why would we care if it gets smaller or bigger? Because small means fewer options for equipment, new technology and better recordings that brings us closer to the music [...]
Hi Fi generations
Yesterday we asked the question: why aren’t more new people getting involved with the high-end? I rejected a popular notion that the youth of today are different and do not seek quality. Today let’s remember how [...]
Bring in the new
If you read any of the magazines or blogs in our industry you’re probably aware that the high-end isn’t attracting a lot of newbies to the field. Why is that? I read a lot of opinions [...]
Do you think some posts are too long?
Yesterday’s post was long and several of you asked if I couldn’t make one shorter. [...]
Art on the internet
In my post Getting what you bargained for I talked about the rise of the second tier dealers who offer low prices instead of what the neighborhood retailer provided and how that’s changed the face of [...]
Status symbols
I’ve been noodling on a comment made a few weeks ago that high-end audio is mostly a status symbol owned by wealthy people who do not care about audio or music. I must say I find [...]
Do you have a life jacket ready?
In yesterday’s post we we lamented the shift away from the neighborhood dealer who provided our advice, information, opinions and service. There are a number of reasons why this has taken place and one we’ve not [...]
Getting what you bargained for
In our comments section of PS Tracks magazine I mentioned how we in the high-end got what we bargained for when we chose the lowest price over service and advice. I thought it would make a good [...]
Surprise and delight
Yesterday’s post Good enough raised the hair on a few people’s necks wondering why I had apparently thrown in the towel and accepted having to make products and services that were just good enough. I must [...]
Good enough
When is something good enough? I think the answer is complicated but if we boil it down to two simple measurements it becomes easier to answer: perfection level and expectation level. The perfection level measurement is, [...]
Redo your assumptions
We just released some new software that changed the sound of our PerfectWave DAC. As is normal there’s debate on whether or not those changes are better or worse. For me there’s no question they are [...]
A rose is a rose……
There’s increasing evidence that rhymes, poems, meter and cadence in stories were created not because they are beautiful but because they helped us keep the words straight before the advent of written language. It is how [...]
Best of Winter 2012
Richard Strauss in the Alps; Bach's Goldbergs arranged for viol consort; the longest, largest symphony ever written; stunning Bach oratorios from Retrospect; a triumphant 20th-century program from the Oregon Symphony. All this and more in our [...]
Why bad loudspeakers are ok
For the last two days we’ve been focusing on loudspeakers. We covered how they are anything but flat and why that’s not necessarily a bad thing – something good loudspeaker designers can use to their advantage [...]
Maybe flat isn’t good
Yesterday’s post about the gross inaccuracies of loudspeakers relative to the perfection of electronics raised the hair on a few people’s necks. So let me add to that. It isn’t clear that we even want our loudspeakers to [...]
It’s worth repeating
Why is it we are forgiving and tend to overlook loudspeakers as a source of coloration in our systems yet demand perfection in our electronics down to the tiniest degree? We are convinced that tenths of [...]
Can it get better?
I was chatting with one of our customers on a recent tour of our facilities and he asked if it would be overkill to strive for higher sampling rates and greater bit depth in recordings given [...]
Recycled vinyl
Reader Barry McCarthy wrote me: “I like reading your quick daily thoughts on the state of our hobby. Today’s post caused me to to think of over abundance and how we live with it. I have [...]
Offended
I have always smiled when I witnessed fellow designers getting offended by some engineering claim they either disagree with or can’t understand – that is until it happened to me. Recently our engineering team has been [...]
It’s free?
Several readers commented on yesterday’s post about adding features to our free music management program eLyric. The question asked is “why free”? It’s a good question and one that deserves an honest open answer. eLyric was [...]
How much to add
One of the challenges facing any designer is how many features to add – or put another way – how many features not to add. The general thought is the more features a product has the [...]
Hands on
I have been reading novels on my Kindle as of late: my son won’t consider it because he doesn’t want to give up the tactile feel of a book. On the other hand, I can’t enjoy [...]
Here’s an invention that will save your life
I love brilliant inventions – especially the ones that are super simple yet perfectly designed – rare as they are. A GFI is one such invention. You know, the AC plug near your bathroom sink with [...]
Do you listen to a sow’s ear?
