The Occasional Podcast

Our recommendations for the top 10 best sounding Turntable Carts from the past 12 months. Marc and Brian run down their best turntable cartridges for record players available to buy today. Released in conjunction with the pt.AUDIO Buyer's Guide Summer 2025. You can check out all the "best of" gear from every HiFi category here: https://pt.audio/category/audio-gear-reviews/buyers-guide/ In this epsiode we also discuss the pros and cons of Moving Magnet vs. Moving Coil cartridges and how to properly budget a cart vs. the total price of the turntable and components. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S13E1 Sponsors: AUDIOVISIONSFdotCOM - San Francisco Oct 18-19 In-Store HiFi Celebration AUDIOQUESTdotCOM — High-Performance Cables & Power Products — Made for You MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times PASSLABSdotCOM - Rediscover Your Music Like Never Before

Our recommendations for the top 10 best sounding turntables from the past 12 months. Marc and Brian run down their best turntable picks from 2025. Released in conjunction with the pt.AUDIO Summer Buyer's Guide. You can check out all the "best of" gear from every HiFi category here: https://pt.audio/category/audio-gear-reviews/buyers-guide/ Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E10 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection PASSLABSdotCOM - Rediscover Your Music Like Never Before PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

An interview with Vince Burzzese of Totem Acoustic. Vince has been developing speakers for many years, and his longtime brand Totem Acoustic has carved out its audience in the HiFi realm since 1987. We sit down with him to chat about his design philosophy, audio journey, and more in this very unique interview. Vince is a rare Canadian designer based out of Montreal, Quebec. His goals and mission in audio are made clear and help provide an interesting insight into the how and why he has dedicated his professional life to audio. It is a really fun listen for anyone interested in high-end audio, high fidelity, and speaker design philosophy in general. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E9 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection DEVOREFIDELITYdotCOM - Nothing Brings You Closer To The Music PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

An intervew with Director of Acoustic Design at IAG, Peter Comeau. Peter helps manage the sound design for IAG brands, including Wharfedale, Mission, Quad, Castle and Audiolab. We chat him up and discuss his outlook on listening, reproducing sound and more. Peter gives his take on several audiophile myths, including how far a speaker should really be placed from a wall for the best bass response. He also sheds a little more light on the idea of "British" speaker designs and some of the pros and cons of two-way vs three-way approaches. This includes some insights into the new (and very popular) Super Linton sub-$3k standmount that we got a chance to review. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E8 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection DEVOREFIDELITYdotCOM - Nothing Brings You Closer To The Music PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

Our recommendations for the top 10 best sounding integrated amplifiers from the past 12 months. Marc and Brian run down their best amp picks from cheapest to most expensive. Released in conjunction with the pt.AUDIO Buyer's Guide Summer 2025. You can check out all the "best of" gear from every HiFi category here: https://pt.audio/category/audio-gear-reviews/buyers-guide/ Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E7 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection DEVOREFIDELITYdotCOM - Nothing Brings You Closer To The Music PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

An interview with Kevin Hayes Of VAC. The KT88 and the 300b tube are some of the most popular options for HiFi amplification. But what are the differences and why do some amp designers choose one over the other? Kevin explains the situation and also discusses Class A, if amplifiers "warm up", and if tubes sound better in the pre amp or power amp. A very educational and inspirational interview with a tube designer that has been in the business for over 35 years. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E6 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection DEVOREFIDELITYdotCOM - Nothing Brings You Closer To The Music PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

Andrew Jones of MoFi Electronics joins the 5-timers club with us this week on The Occasional Podcast. Recorded at AXPONA 2025, this episode tackles the finer talking points of loudspeaker bass design, as well as all the new interesting bits on Mr. Jones upcoming MoFi Electronics flagship floorstander, the Sourcepoint V10. Andrew Jones has a long history with high fidelity design, working for speaker brands like KEF, TAD, Pioneer and Elac. In this episode Andrew discusses some audio myths, A/B comparisons and what the idea of "better" truly means within the context of audio listening. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E5 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection DEVOREFIDELITYdotCOM - Nothing Brings You Closer To The Music PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

