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SPECIAL FEATURE ARTICLES ON How to Buy a CD Player High -End CD Players Portable CD Players CD Accessories CD for the Car CD and DAT CD Basicsand more! cT

Product listings with specs,descriptions, and prices

of home CD players,portable models,

CD changers,car options,

and more!

MAGNAVOX

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ENON OCD-1500Olcally 1'390

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CIRCLE NO. 64 ON READER SERVICE CARD

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The audio critics of the world hardly everagree on anything. But wien t comes to EuperlativeCD players. <en Pohlmann, Len Feldmar,Masamitsu Fukuda, Ulrich Smyrek, David Prakel,Yoshiyuki Artur Juig, and Hidec Kanekorecommend one model with amazing consistency:the Denon DCD-1500.

How did Denon achieve this exaltec status?Not by offering useless bjttons. switches andfluorescent :-_-isplays. But by developing better digitalcircuitry, building to higher standards, c nd usingbetter parts. Our proprietary Super LinearConverter is the only one that actually corrects D/Atransfer distortion. Each circu t gets its clAn separatepower supply. And our filers are computer -analyzed fc r linear phase. Sc you hear sound thatrewards the most critical istening.

In a player as reasonably oriced as -heDCD-1500, these refinements cre enough to makeeven a hard-boiled critic stand up and cheer. Andnow the -e's more cause for celebration: tiree newDenon CD P ayers. They're built on the scme

rinciples as the DCD-1500, and they're even moreffordable.

So if you want to hear the best that theompact Disc format has to offer, get yourself to a

non dealer. And don't forge- to tell hrr who sentu: Ken, Len, Masamitsu, Ulrich...

HIFI VISION-Urtellstett.ehr41cv.

DCD-1500: Dual Super Li sear Converters; Os ersempling DigitalFilters; CAL 2 Analog Filters; Programming; Remo :e Control.

$

DCD-700: Super Linear Converter: Real -Time Phc se Correctic n:Programming; Remote Control; Headphone Jock sylti, level C ',fro!

DENONDESIGN INTEGRITY

Alm

DCD 1300: 5 'per Linear Converte-; Over:000°g Digital Fil ers;Real -Time F Irlse Correction; Programming; 'emote Control.

7.111111111111.111151.-

DCD-500: iccier Linear Converter; Real -Tim a Phase Correrti an;Frog -ornmsn 3: Emphasis Display; Headp to. e Jack.

COMPACT DISCBUYERS' GUIDE 1987®

FEATURE ARTICLESHow to Buy a Compact Disc Player William Livingstone 4CD Basics: Digital Audio Theory and Practice William Burton . ... 12Getting Ready For Digital Julian Hirsch ... . 20High -End Compact Disc Players Daniel Sweeney . . .. 24A CD Player Shopping List Wendy Schaub and John Weinberg. . . 31Portable Compact Disc Players Myron Berger . 34CD Options for the Car Christopher Greenleaf. .. . 37Compact Disc Accessories Marcia Golden .. .. 43Disc and DAT Craig Stark . .. 47Do All CD Players Sound the Same9 Ian Masters. . .. 60

SOFTWARE ARTICLESThe 25 Best Classical CDs . William Livingstone and Christie Barter . 69The 25 Best Popular CDs Steve Simels... . 73The 25 Best Jazz CDs Chris Albertson .... 77The 25 Best New Age CDs Michael Smolen .... 81The 25 Best Country CDs Alanna Nash.... 85

CD PLAYER TEST REPORTSSony DiscJockey 90Yamaha CD -2000 94Bang & Olufsen CDX 96Hitachi DA -501 98Pioneer PD -M6 100

PRODUCT LISTINGS1: Home Compact Disc Players 1172: Portable Compact Disc Players 1343: CD Changers & Combo Players 1384: Car Compact Disc Players 1405: Compact Disc Accessories 144

Directory of Manufacturers 147Digital Dictionary 149

William 1.ivingstone, editorial directorVilliam Burton, editor

Margaret Bruen, art directorWendy M. Schaub, assistant editor

Barbara Aiken, John Weinberg, editorial assistantsRoman Beyer, vice president and publisher

Stereo Review Presents is published six times a year by CBS Magazines,a division of CBS Inc., 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

COPYRIGHT 1986 BY CBS MAGAZINES, A DIVISION OF CBS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PERMISSIONS: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission.Requests for permissions should be directed to Bill Bunchuck,

Rights and Permissions, CBS Magazines, One Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

Cover components (top to bottom): Technics SL-XP8portable CD player (see product listing on page 137);Yamaha YCD-1000 car CD player (page 143). Pioneer CLD.909 CD/LaserDisc player (139): Sony 620ES home CDplayer (page 130). Magnavox CD880 CD boombox (page134)

Cover photograph: Halley Ganges

Stereo Review'sCOMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE

Editorial and Executive Offices1515 Broadway

New York. New York 10036(212) 719-6000

Associate Publisher. Winston A JohnsonAdvertising Director, Buyers' Guides. Richard J Halpern

Eastern Advertising Manager. Charles L.P. WatsonAccount Manager: Mary Anne Holley

Midwestern OfficeThe Paths Group

4761 West Touhy AvenueLincolnwood. IL 60646

(312) 679-1100Arnold S HoffmanDirk Barenbrugge

Witatarn OfficeW J Curtis 8 Associates

4827 Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 220Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(818) 784-0700Western Director. William J CurtisRegional Manager Danica Bennett

Japan OfficeIwai Trading Co . Ltd

603 Ginza Sky Heights Building18-13, Ginza 7-Chome

Chou -Ku, Tokyo. Japan 104Telephone (03) 545-3908

Account Manager J S Yagi

CBS Magazines, a division of CBS Inc.President Peter G Demands

Vice president. editorial director: Carey WinfreySenior vice president, publishing. Robert F Spillane

Senior vice president. circulation. Robert E AlexanderSenior vice president. operations 8 administration:

Robert GranataVice president, finance. Arthur Sukel

Vice president. subscription circulation. Bernard B LacyVice president. manufacturing 8 distribution

Murray M RomerPresident. CBS Magazine Marketing Carl Kopf

Stereo Review Presents is published six times a yearby CBS Magazines. a division of CBS Inc .

1515 Broadway. New York. NY 10036October 1986, Stereo Review's Compact Disc Buyers'

Guide. 1987 Edition

2 COMPAC 1 DISC BUVERS' GUIDE 1987

.;;V /ft/ II /MUM 111111111

A Dream FulfilledPerfection is an elusive goal...all the more elusive

when near -perfection can be achieved easily.And so it is with Compact Disc Players.

If CD players seem to sound the same...listen carefully.An unnatural stridency

-especially during quiet passages-shatters the dream.

When we discovered the reason-tiny "glitches" created during D/A conversion-

we developed a unique "Glitch -Free" converter.And then we added a special power supply

that completely isolates the digital and analog circuitry.Hear the promise of digital sound finally fulfilled by the

Nakamichi OMS-7AII and OMS-5AIICompact Disc Players that rise above the ordinary

and fulfill the dream!

NakamichiNakamichi U.S A. Corporation 19701 South Vermont Ave . Torrance. CA 90502 (213) 538.8150


HO A Tuff( A CD RumIGITAL recording technologyand the Compact Disc systemhave brought change to al -

by William Livingstone

most every aspect of hi-fi. Music is recorded andplayed back differently, and without the an-noyance of tape hiss and the ticks and pops of LPsurface noise, it actually sounds different. The

generally superior sound quality of the CD system isapparent even to audio novices. Everyone I know whohas heard a Compact Disc system demonstrated in ahome listening room has wanted to buy one.

The speed with which the American public em-braced the video cassette recorder was phenomenal.Figures for sales of CD players in the scant three yearssince they were first offered to American consumersshow that the Compact Disc is being accepted at aneven faster rate than the VCR.

Your first question in considering the purchase of aCompact Disc player might well be: Is this a good timefor me to buy one? The answer to that question is aresounding Yes.

Obstacles to sales in 1983 were the high prices ofplayers and the limited selection of music available onCompact Discs. Both obstacles have been overcome.

Prices have been reduced dramati-cally, and there is tremendous vari-ety in the kinds of music available

on the four to five thousand Compact Discs listed incurrent catalogs.

Prices now range from less than $200 for a fewplayers marketed under brand names that have notbeen long associated with hi-fi equipment to more than$1,500 for players with special features. No matterwhat your budget is, you should therefore be able tofind a unit that will permit you to enjoy the benefits ofthis revolutionary advance in audio technology.

Before you go shopping you should think a bit aboutthe way you listen to music and how you will use yourCD player so that you can judge the appropriateness ofvarious features for you. Each extra bell or whistle addssomething to the cost of the unit and may add clutter tothe control panel and needless complication to the wayyou operate the machine. I tend to be a minimalistwhen it comes to features, but there is no reason whyyou should deny yourself the convenience and pleasureof any of the tricks a CD player can perform, and fea-tures constitute one of the principal grounds on whichyou should base your choice.

An elementary approach that stresses features and simplicityof operation rather than the elusive difference in sound

Remote control. Manufacturers of television setshave taught us to enjoy the convenience and sense ofpower that comes from changing channels withoutleaving one's easy chair-or hot tub for that matter.Similarly, it is very handy to be able to control yourCD player from your favorite listening spot. If you lis-ten primarily to pop, rock, or jazz albums made up ofmany short selections, it is particularly useful to beable to skip a band you don't care for without leavingyour seat. Infrared wireless remote controls eithercome with many of the units that cost more than $500or $600 or are available as options.

Access functions. An advantage the turntable hasover the tape cassette is the comparative ease withwhich you can locate a particular band on an LP oreven a passage of music within a band. Designers ofCD players have worked very hard to make it easy togain quick access to desired passages on a CompactDisc with pinpoint accuracy.

CD's are divided into numbered bands or tracks. Ifyou want to play Track 9, you may have to press abutton nine times to select it. But some players havedirect access for quicker service-press 9 on a buttonor key pad and Track 9 is played.

The bands or tracks on a CD may be subdivided withdigitally encoded indexing points, which break thetracks down into smaller sections so that you can zeroin on the exact part of a piece of music you wish tohear. This is particularly useful with lengthy classicalcompositions, which may have only three or fourtracks for the movements of a concerto or symphony.Not all players can access by index code, but this fea-ture will probably become more important in thefuture as more Compact Discs are manufactured withindexing cues encoded on them.

There are various scanning and searching functionsthat give additional flexibility in finding the passagesyou want to play. You may find it helpful to have audi-ble fast scanning of a disc. Some units have search sys-tems that play the first few seconds of each track untilyou find one you want to hear.

Programming. Random-access programming isprobably the most highly touted convenience featureon CD players. It makes it possible for you to be a discjockey, reprogram the order of the tracks on a CompactDisc, and play them back in whatever rearrangedsequence you wish. Players vary widely in the numberof selections they can program.

1he top -loading Be am CDXfrom Ban & Olu sen looks veryclifferent om other players.

If you listen primarily to classical music, it is notlikely that you will want to scramble the scenes of anopera or the movements of a symphony and reprogramthem out of their normal sequence. But if you listen toa lot of pop albums and if you enjoy putting machinerythrough its paces, you can have a lot of fun program-ming a CD player. One Magnavox unit can rememberinstructions for 785 tracks from different discs.

A programming refinement I like is the RandomPlay feature on the Pioneer PD -M6 Multi -Disc player.This permits you to leave the random sequence inwhich the tracks are played to the machine. Giving apleasant element of novelty to familiar albums, thisfeature is also available on other players, such as someSony models on which it is called Shuffle Play.

Displays. The display panel on all the players will tellyou which track is being played. A considerableamount of additional information can be called up oncertain players-such as elapsed playing time orremaining playing time on a track or disc-which isuseful if you do a lot of home taping.

Headphones. There are people who maintain that lis-tening via headphones is the best way to appreciateCompact Discs (or any other kind of recorded music),but not all CD players are equipped with headphonejacks. If you want this feature, look for a unit that alsohas a separate volume control.

Special OptionsPortability. The small Sony and Technics

portable CD players are marvels of engi-neering and miniaturization. When Sonyintroduced the D-5 at $299.95 in 1984, itwas not only the smallest available CDplayer, but the cheapest. Since it could beused as an add-on unit for a home system,it was viewed not just as a classy way to take CD's onthe road, but as an inexpensive way to play CompactDiscs at home.

If you know that you will take advantage of the por-tability of these units, it would make sense to considerbuying one and using it at home as well. But I wouldnot recommend that you choose one of these if you

6 COMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

intend to use it only with your home system. At thissame low price both Sony and Technics, as well asmany other manufacturers, now have weightier unitsthat are designed for home use and are easier for thosewith big hands to operate.

Multi -Play. Toshiba has a unit, the Model XR-V22,which can play two CD's in sequence or can be pro-grammed to alternate back and forth between them.

The Pioneer PD -M6 changer will play up to six CD'sin sequence, in your programined order, or in an auto-matically selected random order. Its ability to providemore than six hours of music makes it ideal for anyonewho wants long stretches of background music athome, in a doctor or dentist's waiting room, or even, Isuppose, in a bar or restaurant.

Nikko has a changer that accommodates sixty CD's.Sony makes a changer for use in automobiles, so it isreasonable to expect a home changer from them beforelong and changers from other manufacturers as well.

Special circuitry. If you often play music just forbackground listening, you may find that the widedynamic range afforded by Compact Discs means thatthe volume drops too low or becomes obtrusively loudfor your purposes. In that case you might consider theModel DX 3 from dbx. Its special circuitry includes acompression control that evens out the volume peaksand valleys for smoother background listening. Alsoincluded is a signal -processing circuit to increase ordecrease the spaciousness of the sound field.

The Carver CD Player includes the Digital TimeLens, a special circuit designed to improve the qualityof improperly recorded Compact Discs. It can beswitched out for playing correctly made recordings.

CD plus Video. I hope you haven't written off Pio-neer's LaserDisc home video system. Pioneer hasn't.In fact, the system has been upgraded so that newLaserDiscs have digital audio soundtracks. Conse-quently, it is not surprising that Pioneer has introduceda machine that plays both Compact Discs and Laser -Discs, the Model CLD-900. Similar units (manufac-tured by Pioneer) are available from Luxman, Teac,and NAD.

After you have considered the convenience featuresand other options available to you, you can look for aCD player whose features mesh with your listeninghabits. You can do a little advance window shoppingin test reports and manufacturers' ads in this magazineor the listings in the Equipment Buying Guide sectionof the February issue. That way, when you get to thestore, you can already have an idea of a number of

Special circuitry on dbx'sDX 3 can provide compressionfor background listening.

BEYOND CONVENTIONAL AUDIO

THE ONKYO INTEGRA DX -320 WITH OPTO-COUPLINGTHE SOUND IS NO ILLJSION

The Integra DX -320 Con -pact Disc player is the first of ONKYO's new generation of CD players to inccrporateJur unique Opto-Coupling igital signal processing system. Conventional CD players transmit digital datanternally via pr ntec circuit board wir ng, which interacts with analog audio signals to produce Dig tal Signalnterference (DSI), resulting in an audiale "harshness" in the music.

Specially designed high sr.eed Opto-Coupling modules in the DX -320 transfer the digital audio and otherdata signals to the analog c utput stage via fiber optics, preventing DSI. -he result is noise -free, life -Ike-eproduction with none of the harsh sound characteristics often attributed to other CD players, This -erriarkableiew technology can only be found in -he ONKYO DX -320.

Double oversamp ing and digital filtering greatly improve phase and harmonic accuracy. A fullyprogramma Die wireless rernote.control includes memory selection, phrcse capability, and indexing ornaximum convenierce.

Our unique transport design incorporates ONKYO's exclusive Poly -Sorb, a rubber -like compound thatmproves isolation by absorting extraneous vibrations, eliminating skipping and mistracking.

The Integra DX -320 Con -pact Disc player fulfills tFe promise of digital audio, Artstry In Soundwith sound c ual ty that's as c ose to the original as anything you've ever heard.

udition the DX -320 at your authorized ONKYO dealer today. 31STKIFID,CIRCLE NC 16 ON READER SERVICE CARO 200 WIliams Drive, Ramsey, C7446

SONY

actual models that have the features you want and arein your price range. Obviously, as in shopping for anykind of product, you will give preference to a CDplayer made by a company whose reputation for qual-ity and service you respect.

In the StoreOnly in the store can you really assess a unit's look

and feel. Most stores other than the cheapest discountoutlets will let you operate the basic functions of a CDplayer in order to get a feel for it. In giving buyingadvice on any kind of equipment, I always lean heavilyon human engineering. It has been my experience thatone does not get used to a button or knob that is awk-ward to operate. It merely becomes more irritatingwith time.

Operate the PLAY, PAUSE, and FAST FORWARD func-tions, for example. Are the buttons and key pads of asize that is suitable for your fingers? Are they clearlymarked so that you will not have to use a flashlight andmagnifying glass to operate them at home?

Does the unit feel rugged and well made? You payextra for ruggedness, and you should expect the ADSCD 3, for example, to give a greater feeling of solidity,precision, and quality than, say, the Emerson CD 150.The ADS player weighs 20 pounds and lists for $895.The Emerson player weighs less than 10 pounds and iswidely available for less than $200.

Check the speed with which a unit responds to itscontrols. How long does it take to find a track you havepunched in for play? Outside the dentist's chair, thelongest seconds in my life are probably those few that ittakes for the tonearm of a semi -automatic turntable toreturn to its rest. CD players vary considerably in thetime they take to search for and find a particular trackand even in the time it takes for the loading door ordrawer to open.

Most CD players are front -loading with a drawer thatslides out to receive the disc you want to play. Thereare a number of top -loading machines for you tochoose from, however, if that method seems easier ormore natural to you. But remember that a front -load-ing machine usually requires less shelf room for easyoperation than a top -loading model and fits more eas-ily into a rack -mounted or "tower" installation.

Don't apologize for being interested in the way a unitlooks. Many people respond to the sturdy, almostindustrial appearance of Carver equipment. Otherslike Bang and Olufsen's Scandinavian styling. If youare tired of the aluminum look or the black that hasbecome basic in audio equipment, there are manyshades of gray in between, and Luxman even has anopulent gold -toned line.

Once you get a CD player, I predict that you will beusing it a lot, and it's important to buy one that you


Sony's 620ES has a twenty-

function remote controland very quick access.

will enjoy looking at and handling. If you are interestedin extensive programming and indexing functions,take along a CD with numerous tracks and encodedindexing points when you go shopping and hope that acooperative salesperson will permit you to operate aplayer's programming features. If not, perhaps he orshe will demonstrate it for you.

In the store you should also check for shock resist-ance by tapping the unit's case at different points whileit is playing to see if physical impacts cause it to mis-track or shut off. If a player mistracks simply fromyour operating its controls, it is either defective or tootouchy for you to consider, but you needn't subject it toassault and battery or kick its tires.

You can generally give extra preference points torecent models. Our Hirsch -Houck Laboratory testsshowed that a group of $300 CD players current duringthe latter part of 1985 outperformed most of theplayers that sold for three or four times that price in1983. I find that most new models are easier to operateand respond with greater speed.

Don't bother to try to make comparison tests of theerror -correction abilities of players you are consider-ing. If you keep your Compact Discs in good condition,any CD player that is operating properly will play themwithout problems.

Technology and SpecificationsShould you look for a unit that has digital instead of

analog filters? What is oversampling? Are three -beamlaser devices better than one? Our more technicallyoriented readers will, of course, want to know as muchas possible about how a CD player works and what isgoing on inside its case. But just as good speakers canbe produced using any one of a variety of designapproaches, so can CD players. Many inexpensiveplayers have three -beam lasers, and top -of -the -line

The optional remote controlfor the ADS CD3 also operatesother ADS Atelier components.

UNPRECEDENTED INTRODUCTORY OFFER.

BUY A NEW SHURESV40 CD PLAYER.

GET A SHURE V15 TYPE IV -MRCARTRIDGE WORTH $180 -FREE.

Nobody else couldmake this offer

because nobodybut Shure

brings you apremier -quality

CD player and the legendary ShureV15 Type IV -MR Cartridge. It's the bestof two audio worlds.

The V15 Type IV -MR provides notonly superb sound reproduction, butalso excellent protection against wearand damage to your invaluable recordcollection. It will enable you to con-tinue enjoying albums that could beimpossible to replace at any price.

INTRODUCING THENEW CD PLAYER WITH

THE FAMILIAR OLD NAME.Two qualities made the Shure

name famous and our new SV40 CDPlayer has both. Flawless sound quali-ty. And long-term dependability. This

feature -packed player even offers theconvenience of a 17 -function remotewith volume control that lets you pro-gram up to 15 tracks in any order youchoose. All at a surprisingly afford-able price.

OUTSTANDINGSOUND.

Crisp, clear sonic quality comesthrough via full 16 -bit digital pro-cessing. The SV40 also offers sophisti-cated Dual Break Point" filter setsthat remove extraneous high frequen-cy energy without affecting the music.Our LONGLIFE' 3 -beam laser track-ing system automatically compensatesfor disc imperfections, to make cer-tain nothing interrupts the flow of in-credible sound.

LONG -LIFEDEPENDABILITY.

Unlike some competitive units

requiring air vents an coo ing fins,the SV40 utilizes highly efficient,cool -running components designed toextend the operating life of its solidstate laser, digital processing circuit-ry, and mechanical systems. That'swhy you can expect more than 7,000hours of listening pleasure, free fromworry about the high cost of laserreplacement.

5 -YEAR LASERWARRANTY*

It's the first and only one in the in-dustry. And another great reason toadd the SV40's superior transparencyand realism to your home entertain-ment system now. Purchase beforeJanuary 31, 1987 and get the ShureV15 Type IV -MR Cartridge FREE.For the name of your nearest dealer,call 1-800-257-4873. (In Illinois1-800-624-8522)

Offer ends January 31, 1987.

Shure Brothers Inc., 222 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202-3696'See your dealer for details.

SHUREMAKING THINGS THE WAY THEY SHOULD SOUND

FOR OVER 60 YEARS.TMCIRCLE NO. 15 ON READER SERVICE CARD

models may have one or three. These are notquestions that should influence your choiceof a player.

But what about specifications? The audiospecifications on all CD players are wonder-ful. Distortion has reached the vanishingpoint, the dynamic range is almost more thanyou want for home listening, and the frequen-cy response is fantastic. There are measurabletiny differences in the frequency response ofvarious players at the very highest frequencies,but they are simply not significant.

The notion that there are not enough differencesin CD players' specs to influence a buying decisionis very hard for long-time audiophiles to accept. Theyare accustomed to poring over spec sheets and lab -testmeasurements, and they are not comfortable with thischange that the Compact Disc system is bringing intothe equipment market. But for a lot of other people,who would like to own good equipment and enjoy thebest sound but have never been comfortable with allthose numbers, this change is liberating.

Sound QualityThe most controversial aspect of the performance of

Compact Disc players is the quality of sound theydeliver. There are people-including some well -respected audio experts-who insist they can hear sub-tle, but significant, differences in the sonic perform-ance of various CD players. They speak of differencesin such things as "smoothness," "sweetness," and"musicality."

On the other hand, from the time CD players werefirst introduced the editors of this magazine have takenthe position that the measurable differences are toosmall to take into account in choosing a player. JulianHirsch, who has conducted all our individual and com-parative tests of Compact Disc players, has repeatedlystated that the difference in sound quality from oneplayer to the next is inaudible or insignificant.

We all agree that some very poorly recorded Com-pact Discs have been released (just as there havealways been some analog LP's of poor technical quali-ty), and that comparative sound quality is a basis forchoosing software (CD's) but not for choosing hard-ware (CD players).

To verify the evidence of our own ears we decided toconduct blind listening tests of a range of CD players.Since our staff members had already taken a stand onthe question, none of us were included in the listeningpanel. To eliminate any possible appearance of bias on

1he Magnavox FD 1051 BK hasthree -speed audible search to helpyou find the track you want.

ealistic's CD -1200, which can playsixteen tracks in any desiredorder, lists at only $299.95.

our part we had the tests carried out by David L. Clark,of DLC Design in Ann Arbor, Michigan, far fromHirsch -Houck Laboratories and far from our NewYork offices. Ian Masters, a freelance writer, was com-missioned to report on the results.

Published in our January issue, the results showedthat using test signals in A/B comparisons under care-fully controlled laboratory conditions, the listenerswere able to hear minute differences just often enoughto have statistical significance. When music was usedin the comparisons instead of test tones, however, thepanel could not hear any significant differences or indi-cate preferences for one machine over the others.

If all the players sound alike, you may well ask, whynot just buy the cheapest one available? For the samereason that you don't buy the cheapest watch that willkeep time accurately or the cheapest car that will trans-port you to work and back. In buying a watch or a caryou are interested in features, styling, quality of con-struction, durability, ease of operation, and even prideof ownership. The same factors play a part in yourchoice of a CD player.

Among the changes brought about by new digitaltechnology is the simplicity of operation of CD players.This appeals to large numbers of buyers who weredaunted by the complexity of choosing and operatingconventional hi-fi equipment. The sonic virtues of theCompact Disc system have made many jaded recordcollectors get excited about music all over again. Theyfind themselves thrilled once more by the standardrecorded repertoire as they rebuild their collections onCompact Discs.

Any way you look at it, the digital age of recording istoo exciting for you to miss, and the important thing isfor you to buy a CD player now. If you can only affordthe cheapest one, buy that and hope you can trade upin a year or two.

And if a friend or a salesperson tries to demonstrateto you that one player sounds better than another, besure that they are played at equal volume in the com-parisons. Otherwise, the louder one will always soundbetter. If in such a comparison you should hear onethat does sound "smoother," "sweeter," or more "mu-sical" to you, my advice is to buy that player. It is theone that will make you happy.

Ers.2C7SYST EAA MON TO 1

If you aspire to owning the famousEnergy 22 Pro Monitor out can't quiteaFord it, hear the ESM-2. With size andperformance approaching the 22, it is"both a f ne loudspeaker and anewellent value."

Or perhaps the more compa:t ESM-3w II better suit you - it is "definitely anexellent value."

On a s-udent budget? Try the newESM-4 bookshelf monitor - veryalordabie!

Audition any of the ESM monitors. Wethink you'll agree with what StereoReview, nigh Fidelity and Audio Idea,say below.

\L_ ESN MODELS COME IN MIRROR -IMAGED,A RS ACID ARE AVAILABLE IN EITHER WALNUT;RAIN OR BLACK ASH

"AMAZING AT THE PRICE""response varied only ± 1.5 dB from 180 to 18,000 Hz which is unquestionably one of the smoothest responses we have yet encounteredfrom a speaker... dispersion on a par with response flatness ... phase shift highly linear... excellent peak power -handling ability... only at100 Hz did we manage to reach the speaker's (power handling) limits: with 990 watts (using single cycle bursts followed by 128 cycles ofsilence) ... smooth midrange and high frequency response, excellent dispersion and group delay, and exceptional short-term power -handling ability ... definitely an excellent value" Stereo Review February 1986, on the ESM-3

"a fine loudspeaker and an excellent value ... very smooth and quite fiat, falling within ± 31/2 dB on -axis throughout the range above the 50Hz band ... in the lab's 300 Hz pulse test the ESM-2 accepted without noticeable complaint the full output of the test amplifier... (470 watts,peak into 8 ohms), for a calculated SPL (Sound Pressure Level) of 114 3/4 dB. Loud transients thus should be handled well ... bass soundsmore extended than the, esponse curves might suggest, with surprising heft at the very bottom ... Stereo imaging too is verygood .. Even ifyour budget can accommodate twice the ESM-2's price - you owe it to yourself to audition Energy's latest design."

High Fidelity January 1986, on the ESM-2

"exceptional overtone balance ... imaging was just about the best I've heard ... excellent dynamic range ... it sounds great ... no realcompromises in its design ... anyone looking fora $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 system would be foolish not to carefully audition the Energy ESM-2 ... amazing at the price." Audio Ideas, 1985 edition, on the ESM-2

Copyright API 1986, Energy Loudspeakers THE 01 CHOICE E..NiCTYYTTEAANIONTOi by EJCERCY

Energy Loudspeakers 135 Torbay Road. Markham. OntarioL3R 1G7 - (416) 475-0050 TLX 069138689CIRCLE NO 17 ON READER SERVICE CARD

He's good. But can he remember785 of your favorite songs?

This Magnavox compact disc player can.In fact, the top -rated CDB650 is the only CDyou can program to play 785 selections. Asyou build your library, just program in yourfavorite selections from each disc in anyorder you want. The CDB650 will neverforget them. Because it's the only CD with

Flawless sound. The ultimate memory.

Favorite Track Selection. With FTS, thememory remains forever, even during poweroutages, even if it's unplugged. And it comeswith full -function remote control.

With 4 times over -sampling and digitalfiltering, all you hear is sound the expertsrated "unequalled." What else would you

expect from the people who inventedCD technology?

The CDB650. Unforgettable.

Nobody puts it together like MAGNAVOX.D 1986 N. A. P Consumer Electronics Corp. A North American Philips Company

CD BASICSDIGITAL AUDIO THEORY AND PRACTICE

A simple explanation of what goes on inside a CD player.

Compact Discs are incredible.They've got all these digitalnumbers on them, the playersbounce a laser beam off thedisc to read the music, any er-

rors are corrected, and it all soundswonderful. That's a bit of an over-simplification, but the basics of digi-tal audio are not beyond the compre-hension of most people. It involvessound, digital recording, and theCompact Disc standards, plus somebackground on how CD playerswork.

Sound is changing air pressure.When the pressure of the air changes

by William Burtonquickly-from about twenty timesper second to about twenty thousandtimes per second-we hear thatchanging air pressure as sound. Vi-brations slower (lower in pitch) thanabout twenty times per second can-not be heard, but, if they are loudenough, can be felt. Vibrations faster(higher in pitch) than about twentythousand times a second cannot beheard by human beings, but can beheard by animals such as dogs.

What does all this have to do with

CDs? Well, Compact Discs are re-cordings of sound. They are a specialkind of sound recording, which wecall digital. The more common kindof sound recording, used on standardlong-playing phonograph records, or-dinary cassette tape, and on video-tape, is analog recording.

An analog recording is a physicalrecord of the changing air pressurethat sound is. On an LP, the wigglesof the groove correspond to thechanging air pressure of the original

Illustration courtesy of NorthAmerican Philips.

1987 COMPACT' DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 13

sound. The first sound recordingswere made by speaking into a hornconnected to a needle that carvedwiggles into a rotating cylinder.When another needle was put in thewiggle and the cylinder was turned,the needle wiggled and made sound.

If the original sound was LOUD,the groove on a phonograph recordwiggles A LOT. If it was soft, thegroove wiggles just a little bit. Ifthe original sound was HIGHPITCHED, like a tweet from a smallbird, then the grooves wiggle VERYQUICKLY. If the original sound waslow pitched, like a growl from a bigbulldog, the grooves wiggle slowly.

On a tape recording, you can't seehow the tape is changed when asound is recorded on it. When yourecord on tape, the thing that changesis its pattern of magnetism. Coatedon recording tape are millions of lit-tle particles of metal (usually rustedmetal), and each one of these parti-cles is a magnet. Now, your averagemagnet has one end different fromthe other-one end is the north end,and the other end is the south end.

When you record on tape, the pat-tern of changing air pressure createdby the original sound is transformedinto an electric current (like the cur-rent in a lamp cord), and that currentchanges the pattern of magnetizationon a tape. For example, to oversim-plify, a lot of little magnetic particles,all with the same end magnetized thesame way, might represent a loudnoise. This changing pattern on thetape is like the changing pattern ofthe original sound.

Because the magnetic pattern onthe tape, or the shape of the groove,is analogous (similar) to the originalsound, this kind of recording is calledanalog recording.

In a digital recording, which isdone first on tape before being trans-ferred to a Compact Disc, the patternon the tape isn't anything like theoriginal sound. There is a magneticpattern on the tape, as on an analogtape recording, but a lot of littlemagnets all with north pointing thesame way does not mean a loudnoise. The pattern on a digitally re-corded tape does not have any directrelationship to the original sound.On a CD, there are no big wiggles,small wiggles, slow wiggles, fast wig-gles, or any kind of wiggles at all.

What is on a digital tape and on allCDs are numbers, or digits. A digitalrecording is called digital because ithas digits on it. The numbers that areusually recorded on a digital tape arenot our standard numbers, such as 4,9, 8, or 2, but are either 0 or 1. In oth-

er words, they are not decimal (base10) numbers, but binary (base 2)numbers.

The numbers that make up a digi-tal recording are measurements, notrepresentations, of the original sound.To use an analogy, one way to makea copy of a square is to draw a pictureof it. The drawing of the squarewould be analogous to the original,so it would be like an analog record-ing. Or, instead, you could measurethe square and write down its dimen-sions. This would be like a digital re-cording of the square.

Understanding digital recording isbasic to understanding the CompactDisc system because digital recordingis what makes CDs possible. A Com-pact Disc player is like a computer,because it uses binary digits as acomputer does, and it is like aLaserDisc player, because the num-bers on the disc are read by beams oflaser light that bounce off the disc.More about lasers later.

The SPARS CodeWhen you're going through the

bins of CDs in your favorite recordstore, you may wonder if a particularCompact Disc was recorded with ananalog tape recorder or with a digitaltape recorder. You may have heardthat digital recordings sound betterthan analog recordings, with lessnoise and less distortion. You mayalso have heard that digital record-ings can sound worse than analog re-cordings, being harsh, edgy, and me-tallic. Both of these generalizationscan be true: digital recordings dotend to be quiet and clean, and someof them, especially those made fromlousy master tapes, do sound harsh.

You may also wonder what kind oftape recorders were used when theoriginal recordings were mixed,edited, equalized, processed, com-pressed, limited, and put through ameat grinder at the recording studio.Nobody knows all the magic secretsof the recording engineers, and whilemost of it is white magic that canmake a hopeless incompetant soundlike a talented musician or a un-tuned, unrehearsed garage bandsound as tight as Genesis, some ofthose spells and charms are blackmagic that results in awful -soundingrecords.

Because all Compact Discs are dig-ital, at least you know that what youhave in your hand is digital. All LPsare analog, all cassettes are analog, soyou don't have to worry about them.Actually, most people who buy Com-pact Disc players only worry aboutLPs and cassettes because they want

to get rid of the ones they have sothey can have more room for CDs.

OK, so you look at this CD you'vegot. If you're lucky, you will see a lit-tle code on the back. It may look likethis: DDD, DAD, AAD, or ADD.The D stands for Digital and the Astands for Analog. Because you readthe first part of this article, you knowthe difference between digital and an-alog. Great. But do you know whythere are three letters in each of thecodes?

The first letter tells you what kindof tape recorder was used for the orig-inal recording. The second letter tellsyou what kind of tape recorder wasused for the processing and mixing.And the third and last letter tells youthe type of recorder used to masterthe music.

For example, if you see DDD, youknow the music was recorded digital-ly, mixed in digital, and is masteredin digital. If the code is AAD, youknow the music was recorded on ana-log equipment, mixed in analog, andwas mastered in digital. Remember,all CDs are digital, just as all LPs areanalog. An LP that was digitally re-corded, mixed, and mastered wouldhave a code of DDD.

