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AXPONA 2017: Tidal’s sonic wave floods room with the spirit of music

May 8, 2017

As I stood mutely at the front of the crowded room I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d stumbled into some kind of church, or worship service by accident. There was powerful keyboard music with thunderous bass being played through a huge [...]

Dr’s Orders: Push it to the limit

May 2, 2017

A good Dr. should never insist on having his patients pushing themselves to the limit but this is audio and the limit of what is possible is a good thing with only one major hiccup, it’s rather expensive. Audiohub.gr of which yours truly is the [...]

Review: Clones Audio HOST Music Server

April 30, 2017

by John Grandberg “It’s hard when you’re stuck upon the shelf.” So sang Eddie Vedder on “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”, circa 1993. While I’m reasonably confident he wasn’t [...]

AXPONA 2017: McIntosh, Martin-Logan and Sonus Faber

April 28, 2017

The McIntosh room sponsored by Chicago retailer Audio Video Interiors was fascinating to me. At one end was an all-out “balls to the wall” reference system with prodigious and clean bass emanating from the Martin Logan flagship Neolith speakers. [...]

Dr’s Orders: Study anatomy (hands on with the Metaxas Marquis Memento Mori headphone amp)

March 13, 2017

So I get an email from Kostas Metaxas of Metaxas and Sins in which I am asked if I would care to listen to the new Marquis Memento Mori headphone amplifier (lets call it the Skull from now on). I would do almost anything to get my hands on that [...]

TAVES 2016: Audio by Mark Jones

November 28, 2016

By Richard H. Mak Mark Jones has been in the audio business for over 30 years, and a few years ago he went independent, starting his personal brick and mortar shop, Audio by Mark Jones. To those who know him, Mark is one of those dealers whom [...]

RMAF 2016 VIDEO: Tidal, Zanden and The Voice That Is

October 22, 2016

I have a great job. I’ll never argue that. I go to hi-fi audio shows, and write about the gear that interests me the most, and Tidal Audio is a German high-end audio component, and speaker manufacturer that leaves me restless every time [...]

Review: LampizatOr Atlantic DAC

September 3, 2016

Fans of Part-Time Audiophile will recall my (on going) love affair with the Polish DAC wonder called LampizatOr. Just to recall some of my highlights — once upon a time, I met up with the PCM-only Gen 3/Level 4 Lampi, and swooned. I ended up [...]

Newport 2016: Obsessing is what we do/Best in Show

August 20, 2016

OK, I grant you that it has been a couple of months since the end of T.H.E. Show in Newport Beach. So, what the heck is your motley Part-Time Audiophile crew doing still writing about the damn thing? It’s just how we roll around here. First, [...]

Newport 2016: ModWright can do no wrong with Ryan, Daedalus

July 13, 2016

It’s notoriously difficult for audio manufacturers to present consistently outstanding sound from show to show, with the vagaries of hotel rooms, onsite power and a sometimes constantly shifting assortment of partners bringing other gear. [...]