Munich 2019
Ayre 8 Series | High End 2019
Ayre (website) was one of the earliest to market with a good USB DAC. That’s how I remember seeing and interacting with them. The QB-9 did one thing (USB) and did that one thing well, and […]
cd
Digital
Audio Note UK CDT-Two/II CD Transport Review
Spinning Silver: Audio Note UK CDT-Two/II CD transports are passé. Boring. Irrelevant. So … yesterday. Now, if only someone would tell that to the 5,000+ shiny silver discs I have all over my house. Yes, […]
Announcements
McIntosh Labs launch new MS500 Music Streamer and MCD600 SACD/CD Player
Binghamton, New York is a very busy place based on the number of announcements that come across my desk regarding McIntosh Labs product launches. The most recent salvo fired across the digital frontier from the […]
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 […]
Show Report
AXPONA 2018: Wynn Audio – and interviews with Metronome, Kiso, Zensati, Thales
Wynn Wong of Wynn Audio out of Toronto, Ontario is always pushing the boundaries of high-fidelity preconceptions in some way or another. He likes to mix things up at audio trade shows with his presentations. […]
Announcements
Vinyl and CD sales top $1.5 billion, beating downloads in United States
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has crowned physical copies of music king of the US market for 2017 with a report just released showing that sales of LPs, and CDs hit $1.5 billion, versus […]
Audiophile Journal
A visit to Hawaii’s oldest record store: Hungry Ear Records
It was sun tan lotion, and fresh rain… no wait, tropical flowers. Errr, maybe a whiff of roasting meat on a BBQ mixed in too? This is what greeted my nose upon disembarking from the […]
Announcements
McIntosh MCT500: New flagship SACD/CD Transport launched
The hits keep coming from McIntosh Labs. Apparently the iconic American high-fidelity company can’t stop itself from launching new products, something you won’t hear any complaints from me about. The latest announcement from the Binghampton, […]
Occasional Magazine
The Lost Generation of Audiophiles
I admit, being a child of the 80’s does come with a few perks these days. As nostalgia for “the good old days” of my generation ramps up, more and more movie and TV shows […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Esoteric gets lush sound from new gear
Veteran manufacturer Esoteric had not one, but two, major product introductions at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Reflecting general trends in the industry, one new piece of gear is aimed at vinyl fans, while the […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Nola Boxer S2 casts a long acoustic shadow
I’ve learned to allocate a little extra time when I see the Accent Speaker Technology Ltd. sign in the hallway at a show. Inside the room, I know I’m going to find a set of […]
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 […]
Announcements
McIntosh launches new MA5300 Integrated Amplifier
Hot off their introduction of the MA7200 integrated amplifier, McIntosh Labs is ready to to have a coming-out party for it’s little brother: The MA5300 integrated amplifier. Instead of the MA7200’s 200-watts/Channel, the diminutive direct-coupled MA5300 […]
RMAF 2017
RMAF 2017: Rafe’s Preview
“It’s baaaaaaaaack…” This time bigger, and better than ever – at least that’s the hope. With the Denver Marriott Tech Centre Hotel fully operational, and remodelled, the hype is starting for show goers who are […]
Canada
The List: Five of the best CD Players on the Planet
Welcome to something new we’re going to try here on PTA thanks to our friend Wynn Wong of Wynn Audio in Richmond Hill, Ontario. I’m going to be curating a new list every month featuring […]