This clever code, while not quite asScrabble, is certainly

more useful. It was devised by theSociety of Professional Audio Re-cording Studios, or SPARS, and thethree -letter code is known as theSPARS code. PolyGram, a divisionof the Philips company that devel-oped the Compact Disc format, usesa seemingly identical code on someof their CDs, but they say they cameup with their code independently.(The Compact Disc format is knownas the Sony/Philips CD format be-cause Sony added their digital error -correction technology to Philips' la-ser -optic technology.)

After all that, you might think thatthe SPARS code is important. It is.But a DDD can also mean Distort-ed, Dumb, and Dreadful, if the digi-tal recording is poorly done, the digi-tal editing is stupidly done, and thedigital mastering is dog -gone disap-pointing. A disc that is labeled AADmight be Artistic, Accurate, andDelightful.

The SPARS code is one clue aboutthe history of the recording that youare considering buying. Unfortunate-ly, very few record companies giveyou any other kind of clue. Wouldn'tit be wonderful if a record companytold you on the outside of the recordwhat the music was like? They mightsay, "The music on this record iskind of like music by the Beach Boys,


but the songs are all about gorillas.The instruments played on therecord are guitar, piano, bass guitar,and drums, and there is a lot of sing-ing." This kind of description takesup more space on the record than theSPARS code, but if you would like tohear the Beach Boys sing about goril-las, you'd sure buy the record,wouldn't you?

The CD StandardsIt is basic to the Compact Disc

standard that sound is recorded onthe disc in binary numbers that aremeasurements of the original sound.But how often do you measure theoriginal sound? How many numberscan you choose from to represent thechanging volume levels?

Let's try another analogy. Sincedigital recording of sound is measur-ing changing air pressure, let's slowdown the process a bit.

Meet Atoo D. Converter. Atoo is aweather nut. He doesn't care aboutthe temperature, rain, snow, sleet,clouds, or any of that. All Atoo caresabout is atmospheric pressure-airpressure.

He measures air pressure with abarometer. Being the diligent kind ofguy he is, after he measures the airpressure, he writes it down. So, justfor fun, let's say he measures the at-mospheric pressure once a day, attwelve o'clock high. Every day aboutnoon, Atoo steps out to his sunporch,looks at his barometer, and writesdown the number that the barometerindicates.

Now, because Atoo has only onenumber for each day, he has norecord of the changes in air pressurethat happen between one measure-ment at noon and the next measure-ment at noon the following day. Be-cause he measures, or samples, theair pressure once a day, we can sayhis sampling rate is daily.

Atoo's barometer is an old one, aBrickner model that he got from anold shipwrecked submarine. Whilethe face of an analog clock has twelvenumbers on its dial, his classicBrickner barometer has 100 numberson it. So, every day, he writes down anumber between zero and 100, read-ing the number off his barometer. Wecan say that the quantity of numbershe has to work with, or his resolutionof quantization, is 100.

So let's take a look at Atoo'srecords for a week. Sunday: 45. Mon-day: 51. Tuesday: 54. Wednesday: 62.Thursday: 65. Friday: 61. Saturday:73. Atoo wasn't very happy withrecords like that. He felt they weren'taccurate enough. What if the atmo-

spheric pressure went up like crazyon Sunday afternoon, but then wentback down Sunday night, so by thetime he measured it at noon on Mon-day, he recorded a change of only 6points instead of the real change of30, or 40, or whatever?

Atoo decided he would have tostart measuring more often. First, hedecided to measure every hour -24hours every day. This way, hisrecords would be much more accu-rate. He increased his sampling rateto twenty-four times a day.

Atoo also decided that 100 num-bers were not enough. When he mea-sured the air pressure at 50, what if itwere really 50.43 or 49.78? A hun-dred numbers were not enough forthe accuracy that Atoo wanted. So hebought a more accurate barometercalibrated to hundredths of amicrobar. Then he could put down50.43 or 49.78. His numbers wouldbe more accurate because he hadmore of them. He had increased theresolution of his quantization.

Still, this was not accurate enough.Atoo wanted to measure more accu-rately, so he had to measure more of-ten and have more numbers avail-able for recording his measurements.And, he decided, he wanted two ba-rometers, so he could measure the airpressure at the left side of his houseand at the right side of his house.

If Atoo measured the changing airpressure at the left 44,100 times eachsecond, and the changing air pressureat the right side 44,100 times eachsecond, and had a range of numbersfrom zero to 65,535 for his measure-ments, he would be recording thechanging air pressure just as fre-quently and with the same accuracy(the same resolution of quantization)as a digital -to -analog converterchanges an analog signal (the originalsound) into a digital recording of thatsound that can be encoded onto aCompact Disc.

Each second of sound on a Com-pact Disc is represented by 44,100measurements for each channel:44,100 for the left channel, and44,100 for the right channel, for a to-tal of 88,200 measurements. Eachone of these measurements can beanything from zero to 65,535.

If our weatherman Atoo D. Con-verter measured that accurately, hewould be as accurate as an A -to -Dconverter making a digital audio re-cording for a Compact Disc. Record-ing at that rate means thatsoundwaves of about 20,000 Hz orless can be accurately represented,because each wave can be sampled atleast twice. Any frequencies between

samples that are not measured, andtherefore not recorded, will be higherthan half the sampling rate. This isthe Nyquist theorem, and it is basicto the practice of digital audio.

The sampling rate is expressed inthe number of samples per second.Since the term cycles per second hasbeen shortened to the word Hertz, inhonor of the brilliant German scien-tist, a system that samples 44,100times each second is said to have asampling rate of 44,100 Hertz, or,even shorter, using a k to mean thou-sands and abbreviating Hertz'sname, 44.1 kHz.

The resolution, or accuracy, of thequantization is expressed in a some-what more complex form. WhenAtoo traded in his old Brickner ba-rometer for the new Supremo Gizmomodel, he gained accuracy becausehe had two more decimal places thatcould indicate smaller changes in airpressure. Adding more places to thenumbers that are recorded on CDsalso makes the measurements moreaccurate.

In binary, having two places meansthat your lowest number will be zeroand your highest number will bethree, which in binary is 11 (the 1 onthe left means a two, and the one onthe right means a one, and two +one = three). If you have threeplaces, the highest binary numberyou can have is 1 1 1, which is seven(four + two + one). If you have six-teen places, the highest number youcan have is 1111111111111111,which is 65,535. A one or a zero iscalled a bit, so the Compact Discstandard for quantization-the reso-lution of its quantization-is 16 bit.

These numbers are encoded on adisc as flat areas and pits. When themaster disc is made, a pulsating laserzaps the master disc, making a pitwhere the laser beams hits it, bulgingout the other side of the master discto make a bump. When a real CD ismade from this master, the side withthe flats and the bumps is the sidethat the laser bounces off. You mightthink that a flat is a zero and a bumpis a one, but, actually, the beginningor end of a bump are ones, and thebumps and flats are zeros.

How many of these numbers, inthe forms of pits (or bumps, depend-ing on how you look at it), can fit ona CD? About five billion, give or takea few. More to the point, how manyminutes of music can fit on one CD?When Philips and Sony were devel-oping the CD, there were differentideas on how large to make the disc.In fact, the experimental CompactDiscs played from the inside out (the

1987 CosiPAur DISC BUYERS GUIDE 15

THE COMPACT DISCIn the design of electroacoustics systems thecontrol and damping of vibration andresonances is of fundamental importance. Suchproblems cause significant distortions anddetract from accurate information retrieval.

The Isoplat was developed by Mission to isolatehigh-fidelity and other precision equipmentfrom extraneous mechanical interference. Thesuccess of Mission's Isoplat is well known andthe results are clearly audible if used, forexample, with a CD player.

The Isoplat is manufactured from sandwichedfibre board utilizing critically designed feetmade from Sorbothane. Sorbothane is a uniquepolyurethane elostomer simulating theintriguing energy -absorbing properties ofhuman flesh. The polymer is a quasi - liquidmolecular spring and exhibits both thedimensional stability of solids and manyhydraulic characteristics of fluids. Its hysteresispattern is also unique, such that distortion andrecovery can be independently controlled.Sorbothane has remarkable memory -permanent deformation under normal loads isvirtually zero. The ability of this new polymer toabsorb up to 95% of impact energy, combinedwith low compression set, flexibility, recoveryrate, absorption of energy with low peak forces,and excellent kinetic energy absorptionproperties make this patented material totallyunique. To dramatise the properties ofSorbothane, it can be demonstrated that an eggsandwiched in a Sorbothane mould andhammered with a mighty blow will not break, orthat a submarine lined with sorbothane wouldnot be detected by sonar, in that it wouldbecome acoustically invisible. Mission have theworld exclusive rights to Sorbothane inelectroacoustic applications.

Pulse Code Modulation is the 210 centurytechnology for the storage andreproduction of music. Optical lasersystems are an equally sophisticatedpartner for such a technology. Thecombination has produced Compact Disc.CD's staggering dynamic range, channelseparation, low distortion, exact speedstability, zero disc wear, random access,programmability etc., put this medium inthe forefront of audio technology.As with all new technologies the earlyimplementations proved problematic, andthe fact that the industry was dominatedby the mass -market manufacturers, withminimal commitment to music, delayedacceptance of the medium by thediscerning music lover. However, Mission'sfirst CD player provided the stimulus formany to take the medium seriously andmade the DAD7000 an instantinternational success.

On the eve of the introduction of theDAD7000 an intensive and radicalprogramme of research had started onadvanced new generation Mission playerscode -named PCM4000 and PCM7000 -the company's definitive statement inCompact Disc technology. The uniquecombination of the following designfeatures, seldom if ever found incompeting equipment, underlines thesheer technical sophistication of Mission'snew CD players. However, no amount oftechnical explanation can fully convey thebreathtaking realism with which theMISSION PCM reproduce the emotionaldynamics of music.

DIGITAL TO ANALOGUECONVERSION

The digital to analogue converter (DAC) isthe most significant component in thecompact disc replay system. Certaindesign flaws in this unit can cause seriousdegradation of the sound quality, whileothers may merely degrade the qualitymarginally. The linearity of the DAC isnaturally one of the important parametersof the unit and often quoted in

manufacturers' specifications. However,there are certain types of non - linearitieswith serious audible effects, regardless oftheir magnitude. These usually manifestthemselves in the form of compression andserious loss of linearity in low level signals.

Other problems can arise from poorpower supply rejection of the DAC; thiscan be very serious and can cause loss ofclarity and poor high frequency behaviourof the audio output. A further commonflaw is susceptibility to dynamic distortioncaused by poor high frequency behaviourof the DAC normally due to dynamic

IIITypical output of digital to analogueconverter to a sinusoidal signal.

mismatch of the conversion elements. Theoutput sample -and -hold of the DAC alsoplays an important part in reconstructionof the audio signal. Typically, a poordesign can cause a complex form ofdistortion consisting of anharmonics whichcan be audibly objectionable.

The DAD7000 had already successfullyaddressed the above problems, at only 14bit resolution. The major area in whichscope remained for improvement in theDAC was the loss of information inherentin the 14 bit chip, which could only berestored through the use of on equallyoptimised 16 bit chip, operating at thesame high speed of 176.4 KHz. TheMISSION PCM, through its pioneering useof the long awaited true 16 bit, 4X

oversampling twin DAC/single chiptechnology, surpasses by a wide margineven the highly acclaimed DAD7000. Thischip marks a new epoch in compact disctechnology, giving a true 16 bit resolutionat 176.4 KHz sampling rate. Its superblinear performance ensures the highestpossible fidelity, while the single chip 'VeryLarge Scale Integration' makes for perfectinter -channel thermal stability.

Features:

4x Oversampling, full 16 bit. Twin DACs, VLSI technology. Four separate DC power supplies. Full function interactive FTD. Random order 20 track/index

programming. Single laser pickup system. Super fast track/index access time. Program review-add/correct

facility. Three speed search -10 dB

attenuation. Cueing to within 1 second. Electronically generated display of:

Track/Index numbers;Elapsed/Remaining/Total time;Play, Pause, FFW and REW;Repeat, Store; Track/Disc errors etc.

Motorised loading, anti -jammingprotection.

Output headphone jack. Standard format digital output. Two outputs -fixed and variable.

(7000). 11 function IR remote control.

(7000). Remote Electronic Volume control.

(7000). Four regulated DC power supplies

(7000) Special non-magnetic output

connectors (7000) Pre -selected ultra high resolution

DACs (7000).

FOR

f you have recently bought a Com-pact Disc (CD) player, or are plan-ning to buy one, you may be won-dering what (if any) changes

should be made elsewhere in yoursystem. From all that has been saidand written about the "digital readi-ness" of various audio components(principally amplifiers and speakers),it would be easy to conclude thatadding a digital program source to aplain "garden variety" music systemis likely to unlock a Pandora's box ofproblems, ranging in severity fromunsatisfactory sound quality to possi-ble destruction of an amplifier.

Fortunately, none of the above islikely to result from simply adding aCD player to an existing system ofreasonable quality. Its output is fun-damentally no different from that ofany other common signal source,such as a tape deck, LP record, or FMtuner. The most significant character-istic of a digital program is a com-plete absence of the usual aberrationsassociated with analog sound record-ings-principally flutter, rumble,hiss, and the like. You are not likelyto be too offended by their absence ina CD.

Diiiital CharactenSticsWe have all experienced the harsh

sounds caused by a mistracking pho-no cartridge as it attempts (unsuc-cessfully) to follow an LP recordgroove through a high-level passage.This effect is totally absent fromCDs, whose maximum recorded lev-els can never exceed the capabilitiesof the player. The phono preamplifi-er portion of your amplifier is notused for playing CDs, eliminating amajor source of hum and hiss, andthe CD player's maximum output ofabout 2 volts cannot overload the in-put stage of any amplifier. Acousticfeedback (the howling sound that

Compact Discs sound

so true to life that you

may want to upgrade

the rest of your stereo

system.

by Julian Hirsch

sometimes occurs at high volumelevels when the turntable and speak-ers are too close to each other) is vir-tually impossible to create with CDs.

Does this mean that the CD is aperfect medium for recorded music?Probably even its most enthusiasticsupporters would not make thatclaim. However, although it may fallshort of perfection in several re-spects, it is by far the best music play-back medium ever developed forhome use. Many of the criticisms lev-eled against the CD arise, not fromthe medium, but from the message itcarries. An undistinguished CompactDisc recording, by virtue of itsmicrophoning techniques, the mak-ing of the master tape or the subse-quent mixdowns, the hall acoustics,or even the musical performance it-self, will be every bit as unsatisfyingas its counterpart on an LP record.Worse, in fact, since the CD is merci-less in revealing every deficiency inthe program. Also, a number of CDshave been made from analog mastertapes (if you can hear any hiss fromthe recording, even at high volumelevels, you can be sure that its originwas an analog master tape). Some

may even contain audible distortion,which also arises from the original re-cording. Such a CD will sound onlymarginally (if at all) better than itsanalog equivalent. It may be free ofwow, flutter, rumble, clicks and pops,and many forms of nonlinear distor-tion that are common to analog re-cording, yet fail to produce the fullquality possible with a CD.

Di tal vs. Analogthough your present system will

almost certainly function properlywith a CD player, and provide greatlyimproved sound quality, it is quitepossible that upgrading some or allparts of the system will yield richsonic rewards. While the audio de-rived from a digital recording maysound basically very much like theprograms you have been listening to,there are some differences (not neces-sarily obvious). LP records typicallyhave a dynamic range of 60 dB or so(some have much less than that,while a few high quality audiophilereleases may reach 70 dB). In thiscontext, dynamic range is defined asthe difference between the maximumand minimum recorded program lev-els (other definitions are sometimesused). The maximum level that canbe recorded on an LP is limited bythe design of the cutting head thatcreates its modulated groove. Mod-ern cutting heads can record a highergroove velocity than can be trackedby almost any existing cartridge.Usually, the maximum level is re-stricted when the recording is made,so that it can be played by typicalpickup cartridges. The minimum lev-el is determined by the system noiselevel, a combination of hum, hiss,rumble, and the effects of vinyl im-perfections. Normally the minimumrecorded signal is set appreciablyhigher than the residual noise level,

1987 COMPACT' Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 21

which prevents the full 70+ dB range

of a vinyl record from being realized

in practice.A CD also has a maximum level,

the "zero level" to which the noiseand distortion of a CD player are ref-

erenced. Unlike analog records, thedistortion of digital playback does

not vary significantly from the maxi-

mum level to extremely low levels.You may have read criticisms ofCDs, based on the fact that the play-

back distortion increases somewhatas the program level drops. Althoughthis is true, you should keep in mindthat the HIGHEST distortion thatwill ever exist in a CD playback is far

lower than the LOWEST value in an

analog record system. Nonlinear dis-

tortion (harmonic and intermodula-tion) in the CD system is entirelynegligible and far below the threshold

of audibility. Since the CD has nobackground noise, you may betempted to play it at a higher volumelevel than you would use for LPs. To

a point, this is good, and in fact it is

one of the real advantages of the CD

over the LP. It must not be carried to

excess, however. You will never beable to hear the noise floor, but highpeak levels could eventually damageyour speakers or amplifier.

Most analog recordings are com-pressed (loud passages are recorded

at a reduced level and soft passagesare boosted) so that when the soft

passages are played loudly enough to

mask the background noise, the peaklevels remain within the maximumlevel capabilities of the record, the

pickup, the amplifier, and the speak-

ers. The better digital recordingshave little or no compression, whichallows the natural program dynamics

to be preserved. This is one of thereasons for the striking clarity and

"you are there" quality of a good dig-ital recording. If you listen to the pro-gram peaks at the same level youwould use for analog programs, the

lack of signal compression or limiting

in the program may make the aver-

age CD volume seem lower than you

are accustomed to, and the softest

passages may be masked by the roomambient noise level. The usual solu-tion to this problem is to turn up thevolume a bit.

This is why it is desirable (though

not strictly necessary) to have morepeak power available for playing CDs

than would be needed for LPs. How

much more you will need is a func-

tion of your listening habits, the lis-

tening room, and the speakers. It is

impossible to give any blanket rec-ommendations for specific amplifierpower ratings or speaker sensitivities,

other than the rather simplistic ad-

vice that you can never have toomuch power! This happens to be

close to the truth, by the way, andwhen in doubt it is always good to

have more power than you need,rather than less. A few fairly concretesuggestions are possible, however. If

you now have a low-cost system,

with amplifier ratings of less than 20

watts per channel, and the small

speakers normally used with such a

system, you should plan to replace

both. You can play (and enjoy) a CD

on almost anything, including light-

weight headphones, but you are miss-

ing the essence of its unique quality if

your audio system is less than the

best.

SpeakersSince the goal of speaker and am-

plifier upgrading is the ability to gen-

erate a higher undistorted soundpressure level at the listening posi-

tion, the speaker sensitivity must be

considered in relationship to the am-plifier power. If a speaker with a 90 -

dB sensitivity will deliver satisfactoryperformance with a 50 -watt amplifi-

er, a speaker rated at 100 watts for

the same acoustic output level, and

an 84 -dB-rated speaker (a relatively

low, but not unheard-of sensitivity)will require 200 watts! Most speakermanufacturers publish sensitivity rat-ings, and the test reports in StereoReview always include our own mea-surement of speaker sensitivity (usu-ally quite close to the manufacturer'srating).

Unless you are completely satisfied

that your present speakers meet your

personal standards for sound quality,you are probably best advised to up-

grade the speaker portion of the sys-

tem first. Initially, you can go about

this as though there were no such

thing as digital audio-simply look(and listen) for the best and mostpleasing sound that will fit your bud-

get. All the qualities that make aspeaker desirable for any hi-fi system

will contribute equally well to its digi-

tal readiness. Smooth, well -dispersed

sound, low distortion, good imag-

ing-whatever you look for in aspeaker should be present in your new

selection. Don't worry too much

about its sensitivity, which has noth-

ing to do with its sound quality. If the

speaker you prefer has a low sensitiv-ity (can't play very loud with yourpresent amplifier) you may need a

more powerful amplifier, but power is

relatively inexpensive these days.

One speaker attribute that has a di-

rect bearing on its "digital readiness"

is its peak power handling ability. Be-

cause of the short duration of most

high-level program peaks, they areunlikely to cause damage, but everyspeaker has a finite limit to the sound

pressure level it can deliver at vari-

ous frequencies. This is rarely thesubject of a published specification,

and can be inferred only approxi-

mately from the manufacturer's pow-

er ratings. A rating such as "recom-

mended for use with amplifiers

delivering between 20 and 200 watts"

is of little value, other than to tell you

that a 200 watt amplifier is not likely

to damage the speaker in normal use(even with digital program material).

However, two speakers with the

same maximum power rating maynot be equal in their suitability for

digital playback. Their maximum un-distorted acoustic outputs may bequite different, and an overdrivenspeaker, even if it does not distort au-dibly, will lack the full impact of one

that does not limit the programpeaks.

Sometimes a speaker is rated to be

able to deliver a certain maximumsound pressure level (SPL). This is

often given for a pair of speakers(whose maximum SPL is 3 dB great-

er than that of a single unit). Howev-

er, if one speaker is rated to produce

a 105 dB SPL in a typical room, and

another carries a 115 dB rating, the

second is clearly better suited forhandling the high level peaks of a

digital recording. Whether or not you

will ever drive either speaker to its

limits (or even have the amplifierpower that this would require) is not

too important; the one with the high-

er rating is less likely to limit your

system performance. You should beaware, however, that this factor has

nothing to do with the other sonic

qualities of a speaker. It will do youno good to have a speaker system

that can handle digital program dy-

namics if its sound does not please

you. Given the choice, the reversepriority would be preferable, sincethere is no inherent need to drive

your system to its limits, while it IS

important that you find its sound

pleasing.The speaker test reports in Stereo

Review include information on how

much peak power they can handle atlow, middle, and high frequencieswithout distortion or compression.These numbers do not correspond di-

rectly to the acoustic SPL, but youcan draw some inferences from thesensitivity and peak power measure-

ments, when comparing speakerstested by Hirsch-Houck Labs. For ex-

ample, if two speakers can each ac-cept 500 watts input at 1,000 Hz, but

22 COMPACT DISC BUYERS GUIDE 1987

one has a 6 -dB higher sensitivity, thelatter can deliver up to 6 -dB moreacoustic output at that frequencywithout distortion or compression.This is not a valid reason, in itself,for preferring one speaker over an-other, but it should be taken intoconsideration.

PowerThis is a good time to emphasize

that "more power" does NOT mean"louder," any more than more horse-power in your car engine means thatit goes faster than one with less pow-er. When you are driving at 40 or 50miles per hour, the horsepower ofyour car doesn't matter at all. A morepowerful engine merely gives youmore acceleration when necessary. Inyour stereo system, your average lis-tening level probably does not de-mand more than one watt (if thatmuch) from your amplifier. A 10watt amplifier and a 100 watt ampli-fier will produce the same listeninglevel under identical conditions.However, the high peak levels avail-able from a CD may sometimes re-quire an increase to 100 watts (20 dB)for a brief fraction of a second, and

ordinary compressed LPs may drivethe amplifier to transient outputs of10 watts (these numbers are illustra-tive, but are not too far from typical"real world" conditions). When play-ing LPs under these conditions, youmay not hear any difference between10 -watt and 100 -watt amplifiers, sinceboth are capable of handling the max-imum signal levels they will encoun-ter. But with a CD supplying the pro-gram, a 10 -watt amplifier will clipseverely on peaks, which may imparta harsh quality to the sound, or per-haps merely dilute the impact of asudden transient, whereas a 100 -wattamplifier will pass the full dynamicrange of the program to the speakers.

Most of the time, any amplifier re-producing music is operating at asmall fraction of its full power capa-bility. Almost never is the full powerrequired for more than a fraction of asecond. There are exceptions to thisrule, but fortunately they are rare,since most amplifiers and speakersare not designed to withstand sus-tained high power operation. A goodindicator (in addition to its continu-ous power rating) of the suitability ofan amplifier for use in a CD system is

DYNAMIC HEADROOM. This is ameasure of how much more than itsrated output the amplifier can deliverfor a short burst of 20 millisecondsrepeated twice per second. Althoughmost amplifiers have only about 1 dBor so of dynamic headroom, there arequite a number with a 3 -dB rating,which means that they can delivertwice their rated output for this shortinterval. A few boast of headroomratings of 6 dB or even more (4 timestheir rated output).

An amplifier with a high dynamicheadroom rating offers the least ex-pensive and most practical solutionto the CD's need for high-level tran-sient output. If you can afford it, thiscan also be achieved with an ampli-fier having a high continuous powerrating. Most of the time, a 100 -wattamplifier that can deliver 20() wattsfor 20 milliseconds plays just as loud(and sounds just as good) as one thatcan deliver 200 watts continuously.However, it is likely to cost a frac-tion of the price of the higherpowered unit. It is also less likely todamage your speakers if you playyour system with more enthusiasmthan wisdom!El

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CIRCLE NO 44 ON READER SERVICE CARDC '986 Intem,ft,

HIGH ENDCOMPACT DISCPLAYERS

by Daniel Sweeney

For serious listening, consider some serious Compact Disc players.By some peculiar coincidence,my local audio salon is locat-ed directly adjacent to thehealth food store I frequent.

And by some even odder coinci-dence, both vendors have recentlyprovided me with some rather simi-lar shopping experiences.

The health food store, oncestocked primarily with seaweedshampoo and component vitamins,now boasts an enormous pharmaco-paea composed of such exotica as va-line, inosine, lipotropids, bee propo-lis, superoxide dismutase, and lemonbioflavonids--building blocks of thesuperman I'd like to be. But when Iscrutinize the bottles and try to deter-mine the benefits each pill will bring,the labels invariably declare, "no spe-cial claims are made for this prod-uct." Queries to the sales staff areeven less enlightening, and I am metwith mumbled replies about "freeradical scavengers" and "oxybusters."

Next door at the audio den, it'smuch the same. There they're sellingperfect sound in many guises-no lessthan twenty-three models of Com-pact Disc player. Instead of mysteri-ous capsules, I ponder mysterious

microchips embodying such arcanecircuits as time lenses, over -easycompressors, variable postemphasis,true 16 -bit four -times oversamplingD/A converters, discrete buffer amps,and so on.

The salespeople, when asked to ex-plain these circuits, are vague. Not sovague as "no special benefits areclaimed," but vague: "more air onthe top end, better depth, greater res-olution, less time smear"; that sort ofthing.

If the audio babble were only com-ing from a few salespeople in a fewhigh -end shops, one might be in-clined to dismiss the whole conceptof the sonically superior CD player,but precisely the same sort of state-ments appear in the ad copy of fairlymainstream companies such a Sony,Carver, Kyocera, and Denon. Manu-facturers who were formerly uncon-ditionally supportive of digital audioin general are now disparaging con-ventional players and urging the con-sumer to select a fourth -generationmachine on the basis of this or thatcircuit refinement.

And more curious still, the smallesoteric wing of the audio industry,once solidly critical of digital audio,

is now offering numerous CD playersto the public, often low -end Philipsplayers with a few "mods" in the an-alog circuitry. Suddenly everybody isstressing sonic differences where be-fore the emphasis was on the generalbenefits (or lack thereof) of the for-mat itself irrespective of the make ormodel of individual players.

Nuts and BoltsNow if significant sonic differences

do in fact exist smong players, theymust arise from actual physical dif-ferences. The mechanical systemsand circuit parts and topologies mustbe different, and they must performdifferently or the claims of sonic dif-ferences are nonsense.

So how do the high -end players dif-fer in design and construction fromthe mass -market variety?

In most cases, the differences areseemingly trivial.

All high -end and esoteric playerscontain a very high proportion ofparts found in mass -market players.Rip open a $1,000 player, and you'relikely to find the same optics, trans-port, EFM decoder, demultiplexer,error -correction circuit, and D/Aconverter that you find in a $300 ma -

24 Comi.A(A- DISC BUYERS' Gull*. 1987

chine. In fact, you may find the ma-jority of parts are common to mid -line machines.

Among high -end players, especiallythose emanating from small esotericmanufacturers, you tend to pay agreat deal of money for a relativelysmall number of refinements. What-ever the idiosyncrasies of a LinnSondek turntable, no one can say thatit shares many parts with a $300 Jap-anese direct drive, but one can pointto renowned high end CD players bysuch manufacturers as Meridian, PSAudio, Kinergetics, Distech, and Cal-ifornia Audio Technology, and onecan clearly see a low-priced Philipsdeck beneath the faceplate. Someparts have been substituted, butmuch of the original machine re-mains. In audio slang, the deck is a"hot rod."

Why don't the high enders makeMaseratis instead of hot rods, design-ing their own players from theground up? Simply because most ofthem don't have much choice in thematter. Whereas most high -end elec-tronic components, such as amps,preamps, and tuners, utilize discretecomponents hardwired together hob-byist fashion, there's no practical wayto assemble the digital circuits usedin CD players out of individual caps,chokes, transistors, and resistors. Thecircuit elements must be crammedinto ICs, and the only source of suchICs is the handful of prime manufac-turers such as Sony, Philips, Hitachi,Nippon Electric, and Matshusita(parent company of Technics, Pana-sonic, JVC, National, etc.). It is pos-sible to design and order custom ICsfrom companies such as Signeticsand American Semiconductor, butthat gets expensive, and only a fewhigh -end players utilize such customchips.

The optics are even more difficultto make independently, and so far nohigh -end deck has ever used anythingbut stock optical parts, despite thefact that the tracking system is proba-bly the weakest link in the wholeplayback chain. Even the highly ver-tically integrated Studer-Revox com-pany, with its huge investment inmachine tooling and its legions ofskilled machinists, has not seen fit todevelop proprietary CD optics.

Completely custom transportscould be constructed more easily, butso far no manufacturer has attemptedto do so. High -end players often havea few parts substitutions in the trans-port, such as metal castings or fineceramics in place of sheet metal orplastic, but except for Nakamichi, noone is offering an innovative motor

design in the high end.So where do high -end players actu-

ally differ from their humbler massmarket brethren, and, more impor-tant, why do they differ?

The biggest differences betweenhigh -end and mass -market playersoccur in four areas: the analog filters,the power supplies, the analog outputsections, and the acoustic isolation (ifany) of the machines.

FiltersAll CD players, without exception,

utilize some form of output filter toremove the high -frequency spikescreated by the D/A converter and theother digital circuits in the machine.These ultrasonic spikes are not di-rectly audible, but they do pose aproblem for audio -frequency amplifi-er circuits, most of which are just notdesigned to pass them.

Typically, the output filters used inCompact Disc players are of theChebyshev or Bessel type, with amultitude of capacitors, inductors,and resistors in various series andparallel configurations. Initially, inmost of the first -generation players,such filters were designed without re-gard to phase coherence, producingliterally hundreds of degrees of phaseshift in the top octave, which in turngave rise to group delay, or envelopedistortion.

Since digital recording first surfacedcommercially about a decade ago, anocean of ink has been spilt in aimlesscontroversies about group delay, andbecause such controversies still ani-mate high -end designers, the term de-serves a word of explanation.

Group delay is a variable time de-lay from one frequency or group offrequencies to another occasioned byalmost all analog electrical filters.Analog filters, excepting the noble 6 -dB -per -octave first -order Butter-worth, produce phase shift in the fre-quencies on either side of the filter'scenter frequency or corner frequency,and these phase shifts themselvesproduce variable time delays amongthe frequencies subjected to thephase shifts. The time delays arefunctions of both the degrees ofphase shift (which vary according tothe slope of the filter and the distanceof the frequency in question from thecenter frequency) and to the absolutefrequency subjected to the shift. Forinstance, a 20 Hz tone, phase shifted360 degrees (one wave cycle) in rela-tion to a 40 Hz tone an octave up,will be delayed 1/20 of a second or 5milliseconds in relation to that 40 Hztone. Such a time delay produces au-dible effects, primarily in the appar-

ent location of sound sources.The time delays caused by the fil-

ters in CD players are much small-er-only in the microsecondrange-because the frequencies mosteffected are much higher, near thelimits of audibility. For example, a360° phase shift at 10 Hz, an octavedown from the approximate locationof most analog CD output filters, willonly cause a time delay of 70 micro-seconds between 10,000 Hz and20,000 Hz because a full wave cycleonly encompasses 70 microsecondsat 10,000 Hz. Furthermore, the timedelay in CD players grow less as thefrequencies in question drop becausephase shift rapidly decreases belowthe 20,000 Hz corner frequency.Through most of the musical spec-trum, the time delays between adja-cent octaves are even less than 10microseconds.

Are such tiny time delays audible,or, to rephrase the question, do theyproduce audible effects?

They are certainly not directly au-dible in the sense that a person canhear tones spaced a few microsec-onds apart as distinctly separatesounds. They may be indirectly audi-ble though. The late Carolyn PuddieRodgers, a psychoacoustician whoperformed many experiments involv-ing sound localization by means offrequencies in the 3,000 Hz to 20,000Hz range, speculated that the abilityof humans to localize by means ofvery high frequencies might be due toa capacity for sensing time delays inthe microseconds. But RaymondCooke and Siegfried Linkwitz, re-spected loudspeaker designers whofavor steep 24 -dB filters in loud-speaker crossovers have reported lis-tening experiments where 360° phaseshifts in the midrange have gone un-detected in blind tests. The scientificliterature on the audibility of phaseshift and time delay is extremely ex-tensive, going back to the turn of thecentury, and after scores of publishedexperiments the controversy contin-ues. The recent divergence of opinionrepresented by Rodgers on the onehand, and Cooke and Linkwitz onthe other, represents only the latestramifications in a very old debate.

Regardless of the lack of conclu-sive evidence for the audibility ofhigh -frequency phase shift, flat phaseresponse across the entire audio spec-trum has come to be deemed very de-sirable in high circles. It's no surprisethat the designers of high -end CDplayers set about constructing ouputfilters that would minimize phaseshift within the audible bandpass.

Most attempts to produce a mini -


mum phase output filter have in-volved oversampling-multiplyingthe samples in the digital domain twoor four times, then removing the fre-quencies in the octave or two abovethe 20,000 Hz limit by manipulaatingthe digital data, and then finally us-ing an analog output filter to removethe new 88.2 kHz or 176.4 kHz sam-pling frequencies entailed by theoversampling process. In effect, theproblems are moved up an octave ortwo, but by this simple strategemthey thereby become less acute inthat the higher clock frequency canbe filtered down to a very low levelby use of a relatively shallow filterplaced in the 20,000 Hz region. Itmight be objected that the high fre-quency clock could still cause mis-chief with very wideband amplifiers,but most high -end designers seem tothink that oversampling is the prefer-able method. The slower filter slopesit permits generally cause much lessphase shift and envelope distortionthan is the case with conventionalsteep filters, though in most cases,some phase shift is still present in thetop octave.

Oversampling itself is not all thatesoteric. Most of the cheaper massmarket Japanese and Korean CDplayers don't use it, but all Sony andPhilips based players have oversam-pling, including the cheapest Marantzand Magnavox pieces. The high -endoversampling players are differentiat-ed from the common sort chiefly inthe design of their analog output fil-ters which usually take some sort ofproprietary configuration. A coupleof oversampling players also haveunique D/A converters which we willconsider in the later section.

