Announcements
Ayre CX-8 CD Player
The CD resurgence? Yes. It’s happening. And it will need CD Players. Step in Ayre Acoustics, no stranger to making some of the most awarded and fondly remembered disc spinners of our recent youth. I […]
cd player
Buyers Guide
The Best Digital Players | Buyers Guide 2022
Welcome to the Best Digital Players section of the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for 2022. The Guide is more than “We heartily endorse this [fill in the blank ].” This collection represents our enthusiasm. Every […]
The Ivory Tower
Hi-Fi: Why Do Records Sound Better? | The Ivory Tower
Into The Groove Why do a lot of us audiophiles (and casual listener types) prefer the sound of records over the same music released digitally? Is it something about the inferiority of digital? Are vinyl […]
Announcements
Luxman D-10X SACD/CD Player
BALLSTON SPA, NY — Luxman America announces the launch of its D-10X flagship SACD/CD player. This is the world’s first home audio component with ROHM Semiconductor’s eagerly anticipated MUS-IC™ BD34301EKV digital-to-analog converter. The D-10X also […]
Digital
McIntosh MCD600 SACD/CD Player | REVIEW
Before I discuss the McIntosh MCD600 SACD/CD player, I have to tell a story. Just a couple of weeks ago I overhead a conversation between two audiophiles who were discussing the continued role of compact […]
Components
Sparkler Audio Spiral, Ether | Review
A Box of Sparklers My introduction to the wares of Sparkler Audio (website) was through the 2017 and 2018 Capital Audiofest shows. There, I’d made note of Sparker’s quirky Spiral compact disc player, which had […]
AXPONA 2019
Gryphon Audio | AXPONA 2019
Two weeks ago, I posted a comment on facebook around the idea that now that the LP has (thankfully) re-emerged, the sound of CD is surprising some people. This got a lot of comments and […]
CEDIA 2018
CEDIA 2018: T+A Series 8 brings Roon and MQA
Sometimes big things come in small packages, and in the case of the T+A Series 8, these little boxes deliver. At CEDIA 2018, T+A was displaying updates to their Series 8 line, specifically their new MP […]
Munich 2018
Munich High End 2018: The show that all shows want to be?
MUNICH. Have you seen the 2005 Academy Award® historical thriller by Steven Spielberg? If you haven’t let me just say it’s intense. I bring it up because if you have been to the High End […]
Music
Part-Time Audiophile’s favorite albums of 2017
You’ll note that we’re not calling this the Best Albums of 2017. There are plenty of those lists out there, and they are pretty much dominated by this year’s critical darlings with some heavily promoted […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Rafe wraps up the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver
Risky Business is a classic American film about coming of age, materialism, capitalist society, and taking chances. My son brought it up in a recent conversation about movies, and I couldn’t help but mentally compare […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Getting audiophile sound on a budget
In a hobby where dropping a hundred grand for a system is common, what can you get these days for, say, $1,500 USD? An interconnect, maybe? A cartridge? Tax? Well, how about an entire rig? […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Nordost shows the power of better cords
OK, you’ve decided to upgrade your cables. What should you start with? Speaker cables, right? They usually are the longest wires in a system and the last to handle your delicate signal before it emerges […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Bluebird Music Sets The Table
Bluebird Music had a huge suite and lots of goodies. Richard Colburn and Jay Rein were showing off some new gear from SME, Chord, and Vienna Acoustics. Starting with the live gear on demo was […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Gryphon Audio delivers the big sound in Denver
Big systems can be difficult to curate components for, especially ones where you have massive, multi-driver speaker arrays with complex crossovers that can soak up a lot of efficiency. Loudspeakers around 88-90 dB need higher […]
Audio-Life
Audio Note UK factory tours and Life in the fast lane with Peter Qvortrup
Coffee. Champagne. Coffee. Russian liqueur. Coffee. Tequila. Coffee. Whiskey. Coffee. Red wine. Coffee… I lost track of the actual number of drinks, and coffees I had during my first day visiting Peter Qvortrup of Audio […]
LAAS 2017
LA Audio Show 2017: Nothing baffling about performance of Emerald Physics speakers
There always are a number of mini-trends going on at any one time in the high-end. Lately, some of those have includes tape decks, vibration-control devices and integrated amps. Among speaker manufacturers, the open-baffle concept […]
Announcements
Rotel introduces new integrated amplifier, preamplifier and CD player
Rotel has been building high-fidelity electronic components for more than five decades, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down with the introduction of their new RA-1572 Integrated Amplifier, RC-1572 Stereo Preamplifier, and their RCD-1572 […]
LAAS 2017
LA Audio Show 2017: Vandersteen, Audio Research create enchanting sound
Whether they admit it or not, all audiophiles have biases. Some value tight, powerful bass above all else, for example, while others crave analog warmth and tube richness. I admit my personal bias is […]
LAAS 2017
LA Audio Show 2017: In La La Land
Friday dawned bright in LA as the sun made its way through layered haze to paint my hotel room walls, and wake me up. This was the start of day two at the Los Angeles […]
