Paul McGowan writes: Some of my readers may remember I have the insanely big Infinity IRS loudspeakers on the way from Vestal New York. News that I am changing my reference system to that of a 30 year old loudspeaker has raised more than a few eyebrows amongst you and some even question my sanity. […]
Month: January 2021
Found 29 results
Paul McGowan writes: 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 site and I have been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now: why is […]
The Lone Ranger had them. They are required for the killing of a werewolf. Audiophiles search for them. A silver bullet is a metaphor for a simple, magical, solution to a difficult problem. Like penicillin. As hard as we search, and as much as we’d like to find a magical fix for our system’s shortcomings, […]
Paul McGowan writes: I have always considered the balance control on a preamplifier like a useless apendage – even worse, the extra componentry required for its implementation degrades the sound. Why would anyone want a balance control? How many people actually ever use it? Come on, be honest, isn’t your balance control set dead-center? Recently […]
Paul McGowan writes ….. In my mind, I am mostly right about stuff—wrong only on occasion. But then my wife, Terri, keeps better score—which she says now stands at about 50/50. Guess I was wrong about the score, too. To that point, I have always referred to the wall behind the loudspeakers as the rear […]
PS Audio makes world famous AC regenerators called Power Plants that deliver perfect new AC power to improve system performance. These are based on class A/B amplifier technology. Why not use the more efficient Class D? Watch Now Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan writes: Do you remember applying green paint to CD edges? Placing steel VPI bricks on top of equipment? Placing small pillows in each corner of the ceiling? Using a tape demagnetizer on CD’s? Pointing a static zap gun at LP’s before playing them? I do. All these tweaks worked but I don’t use […]
Paul McGowan: How many tweaks and improver gadgets do we buy with the claim of being better? Most of them. But do they really make things “better”? Better than what? I buy organically grown food whenever I can. It’s more expensive, but it’s better. Better than what? Let’s face it. Tweaks, improvers, organically grown food […]
All rooms are reflective, bouncing sound off walls, ceilings, and floor. But those reflections are unnatural and never existed in the recording in the first place. Wouldn’t a totally dead room be better sounding?
Paul McGowan writes …. With all the ranting and raving I do about the importance of subwoofers you’d think we were in the business of selling them. But, we’re not. My passion for certain subjects knows few bounds. I understand people’s hesitations with them: the added clutter of multiple boxes, PITA to set up, expensive, unnecessary. […]
Paul McGowan writes: In an earlier post we talked about how most of us aspire to have a dedicated listening room but don’t have the real estate to build one. Instead, we have the shared living room to work with. Problem with this is the need for the loudspeakers to be placed 1/3 the way […]
From the archives: I am visiting the high-end show in Tokyo at the moment and last night, between demonstrations of the system, I was wandering the halls of the show when the strains of one of my all time favorite operas came drifting down the hall. La Boheme, as performed by Renata Tebaldi in 1951 […]
Paul McGowan writes: In my post “Through and open window” I mentioned that if I am walking down the street and hear a piano through an open window I know immediately if that’s the sound of a real piano or a recorded one. Odd that we can do this even from affar and through a […]
When I peer into my camera’s ground glass I am intent on one thing. Sharp focus. When I check the clock for my 9:45 meeting I focus on the second hand and ignore the hour. I can tell you if I am late or early but not what time it is. When we narrow our […]
Paul McGowan writes: Ever notice how we all tend to gravitate towards the safe solution? It’s something I am certainly consistent with. We are more comfortable following Stereophile’s Recommended Component list (just to be safe), we keep our preamp’s balance control right in the middle (safer, in case we’re wrong), we use the recommended filter […]
Paul McGowan PS Audio’s co-founder, Paul McGowan, sold the company after building it up over a quarter century, the make speakers with Infinity founder, Arnie Nudell. In 1997 Paul left Genesis and returned to PS Audio to take it to its point of success we see today. Why did he leave PS in the first […]
Paul McGowan writes … There was a time in our HiFi history that the ability to electronically control music’s tone was necessary. Necessary because the entire chain of electronics and speakers were bad enough to warrant their intrusion. Sure, many bemoan the lack of bass and treble controls, even full band graphic equalizers, but for […]
We should be at the point in our subwoofer quest to kick back and enjoy our new found extra octave or two of bass – and what a great thing that is once you’re in tune with it. I wanted to touch briefly on matching the “speed” of the subwoofer with that of your main […]
Paul McGowan writes: We’ve been focusing on the designer’s choices when building a DAC or a preamp and one of my readers asked a great question: if even a single pot or stepped attenuator has a sonic signature that degrades the music, how is it then possible that the original recording chain can produce good […]
Paul McGowan writes: When it comes to implementing or even inventing new technology how does the High-End industry react? Are we pushed, pulled or dragged? It is different for each company. For example, pushing the latest technology is something PS Audio and a few other forward thinking companies do – we are in the minority. […]
Paul McGowan writes: The word passion has a number of definitions but the one I like the best comes from the Urban Dictionary: “Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to […]
Paul McGowan: It’s been said that CEDIA is where the growth area in consumer audio electronics is. As I wandered the halls yesterday, setup day, it struck me how little high-end audio plays any sort of role here. In every case, manufacturers boast “great sound, high resolution, music and video at the touch of a […]
In a comment on my posting about voicing high end electronics the question was asked “Is there only one ideal voicing?” Great question and here’s the entire quote. “And then it also depends on the venue and seat in the venue what is the sound you are looking for. I recall Gordon Holt’s review of […]