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As recently as 13 years ago,launching a new audio or videoformat was relativelystraightforward, if not necessarilyeasy. The record industry's initialsupport of the Sony/PhilipsCompact Disc was reluctant

and often inept, but it wasn't activelyobstructive. Things have gone prettyconsistently downhill ever since.

The trouble started with DAT (DigitalAudio Tape). Partly out of fear and, I think,partly out of opportunism, the recordingindustry pounced on DAT as aninstrument of piracy. The labels protestedthat DAT's ability to produce digital clonesof CDs was essentially a license to steal,leading directly to serious fiscal injury bothto artists and to the record companies thatdistributed their wares.

The fear is real enough. The recordindustry has never much liked homerecording equipment, regarding itprimarily as a means for people to getcopies of commercially distributed musicwithout paying for it. DAT was thereforeregarded as a particularly severe threat,because of the quality of the copies it couldmake; but it was at the same time the firstgood opportunity for the labels to try toplug the perceived hole in the dike.The ensuing political fracas so crippledthe format's launch that DAT never had achance to become a significant consumerproduct. Bloodied by the experience,the audio industry subsequently chose tocut a deal with the record industry thatpaved a clear road to the launch of DCCand MiniDisc, compensating artists andlabels for presumed losses and makingthe recorders somewhat more inconvenientto use than they might otherwise have been.

It appears that every future format thatcan record digitally or that lends itself tobeing copied digitally will be subject tosome such painful, protracted negotiation.We see it now in the case of DVD (see '

"Spectrum" in this issue). Movie studiosare at least as uptight about homerecording as the record labels. (The MotionPicture Association of America broughtsuit years ago over the recording capabilityof Betamax VCRs-without success,thankfully, but at great expense to Sony.)

R R'

And since the cooperation of the studios isessential to DVD's success, the electronicsindustry will once again bow to pressureand build in copy -protection features.

Just as with the Serial Copy ManagementSystem (SCMS) built into digital audiorecorders, the DVD copy -protection systemwill not be particularly onerous to manypeople. Most, in fact, probably will neverrealize it exists, which just shows howpointless the whole exercise really is. I thinkthese schemes actually harm the softwareproviders, in fact, because the rationalebehind them is so flawed.

Consider this comment by Phil Pictaggi,senior vice president of operations andbusiness development for MCA/UniversalHome Video, regarding DVD: "It wouldmake good sense to not allow consumers tomake a copy of the product. That wouldcut our software business in half if we leteach consumer make one copy." What abizarre, preposterous idea, yet I have littledoubt that Mr. Pictaggi believes it with allhis heart. How many people really willmultiple copies of a movie if they can'tmake convenience dubs? Almost none,I think-no more than would buy onecopy of a CD for home and another fora car or portable player if deprived ofthe ability to make a cassette dupe. Nor willthere ever be enough people running offcopies of DVDs for friends to make anynoticeable dent in studio revenues.

I have no way of proving it(unfortunately), but I suspect the truth isexactly the opposite-that making DVDshard or impossible to copy will actuallyreduce studio income, because it willreduce the value of the discs to consumers.Just as a CD is worth more to me if I canmake a copy for my car, so a DVD maybe worth more if I can make a copy formy three -year -old. Lower perceived valuealmost always translates to lower sales.Everybody would be happier if Hollywoodand the record industry understoodthat better.

AUDIOEDITOR -IN -CHIEF

Michael Riggs

ART DIRECTORCathy Cacchione

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORLinda Zerella

TECHNICAL EDITORIvan Berger

MANAGING EDITORKay Blumenthal

ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITORSDouglas Hyde, Scott Van Camp

DIRECTORY EDITORTom Cannon, Jr.

ASSISTANT EDITOR/MUSICMichael Bieber

ASSISTANT EDITOR/DIRECTORYGerald F. McCarthy

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORSD. B. Keele, Jr., David Lander, Edward M. Long

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS/ARTISTSEdward Tatnall Canby, David L. Clark, Anthony H. Cardesman,

Ted Costa, John Diliberto, Frank Driggs, John Eargle,Edward J. Foster, D. W. Fostle, John Gatski, Joseph Giovanelli,

Dawn Joniec, Ken Kessler, Bascom H. King, Robert Long,Paul Moor, Jon W. Poses, Jon R. Sank, John Sunier,

Michael Tearson, Jon & Sally Tiven, Michael Wright

V.P./GROUP PUBLISHERTony Catalano 212/767-6061

V.P./ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERScott Constantine 212/767-6346

GENERAL MANAGER Greg RopertiBUSINESS MANAGER Christine Z. Maillet

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Patti BurnsPRODUCTION MANAGER

PROMOTION COORDINATOR Adele Ferraioli-KalterRESEARCH MANAGER Dru Ann Love

OFFICE MANAGER Aline J. PulleyOPERATIONS MANAGER Sylvia Correa

AD COORDINATOR Linda Neuweiler

ADVERTISINGREGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, EAST COAST

Charles L. P. Watson 212/767-6038REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Christine B. Forhez 212/767-6025ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Penry Price 212/767-6077MIDWEST ADVERTISING MANAGER

Jerry Stoeckigt 312/923-4804REGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, WEST COAST

Bob Meth 213/954-4831WESTERN MANAGER Paula Mayen 213/954-4830NATIONAL RECORD LABEL SALES

MAG Inc. Mitch Herskowitz 212/490-1715Cara B. Bernstein 212/490-2079

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 800/445-6066

jHr tdác ette

CHAIRMAN Daniel FilipacchiPRESIDENT, CEO, AND COO David J. Pecker

EXEC. V.P. AND EDITORIAL DIRECTORJean-Louis Ginibre

PRES., HACHETTE FILIPACCHI NEW MEDIAPaul DeBenedictis

SR. V.P./GLOBAL ADV. Paul DuCharmeSR. V.P./DIR., CORP. SALES Nicholas MatarazzoSR. V.P./CFO & TREASURER John T. O'ConnorV.P., GENERAL COUNSEL Catherine Flickinger

V.P., MFG. & DISTRIBUTION Anthony R. RomanoV.P., CIRCULATION David W. Leckey

V.P., RESEARCH & MKTG. SERVICES Susan SmollensV.P., COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS

Keith EstabrookV.P., MAGAZINE DEVELOPMENT Marcia SacharV.P., DIR., CREATIVE SERVICES, CORP. SALES

Lynn ChaikenCREATIVE PRODUCTION DIR., GLOBAL MKTG.

Jean Pierre LabatutSR. V.P./CORP. SALES, DETROIT H. E. (Bud) AllenV.P., FINANCIAL OPERATIONS Margaret Carroll

AUDIO/JUNE 19966

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LETTERS

HDCD: Lip-Smackin' Good?Dear Editor:

I have been a professional audio engineerfor over 25 years. During my career I haverecorded many different artists, includingLeonard Bernstein, Neil Young, Linda Ron-

stadt, Cat Stevens, Kansas, Dobie Gray,James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby,Stills, Nash & Young. I have also worked asmastering engineer for recordings by MarkKnopfler, Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd,Faith Hill, and Nanci Griffith, among oth-ers. In all, my ability to hear has earnedmore than 400 gold and platinum albumsand more than a few Grammys.

Given that background, I am appalled byyour editorial comments on HDCD inApril's issue. For youto say there is noth-ing wrong with digi-tal audio as we knowit today indicates tome that you have nev-er heard an originalanalog music sourcecompared to thesource fed throughtoday's best A/D andD/A converters and then compared thatsame source fed through an HDCD en-coder/decoder. For you to further say thatHDCD recordings sound no better thanother recordings made without the processhas no basis in fact.

Case in point: Mark Knopfler's new al-bum, Golden Heart. Knopfler and DireStraits have sold more than 89 million al-bums. Knopfler is extremely particularabout his albums' sonic integrity. GoldenHeart was recorded and mixed to analogduring a two-year period. When it wascompleted, several different masteringswere done to ensure the best possible trans-fer to digital. I mastered the album fromhalf -inch analog masters, using an HDCDencoder to convert first to 20 -bit and thento 16 -bit. Another very well-known master-ing engineer took the same tapes, convertedthem to 20 -bit using his best A/D converter,and then converted down to 16 -bit using awell-known dither processor.

Both Knopfler and Chuck Ainlay (co-producer and engineer for the project)picked the HDCD version as soundingmore like the analog source. They madethese selections when using their own sys-tems, with no HDCD decoding! HDCDsounds more accurate than a conventionalrecording of the same source, even whenplayed back undecoded. Period. Even whenlistening to standard and HDCD-encodedreference CDs of the same material on a $50(headphones included!) CD player, you can

hear that the HDCD process is more accu-rate. What are you listening to?

As someone who has spent his career insearch of sonic neutrality, it is simply be-yond me how you came to your conclu-

sions. I'm willing toinvite you to my facili-ty for blind A/B com-parison tests to provewhat I have said.

Although I work atthe mouth of audioand am able to seewhat's on the plateand taste its delicatenuances on my palate,

your dilemma is that you work at the otherend and can only guess at what the mouthhas eaten.

Denny Purcell

President, Georgetown Masters

Nashville, Tenn.

Author's Reply: The essence of Mr. Purcell'sbrief seems to be that he is an expert andhas made lots of records that were verypopular. To the best of my knowledge,record popularity is not correlated withsonic fidelity.

What Mr. Purcell is up to here is the ven-erable endorsement game. This may notwork on people old enough to rememberwhen movie stars endorsed cigarettes, butthe basic idea is that because someone fa-mous praises some product it must begood. Fine. But the only thing really knownis that the person promoting the productsays that a celebrity likes it-nothing more,and hardly rigorous proof. My article in the

April issue provided quantitative evidencethat HDCD encoding introduces substan-tial signal alterations; Mr. Purcell tells usthat some rockers think the result soundsmore like the original than conventionaldigital copies, which my results indicateshould be more accurate. Perhaps they sim-

ply like the HDCD sound.In my experience with HDCD, it is less

likely to alter pop material detectably or doaudibly offensive things such as modulatenoise floors. I suspect that "dry" studio en-vironments are easier for HDCD to processthan live ones and that the absence of com-plex reverberation, coherent phase infor-mation, and real instruments may enable itto perform as well as (but not discriminablybetter than) standard procedures. Sincethere is no "reality" in these studio record-ings, there is less to distort. To me, this is thedifference between a walk in the park and atrek across Africa: Park competence doesnot extrapolate.

Of course, the ace in the hole is the Test -Masters comparison CD (offered in the May

issue), on which HDCD's alterations of piano

timbre and room ambience should be clearto just about anyone. In preparing the Test -Masters CD, two engineers involved heardthe master tracks, each on his own system.One said the HDCD-encoded versionsounded "smarmy"; the other noted thatHDCD altered the Steinway grand's timbreand dynamics. To say the least, not all engi-neers who have heard HDCD regard it fa-vorably. TestMasters is the only recordingavailable that allows direct comparison ofstandard digital and analog recording mediawith HDCD, as well as various analog and dig-

ital methods to each other. And no one hasto go to Nashville to hear it.-D. W. Fostle

Editor's Reply: Regarding my comments in"Fast Fore -Word," I didn't say there is noth-ing wrong with digital audio as we know ittoday. But with properly designed and op-erated equipment, we're down to very sub-tle stuff, at worst. Yet there is prejudiceabroad that current standards enforce sig-nificant audible degradation and that muchlonger data words and much higher sam-pling rates will be required to completely al-leviate the presumed ills. (Ironically, thegreatest champions of this view hold up theLP as a standard of comparison-a medi-um that struggles to approach and never

AUDIO/JUNE 199610

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10

"The HCA-2200" has all the features and flexibilityany audiophile could want...; notes Stereophile.

Sure, it's nice to be hailed as a "benchmark."

But what, exactly, does that mean? Well, let's

read the quote in context:

"While the HCA-2200" has virtually

unlimited brute power, it has enough finesse

to let the music come through largely

unscathed. Over the last six months it hasproven, with a variety of speakers in bothmy listening rooms, that it's a benchmark

product against which other amplifiers can be measured. If an amp of equal or greater price isn't at leastas good as the HCA-2200", it doesn't cut it."

It's clear that Mr. Stone has discovered the virtues of our amplifier. And while we're pleased hefound the process so enjoyable, we aren't surprised. It's all part of our design philosophy, whose essence

he captures nicely when he says, "...a middle-class audiophile like myself no longer has to take out a

second mortgage on his house to afford a musically satisfying amplifier."

" ...A BENCHMARKPRODUCT AGAINST WHICH

OTHER AMPLIFIERS CAN BEMEASURED."

- STEVEN STONE, STEREOPHILE, VOL. 17 No. 3, MARCH 1994

But what did surprise us, as well as flatter us, was being thrown into the ring with $12,000monoblock behemoths. The result of this apparently absurd comparison? Not carnage, but rather: "...theParasound HCA-2200" gives them all a run for the money, and even beats 'em in flexibility and price."

He continues, "...a pair of HCA-2200"s performed with Apogee full -ranges on a par with a pair ofBoulder 250 AEs and four VTL Deluxe 300 amps.Dynamic impact and attack were excellent...Comparedto the VTL300, the HCA-2200" had a greater sense ofextension..."

Enough quotes. It's time to experience one yourself.Just visit your local Parasound dealer and learn that"benchmark" is the expert's way of saying you don't have

to break the bank to get the best. And you can quote uson that.

" ...prodigious bass output and sense of unlimited powerand effmtlessness;' says Stereophile. And no wonder. It

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achieves the degree of neutrality and trans-parency routinely delivered by CD, with itsmeager 16 -bit words and 44.1 -kHz sam-pling frequency.) I agree that moving to an18- or 20 -bit standard would be desirable to

accommodate recordings (few in numbertoday) that can actually make use of thewider dynamic range, but going beyondthat seems unnecessary and impractical.AID converters with true 24 -bit resolution,for example, probably are not even possible,and though sampling rates could easily bedoubled to 88.2 or 96 kHz, I see no con-vincing evidence that this would do any-thing but chew up disc space. So it has al-ways appeared to me that what HDCDpromises is to get us partway to a goal ofdubious worth. Obsessing about phantomproblems simply distracts people from thereal, if more difficult, ones that remain inimproving audio reproduction.

As it happens, I recently attended ademonstration of Sony's new Direct StreamDigital (DSD) recording process at the SonyMusic studios in Manhattan. (DSD is ahigh -data -rate delta -sigma, or bitstream,system.) We were able to switch between alive feed from musicians playing in the stu-dio and that feed passed through a com-plete A/D and D/A cycle via either the DSD

process or conventional 20 -bit, 48 -kHzconversion. Auditioning was over a pair ofWilson WATT/Puppyspeakers set up in thecontrol room. Withcareful, level -matchedswitching, I could hearabsolutely no differ-ence among the three.One of the other twolisteners, who doesextensive live record-ing of his own, con-curred, and the other said that he some-times thought he might possibly be hearingsome tiny differences. It is possible othersmight hear something I missed, and that issomething we hope to investigate morethoroughly in the future. But these resultsare consistent with my previous experiencein such comparisons and with another con-ducted at the same session using an analogmaster tape as the source. Which leads meto wonder about the conclusion Mr. Purcellattributes to Mark Knopfler: If an HDCD-encoded transfer actually did sound closest

to the original, however implausible thatmight be, it would seem to suggest that a de-

coded playback would sound less like it. Atleast it does to me, since I have no troublehearing the difference between decoded andundecoded playback of HDCD recordings.

We have requested an HDCD encoderfrom Pacific Microsonics to perform thecomparison Mr. Purcell suggests.-M.R.

Reissues an IssueDear Editor:

In D. W. Fostle's "19 Bits in a 16 -BitSack" (March), particularly the section"The Real World of Reissues," the authordescribes the Sony Mastersound CompactDisc reissues as "the most amazing mani-festation of noise tolerance." He goes on toput down the sound of three CDs in the se-ries: Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, DaveBrubeck's Time Out, and Bob Dylan'sBlonde on Blonde. He compares the bettersound to colorizing movies. This impliesthat old recordings could not have soundedgood when they were originally made. Hesays they are remixed.

The real reason for the new sound is thatthe master tape is used in making discs forthis series. (Hence the name "Master -sound.") And in the case of the Davis andBrubeck albums, there is only so much youcan remix on a three -track tape. Even

though it says "Digi-tally remastered fromthe original analogtapes" on the originalCD versions of thejazz albums, it doesn'tmean that they weremade from the mastertapes. And even if theywere made using themasters, those record-

ings are the ones that have processing, notthe Mastersound editions.

In a brief interview in your magazine("Classic Jazz Remasters," July 1994), Sonyrecording engineer Mark Wilder said,"Around 1984 to 1987, many CDs were re -mastered with a high -frequency roll -off(treble cut)...a destructive process." Wildersaid that Brubeck complained about thesound of his early remastered CDs. Well, ifBrubeck says that the old version didn'tsound right, what gives Fostle the right tosay that the old version is correct? So the

noise was originally there, not added fromequalization attempting to mimic the tonalbalance of new recordings.

I can't imagine that the Miles Davis discis any different. The higher level is probably

because the original disc was not fully mod-ulated. And there is more range because oflack of processing on the Mastersound edi-tion than was on the original. Fostle shouldlearn what music really sounds like.

Martin MelucciiLodi, N.J.

Author's Reply: I neither claimed that theolder versions of the CDs were necessarilycorrect (though they sound to me more likethe original vinyl issues) nor said that theold recordings could not have soundedgood when they were originally made. Thepoint of the colorization comment was thatthe new CDs sound different from the oldones primarily, and perhaps exclusively, be-

cause of different equalization, not the useof 20 -bit digital masters or noise shaping inthe 16 -bit CD transfers for the new releases.

Regarding the application of a treble cutin the mastering of the original CDs, thespectra of the ones examined show no evi-dence of that below 21 kHz (where the anti-aliasing filters on the A/D converters usedfor them kick in). But evidence for a trebleboost in the Mastersound releases can befound in Fig. 8 on page 36 of the March is-sue. The gentle downward slope of the oldMiles Davis CD's noise spectrum is charac-teristic of tube -type microphones, electron-ics, and recorders and is also found on oth-er recordings made with such equipment.Solid-state gear typically exhibits a flatnoise spectrum. The rising noise spectrumof the Mastersound Kind of Blue indicates atreble lift, particularly with respect to whatone would expect from a recording of thatera, when all the equipment used tubes.

What's odd about the level difference be-tween the two Kind of Blue CDs is not somuch that there is one, but that it is notconsistent. Over the period shown in Fig. 9,the difference varies from nearly none to al-most 3 dB. That is not simply a change inoverall modulation level. -D. W.F.

A Good BitDear Editor:

Kudos to Audio for D. W. Fostle's fine ar-ticle on noise shaping ("19 Bits in a 16 -Bit

AUDIO/JUNE 199612

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Sack," March). It's a comprehensive yetclear explanation of a very interesting ap-proach to noise control in mastering.

As a consultant to the music industry,I'm sure I'll find this article a useful refer-ence for some of my client artists.

Chris Stimson

Miraloma MusicSan Francisco, Cal.

S

uReality Sets Inear Editor:I'd like to comment on two points John

unier made in his "Auricle" review ofNuReality's Vivid 3D Theater SRS proces-sor (April).

First, you can't encode SRS through theloop jacks on the rear of the processor, aswas suggested. You can encode if you'retaping from another input on the receiveror preamp and SRS is engaged in the tape -monitor loop.

Second, Sunier experienced exaggeratedbass with the Vivid 3D Theater's "Mono"setting, as well as timbral changes onrecordings he listened to on a high -qualitysystem in the processor's "Stereo" mode.SRS Labs has addressed these issues, andNuReality is changing production to imple-ment the circuit improvements from SRSLabs.

Jim Mercer

NuReality

Santa Ana, CaL

Vivid RemindersDear Editor:

As president of KAB Electro -Acoustics,an East Coast representative for NuRealty'sVivid 3D products, I'd like to comment onJohn Sunier's "Auricle" review of the Vivid3D Theater SRS processor. First, a correc-tion: The "bare -bones computer multime-dia model" Sunier referred to is not theVivid 3D Plus but the Vivid 3D ($59.95).The Vivid 3D Plus ($79.95) is perfect forhome stereo applications, as it has all thenecessary controls ("Level," "Center," and"Space") and RCA connections. There areother models between these and the$249.95 Vivid 3D Theater that have unusu-al features. The Vivid 3D Studio, for in-stance, has an ambience display and a built-in 20 -watt amp. With the Studio model anda couple of monitor speakers, you couldcreate a stand-alone home theater system

for less than $300. Line outputs let you adda powered subwoofer if you like. No sur-round or center speakers or wires, wires,wires!

Our experience shows that the Vivid 3Dmust be the first device in a chain. Tonecontrols should be left flat. Other proces-sors, such as the BBE Sonic Maximizer orthe Aphex Aural Exciter, must follow theVivid 3D. Because the process works onlyon the L -R signals, it is important not todisturb the phase relationships of the mainL and R. Also, large amounts of phase shiftbetween bass and mid -bass drivers may re-sult in some coloration in the crossover re-gion. This, however, is an artifact of theloudspeaker. When attention is paid tothese details, switching the Vivid 3D in andout of the loop shows hardly any timbralalteration.

I disagree with the reviewer that high -end systems won't benefit from the Vivid3D. Any device that gets the ambience outfrom between the speakers and into the lis-tening room is a plus for any hi-fi system.The Vivid 3D adds the perception of spaceto the already important soundstage ele-ments of image and depth. Now one canhear the room the recording was made in. Ifthat's not an elusive audiophile goal, then Iguess I don't know what is.

Kevin A. Barrett

President, KAB Electro -Acoustics

Plainfield, N.J.

Author's Reply. We weren't furnished anyinformation about the NuReality Vivid 3DStudio model, which is why it wasn't men-tioned. If you really mean that the Vivid 3Dunit must be the very first device in thechain, I think you will find you have nosound whatsoever! If you mean the first af-ter the tape -out feed, that is, in fact, how Iconnected it.

We're on the same wavelength as far asfeeling that it is a good step to extract thenatural ambience from a stereo signal andput it out into the room, increasing thesense of space. Where we disagree is onwhether or not the SRS process shows"hardly any timbral alteration." My ears tellme that statement could be made about theSpatializer process (see "Auricle" review inthis issue) but not about the SRS approach,at least not in the several components usingit that I have heard.-J.S.

AUDIO/JUNE 199614

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Using eight 6550B tubes inits output stage, the Sonic

Frontiers Power 3 delivers220 watts at 1% THD. The circuitis fully balanced, from input tooutput, with a cross -coupledinput/driver stage directlycoupled to the output tubes.Balanced, unbalanced inverting,and unbalanced noninverting

inputs are provided, andthe output tap can beconfigured for 8-, 4-, or 2 -ohmloads. Rated damping factoris greater than 50; powerbandwidth is 15 Hz to 60 kHz(+0, -0.5 dB), with -3 dB pointsat 5 Hz and 120 kHz.Price: $8,995 per pair.For literature, circle No. 100

AMC INTEGRATED A M PDelivering 30 watts per channel

in Class A, AMC's CVT 3030aintegrated amp uses a tube ouputstage, with FETs elsewhere in thecircuit. The design is modular,allowing the phono input stageto be replaced by an optionalD/A converter module. Prices:With phono stage, $999.95; withDAC module, $1,099.90.For literature, circle No. 101

Xtant Car Subwoofer Amp

°°',;..,,a,, a wE.

74.é

Designed to power carsubwoofers, the Xtant 1001damplifier delivers 1,000 wattsfrom Class -D circuitry whosehigh efficiency is kind to carelectrical systems. The trade-offfor Class -D operation is ratedfrequency response of only 5 to500 Hz, ±3 dB, still plenty wide

enough for subwoofers.Plug-in modules set thefrequency and slope (12 or24 dB/octave) of the built-incrossover, and optional modulescan provide balanced -line inputand one -band parametric EQ.Price: $1,099.For literature, circle No. 102

ATI Six -Channel AmpOn the front of Amplifier Technologies' AT1506,

six pairs of LEDs show the status of each of its six

channels. Each channel is a separate module, removable

for easy servicing or replacement. Power is rated at

150 watts per channel into 8 ohms or 225 watts per

channel into 4 ohms. Channel bridging enables the

AT1506 to be used as a six-, five-, four-, or three -

channel amplifier; bridged operation delivers 450 watts

per channel pair into 8 ohms. Other specifications

include power bandwidth of 3 Hz to 50 kHz,

response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz (+0, -0.25 dB), and

distortion of 0.03% or less at rated output. Four- and

two -channel versions are also available.

Price: $1,995.

For literature, circle No. 103

FISHER A/V AMP & SPEAKERSThe Fisher ASR -M47

amplifier incorporatesDolby_Pro Logic decodingand comes with onecenter -channel and twosurround speakers, as well asa remote control. Its amplifierdelivers 15 watts continuousto the center channel and

the same to the surroundchannel; the ASR-M47'sspeakers have 4 -inch drivers.The decoder section hasPro Logic, phantom, andthree -channel modes plustwo surround simulations.Price: $199.95.For literature, circle No. 104

AUDIO/JUNE 199618

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bostonacousticspoweredsubwoofer

The PSB 1000 has two61/2 -inch woofers, one operatingup to its 2.2 -kHz crossover whilethe other reinforces the lowerbass and then rolls off. Thisarrangement is said to combinethe open sound of good two-waysystems with the dynamics anddeep bass of three-way designs.The tweeter dome is betweenthe two woofers, for goodvertical dispersion and imaging.The tweeter's low -frequencyresponse is enhanced by a cavitybeneath its surround. Frequencyresponse is 45 Hz to 20 kHz(±1.5 dB), sensitivity is 91 dB,and dimensions are 37 incheshigh, 9 inches wide, and13 inches deep. The cabinetis available in black oak,dark cherry, or high -gloss black.Price: $1,000 per pair.For literature, circle No. 105

At the heart of theBoston Acoustics CR400

powered subwoofer is an 8 -inch,long -throw woofer in a ventedcabinet Response is rated as35 to 150 Hz, and the built-inamp's THD is less than 0.15%at 60 watts. The amp turns

itself on and off1111 automatically. The

CR400's upper cutoff canbe adjusted from 50 to 150 Hz,with a 24-dB/octave slope. Thecabinet is roughly 15 inches perside, and the finish is black -ashvinyl veneer. Price: $400 each.For literature, circle No. 106

EWPARAGONSPEAKER

paragon's Jubilee/JEMis a two-piece modular

speaker covering the rangefrom 32 Hz to 20 kHz, ±3 dB.Upper frequencies are handledby the Jubilee mini -monitor,with a Y4 -inch dometweeter and a 61h -inchmid -bass driver. Bass comesfrom the JEM (Jubilee ExtensionModule), which has a single9 -inch woofer. The cabinetsuse constrained -layer dampingto achieve inertness and weigh160 pounds per side. Prices:$5,195 per pair; modules,

$1,995 per pair for Jubileeand $3,200 per pair for JEM.For literature, circle No. 108

WAVEFORM SPEAKER

Energy's EC -100 center -

channel speaker uses two4 1 inch woofers flanking a3/ -inch soft -dome tweeter. Ratedfrequency response is 60 Hz to20 kHz, ±3 dB, with a basscutoff (-10 dB) at 48 Hz.Sensitivity of the 8 -ohm speakeris 89 dB, and recommendedamplifier power is 15 to130 watts. Price: $200 each.For literature, circle No. 107

I, 11:I11;1

.tiP/:l 1:/l

The tweeter andmidrange ofWaveform's Mach 17are in an egg -shapedhousing, to eliminatediffraction and providemore even dispersionand better imaging. Thehousing also tilts andturns to accommodatevariations in roomacoustics and listeningpositions. Frequencyresponse is 20 Hzto 27 kHz, ±1 dB;sensitivity in a roomenvironment is 94 dBSPL at 1 meter fora 1 -watt input. The

electronic crossover, custom -designed and made by Bryston,is adjustable in order to takeroom acoustics into account.Available directly from themanufacturer, the Mach 17has a 30 -day money -backguarantee and a warranty of10 years on the speaker and20 years on the electronics.Price: $5,995 per pair.For literature, circle No.109

AUDIO/JUNE 199620

More rnarJ abIeWhat you choose to connect your system with reallydoes make a difference.

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YAMAHA DSP

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Raise the curtain on a conventional home theater and listen closely.What's missing? The theater. Until recently, the expansive acousticenvironment that helps give a real movie palace its sense of grandeur justdidn't seem possible from a sound system sandwiched between a sofa, a

The Theatercoffee table and a couple of ficus trees. Decades of Yamaha experience in

The DSP-A3090 lets you choosesound field measuring and processing, custom integrated circuit design and

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churches and concert halls around the world. technology that creates the unmistakable sensation of a first -runSeven -channel amplification sends 80 watts to theater's acoustic spaciousness, combined with the unparalleled

each of the main, center and rear speakers, plus 25 ® ,watts to both front effects speakers. Analog, video and accuracy and dynamic range of Dolby® Surround AC -3.

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Proprietary Yamaha processing techniques maintain the depth, openness andrealism the director envisioned when mixing the original soundtrack for the bigscreen. While also preserving the directional relationships of every sound. So youhear each note - and every squeak, creak, rattle and roar - placed exactlywhere the director intended. We call it Tri-Field Processing. And it's made The Technologypossible by the latest generation of the Yamaha Cinema DSP technology The sophisticated micro -that's kept us at the forefront of home theater for more thana decade. For circuitry that makes our newthe dealer nearest you, call 1-800-4YAMAHA. Or visit us on the web at Cinema DSP possible is designed

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WHERE HOME THEATER LIVES.

AUDIO CLINICJOSEPH GIOVANELLI

More on Variable -SpeedTape Playback

In the January issue, you suggested someways to vary a tape recorder's speed. I'vefound another solution: a catalog aimed athome recordists and musicians, Musician'sFriend (800/776-5173), offers portablemultitrack recording decks whose speed canbe varied by at least 10%. Some of thesedecks, manufactured by Marantz and Fos-tex, cost less than $500.-Derek I. Smith,Bronx, N.Y.

Other catalogs that offer such recordersinclude Thoroughbred Music (800/800-4654) and Veneman's Music Emporium(800/648-8460). Variable -speed recordersare also available from music stores that sellto professional musicians.-D.H.

An Old Turntablein a New Country

QWhen I moved from the United King-dom to the United States, I brought

my belt -drive turntable. It was built to runon 240 -volt, 50 -Hz power; I would like touse it on the 117 -volt, 60 -Hz power sup-plied here. I have been advised that a simplestep-up transformer will take care of thevoltage but that I'll need a new pulley tocompensate for the difference in motor speedcaused by the change in power -line frequen-cy. Is this information correct? If so, wherecan I get the proper pulley? Kamiar Kha-javi, Randolph, N.J.

AIf your turntable's motor is fed di-rectly from the AC line, you will al-

most certainly need both the transformerand the pulley. But if there are electroniccircuits between your motor and the ACline cord, you probably won't need the pul-ley and may not even need the transformer.Such circuits are usually found only on ser-vo -controlled turntables, whose speed doesnot depend on the AC line frequency. Andsome servo -controlled turntables have mul-tiple -voltage power transformers, whichcan be rewired for 117 volts.

But to be sure about this, you shouldcontact your turntable's maker or its U.S.importer; you'll also need to contact one of

them for any parts you need. Check the list-ings in the back of Audio's Annual Equip-ment Directory (October issue) to see if aU.S. address is listed for your turntable'smaker. If it isn't, you'll have to write over-seas to its manufacturer.

If all else fails, you could get a trans-former and have a good machine shop ma-chine your pulley down until it's 17%smaller or have the shop fabricate a new,smaller pulley for you. (If you have youroriginal pulley machined down, you'll nev-er be able to use it in a 50 -Hz country again,

of course.)

Editing CD -Rs via DATQI'm interested in getting a CD recorder.

Because editing is not possible onrecordable CD, I was thinking of doing some

editing on a DAT recorder and then copyingfrom the DAT to the CD recorder. If I tapeportions of a CD onto a DAT cassette, can Ithen record that on the CD -R, or will the Ser-

ial Copy Management System (SCMS) pre-vent this?-Name withheld

AYou actually can edit CD -Rs to asmall extent. That is, until you final-

ize the disc's table of contents (TOC), youcan add codes to the disc that will force aCD player to skip any tracks you didn'trecord properly or don't like.

As for editing via DAT, SCMS will nor-mally keep you from dubbing CDs digitallyonto DAT and then dubbing the DAT viathe CD recorder's digital input. One simpleway around this is to use analog connec-tions between the DAT and CD recorders.You'll lose some quality, but very little. An-other method is to use a professional DATrecorder, which does not have SCMS. Oryou could get a professional subcode editor,which will let you enable or disable SCMS,among other things.

If you record from an analog source toDAT or record a CD via the DAT recorder'sanalog inputs, you may still have to feed the

DAT to the CD recorder through analogconnections. That's not because of SCMSbut because many home DAT machinesnormally use a 48 -kHz sampling rate when

recording from an analog source ratherthan CD's 44.1 -kHz sampling.

For elaborate editing, you'll need twoDAT machines. But if both have SCMS,you'll need to use analog connections allalong the line. The transfer losses are small,so you can make your edits just as youwould if you were editing from one analogcassette to another. We audiophiles tend tobe so hung up on digital transfers that wereally lose sight of just how wonderfullygood analog transfers can be with a pair ofDAT machines.

A/V Receiver Tone ControlsQThe manual for my new A/V receiver

says that the bass and treble controlsshould be kept at their "flat" positions. Why?

It seems to me that adding some bass would

not hurt; when I listen to movies, I add a little

bass and it still sounds nice.-Daniel Hile -man, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

AFrom your reference to movies, I as-sume that the instruction about

keeping the tone controls set "flat" appliesspecifically to surround listening. This sug-gests that your receiver's tone controls af-fect the signals before they reach the sur-round decoder. If this is the case, using thetone controls will prevent the surround sys-tem from accurately decoding the moviesoundtrack.

Off -Speed AR TurntableQI own an AR turntable that was newwhen I bought it in 1984. It still works

well except that it now turns too fast, making

the music about a half tone sharp. It has asynchronous motor and no speed control. Ihave tried placing a heavy LP under the disc I

wish to play. That has helped a bit, but isthere any other solution?-David Adler,Clark, N.J.

