The Occasional Podcast

Tips and tricks to getting the most out of your vinyl and turntable playback. Dr. Vinyl himself joins the show with updates and suggestions for keeping your alanog playback working its best. Alighment, tubes, warmup and a top list of all the things to look out as you begin your audiophile journey with records and beyond. Dr. Vinyl Website: https://www.drvinyl.net S10E9 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems SVSOUNDdotCOM – Join the Sound R|Evolution

The top 3 audio myths are addressed in this episode. What are some of the most common misconceptions that audiophiles encounter when dealing with the hobby at large? Are there any pieces of "advice" that keep newcomers out of HiFi when first starting out? We tackle the issues with the help of our friends at SVS this week. Special bonus, full (and I mean full) room coverage, impressions, takeaways and best-of-show from the California Audio Show 2024 located in the East Bay of San Francisco. A very special thanks to Gary Yacoubian, Nick Brown, Michael Liang (HiFiInsider on YouTube) and Tristan (PhotoTristan on YouTube). S10E8 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems

An interview with Michael Lavorgna of TwitteringMachines.com. Michael has a long history as a HiFi writer. His credentials include Stereophile magazine and Audiostream.com - the latter of which he ran for several years before Stereophile shuttered the site along with the personal audio site InnerFidelity. Michael is one of the predominant voices in digital audio, something that has evolved immensely in high fidelity audio in the past 20 years he has been writing on the subject. We sit down to chat about his long history with the hobby, his outlook on high end audio in general and even share a few stories from his experience reporting on the subject. Check out our amazing Bronze Record Weight merch here: PTA Store S10E7 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins

Marc Phillips returns from the HIGHEND audio show in Munich Germany. Filled with tons of impressions, product announcements and best sound of the show for 2024, Marc recaps his trip abroad with some of his personal takeaways from the biggest high fidelity event on the planet. Check out our amazing Bronze Record Weight merch here: PTA Store S10E6 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49

An interview with Andrew Jones of MoFi Electronics. Andrew joins the show once again, this time to discuss the new Sourcepoint 888 floorstanding loudspeaker. Recorded live at AXPONA 2024 in Chicago, we sit down with one of HiFi's most prolific speaker designers to discuss the habits of audiophiles, the Harman Curve, the value of speaker measurments and more. Andrew is a great interview, and is able to commucate various topics in both an in-depth but understandable way. A must listen for anyone just starting out or looking for a bit more information on how things come into being from a manufacturing and design standpoint. S10E5 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49

Live from Chicago, IL - The cast and crew from PartTimeAudiophile's coverage of AXPONA 2024 weigh in. Held April 12-14 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, Matthew Partrick, Grover and Graig Neville. Video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd0NF-pYiZLThKkddrmJylA S10E4 Sponsors: ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins

An interview with Michal Jurewicz of Mytek. The founder and designer of Mytek joins the show with a whole host of information on the latest in digital audio, Class-D and GaN updates. The latest in Class D amplification usually involves GaN technologies, and Michal has his own design and spin on the latest option for power that isn't the hot Class A or even AB technologies preferred by audiophiles. His latest product is a Class D monoblock, and he provides a great explaination as to what the current field looks like for this topology that is creeping into HiFi from the mainstream. S10E3 Sponsors: AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins

An interview with the founder of Audio Note UK, Peter Qvortrup. Peter shares some of his history and plenty of the audio know-how that he has collected over his very extensive tenure working in HiFi. He brings a fairly unique perspective to some of high end's more well-trodden talking points and offers up his two cents on speaker placement, damping, distorition, spec limits and how we as humans have evolved over time to hear certain things, in specific ways. A really interesting interview with one of high fidelity's more elusive characters. S10E2 Sponsors: AXPONAdotCOM - North America’s Audio Expo ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound

Our season 10 premiere features the cast and crew from PartTimeAudiophile's coverage of the Florida Audio Expo in Tampa, held February 16-18. 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. S10E1 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! INNUOSdotCOM - Listen From Within AXPONAdotCom - North America’s Audio Expo ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics

Our 2024 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 12 categories, the buyer's guide provides some insight into the season's best audiophile products along with some general hifi 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 9, a 100% bronze record weight that is really something behold, and to hold. S9E15 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM – Let Us Connect You To The Music! INNUOSdotCOM – Listen From Within HIFIROSEUSAdotCOM - The Future Of Music Awaits You

Coverage and impressions from Captial Audiofest 2023. Marc, Brian, Grover and Graig broadcast live from the DC event for audiophiles. Full impressions, observations on trends and best of show awards. What is the current state of Class D and GaN updates! Are children welcome at audio shows? Also, a list of best practices for any first time show goer. This show's event sponsor is Doug White and The Voice That Is. Doug was showcasing the new Tidal Contriva G3 loudspeakers (and Siltech Ruby Crown Cables) in their first US appearance at CAF 2023. Check out our amazing Bronze Record Weight merch here: PTA Store S9E14 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! INNUOSdotCOM - Listen From Within

Interview with John DeVore of DeVORE FIDELITY. John joins the show to talk about all things audio and more. This huge and diverse interview covers speaker topics like material resonances, hard dome tweeters, sensory perception, the myth of the skinny speaker and more. It explains why a solid wood speaker cabinets is rarely used and inspires the host Brian Hunter to search for sweeter sounds at low levels. The show also highlights John's other artistic talents including his love for unique and high-end drawing pens. If you are attending Capital Audiofest this weekend, please swing by the Wilson Room and see this show's sponsor, Doug White and The Voice That Is. Doug will showcasing the new Tidal Contriva G3 loudspeakers (and Siltech Ruby Crown Cables) in their first US appearance. S9E13 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! INNUOSdotCOM - Listen From Within MUSICHALLAUDIOdotCOM - No Nonsense, Just Great Sound

