The Occasional Podcast

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 on 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 Reichert 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 Believing

FOCALNAIMAMERICAdotCOM – High-End Hi-Fi Excellence

FERNANDROBYdotCOM - Expert Craftmanship for Elevated Sound Systems

SCHIITdotCOM - Audio Components Designed & Built in Texas, Starting At $49