LATEST ADDITIONS

Way back in the mists of time, around 1980 to be exact, the Marantz company in Europe introduces a range of ostensibly cost-no-object solid-state electronics under the "Esotec" banner. Manufactured in Japan, but apparently designed in the USA, these ruggedly constructed components are noteworthy in that the power amplifiers are capable of being operated with the output stages running under class-A bias as well as class-B. The relatively expensive Esotec amplifiers sell in small numbers in the UK&#151;remember that this is before the rebirth of the British high end&#151;and pass into the history books. I am reminded of them, however, when I visit my friend Ivor Humphreys of <I>Gramophone</I> magazine at Christmas 1987; he is using a pair of the 30W mono class-A Marantz amplifiers to drive <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/550">KEF R107</A>s&#151;and making very nice sounds.

<B><I>Denon Anechoic Orchestral Recordings</I></B><BR>
Music and Test Signals for Evaluation of Room Acoustics<BR>
Mashahiko Enkoji, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra<BR>
Denon CD PG-6006 (CD only). Katsuhiro Tsubonou, Yoshiharu Kawaguchi, dirs.; Norio Okada, Katsuhiro Miura, engs. DDD. TT: 58:42

Puma is Oystein Moen on keyboards and electronics, Stian Westerhus on guitar and electronics, and Gard Nilssen (also of <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/bushmans_revenge_jitterbug/">…’s Revenge</a>) on drums. <i>Half Nelson Courtship</i>, an often unsettling piece of work and one that refuses to be ignored, is the band’s third album, and their first for the excellent <a href="http://www.runegrammofon.com/">Rune Grammofon</a> label.

Each year, while proofing the data which makes up the <i>Stereophile Buyer’s Guide</i>, I come across new and interesting components. At this point in the proofing process, we’re deep into the analog gear, which of course comprises my favorite section of the book. So, while the task can be tedious and draining, it’s fun to discover new products. Here are just a couple that have caught my eye:

Sometimes, a product review in <I>Stereophile</I> can breed additional reviews. Shortly after I reviewed the Audio Valve Conductor line stage in the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/audio_valve_conductor_preamplifi… 2009 issue</A> (Vol.32 No.7), I was contacted by NAT's US distributor, Musical Sounds: "Hey, if you liked the Audio Valve Conductor [$13,995], you'll love the NAT Symmetrical line stage at $8000! Would you like to review it?" Aside from Michael Fremer's review of the battery-powered NAT Signature Phono stage in the July 2007 issue, I was unfamiliar with this Serbian maker of tube electronics. But "Sure," I replied; "why not?"

Victor Tiscareno and Byron Collett of AudioPrism are known in audiophile circles for their complete line of power-conditioning products. (See Barry Willis' omnibus review in the December 1998 <I>Stereophile</I>.) Their intimate knowledge of the ever-capricious electrical supply has resulted in a series of front-end components bearing the company's logo. The flagship Mana Reference monoblocks, under consideration here, represent AudioPrism's collected wisdom and engineering savvy taken to its logical extreme.

It's conventional wisdom among audiophiles: Small, high-end audio companies build high-quality products in small numbers. Products which are often expensive. But not always. Big mass-market companies build cookie-cutter products in big numbers. They're usually cheap. But not always.