Announcements
The Best of The Month | July 2021
July of 2021—was indeed a hell of a month, if not the best July in years, for Part-Time Audiophile. Many cool things have happened in the last month at PTA. Some of them are new […]
dave mcnair
Loudspeakers
Qln Prestige One Loudspeakers | REVIEW
At last, the new Qln Prestige One monitors have arrived. The last time I heard a pair of Qln speakers was probably at an audio show close to a couple of years ago, undoubtedly matched […]
Components
Audio by Van Alstine DVA M225 Monoblock Amplifiers | REVIEW
I’m not gonna tease any of the readers by making them wait (or skip to my conclusion), so I’ll say right up front: OH. MY. LAWD.™ I was in audiophile heaven from the minute I […]
Show Report
Pietra and Benchmark | T.H.E. SHOW 2021
I’m not familiar with Pietra speakers (website), but they resembled the Acora Acoustics speakers which both Marc Phillips and Dave McNair have reviewed and raved to me about recently. The large marble front baffles meant […]
Show Report
Wilson Benesch, Ypsilon, Aurender, Vibrance, Stage III Concepts, Isoclean, HB Design, Stacore | T.H.E. SHOW 2021
I’ve long been a fan of Wilson Benesch (website) speakers, but they’re a rare sight here in the United States. I was intrigued to see local distributor Aaudio Imports playing a pair of Wilson Benesch […]
Show Report
Audiovector, Thrax, Frank Schröder, Tom Evans, Antipodes, Weiss Engineering, Hemingway Audio | T.H.E. SHOW 2021
After hearing Dave McNair rave about the Audiovector (website) loudspeakers (Dave’s review here), I knew a stop by their room was mandatory. Another dark room and a difficult photo-taking environment greeted me. A glorious sound […]
Digital
Merason Frerot DAC with Pow1 LPSU | REVIEW
My review of the Merason Frerot DAC is the first time I’ve ever done a formal review of a stand-alone digital-to-analog converter. I do have plenty of experience with DACs over the last few years, […]
Occasional Podcast
The Occasional Podcast Asks: What Is British Hi-Fi?
This week’s episode of The Occasional Podcast features interviews with Andrew Jones, Rob Watts, Mike Moffat and Johan Coorg. The topic? What exactly is British Hi-Fi? How did it become a thing, is it still […]
Occasional Podcast
Al Schmitt, Legendary Engineer and Producer, Dies At 91 | The Occasional Podcast Interview
The sad news hit early Tuesday morning, music engineer and producer Al Schmitt had passed away at at 91. I got a chance to sit down with the music legend to chat about his legacy […]
Loudspeakers
Wilson Audio SabrinaX Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Most audiophiles know of the unwavering commitment to accuracy and groundbreaking industrial design baked into the DNA of every Wilson Audio product (website), and the new Wilson Audio SabrinaX loudspeakers are no exception. This was […]
Analog
ZYX Ultimate Airy X Cartridge | REVIEW
The first time I listened to the ZYX Ultimate Airy X cartridge it instantly reminded me of Scot Hull’s wife, Julia. I know that sounds strange, and even Scot’s probably thinking “WTF, Marc?” right about […]
Analog
Vertere Acoustics Mystic Moving Coil Cartridge and Phono-1 MKII Preamp | REVIEW
In my earlier review, I wrote about the Vertere MG-1/SG-1 turntable/tonearm combination. Here I’m going to pen about a few other offerings from Vetere (website), companion pieces I received with the ‘table and arm–the Vertere […]
The Vinyl Anachronist
Lyle Workman, Uncommon Measures | The Vinyl Anachronist
It’s happened a couple of times so far, where I publish a Vinyl Anachronist music review and our own Dave McNair messages me and says “oh, I worked on that one.” I felt kind of […]
Loudspeakers
Acora Acoustics SRB Loudspeakers and SRS Stands | REVIEW
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 […]
Analog
Vertere Acoustics MG-1 Turntable and SG-1 Tonearm | REVIEW
Between a worldwide pandemic, the death of reason and civility, and accidentally scratching my favorite Stones’ Sticky Fingers import pressing, I had a serious case of the blues. When I found out Norm Steinke of […]
Loudspeakers
Marten Oscar Trio Loudspeaker | REVIEW
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 […]
Digital
Denafrips Pontus II DAC | REVIEW
I’ve been on a hot streak lately with getting components to review that have sounded excellent despite the current difficulties in hearing something beforehand. For a reviewer, it’s one of the many great things about […]
Loudspeakers
Marten Oscar Duo Loudspeakers | REVIEW
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, […]
Components
McIntosh Labs MC1502 Power Amplifier | REVIEW
For a lot of folks, McIntosh Labs gear (website) is the stuff that audiophile dreams are made of. The idea of actually owning and using this gear, especially something as impressive as their new McIntosh […]
Loudspeakers
Audiovector R 6 Arreté Loudspeaker | REVIEW
“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, […]