AIt's likely that your turntable's belthas stretched over time, reducing

drag on the motor and thus increasing itsspeed. You need a replacement drive beltthat has the same thickness and tension as

If you have a problem or question about audio,write to Mr. Joseph Giovanelli at AUDIO Maga-zine, 1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019, orvia e-mail at JOEGIO@delphi.com. All lettersare answered. In the event that your letter is cho-sen by Mr. Giovanelli to appear in Audioclinic,please indicate if your name or address shouldbe withheld. Please enclose a stamped, self-ad-dressed envelope.

AUDIO/JUNE 199624

I he ultimate blind test:Can you see the music?

The blind test: you don't know which brand of speakers

is which or how much they cost. You can judge the speakers

only by the music they produce. The true test of a loudspeáker,

though, is not just how musical it sounds, but how accurately

it recreates the sound stage... its ability to place the performers

accurately, left to right and front to back.

Introducing the KEF Reference Series for 1995, with KEF's

patented Uni-Q® technology. Uni-Q places the tweeter in the

center of the woofer, allowing both high and low frequencies

to reach your ears at the proper time - the vital element in

creating a realistic sound stage.

Once you hear KEF's new Reference, the challenge

of choosing the right loudspeakers won't be so

daunting. You can do it with your eyes closed.

The KEF Reference Series: (From left to right) Models One, Three, Four, and Two.

Shown in Rosewood finish. Also available in Rosetta Burr or Black Ash.

The Science of Loudspeakers KEF Electronics of America, Inc., 89 Doug Brown Way, Holliston, MA 01746 Tel 508 429-3600 Fax 508 429-3699 Distributed in Canada by: Pro -Acoustics Canada Ltd. Tel 514 344-1226 Fax 514 344-4760

CIRCLE NO. 11 ON READER SERVICE CARD

the original. Luckily, replacement parts forAR turntables are available from AB TechServices (800/225-9847).

If the position of the AR's motor is vari-able, it may have slipped a bit; this wouldalso reduce belt tension. Even if this is notthe cause, you might be able to compensatefor belt wear or stretching by moving themotor a bit farther from the platter.

Sibilance on Vocal CDsQSince I upgraded my system for hometheater, I hear distorted sibilants on "s"

and "ch" sounds in the vocals on classicalCDs. I have not noticed the problem with in-strumental music or movie soundtracks onCD or laserdisc, nor did I notice it when Iplayed many of the same CDs on my original

system. Because I replaced most of my com-

ponents in one fell swoop, I have no way todetermine the source of the distorted sibi-lance. I have tried various interconnects butgot no improvement.-Lee F. Winer, LakeOswego, Ore.

AThe most common cause of overem-phasized sibilance is an irregularity in

the loudspeakers' response, but there areother possibilities as well. Your CD playermay be at fault. If it has a headphone jack,see if you can hear the sibilants when listen-ing through very good headphones. If youdon't hear the problem, the player probablyis okay.

If your CD player has an output levelcontrol and you have direct access to youramplifier's inputs, connect the player di-rectly to the amplifier and see if you canhear the sibilance. If you can't hear it, theproblem is almost certainly in one of thecomponents you've bypassed.

Since this is a home theater system, youmay be running your signal through a sur-round processor. If so, the processor will at-tempt to decode material that was not en-coded in the first place. See if the sibilancedisappears when you set the processor fornormal stereo; if it doesn't, try bypassing itand see if that helps.

Make sure you have no equalizer or otherprocessors between the CD player and thesurround decoder; their actions on the sig-nal (especially if they add treble) can makethe decoder operate in unexpected ways.

If these checks don't work and your sys-tem's connections permit, just eliminateeverything you can from the system. Add

components back, one at a time, until thesibilance returns; then you'll know what'sprobably causing it.

Channel -Balance ProblemsQWhen listening to my AN receiver in

its "Test" mode, I noticed that the leftspeaker was slightly lower in volume than the

right. When I adjusted the receiver's balancecontrol, one of the speakers started making astrange, static -like noise.-Daniel Hileman,Oak Ridge, Tenn.

AAssuming you're sitting equidistantfrom both speakers, the channel im-

balance could be caused by your room'sacoustics, differences in the speakers, oryour receiver's amp section. It's not hard tofind out which.

Problems with a room's acoustics aremore common than you might think; myown listening room causes a slight imbal-ance. To see if that's the problem, swap your

two speakers' positions but don't changetheir connections to the amp. If the imbal-ance stays where it was originally, then theroom's at fault.

If the same speaker is still louder, thereis indeed something wrong with theequipment. Swap the connections so thatthe speaker originally fed from the amp'sright channel is now fed from the left chan-nel (and vice versa). If the imbalance doesnot swap sides, the problem lies in thespeakers.

The static you mention might mean thereceiver's balance control is dirty. Turn thereceiver off, spray a volume -control cleaner

into the crack between the control's shaftand its body, and then twist the controlback and forth a few times. If this doesn'thelp, the control probably has DC on it, andyour receiver needs repair.

Tape -Head Azimuth SolutionsIn your August 1995 column, there was a

question from a reader whose cassette deckhad been realigned. The deck could no longer

properly play his earlier recordings that weremade with a different alignment. You sug-gested getting a second deck and realigning it

to match the old tapes, and I'd like to offersome advice. He should look for a new deckthat has a front -panel azimuth -adjustmentcontrol, such as Nakamichi's DR -1. Such adeck could easily be set for proper playback of

his new or old tapes. A less expensive alterna-

tive would be to get a deck that has a"Playtrim" circuit, designed to compensatefor differently aligned recordings. This circuit

is similar to a treble tone control but operates

before the Dolby NR circuit, for proper NRtracking. I've seen this feature on Yamaha'sKX-W952 and old NAD decks.-Doug Vin-er, Rockville, Md.

DAT ReliabilityQl recently read an article that said DAT

recorders suffered from a lot of down-

time because their heads clog frequently,among other problems. I have been consider-

ing buying a $2,500 professional DAT ma-chine, but now I wonder if such a recorderwill be reliable enough to justify the heftyprice.-John Jager, Wantagh, N.Y.

AAlthough I have not used a profes-sional DAT recorder, studios are us-

ing them for mastering, so they must bereasonably reliable.

I own a consumer model that usuallyworks very well, but I have had two disturb-ing experiences with it.

The first involved a temporarily cloggedhead, which unfortunately occurred while Iwas taping a live concert. During playback,I discovered that there were places on thetape where the new concert was notrecorded; the tape's previous contentscould be heard dropping in and out. If I'dhad a professional model with simultane-ous playback during record (or one of thefew home DAT machines with this feature),I would have noticed the glitch before itwas too late.

Another time, the tape suddenly stoppedand none of my recorder's transport con-trols worked. Luckily, the eject control didwork, so I removed the tape. It had devel-oped some slack, which I took up by open-ing the DAT's protective flap and turningthe hubs in the proper directions. I placedthe tape back in the machine, but the othercontrols still didn't operate. I removed thetape again, inserted a cleaning tape, andpressed the play button. When I thenreinserted the tape I had been working on,the machine operated correctly. I discov-ered there was noise on that tape's last se-lection, which suggested that dropoutsmight be forthcoming (although noneoccurred).

Both these incidents suggested to me thatI should clean the tape path more often. I'd

AUDIO/JUNE 199626

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also recommend that a new tape be fast for-warded and then rewound before recordingon it. Also, do not start recording importantinformation on the first few turns of tape,as it may be creased. (If you must recordsomething there, have it be a reference toneor perhaps an audible "slate" announcingthe time and date of the recording.)

Editor's Note: I asked Bob Katz of DigitalDomain, a CD mastering house in NewYork City, for further advice. He had twoadditional tips: "First, if you're really seri-ous, use two DAT decks and make two si-multaneous recordings. Second, althoughDATs should be good for at least five yearsand may well last 30, don't count on themto last forever."-LB.

Faulty WiringRegarding your discussion of bi-wiring

and tri-wiring in the November 1995 issue,I believe you missed an important point.Biamping, properly executed, is a valid sci-entific principle. It increases overall systemefficiency, power handling, and outputwhile decreasing distortion. I have won-dered for more than 20 years why all sys-tems are not biamped or triamped. Bi-wiring, on the other hand, is a scam. Thereis no way that running two wires from anamplifier to a two- or three-way speakerwill accomplish anything that simply in-creasing wire size would not. This is a per-fect example of how the consumer audiomarket rips off the public. In professionalaudio (and I am an audio technician),there is no such thing as bi-wiring.-AlanHefner, Hilo, Hawaii

I agree with you, almost. Normally, I hearno improvement whatever from bi-wiring.Yet so many audiophiles feel they hear aworthwhile difference that I cannot be en-tirely sure there is none. (Proving a negative

isn't easy.) On the other hand, any differ-ence that may exist must be subtle, or Iwould hear it.

At the moment, I have a speaker systemthat does benefit from bi-wiring, but it'shardly what I'd call a normal system. Mysetup includes a two-way speaker with ahighly capacitive tweeter matched to an ex-perimental subwoofer. I'm bi-wiring thisspeaker system so that the tweeter has a ca-ble of its own while the original woofer andthe add-on subwoofer share a cable. This isto ensure a really solid ground and thereby

keep interaction between the tweeter's ca-pacitance and the series crossover fromrolling off the treble.

For those who think that they hear animprovement from bi-wiring, there is asimple way to check how much of the im-provement you're getting is due just tolowered resistance. Leave both bi-wiringcables in place, but put back the shortingwires or bus bars that are used when thespeaker is not bi-wired. Any difference thatyou hear between the sound with andwithout the shorting wires is due to bi-wiring. If you hear no difference in this testbut do hear a difference between the short-ed (normal) connections with one cableand with two, then the change is due to thereduced cable resistance or to other cablecharacteristics.

How Digital WorksQReel-to-reel and cassette decks stay on

constantly, capturing every detail andnuance. But if a DAT recorder turns on and

off many thousands of times a second dur-ing recording, how can it capture all of thesound? And how can digital recording cap-ture a signal properly if it uses just two volt-age levels to record that signal? Signal volt-ages have infinite variations! And CD playersshould not require the use of multithousand-

dollar D/A converters to obtain good sound;a cassette player doesn't!-Tim Coop,Marysville, Cal.

AIt's not really accurate to think of adigital recorder turning on and off

very rapidly during operation. Analog -to -digital (A/D) conversion involves threebasic steps: filtering (to remove any signalcomponents above half the sampling fre-quency), sampling, and quantization. Ifyou were to look at the output of a digitalaudio recorder's sampling circuit beforequantization, you would see a continuouswaveform with the same basic shape as thefiltered analog input-but "stairstepped"at regular intervals. The sampling circuitadds these ultrasonic plateaus to facilitatequantization; it removes nothing. If youwere to run the sampled signal through anultrasonic filter, you would get back exact-ly the signal that went into the samplingcircuit. In other words, sampling itself isa lossless process. The key to digital soundreproduction is that playback is a recipro-cal process that utillizes the quantized volt-

AUDIO/JUNE 199628

age levels of the ultrasonic plateaus to pre-cisely reconstruct the sampled signal, which

is then filtered to recover the pure audiosignal.

As to voltage levels, it's true that signalsstored on a CD, DAT, or other digitalrecording have just two states, representingthe binary numbers 0 and 1. But the quanti-zation coding used can represent manymore voltage values than that, since eachsample's level is represented by more thanone binary digit, or bit -16 of them on CDor DAT. Every additional bit in a data"word" doubles the range of values thatword can encode: an eight -bit word can en-

code 256 values, a 16 -bit word can encode65,536, and so on. But since the number ofvalues that can be encoded will always be fi-

nite, quantization is, by its nature, not loss -less. The difference between a sample's ac-tual level and the closest approximationthat can be encoded by the quantizer is thequantization error. (You can think of thepossible range of error as an uncertainty inthe quantized value.) On playback, thequantization errors will cause correspond-ing errors in the analog output, adding aslight "fuzziness" to the signal. This iswhere the noise in a digital recording comesfrom, which is why increasing the wordlength increases the available dynamicrange. With 16 -bit words, the dynamicrange is quite wide, and if you were to lookon an oscilloscope at playback of the samesignal recorded on DAT and analog cassette,one of the main differences you would seewould be the much greater fuzziness of theoutput from the cassette, representing itshigher noise level.

Some audiophiles feel that a digital sys-tem using a higher sampling rate and morebits per sample would sound superior, andit's possible that such systems will somedaybe available for home use. But increasingthe sampling rate will do nothing but ex-tend high -frequency response, which is al-ready up to about 22 kHz, and increasingword length will simply drop the noisefloor, which is already very, very low.

Good CD players do not require externalD/A converters to achieve good sound. It isprobably true that some external converterswill help a CD player achieve even bettersound, but unless something is seriouslywrong with the player's built-in converter,the improvements will be subtle. A

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There's more to a good subwooferthan thunderous, wall -rattling bass.

Even a small percentage of distortioncan take all the clarity out of the signal,leaving you with a muddy, undefinedsound. It's thunder without the light-ning. And who wants that?

You'll hear all the impact and all thefidelity from Velodyne's High GainServo subwoofers. It's thanks to theaccelerometer. This revolutionarydevice, custom -designed by Velodyne, ismounted directly on the speaker's voicecoil, where it takes continuous motionmeasurements and feeds them to a com-parator circuit. Any differences betweenthe measured motion and the sourcesignal represent distortion.

The Velodyne system corrects thosedifferences approximately 3500 timesevery second for a precise match withthe input signal. The resulting sound isclean, powerful and, at less than 1%THD, virtually without distortion -acombination no other subwoofer hasbeen able to achieve.

Why let distortion get between youand the power and definition youexpect in a subwoofer? Audition aVelodyne speaker system, including anF -Series sub, today. Call 1 -800 -VELO -

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CI) 1996, Velodyne Acoustics Inc. Velodyne is a registeredtrademark of Velodyne Acoustics, Inc. All rights reserved.

SPECTRUMIVAN BERGER

DVDHITS THE HURDLES

A

lthough the digital videodisc (DVD) was originallyannounced as reaching themarket by this summer, andlater announced for Sep-tember, it may well come

later than that. The main technicalissues have mostly been resolved, butthey're not the only issues.

As long as DVD remains a strictlyplayback medium (which it will for ayear or so), it stands or falls onthe recorded software availablefor it. And the movie studios(with the probable exception ofWarner Bros. and Sony, both in-volved in DVD's development)are not exactly falling overthemselves to provide that soft-ware. The main sticking pointsare packaging, pricing, protect-ing release dates, and protectionagainst copying by pirates andby (shudder!) us consumers.

Although DVDs are the same size

as CDs, they'll probably come inlarger packages than CDs do, sort of

a cross between videocassette boxesand the longboxes that CDs wereoriginally sold in. Developing an in-dustry consensus on the new pack-

aging will take some time; gettingappropriate fixtures into stores willtake more. Store fixtures for CD jew-el cases are readily available, ofcourse. But DVDs, being more ex-pensive than CDs, have even moreneed for packaging that can't easilybe slipped into a shoplifter's pocket.

How much more expensive willDVDs be? That's hotly debated, too.Some studios want to price themlow, to encourage viewers to buy and

keep them. Others want to pricethem high, to increase studio profitsfrom DVDs sold to rental stores. Stillothers suggest introducing each titleat a high price, to milk the rentalmarket, and then dropping the priceto increase sales. Unlike packaging(which must be uniform for thestores' convenience), pricing can bedecided on a studio -by -studio oreven film -by -film basis.

The remaining problems dependon cooperation between studios andplayer manufacturers. The studioswant to make sure that films sold onDVD in one country can't be playedon machines sold in countries wherethat film hasn't been released. Thevariety of video and color standards(e.g., NTSC, PAL, and SECAM) pro-vides some such protection now with

DVD ( 0 P Y R I G N T PROGRESSThe Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) wants to protect

moviemakers' copyrights in the DVD era. The Consumer Electronics Manu-facturers Association (CEMA) wants to protect consumers' rights to recordvideo programs for time -shifting and other noncommercial purposes. Nowthe two groups have agreed to recommend legislation to attain both goals.

The recommended legislation wouldlet consumers freely record broadcast andcable programs but probably not makedigital copies of those recordings. Itwould also let copyright owners restricttaping from pay -per -view or video -on -demand programming and from com-mercial video programs.

Manufacturers of playback, reception,and transmission equipment would haveto comply with any technical standardsneeded to make the other provisionswork. The legislation would specify thosestandards but would let the Librarian of

Congress update them as new copy -control technologies emerge. However,those new technologies would have to be backward -compatible and wouldnot be permitted to interfere with the operation of TVs.

AUDIO/JUNE 199630

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RUSHING TO VIRTUAL REALITYSurround -encoded CDs have been around for a few years, from

such companies as Telarc, the Kore Group, Sheffield, and Delos.With Dolby Digital AC -3 discrete surround now here, and audio -only DVDs with discrete surround perhaps around the corner,record companies are starting to give surround even more atten-tion. Access Music has started issuing all its CDs in Dolby Sur-round, and surround CDs are also available from Concord Jazz,Pro Arte, and RCA Victor.

Delos International demonstrated its progress in this area thisFebruary at Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco. In the past year,Delos has been using a format it calls Virtual Reality Recording(VR2), which will enable the company to produce releases in sur-round with discretefull -range channels orwith a combination ofdiscrete full -rangechannels and a limited -bandwidth subwooferchannel (the "5.1 -channel" format usedin Dolby Digital AC -3encoding).

Discrete -channeldigital surround isgaining impetus forhome use and is fast be-

IACALit $INGr:tAN 1'ar.,:'... Wand/ awned ro b. ,nw..n..F the manichimself kind ofeaneN.nnR. rity hoehryi etaadtr.s. that

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coming the new standard for movie theaters (morethan 4,000 theaters are equipped for Dolby Digital,for example, and 400 films have been made with suchsoundtracks). An audio -only DVD would haveenough storage capacity to hold discrete multichan-nel music recordings without use of a perceptual -coding system like AC -3. While we wait for that, how-ever, it is possible to put these programs on Dolby Digital-enccd-ed CDs or laserdiscs for playback through the AC -3 decoders nowbecoming available for home theater systems. And though the AC -3 perceptual -encoding algorithm involves some data reduction,the amount is adjustable to some degree, according to Ioan Allen,vice president of Dolby Labs. Even the very longest musical pieces,such as uncut ballets and operas, could be recorded in AC -3 onCD -type discs with much less compression than is used for moviesoundtracks.

Acccording to John Eargle, Delos' director of recording, the VR2recordings are "our first recordings made with the intent of ulti-mately offering discrete surround. Meanwhile, they should sound

L`°W ; 6LIÉRE

good in stereo and should sound very good with steered analogdecoding, such as Dolby Pro Logic." To make these recordings,Eargle uses eight -track digital masters. Tracks 1 and 2 are Delos'normal stereo mix. This includes a coincident -pair stereo mike inthe front center, a pair of spaced omni mikes flanking the coinci-dent pair, two house mikes to pick up reverberation, and accentmikes strategically located within the orchestra. Tracks 3 and 4 arethe coincident pair, tracks 5 and 6 are the flanking mikes, andtracks 7 and 8 are the house mikes. For a surround mix, Earglecould subtract the last six tracks from the first two, to isolate thesignals from the accent mikes. "These recordings will be a virtualre-creation of the sound field," according to Eargle.

For the Delos dem-onstration, 5.1 -channelAC -3 bitstreams wererecorded on a CompactDisc. The demo includednew recordings ofGliére's "Russian Sail-ors' Dance" from TheRed Poppy Ballet Suite,performed by the NewJersey Symphony Or-chestra conducted byZdenek Macal; Bach'sBrandenburg Concerto

No. 3, performed by the Chamber Music Society of Lin-coln Center; and Tchaikovsky's "1812" Overture, withAndrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony. I thoughtthat the recordings were excellent, with a definite feel-ing of real hall ambience.

The VR2 recordings will appear first on stereo CDswith standard Dolby Surround encoding for Pro Logic

playback, although Delos also plans to release the "1812" Over-ture on laserdisc in the Dolby Digital AC -3 format about the timeyou read this. When DVD playback equipment is available in thefuture, Delos will have the master tapes to produce discrete multi-channel recordings in that format as well.

Later, at home, I listened to the formally issued Gliére CD (De-los DE 3178) in two -channel stereo and through a Dolby Pro Logicsurround decoder. The recording had a wonderfully spacioussound that was definitely enhanced in the Dolby Surround format.With my eyes closed, the experience was like being in the concerthall with the orchestra-but isn't that what virtual reality is allabout? Edward M. Long

n..11101.1TOP(..IOPw

analog systems, but the studios wantmore.

Protection against piracy and homecopying is proving to be a higher, but notinsurmountable, hurdle. It's not too hard toput roadblocks in the way of copying by di-rect digital connection (such as SCMS andthe copy -prohibit flags used in home digitalaudio recorders). Such a roadblock, theCopy Generation Management System(CGMS), has been devised for DVD.

However, virtually all home VCRs to dateare analog, and I)VD players won't initiallyhave digital video outputs, so CGMS won'tbe effective for a while. That leaves film stu-

dios worrying. Without some way to putcopy protection into the analog link fromDVD to VCR, it becomes all too easy tomake copies that would be, if not equal toDVD's quality, still better than videotapesmade off the air or from laserdisc. The pro-posed solution is a version of Macrovision

Colorstripe technology, which would makeVCR copies from DVD virtually unwatch-able. This could prove very unpopular withconsumers if it also makes DVD's superiorpicture unwatchable on some TVs. (A thirdsystem, CGMS-A, has been proposed, butno details were available at press time.)

As a further complication, the homecomputer industry has a stake in these de-velopments. Part of DVD's appeal is its useof one technology for video and for multi-

AUDIO/JUNE 199632

Definitive Technology.The Leader e, HigMperlamonce Loudspeakers

media, enabling both video and DVD-ROM programs to be shown on a PCscreen. The DVD anti -copy system mustneither be incompatible with PCs nor easilyoverridden by PC users.

Whatever anti -copy systems are decidedon, their use must be enforced. No cus-tomer would opt for copy protection volun-tarily, so no manufacturer would voluntari-ly offer it. Waiting for new copyright laws to

be debated and passed would stall DVD forat least another year (see "DVD CopyrightProgress"). Some Hollywood studios mayindeed wait it out; others seem to feel that,for the time being, it's sufficient that pro-tection be written into the DVD standard.

These issues are still in flux, and untilthey're settled, the studios won't send manyfilms out for encoding onto DVD. Afterthat, they'll send out plenty. But it may takeseveral months after everything's resolvedfor the movie industry to encode enoughfilms to support the system's launch.

For quite a while, CD changers have beenable to store disc titles (and sometimestrack titles) in databases that linked them todisc ID codes. Once you'd entered a disc'stitle information, the changer automaticallydisplayed the title when you played the disc.

Useful, but what a pain! In all too manycases, you enter titles by rocking a knob orpressing a pair of buttons to scroll throughthe alphabet for each letter. After a while, itfeels like trying to write a novel on an old-fashioned toy typewriter, the kind with all

Sony's CDP-CX270:200 discs, but easy titling.

its letters on a manually rotated wheel.Once you realize this, your zest for enteringdisc titles wanes, and few titles get enteredthereafter.

Some time ago, a megachanger was an-nounced that would check disc IDs against

a database of all current CDs, with the op-tion of getting updated databases from themanufacturer. Owners of that systemwould never have to enter titles by hand-except, perhaps, for discs too old to be inthe database or for CDs purchased betweendatabase updates. Alas, I don't believe thereever were such owners-I've heard nothingof the system since it was unveiled.

A few years back, Kenwood introduced achanger with a serial port that let it ex-change data with a PC database program.With that system, you could enter data viayour PC keyboard, a major advance, andimport it from the PC as needed.

For its first megachanger (a 100 -discmodel, as I recall), Kenwood adopted a sug-gestion of mine and further simplified ti-tling: Since most homes have their PCs andstereo systems in different rooms, the newchanger had a jack for a PC keyboard in-stead of the serial port. Want to enter titles?Just carry in your keyboard from the otherroom.

In 30 years of making unsolicited sugges-

tions to manufacturers, this is the first oneI've ever seen adopted. Was it, perhaps, thefirst that made real sense? In any event, theidea seems to have legs: Sony has adopted itfor its compact 200 -CD changer, the Model

CDP-CX270.

But seeing the Sony a few days after writ-ing about prospective DVD-audio stan-dards ("Spectrum," April) made me won-der: Wouldn't it be nice if audio DVDscarried title information, track by track?There certainly should be space enough.

(The players could even export that infor-mation to a PC, if you wanted to have it in adatabase.) By the time I thought of this, theprocess of setting DVD-audio standardshad already begun. So there's nothing I cando but wait and see. A

AUDIO/JUNE 199633

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DiAudio Warshouse: Savannah. Ken's Stereo Jct.. Macon. Lasersc Enterprises Atlznta Merit TV: Columbus. Stereo Connections.

Valdosta. Stereo Festival: Atlanta. Stereo Shop: Martinez.Audio Center: I -ono ulu Waipahu.Archer Audio Video: Ft Dodge. Audio King: Cedar Rapids,

es Moines. Audio Vides Logic: Des Moines. Audio Visions: SiouxCity. Camera C rner: Davenport. Hawkeye AN: Iowa City, Waterloo.

Ultimate Electronics: Boise. Wise Buy: Idaho Falls.Camera Coreer: Bloomington Cars n& Stenos: Rockford. Good

ibes' Champaign.oe's Home Or.: Quinc Sd Forum: Crystal Lake.Select Sd Naperville. Sundown AN: Springfield United Audio Chi'Chicago & Suburbs.la -Audio Video _ifeslyles: Fort Wayne- Classic Stereo: Ft. Wayne,Mishawaka Good Vibes: Lafayette. Ovation Audio: Clarksville, Indianapolis.

AuAccent Sound. Dserland Park. Advance Audio: Wichita.dio Juaction: Jurcton City, .

Ovation Audio. Lexington, Louisville.Alterman Audio. New Drleans, Metairie. Lake Charles Music: Lakertes. Sound Advice: Baton Rouge. Wright's Sound Gallery. Shreveport.

MaA Cookin': Chestnut Hill, Saugus. Goodwin: Audio: Boston,Shrewsbury* NanWdnlSound:HyannisPittsfield Radio: Pittsfield.5QQ Audio Buys:Anrapoks, Gaithersburg, Laurel, Waldorf. Gramophone:Baltimore, Ellicott City. Sou rdsape: Baltimore.

ItCoobn': Portland.AB -Pear s: Detnil TroyClassial Jazz HollandClassic Stereo

rrezoo,Grani t1,ZpdsStereo Center FRAV: Flint.Court St. Listening ikons Midland,Saginaw.MN- Audio Designs: Winona. Audio King: Minneapolis & Suburbs,Rochester St Churl. Audio Perfection: Minneapolis.IQ- Independence AN: Independence. Reference Audio: Sedalia.Sound Central: amt Louis.

McLelland TV: Hatt esburg Players AN: Ridgeland.Aspen Sound: Missoula Avitel: Bozeman. Car & Home Stereo

r.: Billings Rocky M. Hi Fi: Great Falls.Audio Video Systems' Charlotte. Audio Visions: Wilming9ton

Now AudioVidec: Dutton, Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston Salem'Audio Late Wilninghn'ri City Elect.: Conover.

Custom Electronics: Omaha Lincoln.Cookie': Nashua, Manchester, kbwington, Salem, S. Nashua.Hat's Slew Trento,. Monmouth Stereo: Shrewsbury. Sound

awes' Northf en' Woodbridge Stereo: West Caldwell, Woodbridge

1-

d._

.

Ultimate Elect.: Ato querque Sound Idea:: Albuquerque.Ultimate Elect.: Las Vegas. Upper Ear: Las Vegas.

- Audio BreaktMoeghs: Manhasset. Audio Den: Lake Grove.io Expansions:Newbugh Audio Junction' Watertown. Clad(

Music Albany, Syracuse. Stereo Exchange.: Manhattan, NanuetHart Elect Ithaca, Vestal. Innovative Audio' Brooklyn. Listening Am:Scarsdale, Rowe Camera: Rochester. Sound Mill: Mt. Kisco.S eaker Shay: Ambe-st, Buffalo.

Lonlenporary Saints- Ok Cdy K Labs Premium Audio: Tulsa.lo Wort : Bartésule U limate Electronic: Tulsa.

H Audio Craft Akror Cleveland, Maylield Hts., Westlake. AudioEtc.: Dayton. Classic Stereo: Lima' Paragon Sound: Toledo.Threshold Audio: Heath.

Bradford's HiFt:Eagene Chelsea AN: Portland, Beaverton^Kelly's Home Ch.: Salem. Larson':: Medford, Roseburg.Stereo Plant Bend.PA Audio Junction: Pittsburgh. Gary's Elect.: State College,GNT Stereo. Lane aster. Hart Elect.: Blakey, Kingston. Hi Fi House:Abington, Broomall, Camp Hill, Harrisburg. Listening Post. Pittsburgh.Palmer Audio: Al enlown Pro Audio: Bloomsburg. Stereo Shoppe:Selinsgrove, Williamsport- Stereoland: Natrona Heights.The Stereoshap: Sreensburg Studio One: Erie.

Stereo Discount Ctr.: Providence.- AN Design:..haiesl m Custom Theater & Audio: Myrtle Beach.stairs Aadla: Columbia

Audio King: Sioux Falls. Sound Pro Rapid City.- College HiFi: Chattanooga. Hi Fi Buys: Nashville. Now Audio Video:

noxvilleModer Mimi:: Memphis. Sound Room: Johnson CAy.Ill Home Enterta nrned: Dallas, Houston, Plano,'Audio Tech: Temple,Waco. Audio Video: College Station. Brock AN: Beaumont. Burnley's Sd.Systems' Abilene, Biom's: San Antonio* High Fidelity: Austin. KrystalClear Dallas. Marvin Electronics: Ft. Worth. Sound Box: San Angelo Sd.Quest El Paso. Sd. Sydens: Am onllo Sd. Towne: Texarkana.

Alpine Elect: Provo. AudioWorks: Salt Lake City. Crazy Bob's'St George. Stokes Bros.: Logan. Ultimate Elect.: Layton. Murray,Orem, Salt Lake CAv.yypA Audio Buys: Arlington, Fairfax, Manassas. Audio Connection:Virginia Beach. kid iclronics: Roanoke. Home Media Store:Richmond. Stereo Type: Charlottesville.J( Audio Video Autio-ity: S. Burlington.WA -Aspen Sound Spolanr Definitive Audio: Bellevue, Seattle. Evergreen

w: Silverdale. Pacik Siahl & Sound. Wenatchee. Tin Ear KennewickYÁSound Post: Princeton.udio Emporium: Milwaukee. Absolute Sound & Vision:

one Hean o ton Green Bay. Sd. World: Wausau.- Precision Audio: Rio

Appleton,

B Sound. Calgary Edmonton Kelowna Vancouver &u ur s, Victoria- Advance Electronics: Winnipeg. Bay Bloor Radio:

Toronto. Centre Audio Clearest: Trois Rivieres CORA: Quebec City.Digital Dynamics: Clearbrook Great West Audio: London. Kebecson:Montreal Lipton's: Now Market Ontario. Peak Audio: Halifax. SoundRoom: Vancouver. Slenoland: Windsor. Treble Clel: Ottawa.gip- Contact Grupo Valumen: Mexico City.

H

AUDIOKEN KESSLER

BACK AT YA,BILLY -BOB!

ate mail rarely provokes ameasured response. Normal-ly, I (and other hypersensitivetypes) would answer lettersdripping with venom in anequally nasty tone-not that

there's any excuse for childishness.But the latest in the long line of poi-son-pen missives I've inspired raisesa number of points concerning the

themes in this column.And since a single lettermight represent a num-ber of like-minded indi-viduals too lazy to write,I must assume that someothers are just as con-fused by this column'sfunction in these pages.So let's clear the air.

For starters, even thename of this column waslost on this guy. To theeditors, to me, and to allother readers whose IQs

register into doubledigits or better,"Mondo Audio" con-veys "The World ofHi -Fi" as succinctlyas possible whileadding a foreign

spin. And withinthat defini-tion, and inmy role as

Audio's over-seas contribu-

tor, it should standto reason that this col-umn covers matters tak-ing place beyond theGolden Gate Bridge and

Cape Cod. Or, since Ialso cover Americanmatters like CES,

"The World of Hi -Fiat Large." So the column exists un-der the assumption that Audio read-ers want to know what's going onaround the globe.

But this obviously isn't clearenough for someone who makes re-marks like "Europe needs theU.S.A." (and, by implication, so doesthe rest of the world). This was butone of a host of xenophobic rants

and raves that smack of 1944 and theHun at the door. No way, pal: Askany American high -end manufactur-er what percentage of its business ishome market and how much is ex-port, and I can promise you that allbut the smallest would say "Godbless Asia!" So who needs whom?

Whether Archie Bunker likes it ornot, some of the highest disposableincomes in the world are found inthe Pacific Rim, while Europe alonehas a population greater than that ofthe U.S., with wages not that far be-hind. And as far as a passion for hi-fiis concerned, there ain't no audio-philes as fervent as the British, theItalians, or the Chinese. Some people

just refuse to believe that the world isshrinking, that every country's econ-omy (with the possible exceptions ofCuba's, North Korea's, and Alba-nia's) is interconnected, that MTV

THERE AIN'T

NO AUDIOPHILES

AS FERVENT AS

THE BRITISH

OR THE CHINESE.

and CNN have all but eradicated lan-guage differences, and that the Eng-lish language itself started on theeastern side of the pond, not thewestern.

Be that as it may, what really ran-kled was Joe -Bob's implication that

eonly American hi-fi companies mat-

cter and that European manufacturersare fleas. I'd love to be there whenthe realization penetrates his thick c°skull that Mitsubishi, Matsushita, .óKyocera, and Sony are more likecountries than companies when itcomes to size. So I won't even dealwith the obvious ones like Philipsand Thomson. More to the point arestraight hi-fi makers: Many of youalready know that B&W (British) isin the U.S.A.'s Top 10 for speakersales; it's rumored that a nice, realis-tic ballpark figure for its global an-nual sales is something in excess of

AUDIO/JUNE 199634

Attitude is everything. And Plymouth Neon's got attitude in spades-in two fun flavors: Neon

Sedan and Neon Coupe. r if you've got a kick -back -and -relax attitude, no sweat. Plymouth Neon

Sedan offers comfy seating for you and four more. a If you're the get-up-and-go type, try

Plymouth Neon Coupe. Corralled under Neon's aerodynamic hood are 132 kicking horses.

