Welcome to the Best Phono 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 […]
The Best Phono Preamplifiers [Editor’s note: Welcome to the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2021! These are the best phono preamplifiers that we, the PTA team, have heard.] Soundsmith MMP3 Mk. II ($799.95 USD) […]
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 […]
Stereo nutjobs have one last opportunity this year to binge out on more than 150 systems gathered under one roof. Yes, it’s time to head to Denver for the venerable Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. The […]
I don’t know how Michael Fremer does it. The Analog Planet scribe, guru of all things vinyl, lugs around a bag full of rare wax to test equipment at shows. Me, I have a hard […]
2015 is over, much to my shock and chagrin. Honestly, I’m not quite sure how it happened. No. Seriously. I kinda feel like I’m Rick Grimes; I just woke up, everyone is gone, and WTF […]
I know, I know … readers will be all up in my business because Scot Hull already covered off this room more than a month ago, but after consulting with the Hull-ster he said “WTF?, […]
Thanksgiving is a weird holiday. Here in the US, it’s tied up with some Good Samaritan myths around the charity shown the settlers by the natives. Somewhat strangely, given the name of the holiday, […]
Or, an Introvert Goes to Denver I’ve attended a few audio shows in the last 5 years. Okay, that’s not true. I’ve attended a lot of shows in the last 5 years. Every one of them is […]
You’d think that attending so many audio shows so very, very regularly would start to do some pretty serious damage to anyone’s enthusiasm. How exciting can it be to repeatedly trudge through crowded hallways for […]
George and Carolyn Counnas of Zesto Audio were spinning records all weekend long, but when I walked in, it was Cat Stevens’ shivering voice that sent me down the spirals of memory to a place […]
Wes Bender is a fantastic photographer and he’s way more meticulous about it than I am. He’s shown me some of this work — specifically, the G-rated product stuff — and told me about the […]
George and Carolyn Counnas of Zesto Audio usually present a close variation on the same recipe. You’ll have some great TAD speakers, a Merril-Williams turntable, a Tri-Planar arm, a Dynavector XX2 cartridge, a full loom […]
I loved the Zesto Audio room at RMAF and I loved here, again, at CES. As far as I could tell, the gear was exactly the same: TAD CR-1 Loudspeakers ($37k + stand) Zesto Audio […]
Someday, I’d like to bring some deHavilland gear in to play with. I mean, I’ve always been a fan of deHavilland. The sound is outstanding, and the reviews you can find online are very enticing. […]
I love monitor speakers, and it isn’t just because they’re easy to lug, toss, and move around your listening room. Though that is part of it. Just not all of it. There is something special, […]
I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I love these $42k (up from $37k) TAD CR-1 loudspeakers. They’re just outstanding. They’re dangerous, however. I’ve heard the CR-1s now about half-a-dozen times, and the demo hasn’t […]
Wes Bender Studio NYC put together something more than a room at NYAV this year. It was a tour-de-force. Hansen speakers. Redpoint Audio Design with Zesto for vinyl. Lindemann for discs. Viola Audio Labs for […]
I was immediately star struck. Look at those beautiful shapes! Gorgeous, flowing, white! Then I looked into the high-mounted Accutons and saw … what are those? Eyes? Are these speakers? Or … Schmoos? Har? Okay, […]
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