Monthly Spins
Best Albums of 2018 | Monthly Spins
I would be lying if I said that the order these albums are in has nothing to do with how many dalmes I played each one. It’s a strange year in music. Take a look at […]
Month: December 2018
Loudspeakers
Sonus Faber Sonetto II Speakers | Review
Nothing but the truth 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 […]
Awards
The Occasional 2018 Buyer’s Guide
The Editors have voted, weighed in, argued, smashed cups to the ground and called for more; they have bitten thumbs, quarreled, sallied forth; they have met the enemy and they were not themselves; they have […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: Marc’s Wrap-Up
The last couple of months have been a blur. Just days after I joined the team at Part-Time Audiophile and The Occasional, I was off to Denver to cover the 2018 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. […]
Components
D’Agostino Relentless Monoblock Amp | First Listen
Dan D’Agostino’s new reference Relentless Monoblock amplifier (website) weighs in at a record 570 pounds, can dance beautifully at 1 watt and will party all the way 6000 watts into 2 ohms when driven by a […]
Announcements
Parasound’s New Zphono XRM is a Big Step Up from Entry-level Zphono
Our good friend, Gordon Sell of GSPR, alerted us to some genuinely exciting news from Parasound. The wildly popular Zphono phono preamplifier from Parasound’s ulta-compact Z line of components get’s updated in a huge way. For […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: VPI Industries, AudioShield, Krell, Wilson Audio, Soundsmith, Nordost; If more is better, too much is almost enough
VPI Industries was in direct control, AudioShield had the room well protected, Krell and Wilson Audio tango with reference style, Soundsmith and Lyra go head-to-head, Nordost throws a lasso around the crowd. The Story Twice as […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: Wells Audio, LampizatOr, Daedalus, WyWires; Way better than golf
I’ve been waiting to meet (and listen) with Jeff Wells of Wells Audio for some time. The electronics created by Mr. Wells, are scary good with familiar pairings from Daedalus Audio, LampizatOr, and WyWires. The […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: Daedalus, Linear Tube Audio, LampizatOr, WyWires; All Reference
This is a system I could listen to every day and twice on Sundays. Which is exactly what I did at Capital Audiofest. On Friday, I poked my head in for a listen, Saturday, much […]
Analog
Thales Simplicity II Tonearm | REVIEW
On March 27th, 1983, the New York Times published an article titled “Sound; Tonearms: Is Linear Better?”. The article read like a technical paper, more sophisticated than some of today’s articles found in Audiophile magazines. […]
Show Report
Jakarta 2018 IHEAC | Photo Tour
Our friend Lukasz Fikus of LampizatOr went to Jakarta for the Indonesia High End Audio Club (IHEAC) Audio/Video Show 2018 … and took a few pictures. They’re presented without introduction or explanation — but offered as a window, both […]
RMAF 2018
RMAF 2018: Darryl’s View
by Darryl Lindberg RMAF Intro Let’s get this out of the way right now: I love the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival. I’ve made the trek every year and I’ve never thought, “maybe next year I’ll […]
Music
Newvelle Records | The Deep End
If you’re a music lover who is older than 35 or 40, you’ve probably joined the Columbia House Record Club at some point in your life. I joined for the first time back in 1976, […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: MoFi, Tenacious Sound and a Whole Lotta Real Estate
Tenacious Sound, one of my old dealers out of Syracuse, New York, has been busy expanding over the last couple of years–owner Shayne Tenace has moved his base of operation into Augusta, Georgia and has […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: Odyssey Audio; A punch in the face that feels great
Klaus Bunge of Odyssey Audio is a one man circus of personality, high-end sound, and high-end value. Together with VPI Industries, and Symphonic Line we get a healthy dose of what might be Klaus’ highest-end […]
Headphones
Acoustic Research AR-H1 | REVIEW
Words and Photos by Eric Franklin Shook Nothing holds you hostage with the music like a big set of cans. You are isolated, alone, just you and the music. The music gets inside your head […]
Monthly Spins
Monthly Spins: December 2018
Music The Glands: The Glands File Under: Athens Indie rock reissues Released a couple of weeks ago this self-titled album is originally from 2000 and finds a fully-formed Athens, Georgia band that should have had […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: ModWright Instruments, Fritz Speakers and Oh, It’s You Again
It became a running joke after a while. I’d be walking the halls at the 2018 Capital Audiofest, I’d look up and Fritz would be standing there or walking by or coming out of a […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: Paradigm, Anthem and Staying the Heck Out of the Way
At the 2018 Capital Audiofest, the gentleman in the Paradigm/Anthem room had it all figured out. He had the simplest of systems in his exhibit—the Anthem STR integrated amplifier ($4500) hooked up to a pair […]
CAF 2018
CAF 2018: Sound Insight, GT Audio Works, Pass Labs, Semper Sonus, Esoteric, Triode Wire Labs, ATS Acoustics
Sound Insight made the subs, GT Audio Works made the speakers, Pass Labs made gobs of power, Semper Sonus provides the mechanical wizardry, Esoteric and Vu Jade Audio kept things nice and dark, while Triode […]