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UAE · UTC+4
154a tall speaker standing on a bare floor with faint chalk marks forming a narrow zone in front of the back wall, quiet empty room, soft morning light.The Daily / Opinion

No. 154 / Opinion

I placed my speakers with my own voice

In the new room Wilson's setup method finally had space to work, and my own voice found where the speakers belong.

The Sound Lab · 1 November 2026Read the note

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154 notes · newest first

November 2026 · 1 note
  1. I placed my speakers with my own voiceNo. 154 ·
October 2026 · 31 notes
  1. Klipsch magic, Wilson truthNo. 153 ·
  2. Boomy bass, new amp; harsh treble, tubesNo. 152 ·
  3. The free cables that were not cheapNo. 151 ·
  4. Three songs, one hug and tearsNo. 150 ·
  5. Not a hundred times betterNo. 149 ·
  6. Control against commandNo. 148 ·
  7. Give it six monthsNo. 147 ·
  8. The closest to the master tape I have heardNo. 146 ·
  9. Do not jump straight to a $3,000 cartridgeNo. 145 ·
  10. $25,000 of cable in the system, $10,000 in a boxNo. 144 ·
  11. So quiet the system disappearsNo. 143 ·
  12. Boosted 20 dB, then cut againNo. 142 ·
  13. The price tag as a self-fulfilling prophecyNo. 141 ·
  14. Three tracks I trust more than a spec sheetNo. 140 ·
  15. Execute the cloth or fire your cleaning ladyNo. 139 ·
  16. Built like a tank, sounds like life itselfNo. 138 ·
  17. A Japanese original against a new reissueNo. 137 ·
  18. Bass traps before a subwooferNo. 136 ·
  19. Answering Omar without the word betterNo. 135 ·
  20. The implementation, not the chipNo. 134 ·
  21. Great sound at any budgetNo. 133 ·
  22. I destroyed a $500 cartridge with a clothNo. 132 ·
  23. I never gave them the room to prove itNo. 131 ·
  24. The handshake between the groove and your earsNo. 130 ·
  25. Your streamer is not the bottleneckNo. 129 ·
  26. $3,300, and I am almost buying itNo. 128 ·
  27. GZ codes: proceed with cautionNo. 127 ·
  28. Positioning costs nothing. Start there.No. 126 ·
  29. $2,000 of cable on a $3,000 system is insaneNo. 125 ·
  30. Under $10,000, buy the small boxNo. 124 ·
  31. Light at the end of the bias tunnelNo. 123 ·
September 2026 · 30 notes
  1. The honest case for digitalNo. 122 ·
  2. A flagship turntable into a $500 amplifierNo. 121 ·
  3. Every word in the lyric mattersNo. 120 ·
  4. Is this a hobby or an obsession?No. 119 ·
  5. Butterfly layout, rectangle, 1,000 square feetNo. 118 ·
  6. What the hell cables are you using?No. 117 ·
  7. Ordered by wire transfer within minutesNo. 116 ·
  8. Where diminishing returns stop workingNo. 115 ·
  9. Massive, noticeable, subtleNo. 114 ·
  10. 800 square feet, L-shaped, one positionNo. 113 ·
  11. $13,000 or $25,000: the question nobody asksNo. 112 ·
  12. Not watching the performance: in itNo. 111 ·
  13. The price of a small family carNo. 110 ·
  14. A speaker built for a treated roomNo. 109 ·
  15. Separates win, at five times the priceNo. 108 ·
  16. This is not a hit piece on vinylNo. 107 ·
  17. Clap before you buy softwareNo. 106 ·
  18. The real snake oil is certaintyNo. 105 ·
  19. The everyday listener and the audiophile toolNo. 104 ·
  20. Buena Vista at 45, one level higherNo. 103 ·
  21. Bias exists. So can the difference.No. 102 ·
  22. My next system, and the one I keepNo. 101 ·
  23. A 911 Turbo already does 90%No. 100 ·
  24. A glorified LCD, I saidNo. 99 ·
  25. The first $500 goes on the wallsNo. 98 ·
  26. The helicopter finally flewNo. 97 ·
  27. My cable curve, in four stepsNo. 96 ·
  28. A $1,070 gap that sounds smallerNo. 95 ·
  29. When the pressing is rightNo. 94 ·
  30. The 3-metre rule, notarisedNo. 93 ·
August 2026 · 31 notes
  1. Do I have the foundation?No. 92 ·
  2. A chain built to show no mercyNo. 91 ·
  3. One hero component cost me yearsNo. 90 ·
  4. If it looks like a studio, you won't sit in itNo. 89 ·
  5. The full stop and the footnoteNo. 88 ·
  6. Three problems no amplifier will fixNo. 87 ·
  7. A Formula 1 engine in an ordinary carNo. 86 ·
  8. 300 records, 250 SACDs and over 1,000 CDsNo. 85 ·
  9. The audition that keeps knockingNo. 84 ·