Plymouth Neon Sedan.Starting at $10,x.

Hi.

Or try the optional 150 -horse power Plymouth Neon Expresso.Nicely equipped *12,800:

plant.' It's like a stampede. W And in either flavor, Plymouth Neon has tons of safety features.

r So whether your attitude is a friendly Hi or a resounding YO!, Neon's the one for fun. Make

that two-sedan and coupe. For lots more really good stuff on Plymouth Neon, give us a yo at

wI -800 -PLYMOUTH or surf by on the World Wide Web at http://www.plymouthcars.com.

One clever idea after another_ That's Plymouth_"Base MSRPS with destination fee. Tax extra. Actual prices vary. Sedan shown: 112,800. *Achieved with premium unleaded fuel.

$30 million. Are there even a dozen pureaudio manufacturers in the U.S. with thatkind of success?

I'd like to alert Bubba to some seeminglyminor but significant success stories in Eu-rope that wouldn't even register with himbecause the names aren't as American asCBS or Zenith or RCA. (Come to think ofit, Billy -Bob, one of those is owned by Kore-

ans and another's divisions are underFrench and German ownership. I will leaveit to you to figure this all out.) But this au-dio empire -building will eventually havesome impact in the U.S., if for no other rea-son than the sheer magnitude of the enter-prise. The Verity Group-parent companyof Mission, Wharfedale, and Premier Per-cussion-was already a force to be reck-oned with at the beginning of 1995: Mis-sion is one of the most successful andhighly visible brands in the U.K. and Eu-rope, despite its current low profile in theStates, while Wharfedale is one of the oldestaudio names in the business.

Those two brands alone were enough toendow Verity Group with clout on a parwith that of Gold Peak, which owns KEFand Celestion. Meanwhile, Premier-alongwith Fane-gave Verity Group a presence inthe professional sector. But no one was pre-pared for what followed: Verity Group ac-quired Quad, the last of the four greatestaudio names of all time, and the last onethat hadn't been absorbed by an outsideconcern. (The other three in the quartet areMarantz, Acoustic Research, and McIntosh.Philips owns Marantz, AR is now part ofChristie Design, and McIntosh is a sub-sidiary of Clarion, which, my pen palshould understand, is Japanese.) Thebrands I'm discussing are arguably thosewith the greatest market value in pure au-dio terms, despite long fallow periods be-tween their days of greatness and the pres-ent. And the reason why they were the mostvaluable of all the pioneering brands isthat-unlike Scott, Leak, Fisher, and othersfrom the Golden Age-their reputationsputlasted their actual market presence. I,for one, would not want to be responsiblefor reviving, say, Phase Linear or Bogen orRek-O-Kut as a high -end contender.

But Quad? What a coup! This acquisitiongives Verity Group a genuine flagship line.And because Mission is a tough, thrustingcompany and probably has overall respon-

sibility for the group's activities, it's likelythat Quad will recover from the years itspent in the wilderness. Despite what hashappened to Quad since Peter Walker re-tired, the name still has unparalleled globalworth, it enjoys fanatical loyalty among itsclient base, and it still warrants its reputa-tion for service and backup that rivals evenMcIntosh's. Big plans are afoot for Quad inthe coming years, ones that I hope willcompensate for such gaffes as putting theQuad name on a two-way, box -type speakerwhen the company'sentire reputation wasborn of an electrostat-ic. Rest assured thatVerity Group knowsthat it got not just abargain in Quad butalso the custody of alegacy, a company thatthe British considerone of their cherishednational treasures.

So it is starting tolook like Verity Groupis on its way to becom-ing a mini -Harman.Harman Internationalboasts audio's largestcollection of leg-endary names underone banner: JBL, Harman Kardon, Infinity,Mark Levinson, Lexicon, and a load of oth-ers. Within months of acquiring Quad for asong, Verity Group went on to buyRoksan-another peculiarly British com-pany, in that only the British market couldinspire the founding of a turntable manu-facturer around the time of CD's birth.

Verity, y'see, is on a roll, having an-nounced sales for the last six months of1995 of £23 million (approximately $34.5million), with profits up nearly 80% fromthe same period the year before. So it waswealthy enough to buy yet another comple-mentary company and give it a real high -end presence. Streamlining will be mini-mal; Roksan, like Quad, will maintain itsown manufacturing plant, but all of thecompanies under the Verity umbrella willbenefit from the R&D headquarters locatedin the Mission factory. (I stopped countingafter I saw 10 guys in front of their comput-ers doing nothing but pure research.) Onecan assume that Quad, Mission, and

Roksan will share any mutually beneficialdevelopments in, for example, digital audio,as all three produce CD players. And if Ver-

ity has any sense, it will see that all threeshare distributors, whatever ructions thiscauses in the short term.

Keeping brands' identities separate won'tbe as much of a problem as Verity Grouphad when it was forced to recognize theoverlap between Mission's and Wharfe-dale's lines of low-priced speakers. This was

addressed by targeting completely differentmarket sectors, withMission aimed at en-try-level purists andWharfedale focusedon the mass market.In the meantime,Quad will continueto appeal to tradi-tionalists; Roksan, nodoubt, will still at-tract the freaks.

It's not just VerityGroup, though, thatis "happening" in theU.K. The entire Cam-bridge/Huntingdonarea is turning into aBritish hi-fi answer toSilicon Valley. Not amillion miles from

Mission headquarters are Quad itself, EARYoshino (Tim DeParavicini's company),Arcam, Audiolab, Papworth, and a bunch ofothers. But the most amusing developmentwas the relocation of Meridian from downthe road past the Quad factory to directlyopposite Mission.

To celebrate the opening of its new25,000 -square -foot factory, Meridian at-tracted no less than Prime Minister JohnMajor to grace its unveiling in early March.But this didn't have quite the impact ornovelty value it might have had: Three yearsearlier, Mission invited Major to its factoryto do the same thing. Huntingdon is, afterall, Major's constituency.

Meridian's rapid growth is just as note-worthy as Verity's, and it's due in no smallpart to the success of its Atlanta -based divi-sion, which increased Meridian's Americansales 20 -fold. I suppose this reinforces mycorrespondent's belief that Meridian, if notall the rest of the world's hi-fi manufactur-ers, needs America.

THE ENTIRE

CAMBRIDGE/HUNTINGDON

AREA IS TURNING INTO

A BRITISH HI-FI ANSWER

TO SILICON VALLEY.

A

AUDIO/JUNE 199636

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ii.

"Is that turbulenceor is my vodka martini

wearing off?"

30,000 FEETAir currents moveto a groovy beat.Aircraft passengersfeel compelledto either tap feetor vomit.

PIONCCRThe Art of Entertainment

20,000 FEETDue to changesin pressure, cloudsform into the shapeof an enormousphlegm ball.

15,000 FEETCauses mildincontinence inmigrating sparrowsand high -flyingfruit bats.

8,000 FEETClear sound ispicked up on TVantennas. Hot -oilmidget wrestlingpreempted.

Boomfreg1i enc"disrupt Bigfootmating season.

GROUND LEVELDriver hits Play andPioneer car speaker;

and subwoofersimmediately

respond.

Passengers

feel compelledto tear of`

shirts and >,

mosh in -ybackseat.

10-50 FEETExtremeIoundcauses rockslides and severeparanoia in rodents.

1

PLACING THE BASS

The advent of Dolby Digital AC -3 and discrete multichannel

sound has me salivating, big time! I was not prepared for such a

substantial improvement in clarity, spatial precision, and dynam-

ics. It's the kind of unexpectedly dramatic step up that I've expe-

rienced only a few other times-when I first added a true sub -

woofer to my system, when CD came on the scene, when I first

experienced high -quality surround sound. But the advent of

Dolby Digital also raises some interesting questions, particu-larly with regard to bass management.

One aspect of the system that holds a special allure formany enthusiasts is its provision of full bandwidth on all five

main channels. There's a certain sexy symmetry to the idea

of identical full -range loudspeakers at all five primary speak-

er locations. At least on paper. And there is sentiment that

low bass already has crept into the surround channels ofgarden-variety Dolby Surround soundtracks. Another bottle of

gasoline thrown on the full -range multiple -channel bonfire!

On the other hand, Dolby Labs has shown convincingly

that deep bass in the surround channels of a convention-

al Dolby Surround soundtrack simply duplicates the bass

in the main channels, so it does not need to be repro-duced separately. Other research ("Subwoofer Se-crets," Stereo Review, January 1995) has shown that

spatial and ambience cues in stereo or multi-

channel recordings lie above 80 Hz;thus, stereo or multiple -channel sub -woofers are not needed to improve low

frequency imaging or to enhance spa-

ciousness,

fix_

even if the surround

channels carry separate low-frequen-

cysounds. Hence, the convention ofmaking Pro Logic decoders with asingle subwoofer output and, fre-quently, no low bass fed to the sur-

round outputs.

Dolby Digital playback equip-ment, however, allows just about

any bass arrangement, ranging

from all channels feeding their

subs i

a corner

Two subs in a corner beatsA111)111/IIINP, I99h

JO

THEbass to a single subwoofer to the use of full -range speakers (or

smaller speakers plus subwoofers) at all five primary speaker po-

sitions (front left, front center, front right, and the left and rightsurrounds) plus a subwoofer for the low -frequency effects (LFE)

OUNDchannel. Although the former arrangement is easier (and usually

cheaper) to set up, the Dreamweaver keeps whispering in our

ears that bass distribution in our living rooms would improvemarkedly if we drove those rooms with full -bandwidth signals,

bass and all, from a number of separate points.

Let's discuss the logic here. At low frequencies (below 80 to

100 Hz or so) the main problems are room modes (standingwaves). The two lowest modes, associated with the length andwidth of the room, are fairly widely spaced. This gap leaves a

"hole" in the bass response somewhere. For example, in

my room (which measures 221A x 12 feet) the two low-

est axial modes produce standing waves at 25 and

47 Hz; this leaves a pronounced hole in the re-sponse near 35 Hz when speakers are at the

primary left and right stereo locations. A re-lated problem is that the bass may differ rad-

ically for different seating posy' ns, be-cause the modes cause "hot" "cold"spots in bass coverage and because thepressure inside a room tends to be maxi-

mized near its walls.

If you have just one subwoofer, the best

placement strategy is almost invariably to

put it in a corner. This excites additional

room modes that involve multiple wall sur-

faces; the added modes help fill in the holeat good listening positions. However, bass

may still vary from seat to seat. Conventionalwisdom suggests that multiple bass channels, ex-

citing the room from a number of different loca-tions, will average out acoustically and make the bass

more even throughout

PLACING THE BASS+lo

0

10

20

30

-40

8

+10

10

20

-30

40

+10

10

20

30

40

COUCH

CHAIR

fir\\16 32 63 125 250 500 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 1-Response at twolistening positions withsubwoofers under the twostereo speakers.

CENTERANDSURROUNDS

16 32 63 125 250 500 Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

16 32 63 125 250 500 Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 2-Response for three subs

in center -plus -main

and center -plus -surroundpositions, measured at chair (A)

and couch (B).

Although Dolby Digital facilitatessuch a strategy by making all five prima-ry channels full -range, there are twopractical complications. For one thing,surround performance is optimal onlywhen the surround speakers are placedso their main high -frequency axes arewell above the listeners' ears; full -rangespeakers look awkward when raised thathigh. The other problem is that dipolarsurround speakers (which deliver thebest overall surround performance, evenwith discrete surround channels) tendto lack bass because of cancellations atlow frequencies.

THE EXPERIMENTWe can get around both these prob-

lems by using subwoofers to bring multi-ple bass -excitation points into ourrooms. But how many subwoofersshould we use? And where should we put

them?To find out, I put five subwoofers in

my listening room and combined themin various ways, from a simple left andright pair to a full five -channel setup. Ialso compared the performance of thesearrangements to that of one or two sub -woofers in a corner or corners of theroom.

I used five powered bandpass sub -woofers, a trio of ADS MS3 10 -inch units

and two Paradigm PS -1200 12 -inchmodels. These systems all reach 26 Hz in

my room and have similar operatingcharacteristics. The ADS subs were usedat left, center, right, and near -field loca-tions, while the Paradigms were posi-tioned directly under the dipolar sur-round speakers. The ADS subs were alsoused in a corner stack for comparativemeasurements.

My listening -room furnishings includea couch, centered in the room and facingthe TV, and a chair against one side wall,

near a large doorway. Measurementswere taken with the various subwoofersetups at three primary listening posi-tions: dead center on the couch, at theend of that couch, and in the chair at theside of the room.

I originally checked out various sublocations by placing a single subwooferat a listening position and recording its

impulse response from various possiblesubwoofer locations, using a microphoneand a MLSSA analyzer. Then I summed thetime responses in various combinationsand calculated the frequency response toget an idea of how things were likely to playout. This enabled me to assess a number ofsetups without actually having to move allthe subwoofers around.

Unlike the preliminary checks just de-scribed, the graphs show actual acousticalresponses, combined in the room as theywould be when I played music. Measure-ments were made with an MLS (maximum -length sequence) test signal, as measuredwith a MLSSA acoustical analyzer; the data

crossovera be

was then subjected to third -octave averag-ing. Selected combinations were validatedby playing pink noise and sine waves andmeasuring the results with an AudioCon-trol AC3050a real-time analyzer and theMLSSA.

RESULTSI began with a basic two-subwoofer

arrangement, stationing them under themain left and right speakers (Fig. 1). Myroom's main modal notch, at 35 Hz, is no-ticeable at the couch seats whereas the chair,which is near a wall, gets fairly smooth re-sponse. Notice the big buildup of energyaround 70 Hz, where the modes begin pil-ing up. Adding a center subwoofer (notshown) produced a louder version of thetwo-subwoofer pattern, but it also addedenergy at lower frequencies because the pis-ton area from multiple subs becomes addi-tive below the room's lowest mode.

AUDIO/JUNE 199642

Changing from two subwoofers to threeimproved performance, and the improve-ment was greater when the subs were placedby the center and two surround speakersthan when they were placed at the centerand two main speaker positions. This heldtrue for listeners in the chair (Fig. 2A) andon the couch (Fig. 2B). Interestingly, when I

increased the sub count to four (at the twomain and the two surround positions), re-sponse below 25 Hz seemed to worsen, al-though there was a considerable increase inoutput above this frequency at the centerlistening spot. This is because the Paradigmsubwoofers I used at the surround locationshave less output below 25 Hz than the ADSsubs I used elsewhere; as a result, the sum-ming at extremely low frequencies may bedeceptively poor in some graphs.

However, Fig. 3 shows that four subs (atthe two main and two surround positions)yield greater output and smoothness at thechair position than three subs (at the centerand two surround positions) and that usingfive subs makes the performance across lis-tening positions more uniform. Yet we stillare plagued with a buildup between 40 and100 Hz, a major performance flaw that can-not easily be offset with an equalizer.

In contrast, a single subwoofer in thecorner easily beats five (or four) subwoofers

in output and smoothness above 25 Hz(Fig. 4). The only sacrifice is a fair degree ofoutput at extremely low frequencies, causedby the particular subwoofer's output limi-tations. Adding a second, matched sub -

woofer in the same corner yields perform-ance that is superior or equal insmoothness, extension, and output at everyfrequency. This is true at all couch positionsand in the chair. For a listener in the chair,the four-subwoofer strategy proved mar-ginally better than using corner sub -

woofers, but the four -sub setup was farworse than the corner setup for listeners onthe couch.

Another advantage of corner locationsshown in Fig. 4 is that the outputs of sub-

woofers placed there add together coher-ently. Adding a second subwoofer in thecorner not only beefs up the low bass butincreases sound pressure level (SPL) linear-ly by 6 dB across the rest of the operatingrange. Adding a third sub increased outputby another 3 dB; a fourth would have yield-ed still another 3 dB.

That doesn't mean we've achievedperfection. The corner-subwoofer strate-gy still suffers from unequal response atdifferent seats (Fig. 5). Listeners at theend of the couch get sound about 6 dBlouder from 40 to 60 Hz than those at thecenter of the couch do, while a listener inthe chair hears 7 dB more from 40 to 80Hz but 8 dB less between 25 and 40 Hz.In other words, listeners near the wallhear an apparent increase in overall basslevel but actually get less sound in thetrue low -bass range.

Next, I tried a different approach. Itwould seem that if a listener were in asubwoofer's near field, it would help re-duce the modal effects of the room bymaking the speaker's direct output rela-tively more prominent. How aboutputting each listener in the near field of asubwoofer? Placing two subwoofers im-mediately behind the couch positionsand another near the chair showed thatthis strategy didn't work as I'd hoped: Asshown in Fig. 6, the notch remains andthe peaks are unabated.

My next experiment was to assess theeffect of system tuning. With a pair ofsubs stacked in the corner, I tried adjust-ing the level, crossover frequency, andpolarity control of a single subwooferplaced near the chair. My intent was totune the entire system to obtain a mini-mal variation in the response among thethree listening positions. Indeed, by low-ering the single sub's crossover frequen-cy to its minimum setting, reversing thepolarity (180°), and carefully reducingthis subwoofer's level, I was able toachieve very good output and smooth-ness from 26 to 80 Hz at the center andend of the couch while reducing the de-viation and level imbalance between thecouch and chair by a healthy 3 dB.

I thought this was a real discovery un-til I realized that switching the singlesub's polarity only caused cancellationsthat effectively lowered its crossover even

further. The same results could havebeen obtained simply by reducing thecrossover frequency of the subs in thecorner and eliminating the other wooferaltogether. Worse yet, tuning the systemfor best response at that chair markedlyreduced smoothness at a chair on the op-posite wall.

+lo

o

lo

20

30

40

+10

o

10

20

30

40

+10

o

10

20

30

40

FIVE SUBS

FOUR SUBS

U

/ 'FIV SUBS

II I I II r . .

8 16 32 63 125 250 500 Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 3-Response with three,four, and five subwoofers,measured at chair.

-TWO CORNERSUBS

NE CO RNER SUB

8 16 32 63 125 250 500 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 4-Response with one andtwo corner subwoofers vs.response with five subwoofersdispersed to the main, center,and surround speaker locations.

CHAIR

MIDDE OFCOUCH

11 I

8 16 32 63 125 250 500 Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 5-Changes in responsewith listener position for singlecorner subwoofer.

AUDIO/JUNE 199643

+10

o

-10

- 20

- 30

-40

+lo

10

- 20

30

- 40

MIDDLE OFCOUCH

CHAIR

8 16 32 63 125 250 500 Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 6-Response of near -fieldsubwoofer at all threelistening positions.

CENTERSUD

LEFTMAIN SUB

RIGHTMAIN SUB

8 16 32 63 125 250 500

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 7-Response ofsubwoofer at left main,right main, and centerspeaker positions.

1k

The results of my experiments do notsupport the hypothesis that driving a roomfrom multiple points delivers smootherbass response. The best and smoothest re-sults, at all listening positions, are obtainedwith subwoofers located in a corner. In ret-rospect, this comes as no surprise. At verylow frequencies, below the modal range(starting at about 25 Hz in my room), roomeffects reinforce the bass at a rate of 12 dBper octave as frequency falls; this happensno matter where the subwoofers are locatedin the room. Below the modal range, all thesubwoofers are well within one wavelengthof all six room surfaces, and linear cone dis-placement becomes the limiting factor forbass output.

PLACINGIn the bass range where the modal

hole occurs, between 30 and 45 Hz, there

are only two ways to smooth response.One is to excite as many additional mul-tiple -wall modes as possible, to fill in the

gap between the two lowest axial modes.Alternatively, we can try to find a set ofstaggered subwoofer locations wheremodes will combine destructively (can-cel) to knock down the energy at the fre-quencies adjacent to the hole and averagethings out. However, if there is a real lack

of energy between the room's two lowestprimary axial modes (the hole in the bassresponse mentioned earlier), this willsucceed only in reducing the level atthese adjacent frequencies to the level inthe hole, making it difficult to get an ac-ceptable output level. Therefore, at leastone subwoofer will need to be in a cor-ner; this will excite the modes necessaryto increase acoustical energy in the hole,no matter how we deploy additional sub -woofers. The individual responses ofsubs at the left, right, and center speakerpositions (Fig. 7) show that they cannotpossibly average out the way we want.

Below the modal range, subwoofer ex-tension and linear displacement are themain factors controlling output. If more20 -Hz information is needed, the onlyway to get it in a normal -size room is touse more, bigger, and more powerfulsubwoofers. At such low frequencies, itdoesn't matter where the subs are placed

in the room.In the modal range (roughly 30 to 80

Hz in typical rooms), bass distributionthroughout the room will be uneven. Seatslocated near walls may get an apparent bassboost of 3 or 4 dB, with roughly twice asmuch deviation as in more central seats.With corner subwoofers, these problemsare diminished and bass output will be at its

maximum.Tuning the system carefully may mini-

mize bass -response variations at some seatsbut will probably increase the variation atother listening positions-and it will bepractically impossible to accomplish with-out instrumentation. When I tried suchtuning, I found that staggering crossoverfrequencies may be the single most effectivemethod of reducing bass unevenness inrooms. If the system sounds too boomy, try

lowering the crossover point of your sub -woofer low-pass filter or raising thecrossover point on the high-pass that feedsthe main channels. This approach willspread the crossover points so that less en-ergy is radiated into the room between 60and 80 Hz, and it is probably the best way to

address the problem for seats located wellaway from the main listening position. (Donot, however, lower the frequency of thehigh-pass feeding the main speakers tomatch your lowered subwoofer crossover;that would only transfer the problem fromone set of speakers to the other.)

My measurements show that the mainproblems are an acoustic hole between themain modes (at 27 and 50 Hz, in my room)

frequencies get

it doesn't matter

subs are

and a pileup of output where multiplemodes combine with the main floor -to -ceiling mode (usually at about 72 Hz be-cause most rooms have 8 -foot ceilings).Corner location of a subwoofer solves theproblem completely at the primary listen-ing position. Avoiding excitation at 72 Hzby any channel may be the best techniquefor balancing bass once you have put yoursubwoofer in the corner.

Perhaps the most interesting overall con-clusion is that full -range speakers may al-most never be optimal for any kind of sys-tem, including ordinary two -channel stereosetups. Your chances of getting both properimaging and smooth, extended bass aremuch improved if all the lowest frequenciesare radiated from a corner -located sub -woofer (or two), irrespective of where theother speakers are placed. A

AUDIO/JUNE 199644

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After four years of struggle and disappointment, Martin -Logan introduced the Monolith I. We had eliminated every problem

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EQUIPMENT PROFILEEDWARD J. FOSTER

ARAGON 8008STAMPLIFIER

he 8008ST is the latest power amp inthe upscale Aragon line from Mon-dial Designs. (On a less lofty level,Mondial also offers the Acurus line;I was quite taken with the Acurus200X3 amp when I reviewed it in

the February 1995 issue.) Actually there aretwo Aragon 8008

power amps, the "ST"version that I re-viewed and a more ex-pensive "BB" version.By the usual rules ofthe game, both qualifyas dual -mono designs.However, the ST ver-sion has a single2,000 -volt-ampere toroidal power trans-former, whereas the BB amp has separate1,100 -volt-ampere transformers for eachchannel (which, I suppose, makes it some-what "more dual mono"). Nonetheless, the

only thing shared by the 8008ST's channelsis the transformer's core, since separatewindings, rectifiers, and filters are used forleft and right. For the curious, the BB ver-sion of the 8008 is outfitted with balancedas well as single -ended inputs (the ST isconfigured only for single -ended signals),

and the matchedoutput -stage transis-tors of the BB aresaid to be "increasedby 50%." I was thussomewhat surprisedto find the manufac-turer stating that"the 8008ST can beupgraded to the BB,"

which would seem to imply fairly extensivereplacement of components.

Perhaps the rather unusual mechanicaldesign of Aragon's 8008 amplifier helps fa-cilitate the transformation. If you look at

THE ARAGON 8008ST'SSTRIKING LOOK COMES

FROM AN INTERESTING

ARRANGEMENT

OF ITS HEAT SINKS.

the 8008 from the front, the power supply is

on the left and the two audio amps are onthe right (as opposed to the usual configu-ration, in which a central power supply isflanked by the amps). Each channel is con-structed separately, with the output devicesmounted to heat sinks that also support thep.c. boards and ancillary components. Thatmuch is conventional, but, instead of facingthe heat sinks outward, the 8008 faces theminward, creating a sort of chimney that ex-tends from the front to the back of the chas-sis, toward the right end of the chassis. Thetops of the sinks are angled downward,forming the unique "V" you see when fac-ing the amp.

According to a Mondial brochure, "Thenotch carved into the top of the chassis in-sures that the heat generated by all thispower will be properly dissipated even if ashelf or another component is placed im-mediately above the amplifier." The own-er's manual is a bit more cautious and sug-gests at least 1/ inches of top and rearclearance to allow sufficient airflowthrough the ventilation slots. Since the 8008is rated at 200 watts per channel into 8ohms (400 watts per channel into 4 ohms)and uses conventional Class -AB topology,I'd agree with the manual. Nonetheless, thesheer heft of the heat sinks (they have twen-ty-six 1/4 -inch -thick fins per side) apparent-ly does enable them to do a particularly finejob of heat dissipation.

The signal for each channel enters the8008ST via a gold-plated RCA input jackand exits via two sets of gold-plated multi -way binding posts that facilitate bi-wiring.The color -coded output posts are on stand -

Rated Power Output: 200 watts perchannel into 8 ohms or 400 watts perchannel into 4 ohms, both channelsdriven.

THD + N: Less than 0.05% at ratedpower into 8 ohms.Full -Power Bandwidth: 5 Hz to 20 kHz.

Dimensions: 19 in. W x 61/2 in. H x 141

in. D (48.3 cm x 16.5 cm x 36.8 cm).Weight: 67 lbs. (30.4 kg).

Price: $1,999.

Company Address: c/o Mondial De-signs, 20 Livingstone Ave., Dobbs Fer-ry, N.Y. 10522; 914/693-8008.

For literature, circle No. 90

AUDIO/JUNE 199646

and 3/4 -inch centers that accept dual -ba-nana ("GR") plugs, single -banana plugs,spade lugs, etc. The drilled holes, however,are too small to directly accept heavy -gaugespeaker cable.

Each connector's signal ground is isolat-ed from the chassis, and, in fact, the twochannels' signal grounds are kept indepen-dent of each other and the chassis ground.Signal ground for each channel is tied to thechassis via a 10 -ohm resistor, which is by-passed at RF frequencies. This resistor lim-its the ground -loop "hum" currents thatsometimes flow when the preamp and pow-er amp chassis are connected to power -lineground via three -wire power cords. TheAragon's grounding arrangement thushelps to improve signal -to -hum ratio aswell as to isolate left- and right -channel sig-

nal grounds, thereby augmenting channelseparation. This arrangement does, howev-er, preclude operating the channels inbridged mode.

Mondial says that all of the Aragon prod-ucts "utilize only epoxy -sealed resistors toinsure that they will exhibit the same 1%tolerance under any and all climatic condi-.tions....Every transistor in every Aragon isprecisely matched" so that multiple transis-tors in the circuit can "act as a single tran-sistor, increasing the operating precisionunder even the most strenuous conditions."In addition, signal wiring is "silver com-posite jacketed with Teflon"; allcomponents "are mountedin a solid glass -epoxy cir-

cuit board coated withoxygen -free copper."

MeasurementsInterestingly, the characteris-

tics I find technically most impres-sive in the Aragon8008ST, its remark-ably wide frequencyresponse and uniform-ity of output imped-ance with frequency,are neither touted inthe sales literature noreven listed in the spec-ifications. It's not of-ten that I find an amplifier that's flat within±0.01 dB (the limit of my test system) from20 Hz to 20 kHz, down less than 0.4 dB at100 kHz, and less than 1.5 dB down at 200

kHz (the highest frequency I canmeasure). And it's not often that Ifind an amplifier whose output im-pedance rises from a very low 19.2milliohms at 50 Hz (equivalent to adamping factor of 415) to a high ofonly 31.8 milliohms at 20 kHz.This tells me that the 8008ST wasdesigned without the series induc-tor (coil) that's often used to pro-tect the output stage from waywardloudspeaker loads. Since I find out-put inductors have audible draw-backs-aberrations in frequencyresponse when driving real loud-speakers, for example-I'm happyto see them absent.

I did have some initial problemstesting the amplifier, however. Thefirst 8008ST I put on the benchblew a right -channel power -supplyrail fuse as soon as it was turnedon. Replacing the fuse brought theamplifier back to life, but I foundthat I couldn't get completely con-sistent distortion data. After muchhead -scratching and experimenta-tion, trading amp samples withMondial, and conversations with bothMondial and the makers of my Audio Preci-sion System One measurement gear, I con-

cluded that there was probablysomething about the

test setup thatwas causing theamplifier to gointo extremelyhigh -frequency

oscillation undercertain measurement

conditions. The mostlikely reason for a noninvert-

ing amplifier to gointo high -frequencyoscillation is feed-back from output toinput. This can oc-cur because of ca-pacitive coupling be-tween input andoutput cables or be-cause of current flow

through a common ground. I take numer-ous precautions against both conditions onthe test bench, including operating the Au-dio Precision in its "floating" generator

IN MANY RESPECTS,

SUCH AS ITS EXTREMELY

LOW NOISE,

THE 8008ST PROVED

EXTRAORDINARY.

+1

o

2

Frequency Responee et 1 Kett

IIIIIIIIIIIII II1IIIIIII1IIII1111IIIIIII1IIIIIII1IIIII1IIIIIIIl111111111111111 II11111 EMU!IIIIIIIIM1IIII 11E1111111 111111 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII\1111IIIIIIIII1IIIIIII1IIIIIII1IIIIIII

lo loo

Fig. 1-Frequencyresponse.

-90BOOS.. -

- 110

-130

Ik 10k

FREQUENCY - Hz

113-OCkere 1.1.140M1 ye Frequency Mal

IOOk 200k

Ao

20 loo k 10k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 2-Noise spectrum.

-60

- 80

- loo

100k 200k

RIGHT TO LEFT

Ago

I IIILEFT TO RIGHT.¡/

20 loo

Fig. 3-Interchannelcrosstalk.

Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

10k 20k

mode, which ensures that neither input noroutput grounds are connected to the AP'schassis, at least in the audio range. It turnsout, however, that the Audio Precision'selectronics are bypassed to the chassis at ra-dio frequencies to prevent problems whenthe equipment is used near a broadcasttransmitter. Most amplifiers don't pass fre-quencies high enough for this coupling tocreate feedback, but the 8008ST, apparently,

is an exception. Fortunately, this ratherflukey condition is highly improbable withthe amplifier set up normally in a home au-dio system.

To make a long story short, I found that Icould obtain reasonable behavior when Icoupled the two 8008ST inputs with a Y-

connector and drove them from only one ofthe AP's two generator outputs, strappedthe 8008ST chassis to the AP chassis with anRF braid, and locked down the AP's auto -

ranging circuitry to fix its input gain. Alldata that you see here (except for channelseparation) was taken in this manner.

In many respects, the Aragon 8008STproved extraordinary. Channel balance wasabsolutely perfect, and left and right re-sponse curves overlay so closely that only

AUDIO/JUNE 199647

woes, 114114045100. , ,.S. ..... .. 10. 100 S ZOO Witt. , ... OS.

at

z 0.01

_1-

0.00120

INECtE_=== _== a:M..u:'::C:::iiiMIEM11111~MM111~M 2 0 WATTS1111M1111~111IIIIM1111111111111!'s;'/I_ rzeéiñsiáirZ.!i1i'YW'i.,k1lonnaí7áiiiilir 100 WATTS IltlZ1111111111111 1111111

100 Ik

FREQUENCY - Hz

10k 20k

A.r..n OOOOS. _ .40..1.1 . SO. too S toa Malt. . O.. 3..55 - OS

0.1

a1

+ 0.01

0.001

-- ===o°-3.7~=11111111111~1111.11~~11~1~111111~1111,nwm 1~munr.,ami1111 lififa4í11!7I111 400 WATTS 11111111M''p,t1111111 1.' 10 AT IS--_----------- - ----__--_-_iiii 100 WATTS

iii iiiiii11 11111111111ifi1111 IM11111Z11111111111111111111ME111111IM

20 100 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 4-THD + N vs.frequency with 8 -ohm loads (A)

and 4 -ohm loads (B).

lOk 20k

B

Si

OSOS, _ .145.N 11.1 ., Out Put 101 . zO hi.. , .,. . 20 Hz . .. OS

01

0.001

AP

----""'rkHI

20HzIII

02

o. i

+ó 0.01

0.001

10

OUTPUT - WATTS

loo 500

A

111111111111111 I::::::. :riiiill.111_11iii!111IIIIIII

=o 111 1111 1111.IIIIIIIIII1111I

0 2 10

OUTPUT - WATTS

Fig. 5-THD + N vs. outputwith 8 -ohm loads (A) and4 -ohm loads (B).

100

the left channel's results are shown in Fig. 1.

Considering the 8008ST's relatively highvoltage gain (27.7 dB), input impedance(23 kilohms), and power rating (23 dBW),its A -weighted residual noise (-101.6 dBW)was remarkably low. Theoretical dynamicrange, calculated from the noise and powermeasurements, exceeds 124 dB.

Figure 2 shows the left channel's noisespectrum. With the exception of a tiny (andnegligible) amount of power -supply ripple

B

at 120 and 240 Hz, the noise's char-

acter is "white," especially from500 Hz up.

Channel separation (Fig. 3) isbetter than 71 dB, worst case, from20 Hz to 10 kHz, and, out to about1 kHz, crosstalk is below -80 dBbetween right and left channelsand is about 10 dB better than thatbetween left and right.

Figure 4A shows total harmonicdistortion plus noise (THD + N)versus frequency, taken with bothchannels driving 8 -ohm loads; Fig.4B shows similar data taken with 4 -

ohm loads. The three pairs ofcurves on each graph are for out-put levels of 10 watts, 100 watts,and rated power (200 watts with 8 -

ohm loads, 400 watts with 4 -ohmloads). From 20 Hz to 1 kHz, dis-tortion is uniform; at higher fre-quencies it starts to inch up but re-mains less than 0.04% at 20 kHz (a

bit better than Mondial's specifica-tion) with 8 -ohm loads and isbarely more than 0.07% at 20 kHzwith 4 -ohm loading. While this isnot the very lowest THD + N I'vemeasured, it certainly representsfine performance.