The customized output filters inthe high -end players are usually de-signed to produce less phase shift inthe audible region than is the casewith stock filters. One method of re-ducing phase shift is to add an all -pass filter with a phase shift of itsown that compensates for that of thebandpass filter. This tactic increasesthe number of elements in the outputfilter, attenuates signal strength, andincreases distortion. Another meth-od, one used by Shure and ADS, is tomove the corner frequency up past30,000 Hz instead of placing it in the20,000 Hz region. The higher cornerfrequency leaves spikes from the digi-tal circuitry unfiltered in the first halfoctave above the audible range onthe theory that these lower fre-quency ultrasonic noise componentswon't be heard directly and won'toverload most amplifiers either.Higher frequency spuriae are of

course filtered out because manyamps will in fact misbehave in theirpresence. Naturally this higher cornerfrequency permits a slower slope fil-ter to be used at output.

One high -end designer, Ed Meit-ner, president of Meitner Audio,claims to have produced a deck withno analog output filter at all. Mr.Meitner indicates that only digital fil-tering is used in his design, but hegives no specifics of how theoversampling frequency is removed(the 88.2 kHz and 176.4 kHz clockfrequencies produced by all otheroversampling players are immune todigital filtering). The Meitner playeris not yet commercially available, butis supposed to be released in late1986 or early '87, and will be distrib-uted by Assemblage.

Power SuppliesPower supplies are a second area of

CD player design where high -endmanufacturers have tended to con-centrate their efforts, and here theymay be on firmer ground. Digitalpower supplies are notoriously dirtyand noisy, and though digital circuitsthemselves are remarkably tolerantof dirty supplies, an analog audio cir-cuit is remarkably intolerant. Itwants a smooth, ripple -free source ofdirect current.

Digital circuits themselves consistof transistors acting as switches. Theoperation of thesse solid state switch-es creates high -intensity electricalspikes which manifest themselves aseddies within the power supply. Sucheddies may upset the operation of an-alog signal circuits feeding off thepower supplies. Such eddies or ripplemay be suppressed by use of solidstate regulators or simply by buildingsupplies of massive storage capaci-ties, but it's difficult to suppress rip-ple entirely when analog and digitalcircuits share a power supply, and theeffect of such spikes modulating thepower supply is to increase the noiseand intermodulation distortion com-ponents in the audio signal.

Such noise and distortion will notshow up in standard signal/noise ra-tio tests where the noise floor is mea-sured at no signal condition with dig-ital bits set at 0, but it will appearduring actual musical reproduction.

A simple but effective solution tothe ripple problem is to use two sepa-rate supplies, one for the digital andelectromechanical sections of thedeck, and another for the analog out-put section. Many high end and eso-teric players do in fact use two sup-plies, including units by Luxman,Onkyo, Kyocera, PS Audio, Distech,

Mission, and Meridian.To be sure, switching noise may be

radiated to the analog section, or maytravel through the chassis or throughpoor electrical grounds even withseparate supplies, and some manu-facturers have attempted to addresssuch potential problems. Some useone point star grounding, a schemefavored by Onkyo, PS Audio, andLuxman, and others, such as Merid-ian and Kyocera, feature extensiveshielding around the digital powersupply.

Perhaps the most extreme methodfor isolating the analog from the digi-tal circuitry is the use of fiber opticalconnections to carry the digitized sig-nal from the decoding section to theD/A converter. This still leaves onesource of switching noise, the D/Aconverter itself, in proximity to theanalog output section, but at least itseparates the other digital circuits atleast as far as the signal path is con-cerned. Unfortunately such linkagescannot prevent radiated noise fromreaching the analog section. Onlyproper shielding can do that. Fiberoptical linkages are currently used inOnkyo and Nakamichi players.

Buffer AmpsThe third area of CD player design

where high -end companies are activeis in the configuration of the outputamplifier following the analog filter.

This output amp is a relativelysimple current -to -voltage device pri-marily intended to match the imped-ance of the signal output to the fol-lowing stage, generally a line amplifi-er in a component stereo system. Inmass market players the output ampis an IC op amp, but in high endplayers this section is frequently dis-crete, with hand -matched transistorsand passive components. Such dis-crete output stages are present inplayers by PS Audio, Kinergetics,Revox, Kyocera, Distech, and Merid-ian, though by no means all high endCD players are so equipped.

Here again in this matter of dis-crete outputs high -end designers con-trive to meet the expectations of theirclientele. Prevailing high end folklorehas it that IC op amps sound harshand gritty, and ICs have come to beas disreputable as caffeine in soda.

Perhaps the ultimate extreme inbuffer amp design for CD players hasbeen achieved by a firm calling itselfCalifornia Audio Technology andbased in Los Angeles. Their CD play-er, incidentally the largest and heavi-est in existence, features a vacuumtube output!

However ludicrous the appearance,


The guts: Inside every ADS speaker you'llfind drivers conceived, engineered, and built

by ADS.Conceived to be accurate, uncolored, and

thoroughly reliable.Engineered using proprietary computer

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in Europe, the Far East, anywhere in theaudio industry.

Not every speaker maker builds its owndrivers. None builds them as carefully as wedo. That's why ADS speakers are picked asreference monitors by the premier CD label.That's why the new level of accuracy CDprovides can be heard best on ADS speakers.

The glory?Waiting for you at your ADS dealer.

Because while we can tell you how beautifullywe build them, only he can show you howmuch better they sound.

A different breed of crossover. Allcomponents are computer -grade andmounted on 'military spe,' epoxy circuitboard. ADS supenor dnvers allow theuse of this better, more efficientcrossover design.

L 1290 tower and L880 bookshelfsystems. lust part of a full range ofhome speakers, including ourcritically acclaimed mini speakers.

Series 2 soft-do-ne midrange. Design fine-tuned by 16,000 data rant computer analysisLow mass diaphragm. Focused barium -ferratemagnet. High- temperature voice coil.Coloration nil. Delvers outstanding dynamicrange Ditto for ADS sof -dome tweeters

Stifflite' Linear Drive woofer Butyl rubbersurround permits :org, t near cone travel.Woofer accurately rrices huge amounts ofair for deep, tight Oa is i-esponse.

- 4 Typical voice coil on left. ADS version onnght. Smooth, tight windings a -id long vocecoil mean accurate transients, low disort on.Coil always remains ender amplier controlTranslates the full driamics of agital sourcematerial

For more fasc-1:. i:ing details on ADS speakers, see your 1- 1..

dealer. If you don't know who he is, call us at 800-824-7888 (inCalifornia, 800-852-777T. operator483.

1986 ANALOG & DIGITAL SYSTEMS INC

of the archaic vacuum tube in theformidably high-tech CD format,tubes do have at least a couple ofpoints in their favor in this applica-tion. Vacuum tubes are generally lessupset than transistors by minor pow-er supply perturbations caused byswitching glitches (due in part to therelatively high voltage supply railsfrom which they operate) and tubesthemselves swing high voltages easi-ly, affording tube voltage amplifica-tion sections tremendous headroomfor coping with the highly dynamicsignals from the output of the D/Aconverter.

IsolationThe final quick fix mod which

commonly crops up in high -end play-ers is the introduction of some sort ofsuspension for acoustical and me-chanical isolation. The informingtheory here is that vibrations reach-ing the disc's surface can cause the la-ser pickup to mistrack.

One might question the need forisolation in that all Compact Discplayers have servo mechanisms forkeeping the optical assembly in pre-cise focus, and error concealment cir-cuits for reconstructing lost signalcontent based on adjacent samples,but given the very narrow trackwidth and high rotational speed ofthe Compact Disc, it's probably bestnot to ask too much of the servos.Keeping the disc surface stable seemsto be a good idea.

The most common way to isolatethe transport is to use a floating,spring -suspended subchassis similarto those employed in most high -endturntables such as the AR, the Linn,the Oracle, etc. Subchassis are used inCompact Disc players by Mission,Meridian, and Cambridge, amongothers. A similar tactic, one used byYamaha, is to place rubber bufferpads between the subchassis and themain chassis in place of springs. Stillanother way to isolate the transport isto use a nonresonant chassis material.Kyocera employs a massive basemade of acoustically inert aluminumoxide fine ceramics, while Sony uses adead plastic material called cerasin inits high -end ES line. One might notethat both Kyocera and Yamaha alsoisolate signal circuitry in nonresonanthousings on the theory that transistorsare microphonic (the sound they aretransmitting being affected by thesound from the speakers).

Unique ProcessingMost CD players, regardless of

cost, use stock, off -the -shelf digital -to -analog converters. Among those

that don't are Cambridge, Kyocera,and Nakamichi players, which all fea-ture four -times oversampling (otherfour -times oversampling playersachieve 16 -bit dynamic range from a14 -bit D/A converter by means of anoise -shaping circuit). These three ex-ceptions use custom D/A converters.

Of these custom chips, threeNakamichi's is perhaps the most in-teresting. Nakamichi's converter isfollowed directly by the analog outputfilter; all other players on the marketinterpose what is known as anaperature circuit or output sample -and -hold circuit, a device which per-mits the voltages of the pulses fromthe D/A converter to stabilize, andwhich minimizes the spikes in theoutput waveform. The NakamichiD/A converter is claimed to be suffi-ciently precise and noiseless as toeliminate the need for the aperturecircuit.

A number of companies have pro-duced players with circuits followingthe D/A converter for the purpose oftailoring the sound. Carver Corpora-tion's Digital Time Lens, incorporat-ed in their Carver Compact DiscPlayer, alters the tonal balance of theL+R and L -R components of thestereo signal in an attempt to recreatethe ambient cues conveyed by analogphonograph records. The dbx DX3also has an ambience enhancementcircuit of a sort. Theirs progressivelyreduces stereo separation, purported-ly to provide a greater sense ofcenterfill in stereo reproduction. Thesame deck also contains an "Over -Easy" compressor for reducing dy-namic range when one is copying cas-settes from CDs, and a dynamicrange expander for souping up CDsmade from analog master tapes. Fi-nally, the Kinergetics KCD-1 con-tains a circuit to compensate for thetime smear caused by hysteresislosses in analog -mastered CDs.

What's it all mean? Permit me aparable. In the teens of this century,Thomas Edison staged a bunch ofdemonstrations in major Americancities involving an improved versionof his cylinder phonograph. Edisonwould place a musician behind a cur-tain as well as an Edison phonographplaying a recording of that samemusician-a blind listening test, ifyou will. The press regularly reportedthat no one could tell the differencebetween the live music and the repro-duced music, and that perfect repro-duction has been achieved. It is alsointeresting to note that the new cylin-ders used by Edison is these demoswere made of plastic and were sup-posed to last indefinitely.D

(continued from page 16)

recorders will hit the market. A goodcassette deck can make a pretty goodcopy of a CD, so there is not a hugedemand for digital audio tape, letalone CD recorders.

Because so much information canbe put on a Compact Disc, they willbe used to provide information topersonal computers. These CDs arein the CD-ROM format, for CompactDisc -Read -Only Memory. They willnot store information as a floppy diskdoes, but will have information onthem that can be accessed through acomputer. There are already Com-pact Discs being sold that have ency-clopedic amounts of information onthem.

One CD could hold 270,000 pagesof information, with each page hav-ing more than 2,000 characters. Asingle CD can hold every softwareprogram ever written for the IBMPersonal Computer: that's a tremen-dous amount of data, exceeded onlyby the cost of licensing all thatsoftware.

Other potential formats are CD -I,where the interaction between thedisc and the user would be taken tonew extremes, and CD -V, where thestill video potential could be utilized.

It is possible that one CD can havemusic on both sides, although thisdouble -sided disc would have to bemade of two normal discs glued to-gether. And that would leave littlespace for the label.

Moving in the opposite direction,towards less playing time per disc,would be the Compact Disc single.This would have two or three songs,with a total playing time of 10 to 15minutes. Although considered, CDsingles are not likely to be manufac-tured, because the costs of pressingthe disc would be the same as for afull-length disc, so the savings wouldbe slight.

One intriguing possibility for thefuture would be double -mono discs,where the left channel would haveentirely different sound than the rightchannel. You could have mono re-cordings of Enrico Caruso singing onthe left channel and Glenn Millerplaying on the right channel. You se-lect the channel you want with yourbalance control. Track access couldbe tricky, but it might be arranged sothe even tracks were for one channeland the odd tracks were for the other.It would be wonderful if some of theclassic mono recordings of the pastcould be immortalized in millions ofdigits on the polycarbonate plastic ofthe marvelous little Compact Disc.D

30 COMPACT Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

ACD PLAYER

SHOPPING LISTby Wendy M. Schaub & John Weinberg

purchasing a Compact Discplayer can be confusing aswell as fun. Every time youturn around, a new player or

feature is being introduced. Youwonder if you'll ever be able decidewhich player is right for you. MostCD players look alike, with similarfeatures and functions. Yet, all arespecial. In the meantime, prices keepgoing down, the choices becomegreater, and the decision much hard-er. Many of us leave audio dealersoverwhelmed and baffled by the vari-ety of CD players. We want every CDplayer we saw, yet don't know whichone to buy. Fear not, help is on theway.

The shopping list on the followingpages is designed to help focus yourchoice of CD players to those offeringthe features you most need and want.Listed are the model numbers andsuggested retail prices of all the homeCD players included in this guide. (Ifyou are interested in a car, portable,combo or multiplay CD player, go tothe appropriate section-the choicesfor these types of players are still fair-ly limited, and most decisions can bemade without the aid of a shoppinglist.) Also given are questions de-signed to help eliminate those playersthat do not offer what you want.

Each CD player listed is given anumber for easy identification. Youwill be asked if you want a certain

feature-if you do, you will be told tocross out the numbers of those CDplayers that do not offer that feature.As a result of elimination, you will beleft with a list of CD players that fea-ture what you want and need. Sinceyou might have to go through thequestions more than once, it is agood idea to make a few copies of thelist on page 33.

Next, review the prices of the re-maining players. Delete those playerswhich are out of your allowable pricerange. Remember though, the pricesgiven are suggested retail prices.Prices are set by individual retailersand tend to be lower than the suggest-ed retail price. Prices are also subjectto change without notice. If all theplayers on your list are out of yourprice range, you need to give up somefeatures or increase your budget.

Go to the listings section and readthe descriptions of the players thatmeet your qualifications. (It alsowon't hurt to read some of the otherlistings for comparison.) The listingsshould help narrow your choicesdown to a manageable few. If you areleft with too many choices, be morespecific about what you want.

This shopping list is based uponinformation provided by manufac-turers. It is designed to be used as aguide, and not an absolute. It isstrongly advised that you go to audiodealers to test and scrutinize the

players that interest you before mak-ing any final decision.

The manufacturers' descriptionsgiven for most of the higher -pricedhigh -end CD players do not fit thequestion format of this shopping list.Most of these players feature innova-tive and improved technologies withtheir focus on better sound quality,not more buttons. If you are interest-ed in any of these players, read thedescriptive listings in Section 1 ofthis magazine. For players that aresaid to sound better, you can checkthat by listening to them. Remember,how good a particular piece of audioequipment sounds is determined byyour ears and opinions.

This shopping list does not includecommon features such as skip for-ward, skip back, fast forward, fast re-verse, and track cueing in its ques-tionaire because a very large majorityof, if not all, CD players include thesefunctions. Analog filtering and (atleast) 44.1 -kHz sampling are alsocommon to all CD players.

Many of the players listed offerunique features that are not includedin the list of questions. This shoppinglist was designed to provide a basicfoundation for choosing a CD play-er-the different section listings arefor the finer points and features.Making use of both will help makechoosing and buying a CD player en-joyable instead of confusing.0

1987 COMPAC I DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 31

I. If iou want remote control, crossout...2, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 24, 28, 31, 32, 38, 39, 40,42, 45 , 51, 52, 63, 69, 71, 79, 83, 84, 85, 89,92, 94, 95, 101, 108, 109, 110, 1 l 1, 112, 113,115, 116, 118, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 127,130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 136, 139, 140, 141,142, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151,152, 153, 155, 156, 157.

2. If you want to program from nine totwenty tracks, cross out numbers ...1, 2, 9, 28, 38, 49, 60, 63, 69, 77, 78, 83.84, 109, 144, 149

3. If you want to program more than twen-ty tracks, cross out numbers...I, 2, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21,22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 33, 35, 36,37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45 , 46, 47, 48, 49,50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62,63, 64, 66, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102,104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 112, 113,115, 116, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123,124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132,134, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144,145, 148, 149, 150, 152, 153, 154, 155,156, 157.

4. If you want the cancel feature, cross outnumbers...1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 17, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28,29, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 46, 48, 49, 52, 54,59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85,92, 93, 94, 95, 99, 100, 102, 103, 104, 105,107, 108, 109, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117,118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 125, 126, 127,128, 131, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138,139, 143, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150,153, 154, 155, 156, 157.

5. If you want to repeat a disc, cross outnumbers...2, 8, 9, 19, 28, 35, 52, 60, 63, 69, 72, 85,99, 105, 107, 113, 128, 133, 134, 135, 144,146, 149, 151, 152.

6. If you want to repeat a track, cross outnumbers...2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 19, 28, 35, 38, 39, 52, 60,64, 66, 68, 69, 72, 73, 76, 80, 85, 102, 103,107, 109, 113, 123, 125, 128, 131, 135,137, 138, 144, 146, 149, 151, 152, 153.

7. If you sant to repeat a program, crossout numbers ...1, 2, 8, 9, 19, 28, 35, 38, 52, 60, 65, 69, 72,77, 78, 81, 85, 89, 94, 95, 105, 107, 109,113, 114, 116, 119, 120, 122, 124, 126,128, 131, 133, 135, 143, 144, 145, 146,148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 155,

8. If you want to repeat a phrase, cross outnumbers . . .2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 17, 18, 19, 24, 27, 28,30, 31, 32, 35, 37, 38, 39, 45 , 46, 48, 49,

52, 53, 54, 57, 59, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 72,75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88,89, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102,103, 104, 105, 107, 109, 111, 112, 113,114, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123,124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131,132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 139, 143,144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152,154, 155, 156, 157.

9. If you sant cueing by track and index,cross out numbers ...2, 6, 7, 11, 19, 21, 23, 26, 32, 34, 35, 38,42, 43, 46, 47, 49, 51, 53, 54, 58, 60, 62,63, 64, 65, 66, 69, 70, 72, 73, 75, 79, 80,81, 82, 85, 89, 90, 91, 96, 97, 98, 102, 103,104, 105, 106, 107, 109, 112, 113, 114,115, 116, 119, 120, 121, 124, 125, 126,127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134,135, 137, 139, 142, 144, 146, 148, 149,150, 151, 152, 156,

10. If you Kant cueing by track and time,cross out numbers ...1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, II, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18,19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32,33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45 , 46,48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71,72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94,95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105,106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113,114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121,122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128. 129,130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138,139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146,147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154,155, 156, 157.

11. If rou sant sound the audible duringfast scans, cross out numbers ...1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 23, 24,25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 37, 43, 48, 49,51, 52, 54, 60, 65, 66, 68, 69, 75, 77, 78,80, 81, 87, 88, 89, 93, 94, 95, 98, 102, 105,107, 112, 113, 114, 116, 119, 120, 122,123, 126, 128, 131, 132, 134, 135, 137,139, 141, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150,152, 153, 154, 157.

12. If you want a headphone jack, crossout numbers . . .I, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 18, 22, 28, 30, 32, 33,34, 40, 42, 43, 45 , 46, 48, 51, 56, 59, 60,61, 62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74,76, 78, 79, 81, 85, 86, 88, 89, 91, 92, 94,95, 98, 100, 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107,108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116,118, 119, 121, 124, 126, 127, 130, 131,132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139,140, 141, 142, 143, 146, 147, 148, 151,153, 155, 156,

13. If you sant a headphone jack withvariable level, cross out numbers...I, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 18, 22, 24, 28, 30, 31,32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48,51, 56, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69,

70, 71, 72, 74, 76, 78, 79, 81, 85, 86, 88,89, 91, 92, 94, 95, 97, 98, 100, 101, 102,104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111,112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 118, 119, 121,122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131,132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139,140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147,148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155,156, 157.

14. If you want display of track number,cross out numbers ...2. . 107.

15. If you sant display of elapsed time ofdisc, cross out numbers ...2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 22, 26, 27, 28,29, 30, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45 , 47, 48,49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 59, 60, 61, 64,68, 70, 71, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 98,100, 102, 103, 107, 108, 109, 112, 113,114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 122, 125,128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137,138, 140, 141, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149,151, 152, 153, 156.

16. If you want display of elapsed time oftrack, cross out numbers . . .2, 7, 19, 28, 29, 35, 38, 50, 51, 52, 53, 77,78, 82, 83, 84, 94, 95, 96, 105, 107, 113,120, 123, 126, 131, 134, 152.

17. If you sant displaj of I -miming time ofdisc. cross out numbers...2, S. 7. II, 13, 18, 19, 24, 25, 28, 30, 32,35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 51,52, 54, 62, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 76,77, 78, 79, 80, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92,93, 94, 95, 96, 102, 103, 105, 107, 108,110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 117, 119, 120,122, 124, 125, 126, 128, 134, 135, 136,137, 138, 143, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149,150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157.

18. If you want display of program inmemory, cross out numbers . . .

I, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 13, 19, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30,35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 45, 48, 51, 52, 54, 65,68, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80,81, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 95, 101,102, 103, 105, 107, 108, 109, 113, 114,116, 117, 122, 123, 125, 126, 128, 131,132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 141, 143,144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 151, 152,153, 154, 155, 156.

19. If .;ou sant digital filtering, cross outnumbers ...2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 22, 24, 26,28, 30, 37, 38, 40, 43, 44, 45, 49, 53, 55,59, 60, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 74, 77, 78,79, 81, 87, 88, 90, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98,100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109,110, III, 112, 113, 114, 117, 118, 119,120, 123, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130,131, 132, 134, 135, 136, 138, 140, 141,142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149,153, 154, 155, 156, 157.


2, 4, 7, 14, 17, 18, 22, 24,

31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41.48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54,

60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67,

72, 74, 77, 78, 79, 80, 82,

87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,

98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103,

20. If you want dual D/A converters, crossout numbers ...

25, 26, 27, 30,43, 44, 45, 46,55, 57, 58, 59,68, 69, 70, 71,83, 84, 85, 86,94, 95, 96, 97,104, 105, 106,

107, 108, 109, 110, III, 112, 113, 115,

117. 118. 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125.126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133,134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139. 140, 141,

142, 143, 144, 145, 147, 148, 149, 151,152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157.

21. If you want double oversampling (88.2kHz). cross out numbers ...I, 2. 3, 4, 5. 6, 7, 8, 9, II, 13, 14, 16, 19,22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. 30. 32, 34.

35. 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 48, 49, 52, 53,54. 57, 59, 60, 64, 65, 66, 69. 70, 71, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92.93, 94. 95. 96. 98, 99, 100, 101, 103, 104,105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112,

113, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122,

123, 125, 126, 127, 128. 129, 130, 131,132, 133, 134, 135, 136. 138, 139, 140.141. 142, 143, 144. 145. 146, 147, 148,149, 150. 151, 152, 153, 154, 155-157.

HOME COMPACT DISC PLAYERS*

I. Accuphase 80/81 $7,0002. Cambridge CDI $2,4953. Kyocera DA -910 $1,6004. Luxman D-03 $1,5005. Meridian 207 $1,5006. Audioquest TCD-I0 $1,4957. Man MCD-1 $1,4908. Nakamichi OMS-7A11$1,3759. Nakamichi OMS-5A11$1,375

10. Sony CDP-650ES11 $1,300I I. Tandberg TCP 30I5A $1,29512. ADS Atelier CD3 . $1,25013. DiscTech LSI MKII $1,19514. Kyocera DA -810.... $1,10015. Teac ZD-5000 $1,10016. JVC XL-V100BK . $1,00017. Technics SL -P I 200 $1,00018. Bang & Olufsen CD50 $99919. Nakamichi OMS-4A $99520. Sony CDP-620ES II $95021. Teac ZD-3000 $95022. ADS Atelier CD4 $90023. Mission PCM 7000R $89924. Yamaha CD -2000M $89925. Revox B 225 $84926 Hitachi DA005 $80027. Yamaha CD -2000B $799

28. Kinergetics KCD-20 $79529. Kyocera DA-710CX $75030. Mission DAD7000R $74931. NEC CO -705 $74932. Bang & Olufsen CDX $69933. Carver DTL-200 $69934. Mission PCM 7000 $69935. Nakamichi OMS-3A $69936. Teac ZD-700 $69937. Yamaha CD -1000B $69938. Audioquest CD -I $69539. Sonographe SD -I $69540. Carver DTL $65041. Denon DCD-I500 . $65042. Marantz CD -74 $65043. Hitachi DA501 $60044. Sony CDP-520ES II $60045. dbx DX3 $59946. NEC CD -607 $59947. Shure Brothers D6000 $59948. Yamaha CD -70013 $59949. Luxman D-404 $58050. Onkyo Integra DX -320 $58051. Harman Kardon HD300$57552. Denon DCD-I300. $55053. Kyocera DA-610CX $550

54. Kyocera DA -6 I 0 $55055. Sony CDP-302 II $55056. Carver DTL-50 $54957. Pioneer PD -9010X $54058. Technics SL -P500 $52059. Kenwood DP -I000 IIB $51060. Adcom GCD-300 $50061. Sony CDP-203 $50062. Vector Res.VCD-900 $50063. Toshiba XR-V11 $49964. NAD 5355 $49865. AR CD -04 $48066. Luxman D -I00 $48067. Akai CD -A70 $47568. Pioneer PD-7030(BK) $47069. Adcom GCD-200 $45070. Hitachi DA6001 $45071. Hitachi DA500 $45072. Sherwood CDP-310R $45073. NEC CD -650E $44974. Teac PD -400 $44975. Magnavox CDB650 $43076. Audio-Technica CD20 $40077. Denon DCD-700 $40078. Fisher AD-8I5B79. Hitachi DA60080. JVC XL-V440BK81. Marantz CD -5082. Onkyo DX -22083. Sansui CD -E75084. Sansui CD -V35085. Sherwood CDP-300R86. Sony CDP-5587. RCA MCD-I4588. RCA MCD-I4189. Rotcl RCD85090. Shure Brothers SV4091. Shure Brothers D500092. Teac PD -20093. Yamaha CD -500B94. Fisher AD -924B95. Fisher AD -922B96. Aiwa DX -I50097. Technics SL-P3I0 .98. ADC 16/2R99. Sansui CD-V550R

100. Sony CDP-50101. Akai CD-A3X102. JVC XL-V330BK103. Pioneer PD-6030(BK).104. Scott 960DA105. Toshiba XR-35106. Vector Res. VCD-770 .

107. Proton 830R $349108. Teac PD -I00 $349109. NAD 5330 $348110. Akai CD-M5I5 $340III. Akai CD -A30 $340112. ADC 16/1 $330113. Denon DCD-500 $330114. Magnavox CDB560 $330115. Marantz CD -I52 $330116. Marantz CD -30 $330117. Mitsubishi DP -209R..$330118. Sony CDP-45 $330119. Sylvania CDI560 . $330120. NEC CD -500E $329121. Technics SL -PI I0 $320122. Yamaha CD -400B . $319123. Kenwood DP -850(B) $315124. Onkyo DX -120 $300125. Pioneer PD-5030(BK). $300126. Sanyo CP 710 $300127. Scott 950DA $300128. Sharp DX-620(BK). $300129. Sony CDP-7F $300130. Technics SL -131 1 I . $300

$400 131. Toshiba XR-30 $300$400 132. ADC CD 100X $299$400 133. Magnavox FD2041 SL $299$400 134. Sylvania FDE203 . $299$400 135. Magnavox FD 1051 BK $290$400 136. Mitsubishi DP -I09 . . $280

400 137. JVC XL-V220BK $275$400 138. GE 11-4911 $270$400 139. Panasonic SL -P3600 $270$399 140. Sony CDP-35 $270$399 141. Sony CDP-25 $270$399 142. Sony CDP-170 $265$399 143. Realistic CD -I400 $260$399 144. Sharp DX-610(BK) $260$399 145. Yamaha CD -300B $259

$399 146. Magnavox CDB460 $250$380 147. Quasar CD8956 $250$380 148. Sanyo CP 700 $250$375 149. Sharp DX-110(BK). $250$375 150. Sylvania CD1460 . $250$370 151. Magnavox FD1041 BK $240$370 152. Sylvania DI 150 $240$370 153. GE 11-4800 $230$350 154. Sears Roebuck 9755 $230$350 155. Realistic CD -2200....$200$350 156. RCA CDI80 $199$350 157. Scars Roebuck 9754 . $180$350 *Excluding combo players and CD$350 changers.

1987 CompAcT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 33

i)04441eCOMPACT DISC PLAYERS

BY MYRON BERGER

Small, light, and easy -to -carry CD players can fill yourhead with music whether you are indoors or outdoors.

here is, in my opinion, onlyone piece of audio equip-ment more desirable than aCompact Disc player-and

that is a portable Compact Discplayer.

In the memorable, if somewhat hy-perbolic, words of a chewing -gum ad-vertisement, portable players are"double the pleasure, double thefun." This extra measure of pleasureis derived from the double utility ofportables: they are at home both athome and on the go. They providehigh -quality sound in a home systemwith an AC adapter or outdoors witha battery pack. Unlike portable radi-os and cassette decks, however, por-table CD players are not generally in-ferior to home CD players; they aresimply smaller.

Contrary to appearances, many, ifnot virtually all, portable devicespossess features similar and perfor-mance comparable to their largercousins. Indeed, one portable player(the Toshiba XR-P9) even offers re-mote control (for when the unit isused in a home system). At the mo-ment, however, no portable playercan handle more than one disc at atime, so if you want a multi -disc CDchanger, you can only enjoy that con-venience at home or in the car.

Looks and SizeCurrently, the crop of portable

players is remarkably similar inprice, performance, and features. Un-like home units, they offer no highand low ends. (It might be said thatall oortable CD olavers are low -end

models, but it cannot be questionedthat their audio performance and fea-tures are most impressive.) Theremay not be a lot of difference be-tween one player and the next. Oneexception to this rule of homogeneityis a limited number of models (onlyfour at this time) with built-in radiotuners.

As a very general rule, then, porta-ble players are approximately thesize of three or four jewel boxes.They include an LCD window todisplay current track number, play/remaining time, and, occasionally,programming information: Thetransport functions, like standardhome units, frequently include audi-ble skip/search and track skip (for-ward and backward). The one fea-ture found on some home units thathas not yet migrated to portables isindex search.

Virtually all portable players havethree jacks: headphone out, DCpower in, and line out. The lattertwo are designed for use of the play-er in a home audio system. In most,though not all units, the battery isexternal to the player, rather than ina compartment in the body, as onmost portable radios and tapeplayers.

Power SuppliesAlthough most players use

rechargeable battery packs moldedspecifically to the player's body,some, such as the Pioneer PD-C7S,come with an empty battery packwhich accepts standard alkaline orrechargeable nickel -cadmium cells.

While rechargeables have obviousbenefits, it should be kept in mindthat with overseas travel to countrieswhich do not adhere to the US 110 -volt, 60 -hertz format it will be mucheasier to pick up batteries along theway, rather than carry a charger andpower converter.

If you plan to use your player as aportable, you have a choice betweenbattery packs that snap onto the play-er or the kind that are a combinationbattery pack and carrying case. Thesnap -on type is small and conve-nient, but the carrying case can helpcushion the player from jolts and pre-vent mistracking. Choose the batterypack that suits your needs.

Portables for the HomeIt is generally accepted among au-

dio manufacturers that most portableplayers are purchased with portabil-ity as a second consideration. That is,most units end up connected to ahome audio system, with, perhaps,only occasional forays into the out-side world.

And, indeed, there are two clearbenefits to stationary use of a porta-ble player: if space is at a premium,CD performance can be added withvirtually no sacrifice of space and,secondly, because portable units aredesigned to withstand the rough andtumble violence of swinging from awalker's shoulder, they are morelikely to ignore the vibrations andshocks that might discombobulate ahome player and make it skip. So,especially if you often abuse yourplayer by whacking it or dropping

34 COMPACI DISC BUN/FRS' Guiiw 1987

things on it, this is a factor to beconsidered.

Handling AbuseIn determining the shock -resis-

tance of a player, two simple tests canbe administered: the rock and theroll. To accomplish the former, theplayer should be jarred-perhapsswung against the soft part of thepalm of your hand. The swingingmotion should be neither too violentnor too extensive-after all, we aretesting a piece of electronic equip-ment, not a sledgehammer. If youcan imagine carrying the player on ashoulder strap and having it swinginto your hip -bone while walking,you will have some idea of how farand how hard to take the rock test.

The roll test involves free -airmovement. Holding the player se-curely in your hand, gently swingyour arm or wave your hand around.Unless the movement is very violentor jerky, most players will probablyshow no reaction to this test. If, how-ever, the player skips or loses itsplace on the disc, it is not a goodsign. Most players, on the otherhand, will mute momentarily duringthe rock test-particularly on themore aggressive contacts. Muting,then returning to precisely the spotwhere the mute began, is a standardCD method of avoiding error; playersthat skip or mistrack should generallybe avoided.

Ironically, in most cases, it is theshoulder carrying case supplied bymanufacturers that is the greatestcause of portable player problems.Because the player, in effect, danglesfrom your shoulder, it swings freelyboth forward and backward andfrom side to side. If the player couldbe secured to a belt, say, like a pock-et stereo, the only jarring influencewould be abrupt impact, when, forexample, jogging on concrete. Al-though no portable players are sup-plied with belt clips, the inventiveowner might do well to improvise aholder that could keep the playersnug to the body. Bear in mind,though, that player and batteries caneasily weigh in excess of two poundsand prove somewhat heavy to hangfrom a belt.

DifferencesAlthough, as mentioned earlier,

portable player prices tend to differby very little-virtually all carry asuggested list price between $300 and$400-what is included in the pricecan vary substantially from one mod-el to another. The Sony D5, for ex-ample, the first portable CD player

on the market, is now packaged withan AC adapter/battery charger, bat-tery, headphones, phono plugs, patchcord and shoulder strap as the D5-SPL at a suggested list of $279.95.The player alone has been sold forunder $100, however.

While most players include at leastan AC power supply and patch cord,many offer batteries and carryingcases separately. If you do not plan touse the player outdoors, the extra ex-pense of DC power may not be neces-sary; on the other hand, this extra ca-pability may prove handy at sometime in the future, even if it seemsunnecessary now.

Another area where there is somedifferentiation between models is inthe laser pickup. The field is dividedbetween one- and three -beam lasers.The advantage of the latter is that itmay be more facile at tracking dam-aged or dirty discs. The advantageof one beam is that the player issmaller. If you already own ascratched or marred disc, test iton both single- and triple -beammachines.

If you do not own such a disc, youcan make a test disc by cutting a tri-angle of Scotch tape and sticking iton the disc (with the sharpest pointinwards). As the disc plays, more andmore of the tape will interfere withthe laser beam. The better playerswill go longer before the clicking,skipping, and locking problems be-gin. If a player seems to be doing anamazing job of tracking your testdisc, seeming to read right throughthe tape, be sure to check that thetape hasn't fallen off.

Operating FeaturesOperating features, as mentioned

earlier, are remarkably similar fromone player to another, making minordifferences that much more signifi-cant. Try out all the controls, how-ever, to see if they are easy to use.Some players use a few buttons formany functions, which can be con-fusing, while others have a lot ofconfusing buttons, but each buttondoes only one simple thing. Here is around -up of standard-and nonstan-dard-features.

