Archive for 'April,2012'
The death of the album?
Dave Paananen, our director of engineering, asked “Isn’t it obvious the need for an album or CD is rapidly becoming unnecessary?” At first I dismissed the thought, so ingrained is the notion of an artist creating [...]
Software jitter
Just when we thought we had it all figured out along comes a new form of distortion to tackle: software jitter. The culprit here is, unfortunately, a very necessary component in the chain of digital audio [...]
Bagatelles and Dithyrambs
Exploring short piano works, rich in character and expression, from two early-20th-century composers who deserve more attention. Plus: three new recordings you need right now! [...]
A Fond Farewell to Levon Helm…
With the recent passing of the GREAT Levon Helm I’ve been listening quite a bit lately to The Band’s albums. Which is nothing new, as living in the Catskills they are a regular part of my [...]
When it’s just good enough
Alan Sircom, writing in the April issue of Hi Fi Plus magazine, suggests that the problem with getting newcomers into the high-end is they already find their means of reproducing music “good enough” – so why [...]
The Saxophone: From Adolphe to Gerald
In contrast to the instrument that was the subject of my previous article, the saxophone was embraced and engulfed by jazz with little, if any, resistance. Unlike the violin, the instrument that is more apt to [...]
MP3 genres: one size does not fit all
It’s a common problem for owners of large digital music collections, whatever the file format: out of control genres. Too many genres or too few, some too specific, some too broad, some plain wrong. Genres soon become next [...]
It’s gotta happen in 3 minutes!
We wanted to be able to explain how a Power Plant regenerator works in less than 3 minutes to people who had zero technical knowledge. I didn’t want an ad or a fluff piece, but something [...]
Why everything matters in today’s high-end systems
In 1973 when we first started PS Audio everything mattered to the sound quality path: types of capacitors, types of transistors, resistors, circuit topology, connectors, power supplies, chassis builds and so on. Then we moved to [...]
Here’s what Apple is going to do next
Fundamentally change the form factor of their mobile devices from backlit LCD to see-through OLED. How do I know that? Because it’s the obvious thing to do to solve a basic irritation. Let me give you [...]
The problem with good ideas
There are just too many. I have lots of them especially when it comes to new products and new directions for our industry – and I am sure many of you reading this post have them [...]
Enjoying it all
In response to our little series on purity and musical truth one of our Australian readers posted this comment: “It’s all about enjoyment. I have listened to a number of systems that are very detailed and [...]
Opening up an age old debate
Several of you have written me suggesting the issue we’ve been discussing on purity has more to do with the playback equipment than the way it was recorded. I think it’s more complicated than that. There [...]
How to prove a point
I am convinced Bob Carver is a crazy genius. He’s given more to our industry than most and always surprises and delights with his innovative approach. His tiny cube amplifier, his miniature room shaking subwoofers and [...]
Is purity a myth?
In yesterday’s post Are vinyl records filters I think we struck a nerve. In that post I pointed out that many of us find vinyl records to sound more musical than a digital recording – yet most [...]
Are vinyl records filters?
Have you ever pondered the fact that many new vinyl releases today actually are recorded, mixed and mastered digitally before being transferred to vinyl? Because many studios today are digital based it’s easier for musicians to [...]
The Hi Fi season
As spring hits and summers is nearing hi fi manufacturers and dealers have to start figuring out how they will make it though the long hot summer of the hi fi season. Sales of hi fi [...]
If it’s not personal is it high-end?
Most high-end audio systems are very personal because they are hand assembled by the owner. Rarely are any two alike and that’s kind of what makes this sport fun. But if dealers sold pre-assembled “cookie cutter” [...]
What’s wrong with the two magazines?
In yesterday’s post Separating the wheat from the chaff, I mentioned that the retailer is the perfect sorting house – choosing and selling only those products that perfectly reflect the dealer’s brand promise and makes it [...]
How to separate wheat from chaff
For those non-farmers out there (like me) the wheat is the good part and the chaff is the throw away not worthy of eating. So if we were ever to set up some certification standards for [...]
To see or not to see
…that is the question from a great article just published on our magazine PS Tracks. Lawrence Schenbeck, our resident musicologist and fellow Audiophile, writes a wonderful thought piece about Blu Ray opening up the possibility of [...]
Why should I have to pay?
On the PS Community Forums we’ve been discussing a new product to serve music and how that product gained some features that not everyone agrees with: specifically a headphone amplifier. The question asked is “why should [...]
To See or Not To See
Does video enhance or distract from the classical music experience for audiophiles? Will Blu-Ray revolutionize recorded opera, or can audio-only formats still hold value? [...]
Here’s a whacky idea
We’ve been focusing on the importance of the room to a stereo system over the past couple of days. Let’s dive a little deeper. Nelson Pass designed an interesting product called the Shadow a while ago. [...]
