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Strauss's sumptuous, late-career Four Last Songs are the final flowering of his romantic genius. Paired on this recording with the Final Scene from his last opera, Capriccio: A Conversation Piece for Music, these four orchestral songs ponder life's eternal mysteries as they swirl, soar, then climax in sound…

I'm always amused when my expectations are proved wrong. The strength…

Description: Solid state, fully balanced class-AB monoblock power amplifier. Inputs: 1 pair balanced (XLR). Outputs: 1 pair binding posts. Power output: 400W into 8 ohms (26.0dBW), 800W into 4 ohms (26.03dBW), 1600W into 2 ohms (26.04dBW). Frequency response: 1Hz–200kHz, –1dB 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB. Input impedance: 1M ohm. Output impedance: 0.11 ohm. Signal/noise ratio: 115dB, unweighted. Distortion at 400W, 1kHz into 8 ohms: 0.09%.
Dimensions: 12.5" (317mm) W × 21.5" (546m) D × 5.25" (133mm) H. Weight: 95lb (43.1kg).
Finish: Silver or black with copper trim…

Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, and Vivaldi Master Clock; Innuos Statement NextGen Music Server; Uptone Audio EtherRegen, AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, and Nordost QNet Ethernet Switch, all powered by Nordost QSource linear power supplies (2); Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys mesh router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 linear power supply; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier:…

Before I tested one of the Dan D'Agostino M400 MxV amplifiers, serial number 5879, with my Audio Precision SYS2722, I preconditioned it by following the CEA's recommendation: I ran it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the side-mounted heatsinks were hot, at 106.1°F (41.2°C), and the top panel was hotter, at 110.5°F (43.7°C). After testing the amplifier at high powers, the temperature of the top panel had risen to 120.4°F/49.1°C. The M400 MxV needs to be well-ventilated.

The D'Agostino's voltage gain was…

In the capability and flexibility of its digital platform, the Inspiration CS 2.3 hunts with the big dogs. I asked John Woo of Bluebird Music, distributor for AVM in North America, to describe the capabilities of the AVM X-STREAM Engine, which is new for the CS 2.3 model; X-STREAM is a powerful digital processor/controller, powered by an ESS 9038Q2M chip. He told me that the CS 2.3 supports hi-rez streaming up to 24/192 and DSD 256 natively. It is Roon capable and supports Tidal Connect (but with no MQA support), Spotify Connect, Qobuz, and AirPlay 2. All are accessed with the AVM RC X…

Description: Solid state, class-D, stereo streaming integrated amplifier with DAC, CD transport, phono preamp, class-A headphone amplifier, remote. Analog inputs: 4 pair RCA (2 line, phono, phono loading). Digital inputs: HDMI ARC, USB-A, LAN, 2 Coax, WLAN, Bluetooth antennas. Analog outputs: 1 pair RCA variable, 1 pair RCA fixed. Loudspeaker outputs: stereo pair 3-way binding posts. 1/8" (3mm) unbalanced headphone. Input sensitivity: 275mV. Power output: 140Wpc (18.45dBW) at 1% THD+N into 4 ohms. Tone controls: Balance, Bass, Treble, Loudness. Standby power…

Analog sources: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon-EVO turntable, Sumiko Rainier & Sumiko Olympia cartridge.
Digital sources: Cary Audio 308T CD player, Musical Fidelity M1CDT transport.
Integrated amplifiers: Peachtree Audio Nova integrated, McIntosh MA252 Tube Hybrid integrated.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Toy, Harbeth C7 ES-3 XD, REL T2 subwoofer.
Headphones: AudioQuest Nighthawk, Sennheiser HD 560 S.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Cobra & Sky. Speaker: AudioQuest Rocket 88 & Robin Hood.
Accessories: Mapleshade equipment rack,…