Benjamin Zander - Philharmonia Orchestra - Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Stereophile

During his auditioning of the XA60.5s, JA listened to a high-resolution recording of Mahler's Symphony 2, "Resurrection," with Benjamin Zander conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus (24-bit/192kHz ALAC files, Linn CKD 452). It was, he noted, "recorded by the team responsible for some of Telarc's great-sounding orchestral recordings, including Elaine Martone as co-producer and Robert Friedrich of Five/Four Productions." He went on, "The 'Resurrection' is an enormous, episodic work with huge orchestral climaxes contrasted against chamber-scaled sections in which a single solo instrument, a violin or a woodwind, takes the lead. Despite their modest power rating, the XA60.5s had no problem coping with the work's huge dynamic range." In my room, with this system and the XA60.8 monoblocks, the orchestra was huge, even as voices and solo instruments were reproduced with impact, sweetness, body, and texture. There was no hint of hardness.