Wharfedale Denton 1S Announced by MoFi | Announcements
Wharfedale DENTON 1S Heritage: A New Compact Classic Reimagined First introduced in 1967, the original DENTON was Wharfedale’s response to a changing world — a truly compact hi-fi loudspeaker that delivered natural sound, fine craftsmanship, and exceptional value. It utilised Wharfedale's co-axial twin cone, full-range drive unit, and challenged convention not only through its engineering but also through its appearance, moving away from the traditional wooden-box aesthetic in favour of a more utilitarian, forward-looking design that was ahead of its time....
https://pt.audio/2026/05/18/pt-audio-wharfedale-denton-1s/
Denon and Marantz Factory Tour | On the Road
Why did I travel to Japan just a day or so after AXPONA 2026 concluded to visit the Denon and Marantz factory? Usually I return home from a high-end audio show and I go home and chain myself to my laptop for a couple of weeks and hammer out all those show reports, but when I received an invitation to tour the Denon and Marantz factory in Shirakawa and the corporate offices in Kawasaki, I asked myself a very important question: am I really going to say no to Japan?...
https://pt.audio/2026/05/17/denon-and-marantz-factory-tour-on-the-road/
An Interview With Bill Low From AudioQuest
For the midpoint of Season 14, The Occasional Podcast heads into more philosophical territory with a special conversation featuring Bill Low from AudioQuest. S14E6 finds host Brian Hunter sitting down with one of high-end audio’s veteran voices for a discussion that moves well beyond cables, components and system matching. Instead, this episode focuses on the deeper mechanics of listening itself....
https://pt.audio/2026/05/16/an-interview-with-bill-low-from-audioquest/
Hana Umami Black Phono Cartridge | REVIEW
The Hana Umami Black phono cartridge unexpectedly made it to the lake house, rather quickly in fact, after I spoke well of this $11,500 MC cart at the Capital Audiofest room last November. This is my third Hana review, by the way, and I still remember saying, "If the $1200 Hana ML sounds like a $3,000 to $4,000 cartridge, and it does, then what would a $3,000 to $4,000 Hana sound like?" A couple of years later, I found it when I reviewed the $3,950…...
https://pt.audio/2026/05/15/hana-umami-black-phono-cartridge-review/
Barco Group Acquires Focal and Naim | Announcements
Focal and Naim Join the Barco Group La Talaudière, May 13, 2026 — VerVent Audio, the company that unites the Focal and Naim brands, has announced a major milestone in its development: the completion of its acquisition by the Barco Group, a global specialist in high end projection, visualization, and immersive experience solutions. Focal and Naim, leaders in premium acoustics and electronics, have officially joined the Barco Group’s portfolio....
https://pt.audio/2026/05/14/ptaudio-barco-group-acquires-focal-and-naim/
Long-Term Loans and Reciprocity Bias | Scot Hull
The Florida Audio Expo 2026 sparked controversy, largely driven by videos from Jay's Audio Lab discussing biases among audio reviewers tied to long-term loans. The discussions revealed ongoing concerns about bias and disclosure in audio reviews. But are these serious objections or just another tempest in a teapot?...
https://pt.audio/2026/05/13/long-term-loans/
TEAC VDRS-701 CD Player | REVIEW
It's been a while since I've reviewed a one-box CD player like the TEAC VDRS-701, but here's how I usually explain why I want to spend my time with a component that's largely considered obsolete, or at best vestigial. Perhaps I still want to listen to my rather large CD collection, for example. Or, I might need a back-up plan if my current player--which I've used for nearly 15 years now--ever decides to call it quits....
https://pt.audio/2026/05/10/teac-vdrs-701-cd-player-review/
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/
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/
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/
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/
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/
