Although the ELAC Alchemy DPA-2 is a stereo amplifier, Jason Victor Serinus auditioned it as a pair of monoblocks. (In mono mode, the signal is fed to either input and the output taken from the left channel's red binding post and the right channel's black binding post.) I therefore performed a complete set of measurements with a DPA-2 in mono mode then repeated some of the tests in stereo mode. As the DPA-2 has an output stage operating in class-D, I inserted an Audio Precision auxiliary AUX-0025 passive low-pass filter between the test load and my Audio Precision…
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Kalman Rubinson
Kurt Weill, Et Al: Bye Bye Berlin
Marion Rampal, vocals; Raphaël Imbert, saxophone and bass clarinet; Quatuor Manfred
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902295 (CD). 2018. Alban Moraud, artistic dir. and prod.
A gentle bass clarinet introduction, Rampal's soft and breathy voice, and a plucked bass in a habanera rhythm set us up for the entry of her full voice, with strings, as they launch into the eager, longing tango of Weill's "Youkali." Rampal, the quartet, and—importantly—Imbert's low winds share a moderately dry acoustic whose subtle ambiance is just…
Alex Halberstadt (front) listens to the BAACH-SP Adio system at High End Munich. (Photo: Jason Victor Serinus)
If you're going to Germany to immerse yourself in big-city excitement—churning dance clubs, matterful contemporary art, visitors and food from around the world, and street life that goes on all night—you'll probably find it in Berlin. Though rents have been climbing and there's no shortage of dirty sidewalks and petty crime, the German capital remains one of the most youthful and vibrant cities in Europe, an art and culture center with large expatriate communities and endless…
Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable.
Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they're in alphabetical order, followed by their price, a review synopsis, and a note indicating the issues in which the review, and any subsequent follow-up reports, appeared. "Vol.46 No.7" indicates our July 2023 issue, for example. "WWW" means the review is also posted online.
Stereophile's Recommended Components list is concerned mainly with products available in the US…
Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable.
Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they're in alphabetical order, followed by their price, a review synopsis, and a note indicating the issues in which the review, and any subsequent follow-up reports, appeared. "Vol.46 No.7" indicates our July 2023 issue, for example. "WWW" means the review is also posted online.
Stereophile's Recommended Components list is concerned mainly with products available in the US…
Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable. Occasionally we get complaints from manufacturers who object to being included in, say, Class B. That's their error: Inclusion in Class B is something to be proud of.
Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they're in alphabetical order, followed by their price, a review synopsis, and a note indicating the issues in which the review, and any subsequent follow-up reports, appeared. "Vol.48 No.3" indicates our March 2025 issue,…
Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable. Occasionally we get letters of complaint from manufacturers who object to being included in, say, Class B—but inclusion in Class B is a thing to be proud of.
Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they're in alphabetical order, followed by their price, a review synopsis, and a note indicating the issues in which the review, and any subsequent follow-up reports, appeared. "Vol.47 No.7" indicates our July 2024 issue, for…
Editors' Choice
MoFi Electronics Sourcepoint 10 Loudspeaker
I have had so many loudspeakers pass through my listening room in the past 40 years that it is rare for one to stick in my mind for more than a couple of months after it had been returned to the manufacturer or distributor. But my memories of this relatively affordable standmount—it costs $3699/pair, plus stands—which was designed by veteran speaker engineer Andrew Jones, have outlasted those of many much more expensive speakers. As I wrote in my review: "When you consider the clean, superbly well-defined low…
Kalman Rubinson
Grieg: Homeland: Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op.16
De Falla: Noches En Los Jardines De España
Judith Jáuregui (piano), Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Kaspar Zehnder (cond.).
Eudora Records EUD-SACD-2405 SACD (auditioned via a 5.0 channel, 24/192 download from NativeDSD). 2023. Martin Rust, artistic prod.; Gonzalo Noqué, eng., prod.; Tom Caulfield, DSD mastering.
It has been decades since the Grieg Piano Concerto was a concert staple, but Jáuregui and Zehnder give it new life. The opening Allegro is brilliant but not blatant, the…
For the past decade or so, I haven't been using a preamplifier. The D/A processors I have been using all have volume controls, so I have been feeding their outputs directly to the power amplifiers. It would seem logical that having nothing in the signal path would have less of a degrading effect than a preamp's input and output sockets, switches, volume control, printed circuit-board traces, and active and passive parts, not to mention an additional pair of interconnects. However, with some of the preamplifiers I have auditioned in my system, there was no doubt that the sound quality improved…