  10. Hundreds on the room before thousands on cableNo. 83 ·
  11. A Corneliani suit at 70% offNo. 82 ·
  12. Better speakers, bigger room problemsNo. 81 ·
  13. Four people to carry itNo. 80 ·
  14. I blamed everyone except myselfNo. 79 ·
  15. 37%: the highest correction I ever recordedNo. 78 ·
  16. Appearances matter. Sound matters more.No. 77 ·
  17. Most of the Amethyst at a quarter of the costNo. 76 ·
  18. The dealer who tried to protect meNo. 75 ·
  19. Nobody judges a driver without its cabinetNo. 74 ·
  20. Tell me the plant, the album and the soundNo. 73 ·
  21. A dealer who treats the curious like buyersNo. 72 ·
  22. From 25% correction to 7%No. 71 ·
  23. Years of Klipsch on a Yamaha receiverNo. 70 ·
  24. Mistakes are the only real teacherNo. 69 ·
  25. The A8 won, and the Rose was still betterNo. 68 ·
  26. A digital master with vinyl's limits addedNo. 67 ·
  27. Paying for the last 3 to 5%No. 66 ·
  28. I over-treated my roomNo. 65 ·
  29. Break a moving coil and there is no simple fixNo. 64 ·
  30. Upgrade fever, and the six-month testNo. 63 ·
  31. More correct, less aliveNo. 62 ·
July 2026 · 31 notes
  1. At $80 it should beat a used copy from the '70sNo. 61 ·
  2. Nothing in the chain changedNo. 60 ·
  3. Amazon to $300 beats $300 to $1,000No. 59 ·
  4. Cleaning reveals the pressing; it cannot fix itNo. 58 ·
  5. Absorption or diffusion? Neither.No. 57 ·
  6. 19 dB, or a hundred times the powerNo. 56 ·
  7. Before $5,000 on a component, stopNo. 55 ·
  8. The better the system, the less forgiving the recordNo. 54 ·
  9. $100,000, $1,000 and a Happy Meal voucherNo. 53 ·
  10. You are in the churchNo. 52 ·
  11. Cables: real, and not always worth itNo. 51 ·
  12. 44 million records, and the standards slippingNo. 50 ·
  13. The gear serves the musicNo. 49 ·
  14. The sound I had chased since I was a kidNo. 48 ·
  15. An excellent moving magnet beats a poor moving coilNo. 47 ·
  16. The first listen, aloneNo. 46 ·
  17. If it has XLR, use itNo. 45 ·
  18. Thirty seconds of coolingNo. 44 ·
  19. Over $150,000 in ten yearsNo. 43 ·
  20. A Wilson-sized speaker in an open fieldNo. 42 ·
  21. Learn to read the dead waxNo. 41 ·
  22. What better means at The Sound LabNo. 40 ·
  23. If it sucks, at least it looks goodNo. 39 ·
  24. Headphone texture, with real pressureNo. 38 ·
  25. Bits are bits. Well, not exactly.No. 37 ·
  26. A $25,000 bargainNo. 36 ·
  27. Treated, but still a living roomNo. 35 ·
  28. From AliExpress fakes to Transparent ReferenceNo. 34 ·
  29. When not to buy separatesNo. 33 ·
  30. The $10,000 you find by moving a speakerNo. 32 ·
  31. Never buy because a reviewer told you toNo. 31 ·
June 2026 · 30 notes
  1. A $10,000 system in a 10 by 7 metre roomNo. 30 ·
  2. Stop buying blindlyNo. 29 ·
  3. The house comes before the hobbyNo. 28 ·
  4. The bass took a day offNo. 27 ·
  5. Four albums, and the dearest was the worstNo. 26 ·
  6. $40,000 to the point of no returnNo. 25 ·
  7. They cannot sell you a roomNo. 24 ·
  8. Before the hi-fi, a PlayStation 3No. 23 ·
  9. My first thought: the dealer cheated meNo. 22 ·
  10. $500 of power cable or $500 of panelsNo. 21 ·
  11. $100,000 of gear, a terrible new recordNo. 20 ·
  12. A preamp is a discussion. A house is a marriage.No. 19 ·
  13. Not struggling. Pushing its limits.No. 18 ·
  14. And then I became insufferableNo. 17 ·
  15. Broken before it left the factoryNo. 16 ·
  16. My best upgrade had no gear in itNo. 15 ·
  17. I heard nothing. I assumed.No. 14 ·
  18. $40,000 of sunk cost in my own headNo. 13 ·
  19. The upgrade that never depreciatesNo. 12 ·
  20. Weeks back in vinyl and already overspendingNo. 11 ·
  21. 250 times more for the same copper?No. 10 ·
  22. Two 40-amp circuits, one per monoblockNo. 9 ·
  23. Bad Guy and the clip you always rememberNo. 8 ·
  24. I would gladly use the $20 cableNo. 7 ·
  25. I said nobody moves house for speakersNo. 6 ·
  26. My single best purchaseNo. 5 ·
  27. Listen to the outer grooves firstNo. 4 ·
  28. Measure first, and do it for freeNo. 3 ·
  29. Casual or critical: choose the format by the jobNo. 2 ·
  30. In Dubai, the grid is quite cleanNo. 1 ·

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