There are many multi-driver speakers, but few that go floor to ceiling like the IRSV. Floor to ceiling multi-driver speakers are called a Line Source. What’s counter-intuitive about a line source is how specific the imaging can be. With that many drivers, one would think the image would be tall, rather than lifelike, when the […]
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Wouldn’t it be great if you could hear the IRSV in Music Room One? Multiple weekly visitors get the chance, but the many thousands of readers of this blog have to just guess. Or do they? Stereophile editor John Atkinson spent time with us and posted two parts of his three-part factory tour and interview […]
We tend to remember the emotional highlights of events—both good and bad. The sordid details and problems fade into the background but jump right back to the forefront once re-experienced. One of my first loves was the Audio Research SP3 preamplifier. Big, warm, sweet and slobbery like those Cinnabons you know you shouldn’t eat. Musical? […]
When people come to hear the IRSV system in Music Room One they’re always in awe of the number of drivers: 36 tweeters, 12 midranges, 6 woofers per side. Most loudspeakers have one of each: tweeter, woofer, perhaps a midrange. On a speaker like the IRS, the duties are shared. Each tweeter handles 1/36th of […]
Paul McGowan writes: I had mentioned on our forums that there were several companies I did not believe aspired to produce high end audio products: McIntosh and B&O among them. Ok, ok, I can see the fur flying already. Take a deep breath. This is not a put down. For the record, I admire both of […]
As part of my promised occasional setup tips, I thought it might be good to go to step two in system setup, where we focus on the phantom center image. Remembering that the goal for proper stereo imaging is two fold: the loudspeakers should disappear and the phantom stage is always behind the loudspeakers, we should then get started […]
In a recent set of comments we spoke about adult children and when it is that they start to get the high-end “itch”. In my experience, it starts in their 30′s and extends into the 40′s. The desire to have something better, a step above the status quo, begins at these ages and it occurs […]
One of our readers made an interesting observation. He writes: “selecting a record, cleaning that record, clamping the record, starting the motor, cleaning the stylus, cueing up the cartridge and sitting down to listen prepared me to listen in a way that a few mouse clicks or screen taps doesn’t. I’d made a commitment to […]
Paul McGowan writes: We all know it’s not good to get stressed out, but did you know preamp’s and sources feel the same way? Nothing stresses a preamp or source out more than having to drive an uncomfortable load like a long cable. Some preamps and sources have better designs than others, but in general, […]
Do you have a subwoofer or two in your system? You should. Unless your loudspeakers have a built in powered subwoofer, or you have added a sub, you aren’t getting the full musical experience the artists intended. I am not familiar with any standalone loudspeaker that is full range in your room – despite the […]
Paul McGowan High resolution audio is supposed to sound significantly better than standard 44.1 CDs, but does it? And if so, how much and why? Paul tackles this gnarly subject with a few insights and a way to perhaps understand it better. Watch Now
Paul McGowan writes ….. When it comes to the space we allocate for our listening area, we rarely have the luxury of choosing our room size, dimensions, ceiling height, or the floor type. For most of us, we take what we can get and hope for the best. Sometimes, for the luckiest among us, we […]
Hello Neil. Can you suggest a practical, intelligent and understandable explanation of the pros and cons of biwiring please? Thanks. AK Happy to help you Mr.K. I sniffed about a bit and below, written by Paul McGowan is the best I have found so far. Just when you thought I had abandoned everything high-end and […]
Paul McGowan: If our definition of high-end is lifted from The Absolute Sound Magazine’s tenet: “the sound of unamplified instruments and/or voices as heard in a natural, acoustic performance space” then does it make sense that modern electronic or multitracked music can ever be considered high-end? I believe it can, but not before broadening our definition. […]
How does PS Audio deal with equipment sonic signatures? Do we purposefully use tubes and transistors to tailor the sound to some criteria?
We perceive sound with our ears. We listen with our minds. What’s interesting about this observation is that no two people hear or listen in the same way yet we can each agree an oboe is an oboe, a guitar a guitar, Beethoven’s 5th rather than another symphony. Our senses may be similar in function but […]
Electrostats are great speakers but unforgiving at the same time. Any little misstep in recordings can sound awful on these razor sharp speakers. The good news is when they’re playing well-recorded music they are hard to beat. But badly recorded music, even a little bad… Watch Now Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan writes: I’ll get back to analog output stages soon enough but I got waylaid on our Community Forums area by an article posted by one of our Community Leaders, Gordon. The article is about how the ear works and, if you’re interested, you can read it here. I find all this interesting because […]
Paul McGowan writes: When the subject of polite conversation eventually turns to exposing the fact I am an audiophile I get a number of interesting changes in body language. Everything from an eyebrow raise, to a questioning look, to a head shake, as the notion that I am someone not only off the beaten path […]
We love our older gear, the ones with the big VU meters, the cool knobs and audio connectors we’ve held onto for so long. When’s the best time to consider moving it on, repairing it, restoring it, or just going with new kit? Watch Now Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan writes: Many years ago and Arnie Nudell and I were running Genesis Technologies, a high-end loudspeaker company based here in Colorado. We had arrived at HP’s and setup a new pair of loudspeakers we wanted him to review. All Genesis high-end loudspeakers had built in subwoofers, a trait started by Arnie while at […]
How does one measure the differences between amplifiers when they clearly sound different? The first and simplest measurements are frequency response and noise levels: frequency response shows us that everything we put in makes it through to the output and noise levels are an obvious thing to measure so we don’t have hiss. Fancier measurements […]
Ever wonder about the advantages and disadvantages of horn load speakers? Here’s your chance to learn all you need to know. Watch Now Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan writes: TAS reviewer Michael Fremer has an extraordinary music system—the best vinyl setup I’ve ever heard. And it makes sense that he does. Mike’s spent a lifetime learning about vinyl audio reproduction and hand selected the best equipment in the world. His digital setup played through that same setup doesn’t quite match my […]