PS Audio

#1130: If I Had A Million Dollars? A Top Five List

RECORD STORE TALES #1130: If I Had A Million Dollars? A Top Five List

 

If I had a million dollarsWell, I’d buy you a fur coatBut not a real fur coat, that’s cruelAnd if I had a million dollarsIf I had a million dollarsWell, I’d buy you an exotic petYep, like a llama or an emu

 

Fur coats?  Exotic pets?  No thank you!  If I had a million dollars, I’ll tell ya exactly what I’d buy!

 

1. AV Designhaus Derenville VPM 2010-1

There goes half my money in one shot ($650,000)!  What do I get for my money? A belt-driven turntable on a Corian chassis, that rests on four feet that are supported and balanced through an air suspension system. Has an ethernet connection, and a HD-TV camera that monitors the diamond stylus.  Why?  To watch it on a high resolution monitor and make necessary adjustments. It would probably take two engineers to set up and test; I certainly couldn’t do it myself!  I doubt there is much you could do to improve the sound of a vinyl record that this turntable doesn’t already have packed in.

2. Vintage 1982 Nakamichi Dragon 3 Head Autoreverse Cassette Recorder

This one will cost me another $10,000 Canadian, but some consider it the Rolls Royce of tape decks. If you ever wanted to make a tape sound almost as good as a CD, this is the way to do it. It requires tuning, maintenance, and knowledge. But money is no object in this exercise, so why not? Dare I say why not? It’s a sleek, beautiful looking beast of 80s esthetics.  Just look at all those buttons and LEDs!  Might be more work than it’s worth, but the sound you can get from a high-quality blank tape and this machine are better than what my ears can discern anyway.

3. PS Audio FR30 speakers

$40,000 for the pair. Then I’d need the amplifiers and Paul McGowan himself to set it all up.  I’d also need to move into a bigger house.  They require a large, neutral listening space.  Which I’d like to have anyway!  By all accounts, these speakers (when set up correctly) provide a very real sounding experience, as if you’re in the room with the musicians.  The low end is supposedly amazing, aided by eight passive radiators.  Plus, don’t they just look gorgeous?

4. Iron Maiden – Best of the Beast vinyl (1996)

Needed for just a handful of tracks!  A live version of “Revelations”, and technically the Soundhouse Tapes EP.  In the condition I want it, it’ll cost me upwards of $1000.  Wish I bought it for $300 new when I had the chance back in 1997.  It’ll sound as good as CD, over my new AV Designhaus Derenville VPM turntable and PS Audio speakers!

5. Marantz SA-10

May as well grab a new CD transport while I’m at it!  This Super Audio player boasts a high-end DAC, and will play files from FLAC to MP3 via a USB stick.  It won’t connect easily with your iPhone, which means nothing to me anyway.  I’ve always wanted a Super Audio player, so why not go with the best?   This will set me back about a grand, and I’ll probably never use most of its features.  But that’s what dreaming is all about!

There you go.  500 words on what I could do with a spare million bucks just kicking around.  What would you buy?  Keep it fun – this is a fantasy exercise, so no need for serious answers.  Drop your comment below!

 

YouTubin’: PS Audio – Deleting Viewer Comments

Like PS Audio’s Paul McGowan, I’ve been accused of deleting unflattering comments. I think Paul nailed it here.

If you’re incapable of commenting without saying someone is “deaf”, a “Nazi”, or an opinion is “complete BS”, then I’m not wasting my time having a “conversation” with you. Neither is Paul. Go elsewhere to spew it. Paul sums it up pretty well here. “Boink! I don’t talk like that, and neither should you on my channel.”

For the record I’ve deleted:

  • Insults (some not all)
  • Comments about Erica Ehm – just deleted one today.

 

Youtubin’: PS Audio – High end heavy metal

Here comes Paul McGowan with a question for you audiophile metalheads!

As a non-audiophile, this will never be my bag, but it’s interesting anyway. “Wall of sound” – that’s what I want. He’s right that most of those albums are loud and compressed. Here’s how to maximize the sound of your heavy metal.

Youtubin’: PS Audio – Why audiophiles hate electronic music

The title of this video by PS Audio’s Paul McGowan is misleading. He doesn’t hate electronic music — at all. In fact PS Audio are releasing some on their label Octave Records. They key, says Paul, is “plenty of bottom end”.

I sure would love a tour of their listening rooms. Once in a lifetime experience for a guy like me.

Youtubin’: PS Audio – Does the CD layer of an SACD sound better?

Paul McGowan is back with another question I’ve always wondered about.  Audiophile customers at the Record Store would claim that the CD layer of Super Audio CDs sounded better than a regular CD.  That didn’t seem likely or even possible.  Paul clears it up here, and I’m not surprised at all.

Youtubin’: PS Audio – PS Audio’s new CD player

Paul McGowan, co-founder and CEO of PS Audio, is a genius when it comes to audiophile-level sound and equipment.  99% of what he talks about is far beyond my understand and/or budget.  (PS Audio’s new FR-30 loudspeakers run about $30 grand USD a pair.)  However, Paul is so personable and knowledgeable, that I recommend his videos to non-audiophile peasants like myself.  He answers fan questions every day, and offers tours of the PS Audio listening rooms. In this video, Paul reveals that PS Audio are planning a new CD player for 2023 or 2024. The current “parts pandemic” is a very real thing and he goes into detail on the problems this causes. Fascinating guy, interesting video.