High-end audio is obsessive by nature, which is why I tend to go nuts whenever I see the latest version of the LS3/5a that scales new levels of performance. So my 2024 FLAX Saturday highlights […]
The 2024 FLAX Friday Highlights represent, of course, the beginning of the high-end audio show season, and with a busted tailbone and a fistful of Advil this intrepid reporter ventured out into the hallways of […]
I’ve already shared the story of how I met the folks at Computer Audio Design (CAD) once or twice on these pages, and how I wound up reviewing their Ground Control GC1.1 earthing device. But […]
The Music Hall Stealth direct-drive turntable, which includes the Ortofon 2M Blue MM cartridge and carries a price tag of just $1,695, won the PTA Best Value Award for 2023 just a couple of months […]
What’s better for increasing the gain in your analog set-up, a moving-coil phono stage or a step-up transformer such as the Bob’s Devices Sky 20-S? I’ve heard both sides of the debate and I still […]
It’s the dead of winter right now, and I often spend the bad weather days listening to gentle and introspective music while staring out the windows at all that snow. My musical choices usually gravitate […]
There’s a new sheriff in town, and its name is the Southwest Audio Fest! That’s right, the Southwest Audio Fest is ready for its first ever appearance in the Dallas TX area, at the luxurious […]
Sometimes I think about the role of the chassis in high-end audio design, especially when I’m confronted with components such as The Black Swan phono preamplifier and The Black AMP headphone amplifier from Austin Audio […]
I really wanted to review some amplification with 300B tubes. I’ve been listening to some of my writers over the last couple of years, reviewers who have been vocal in their adoration of this DHT, […]
We’ve reviewed plenty of gear from the Underwood HiFi umbrella of brands over the last year, everything from the Audio-gd Master 10 Mk. II integrated amplifier that was a nominee for Best Value of the […]
“It’s for people who just want to stream,” the folks from Faro told me when I first listened to the Innuos PULSAR network streamer. “You mean people like me?” I asked, and they nodded in […]
Here’s the official press release from Focal Naim America on the new Focal Aria Evo X: FOCAL KICKS OFF 2024 WITH A REFRESH OF ITS ICONIC LINE: ARIA EVO X EVO STANDS FOR “EVOLUTION” Las […]
I have an ongoing dilemma with reviewing digital audio. I never seem to have all the pieces I need to test out DACs, streamers and servers. (Digital cables can occasionally be an issue as well.) […]
This is the perfect time of year for the Benjamin Gisli Trio and their new album, Line of Thought. The holidays are over and now we northerners can look forward to a period of hibernation, […]
Words and Photos by Paul Ashby Niecy Blues Exit Simulation (Kranky US) I can’t recall ever calling anything “Album of the Year.” It’s a new thing with me. Although potential competition may have seemed significant, […]
How do I choose which two-way monitors I want to review? Most of the time I’m already familiar with the product. I’ve heard it once or twice, or I have experience with the brand or, […]
I’ve made a few changes for the 2023 Product of the Year Awards. Usually I limit the nominees to products our team at PTA has reviewed over the year. That implies we have significant seat […]
PTA’s 2023 Best Value Awards are marked by an underlying theme, that old audio reviewer canard of saying “I liked it so much, I bought it!” Many of the 2023 Best Value nominees below are […]
The ZMF Caldera and Atrium Closed headphones arrived at a fortuitous point in my reviewing schedule. I had just purchased the Naim NAIT 50 integrated amplifier for use as both back-up amplification and as a […]
I’ve been told on multiple occasions by numerous people that when it comes to holiday gifts, I’m notoriously “tough to buy for.” Nonsense! I’m an audiophile! I have a million things I want, and I […]
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