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A full set of measurements of the Symphonic Line Kraft 400 was made in its unbalanced mode. Balanced measurements were not made, for reasons explained below.

Following the 1/3-power, one-hour preconditioning test, the Kraft 400's heatsinks were barely warm to the touch—so cool, in fact, that it seemed that the heatsinks are far larger than they need to be.

The input impedance measured a low 9.8k ohms. Some care should be exercised to avoid matching the Kraft 400 with a preamp having an unusually high output impedance. The output impedance was 0.04…

Description: Solid-state, handcrafted power amplifier with class-A output stage. Maximum output power: 300W into 8 ohms (24.8dBW); 500W into 4 ohms (24dBW). Current capability: >150A. Frequency range: 1Hz–1MHz. Damping factor: >1500, equivalent to an output impedance of 0.005 ohms.
Dimensions: 21" W by 30" D by 14" H. Weight: 260 lbs each.
Price: $25,000/pair, installed (1995); no longer available (2013). Approximate number of dealers: 12 (1995).
Manufacturer: Rolf Gemein, Scharnhorststr. 9-11, D-47059 Duisburg. Tel: 49 (0) 203-315656. Fax: 49…

I wouldn't usually mention an internal and inconsequential matter like this if it weren't for the fact that the day Keith and I had our altercation, the news broke…

It takes nerve for a performer to allow an entire concert to be recorded for release on disc. It also takes extraordinary confidence in one's technique. Mistakes that are overlooked in the live experience become snags for the ear in the recorded version. One starts to listen for them and loses the musical experience in its totality.

This is one reason why so many discs are mastered in the…

When high fidelity took off during the early '…

J. Gordon Holt's review puts me in a bit of a quandary: I agree with many of his general observations, but not with his description of the speaker under review. I also don't like the sloping highs inherent in the "Boston sound." I have never liked any of the Boston Acoustics speakers, and have long felt that the Allisons and most ARs lack upper octave energy, life, and excitement. While Polk is a distinctly "South Boston" manufacturer, I have generally been disappointed in their highs as well.

This kind of upper octave response may suit the Hafler or…

Description: Four-way, floorstanding loudpeaker. Drive-units: reflex-loaded, 14" pulp-cone woofer, 8" polypropylene-cone lower-midrange unit, 5" polypropylene-cone midrange unit, 1" titanium-dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 400Hz, 1.4kHz, 5.2kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Maximum recommended power: 400W.
Dimensions: 52" H by 22.5" W by 14.25" D. Weight: 150 lbs each.
Price: $3396/pair (1985); no longer available (2013).
Manufacturer: JBL Division of Harman International, 8500 Balboa Blvd., P.O. Box 2200, Northridge, CA 91329…

Rolf Gemein: Hi-fi systems in general are not able to reproduce natural, live sound. We're not even getting close to the intimate experience of an opera house, for example. There…

"When it comes to video, most audiophiles are insufferable snobs."—J. Gordon Holt, 1984

Those who have followed the arguments between audiophiles and home-theater enthusiasts in the pages of Stereophile—I lifted the Murrow quote from a 1996 battle between Steve Guttenberg (representing the former community) and Joel Silver (representing the latter)—will have no doubt over which side of the argument I am on. As I wrote in our March 1993 issue, recorded music is a "hot" medium in Marshall…

This compact cleaner can be thought of as a very high-tech, automatic version of the Spin Clean Record Washer ($79.95), which I reviewed in my February 2010 column. Like the hand-cranked Spin Clean, the Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner ($3995)…