I have been to homes and shows where I was asked to listen to some really bad loudspeakers – kit that is so far away from accurate that it’s laughable. And yet I can still hear [...]
Amazed
Mark Lewis our resident Brit working in our sales department and helping me with the Reference system installed a pair of Anthony Gallo Strada loudspeakers for me to hear – having never heard a pair. He’s [...]
Beware of magic bullets
Driving into work the other day I noted a sign that read “lose 15 pounds in 30 days without diet or exercise, guaranteed.” A magic bullet! Clearly this won’t work for me or anyone else and [...]
It’s on sale!
Opening my email I noticed a audio retailer was having a sale and it was tied to a calendar occurrence. Is it just me or do you think it’s strange retailers feel the need to tie [...]
Recent Comments
- Tchaikovsky’s Fourth (1)
Soundminded: I’ve got a set of the Karajan recordings of 4,5, and 6 on CD and I’ll be listening to...
- Serving it up (8)
Rick Dieterich: I have been searching for a new sub(s) for my system and one brand I’m considering is the...
Soundminded: Does your use of the term “servo” in this context mean frequency dependent negative...
Paul McGowan: PS Audio, for sure. I suspect there are a few others but don’t know.
REL48: Paul, I’m unfamiliar with any amplifier descriptions (specifications) that describe servo circuitry...
Paul McGowan: Neil, I am a little confused – well, maybe a lot. Larry writes a great column about classical...
- The best way to organize music files and folders (4)
Dan Gravell: Great comment! It comes down to how your music player works. Personally, I don’t see filenames...
countessouroboros: I realize this post is a bit old now, but for future viewers I feel I need to point out that...
- What’s all the fuss about? (2)
Paul McGowan: Thanks Scott!
sbrinck: Paul The Munich audio show was the bomb !! I am extremely envious ! If you ever decide to quit your day...
- Treat the cause or the symptoms? (13)
Paul McGowan: Yes the apertures are located in the 1/8 space corners so they should be as effective as possible....
Soundminded: I’m quite curious and I must admit somewhat skeptical about how effective these frequency tuned bass...
Paul McGowan: Aging memory Mark. I wrote what I remembered and then went back and actually measured it.
The Q...Soundminded: Paul, on April 27 you posted “The main listening room at PS Audio is approximately 16 feet wide...
oliver T. Finch: Simple. Treat the cause and there won’t be any symptoms.Regards.
- Get that mole! (5)
Paul McGowan: You’re certainly correct and I’ll do my best to give a full report.
Paul McGowan: Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying.
petewilson: As suggested above, it’s a Good Idea to fix the cause(s). But, in general with real-world rooms,...
Soundminded: In response to the question about treating the cause or the symptom in medicine it’s my...
jb4: Thank you for very interesting posts and video’s. I totally agree with your approach, cure the cause,...
- Jelly rolls (3)
oliver T. Finch: Excellent posts. I look forward to them everyday. Very informative too.I am being convinced more...
Paul McGowan: Oh my goodness yes, depending on the capacitor type the inductance is certainly an issue – for...
coppy: Great articles, Paul, Thanks. And thanks also to all those knowledgeable folks who add their comments as...
- If you have to ask ….. (1)
demeter: “…You cannot hear 1Hz – but you can hear 20Hz and you can feel 16Hz and even...
- Capacitors (1)
Bassman23: It’s been a very long time since I earned my Third Class broadcasting license. Thanks for the...
- Direct coupling (3)
Paul McGowan: The 20 year period between 1973 and 1993 peaking in the early 80′s
oliver T. Finch: What is the second golden era of audio? This a new term to me. Regards.
Soundminded: The purpose of capacitors in the signal path in amplifiers and preamplifiers is to allow independent...
- Gas pedals and plucks (9)
Soundminded: Yes as I pointed out in another thread some time ago the sound of the string itself is barely audible...
Paul McGowan: Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest “more energy” in a literal sense – I guess...
Tchaikovsky's Fourth
I've got a set of the Karajan recordings of 4,5, and 6 on CD and I'll
Serving it up
I have been searching for a new sub(s) for my system and one brand I'm
Serving it up
Does your use of the term "servo" in this context mean frequency depen
Serving it up
PS Audio, for sure. I suspect there are a few others but don't know.
Serving it up
Paul, I'm unfamiliar with any amplifier descriptions (specificati