Audio 101


  • The Art of Perfect Sound: My Journey to Hi-Fi Excellence

    Decades of hi-fi tweaks taught Paul Bowes that optimizing gearโ€”not endless upgradesโ€”unlocks music’s full potential. From speaker placement to EMI fixes, these methods elevate performance dramatically.

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  • Affordable Hi-Fi Tweaks Backed by Science: Elevate Your Sound System Without Breaking the Bank

    Affordable hi-fi tweaks like ferrite cores, Sorbothane pads, and mains conditioners offer subtle but measurable improvements, tackling interference, vibrations, and noise in your audio setup.

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  • The Art of Loudspeaker Placement, Part 2

    In part 2, Tomasz Karasinski and Mateusz Jujka (Pylon Audio) talk about how NOT to place your speakers, how to do it right, and the joy and awe we’ll feel once we hear the end result.

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  • The Art of Loudspeaker Placement, Part 1

    Tomasz Karasinski and Mateusz Jujka (Pylon Audio) tackle the overlooked art of speaker placement, offering practical tips to optimize sound quality and room acoustics.

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  • Lateral Sound Detection and its Implications for Stereo Playback

    Kevin Fielding uncovers how our ears pinpoint the direction of high and low sounds, influenced by head sizeโ€”crucial knowledge for perfecting speaker placement, subwoofers, and creating an immersive soundstage.

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  • How to Correctly Integrate Subwoofers Into a Stereo System

    Music and the search for better sound reproduction have always been my passion. I realized, early on, that bass was a big part of what I liked about sound and critical for the music to elicit in me an emotional response. But to achieve ultimate bassโ€”the deepest, most solid, most seamless bassโ€”requires getting many things…

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  • Boombox Bonanza: The History and Evolution of Portable Music Players

    In a world dominated by smartphones and wireless earbuds, itโ€™s easy to forget the trailblazers of portable audio that paved the way. This journey through the history and evolution of portable music players is filled with innovation, cultural shifts, and technological marvels. Letโ€™s dive into the groovy history and evolution of portable music players, a…

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  • Deciphering a Stereoโ€™s Acoustical Measurements and Taking Corrective Actions

    In my previous article, entitled โ€œAnalyzing a Stereoโ€™s Frequency Response and Decay Timesโ€, I suggested measurement tips and the use of important variables to do with frequency response and decay times.ย This article begins with a measurement baseline of a 2-channel stereo with two subwoofers within a typical domestic living room (25โ€™ x 11.25โ€™ x 8โ€™)…

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  • The ABCs of Audio: Exploring the Hi-Fi Lexicon

    Welcome to โ€œThe ABCs of Audio: Hi-Fi Lexicon,โ€ your ultimate guide to understanding the fundamental terms and concepts in high-fidelity audio. Whether youโ€™re a complete beginner or looking to expand your knowledge, this article breaks down complex audio jargon into simple explanations. We use two levels of simplicity: In the following sections, weโ€™ll cover essential…

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  • Analyzing a Stereoโ€™s Frequency Response and Decay Times

    Many of us use our listening rooms as a place to escape the world and its problems, so that we may decompress and recharge our batteries. One thing I, as an audiophile, discovered is that the better the sound quality in my room, the more Iโ€™ve been able to connect emotionally with my music. That…

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  • How to Correctly Integrate Subwoofers Into a Stereo System, Part 3

    “In this last part, I’ll address subwoofer time alignment with the main speakers and compare 5 popular crossover strategies.”

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  • Streaming vs. Lossless: Understanding Audio Formats

    In the ever-evolving landscape of digital music, the quest for pristine sound quality amidst the convenience of digital formats has led to the creation of an array of lossless audio codecs. These formats serve as a beacon for audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike, offering a sanctuary where the integrity of sound is preserved in its…

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  • How to Correctly Integrate Subwoofers Into a Stereo System, Part 2

    “Relying only on one’s ears to find the ideal placement for a subwoofer, without the help of measurement software, is a bad strategy, in my opinion.”

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  • How to Correctly Integrate Subwoofers Into a Stereo System, Part 1

    “To achieve ultimate bassโ€”the deepest, most solid, most seamless bassโ€”requires getting many things right” This article will show you how to do it.

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  • Understanding Music Streaming: A Guide for Beginners

    No time to read? Click here to access our easy-to-understand grid covering what you need to know. Welcome to our beginnerโ€™s guide to understanding streaming. This guide is designed to help individuals with little to no knowledge of the streaming industry understand which service best caters to their needs, without delving too deeply into technical…

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