Brian Hunter

North Hills

Founder and Managing Editor at Audio-Head.com

Contributing Writer and Editor at Freelance

Managing Editor at The Occasional Podcast

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Articles

Top 10 Best Integrated Amplifiers For 2025 So Far

3 days ago | pt.audio | Brian Hunter

As part of our Summer 2025 Buyer’s Guide we decided to break down an additional category for further exploration on the podcast. In the 7 episode of our 12th (can you believe it) season, we look at the top 10 best integrated amplifiers for 2025 so far. Marc and Brian rejoin forces on the show to give a little more color to the nominees this June – who is new and hot? Who managed the best sounds of the retail season? We discuss everything in this top 10 recap, listed from cheapest to most expensive.
KT88 vs 300b - Kevin Hayes From VAC on The Occasional Podcast

3 weeks ago | pt.audio | Brian Hunter

What are the differences between the KT88 Tube and the legendary 300b? Kevin Hayes from VAC joins the show this week to explain, along with a ton of other burning questions about analog vs digital in music playback, class A and more. Kevin Hayes has been in the HiFi industry for over 35 years. He currently designs and produces tube amplifiers, almost exclusively centered around the KT88 tube.
Andrew Jones Talks Bass And The New V10 Sourcepoint Speaker

1 month ago | pt.audio | Brian Hunter

AXPONA 2025 brought a few new HiFi treasures with it, and more than a few new product launches. Andrew Jones of MoFi Electronics was busy showcasing his latest creation for the brand with the Sourcepoint V10 loudspeaker. The upcoming Sourcepoint speaker will likely sit as the crown jewel of the lineup for a few years to come.
HiFi Highlights And Best-Of-Show | AXPONA 2025

1 month ago | pt.audio | Brian Hunter

What was the best sound at AXPONA 2025? What hidden gems did the pt.AUDIO crew of writers uncover at the largest audio show in the US? The tell-all manuscripts from the weekend play out in elegant detail in the latest episode of The Occasional Podcast thanks to the dedicated efforts of Marc Phillips and Graig Neville.
Sonner and Audion | AXPONA 2025

1 month ago | pt.audio | Marc Phillips |Panagiotis Karavitis |Brian Hunter |Garrett Hongo

Saturday at AXPONA 2025 was a frustrating day in general. Attendance seemed off the charts, much stronger than on Friday, and it wasn’t too long before the hotel elevators started to buckle under the pressure. It took forever to get anywhere, and I soon felt like I running behind schedule and i had so much to do and by lunchtime I was feeling rather discouraged.
Innuos Stream | AXPONA 2025

1 month ago | pt.audio | Marc Phillips |Panagiotis Karavitis |Brian Hunter |Garrett Hongo

I always visit the Innuos room at high-end audio shows for at least a couple of reasons. First, they offer some of my favorite digital products in the market, and I’ve found that they’re super easy to use–at least for someone who struggles with the digital audio learning curve such as me. Second, I love the people at the company such as Amelia Santos and Nuno Vitorino, who run the company in Faro, Portugal.
Konzertmeister from Audio Note UK | AXPONA 2025

1 month ago | pt.audio | Marc Phillips |Panagiotis Karavitis |Brian Hunter |Garrett Hongo

Ever since I reviewed an entire Audio Note UK system for pt.AUDIO a couple of years ago, I’ve been trying to figure out Round Two from this legendary UK marque.
R|Evolution from SVS | AXPONA 2025

1 month ago | pt.audio | Graig Neville |Panagiotis Karavitis |Brian Hunter |Marc Phillips

I like big bass and I cannot lie–rooms 1442 and 1444 had the bassiest rooms I heard at AXPONA 2025. In 1444, SVS had the new PB-5000 R|Evolution series playing movie tracks at absurd levels. The room also included the SVS speaker line, with floorstanding, bookshelf and even Atmos speakers showing off their home theater capabilities. Room 1442 had the sealed SB-5000 R|Evolution playing music paired with the SVS floorstanding and bookshelf speakers.
Gestalt Audio | AXPONA 2025

1 month ago | pt.audio | Marc Phillips |Panagiotis Karavitis |Brian Hunter |Garrett Hongo

I might be starting off my coverage of AXPONA 2025 backwards–the Gestalt Audio room was the very last room I visited before I had to catch my flight back home. In fact, I almost didn’t get a chance to meet importer and distributor Colin King at all. I was on a ruthless schedule the last day of the show and I needed to visit about ten rooms in less than two hours. First up, right when the show started at 10am, I went straight to the Gestalt Audio room.
Our Top 10 Speaker List Before AXPONA- Cheapest To Most Expensive

2 months ago | pt.audio | Brian Hunter |Panagiotis Karavitis |Marc Phillips |Garrett Hongo

As we slowly inch our way to the big Chicago audio show AXPONA this week, we have prepared a Top 10 list of speakers that really stood out since last year. There are usually a great many new product announcements at what has become the biggest US show held in Schaumburg, IL in early April – so Marc and Brian have joined forces on The Occasional Podcast in S12E3 to bring you a recap of everything wild and wonderful in the world of speakers since 2024 AXPONA.