When did you know you were an audiophile?

Paul's been an audiophile for longer than many of his listeners have been on the planet. When did he first know the bug had bitten and what was the story of his introduction to high-end audio? Have a question you'd like to ask Paul so he can answer on the video? www.psaudio.com...
I am getting close to publishing my memoir! It's called 99% True and it is chock full of adventures, debauchery, struggles, heartwarming stories, triumphs and failures, great belly laughs, and a peek inside the high-end audio industry you've never known before.
I plan a few surprises for early adopters, so go to www.paulmcgowa... and add your name to the list of interested readers. There's an entire gallery of never before seen photos too.

[@athilagevaerdmontibeller1620]

smoke a bowl of hash - you sir have entered my hall of fame lmao

[@stevesneed56]

PAUL ! In 1973 I had a marantz receiver ~Made in the USA~ Garrard turntable, and some kind of big ass speakers with a 12 inch woofer ! I hashed through the albums of Led Zeppelin Deep Purple Mountain and the like, and it wasn't until the early 90s then I bought some Heritage Advent loudspeakers and a Tina Turner CD, and noticed how realistic the flute sounded ! So at that point I think I became an audiophile ! Love your videos! , very informative, and entertaining !

[@masterpassword2]

I've been gullible my whole life, but when I finally began hearing things that weren't there... That's when it hit me.

When consumerism consumed you.

[@kirkcunningham6146]

I started out with Yamaha and Cerwin Vega! After 30 plus years, I still am listening to Yamaha and Cerwin Vega! Great story...

[@KEITHTB12345]

Hi Paul and others! I knew! at 5 years old.Listening to my dads Dads 1980`s JBL 4412`s and playing around in the studio as a child.It taught me how to truly appreciate and love 2 channel audio! Today im 22 and i love it more than ever!! Thanks for another killer video!

[@bjornahh87]

I realised I was a audiophile only a couple of years ago when I for the first time heard the incredible loud and extremely complete soundpicture when I and a friend began connecting his sorround sound system in series and parallel, and the incredible loud and extreme complete soundpicture that came out from speakers when we got the volume up was a wow factor for me.. it was like having a complete PA system in the living room and from that moment on i have allways connected my speakers that way. And it amazes me every time I turn it on to play music 🎶

[@y.k.9705]

I was 7 when I put on my father's Philips headphones and listen to Fausto Papetti. I was in haven . Never before I heard "the sound" of greatness. That was in 1972 in the USSR.

[@juliaset751]

I have a friend who has the most amazing LP collection I have ever seen. He is listening on an AR turntable, Shure cartridge, NAD 3020 Amp, Dynaco A25 speakers that I recommended to him many decades ago. He doesn’t know what being an Audiophile means, but I think he is one.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Great stories Paul. Really enjoyed this one.

[@draganantonijevic2441]

1974. with friend's (he passed the way) Marantz receiver, Tannoy speakers and Dual turntable with JJ Cale ''Okie'' LP and song ''Crying''.

[@1wired4sound]

I’ve always respected you Paul but the hash comment I now held you in “high” esteem

[@jbr84tx]

In 1967 when we went over to a friend's house and he had a new Fisher stereo console. He played some organ music and I had never heard the low notes like I heard them on this stereo. A little while later I heard a component system at Sears and had a similar experience with some Herman's Hermits songs. That's when I knew I had to have some high fidelity equipment.

[@dell177]

I realized I was an addict in the early 70's. I had been home from the army for a couple of years and cobbled together a system consisting of EPI100 speakers, Dynaco preamp, SWTPC Tiger mono amps, and the AR turntable I brought home from Korea. I also had a Revox A77 reel to reel tape deck that used to record things off the air with. WBUR had a series on Sunday afternoons where Victor Campos used to broadcast 2 channel master tapes of classical music, they setup a microwave link direct to the transmitter so the phone line limitations were not there. These broadcasts were VERY clean and I recorded them on 10" reels of tape. That was when I started looking at better gear to feed my obsession. I still have the tapes and they still sound great 40+ years later. I'll probably never kick the addiction but I do enjoy the hell out of it.

[@scottdavis0801]

My 1st setup were a pair of recapped Epi M100s. A Harman Kardon 330b receiver, and a Pioneer pl-50 tt. It was very hard for me to beat this sound, at this time. Not audiophile, but got me started!