Figure 5 shows THD + N versusoutput level for the left channel,with both channels driven. Thedata was taken with 8 -ohm loads(Fig. 5A) and 4 -ohm loads (Fig.5B). The shape of these curves isunusual. On most amps, THD + Nfalls with increasing output level. Itusually bottoms out rather close to

500 the clipping point, where thecurves rise sharply. This character-istic suggests that the THD + N ismore noise than distortion, up tothe point where the curves flatten

or start to rise. On the Aragon 8008ST, thecurves flatten in the range from 3 to 5 wattsand remain relatively constant to within afew dB of clipping.

Clearly the 8008ST more than meets itsdistortion spec (0.05% THD at 200 wattsper channel) when driving 8 -ohm loadsand easily drives 400 watts per channel into4 -ohm loads. (Mondial doesn't give a dis-tortion spec for 4 -ohm loading.) Onsteady-state sine waves, clipping didn't oc-

cur until 265 watts per channel into 8 ohmsand 480 watts per channel into 4 ohms,which is 1.2 and 0.8 dB, respectively, abovethe continuous output power ratings. WithIHF tone bursts, the 8008ST clocked insomewhat higher: 300 watts per channelinto 8 -ohm loads and a formidable 540watts per channel with 4 -ohm loading.

Use and Listening TestsThe Aragon 8008ST has seemingly end-

less power reserves, and its low output im-pedance in the high treble contributes to abright top end. The opening cymbal crashin Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Com-mon Man," performed by Louis Lane andthe Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Telarc

Continued on page 55

MEASURED DATA

Output Power at Clipping (1% THD at1 kHz): Into 8 ohms, 265 watts (24.2dBW) per channel, both channels driv-en; into 4 ohms, 480 watts (26.8 dBW)per channel, both channels driven.

Dynamic Output Power: Into 8 ohms,300 watts (24.8 dBW); into 4 ohms,540 watts (27.3 dBW).

Dynamic Headroom: 1.8 dB re 8 -ohmrated power and 1.3 dB re 4 -ohm rated

power.THD + N, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, at RatedOutput: Less than 0.0396% into 8ohms and less than 0.0703% into 4ohms.

THD + N, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, at 10 WattsOut: Less than 0.0212% into 8 ohmsand less than 0.0360% into 4 ohms.

Damping Factor: 415 at 50 Hz for 8 -ohm loading.

Output Impedance: At 1 kHz, 19.7 milli -

ohms; at 5 kHz, 22.0 milliohms; at 10kHz, 26.5 milliohms; at 20 kHz, 31.8milliohms.

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz,±0.01 dB, with -3 dB points below 10Hz and above 200 kHz.

Sensitivity: 117 mV for 0-dBW (1 -watt)output and 1.65 V for rated output.

A -Weighted Noise: -101.6 dBW.Input Impedance: 23 kilohms.Channel Separation: Greater than 71 dBfrom 100 Hz to 10 kHz.

Channel Balance: ±0.00 dB.

AUDIO/JUNE 199648

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KEFREFERENCE SERIES

MODEL FOUR SPEAKERThe Model Four is at the top of KEF's

high -end Reference line, whichcomprises four models that rangefrom $6,400 down to $1,600 perpair, all with magnetic shielding. It'salso KEF's second most expensive

speaker, exceeded in price only by the Mod-el 107/2 at $7,500 per pair; the latter is partof KEF's Raymond Cooke Series, named inhonor of the company's late founder. (I re-viewed the original Model 107 in the Feb-ruary 1988 issue.)

The current Reference Series was con-ceived and developed by engineer EnricoCecconi, who has been at KEF for morethan 17 years. Like the previous ReferenceSeries, this line is based around KEF's Uni-Qtwo-way coincident driver technology,which puts a very small dome tweeter at theapex of a midrange cone. The precursor tothe Model Four was the similarly config-ured Model 105/3 (Audio, June 1991). Likethe 105/3, the Model Four is a large, floor -standing tower; it's also a four-way systemusing six KEF-built drivers, two of which

Rated Frequency Response: 35 Hz to 20kHz, ±3 dB.

Rated Sensitivity: 92 dB at 1 meter, 2.83volts rms applied.

Rated Impedance: 4 ohms, nominal.Recommended Amplifier Power: 50 to

400 watts per channel.Dimensions: 473/4 in. H x 113/4 in. W x

153/4 in. D (121.4 cm x 30 cm x 39cm).

Weight: 108% lbs. (49.1 kg) each.Price: $5,200 to $6,400 per pair, de-

pending on finish; available in blackash, Rosetta Burr, or Santos rosewood.

Company Address: 89 Doug BrownWay, Holliston, Mass. 01746; 508/429-

3600.

For literature, circle No. 91

are concealed inside. Both models' higherfrequencies are handled by a single Uni-Qdriver with a 61/2 -inch cone and a 1 -inchsoft -dome tweeter.

Although the Model Four looks similarto the 105/3, it differs in two significantways. First, the Model Four's Uni-Q driveris above the other drivers; the 105/3's Uni-Qdriver was between the two other mid-range drivers, in a D'Appolito configura-tion. The second difference is the woofersystem. The 105/3 used two 8 -inch woofersin separate, sealed enclosures that fed into acommon "coupled cavity"; bass radiated

into the room from this cavity, through alarge circular port. The Model Four's Inter -Port coupled -cavity bass -loading system issimilar but has a vented rather than a sealedenclosure for each woofer and has larger,10 -inch, bass drivers.

A conventional bandpass vented enclo-sure normally has a single box resonance inthe center of the woofer's passband. By con-

trast, the InterPort design has an additionalbox resonance at the low end of the

woofer's range. The two box -tuning fre-quencies reduce cone motion and distor-tion over a much wider range than a single -

tuned bandpass design does.The 105/3 had two woofers, one facing

up in the top half of the cabinet and theother facing down in the bottom half. Thesewoofers were connected solidly together bya force -canceling rod. In the Model Four, ó

the rod is actually much thicker, an assem-bly comprising two internally braced tubesof extruded aluminum that are connectedby a threaded turnbuckle rod. Since the driv-ers face 180° apart, they move in opposite

AUDIO/JUNE 199650

directions-or would, if the rigid couplingbetween them did not effectively cancelthose motions out, thereby reducing theamount of mechanical energy coupled tothe cabinet. In a further move to reduce en-ergy coupling, the Model Four's woofers are

not bolted directly to the cabinet; instead,they are isolated from it by gaskets andpressed into place by the rod assembly. The10 -inch woofers are long -throw designsand have large magnets, pulp cones, andrubber surrounds.

The lower midrange frequencies, be-tween 160 and 500 Hz, are handled in theModel Four by two parallel -connected 61/2 -

inch drivers in a vertical array, just below

KEF'S UNI-Q MODELS

HAVE THE MOST UNIFORM

VERTICAL AND

HORIZONTAL RESPONSE

I'VE SEEN.

the coincident upper -midrange and high -frequency drivers. This array provides acontrolled vertical coverage pattern andwide horizontal coverage. All three of theModel Four's midrange drivers have curvi-linear polypropylene cones. The new mount-ing bezel blends gently into the driver'ssurround, providing a smooth acoustictransition from cone to baffle that is said toreduce diffraction and improve frequencyresponse.

Frequencies above 500 Hz are handled bya fourth -generation version of the Uni-Qdriver. The tweeter, which is located insidethe 11/2 -inch voice coil of the upper -midrange cone driver, has a soft, silk -fabricdome and a rare-earth (neodymium/boron/iron) magnet. The tweeter's concen-tric location at the base of the uppermidrange's cone essentially aligns theacoustic centers (where the sound wavesseem to originate) of the midrange and thetweeter; this gives the Uni-Q driver a point -source configuration that yields virtuallythe same radiation pattern horizontally aswell as vertically.

The Uni-Q's midrange cone acts as anacoustic waveguide to ensure that the direc-tional patterns of the tweeter and midrangematch very closely through their crossover

region. The result is very even cov-

erage for seated and standing lis-teners, including listeners far to the

sides. Like previous KEF Uni-Qmodels, the Model Four is designedto have wide but controlled cover-age; this improves imaging by min-

imizing the wall, floor, and ceilingreflections that might otherwise in-terfere with the sound reaching thelistener and by helping the spectralbalance of the sound radiated tothese surfaces match that of the di-rect sound.

The Model Four's crossover is ontwo p.c. boards, one for the Uni-Qdriver and one for the drivers han-dling the lower frequencies. Thetwo boards are separated, to reduceinteractions between them. Thecrossover's construction is first-rate, and all parts used are of veryhigh quality. The crossover con-tains 35 components (13 resistors,nine inductors, and 13 capacitors).These components form a second -order low-pass network for thewoofers, a fourth -order bandpassfor the lower midranges, a fourth -order bandpass for the uppermidrange, and a third -order high-pass for the tweeter. Conjugate im-pedance -compensation networksfor each driver, and other imped-ance -leveling circuits, smooth andminimize variations in the imped-ance curve. Crossover componentsare computer -matched to ensurethat the speakers in any given pairmatch each other and match thespeaker used as a production stan-dard. (KEF can even provide an ex-

act match for any speaker if the unitit was originally paired with shouldbe lost or damaged.)

Two sets of gold-plated inputterminals on the rear enable bi-amplification or bi-wiring. Gold-plated straps are supplied for con-ventional, single -wire hookups.

The Model Four's enclosure isvery well braced. It has gentlyrounded corners on all side and up-per edges to minimize diffraction.A molded baffle holds the mid-range and Uni-Q drivers. The baffle

Fig. 1 -0n -axis frequencyresponse.

o

-180

-360

-540

-720

-90020

WAYEFORM PIASE\, GROUP DELAY

PHASE

100 1k

FREOUENCY - Hz

Fig. 2 -0n -axis phaseresponse, group delay, andwaveform phase.

FREQUENCY -Hz

Fig. 3-Horizontal off -axisfrequency responses.

100

á80

N

70

loo 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 4-Vertical off -axisfrequency responses.

10k 20k

AUDIO/JUNE 199651

-45

-90

-t..... -1-1._ y.... .._..._ ,6.6 OHMS

II t

t, -,..ft; !

1 OHMS

10 100 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

5 10 100 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 5-Impedancemagnitude (A) andphase (B).

100 1k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 6-Three-meter roomresponse.

The terminals allow bi-wiring andare easy to reach and grip, but theywon't accept double -banana plugs.

10k 20k

A

10k 20k

B

10k 20k

is covered with a space -frame grille

that attaches to the front panelwith pegs and matching recepta-cles. A plinth base, 11 inches high,is provided; this base can be filledwith sand or lead shot to add sta-bility and mass -damping. Gold-plated, solid -brass adjustable feetwith locking collars are also pro-vided; the feet are reversible, withsharp spikes at one end and pads atthe other.

MeasurementsFigure 1 shows the Model Four's

frequency response. Measurementswere taken in a large anechoicchamber, and I smoothed thecurves with a tenth -octave filter.

The on -axis response with thegrille off is very flat except for ahigh-frequéncy dip at 10.5 kHzand a peak at 16 kHz. These re-sponse anomalies are typical ofmany coaxial transducers, includ-ing KEF's Uni-Q (which exhibitsthem only within a narrow rangeof angles near the axis). However,the difference between the peakand dip in the Model Four's on -axis response is significantly smaller

than in previous KEF Uni-Q mod-els I have tested. Because of theseon- and near -axis anomalies, KEFrecommends a listening positionsomewhat off axis.

This listening position is auto-matically achieved when the speak-ers are aimed straight into theroom, with their axes parallel tothe room's side walls. KEF recom-mends this setup rather than cant-ing the speakers toward the listen-er. In my listening room, with thespeakers about 8 feet apart andabout 10 feet from my seat, thiswould correspond to an angle of24° off axis. I therefore measuredresponse at this angle. As you cansee in Fig. 1, the 24° response is sig-

nificantly smoother than the on -axis curve above 9 kHz and ex-hibits only a slight rolloff above 14kHz. In fact, response with thegrille removed is extremely flat and

smooth, with just a slight bump at

about 150 Hz. It fits an exceptionally tight,3 -dB, window over the wide bandwidthfrom 47 Hz to 16 kHz. If we exclude the lit-tle 150 -Hz hump, the window is eventighter: 2.3 dB! Within the much looser, 6 -dB, window of KEF's ±3 dB specification,the response is 40 Hz to 20 kHz, only a fewhertz shy of KEF's rating.

The effect of the grille is also shown inFig. 1, in an unsmoothed curve. The grillecauses many high -Q peaks and dips andperturbs the response by as much as 7 dB innarrow ranges; I suggest leaving it off forserious listening. Averaged from 250 Hz to4 kHz, the Model Four's sensitivity mea-sured a high 91 dB SPL at 1 meter for a2.83 -volt input, only 1 dB below KEF'sspecified 92 dB.

Figure 2 shows the Model Four's phaseand group -delay responses, referenced tothe tweeter's arrival time, as well as wave-form phase. The phase curve is quite wellbehaved. The group -delay curve indicatesthat the upper midrange is delayed relativeto the tweeter by approximately 0.25 mil-lisecond. The Model Four's waveformphase indicates that waveshapes will not bepreserved in any frequency range. (Wave -shapes are preserved only where the curve

EVEN AT 200 WATTS,

THE MODEL FOUR

SOUNDED VERY CLEAN

AND EFFORTLESS

AT 41.2 Hz.

stays near 0° or 180°, and they are invertedwhen the curve is near 180°. But very fewconventional loudspeakers do preservethese shapes.)

The Model Four's horizontal on- andoff -axis frequency response curves, taken at

selected angles, are shown in Fig. 3. The ax-ial grouping (0° to 15°, in 5° steps) forms aquite compact bundle over the entire mea-sured range, which indicates extremely uni-form response near the axis. The 30° curvehas the same general shape as the axialgrouping but is somewhat lower in level, in-dicating directivity, and drops off above 15kHz. The 60° curve slopes downward, withslight undulations, and cuts off sharplyabove 12.5 kHz.

AUDIO/JUNE 199652

In KEF's

Uni-Q driver(top), a 1 -inchdome tweeternestles withina midrange'svoice coil.

Figure 4 shows the KEF's response above

and below the speaker's axis. The axialgrouping includes all the curves within±15° of the axis (seven curves in all). Notehow very similar these are to the near -axialhorizontal curves in Fig. 3. The ModelFour's response within 30° of the axis is ex-tremely uniform in both the horizontal andvertical planes; KEF's Uni-Q speaker sys-tems are easily the best I've measured inthis respect.

The Model Four's impedance -magni-tude curve (Fig. 5A) has an infrasonic peakat 11 Hz. From 20 Hz to 20 kHz, the maxi-mum is 16.6 ohms at 3 kHz and the mini-mum is 3.1 ohms at 700 Hz, a ratio of 5.4to 1. KEF has not leveled out the ModelFour's impedance as aggressively as it didthat of the 105/3, which had a 2.4 max/minratio. The rationale was that money savedby not leveling the impedance quite as muchcould be invested more usefully; since speak-

ers of the Model Four's caliber would nor-mally be used only with cables of reasonablyhigh quality, KEF decided it made no senseto design in compatibility with high -imped-ance cables. If the amps used with the speak-

ers have low output impedance, as most sol-id-state amps do, this argument holds; withamps having higher impedance, such as tubemodels, the argument is less persuasive.

In the audio range, the Model Four's im-pedance phase (Fig. 5B) reaches a maxi-mum of about 38° (inductive) at 2 kHz and

a minimum of about -36° (capaci-tive) at 5.5 kHz. Despite the factthat these extremes are somewhathigh, the Model Four should poseno serious problem for any well -designed amplifier.

A high-level sine -wave sweep re-

vealed that the Model Four's enclo-sure is very rigid and inert, with noappreciable wall vibrations or reso-

nances. This speaker's clean andpowerful low -frequency output onsine waves extended down below30 Hz, a big improvement over theperformance of the Model 105/3.

Figure 6 shows the Model Four's3 -meter room response, with bothraw and sixth -octave -smootheddata. The speaker was in the right-hand stereo position, with its axisparallel to the side walls of my lis-tening room (as KEF recom-mends), and the test microphonewas at ear height (36 inches) at themain listening position on my sofa.The averaged curve is very well be-

haved and fits a quite tight, 6 -dB,window between 360 Hz and 16 kHz. Someroom effect is evident below 360 Hz, andthere's a slight rolloff above 16 kHz. All inall, this is one of the best room -responsecurves I have obtained.

Figure 7 shows the speaker's E1 (41.2 -Hz) harmonic distortion. At full power(200 watts), the second harmonic reaches3.6%, which is quite low; the third harmon-ic is an even lower 1.7%, the fourth is 2.4%,and the fifth is 1.2%. At 1 meter in freespace, the KEF generated a quite loud 109dB SPL from a 200 -watt input. Even at thispower level, the Model Four sounded veryclean and quite effortless at 41.2 Hz.

Harmonic distortion is not shown for A2(110 Hz) and A4 (440 Hz) because distor-tion at these frequencies was so low I couldbarely measure it. At both frequencies, theModel Four sounded quite clean at fullpower. Intermodulation distortion was alsotoo low to present here; it reached only2.3% at 200 watts when the Model Four wasfed 440 -Hz (A4) and 41.2 -Hz (E1) tones of

equal amplitude.Figure 8 shows the speaker's short-term

peak -power input and output capabilities.(Peak input power was calculated by as-suming that the measured peak voltage was

POWER-WATTS

MAXIMUM POWER: 200 WATT

50 100 150

FREQUENCY -Hz

Fig. 7-Harmonic distortionfor E1 (41.2 Hz).

140

130

120

110

100

90'

eon

WITHROOMGAIN

/

PEAK ACOUSTIC OUTPUTTEF

WITHOUTROOM PEAK INPUT POWERGAIN

100 1k 10k 20k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 8-Peak input powerand sound output.

200

10k

10

250

applied across the rated 4 -ohm imped-ance.) The peak input power starts low (20watts at 20 Hz), rises rapidly to a local max-imum (1,000 watts at 40 Hz), falls a bit, ris-

es to a plateau between 120 and 300 Hz ofabout 3 kilowatts, and then rises very high(to 10 kilowatts) between 500 Hz and 4kHz. At higher frequencies, power handlingfalls somewhat, to about 4 kilowatts, andremains there up to 20 kHz. The ModelFour's low impedance made it a difficultload for my test amplifier. Below 300 Hz, Ihad to run the amplifier in its parallel -mono mode, doubling its current -drivecapability. Even so, the plateau between 100and 300 Hz in the input -power curve is dueprimarily to my amplifier running out ofgas before the speaker did!

As you can see in Fig. 8, the KEF's maxi-mum peak output with room gain starts ata loud 91 dB SPL at 20 Hz and then risesvery rapidly, reaching a plateau of about122 dB between 40 and 80 Hz; it then risesinto the very loud range of 125 to 130 dBbetween 100 Hz and 8 kHz. At higher fre-quencies, the level drops somewhat, toabout 125 dB SPL. The peak output reaches110 dB SPL at a low 29 Hz; 120 dB SPL isreached at an impressively low 39 Hz. This

AUDIO/JUNE 199653

Rubber -isolateddriver mounting

6% -inchUni-driver

Coincident1 -inch

tweeter

6 %-inc

lowermidranges

Baffle

10 -inch woofers

powerful low -frequency output places theModel Four in the top 10% of all speakers Ihave tested.

Use and Listening TestsThe Model Fours are packed one per car-

ton. Even with the grilles packed separately,the speaker carton is so big and heavy that ittakes two people (or one person and ahandcart) to handle it. Thanks to KEF'swell -designed packaging, however, it onlytakes one person to unpack the speakers;once the 108 -pound Model Fours are out oftheir boxes, they can be "walked" into posi-tion by one person, too. The speakers areshipped with spiked feet attached to theirbottoms. I removed the spike assemblies tofacilitate moving the speakers on my car-peted floor, then reinstalled them for mylistening tests. I chose not to add lead shotto the bases; the speakers were massiveenough to be very stable without this addedweight.

The Model Fours I received were sup-plied in the most expensive finish, Santosrosewood, and were quite gorgeous. Thecabinet, with its smooth beveled edges,looks equally good with or without thegrille. The large circular port on the frontgives interested techies a convenient win-dow to examine the speaker's internalworkings; it let me see that the craftsman-

InterPort

InterPort-ventedsub -enclosure

Coupled -cavityoutput port

Force -canceling rod

InterPort

Wiringandterminals

InterPort-ventedsub -enclosure

Spiked feet

ship was just as fine on the inside of the en-closure as on the outside. The port also fig-ured in the only problem I had that relatedto workmanship: During the high-levelsine -wave sweep test for cabinet resonance,a piece of sound -absorptive foam brokeloose and nearly blew out through this port.

The installation manual is a well -orga-nized 20 -page booklet, half in French, halfin English, that serves KEF's whole Refer-ence Series. In addition to providing gener-al descriptions of each model and listing

WIDE BANDWIDTH,

NEUTRALITY, BASS,

DYNAMICS, COVERAGE,

IMAGING-THESE KEFsHAVE IT ALL.

their specs, it covers magnetic shielding,unpacking, speaker placement, roomacoustics, adjustment of feet and spikes,speaker cables and connections, bi-wiringand biamplification, speaker phasing, am-plifier requirements, and power handling.(I found it curious, however, that more thantwice as much space is devoted to adjust-ment of the feet and spikes than to roomacoustics and speaker placement.) The

manual recommends that the speakers typ-ically be placed 6 to 10 feet apart, well away

from room corners and side walls, and (asmentioned earlier) with little or no toe -in.

The Model Fours are very easy to hookup because the terminals are very accessibleand their knurled knobs are easy to grip.Unfortunately, the terminals are spaced 11/2inches apart, so you can't use standard dou-ble -banana plugs, which have 3/4 -inch spac-

ing. The terminals will accept very large ca-ble, up to 0.23 inch in diameter (AWG No.4), even with the straps for single -wire con-nections in place.

I set the Model Fours about 8 feet apart,far from my room's walls, and listened at apoint 3 meters away from each speaker.Components in my system included Onkyoand Rotel CD players and a Krell KRC pre -

amp and KSA250 amp. For comparison, Iused B&W 801 Matrix Series 3 speakers.

Soon after I started listening to the Mod-el Fours, I knew they were very fine loud-speakers. They could handle virtually anyprogram material I threw at them and per-formed nearly flawlessly. Neutrality, verywide bandwidth, extended and powerfulbass response, excellent coverage, wide dy-namic range,accurate imaging-these speakers had it all.

While listening to a broad sampling ofprogram material, I found my preferencesshifting randomly between the KEFs andthe B&Ws, depending on the recording.The KEFs had a slight edge in imaging,soundstaging, coverage, and dynamicrange, whereas the B&Ws had a slight ad-vantage in neutrality and in response below30 Hz. With wide -range material, it wasvery hard to tell the systems apart when Iswitched between them, no matter where Iwas in the room or whether I was seated orstanding. Matching the sound of the B&W801s this closely requires a speaker thatclosely matches its three-dimensional polarand power response, smooth and flat wide -range response, and low distortion coupledwith low coloration. However, I got thisclose a match only when I reduced the sig-nal level to the KEFs, which are 4 or 5 dBmore sensitive than the B&Ws.

When listening to pink noise through theModel Fours, I heard no tonal changeswhatsoever when I stood up, which is quiterare. The only speakers I've heard that comeclose to this are the two other KEFs with

AUDIO/JUNE 199654

Uni-Q drivers that I've tested. (The B&Wsexhibit some very slight midrange tonalchanges when I stand up during this test.)The Model Fours' octave -to -octave spectral

balance was excellent, and they imposed notonality on the pink noise. Considering thatthey're two different systems, the KEFs andB&Ws sounded as similar overall as theycould.

On pink noise, the Model Fours did notgenerate much usable output in the 20- and25 -Hz third -octave bands. Their outputwas very usable at 30 Hz and became verystrong, clean, and robust at 40 Hz and high-er-actually stronger and cleaner than theB&Ws' output at 40 and 50 Hz. Port windnoise was very low to nonexistent (theB&Ws generate loud wind noise at 20 and25 Hz when driven hard).

The KEFs' imaging and soundstaging ca-

pabilities were demonstrated extremely wellby "On The Run" and "Time," on PinkFloyd's Dark Side of the Moon (Capitol46001, a favorite of mine). I felt that I couldreach right out and touch the performers,and the sound was very realistic. Judging by

this CD, even acid -rock freaks should besatisfied with the Model Fours.

KEFs handled male and female vo-cals very well, with absolutely no harshness.

The Model Fours were equally at ease re-vealing the low-level detail in the roomsound of a finely recorded string quartetand at separating the instrument sounds ina massive, complex Mahler symphony.

I had a lot of fun listening to the KEFs,and I found myself digging out old CDsthat profit from being played on a dynamicand wide -range playback system. These in-cluded such favorites as Bachbusters, EinStraussfest, and William Tell and Other Fa-vorite Overtures (Telarc CD -80123, CD -

80098, and CD -80116, respectively) as well

as the highly dynamic sound effects on TheDigital Domain (Elektra 9 60303). Theimaging of the synthesized plucked stringsounds on track 14 of the Elektra was aknockout! On all these CDs, the KEFs' per-formance ranged from floor -shaking, to in-credible, to wow!

Are you getting the idea that I really likethe KEF Model Fours? You're right! Theyhave many virtues worth raving about andvery few faults. Check them out for your-self, but be prepared to enjoy yourself a lotwhile you do the checking. A

ARAGON, continued from page 48

CD -80078), testifies to both points. How-ever, in less aggressive, more musical pas-sages-for example, in the relatively softwoodwind and string passages of Ap-palachian Spring (on the same CD)-thesound struck me as slightly muddled.

I switched to Rachmaninoff s SymphonyNo. 2, performed by the Royal Concertge-bouw Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy,to hear a larger orchestra and a selectionwith massed strings (London 400081). Alsoa little bright, and somewhat lacking in def-inition. How about single violin with pi-ano? Brahms' Violin Sonatas, Nos. 1, 2, and

I WAS MOST IMPRESSED

BY THE ARAGON'S WIDE

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

AND UNIFORM

OUTPUT IMPEDANCE.

3, with Itzhak Perlman and Ashkenazy(EMI CDC 47403), sounded hard on bothinstruments, especially on Perlman's fiddle.Then I tried a recent recording of EvgenyKissin playing the Brahms Fantasias for Pi-ano, Op. 116 (DGG 435028). Not my tastein piano sound, but since I wasn't fully fa-miliar with this disc, I switched to a DAT ofthe same piece that I had recorded myself.Different sound but still not what I hadheard live. Nor was it what I heard when Iplayed this tape through another amp.

Equipment used included Allison Onespeakers connected with paralleled pairs of14 -gauge cable. Sources were a Sony CDP-XA7ES CD player and DTC-59ES DAT deck

feeding a Bryston BP -20 preamp. Intercon-nects were high -quality coaxial cable.

Are the results symptomatic, or did myearly difficulties with the 8008ST in the labaffect my judgment in the audition? Theymay have, even though I started my listen-ing expecting no problem. Honestly, I can'tbe sure-after all, listening is subjective!Certainly the amplifier measured very well,and its design is similar in many respects,including exceptionally wide bandwidth, tothat of the Acurus amplifier I reviewed awhile back and liked quite a lot. So your bestbet probably is to listen to the 8008ST your-self and make up your own mind. A

~RIDGE(((VW^ÜND'

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AUDIO/JUNE 199655

CIRCLE NO. 5 ON READER SERVICE CARD

EQUIPMENT PROFILEEDWARD M. LONG

SENNHEISERHD 580 PRECISION

EARPHONES

When I first listened to theSennheiser HD 580 Precisiondynamic earphones, I knewthey were something special.Even the quirkily translatedmanual is above average, cover-

ing such matters as the pressure that holdsthe earphones against your head, diffuse -field response, and measurement standards.After measuring them, I was even moreconvinced that the HD 580 earphones were,

indeed, special.

The HD 580's ear cushions are circum-aural, completely encircling the pinna (out-er ear). Their elliptical shape matches mostears, so they won't clamp down on yourearlobes, as round cushions do. The foam -filled, velvet -covered ear cushions, whichare replaceable, are very comfortable forlong-term listening. The inside face of eachearcup is covered with a foam pad to pre-

vent transducer contamination.The HD 580's earcups are open on the

rear, allowing outside sounds to be heard

quite easily. Sennheiser introduced this"open -aire" design many years ago in theHD 414 earphones (which, by the way, have

been brought back as a Jubilee model inhonor of Sennheiser's 50th anniversary).The earcups are plastic, and the rear of each

cup has a plastic grille (which looks likemetal mesh) that protects the transducersfrom possible damage. The open back con-tributes greatly to the quality of the sound.Most closed earphones sound "canned" be-cause of interference reflected from the res-onant chamber behind the diaphragm. Asthe owner's manual notes, you can get thiseffect from the HD 580s by putting yourhands over the grilles. (Of course, if you'rerecording live music and are in the sameroom as the performers, sounds enteringthe open earcups will mix at your ear withthose being fed to your earphones from themicrophone; this will make it difficult totell which sounds are actually beingrecorded.)

The headband is two pieces of springsteel, each an inch wide, that slide within aplastic cover to adjust to the width of yourhead; detents keep the steel pieces fromsliding accidentally. The headband is cush-ioned by four pads of cloth -covered foam.The earcups tilt up and down about 30° inthe plastic bails that hold them to the head-band; the bails also swivel about 30° fromside to side. All this allows plenty of roomfor adjustment to make the HD 580s fitcomfortably.

The earphone cord is about 91/2 feet long,including the 10 -inch wires that lead toeach earcup. These wires plug into theearcups, allowing the cord to be removedand replaced if necessary. At the other endof the cord is a '/s -inch stereo mini -plug

Transducer Design: Dynamic.Coupling to the Ear: Circumaural

(open air).Rated Frequency Response: 16 Hz to

30 kHz, +0, -3 dB; -10 dB at 12 Hzand 38 kHz.

Rated Impedance: 300 ohms.Weight (Without Cable): 9.2 oz. (260

grams).Price: $349.Company Address: P.O. Box 987, Old

Lyme, Conn. 06371; 860/434-9190.For literature, circle No. 92

AUDIO/JUNE 199656

that fits portable equipment; a 1/4 -inchstereo phone -plug adaptor is supplied to fitthe jacks on most home audio components.I was somewhat surprised to see that theplugs were not gold-plated; on the otherhand, the wires in the cord are of oxygen -free copper and the insulation is reinforcedwith Kevlar fibers.

Sennheiser claims bandwidth between -3dB points of 16 Hz to 30 kHz; I tested theHD 580s only to 20kHz, but they showedno sign of diminishedoutput. I concludedfrom this and frommy pulse tests that theSennheisers probablydo go out to 30 kHz,which is remarkable.The HD 580s did anamazing job of reproducing square waves;remarkably good reproduction of a 7.5 -kHz square wave indicated that the ear-phones reproduced the harmonics thatconstitute the wave with sufficient level andin proper polarity. Both the frequency andphase responses were very smooth, exceptfor a small deviation around 4 kHz andsome minor peaks and dips above 10 kHz.The left and right earphones were veryclosely matched below 10 kHz; even abovethis frequency, the interchannel mismatchwas very small, less than 3 dB. The HD 580earphones are the smoothest and mostclosely matched of any I have measured.Driving them from a 100 -ohm source low-ered their output by about 3 dB but didn'tchange their response, so they should per-form consistently with different amplifiers.

The 20 -kHz cosine pulse in Fig. 1 showsthat the HD 580s do not invert polarity andthat they have excellent frequency response.The positive -going output is almost identi-cal to the input pulse and confirms the ex-tended high -frequency response; the quickrecovery demonstrates that the HD 580s godown to a very low frequency.

The sensitivity of the HD 580s was 97.3dB for a 1-milliwatt input, which is 0.3 dBbetter than Sennheiser's specification.Neodymium magnets help the HD 580sachieve this high sensitivity while keepingtheir weight down.

Both the left and right earphones had thesame impedance, 303 ohms, showing theprecision with which their aluminum voice

coils are wound. The fine wire used can eas-ily be stretched during the winding proce-dure. This makes winding closely matchedcoils difficult and adds to the cost, butSennheiser feels it is worth the effort. Thesecoils and the care taken in selecting thelightweight diaphragms are the main rea-sons why the HD 580s have such closelymatched left and right channels. As a result,

the placement of instruments in the soundfield should be verygood. Indeed, somemembers of my lis-tening panel com-mented on how easy itwas to hear clear andstable images.

My listening com-parisons between theSennheiser HD 580s

and the Stax Omega reference electrostaticearphones revealed that the Sennheisershave a diffuse -field response similar to thatof the Stax. Comments from panel mem-bers confirmed the similarity. While listen-ing to David Benoit's "Things Change," onThe Sheffield Jazz Experience (Sheffield Lab

10046-2-G), panel members commented:"Piano slightly less bright" and "piano a lit-tle further back" for the HD 580s as corn -

ON FIRST HEARING,

I KNEW THE HD 580s

WERE SPECIAL,

AND MY MEASUREMENTS

CONFIRMED IT.

E.OLLONO ASSOCIATES

SENNHEISER HD SSO EARPHONES20 NHZ COSINE PULSE

INPUT

OUTPUT

Fig. 1-Cosine-pulse test.

pared to the Stax 'phones. Remarks on per-cussion reproduction on the same trackwere: "Very slight lack of snap," "close toStax," and "a tossup." The trumpet thatcomes in elicited varying remarks, amongthem: "Trumpet very close to Stax" and"trumpet a tiny bit further back." A generalconsensus was that the HD 580s had a littleless openness and sense of space. I believethat the smaller inside diameter and closerfit of the HD 580 ear cushions may havecontributed to these perceptions.