Obviously, certain transport func-tions are essential to player opera-tion: play and stop being the absoluteminimum required. All players nowon the market add a pause control,skip forward, skip back, fast forward,and fast reverse.

In addition to the latter, virtuallyall manufacturers offer player pro-grammability. The shortest memoryof the current crop of players is 10

tracks, the norm is about 15 and themaximum is 18 (the Technics SL-XP5 and SL-XP8). In most players,programming is accomplished by re-peatedly pushing the forward orbackward skip/search button untilthe desired track number appears onthe display. You then press a memo-ry or enter button. The Technics SL-XP8 and Panasonic SL-NP20, bothof which feature a built-in AM/FMtuner, have a 10 -button keypadused for both entering track num-bers and selecting radio stationpresets.

The LCD on all players displays, atleast, the current track being playedand elapsed track time. Many unitswill, at the push of a button, alsoshow remaining time and tracks onthe disc and battery status. The Tech-nics and Panasonic models just men-tioned, as well as the JVC XL-RIOK(which is virtually identical to theSL-XP5), also display up to the first15 of the tracks chosen for pro-grammed play.

Another feature common to manyplayers is auto -repeat. In most cases,either an entire disc, one track, or agroup of tracks can be programmedto play repeatedly. Some playerscan perform two repeat methods,and Sony's D -7S, D-55 and D-77can perform all three types ofrepeat.

As mentioned earlier, all players in-clude three jacks: headphone out, lineout and DC in. Likewise, every unitfeatures a level control for the head-phone jack, but none for the line-outcircuit. If you like listening with afriend, the Sanyo CP10 and the Citi-zen portable have jacks for connectingtwo pairs of headphones.

Two companies-Hitachi andSony-offer players equipped withsome unusual playback functions.Hitachi's DA -P100, which is aboutthe size and shape of a paperbackbook and is one of the few players toinclude an internal battery compart-ment and exclude programming ca-pability, features Scan -and -Play.When activated (by pushing a but-ton), the first 10 seconds of eachtrack are played until the play buttonis pushed (which will discontinue thescan mode and cause the unit to gointo the play mode) or the entire dischas been scanned.

Sony's three new models (the D -7S, D-55 and D-77) all offer a modecalled "shuffle play." This featureelectronically shuffles the tracksequence and plays all the tracks onthe disc in random order. It will,

(continued on page 41)36 COMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

00P110111S

When you add digital audioto your on -the -road lis-tening, the options opento you far outnumber the

alternatives you have at home. Theonly real obstacle is the limitedamount of space available for mount-ing a player in the car. There are farmore ways of adding a CD player toyour autosound system than you mayrealize, though, and many of themare relatively affordable.

As we look at the ways in which aCD player can become part of yourmobile sound environment, we'll ex-plore every aspect of what you needto consider as you take the digitalplunge. We'll touch on the eight waysyou can have a player in your car andthe attendant mounting options, discplaying options, buying a car with themaker's own CD player and soundsystem, compatibility, expandabilityof the whole system, and the few nec-essary specifications.

As a possible installation datedraws nigh, it is essential to devotesome thought to how you feel aboutcassettes and Compact Discs in thecar, because your choice of optionsand how you fit things into your

FOR THE CARIn dash? Under dash? On the front seat? Or in the trunk?

by Christopher Greenleaf

dashboard depend on this crucialquestion.

The CD vs. the CassetteAll further decisions are affected

by the question, Will I want a CDplayer and a cassette player, or do Iplan to listen only to CDs? That's nota trivial question, and how you an-swer it will decide the present and fu-ture installation options open to you.The answer will also determine theformats in which you buy recordingsand what freedom you have to cus-tom -prepare music programming formobile listening.

A few bright souls I've talked tosmugly boast that they now listenonly to CDs on the road. ("Cas-settes? ... come on, man!") Most lis-teners I've talked to, though, want toeither add a tuner/CD player to theirexisting power and speaker comple-ments and keep cassette playing ca-pability built in, or find some oth-er way to be able to take advantageof their tape libraries while theydrive. There are several reasons whymany music lovers want to keep cas-sette players when they add a CDplayer:

-CDs still cost around $15 each,while high -quality cassettes frommost labels run about $5 to $11 each.If you record your own music ontoblank tape, you can get hold of goodC -60s and C -90s for as little as a cou-ple of bucks each.

-Tape play of up to one and one-half hours, uninterrupted, is possiblewith the new and increasingly com-mon auto -reverse decks. The playcan also be endless, in some models,and there are numerous program-ming features to extend variety andprogram shaping.

-Only the standard audio cassettenow makes it possible to inexpen-sively customize home recordings ofrepertoire combinations commercial-ly unavailable. (Digital audio tape-DAT-may change that in the fu-ture; more on that later.)

-In all categories, the repertoire ofthe digital Compact Disc has beengrowing quickly, but nine decades ofrecorded music-our major musicalheritage-are available in their en-tirety on LP and cassette, and can beplayed in the car only on tape or viarandom broadcasts.

Then there's the negative side of1987 COMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 37

the cassette:-Degradation of the micro -thin

coating of magnetic particles on itsfragile plastic membrane eventuallyforces a cassette's retirement. Othermechanical woes stem from the de-creasing ability of the tape's self -lu-brication to prevent scrape flutterand chatter across the tape heads. Avery old tape will eventually squeallike an enraged chipmunk.

-The durability of the recordedmagnetic signal on the tape is a func-tion of both the coating quality andof the strength of the recorded signal.Unclean tape heads eventually dullhighs and bring on noise reductionmistracking.

-Access time during music searchcan run from several seconds to wellover a minute. With classical musicor other signals with frequent, pro-longed, low-level signals throughoutthe tape. it is physically impossiblefor these sensors to locate the end orstart of a quiet track. Even more irri-tatingly, music sensors typically treatmid -movement quiet sections as in-ter -track silences and stop the tapethere.

-Cassette audio quality varies enor-mously. So does the degree of successwith which tape heads, transports,and noise reduction confront differ-ent tapes. Only costly decks can ad-just for tape vagaries and optimizetape transport as needed.

And how does the CD stack up?On the positive side:

-Durability, for generations.-Instant access in as little as a sec-

ond to any part of the disc.-No noise reduction or tape equal-

ization to fidget with.-Booklets more informative than

the cassette J -card insert.-Wider dynamic range and cleaner,

undistorted peaks (if your front endand amp are up to the signal!).

-Up to 74 minutes playing time.OK, now votes against:-Cost: $15 on average and not

dropping as quickly promised.-Actual playing time. Classical

discs average fifty minutes, with afew over seventy; I've seen three CDsin rock and jazz with under 30 min-utes on each ... at full price.

-Jewel boxes can prove a challengefor one -handed use.

-You can't record on CDs (yet),which limits you to commercial re-leases in the stores.

Stack up these points as you evalu-ate your needs. This is certainly notan exhaustive list, as it hits onlysome of the more obvious qualitiesof each format, but it should give yousome basis for deciding. Your primefactor in this decision will still be"Can I count on the Compact Disc(and radio) to provide all my music,or would I want and miss the broadselection available on cassettes?"

All the OptionsThere are eight ways to play CDs

in your car. They range in price fromquite inexpensive to staggeringlycostly, depending on your degree ofcustomization and how elaborate asystem results. What you choose todo can even have a direct bearing onhow you configure your home Com-pact Disc equipment. Roughly in or-der of escalating equipment and in-

". . . it was really quite bizarre, Elaine. Business was very bad and in a fit ofdepression, he attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of stylus cleaner-well, he

survived all right, but here's the strange part,-from that day on his lisp was gone!"


stallation cost, here's what you cando.

1) Adapter for a portable player:Several companies make smalladapters that plug into either a line-out jack or a headphone jack (usuallythe former- and provide a signal toa conventional receiver tape playervia either a cassette -like insert forcontact with the type head or an an-tenna interconnection. One normallyuses either the player's own batterypowering or an adapter for the car'snominal 12 -volt DC current.

2) CD/AUX jack in head unit: Agrowing number of companies areproviding front- or rear -panel jackslabeled CD or AUX (auxiliary).These effect a direct electrical con-nection that usually matches the im-pedance needs of the two compo-nents. A few car stereo companieshave also thoughtfully begun to in-troduce powering leads for portables,making them less battery -dependent.

3) Add-on CD player: Using a con-ventional head unit's AUX/CD in-put, a CD player (without tuner) canbe permanently or semi -permanentlymounted under the dash, in the glovecompartment, or elsewhere. Slowsales of player -only models have re-duced the number of them availablefrom major companies, but theyshould continue to be available in anumber of models.

4) In -dash tuner/CD player with-out tape: This is the obvious option ifyou decide that dashboard real estateand your listening preferences makeit unlikely that you want a cassetteplayer again. (I'm assuming that youwill not want to do without the richand random variety of radio and thatyou will want a means of listening toweather, news, traffic, emergency an-nouncements, and other useful pro-gramming on AM and FM. The ar-rival of FMX FM stereo noisereduction-in cars by mid -1987, I be-lieve-will also make radio moresonically attractive than in the past.)

5) 1n -dash tuner/CD player withAUX jack for cassette portable:Banishing the cassette player fromyour dash need not sentence you to alife on the road without tape. Using afront- or rear -panel auxiliary jack,you can play a personal portable tapemachine through your full autosoundsystem.

6) Docking CD player or tape play-er: With one or the other unit perma-nently installed in the normal dashlocation (or in a console), you canhave one of the several competingbrands of removable chassis fitted toany head unit and slip it in when youwant to use it. One company (Phil-

The concert continueswith the Ford JBL Audio System.

Imagine the music of 12 speakers driven by 140 watts...

Just imagine a car audio system that could reallydeliver music as rich and powerful as a live concert.

Imagine music emanating from 12 JBL speakers-specifically equalized and adjusted to the surroundingenvironment and deftly capable of reproducingdigitally accurate full -range, high fidelity sound.

12 JBL speakers including 2-6" x 9" woofers, 2-31/2"midrange speakers and 2-7/4" tweeters located in therear deck; 2-51/4" woofers mounted in the doors;and 2 tweeters and 2 midrange speakers in theinstrument panel. Selective frequency fading so allwoofers remain in operation at controlled levelswhen faded front/rear.

Imagine the sheer impact of 140 watts of total systempower. Ample power to virtually eliminate distortionfor the most comfortable listening-even at highvolume for very long periods of time.

140 watts TSP-4 amplifiers. 35 watts per channelinto 4 ohms at 1000 Hz with 07% THD. 105 dBSPL maximum acoustic output. Excursion controlcomputer with continuously variable loudnesscompensation and automatic overloadprotection.

Then stop imagining and hear the real thing foryourself, exclusively at your Lincoln-Mercury dealertoday.

JBL loudspeakers are featured in worldrenowned sound systems everywhere.including Tokyo's NHK Hall, Los AngelesMusic Center, Tanglewood Music Shed,Frankfurt Opera House and now the LincolnContinental and the Lincoln Town Car.

CIRCLE NO 40 ON READER SERVICE CARD

JBL

AUDIO SYSTEMS

ips) already makes such a CD player,which doubles as a personal portable.Perhaps some smart engineer will usethe same docking format to permitalternate use of otherwise identicalCD and tape players in the same dashopening . . . .

7) Two in -dash or console headunits combining CD, tape, and radio:Such an installation is possible onlyif you have the room or can contem-plate a custom adaptation of yourcar's aesthetics. Depending on yourtaste, the results look stunning orcluttered. It is the simplest way tohave it all and have it permanently apart of the car. If it is installed by anexpert, it also assures complete inter -component compatibility. . .. not abad idea.

8) Trunk -mounted systems: As youmay have heard, you don't have tohave everything in or near the dashanymore. The new trunk location forwhich some systems are designed ex-pands your possibilities enormously.Sony has a ten -CD changer with anoptional tuner pack. Alpine has a six -cassette changer. Both are linked byan umbilicus to a passenger compart-ment control unit. Alpine has an-nounced a CD changer for its line,too, and it will be incompatible withthe Sony and with other systems justbeing announced. The magazineseach player utilizes are compact, pro-tect the discs, and fit home changerscoming onto the market. You mightend up with the same format of play-er at home and in the car.

Pros & ConsSome prose about the cons of the

above options is in order. The porta-bles, unless they are docking modelsthat slip into holders wired into thesystem, will be loose on the seat, inyour lap, or wherever they happen tofit best. Sudden braking and bounc-ing can send them flying. That cancost you medical, electrical, or aes-thetic consequences of one sort or an-other. Most portables (CD and cas-sette) are not as immune to a car'speculiar motion and vibrations as thein -dash units designed to cope withthem.

Customizing is costly, but it cansolve many of the problems inherentin having two head units, especially ifboth must be either permanentlymounted or removable from perma-nent housings. Like the portables, thedocking units solve their securityproblems simply. (I guess that meansthat either you remove them orsomeone else does.)

The disadvantage, and perhaps theonly major objection I can raise, to

trunk -mounted systems is, at the mo-ment, their cost. That will comedown as optical linkages and new re-mote technologies become widelyavailable and competitive. For now,such an installation will start above$1,000 (components and labor) andmove on up into the higher regions.On the positive side, the increasedsize of trunk components meansgreater vibration and shock isolation.Their proximity to a trunk -mountedpower amplification package de-creases certain installation costs andnoticeably lowers hum intrusion intothe wiring scheme. The sophistica-tion of the remote commanders thatcome with hidden components is re-markable, and the bigger displayscreens possible without a cassette orCompact Disc by eating up space arewelcome to detail -weary eyes. As-suming use of a CD changer, youshould be able to drive from eitherthe east or west coast to somewherein the middle of the country beforeyou get bored with the selection!

In addition to the proprietary (andtherefore incompatible) changer mag-azines, there are individual CD car-tridges. To avoid having to load discsfrom a difficult -to -open jewel box,you pre -load them into the tiny car-tridges, which shield them fromgreasy fingers and sharp objects andopen a flap for the player's laser op-tics to scan the rotating disc. Unfor-tunately, you must use a cartridge inany player designed to take one. Thisformat war will be unlikely to take onthe epic proportions (and needlesshype) of the standard and mini videocassette formats, but it can confusethe issue a bit. My question is, howmuch extra shelf space do you needto store the jewel boxes with theirbooklets and the labelless cartridges?Also, do you have to buy a lot of car-tridges and reload the whole collec-tion, or will most users load just thefew discs they plan to take for a driveon a given day, rotating them in andout of the carts?

Buying OEMBuying a stereo system with the car

as you signed for the whole packageon the sales floor used to be a fineway to get some so-so sound. That'schanged for the better, to the chagrinof the aftermarket manufacturers.Not long ago, good electronic tunersand noise reduction hit the OEMhead units. Then came respectableamplification and speakers. Finally,some extraordinarily well -engineeredspeaker mountings and enclosuresfrom big American and Japaneseautomakers began to put genuine au-

dio (as opposed to mid-fi) into theshowrooms.

Now, one maker (Ford) has beenshipping Compact Disc players in cer-tain models and others have an-nounced the names and dates of mod-els in which the players will be offeredas options. The funny thing is, someof the makers who are howling theloudest about the car companies' in-roads into aftermarket autosound arethe ones the biggies have chosen tomanufacture their players.

CompatibilityMost CD players for automotive in-

stallation come with the world -stan-dard RCA phono plugs familiar inhome audio and most car audio.These are used for signal output fromthe players. In a few cases, proprietaryjacks and plugs encourage you to buyall your components from one com-pany to keep it all compatible andeasy to connect. Some companiesmake adapters for their noncompati-ble plugs ...but double check beforespending any money.

Powering leads are pretty muchcolor coded in the usual way. Thereare not really any standard plugs andjacks for this, except to permit re-moval of the head unit from the restof the wiring harness, so don't worryabout compatibility here.

Reasonable standarization of in -dash openings and mounting depthsexists, but check this aspect of a play-er carefully. Most models are DIN orso-called new -DIN in size, and thereare exceptions for the various carmakers' deviations from the norm. Itis very important that there be suffi-cient depth to fit the player and goodpoint at which to affix a rear supportstrap, to keep the unit from bouncingunduly.

Many players are intended to bemounted no more than 15° awayfrom the horizontal. Though youmay have to hunt a bit, see if you canfind reference to this crucial detail ifyou must place the player at an angleexceeding this, as its performancecan be severely curtailed and thelife of the optic tracking servosshortened.

ExpandabilityWe need only say, on this subject,

that your foresight in choosing com-ponents will determine how easilyand how cost-effectively you are able,at a later date, to update your soundsystem. As you dream your, we hope,realistic dreams of sounds yet unbornand LEDs yet unlit, match what youcontemplate buying with its ability toaccept additions to the system. As the


saying goes, think ahead.

Performance by NumbersPlayers do and do not sound alike,

depending on whose reviews and edito-rials you've seen. Don't expect to judgeplayers by the sort of specificationsused for turntables, speakers, and cas-sette decks, because the same criteriasimply don't apply to digital audiocomponents. Standardized yardsticksfor virtually every audio element exist,but they have taken years to formulateand refine. The CD player, which isn'tyet four years old in this land, does notbenefit from a codified set of standardsby which to judge it.

However, three specs do exist in away that is useful. Channel separa-tion of greater than 90 dB is excellentand guarantees minimal interferencebetween the left and right stereochannels. Intermodulation distortion(IM) involves the intrusion of spuri-ous harmonics and other frequenciesinto the musical bandwidth. A verygood IM figure is .003% or less. Phas-ing involves the relationship in timethat exists between very high fre-quencies and the rest of the lowerbandwidth of music. If such a figureis given, a phase linearity of less than5° at 20 kHz (the top musical fre-

normally given) is excellent.Even so, substantially higher figuresdo not necessarily disqualify a playerused in the potentially noisy environ-ment of a car, where many a finermusical point never gets across.

The Digital Future. . . bids fair to include the CD for

a long while. At some time in 1987,the first consumer digital recordingmedium, digital audio tape with a ro-tary tape head (R-DAT) will be de-buting. Commercial and home-madetapes will be possible, just as with theconventional, analog cassette.Whereas the CD can be added to thecassette as a car stereo and home au-dio format, the R-DAT format is in-tended to replace the humble audiocassette we know today. Its 16 -bitdigital sound and two to three hoursof play on the R-DAT's one sidemake it a hot item. It could well sup-plant the analog compact cassette intime. For now, though, the cassettewe grew up with offers extremelygood sound and load -your -own con-venience that are a perfect match forthe audio perfection of the CD.

Make your choice about a car CDplayer wisely, including or excludingthe cassette player as you see fit. Eachhas its advantages and it drawbacks.Whatever your choice, let the winnerbe your music.0

(continued from page 36)

however, repeat tracks before allhave been played.

This summer, the first portableCompact Disc/radio tuners ap-peared. Panasonic/Technics unveiledthe SL-NP20 and SL-XP8, and Sonyshowed the D55 and D77. All units(except the D-55, which tunes onlyFM), receive both AM and FM. Sonyuses a conventional dial scale withslide -rule tuning, while the Pana-sonic/Technics models feature a digi-tal tuning display, electronic tuningand 16 station (eight AM, eight FM)presets.

Although JVC and Pioneer offerplayers that can be slid in and out ofspecial compartments on portablecomponent systems and a number ofmanufacturers make portable com-ponent systems that include a nonre-movable CD player, most such unitsare incapable of reproducing thehigh -quality CD output as authorita-tively as home systems. They may beworth considering for use in a vaca-tion home or college dorm room. An-other option for a secondary systemis a portable CD player connected di-rectly to a pair of powered speakers,such as AR's Powered Partners or theBose RoomMates. The headphonelevel control can adjust speakervolume.

ConveniencePerhaps one of the last things to

look at in a portable Compact Discplayer is the layout of its controls. Ifthe device is to be used solely athome as part of a complete system,this consideration will probably berelatively minor-unless controls arescattered about all six surfaces of theplayer. However, when carrying aunit outdoors, a cluster of controls onone easily accessible surface takes ona much greater convenience. Like-wise, carrying cases should not makeaccess to controls a matter of un-buckling, unzipping or unwrapping:the important functions should begrouped together in a place that'seasy to reach.

In conclusion, the selection of aportable CD player is an enterpriselimited by a remarkable degree ofuniformity among current offerings.Although differences between modelsare occasionally subtle, they are, nev-ertheless, there. The tests describedhere should help in furthering thesedistinctions. And, as with any pieceof audio equipment, a thorough testdrive and careful listening is thebest assurance of continuing satisfac-tion.0

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by Marcia Golden

In the begirning, there was the Compact Disc player. Itwas tout :d as :he perfect sound machine and its soft-ware was repo-ted to be virtually indestructible.

We saw t and judged it good. So we bought a playerand we bougt the discs. And bougr. And bought. Andthen we woncered, "Where will we ever store all ofour purchases?" And so the CD accessory industry wasborn, trying to fill a much -needed voii.

Caught up it the romance, the sound, and the technol-ogy of the Compact Disc revolution, _r anyof us reshuffledexisting componen:ry to include the new and increasinglycompact CD Hardware. And, too, ..vc pushed aside sub-stantial LP rec3rd collections to inca_de an ever-growing

collection of the douginut-sized silver discs.Devotees of the rituals of vinyl retort maintenance an

engrossed in our pursait of perfect sound reproducticn, wereligiously sought ar.d continue to seek cut the appropriateCD accessories necessary to store, maintain and enhanceour new systems' ard software's performance.

In response to that demand, manufaatrers have steadi-ly introduced a number of CD-mlated p-oducts to comple-ment the category. Chief among these are storage systems(designed to organize CD collections at home or on the 13road) and disc cleaners. In lesser numbe-s are the e_ectron- 6is enhancers to correct, mellow, or modify supposed aes-thetic imperfections in a CD player's scnic performance.

Still, the current crop of CD acces-sories is plentiful enough to stir theheart of even the sternest audiophile.And what follows is a brief overviewof many of the new products now onthe market.

CD StorageFrom the single -CD plastic re-

placement case or "jewel box," to the200 -plus, hardwood disc organizer,there are dozens of storage systemsavailable in every price range. Mostare a variation (in size and material)of box storage. Several double asdual-purpose CD/floppy computerdisk holders. And a few, like the Ge-neva Group's $7.99 CD Storage Al-bum (designed to store four CDs withjewel box holders in the space of astandard LP record album) or theNagaoka spring -loaded, open storagesystem available from Angstrom As-sociates, offer some interesting de-sign variations. The Nagaoka CDFlexi Keeper ($14.95) stores up to 15CDs upright. It also doubles as anaudio/video cassette holder. (Ang-strom also markets Nagaoka's CDProtective Sleeves-$9.95 for a packof 25-and its own CD Safe -T -Case,$4.95 per three -jewel -box pack.) Thecases are 35 percent thinner than tra-ditional jewel boxes and feature asoft, polypropylene bottom, groovedso that dust and particles settle awayfrom the stored disc's surface. Theyare hinged so the disc pops up foreasy loading. The Nagaoka Sleevesare designed to reduce fingerprints,dust buildup and prevent scratcheson discs.

Also of note, by virtue of its non -box -like design, is Discwasher's 20 -disc CD Storage System ($19.95.) De-signed for the home or the car, it re-sembles a flat Rolodex -like card fileand measures 6 inches X 15 inchesX 2 inches. The System features aspecial storage clip so users can pivotthe discs forward to scan titles easily.

And if volume is a virtue, thenRay -Line's tabletop Compact DiscCarousels pack a considerable wal-lop. Available in two models, boththe DMD-200L and the DMD-200Bhold 200 CDs and their jewel boxes.Both are equipped with two rows of25 shelves, supporting two discs pershelf. Constructed of rugged, inter-locking, one-piece mitre -foldcabinetry and finished in a walnut -vinyl laminate, the entire unit ismounted on a heavy duty swivel basewith mar -resistant feet. Model DMD-200L is fully secured with two trans-parent doors fitted with "matchedkey" locks. Model DMD-200B isopen on both sides for instant

access, desirable in broadcast or dis-co situations.

In selecting a unit drawn from thegeneral population of box storagesystems-by far the largeset catego-ry-let budget, aesthetics, and spacebe your buying guide. The listing be-low is but a sampling of systems nowon the market.

Individual CD storage cases, orjewel boxes, have long been availableto replace a disc's original worn orcracked packaging. Replacement jew-el boxes are nearly identical to CDoriginals, featuring a black plasticback and a clear plastic cover. Pack-aged in most cases as singles or mul-tiples, those marketed by Alpha En-terprises, Inc., a Canton, Ohio -basedaccessory supplier, also include self-adhesive spine labels to make it easyto identify discs even when stored inthe generic CD organizers. Alpha alsomarkets a ribbed black plastic Com-pact Disc Organizer that stores 12singles or ten plus one double CD al-bums. Designed to sit on a shelf ormount on a wall, the Alpha Organiz-er features easy -interlocking side, topand bottom tracks for convenienthorizontal or vertical disc storage.

From the Bay Pacific Trading Co.of San Francisco come two WittnerCD storage products. One, the CDTower ($9.95 each), was originallydesigned as a modular system for re-tail outlets and is now generallyavailable. Each wall -mountable orstackable Tower stores 200 CDs flat,to make it easier to read the titles onthe jewel box spine. Connect four CDTowers and they hold 80 discs in lessthan a cubic foot of space.

Innovative Concepts, San Jose,California, sells two black plastic CDstorage boxes under the brand name"Flip 'N' Play Compact Disc Files."Available in units that hold ten or or18 CDs each ($4.95 and $9.95 perunit respectively), each stacks side byside or vertically. The CD 18 File fea-tures a "touch -release" mechanism tosecurely lock in or quickly release in-dividual discs.

In an technological double play,Lebo Peerless dual-purpose CompactDisc/Floppy Disk Cabinet (Model54240) holds either 40 CDs or 120floppy disks. The walnut -grain fin-ished plywood cabinet measures 13inches x 12 inches x 6 1/2 inches. Fin-ished on all sides so there are norough edges, the two -drawer unitholds 20 CDs in individual compart-ments. Stackable, it is equipped withrubber feet to protect all surfaces.Also from Lebo is a Compact DiscHome Storage Unit (Model 54224).It holds up to 24 CDs horizontally

and is hand crafted in solid woodwith a natural or walnut finish.

Royal Sound has expanded its Add'n Stac storage line to include a dual-purpose, black plastic CD/floppy discorganizer. Designed to store 12 CDsin standard jewel boxes or 18 CDs inthe new "Slim" cases, the CD Add 'nStac also accommodates 5 1/4 -inchfloppy disks. The company also man-ufacturers a three -drawer, 90 -discstorage system. The CDD90 has fournonskid feet, and is sturdy enough tosupport a CD player or to stackconventionally.

Usable as either a free-standing orwall -mounted storage system, SoundAccessories Compact Disc Organizer(CDDS-1) holds either six double or12 single CDs in their jewel boxes.Made of smoke -colored plastic, theOrganizer interlocks horizontally andvertically for easy -convenient expan-sion.

A new company in the accessoryarena, Creative Point of Fremont,CA, has recently introduced a familyof CD cartridge files called Laserline.Made of impact -resistant plastic, thenew line consists of the 24 -disc CD -2400 ($29.95); the CD -1200 ($19.95),which holds twelve CDs and theeight -disc CD -800 ($9.95). Eachmodular member features the com-pany's Securing -Release Mechanism(SRM). One touch of the SRM re-leases the disc for easy access.

Wedding furniture to function, theCA-DASS division of American Re-corder Technology has introduced asolid oak Compact Disc Storage Cab-inet, the SC -1200. It features twoslotted drawers that hold 28 CompactDiscs each. The hand -oiled naturaloak version has a suggested retailprice of $129.95. Walnut and blacklacquer finishes are also available.

The Dynasound Organizer Divi-sion of Hartzell markets two CDCases: the CD40, holding 40 discs,and the CD12, which stores twelve.The division also markets a deluxeCompact Disc Cabinet (ModelCD4OWD), which holds either 40CDs or 80 5 1/4 -inch diskettes. Thesolid wood, single -drawer unit fea-tures individual compartments, andstands on rubber feet.

EID Center's two CD storage cabi-nets are manufactured and importedfrom Bangkok, Thailand. Both thenew, 60 -disc roll-top cabinet (availbleonly since September) and a 36 -CDunit are hand-crafted of teak and fin-ished in teak oil.

CD Storage -To -GoWith four models for moving CDs,

Case Logic appears to have the cate-


gory well covered. From the ModelCD -8 ($7.50) to the 30 -disc ModelPSCD-30 ($29.95), with its handypocket to hold a portable player andthe CDs, each case is constructed ofrugged nylon, backed with protectivefoam padding.

Coast Manufacturing has recentlyadded a 15 -disc Compact Disc Orga-nizer to its line of Coaster Red Ac-cent portable storage products. Insu-lated against heat or cold, theOrganizer holds discs securely in arattle -free, die -cut rubberized cush-ion. A two-way zipper on three sidesprovides fast, one -hand access.

Straddling the line between photo-graphic and sonic is Kiwi's CompactCity Bag (Model CB107, $64,95).Whether it's used to tote a portableCD player and discs, or a photocamera/mini video camera or cam-corder, the bag features a main pad-ded compartment with Velcro pad-ded partitions, a removable baselined with Cellular Armor for shockprotection and a full-length, zipperedpocket in both the front flap and onthe back.

In addition to its home storageunits, Sound Accessories markets a15 -disc CD carrier. The CD -15 isequipped with a heavy plastic handlefor briefcase -like portability.plastic window enables users to scandisc titles easily.

CleaningOne could ask why it is that Com-

pact Discs, once promoted as virtual-ly indestructible, are now suddenlythe target of cleaning marketing cam-paigns conducted by record careproduct manufacturers-each pro-moting its unique cleaning method?

Have CDs suddenly become morevulnerable to wear or tear? Or are wenow the victims of evil merchandis-ing and marketing campaigns?

CDs are still the same tough littlerecording media they were when in-troduced. While they should alwaysbe handled with care, they are stilltougher than traditional vinylrecords. One cannot, after call, drag arazor across a CD's surface and ex-pect it to play without problems.

CD players, however, are muchmore sensitive. So it is for the play-ers, it seems, that one must clean thediscs

According to cleaner manufactur-ers, small patches or particles of dust,oil, and dirt on a disc may reduce thelaser's ability to read through to themusic encoded and embedded belowthe disc's surface (particularly, theysay, players using lasers less powerfulthan those of the original high -end

models). The result, they report, canbe audio dropouts, skips, or a distort-ed signal.

While most consumers exercisereasonable caution in the care andhandlingof their CDs, it is probably agood preventive measure to keep thediscs clean. As dust particles carriedinto acomputer's disc drive can "gumup the works", so dust deposited intoa Compact Disc player when a disc isinserted could possibly "gum up" thedelicate mechanism

Eschewing soap and water, or thehandy t -shirt, there are a number ofcommerical cleaners being aimed atthe CD market.

Quite possibly the smallest is Gene-va's Model PF-410 Cleaner ($7.99). Itconsists of 18 individual pre -moist-ened, high -density foam pads and aburnisher mounted on the back of aCD holder which is the same size as aCD jewel box. Each pad reportedlycleans at least five CDs.

The most complex CD cleaningsystem is Nitty Gritty's Model CDICleaner ($159). Promoted as "theonly self-propelled CD cleaner in theworld," users simply apply the kit'scleaning fluid to the disc, activate thesystem's motor, and lower the buff-ing pad affixed to the dust cover.Cleaning takes 30 seconds.

In between these extremes are anumber straightforward cleaningsystems.

Last Factory's System Formula 6CD Protection System ($14.95) is asoup -to -nuts disc cleaning and treat-ment system that also features a sup-ply of ten Digi-Last Shields. Theshields are designed to adhere to thelabel side of the CD surface to protectit against bumps and scratches.

Calibron has recently introducedtwo new CD cleaners under its CleanMate label. The first cleaner kit,Model CD -400 ($7.99) is for manualcleaning of Compact Discs. A deluxekit, the Model CD -405 ($12.99) in-cludes a measured pump spray bot-tle, a nonabrasive cleaning pad, adust -free storage case and completestep-by-step instructions.

Angstrom Associates USA is dis-tributing Nagaoka's CD -1100K Radi-al CD Cleaning System ($11.95Z).Packaged with a plastic flip -top case,which provides a stable work plat-form for cleaning, the CD -100K alsofeatures a spray that acts as a surfacelubricant, forming a buffer betweendirt particles and the disc surface. Alamb's leather cleaning pad is de-signed to lift dirt particles from thefluid layer.

Other radial systems includeDiscwasher's CD Cleaner ($19.95)

and the Alpha Model CDC ($8.95).The Discwasher cleaner uses a clean-ing fluid which is sprayed directlyonto the CD, and a cleaning surfacewhich rotates on the disc in thecleaning unit when a muscular armturns the crank. Alpha's is no larg-er than a CD jewel box. Fingertippressure provides the cleaning mo-mentum.

The Allsop 3 Compact Disc clean-er is designed to sweep its nonabra-sive fibers perpendicularly to the

AMPLIFICATIONFOR THE CONNOISSEUR

Carefully selectedpolypropylene capacitors.metal film resistors. finely -tuned discrete circuitryand zero -feedback design are some of the designaspects that take Tandberg s equipment out of the main-stream and place it in the world of the audio connoisseur

Tandberg now establishes the reference for sonicclarity. openness and overall musicality with the TPA3016A Power Amplifier and the TCA 3018A Preamplifie-Never before has the selection of quality components.complete absence of IC's. high current capability andelimination of signal degrading negative feedback designbeen executed with such dramatic results

The high -current. dual -mono MOSFET amplifier. ratedat 220 watts per channel with no more than 0 05% totalharmonic or IM distortion. and peak power capability of1,500 watts into 0 5 ohms, confirms the TPA 3016A PowerAmplifier's extraordinary ability to handle a wide range andvariety of low impedance speakers. An engineer, heatirgup load resistors at his test bench, will be quite satisfiedas would a professional musician listening to thereproduction of music

A newly -developed moving coil input stage that setsnew standards for musicality, clarity and low noise. withboth the MC and MM inputs fed into a passive RIAAnetwork that truly demonstrates the advantages of zerofeedback design, makes the TCA 3018A "direct -pathPreamplifier the perfect complement to the TPA 3016APower Amplifier

How does Tandberg s advanced engineering translateinto a new standard of listening pleasure for the audioconnoisseur' Visit your local Tandberg dealer and decidefor yourself

TANDBERGOne Labriola CourtArmonk, NY 10504(914) 273-9150

Audio Components for the ConnoisseurCIRCLE NO 60 ON READER SERVICE CARD

signal path to any reduce sequentialloss of data.

The AT6030 CD Cleanica fromAudio-Technica is a dry cleaning sys-tem. The disc is placed, label sidedown, on the system's turntable. Ahinged, transparent dust cover isclosed and a slide lever on the cover'stop is moved back and fourth. Eachmovement moves the disc aroundand is repeated until the disc makes acomplete revolution. As it revolves,it comes into contact with the kit'scleaning pad.

Amaray International Corp.'sTracmate Compact Disc CleaningSystem ($17.95-$19.95) relies on re-placeable, ultra -fine -bristled brushesto remove microscopic abrasiveparticles.

Sonic EnhancementCurrently a number of manufac-

turers are distributing variations ofCD mats designed to stabilize, damp-en, or reduce the disc's vibration dur-ing play. Three, mentioned here, in-clude Sumikio's Counterparts CDMat, The Discus by Monster Cable,and the Mod Squad's CD Damper.

