Cover - March 2010 2/9/10 6:15 PM Page 1

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

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Every once in a while, someaudio kit finds its way intomy listening room that is so absorbing, so thoroughlyinvolving, that I find myself

putting everything else aside, simplyto listen, and to enjoy.

Frankly, it’s not a common occur-rence – and perhaps more so becausemodern timetables and deadlines mitigate against such indulgences. It takes something of extraordinarycapability to force me away from the

usual mountain of commitments forany extended period of time.

If that sounds like the confessionof a callous reviewer, it’s not: I doset up, break in, listen, annotate and eventually write a review oneverything AV that comes my way.But sometimes, as in this case, I find it difficult to tear myself awayfrom the equipment installed.

The equipment in question is from Halcro, an Australian high-endaudio maker, which in itself sounds

incongruous. And the key figurebehind these particular Halcro components is Bruce Candy, an ex-South African who is said to be working on a new flagship productafter a sabbatical from the brand he founded.

The Halcro DM10 pre-amp andDM38 power amp are not new –they’ve been doing the rounds inhigh-end circles for a good few years.I’ve even had the opportunity tohear them in other systems on

HALCRO DM10 & DM38

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occasion. But when the chance aroseto try them in my own environment,I wasn’t going to say no.

It’s almost a high-end traditionthat esoteric equipment is endowedwith aesthetics and a physical presence to match the price tag.

Certainly, the Halcro kit looks outlandish and imposing, althoughmuch of its appearance has beendetermined by sound engineeringprinciples, rather than fashionappeal.

In the case of the DM-38, the H-shaped enclosure houses key electronics in four separate enclosures, with the output stages in the vertical legs, and the switchingand power supply elements in thehorizontal crossbars.

The DM38 provides for both balanced and single-ended modes, as well as a so-called current-modeRCA input, set which is said to offerbenefits in terms of noise rejection.Industrial-grade binding posts

provide a high-quality speaker cable connection.

The design expresses Candy’salmost obsessive fight against distortion, which is claimed to bevirtually immeasurable. Just how this is achieved falls outside the limited scope of this review, but the design principles of the amp are well documented.

The matching DM10 pre-amp looks a bit like a scaled-down versionof the DM38, with similar ‘legs’

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on either side of two horizontal casings. Like the power amp, there is significant emphasis on reducingdistortion to extremely low levels.

As one would expect, the inputchoices include balanced and single-ended, with the latter againcatering for both voltage and current-biased connections. The inputs are numbered, but can be assigned to display the inputname, or even the name of thesource connected.

For vinyl fans, the good news isthat the DM10 includes an excellent,configurable phono stage.

The DM10’s equally obsessivequest for ultra-low noise levels isexpressed in several ways, includingextremely close attention to powersupply construction and location.Indeed, obsessive is a philosophythat carries through to every aspectof the design and execution of bothHalcro units.

As a quick aside, Halcro is the(rather unusual) middle name ofcompany founder and chief designerCandy, which perhaps expresses his close relationship with thesecomponents.

The exact technical execution ofthe Halcros is well documented, and

perhaps thus falls outside the scopeof this review. Instead, let’s focus on their sonic capabilities, whichbecame increasingly beguiling duringtheir time in my system.

The units provided for review werewell used, and required no break-intime. They were accompanied by

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my usual reference components, consisting of Vivid Audio V1.5 speakers, an Esoteric Audio UX-3SEuniversal deck, a Linn LP12/Ittok/Ortofon Kontrapunkt B record deck, and a mix of XLO and Nordostcabling.

The performance of the Halcrosinitially appears lacklustre and ordinary. Given their physical presence and weight, the expectationis of a similar sonic signature: largerthan life, impressive, perhaps even a little overbearing.

Instead, the music is delivered withan understated, deceptive ease thatonly becomes truly apparent onceyou’ve spent a bit of quality time in the listening chair. And perhapsmusic is the key word here: its ebbsand flows, its emotional content, andthe ambient context of the recordingare all faithfully represented.