[@dell177]

@@scottdavis0801 To show you what kind of a company EPI was let me tell you about the failure of my speakers. About 5 years after I bought them I had a bias trap go bad on my Revox A77 and that let the bias feed into the preamp and power amp. Both those wee able to pass that bias and that fried both tweeters. I sent them back to EPI with a note explaining why they failed. I asked them to quote the repair price to I could send them a check for the repair. A few weeks later the shipping clerk at the plant called and said he had a couple of boxes that came in for me. I unpacked the speakers and found an invoice for $0.00. Talk about customer service!

[@azmike1956]

I knew when I got hold of a Heathkit power amp with high & low level inputs & added it to my very entry level stereo from Fedmart or Unimart. After smoking the original speakers it was on to building my own speakers. Hash involved! San Diego in the 70's!😊

[@laurentzduba1298]

When I found out I was more an "audiophile" as opposed to a "musician" only after my ears told me that Richie Havens plays in open D tuning and Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun is played in open G tuning after "inheriting" a preamp that costs 3,000 USD when it was new in the mid 1990s.

[@brucetaylor5917]

I was interested in records and phonographs before I started elementary school -- 5 years old. But it wasn't until my parents took me to the Radio City Music Hall and I heard a live orchestra that I realized what the records of the time (78s) were failing to provide that I became a dedicated audiophile.

[@raymond1672]

Hash😂 appreciate the honesty Paul. 👍. Hash will make anyone a Audiophile.

[@normanbott]

Since the late 1960's on hearing my dad's 'radiogram' and it's painful performance. I could then earn enough money to select better equipment for myself, and really got interested in sound reproduction. This was a quest to hear the music as naturally as possible. I realise now that at one stage I WAS spending time listening to the equipment for flaws more than to the content, until I found a setup that was sufficiently neutral and revealing for my taste and budget. Hey Paul, I've promised to nag you about that book each time you mention it, so here it is - ''When's that book going to be published? " ;-) Seriously, I'll buy a copy as soon as it's out.

[@triodekt66]

Oh how I want to read your book! I’m half way through “Schiit Happened “ and love the stories. So few industries have personalities like the audio business. I so wished Arnie Nudell wrote down his stories. Please keep this up, and the “high end” stores might even come back!!

[@cactus00001]

I knew I was an audiophile when I donned a pair of electrostatic headphones in an audio boutique and had trouble getting my mouth closed!

[@wayneday3116]

Yeah.....Koss ESP-6 electrostatics at a D.C. audio show did it for me, too.

[@HareDeLune]

Az Usmb Yeah, Martin Logan speakers did that to me.

[@andershammer9307]

I was stunned when I heard KLH-9's for the first time. I heard a real human voice coming out of a speaker. I own Acoustats now.

[@JR3059]

Truly amazing story. Just goes to show you, the next jog in the road could take you to the next level. Never give up on your passions. Music is one step down from breathing in my life. Thank you for posting this video.

[@williammay8413]

I would say I was around 22 when I started to build a good stereo system and from then on I have been hooked.

[@billwillard9410]

Many hobby magazines end up being nothing but advertisement for products that you pay to have a subscription to. That’s why I’ll keep a subscription for about 2 years until I realize that I’m paying to read about products that they’re trying to sell me that I either can’t afford or will never see/hear in person, with little talk about the actual experience of using what you already have.

[@Reyfox1]

when I first heard my real audio system back in 1970 based on AR turntable, McIntosh C28 and MA2105 with Bozak Concert Grands listen to Led Zeppelin at an audio salon in Wash DC. Yeah... hooked and wanted more than the Magnavox console we had...

[@AndyBHome]

I'm looking forward to reading that book. I'm going to flip straight to the chapter entitled You're Not Hooking That Up To MY System!

[@1999zrx1100]

Great story teller Paul. 👍

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Thanks!

[@crankjazz]

I do. I had a mono Fidelity "briefcase" record player. I'd modified it so that it had a jack output. One day I plugged a 2x12 guitar cabinet into it to listen to a UFO live album. It sounded like the band was in my room! That's when I decided to upgrade :-)

[@cp070476]

Your an audiophile when you sit back listen to your system nod and smile! A bit like J.K Simmons at the end of 'Whiplash'!

