accessories
Fern and Roby Isolation Feet | REVIEW
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. […]
Audio Gear Reviews
Loudspeakers
Falcon Acoustics M10 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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 […]
Loudspeakers
Gershman Acoustics Studio XdB Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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 […]
Loudspeakers
Piega Coax 411 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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 […]
Components
ampsandsound Casablanca Monoblock Amplifiers | REVIEW
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 […]
Components
Audio-gd Master 10 Mk.2 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW
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 […]
Analog
Luxman LMC-5 Phono Cartridge | REVIEW
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 […]
Components
The Complete Audio Note UK System | REVIEW
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 […]
Analog
Musical Surroundings Phonomena III and Linear Power Supply | REVIEW
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+ […]
Loudspeakers
Aretai Contra 100S Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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, […]
Loudspeakers
Børresen X3 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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 […]
Cables & Power
ArgentPur Cables | REVIEW
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 […]
Cables & Power
The AudioQuest XLR Chronicles | REVIEW
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 […]
Analog
Audio Note UK TT-Two Deluxe Turntable | REVIEW
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 […]
Digital
Audio Note UK CDT One/II CD Transport | REVIEW
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 […]
Loudspeakers
Boenicke W5 Loudspeakers | The Desktop
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 […]
Loudspeakers
Bowers and Wilkins 703 S3 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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. […]
Components
Naim Uniti Atom | The Desktop
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. […]
Components
Audio Note UK Cobra Integrated Amp/DAC | REVIEW
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. […]
Loudspeakers
The Magico M9 Experience | REVIEW
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 […]