An Occasional Podcast Halloween special. The series of events that unfolded at a HiFi retail store in Ogden, UT in 1974 would forever change the small town. One of the most brazen and brutal crimes to ever unfold in the HiFi market is the subject of this SE podcast episode. Warning: This episode contains descriptions of graphic and disturbing content which might be upsetting for some listeners. Special guest host Bryan Beasley along with Brian Hunter lay down the events of Monday, April 22 and walk through the timeline, case and trial of this terrifying true crime. A very special thanks to Bryan for his many contributions helping put this complex show together. S9E12 Sponsors: HIFIROSEUSAdotCOM - The Future Of Music Awaits You WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins

We deliver a tell-all for everything hot coming out in headphones for the 2023 holiday season. PartTimeAudiophile.com Editor-In-Chief Marc Phillips joins the show to give all the juicy HiFi updates to his immediate trip abroad (he literally jumped on a plane after we recorded this). We discuss all the latest headphone news with on-site interviews from the latest personal audio show in Los Angeles. Are wireless headphones finally coming into thier own? Marc and Brian discuss, along with observations about new tech entering the field and why audiophiles seem to only buy black or silver boxes. This episode also features the top 10 hardest audio brands to pronounce according to our recent Facebook poll. S9E11 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! INNUOSdotCOM - Listen From Within HIFIROSEUSAdotCOM - The Future Of Music Awaits You

Interview with Andrew Jones of MoFi Electronics (KEF/ELAC/Pioneer fame) discussing crossovers in speaker design. Andrew Jones is one of our favorite people to have on the show because he: 1. knows things 2. shares that knowledge in an articluate manner 3. has a British accent that just makes things sound cool. Crossovers can be a complicated subject when constructing (and purchasing) a loudspeaker, but in this episode, Andrew helps clear up some of the misconceptions on the somewhat cloudy subject of internal speaker hardware. Mr. Jones has two new speakers of his design out right now under the MoFi Electronics umbrella that are raising some buzz in the market - the Sourcepoint 8 & 10. Check out our amazing Bronze Record Weight merch here: PTA Store S9E10 Sponsors: WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins ACORAACOUSTICSdotCOM - Hear The Truth SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics

Marc Phillips rejoins the show after a quick trip to the coast for Pacific Audiofest 2023 in Seattle, WA. Filled with tons of impressions, product announcements and best sound of the show, Marc recaps his trip to the Pacific Northwest with some of his personal takeaways from the one of the newest high fidelity events to join the circuit. Check out our amazing Bronze Record Weight merch here: PTA Store S9E9 Sponsors: WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins ACORAACOUSTICSdotCOM - Hear The Truth SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics

Interview with David Solomon of Qobuz plus T.H.E. Show 2023 Highlights from Costa Mesa. This double header includes a massive primer on how to stream digial audio. Tips, tricks and everything you need to get started with both high resolution music streaming as well as a a deeper dive for those already well versed. David is the VP of Biz Dev at Qobuz and is perhaps one of the most seasoned digial audio guys who still make the rounds within the audiophile show circuit. Recorded earlier this year, we make our way through everything you need to know to grapple and master digtial audio streaming. The second half of the show features none other than PTA writer Grover Neville. Grover and Brian showcase all the highlights from The Home Entertaiment Show 2023 which takes place in early June every year. Expect all the good, bad and culinary delights of this year's big Los Angeles HiFi show. S9E8 Sponsors: WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins ACORAACOUSTICSdotCOM - Hear The Truth SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics

Interview with Steve Guttenberg and Herb Reichert. Both Steve and Herb have prolific resumes in the audiophile world. Steve has written for CNET, Stereophile, TAS and more - while now dominating the video space on YouTube with over 230k subscribers and millions of views. Herb is a longtime Stereophile writer and reviewer who isn't afraid to take a steady look at budget and personal audio systems in his very approachable and creative writing style in a typically high end, high brow (and maybe high nosed) sea of HiFi reviews. Steve and Herb combined have both brought huge contributions in the media space - efforts that continue to bring in fresh members and serve as an amazing point of entry for so many individuals first getting into the hobby. S9E7 Sponsors: WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins ACORAACOUSTICSdotCOM - Hear The Truth SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49 ZMFHEADPHONESdotCOM - Traditional Craft, Modern Acoustics

Marc Phillips returns from the HIGHEND audio show in Munich Germany. Filled with tons of impressions, product announcements and best sound of the show, Marc recaps his trip abroad with some of his personal takeaways from the biggest high fidelity event on the planet. Check out our amazing Bronze Record Weight merch here: PTA Store S9E6 Sponsors: AMPSANDSOUNDdotCOM - Making Better Sound Quality Accessible WOOAUDIOdotCOM - Where Better Sound Begins ACORAACOUSTICSdotCOM - Hear The Truth SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in California & Texas, Starting At $49

This episode comes lives from the Chicago event with the cast and crew from PartTimeAudiophile's coverage of AXPONA, held April 14-16. We sound off on all the showroom highlights and the latest hifi product releases we saw at the massive 200+ listening room convention. Best of show, standout gear and plenty of weekend observations. Very special thanks to our devious co-hosts, Marc Phillips, Matthew Partrik and Mohammed Samji. S9E5 Sponsors: PURISTAUDIODESIGNdotCOM - Let Us Connect You To The Music! INNUOSdotCOM - Listen From Within