Most systems are underperforming long before anything is wrong with them.
A reference series on how they actually work, how to set them up and choose equipment with evidence instead of folklore, and how to diagnose them when something’s actually wrong.
This series exists to close that gap first — before a single new component gets blamed for a problem the room, the setup, or an unexamined assumption created in the first place. Optimise First. Upgrade Second.
Where do you want to start?
I want to understand how it all works
The ideas everything else in the series builds on.
I want better stereo
Two loudspeakers creating a convincing spatial illusion — geometry, recordings and the room, all treated as part of reproduction.
I want better home cinema
Picture, sound, room, seating, source and operation, treated as one system rather than a pile of technologies.
Something’s wrong
Go straight to the troubleshooting guide for whichever side of it’s acting up.
I’m thinking of buying something
Equipment judged on evidence, not marketing claims.
I care about the music or films themselves
What’s actually on the recording or the disc, and how to get the best of it.
Prefer to go straight for full coverage?
Prefer to start with one volume?
All thirteen are available on their own, each complete in itself. Foundations (Volume I) is free for a limited time — a natural place to start.
Browse the individual volumes →