The operative principle ofSumiko's Counterparts ($10 for apackage of ten) is called "constrainedlayer damping." An absorptive layer(the adhesive in Sumiko's product) issandwiched between two more rigidlayers-on a vibrating layer (the CD)and one a constraining layer (themat's clear plastic backing). Whenthe CD is playing, the absorptive lay-er tends to convert vibrational energyinto a small amount of heat. Becausethe CD's vibration is reduced, theneed for constant servo operationand, simultaneously, constant correc-tions of "soft" error is reduced. Thebenefit to the listener is supposedlythat the music may sound less harsh,less artificial, and more natural.

Monster Cable's The Discus high-energy disk for CD players is a preci-sion -machined disc -stabilizing devicedesigned to damp out CD vibrations,minimize laser diffraction, and stabi-lize the rotational speed. It reportedlyallows CD players to read more ofthe music signal accurately, therebyrequiring less error correction. TheDiscus can reduce mistracking ofdamaged CDs. A new Discus+ ver-sion of The Discus is thinner thanthe original, so it may be used inplayers where thickness may be aproblem. It is, however, heavier thanThe Discus, so player compatibilityneeds to be checked. The companycan provide you with a list of com-patible players.

In addition to its own Compact

Disc Damper, the Mod Squad alsomarkets a Compact Disc AccessoryPackage and a Line Drive systemcontrol center designed to replaceconventional preamplifiers in direct-ing such line -level components asCD players. The Damper is a flatplate that is placed over the disc dur-ing play. It reportedly suppressesedge flutter, eliminates light leakage,reduces digital readout errors, anddecreases power -supply load. EachDamper is packaged with 15 adhe-sive rings ($25; Disc Damper Center-ing rings, $5 for 25, $90 for 500 ringsand $170 for 1,000). One ring is cen-tered on each disc. The disc is thenplaced in the player and the Damperis loaded on top. Mod Squad's CDDamper is not suitable for portableplayers or for those which have apop-up toaster -type loading system.

The company's Linear Drive sup-posedly sidesteps the input overloadproblems some preamplifiers mayhave when used with CD players. Itfeatures five line inputs, input selec-tor switch, tape monitor, mute, bal-ance control, and volume control.Available in two models, one is com-pletely passive ($350), contains noactive components and adds no gainto the signal. It is successful withmost systems. The other modelswitches between the passive and ac-tive mode. This new model ($500) isappropriate if the interconnect cablesto your system's amplifier or cross-over are more than eight feet long orif one of your line -level sources haslower than usual output.

Mod Squad's Compact Disc Acces-sory incorporates four distinct ele-ments: three Mod Squad Tiptoes, aMod Squad CD Damper, a VPI Mag-ic Brick and an Audioquest FMSBlue II Cable. Purchased together,the kit retails for $165. If purchasedsepartely, the whole would cost $186.Mod Squad Tiptoes are speciallymatched aluminum cones, which areinstalled point down to make plat-forms for a CD player. They mass -couple the component to the surfacebeneath it so the pressure per squareinch on the tiny point is enormous.Components supposedly becomelinked to the surface as solidly as ifthey had far higher mass. The VPIMagic Brick is a little wooden boxwhich encloses a dense, high-gradesteel core. When put on top of thechassis enclosure of a preamp, headamp, or power amp it reportedlyadds sonic clarity to a signal. TheAudioquest FMS Blue Interconnectis a transparent, detailed wire.

Little attention is being paid, asyet, to the car Compact Disc accesso-

ry market. Parasound, however, hasbeen selling a CDS-1 CompactDisc/Tape Switcher ($29.95) forsome time. An under -dash device,the Switcher is designed for any por-table player. Measuring one inchhigh, the CDS-1 allows for switchingvia an illuminated, two-color front -panel input selector. Its front panelalso incorporates a 9V DC jack forpowering the player. An illuminatedslide control for level adjustment islocated on a side panel. In additionto an existing radio/tape player, theinstallation must also include a sepa-rate amplifier or booster/equalizer.

Recoton is also selling a new CD -20 player/cassette adapter ($24.95).Designed by Larry Schotz, it playsportable CDs through any existingfront -load or side -load cassette soundsystem. The CD -20 consists of a con-ventional audio cassette shell hous-ing proprietary Schotz electronics.Out of the shell extrudes a flexiblecord which ends in a stereo miniplug. To operate, simply plug thecord into the player, load the adapterinto the cassette slot and turn the au-dio system on.

Both Esoteric Audio and MonsterCable manufacture interconnect ca-bles specifically for Compact Discplayers. The Esoteric Air Litz Tech-nology 2 features, according to themanufacturer, a high -definition, 150 -strand pure SHC litz signal path, anultimate Air Braid dielectric, opti-mum space efficiency, matched con-ductivity between the primary andshield conductor, and extremely goodshielding properties. A one -foot -pairof connectors retails for $40; a two -foot -pair, for $44; up to a 10 -foot -pair, which sells for $84. Customlengths available upon request.

Monster Cable's Interlink CD "Su-per high resolution" CD player inter-connecting cable is designed to com-pensate for the transient and phasedistortions of the digital process,while minimizing some of the"harshness" found in some CD pro-gram material.

There are many CD accessoriesavailable, each trying to increase con-venience of use and improve qualityof sound. Cleaners, cables, storageunits, etc. can all be extremely help-ful if they do what you want them to.Assess your CD usage and needs be-fore deciding which accessories tobuy. Don't think of the five discs youhave now when buying a storageunit, but instead consider the 20discs you'll have a month or two.Choosing the right accessories canmake using your CD player moreconvenient and enjoyable.0


DISC

DATCD may have a rival that records:

Is there a future for Digital Audio Tape?by Craig Stark

In April, 1770, the fourteen -year -old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartheard a performance of GregorioAllegeri's Miserere in the Sistine

Chapel. The Vatican held what wewould today refer to as the copyright:on pain of excommunication, neitherthe entire work nor any portionthereof was to be copied without theexpress permission of the Pope. Onreturning to his hotel room, however,the young prodigy sat down andwrote out the entire score, note fornote, from memory.

News of Mozart's defiant-ordelightful-piracy quickly becamethe talk of Rome (and a source of

concern to his mother back in Salz-burg). History does not record wheth-er anyone at the time advanced theargument that the unauthorized copywas "intended for personal, noncom-mercial use only." We do know, how-ever, that His Holiness took a broadview and knighted rather than prose-cuted the future composer of bothZauberfloie and the Requiem.

Today's music publishers, howev-er, must answer to a lower authoritythan did the Pope. And they also facea more serious, widespread potentialthreat. It's called Digitial Audio Tape(DAT). DAT uses a cassette roughlyhalf the size of the ubiquitous com-

pact cassette, but more important, itlets you record two hours of musicwith the same top quality sound thatis today restricted to the playback -only medium of the Compact Disc.

DAT has been a technological real-ity for some time. Working proto-types have been demonstrated byseveral companies both here and inJapan, and standards committeesrepresenting some 60 Japanese and21 "foreign" manufacturers beganmeeting in 1983 and finished theirwork in 1985. Even target pricing($1,000 to $2,000, like the first CDplayers) has been fixed, and at leastone large tape manufacturer confi-

1987 COMPACT Disc BUYER' GUIDE 47

Escort Refuses!Dear Customer, From: Drew Kaplan

Escort turned down our $10,000 head to head challenge described below. Escort says that Maxon's Radar Detector is"primitive". "bottom -end" and "an off -shore produced electronics 'gadget' ". I don't know about you, but to me these wordsconjure up visions of a cheap toy being produced off in the middle of a rice paddy somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Escort, on the other hand, which is mean a high manufacturing cost. is a top notch company. They make amade in the U.S., exudes a high cost, There's no question in my mind that superb product I'd be proud to sell. And,quality image. Don't you just bet that it Maxon can manufacture cheaper in an off- they have great customer service.costs a fortune to build Escort and Pass- shore 'rice paddy', but if you pay $245 for DAK has great toll free technical andport (the smaller version)? Escort or $295 for Passport, it should be regular customer service. But, I'd be the

Well, we are going to challenge Es- based on a head to head test with Maxon, first to admit that with over $45 millioncort AGAIN to a head to head 'duel to not on perceived retail price points. in profits, Escort can probably run cir-the death' on Maxon's electronic merits FORGET PRICE COMPLETELY Iles around us in advertising, and may -alone. And, we plan to win. But first So, forget that Escort costs $245, be even in service. But, I don't think theythere are a few things you should know. Passport $295, and Maxon $9990. Let's can beat Maxon's Radar Detector.

Cincinnati Microwave, the company judge them on their own merits. And, HOW GOOD IS GOOD?that makes Escort Er Passport, is a public let's look at just what Escort itself has to When Escort was introduced, it wascompany. And being public, they have to say about our challenge. (Please read revolutionary. But, you can only go sofile financial information with the SEC. DAK's and Escort's letters to the right.) far. And in my opinion (someone else

The public information they have pub- Escort says that, "Regardless of the might object), radar detecting has gonelished appears to show that in the year results, such an event lends credibility about as far as it can go. So, while Escortthat ended Dec. 1985, Cincinnati Micro- to the challenger." Well, they are abso- has made improvements, it's Maxon whowave with "substantially all of its revenues lutely correct. That's why I put up the has moved mountains to catch up.and profits derived from the sale of radar $10,000 in the first place. Fair is fair. DAK UPs THE ANTE TO $20,000warning receivers" made an operating Plus, there are several radar detectors Now I realize that next to $45 millionprofit of about $45,810,000 on sales of that claim to have won this or that rank- dollars, $20,000 isn't much, but it's a lotabout $1 1 2,605,000. Wow! ing in "Independent Magazine Reviews." to DAK. And, I'll even go one step farther.

The $45 million profit is after all en- So, I'm ignoring any reviews and asking I'll print the exact results of the test, win,gineering, selling and General Er Admin- for a one on one, head to head test. lose, draw, or no-show in the first catalogistrative expenses, but before taxes. But look at what Escort says in their I publish after January 1, 1987.

Their cost of sales (goods) was only letter: "Range is the easiest detector Escort, the ball is now in your court.about $40,027,000. So, if you divide quality to measure, but by no means the Below is the "NEW" version of my chal-$40,027,000 by $1 1 2,605,000 it doesn't only important quality." Wow, I thought lenge with the time and amount changed.take a genius to figure out that cost of range was really important?? Escort re- I don't know what else DAK or Maxongoods represents an average of only fers to "goodness" being determined by can do to prove that the RD -1 Superheter-about 35.5% of selling price. Wow! things not so easily measured. odyne Detector should be judged on its

I only bring up their profit to illustrate Well frankly, I don't know how to mea- head to head performance against Escort,that a high retail price doesn't always sure "goodness". Escort, in my opinion, not on its selling price!

WAS $10.000

A $20,000 Challenge To EscortLet's cut through the Radar Detector Glut. We challenge Escort to a one on one Distance and Falsing 'duel to thedeath' on the highway of their choice. If they win, the $20,000 (was $10,000) check pictured below is theirs.

By Drew KaplanWe've put up our $20,000 (was 10).

We challenge Escort to take on Maxon'snew Dual Superheterodyne RD -1 $9990radar detector on the road of their choicein a one on one conflict.

Even Escort says that everyone com-pares themselves to Escort, and they'reright. They were the first in 1978 to usesuperheterodyne circuits and they've gota virtual stranglehold on the magazinetest reports.

But, the real question today is: 1) Howmany feet of sensing difference, if any, isthere between this top of the line MaxonDetector and Escort's? And 2) Whichunit is more accurate at interpreting realradar versus false signals?

So Escort, you pick the road (contin-ental U.S. please). You pick the equip-ment to create the false signals. Andfinally, you pick the radar gun.

Maxon and DAK will come to yourhighway with engineers and equipmentto verify the results. And oh yes, we'llhave the $20,000 check (pictured) tohand over if you beat us by more than 10feet in either X or K band detection.

BOB SAYS MAXON IS BETTERHere's how it started. Maxon is a mam-

moth electronics prime manufacturer.They actually make all types of sophis-ticated electronic products for some ofthe biggest U.S. Electronics Companies.(No, they don't make Escort's).

Bob Thetford, the president of MaxonSystems Inc., and a friend of mine, wasexplaining their new RD -1 anti-falsingDual Superheterodyne Radar detectorto me. I said "You know Bob, I thinkEscort really has the market locked up."He said, "Our new design can beat theirs".

So, since I've never been one to be insecond place, I said, "Would you bet

ANTI-FALSINGDUAL SUPERHETERODYNE

ma xon

$20,000 (10) that you can beat Escort?"And, as they say, the rest is history.

By the way, Bob is about 6'9" tall, so ifwe can't beat Escort, we can sure scarethe you know what out of them. But, Boband his engineers are deadly seriousabout this 'duel'. And you can bet thatour $20,000 (was $10,000) is serious.

. . .Next Page Please

. . .Challenge ContinuedWe ask only the following. 1) The public

be invited to watch. 2) Maxon's Engin-eers as well as Escort's check the radargun and monitor the test and the results.

3) The same car be used in both tests.4) We d like an answer from Escort no

later than December 31, 1986 and 60days notice of the time and place of theconflict. And, 5) We'd like them to comewith a $20,000 (was $10,000) checkmade out to DAK if we win.

SO,WHAT'SDUAL SUPERHETERODYNE?

Ok, so far we've set up the conflict.Now let me tell you about the new dualsuperheterodyne technology that letsMaxon leap ahead of the pack.

It's a technology that tests each sus-pected radar signal 4 separate times

into action in just 1/4 of one second.Just imagine the sophistication of a

device that can test a signal 4 times inless than 1/4 of one second. Maxon'stechnology is mind boggling.But, using it isn't. This long range de-tector has all the bells and whistles. Ithas separate audible sounds for X and Kradar signals because you've only gotabout 1/3 the time to react with K band.

There's a 10 step LED Bar Graph Meterto accurately show the radar signal's

strength. And, you won't have to look ata needle in a meter. You can see the BarGraph Meter with your peripheral visionand keep your eyes on the road and putriur foot on the brake.

So, just turn on the Power/Volumeknob, clip it to your visor or put it on yourdash. Then plug in its cigarette lighter

And you'll have a very high level ofprotection. Maxon's Dual ConversionScanning Superheterodyne circuitrycombined with its ridge guide widebandhorn internal antenna, really ferrets outradar signals.

By the way Escort, we'll be happy tohave our test around a bend in the roador over a hill. Maxon's detector reallypicks up 'ambush type' radar signals.

And the key word is 'radar', not trashsignals. The 4 test check system thatoperates in 1/4 second gives you ex-tremely high protection from signals fromother detectors, intrusion systems andgarage door openers.

So, when the lights and X or K bandsounds explode into action, take care,there's very likely police radar nearby.You'll have full volume control, and aCity/Highway button reduces the lessimportant X band reception in the city.

Maxon's long range detector comescomplete with a visor clip, hook andloop dash board mounting, and the powercord cigarette adaptor.

It's much smaller than Escort at just31/2" Wide, 43/4" deep and 11/2" high. It'sbacked by Maxon's standard limited war-ranty. Note from Drew: 1) Use of radardetectors is illegal in some states.

2) Speeding is dangerous. Use thisdetector to help keep you safe when youforget, not to get away with speeding.

PT OAKW. A./

:'?4id

falhatio

CHECK OUT RADAR YOURSELFRISK FREE

Put this detector on your visor. Whenit sounds, look around for the police.There's a good chance you'll be savingmoney in fines and higher insurancerates. And, if you slow down, you mayeven save lives.

If you aren't 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it in its original box within 30 daysfor a courteous refund.

To get your Maxon, Dual Superheter-odyne, Anti-Falsing Radar Detector riskfree with your credit card, call toll free orsend your check for just $999° ($4 PEtH).Order No. 4407. CA res add tax.

OK Escort, it's up to you. We've got$20,000 (10) that says you can't beatMaxon on the road. Your answer, please?Escort and Passport are regiatered trademarks of Cincinnati MeCtOTIVO.

OAKINDUSTRIESINC.

Call Toll Free For Credit Card Orders Only24 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week

1-800-325-0800For Toll Free Information, Call 6AM-5PM Monday -Friday PST

Technical Information....1-800-272-3200Any (Whew Inquiries -1 -R00 -423-286R

before it notifies you, and yet it explodes cord and you're protected. 8200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

Remote Sound Blaze PlusLike the blazing flash and violence released by a lighting bolt striking earth, your stereo system's sound willexplode with life. With a 95db signal to noise ratio, a 95db dynamic range, and a 5hz to 20,000hz frequencyresponse, Emerson's new programmable remote CD player is sure to stagger your perception of audio.

By Drew Kaplan standing next to a jet engine. This CD disc player is the latest Japan -There's no warning. There's no record Your music will be dramatically more

noise, no tape hiss. Vibrant but finely exciting. You won't have to carefullydetailed music just explodes from your compare CD to conventional sound. Fromstereo system. The sound is like a shock- the very first note, you'll be in shock.wave reverberating through your home. NOT PERFECT?

This is the experience you can expect CD isn't perfect. Or rather, it is, andwith your first introduction to digital au- that's a problem. You'll hear everything.dio. Forget any experience you've ever You'll hear every note, every instrument,had before with stereo. CD audio is an as if you were sitting in the orchestra.awesome advance that dwarfs the switch When CD first came out, there werewe made years ago from 78s to LPs. three complaints. 1) It could sound harsh

Imagine listening to music with a fre- or hard. 2) There weren't enough CDsquency response from 5hz to 20,000hz released. 3) Not all CD discs were really+0.5db -1db. Wow! Imagine sound so recorded digitally. Here are the answers.pure that harmonic distortion is just 1 )Early discs did sound harsh. A char -0.003%. And, if you're into zeros, flutter acteristic of pressing LPs is that theyand wow is "unmeasurable". drop off from 5-10,000hz, so recording

The sound quality, and yes, the sonic engineers boost those frequencies.violence will thrill you. I've spent over A few cuts with an equalizer bring the15 years on the test bench and in the first discs back to super smooth sound.studios, and the only equal I've heard to 2)True again. CDs were in short sup -this sound is 'live sound'. ply. Now there's a virtual avalanche of

And, live sound doesn't mean the sound thousands of titles, and more each week.you hear at a concert where you are sim- 3)True again. Not all CDs come fromply listening to the auditorium's PA sys- digital masters. CDs from digital mas-tern. Live sound means sitting right in ters can sound phenomenally better thanthe middle of the orchestra. a conventional LP. (It's earthshaking.)

I know, I'm a cellist. And, there's just But, when analog (conventional) mas-no sound experience like the sound we ters are recorded in the studios, they arehear in 'the pit'. recorded on two inch wide tape at 15

NO SOUND AT ALL inches per second. They sound great.CD gives you a signal to noise ratio of Most sound quality is lost in pressing

95db. There is, for all intents and pur- records and copying cassettes. A CDposes, absolutely no hiss, no scratch, from an analog master isn't quite as goodand best of all, no surface noise. as from a digital master, but its superior -

You've got to experience the silence ity over an LP is still like day and night.during very quiet passages to compre- CDs are now a standard format. There'shend the sonic adventure of the music. no stylus to wear out and the disc doesn'tIt's as if your stereo isn't even on and wear out because nothing touches it.then, suddenly, a thunderclap explodes I INFRARED REMOTE CONTROL

Conventional records and tapes have You can sit in your favorite easy chair INDUSTRIESa dynamic range of perhaps 50db. Dy- and simply touch buttons. You can hearnamic range is simply the difference in a track again, or skip to the next.

DA INC.Call Toil Free For Credit Card Orders Only

sound level (volume) between the softest You can program up to 15 tracks ran-24 Hours A Doy 7 Days A Week

and loudest recorded sounds. domly from the remote. And, of course,CD gives you a 95db dynamic range, you can 'Play', 'Pause', 'Stop', and con- Technical Information 1-800-272-3200

which is roughly equivalent to the dif- tinuously 'Repeat' all from the remote. Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-2866ference between absolute silence and WHY EMERSON? 8200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

ese made second generation type.It has a 3 -beam, laser servo system

with heavy sampling for superb sound.Plus, it's loaded. You can select up to 15tracks in any order you like. There's evena repeat button. So, you can repeat selec-ted tracks or the entire disc, forever.

Just touch a button and you can skipto the next track during play, or repeatthe track you are listening to. You caneven playback indexed passages withina track. A display shows you the trackthat is playing, the elapsed time, or thetotal time of the disc.

Installation consists of simply plug-ging it into any 'aux' input on your receiv-er or preamp. It's backed by Emerson'sstandard 1 year limited warranty.

TRY EXPLOSIVE SOUNDRISK FREE

Plug it in. Experience music with athrilling frequency response and sonicrange. Plus, you'll be thrilled by the hiss,and background noise you won't hear.

If you're not 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it to DAK within 30 days in itsoriginal box for a courteous refund.

To order Emerson's Top Of The LineInfrared Remote Control, Fully Program-mable CD Disc Player and experiencethe sonic thrills of a lifetime, call tollfree, or send your check for DAK's marketbreaking price, of just $1699° ($7 P8-1).Order No. 4640. CA res add sales tax.

It may strain my credibility to describeany device I'm offering for only $1699°as providing sound many times betterthan anything you've ever heard before.But, use DAK's risk free trial to experiencethis bigger than life sound for yourself.

11-11100-325-01100For Toll Free Information. Cell 6AM-5PM MondeyFrldey PST

The Truth About VCRsWith over 30% of American Households and over 70% of DAK Customers already owning video cassette record-ers, there must be something to them. Are they a hype, a necessity, or a fad? Let's find out.

By Drew Kaplan

First a confession. I like TV. I likemovies. And, I don't just watch the nightlynews and Wall Street Week.

I have friends who are part of theerudite elite who "don't watch the boobtube" because it isn't cerebral enough.

But, give me a good action film (I loveclassics), or give me a seamy weeklyseries with lots of intrigue, and you'vegot me hooked.

So, what does this all have to do withvideo cassette recorders? And, whymight an inexpensive VCR be your bestbet? Well, let's see.

If you're like me, you end up beingaway from home during your favoriteshows. Or, if you've checked the schedulefor the new TV season, you may havefound that two of your favorite shows areon opposite each other.

And, isn't it frustrating to have twoshows on at 9PM and nothing on at 10?Isn't it frustrating being home only twonights of a 3 night mini-series? Well,with a VCR, all these and a lot of otherproblems can be solved.

THE HARRIET FACTORHarriet is my wife's old team teaching

partner. She had never had a video re-corder. So, we gave her one. Severalweeks later she called, absolutely elated.

She was recording the Phil Donahueshow every day and watching it whenshe got home from school.

She had also recorded several moviesfrom cable that she kept missing whileshe was at work, or because they wereon too late at night for her to watch.

By the way, I have the same problemas Harriet. I have cable and I have asatellite dish. But, I never seem to beable to sit down at the right time.

So, I record movies that come on at2AM, or while I'm at work.

THE FAMILY AFFAIRMy parents are another story. They've

had a recorder for years (being my parentshas its advantages). My parents havetwo loves, concerts (my mother is a con-cert pianist), and UCLA Basketball.

They go to concerts several nights aweek and tape the UCLA games whilethey're out. Then, if you can believe this,

brother can stay up and watch showsafter he has to go to bed.

So, it's not unusual for us at the Kaplanhousehold to be taping channel 7 whilewe're watching channel 4.1 wonder howthe Nielsen ratings cope with taping?

And while we're on ratings, the ad-vertisers on TV hate VCRs. They hateVCRs because we all tend to use ourwireless infrared remote controls to fastforward through their commercials.

And, if the phone rings (which it alwaysdoes), I can simply pause the tape withoutmissing the final clue to a mystery.

And there's still more. If I'm home butmy wife and/or kids are out, who wantsto watch a comedy or a love story alone?

It's much better to tape it and watch itwhen the whole family can be together.

Plus, with all the movie rental shopsaround, you can rent an evening of enter-tainment for as little as a $1.

And, lots of people seem to be doingjust that. The latest statistics show thatpeople are staying home and watchingrented movies rather than going out torestaurants and movies.

I'm sure glad I own an electronicscompany and not a restaurant. And whileyou may decide for yourself whetherVCRs are a fad or a necessity (I vote fornecessity), since they do all of the above,they certainly aren't a hype.

Two is better than one. We have sev-eral VCRs (I do have a great job). Eventhough only 70% of DAK customers ownVCRs, they/you actually own a total ofmore VCRs than we have customers.

So, the Kaplans aren't the only familythat enjoys having a recorder in both thefamily room, den and/or bedroom.

With two recorders, you can tape twodifferent shows, and you can make cop-ies of tapes. (Note: Making copies ofmany movies, even off the air, is illegal).

Now it's time to examine the featureson the latest Japanese made Cable Com-patible VCRs with HQ Picture Enhance-ment and Wireless Infrared Remote Con-trol. Let me tell you about 3 VCRs.

The least expensive will probably doeverything you want. So, don't spend adime more than you have to.


they make popcorn and stay up to watchthe game till 1:30AM

And speaking of sports, how manySaturday afternoons do you flip backand forth between several games, onlyto miss the play you really wanted to see.If you had a recorder running, you couldinstantly see your own instant replays.

So, for golf, football, baseball, or ten-nis, you can control all the action.

Plus, forgetting sports for a moment,if you've ever watched magic on TV, waittill you watch the slow motion replayover and over again.

You just might figure out 'sleight ofhand' tricks that you never would haveunderstood any other way.

But, back to the family.We gave mywife's parents a VCR and they didn'tknow how to hook it up.

THIS IS IMPORTANTIt never occurred to me that there was

anything to hooking up a video recorder.Just unhook the antenna or cable from

your TV and connect it to an identicalconnector on the VCR. Then connect acable (included) between the recorderand your TV. That is the complete cablehookup. What could be easier?

Anyway, my father-in-law gets up at5AM, so they go to bed very early. Oncethey hooked up their recorder, they dis-covered a whole world of late night TV.

Now they watch Dynasty during din-ner. And look. They had never stayed upto see the Johnny Carson show.

Wow! A video recorder can let youwatch what you want, when you want,without being restricted by your work,social life or sleep. Now you can watchlast night's midnight show at dinner, ortonight's dinner show at midnight.

LOADS YOU CAN DOIf you're going on vacation, you can

keep up with weekly series while you'regone, even on different channels.

You can record shows you want yourchildren to see at a more appropriatetime. For example, it really galls us thatthe Christmas specials all seem to comeon after our youngest son's bedtime.

And besides, he likes to watch themseveral times. And, speaking of beinggalled, he's galled because his older

yri*V41414-

. . .Video ContinuedThese VCRs are all top quality and you

can expect years of entertainment.QUESTIONS

I get lots of questions about the dif-ference between Cable Compatible andCable Ready. There is none. Last year,the Electronics Industry Association de-cided to use Cable Compatible becauseto them, Cable Ready might imply un-scrambling signals.

The latest NEW in VCRs is HQ, and fewpeople know what it is. In short, it's a cir-cuit that improves the definition of therecorded picture. You'll note a distinctseparation between whites and colors.

It really does enhance the sharpnessand quality of the detail in your record-ing, especially at slow speed.

Window Number One(SEE PICTURE ON PREVIOUS PAGE)

Here's a front loading, infrared remotecontrol VHS video cassette deck fromEmerson with HQ that will give you greatrecordings and phenomenal control.

From the moment you put a videocassette into the front loading motorizedslot and see it automatically drawn intothe recorder, you'll appreciate the quality.

107 Channel Electronic Tuning. Thisrecorder's synthesized tuner can tune inVHF channels 2-13 and UHF 14-83. Plus,you'll also be able to tune in 25 Mid -Band and High -Band Cable Channels.

You can choose any 16 channels forinstant step tuning from either the re-corder or the remote. You can choosefrom any band in any order you like.

MASSIVE PROGRAMMABILITYYou can select up to 8 programs over

a two week period to record. And, youcan select one program to record everyday. If you can set an alarm clock, youcan program this recorder to record.

8 programs is the most I've seen onany recorder, but it can really come inhandy. I missed the final episode of KnotsLanding last year because I thought I

would be home earlier. If anyone couldsend a copy, I would really appreciate it.

And there's One Touch Timed Record.It lets you automatically record in incre-ments of 30 minutes.

WIRELESS INFRARED REMOTEFrom system power to forward and

reverse high speed search, to changingchannels, you're in full control. If a remoteseems to simply smack of posh luxury,look at what it can do for you.

You can touch the still frame buttonand freeze the action. Now you can reallytell if the umpire was correct or not.

You can play the same movement overand over again until you are absolutelysure of what you've seen.

And, don't forget, you can high speedsearch through commercials.

And if you're like me, you'll use thetuner in this VCR while you watch live TVso that you can remotely flip stationsduring commercials. This VCR makesany TV Cable Compatible.

AND MUCH MOREThere's a digital clock/timer and even

a tape counter. Of course, you can watchone program while you record another.And, there's a picture sharpness control.

There are 3 recording and playbackspeeds for up to 8 full hours of record-ing. And finally, when a tape reaches theend, it will automatically rewind.

So while Emerson's Window One VCRat $24990 is the least expensive, you caneasily see that it's loaded with featuresto help you enjoy your video experience.

Window Number Two(SEE PICTURE UPPER LEFT)

Here's a front loading, infrared remotecontrol VHS video cassette deck fromEmerson with HQ that will give you spe-cial effects and more.

First the special effects. This is a 4head VCR, which means that instead oftwo video heads there are 4.

This allows you to have superior stillframe and lets you have slow motion.Now you can really slow down the actionand study a golfer's swing, a magician'shands or a rocket ship landing.

If you want to scrutinize your movies,this is the recorder for you. The extratwo heads can also have an improvedeffect on slow speed recording, butfrank-ly, today's pictures are so good there'snot much to improve.105 Channel Electronic Tuning. This

recorder's direct access tuner can accessVHF 2-13, UHF 14-83, plus 23 Mid -Bandand High Band VHF Cable Channels.

There are 12 buttons that you can setto any channels you choose for instantdirect access.


reverse high speed search, to still frameand Slow Motion, you're in full control.

Plus, you can directly access from theremote any of the 12 preset channels.

So, just imagine watching a movieand wanting to slow down the actionfrom your favorite easy chair. You canreally get a good close look at whatevercaptures your interest. And of course,flipping channels is a breeze. This re-corder makes any TV Cable Compatible.

FULL PROGRAMMINGYou can select up to 4 programs over

a two week period to record. And, youcan select one program to record everyday. It's about as easy to program asyour alarm clock. Plus, it features OneTouch Timed Record.

MORE GOODIESThere's a digital clock/timer and a

tape counter. Of course, you can watchone program while you record another.And, there's a picture sharpness control.

There are 2 recording and 3 playbackspeeds for up to 8 full hours of record-ing. And finally, when a tape reaches theend, it will automatically rewind.

So from golf to magicians, from myson's soccer to space movies, you canreally bring a movie's special effectsdown to earth, with the control you haveof this $2999° 4 head Window Two VCR.

It will give you greater control of yourpicture and random access tuning ofyour channels at both the recorder andfrom the remote.

Window Number Three(SEE PICTURE UPPER RIGHT)

Here's a front loading, infrared remotecontrol, 4 head VHS HiFi VCR with HQthat will knock your socks off.

VHS Stereo HiFi gives you an incred-ible 20hz to 20,000hz frequency respon-se with an 80db dynamic range.


. . .Video ContinuedYou'll experience the full sonic drama

of movies that you rent, and add a superbaudio tape deck to your stereo system.

And, not only can you record or turnany TV into a Cable Compatible TV, youcan receive the new stereo TV broad-casts automatically. So, why replace aperfectly good TV just to get stereo?

VHS HiFi uses the spinning video headsto record sound along with the video onthe tape at speeds in excess of 200inches per second. So, the sound qualityis, to say the least, astounding.

Of course, there's a conventional sta-tionary audio head, so this recorder iscompatible with all standard tapes, butwait till you hear the sound. And, waittill you use this recorder for recordingmusic in your stereo system.

Using video cassettes, you can recordaudio only for the best recordings you'veever heard through your stereo system.

And look at this. With VHS tapes sell-ing for about $5, you can record up to 6hours of this incredible sound on onecassette with or without a picture.

THE BAD PARTConnecting this video recorder to your

TV is done just like the previous tworecorders. It's simple. But, to utilize theVHS HiFi and Stereo TV tuning, you mustalso connect this VCR to your stereo.

Just connect the standard stereo patchcords (included) to any 'Aux' input.

So, the bad part is that if your TV andstereo aren't together, this incrediblemachine isn't for you. Of course, it alwayssends conventional TV sound to your TV.

139 Channel Electronic Stereo Tun-ing. You can select any 16 preset syn-thesized cable compatible channels bytouching a direct access button on theremote. And, every one is ready for stereo.It receives VHF 2-13, UHF 14-83, andcable 14-65 and Cable Sub Band 95-97.


reverse high speed search, to still frameand Slow Motion, you're in full control.

Plus, you can directly access the 16preset channels from the remote.

So, you can slow down the action, you

can still frame it or you can speed it up.PROGRAMMABILITY TOO

You can select up to 4 programs overa two week period to record. And, youcan select one program to record everyday. If you can set your alarm clock, youcan program this VCR. It also has OneTouch Timed Record. Each time you touchthe button, you will add 30 minutes ofrecording, up to 2 hours.

LOADEDThere's a digital clock/timer and a

tape counter. Of course, you can watchone program while you record another.And, there's a picture sharpness control.

There are 2 recording and 3 playbackspeeds for up to 8 hours of recording.And, when a tape reaches the end, it willautomatically rewind.

Plus, you can receive Simulcast, SAP(Separate Audio Program) and there's aheadphone jack. Tape loading is motor-ized. And, there's a VHS HiFi level meter.

So, if you use this VCR for video or asan audio deck, you're in for a treat. And,if you add surround sound, wow!

Note: Most movies you rent not onlyhave great sounding stereo, but surroundsound information already on the tape.

So for special effects, for 139 stereocable channels, for the incomparableVHS HiFi Sound, choose the $49990 Win-dow Number Three VCR.

HARD CHOICESAll three decks provide superb pic-

ture quality, wireless infrared remotecontrol and programmability. To recordweekly series or play back rented tapes,Window One will provide all you need.

If you record ball games and you wantto have the capability of slowing downany movie's action, plus add random ac-cess to your remote, choose Window Two.

Where only the top of the line will doand you're going to get involved with thesound as well as the slow or fast action,move all the way up to Window Three.

Whatever your choice, you'll be thrilledwith the quality and performance of theseJapanese crafted VCRs. They are back-ed by Emerson's limited warranty.

VIDEO COMES ALIVE

RISK FREEIt's not an easy choice. I've used them

all. In my main system I do have the VHSHiFi deck. I love the sound and, of course,the picture. But, I have the Window One,least expensive VCR in our bedroom,and it works great.

Whichever VCR you choose, if you'renot 100% satisfied, simply return it toDAK in its original box within 30 days fora courteous refund.

To order Emerson's Window NumberOne VCR with HQ and Wireless InfraredRemote, 107 Channel Tuning and 8 pro-gram capability risk free with your creditcard, call toll free, or send your check forDAK's breakthrough price of just $2499°($1 1 P&H). Order No. 4641.

