There you have it then, and instead of attempting to find the performance boundaries (more or less unsuccessfully) of the Modell 3.0, I will silently slide into some music. And here we are with the tape copy of the mixdown of Wolfgang Pusching's Chants (Quinton-CD Q-0102-2) on the Studer A80 and listening to “Peace” brings waves of bass vibrations flooding into the room. The bass drum comes in with noticeable punch and the alto sax and trumpet manage to shine and melt in the perfect balance of necessary aggression. It is a pure joy to hear Heinrich Schläfer captured larger than life and to pine after the perfectly vivid instruments, grafted into the perfectly suited hall space. The introduction from “Chanting” fascinates with the unbridled energy of a vibraphone, and when the bass drum powerfully kicks, you can practically see the foot machine.

Luckily I also had the chance to play this piece before Johannes Rickert embarked upon his return trip. In a typically dry northern German manner, he remarked that beforehand, that he wasn't aware quite how good the sound of his speakers was. Having had the Modell 3.0 in my hearing room for a number of weeks – and obviously a must with such pretty speakers – having set them up in my living room, I cannot disagree with the man. Rickert's speakers are really damn good – and not just with copies of mastertapes. And it doesn't matter if you look at it from the point of view of the seemingly wasteful, but at the end of the day, extremely well founded and effective use of materials, or just for the totally and utterly persuasive sound performance that the Stereokonzept brings to the fore. For what's on offer here, the relatively speaking considerable price of the Modell 3.0 seems frankly moderate. A true discovery!