
by Marc Phillips in accessories 1
I’ve spent a lot of time covering the French manufacturer JMF this year–simply because I think the sound of their gear is fantastic. I can say the same about Ideon Audio, a Greek company that […]
At the 2023 Pacific Audio Fest, I was asked this question by more than one person: “Haven’t you already heard the Børresen M6 Loudspeakers? In Munich?” No, the $550K/pr M6s were on static display in […]
It’s getting more and more difficult picking the Best Sound winners at high-end audio shows. First of all, I’ve heard a number of loudspeakers this year that are competing feverishly to reach new heights of […]
I had the same exact reaction to the Daedalus Audio and LTA room at the 2023 Pacific Audio Fest as I did last year–it was an absolute oasis (apologies to Dr. David Robinson). It’s a […]
Team Doshi Audio? What’s up with that? It’s an inside joke, mostly. I always cover a certain group of manufacturers who work together in exhibit rooms at high-end audio shows and always achieve impressive results. […]
ZMF Headphones The treat at CanJam, for me, was this little room right here: ZMF Headphones. On the way in, I met Zach on the way out — brandishing a tiny handy-cam and apparently doing […]
Noble Audio Been a few years since we’ve talked about Noble Audio here at PTA. Once a darling of the audio show circuit, Noble had some “leadership issues”. Since then, they’ve revitalized, revamped, and effectively […]
Busy weekend here at PTA! Marc is up at the Pacific Audio Fest in Seattle, while I’m a bit closer to home. But today found a few extra hours — so off to Canjam I […]
We’re halfway through the Munich 2023 coverage, more or less, so I figured it’s a good time to feature a turntable interlude. This is one reason why the Munich show is so spectacular, because you […]
This is the second time I’ve visited my buddies Damon Von Schweikert, Leif Swanson and Kevin Hayes at High End Munich, and their VAC and VSA systems there offer an interesting contrast to the gigantic-ness […]
Today, Chord Electronics is announcing a new integrated amplifier, the Ultima, priced at £8,500. Ultimate is the first new Chord Electronics integrated amplifier in the past seven years and is the only full-width model in […]
This is the first time I’ve visited the AudioQuest and GoldenEar rooms at an audio show and had Bill Low come and sit next to me and discuss what we were hearing. I’ve known Bill […]
This is my third High End Munich show, but this is the first time I actually attended on the first day–Thursday. Not Friday, but Thursday. It’s my fault–I’m used to Friday/Saturday/Sunday high-end audio shows. But […]
Why do I need the Fern & Roby Isolation Feet in my system? If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been using a gorgeous Fern and Roby equipment rack for the last few years. I love it. […]
One of these days, Part-Time Audiophile publisher Scot Hull is going to send me that pair of Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a Gold Badges he’s commandeered for most of 2023. That’s my speaker, I thought. I’m the […]
This is the second year in a row that I’ve agreed to transport a pair of review speakers from the Pacific Audio Fest back to the house, and it’s the second time my Mazda CX-5 […]
I now feel, after spending time with the Piega Coax 411 speakers, as if I dropped the ball when I wrote about the debut of the new EMT 928 II turntable back in the MoFi […]
Here’s lookin’ at you, kid. Casablanca is a classic that stands up to today’s films, and having the wonderful ampsandsound Casablanca monoblock tube amplifiers in my listening room certainly invoked thoughts of nostalgia. Much like […]
When I first saw the name “Audio-gd,” I might have been a little confused. It might have been a case of an initial misread–I thought the email said Audio G-D, and perhaps the manufacturers belonged […]
There’s a saying among high-end audio reviewers: “They don’t need reviews.” This saying usually pops up when a writer is interested in a certain brand or product, considers reaching out, and is told by a […]
Years ago, long before I finally had some seat time with a complete Audio Note UK system, someone asked me if there were any high-end audio brands that excelled at complete systems, everything from speakers […]
Smooth as buttah. That’s what comes to mind while I’ve been reviewing the Musical Surroundings Phonomena phono stages. Stages? Plural? Yes. Garth Leerer of Musical Surroundings was nice enough to send me a Phonomena II+ […]
“The Weight” came to me when I was sixteen in 1968, from a Sony transistor radio tuned to KMPC-AM and its top forties programming that reached throughout Greater Los Angeles. From its first notes—Robbie Robertson’s […]
I’ve made a concerted effort not to dwell on the country of origin of many of my review components over the last year or so. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen reviewers go a little overboard, […]
After hearing the prototype of the Børresen X3 loudspeakers at last year’s Capital Audiofest, I’ve been more than mildly curious to give this little rascal a real test drive. Given my repeated exposure to the […]
Do you believe in fate, or that everything happens for a reason? That’s how I felt when I first decided to review ArgentPur cables. First, Ernest Meunier of ArgentPur contacted PTA and asked if we […]
This review of several models of AudioQuest XLR interconnects has taken a long time–well over a year, in fact. At first I wanted to discuss XLR interconnects on a bigger scale, including other brands such […]
Many years ago I had a discussion with the late Warren Jarrett, a Southern California dealer and distributor who happened to represent Audio Note UK at the time. I mentioned to him that I always […]
Can a mere digital transport such as the Audio Note UK CDT One/II make a huge difference in the sound quality of a hi-fi system? Isn’t that the purview of the digital-to-analog converter that is […]
Doing it wrong Yes, I’m doing it wrong. I think that’s the best place to start any confession, audiophile or otherwise. Because, clearly, this whole “near-field” thing is just not the same as the “audiophile […]
I invited Diana Krall into my listening room, and she was gracious enough to send her simulacrum through the Bowers and Wilkins 703 S3. Not the B&W 703 S3, mind you, but Bowers and Wilkins. […]
What follows is not a typical audio review of the Naim Uniti Atom, or, of anything really. Just want to be clear. All of this is me trying to solve a problem. A peculiar problem. […]
While reviewing the Audio Note UK Cobra integrated amplifier and DAC, I kept thinking of an industry friend who once joked about how easy it was to design an EL-34-based amplifier that offered good sound. […]
I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the entire Magico voyage unfold. Well, once they went public that is. Yet the lead-up to that stage is also quite significant. In 1994, some decade before he founded […]
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