Where did they all go?
Yesterday’s post about rooms and loudspeakers sparked a lot of questions about what diffusors to use and how to place them. Funny thing is, there’s really no good answer any more. I used to advocate RPG diffusors [...]
You might find this a bit shocking …..
Good speakers in a bad room won’t sound as good as bad speakers in a good room. Sorry, I know that’s perhaps not something you want to read. We spend a lot of time and money [...]
Is anything ever simple?
A great writer once said in a note to his friend: “I apologize for the long letter. I didn’t have time to write you a shorter one.” That note was from someone who commented on the [...]
What’s the value when it’s free?
Free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it: nothing. But is that true? If I recommend a technique to help your high-end system sound better and it works for you, what was that worth? [...]
How you can tell a servo sub from a slug
There are not many subwoofers out there that have servos running them and that’s a shame. A servo is like a little microphone placed right on the woofer that listens to what the woofer is doing, [...]
Pet peeves and credibility
I get a lot of SPAM in my inbox. When I go to unsubscribe I sometimes get a notice that my request will be processed in 24 to 48 hours. This implies there is some human [...]
Beware the mattress police
Yesterday’s post Perfectly Legal had a few of you scratching your heads about being law breakers. If you rip a CD and then sell it or give it away, technically you should delete the stored copy as [...]
Perfectly legal?
If you own a CD it is perfectly legal to sell that CD. It’s your property. It is also perfectly legal for you to make a copy of that CD for your own use on your [...]
Personality of vinyl
Hard to imagine that a piece of plastic has a personality but if you play vinyl records, each is an individual separate and distinct from all others. Vinyl personalities depend on the pressing, the number of [...]
Do you qualify as an Audiophile?
I was on the phone with our marketing company Creativello in Seattle and trying to explain what it’s like to be an Audiophile: what moves us, what motivates us, what really floats our boats. When I got [...]
Recent Comments
- Tchaikovsky’s Fourth (7)
Soundminded: I’ve listened through the whole symphony again, this time in one sitting and I’ve changed...
Soundminded: While I’ve heard this music in the past, it’s been a very long time since the last time...
Lawrence Schenbeck: I had the same impression of the “fate” theme when I came back to the Fourth, to...
Soundminded: First impressions of the first movement, four ideas seem evident. Romeo and Juliet Overture stands...
Soundminded: This two disc set is from analog recordings originally made in 1975-1976. It’s DG 453 088 2....
- Microphones like lenses (16)
Dr. AIX: Terry, there isn’t any video on the DVD-Audio side…she’s not a world-class performer...
Terry Franklin: Dr. Aix, From what I just head from the YouTube at 44.1/16 sounded very nice. I am looking forward...
Soundminded: How much Valium did that woman swallow before she sat down at the piano? I’ve heard people say...
Soundminded: The problem of recording “they are here” meaning the sound you’d hear if the...
Terry Franklin: Just followed you link and left a message on your contact form.
- Microphones (8)
Dr. AIX: As a recording engineer and label owner, I’d like to contribute that not every engineer and project...
Soundminded: Ambiosonics (entirely different from Ambiophonics) as I understand it when developed to its maximum...
adam75: Interesting post. The vector/ scalar analysis you refer to is if course at the heart of ambisonics. I have...
Paul McGowan: I don’t think anyone is anything other than appreciative of your comments – I for one...
Soundminded: Paul, thank you for your comment. I want to make it clear I don’t wish to ruin anyone’s fun. Once I...
- Leveraging sound (1)
Bassman23: Can’t get lower mass than an electron – it’s hard to warp electrons too
- Andy Narell and Steelpans (4)
Keith Copeland: Hello, Thank you for your interest in my article and for the information on the Steel Pan. Yes, I...
stimpy2: I believe that Andy Narell’s pans were crafted by Ellie Manette who is I believe the preeminent...
- Pat Metheney (4)
Keith Copeland: Hey Neil, Thank you so much for your interest in my article! I, too, am a huge Al DiMeola fan and...
stimpy2: I enjoyed reading reading this article very much and have been at several of his concerts and up close...
- Serving it up (11)
Paul McGowan: Sure. The idea is to build an active differential low pass filter whose rolloff is low enough to not...
Paul McGowan: No worries – but I don’t actually have any control over where these post or when,...
stimpy2: I just joined the group and was under the impression (notice that I am not using the word assumed) that...
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...
- 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...
- 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...
Tchaikovsky's Fourth
I've listened through the whole symphony again, this time in one sitti
Microphones like lenses
Terry, there isn't any video on the DVD-Audio side...she's not a world
Microphones like lenses
Dr. Aix, From what I just head from the YouTube at 44.1/16 sounded ve
Microphones like lenses
How much Valium did that woman swallow before she sat down at the pian
Microphones like lenses
The problem of recording "they are here" meaning the sound you'd hear