Florida 2023
Falcon Acoustics M10 and MoFi | FLAX 2023
I had at least two people tell me, just prior to the 2023 Florida Audio Expo, that MoFi Distribution‘s Jonathan Derda want me to stop by his room because he had a two-way speaker he […]
Month: February 2023
Florida 2023
Computer Audio Design and Egglestonworks | FLAX 2023
The Computer Audio Design (CAD) and Egglestonworks room at FLAX was a very pleasant surprise for me since I wasn’t super-familiar with the kit being presented there. It’s always a treat to be exposed to […]
Florida 2023
Acoustic Energy and Fidelity Imports | FLAX 2023
The Acoustic Energy and Fidelity Imports room at the 2023 Florida Audio Expo reminds me that we all love the cost-no-object rooms at these events. They dazzle and show what is possible. When we all […]
Florida 2023
MBL and United Home Audio | FLAX 2023
I try to make a trip to the MBL room at audio shows whenever possible. Thankfully, the German company makes the rounds with some frequency thanks to US representative Jeremy Bryan at the helm of […]
Florida 2023
Upstream Audio and Musical Surroundings | FLAX 2023
You know when’s the best time to visit a room during a high-end audio show? Sunday morning, right when the show opens at ten in the morning or so. It’s quiet, the crowds are non-existent […]
Florida 2023
SVS, Mission Impossible, and the TMNT | FLAX 2023
There are many things one might expect at a high-end audio show. Fancy systems that cost as much as a pair of Ferraris. Older men. Demos featuring “Keith Don’t Go”. And the Teenage Mutant Ninja […]
Florida 2023
Audeze | FLAX 2023
I have admired the lightning quick response of Audeze‘s planar magnetic drivers for many years now. While not the only headphone maker in the space, they were one of the firsts to jump into the […]
Florida 2023
FLAX Saturday Highlights | FLAX 2023
My FLAX Saturday Highlights are more about people than gear, and I was pleased to finally connect with industry stalwarts such as Philip O’Hanlon of On a Higher Note. For years people have been telling […]
Florida 2023
FLAX Friday Highlights | FLAX 2023
Florida in February always sounds like a good idea–on paper. But as soon as I landed in Tampa with high humidity and temperature in the mid ’80s, I remembered why I moved to the Pacific […]
Florida 2023
Black Ice and Zu Audio | FLAX 2023
Thursday night at the Florida Audio Expo was a great chance to catch up with industry folks and reconnect with colleagues that we haven’t seen in a while, some in many years. There was a […]
Florida 2023
Acora VRC-1 with VAC, Lampizator, Aurender, Oracle, Cardas | FLAX 2023
Oh no he didn’t. “Ratchets” by Hedegaard. With 121dB peaks. At an audio show. During listening hours. Folks, this just is not done. People were fleeing the area. Plaster was literally falling from the ceiling. And, […]
Florida 2023
Florida Audio Expo 2023 and Welcome Back
It’s time. After a long, cruel, and absolutely brutal winter in Northern Illinois, being back in Tampa is something of a relief. A life-saving retreat. I may be exaggerating. Northern Illinois winters are famous for […]
Florida 2023
Florida Audio Expo This Weekend! | FLAX 2023
The A-Team is back! Part-Time Audiophile will send several intrepid journalists to cover the 2023 Florida Audio Expo this weekend in Tampa, Florida including Founder & Publisher Scot Hull, Editor-in-Chief Marc Phillips, The Occasional Podcast‘s […]
Digital
Aavik S-280 Digital Streamer | REVIEW
Do I need a digital streamer like the Aavik S-280? At first I wasn’t so sure. I’ve been pretty happy with just a DAC and my laptop for streaming Qobuz, just like I was happy […]
Audio-Life
The Vinyl Noob Diaries, Part One | Audio-Life
As a vinyl noob, I declare that vinyl is the perfect format forever. Whaaa??? How can such a cockamamie thing possibly be said? This is 2023, damn it! Digital has evolved into the de facto […]
The Vinyl Anachronist
Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding | The Vinyl Anachronist
Right before the holidays I traveled up to Seattle to meet with PTA senior contributors Grover Neville and Mohammed Samji to hear Mo’s Wilson Audio/Dan D’Agostino/dCS/Transparent system. Early in the listening sessions, Mo put on […]
Announcements
Ansuz Gold Signature Introduced | Announcements
Right in the middle of Marc Phillips’ reviews of the Audio Group Denmark system, comprised of Børresen, Aavik and Ansuz, the folks in Aalborg announced the new flagship Ansuz Gold Signature line. Here is the […]
Announcements
Bartók APEX from dCS Introduced | Announcements
PTA has been a fan of the dCS Bartók since it came out–we’ve reviewed it more than once! Now dCS has announced the new Bartók APEX, with improved technologies derived from the top of the […]
Loudspeakers
Børresen Z1 Cryo Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Did I get those speakers in for review? You know, the little monitors that cost $100,000 per pair, the ones that baffled me with their impossibly epic sound and subsequently prompted my adventure in Denmark […]
Components
VAC Statement 452iQ Musicbloc Power Amplifier | REVIEW
I’ll just say right off the bat that the VAC Statement 452iQ is the finest example of any high-power, vacuum tube power amplifier I’ve had the pleasure to hear. Physically imposing in its vertical-styled form […]