Part-Time Audiophile

05/08/2026

Best Sound at AXPONA | AXPONA 2026

Marc Phillips Offers His 10 Choices for Best Sound at AXPONA 2026 If it seems like I'm constantly griping about AXPONA and that's it's getting too big to cover properly, that's one audio curmudgeon's problem and no one else's. From all other perspectives, of course, AXPONA's growth every year is a cause for celebration within an industry that's always concerned about surviving the next generation of music lovers....

https://pt.audio/2026/05/08/best-sound-at-axpona-axpona-2026/

05/07/2026

Next weekend!

2 Weeks till our Free Listening/Learning Event, May 16th 5-9pm & May 17th 12-6pm! Featuring many New and Limited products! One of these just added will be the New Amazing Technics 1200/1210 GME Turntable with only 1200 and 1210 Worldwide! Bring Your Vinyl and Come Check out this Fun and Educational Event!

05/06/2026

All the crazy speakers from AXPONA 2026 - S14E5 of The Occasional Podcast is live!

05/06/2026

Brooklyn Rider: The Four Elements | Darryl Lindberg

Brooklyn Rider: The Four Elements by Darryl Lindberg Of the many blessings of the vinyl renaissance—if, after all these years, it still can be called a renaissance—the availability of LPs that are the product of living, breathing musicians is the most gratifying to me. Not only that, but the fact that I can listen to recordings of these contemporary musicians in my preferred format playing…...

https://pt.audio/2026/05/06/brooklyn-rider-the-four-elements/

05/05/2026

IZVOR Discrete Ladder DAC from Audio Note UK | Announcements

Audio Note (UK) releases IZVOR, the first-ever Discrete Ladder DAC module built with Premium Analogue Components. 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Audio Note (UK) Ltd. The vanguard of high-fidelity vacuum tube and analogue-centric design has released a new version of their classic integrated amplifier, the OTO, and has quietly been developing a new Digital Audio Converter (DAC)....

https://pt.audio/2026/05/05/pt-audio-izvor-dac-audio-note-uk-announcements/

05/05/2026

The Turnbull Audio Room | AXPONA 2026

"Turnbull Audio room? You mean there's a Turnbull Audio room at AXPONA?" When I visited The Voice That Is over at the Schaumburg Marriott, I was surprised that Nathan Vander Stoep of Turnbull Audio wasn't in the room, even though his cables and power distributor were--it turns out Nathan had a dedicated Turnbull Audio room back at AXPONA. He exhibited the same Turnbull Audio products along with a…...

https://pt.audio/2026/05/05/the-turnbull-audio-room-axpona-2026/

05/05/2026

Next Level HiFi, Audio Group Denmark and a New Look | AXPONA 2026

I may have been deceptive right there--Audio Group Denmark does not have a new look for their components (aside from the magnificent seven-figure M8 loudspeaker system that premiered earlier this year), but Chicago-area dealer Next Level HiFi certainly does. I walked into the main Next Level HiFi room at AXPONA 2026, sat down and listened to a gorgeous system and thought to myself, "Something's different here." It took me a few minutes to figure out....

https://pt.audio/2026/05/05/next-level-hifi-and-a-new-look-axpona-2026/

05/05/2026

The Reviewer And The Designer - S14E5 of The Occasional Podcast

05/04/2026

A Live Interview With Steve Guttenberg And Andrew Jones

This year at AXPONA, we were invited to do a little something special with The Occasional Podcast. Our audio-centric show got the chance to interview two of the biggest names in HiFi, both on stage at the same time. In a seminar hall, in front of live studio audience, we sat down with Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg and legendary speaker designer Andrew Jones for a one-of-kind podcast - and our first with a large crowd in tow!... https://pt.audio/2026/05/04/a-live-interview-with-steve-guttenberg-and-andrew-jones/

05/04/2026

EMM Labs and Meitner and Audioshield | AXPONA 2026

While the Audioshield Distribution room at AXPONA was missing a personal favorite, Credo loudspeakers of Switzerland, John McGurk was able to create another stellar system with EMM Labs and Meitner--and a pair of Raidho speakers. (Michael Kraske of Credo sent me an email just before the show--the US tariff situation has made it difficult for many European brands to ship product back and forth, but I will see him in Vienna next month.) That said, EMM Labs and Meitner made a strong showing at AXPONA 2026 thanks to John and Amadeus Meitner....

https://pt.audio/2026/05/04/emm-labs-and-meitner-axpona-2026/

05/04/2026

SV-Audio and Next Level HiFi | AXPONA 2026

Who is SV-Audio? And why were they in a Next Level HiFi exhibit room at AXPONA this year? This might be the first time I've walked into a Next Level HiFi exhibit room at a high-end audio show and wasn't greeted by a system that was completely made up of components from Audio Group Denmark. (As you'll see from the photos, there were a couple of…...

https://pt.audio/2026/05/04/sv-audio-and-next-level-hifi-axpona-2026/