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View Full Version : Helius Designs: in conversation with Howard Popeck – part one



Neil McCauley
01-02-2016, 10:24
Geoffrey ….. why is there such diversity between audiophile values and the audio engineering establishment's values?


I’m not sure there is – indeed, I would argue that, more often than not, audio engineers are just audiophiles who have taken their interest to the next level and gone pro. Perhaps I should start by suggesting that audio engineering has little to do with music. We’re basically people who like solving design problems in the context of music reproduction.

Which in practice means what?


Well, when I concentrate on optimizing some part of a system performance, I focus on very specific aspects of a design. I look at spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, meters etc. and rarely listen to music ( when designing ) At the true engineering level, it’s all pink noise, square waves and Fourier transforms.

Where does the music come in?


Only when I’m finished do I feed music into the system - and herein lies a problem that’s common to all audio enthusiasts; put simply,( and assuming the system sounds good ) the results of ones thought and effort are ultimately subjective and reflect personal preferences. You can often tell that the system sounds different after you’ve altered something, but it can be really difficult to decide if ‘different’ means ‘better’

Quite so. So what about recording quality?


Hmm. Recording quality can vary so much that one record might sound fabulous with your latest design modifications ….. but another won’t.

Okay, I get that. Thanks. Now then, in your opinion what are the primary differences between professional audio engineers and audiophiles?


As professional audio engineers, we .....

Please continue at http://www.hifianswers.com/2016/02/helius-designs-in-conversation-with-howard-popeck-part-one/