When it comes to building circuitry for high-end audio how much do the parts matter? Can the older, larger, through-hole parts compete with modern day tiny miracles called SMT? And, which is better?

Speakers come in all sorts of variety from dynamic cones, horns, to ribbons, plasmas, and electrostats. What makes these different from each other and in particular, the differences between planars and electrostats. HGow do they work? Paul explains all.

Humble Pie was one of the greatest live bands the world of rock and roll has ever known. It was a band that guitarist Peter Frampton called “The best band I was ever in”. This 1972 interview with Paul McGowan is a treasure pulled from the archives and filled with debauchery, music and a glimpse into the life and music of Steve Marriott.

Bi-wiring has a number of performance advantages if you know how to make the best of available choices. But can you use the same amp’s binding posts to feed both cables? And what types of cables are best for bass and for top end?

Power amplifiers generally have pretty crude power supplies unlike their more sophisticated brethren like preamplifiers and their regulated supplies. Find out if it’s a matter of cost or technology that holds back regulation in amplifier power supplies and what we do or do not give up in sound quality.

Common wisdom of speaker height in rooms is all over the map. Find out what Paul thinks and at the same time, get an explanation about how a line source like the IRSV roks.

As we age our hearing changes but is it always worse? Can our brains make up for slight hearing loss and more importantly, should we be tailoring our systems to accommodate?

Sir Elton John is one of the best-known musicians in the world, but that wasn’t always so. Paul McGowan had a chance in the early 1970s at the start of his career to both launch the world premiere of his then-new song, Rocket Man, as well as spend time with the musical legend. Pulled from Paul’s archives of rock star interviews he conducted in Munich Germany, this is one you don’t want to miss.

If all you have is a computer and you want to start playing music, what else do you need to get music from the computer into your high-end audio system? Paul gives us the complete story.