The panel and I also listened to a binau-ral CD of Richard Strauss's "Also SprachZarathustra," with Jorge Mester conducting

EARPHONE EVALUATION

PARAMETEROverall Sound

Bass

Midrange

Treble

Overall Isolation

Bass

Midrange

TrebleComfort

Value

RATINGExcellent

Very good

Excellent

Excellent

Low

Low

Low

Fair

Very good

Excellent

COMMENTS"Very close to reference 'phones""Slightly boomier," "Bass not as tight as

Stax," and "Bass more resonant""Trumpet very close to Stax" and "Trumpet

a tiny bit further back""Cymbals sound the same" and "Cymbals

close on both""Very little isolation from outside

sounds""Outside rumble noises are easy to hear""Conversation is easy while wearing

the HD 580s""High -frequency sounds are muffled""Very comfortable" and "They feel better

than most 'phones""Good price for this high level of

performance"

GENERAL COMMENTS: Clear, precise sound. Instrumental timbre and placement inthe sound field are excellent. Comfortable for long-term listening. Good value.

AUDIO/JUNE 199657

the Pasadena Symphony (Newport Classi-cal Auracle NCAU-10001). I noticed thatthe HD 580s were listed as the monitoringheadphones used in making this limited -edition disc. The panel members were verypositive about both the recording and theHD 580 earphones. At the beginning of thepiece, the Sennheisers reproduced the or-gan's low C (about 32 Hz) at the same leveland timbre as the Stax earphones did. Com-ments were: "Excellent bass," "very strongorgan pedal," and "organ bass tone as goodas reference." During a crescendo in track 9,

the panel members clearly heard some dif-ferences in the way the two sets of ear-phones reproduced the tympani and dou-ble basses, commenting: "580s are slightlyboomier," "bass not as tight as Stax," and"bass more resonant." These reactions mayhave been due to the smaller chamber sizeof the HD 580's earcups; without a directcomparison with the Stax, it would be diffi-cult to notice these bass effects, since theHD 580s exhibit them to a far lesser degreethan most other earphones do. The afore-mentioned crescendo is one of the loudest

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ever composed, and the fact that the instru-ments remained clear and distinct is a trib-ute to the quality of the HD 580s and of the20 -bit digital recording. (This is the onlybinaural recording of this piece and proba-

bly the best symphonic binaural recordingavailable, but I still consider the ChicagoSymphony Orchestra's early RCA recording

with Fritz Reiner to be the best rendition.)"Winter Wonderland," from Bob Lark

and the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble'sBig Band Basie (Reference Recordings RR-63CD), showed how the excellent matchingbetween the HD 580's left and right chan-nels yielded very precise instrument posi-tioning (except for the flute, which jumped

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around-probably because of the miking).The listening panel indicated that the HD580s sounded much like the Stax except inthe bass "boom" range, around 100 to 150Hz. One listener said that the "room soundsboomier with the HD 580s." For high -fre-quency sounds, comments were: "Cymbalssound the same" and "cymbals close onboth." It was amazing that the panel mem-bers found the Sennheiser's instrumentsounds to be so similar to the Stax's-espe-cially in the high -frequency range, whereelectrostatic 'phones are usually superior todynamic designs. (By the way, this excellentrecording was engineered by Prof. Keith O.

Johnson, using the Pacific MicrosonicsHDCD process, for which he was partially

responsible.)The HD 580 dynamic earphones cost

$349. They are not Sennheiser's most ex-pensive model: That title belongs to theHE/HEV90, a $12,900 electrostatic ear-phone system that includes a tube amplifierand a D/A converter. I haven't auditionedthe electrostatic system, but at that price itwould have to have fantastic sound to beatthe HD 580s. If you are looking for a com-fortable, wide -range pair of high -quality ear-

phones, you should check out the Sennheiser

HD 580s. You won't be disappointed. A

AUDIO/JUNE 199658

CIRCLE NO. 10 ON READER SERVICE CARD

CONRAD-JOHNSON PF2 AND MF2300Solid -State Canponents Withcut Solid -State Sound

Too often, solid-state audio componentssound harsh, edgy grainy, and dituen-sionless. This is sc c..mmon among solid-state designs that iuiophiles recilyidentify this ur_musi_al sonic signature as"t-ansistor sound" At conrad-jchnson,we have long believed that thew audibledistortions are not inherent in s_l:d-statedevices. Instead.. tne"' are a ccnstEcuenceof circuit design and inplernentat_on.Through innovativeci-cuit des' -w- andtl' use of highest.4Lality pa v, we havedeveloped a range of cor_rad-jal-nsonso id-state prodk:.cts t -at prove t -e point.They do net sound like solid-state. Theyjust sound like music

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273 i tferri ee [hive Fai-fax, VA 22V3'C phone: 703-098-H58I t;nc: 701.560-5360CIRCLE NO. 80A READER SER" ICE CGFD

i

AURICLEANTHONY H. CORDESMAN

PS AUDIOLAMBDA TWO

CD TRANSPORTAND SL THREE

D/A CONVERTER

f you consider their cost, PS Au-dio's Lambda Two CD transportand SL Three D/A convertercome surprisingly close to thestate of the art; the CD trans-port is priced at $1,995 and the

D/A converter at $1,295. In terms ofsheer resolving power, their sound isvery similar to that of several otherrecent top-quality models; in fact,that sound increasingly seems to belimited by CD technology itself.

The Lambda Two CD transport isa major upgrade of the original

Company Address: 310 CortezCircle, Camarillo, Cal. 93012;805/383-2791.

For literature, circle No. 94

Lambda, which enjoyed a consider-able reputation for its low jitter. It isbased on the Philips CDM9 Pro sil-ver -alloy mechanism and uses four

THESE PS AUDIO

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isolation transformers, a redesignedpower supply, digital servo correc-tion, a Hall -effect brushless DC mo-tor, and proprietary mechanicaldamping. PS Audio claims that theLambda Two has very low inherent

jitter, not much more than 20 pi-coseconds. It is normally suppliedwith coaxial and AES/EBU outputs(a version with an AT&T output is$2,295). Earlier Lambda transportscan be upgraded to the Lambda Two.

The SL Three D/A converter offers20 -bit conversion with eight -timesoversampling and includes HDCDfiltering and decoding. It uses Ultra -Analog's AES-21 digital receiver chip

with proprietary reclocking and canaccept 20 -bit input. The DACs are amatched pair of "J sort" Burr -BrownPCM-63 chips, with what PS Audiostates is a true 20 -bit architecture.

The SL Three's high -current, low -

noise toroidal transformer is fol-lowed by six separate regulating cir-cuits, for maximum isolation. Itsdiscrete Class -A analog output stageis buffered to drive any possible load.

The circuitry, on short -path boards,uses high -quality electrolytic capaci-

tors and Wima film capacitors. A 16 -

gauge chassis shields the SL Threeagainst RF. It has AES/EBU, Toslink,

and coaxial digital inputs and bal-anced and unbalanced outputs.

Both units have black cabinets andsmall, recessed black buttons. Thefront -panel controls seem designedfor farsighted people who have su-perb night vision and extraordinarilytiny fingertips; fortunately, the trans-port's remote control is far easier toread and use.

The good news about the soundquality of these PS Audio compo-nents is that it is comparable, in im-portant ways, to that of far more ex-pensive units. You can get extra-ordinary resolution and musical def-inition from this relatively affordable(for the high end) pair.

The bad news? My exposure to 18 -

and 20 -bit digital tape recordingsleads me to believe that the converg-ing sound quality of top CD compo-nents is due to three basic limitationsof CD technology:

First, my comparisons with digitaltape reveal that CD lacks sufficientharmonic detail; this is particularlyapparent with recordings of soloacoustic instruments (violin, cello,

AUDIO/JUNE 199660

SMIRNOFí»

URE STANDOUT.

5M1 1OFF..

harpsichord, grand piano, clarinet, snaredrum, cymbal, et al.). I am not saying thatCD cannot provide a very musical listeningexperience, because the SL Three andLambda Two do just that. However, I hearconsistently better reproduction of harmon-ic textures from digital master tapes-andeven from recordable -CD copies of thosetapes-than I do from CD. [RecordableCDs do conform to CD standards, however,including 16 -bit word length. M.R.]

Second, even through the best playbackgear, CD never provides quite the same de-

gree of naturalness and musicality as thebest digital master tapes. It is clear thathigher data rates can deliver better sound.

Third, no matter how well digital play-back components handle musical dynamics(and they vary considerably), none of themlets me hear quite the dynamic excitementand transient life from CDs that I hear in20- or 18 -bit tapes of the same perform-ances. It is unfair to describe CDs per se ascompressed; I have many exciting CDs inmy collection, and the Lambda Two and SL

Three do a good job of reproducing them.

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But in my opinion, CD is not up to the stateof the art in recording technology.

I do not find that the HDCD processingin the SL Three (or in any other D/A con-verter I have tried) makes a convincing orconsistent improvement in any of these ar-eas. I have the greatest respect for the workdone by Reference Recordings, and I agreethat the Pacific Microsonics PMD-100HDCD chip used in the SL Three is an ex-cellent filter. Yet my overall opinion ofHDCD is that it provides no better soundthan other top CD recordings do. If the em-peror's new clothes are more transparent, Ican't discern it.

I do not mean to imply that all high -quality digital components sound alike orthat the Lambda Two and SL Three areequal in every respect to CD playbackequipment costing several times more. Forexample, although I was impressed with theupper octaves of the Lambda Two and SLThree, the top -of -the -line Theta DigitalData III transport and DS Pro GenerationV -a D/A converter sounded somewhatcleaner in this region, as did the MarkLevinson No. 30.5 D/A converter whenpaired with the Lambda Two. The Thetacombination had more open dynamics, andthe Levinson/PS Audio combo seemed tobe able to get the last bit of sound qualityout of older and lower -quality CDs.

Further, the differences I heard betweenthe PS Audio and the higher -priced compo-nents must be viewed more from the stand-point of personal taste than of musical real-ism. To my ears, the PS Audio D/Aconverter was a bit warmer than the Levin-son but a bit less warm and dynamic thanthe Theta. The soundstage of the PS AudioCD transport and D/A converter was a bitless three-dimensional and detailed thanthat of the Mark Levinson No. 31 transportand No. 30.5 converter and had a bit lessdepth than the Theta combo. As with allhigh -end equipment, you will have to audi-tion the Lambda Two and SL Three in yourown system to determine how their sonicnuances complement it.

To sum up, the PS Audio Lambda TwoCD transport and SL Three D/A converterwill give you some of the best sound CDcan deliver, at an exceptional price. Youwon't get miracles for your dollar, but youwill get something surprisingly close to thestate of the art. A

THIFL 926 Nandino Boulevard, Lexington, Kentucky, 40511 Telephone: 606-2'2.-` AUDIO/JUNE 199662

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When you've got questions about Audio and Video,

see a specialistQWhy do some of my TV channels

look better than others?

As we better our homeentertainment equipment, theequipment becomes more capableand we become more critical.

Today, there is television capable of showingyou improved picture detail. You are now ableto see differences in the quality of one TVstation's transmission versus another. Thesedifferences are real, much likeon your favorite CD player you never noticedbefore-just because you are listening throughbetter speakers. Some of these differences arenot always problems with the televisionstations. They can be symptoms of cable,satellite or antenna problems. TV channelsare broadcast over the air and sent throughthe cable in bands (groups of channels).Should you notice several channels in asequence that are not as good as somegrouped before or after, you should have yourspecialist check it out. Getting a cable oranother problem like this taken care of willgreatly enhance your enjoyment.

-Steve BrakkeCooper for StereoClearwater, Florida

COOPERSFOR TEREO

With all the CD players and digitalto analog converters on themarket, how do you know whichunits have the best performance?

Do not pick a CD product basedon the bit capability (I bit, 18 bit,20 bit), or by the amount ofoversampling. Generally, the most

important aspects of CD performance arethose that are not highlighted on a spec sheet.Take, for example, the digital filter whichprecedes the DAC. The digital filter may be

most important element in the chainbecause it acts as the master traffic cop. Thisfilter organizes and stores the instructions,giving the DAC the finest tutorial possible.Some manufacturers offer software baseddigital filters which allow the algorithm(instructions) to be altered to suit the circuitand give the DAC a more eloquent set ofinstructions. What does all this tech talkmean to you? If you are not able to uncoverthe identity of the digital filter, the best thingto do is pull out your most sophisticated testequipment; your ears! Digital products do notsound the same. Trust your ears-they won'tsteer you wrong.

-Dick DiamondAudio Design

Salt Lake City, Utah

Audio DESi NSTEREO & HOME CINEMA

Each month, Audio Magazine's feature "See a Specialist" showcases the finest audio/video dealers fromacross the country. The dealers, chosen as a result of recommendations from equipment manufacturers,Audio Magazine staff and industry organizations, exemplify the best audio/video dealers from New York toCalifornia. The chosen dealers offer solutions to problems that can best be handled by a specialtyaudio/video retailer.

If you would like to submit questions to dealers in your area please write toSee a Specialist, c/o Audio Magazine, 1633 Broadway, NY, NY 10019

CIWhat is DVD technology about?Should I wait to purchase newequipment?

The DVD (Digital Video Disc)looks like a compact disc. It will/- hold roughly more than seven

J times the amount of informationthat a current compact disc can. As yet, thereare no standards set for the DVD as an audiomedium. It is assumed that since there is somuch capacity for data on one of these discs,there must be a way of exploiting that as acapacity for better audio reproduction.Beyond that there is nothing definite. Bestbet? Why wait until they get the bugs out of aproposed new format. Enjoy the soundquality available now, wait five years or so,then check with your dealer to see how thefuture is shaping up.

-Bill BensonNuts About Hi -Fi

Silverdale, Washington

NUTS ABOUT HIFI

9 Should I buy a shelf system orseparate components?

Shelf systems have been muchimproved in the past few years.

J- However, a system of separatecomponents will offer more

flexibility and expandability as your lifestyleand stereo requirements change over time.A shelf system is "prepackaged" with optionsand speakers chosen by the manufacturer.Speakers are an integral part of an audiosystem, and the one -size -fits -all approach willnot guarantee the best choice for yourmoney, your room, or your musicalpreference. Also, a single power supply istypically used for a shelf system, powering allthe components-CD, tape and receiver.Separates operate on their own dedicatedpower supplies, providing "cleaner" power,resulting in less noise and better sound.Finally, upgrading a separates system is mostpractical, since it can be done one componentat a time, as space and cost factors allow.

-Randy BlanchardPecar's Home Theater Center

Detroit, Michigan

PECAR'SNOME TFJEATER CENTER

AURICLEJOHN SUNIER

SPATIALIZERHTMS-2510

STEREO -IMAGEPROCESSOR

Statistics show that five millionhomes have home theater sur-round systems. Despite this,and the fact that some peoplealready have six -channel dis-crete reproduction, most

home audio is still heard throughsystems using just one pair of speak-ers. Many people are intimidated bythe expense of a five- or six -speakerarray, the complexities of setup, andthe space required.

That's why there's now so muchresearch into creating a surroundsound field with just two speakers.(At an Audio Engineering Conven-tion a year or two ago, representa-tives of nine different companiespresented approaches to this prob-

Company Address: 453 Raven -dale Dr., Suite C, MountainView, Cal. 94043; 415/428-0400.

For literature, circle No. 95

lem.) Most of this effort grows out ofresearch on how our ears and brainsprocess and localize sounds. After all,if a two -channel binaural system canconvey a full 360° spherical soundfield via headphones, why can't asimilar surround field be achieved by"correcting" the spatial distortionsof loudspeaker reproduction?

This is pre-cisely what Spa-

tializer tech-nology aims todo. It was in-vented by re-cording engi-neer StephenDesper, whofor 17 years was

the acoustician for The Beach Boys.The PRO Spatializer has been usedfor some years in the production ofprofessional recordings, in computergames, and in TV broadcasts. Suchlicensees as Panasonic, Sharp, Pro-

ton, and Hitachi have included Spa-tializer chips in their TVs and boom -boxes, but the Spatializer Audio Labs

HTMS-2510 (which costs less than$250) is the first stand-alone unit forconsumer use.

Some "3-D" sound techniques re-quire that the signal be encoded atthe recording or broadcast end anddecoded at the listening end. Withothers, such as QSound, the process-ing occurs only at the originationpoint. Spatializer circuitry can be

used to processthe signal at ei-ther end (anability it shareswith SRS). If in-

coming sourcematerial hasalready been"Spatialized,"the HTMS-2510compensates forthis to ensurethat the signalswill not be over -

processed.

Desper saysthat his approach

"uses the hu-man brain as a processor more thanmost other "3-D" techniques do."He observes that, since two speakersmoving in and out is really all thatthe ear has to work with, the actualreproduction of the music all occursin the brain. In his design of Spatial-izer 3-D audio processing, he "takesadvantage of the brain's ability to ex-

trapolate froma simple sonicevent to the en-tire musical orsound impres-sion." Spatial-izer continu-ously generatesboth expandedand directional

sound fields from the original inputsignal, using the brain to constructthis conceptual image space.

To move sounds out into thoseportions of the listening area wherethere are no loudspeakers, Spatializer

EVEN WITH A SURROUND

DECODER, ADDING

THE SPATIALIZER MADE

THE SURROUND FIELD

MORE SEAMLESS.

AUDIO/JUNE 199666

(like most other "3-D" techniques) usesmodification of the head -related transferfunctions (HRTFs) discovered in binauralresearch. These functions map the frequen-cy variations that the outer ear imposes onsounds arriving from different directions.Using cues hidden in the stereo differencesignal, Spatializer processing manipulatesvarious parameters to place sounds aroundan arc surrounding the listener. (This arc issaid to extend up to 350° with professionalSpatializer gear and to 270° for the HTMS-2510 home unit.) Although Spatializer proc-

essing manipulates frequency cues to simu-late HRTFs, it does not appear to modifythe overall frequency balance; sounds seemto be unchanged in all respects except di-rection. The Spatializer process uses no ar-tificial reverb.

The HTMS-2510 I auditioned offersthree levels of "Space" enhancement, select-ed with up/down "Space" buttons on thefront panel or turned off with a "Space By-pass" button. (All front -panel controls areduplicated on the remote.) A green "light -pipe" display shows which level of spatialenhancement is selected: One band of thedisplay illuminates for the minimum set-ting, two bands illuminate for moderate en-hancement, and all three bands illuminatefor maximum spatial enhancement.

A "Bass EQ" switch compensates forpoor low -end response in certain sources; italso activates a test mode to confirm thatthe 2510 is functioning normally. No inputlevel adjustment is required or provided,thus eliminating a hassle you face withsome other processors. But because there isno level adjustment, I had to reduce thetape output level from my preamp to itslowest setting to avoid driving the 2510 intodistortion on signal peaks.

The HTMS-2510 can accept two inputs,selectable from the front panel or the re-mote, and has a single pair of output jacks.The two inputs would be handy for a sim-ple home theater system, allowing, for ex-ample, easy switching between audio sig-nals from the TV and VCR. Most people,however, will probably connect the 2510into a tape or processor loop on their re-ceiver or preamp. (You might arrange yourinstallation so that you can reroute the2510's output to feed the inputs of yourVCR and audio recorder; this will let youencode tapes with Spatializer processing.)

I first tried the HTMS-2510 in my mod-est home theater system, which includes aFosgate-Audionics surround processor, Au-

dioSource amps, and Cambridge Sound -Works speakers. Results were excellent.Putting the Fosgate in bypass mode and set-ting the 2510 to its middle "Space" settinggave me a rich, expanded soundstage thatextended so far to the right and the left thatI had to put my ear near the side -mounteddipole speakers to be sure they weren't op-erating. And I detected no noticeablechange in timbre or tone color, even whenI played the most demanding classical orjazz laserdiscs.

When I used the 2510 in conjunctionwith the Fosgate processor to play sur-round -encoded programs, adding Spatial-izer processing enhanced the surroundfield. The sound arc from front to back andbetween the two main front speakersbecame more seamless and continuous,and the center image was pinpointed be-tween the speakers (some "3-D" systemsmake it sound amorphous). Even withnon -surround stereosoundtracks, the 2510

created an envelopingsound field. (Howev-er, it does not processmono signals.) Theonly slight artifactI heard when Spatial-izer processing wasswitched in was anincrease in noise (primarily hiss), especiallyat the maximum "Space" setting. I assumethat there was a slight mismatch in the in-terface between components, since I heardsome hiss even at the 2510's lowest "Space"setting (where its rated signal-to-noise ratiois a very respectable 95 dB) but did not hearthe hiss when I used the 2510 in other sys-tems of mine.

After trying the HTMS-2510 in my hometheater, I put it into my studio's referenceaudio system, which includes a Cogent Re-search Simultaneous Polyphonic Isolator(SPI) to divide the stereo informationamong a bank of four matched CelestionSL-600si speakers in an arc and a pair ofCelestion 6000 subwoofers. This array cre-ates an enveloping expansion of the stereosoundstage, "unmixing" the additional spa-tial information crammed into two chan-nels, but it's doing it the hard way. A simple

comparison soon proved that the 2510,which does it the easy way, came very close

to matching this effect! The only advan-tages I heard with the four -speaker systemwere some subtle improvements in clarityand transparency on certain music sources.And these differences became discernibleonly after much comparative listening.Considering the additional expense (not tomention the extra space required) of anoth-er pair of matched speakers, anothermatched stereo amp, and the SPI box, theSpatializer's sonic achievement seems noth-ing less than phenomenal.

When I am not sitting in my studio'ssweet spot, equidistant from all speakers, Iusually turn off the outer pair of speakersand use only the inner pair, angled about30° from my listening position. (This is alsomore appropriate for listening to some soloinstruments, such as piano, that have beenovermiked and come out sounding 30 feetwide.) With the 2510 in the circuit and only

the two inner monitors on, I again had tomove close to one of the outer speakers to

ascertain that it wasnot operating! Theeffect was clearlyheard almost every-where in the roomexcept behind thespeaker array.

This broadening ofthe sweet spot is alsoclaimed by SRS, but I

have not found its sweet spot nearly as wideas Spatializer's or as free of tonal col-oration. The 2510 really doesn't add its ownsonic signature to the expanded soundfield.

I also used the HTMS-2510 with anotherpair of Celestion surround speakers, whichare in the rear of the studio and are fed by aFine Line Audio PhaseAround passivesurround processor and an integrated amp.Again, the Spatializer circuit enhanced thesound field without changing tonal color oraffecting the subtle stereo surround effectobtained with the Fine Line Audio proces-sor. The surround channels made a moreseamless join with the front arc of speakers,spreading sound along the difficult -to -im-age sides of the studio.

The hiss problem I heard in my hometheater setup was not present in my audio -only system. This was true even at the

SPATIALIZER PROCESSING

MANIPULATES

FREQUENCY CUES

WITHOUT ALTERING

FREQUENCY BALANCE.

AUDIO/JUNE 199667

CLARITY DEFINEDSee the dimension

Sense the imageFeel the power of performance...

Challenge your perceptions of tube amplifiers at a VTL dealer today.

Making tubes

user -f riendy,

P.O. Box 2604, SUNNYVALE, CA 94087TEL (909) 627-5944 FAX (909) 627.6988

http://www vtl.com/ lmanley/CIRCLE NO. 26 ON READER SERVICE CARD

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2510's maximum "Space" setting, althoughI again found the middle setting best fornearly all material.

For a final evaluation of the HTMS-2510,I fed a "Spatialized" signal through thebudget speakers I have throughout my

COMPARED TO COMPLEX,

EXPENSIVE SYSTEMS,

THE HTMS-2510'S

ACHIEVEMENT

SEEMS PHENOMENAL.

house and through a pair of CambridgeSoundWorks outdoor speakers on my pa-tio. The latter speakers are on a wall, eachpositioned about a third of the way fromthe end of the patio's long edge. I often eatlunch at a table at one corner on the patio'sfar side, which puts me much closer to onespeaker than the other. When using theHTMS-2510, I enjoyed a palpable stereosound field where previously only the nearspeaker was audible.

When I reviewed NuReality's Vivid 3DTheater SRS processor (April), I found thatit sounded its best with the budget speakersscattered through my house. This was nottrue of the 2510, whose performance withbetter components was exemplary. Howev-er, the less expensive the equipment I usedit with, the more immediately appreciablethe benefits of Spatializer processing be-came. I see the Spatializer HTMS-2510 as avery effective, low -budget substitute for acomplete multispeaker home theater sys-

tem. It doesn't use up a lot of cash or spaceor involve you in wiring nightmares, yet itwill give you about 80% of the experienceof a typical, modest five -speaker home the-ater setup. A

AUDIO/JUNE 199668

--".,'E. - - _

T

he "analog revival" is bring-ing us a steady flow of newaudiophile LPs and high -end

turntables, cartridges, andtonearms. High -end analogequipment, it seems, is con-

tinuing to evolve almost as quickly as

the state of the art in digital. The bestof these new analog products can re-veal new information from a recordcollection, thereby providing a moreinvolving listening experience. Thesecomponents may not prevent the LPfrom fading into twilight, but it is aglorious sunset.

VPI's JMW Memorial tonearm isa good case in point. At $2,300, it isdesigned to complement top -of -the -

line turntables. Matched with a car-tridge and turntable of equal quality,it delivers excellent sound that iscompetitive with digital gear. (Thearm is named in memory of the late

THE JMW MEMORIAL

CAN REVEAL

NEW INFORMATION

FROM YOUR OLD LPs.

Jonathan Mathew Weisfeld, son ofVPI's founders, who had originallyurged his parents to produce it.)

This tonearm's styling is clean andfunctional, with excellent machiningand finish. Every part of the arm hasenough mass and strength to ensureyears of trouble -free use. A unipivotdesign, it has silicone damping in itsbearing well. The arm's exceptionallength (about 97/8 inches) and lowoffset angle increase its ability totrack accurately. The entire assemblyis grounded to minimize hum andnoise; RCA output jacks and aground connection enable you to useany type of interconnect.

Company Address: 77 CliffwoodAve., Cliffwood, N.J. 07721;908/846-8606.

For literature, circle No. 96

AURICLEANTHONY H. CORDESMAN

VPIJMW MEMORIAL

TONEARM

The JMW Memorial has one ofthe best "dial -in" adjustments fortonearm height that I have ever en-countered; VPI thus makes it easy toset vertical tracking angle (VTA)while a record is playing. The rearcounterweight is decoupled, and itsvery fine screw threads permit ex-tremely precise adjustment of track-ing force. The tonearm's wide rangeof counterbalance, tonearm-height,and overhang adjustments-and its

open cartridge mount-should al-low it to work well with virtually anymodern phono cartridge. (An extracounterweight is provided for usewith heavy cartridges.)

The entire top of the arm lifts offthe unipivot, and the wiring is con-nected to the arm base by a remov-able Lemo connector. This enablesyou to swap armtubes and cartridgesrapidly without having to resettracking force, offset angle, or az-

AUDIO/JUNE 199669

imuth. The only adjustment needed whenswitching armtubes and cartridges is forVTA; the tonearm's precise VTA calibra-tions allow rapid resetting without exten-sive listening. It's a dream arm for makingcartridge comparisons.

The JMW Memorial tonearm does nothave an antiskate control. However, you canset antiskating by twisting the wiring thatgoes from the armtube to the base.

Setup is relatively easy (to the extent thatsetting up any tonearm is easy), and VPI'sinstructions are adequate. I recommend us-ing a pre -drilled board or having a dealermount the arm, but the supplied alignmentjig will suffice if you want to mount it your-self. Cartridge mounting is a snap becausethe arm can be removed from its base. Ad-justing tracking force is easy if you have adecent gauge (and one is now included withthe arm).

Adjusting azimuth, antiskating, andoverhang is a bit of a pain, as it is with everytonearm. The fun begins with setting az-imuth, which must be done with a recordclamped to the turntable. The shapes ofmany cartridges make it difficult to deter-mine whether their bodies are at 90° to therecord. And even a visually accurate az-imuth setting may not be completely cor-rect. Unless you have a test record and theproper test equipment, your options forsetting azimuth are to do the best you canvisually (adequate for most purposes) or tofind one of the handful of surviving dealerswho can measure and adjust azimuth pre-cisely. If you have a stereo test record, youcan perform a rough check by playing itand checking the meters on whatever taperecorder is hooked up to your system. Ad-just the azimuth until you get about thesame output from each channel with high -frequency test tones.

Antiskating adjustment is always prob-lematic. Even when an arm has a calibratedantiskating control, its calibration is unlike-ly to be correct with your specific cartridgeand you have to guess what setting is reallybest. With the JMW Memorial, I suggesttwisting the connecting wires just enoughto make the arm drift outward when itscounterbalance is set for zero trackingforce. Then, when you set tracking force,add a tenth of a gram to the cartridge man-ufacturer's recommended setting and for-get the whole thing.

Adjusting overhang is not easy, and I am

no fan of the adjustment protractor thatcomes with the arm. Have a dealer do it, or

buy a Dennesen alignment device.One has to be cautious when ranking

high -quality tonearms. Each has its ownnuances and virtues. The fine nuances arealso system -specific: The arm interacts withthe cartridge, and one arm may damp, or"terminate," a cartridge better than others.The arm also interacts with its mountingboard, the turntable,the turntable base,and whatever thatbase is resting on.

The JMW Memor-ial performs superblywith VPI's TNT Se-ries 3 turntable. Per-cussion detail and theresolution of harmon-ics and transients areexcellent. The soundof strings, wood-winds, piano, andguitar is outstanding,and reproduction ofmy chamber musicLPs on the old Bel-gian Accent label hasnever been better.Orchestral music isclearly defined.

I normally use a Wheaton Triplanar IV asmy reference tonearm. It has been my can-didate for the best arm around, at least withthe VPI TNT turntable. The JMW Memori-al, however, is the Wheaton's equal in over-all transparency and detail and has slightlybetter dynamics and slightly deeper, moreaccurate bass. Similarly, I have long been afan of Eminent Technology's 2.5 tonearm.Its strength has been its ability to retrievedetail, with excellent transparency andtransient response. The JMW Memorialmatches the 2.5 in these aspects and hasbetter bass and a richer and more musicallower midrange.

Unlike some audiophiles, I do not believe

that even the best LPs have bass as accurateas that on the better CDs. I always hear atouch of overhang and added warmth onvinyl that represent a loss of definition: eu-phonic bass achieved at the expense of ac-curacy. Yet really good tonearms help mini-mize these colorations to the extent

THE JMW MEMORIAL

PRODUCES SOME OF

THE TIGHTEST

AND DEEPEST BASS

I'VE HEARD IN ANALOG.

permitted by the LP you're playing, and theJMW Memorial tonearm produces some ofthe tightest and deepest bass I have everheard from analog.

Phono's dynamics differ from those ofCD: You are forced to listen through recordnoise at low levels, and you normally hearincreasing compression and distortion athigh levels. No tonearm is ever going to re-move these limitations, but a good one canminimize them and help improve the re-

production of dy-namics and low-levelpassages. The JMWMemorial is such anarm. Part of this im-provement in dynam-ics comes from its ex-ceptional ability toextract music fromthe grooves whileminimizing surfacenoise and coloration.I cannot think of anytechnical reason whysome tonearms andturntables cope withsurface noise betterthan others, but yearsof experience havetaught me that this isthe case. The VPI tone -

arm even reduces thenoise on Mobile Fidelity's recent LPs(which set a new standard for low surfacenoise) and reduces it even more than suchdamn good arms as the Wheaton TriplanarIV and the Eminent Technology 2.5.

The JMW Memorial's capacity to mini-mize coloration is perhaps easier to under-stand. It has high mass wherever this mini-mizes vibration. It also has an excellentbearing, a well-decoupled counterweight,and what seems to be just the right amountof damping.

If I have any reservation about the JMWMemorial, it lies in its price. The steady de-cline in volume of tonearm sales has virtu-ally eliminated economies of scale; high -end manufacturers increasingly target thetop of the tonearm market, where price isno object. Yet by that standard, this tone -arm is actually something of a bargain: Youcan easily pay three or four times the priceof the JMW Memorial for equal or lessersound quality. A

AUDIO/JUNE 199670

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CLA SSTCALR E C OR DINGS

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ALFRED BBENDEL+I h±1 LDoEÑAIÑIÉOÉIBÁUEBN

Schubert: Quintet for Piano andStrings in A Major, "The Trout";Mozart: Quartet for Piano and

Strings in G Minor, K. 478Alfred Brendel, piano;

Thomas Zehetmair, violin;Tabea Zimmermann, viola;

Richard Duven, cello;Peter Riegelbauer, double bass

PHILIPS 446 001, CD; DDD; 74:16Sound: A+, Performance: A

Schubert: Quintet for Piano andStrings in A Major, "The Trout";

Sonata for Arpeggione inA Minor; "Die Forelle" ("The Trout")

Emanuel Ax, piano; Pamela Frank,violin; Rebecca Young, viola;

Yo -Yo Ma, cello; Edgar Meyer, doublebass; Barbara Bonney, sopranoSONY CLASSICAL SK61964

CD; DDD; 64:50Sound: A-, Performance: A+

Cifhese two CDs feature FranzSchubert's "The Trout"Quintet but have markeddifferences. Alfred Brendel'smusicians provide a tradi-

tional European interpretation,whereas Emanuel Ax, Yo -Yo Ma, and

friends take a more American ap-proach. Yet both performances areexceptionally effective.

"The Trout," Schubert's first greatwork for piano and strings, uses thetheme from his delightful song of thesame title. The lively score was com-pleted quickly; it is said that for itsfirst performance Schubert simplywrote out the string music andplayed the piano part himself, frommemory. In contrast to the typicalpiano quintet of a piano plus a stan-dard string quartet, the composerused only one violin and added adouble bass, creating a unique reso-nance in the work's lower register.Although the music is lighter andless profound than some of his laterchamber works, "The Trout" Quin-tet remains one of Schubert's mostpopular compositions.

Alfred Brendel's "The Trout" wasrecorded in Germany with some of

Europe's finest young musicians. Itsrich, deep sound emphasizes themelodic line. Both Schubert andMozart were known for their lyricmelodies, and Brendel's ensemblebrings out the singing quality ofboth composers' works on thisPhilips CD. The piano is clearly thepreeminent instrument throughout,and the interpretation is masterful ifrather traditional. This is the waymost of us are used to hearing theseAustrian chamber works performedat their best.

Ax, Ma, and friends' "The Trout,"for Sony Classical, is equally enjoy-able, and this ensemble has a novelpoint of view. The tempo of everymovement is faster than in the Bren-del recording, but what is lost in lyri-

cism is made up for in animation;the breakneck speed of the Scherzo isparticularly staggering. The piano isless prominent, becoming an equalpartner in the ensemble's exquisiteblend. The recording is a bit drierthan Brendel's, something listenersaccustomed to a concert -hall soundmay disapprove of, but it does addclarity in the extremely rapid pas-sages. To relate the quintet's famoustheme to its source, this all -SchubertCD includes soprano Barbara Bon-ney's lovely rendition of Schubert'soriginal song.

