Even more critical than the two ECMs, one of my wife's favourite discs has remained in my memory, which I heard more often than I would have liked: A Perfect Match, where the get-together of Ella Fitzgerald with the Count Basie Orchestra in Montreux is entitled very appropriately. "Basella" with his sparing piano-intro and Ella's improvisation duels with the tenor Eric Dixon and trombonist Mitchell 'Bootie' Wood is truly a great musical moment, but was sonically difficult to endure because the groove is cut to less than 1 centimetre from the inner label – especially when Ella fully exploits the dynamism of her voice. Thanks to Aquilar and Etna, the energy of the song will now be an entirely positive experience. No trace of excessive sharpness or even distortion. So the Acoustical Systems arm must be doing something damn right!

Still quite impressed by the ECMs, I then immediately indulged in Ralph Towners' Blue Sun, but this time not only the really groovy "C.T.Kangaroo," but the whole album. It's just great how organic and harmonious the interplay of Towner with himself comes across, which Jan Eric Kongshaug has recorded on several tracks. Kongshaug created spaces on the console that have size, the instruments seem sculptural, and the dynamism enthusiastic. In the mentioned disciplines, the Aquilar and the Etna offer a good bit more than I expected from the familiar record. The Acoustical Systems provides an enormous blackness, before which Towner's rhythmically accented songs are presented all the more impressively. The playback has grip, three-dimensionality, and inner peace, and yet – or because of that? – it is still full of vitality and playfulness. In the midst of the almost unbelievable new developments in the digital domain, I would have almost forgotten about how tremendous and involving records can sound – at least if they are tracked by such a high-carat duo like Etna and Aquilar.

The two perform in a similarly convincing way for the Stereo Laboratory reissue of the London 6790, Berlioz Symphony Fantastique with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Georg Solti. The orchestra plays on a wide and very deep stage, stretching beyond the stereo base, and the dynamism can nearly terrify – an appropriate volume being required. The imaging also remains absolutely stable in fortissimo passages, and the bass range is fascinating through its pressure and definition. This is quite an experience!