Within a few years of entering the US market, Australian audio manufacturer Bruce Halcro Candy cemented his place in audio history by designing a amplifier that Paul Bolin said (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/683">in the October 2002 <I>Stereophile</I></A>) "could well justify the creation of a 'Class A+' amplifier category in 'Recommended Components'," and the low distortion characteristics of which prompted editor John Atkinson, a man who has elevated the craft of understatement to a high art, to reach for the word <I>astonishing</I>. That was the Halcro dm58 monoblock ($29,990/pair), which has only recently been superseded by the Halcro dm78.

Within a few years of entering the US market, Australian audio manufacturer Bruce Halcro Candy cemented his place in audio history by designing a amplifier that Paul Bolin said (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/683">in the October 2002 <I>Stereophile</I></A>) "could well justify the creation of a 'Class A+' amplifier category in 'Recommended Components'," and the low distortion characteristics of which prompted editor John Atkinson, a man who has elevated the craft of understatement to a high art, to reach for the word <I>astonishing</I>. That was the Halcro dm58 monoblock ($29,990/pair), which has only recently been superseded by the Halcro dm78.

There are components that stick in a reviewer's memory long after they have been crated up and entrusted to the tender mercies of UPS. When I reviewed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/305dcs">Verona Master Clock</A> from English company dCS in March 2005, the sound it allowed the combination of a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/814">dCS Verdi</A> transport, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/454">Purcell</A&gt; upsampler, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/259">Elgar Plus</A> D/A processor to achieve from SACD was the best I had heard from my system&mdash;better, even, than I remember getting from the EMM Labs SACD transport and processor I had borrowed for a weekend a few months earlier. But at what price? The stack of four dCS components adds up to a cool $45k&mdash;"Yes, the complete dCS system is hip," I wrote in the conclusion to my review. "But $45k's worth of hip? That's a question <I>I</I> can't answer, I'm afraid, what with school fees and mortgages and taxes." The megabux dCS stack thus had to go back to the distributor at the end of the review period.

There are components that stick in a reviewer's memory long after they have been crated up and entrusted to the tender mercies of UPS. When I reviewed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/305dcs">Verona Master Clock</A> from English company dCS in March 2005, the sound it allowed the combination of a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/814">dCS Verdi</A> transport, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/454">Purcell</A&gt; upsampler, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/259">Elgar Plus</A> D/A processor to achieve from SACD was the best I had heard from my system&mdash;better, even, than I remember getting from the EMM Labs SACD transport and processor I had borrowed for a weekend a few months earlier. But at what price? The stack of four dCS components adds up to a cool $45k&mdash;"Yes, the complete dCS system is hip," I wrote in the conclusion to my review. "But $45k's worth of hip? That's a question <I>I</I> can't answer, I'm afraid, what with school fees and mortgages and taxes." The megabux dCS stack thus had to go back to the distributor at the end of the review period.

There are components that stick in a reviewer's memory long after they have been crated up and entrusted to the tender mercies of UPS. When I reviewed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/305dcs">Verona Master Clock</A> from English company dCS in March 2005, the sound it allowed the combination of a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/814">dCS Verdi</A> transport, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/454">Purcell</A&gt; upsampler, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/259">Elgar Plus</A> D/A processor to achieve from SACD was the best I had heard from my system&mdash;better, even, than I remember getting from the EMM Labs SACD transport and processor I had borrowed for a weekend a few months earlier. But at what price? The stack of four dCS components adds up to a cool $45k&mdash;"Yes, the complete dCS system is hip," I wrote in the conclusion to my review. "But $45k's worth of hip? That's a question <I>I</I> can't answer, I'm afraid, what with school fees and mortgages and taxes." The megabux dCS stack thus had to go back to the distributor at the end of the review period.

There are components that stick in a reviewer's memory long after they have been crated up and entrusted to the tender mercies of UPS. When I reviewed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/305dcs">Verona Master Clock</A> from English company dCS in March 2005, the sound it allowed the combination of a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/814">dCS Verdi</A> transport, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/454">Purcell</A&gt; upsampler, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/259">Elgar Plus</A> D/A processor to achieve from SACD was the best I had heard from my system&mdash;better, even, than I remember getting from the EMM Labs SACD transport and processor I had borrowed for a weekend a few months earlier. But at what price? The stack of four dCS components adds up to a cool $45k&mdash;"Yes, the complete dCS system is hip," I wrote in the conclusion to my review. "But $45k's worth of hip? That's a question <I>I</I> can't answer, I'm afraid, what with school fees and mortgages and taxes." The megabux dCS stack thus had to go back to the distributor at the end of the review period.

There are components that stick in a reviewer's memory long after they have been crated up and entrusted to the tender mercies of UPS. When I reviewed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/305dcs">Verona Master Clock</A> from English company dCS in March 2005, the sound it allowed the combination of a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/814">dCS Verdi</A> transport, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/454">Purcell</A&gt; upsampler, and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/259">Elgar Plus</A> D/A processor to achieve from SACD was the best I had heard from my system&mdash;better, even, than I remember getting from the EMM Labs SACD transport and processor I had borrowed for a weekend a few months earlier. But at what price? The stack of four dCS components adds up to a cool $45k&mdash;"Yes, the complete dCS system is hip," I wrote in the conclusion to my review. "But $45k's worth of hip? That's a question <I>I</I> can't answer, I'm afraid, what with school fees and mortgages and taxes." The megabux dCS stack thus had to go back to the distributor at the end of the review period.

Getting a name check from the mainstream press can be a good thing. But as Wes Phillips wrote in his <A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/wesphillips">blog</A&gt; on February 5, "to paraphrase Mason Williams on winning an Emmy Award, 'It's like being kissed by a girl with bad breath&mdash;you appreciate the honor, but...'"

<B>MOZART: Violin Concertos 3&ndash;5</B><BR>
Violin Concertos 3&ndash;5, K.216, 218, 219<BR>
Andrew Manze, violin; The English Concert, Andrew Manze, dir.<BR>
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807835 (CD). 2006. Robina G. Young, prod.; Brad Michel, eng. DDD. TT: 75:45<BR>
Performance <B>*****</B><BR>
Sonics <B>*****</B>

Michael Fremer has a problem.