For a finishing touch, Yo -Yo Maand Emanuel Ax give a luscious ac-count of the "Arpeggione" Sonata.The instrument that Schubert origi-nally used for this piece was held likea cello but had six strings tuned like a

guitar. Except for Schubert's Sonata,history has completely forgotten thishybrid instrument. The transcrip-tion for cello is a challenge for anyperformer, but Ma plays even themost demanding phrases with fi-nesse. His resplendent tone in thesecond movement is, in itself, worththe price of the album.

Order your "Trout" to suit yourown taste, for each of these discs iscommendable. Some listeners willwant Franz Schubert's lyric beauty,while others will prefer the beauty of

exhilaration. Patrick Kavanaugh

I

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CIRCLE NO. 17 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Gliére: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor;The Red Poppy Ballet Suite

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra,Zdenek Macal

DELOS DE 3178, CD; DDD; 72:52Sound: A+, Performance: A

This melodic and monumental Russian Ro-mantic symphony sounds like a work createdmuch earlier than its 1908 date. ReinholdGliére is perhaps best known for his "RussianSailors' Dance," the final section of The RedPoppy Ballet Suite. While the music ofProkofiev and Shostakovich was being con-demned by Soviet authorities, Gliére sailedalong on his tuneful, accessible way; his prop-agandistic ballet The Red Poppy even broughttheir official praises. There's no denying thecomposer had great technical skills, gentlelyricism, wonderful melodies based on Rus-sian folk inspirations, and an exotically fantas-tic slant, all aided by his interest in music ofthe various Soviet ethnic minorities.

Gliére wrote his Second Symphony just af-ter his return from studying in Berlin, and

there are shades ofRichard Strauss andWagner present. Howev-er, the last two move-ments display evidenceof Russian themes. Thisepic symphony is not

only the product of a panoramic country butthe first to benefit from the increased spatialpanorama offered by Delos' new Virtual Reali-ty Recording (VR2) process, which can provideas many as six ("5.1") discrete channels to pre-serve more of a concert hall's ambient and re-verberant cues (see "Spectrum" in this issue).Although VR2 presently must be reduced to afour -channel Dolby Surround matrix -encodedversion, the increased sense of dimension iseasily heard with a Dolby Pro Logic decoder oreven a simple passive ambience decoder. (Asubtle expansion of the soundstage can beheard with standard stereo speakers.) Gliére'slarge-scale music is just the ticket for this su-per -surround demo, and Macal's versionboasts great life and rich sound. John Sunier

Karaindrou: Ulysses' GazeKim Kashkashian, viola;various instrumentalists;

string orchestra, Lefteris ChalkiadakisECM NEW SERIES 78118-2 1570

CD; ADD; 59:43Sound: A-, Performance: A-

Film music often adopts classical motifs,but it rarely achieves classical stature, despiteJohn Williams' pretensions to that effect. Thefilms of Greek director Theo Angelopoulosaren't well known in this country, whichmeans that the works of his principal compos-

Hlnem.lThViolin Concerto;

Concerto for Orchestra;Kammermusik No. 4;

Ragtime; Suite of French DancesMichael Guttman, violin;

Philharmonia Orchestra, José SerebrierASV CD DCA 945, CD; DDD; 78:18

Sound: B+, Performance: A

s a comprehensive review ofPaul Hindemith's orchestralwriting, this CD is particular-ly interesting. TheConcerto for Orches-tra predates Bartók'sand shares certain

features with it. The most prob-able reason for the greater fameof the Bartók is his showier writing forthe entire orchestra, which endears it toconductors in search of a display piece.Hindemith's Concerto for Orchestrastays closer to the concerto grosso mod-el, with a solo group, so to speak, getting

most of the glory. The Violin Concertois craggier but impressive.

The Ragtime is admittedly a sort ofbagatelle. Various pieces were styled asKammermusik (literally, room or cham-ber music) by Hindemith; they are par-ticularly characteristic, and this one is adelight. But most startling is the anti-quarianism of the French Dances, basedon a 16th -century collection. As his stu-dents at Yale were well aware, Hinde-

mith was deeply interested in"Early Music," and this suitesuggests what he heard in it.

The recordings were made inEngland, in well-known venues:

Walthamstow Assembly Halland All Saints' Church, Tooting. On mysystem, the sound is generally good butsuffers from some congestion in the cli-maxes, which suggests overtaxed analogstages. The results still are good, but notgood enough to rate an A. Robert Long

er, Eleni Karaindrou, are also little known. Butfor many years Karaindrou has been develop-ing a fragile, solemn music that goes beyondfilm scoring; her compositions have a life oftheir own. Such is the case with Ulysses' Gaze,a hypnotic work that owes a slight debt tominimalism and shows an affinity with the

holy minimalists HenrykGórecki and Arvo Part.

Like those composers,Karaindrou favors a har-monic music that has analmost folk -like simplic-ity in its melodic devel-

opment. But she casts these melodies in mut-ed hues and shades that could have beenmorphed out of a Mark Rothko painting.Ulysses' Gaze has only a handful of themes,but she milks every iota of expressive powerfrom them.

Karaindrou casts an idiosyncratic chamberensemble of oboe, accordion, trumpet, Frenchhorn, cello, and string orchestra and tops it offwith virtuoso violist Kim Kashkashian, who isbrilliantly expressive. She plays out melodiesto a feathered edge-sometimes floatingalone, sometimes accompanied by the plain-tive cry of the accordion, sometimes driftingthrough the horns. The centerpiece is the 17 -

minute title theme, which employs the full in-strumental force; whereas the previousmelodies were fragile and occasionally

ephemeral, here they take on heroic and joyfuproportions.

Like Górecki's Symphony No. 3 and Part's"Fratres," Ulysses' Gaze is connected to adeeply emotional expression that cannotreally be labeled religious but does reachtoward the spiritual. John Diliberto

Testimonies of War: Kriegszeugnisse,1914-1945 (Works by Blocher,Shortall, Weill, Goldschmidt,

Milhaud, and Vaughan Williams)Soloists; BBC Symphony Chorus; LondonPhilharmonic, Berlin Radio SymphonyOrchestra, and Poznan Philharmonic;Noam Sheriff, Berthold Goldschmidt,

and Andrzej Borejko, conductorsLARGO 5130, Two CDs; DDD; 1:56:46

Sound: A, Performance: A to B+

The producers of this international cooper-ative project, planned to commemorate the50th anniversary of the end of World War II,

view it as a companionto Benjamin Britten'sWar Requiem. The Brit-ten work came out ofthe First World War ex-perience; Testimoniesserves not only as a me-

morial for the fallen in both wars but also as afervent plea for world peace.

. ..,...

IESIrONIES DF AR

NRIEGSiEIIGNISSE

19141945

AUDIO/JUNE 199674

A principal composer was selected, onewhose works could represent the period, alongwith other composers who are not necessarilyless important but whose music fit specifichistorical perspectives. The choice for the pro-ject's principal composer was Boris Blacher,because he witnessed the Second World Warin both Dresden and Berlin.

Some collectors may pass on this set becauseof its sociopolitical slant or because they ex-pect it to be gloomy. But they would be missingsome varied, fascinating, and captivatinglighter music. Blather's Dance Scenes and hisballet Chiarina are full of jazzy scherzos, rags,and tangos, akin to Shostakovich's light musicbut with a sophisticated Berliner "bite."

Kurt Weill's 1928 "At Potsdam Under theOaks" dramatically sets a strong antiwar poemby Bertolt Brecht. One of the two 1935 Psalmsettings by Berthold Goldschmidt receives its

KORNGOLDPiano Sonatas, Nos. 1, 2, and 3

Geoffrey Tozer, piano

CHANDOS CHAN 9389CD; DDD; 70:19

Sound: A, Performance: A

Although Erich Wolfgang Korngold isbest known as a composer and orchestratorof Romantic -style scores for the concert

hall, the opera stage, andHollywood films, the pi-ano was an essential in-strument to him. Hecomposed at the piano,often incorporated key-boards into his sym-

phonic music, and wanted to make the pi-ano sound like an orchestra.

The three piano sonatas on this disc are

full of the lovely melodies and var-iation/cyclic structures of Korngold's or-chestral music but have more dissonanceand chromaticism. The First Sonata, writ-ten when Korngold was only 11, is amaz-ingly sophisticated; it's no wonder Mahlerpronounced him a genius at the age of 9!Sonata No. 2, a four -movement work near-ly a half-hour long, is dedicated to Alexan-der von Zemlinsky, Korngold's teacher, andshows orchestral treatment of the piano.The frequent wide dynamic swings of Korn -gold's music are captured with ease inChandos' transparent sound. The ThirdSonata is more lyric and refined, with analmost Mahleresque slow movement.These are altogether fascinating works thatdeserve to be on recital programs andshould not be ignored. John Sunier

world premiere. The Blacher Sonatina for Pi-ano looks longingly toward the Paris of ErikSatie and Darius Milhaud and echoes forbid-den sounds of Duke Ellington. Weill's earlyChorale-Fantasie is closely tied to the tragicside of Mahler as well as to his Mahagonny.For Harrington Shortall's short Fanfare forFive Trumpets, the players are instructed tosurround themselves with various unplayedstringed instruments, with open strings tunedto the pitches of the fanfare. John Sunier

Nargárd: Siddharta; For a ChangeGert Mortensen, percussion (in "For a

Change"); cast, choruses (in Siddharta);Danish National Radio Symphony,

Jan Latham -KoenigMARCO POLO/DACAPO 8.224031-32

Two CDs; ADD; 2:16:14Sound: A, Performance: A

I mean to raise questions for which I haveno real answers; if you prefer platitudes, pleasestop reading now.

To be honest, I find elaborate intellectualunderpinnings a turn-off when it comes tomusic. Years ago, when Dimitri Mitropoulousrecorded Alban Berg's Wozzeck for Columbia,Musical America published a detailed struc-tural analysis. Great parlor game, I thought,but what has this to do with the visceral im-pact of Wozzeck? Is that impact created some-how, mysteriously, because of this elaboratestructure or in spite of it? I still don't know,though the impact of Wozzeck is undeniable.

Per NorgArd's Siddharta strikes me thesame way. The booklet explores its underpin-nings, which include such things as the use of"golden section" rhythmic relationships. CanI hear these relationships? Certainly not as

such. Perhaps they makethemselves felt sublimi-nally? Perhaps. But whatdo they mean? Does themelody to which thegolden -section device isapplied derive its grace

therefrom, as the booklet claims, or is the de-vice a mere formalization or intellectualiza-tion-a rationalization, if you will- of a rhyth-mic/melodic figure that Nergárd had alreadyat least half -conceived? And does it matter?

The fact is that I've never found Nergárd'smusic less than striking, and this opera -ballet(to a text by poet Ole Sarvig) recounts the riteof passage that transformed a prince into theBuddha-to-be-as does Hermann Hesse'snovella Siddhartha (which I found uncom-monly moving when I read it long ago). Thevisceral impact of the opera's images, bothsonic and poetic, is undeniable. It's not a workI'd expect to enter the international operaticrepertoire, but this recording is all the morevaluable for that reason. The Danish text plus

AUDIO/JUNE 199675

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English and German translations are includedin the booklet.

The filler piece, "For a Change," is a bemus-ingly inventive concerto for percussion andorchestra. The sound throughout this disc,from analog recordings made in the DanishRadio Concert Hall in 1984, is without obvi-ous fault or obvious distinction aside fromhaving captured a rather difficult sconeadmirably. Robert Long

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé(complete ballet); La Valse

Berlin Philharmonic, Pierre BoulezDEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHONDG 447057, CD; DDD; 70:46

Sound: A, Performance: A

Pierre Monteux conducted the world pre-miere of Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé in1912. And when he recorded this ballet withthe London Symphony years later, it was ac-knowledged that he set the standard for Rav-el's masterpiece. Yet this miraculous perform-ance by Pierre Boulez (a fastidious technicianof musical genius), with what may be theworld's greatest orchestra exerting itself to thelimit, offers that Monteux milestone seriouscompetition-and probably surpasses it.

One may legitimately argue the advantageof recording the entire ballet score instead ofthe two suites Ravel de-rived from it. DeutscheGrammophon's excep-tionally good bookletnotes call this "a choreo-graphic symphony inthree parts." Ravel's rav-ishing harmonies and orchestrational wiz-ardry provide brilliant flashes of lightthroughout, although the first part, minusperforming dancers, contains little music ofreal interest. The second third, which Raveladapted into the First Suite, picks up consider-ably. But it is not until the magical depictionof daybreak, which opens the third section(and the Second Suite), that Ravel's genius asan orchestral master comes fully into its own.

Boulez takes an exceptional approach to"La Valse," yet it's entirely in keeping with theoriginal concept of Ravel, who composed thepiece while still reeling with horror from hisexperiences as an ambulance driver in WorldWar I. Boulez tends first toward a lovingly lan-guorous, almost caressing approach to thisgorgeous music, which gradually descendsinto something horrifying by the almost hys-terical end.

Boulez makes heavy demands on his musi-cians in both works, at times pushing them totheir technical limit. But the dazzling individ-ual performances suggest that these Philhar-moniker could play just about anything. Theorchestra sounds downright magnificent. And

DAnmN111114H11,1110.....11' 11

IS ET -lAViSC

AUDIO/JUNE 199676

MozartPiano Concerto No. 18 in B -Flat Major

(K. 456) and No. 19in F Major (K. 459)

Melvyn Tan, fortepiano; PhilharmoniaBaroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan

HARMONIA MIJNDI FRANCE907138, CD; 54:10

Sound: A-, Performance: A

San Francisco's Philharmonia BaroqueOrchestra is known for striving to be au-thentic; its program notes actually list themakers of each early instrument (or mod-ern copy) on which the musicians perform.So when the Philharmonia teamed up withMelvyn Tan, one of the finest fortepiano

specialists in theworld, the resultpromised to be ex-ceptional. And it is.Indeed, some may saythat this recording isauthentic to a fault,

since the soloist's volume is not increasedto the level typical of concerto recordings.But for those who want to hear Mozart'smusic as Mozart would have heard it, thisdisc is impeccable. Patrick Kavanaugh

1107,

for once the wordless chorus Ravel occasionally interpolates must sound the way he alwayswanted it: like just another integral section ofthe orchestra. Paul Moor

Telemann: Six Flute Duets,TWV 40: 130-135

Kimberly Reighley and Tom Moore, flutesLYRICHORD EARLY MUSIC SERIES

LEMS 8019, CD; DDD; 57:32Sound: A, Performance: A

Georg Philipp Telemann composed foursets of flute duets, each containing six sonatasof four movements. The first three sets havebeen well known for many years, but this disccontains the first recording of the final set.These duets differ from their predecessors in

their use of very differ-ent keys (B -Flat Major, CMinor, E -Flat Major, FMinor, and E Major) forthe one -keyed transverseflutes of Telemann's day.Obviously, he was writ-

ing for virtuoso performers. The challenge ofthese pieces is favorably met by KimberlyReighley and Tom Moore-two flutists spe-cializing in Early Music. The recording site, theCrosswicks Friends Meeting House in Cross -wicks, New Jersey, was built in 1773 and is wellsuited for the fascinating, austere sound of au-thentic transverse flute. Patrick Kavanaugh

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SEND MONEY ORDER,CERTIFIED OR CASHIER'S CHECK, MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS or DISCOVER CARD(include Interbank No, expiration date and signature) To: J&R Music World, Dept AU0696, 59-50 Queens Midtown Expwy, Maspeth,Queens, NY 11378. Personal and business checks must clear our Authorization Center before processing. Shipping, handling andInsurance Charge (Continental US) is 5% of the total order with a $4.95 minimum for orders up to $500; 4% for orders over $500to $1000; and 3% for orders over $1000. For heavyweight/over-sized items, shipment by air, or to Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, VirginIslands & Puerto Rico please call for information. DO NOT SEND CASH. Sorry, no C.O.D's. NY residents please add sales tax.ORDERS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION & ACCEPTANCE, NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL OR PICTORIAL ERRORS.ALL MERCHANDISE SHIPPED BRAND NEW, FACTORY FRESH AND 100% GUARANTEED. Some quantities may be limited.Copyright 1996 J&R Music World. City of NYDept. ol Consumer Affairs License Numbers 0900310/0900615/0900616/0900617

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ROCK -POPRECOR DING

Set the Twilight ReelingLou Reed

WARNER BROS. 9 46159-2, 50:57

Sound: B+, Performance: A

arty in his career, LouReed was hailed as thethinking man's Elvis: partstreet poet, part rock 'n'roll animal. Luckily forReed, the moniker didn'tstick, although he didmanage to maintain thatdelicate balance of oppos-

ing traits. The old alchemy is still inplace on his new album, but some-thing's changed.

Set the Twilight Reeling unveils akinder, gentler-er, dare I say, even

happy-Lou Reed. Where did the ar-rogant SOB go? Reed murdered him,describing the details of the offingon "Trade In": `I had taken himapart/but when I put him back to-gether/I couldn't find his heart." Theirascible Lou Reed was transformedby his new love, performance artistLaurie Anderson. His intellect andemotions struggle for control, buthis head and heart have comethrough the storm intact. From"Heroin" to "Walk on the WildSide," his hideously beautiful X-raylyrics exposed unsettling realitiesthat long ago etched themselvesinto our collective consciousness;the lyrics of "Set the Twilight Reel-ing" may do the same. Reed is one of

the most incisive songwriters of hisgeneration.

This time Reed's words shareequal billing with his guitar; hewants you to hear it inside and out.Fernando Saunders' buoyant, rip-pling bass lines give Reed plenty offreedom and support, and Tony"Thunder" Smith's crisp drummingrivets this power trio's grooves with a

surprisingly light touch. But this is aguitar record, as Reed proves againand again by making passionate loveto his instrument. He gently caressesit on "NYC Man," whips up a froth

QuartetAlison Brown

VANGUARD 79486-2, 36:39Sound: B, Performance: B+

On her previous album, the ex-quisite Look Left, Alison Brown usedher quartet as a home base to explorea wide variety of textures providedby guest players. Here, she keepsstrictly to the quartet format, usingits parameters to explore a range ofpossibilities.

The quartet features Brown onbanjo and guitar, John R. Burr on pi-ano, Rick Reed on drums, andbassist/producer Garry West. Brownwrote seven selections alone and co -wrote the remaining three with quar-tet members. The material rangesfrom the bluegrass/be-bop fusion of"G Bop" through the gentle waltz of"The Red Balloon" to the stately OldWorld feel of "Without Anastasia."The soft finale, "The Day SweepsBack," eerily recalls "Tender Shep-herd" from Peter Pan. This is a nicelyrounded album, and different songscatch my ear each time I listen to it.

Engineer Bil VornDick's sound isvery clean but a bit subdued. Thisquality is perhaps designed for thegrowing number of "smooth jazz"radio stations, where Quartet coulddo very well, butjust a bit morepresence and someof that mysterious"oomph" wouldn'thave hurt. Quartetjust sounds toopolite. Still, this is a collection offriendly music from a classy, gentlyprobing outfit. - Michael Tearson

AUDIO/JUNE 199678

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on "Egg Cream," and gets downright physicalon the Hendrixesque "Riptide." The manstruts his stuff?

Reed has always been a stickler about thesound of his recordings, and Set the TwilightReeling is an all-out attempt at a state-of-the-art rock 'n' roll album. He presents the full dy-namics of the trio, especially his guitar py-rotechnics, with what he calls 3-D ambience.So far so good, but Reed's vocals sound physi-cally and emotionally removed from the band;there's a wall between the words and music.Too bad, because in every other way, he's frus-tratingly close to his goal.

This is a transitional record for Reed. Hislast three solo efforts and the recent Velvet Un-derground reunion marked the close of hiswork's perpetually adolescent rock -star phase;on his new album he's started to express realconcerns about other people in his life. Theman's made a career of looking for new sensa-tions. He's an explorer always looking for newchallenges. Steve Guttenberg

OnEchobelly

550 MUSIC/EPIC BK-67368, 42:06Sound: A, Performance: B

Echobelly's 1994 debut, Everyone's Got One,made the band the darling of internationalcritics, and that album had respectable saleseverywhere except America. On may or maynot change this.

Although it fails to capture some of themagnetism and spontaneity of Everyone's Got

One, On is still eminent-ly listenable. Singer andlyricist Sonya AuroraMadan sounds as if shehas become more awareof the beauty and thestrength in her voice,

which emerges with a more poised and prac-ticed edge. And her overt social commentary,which highlighted the band's first album(songs addressed such issues as abortion andracism), is replaced here by more mundane,universal themes, like relationships.

Some rough edges are now much smootherand less overpowering, particularly DebbieSmith's and Glen Johansen's guitars, whichhave a pleasing, symbiotic relationship withMadan's vocals. The fervent comparisons ofEchobelly to The Smiths that previouslydogged the band no longer really apply here;The Smiths are only a passing influence ratherthan a heart worn on a sleeve.

The album's title reflects the band's feelingthat it is on point with this release, but I missthe naiveté that made its first album so de-licious. Nonetheless, Echobelly's essenceremains a captivating and winning mix offlavors. Tamara Palmer

VI l 0( I TV G I41 l

Gilded Stars and Zealous HeartsSUB POP SPCD 340, 42:58Sound: B+, Performance: C

Until now, Velocity Girl thrived onits cult status. The band recorded itsalbums quickly, left loose musician-ship intact, and relied on the love ofits craft to transcend the flaws in its

sound. The group even opted for afive -record deal with indie label SubPop when major labels were makingmore lucrative offers. But judging bythe sound of Velocity Girl'slatest album, Gilded Starsand Zealous Hearts, the bandhas grown zealous for star-dom and has undergone achange of heart. While Veloc-ity Girl remains fond of layer-ing guitars, the band has replaced itsendearing, stratified jangle with pris-tine pop licks and radio -readyrhythms.

Sarah Shannon's vibrato -tingedvocals are as upfront and glossy asPat Benatar's, and the new lyrics arelight and breezy. Even when VelocityGirl aims to be deep, as on "Noth-ing," the band sounds about as pro-found as a fortune cookie ("Just assure as you smile, I'll be gone for awhile/Just as sure as the past, noth-

ing good ever lasts"). Occasions Iythe group's psychedelic roots surfacethrough a haze of guitar effects (ason "Zealous Heart"), but for the mostpart, Velocity Girl is revving shame-lessly toward the mainstream.

The band spent seven weeks in thestudio recording this album (farlonger than they've ever taken be-fore), working with producer ClifNorrell, who engineered R.E.M.'sAutomatic for the People. The ex -,atime and effort paid off sonically. Tie

songs sound as polished asanything by Hootie & TheBlowfish, but the album lacksemotional impact. Shannon'svocals may be perfectly onkey, but they convey little pcs-sion. And although the band

has smoothed many of its roughedges, it has drained itself of tieartistic sensibility that was part of itsformer appeal. Sure, the songs cremusically diverse, ranging from Top40 to folk to country, but they 3'lseem to have the same commerc alaesthetic.

MTV Buzz Bin fans may embraceVelocity Girl's new direction, but n -die aficionados should heed tieband's words: "Nothing good everlasts." Jon Wiederhcrn

ShotThe Jesus Lizard

CAPITOL 8 36778, 43:00Sound: B, Performance: B

No other punk band bleeds for its art likeThe Jesus Lizard. For the past seven years,frontman David Yow has flung his bodyaround the stage with reckless abandon, ofteninjuring himself while diving into throbbingfans. He happily leaps 15 -foot chasms withouthesitation (as he demonstrated numeroustimes on last year's Lollapalooza tour) andproudly displays his performance scars likewar wounds.

In the recording studio, The Jesus Lizardhas released the same kind of maniacal energy,creating visceral slabs of noise that resonatelike underground construction sites. But theband's new disc, Shot, is a less frantic, morecarefully constructed effort. Whereas The Je-sus Lizard toned down the distortion a notchand sharpened up the songwriting on its pre-vious record, Liar, it explores dynamics andsonic variation even further on Shot. Many ofYow's hysterical rants are now just semi-hys-

AUDIO/JUNE 199680

terical rants, and the rest of the band hassobered up its musicianship (figuratively, ifnot literally).

If Yow is the schoolroom bully, his band -mates are the brainy kids he copies homeworkfrom. Guitarist DuaneDenison, who previouslyplayed somewhat pedes-trian riffs to fit thegroup's infernal clamor,now has far more roomto wander within thesongs, expressing himself with stealthy fret-work ("Good Riddance"), unsettling slide gui-tar ("Thumbscrews"), and jazzy stabs("Thumper").

But although Shot may be musically tamer,it's just as lyrically fierce as anything the bandhas recorded. "Thumbscrews" is about tortur-ing and killing an uncaring landlord, while on"Blue Shot," Yow spitefully shouts, "Whydon't you set up a camera to record your owndeath, dear?"

The package may be prettier, yet The Je-sus Lizard still knows how to inflict a venom-ous bite. Jon Wiederhorn

I Feel AlrightSteve Earle

WARNER BROS. 9 46201, 39:02Sound: A-, Performance: A

Steve Earle's new electric album is a thrill -packed roller -coaster ride. From the openingnotes of "I Feel Alright," which are eerily rem-iniscent of Them's "Gloria," a thick, edgy ten-sion suffuses the music.

Several songs convey pretty harrowing ex-periences: the road life of a "Hard -Core Trou-

badour," the wacky sto-ry of whacked bandits"Billy and Bonnie," therunaway's story in "NowShe's Gone," and thespine -chilling "CCKMP"(which stands for "co-

caine can't kill my pain"). That last tune isbased around Earle's finger -picking style andplayed on a National guitar, as is the tradi-tional -sounding "South Nashville Blues"; thedistinct guitar tone is a terrific change ofpace. The album's finale, "You're Still Stand-ing There," is outstanding-a hit waiting tohappen. It's a duet with Lucinda Williams, theonly woman I can think of whose voice iseven more world-weary and laconic thanEarle's. The song's breathlessly glorious up-beat melody gives I Feel Alright a surprisinglyhappy ending.

Colossal HeadLos Lobos

WARNER BROS. 9 46172, 43:07Sound: A, Performance: A

1'n alternative to the current glut ofuninspired rock/pop releases is thisrootsy experimentation from East L.A.troubadours Los Lobos. Far beyond thecute populism of the group's hit remakeof "La Bamba," Colossal Head is anoutstanding collage of diverse culturalinfluences and bizarre studio treat-ments. And by creating a world influ-enced by the group's Spanish rootsand early rock 'n' roll, Los Lobos is theultimate American band.

Latin Playboys, a Los Lobos sideproject in 1994, was the quirky instru-mental precursor to Colossal Head.This new album retains that project'stwisted approach but merges it with theband's undeniably evocative songs."Revolution" drives on a booming per-cussion track and glib guitar curlicuescaressed by mournful accordion andHammond organ. "Mas y Mas" recalls a'50s gang rumble, its ominous intentconveyed by harrowing guitars and bel -

Producers Richard Dodd, Richard Bennett,and Ray Kennedy meshed their efforts beauti-fully into a seamless whole that flies by tooquickly. With only two of 12 songs longer than3:38, Earle's songwriting is a model of econo-my. He gets maximal emotional kick from fewwords in a short time, a rare gift.

Following the excellent acoustic albumTrain a Comin' (Winter Harvest WH 3302), 1Feel Alright is Earle's full-scale return to themusic wars after several years of inactivitybecause of personal troubles. Welcome back,amigo. Michael Tearson

Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop

Stone Temple PilotsATLANTIC 82871, 41:55

Sound: A-, Performance: A-

Next to Bush, Stone Temple Pilots is themost critically reviled band around. The

group has been accusedof plagiarizing its peersand acting like primadonnas and has beenadmonished for arriv-ing on the Seattle scenelate and staying too

long. Vocalist Scott Weiland, in particular, hasbeen mocked mercilessly for his drug use andhis friendship with Courtney Love.

lowing saxes. Thequintet addressestraditional salsa("Maricela"), funkyfolk ("EverybodyLoves a Train"),and party music("Life Is Good"), but it's on the strangerstuff that Los Lobos really shines.Slinky guitars carouse with herky-jerkydrums in Little Feat/Captain Beefheartmode on "Can't Stop the Rain," while"Little Japan" floats eerily with wah-wah'd guitars and netherworldy percus-sion that recalls another East L.A.band, War. The title track's spiralingstrings, scorched guitars, taunting anddistorted female monosyllables, andlooming saxophones bring to mind themusic of early gangster films.

Now in their early 40s, the membersof Los Lobos aren't out to prove them-selves to an audience accustomed topost-grunge or synthesizer -slick R&B.Their music resides on a higher, sub-lime level where intuition, artistry, andtalent chart an innovative courseahead. Colossal Head shows Los Lo-bos as a band diving unafraid intothe future.. _ Ken Micallef

AUDIO/JUNE 199681

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I he Minstrel Man from GeorgiaEmmett Miller

COLUMBIA/LEGACY CK 66999,62:33Sound: B, Performance: A

Arevelation. Emmett Miller, who wasvery popular in the '20s, is all but forgottentoday. In retrospect he was hugely influen-tial in the shaping of country music. The ev-idence is in this collection of 20 songsrecorded in 1928 and 1929.

Miller's singing is eerily prescient of thatof Jimmie Rodgers, the Singing Brakeman,and it may have been the model for Rodgers'"blue yodel" style. One song on The MinstrelMan, "Lovesick Blues," was heard by theyoung Hank Williams, who made a signa-ture of it 20 years later. Miller's own signa-ture song was the great "Anytime."

It's obvious that Miller had a great waywith a song. And what a band he had be-hind him: Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey on

trombone and reeds, Ed-die Lang on guitar, andArthur Schutt on piano.On the last three songs,young Gene Krupa takesthe drum chair from StanKing, and Jack Teagarden

bumps Tommy Dorsey over to trumpet.Not surprisingly, the playing is terrific.

But this album is still Miller's showcase.He was a fabulous talent whose star got lostin changing times and values. Whereas AlJolson, a Northern minstrel star, found Hol-lywood, Miller eventually found oblivion.Although the comedy skits on The MinstrelMan are from the tradition that eventuallypeaked with Amos & Andy, and are now po-litically and culturally unacceptable, theyshould not blind us to the brilliance of Em-mett Miller. Michael Tearson

The band's self -titled debut, a shameful bybrid of Pearl Jam and Mice in Chains, deserved all the derision it received. But itssophomore effort, Purple, contained hints oforiginal thought and crafty songwriting. Thenew disc, Tiny Music. . Songs from the VaticanGift Shop, is startlingly original and creative.

While the group's first two albums werefairly one-dimensional, the new one tackles avariety of music styles, from mellow jazz tohigh-octane garage rock. The band may havegrown up on grunge, but its members havelearned to temper rage with resource. Andthey do it with style, weaving each track into aglorious mixture of grace and power. "BigBang Baby" merges Led Zeppelin stomp withthe tunefulness of Cheap Trick, "Lady PictureShow" features psychedelic guitar shimmersand engaging vocal harmonies, and "ArtSchool Girl" starts with a kitschy pop riff rem-iniscent of Steve Miller before bursting into an

explosive chorus that has more in commonwith Blue Cheer. In addition to the musicalchange of direction, Stone Temple Pilots hasadopted a healthier, if not necessarily sober,attitude. Most of the songs on this album areeither whimsical or triumphant, and they allexhibit a newfound lust for life.

For a band with more dirty laundry thanJohn Popper, Tiny Music is a huge musicalachievement. Jon Wiederhorn

Second Toughest in the InfantsUnderworld

WAX TRAX!/TVT 7420, 73:07Sound: B+, Performance: B+

Underworld became famous in the under-ground club scene in 1994, injecting a healthydose of guitar licks and sexily processed vocalsinto formulaic dance hits. If the group wasknown for a particular formula, it was forturning expected tunes on their ears. SecondToughest in the Infants preserves this approach(most notably in the electronic guitar anthem"Juanita," the album's opener) but experi-

ments further into thesound spectrum to un-earth more new and ap-pealing ideas: Detroit -influenced techno, dubbyblues, and robotic elec-tro flavors. And while

many electronic dance acts have tried to inte-grate the quick percussive rhythms of the hy-brid genre commonly referred to as drum &bass, it's Underworld that has come closest tosuccessfully recontextualizing its elements (ason the effervescent "Pearl's Girl").

A few listens are necessary to really make afair judgment of Underworld's latest effort,especially if dance -influenced music is notyour cup of tea. At first, there seems to be littlecohesiveness in Second Toughest, but furtherspins reveal that this just might be the glori-ous point. Tamara Palmer

KismetMárta Sebestyén

HANNIBAL HNCD 1392, 46:16Sound: B, Performance: B

As the lead singer of the Hungarian groupMuzsikás, Márta Sebestyén has been resur-recting traditional Hungarian folk music foryears. The members of Muzsikás have neverbeen purists, however, and on her own,Sebestyén has even made Hungarian techno-pop, albeit with dubious success. But on herlatest solo CD, Kismet, she may have found thetrue vehicle for her remarkable voice.

Like the singers of Le Mystére des Voix Bul-gares, Sebestyén is at once innocent andworld-weary, with a gentle nasal snarl coupledwith a vibrato that sounds like she has a

whammy bar in herthroat. It's a vocal quali-ty you might hear in In-dian dhrupad singing.In fact, on "Hindi Lulla-by" she sets an Ameri-can lullaby to Indianmusic, wrapping her captivating voice insinewy coils around the melody.

Although Sebestyén sings songs from Bul-garia, India, and Russia, she finds a commonthread that unites them. Arranger and multi-instrumentalist Nikola Parov puts Irish whis-tles and tablas on the Bulgarian lament "SinoMoi," while the Irish tune "Leaving DerryQuay" sounds like a Greek lament crossedwith Celtic bluegrass.