[@necrodh]

I grew up with the Gradiente sound system from my dad and the Onkyio with Control5 JBL´s from my brothers, then when as a child try to hear music on a radio/cassette player/walkmans I always get frustrated by the sound because my reference was those 8's Gradientes and the JBL cristal clear bassy sound

[@audiogurulyndon]

I'D RATHER BE CALLED AN "AUDIOPHILIAC"...CUZ I LOVE "HIGH END" STUFF LOL! GREAT STORY ABOUT HOW IT ALL STARTED, THAT'S HOW YOU EARNED THAT LOVE AND RESPECT FROM ALL THE AUDIOPHILIACS IN THE WORLD...

[@TheMB2333]

Waterbed Installer / Audiophile? When's the movie due to be released?

[@rich1051414]

Anyone else hear ringing when phil speaks loudly?

[@Anachronos1]

Yes. Is weird to hear bad sound from man who explain how he build sound devices. :D I feel pain in my hears.

[@dhpbear2]

I would think that "The Absolute Sound" would deserve your Snake Award. Discussing 'how things sound' is totally subjective! There are plenty of snake-oil selespersons here :(

[@unixd0rk]

i envisioned sammy davis jr in the judge getup: "here come the snake. here come the snake". LOL

[@foxmatte]

“Does your hair set on fire” LOL..... yes Paul, some products are reviewed or just simply described for what they are by mentioning the expensive and top end componentry used to build them and not putting emphasis on how they are (functionally). I am keen on those minute sound detail produced by an equipment. Am I a potential audiophile? Or Am already one who dont have the budget for the real stuff? 😁😁😁

[@scottbennett3119]

Great story! Thanks for sharing it.

[@FungedeBagre]

I started changing speaker placement to get the best sound, then years later reading WhatHifi magazines in search of the best components.

[@genez429]

We when did I discover I was an audiophile... This is true... And, in retrospect I now find it very funny. In my dad's office (in our home) my older sister's record collection and record player was sitting in a large closet. I used to sit in there and play her forty fives.... I especially loved listening to Duane Eddy Rebel Rouser over and over again. I was from then hooked on audio. I guess you can say I discovered I was an audiophile? In the closet! lol!

[@soulchorea]

I definitely remember when I realized I WASN'T an audiophile - it was when I got my new car a couple years ago, and found that the stock BOSE surround system was completely enjoyable to listen to, and didn't have the desire to rip it out and "upgrade" it at all. The music I love is gonna sound great to me on anything, so I'm not an audiophile after all!

[@soulchorea]

lol thanks :)

[@maxheadrom3088]

That's a nice story!

[@xfilesfoxisdead7979]

I noticed that im an audiophile when i noticed i dont need expensive tv, latest expensive iPad or cool smartphone ( new every season) or 4 cars but i need good sound.

[@coldfinger459sub0]

9 to 10 Years old . Taking apart old speakers and radios mixing and matching components to get better sound. And yes there was smoke some times. Then at 20 I Heard my first stereo system where I heard things in music I listen to every day and they were his new instruments and new sounds. I heard the difference if a woman was wearing a silk dress or a man had Levi’s or wool suit and it rubbed against the wood of the cello. When you can hear the calluses on somebody’s fingers or if they have skin burs scraping against a stringed instrument. When you can hear the singers breath into music when you can hear the spit on the lips when they’re parting. When you hear the musician turn the paper of pages or the air conditioning turning on and off in the background. When you hear that low note in the cello and you can believe you can literally count how many times per second the string vibrates back-and-forth to 16 Hz.

[@andershammer9307]

I guess I kind of realized I was an audiophile when I was about 9 and held the detachable speaker from a Masterwork portable flip down record player made in the 60's. I said to myself that there must be better than this.

[@brew467boy]

Really like your videos. You have a wealth of stories that always amaze me.

[@paulp.4970]

When I was 12 ( ages ago) I built my first 'speakers' with car units. Sounded better than my fathers Wharfedales. A lot of bad bad bass :-)) Than I got obsessed with stereo. Managed to connect a Philips record player with an old tube radio and than....Jimi Hendrix from my right speaker and Buddy Miles out of the left one. It was amazing! That's the moment I became an audiophile I guess. The word did'nt even exist though.