The level of fine detail extractedby the Halcros has to be one of thecore reasons behind the growingsense of revelation as you listen torecordings you though you knowwell. Those nuances inflections add a musical truth and intention thatoften I had not noticed before.

A new, pristine vinyl copy of ‘JazzAt The Pawnshop’ on the Propriuslabel proved to be the perfect example.I’ve heard the recording hundreds,perhaps even thousands of times, inmyriad systems. But here, the musichad a liquidity, an unencumberedflow and a resulting accessibility thatwas quite astounding.

Of course, the inherent clarity andpurpose of the Halcros has othersonic benefits. Transparency makesfor an open and inviting soundstagethat ensures a great degree ofaccessibility. The staging neversounds exaggerated, but appears to accurately reflect the scope andthe scale of the original recording.

The intimacy of Carol Kidd’s trio-backed jazz vocals were asastutely and honestly delivered

as the towering scale and majesty of the Gunter Wand-led NDRSymphony Orchestra deliveringBeethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony in full cry.

Talking of which, dynamics andsheer pace were executed with verveand agility, but again, were determinedby the musical performance, ratherthan any electronic interpretation bythe components in the system.

And that, to me, is the critical difference between the Halcros andmany other pre-amps and poweramps: the Halcros are perfect, non-intrusive hosts to the musicaloriginal, simply facilitating the listening process, rather than con-tributing to, or detracting from it.

Of course, that definition definesthe ultimate purpose of audio design,but in truth, most components I’vereviewed reveal a sonic signaturethat impacts – sometimes subtly,sometimes significantly – on theoverall sound of the music.

In those terms, the Halcros couldbe accused of some tonal detachment,although one could argue that thewarmth and richness so often advocated by valve supporters areartefacts not present during theoriginal performance.

The Halcro DM10 and DM38 provethat electronics can extract theessence and the musicality of a performance without contributing ordetracting. Their sense of precisionand musical élan is the result ofallowing music and listener to engagein a dialogue that is uncannily directand convincing.

From a reference perspective,those attributes place the Halcros at the highest level.

Word has it that Candy is workingon a new flag ship product that willpush the boundaries of audio even further. Improving on the lofty standards of the existing units is likelyto be the sternest challenge of all.

Deon Schoeman

HALCRO DM10

Input impedance ....................10 kOhmOutput impedance170 ohm ................................(voltage mode)

30 kOhm (current mode).Distortion ..............Unmeasurable below

noise floorInputs ....................................Voltage mode:

3x RCA, 3x XLR.Current mode: 1x RCA.

RIAA phono: 1x RCA, 1x XLROutputs ................................Voltage mode:

2x RCA sets, 2x XLR sets,both bridgeable.Current mode:

2x RCA sets, one bridgeable.Dimensions (WxDxH)............................................448x400x240 mm Weight ..................................................23 kg

HALCRO DM38

Power output: ........................180 watts(8 ohm, resistive).

350 watts (4 ohm, resistive) THD<-110 dB (<3000 parts/billion)

up to 20 kHz (100 kHz B.W.)at 350 watts into 4 ohm.

Slew rate ....................................-100V/μsSingle-ended inputs ......Voltage mode

RCAs, 10 kOhm.Current mode RCAs, 60 ohm

Balanced inputs................Voltage modeXLRs, 10 kOhm

Outputs ..................Speaker binding postsDimensions (HxWxD)............................................790x400x400 mm Weight ..................................................55 kg

PRICEDM10 ................................................R170 000DM38 ................................................R220 000

VERDICTUltra-quiet, ultra-refined and yet incisiveand supremely poised, authoritative delivery from this amplification duo.A singular lack of signature or ‘electronic’presence allows unencumbered flow ofmusicality. Utter transparency makeschoice of ancillaries critical.

SUPPLIED BY Vivid Audio0861 4 VIVID

WEBSITE www.halcro.com

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