Singers Loreena McKennitt, Sheila Chan-dra, and Lisa Gerard have made hybrid WorldMusic recordings, but Sebestyén's voice ismore deeply rooted within the folkloric tradi-tion. She doesn't just evoke the atmospheresof an ancient time, she sounds like she couldactually be performing at some ancient musiccrossroads. John Diliberto

Bob MouldRYKODISC RCD 10342,42:37

Sound: B, Performance: B+

When Bob Mould was working on the lastSugar album, File Under Easy Listening, he raninto a formidable creative obstacle. He knewhow he wanted the songs to sound, but intranslating them to his bandmates, the wiresof communication got snarled and Sugarwound up spending endless hours in the stu-dio recording the same tracks over and overagain. As a result, Mouldscrapped the band anddecided to play every-thing on his new, self -ti-tled album himself. Healso chose to recordmany of the songs in oneor two takes, passing up technical proficiencyin favor of creative spontaneity. It's a tech-nique that's been skillfully practiced by artistsranging from Neil Young to Lou Barlow, and itworks for Mould as well.

Bob Mould is an intensely confessional discthat runs the gamut from passionate balladsto ball -busting rockers, exposing the artist asboth a creative force and an emotional wreck.For much of the album, Mould carries on inthe same vein as he did with Sugar, but there'sless of a pop focus. Although the songs havesimple verse/chorus architecture, Mouldmanages to incorporate a wide range ofbizarre noises and alluring hooks. "Next TimeThat You Leave" trades off gentle guitar play-ing with distorted rhythmic dives and featuresdynamic vocal harmonies; "Egoverride"blends underwater guitar sounds with a

AUDIO/JUNE 199682

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ce: B+

-cure of where these nasty boys are at.Frontman Jimi Hazel makes a strong bid

for living guitar -hero status, flying up anddown the fretboard with impressive facilitywhile leaning heavily on the wah-wah pedal inthe great, expressive tradition of his name-sakes, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Hazel. And healso demonstrates a new-found knack forwriting and singing melodic pop tunes("Burned," "Free To Be," "Crushonya," and"Eyes Don't Lie") that harkens back to Hen-drix's more lyrical offerings ("One RainyWish," "Drifting," "Long Hot Summer," and"Electric Ladyland"). Jimi Hazel's anthemicstatement, "No Hope for Niggaz," is a virtualroll call for the Black Guitarists Hall of Fame.

Spyz bassist Rick Skatore offers his ownjaundiced take on Los Angeles culture in hissole contribution, "El Lame," which containsthe line: "If this is what it's all about, I'mchecking out." And though the prolific pen ofJimi Hazel accounted for the bulk of the hard-hitting material here, Spyz covers a couple oftunes, turning in faithful yet typically intenserenditions of The Association's "Along ComesMary" and Love's "7 and 7 Is."

This album is a huge leap forward for anexceptional, hard -rocking trio. Bill Milkowski

Golden HeartMark Knopfler

WARNER BROS. 9 46026, 70:22Sound: A, Performance: B

Mark Knopfler's guitar work is so shim-mering, luminous, and expressive that it

AUDIO/JUNE 199683

makes us overlook his monotone, clench -jawed vocals. Of course, those who dig theBob Dylan/Leonard Cohen/Lou Reed schoolof singing will have no problem whatsoeverwith Knopfler's rather listless vocal approachon Golden Heart. I, for one, am more in-trigued by how he makes his guitar sing, par-ticularly on such gentle songs as "I'm theFool," "Nobody's Got the Gun," and the love-ly title track. But he can also deliver nastygrunge tones, which he does with raunchy au-thority on the punchy "Don't You Get It," onthe funky "No Can Do," and on his biting paeanto the queen of all shoe buyers, "Imelda."

A distinct Irish folk music influence comesacross in Knopfler's use of Uillean pipes, fid-dles, and pennywhistles on "Darling Pretty,""Doné with Bonaparte," and the lilting "ANight in Summer Long Ago." And he conjuresup an Acadian vibe on the buoyant two -step-per "Cannibals," featuring Jo -El Sonnier's Ca-jun accordion, and on "Je Suis Désolé," whichhas Knopfler trading acoustic licks with slideguitar ace Sonny Landreth.

Knopfler's poetic observations about love,loss, and the human condition may score withsome. But it's his tasty, fluid six -string workthat really registers with me. Bill Milkowski

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JAZZ -BLUES

New Moon DaughterCassandra Wilson

BLUE NOTECDP 8 32861,61:59

Sound: A, Performance: B+

L

ate in his career, MilesDavis took some guff forraiding Cyndi Lauper'srepertoire for the ballad"Time After Time"; somefelt it was inappropriatefor an artist of his statureto cover a No. 1 MOR hit.Yet Davis maintained thatjazz needed fresh stan-

dards and that reinterpreting "Bodyand Soul" ad infinitum wasn't hisidea of fun. And one more thing: Heliked "Time After Time."

This seems to have been Cassan-dra Wilson's thinking for New MoonDaughter. There's certainly somenovel payoff for a jazz vocalist incovering Robert Johnson, as Wilsondid on her acclaimed 1993 albumBlue Light 'Til Dawn. But that hernew album includes songs done byHank Williams, U2, and The Mon-kees is all the more intriguing. Thereal point is that this rising star seeks

to expand the list of standards. And,of course, she likes these songs.

Actually, The Monkees' "LastTrain to Clarksville" provides one of

the

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tune ,Son Hofurtherof the ral,.able to briñblues. Betwee

sortment of tCarmichael hereshe mixes in fiveoriginals, all with sments built aroundThroughout, Wilson',tralto comes through w,tional ease.

What criticism Wilsotceived has centered around hity for an unwavering tempaura. I have no problem witsmellow milieu, but new texts.could enliven the proceedings wit.out altering the torchy ambience.Other than Graham Haynes' corneton "Strange Fruit," New MoonDaughter is pretty much a string -

driven affair. If it were just a bitbrassier, Wilson would be all themore fetching. Steven Stolder

Joe Locke brings his straight -ahead interpretations to nine HenryMancini songs on Moment to Mo-ment, the vibra-phonist's Americanlabel debut. Manci-ni's works, most of-ten heard in lush,MOR arrangements,lend themselves wellto the traditional

among the musicians is so smooth,it sounds as if they have been play-ing together for decades.

The real star hereMoment to Moment:

The Music of Henry ManciniJoe Locke Quartet

KEYSTONE/MILESTONEMCD-9243, 56:50

Sound: A, Performance: A

jazz settings found here. Butthese are not, by any means,formulaic, out -of -the -boy.four -piece arrangements.

Eddie Gomez, one of thefinest bass practitionersaround, brings a dark,haunting, and almost frighteningarco bass to "Whistling Away theDark." On "Charade," pianist BillyChild's modal arpeggios and drum-mer Gene Jackson's syncopatedrhythms add an underbed of mys-tery to the verses, which skillfullysegue into a walking bass swing dur-ing the chorus. The interaction

is the band's name-sake. Joe Locke isone of the premivibists of our dayand one of the greatsoloists on any in-strument. He Ochs

almost effortlessly throughthe melodies with greatsubtlety and attention -odetail. Locke's solos are :omusical and so seamlessly apart of a song's essence, irisdifficult to imagine that

they were not written into the son'sfabric by Mancini himself. In par-ticular, Locke's improvisations c n"Moon River" and "Moment to Mo-ment" transform the tunes witho itcompromising their identity or in-tegrity. They remain instantly reco3-nizable and, at the same time, foreverchanged for the better. Dan Levi6n

0.

AUDIO/JUNE 199684

PhaKoa anDer-Message from Home

VERVE 314-529-578, 49:15Sound: B+, Performance: A-

Probably more than any other saxo-phonist, Pharoah Sanders moves in themusical direction that John Coltranecharted late in his career. It's obvious inSanders' urgent, rolling, 'Trane-liketone. And how he moves with gracefrom elegant statements to squealingfrenzy. And when he rides modal tidalwaves of sound. And it is particularlyobvious in the way his instrument issuesa spiritual call rooted in ancient tradi-

tional musics and headedstraight to the future.

On Message from Home,Sanders' sound is embed-ded in a dark and murkymix typical of all BillLaswell productions. But

it's a satisfying melting pot, with the del-icate sounds of Foday Musa Suso's korabubbling to the top one moment,Hamid Drake's tablas percolating thenext, and Tibetan bowls resonating mo-ments later. Michael White's violin addssonic spice to "Nozipho," and BernieWorrell's keyboard wizardry funks up"Tomoki." Most striking of all in Mes-sage from Home is "Kumba," a lovelycollaborative composition from Sandersand Suso. Larry Blumenfeld

The New StandardHerbie Hancock

VERVE 314 529 5842, 72:06Sound: A+, Performance: B-

For his first straight -ahead outing sinceQuartet in the early '80s, legendary pianistHerbie Hancock uses both the past and pres-ent for inspiration. Rewriting contempo-rary "standards" for a thoroughbred jazzensemble, Hancock adopts the approachused by jazz musicians past, possibly hop-ing to challenge the current bleak state ofretro/revisionist jazz.

Lushly recorded with an outstandingcast-John Scofield, Michael Brecker, DonAlias, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland-The New Standard draws from a catalog of'60s and '80s pop hits. The album's opener,Don Henley's "NewYork Minute," is barelyrecognizable, the origi-nal dirge transformedinto a sailing rompwith nimble solos allaround. DeJohnetteand Alias create a bubbling Brazilian per-cussion intro for Stevie Wonder's "You've

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Got It Bad Girl"; the band then quicklylaunches into a freewheeling improv. Thewistful melody of Simon and Garfunkel's"Scarborough Fair" remains intact, yet theplayers find plenty of sustenance in a medi-um -tempo swing treatment. Hancock is ex-hilarating, executing a maze of elevatingphrases met at each turn by DeJohnette; thetwo ratchet up the solos, notch by notch,until Brecker restates the melody.

Other tracks don't fare as well. Prince's"Thieves in the Temple" is a plodding, roteremake; "Norwegian Wood" is uninterest-ing as a sleepy waltz. And although Alias'scongas and Scofield's muted guitar create awondrous mood on Peter Gabriel's "MercyStreet," the song wanders aimlessly. Finally,Kurt Cobain's "All Apologies" works for thesheer oddity of its inclusion and handling:Sco on guitar -as -sitar (a guitar synth, per-haps?) and Hancock on neo -ragtime keys.

A better idea would be to take these tunesinto the truth -revealing confines of the Vil-lage Vanguard and watch Hancock andband discover this material afresh, in thesame manner Hancock did 30 years ago onMiles Davis' remarkable Four and More.Then The New Standard might just live upto its lofty title. Ken Micallef

The Knitting Factoryat the Whitney Museum

Various ArtistsKNITTING FACTORY WORKS

KFW 161, 52:15Sound: A-, Performance: A-

The Knitting Factory is New York City'sprime venue (they call it a laboratory) for

experimental jazz,rock, World Music,poetry, video, perform-ance art, or anythingthat defies categoriza-tion. A veritable Who'sWho of the avant-

garde has graced its stage: Philip Glass, Lau-rie Anderson, Yoko Ono, John Zorn-justabout everyone on the outer limits of musictoday. Almost from the beginning, the Knitrecorded all its live shows, so the idea ofstarting its own record label to give expo-sure to unsigned artists just seemed to fallinto place naturally. (It now has about 100titles in print.) The Whitney compilationshowcases 10 Knitting Factory artists whogave a series of live concerts at the museumduring its Biennial exhibition in 1995.

One highlight is saxophonist Roy Na-thanson (ex -Lounge Lizard, current JazzPassenger) and keyboardist Anthony Cole-man performing a little magic on CharlesMingus's "Orange Was the Color of HerDress, Then Silk Blue," a soulful dance for

AUDIO/JUNE 199685

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bB U(U >Nicholas Payton

VERVE 314 531 199, 57:01Sound: B+, Performance: A

Nicholas Payton's recording of earlyNew Orleans jazz repertoire, GumboNouveau, is a perfect way for the YoungTurk to bridge the gap between old andnew, between our hunger forinnovation and our near -un-controllable appetite for reis-sues. To accomplish this, the21 -year -old trumpeter uses tra-ditional Big Easy standards(like "St. James Infirmary" and -

"When the Saints...") as springboardsinto a powerfully modern style, hisspeedy, focused soloing laced withechoes of Satchmo.

With Jesse Davis on alto sax and TimWar.t..

his action with decisive young talentthat can swing ("Whoopin' Blues"),bop ("Down in Honky Tonk Town"),linger ("Way Down Yonder in New Or-leans"), or zing into improv ("WeatherBird"). Pianist Anthony Wonsey addssome energetic dexterity on "I GottaRight To Sing the Blues" and "L'il Liza

Jane," while the rhythm sectionof Reuben Rogers (on bass) andAdonis Rose (on drums) neverallows Payton's flights to soartoo far from their axis.

More confident and challeng-ing than From This Moment,

Payton's 1994 debut, Gumbo Nouveaufurther solidifies his place in the shad-ow

-"

of Louis Armstrong. In this time of !`bridging gaps and pleasing people,that's a very good place for Nicholas

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horns that jape, swing, and wail in an al-most gospel kind of way. It's over in 4:46,and you'll wish it went on longer. The Tron-zo Trio's take on "Monk's Dream" is righton, with Dave Tronzo's brilliant, electricslide guitar pulling off a true Monk trajec-tory (quite a feat!). Andrea Parkins bangsout clusters of notes (á la Cecil Taylor) on"automata" as Reuben Radding's bass rollsout a tidal wave on the bottom and KennyWollesen's drum kit churns textures intorhythms. On "Roofys 7," by The ParadoxTrio, a throbbing underbelly is teased byMatt Darriau's soprano sax doubling BradSchoeppach's electric guitar. (Imagine TheMahavishnu Orchestra at a more sedatepace.) And yes, there's a lot more.

The Knitting Factory's recordings serveas an outreach program for some of thenewest, most cutting edge music around.For those looking for adventurous sounds,the Whitney compilation is a good place tostart. Steve Guttenberg

Night SongNusrat Fateh Ali Khan

& Michael BrookREALWORLD/CAROLINE

CAROL 2354, 48:07Sound: B-, Performance: A

Night Song is the kind of record whosemood ensnares so thoroughly that each lis-ten yields another quiet treasure. WereNight Song in English, I would trace everylyrical nuance and every harrowing intona-tion. Because it's not, and because most of

Nusrat Fateh Mi Khan's vocals are a kind ofdevotional scattering, I have to judge thisalbum mostly on instrumental criteria.

Which is a shame. Not only becauseKhan is considered in various quarters to bethe greatest living exponent of Qawwali(the mystic song ritual of Sufism) and to

possess one of theworld's greatest voices,but because Night Songis a quiet little revolu-tion of an album. Withnary a trace of techno,disco, or other com-

mon East -meets -West production gim-micks, the Pakistani superstar is presentedin a contemporary ambient rock setting notunexpected of Peter Gabriel or U2. Globalmusic, at long last.

While the most striking thing aboutNight Song is its sustained, dark velvetmood, the individual songs bear repeatedlistening. Entranced by the low harmonicsof Khan's instrument, you might miss the

bluesy kora lick and major -key vamp on"My Comfort Remains." Or how the high-tech ambience of that track segues flawless-ly with the rootsy guitar, bass, and drums of"Longing." There are strains of DanielLanois' gossamer earthiness in the produc-tion and some tricks that Eno might use,but collaborator Michael Brook has comeinto his own as the guy to build a sonicworld around you.

In 10 years, if arena rockers are droppingmystic Persian vocalise over their guitar so-los, you heard it here first. Mark Schwartz

LunaAstor Piazzolla

HEMISPHERE/IRS 8 35595, 56:45Sound: B, Performance: B+

57 Minutos con la RealidadAstor Piazzolla

INTUITION INT 3079, 53:11Sound: B-, Performance: B-

Astor Piazzolla was always more than aWorld Musician or sophisticated folk artist.His Tango Nuevo ensemble embodied tan-go's roots and the classical heights to whichhe aspired. That's evident on both these al-bums, recorded a few years before his deathin 1992.

Luna, recorded live in 1989, showcases avibrant performer whose music was em-boldened, but rarely compromised, in con-cert. Piazzola thought in terms of color andshading as much asnotes and rhythms. Onthis album, he usedrather odd disso-nances, crossing lineswith his second ban-doneon player (DanielBinelli), and used the inside of the pianoand string -scraping techniques to evokevarious moods.

Although Piazzolla did compose for or-chestra, his music had an orchestral sensi-bility even when performed by a sextet.Luna's "Camorra 3," in particular, showsoff his arranging gifts with a Gersh-winesque bravado, as if he were struttingdown the street, grabbing at life. His musi-cians, especially the brilliant pianist Gerar-do Gandini, always played big. Gandinicould strut with tango authority one mo-ment and lash out with splashing solos thatrecall Cecil Taylor the next.

57 Minutos con la Realidad (57 Minuteswith Reality) is constructed from sessionsproduced by Kip Hanrahan, the man re-sponsible for bringing Piazzolla's music toAmerican audiences in the mid -'80s. M -though it doesn't hold together the sameway as the concert date, the performances

and compositions re-main undiminished."Imagenes" is a vi-brant work; on the ex-tended "Mumuki," Pi-azzolla works towardabstract terrain, creat-

ing an impressionistic chamber -musicsound that owes as much to George Crumbas it does to tango.

It's because of these compositions thatAstor Piazzolla's passing is so sad. Fortu-nately, I suspect that a trove of live record-ings like Luna is out there, waiting its turnto be unearthed. John Diliberto

AUDIO/JUNE 199686

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For advertising information call:

1.800.445.6066(Monday -Friday, 9-5 EST)

or Fax 212-767-5624

DEALER t1:C ALy_ 1

ARIZONA CALIFORNIA

AUDIO's Dealer Showcaseis the easiest way for youto locate a specialty retailerin your area that can meetyour high -end audio needs.

These experiencedhigh -end dealers are readyto help with everythingfrom equipment purchas-ing decisions to setting upyour home theater.

Look to the AUDIO "DealerShowcase" for the best inhigh -end audio dealers!

CALIFORNIA

seue during ouranniversary

some dealers seem to think low pricesare all that matter, but anybody canbuy ci mop; our staff can help you sortthrough the hype to get what you need,at the right price. that's real value.especially now, with our in-store anniver-sary give-aways and special buys!

AUTHORIZED DEALER:Acurus Aragon Marantz Citation ADA EAD PS Audio Threshold Energy Jamo PSB Epos Creek Proton NEW Straightwire Kimber SynergisticResearch Audio Akhemy Klipsch

JBL Synthesis MeadowlarkGrado B&K SoundstreamMagro Stoic Target & more!

11111111

R011'811

SPECIAL CES DEMO DEALS WHILE THEY LAST!

2901 West 182nd StRedondo Beach

O CALLCalifornia3AUDIO VIDE371-0019

Retail Sales/Custom Installation/Acoustics

MAINE

Acurus ...Aragon ...Audio Research... Creek ... CWD ... Denon ... Grado

...Jamo ...JM Labs ... Jolida ...

Lexicon ... Magneplaner ... MagnumDynalab ... Mark Levinson ... NAD ...Prometheans ... PSB ... Revolver ...

Rotel ... SME ... Sota ... SoundConnections ... Stax ... Stewart ...Sumiko ... Symdex ... Synergistic

Research ...Thoren ...TransparentAudio ...And Much More!

Hi Fi ExdiriquFORESIDE MALL ROUTE ONE

FALMOUTH, ME 04105

(207) 781-2326

oHIGH - END !!!

Specializing in the finest homeaudio from around the world.

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH, ADCOM, APOGEE,AUDIO POWER INDUSTRIES, AUDIORESEARCH, CALIFORNIA AUDIO LABS.AUDIOQUEST, CREEK, CWD, DAY

SEQUERRA, ENERGY, EPOS, EXPOSURE.FORTE, KRELL, LINN, LEXICON, MAGNUMDYNALAB, MARANTZ, MIRAGE, NAKAMICHI,ROTEL, ROCK SOLID, TARA LABS, THIEL,WADIA AND MORE

5vt.s.4 Liu Mt.kuREAL HI Fl SYSTEMS

2734 West Bell Road, #1306Phoenix, Arizona 85023

602-993-3351Ve want to help you choose the best Hi FL,/

CALIFORNIA

We don't sellperfect systems.

After 15 years, we've learnedno perfect system exists. It has to be built -to your specifications, within your budget.

To get s s today...

REFERENCEAUDIOYIDEO

310310 51I8214n\ITIIN nnWS) E.. DEPT A

wwww

1:ARDh. \\. I\ 4024M

MASSACHUSETTS

The Best Values In Hi End Hi -Fi.

audio studioAuthorized sales and service for:

Audible Illusions, Audioquest, B&K,Beyerdynamic, Counterpoint, Dual,Klyne, Maplenoll, Marantz, Mirage,

Mission, Monster Cable, Morel,NAD, Nakamichi, Oideion Products,

Ortofon, Project, Proton, QUAD,Renaissance Audio, Revox,

Sennheiser, SME, Shure, Stax,Straight Wire, Sumiko, Thorens,Velodyne, VPI, and many more.

414 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02146(617) 277-0111

FAX (617) 277-2415INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ACCEPTED

VALUEABLEWE COMBINE EXCEPTIONAL

PRODUCTS WITH DESIGN EXPERTISETO CREATE HIGH PERFORMANCESYSTEMS OF UNUSUAL VALUE.

Factory Authorized Dealer for:Adcom Anfstrom Atlantic Technology

Apogee Audible IllusionsAudiolab Audioprism AudioQuest

DefinitiveTechnology Denon Grado Hitachi Lexicon Lovan Mc Cormack

Mod Squad M&K NAD NEAR Paradigm Parasound Pioneer Power Wedge Rotel

Runco Stax Sumiko Sunfire ThetaTotem VAC Velodyne XLO & morel

SystemsDesign

Group

(310) 370-8575

1310 Kingsdale Ave

Redondo Bch., CA 90278Tue-Fri 11 am-7prr

Sat 11 am-6prr

ILLINOIS

doin us at the High End Show

Waldorf Astoria, New York City

May 30th through June 2nd

Room 820

On Compuserve:GO TOLEGACY

FOR YOUR FREE CATALOG

CALL 1 8 00AUDIOHI( 1. 8 0 0. 2 8 3. 4 6 4 4)

3021 SANGAMON AVE. SPRINGFIELD, IL 6 2 702

PHONE:121 7) 544-5252 FAX: (21 7) 744-7269

MASSACHUSETTSn n nn1: ...:.. ..', - ..

lid [WAILL

Q DEPP1. L'Authorized Dealers For...

JVC Inf nityRCA

_1917SF SON YPlit'/M,, BRACKETS

(Sorry No Catalogs)BEACH 80 VFW ParkwayRevere, MA 021511

In::..,... .. .: e :::eallrllt .. .

1-800-562-9020

SALES

Definition

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION, CALL 1-800-445-6066

DEALERNEW YORK

SHOWCASENEW YORK PENNSYLVANIA

IllII NI fi1DI®MADE EASIER

Serving the serious music lover since 1985, wehave realized that High -End Audio hasbecome a confusing term. Random matchingof quality components, will not assure you of asystem that can reproduce music. A call or visitto Audio Outlet will. VVe specialize in productsthat offer exceptional performance and value.Give us a call, lets talkmusic. If you just wantto know what we sell, callus and ask, or order a copyof our 96 page catalog.Its only $4.00.

JIYUDIUTLETInc.

4t. Klsco, NY 10545

914-666-0550 FAx 914-666-0544

TEXAS

FACTORY AUTHORIZEDCALL US NOW.. or WE DELIVCRIAcurusAngstromAragonArcamAudioQuestBrystonCAL AudioCitationEnlightened AudioDenonMelosJolida

MirageOnkyoParagonParasoundQuicksilverRuarkSharp VisionSnellSonic FrontiersStand DesignThe

-Threshold

AUDIO BYDESIGN

(8nl)) 285-5884911 W. Anderson Ln. #116

Austin, TX 78757

WISCONSIN

Sound SellerAuthorized Dealer For:

ADC01A KICKER PSB ALTEC LANSING LEXICON

ATLANTIC TECHNOLOGr MONSTER CABLE

AUDIOCONTROL MTXCARVER

CELESTON

CLARION

CwD GRADO

*HARMAN KARDON

JAMO

KEF

NAD NAKAMICHI

NILES AUDIO

NITTY GRITTY

OMNIMOUNT

ONKYO

PANAMA%

POUT AUDIO

PROAC

RECOTON

ROCKFORD FOSGATE

SANDS SYSTEMS

SONY DSS

*SONY ES

SONY VIDEO

SOUND ANCHORS

SCODSTFEAAI

STAX TARGET

THORENS

2808 Cahill Road, P.O. Box 224Marinette, WI 54143 (715) 735.9002

1-800-826-0520

SHOP USLAST

FACTORY AUTHORIZED DEALERS

HOME THEATERSINCE 1979

ADS ALPINE ATLANTIC TECHBOSE CARVER DENON INFINITY

KENWOOD NAKAMICHIONKYO SONANCE SONY ES

VELODYNE YAMAHAand man we can't .rinfl

CAR STEREO

The Sound Approach6067 Jericho Tpke., Commack, NY 11725

800-368-2344VIRGINIA

THE BEST IH HOME GROWN RUBIO.

Ui-Fi farm quad Spendor Creek

Rlon Accuphase Coda

0CM Kimber Magnum

BEY Cardas Rcrotec

Epos Tara Labs Sonic [Jon Schuieikert frontiers

and mang mang more...

Also featuring high end used equipment fully guaranteed!

616 Plaza, Suite 5, Moneta, VA, 24121Call For Information Toll Free:

1.800.752.4018

WISCONSIN

1-800-906-44341 -800 -906 -HI-FI

FAX 608-255-4425Authoried Dealer For:

ADS ATLANTIC TECHNOLOGY AVIA BANG 8 OLUFSEN CARVER CELESTION ENERGY GRADO HARMAN KARDON JVC LEXICON MONSTER CABLE NAD NAKAMICH

* NILES AUDIO OMNI-MOUNT POLK AUDIO PSB PROAC RECOTON SANUS SONY DSS SONY ES SONY VIDEO SENNHEISER TARGET'TERK

THORENS

430 State St., Madison, WI 53703608-255-2887

PHILADELPHIA AUDIOPHILES

ACOUSTIC ENERGY HIGHWIRE PSI AIR TIGHT IADIS REFERENCE 3A

AUDIBLE ILLUSIONS KIMBER KABLE REGA RESEARCH

AUDIO ALCHEMY KINERGETICS SCI-FI AUDIOLAB KLYNE SIGNET AUDIOVECTOR KUZMA SOTA BEL MELOS SOUND VALVES BENZ -MICRO MERIDIAN SPENDOR B+K COMPONENTS METAPHOR STAX CARY MICROMEGA STRAIGHT WIRE

COUNTERPOINT MONITOR AUDIO SYNERGISTIC

CREEK MUSE TOTEM DYNAVECTOR NAD UNITY AUDIOEPOS NSM VAC FANFARE FM PASS LABS VPI GRADO PLATINUM WADIA DIGITAL

GRAHAM PUNIUS WHEATON GREEN MOUNTAIN PRESENCE AUDIO WHITE LABS HAR BETH PS AUDIO WILSON-BENESCH

David Lewis Audio LTD

(215) 725-40808Phi

adelphia,PA 19152

VERMONT

SENsi in E. PERSONAL 1111-1 ADVICE

TOLL- FREE

hRE IN VERMONJ PEOPLE DEMAND VALUE

WE DON, WASTE GUSTO/HERS' MONEY,

AND NEITHER DO THESE FOLKS:

ADCORrt ATLANTIS AUDIO QUEST

BEWe CASTLE GRADO

MONSTER, NAD Uaero

ORACLE PSB ROTE L*

STANDESIGN IARGEr

TDL WHARFEDALE

I00% FINANCING RADIASE

N.6,µAND I NYC

.SN YE, R WA4yANrrESALueN ELrvnE.'

SCIENTIFIC ISTEREO

MDN qik

800 456-443'1

6302)257-58s'

DEALERS...The best place to be seen is where peopleare looking. And each month bothenthusiasts & dealers read AUDIO forinformation.

The AUDIO Dealer Showcase is an idealforum to reach interested audio/videoenthusiasts who are active buyers them-selves, and who advise others on stereoand video purchases.

The Dealer Showcase is an exclusive sec-tion desired to showcase your adver-tising in AUDIO.

To place your ads, or for further infor-mation call Toll Free:

1-800-445-6066(9am to 5pm est)

FAX 212-767-5624

VISIT THESE SPECIALTY RETAILERS FOR PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION.

PLEASE NOTE: It is impossible for us toverify all of the claims of advertisers,including product availability and exis-tence of warranties. To confirm that anadvertiser is authorized to sell a product,we suggest you contact the manufacturerdirectly. Please review our Tips for MailOrder Purchasers in this section.

AUTHORIZED

AUDIOPHILE & SCHOLARUNIVERSITY AUDIO SHOP, MADISON, WI

AUDIO RESEARCH. KRELL, Linn, YBA, Aragon. Acurus,B&K, MARTIN LOGAN. VANDERSTEEN, NHT, PARA-DIGM, Spica, NEAR. Totem. JM Labs, EAD. Micromega,CAL, Golden Tube, Fourier, Tara Labs, Lexicon. (608)284-0001. SPECIALS: AMC, Spica & Audio Alchemy.

AUDIO UNLIMITED in Colorado offers Accuphase, Acous-tic Energy. Acrotec. AirTight, Airtangent, Audio Meca byPierre Lurne, Audio Note, Basis. Benz -Micro, Bitwise.Chang, Chario, CODA, Zoethecus, Day-Sequerra, Dynavec-tor, Ensemble, Graham, Harbeth, Ikeda. JM Labs, Kuzma,Magnum Dynalab, Magro, Micromega, Wilson Benesch.Morch, Musical Design, Music Metre, Muse, SymphonicLine, Onix, RoomTunes, Solid Steel, Sonoran, Sound An-chor, SOTA, Decca, Totem, Unity Audio. Vimak, WheatonTriplaner, YBA and more...PHONE/FAX John Barnes at(303)691-3407. Audio Unlimited, 2341 West Yale Ave..Englewood, CO 80110. VISA and MC accepted.

AUDIO VIDEO SPECIALTIES. Authorized dealer for AMC Arcam Elac Dynaudio Grado Hitachi Jamo Pan-amax Pioneer Platinum Proton Audio Sanus So-nographe Tributaries PH: (414)963-9928. 3801 N. Oak-land Ave., Shorewood, WI 53211.

FOR SALE

LOW PRICES!!! NHT, SNELL, B&K, POLK,NAD, VELODYNE, PARASOUND, KEF, CARVER, M&K NA-KAMICHI, PSB, ONKYO, DENON, Sound Shop CALL!!(360)-692-8201. Thank you for your order!

DEMO/TRADE-IN SALE: Onkyo, Pioneer Elite. Rotel,B&K, B&W, ARC, CAL, Martin -Logan, McIntosh, SonicFrontiers, and much, much more. Call for our list of high -quality demo and trade-in components. ChampagneAudio: (217) 355-8828.

SAVE 40% ON HIGH -END home speak-ers, subwoofers, amplifiers. FREE CAT-ALOG, 3021 Sangamon Avenue, Spring-field, IL 62702. 1-800-283-4644.

AUDIO BY VAN ALSTINE FET-VALVE hybrid tube DAC,amplifiers, and preamplifiers achieve ultimate faithfulness tothe spirit of the music. Omega Ill active feedback amplifiers,full function buffered preamplifiers. and technically optimizedparallel processing DACs provide stunning clarity with eco-nomical prices, striated heatsinks, rugged engineering, andno output failures in years! New DAC-preamplifiers, basicline -headphone preamplifiers, and phase inverters or yourPAS, PAT -4, PAT -5, AND ST -70 recycled with AVA circuits(kit or wired) from $199 including new cards and precisioncontrols. Active feedback circuits for DYNACO and HAFLERAMPLIFIER chassis set new standards for transparency, dy-namic range, and liquidity. Free illustrated catalog. Audio byVan Alstine, 2202 River Hills, Burnsville, MN 55337. (612)890-3517. Fax: (612) 894-3675. E-mail: avahifi@aol corn

AUDIO CABLES & MORE

DON'T PAY EXORBITANT PRICES! FOR TOP QUALITY !

We have equaled the high-priced brands. Sonicequivalents at a fraction of their cost. We demysti-fy wire technology. Ask for literature.AND MORE! DACS, Anti -Jitter Units, CDPlayers/Transports, Speaker Stands, Speakers,Home Theater, Prologic, Accessories-& MORE.Call 800-321-2108 24hrs./day for free catalog.

L A T INTERNATIONALDept. A 317 Provincetown Road

Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

TIPS FOR MAIL ORDERPURCHASERS

It is impossible for us to verify all ofthe claims of advertisers, includingproduct availability and existence ofwarranties. Therefore, the followinginformation is provided for yourprotection.

1. Confirm price and merchandiseinformation with the seller, includingbrand, model, color or finish, acces-sories and rebates included in theprice.2. Understand the seller's returnand refund -policy, including theallowable return period, who pays thepostage for returned merchandise, andwhether there is any "restocking"charge.3. Understand the product's warran-ty. Is there a manufacturer's warranty,and if so, is it from a U.S. or foreignmanufacturer? Note that many manu-facturers assert that, even if theproduct comes with a U.S. manufac-turers warranty card, if you pur-chase from an unauthorized dealer,you are not covered by the manu-facturer's warranty. If in doubt, con-tact the manufacturer directly. Inaddition to, or instead of, the manufac-turer's warranty, the seller may offer itsown warranty. In either case, what iscovered by warranty, how long is thewarranty period, where will the productbe serviced, what do you have to do,and will the product be repaired orreplaced? You may want to receive acopy of the written warranty beforeplacing your order.4. Keep a copy of all transactions,including cancelled checks, receiptsand correspondance. For phoneorders, make a note of the orderincluding merchandise ordered, price,order date, expected delivery date andsalesperson's name.5. If the merchandise is not shippedwithin the promised time or if no timewas promised, 30 days of receipt ofthe order, you generally have the rightto cancel the order and get a refund.6. Merchandise substitution withoutyour express prior consent is notallowed.7. If you have a problem with yourorder or the merchandise, write aletter to the seller with all the pertinentinformation and keep a copy.8. If you are unable to obtain satis-faction from the seller, contact theconsumer protection agency in theseller's state or your local Post Office.