[@paulp.4970]

Great video today Paul. One of your best! Snake award.....hilarious! Is that your racing bike btw? Hugh sport in Holland.

[@kenhagen938]

Paul P., that's a State Bicycle Co. single speed/fixie commuter bike. I ride with the father of the young men that founded and run the company. Great bikes for commuting. They do have races for single speeds as well.

[@paulp.4970]

OK. Thank you!

[@HareDeLune]

Ken Hagen That is a nice looking bike. : )

[@kenhagen938]

If you google State Bicycles you can see all their models.

[@paulp.4970]

Thanks for the information. It's a nice bike!

[@filo5813]

Hi Paul I love your videos, I'm planning to buy a new high end stereo system ( Amp, pre-amp, tuner, speakers... etc) soon. So I'm planning to spend a very nice chunk of money. You can only purchase their equipment only at their place no place else. My question is can I haggle price. The old man Thank you

[@nyrep1]

awesome story

[@stevenkoski228]

LOL, you smoked a bowl of hash! THAT explains it.

[@TheMusicForMasses]

You know that you are an audiophile when you start paying more attention to how your hardware sound than what you are actually listening.

[@TheVincent11111]

No.

[@gregolsen4048]

I realized a few years ago that I started collecting equipment rather than music. Always have I been the guy of my peers experimenting with new music and still feel ahead of my peers in that regard but I think I now have a music collection to listen to my system rather than an audio system to listen to my music collection. It has become even more so since getting into DIY speakers. I listen to the same ‘reference’ music over and over and tweak endlessly. But I’m having just as much or more fun than before. So is that bad? I dunno...

[@mrpositronia]

No. Audiophiles just love audio gear. But it's all pointless if there was no actual music to listen to.

[@HareDeLune]

mrpositronia Well said!

[@artosarla499]

Hi Paul, very much, close to 99%, looking forward to your book! 😊

[@theHeartlessNooB]

I knew when I was contemplating buying RCA cables for more than $50.

[@419gcs]

Your stores are the best

[@rogerkoenigseder3745]

When I heard Grateful Dead soundboard recordings vs listening to audience recordings. Then when tape traders started using HiFi VHS tape instead of cassettes. HiFi VHS is still my favorite format.

[@HareDeLune]

ROGER KOENIGSEDER Oh, yeah! I remember hearing about that! Man, that was a while back...

[@matawin6206]

0:42 not audiophile approved

[@matrixmodulator]

yeah that's... hm... anyways lol

[@johnsweda2999]

I wonder where that gear is now in both sense!!!!😧

[@clittle1559]

Cool cool in Baltimore myself..

[@johnnykaldani633]

RIP Julian Hirsch

[@fdude555]

I really enjoyed this episode!

[@SuspiciousAra]

you know when you are an audiophile when you delete all your MP3 files and start hunting down vinyls and compare em to flac's

[@wbwatts43]

Great back story!

[@mikeleahy5283]

some. I was aboat 14, built my first speakers at 16 am now 60 LOL, I like all if you hooked for life.

[@Armotube9]

hey mister Paul, I see a Bel Canto unit richt behield you, i m intresten what you think of them and specifically there integreted ex, like to pair them with b&w 804 D3 witch I heard you say you dislike(b&w dome) because it can be to bright and listening fatigue after a while so what you can advise me about paring those 2 units.

[@MrDac0964]

“... that’s when i went to a shrink” 😄😄😄

[@subbasslines]

Just wondering what music did you listen to? Will you make video when you finish your book? Thanks for sharing your story.

[@ferranmelero7727]

What is the synth that you have made

[@TomasAugust]

thank you

[@freekwo7772]

Happy name day Paul!

[@RealHIFIHelp]

When I stopped leaving the house? lol

[@rockstar2107]

The day I was born!

[@jackallen6261]

Yep, that's how it starts. "We'd smoke a bowl of hash and WOW" lol. Many a audio freaks start with a bowl a hash or weed, of course after the weed my old Bluetooth speaker sounds AMAZING!! I think I just figured out how to upgrade my system!! Buy a QP of weed and sit back and listen to the Orb, Adventures beyond the ultraworld !!

[@chefchutardo5215]

A big bowl of hash ! Sounds like good times 😉.

