DATE: July 06, 1999 Comments by Robert Funk

Hi again Steve,

I haven't been using my audio system the last couple of days-- the heat has been truly nasty and I'm too much like my father to get air conditioning... We got a bit of relief today so I've fired up the power amp again tonight (the preamp has been burning in for 4 days now).

I've been listening to Mahler's Third (the Bernstein and Horenstein recordings tonight) and the thing that really jumps out is the detail in the bass and mid-bass. Double-basses and celli are much more delineated than I've ever heard before. It's similar to how Severance Hall (the home of the Cleveland Orchestra) brings out the sound of the cello.

This is an instrument that gets lost in many recordings and orchestra halls-- so many have a mid-bass anemia that loses the gutsy feel of a large symphony (like Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms). With this preamp, it's much easier to follow the lines of these instruments. I've even noticed plucked double-bass passages that I've never heard before. All of the instruments have a solidity and weight that only comes with a proper reproduction of the low and lowest octaves. Quite an achievement in itself. Maybe you should add a gold faceplate and try a french accent with a dash of disdain.

I'll drop you a line toward the end of the week.

Regards, Robert.