If, after following the above guide-lines, you experience a problem witha mail order advertiser that you areunable to resolve, please let us know.WRITE to Susan Ross, SpecialMarketing, 45th floor, HachetteFilipacchi Magazines, 1633 Broadway,NY, NY 10019. Be sure to includecopies of all correspondence.

FOR SALEABARGAIN: STAX SIGN/LAMBDA $1,350; OMEGA/SRMT! $2.900; SIGN/LAMBDA SRD/7 $499; ED -1; AUDIO-TECHNICA AT -0C9 $259; ALL UNUSED (212)966-1355.

NEW JERSEY'S BEST SELECTIONAUDIO CONNECTION

STATE OF THE ART SYSTEMS FROM $1,500+

VandersteenB and WProacEposPSBPlatinum

RotelSonic FrontiersAudible IllusionsNaimQuicksilverMusic Reference

WadiaCaryArcamAudio AlchemyAyreAudiolab

615 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, New Jersey 07044

Phone: (201) 239-1799 Fax: (201) 239-1725

Hardbound AUDIO, annual bound volume editions, justlike the ones in the Editor -in -Chief's office. Various yearsavailable in limited quantities, $40.00 each. Also available:Hardbound October Annual Equipment Directories. Years1992, 1991, 1990, & 1987 $15.95 each, and hardbound MayCar Stereo Directories for years 1991, 1990, 1989 and 1985,$8.00 each. All prices include postage and handling. All or-ders postpaid. Check or money order only (no credit cardorders) payable to AUDIO MAGAZINE. Send orders toAUDIO, 1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019. Attn:Michael Bieber, Or call 212/767-6301 for further information.

MUSICAL CONCEPTS"Setting standards for natural sound." Adcom, AudioAlchemy, B&K, Dyna and Hafler modifications, rivalingexpensive exotica! PA -2 Cascoded Class -A circuit forHaller amps -budget bliss! We offer two CD players,one Transport -"Musical Concepts has put the fun backinto CD playback." says The Audio Adventure maga-zine. Marantz, Rotel and Pioneer CD mods. MusicalConcepts. 5749 Westwood Dr., St. Charles, MO 63304.(314)447-0040.

FOR TWENTY YEARS WE HAVE BEEN THE SOURCEFOR ALL OF YOUR BLANK AUDIONIDEO TAPES ANDACCESSORIES, EVEN REEL-TO-REEL TAPES FOR STU-DIOS, AT DISCOUNTED PRICES. CATALOG AVAILABLE.SOUND INVESTMENT CORPORATION. 3586 PIERCEDRIVE, CHAMBLEE, GA 30341. (800) 659 -TAPE (8273), INGA (770) 458-1679. FAX: (770) 458-0276.

High -end audio components. All brandsavailable. The lowest prices. Friendlyservice and advice. Call today. AUDIOAMERICA (Virginia). 1-540-745-2223.

FREE SHIPPING! PLUS:EXPERIENCED, FRIENDLY ADVICE, MIRAGE, PS,CWD, KEF, KINERGETICS. PHILIPS, AUDIOQUEST,FRIED, MONSTER, KIMBER KABLE, SPICA, CARY,STRAIGHTWIRE, QUAD, MORE! READ BROTHERS,593 KING. CHARLESTON, SC 29403. (803) 723-7276.

SINGERS.VOOCALSE'Unlimited Low Cost, Instantly Available

Background Music from Original StandardRecordingqs! Does Everything Karaokedoes... Wetter and gives you theThompson Vocal EliminatorFree Brochure & Demo Tape.LT Sound Dept AU -17980 LT ParkwayLithonia,GA 30 ,Internet-http:/) Itsound.com24 Hour Demo/Info Request Une (770)482.2485-Ext 51When You Want Somethin Better Than Karaoke!

B&0B&W CARVER DENON FOSGATEH/K KEF LEXICON NAD NAKAMICHI ONKYO POLK VELODYNE 24 HOUR AU-TOMATED PRICING MANUFACTURERSWARRANTIES COURTEOUS ASSISTANCE AMERICAN THEATER SYSTEMS (904)321-0100.

STEVE'S CONSIGNMENTSHOP HI Fl FARM AND STEVE'S AUDIO ADVICENOW OFFERS CONSIGNMENT OPPORTUNITIES FORTHE USED AUDIO MARKET. TOP DOLLAR OFFERED.CALL FOR INFORMATION. NEW EQUIPMENT ALSO.CALL 1-800-752-4018.

AUDIO/JUNE 199691

FOR SALE

MONEYSPENT SOUNDLYAUDIO ExcEWncE, Inc

TIE BEST ADM 8 VIDEO EINIIPMINT FROM All MAJOR AIAMIACIW9S

DENON NAKAMICHI ONKYOSONY ES YAMAHA BOSE KLIPSCII

KEF POLK AND MORE!

SPECIALISTS IN HOME THEATRE SYSTEMS & HIGH -END AUDIO

143 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001All Major Credit Cards Accepted

CALL Now (212) 229-16

FENDER AMPLIFIER: Super Re -Verb. Pre -CBS. Mint con-dition. Vintage collector's item. Asking $3400. Connecticut:(203) 421-4222; Florida: (352) 336-6477.

THE STEREO TRADING OUTLETWE BUY SELL AND TRADE NEW & USED

AUDIO COMPONENTS SINCE 1984AMPS: Bell 1001MKI-II $1795, BK ST1430 $479, BKST3030 $539, Boulder 250AE $899, Crown Macro tech 600$899, MacroRef $2495, Macrotech 1200 $899, Dynaco 400$389, Krell KSA-250 $3195, Krell KSA-150 $2895, KrellKST-100 $1595. Levinson #29 $2495, Marantz MA -500$209)u), Muse 16011 $1195, NAD-214 $280, NAD-216THX$409, NAD-208THX $1395, NEC AV505 $219, Pass OS$2695, Rotel RB-980 $519(t)RB-985 $869(t), SonicfrontiersSFS-40 $1079, SFS-80 $1695, Sunfire $1769(n). INT:/AMPS: NAD-304 $319, NAD-316AV $559, Creek 4140$329, Denon AVC-2000 $495, Denon AVC-3020 $399. RotelRA930 $269, Rotel RA -970 $459, Rotel RA -985 $739, HKAVI200-MKII 4519(n). PRE/AMPS: ARS-LS1 $899, ARS-SP-6B $599. ARS LS2B-MKII $1989, Carver C2OV $499,Cary SLP-70 $699, Cary SLP-90 w/Pono $1496, CrownPSL-2 $669, Kenwood KCX-1 $519, Levinson #28 w/Phono$2695, Marantz AV500 $499, Marantz AV600 $929(t).NAD-1000 $279, NAD-106 $499, NAD-917AV $599, Purist1000 $299, RefLine 300SI $489, RefLine Prem-1A $795,Rotel RSP-960519(t), Quad 34 $259, Quad -44 $289. CD/Trans: Denon DCD-1420 $189, Denon DCD-1560 $289,Krell MD -10 $3395, Marantz CD -63 $339(t) MicromegaSoloPro $995, NAD-502 $279, NAD-512 $279, RotelRCD-965LE $299. D/A: Audio Alchemy DDE.V 3.0 $729,DTI -Pro 32 $1395, Timber TT1 $1895, Krell Ref -64 $5,500,Forte F50 $319, Sony DAT-2000ES $1495. RECEIVERS:HK AVR-10 $349, HK AVR-20MKII $479, HK AVR-25MKI1$659, HK AVR-70 $949, HK AVR-80 $1349, NAD-701 $279,NAD-705 $419, NAD-713 AV $499, NAD-716AV $629, Mar-antz 2230 $149, Marantz 2270 $189, Pioneer SX1010 $249.Yam RX-2090 41049. SPEAKERS: ADS -L780 $299, Areial5T w/stds $1595, Bose 6.2 $289, Bose 901 IV $799, Bose 901$549, Harbeth HL -5 $1495, Kef 010 $249(n)030 $409,050$569(n). Kef Ref -1 $1229, Kef Ref -2 41899(n), Ref -3$2499(n),Kef Ref -4 $3899(n), Jensen 1525 Outdoor Spk$89pr NEW, Klipsch SW10 $549, Monitooraudio 1200MD$599, NHT Super Zero $89 ea. NHT SW 1 p $369, ParadigmTitan $149(1), PSB NewStratus $699, Quad U.S. Mon q/gra-dient subs $3895, Rogers Studio 1A $599, Signet SL -260$349, Signet SL -280 $599, Spendor SP1/5 $499 NEW W/5Year Warr, Sota Timedomain w/BES $799, Vanderstein 3Aw/stds $1795. TUNERS: Adcom GFT-55511$229, BK TS108$229, Dynaco FM5$95, Fanfare FT -1 $859 w/ant, MitsubushiDA -F20 $229, Day Sequerra FM -Ref $2695. MISC.: Pan-amax 1000+ $249 New, Panamax MAX 500 $139 New, JVCJS -X900 $299, SoundStream Touch -1 Remote $249.Largest selection of new and pre -owned audio compo-nents Fully Guaranteed. VISIT Our Two Floors of Audio &HomeTheater Showrooms at: 320 Old York Road,Jenkintown PA 19046. Layaway, Credit Cards Accepted.Shipping U.S. Canada, Worldwide. Highest SPrices Paid$For Used Audio Video/Components, Since 1984. Autho-rized Dealer: AudioOuest, AudioAlchemy, Harmon/Kardon, Kef, Marantz, NAD, NHT, Paradigm, Panamax,Rotel, Spendor, Sota, Sumiko, StrightWire, SunFire, Tar-get.(Some items for sale only in our local trading area, not avail-able mail order ask for details.)

THE STEREO TRADING OUTLETNATIONWIDE BUYERS & SELLERS SINCE 1984

$$TOP DOLLAR PAID$$ FOR Audio & Video EquipmentCALL (215) 886-1650 OR FAX (215) 886-2171:24 HRS

FOR SALE

WHOLESALE CONNECTIONTo Order

Call

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CALL FOR OTHER BRANDSCD Players

XLF215 Calll XLM5SD .CallXLM417 .Call' XLMC301 Call

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CALL FOR OTHER BRANDSDAT RECORDER

Portable Home Ca

MINI DISC RECORDERPortable Home Call

Portable CD PlayersSONY

D242CK ..Call D842K ..Call0245. ..Call I D844K Call0421 Call D848K Call

KENWOODDPC341 Call DPC651 Call

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SONYSPPO210 .Call' SPPA250 CallSPPS20 ..Call SPPA450 Call

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JVCGRSZ9 Call' GRAX800 .CallGRAX900 .Call GRAX700 .Call

CANON I SHARPES2000 .Call ALL MODELSOTHER 8MM BRANDS AVAILABLE

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Call For Brands & Models Not Listed24 HR. FAX (718)997-6652 P.O.'s WelcomeHRS. MON -SAT 9 A -6 P. M. Est Prices subject to change Pricesexclude shipping 8 handling Not responsible for typographical errorsMasterCard. Visa. American Express and C D accepted Productscame with W C Warranty We6 ship UPS 8 FEDEXWf101C521C OIIn2C11011 63-48 108th St. Forest Hills, NY 11375

DJ & NightclubSound, Lighting & Video CATALOG

FREE 88 -Page Catalog with ahuge selection of name brandprofessional gear for DJ's,Clubs & Musicians all atdiscount prices!

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AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD.Buys -Sells -Trades -Repairs

Al makes of High End Audio Since 1979

Over 16,000 items in stock.

Call for our FREE condensed catalog,

8AM-5PM ET M -F 607-865-7200 Fax 607-865-7222

We II mail it. fax it or you can see it on the web athttp://www.aud ioclassics.com

E-mail: info@audioclassics.com34 Gardiner PI POB 176AAA Walton NY 13856

HI Fl EXCHANGE. Large selection of quality USED highendcomponents at huge discounts. We buy, sell & trade. Call forinventory list. (718) 423-0400 or visit our showrooms at251-11 Northern Blvd, Little Neck, NY 11363.

ENJOY JITTER -FREE MUSIC! AT $549 FOR THE BASICPLAYER AND $649 FOR THE REFERENCE ONE TRANS-PORT. WE HAVE BROKEN THE PRICE BARRIER. ISO-LATED STABLE CLOCK MODULES AND OTHER UP-DATES STILL AVAILABLE. DEALER INQUIRIESWELCOME. G&D TRANSFORMS. (602) 650-1155.

LOUDSPEAKERSLOUDSPEAKER COMPONENT - KITS. Audio Concepts,Dynaudio, Eclipse, Eton, LPG, Vifa, more! Crossover parts,design books & repairs. Catalog $2.00. MENISCUS, 257528th St.. S.W., Dept. A, Wyoming, MI 49509. (616) 534-9121.

CUSTOM ACTIVE ELECTRONIC CROSSOVERS, 6 to 36dB/Oct. Also Snell, Magnepan versions. DB SYSTEMS,POB 460, RINDGE, NH 03461. (603) 899-5121.

ROTTEN FOAM EDGES?SIMPLY SPEAKERSdoes professional foam replace-ments any size/brand. 7 Year Warranty. We sell DIYFoam Surround Kits for less! Speaker reconing. MC/V ISA/DISCOVER/AMEX: 1-800-767-4041.

STATE OF THE ART CROSSOVER NETWORKS.UPGRADE ANY SPEAKER. SOFTWARE AVAILABLE.FREE DESIGN GUIDE. ALLPASS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.,2844 CHARMONT DR . APOPKA, FL 32703-5972.(407)786-0623.

D.I.V. NEW FOAM KITSTHE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THEM IS

BLACK AND WHITE.

NEW-POAMCALL TOLL FREE

Speaker Repair 8c Replacement Parts\ Nationwide Service Since 1979 ir1 -800 -NEW -FOAM = 1-800-639-3626 NATIONWIDESPEAKER REPAIR, PARTS, AND ACCESSORIES. Call uswith your speaker problems. VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC.

Repair Foam Rot Yourself! Save hundreds of dollars w/orig kit! Kits to fil any speaker . Advent. AR,

JBL. Bose. Intro . EV. etc Inc. surrounds. adhesive 8 instructions MC/VISA/Discover - No CODs Call last for Best Price Order by phone 24 hrs 704-697-9001

or call Toll Free 800-747-3692P O. Box 1088 Flat Rock. NC 28731

Speaker Service, Upgrades and Trades. Ohm Acoustics,Corp. 241 Taaffe PI. Brooklyn NY 11205 (800)783-1553FAX (718)857-2472 email:OhmSpeaker@AOL.comW W W. OhmSpeaker.Com

AUDIO/JUNE 199692

SOL ENEUROPEAN SPEAKERDRIVER UNITS CATALOG

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SOLEN CROSSOVERCOMPONENTS CATALOGUES

HEPTA-LITZ INDUCTORSPERFECT LAY HEXAGONALWINDING

STANDARD INDUCTORSPERFECT LAY HEXAGONALWINDING

FAST CAPACITORSMETALLIZEDPOLYPROPYLENE

SOLEN CROSSOVER &SPEAKER PARTS

SOL EN INC.4470 Ave. ThibaultSt -Hubert QC J3Y 7T9Canada

Tel: 514-656-2759Fax: 514-443-4949

Catalogue US$8.00 Refundable

GEMINIDYNAUDIO and MADISOUND in-troduce a new standard for Loud-speaker Systems. The Gemini has thesound quality of an electrostatic loud-speaker, but has the power handlingcapability and smaller size availablein a dynamic loudspeaker.

18-1/2'

11'

áj

- 7-314' -

Woofer: Dynaudio Esotec 15W75, 3inch voice coil on a cast frame 5 inchwoofer - exceptional power capabil-ity and bass clarity.

Tweeter: Dynaudio Esotec D-260Soft dome with transmission linechambering - smooth clean outputeven at transients of 1 kilowatt.

Crossover: 6dB - Phase and imped-ance compensated, Polypropylene ca-pacitors in series circuits give newmeaning to transparency in sound re-production.

Cabinet: MDF up to 1 inch thick!Oak veneers, with grill and clear orblack satin finish.

Kit: All parts for home assembly inone evening - If you don't lovethem, we'll but them back!

Price: Special kit price: $998 per pair,kits complete with cabinets. TheGEMINI speakers would be an excep-tional value at three times this price.

Note: Minimum impedance 3Q.

itrI

rr.I\I

MADISOUND SPEAKER COMPONENTS8608 UNIVERSITY GREEN

P.O. BOX 44283

MADISON, WI 53744-4283 U. SA.TEL. 608.831.3433 FAX 608831.3771

e-mail: madisound@its.comWeb Page: http:lwww.itis.com/madisound

LOUDSPEAKERS

TRUE SUBWOOFERWith phenomenaltrue deep bassextending below20Hz with lowdistortion at a veryaffordable price.The HRSW12Vwill extend thebass of yourstereo or videosystem for that"air shaking allaround you"effect. HSU Research HRSW12V

Here's what experts are saying about the HRSW12V:"...the Hsu has to be considered an outstanding bargain."

Robert Deutsch, Stereophile Guide to Hone TheaterVol. 1 No. 2, 1995

'Prodigious bass that shakes the walls' .."one heck of athunder buster.'

John E Johnson, Jr., Secrets of Home Theatre andHigh Fidelity May 1995

'...this woofer achieves a combination of extremely quickspeed and gut massaging bass impact drat I have seldomexperienced horn any subwoofer.'

Peter Mtchell, Stereophile Vol. 18 No. 1, January 1995

"has developed an enviable reputation in its few short yearsof existence"

Thomas J. Scrim, Sterecch» Gude to Hare Theater Vol 1 No. 1, 1985

"Hsu 's HRSW12V is a wonderful subwoofer. It's goodlooking and simple to use, and its performance invitesnothing less than superlatives, especially given its price"

Tom Nousaine, Sound 8 Image, February/March 1995

'The HRSW12V is one d the most potent subwoders we haveused. Sonically, it is all one could wsh for, and the price is right.'

Julian Hirsch. Stereo Relew December 1994

"...all of the non.boomy, stomach. massaging bass energy wascoming from a single 12 -inch powered subwoofer.

Peter Mitchell, Stereophile Vol. 17 No. 4. April 1994

'...delivered enough punch to shake the sturdiest shell..Brent Butterworth, Video Magazne, April 1994

Send for full details on the 12V and the new 10V.Write or callHSU RESEARCH14946 Shoemaker Ave Unit LSanta Fe 906701-800-554-0150 (Voice)1-310-404-3848 (Voice/Fax)

Sold factory direct with a 30 day trial - money backguarantee 5 year manufacturer's defect warranty

HSUrchResea

$400 OFF PAIRS OF JBL4312STUDIO MONITOR SPKRS! BRAND NEW! USED BY 70%OF ALL RECORDING STUDIOS FOR MIXING AND EVAL-UATION. 3 -WAY WITH 12" WOOFER, 5" MIDRANGE &DOME TWEETER. 100 WATT CAPACITY. $595/PAIR!ORIGINAL REPRODUCTION HARTSFIELD 085s $5999/PAIR. SHIPPED WORLDWIDE. VISA/MC. HAL COX, 1947.(415) 388-5711, FAX: (415) 388-3359. 164 TAMALPAIS AV-ENUE, MILL VALLEY, CA94941. SAN FRANCISCO AREA.

RECORDSLV/CD/RECORD COLLECTOR'S SUPPLIES. Jewel boxes,record jackets, sleeves, storage boxes, 78 sleeves, dividers,much more! Free brochure: CABCO PRODUCTS, ROOM663, POB 8212, COLUMBUS, OH 43201. (614) 267-8468.

HALF MILE VINYL. Large Inventory Quality Preowened LP'scleaned and graded. Send SASE for catalog to Box 98, EastWareham, MA 02538. Call 508-295-2508.

PRESERVE + ENHANCE + RESTORE'.We Sell Audio Dynamite!

From Spinning 78's To The Outer Limits of Hi -Fidelity! BestPrices on Stanton GoldringCreek.Free Catalog*. KABElectro -Acoustics. P.O. Box 2922, Plainfield, NJ07062-0922.(908)754-1479Visa/MC

AUDIO/JUNE 199693

AUDIOPHILE RECORDS

Analogue ProductionsMobile Fidelity Wilson

Reference Recording-CheskySheffield Lab - Harmonia Mundt

Proprius - RCA Living Stereo - KlavierMercury Living Presence - plus many more

in and out of print recordings'

Catalog $3 in USA, $5 elsewhere - refundable

ACOUSTIC SOUNDS 1-800-525-1630Visa P.O. BOX 2043 SALINA, KS 67402-2043

MasterCard 1-913-825-8609 FAX 1-913-825-0156

WANTED TO BUYMARANTZ & ALL VINTAGE EQUIPMENT, HIGH -END. Noone pays MORE, working or not! N.Y.S.!. (718) 377-7282,2-6pm, WEEKDAYS.

Integrated buyer, David Yo, since 1977 always buying: vin-tage tube Marantz, McIntosh, ARC, Quad, Leak. Vintagespeakers, units from Western Electric, JBL, EV, Jensen, Al-tec, Tannoy, Thorens TD -124, Garrard 301. P.O. Box 80371San Marino, Ca 91118-8371. Tel: 818(441-3942.

WANTED: TUBE HI FI, CORNER/HORN SPEAKERS! Al-tec, Jensen, Marantz, Leak, Quad, McIntosh, Western Elec-tric, EV, JBL, Tannoy ETC. Sonny (405)737-3312. Fax 3355.

WANTED: ACOUSTAT 2 PLUS 2 SPEAKERS. CALL ANY-TIME (717)779-3400.

AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD.Buys -Sells -Trades -Repairs

Al makes of High End Audio Since 1979

Over 16,000 items in stock.

Call for our FREE condensed catalog!

8AM-5PM ET M -F 607-865-7200 Fax: 607-865-7222

We'll mail it, fax it or you can see it on the web athttp:/hvww. a ud ioclassics. com

E-mail: infoeaudioclassics.com34 Gardiner PI, POB 176AAA, Walton, NY 13856

SERVICES

ACCUPHASEAUTHORIZED SERVICE AND PARTS for all Accuphaseproducts. Contact: ACCUTECH. 206 E. Star of India Lane,Carson, CA 90746. TEL. (310) 324-7406, FAX (310)324-7422. Hours: 9am-4pm Pacific Time.

Audio Equipment Built, Repaired, Modified and Restoredby Richard Modafferi, independent consultant to Audio Clas-sics, Ltd., inventor, and former Senior Engineer at McIntosh.AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD. POB 176RTM, Walton, NY 13856Phone: 607-865-7200 8AM-5PM EST Mon. -Fri., FAX:607-865-7222.

MISCELLANEOUSCLASSICAL MUSIC LOVERS' EXCHANGE'. Nationwidelink between unattached music lovers. Write CMLE, Box 31,Pelham, NY 10803. (800) 233-CMLS.

FREE CATALOG - STEREOS, VIDEO, HOME THEATER.The Crutchfield catalog brings you expert advice, a hugeselection, and great prices. Detailed descriptions and exclu-sive comparison charts make it easy to choose. Virtually ev-ery major brand. Find exactly what you're looking for - andsave money too. It's FREE! Call Now! 1-800-955-9009.

SATELLITE TV

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yNCelt 800-500-9264t+°" `ISkyvision'1060 Frontier á. Fergus ~All 56537

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Premium Grade PartsDon't Pay More!

Absolutely the best selection of audiophile grade partsat fair prices! Extensive deep in stock inventoryfeaturing these vendors and many more. Free catalog!MIT MULTICAP, WONDER CAP, SOLEN, SCR, REL-CAP,NlctttcoN MUSE, BLACK GATE, CA000CK, VISHAY, Mitts,'Hocco, RESISTA, TDK, ALPS, NOBLE, EAR, DidL'-x PAN Eu,CAttovs, KiMneat, AcuolTcll, & pure silver chassis wires,HExERF.0 diodes, SOLO foil inductors, all types of audioconnectors, silver contact toggle & rotary switches,stepped attenuator kits, hospital grade plugs, tubes,tools, IC's, super selection of damping materials & feet.International/overseas orders are especially welcome!Phone (415) 669-7181 or fax (415) 669-7558 for a catalog,Michael Percy, Box 526, Inverness, CA 94937

WELBORNE LABS200 PAGE CATALOG and DESIGN MANUAL OFHIGH QUALITY AUDIO KITS and SUPPLIES!!!

We've got Vacuum Tube and mosfet Amplifiers, LinestagesPhonostages, Active Crossovers, Power Supplies, AC LineConditioners and many other Audio Kits and Schematics.

Parts and SuppliesHovland MusiCaps, Kimber Kaps, MIT MultiCaps, SolerWIMA and Wonder InfiniCaps; Caddock, Holco, Mills andResista resistors; Golden Dragon, NOS RAM Labs, Sovtekand Svetiana tubes; Cardas, DH Labs, Kimber KableNeutrik, Vampire and WBT connectors and wire; AlpsNoble and stepped volume controls; Enclosures, Books andother Supplies for DIY'ers. International Orders Welcome.For our Catalog and Manual, send $12 (US/Canada) $18(International) or call (303) 470-6585, fax (303) 791-5783 ore-mail to: wlabs@ix.netcom.com with your Visa/Mastercard.

WELBORNE LABSP.O. Box 260198, Littleton, CO 80126-0198

Visit our Website for more info: http://wwH.welbomelabs.com

a

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PUBLICATIONS

Build a better loudspeaker...than anything you can buy!

Speaker Builder can show you how.Fax your request for a FREE ISSUE to

603-924-9467 orwrite to: PO Box 494 Dept AU6,

Peterborough, NH 03458-0494 USA

HOME THEATERFREE CATALOG!!! GIANT 5' - 25' TVs!!! ULTRA -BRIGHT,HIGH -RESOLUTION LCD VIDEO PROJECTORS. POLI -VISION, 187-A CYPRESS, THROOP, PA 18512-1429.(PH: 717-489-3292) (FX:717-489-1943).

CABLE TV

CABLE TV MEDESCRAMBLERS Best Buys

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LINK YOURSELF TO THE FUTURE WITH OUREXPERIENCE! CABLE TV CONVERTERS &DESCRAMBLERS. QUALITY, SERVICE &SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! VISA/MC/AMEX/C.O.D. ACCEPTED. QUANTITYDISCOUNTS. CABLE LINX, INC., MIN-NEAPOLIS, MN: 1-800-501-0095.

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WE'LL BEAT ANY PRICE ON CABLE CONVERTERS &DESCRAMBLERS. SAVE ON EQUIPMENT, CABLE RENT-AL FEES, & CONNECTION CHARGES. STEALTHS, M-80,PIONEER, ETC. DEALER INQUIRES WELCOME. VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER/C.O.D. QUALITY ENTER-TAINMENT 1(800) -72 -BOXES.

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AUDIO/JUNE 199694

CABLE TV

CABLE T.V. CONVERTERS & DE -SCRAMBLERS: Replacements for mostmodels. 30 Day Trial -1 Year Warranty!Dealer Inquiries Invited. Visa/MC/Disc/Amex/COD FOR QUALITY, PRICE & SER-VICE CALL: 1-800-259-1187. Eagle Elec-tronics Inc., #1, 1301 Railhead Blvd., Na-ples, FL 33963. No Florida Sales.

Cable DescramblersWe'll beat anyone's price!

1 Year Warranty 100% Matey Back Free Catalog

Filters * Converters * AccessoriesORIONElectron 1-800-379-3976 iics

CABLE EQUIPMENT

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TUBE COMPONENTS

SOUND VALVES -AFFORDABLE TUBE COMPONENTS! (Seeour display ad October AUDIO.) Quality 100%Made -in -USA designs by Harry Klaus. Pre -amps $699 -up; Amplifiers $899 -up. MO-SFET: Amplifiers $499 -up. Factory -directsales welcomed! UPS COD. 30 -day satisfac-tion guarantee. Sound Valves, 185 North YaleAvenue, Columbus, Ohio 43222-1146.Phone: 614-279-2383, 10-4 EST; Fax:614-279-0368.

BLANK TAPES

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LOUDSPEAKERSGOETZ LOUDSPEAKERS. A NEW LINE OF AFFORD-ABLE HI -END LOUDSPEAKERS. USING THE FINESTDRIVERS AND COMPONENTS. FINISHED IN APPALA-CHIAN HARDWOODS. 704-884-9842. 704-884-7589.

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Page7

13

19

8 & 9Brystonvermont (3) 31

Caig Laboratories (4) 81

Cambridge SoundWorks (5) 55

conrad-johnson (6) 59

Definitive Technology (7) Cover II & 1, 33Esoteric Audio Cover IVJ & R Music World (8) 77Jensen (9) 2 & 3

Jolida (10) 58

KEF (1 l) 25

Kimber Kable (12) 76

Legacy Audio (13) Cover IIILexicon (14) 27Linear X Systems (15) 63

M & K Sound 37

Martin -Logan 45Mobile Fidelity (16, 17) 71, 73Music Interface Technologies (18) 21

NEON (19) 35New West Electronics (20) 87Paradigm (21) 16 & 17

Parasound 11

Pioneer 38 & 39Smirnoff 61

Sound City (22) 85

Southern Comfort 14, 15

ThielToshiba (23)

625

Velodyne 29

Wireworld (24) 75

XLO Electric 49Yakov Aronov (25) 83

Yamaha 22 & 23

AUDIO, June 1996, Volume 80, Number 6. AUDIO(ISSN 0004-752X, Dewey Decimal Number621.381 or 778.5) is published monthly by Ha-chette Filipacchi Magazines, Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi USA, Inc., at1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019. Printed inU.S.A. at Dyersburg, Tenn. Distributed by WarnerPublisher Services Inc. Second class postage paidat New York, N.Y. 10019 and additional mailingoffices. Subscriptions in the United States, $24.00for one year, $42.00 for two years, $58.00 forthree years; other countries except Canada, add$8.00 per year; in Canada, $32.00 for one year(includes 7% GST; Canadian GST registrationnumber 126018209).AUDIO® is a registered trademark of Hachette Fil-ipacchi Magazines, Inc. ©1996, Hachette FilipacchiMagazines, Inc. All rights reserved. The Editor as-sumes no responsibility for manuscripts, photos,or artwork. The Publisher, at his sole discretion, re-serves the right to reject any ad copy he deems in-

appropriate.Subscription Service: Postmaster, please sendchange of address to AUDIO, P.O. Box 52548,Boulder, Colo. 80321-2548. Allow eight weeksfor change of address. Include both old and newaddress and a recent address label. If you have asubscription problem, please write to the aboveaddress or call 303/604-1464; fax, 303/604-7455.Back Issues: Available for $6.95 each ($8.25 Cana-da; $13.25 other foreign) in U.S. funds. Please add$1.00 for the Annual Equipment Directory (Octo-ber issue). Send a check or money order toISI/AUDIO Magazine, 30 Montgomery St., JerseyCity, N.J. 07302, or call 201/451-9420.

AUDIO/JUNE 199695

Hilt Uf-lfl fl/U TOWER SPEflRER

Ci stereo speakers image sharply. But for video, lesssharpl focused sound from the main front speakers mayhelp y focus in on the center channel and the screen.Switch -selected crossovers on the NHT VT -1A speakerslet you choose appropriate imaging for audio or video.The switch's video position also raises output by 3 dB(handy, if you use your TV's wimpy amp), raises the basscutoff from 45 to 65 Hz (perhaps on the assumption thathome theaters all have subwoofers), spreads the soundwider to reach off -center viewers, and makes the dialogsound clearer, closer, and livelier. The crossover switch'saudio position converts the VT -1A from a two-way to atwo -and -a -half -way system, sharpens the imaging, andmakes the sound smoother and sweeter. The tall, slimcabinets put the tweeters at ear height and (usually)screen height, take up less than a quarter of a squarefoot on the floor, and won't block most people's viewof the screen. The VT-lAs are $700 per pair andcome in black or white laminate. Ivan Berger

For literature, circle No. 125

GRAW: B+

AUDIX NILE X SPEAKER.......................udix is mainly known for its professional performance

i and high -end monitors, of which the Nile X ($1,995 perpair nchors the top of its Studio Series line.

The Nile X is a very good hi-fi speaker; no shortcuts were takenwith these large bookshelf -size units (22íh x 10 x 131 inches).I eaturgs include two 7 -inch Kevlar bass drivers, a 1 -inch cloth-dumr,ri'eeter, and a very heavy (45 pounds each), internally braced,

inert cabinet. Power handling is rated as 50 to 350 watts.Having heard the Nile X previously during a professional console

mi 1 Nis impressed with its performance as a home speaker-ifpla d rrectly. With a slotted rear port, this speaker can

overemphasize the bass in the40 -Hz region unless it isplaced a minimum of 3 feet

GRA ',; B+from any walls. (Audix plansanother version with a frontport.)

I set up the Nile X pair onmetal stands with spikes, 4 feet

from the wall behind them.Sonically, the speaker wasvery neutral in the mid-

range and treble. There were nocabinet colorations, and the tweeter exhibited no sibilant "s" sounds on femalevocals. Excellent tone on piano and violin. John Gatski

For literature, circle No. 126

AudioQuesf 7000fe5 Phono Car -fridgeAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

udioQuest's excellent 7000 series of moving -coil cartridges is the Fe5,amed the rity of its iron coil core ("five -nines," or 99.999%); the coilsemse are o solid silver. The new model's high output, 0.55 millivolt,akes ompa ible

with ually anysolid- to preamphaving oving-coilinput , with somesolid -s e and tubeprea . ing high -gainmoving -magnet inputs. It provides exceedingly highresolution and does not reduce low midrange energy, asdo many other cartridges. This gives the 7000Fe5 the flat,neutral timbre required in a system that mixes phonowith other program sources. The 7000Fe5 is highlydynamic but without exaggeration and ringing. Track the 7000Fe5 at 1.8 to 1.85 grams,set the vertical tracking angle so that the cartridge is slightly tail down, give it about50 hours to break in, and you'll get terrific sound. The only painful part about thiscartridge is its price tag: $2,550. Anthony H. Cordesman

AUDIO/JUNE 199696

For literature, circle No. 127

GRADE: A

i112s o

un ifthe most speaker

CIRCLE NO. 12 ON READER SERVICE CARD

that can be hadfor the money.

- KWN, Editor

The Sensible Sound, Issue #54

ON COMPUSERVE:GO TOLEGACY

Al.iDIOfor your free catalog please call

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Lawrence B. JohnsonAudio Video InteriorsRp-il 1995

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Bound for SoundFebruary 1996

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