Loading...

Should audio components always be 100% truthful to the source? Ahhh, that’s one of those questions that has resulted in untold audiophile angst, much like the supposed supremacy of analog over digital, or tubes vs. solid state. In the end, it’s ultimately up to the ear of the listener, and nothing else. If it sounds good to you, then it’s probably good.

I have a dark secret that I have been hiding from you for many months now, dear readers. My Linn LP-12 Sondek turntable has been collecting dust back in my tiny apartment over in my city of oblast significance and now I fear I have become yet another victim of that dreaded disease known all over the world as “streaming fever.” For years I have resisted the taut and supple promises foisted upon the masses by all of the competing digital formats but thanks to Part-Time Audiophile’s Scot Hull I have been introduced to something called Roon.

When I speak about record collecting with the under thirty-five crowd, initially many of them see vinyl as a low-fi medium, much like cassette tapes, and 8-tracks. This impression was created by dusty hand-me-down turntables, and record collections of which most have unkempt and dirty grooves. Along with many of the new records purchased during the “2008 vinyl resurgence” being played on these un-serviced thrift-store turntables, many more will find their way to the affordable shopping-mall Crosley suitcase models.

I saw a lot of those Cardas Audio blue cables from their Clear and Clear Beyond line at the show. I have a theory on why this is…1. they sound damn good meaning they let a lot of the music through, and 2. Angela and Josh are very friendly and easy to do business with. It seems that at every show that Angela and Josh are there with their outsized personalities. Some of the nicest people in the audio business,

I was checking my email recently when I noticed a breathless announcement from Best Buy that “AUDIOFEST IS HERE,” with “Incredible Savings on Amazing Sound.”

One of the fun aspects of reviewing gear from small start-up companies is getting to know the owner/proprietor, who is also usually the designer and builder of the piece of gear I’m reviewing. Such is the case with Mike McGary, something of a new kid on the block in the world of vacuum tube amplifier design.

US $16,995.00. There, I’ve said it, in bold. That’s nearly seventeen thousand dollars for a phono cartridge. I still remember the first turntable I bought back in 1981, it was a Luxman PD-284 which cost me $150 dollars.

The 1900 Building in Kansas City, Missouri, is the original HQ for Lee Jeans, and last week I got a tour, courtesy of Mr. Karbank, the owner. The "new" 1900 Building is a very posh and modern affair, with space for industry and a fantastic restaurant, but most interesting to you, dear reader, is that Mr. Karbank is also a client of a local Sonus Faber dealer Elevated Electronics, and that relationship allowed Sonus Faber the opportunity to bring some friends in to introduce a new toy, or rather, a collection of such toys, to celebrate their 35th Anniversary. The Sonetto

I’ve owned three of the NAD 316BEE integrated amplifiers. They are my go to budget integrated for a few reasons; power, finesse, and simplicity. Each time I have parted with one I’ve known it was to initiate a budding audiophile towards making a move into the hobby.

Technics RS M63. That was the first cassette deck recorder I bought with my own money. On monthly installments, I paid $21.50 for 24 months with my funeral home’s attendant part-time job. I would prefer the RS M85, but I couldn’t afford the payments so, I was very happy with my new acquisition.

The Renaissance Schaumburg played host to a number of announcements at AXPONA this year, of particular interest to me was PS Audio‘s room on the ground floor in the Journey/Creation suite right before you entered the Expo Hall. Why was I so interested you ask?

Sonus Faber is an Italian loudspeaker brand with a storied history, and designs which have been lauded as timeless classics. Bryston is an award-winning Canadian high-fidelity manufacturer with decades of experience in amps, pre-amps, speakers, and electronics. What do you get when you put them together?

Fresh and original, much of the story from here forth revolves around that feeling. Steven Norber is not only the founder of PranaFidelity, he is also their head designer. Prana is unique for a small company in that they design and manufacture loudspeakers, amplifiers, and pre-amplifiers.

Periodic Audio makes a terrific set of inner ear monitors at very reasonable price points. Roger Skoff and I awarded their Be IEMs an Alfie Award at the LA Audio Show. And let’s be honest, the whole theme of a periodic table of elements is quite clever.

If you’ve ever been into high fidelity gear from the United Kingdom then you’ve heard that phrase bandied about as a descriptor for British Isle-built sound. I love the images it conjures up in one’s imagination: Gust-driven rain pelting against a window partially concealed by thick Hunter Green velvet curtains, lots of built-in wooden shelves stocked with books, CDs, and LPs…

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 plane that had just landed in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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 smaller number actually in your league. That doesn’t stop you from dreaming, though.

Further to the outrage that my list of CD players caused, and building on the outright hatred that my list of turntables elicited from a number of readers, I’m back with this month’s The List whereupon I jump into the spiral grooves which are the domain of that highly-fetishized Objet D’art: The pickup cartridge.

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 mainstream names thrown in. Instead of repeating that, Part-Time Audiophile asked its writers to share their favorite releases.