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Latest
  • [ November 26, 2023 ] AURALiC Vega G2.2 Music Server | REVIEW Digital
  • [ November 24, 2023 ] Acoustic Energy AE509 Loudspeakers | REVIEW Loudspeakers
  • [ November 22, 2023 ] HiFi Highlights And Best Of Show | Capital Audiofest 2023 Announcements
  • [ November 20, 2023 ] The Audiophile Black Friday Guide 2023 Announcements
  • [ November 19, 2023 ] Carbide Base Isolation Devices from Carbide Audio | REVIEW accessories
  • [ November 18, 2023 ] Bayz Audio at Capital Audiofest | CAF 2023 CAF 2023
  • [ November 17, 2023 ] Mola Mola Lupe Phono Preamplifier | REVIEW Analog
  • [ November 16, 2023 ] CAF Day Three with Graig Neville | CAF 2023 CAF 2023
  • [ November 15, 2023 ] CAF Day Two with Graig Neville | CAF 2023 CAF 2023
  • [ November 14, 2023 ] Day Four with Brian Hunter | CAF 2023 CAF 2023
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HubCon 2022

The Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.3 Special Sauce | HUBCON 2022

July 10, 2022 Eric Franklin Shook 3

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 […]

Buyers Guide

The Best Preamplifiers | Buyers Guide Summer 2022

June 3, 2022 Editorial Staff Comments Off on The Best Preamplifiers | Buyers Guide Summer 2022

Welcome to the Best Preamplifiers section of the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2022. The Guide is more than “We heartily endorse this [fill in the blank].” This collection represents our enthusiasm. Every product […]

Buyers Guide

The Best Preamplifiers | Buyers Guide 2022

November 28, 2021 Editorial Staff 2

Welcome to the Best Preamplifiers 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 product […]

Components

Mola Mola Makua Preamplifier | REVIEW

February 28, 2021 Grover Neville 6

The Mola Mola Makua (website), much like the Tambaqui (review) before it, was a device utterly unknown to me before this review. Naming gear after exotic fish isn’t a new concept–I own a pair of […]

Components

McIntosh MA252 tube/solid-state: Review

March 30, 2018 John Stancavage 7

Say hello to the McIntosh MA252: “Hello, stranger.” In the world of high-end audio, there are solid-state tribes and there are tube tribes. Usually, the two pretty much stick to their own camps, except for scattered […]

Awards

The Part-Time Audiophile guide to the best hi-fi gear of 2017

December 25, 2017 John Stancavage 20

Picking the best audio component of the year is kind of like pondering your ultimate list of girls to ask to the high school prom. There are many very attractive choices, but probably a much […]

Music

Review: Getting my groove on with one-step vinyl releases

December 17, 2017 John Stancavage 2

In business, it can be advantageous to cut out the middle man. In vinyl record production, too, less can be more. The latest mini-trend in the audiophile world is one-step recordings, which eliminate two parts […]

Announcements

Last chance to register to win an AudioQuest DragonFly Red DAC

December 16, 2017 John Stancavage 25

Time is running out to start 2018 with a brand-new DAC/headphone amp, courtesy of AudioQuest and Part-Time Audiophile. So, put down that eggnog and enter our Best of 2017 contest now, before the clock hits […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Best In Show

November 11, 2017 John Stancavage 6

This year dawned with plenty of questions facing the high-end audio industry. The most pressing were: Would the U.S. economy hold up, allowing manufacturers and retailers to stay afloat? Would vinyl continue its revival, possibly […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Aaudio Imports, Wilson Benesch make a statement with Cardinal loudspeaker

November 9, 2017 John Stancavage 3

I first auditioned a pair of Wilson Benesch speakers about a decade ago at a Dallas dealer. I had come in primarily to listen to a tube amp I fancied, but the sight of the […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2107: Nagra, Wilson define the state of the art

November 6, 2017 John Stancavage 2

I found myself getting short of breath at RMAF not long after I entered room 1030 at the Marriott Denver Tech Center. I put most of the blame on my general middle-aged poor health, combined […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Wyred 4 Sound, Acoustic Zen combine for sonic harmony

November 5, 2017 John Stancavage Comments Off on RMAF 2017: Wyred 4 Sound, Acoustic Zen combine for sonic harmony

Robert Lee tends to exhibit his well-regarded Acoustic Zen speakers at shows with an ever-changing list of electronics partners. Despite the diverse group of components — tubes, solid-state, Class A, Class D — he never […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Esoteric gets lush sound from new gear

November 3, 2017 John Stancavage Comments Off on 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: Sanders creates electrostatic bliss

November 3, 2017 John Stancavage 3

There were a lot of impressive-looking rooms at the 2017 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest – special mood lighting, huge product posters, rented greenery. There also were loud after-hours listening sessions, cocktail parties and even some swag. […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Nordost shows the power of better cords

November 2, 2017 John Stancavage Comments Off on 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: Zesto steps up with new phono transformer

October 24, 2017 John Stancavage Comments Off on RMAF 2017: Zesto steps up with new phono transformer

On the surface, the news sounds shocking: Zesto Audio has built its first component without a tube. But rest easy. President and designer George Counnas hasn’t forsaken his strategy of mixing 1930s valve concepts with […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Wilson’s new Alexia 2 sparkles with Constellation Audio

October 21, 2017 John Stancavage 1

From the day it was introduced in 2012, there was something special about Wilson Audio’s Alexia. It had a significantly different high-frequency presentation than the company had favored for decades. It was small enough to […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Daedalus, ModWright, WyWires are smooth operators

October 20, 2017 John Stancavage 1

When does a box look like a subwoofer and woof like a subwoofer, but not really be a subwoofer? When it’s attached to Daedalus Audio’s new Zeus loudspeaker. The 74-inch-tall transducer, the flagship of the […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: Thrax, EnKlein, and Audio Den draw listeners in

October 19, 2017 John Stancavage Comments Off on RMAF 2017: Thrax, EnKlein, and Audio Den draw listeners in

It’s not intentional, but I’m afraid I am making a habit of keeping the Thrax Audio people from their dinner during major shows. I first heard the brand near the end of a day at […]

RMAF 2017

RMAF 2017: VAC has Renaissance with Tannoy

October 15, 2017 John Stancavage Comments Off on RMAF 2017: VAC has Renaissance with Tannoy

It’s not uncommon to hear an audio manufacturer boast that a less-expensive model benefits from “trickle-down technology” developed for a flagship, or that the humble product “shares the same DNA.” In reality, though, such claims […]

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