It’s always interesting to try different speakers with any amp so I wrestled a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 802s into place. There’s an enthusiastic quote from an 802 owner on the Modwright website and it instantly became clear why this is the case; the sound they produce was nothing short of vivid in its transparency and three dimensionality. What’s more, a number of pieces created a soundstage that was so real and deep that it felt as if you could walk into it. The solid-state power amplifier serves to amplify the beguiling qualities of those two triode valves and produces results that are electrifying in their immediacy and atmosphere. The recording needs to be good to achieve this of course, but plenty of the tracks I tried did the trick including the distinctly lo-fi eponymous debut from Tortoise, the track ‘Night Air’ having a reach out and touch it presence that encouraged level and extended listening. In fact all the better sounding tunes encouraged me to push the volume, the 802 is a little reluctant in the midrange and this amp balances this perfectly so the end result is very pleasing.

Living with the Caruso Multi-Source System was a fascinating experience, as it brought into sharp focus the differences in the way audiophiles and the other 99.999% of the music-consuming world listen to music at home—and how a tension between these two perspectives can develop in a product from a manufacturer with the engineering chops to make the best. It’s a tug-of-war between aesthetic values that must be finessed. Does the Caruso pull it off? Does it succeed in offering a compact design certain to appeal to interior decorators and the impeccable engineering of a famously tech-savvy German manufacturer? That T+A is on to something may be reflected by who is buying Carusos: Jim Shannon told me that the company estimates that, historically, at least 30-40% of them have been sold to women.