Psychobabble columns

By John Groom

Psychobabble is a column to explore the twilight zone of hi-fi. That strange place where the improbable meets the impossible, the fussy meets the obsessional, and the physical meets the psychological.

John Groom is a psychologist working in private practice on Auckland's North Shore. John has over three decades experience in both hi-fi and psychology.

Sins of omission

The audio signatures of hi-fi components, plus the iPod. (August 2005)

Auditory Fatigue

Noise and silence. (May 2005)

A matter of how you listen

Differing ways of listening and the Eichmann Series 2 power cable. (March 2005)

A study in musical integration

The "rightness" of sound and the Chord Signature interconnect. (December 2004)

Too much information

John Groom examines information retreival with hi-fi equipment. (October 2004)

In Memoriam

Music and Loss. (September 2004)

Well hung

Raising cables off the floor - are you going crazy? (August 2004)

Listening with the heart

We hear not just what is there, but what we have been programmed to hear. (July 2004)

Music hath charms

Psychobabble talks to plants (June 2004)

Wake up and smell the coffee

Psychobabble gives advice on dem ol' hi-fi blues (May 2004)

Hi-fi - an obsession, or just good, clean fun

When an interest in hi-fi goes a little too far (April 2004)

A few of my favourite things

Looking back on some good things (March 2004)

Slumming it

Life after selling the big hi-fi (January 2004)

Hi-Fi for sale

Reassessing hi-fi needs (June 2003)

Eichmann eXpress

Introducing a specialist mains cable (May 2003)

Keeping well grounded

The importance of good earthing to sound (March 2003)

I can see clearly now!

Do we want detail or cohesion in our hi-fi? (February 2003)

Moving house

And introducing a super-spur (January 2003)

Falling in love again

How we form a relationship with our hi-fi (December 2002)

One hand clapping

The challenges of making an "accurate" recording (October 2002)

Hi-fi addiction

When does the hi-fi hobby become an obsession? (September 2002)

Hi-fi blues

Why our stereo sounds better or worse at times (July 2002)

I'm just a man

Hi-fi as a male hobby (June 2002)

The recording engineer

I've always wanted to be a recording engineer (May 2002)

Bach hi-fi

Tweaks can be used for the most simple of systems (October 2000)