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.

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.

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.

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.

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.