Electrocompaniet AW 800 M
Stereophile|October 2023
STEREO/MONOBLOCK POWER AMPLIFIER
John Atkinson
Electrocompaniet AW 800 M

The finest soup I ever tasted was served in Kamakura City, Japan, in 1992. After climbing a mountain to a shrine that held a lock of Buddha's hair, I descended to Kamakura and walked to its Great Bronze Buddha. By the time I had taken my fill of the image's 730-year-old wonders and the countless picture-taking tourists at its base-a mild precursor to "the world is a backdrop for my ego" snappers of the smartphone ageI noticed that my stomach was growling.

Exhausted, I walked back into town and descended stairs into a conveniently located corner restaurant. I had to eat fast because my train back was departing soon. Looking for something quick, I ordered miso soup and eel over rice. Imagine my surprise when I found myself gazing into the most wondrous bowl of soup I'd ever seen. Floating on top of its clear, brown broth were various vegetables and herbs, each perfectly positioned in relationship to the other, as in a handcrafted textile. I felt as though I'd been granted private access to a great work of art.

And the taste. Oh, the taste. It was as perfectly proportioned, complex, and multilayered as the soup's surface. If I had not been forced to eat fast in order to make the train-trains in Japan are never late- I would have spent 15 or 20 minutes eating slowly, savoring each mouthful and contemplating the myriad tastes and sensations.

What does all this have to do with the Electrocompaniet AW 800 M Reference mono power amplifiers ($22,500/each) that are the subject of this review? You'll have to read on to find out.

Before the soup, there was Electrocompaniet

Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA STEREOPHILESe alt
Louis in London
Stereophile

Louis in London

No jazz-centric visit to New York City is complete without a trek out to Queens. At 46th Street in Sunnyside stands the apartment building where famed cornetist Leon Bismark \"Bix\" Beiderbecke's alcoholism finally killed him in 1931.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
Believing in bricks and mortar
Stereophile

Believing in bricks and mortar

North Carolina hi-fi dealer Audio Advice has been busy lately.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
Musical Fidelity AI
Stereophile

Musical Fidelity AI

In 1989, I bought my second pair of Rogers LS3/5a's from a guy on Staten Island who had them hooked up to a Musical Fidelity AI integrated amplifier.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
Burmester 218
Stereophile

Burmester 218

As much as I tinkered with a little crystal radio as a child and started reading stereo magazines in high school, it wasn't until my early 30s that I half-stumbled into the higher end of the hi-fi sphere.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 Signature
Stereophile

Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 Signature

The \"Bowers\" in the name of British manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) refers to founder John Bowers, whom I got to know fairly well before he passed in 1987.

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024
Hegel H400
Stereophile

Hegel H400

STREAMING INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle
Stereophile

SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle

How many times have you been told by parents and teachers that everything successful must be built on a strong foundation?

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
RECOMMENDED RC2024 COMPONENTS
Stereophile

RECOMMENDED RC2024 COMPONENTS

Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
Paging Dr. Löfgren
Stereophile

Paging Dr. Löfgren

It started one evening when I was killing time watching YouTube videos and stumbled across a 2017 talk given by Jonathan Carr, Lyra's brilliant cartridge designer.'

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
Music among the Fairchildren
Stereophile

Music among the Fairchildren

Pull down the shades, find a comfortable seat, and come with me on an imaginary journey to the year 1956. The Eisenhower-Nixon ticket wins reelection, the United Methodist Church begins to ordain women, and a can of Campbell's tomato soup costs 10 cents.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024