[@denis11237]

Talking about that, you really need to replace your microphone :D:D:D:D:D:D (love you too Paul)

[@60zeller]

Paul.......your alright

[@aabb5283]

Probably it was when I listened to natural music and recording with the defects in them. It was over 20 years ago, I believe. But at that time I already had the idea how people make money by essentially selling fake things, while I had been looking for perfect quality, and the BS people tried to spread, made me angry.

[@DownsAster101]

Can we smoke hash and listen to the irs v together? That would be great.

[@anonymousmc7727]

8 years old thats when I knew......

[@TheGameBoy56]

This is a good one lol

[@maxheadrom3088]

If I hear some interference on this video does that mean I'm an audiophile?

[@jimjay8828]

At 17

[@astra004]

Look here and compare: forum.audiogon.com/discussions/you-know-you-re-an-audiophile-if And have fun!

[@ericelliott227]

Hmm, I don't know the answer to that question......oh wait, that's because I am not an audiophile. Would not want to be either. For me, the gear's purpose for being is to play back recordings, not the other way around. If I was an audiophile I wouldn't get to listen to music. I would not feel music. I would not have a diverse music selection. I would be missing out on a lot of good music. I would be miserable if I was an audiophile.

[@zaldam]

The last part of the rear brake bowden is a tad short. Appalling sound quality as per usual. Entertaining otherwise.

[@jokrmidnite]

I knew when I had the ways and means to purchase better equipment.

[@litsaudio]

this might be a dumb question but : is that story real or just funny ?

[@HareDeLune]

Aiwa 99% True. : ) The great storyteller Justin Wilson put it like this: "These stories ain't actually true, they're just things that *happened* ."

[@AndreasHalvardsson]

Am I :-) !?

[@patrickbaillargeon8051]

Well I realized I wasn't after decades of being an enthusiast and realizing how insane "subjective" audio was and how audio "jewellery" was a sign of where the population's soul had moved to. Mr. McGowan, people: it's only a damned record player!

[@HareDeLune]

Patrick Baillargeon Anyone can see that! What we want to know is: Does it sound good?

[@clittle1559]

This video is awsome smoking hash slamming zeppelin on 18inch Vegas.. 😎 your1st partner surely kicks himself in the arse for running away from such a successful dude 🤙

[@Projacked1]

Probably when I was 7 haha

[@stewartcampbell7794]

Hi Paul. Screw Sprout ! This Canuck Need's the Yank-Zilla !!! 5.1 or More + 2 X sub/ BT, 4.1 or Greater TX & RX . Don't Beleive that Music can git any Cleaner . [Hell,were goi'n Backward's] , but at Least U can make it easier 4 da Masses . Make it Affordable & I'm in . 78's & 8 trak 4-Ever.lol YYZ,60+NOOB.Royalties Pls ...

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

shibbity skibbity skeebop a-boodop a-biddly bop. skeeezow ba-doobow badoodly boo bop

[@drumphil00]

How about you actually provide some measurements of jitter in the DAC stage that back up your claims that spurious signals from "bad" USB sources, or whatever, actually impact jitter in a way that matters to the listener? So, why aren't you?

[@HareDeLune]

drumphil00 I like pizza! =^_^=

[@drumphil00]

Yeah. It's one thing to say "well, there may be some things that can be heard that can't be measured"... I may disagree with that, but regardless, jitter is something that we know for a fact we can measure. Paul admits is can be measured. He tells us it matters. And he tells us that some USB sources make it worse..... But he steadfastly refuses to show us the actual levels of jitter and how they vary with different USB sources! Go figure. There are only two possibilities. He doesn't know and is making stuff up as he goes along, or he does know and refuses to say. Neither is a good look.

[@HareDeLune]

drumphil00 In case you hadn't noticed, this video is about a completely different subject.

[@HareDeLune]

Papus Magnus Ooo, the infamous, infallible test! Have you ever known anyone who actually went through such a test? Have you ever been through one yourself? If such tests exist, and if they are really used for anything constructive, instead of just disproving whatever the test giver wishes to disprove; I'd wager they're not as infallible as you'd like to believe.

[@drumphil00]

Lol, damnit. It was suppose to be a comment on the video talking about USB source quality.

[@damaster692]

Amazing backstory :D