To order Emerson's Window NumberTwo VCR with HQ, Special Effects andwireless Infrared Remote with 12 chan-nel Random Access Tuning 105 Chan-nel Tuning and 4 program capability riskfree with your credit card, call toll free,or send a check for DAK's breakthroughprice of just $299" ($11 P&H). OrderNo. 4642.

To order Emerson's Window NumberThree VCR with HQ, VHS 1- iFi, SpecialEffects and Wireless Infrared Remotewith 16 Channel Random Access, 139Channel STEREO Tuning and 4 programcapability risk free with your credit card,call toll free, or send your check forDAK's breakthrough price of just $499"($1 1 P&H). Order No. 4643. CA add tax.

Well, if you haven't joined the 30%plus of the households that own VCRs,at least by the time you've read this faryou've probably got a pretty good reason.

I find that VCRs are one of those thingsthat I just can't see how ever livedwithout. And with Emerson's quality andprice, this is a perfect time to add asecond VCR if you already own one.

f74DA INDUSTRIES

NC.Call Toll Free For Cred r Card Orders Only

20 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week

1-800-325-0800For Toll Free Information, Call 6AM-5PM Monday -Friday PST

Technical Information 1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park. CA 91304

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Unfair Competition?An Unfair Challenge to IBM's Typewriters and ComputersWhat if you and every secretary in your office could have powerful computers that were as easy to use, but costless than IBM electronic typewriters? What if they also ran IBM compatible software? Well, now you can get this256K IBM PC Clone, the Amber Monitor, the Letter Quality Printer, and The $400 Software Library forjust S999.

By Drew KaplanLook around your office. Are your

secretaries wasting time typing and re-typing letters and documents?

Well, throw out your dumb typewriters.Now typing on an IBM compatible com-puter can be as easy, and yes, cheaperthan using an IBM electronic typewriter.

Every word you type can be stored inthe 256,000 character memory or onfloppy disks. So, when you make correc-tions to a letter or document, you'll neverneed to retype the whole letter again.

30 MINUTES TO PRODUCTIVITYIn 30 minutes you or your secretary

will be comfortably typing letters fasterthan on any typewriter. This computer isso easy to use that there's no 'computerfear' from non -computer typists.

But, if you're looking for computingpower, get ready to blast off. It is sopowerful that it will run Lotus 1-2-3,Flight Simulator and every other IBMcompatible program that we've tested.

In fact, the manufacturer states in theOperator's Guide that, "The computer isultimately and completely compatiblewith the IBM Personal Computer."

Actually, typing letters is child's playfor this sophisticated machine. But for$999, it's sure to be the most populartypewriter in any office or even at home.

So, compare it to the typing ease anddurability of say the new IBM Wheelwriter5 at about $1045, or a Xerox Memory -writer 625 at about $1 595.

Or compare just the computer sectionto the agility, speed, and intelligence ofan IBM computer. Then, check our price.

FORGET LIFT OFF CORRECTIONThink about making a change in the

first paragraph of a letter you have dic-tated. Just mark up the draft copy andgive it back to your secretary.

She can bring the letter back onto the80 column 25 line Amber Monitor, makethe corrections, touch one button and

the letter will automatically print out to be notified personally of your newestproduct or policy, now it's all automatic.

There's also a Budget Program, a Cal-endar Program and even a Portfolio Man-agement Program we have included.

Of course you can use any IBM com-patible PC programs from Lotus 1-2-3 toNorton Utilities. Or, you can buy othereven more sophisticated word process-ing programs that even correct your spell-ing or give you an on-line thesaurus.

MORE THAN A TYPEWRITERThis IBM compatible computer with

its two 360 kilobyte drives, 256K ran-dom access memory (more is available),composite video and yes, even RGB fullcolor graphics output, is made by Visual,the 5th largest manufacturer of officegraphics terminals.

Visual's computer is loaded. It hasboth a Centronics parallel printer output(we've included a superb daisy wheelletter quality printer) and an RS232 serialcommunications port (yes, you can adda modem to access outside data banks,or your main frame computer).

Visual's 1985 price list shows a listprice of $1895 for this computer. And,that doesn't include the Amber Monitor,the Printer, or the Software Library thatwe've added. It just includes the com-puter and of course the IBM compatibleMS DOS 2.1 operating system.

WHY SO CHEAP?Visual makes terminals. They thought

they'd design a superb IBM Clone andsell it with their terminals.

Well it turned out that Visual's sales-men weren't equipped to sell computersand Visual had put too much money intothese computers (the built-in color graph-ics, TTL output, 2 floppy disk drives andlots of other features) to sell them attoday's stripped down prices.

So, Visual has sold them all to DAKand has taken an enormous loss. (Butdon't worry about Visual. They are a

with your corrections and additions.You'll never have to reread or re -proof

retyped letters again for errors. And in-stead of spending 15 minutes retypingand re -proofing, your secretary can beworking on your next project.

A typewriter -type word processingprogram whose commands flash on thescreen, when needed, makes this the idealtransition from typewriter to computer.

Look how easy it is to use. Simplytouch the F1 key at the left of the key-board to delete a character. F2 deletes aword. And, F3 deletes a whole line.

F5 turns this machine into a line byline typewriter for typing directly ontoenvelopes or forms. F6 prints out any-thing on screen at any time.

This is a magnificently simple pro-gram that you or your secretary will becomfortable with in 30 minutes.

But when you are comfortable, you'llwant to open our sophisticated $400 Soft-ware Library that lets you really start touse the power of this computer.

(DAK's added Software shown wan included Visual Manuals)

You can type in lists of your customer'sor employee's names and addresses.Then create a letter, select which namesyou want to receive the letter, and thecomputer will automatically print outindividualized letters for each person.

So if you want 5 people or 500 people

large company and 'dumping' these com-puters just lets them get back to concen-trating on their main terminal business.)

So, you'll save a fortune and that'swhy this is an unfair comparison to IBM.

You see, you're saving money onlybecause Visual lost money. IBM not onlyneeds not to lose money, but needs tomake a profit as well.

And, don't worry about ending upwith an orphan. Unlike small computercompanies that come and go, as long asVisual makes terminals, they will be a-round to protect your investment. Plus,they use the Sorbus Network for service.TAKE YOUR WORK HOME TOO! Wow!

With the addition of a $149 optional25 line 80 column LCD display, you cantake this computer home. It only weighs18 pounds, so it's easily transportable.

So, when it gets to be 6:00 and there'sstill work to be done or files to be studied,just take the computer home or send ithome with your secretary.

And, with the addition of a modem, youcan even transmit files from home to theoffice. Or, you can log onto data baseslike CompuServe or Dow Jones.THE GOOD, THE BAD, Et THE BEAUTIFUL

From your first touch of the ruggedsculptured keys of this computer, you'llappreciate the built-in rugged quality.

There's even a 10 key numeric pad.The 83 key keyboard is identical to IBM'sPC, except for the addition of lights onthe 'Cap Lock' and 'Number Lock' keys.

The contoured keyboard is extremelycomfortable. But, I must warn you that ifyou've never typed on an IBM PC, they'vemade the Shift keys and Return Keysslightly smaller than on a typewriter andit will take you a few minutes to adjust.

The computer has two floppy diskdrives that use double sided double den-sity 51/4- floppy disks. Each floppy diskholds 360,000 characters.

As a free gift from DAK, we're includ-ing a box of 10 disks. You can store3,600,000 characters.

The computer uses a 16 bit 8088 Intelprocessor with a 4.77 MHz clock speed.It is AC powered and UL and FCC listed.

There is 256K of installed randomaccess memory (RAM) for you to use ascompared to 128K for most computersand the 7K on the IBM Wheelwriter 5.

We've included Magnavox's latest 80column 25 line 12" non -glare AmberMonitor. It has 900 lines of horizontalresolution and 350 lines of interlacedvertical resolution to display graphics.

You can also connect an RGB (redgreen, blue) monitor for full color graph-ics. With most computers, the internal'color card' can cost you several hun-dred dollars. Visual's has it built-in.

You can expand this computer by add-ing custom cards. There is an expansionport that can be directly connected to anIBM expansion chassis. Of course, thecomputer is infinitely expandable by run-ning IBM compatible software.

Here's another bad point. This sys-tem is bigger than a typewriter. The com-puter is 1 8" wide and 15W' deep. And,with the monitor sitting on top, it is141/2" tall. Actually, the computer reallyisn't any bigger than a typewriter.

But don't forget the printer. It can beplaced up to 6' away, but it really belongsnext to the computer so that you caneasily put in paper, envelopes etc. It is151/2" wide and 121/2" deep.

So for most productive use you need areturn on your desk that is about 331/2"long. Of course, the printer can sit on atyping stand next to your desk or evenyour credenza. You'll be amazed at theincrease in your productivity.

THIS IS NOT A CHEAP STARTERCOMPUTER. Forget our price. Put itside by side with a similarly equippedIBM, run the same programs and you'llget the same results.

In fact, it's so compatible that you caninterchange disks of your letters andprograms between Visual's computer andan IBM PC whenever you wish. Wow!

THE PRINTERThis Silver Reed daisy wheel printer

will type on your standard letterhead,envelopes, 3 X 5 cards or mailing labels.

It uses the same type interchangeabledaisy wheel direct impact print systemas typewriters (heavy duty of course).

The printer prints at 10-12 charac-ters per second bidirectionally. You canset horizontal spacing, 'pitch', for ex-panded or contracted letter spacing. Youcan underline automatically and you canprint normal or Bold.

But, don't worry. You can simply putin your paper and type. You can even usecontinuous form tractor feed paper withthe optional $69 tractor feed.

Or, use your own letterhead with theoptional $1 1 9 cut sheet feeder.

FINAL NOTESBoth the Silver Reed Printer and Mag-

navox monitor are backed by their re-spective manufacturers' limited warran-ties. The Visual Computer is backed byVisual's limited warranty and servicedby Sorbus (or Visual).

DON'T FORGET IT'S PORTABLEFor just $149, you'll get the factory

installed 80 column 25 line (graphicscapable) LCD display which simply liftsoff when you're using the Amber Monitor.

You may not take your computer homeor to another office every day, but theversatility is phenomenal.ACCEPT OUR TYPEWRITER COM-

PUTER CHALLENGE RISK FREEWait till you see this state of the art

computer marvel on your desk. And waittill you see what its incredible comput-ing power can do for your productivity.

If you're not 100% satisfied with itstyping or computing ability, simply returnit to DAK in its original boxes within 30days for a courteous refund.

To get your Visual 256K IBM Compat-ible Computer with Two 360K FloppyDisk Drives, Composite and RGB Out-puts, Amber Monitor, Silver Reed LetterQuality Daisy Wheel Printer, $400 valueSoftware Library, 10 Free Double SidedDouble Density 51/4- Disks and connect-ing cables for the monitor and the prin-ter risk free with your credit card, call tollfree or send your check for DAK's limitedClose -Out price of just $999 plus $24for PEtH. Order No. 4500. CA res add tax.

OPTIONSIf you're into massive spreadsheets

and the largest programs, order the 512Kupgrade which doubles the 256K mem-ory. It's installed by the factory for anadditional $129 ($5 PEtH) Ord. No. 4625.

Add the Factory installed 80 column LCD25 line display so you can move Visual'scomputer and work wherever you want.It's just $149 ($5 PEtH) Order No. 4626.

If you want to run continuous forms,from mailing labels to checks to letter-head, the Silver Reed Tractor feed snapson and off in about 30 seconds. It's just$69 ($3 PEtH) Order No. 4345.

Use your standard letterhead automa-tically with the cut sheet feeder. It feedspaper like an automatic copier tray. It'sjust $119 ($5 PEtH) Order No. 4627.

Standard 300,000 character black polyribbons are just $6 ($0.50 PEtH) OrderNo. 4346. You'll never see a lifted off cor-rection mark that shows where errorshave been removed again. You'll get'Presidential Quality' letters that you'llbe proud to mail every time.IBM Er IBM Wheelwriter 5, Lotus & Lotus 1-2-3, Flight Simulator.and Xerox B Xerox Mernorywriter 625. are rogitered trademarks ofInternational Business Machines. Lotus Development. Microsoft.and Xerox Corporation respectively

DAM ImNCr> ""Call Toll Free For Credit Card Orders Only


1-11100-32501100For Toll Free Information. Cell 6AM-5PM Monday -Friday PST

Technical Information. . . .1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

a rose by any other nameIt's the sweetest phone that this writer has ever used. From its elegant good looks to its elegant soundingspeakerphone, it's a class act. And, it remembers and dials up to 200 numbers by THE NAME of the personyou want to call. Plus, it's now available in ivory and 1 -line models too.

By Drew Kaplan

It's not red. And it has no aroma. But itis definitely a rose amongst the thorns.Here's an all new name dialing 2 -lineconferencing speakerphone that will rev-olutionize your concept of telephones.

As president of DAK, I've tested hun-dreds of phones. Some are very goodand you will find them in DAK's catalog.But, I've never used a better sounding,more useful phone, at home or at theoffice, than the phone pictured above.Let me tell you some of the reasons why.

I\II II II_FIRST, IT DIALS BY NAME

I hate having to remember phone num-bers. With this phone, all I do is push the

button when I want to dial Home. The'D' button dials DAK. And, the 'I' buttondials my insurance broker.

Most other dialers make you remem-ber location numbers, such as '26' for'Mom'. So, you're really just substitutingone number for another. Now, all I needto remember is the person's name.

Where I have more than one namethat begins with the same letter, I canscroll through the names before it dials, I've used good speakerphones before,or enter just the first 3 letters. So, if I but this speakerphone's sound qualitywant to dial Howard instead of home, I rivals an in -person conversation, not apush 'H', '0', 'W. phone call. How's that for a description

of a phone you can try on a 30 day risk

I\ I I- I_I

free trial?2 -LINE MASTERPIECE

±I I\ I II \I I_ I IYou can select Line 1 or Line 2. And,

you can push 'Conference' to combineIt's quick, it's easy and you'll never both lines for convenient business con -

have to remember or look up and dial ferences or friendly group calls withanyone's number again. Each memory friends. There are LEDs that show whichlocation can hold up to 32 digits and you line is 'In Use', 'On Hold', or 'Ringing'.can store up to 200 different names. It And, there are different rings for each line.has a memory capacity of 4096 digits. Installation is a breeze. It simply plugs

You can store your Sprint and MCI into one standard modular 2 -line jack orcodes with the person's name, in a sepa- two modular 1 -line jacks. Nothing couldrate location that the phone automatically be simpler. Just plug it in.accesses as it dials, or totally separately PAGES OF HELPFUL FEATURESso that you can automatically access the The list of features would have to beservice and then dial a number manually. microfilmed to fit on this page. There's a

large LCD display that shows you the

RTI An

name you want to call and the number.An automatic timer tells you exactly

how long you've been talking. And, aclock appears on the display whenever

And speaking of manual dialing, you you hang up.don't even have to push the speaker- Every conceivable feature from Mutephone button to dial. When you touch to Tone/Pulse switching, to Pause, tothe first number on the dial, the phone Flash, to battery backup (2 C batteriesautomatically seizes the line, turns on its included), to three direct Emergencyspeaker, and you have on -hook dialing. Memory Keys and more is included.

So, you never have to lift the receiver There's even Automatic Redial whichor activate the speakerphone unless will redial a busy number for you everysomeone answers the line. 30 seconds.

FORGOTTEN HANDSET YUPPIE POWERThis phone has the latest K2 handset. I'm anything but a yuppie, even though I

It gives you traditional Phone Company just turned 40, but when you look at thefit and feel, yet, I find it even more com- sleek, swept back, silver-grey HiTec ap-fortable to use. pearance, and when you examine its

But, you'll probably never use it. The complete computer keyboard, you'll un-speakerphone is so powerful, so clean, derstand why it would warm a yuppie'sand so easy to use, you'll never pick up heart. My heart is warmed by what itthe handset unless you need privacy. does, but I must admit it is impressive.

It's made by Colonial Data, a researchcompany partially owned by one of thelargest inter -connect (big business phonesystems) companies in the world.

It is 91/2" wide, and it's backed byColonial's standard limited warranty.PUT NAME DIALING ON YOUR LINE

RISK FREEIt's the best sounding speakerphone

I've ever heard. Dialing by names insteadof numbers is a quantum leap in bothtechnology and convenience.

Now, I don't have to remember people'sphone numbers. I just touch a 'C' for cus-tomer and let the phone do the rest.

If you are not 100% convinced, as I

am, that this is the best sounding, mostconvenient phone you have ever used,simply return it in its original box within30 days for a courteous refund.

To order your Name Dialing 2 -LineSpeakerphone with God only knows howmany features risk free with your creditcard, call toll free or send your check forDAK's breakthrough price of just $129($4 PEtH). Use Order No. 4335 for Silver -Grey. Or, use Order No. 4452 for Ivory.

If you'd like the 1 -line model in Ivorywithout the 2 -line features, it's just $9990($4 PEtH). Order No. 4453. CA res add tax.

In DAK's electronic world, where anew best is achieved almost every day,this phone stands out as the 'best bestI've ever had the pleasure of introducing.DAK and the a rose by any other name phone are not etiMated withCXC Corporations Rose Console

DAKINDOSTRIESINC.

Call Toll Free For Credd Card Orders Only21 Hours A Day 7 Day* A Week

14100-325-0200For Toll Free Information, Call RAM 5PM Monday.Friday PST

Technical Information.. . 1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park. CA 91304

What's a Mamfacttacdc?Have you guessed yet? It's all the musical sources in this incredible, top of the line, complete music system,backwards. And, if you think Mamfacttacdc is a mouthful, wait till you see all you get for just $299. Wow!

By Drew KaplanIt's party time. With a Mamfacttacdc,

there's something for everyone. And,wait till you hear the sound.

This top of the line complete stereosystem has more musical sources thanany modular system I've seen. And, thesound from each source is breathtaking.

Let's explore all that it does on a musi-cal source by source basis.

CD = Compact Disc Player. And it'snot just any player. You can program upto 20 different selections in any orderyou desire. Wow, 20 memories!

You'll have Next Song and PreviousSong. There's even Repeat so that youcan have continuous music from 1 disc.

This CD even has a motorized frontloading system. Its oversized displayshows track number or running time,and, of course, program selections.

But, you've really got to hear a CD foryourself. The sound quality and clarity ofthe music is so awesome it makes theswitch from 78s to LPs a non-event.

CA = Cassette Deck Times 2. Thereare twin high speed dubbing cassettedecks. You can duplicate tapes at highspeed or normal speed.

The decks are matched for flawlesscopies and there's even mike mixing.You'll love this feature if you sing.

Simply put a recorded tape in deck 'A'and copy it onto deck 'B' as usual. But,while you're copying, you can add yourown vocal. Just plug in your mike andsing. You can be a single, a duet, a trio,or even a chorus by repeated recording.

Of course, you can make original tapesfrom any of this system's musical sources.

And, look at this. There's even sequen-tial play, so you can play a cassette in onedeck and when it's finished, the otherdeck will automatically start. You'll havetwice the amount of uninterrupted music.

With these twin decks, you'll makegreat recordings and enjoy great sound-ing music from your cassettes.

TT = Belt Drive Turntable. It's a semi-automatic turntable with a hinged dustcover. A low mass tone arm and qualitycartridge protect your cherished recordswhile providing superb reproduction.

You can listen to LPs and 45s. There'sautomatic arm return. And, there's a cue-ing control for record protection andeasy track selection.

In a world gone CD crazy, if you're likeme, you'll still want to listen to yourrecord collection. And, this stable turn-table should provide years of superblistening pleasure from your records.

FM/AM= FM stereo and great sound-ing AM are yours with the sensitive tun-ers in this system. A large slide rule dialmakes it easy to find stations.

There's a built-in antenna or you canconnect to an outside antenna. Just wait

"'Tr.. ""..1.."'

y N. T1 KCOP0/1.1 M.I

'Emerson I ===r'."

till you hear your favorite stations lockedin by these receivers.

MUCH MUCH MOREThere's a 5 band equalizer so that you

can sculpture your sound just the wayyou want it. You can really 'detonate' thebass or high end for room filling sound.

And speaking of vibrant room fillingsound, the matching 2 -way speaker sys-tems really pack a punch. Rich deepbass is produced by the woofers, andcrystal clean highs by the tweeters.

Emerson had to use better than nor-mal speakers in this system to handle thedramatic capabilities of the CD. You won'tbe disappointed with the full rich sound.

There's no volume knob because thissystem has an electronic volume bar.Just touch one end or the other.

And there's one more thing. There's abuilt-in clock timer. You can have thissystem shut itself off automatically. Or,you can have it turn itself on.

When it turns itself on, it can wakeyou with your favorite music, or if you'veset it to record, it can record from theAM or FM radios. Wow, how neat.

It is 16W' tall, 14" wide, and 13%"deep. Each speaker is 141/4" tall, 7" wide,and 9%" deep. It's backed by Emerson'sstandard limited warranty.MAMFACTTACDC IN YOUR HOME

RISK FREEYou'll be amazed at the sound. And

you'll be thrilled by your chcice of musi-cal sources. It's an incredible system.

If you're not 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it to DAK in its original box within30 days for a courteous refund.

To order Emerson's Stereo Systemwith 20 Program Capability CD Player,Dual High Speed Cassette Decks, BeltDrive Turntable, AM and FM Stereo,Speakers, Equalizer and Timer Systemrisk free with your credit card, call tollfree or send your check for DAK's break-through price of just $299 ($18 PEtH).Order No. 4684. CA res add tax.

A lot of sources stuck together wouldn'tmean much if they weren't top quality.Just wait till you hear how your favoritemusic sounds through this system.DAK

INC.NDUSTRIES

Call Toll Free For Credit Card Orders Only24 Hours A Coy 7 Days A Week

14100-325-0200For Toll Free Information. Call 6AM-5PM Monday -Friday PST

Technical Information....1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

itiDO ALL CDPLAYERS SOUNDTHE SAME?Listening tests conducted byDavid L.Clarkprovide swprising answers

1?-2lar. G Masters

111

No sal .s

°eelnes talk, .er

Stereo ipli-fiers, fOretn-st 8 -the p Y0LI save 54C4A1.affectNoone rebates,but :Tascina-

Mstior .18ty.7 - traditional

au ,lily in the faceof 8ntribution-or-------on how you look

all fidelity that hasa Edison spoke into7: the digital Com-sr,e

son would deny that,s sound very different

itional analog sources,sere is disagreementter the newer medium isnent over more familiar-thods at their best.-vs.-digital debate will

become as meaning -vs -vs. -transistors de-

bate. The LA....pEnt Disc is definite-ly t. ere to stay. Not only that, buteve, the most cautious visionarywould admit tha: it will eventually

'C re,g.

supplant the conventional LP disc.One of the things that makes a

digital future so attractive, accord-ing to its advocates, is that the digi-tal disc is an absolute. Not only is ithiss -free, scratch -free, and pop -free,not only does it have wide dynamicrange, low distortion, and all thosegood things, but it is also quintes-sentially consistent. In theory, if theCD format standards are met, thecharacteristics of the playbackequipment are unimportant, be-cause a given data stream on the discwill produce the same flawlessaudio signal from any player.

But is that really so? A great manyvery experienced listeners think itis, but probably as many deny it.Without even considering relativequality, the lines have been drawnbetween the faction that says "CDplayers all sound alike" and the onethat claims "CD players sound dif-ferent." The former listeners areperhaps influenced by the hope thataudio has finally come up withsomething that is unquestionablyunquestionable, the latter by the be-lief that nothing could be as good asCD's are supposed to be.

figinitin kmm\mm ww,.1/4\\\\\

Ifyou can hear the Offerencebetween two speakers, a claimcan be made that one is better.Or you may prefer one becauseof haw it sou n&. Do CDpla s, like speakers, sounddi erent enough to give you abasis for choice?

1 1 1

Without becoming embroiled inthe "philosophical" aspects of thequestion, STEREO REVIEW decidedto find out what, if any, audible dif-ferences there are among CDplayers. The editors started with thebasic belief that if there are sonicvariances they are very small, butthat any real distinctions that doexist must be subject to proof bymeans of scientifically designed andcontrolled listening tests.

To this end, the magazine enlistedthe aid of David L. Clark, of DLCDesign, who developed the double-blind ABX comparator, and of theredoubtable Southeastern MichiganWoofer and Tweeter Marching So-ciety (SMWTMS, pronounced"Smootums" by its members), aDetroit -based club that has few ri-vals as a bastion of concerned, butsane, audio enthusiasm. The club'smembers are extremely experiencedlisteners who have taken part inmany critical audio experimentsover the years. During the twoheavy days of tests, eleven membersof the society took part-a numberlarge enough to filter out any "clubprejudices" and to give statisticalvalidity to the test results.

With the ABX system, twocomponents are compared.Listeners .switch between the Aor B sources and source X,which is either A or B, asrandomly selected by thecomparator, and decide whichsource is identical to X

The question of audible differ-ences may be a burning issue forsome serious audiophiles and engi-neers on a purely theoretical level.But for the majority of those inter-ested in audio equipment and re-corded music it is an importantpractical matter. Most equipment issold on the basis of the way it differsfrom the rest of what is available. Ifyou can hear the difference between

Speaker A and Speaker B, a claimcan be made that one is better thanthe other. Or you may prefer oneover the other because of the way itsounds. Do CD players, like speak-ers, sound different enough to giveyou a basis for choice? That's thequestion STEREO REVIEW hopedDavid Clark's tests with SMWTMSwould answer.

The tests took place in mid -Sep-tember in a listening room at DLCin Michigan, constructed accordingto a proposed IEC standard, using apair of Magnepan MG-IIIA speak-ers driven by a Threshold S/500Series II 250 -watt -per -channel am-plifier. An ABX comparator wasused for A/B switching.

With the ABX system, two com-ponents, a reference source and a"device under test," are compared.The listeners switch between the Aor B sources and a source called x,which is either A or B, as selectedrandomly for each trial by a micro-processor in the comparator. Listen-ers can spend as much time as theywant in a trial, switching between A,B, and x, before they go on to thenext trial in the test. In each trial lis-teners must decide whether x is thesame as A or B. If the differencesbetween the two sources are readilyaudible, this is a simple matter; ifthe sources are similar in sound, thetask becomes more difficult. Identi-cal -sounding sources elicit a ran-dom series of choices, since somechoice must be made, but even verysubtle differences should show a sta-tistically significant increase in cor-rect choices, even if the listenersthink they hear no differences. TheABX system is designed to revealdifferences only, not preferences be-tween sounds.

Because listeners are asked to de-cide whether x is identical to A or toB, the only difference between thetwo sources must be their audiocharacteristics-anything else could"tip off" the listeners. For instance,if one source was even slightlyahead in time of the other, it wouldbecome immediately apparentwhen switching between x and ei-ther source. For this reason, the out-puts of the players under test werematched as closely as possible be-fore the listeners were allowed tohear them.

Levels were extremely important,for it is well known that even theslightest level difference will tend tomake the louder unit seem "better."In fact, during the early part of thetest sessions, one player was misad-justed, so that its signal was a mere

0.2 dB higher than the reference,and virtually all the listeners caughtit. While the misadjustment madethis particular test series invalid, itdid serve to prove the effectivenessof the testing system and to affirmthe listeners' qualifications. (Theunit was retested later with the cor-rect levels.)

The most difficult part of the pro -

Identical -sounding sourceselicit a random series ofchoices, but even very subtledifferences should show astatistically significant increasein correct choices, alt h thelisteners may think they arno differences.

cedure was keeping the two ma-chines, the reference player and theone under test, in perfect synchroni-zation. Synchronization was impor-tant, however, because any musicaldifference between the two sourceswould have immediately indicatedwhether x was the same as A or B.As it happened, one of the players, aSony CDP-650ESD, could be modi-fied by replacing its internal -clockreference crystal with a Hewlett-Packard 8640B r.f.-signal generator,allowing its speed to be varied with-out affecting its audio characteris-tics. The Sony CDP-650ESD there-fore became the reference device ineach test, because it could bebrought into sync with whicheverother machine was being tested. Anautomatic -mute system cut the au-dio output of both players if theygot out of sync, although synchron-izing them initially required somefancy footwork on the part of tech-nician Arthur Greenia.

In the initial round, some twentylistening tests were performed oneach machine. The first five used aseries of impulse signals from theDenon 38C39-7147 test CD, andthey were followed by another seriesof five using white noise from thesame disc. The next five tests usedthe thunderous "Star Tracks" CDfrom Telarc, which features massiveorchestration and lots of bass (mostof the listeners felt the speakersweren't up to the demands of theTelarc CD's low end). The final fivetests used an intimate jazz recordingby Warren Bernhardt, called "Trio'83," on the dmp Records label. Thetests were run from a lab outside the


listening room: listeners communi-cated with the technicians by flail-ing their arms at a video cameralinking the two rooms.

The primary tests were held on aFriday evening, when listeners audi-tioned all six machines (includingthe reference). There were eight lis-teners in the room, and while thedanger that the listeners would in-teract and influence each otherseemed to be real-there was con-siderable chit-chat, at least betweenselections-this didn't seem to haveany significant effect on the testresults. The next day, follow-uptests were conducted to clear upsome questions from the night be-fore and to confirm some of theresults. Six listeners were involvedin the second round, including threefrom the night before. All the testswere "double-blind"-neither thelisteners nor the technicians knewwhich machine corresponded to thex button at any time during a test,thanks to the random selection per-formed automatically by the ABXcomparator.

Six CD players were included inthe sample. Two Sony units werechosen: the CDP-650ESD, a latest -generation, high -end ($1,300) player(its ability to have its speed variedwas a bonus), and the CDP-101, afirst -generation unit that is reputedto have a distinctive audio charac-ter. The Technics SL -P3 ($600) is afull -featured player from anotherleading Japanese proponent of theCD system, and the Emerson CD -150 is a relatively modest, inexpen-sive player (it often sells for lessthan $200, though the list price is$449). The Meridian MCD Pro isthe basic Philips deck (Philips didstart all this, after all) with someEnglish electronic modificationsand an exotic price tag ($1,400).Finally, the American entry was theCarver DTL-100 ($650), which isone of the few players to include cir-cuitry designed to correct audibleproblems in some Compact Discs.What Carver calls a Digital TimeLens is an equalization/difference-signal correction circuit intendedfor use with CD's that have beenimproperly recorded, and the circuitshould be switched out for properlymade digital recordings.

As a preliminary step toward ex-plaining any audible differencesamong the players that might turnup in the A/B listening tests, a seriesof frequency -response measure-ments was made using the Denontest disc. The effect of the Carverplayer's Digital Time Lens feature

The Son, CDP-0550END way he reference player to w'uch the i.herf wer? compared.

Oft -Oft-ab GAMIN, elliA qe- -

Poorly recorded CD's are sa:l le sound better with Carver's Dig.tal Tine Lens.

The Technics SL -P3 earned high marks from Hirsch -Houck Labs in June 1985.

1987 COMPACT Disc Buynts GUIDE 63

Some think Sony's first-freneratroa CDP-101 sounds inferior to the latest models.

The Meridian MCD Pro a higa end British player much coveted by audiophiles.

The Emerson CD -150 is one of the least expensive CD players you can buy.


was immediately apparent in itsmeasured response. Switching thecircuit on resulted in a 2 -dB rise atthe low end compared to the refer-ence 0 -dB point at 1,000 Hz, a dipof almost 2 dB at 3,000 Hz, and arise to +4 dB at 18,000 Hz. Suchdeliberate manipulation would cer-tainly be audible, but it does notindicate anything about the basicsimilarity of CD players withoutsuch modification.

With the Time Lens switched out,the Carver player came much closerto the sort of frequency response wewould expect from a CD player: flatwithin 0.3 dB up to 18,000 Hz andwithin 0.1 dB up to 6,000 Hz. At thevery top of the audio range, thecurve fell to -1.6 dB at 20,000 Hz,but this drop would probably not beaudible. The Emerson showed asimilar drop at the top end as well asa peak of about 0.3 dB between10,000 and 16,000 Hz; response wasflat within 0.1 dB up to 10,000 Hz.The Technics showed a 0.3 -dB peakabove 16,000 Hz on one channel,0.25 dB on the other, and the SonyCDP-101 exhibited a very gradualrolloff above 10,000 Hz, droppingto about -0.7 dB at 20,000 Hz.Both the Sony 650ESD and theMeridian were flat within ±0.1 dBacross the spectrum.

The apparent "personalities"under certain circumstances ofthe Sony CDP-10 1, the"strd ht" Carver, theMeridian, and the Emersondo suggest that all CD playersare not created equal.

Except for the Carver player withits Digital Time Lens on, the meas-ured frequency -response variationswere extremely small, particularlywhen compared with those of mostother audio components. Neverthe-less, in terms of the subtle audibledifferences claimed to exist amongCD players, they might have somesignificance.

It was not, of course, possible toperform similar basic measure-ments on the other variable in thistesting process: the listeners them-selves. It was possible, however, tolook at the listeners' responses afterthe fact and identify any extremeinconsistencies. With the originalgroup of eight listeners, the consis-tency was remarkable. We calcu-

lated "batting averages"-the per-centage of correct choices in all thetests participated in-for each lis-tener. The averages of the originaleight ranged from .603 to .698, com-pared with an overall batting aver-age of .637. As David Clark pointedout, "There were no Golden Earsfound, and if there were any TinEars in the second round, theydidn't take part in enough tests toshow themselves." In any event, thefirst round of tests, which were per-formed at one sitting and underpressure to get through all the ma-chines, produced much more con-sistent results than the less formalsupplemental tests the next day.

No test procedure is perfect, butthis series seemed to have filteredout as many unwanted influences asone could reasonably expect. So,what did the group hear?

The first unit to be auditionedwas the Technics SL -P3. Until thepanel's ears became attuned to whatwas happening, they strained tohear any difference whatever, but asthe tests proceeded, there was somefeeling that there was a slight differ-ence in brightness between theTechnics and the reference Sony.This difference was heard only onthe impulse and noise portions ofthe test, however, and several listen-ers commented that if the differ-ences were so hard to hear on puretest signals, they should be almostimpossible to hear with music. Andso it turned out-the length of timeneeded for each test increased assoon as the music came on, andbrows furrowed noticeably. Theconsensus after it was over was thataudible differences disappearedwhen a music signal was being lis-tened to.

As it happened, the "differences"weren't there to begin with. In spiteof the comments in the room at thetime and on the panel members'response sheets, the choices wereentirely random. In straining tohear some sort of distinguishingcharacteristic in the sound, the lis-teners believed they had done so,but their responses proved that nosuch characteristics were consist-ently found. Because this was thefirst session, and because the resultswere at variance with the panelmembers' beliefs, the Technics wasretested the next day-again withentirely random results.

The second unit was the EmersonCD -150. The story seemed quitedifferent in this case, and the listen-ers were visibly relieved to find realdifferences, however subtle. On the

TEST DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT

HE first question to be answeredin the design of a scientific listen-ing test is, What are we trying to

prove? In this case, we were tryingto prove that some differences betweenCD players are audible. Even if wecould prove that our listeners were notable to hear any differences betweenthese CD players, we could never provethat some other group would be unableto hear differences. Perhaps differentCD players, associated equipment,acoustics, or program material wouldmake the differences audible. We there-fore chose to restrict our goal to prov-ing that at least one group or individu-al can hear a difference.