Live from Chicago, IL - The cast and crew from PartTimeAudiophile's coverage of AXPONA 2025 weigh in. Held April 11-13 in the Schaumburg Convention Center, this episode reports back on all the showroom highlights and the latest hifi product releases from the largest high fidelity audio event in North America. Best of show, standout gear and plenty of weekend observations. Special thanks to Marc Phillips and Graig Neville. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E4 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 THEVOICETHATISdotCOM - For The Joy Of Music

Our picks for the top 10 best sounding speakers from the past 12 months. Marc and Brian rundown their best speaker picks from cheapest to most expensive. In preparation for the upcoming AXPONA show in Chicago, the pt.AUDIO staff presents some of the best speaker listens since the last show. Much has been updated, revealed and redeemed. Also don't forget to check out the show sponsor of this episode: Tidal Audio and The Voice That Is along with Audio Ultra and Artisan Fidelity will be at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg April 11th and 12th from 10am to 5pm where they will feature three big rooms and the world premier of the new AP1 speaker. Also available for a listen will be the Contriva G3 and Piano G3 speakers, the new Ferios G2 mono amplifiers, the Contros Digital Music Converter, the Prisma preamplifier, TIDAL x Bugatti MP1 and MC1 electronics, Turnbull Audio Cables and more. Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E3 Sponsors: NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics

Ever sit at your 9 to 5 and wonder what it would be like to venture out on your own, in your favorite hobby? This is exactly what Zach Mehrbach of ZMF headphones did until he kicked off what turned out to be one of the most successful micro-brands in the headphone space. In this episode we explore some of the growing pains of a small business in personal audio, hunting wood, Steve Jobs and going from a metaphoric "David" to "Goliath". Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S12E2 Sponsors: NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

Our Season 12 opener is with David Chesky of Chesky Records and The Audiophile Society. Along with creating the high resolution music download service HDTracks.com, David is a composer, Jazz pianist and founder of both the label Chesky Records and a new venture with a focus on 3D sound called the Audiophile Society. In this episode he discusses life as a musician, creator and composer with audiophile pursuits. A great listen for anyone looking to hear more about the latest in HiFi music production, life as a Jazz musician and more. David's latest projects: The Audiophile Society | Music Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram | 300 Gram AXPONA 2025 Golden Pass Giveaway link (submit before March 30th) S12E1 Sponsors: NORDOSTdotCOM - A Clear Choice For The Best Connection SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo

An interview with Drew Baird Of Moon-Audio.com. Drew joins the Season 11 finale with tons of unique insights into the current state of the CD - and some of his observations might actually surprise you. In this episode we explore the impacts of physical media on the current audiophile landscape, system matching, the eventual takeover of AI and more. An excellent learning/conversional piece about the current state of HiFi and what to expect to see in the next few years. Drew owns and operates the online retailer Moon-Audio and has an absolutely massive cache of product knowledge including sales trends and behind-the-scenes insights into the industry. A must listen for newcomers, experienced audiophiles looking for the next thing and anyone with a large collection of CDs on their shelf (or in a flip binder). Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, plus the new GOLD! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E11 Sponsors: DRVINYLdotNET - Hearing Is Believing FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo NAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence

A huge show with an interview of Nicholas Niespodziani from Yacht Rock Revue! The term "Yacht Rock" is turning out to be quite the hot button topic for audiophiles. With the release of the HBO doc Yacht Rock: A DOCKUMENTARY and Donald Fagan's white hot response to the idea, it has quickly become apparent that not everyone is in love with the term that has caused a massive resurgence in interest from LA-based soft rock bands from the mid 70s and 80s. Yacht Rock Revue has been at the head of that resurgence, riding the wave with musicianship and showmanship like no other. With a massive groundswell of their own, Nick and the YRR crew have not only collaborated with the artists they cover, but have even opened up for Kenny Loggins on tour. Now a music force in their own right, YRR has released two original albums "Hot Dads In Tight Jeans" and the recent "Escape Artist". In this episode we discuss whether the term "Yacht Rock" is offensive, a mild slight, or downright condescending. Nick offers a unique perspective from someone the front lines, and shares stories from his experience leading arguably one of the most successful cover bands of all time. https://www.yachtrockrevue.com | Qobuz | Apple Music Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, plus the new GOLD! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E10 Sponsors: DRVINYLdotNET - Hearing Is Believing FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo NAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence

