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A company better known for their pro and consumer audio amplification, Bryston takes an interesting step into the digital playback arena at a time when compact discs seem to be going out of fashion. Nevertheless, they did it with style and grace: Larry Greenhill was impressed by the BCD-1's ability to "reveal the most subtle sonic details," and John Atkinson noted measured performance that was "close to the state of the art for a…

Often nakedly personal and direct in their responses to life events, Shostakovich's 15 String Quartets can overwhelm with the enigmatic elements that make his music so compelling and unique. Shaped as much by intimate relationships as the repressive political realities that wore him down, they stand as one of the later 20th century's major musical achievements…

Film soundtracks are a broad canvas that can open many new possibilities as well as challenges for modern composers. On one hand, having an accompanying image allows for expressive freedom, but that is often offset by the often-brief duration of cues. Brief, allusive bursts can make for a jumpy, disjointed album…

CAD Ground Control Grounding Boxes ($1999–$4500; reviewed by Michael Fremer, July 2020, Vol.43 No.7 Review)

Finalists (in alphabetical order)
DS Audio Vinyl Ionizer-001 ($1795; reviewed by Michael Fremer, July 2020, Vol.43 No.7 Review)
Grand Prix Audio Monza Equipment Supports ($19,000 as equipped; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, November 2019, Vol.42 No.11 Review)
Ifi Audio Intona Nano Igalvanic3.0 USB Galvanic Isolator ($379; reviewed by Herb Reichert, August 2020, Vol.43 No.8 Review)
Stylustimer ($19.95; reviewed by Michael…

NAD M33 integrated amplifier ($4999; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, October 2020, Vol.43 No.10 Review)

Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Audio Research Reference 160S stereo power amplifier ($20,000; reviewed by Jim Austin, February 2020, Vol.43 No.2 Review)
HoloAudio May (Level 3) D/A processor ($4998; reviewed by Herb Reichert & John Atkinson, August & September 2020, Vol.43 Nos.8 & 9 Review)
Krell K-300i integrated amplifier ($7000 plus $1000 for DAC option; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2019, Vol.42 No.12 Review)…

Michael Fremer reviewed the original darTZeel NHB-18NS full-function preamplifier (it includes a moving-coil phono stage) in the June 2006 issue of Stereophile. He bought the review sample, then replaced it with the NHB-18NS Mk.2, which he wrote about in June 2017.

Although I performed a complete set of measurements on the original NHB-18NS, I never did…

Apparently, this is a recent disinterment of an older production. The exhumation proves worthwhile.

French composers have favored wind timbres since the oboe and bassoon colors of the Baroque. In the 19th and 20th centuries, this evolved into a predilection for wind-and-piano chamber music. Saint-Saëns reveled in the instruments' capacity for virtuosity. A century later, Poulenc alternated uneasy, precarious sustained…

Danish guitarist Jakob Bangsø, 32, may not be widely known in the US, but he has already commissioned seven works. This generous recital includes premiere recordings of Constantine Caravassilis's beautiful, must-hear Saudade: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (2018) and Wayne Siegel's more derivative Chaconne: Concerto…

Dame Ethel Smyth didn't call The Prison an oratorio, but it resembles Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. Her musical idiom suggests the more advanced side of Vaughan Williams—think of the late cantatas and oratorios—although the opening of Part Two is pure Mendelssohn. Despite the somber subject matter, the piece is…

From Reference Recordings, we can count on pellucid sonics, including here. You can "hear through" the textures even in the most violent tuttis, with no trace of congestion. In the finale's "recitatives," the divided low strings are wonderfully enveloping. The Adagio's airy woodwind chorales are almost tangible.

After decades of increasingly weighty…