Every possible listener advantage wasdesigned into this experiment. The lis-teners selected are audio hobbyists,most also having experience as musi-cians or recording engineers. The ABXdouble-blind comparator system wasused to provide instant comparisonsrather than waiting for patch cords tobe swapped. Program material in-cluded exacting test signals as trainingfor the carefully selected music CD's.Magnepan MG III speakers were setup in an acoustically treated listeningroom by Wendell Diller of Magnepan.In the adjacent "equipment" room, aThreshold S-500 II amplifier was mon-itored by oscilloscope to prevent clip-ping at any time. Program level wascontrolled by a Penny and Giles profes-sional fader feeding a discrete -transis-tor gain and buffer amplifier. The CDplayer outputs were matched in levelwithin ± 0.05 dB by custom -selectedfilm resistors soldered, not switched,into the circuit for each player. Shortruns of Hitachi LC-OFC interconnectand speaker cable were used through-out. One-way communication to theoperator was provided by a closed-cir-cuit TV camera trained on a black-board in the listening room.

Synchronization of the CD playerswas a major difficulty. If one player'ssignal were to lead or lag behind theother's, the listeners would be able todistinguish them on this irrelevant ba-sis. Even if you start two players insync, no easy task in itself they willusually become noticeably out of syncin a few minutes. To overcome this,one unit, a Sony CDP-650ESD, waschosen to be the reference source in all

the tests. It was modified so that itsspeed could be matched with any of theother players. Once the two playerswere started in sync, changing the out-put frequency on the generator allowed"touching up" the synchronizationwith speed changes of less than 0.01percent. An envelope -comparator cir-cuit sampled left -channel outputs of thetwo CD players and automaticallymuted the audio to the listening roomif an out -of -sync condition developed.Once the operator regained sync, themute was reset.

The power of statistical analysis wasfully utilized to uncover even "sublimi-nal" audibility. With the ABX compar-ator, pure guessing will get you close to50 percent correct, while 100 percentrepresents hearing certainty (or incredi-ble luck). A score of 75 percent is com-monly considered to represent the"threshold of audibility." But what ifhundreds of responses yield a score ofsay, 60 percent correct? Some smalldifference below the supposed hearing"threshold" must be responsible for alistener's doing better than chance. Sta-tistical analysis can derive the proba-bility (p) that a 60 percent score wasdue to random guesses. A probabilityof one in twenty (p = .05) or less thatthe results were by chance is worth fur-ther study. A p of .01 (one in ahundred) is pretty secure proof that adifference was audible.

All this switching and statisticsdoesn't have much in common with thehome listening experience. However,both home listening and our tests in-volve real people (as opposed to instru-ments), real sound systems, and realmusic program material. The double-blind test setup eliminates all but sonicdifferences and is a far more sensitiveand repeatable indicator of perform-ance than home listening. (Try toprove you hear a 0.3 -dB response errorin one unit using a casual plug/unplugtest.) Nonetheless, since the two listen-ing experiences are different. we shouldnot expect audible differences to showup in the same way. A statistical con-firmation of a difference heard in afour-hour test may relate to an audio-phile's growing dissatisfaction over aperiod of months with "listening fa-tigue" or a nuance such as "ambienceretrieval." David L. Clark


+5+4

'", +30 +2

+101

2

CARVER DTI- 100(DIGITAL TIME LENS ON)

20 SO 100 .500 I 5 10k 20k

+2+1

0- 1-220 50 100

CARVER DTI- 100(DIGITAL TIME LENS OFF)

+2+1

0- 1

220 SO 100

+2+1

0- 1

220 SO 100

500 I k 5 10k 20k

EMERSON CD- I SO

SOO 11 Sk 1Ok 204

MERIDIAN MCD PRO

.74

+2+1

0

-2

+2+

0- 1-2

+2+I

0- 1

2 20

500 1 k

SONY CDP-650ESD

Sk 10k 20k

20

20

50 100 SOO 14 51 7a 204

SONY CDP. 101

SO 100 500 ik 5* 10k 204

TECHNICS 5I -P3

.47

SO 100 500 I k ..51 10k 204FREQUENCY IN IIERTZ

An exaggerated vertical scale, with I dBper division instead of the usual 5 dB,is used to show subtle frequency -re-sponse differences among CD players.As a result, the intentional responsemodifications caused by the Carverplayer's Digital Time Lens appear tobe somewhat more dramatic than theyreally are. The response of theseplayers was measured with a Denontest disc that has a minimum frequen-cy of 40 Hz. STEREO REviEw's experi-ence with CD player tests over the pastthree years suggests that it is safe to as-sume that all these players have flat re-sponse down to 20 Hz. (Red curvesshow the right -channel response, graycurves the left.)

1

I I

other hand, there was also surprisethat there were any differences atall. The panelists generally expectedto hear none, and they had beenreassured by the difficulty of hear-ing any in the Technics test.

What they didn't realize was thatin the first fifteen of the twenty testson the Emerson, there was an inad-vertent level difference of 0.2 dB.This level difference was consist-ently heard by the listeners, but theproblem was corrected for the finalfive tests, and the results for thatportion were entirely random.Again, we decided to retest this unitthe next day. With music signals therandomness of choice remained, asit did with white noise at reasonablyhigh levels. With low-level whitenoise, however, the choices becamestatistically significant, althoughonly just, so the listeners did seemto be hearing some real audible dif-ference under those circumstances.

The third unit to be auditionedwas the Carver, with the DigitalTime Lens switched in. A differencewas immediately audible, as mightbe expected from the frequency-response measurements. Of the 160individual choices made by the pan-elists, only four failed to identify theCarver. The next day, the playerwas tested again with the Time Lenscircuitry switched out. This time theresults were very much like the oth-ers-the differences, if any, werevery difficult to detect. Overall, thelisteners did hear a slight difference,but only by a very tiny margin.

The Meridian brought groansfrom the listeners, who wrote ontheir response sheets, and said after-wards during the pause betweentests, that they heard absolutelynothing in the way of differencesbetween it and the reference unit.Oddly enough, while their responsesduring musical selections bore thisout, with pure test signals theyshowed a definite ability to distin-guish the Meridian.

Finally, the Sony CDP-101proved immediately and consist-ently identifiable during the im-pulse tests, but the responses be-came random when anything elsewas played, whether white noise ormusic. A subsequent check of theimpulse response on an oscilloscopeshowed a considerable visible dif-ference between the CDP- I 01 andthe Sony 650ESD reference ma-chine, and this may have been thecause of the audible difference.

Throughout the extended listen-ing tests, it was clear that there weredifferences to be heard. The effects

of the Carver Digital Time Lenswere readily explainable; this ma-chine was chosen for test because itwas designed to sound different,and it did; The effects of the misad-justed level on the Emerson showthat a difference doesn't have to bevery great to be perceptible, at leastin a test session.

But neither of these unusual casesreally answers the question ofwhether there are significant audi-ble differences between CD playersof conventional design, adjustedproperly. The apparent "personali-ties" under certain circumstances ofthe Sony CDP- I 01, the "straight"Carver, the Meridian, and theEmerson do suggest that all Com-pact Disc players are not createdequal. Indeed, with the results of themisadjusted Emerson and theCarver's Digital Time Lens ignored,the panel's ability to hear differ-ences 57.6 percent of the time withtest signals was statistically signifi-cant even though the listeners werenot confident they were hearing anydifferences. These differences may,of course, simply result from theirslight differences in frequency re-sponse, but that's enough to con-firm the view of the "CD playerssound different" faction.

tests confirmed that whatever theinherent differences, they are verysmall indeed. Even with pure testsignals, it seems very unlikely thatthe differences could be heard ex-cept in a direct A/B comparison,and even then only in a comparisonas carefully controlled as these testswere. With music, the numbers in-dicate that the scores were not sig-nificant, and it is difficult to imag-ine a real -life situation in whichaudible differences could reliably bedetected or in which one playerwould be consistently preferred toanother for its sound alone.

In the end, the main conclusionseems to be that audible differencesdo exist, but they don't matter un-less you think they matter. Perhapsthat will make everyone happy. 0

David L. Clark is president of DLCDesign, an electronic/acoustical con-sulting firm, and a director of the com-pany that manufactures the ABX com-parator. He is a contributing editor ofAudio and has published technical pa-pers in the Journal of the Audio Engi-neering Society. The AES recentlyelected him a fellow for his work indouble-blind testing techniques. He isalso a member of the Acoustic Societyof America and the National Academyof Recording Arts and Sciences.


STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTIRE PANEL'S SCORESPROBA- PROBA-

BILITY CONFIDENCE BILITY CONFIDENCE

NUMBER THAT THAT NUMBER THAT THAT OVERALL

OF RESULT RESULT OF RESULT RESULT NUMBERCHOICES WAS DUE WAS NOT CHOICES WAS DUE WAS NOT OF CHOICES OVERALL OVERALL

PROGRAM (CORRECT/ TO DUE TO PROGRAM (CORRECT/ TO DUE To (CORRECT/ PROBA. CONFIDENCE

MATERIAL TOTAL) CHANCE. CHANCE* MATERIAL TOTAL) CHANCE* CHANCE* TOTAL) may* LEVEL'

Test No. I:Technics

Impulse signals

White noise

17/40

14/40

Testsignals

31/80

62/142Orchestral music 22/40 .318 68% Music 31/62 .550 45%

Jazz 9/20

Test No. 2:Emerson

Impulse signals

White noise

26/4036/40

.040

<.001

96%

99.9%

Leveldifferenceof .20 dB

86/120 <.001 99.9%

109/160 <.001 99.9%Orchestral music 26/40 .040 96%

Jazz 21/40 .437 56%

Test No. 3:Carver(Digital

Impulse signals

White noise

40/4040/40

<.001

<.001

99.9%

99.9%

Testsignals

80/80 <.00I 99.9%

156/160 <.001 99.9%Time Orchestral music 37/40 <.001 99.9% Music 76/80 <.001 99.9%Lens on)

Jazz 39/40 <.001 99.9%

Test No. 4:Meridian

Impulse signals

White noise

25/4025/40

.077

.077

92%

92%

Testsignals

50/80 .016 98%

92/160 .034 97%Orchestral music 21/40 .437 56% Music 42/80 .369 63%

Jazz 20/40 .563 44%

Test No. 5:Sony CDP-101

Impulse signals

White noise

28/4023/40

.008

.215

99%

79%

Testsignals

51/80 .009 99%

86/152 .062 94%Orchestral music 15/32

Jazz 20/40

Test No. 6:Technics

White noise

Jazz

15/30

12/3027/59

Test No. 7: Loud white noise 18/30 .181 82% Test 38/60 .026 97%Emerson Soft white noise 20/30 .049 95%

signals 49/90 230 77%

Jazz 11/30

Test No. 8: White noise 25/40 .077 92% 49/80 .028 97%Carver(Time Jazz 24/40 .134 87%

Lens off)

* Values are not shown when less than 50 percent of the choices were correct; the < symbol indicates less than.

INDIVIDUAL LISTENER SCORESPROBABILITY

OVERALL THAT RESULTSBATTING WERE DUE TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST

LISTENER AVERAGE TOCHANCO NO. I No. 2 NO. 3 No. 4 No.5

NUMBER OF CHOICES (CORRECT/TOTAL)

TEST TEST TESTNo. 6 No. 7 No. 8 OVERALL

A .698 <.001 7/17 14/20 19/20 17/20 10/19

B .660 .001 9/18 14/20 20/20 13/20 8/19

C .603 .014 8/17 12/20 18/20 11/20 9/19 6/10 9/15

D .608 .021 7/18 12/20 19/20 9/20 12/19

E .635 .005 6/17 16/20 20/20 8/20 11/19

F .628 .002 8/17 14/20 20/20 15/20 10/19 4/10 9/15 6/16

G .648 .001 10/18 15/20 20/20 10/20 13/19 3/10 8/15

H .629 .007 7/18 12/20 20/20 9/20 13/19

1 .488 2/10 7/15 11/16

.550 .318 7/9 6/15 9/16

K .610 .106 5/10 10/15 10/16

L .813 .011 13/16

Values are not shown when less than 50 percent of the choices were correct; > symbol indicates greater than.

67/96

64/97

73/121

59/97

61/96

86/137

79/122

61/97

20/41

22/40

25/41

13/16

NOTES:In Test No. 1. the playback am-

phfier blew a fuse during Trial No.18 (the third trial in the section us-ing the jazz recording). The test wasnot completed, but some listenershad already made a choice in thattrial. Thus, some listeners made atotal of eighteen choices in Test No.I. others only seventeen. for a paneltotal of 142 rather than the projected160.

In Test No. 5, all of Trial No. I1(in the orchestral -music section) hadto be thrown out because the CD'swent out of sync. Thus each panelistmade only nineteen choices in thistest. not twenty.

In Test No. 6, listener J could notdecide in Trial No. 3, sc he did notmake a choice.

Test No. 8 had only two parts,and only five listeners participated.Therefore eight trials were run ineach part, rather than the five trialsin the other tests. in order to in-crease the choice totals and givegreater statistical power to theresults.

The overall batting average for theentire panel was .629, with 630 cor-rect choices out of a total of 1001.For the original group of eight pan-elists. the overall batting average was.637. with 550 correct choices out of863 total.


BACHBU S TTELARC

JR. ;

THE MUSIC OF J. S. BACH, ASREALIZED BY DON DORSEY, ON

DIGITAL AND OTHER AUTHENTICPERIOD SYNTHESIZERS.

AVAILABLE ON

COMPACT DISC (CD -80123)

LP RECORD (DG -10123)

& CASSETTE ICS -123)

COMPACT

0 DODIG TAL AUDIO

25Best

CLASSICALCOMPACT DISCS

Solo guitar and full symphony orchestra will sound better on CD.

Classical record pro-ducers were thevery first to adoptdigital recording

techniques, even before theCompact Disc system wasput on the market. For sev-eral years, these producersmade digitally recordedmaster tapes of perfor-mances that were then re-leased on black vinyl LPs.Consequently, when theCompact Disc was launchedcommercially, classicalcompanies had a sizablestockpile of digital record-ings to offer to the public inthe exciting new digitalformat.

In addition to their newerdigital recordings, the classi-cal companies quickly beganto remaster a number of an-alog recordings to release onCD, and many of theseturned out extremely well.The result is a classical cata-log on Compact Discs thatincludes so many wonderfulperformances of excellentmusic in technically out-standing recordings thatchoosing the best twenty-five wouldbe impossible.

In drawing up our list of twenty-five highly recommended classicalCDs that are among the best, wehave looked for technically impres-sive recordings of music that is ofmore than routine interest and per-formances that are of unusual merit.The range of musical styles availablein CD form spans more than threecenturies. Without attempting tomake a historical survey, we've in-cluded music from different periods,as well as music that requires a vari-

by William Livingstone& Christie Barter

ety of performing forces-instrumen-tal solo recitals as well as perfor-mances by large symphony orches-tras with soloists and choruses.

Our list includes a few popularitems, such as Beethoven's FifthSymphony, but we've assumed that ifyou've got a CD player, you've prob-ably bought Vivaldi's Four Seasonson CD, and thus we've tried to

bring your attention here toa few outstanding record-ings that you might other-wise overlook.

By the way, if you don'thave Vivaldi's Four Sea-sons, we recommend An-gel's CD, with ItzhakPerlman as violin soloistand conductor of the IsraelPhilharmonic. If you preferthe sound of original instru-ments, try Trevor Pinnockand the English Concert(DG Archiv), ChristopherHogwood and the Academyof Ancient Music (L'OiseauLyre), or Andrew Parrottand the Taverner Players(Denon).

As we narrowed our listdown to the twenty-five rec-ommendations, we realizedthat we could very easilydraw up another list oftwenty-five recommendedclassical Compact Discs thatwould be equally distin-guished. When we finishedour listening sessions, wefelt overwhelmed all overagain by the truly fabuloussound offered by the Com-

pact Disc system. Having such ad-vanced and marvelous technologyplaced at the service of art makes thisa wonderful time for a music lover tobe alive.

Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D Mi-nor; Concerto No. 2 in A Minor; Pre-lude and Fugue in B Minor; Preludeand Fugue in D Major. Michael Mur-ray playing the organs at the First

Gypsy Girl with Mandolin, by Jean -Baptiste Corot, Courtesy of the Na-tional Gallery of Art.

1 0 / 4.-41../MrAl... I IJIM... DU YEKS 1,1U HOE u

Congregational Church, Los Angeles.Telarc CD -80088.

The beauty of Bach's familiar Toc-cata and Fugue in D Minor hasopened the door to classical musicfor thousands of people. The otherworks in this organ recital are scarce-ly less accessible. If this is your firstCompact Disc, you may be surprisedat the amount of bass the low organtones can bring forth from yourspeakers.

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5. Rudolf Serkin (piano); BostonSymphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawacond. Telarc CD -80061-5, threediscs.

One thing the Compact Disc hasdone is to spawn an uncommonnumber of "integral," or complete,sets of related works by a single com-poser. One of the earliest was Telarc'sfine set of the Beethoven piano con-certos performed by Rudolf Serkinand the Boston Symphony underSeiji Ozawa. It was also one of theearliest to take advantage of the CD'sextended playing time by offering thefive concertos on only three discs,with a break occurring only once, be-tween the first and second move-ments of the First Piano Concerto.The performances are glorious, thefreshness of Serkin's playing belyinghis years, and the recorded sound isabsolutely first-rate. (Another set ofthe Beethoven concertos is off to anauspicious start with Claudio Arrau'sEmperor on Philips.)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Mi-nor; Symphony No. 6 in F Major,"Pastorale." Berlin PhilharmonicOrchestra, Herbert von Karajancond. Deutsche Grammophon 413932-2.

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is toconcert music what the Mona Lisa isto painting. The more cheerful "Pas-torale" Symphony is almost as wellknown and loved. This CompactDisc presents two quintessential Cen-tral European symphonies played bythe quintessential Central Europeanorchestra led by the quintessentialCentral European conductor. The re-sult is an exciting performance of twoof the most popular works in the en-tire symphonic repertoire.

Berlioz: Requiem. John Aler (tenor);John Cheek (bass); Atlanta Sympho-ny Chorus and Orchestra, RobertShaw cond. Telarc CD -80109, twodiscs.

The Berlioz Requiem is one ofthose works that could almost havebeen written with the Compact Disc

in mind. It requires mammoth forcesperforming in huge spaces, and, atsome points, seeming to come at youfrom every direction. The dynamicsof Robert Shaw's stunning recording,enhanced by this true -digital releaseon CD, range from the awesome"Dies irae" to the exquisitely gentleclosing of the "Offertorium." Atlan-ta's Symphony Hall is also bigenough to give the recorded sound anairiness and clarity possible only onCD. The finesse and nobility ofShaw's performance make this morethan just another sonic spectacu-lar-although it surely is that-andthe Prologue to Boito's Mefistofeleand the Verdi Te Deum, which fillout the second disc, are both appro-priate and offer good value.

Bernstein: Candide. Erie Mills (so-prano), Cunegonde; David Eisler(tenor), Candide; others. New YorkCity Opera Chorus and Orchestra,John Mauceri cond. New World NW340/341-2, two discs.

Leonard Bernstein's Candide,which began life in the Fifties as aBroadway flop, has become a hit withNew York City Opera audiences andlooks as though it will remain in thatcompany's repertoire for a goodwhile to come. New World's splendidrecording of that production vindi-cates all that the work's admirershave long held: that Candide is oneof Bernstein's most original, inven-tive, and winning pieces of work forthe theater. Erie Mills and DavidEisler bring great flair to the principalroles, and conductor John Maucerielicits all of the vivid color and snap-py wit inherent in this magical score.

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major.Itzhak Perlman (violin), ChicagoSymphony Orchestra, Carlo MariaGiulini cond. Angel CDC -47166.

This recording of the popularBrahms Violin Concerto was consid-ered one of the Best of the Monthwhen it was reviewed in the March1978 issue of Stereo Review, and it isstill probably one of the best record-ings of this work in the catalog-onall counts. Itzhak Perlman delivers arobust, keenly felt performance un-der the poised (yet fully supportive)direction of Carlo Maria Giulini, andthe analog recording leaves nothingto be desired in terms of clarity andbalance. The transfer of this music toCompact Disc only makes it soundthat much better.

Eduardo Fernandez: Recital. Worksby Legnani, Giuliani, Diabelli, Paga-nini, and Sor. Eduardo Fernandez

(guitar). London 414 160-2.The aim of good recording is to

create the illusion that you are in theconcert hall, or that the musicians arein your listening room. In many lis-tening rooms, it is hard to imaginethat large symphony orchestras oropera companies could be fitted intosuch small spaces. Since a solo acous-tic guitar could actually be played inyour listening room, no matter whatits size, a well -recorded guitar recitalcan give a sense of startling reality.This CD provides that kind of fideli-ty to the real music. The debut re-cording of a young guitarist fromUruguay, the recital consists of a col-lection of beguiling 19th -centurycompositions that show off his daz-zling technique.

Glass: Mishima. Original musiccomposed by Philip Glass for thesoundtrack of the film Mishima.Kronos Quartet; orchestra, MichaelRiesman cond. Nonesuch 979113-2.

This music, written for the filmedbiography of the Japanese novelistYukio Mishima, may well be themost accessible work of the minimal-ist composer Philip Glass. In suchcompositions by Glass and his mini-malist colleagues, modern concertmusic meets contemporary popularmusic of the kind termed new age.But you should forget about termsand labels, and simply enjoy the mu-sic. It is very compelling. Sonically,this recording reaches a level of qual-ity approached by few others.

Handel: Messiah. Margaret Marshall(soprano); Catherine Robin (mezzo-soprano); Saul Quirke (boy soprano);Charles Brett (countertenor); Antho-ny Rolfe -Johnson (tenor); RobertHale (bass). Monteverdi Choir, En-glish Baroque Soloists, John EliotGardiner cond. Philips 411 041-2,three discs.

Handel's great oratorio does notlack for representation on CompactDisc (there were six versions listed atpress time), but the most satisfying inour view is the recording conductedby John Eliot Gardiner, which was,in fact, the first to be released on CDsome three years ago. Gardiner's ap-proach is generally lighter in textureand more nimble in spirit than theothers, but it's not without a compel-ling sense of drama in such sectionsas "The trumpet will sound" and"Why do the Nations." He also usesthe sopranos of his own splendidMonteverdi Choir instead of boy tre-bles, which in no way detracts fromthe "authentic" orientation of theperformance as a whole. The vocal


soloists, led by the soprano MargaretMarshall, are superb, and the record-ing itself favors the moderatelyscaled chorus and orchestra with anopen, luscious sound quality andbeautifully controlled balances.

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major("Titan"). Frankfort Radio Sympho-ny Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal conduc-tor. Denon CD 7537.

Characterized by wide dynamicrange and strong contrasts in emo-tional content, Mahler's symphoniesare long, sprawling, hyper -romanticworks that require large orchestras.The First Symphony is a statement ofthe major subjects-his love of na-ture and his thoughts on death-thatwere to preoccupy this composerthroughout his entire creative life.Denon's recordings of these sympho-nies have furthered Inbal's reputa-tion as a Mahler specialist.

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor("Resurrection"); "Kindertoten-lieder." Sheila Armstrong (soprano);Dame Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano);Edinburgh Festival Chorus; LondonSymphony Orchestra and Israel Phil-harmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bern-stein conductor. CBS M2K 42195,two Compact Discs.

One of Leonard Bernstein's great-est achievements while he was regu-larly conducting the New York Phil-harmonic was putting Gustav Mahleron the musical map as a mainstreamsymphonic composer. The SecondSymphony has been a staple in Bern -stein's repertoire for many years, andthis recording, made in the mid -Sev-enties, is still one of the most elo-quent in the catalog. Listening to iton CD can be an intensely movingexperience, especially at it is cappedhere by the radiant singing of JanetBaker in the final two movements. Aconsiderable bonus in the CD pack-age is Dame Janet's rendering ofMahler's "Kindertotenlieder," an ap-propriate and logical filler that makesfor good value.

Mozart: Cosi fan tune. Rachel Yakar(soprano), Fiordiligi; GeorgineResnik (soprano), Despina; AliciaNafe (mezzo-soprano), Dorabella;GOsta Winbergh (tenor), Ferrando;Carlos Feller (baritone), Don Alfonso;Tom Krause (bass), Guglielmo; oth-ers. Chorus and Orchestra of theDrottningholm Court Theater, Ar-nold Ostman conductor. L'OiseauLyre 414 316-2, three Compact Discs.

This new recording of Mozart'sCost fan tutte, a silver cloud of an op-era with a dark lining, was made at

the jewel-like Drottningholm CourtTheater, a short boat ride fromStockholm, where Arnold Ostmanhas been conducting a summer festi-val concentrating on "authentic" op-era revivals. His realization of thisscore is more finely spun than usual,but still carries a good deal of emo-tional weight along with its momentsof pure knockabout. The stage andthe theater itself are small (the seat-ing capacity is some 450), but the re-cording sounds in no way cramped.In fact, the bright, transparent soundof the period instruments and thegleaming finish of the singing shouldwin over a lot of listeners who wouldordinarily claim they don't like thesound of so-called authentic perfor-mances of early music. The force ofMozart's genius in this glorious mu-sic is, of course, its own justification.

Mozart: Quintet for Piano and Windsin E -flat Major (K. 452). Beethoven:Quintet for Piano and Winds in E -fiat Major, Op. 16. Murray Perahia(piano); members of the EnglishChamber Orchestra. CBS MK 42099.

The Mozart quintet is one of hismost original and sublimely inspiredworks. The Beethoven, written a doz-en years later in 1797, is a youthfuleffort intended, scholars suppose,partly as an homage to the earliermasterpiece and partly as a rival in alimited repertoire-that is, music forpiano and four winds (or the usualwind quintet without the flute). Mur-ray Perahia and his colleagues heresail through both works with the vig-or and sense of style to put this re-cording at the head of its class. Theclean articulation and balance of in-strumental timbres make this a prettyspecial CD.

Mozart: Divertimentos in D, B -fiat,and F; Serenade in D Major ("Sere-nata notturna"). I Musici chamberorchestra. Philips 412 120-2.

These charming three -movementserenades or divertimentos wereprobably written as background mu-sic for parties in the homes of therich people of Salzburg, where Mo-zart grew up. Today, they can holdyour attention if you move them tocenter stage, or they can be put to ele-gant use in the background at yourparties. The Serenata notturna (1776)is one of Mozart's most attractiveyouthful works.

Offenbach: La belle Helene. JessyeNorman (soprano), Helene; JohnAler (tenor), Paris; Gabriel Bacquier(baritone), Agamemnon; Jean -Phi-lippe Lafont (bass), Calchas; others.

Chorus and Orchestra of the Capitolede Toulouse, Michel Plasson conduc-tor. EMI/Angel CDCB-47156, twoCompact Discs.

Offenbach is best known in the op-era house for The Tales of Hoffmann,which is a fairly serious work. Labelle Htlene, on the other hand, isone of the many comic pieces onwhich this composer built his reputa-tion in the mid -1860s. The recordingis fabulous, in every sense, and ev-eryone involved in the performanceseems to be having a perfectly won-derful time. Jessye Norman as Helen(of Troy, that is) tends to be a littletoo "operatic" at times, but her vocalagility and charm, tinged with just ahint of naughtiness, are completelywinning. Another American, the ten-or John Aler, is delightful as Paris,negotiating the role's vocal pyrotech-nics with apparent ease. The other-wise predominantly French forcesunder Michael Plasson's nimble di-rection are at all times a joy to hear.They have been beautifully recordedby EMI's engineering team, whoseem to have had an fun -filled holi-day in Toulouse.

Pachelbel: Canon & Gigue. Withworks by Handel, Vivaldi, Albinoni,and others. The English Concert,Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord andconductor). DG Archiv 415 518-2.

The Baroque Era in music stretch-es from about 1600 to 1750, embrac-ing the work of many of the greatestcomposers in Western history. Dur-ing the last several decades, this mu-sic has enjoyed a vigorous revivalwith scholars, performers, and audi-ences. This Compact Disc is a collec-tion of some of the all time greatestBaroque hits. Containing Pachelbel'sfamous "Canon," as well as Handel'spopular "Arrival of the Queen ofSheba" and works by Haydn, Purcell,and others, the album is a more thangenerous Baroque sampler played byPinnock and the English Concert,who have been leaders in the move-ment to go back to original instru-ments and authentic performancepractices.

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major;Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.Jean -Philippe Collard (piano),Orchestre National de France, LorinMaazel conductor. EMI -Angel CDC -47386.

One of the nice things about beinga composer -pianist is that you canwrite a piece for yourself that willshow your keyboard talent to its bestadvantage. Ravel did just that withhis glorious G Major Piano Concer-


to, which he wrote between 1929 and1931. At the same time, he was alsoworking on a concerto for the pianistPaul Wittgenstein, who had lost hisright hand in World War I. The latteris truly a virtuoso piece, though dark-er in mood than the G Major, andpresents a challenge that Jean-Phillipe Collard meets withaplomb-and dazzling technique-in this EMI -Angel recording withLorin Maazel and the Orchestre Na-tional de France. Collard is equallyfine in his reading of the G MajorConcerto, making this the best cou-pling of these two works on CompactDisc. It offers more than the others,too, with the addition of two of Rav-el's solo pieces-the famous"Pavanne pour une infante defunte"and the glittering "Jeaux d'eau"-played by Collard. Also included onthis disc is the seldom -performedtwo -piano version of "La Valse," inwhich he is accompanied by MichelBeroff.

Carol Rosenberger: Water Music ofthe Impressionists. Works by Liszt,Griffes, Ravel, and Debussy. CarolRosenberger (piano). Delos D/CD3006.

In addition to being an interna-tionally known pianist, Rosenbergerhas become a producer of piano re-cordings for the Delos label. A pio-neer of digital recording, Delos isknown to be especially successful incapturing the sound of the piano, andRosenberger has no doubt been influ-ential in that regard. Here, her ele-gant performances of this collectionof Impressionist compositions de-scribing different forms of water re-sulted in a recording that has been aperennial favorite to demonstrate thevirtues of the Compact Disc. And themusic is delightful to the ears as wellas enjoyable to the soul.

Rossini: Stabat Mater. Katia Ricciar-ielli, Lucia Valentini Terrani,Dalmacio Gonzalez, Ruggero Rai-mondi. Philhartronia Orchestra,Carlo Maria Giulini conductor.Deutsche Grammophon 410 034-2.

The first of the triumvirate of greatItalian opera composers of the belcanto period (which also includedDonizetti and Bellini), Rossini re-tired from operatic compositionwhen he was only 37. The Stabat Ma-ter, a tribute to the Virgin Mary, wascompleted when he was almost 50. Ithas been insufficiently appreciated,perhaps because Rossini's operasovershadowed his sacred music. Inany case, it is a masterly work, andGiulini elicits performances from the

soloists and orchestra that have ex-actly the right combination of spiritu-ality and dramatic excitement.

Schubert: String Quintet in C Major(D. 956). Alban Berg Quartet withHeinrich Schiff (cello). Angel CDC47018.

The last of Schubert's great cham-ber -music masterpieces and one ofthe last works he completed beforehis death at the age of 31, this quintetis sublime. It provides nourishmentfor the mind, the heart, and the spir-it, and its mystical quality generallycalls forth the best efforts from thestring players who perform it. TheBerg Quartet and cellist HeinrichSchiff are among the finest youngplayers in Europe today, and theygive their all in performing this beau-tiful composition.

R. Strauss: Suite from Der Rosen-ka valier; Symphony Fantasy fromDie Frau ohne Schatten. DetroitSymphony Orchestra, Antal Doraticond. London 411 893-2.

The melodies included in the suitefrom Strauss's popular opera DerRosenkavalier are familiar, but thesymphonic fantasy from Die Frauohne Schatten is made up of less well-

materials. Both arelush works for large orchestra, andboth receive masterly performanceson this recording. The opulence ofthe recorded sound is matched byfew other Compact Discs. MaestroDorati announced his retirement onhis eightieth birthday (April 9, 1986).This CD is one of the crowningachievements of his long and distin-guished recording career.

Scarlatti: Sonatas. Alexis Weissen-berg (piano). Deutsche Grammo-phon 415 511-2.

Scarlatti, whose three -hundredthbirthday was celebrated in 1985,spent most of his creative life as mu-sic master at the royal court of Spain.He wrote more than 600 composi-tions for harpsichord and is consid-ered the founder of modern pianotechnique. Weissenberg plays thisprogram of sonatas with great skill.There is a considerable variety inmood and execution of the piecesthat make up the recital, even a dashof Spanish flavor here and there.This disc demonstrates the ability ofCompact Discs to render fine detailand subtle gradations of dynamics.An exquisite album.

Stravinsky: Symphony in C Major;Symphony in Three Movements.

. . .L'Orchestre de ta Suisse Romande,

Charles Dutoit cond. London 414272-2.

Two works that go well together onthe same disc are Stravinsky's Sym-phony in C, which he completedsoon after he arrived in America in1939, and his Symphony in ThreeMovements, which he wrote whileliving in Hollywood during WorldWar II. And they have often beencoupled, but never so well played asthey are here. The sound captured bythe London/Decca engineers putsthis Compact Disc in the demonstra-tion class.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op.71. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra,Leonard Slatkin cond. RCA RCD2-7005, two Compact Discs.

At press time, there were nine ver-sions of the complete Nutcracker bal-let on LP and cassette, but only oneof them was available on CompactDisc: the lithe, warmly affectionateperformance by the St. Louis Sym-phony under the direction of Leon-ard Slatkin. Slatkin has done won-ders in St. Louis, and the orchestrasounds at its very best in this wide-open, well -performed, exquisitely en-gineered recording.

Verdi: Falstaff Renato Bruson (bari-tone), Falstaff; Karia Ricciarelli (so-prano), Alice Ford; Barbara Hen-dricks (soprano), Nannetta; LuciaValentini-Terranti (contralto), Mis-tress Quickly; Leo Nucci (baritone),Ford; others. Los Angeles Philhar-monic Orchestra, Carlo MariaGiulini cond. Deutsche Grammo-phon 410 503-2, two discs.

This performance of Falstaff Ver-di's sunniest score and his last opera(1893), marked the return of CarloMaria Giulini to live opera -conduct-ing after a hiatus of fifteen years. Thevocal characterizations that he drawsfrom his all-star cast (headed byRenato Bruson) are wonderfully vi-tal, full of high spirits and suddenflashes of temperament. Brusonavoids playing the role for its buf-foonery and brings to it a sense ofirony and a sort of rueful mellownessthat are totally compelling. The LosAngeles Philharmonic, which Giulinibriefly served as music director, playslike a dream, and the recording itself,made at the Dorothy Chandler Pavil-ion in LA, is a stunning example ofwhat can be achieved under the less-than -ideal conditions of a live perfor-mance. In sum, this recording takesits place alongside the handful of oth-ers recognized as landmarks in thefield of opera on discs-all discs, LPand CD.D

72 ComPAct Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

25Best

COMPACT DISCSA rock critic recommends some of the popular CDs he has known and loved.

Coming up with alist of the 25 bestanythings is ahopelessly subjec-

tive venture under the bestof circumstances, but for arock critic picking pop CDs,the difficulties are almosthellish. How, in good con-science, can you recom-mend a disc that soundsfantastic if you really aren'tgoofy about the music? Andif strictly state-of-the-artsonics is your criterion,won't that mean your list in-cludes nothing recorded be-fore last year? And so on.

