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Are Expensive outboard DACs a waste of money?
With most consumer electronics offering built-in DACs these days, is it worth the money to buy a supposedly “better” and more expensive outboard DAC?
Editorial Categories
Editorial
Full-range Speaker Systems vs. Satellite-subwoofer Combinations
This audiophile debate still rages for stereo but is long settled for movies. Movie soundtracks, with their “point-one” effects channel, has mandated by...
Industry Insider Op-Ed Vol. 3: “Is Your System 24-Bit Ready?” and Q&A with Bill Dudleston
With the plethora of new high res streaming services such as Qobuz, Tidal, and Roon, I frequently have audiophiles approach me to discuss how much they...
Industry Insider Op-Ed Vol. 2: “The Power of Music” and Executive Q&A, HARMAN Luxury Audio
As I compose this article, I am beginning my sixth week of staying at home, having started a week before the official announcement here in California.
Industry Insider Op/Ed Vol: 1
Glory Days of Hi-Fi Are Today – Not The 1980s
I love Bruce Springsteen. The song, “Glory Days” from “Born in the USA” was released in 1984 when I was 14. It was a perfectly timed high-school-aged...
Are room treatments better than electronic room correction systems?
I would contend that this answer is “yes” for several reasons. A room correction system can correct for only one set of speaker locations and only one...
From the Editor-in-Chief
Managing Through Unprecedented Times……
To All of Our SECRETS Fans and Supporters: After more than 25 years of publication, SECRETS is faced with a situation that requires actions that I...
Do subwoofers contribute more to the sound than just improving the bass?
Well, surprise - this one might just be true - but if (and only if) you’re using bass management that actually splits the frequency range by sending low...
The Movie Studios Really Don’t Want You to Own Discs
It hasn’t been a quick decline, but month after month, year after year, movies on DVD and Blu-ray are in a serious state of decline.
Signal to Noise: Adventures in Audio Vol 1
I, like everyone else it seems, use social media. Beyond my regular family-related online sojourns, I follow the accounts of various audio publications...
Are open baffle speakers a flawed technology?
Is this better than a box? Though open-baffle-style speakers, including bipolar and dipolar speakers, DO offer some unique installation challenges...
Does anyone need an audio system that can play up to 20kHz or more?
Well… “anyone” is a very broad category. Let’s specifically discuss young people – for the purpose of argument, those under 40 years of age for women and...
Now a Word from the East Coast
In the 60s and 70s loudspeaker sound came to be characterized by geographic location. JBL, out of Los Angeles, became known as offering the “West Coast”...
Are Expensive Cables Necessary?
I’ve had friends and family approach me often asking if they should buy “better interconnects” or “better speaker...
How do headphones compare to speakers?
Well… Since a great deal of what you hear from your speakers is actually room echoes, then yes; headphones ARE truer to the source than speakers.