Listening to classical
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The Huelgas ensemble sounds spot-on and each individual voice is easy to pick. Each voice has depth, it is rich and layered and sounds very human. You get a very clear mental picture of which voice is placed where. Some are nearby, others are more towards the back. You are very close to the singers. Nevertheless, there remains cohesion in the singing and at the same time you can hear the different vocal lines of this polyphonic medieval music. It is beautiful! However, the ambiance of the church in which they sing is barely audible.
In the music of Vaughn Williams there is a lot of tension in the beginning of the piece, the dynamics of this track are very nicely rendered by the Elicit. You can hear the miniscule movements of the bows on the strings in the tremolos. Again, you are close to the players. The reproduction is very detailed, but without losing the scope of the piece. The sounds of the various instruments, violins, violas, cellos and basses are easily discernible, even in the very soft passages. There is, as with the voices of the Huelgas Ensemble, a lot of layering in the sound of the violins. You are really into the piece, it is hard to shut out the music.
Fanny Robilliard’s recording is detailed and here it gets too much. You are almost between the strings of the violin and you are practically under the lid of grand piano.
Knowing the character of the Rega by now, it is not surprising that orchestral recording in the “Alto Rhapsody” sounds somewhat hollow. That hollow sound one of the reasons why it is on the test list, it is good test to hear if a HiFi device is smoothing this over. What does surprise is how well Nathalie Stutzmann’s voice is reproduced. The moment the choir joins in there is a room filling choir and the difference in timbre between choir and orchestra becomes even greater. There is no hiding with this amplifier, everything is highlighted whether it is beautiful or slightly less beautiful. But what outstanding music by Brahms! The piece has not yet sounded so wistful.
In the Mahler recording by the Budapest Festival Orchestra, many fine details can be heard in the large soundstage. The orchestra is spread out wide in front of you, there is plenty of space between individual notes in fast passages, even when played by large string groups. Only the placement of the players is somewhat diffuse. It is as if the sound echoes on the other side of the soundstage so you cannot localise exactly where the sound is coming from.
The sound of all the instruments is layered, you hear a lot of the character of the instruments in the brass, woodwinds and percussion. This is a high-end playback experience and the Elicit does justice to this excellent performance and particularly good-sounding recording of Mahler. The Elicit has a very transparent reproduction and for lovers of symphonic work, few other amplifiers of this price level can touch Rega’s performance.
But most impressive is the unheeding way in which the Elicit handles the dynamics of this orchestral recording. The tremendous speed in impulse processing and the compelling rhythmic drive contribute to a very good orchestral music reproduction. This is territory usually reserved for amplifiers with a much higher price tag.
The feat is repeated in the Prokofiev symphony. The only thing missed is the threat that should present itself constantly from the timpani and basses and the air pressure that should be physically palpable when trombones and timpani play full blast. It all sounds a tad too civilized. At times this symphony should sound as if madness is taking possession of the orchestra.
The Elicit has enough grip on the bass, but requires a careful match with speakers that can make this violence audible.