Paul McGowan writes …. I’ve been designing electronic circuits for 50 years. It took nearly half that number of years for me to finally come to grips with the importance of power supplies in circuits. In my earlier days, I thought of power supplies like most engineers: necessary add-ons to the all-important bit that handles signal. […]
Month: October 2018
Found 49 results
Paul McGowan writes …. Fact or fiction? The very term luxury defines whatever it is added to as unnecessary. Air and water are necessities. Love and affection are luxuries. But while many would argue it’s the luxuries that make life worth living, I would extend that to subwoofers make stereos worth listening. Ok, that’s a […]
Paul McGowan writes …. When this particular Fact or Fiction proposition was originally proposed I passed it over because its answer seemed so evident. Yes, of course, parts quality affects performance. It’s a no-brainer, right? Maybe not to everyone. We can easily agree that low tolerance parts that change value depending on temperature or variability […]
Paul McGowan writes …. This fact or fiction question is an interesting one because the notion of matching speaker size to room dimensions is so ingrained into our culture as to be taken for fact. But, some facts aren’t true no matter how much we want them to be. Here’s the deal. Any size loudspeaker […]
Paul McGowan writes …. Oh boy. I saved this and the next Fact or Fiction for last. This is a real viper pit of a question and those loyal readers of this blog know my answer before I even write it. Of course they matter, but only if we’re a bit open to proving that […]
In honour of groundbreaking American composer Terry Riley’s 80th birthday, Nonesuch Records releases “One Earth, One People, One Love: Kronos Plays Terry Riley” – a five-disc box set of four albums of his work composed for, and performed by, his longtime friends and champions Kronos Quartet. Riley and Kronos met more than 35 years ago, […]
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Down Home Blues Detroit is THE definitive collection of blues music from Detroit-based musicians from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Features over 20 artists who were influential in developing the Detroit blues scene, including John Lee Hooker, Bo Bo Jenkins, Sam Kelly, Eddie Kirkland, Little Sonny, Detroit Count, Eddie Burns, Baby Boy […]
We are informed ….. Legendary performances on various BBC radio shows from the 1960s. Includes the following shows. SATURDAY CLUB, OCTOBER 26th 1963 SATURDAY CLUB, FEBRUARY 8th 1964 SATURDAY CLUB, MARCH 8th 1964 BLUES IN RHYTHM, MARCH 19th 1964 THE JOE LOSS POP SHOW, APRIL 10th 1964 SATURDAY CLUB, APRIL 18th 1964 BIG BEAT 64, […]
An equal-loudness contour is a measure of sound pressure (dB SPL), over the frequency spectrum, for which a listener perceives a constant loudness when presented with pure steady tones. The unit of measurement for loudness levels is the phon, and is arrived at by reference to equal-loudness contours. By definition, two sine waves of differing […]
When BBC launched their famous BBC Monitors they incorporated an unconventional dip in frequency response nicknamed the BBC Dip. Is that famous dip still in use by manufacturers and designers of today’s speakers as well? Watch Now
The three pillars of reproduced music are the recording, storage, and reproduction. Which of these pillars can be improved upon? Paul suggests the recordings themselves could be. Watch Now
What types of speakers crossovers are best to use? A 2-way or 3-way crossover? Paul tackles this intriguing question, one that has plagued speaker designers for decades. Watch Now
Our snake oil award goes to this video but its content might just surprise you. Some will be horrified, while others may cheer. Paul talks about optical cleaning products for CDs. Watch Now
Can you take an amplifier rated for low wattages, like 30 watts, and use it effectively to power a speaker with a maximum input rating of 100 watts? Watch Now
Some preamp manufacturers insist their use of an inverted output is the right way to go and any products that do not invert are simply not as good. Is that true? Watch Now
If the goal of high-performance audio is to do as little harm as possible, wouldn’t it make sense to have as few components in the signal path as possible? Makes sense, but Paul explains why that just might be flawed logic. Watch Now
Is it important to stay within the bounds of a single manufacturer’s product for best synergy and performance or is mixing and matching equipment better? Watch Now
If subwoofers were able to roll off the bottom end of the main loudspeaker, wouldn’t there be advantages like greater clarity, lower distortion, and less power spent? And, if that’s true, why don’t manufacturers offer such filters with subwoofers? Watch Now