Classe DR-3 impressions & reviews & impressions in bridged mode

The DR-3 was reviewed at length by Laurence Greenhill in Stereophile Volume 8 No. 8.

Regards,
-- Al

THANKS!!!

@almarg
Might you have a copy of that review by any chance, as I am not able to locate that issue for  sale anywhere on the web.....

Thanks so much in any event ....

I have the issue, but since it is copyrighted I would not feel comfortable copying and disseminating the review aside from brief excerpts which fall under the doctrine of "fair use."  The review is very favorable, of course, noting the amp's ability to drive virtually any load (including the 1 ohm Apogee Scintilla), and stating that "I never before heard such beautiful, rich, resonant, and glowing sound in my listening room!"  The review concludes as follows:

Is the DR-3 the equal of its famous predecessor, the Levinson ML-2?  Unfortunately, I can't definitively answer that question; try as I might, I couldn't borrow a pair of the hot-running Levinson amps for a sonic showdown in my listening room.  But clearly, David Reich's amp is the best stand-in for those audiophiles, like myself, who always dreamed they would one day own a pair of ML-2s.

Also, if you register or are registered at hifiengine.com you can find a brochure, owner's manual, and partial schematic of the amp there.

Regards,
-- Al

syrupy (depending on the rest of your system choices, this does not mean it is a bad thing)

If untouched (since new), they can need at least a bit of TLC/rebuild/maintenance.

@almarg
Thanks so much!!! Appreciate it greatly! Do you know if that amp was ever review by the The Absolute Sound?

@ teo_audioWell I have one now, and its most certainly NOT syrupy.... Its VERY distinctive sounding from most other great solid state amps, and even great tube amps for sure... But I know earlier top of the line Monster Cable (even Cardas) speaker wire and interconnects made it sound way too warm, but with neutral cables it does many things few amps  are capable of at any price, IMHO. Especially for instrumental harmonics., and note decay portrayal..Spectra l& Bryston it is most certainly is not!!!! Awhile ago I was able to to attend Apogee’s Jason Bloom’s (RIP) demo of either Divas, or the Scintillas with a bridged pair of the DR-3 and the sound was simply glorious, not too warm at all, I guess the amps complemented Apogee’s ribbons rather well....

Do you know if that amp was ever review by the The Absolute Sound?

I looked at the 1992/1993 TAS "Guide to High End Audio Components," which provides an index of all of the reviews in issues 1 to 81, and the DR-3 was not listed.  Reviews were listed for the DR-2, DR-8, and DR-9.

Enjoy the amp!  Regards,
-- Al