Part-Time Audiophile - Life in Sound

Pass Labs XP-32 Line Level Preamplifier | REVIEW

by Garrett Hongo in Components 0

I have to admit, when it comes to a new iteration of a piece of gear I’ve already become familiar with and admired, I get the audiophilic shakes, atremble with the Kierkegaardian fear that this [...]

Best Audio Accessories | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 9, 2024 2

Welcome to the Best Audio Accessories from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best audio accessories or that these choices somehow overrule anyone else’s favorites. We’re saying […]

Best Grounding, Power Management and Cables | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 9, 2024 3

Welcome to the Best Grounding, Power Management and Cables section of the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best grounding, power management and cables or that these choices […]

Best Headphone Audio | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 9, 2024 2

Welcome to the Best Headphone Audio section of the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best headphone audio products or that these choices somehow overrule anyone else’s […]

Best Digital Audio | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 8, 2024 0

Welcome to the Best Digital Audio section for the Part-Time Audiophile Summer 2024 Buyers Guide. We’re not saying that these are the best digital audio products or that these choices somehow overrule anyone else’s favorites. We’re […]

Best Phono Cartridges, Tonearms and Headshells | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 8, 2024 0

Welcome to the Best Phono Cartridges, Tonearms and Headshells section from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024 We’re not saying that these are the best phono cartridges, tonearms and headshells or that these choices […]

Best Phono Preamps and SUTs | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 8, 2024 0

Welcome to the best phono preamps and SUTs section from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the “best” phono preamps and SUTs or that these choices somehow overrule […]

The Best Turntables | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 8, 2024 0

Welcome to the Best Turntables section from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best turntables or that these choices somehow overrule anyone else’s favorites. We’re saying that […]

Best Line Stages and Preamps | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 7, 2024 0

Welcome to 2024’s Best Line Stages and Preamps from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best line stages and preamplifiers or that these choices somehow overrule anyone […]

Best Power Amplifiers | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 7, 2024 0

Welcome to the Best Power Amplifiers section from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best power amplifiers in the world or that these choices somehow overrule anyone […]

Best Integrateds | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 7, 2024 0

Welcome to Best Integrateds section of the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best integrateds in the world or that these choices somehow overrule anyone else’s favorites. […]

Best Tower Loudspeakers | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 7, 2024 2

Welcome to the Best Tower Loudspeakers section from the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not saying that these are the best tower loudspeakers in the world or that these choices somehow overrule […]

Best Bookshelf Monitors | Buyers Guide Summer 2024

June 7, 2024 0

Welcome to the Best Bookshelf Monitors section of the Part-Time Audiophile Buyers Guide for Summer 2024. We’re not actually saying that these are the best bookshelf monitors in the world or that these choices somehow […]

Penang 2024

Northern Audio and Visual Show, Part Two | Penang 2024

For Part 1 of the Northern Audio and Visual Show in Penang, click here! Audio Perfectionist: McIntosh & Børresen The worst location of the Northern Audio and Visual Show was occupied by McIntosh and Børresen [...]

Penang: Northern Audio and Visual Show, Part One | Penang 2024

Pass Labs XP-32 Line Level Preamplifier | REVIEW

July 7, 2024 0

Michell Gyro SE Turntable | REVIEW

June 30, 2024 1

I had no idea science fiction and hi-fi would meet when I started my review of the Michell Gyro SE turntable. Michell, pronounced Mi-shell, like the girl’s name, is another Cinderella story of an unsatisfied […]

Döhmann Audio Helix RC1 Mk.III Record Clamp | REVIEW

June 28, 2024 0

Reviewing the Döhmann Audio Helix RC1 Mk.III record clamp brings up some audio memories, like the time I almost destroyed a $40,000 Döhmann turntable by moving it from one equipment rack to another. The Döhmann […]

ArgentPur Monobloc Power Amplifiers | REVIEW

June 23, 2024 0

There’s a GaN FET revolution goin’ on, if you haven’t noticed. GaN, of course, stands for gallium nitride, which is a semiconductor material that increases the speed and efficiency of switching amplifiers, aka class D. […]

MoFi Master Phono Preamplifier | REVIEW

June 16, 2024 1

Peter Madnick, longtime veteran audio engineer, has designed the new MoFi Master Phono (MSRP $5,995), a piece of gear that not only has a distinctive look, but also revives and improves upon a kind of […]

Gold Note IS-10 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW

June 14, 2024 1

Maybe it’s my engineer brain or maybe I bumped my head too many times as a kid, maybe both, but I like complexity, nuance, details. That’s probably why most of my hobbies are complicated. Being […]

Audience ClairAudient 1 + 1 V5 Loudspeakers | REVIEW

June 2, 2024 4

I can still remember the first time I listened to the Audience ClairAudient 1 + 1 speakers. I can’t remember when and where exactly, but I do know it was a high-end audio show, and […]

Zu Audio DW 6 Loudspeakers | REVIEW

May 15, 2024 2

I have had the pleasure of reviewing many Zu Audio speakers over the years. While some of the Ogden, UT company’s high fidelity efforts dance in the mid-to-high end, there is perhaps no speaker more […]

Electrocompaniet ECI6DX-MKII Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW

May 5, 2024 Comments Off

What is it about these so-called “all-in-one” components, such as the Electrocompaniet ECI6DX-MKII, that I like so much? When I was a journeyman audiophile I was always taught that it’s better to separate the features […]

Munich: A First-Timers’ Best of Show | Munich 2024

June 5, 2024 1

As a first-timer to Munich 2024, quite possibly one of the largest and perhaps most important audio shows in the world, I was both in awe and somewhat intimidated with the prospect of attending. Firsts […]

High End 2024 Best Sound in Show | Munich 2024

May 31, 2024 0

I’ve noticed something different about my Best Sound of Show list for High End 2024. None of these systems are what you might call “budget” or “high-value.” Many of these systems, in fact, stretch far […]

Martial Hernandez, Von Schweikert and VAC | Munich 2024

May 28, 2024 1

Who is Martial Hernandez and why has he run the Von Schweikert and VAC room at the Munich show for the last couple of years? I met Martial for the first time last year–Damon Von […]

VTL and Luke Manley | Munich 2024

May 28, 2024 0

This show report is just a simple reminder that when it comes to Wilson Audio speakers, I prefer mine hooked up to VTL. I’ve already mentioned this several times during the 2024 high-end audio show […]

ZenSati and Brodmann | Munich 2024

May 28, 2024 0

It took me until last year to realize that the ZenSati room at the Munich show was not to be missed–despite being “just” a cable manufacturer, they have the chops to assemble truly world-class exhibit […]

Contriva G3 from TIDAL Audio | Munich 2024

May 27, 2024 1

Last year, the TIDAL Audio room was all about the debut of the TIDAL for Bugatti Royale system, which not only won Best Sound of Show for Munich 2023, it won our Product of the […]

Erobotica by Turist | The Vinyl Anachronist

A few years ago I went completely bonkers for an album of electronica from a European label–Rasmus Kjaer’s Turist. It sounded like the proverbial breath of fresh air because keyboardist Kjaer was so adept at [...]

JMF Audio Factory Tour | On the Road

How did I wind up taking the JMF Audio factory tour in France in the days following Munich 2024? Last year, when I was in Munich, I made the mistake of telling Laurent Fusilier of [...]

Credo EV 350 Reference Monitors | REVIEW

When I listen to premium two-way bookshelf monitors such as the Credo EV 350 Reference monitors, I often wonder how I could objectively rate them based on a combination of size (the internal volume of [...]

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