Some hi-fi components take a while to reveal their strengths. Some gear makes me fall in love immediately. For me, the VAC Master Preamplifier (website) fell in the latter category. Over time as preamplifiers of […]
Ever since PTA’s Grover Neville hipped me to Ampsandsound founder Justin Weber’s world of small wattage vacuum tube amplifiers, I’ve been extremely curious. When Justin offered, I jumped at the opportunity to have some seat […]
At AXPONA 2022, I felt that the Acora Acoustics SRC-2 loudspeakers–winner of a rare PTA Summit Award–was hampered by one of those big, problematic downstairs ballrooms where all the huge systems are usually located. I […]
Editor’s Note: Before we dive into Hubcon 2022 coverage, let’s take care of the elephant in the room—what the hell is Hubcon? Hubcon is a gathering of Part-Time Audiophile writers and editors. During our planning […]
I consider part of my job in reviewing an audio component as a search for the truth–while knowing full well there is no absolute objective truth. There is only my subjective truth, in my listening […]
Journey To Ixtland When I first started writing for Part-Time Audiophile, Scot Hull and Marc Phillips asked me if I wanted to do some cable reviews. I replied something like, “I’m not a believer. Since […]
I am all too guilty of jumping right into the audio science portion of the meal to explain in very detailed ways what I’ve heard, mainly because it’s so ingrained in me from years at […]
In my earliest listening days, I used to think that power amps sounded more similar than different. Sure, there were tubes and some exotic topologies that had a markedly different vibe, but mostly it was […]
If I were to sum up my experience of the Acora SRB it would be that it has reminded me of the Joy of the Novice. Can you remember the first time you had an […]
After reviewing the TIDAL Audio Prisma preamplifier in 2020 (linked here) and hearing Doug White (of The Voice That Is) do his jaw-dropping TIDAL Audio system demos at two Capital Audiofests, I jumped at the […]
“I’m using some big ass mono amps, the Pass Labs XA-200.8. Ya know, the Class A ones.” Whenever I say that, in answer to a question from another audiophile, I get an interesting range of […]
The story of the McGary Audio SA-1E power amplifier starts with a somewhat chance meeting. Knowing of my obsession with all things vinyl, Mark Sossa of Well Pleased AV informed me that I should meet […]
Qln Prestige Five: They’ve Done It Again As I listened to the latest offering from the Swedish speaker manufacturer—the Qln Prestige Five, or P5 for short—I struggled a bit thinking about how to describe their […]
[Editor’s Note: While brainstorming how to best tell the story of our road trip to The Audio Company, Dave and I (Eric Franklin Shook) considered drilling down into the specific sound of each room, but instead […]
Does anyone really NEED a $34,000 turntable/arm/cartridge setup like the Acoustic Signature Typhoon NEO, TA-5000 and Acoustical Systems Palladium? Well, of course not! Okay, let me qualify and rephrase that. If someone is a serious […]
What’s wrong with hitting the ground running? I bring this up because I’ve been spending the last couple of months with the Acora Acoustics SRB monitors (website), the little two-ways with the granite enclosures, and […]
At Casa de McAudiophile, the impressive hit parade of floor standing speakers continues. This latest installment of chart-topping performers is the seductive sounding and beautiful Marten Oscar Trio from the Sweden (website). The Oscar Trios […]
The first time I heard the Marten Oscar Duo (website), right out of the box, one word came to mind. That word was fast. Dave McNair, currently reviewing the much larger Marten Oscar Trio, […]
“We Come From The Land Of The Ice And Snow…” Denmark may not be Iceland (or wherever Mr. Plant was wailing about in that song) but latitude-wise, it’s good enough for my literary purposes. Seriously, […]
Thought I’d get a jump on holiday music for 2021 with Stille Grender, the latest from 2L Recordings in Norway. If I had received it just a couple of weeks ago, it would have easily […]
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