Like most <I>Stereophile</I> readers, we have grown accustomed to seeing Barry Diament's name on superb-sounding recordings, since he has mastered albums by artists from AC/DC to Warren Zevon&mdash;and every letter in between. When the magazine still had its editorial offices in Santa Fe, Diament dropped by one afternoon to say hi, so now we feel like we can brag, "Hey, we know that guy!"

The last Class&#233; power amplifier I reviewed, back in November 2004, was the imposing <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/1104classe">Omega Omicron</A> monoblock ($20,000/pair), which made glorious sound with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Revel Ultima Studio</A> speakers. But things change. First, my reference speakers are now <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1205bw">B&W 802D</A>s. Second, my system now has <I>three</I> front speakers, supplemented by two B&W 804S speakers for surround sound. While a quintet of Omicrons would undoubtedly be dandy, five such monoliths would take up so much space that I'd be wondering about their effects on the room's sound. With so many channels, it seemed time to investigate whether a multichannel amp could carry the load.

The last Class&#233; power amplifier I reviewed, back in November 2004, was the imposing <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/1104classe">Omega Omicron</A> monoblock ($20,000/pair), which made glorious sound with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Revel Ultima Studio</A> speakers. But things change. First, my reference speakers are now <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1205bw">B&W 802D</A>s. Second, my system now has <I>three</I> front speakers, supplemented by two B&W 804S speakers for surround sound. While a quintet of Omicrons would undoubtedly be dandy, five such monoliths would take up so much space that I'd be wondering about their effects on the room's sound. With so many channels, it seemed time to investigate whether a multichannel amp could carry the load.

The last Class&#233; power amplifier I reviewed, back in November 2004, was the imposing <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/1104classe">Omega Omicron</A> monoblock ($20,000/pair), which made glorious sound with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Revel Ultima Studio</A> speakers. But things change. First, my reference speakers are now <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1205bw">B&W 802D</A>s. Second, my system now has <I>three</I> front speakers, supplemented by two B&W 804S speakers for surround sound. While a quintet of Omicrons would undoubtedly be dandy, five such monoliths would take up so much space that I'd be wondering about their effects on the room's sound. With so many channels, it seemed time to investigate whether a multichannel amp could carry the load.

The last Class&#233; power amplifier I reviewed, back in November 2004, was the imposing <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/1104classe">Omega Omicron</A> monoblock ($20,000/pair), which made glorious sound with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Revel Ultima Studio</A> speakers. But things change. First, my reference speakers are now <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1205bw">B&W 802D</A>s. Second, my system now has <I>three</I> front speakers, supplemented by two B&W 804S speakers for surround sound. While a quintet of Omicrons would undoubtedly be dandy, five such monoliths would take up so much space that I'd be wondering about their effects on the room's sound. With so many channels, it seemed time to investigate whether a multichannel amp could carry the load.

<I>"Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein."</I>&mdash;Dick Rowe, Decca Records, 1962

<I>"Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein."</I>&mdash;Dick Rowe, Decca Records, 1962

<I>"Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein."</I>&mdash;Dick Rowe, Decca Records, 1962

<I>"Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein."</I>&mdash;Dick Rowe, Decca Records, 1962

I was going through a box of old photographs, lingering over some pictures I'd taken at the Quad loudspeaker factory in Huntingdon, England, a number of years ago. It was my second trip overseas&mdash;1994 or '95&mdash;and while I remember being intrigued by the machinery and the test equipment and all, I know that the real impact of the tour was probably lost on me: I wasn't yet a Quad <I>owner</I>.