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Paul McGowan throws in the towel (Not really but it’s movement in the right direction)

I don't hear anyone demanding Sony release their internal testing regimes or results.
I do!

And Sony have used Audio Precision since the very first system ones.
Actually, I bought the first Audio Precision while at Sony. AP was quiet young then and folks were buying these mono HP audio analyzers. The notion of an instrument with no display was quite foreign to people.
 
A decent, long term manufacturer and employer producing gear that lasts and performs well.
Some of their products do, some don't. Cleary their $5,000 DSD DACs don't.
 
Paul has put himself out there and so people think he's fair game to attack, discredit and demand this and that from his company. That's just typical ASR poor behaviour.
Paul has routinely criticized what we do, the value of measurements, value of audio science, etc. Once you jump in the ring, you have to be ready for the fist fight. Some of Paul's videos are useful, but many dish out disinformation.
 
Paul has routinely criticized what we do, the value of measurements, value of audio science, etc. Once you jump in the ring, you have to be ready for the fist fight. Some of Paul's videos are useful, but many dish out disinformation.
... and what a steady feed of videos Paul makes. I receive emails near daily with some new subject he is, "Discussing."
 
The issue is the perverse sense of entitlement some misguided people possess these days. It's permeating the very fabric of decent society and rotting it from the core.
I'm sure "decent society" can depend on you to man the cultural ramparts, John. Western civilization will survive thanks to keenly aware folks like you -- so, by all means carry on! :facepalm:
 
I reckon Paul is laughing his head off at this thread... :p

Let's be clear though, anything PS Audio does is for marketing purposes, including this supposed move to publish measurements. Paul even says in the video their sales are down, so this is their commercial response to that. It's not out of any obligation to anyone else, nor an answer to any demands.


JSmith
 
I want to know from Paul which reviewer used “4V” to test which equipment that “of course showed higher distortion“. Because it’s an accusation without any details or explanation. I think it’s to @amirm for the DAC. It is the only place here I found a 4V signal used.
 
I want to know from Paul which reviewer used “4V” to test which equipment that “of course showed higher distortion“. Because it’s an accusation without any details or explanation. I think it’s to @amirm for the DAC. It is the only place here I found a 4V signal used.
I suspect he is talking about me as I am the only one who has standardized on 4 volts. If so, he is confused about which product it was.
 
I want to know from Paul which reviewer used “4V” to test which equipment that “of course showed higher distortion“.

Well, send him an email and ask what product and what reviewer it was. Then check his published sensitivity specifications for rated performance and determine whether it was tested incorrectly or not. Pretty straightforward if you ask me.
 
I suspect he is talking about me as I am the only one who has standardized on 4 volts. If so, he is confused about which product it was.

You fed 4V into the analogue line inputs of the Stellar gain cell DAC way back in 2019, which was fair enough too going by the published specs. Voltage gain of 4 (12dB). It didn't exactly cover itself in glory as a preamplifier or a DAC, so I don't know what he is complaining about in 2024.

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It would have been pretty straightforward just to mention it in the video in the first place ;)

We can all be wise after the event, but he does pretty well considering it's done to camera. I forgive a few senior moments- we'll all have them soon enough. ;)
 
We can all be wise after the event, but he does pretty well considering it's done to camera. I forgive a few senior moments- we'll all have them soon enough. ;)
I only watched Paul McGowan for maybe 3 videos that where lengthy and I thought his pauses where him gathering his brains together and formulating what to say next or even after the next and the next etc.
 
4V for XLR = 2V for SE, which are normal values.
In fact the Gain Cell DAC's own 0dBFS output voltage is 4.15V so even higher than the input voltage used by Amir in that test. It is strange that this would be a 'too high' voltage.
Given the measurement results it is very likely the plot would have shown lower distortion with a lower input voltage and the input control set to 100% for instance (if the input circuit is before the volume control).
The data sheet even states 5.3V as maximum (2.4dB headroom above 4V)

I'm sure PS Audio's own testing (on their older model AP ?) would likely have shown this anyway. I don't think PS-Audio tests SE inputs with 1V max and XLR with 2V max. either.
 
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We can all be wise after the event, but he does pretty well considering it's done to camera. I forgive a few senior moments- we'll all have them soon enough. ;)
No, sorry, not buying it. This was deliberately done. It's much easier talking about stuff if you don't have to back it up. People generally don't go and fact-check.

It's a video, you could actually prepare for it, and not ramble mindlessly. As a professional company, one would expect that.
 
Some of Paul's videos are useful, but many dish out disinformation.
FWIW, and somewhat off topic, this is what bugs me about... not PS Audio per se but Paul McG's videos. Many of them (at least the early ones) present ideas and make statements that are incorrect. Fluffery is one thing, but mis-educating the public is another.
I can go back and provide specific citations if anyone wishes -- since I am shooting from the hip here. :(
 
I reckon Paul is laughing his head off at this thread... :p

Let's be clear though, anything PS Audio does is for marketing purposes, including this supposed move to publish measurements. Paul even says in the video their sales are down, so this is their commercial response to that. It's not out of any obligation to anyone else, nor an answer to any demands.


JSmith

Possibly Paul looked at L'Affaire Tekton and being a better marketeer than those guys said to himself that releasing measurements would be a win-win-win-win:

--He will get new customers from people who want to see measurements.

--Meanwhile, his legacy customers, who probably don't care about measurements, will still be his customers. (He's going to publish the meaasurements, not stomp on them while throwing them i in his customers faces.)

--He sees that measurements are part of the audio zeitgeist now and that publishing measurements gives you added credibility. JUST THE ACT OF PUBLISHING THEM. IT DOESN"T MATTER WHAT THEY SHOW.

--He will henceforth be able to hang entire videos off of one or more measurement he picks out of his quiver. Whether it's relevant, who knows? But Paul is a good marketer. He could sell power conditioners to Eskimos.

FINALLY: Who will vett the measurements Paul publishes? One time years ago I was writing a magazine article about some deep tech thing, aimed at explained it to an audience of IT VARs/resellers. The proofs for the issue were tacked up on the office wall (this was back in prehistoric times). A non-techie guy who worked there was reading them when I walked by. He says to me: "You know, you could write anything you want. Who's going to know the difference?"
 
4V for XLR = 2V for SE, which are normal values.

I guess that’s what normality has morphed into. Standard line level for non-pro audio devices is nominally -10dBV (316mV). I think this began to whittle away in the early ‘80s, when CD players settled on 2V, so they could drive power amps directly.
 
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