The overall character of the Companion III tends to the warm side. This is not surprising, given its tube design. It s not syrupy or overly euphonic. Rather, it renders a rich harmonic picture that allows the differences between two musicians playing the same instruments to be clearly perceived. Overall, I find that the Companion III really underscores the differences between recordings.
Good recordings sound very, very good while poor ones are hard to hear by comparison.
I won t give you a blow by blow account of every recording that I used to evaluate the Companion III just the ones I found to be particularly noteworthy. I ve made no secret of my fondness for Mapleshade CDs. I appreciate the analogue quality they consistently exhibit. The listener is presented with a wide soundstage with an appropriate sense of depth. The instruments are well located within the stage, but nothing is etched or overdone imagewise.