Marc and Brian take on pt.AUDIO's coverage of the Florida Audio Expo in Tampa, held February 21-23. This episode reports back on all the showroom highlights and the latest hifi product releases from the Q1 event. Best of show, standout gear and plenty of weekend observations. From warding off gators in the hotel parking lot to 8 foot tall flat panel speakers, this episode tells you everything you need to know about the first big audio event of 2025. Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, plus the new GOLD! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E9 Sponsors: DRVINYLdotNET - Hearing Is Believing FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo AUDIOQUESTdotCOM — High-Performance Cables & Power Products — Made for You

An interview with Michael Trei of Stereophile Magazine. Michael joins the show to chat about his historic run with HiFi. In addition to reviews and a regular column with Stereophile, Michael has held nearly every possible position for a real high fidelity enthusiast. This includes (but not limited to) writer, reviewer, distributor, retail sales and even turntable setup-er. His knowledge of the analog spinning disc is deep, and he shares some of his life experiences along with a good helpful chunk of audio knowledge in this interview. Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, plus the new GOLD! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E8 Sponsors: PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems AUDIOCAFEBEVERLYHILLSdotCOM - Emotional Musical Engagment

Due to the sucess of our episode on The Anatomy Of An Amplifier With Jason Stoddard, we decided to take a deep dive into headphones with the same format. This week we are joined again by none other than Zach Mehrbach of ZMF headphones. Zach walks us through the "how to" and "know how" of every part that makes up a headphone, from connector to cable to headband - and everything in between. This includes things to look out for in a quality headphone build and the impact of each part, material and design choice. Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, plus the new GOLD! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E7 Sponsors: DRVINYLdotNET - Hearing Is Believing FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems pt.AUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

An Interview With Herb Herichert Of Stereophile Magazine. We met up with Herb at another audio show last year and really got a chance to pick his brain about HiFi, life and even the growing AI trend as it relates to music and art. Herb is one of the great writers for Stereophile and isn't afraid to tackle anything from headphones to the high-end when it comes to his art. There was such an interesting crew the came up from the East Coast during the golden age of HiFi, so we are so honered to have Herb back on the show this week (he orginally appeared with Steve Guttenberg in an interview way back in S9E7). Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, plus the new GOLD! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E6 Sponsors: DRVINYLdotNET - Hearing Is Beliving FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49

Our 2025 Buyer's Guide For Audiophiles. Marc and Brian go over some of the best and brightest audio products reviewed and heard for the upcoming year. Broken out into several HiFi categories, the buyer's guide provides some insight into the season's best audiophile products along with some general banter and tips for the hobby. See the full guide in written form at PT.Audio. Don’t forget to check out our merch for Season 11. The 800g Record Weight in Copper, just in time for the holidays. (plus the new GOLD!) pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E5 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

An interview with pt.AUDIO Editor-At-Large (Asia) Richard Mak. Richard joins the show to give us the lowdown on the relatively untapped media markets for areas like Signapore, Japan, China, HongKong and the rest of the Asian. US media for high fidelity gear rarely makes it over to these audio shows, so it was great to have Richard on to tell us about how things might be a little different... and how they are really still the same. Do individual geographic areas really have different sounds for high-end and headphone gear? In this episode we take on some of the unique differences across the global audio scene. Also includes coverage, impressions and best products/rooms from the Singapore audio show. The Season 11 preimer kicks off a whole slew of new stuff, including our pt.AUDIO site rebrand and new MERCH! The new PTA Record Weight in Copper is now available. And for the holiday season - Gold! pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Copper pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Gold S11E4 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times

Coverage and impressions from Captial Audiofest 2024. Marc, Brian, Grover, Graig and Marc S. broadcast live from the DC event for audiophiles. Full impressions, observations on trends and best of show awards. What rooms sounded like perfection? What new products really impressed? All the new details all a ton of new products get realeased at this East Coast show and we have them all to share with you in this detailed and robust episode of HiFi wondery. This episode's event sponsor is Doug White and The Voice That Is. Doug was showcasing the North American premiere for new TIDAL for Bugatti MC-1 Digital Controller, TIDAL for Bugatti MP-1 Pre amplifier and Turnbull Audio Prestige Audio Cables.