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At the Service of Music

 

Halcro's position is simple – create amplification that combines exemplary technical specs with truly superb musical performance.

Halcro at Winters Audio

The original Halcro amplifier hit the audio world with considerable impact. In late 2002 Stereophile’s cover article was on the Halcro's dm58, boldly stating “The Best Amplifier Ever". Numerous awards and ultra-positive reviews soon followed and Halcro grew into one of the world’s most respected hifi brands. Halcro made a series of improvements to the dm58 over the years culminating in the dm88 monoblocks and the dm38 stereo amplifier.

But then things went quiet for a while, but fast forward to the start of 2023 and moves were underway for a new owner to acquire the brand, all its stock, tooling and patents. The result in essence is a spectacular revival of the brand with two new amplifiers that use the same stunning form as the originals, but with a near complete redesign of the internals.

The result is like a two-way time warp. Yes the new amplifiers remind us of those stunning originals, but they are totally fresh in reality – almost futuristic in their refinement, clarity and boundless musicality. To say that we are delighted to have these amplifiers at Winters Audio is an understatement. They provide an experience that is not readily matched by anything else out there. On this planet, or any other. 

Featured Products

<h2 class="font_2" style="text-align: center">About the Eclipse Stereo Power Amplifier</h2>
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<p class="font_8">The first thing that hits you about this amplifier is its looks. The striking design is iconic, beautiful, amazingly practical and a significant element of the amp's performace too. By making the whole machine into it's own integral 'multi-shelf' stand gives significant separation of the amplifiers systems and forms an overal coherent anti-microphonic structure. No need to doubt the performance of any third party racks here. The electronics are separated into four heavily shielded modules; an audio power module, an audio drive module, an inductor module and a power supply module. And the 'wings' contain the very large non-resonant heatsinks that Halcro use to achieve cooling without the need for fans.</p>
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<p class="font_8">The electronics are of course solid state, with proprietary circuit designs and component choices that Halcro keep very close to their chest. Reports are that Halcro spent two years working to improve the linearity and noise floor of the design but also carried out intensive listening sessions to ensure they weren't sacrificing musicality in the process. The result is in our opinion, a unique blend of brilliant measured results and a mind boggling level of musicality. Any prospective customer should read recent reviews from the established press to get a sence of the real significance of this amplifier – &nbsp;see links to some of the most important ones: <a href="https://halcro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/HFN-May-Halcro-Eclipse-Stereo_Reprint-cover-low.pdf"><u>HiFi News,</u></a> <a href="https://halcro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AHF536-Halcro.pdf"><u>Australian hi-fi,</u></a>&nbsp;</p>

Halcro Eclipse Stereo Power Amplifier

Arguably the stereo power amp that rules them all.

Stereo Power Amplifier – powdercoat finish £40,000, premium paint finishes £46,000

<h2 class="font_2" style="text-align: center">About the Eclipse Mono Amplifier</h2>
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<p class="font_8">The description here of the Eclipse mono amps sort of follows on directly from the description of the stereo amp, as they share so much of the fundamental DNA. As monoblocs output power is obviously up, at 550W into 4Ohms here, versus 350 into 4 Ohms for the stereo version. And there are measurable differences too of course; THD at 1kHz is 0.00001% for the monos, whereas the stereo amp is 0.00003%.&nbsp;</p>
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<p class="font_8">But let's get to sound quality. If the Halcro's float your boat as a concept (as opposed to valve exotica for example), and you need to be working up at this level of driving capability, there is nothing else that quite compares to the Halcro pair. Transparency, detail and tonality are chrystalline in their characteristic, resolving vocal and instrumental timbre in a form that sounds so much like real voices and real instuments that the first time you hear it you sit there in disbelief. And when things get going, musical propulsion, dynamics and drama are also a vastly different experience, backed up by the lowest noise floor imaginable and a soundstage that is so defined and stable that you find yourself stunned for a second time.</p>
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<p class="font_8">Lots of fancy words (and we're used to seeing these sorts of acolades all the time), so really we can only say one thing – these are incredibly important amplifiers to hear. Check these links out for some important reviews; <a href="https://halcro.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Halcro-Eclipse-Audio-Esoterica-Review-compressed-1.pdf"><u>Audio Esoerica Review,</u></a> <a href="https://halcro.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Halcro-Eclipse-Australian-HiFi-Magazine-Review-compressed-1.pdf"><u>Australian Hi-Fi.</u></a></p>
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Halcro Eclipse Mono Power Amplifier

More power and amazingly, more performance.

Mono Power Amplifier (pair), powdercoat finish £60,000, premium paint finish £72,000.

Separation – Integration

Component Design at a Different Level

The naked shot of the Eclipse really confirms just how different Halcro have approached the design of a power amplifier. They don't give everything away of course but we can clearly get a feel of how the main elements of the amplifier are separated for EMI and RFI control, but also integrated in a way that ensures optimal draining of vibration down through an integral stand.

The power supplies in the lower section are a long way from the amplification stages in the structure at the top – a feature that other amps don't achieve unless they have a separate power supply box.

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Meet Dr Peter Foster

Halcro CEO

The Winters Audio Experience

Super Fidelity?

 

Halcro makes a very bold claim:

 

"Halcro designs and manufactures the only Super Fidelity amplifiers in the world. This Super Fidelity amplifier reproduces with better than 99.9997% purity of all tones across the entire audio range."

There are lots of amplifier manufacturers who might be upset about this claim, with many of their products delivering a beautiful musical experience – and measuring pretty well too.

Yet, somehow, the Halcro's do sound different – brilliant in fact. And for some people there is nothing else that comes close. We think they're very special and if you're in the market for this type of amplifier, we strongly suggest you audition them before making your final choice.

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