The Occasional Podcast

Coverage and impressions from Captial Audiofest 2025. Marc, Brian and Scot broadcast live from the big DC audio event. This show includes full impressions and observations on trends. What rooms sounded like perfection? What new products really impressed? All the details on a ton of new gear get annouced at this East Coast show and we have them all to share with you in this robust, boots-on-the-ground episode. This episode's event sponsor is Doug White and The Voice That Is. Doug was showcasing the Tidal Piano G3 Loudpeaker, TIDAL Ferios G2 amplifier, Turnbull Audio Prestige Audio Cables and new Power Distributor, REL Carbon Special Black Label, and Equitech Model 2RQ at Capital Audiofest 2025. CAF 2025 Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio Season 12 Merch is now available! The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram

Marc And Brian from pt.AUDIO run down all the latest gear hitting the HiFi and Audiophile market for the holiday season. From premium speaker products to headphones, IEMs and amplifiers, this episode discusses and dissects all the new product announcements for 4th quarter and beyond. If you are attending Capital Audiofest next weekend, please swing by the Wilson Room and see our CAF 2025 sponsor, Doug White and The Voice That Is. Doug will showcasing his fine selection of brands including Tidal Audio, Turnbull Cables, Equitech, REL Subwoofers and more. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S13E5 Sponsors: AUDIOQUESTdotCOM — High-Performance Cables & Power Products — Made for You SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times PASSLABSdotCOM - Rediscover Your Music Like Never Before WHARFEDALEUSAdotCOM - Legendary British Sound – Elevated THEVOICETHATISdotCOM - The Wilson Room At Captial Audiofest 2025

An interview with Ed Mullen and Nick Brown of SVS. In this detailed educational discussion, we explore all the things that you can do to improve the sound of your stereo through adjusting your listening room. An often overlooked, essential part of HiFi performance is condition of the ceiling, walls and floor of the room your rig is located in. Technical expert Ed Mullen joins us to dissect the subject including room treatments, standing/null waves, room gain, controlling floor boom, bass bleed, isolation and more. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S13E4 Sponsors: AUDIOQUESTdotCOM — High-Performance Cables & Power Products — Made for You SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49 PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times PASSLABSdotCOM - Rediscover Your Music Like Never Before WHARFEDALEUSAdotCOM - Legendary British Sound – Elevated THEVOICETHATISdotCOM - The Wilson Room At Captial Audiofest 2025

An interview with Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith. Peter has a very long history of research and development in audio. From his time at IBM to amps to turntable cartridges, Peter has long sought to educate and enlighten the twisting technicalities of HiFi. In this interview we chat about why audio is sometimes pros, cons and compromise. It is an evolution that attempts to help to solve a host of problems, while sometimes creating new ones. But most importantly, it’s weeding out things that break over time so consumers have a lifelong product. We also chat about turntables and is analog better than digital? Do Turntables have sample rates? Measurements, cantilever material, why mono karts might be better, cable burn in and how “getting used to something” really effects how we can form preferences. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S13E3 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 PTdotAUDIO - Great Sounds Meet Good Times PASSLABSdotCOM - Rediscover Your Music Like Never Before

This episode is a collection of interviews that help explore the idea of measurements as they relate to high fidelity audio reproduction from an audio product designer's perspective. Some of the most predominant makers of HiFi gear share their thoughts on measurements, discussing the usefulness, limitations, and greater impact on the market. Includes interviews with Peter Qvortrup of Audio Note UK, Andrew Jones of MoFi, Nelson Pass Of Pass Labs and First Watt, Axel Grell from Sennheiser, Bill Dudleston from Legacy Audio and Peter Comaeu of Quad and Wharfedale. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/@PT-Audio The pt.AUDIO Record Weight In Walnut : 230 Gram S13E2 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 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