My solution to these andother dilemmas has been topick discs for no other rea-son than that I like them, al-though I have included acouple of high-tech excep-tions and a couple of thingsfrom the Mesozoic Era (lateSixties, early Seventies) toremind people that musicwas not invented by MTV.Astute readers will rightlynote the lack of rhythm andblues here, for which I apologizeupfront. In principle, I am not crazyabout the kind of ghetto-ization thatthis implies, but I think for our pur-poses we can all agree that r -&-b de-serves a separate list in a future buy-ers' guide. In the meantime, enjoy.

Wish You Were Here: Pink Floyd(Columbia).

The Floyd, during either their earlybirds -chirping -in -the -night or laterour -childhoods -were -nightmares pe-riods, have never been my favoriteband, but there's no denying their

by Steve Sintels

consummate craftsmanship in thestudio, and this album, probably theonly one they ever made with a sub-ject worth the effort (the tragic drugburnout of their founding memberSyd Barrett) is quite genuinely mov-ing. Though by today's standards it'ssomewhat under -produced (funnilyenough, it sounds more like chambermusic than I remembered) it's still asuper piece of record -making and theCD has tremendous sweep and

unequalled clarity of sound.

The Three Faces of Al: TheFiresign Theater (Rhino).

The Firesigns, or theBeatles of Comedy asthey've been dubbed, havealways been keenly aware ofthe potential of the record-ing studio. This, the firstcomedy album released onCD, is no exception. It's notas utterly surreal as some oftheir other efforts, but con-sidering how thoroughly thetough guy private eye genrehas been parodied over theyears (including earlier ex-cursions by the Firesignsthemselves), this pun -filledadventure of the indomita-ble Nick Danger, Third Eyeis gratifyingly yok-inducing,and the analog sound is su-perb. In fact, if radio hadsounded as good as this CD,they wouldn't have had toinvent television.

Who's Next: The Who(MCA).

Glyn Johns, who produced this, isone of the real unsung heroes of rock-and-roll. A guy who's been makingrecords since 1962, his albums havealways been among the biggestsounding and impressive around.This effort, besides featuring some ofthe Who's best songs, more or lesswrote the book on high -gloss produc-tion techniques in the first half of theSeventies, and it has dated hardly at

Color Numerial Series: Figure 7, byJasper Johns, Courtesy of the Nation-al Gallery of Art.


all. The CD version has a hint of tapehiss that was undetectable heretofore,but sounds otherwise magnificent.

Emerson Lake and Powell: EmersonLake and Powell (PolyGram).

Yes, it's pompous; yes, they rapeGustav Hoist as thoroughly as theyearlier raped Moussorgsky; and yes,Greg Lake's lyrics reveal him yetagain as perhaps the worst under-graduate poet in the history of rock-and-roll. Despite all that it must benoted that drummer Cozy Powell cankeep a beat (a claim which could nev-er be made of Carl Palmer, who for-merly provided the P in the group'smonogram) and that, strictly as ear -wash, the whole business here soundsas grand as the New York Philhar-monic attacking Mahler's "Sympho-ny of a Thousand." Which is a grudg-ing way of saying that this here CDmakes an extremely impressive dem-onstration disc.

Cosmo's Factory: Creedance Clear-water Revival: (Fantasy).

With the benefit of hindsight, it isnow clear to most reasonable folksthat Creedence was the great Ameri-can rock band of its day, and on bal-ance this is probably their best al-bum. It's certainly the bestengineered. What this CD versionmakes especially apparent is how art-fully their stuff was under -produced.Overdubs are at a minimum, every-thing is exceptionally clean -soundingand on some tracks, particularly therockabilly stuff like "My Baby LeftMe," what you hear is essentially alive band in an acoustic environmentthat suggests your living room.

Abbey Road: The Beatles (EMIJapan).

This was the production triumphof both the band's career and the Six-ties as a decade, a benchmark againstwhich almost all subsequent studiorock has been measured ever since.Here in 1986, on a hard to get Japa-nese import CD, it sounds even moreastonishing than you might remem-ber. How, to paraphrase the Hunts'Tomato Paste ads, did they get allthose sounds onto that itty bitty 16 -track machine? Dunno, but get themthey did, and while some of the mu-sic had dated (by Beatle standards,that is) this is still the kind of albumthat can make your jaw drop fromthe sheer opulence of it all. One ofthe great sonic wallows of all time.

EB 84: The Everly Brothers(Mercury).

Dave Edmunds, who covered him-

self in glory masterminding this long-awaited comeback album by theEverlys, is a great producer, but ex-tremely stylized. His records don'tsound like anybody else's; in fact, bycontemporary standards they'resomewhat cramped from an audio -purist perspective, including EB 84.Nevertheless, the better cuts heresimply jump out of your speakers,and this CD version is by far the bestway to hear Edmonds' unique anduncommonly vivid approach to themixing board.

Synchronicity: The Police (A&M).Overfamiliarity has not dimmed

the appeal of this pop masterpieceone with, and as with the EverlyBrothers album, at least part of itsappeal accrues from its production,which is similarly stripped down andbasic. It's the music you hear here,not some producers' idea of what thekids are listening to, and the resultsare undeniably gorgeous: if none ofthese guys ever record another note,their place in pop history is secure.

Little Creatures: Talking Heads(Sire).

I don't know if it's coincidentalthat Little Creatures, the Heads' most"conservative," tuneful and pop -ac-cessible effort, happens to be the firstof their records that I've liked unre-servedly, but David Byrne's estima-ble material aside, what I've alwaysadmired most about this band is thedeceptively simple, precision -tooledauthority of their playing. For me,then, the real pleasure of Creatures isthe ensemble work, the Heads func-tioning as a self-contained unit againafter a several -album masquerade asa sort of post-modern big band. Theinstrumentals are really a joy here,and the CD version lets them allcome through-particularly ChrisFrantz's cymbal work-with exem-plary clarity. Not to be missed.

Hounds of Love: Kate Bush (EMI).Bush, for good or ill, is the world's

greatest living Pre-Raphaelite rockstar, and there's no denying that her19th century literary affectations and"Sgt. Pepper Goes Eighties" produc-tion style can border on the ludi-crously overripe. Still there's some-thing weirdly compelling about herstuff, and with this album (recorded,appropriately enough, at Abbey Roadstudios) on tracks like "Big Sky" and"Running Up That Hill," her every-thing -but -the -kitchen -sink approachcan really get to you, even if she's anacquired taste you haven't yet ac-quired. The percussion effects on

"Sky" alone make this CD a worth-while purchase.

The Unforgettable Fire: U2 (Island).Lead singer Bono may get most of

the press attention (some of which,given his recent increasingly messi-anic stance, may be going to hishead) but the main reason a lot ofpeople think U2 is the best rock bandout of Ireland since Van Morrison'sThem is guitarist the Edge. Face it:this guy has the first really originalapproach to his instrument (in a rockcontext) of anybody since the earlySeventies. On the CD version of Fire,arguably their best album, Edgecomes over, thanks to hero producerBrian Eno, as the aural equivalent ofa Gothic cathedral, and the delicacyand understatement of the bass anddrum team of Adam Clayton andLarry Mullen are pretty darned im-pressive, too.

Scarecrow: John Cougar Mellencamp(Riva).

This is an uncommonly strong col-lection of songs, to be sure, but not-withstanding Mellencamp's cannymixture of newly believable rock-and-roll populism and stick -in -your -head melodic hooks, the real star ofthis album is, once again, an unor-thodox production approach. Thedrums, courtesy of the vastly under-rated Kenny Aronoff, function al-most as the lead instrument here, andthe trebly snap of the backbeat asfixed on tape by Mellencamp andproducer Don Gehman is like noth-ing else to be heard these days, inrock or elsewhere.

Quadrophenia: The Who (MCA).Pete Townshend's gritty, motor-

bike realist look at the mid -SixtiesBritish mod subculture has neverachieved the popularity of his moremystical rock opera Tommy, but inmany ways it's a more impressive ac-complishment, and on a purely tech-nical level it's considerably more so-phisticated than its celebratedpredecessor. The CD version, mean-while, is truly overwhelming; if therainstorm effects on "Love ReignO'er Me" don't fool you into think-ing your roof has sprung a leak, thenthere's probably something wrongwith your stereo system. And the mu-sic's pretty great, too.

Bob Till You Drop: Ry Cooder(Warner Brothers).

"Rock's First All -Digital Record-ing," as it was billed back in 1979,was something of a revelation then,and hearing it again on CD in 1986 is


almost equally revelatory. By com-parison, my LP version sounds as ifit were recorded with a sock over it.Sonics aside, however, this is one ofthe most interesting roots -orientedrock records of recent years, andwhile there is occasionally a slightwhiff of the acdemic about it, ontracks like "Little Sister" and "IThink It's Going to Work Out Fine,"Cooder and his superb little band, in-cluding David Lindley on extremelysympathetic second guitar, make mu-sic that is as deeply felt as any youare likely to hear anywhere.

Greatest Hits: The Cars (Elektra).The Cars, of course, are one of the

greatest con acts in recent musicalhistory. Any band that can convincethe general public that songs derivedfrom old Ohio Express bubblegumhits are somehow avant-garde isclearly qualified to sell ice to Eski-mos. Given that, however, the Cars'songs are in fact fully as appealing asthose old Ohio Express bubblegumhits (sometimes even more so, as wit-ness the sublime "You MightThink") and the sound of all this earcandy, courtesy of gargantuan over -producer Roy Thomas Baker, isamong the most impressive (albeitthoroughly unrealistic) around. Sillystuff, and I love it.

90125: Yes (Atco).A lot of people I know continue to

insist, against all the recorded evi-dence, that this band makes the mu-sic of the spheres, a claim I will notdispute at this juncture except topoint out that anybody who titles analbum after its catalogue number isprobably a little bit deficient in theimagination department. This partic-ular album, however, does feature anexceptionally opulent production byhigh-tech honcho Trevor Horn (bestknown for making Frankie Goes toHollywood sound like actual musi-cians), and on the likes of "Owner ofa Lonely Heart" the aural perspectivehe's provide the Yes-men is so im-pressive I'm almost disposed to over-look the essential banality of thewhole business ... especially on thisreally splendid sounding CD.

Dog Eat Dog: Joni Mitchell (Geffen).Considering her old-folkie back-

ground, Mitchell's albums have al-ways been interesting from a produc-tion standpoint, and this latest, donein collaboration with synthwizardThomas Dolby, is probably the mostlavish and over -the -top of her career.Mitchell's music here, explicitly po-litical and even more eccentric than

usual, is forced to compete with thesounds of cigarette machines, burglaralarms, and even Rod Steiger as aFalwell -like evangelist; it is a creditto all concerned that the songsemerge unscathed from underneaththe aural glitz. All in all, one of themost adventurous records from amajor artist to have been released infar too long, and the CD versionsounds like a million bucks-whichmay not be hyperbole, given the pos-sible production costs.

Different Light: The Bangles.Some cynics claim my enthusiasm

for this album stems from my madcrush on bassist Michael Steele, towhich I reply: horsefeathers. Simplyput, this is the most adorable updateof the Byrds/Hollies/Beatles jungle -jangle -twelve -string -with soaring -har-monies sound currently available be-fore an increasingly jaded public, andif "If She Knew What She Wants"doesn't make you swoon, then you'reprobably brain dead.

The Principle of Moments: RobertPlant (Swan Song).

In the context of Led Zeppelin,Plant always struck me as somethingof an aural cartoon, and I never tookhim particularly seriously; he hadone of those freak, only -dogs -can -hear -him English voices and whoreally cared? Since he's gone solo,however, it turns out he's a far moreinteresting singer than I gave himcredit for, and on this second solo al-bum he runs through a set of moodilyatmospheric numbers on which hefunctions (quite brilliantly, actually)as more of a lead instrument than avocalist. Impressive stuff, and thesound on this CD-courtesy of pro-ducer Pat Moran and the hero staff ofthe Welsh Rockfield Studios-isamong the cleanest representations ofa basic hard -rock band yet.

Making Movies: Dire Straits(Warner Brothers).Brothers in Arms: Dire Straits(Warner Brothers).Local Hero: Mark Knopfler (WarnerBrothers).

As you may have gathered fromthe above, I am something of a suck-er for Mark Knopfler's trademarkbrand of "Layla"-derived guitarheroics, Dylanesque mumbling, andatmospheric songwriting ... so muchso, in fact, that I am also inclined tooverlook his occasional ersatz-Springsteenian bombast and lyricalpetulance. All things considered,these three CD's contain his best mu-sic. Movies, courtesy of producer

Jimmy Iovine, is the biggest andmost impressive sounding: LocalHero, which is largely instrumental,is the most romantic and evocative;and Brothers in Arms, a digital re-cording, the most tuneful and grabby.But all three are terrific, and amongthe first CDs I'd recommend toanybody.

Across A Crowded Room: RichardThompson (Polydor).

Thompson, the guitarist and song-writer who's been described withsome justification as the SixteenthCentury Jeff Beck, is one of thoserare cult figures who lives up to hisnotices, and this, his most recent al-bum, while not, on balance, his best,will at least give you an idea of whathe's capable of. The combination ofhis gruffly expressive vocals, achinglyintense guitar workouts, and chilling-ly despairing lyrics is among the mostoverwhelming experiences currentlyavailable in rock-and-roll, and sincethe sound of this (his first) CD isgratifying vivid, it is needless to sayhighly recommended.

Beggar's Banquet: The RollingStones (London Import).

Banquet, among the two or threefinest records of the Stones' seeming-ly endless career, was also the firstproduced (by the brilliant JimmyMiller) under what might be calledmodern conditions. Even today,nearly twenty years later, there arefew albums arond on which the gui-tars and drums hit you with suchsnarling, primal intensity, and unlessyou're totally bored with the veryidea of the Stones, I can't imagineyou wanting to be without it. The im-port CD version, with its superiorstereo imaging and increased dynam-ic range, is an exemplary masteringjob, better even than Mobile Fideli-ty's audiophile LP version, and it'sdefinitely worth looking for.

In Visible Silence: The Art of Noise(Chrysalis).

Perhaps the most impressive dem-onstration of the potentialities ofsynthesized sound to date, this studiocreation of a renegade bunch ofheavyweight English sidemen is anicily perfect tour -de -force, perhapsthe closest things to genuine machinemusic yet. My colleague Mark Peelgot it right when he called it a cheapthrill. It's also sort of funny. Is it Art?Is it a taxi? I wouldn't venture toguess, but it's probably the sound ofthings to come, and the CD versionwill test the outer limits of your ste-reo system and beyond.


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Each portfolio includes five specially selected Telarc CDsof first-rate performances. Sound Spectaculars puts a system tothe test with such selections as Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture:'Light Classics features favorites like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."Orchestral Masterpieces offers some of the grandest music ever,including Beethoven's "9th Symphony."

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00

JAZZCOMPACT DISCS

Although the selection is limited, great jazz performances are available on CDs.

The long-playingrecord has been withus for forty years,but we have yet to

see every jazz record reis-sued in that format. Now,the Compact Disc has elimi-nated the probability of thatever happening. Will weeventually be able to buyour favorite morsels of re-corded jazz history on CDs?Yes, at least the classicsides, and probably also avast amount of obscureitems, but don't hold yourbreath.

For one thing, the laser re-production is good to afault. A tape splice obscuredin the vinyl pressing process can be-come a rude interruption on a CD, soeven recent analog recordings sufferin transformation to the laser tech-nology. Consequently, we have al-ready seen some disappointing CDreissues of LPs, but, as the transfertechnology is refined, much of the ex-traneous noise will become history,and such overly noisy CDs as RCA'sThe Unforgettable Glenn Miller(RCA) and Miles Davis's wonderfulSketches of Spain (Columbia) will beproperly remastered.

Record companies will, for sometime to come, largely use technicalconsiderations as a criteria for CDjazz reissues, only digging deep intothe vaults for the most significantsides of the past. Add to that a rela-tively complex and slow manufactur-ing process, and you will understandwhy the selection of available jazzCDs continues to be limited.

Given the circumstances, the taskof compiling a true list of the twenty -

by Chris Albertson

five best jazz Compact Disc releasesbecomes an impossible one. Consider-ing the vast catalog of jazz recordingsmade since 1917, relatively few re-leases have so far appeared in the CDformat. Of these, few review copies areavailable, because most CDs are stillbeing imported from a handful of fac-tories in Europe and Japan, and manyrecord companies don't even havetheir own releases in stock (we actuallypurchased some of our "review"copies in local shops). Sound repro-duction being an important consider-ation in compiling this list, I have hadto bypass numerous excellent albumssimply because I was unable to hearthem on Compact Disc. The followinglist-which appears in no particularorder-is, therefore, solely based onwhat I have actually heard on CD, andshould be regarded only as 25 recom-mended albums.

Conversations: L. Subrama-niam/Stephane Grappelli.L. Subramaniam (violin, vi-ola, Violectra. tambura, andsurmandal); StephaneGrappelli (violin, piano);others. Milestone FCD-622-9130.

This album teams up twoof the finest jazz violinistsaround: L. Subramaniam, ayoung relative newcomerfrom India, and StephaneGrappelli, the septuagenar-ian veteran of the famousHot Club of France. What aperfect match they are! If thisis what the fusion trend haswrought, I am all for it-asplendid fusion of talent,

taste, and stunning virtuosity. ThisCD is filled to the brim with engagingensemble work, driving solos, andbeautiful sounds.

Duke Ellington and Johnny HodgesPlay the Blues Back to Back: DukeEllington/Johnny Hodges. JohnnyHodges (alto saxophone); Duke El-lington (piano); Harry Edison (trum-pet); Les Spann (guitar); Al Hall(bass); Jo Jones (drums). Verve823637-2.

The two jazz giants had played to-gether for many years, but never be-fore had they conversed on such per-sonal terms as on Duke Ellington andJohnny Hodges Play the Blues Backto Back, a 1963 release that teamsthem up with men who have beenmore closely associated with theCount Basie band. A follow-up al-bum, Side By Side, was less success -

Still Life, by Pablo Picasso, Courtesyof the National Gallery of Art.

1987 COMPACT' DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 77

ful; this one captures it all, an intima-cy that makes it a perfect CD candi-date. Trumpeter Harry Edison andguitarist Les Spann add to the mel-lowness, and drummer Jo Jones is aselegant as ever. "Weary Blues" is par-ticularly engrossing, but this is allsplendid stuff.

Dinah Jams: Dinah Washington. Di-nah Washington (vocals); Clark Terry,Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson(trumpets); Harold Land (tenor saxo-phone); Junior Mance (piano); KeeterBetts, George Morrow (bass); MaxRoach (drums). Emarcy 814 639-2.

This is one of two noteworthy al-bums that resulted from a muchtalked -about 1954 Hollywood mara-thon session. Not only was it a meet-ing of stars, it also combined the pastand the future: Dinah Washingtonwas already the reigning "Queen ofthe Blues"-a title previously held byBessie Smith-and the jazz worldwas buzzing with talk of the newlyformed Clifford Brown/Max RoachQuintet. They met in the kind of in-formal setting that professionalequipment rarely recorded-and theresult justified the prevailing air ofanticipation. This CD release under-scores that justification.

Good Bait: Bobby Hutcherson. Bob-by Hutcherson (vibraphone); Bran-ford Marsalis (soprano and tenor sax-ophones); George Cables (piano);Ray Drummond (bass); Philly JoeJones (drums). Landmark VDJ 1020.

Vibraphonist Bobby Hunchersonhas yet to be accorded the public rec-ognition his talent deserves. Here hismettle shows, as he leads a quintetcompleted by saxophonist BranfordMarsalis (who, unfortunately, contin-ues to play in the shadow of his cele-brated brother), the superb pianistGeorge Cables, bassist Ray Drum-mond, and drummer Philly JoeJones. Together they produce a tight-ly knit sound that gives body andmind a workout, and takes full ad-vantage of the Compact Disc's tech-nology. One track-TheloniousMonk's "In Walked Bud"-is worththe entire price of admission.

Benny Goodman and Friends: BennyGoodman. Benny Goodman (clari-net); others. London 820-179-2.

The album cover reveals littleabout this set of Benny Goodmancombo sides, other than to list the ti-tles and a 1984 copyright. I suspectthat these combo selections are offairly recent vintage, and the absenceof names leads me to think that the"friends" in the title are not exactly

household names. Still, they playwell, and the late Swing Era band-leader is in top form. This will donicely until RCA's series of BluebirdCDs brings us Goodman in the peakperiod.

New York Scene: Art Blakey. ArtBlakey (drums); Terence Blanchard(trumpet); Donald Harrison (altosaxophone); Jean Toussaint (tenorsaxophone); Mulgrew Miller, DickKatz (piano); Lonnie Plaxico (bass).Concord CCD-4256.

New York Scene features ArtBlakey's Jazz Messengers, Class of'84, recorded during a New Yorkclub engagement. Three of the youngplayers have already achieved inter-national recognition: trumpeter Ter-ence Blanchard, whose "Tenderly"will linger in your memory; alto saxo-phonist Donald Harrison, who latelyhas been heard riding to the topalongside Blanchard; and pianistMulgrew Miller. All are heard to ad-vantage, both musically and techni-cally, as is Blakey himself.

Duke Ellington Meets ColemanHawkins: Duke Ellington/ColemanHawkins. Duke Ellington (piano);Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxo-phone); Ray Nance (cornet and vio-lin); Lawrence Brown (trombone);Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone);Harry Carney (baritone saxophoneand bass clarinet); Aaron Bell (bass);Sam Woodyard (drums). MCA Im-pulse MCAD 5650 JVC-461.

In the early Forties, Duke Elling-ton and Coleman Hawkins begantoying with the idea of recording to-gether, and in 1962 the lingering ideabecame a reality. Individually, thesetwo giants have made immeasurablecontributions to jazz-together, theyare simply wonderful. Since the sup-porting players are a contingent fromDuke's band, the result is, of course,quite Ellingtonian in flavor, butHawkins's robust, seething tenoradds a highly compatible voice tothis familiar chorus. Hearing Haw-kins and Johnny Hodges together is afeast in itself, and the sound on thisCD is extraordinary.

The Ballad of the Fallen: CharlieHaden/Carla Bley. Charlie Haden(bass); Michael Mantler, Don Cherry(trumpet); Dewey Redman (tenorsaxophone); Carla Bley (piano, glock-enspiel); Paul Motian (percussion);others. ECM 923794-2.

The ECM label has long beenknown for its high technical quality,so it is not surprising to find its cata-log eminently suited for CD release.

One of the best, so far, is The Balladof the Fallen, whose ten digitally re-corded selections form a loosely the-matic protest against human rightsviolations in South and CentralAmerica. It features bassist CharlieHaden and pianist Carla Bley front-ing a 12 -piece band that combinessuch known players as Don Cherry,Paul Motian, and Dewey Redmanwith those who are less known, butno less impressive.

The Symphony Of a Jazz Piano:George Wallington. George Walling-ton (piano). Interface 33C38-7825.

George Wallington was GiacintoFiglia when he came to New Yorkfrom Sicily, at the age of one. A fewyears later, his inclination to dress el-egantly earned him the nickname"Lord Wallington." Judging by thecover photos on The Symphony Of aJazz Piano, a set of digital solo re-cordings made especially for CD re-lease, Mr. Wallington continues todress elegantly, and his playing is noless stylish. Three decades ago,Wallington, the composer of bopclassics "Godchild" and "LemonDrop," became so disheartened bythe commercial direction the musichad taken that he walked off the jazzscene. Perhaps he has come back toprove that you don't have to plug inand push myriads of buttons tosound like a symphony. This is agratifying 54 minutes of originalWallington compositions, expertlyplayed by a man of rare integrity andsensitivity. If Wallington's name isnew to you, listen to this set, thenlook for CD appearances of his Pres-tige and Blue Note recordings-youare in for a treat.

Trio/Brass: Sonny Rollins. SonnyRollins (tenor sax); Nat Adderley(cornet); Harold Land (tenor sax);Dick Katz (piano); Rene Thomas(guitar); Junior Mance (piano); Hen-ry Grimes (bass); Roy Haynes(drums); others. Verve 815-056-2.

As the title implies, this 1958Verve set features saxophonist SonnyRollins in two contexts: trio andbrass settings. However, the most re-markable track is "Body and Soul,"an unaccompanied performance thatillustrates, better than any other se-lection I have heard, the astoundingtechnical quality made possible bythe laser system. Rollins's tenor hasan uncanny presence here, despite itshaving been recorded almost thirtyyears ago, without the use of Dolby.

Interplay: Bill Evans. Bill Evans (pi-ano); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet);


Jim Hall (guitar); Percy Heath (bass);Philly Joe Jones (drums). Riverside678-9445.

There was a time when the busi-ness forces behind Bill Evans saturat-ed the market with his trio record-ings. Too much is too much, evenwhen it comes from a talent of thislate pianist's caliber. Interplay, a1962 Riverside album, features Ev-ans within the more diversified con-text of an all-star quintet, and there isnever a dull moment. Freedie Hub-bard is heard with all the vitality andinventiveness his playing lacks today,and the rhythm section-with guitar-ist Jim Hall, bassist Percy Health,and the extraordinary drummer,Philly Joe Jones-is exhilarating.

Velvet Soul: Carmen McRae. CarmenMcRae (vocals); Zoot Sims (tenorsaxophone); Larry Bunker (vibes andpercussion); Joe Pass or BuckyPizzarelli (guitar); Ray Brown (bass);others. LRC Denon 33C38-7970.

For playing time, few single -disc re-leases can match Velvet Soul, a 73 -minute collection of Carmen McRaesides that originally appeared-as Ms.Jazz and It Takes a 14'hole Lot of Hu-man Feeling-on two early SeventiesGroove Merchant albums. Fortunate-ly, the musical value is also high, andMs. McRae's commanding style-which she pours into robust "HowCould I Settle For Less " and intimate"You and I "molds with equal ease-iseven more engaging when experiencedwith CD clarity. There are strings hereand there, and Zoot Sims's tenor saxadds verve to such sides as "You'reMine You, " "Masquerade, "and StevieWonder's "Sunshine Of My Life." Aswith other Denon CD jazz releases, therecording data (time, personnel, etc.) isto be taken with a grain of salt. Thereare better McRae albums in the vaults,but you certainly won't go wrong withthis one.

The Blues ... A Real Summit Meet-ing: Various Artists. Big MamaThornton, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vin-son, Muddy Waters, Jay McShann,Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown,Lloyd Glenn, B.B. King, Arthur "BigBoy" Crudup (vocals and instrumen-tals). Mobile Fidelity Sound LabMFCD 2-813-1/2, two discs.

Big Mama Thornton belting outher two of her hits, "Little RedRooster" and "Ball and Chain"; vio-linist Claude Wiliams and JayMcShann breezing through ArnettCobb's "Smooth Sailing"; pianistLloyd Glenn's mellow "AfterHours", and faithful renderings ofclassic solo numbers by Meade Lux

Lewis and Pinetop Smith. These arebut a few of the highlights from atwo -disc set captured at Lincoln Cen-ter's Philharmonic Hall during the1973 Newport In New York festival.Add to that peak performances byEddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Clar-ence "Gatemouth" Brown, and youhave a superb set of America's mostenduring musical genre-blues.

Film Soundtracks: Miles Davis/ArtBlakey. The Davis group: Miles Da-vis (trumpet); Barney Wilen (tenorsaxophone); Kenny Clarke (drums);others. The Blakey group: Art Blakey(drums); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Ben-ny Golson (tenor saxophone); BobbyTimmons or Duke Jordan (piano);others. Philips 822 566-2.

It runs two and a half minutes overan hour, and there is not a single re-grettable second on this superb CDrelease of French soundtrack musicby two of the greatest leaders Ameri-can modern jazz has fostered. TheMiles Davis tracks were improvisedone night, while the group viewedpertinent footage from Elevator Tothe Scaffold, a so-so 1956 Louis Mallemelodrama. This unorthodox meth-od of "writing" a film score producedspectacular results, but this superblytransferred CD offers even more:nine equally impressive 1959 sound-track recordings by Art Blakey's JazzMessengers (some with Lee Morgan,Benny Golson and Bobby Timmons),made for two less -memorable Frenchfilms. This is a must acquisition foranyone who values mainstream mod-ern jazz.

The Silver Collection: Harry James.Harry James (trumpet); and His Or-chestra. Verve 823-229-2.

The 1959-1960 Harry James or-chestra was not a star-studded one,but it was well-oiled and often com-fortably Basie-ish. Here, from theMGM catalog, is over an hour ofwell -recorded fine, bubbly big bandjazz in the Swing tradition. A coupleof previously unissued sides, "She'sGotta Go" and "Mae & Roe" havebeen added to a program of stan-dards from the repertoires of Elling-ton, Basie, Barnet, and Miller. To besure, the band lacks an identity of itsown, but soloist James's style is un-mistakably his.

An Evening with George Shearingand Mel Torme: George Shearing/Mel Torme. Mel Torme (vocals);George Shearing (piano); Brian Toriff(bass). Concord Jazz CCD-4190.

In 1982, on a night when many ofus did some last-minute filing to keep

the IRS happy, a group of people as-sembled in the Peacock Court of SanFrancisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel tohear Mel Torme and George Shear-ing make great songs even greater.With considerable help from bassistBrian Toriff, the two seasoned pur-veyors of good taste deliver a superbset.

Coin' Home: Art Pepper. Art Pepper(alto saxophone and clarinet); GeorgeCables (piano). Galaxy 670-5143.

In 1976, West Coast saxophonistArt Pepper found a musical alter egoin pianist George Cables. From thetime they met until Pepper died in1982, the rapport that developed be-tween the two players was frequentlycaptured on tape, but Goin' Home istheir first and only duo session.While Pepper's death, a month afterthis album was recorded, produced arash of unfortunate cashing -in re-leases, this is not one of them. Here,an added attraction is Pepper's use ofthe clarinet, an instrument he had allbut abandoned.

The Songbooks: Ella Fitzgerald. EllaFitzgerald (vocals); with orchestrasconducted by Nelson Riddle, BillyMay, Buddy Bregman, and PaulWeston. Verve 823-445-2.

This Verve Silver Collection re-lease is an effortless hour and threeminutes of Ella Fitzgerald cud-dling-in her own inimitable,smooth way-familiar material byRodgers and Hart, Berlin, Kern, Ar-len, Mercer, and Gershwin. Thesenineteen selections were producedbetween 1956 and 1964, and original-ly appeared in LP form on varioussongbook albums, but Compact Discsuits them rather well.

Night Passage: Weather Report.Wayne Shorter (saxophones); JoeZawinul (keyboards); and WeatherReport. CBS CDCBS 84597.

Weather Report was one of thefirst and it continues to be one of themost successful fusion groupsaround. Its strength lies in the talentsof its two leaders, pianist JoeZawinul and saxophonist WayneShorter, who distinguished them-selves in the acoustic jazz world be-fore reaching out for young, electron-ics -oriented fans. Night Passage is aparticularly interesting Weather Re-port release, because it also containsDuke Ellington's "Rockin' inRhythm," updated flashback. Later,bassist Jaco Pastorius's ego got in theway of the music, but Weather Re-port remains a milestone group of thefusion genre.


discs, you may be able to come upwith your own definition of new age.Perhaps it is easier to say what newage music does, rather than what it is:it soothes, calms, and relaxes; it cre-ates a space for peaceful contempla-tion; it flows in gentle streams of con-sciousness. Whether expressed by thesolo piano of George Winston or theelectric guitar of Robert Fripp withthe looped synthesizer of Brian Eno,new age music should not distractyou from concentrated meditationson musical definitions.

Dream Sequence Tangerine Dream(Virgin, two discs, 132:50).

Covering every major phase of theirillustrious career, Dream Sequence isa double -disc set of T. Dream's finestwork from 1974 to 1983. Such careand attention to digital remasteringhas rarely been equaled. From "Phae-dra" to "The Dream Is Always TheSame," synthesizers, drums, and elec-tric guitars have never sounded soalive as here on this thankfullynonchronological opus. Disc two ofthis set just might be the finest singleCompact Disc in existence.

Standing Stones: A New Age Compi-lation (Coda).

Standing Stones includes tracksfrom the seven new age albums re-leased in 1986 as part of the Land-scape Series distributed by JemRecords. Featured artists includeRick Wakeman (solo piano); JohnThemis (semi-acoustic/electric gui-tar); Dashiell Rae (solo piano); TomNewman (ensemble); Stephen Caudel

(guitars/synthesizers); Clair Hamill(solo voice); and Tim Cross (ensem-ble). Most of this material is terrifi-cally recorded and performed, sohere's your chance to decide which ofthese artists you might want to pur-chase an entire disc of-I thinkthey're all great.

Thursday Afternoon: Brian Eno (Edi-tions EG, 60:58).

As usual with Eno, this is a won-derful (CD -only) recording butyou're going to have to do a littlework to enjoy it. Eno's ambitiousThursday Afternoon is an hour-longopus tied together by only the thin-nest of melodic threads, and will re-quire numerous listenings to dig outthe juicy bits and then put themback into the context of the wholepiece. Give this one a chance. You'llend up loving it.

Impressions Gabriel Lee (Narada,41:00).

The Narada label features some ofthe best new acoustic music avail-able, and Gabriel Lee could be con-sidered the classical guitar equivalentof George Winston. Impressions wasdigitally recorded and also sports thesynthesizer work of Don Slepian(now with his own release on theAudion label). Although it's a touchambient at times, the beauty of thisdisc will quickly win you over. Ifyou're a player, look for Lee's up-coming book on contemporary guitarplaying.

December: George Winston (Wind-ham Hill, 39:27).

Klaus Schulze's personal edginess is ever -apparent in Dig It.

Considered by many to be the pre-mier new age label, Windham Hill re-leases are almost gauranteed to beworth their cost. New age pianistGeorge Winston plays with a strongemphasis on tone, color, sensation,and emotion, and December is greatfor soothing anxiety or even anger. Itis lovely. A fantasy of mine would bea double -disc duet with the lean andelegant Winston and the brash andquirky Keith Jarrett-piano heaven.

Tabula Rasa: Arvo Part (ECM:55:40).

Prior to 1980, Arvo Part lived inRussia and was well known for hisfilm scores and commissioned works.Now living in Berlin, Part is produc-ing works like Tabula Rasa that re-flect his spiritual inspiration and in-terest in meditation. Also featured onthis disc are Keith Jarrett, GidonKremer, and members of the BerlinPhilharmonic and Stuttgart Orches-tra. Sensitive, exciting, and fully real-ized compositions.

The Desert Music: Steve Reich(Nonesuch).

The Desert Music, performed byReich and the chorus and membersof the Brooklyn Philharmonic con-ducted by Michael Tilson Thomas,gets its title from a collection of po-ems by William Carlos Williams,three of which provide the text sungby the chorus. The music is orches-trated minimalism at its best, theperformance is superb, and the re-cording is brilliant. Reich is a newage pioneer and his work should becarefully explored.

Dig It: Klaus Schulze (Brain, 48:51).Klaus Schulze's illustrious past has

included stints in the original lineupof Tangerine Dream, and work withtop-flight German bands such as AshRa Tempel, Panther, and the CosmicJokers. He has also worked withStomu Yamashta and Go. Schulzebegan producing solo albums in1972, and Dig It is a 1980 release. Asmost of his shorter works are, Dig Itis much more accessible thanSchulze's magnum opuses Cyborgand Audentity. Dig It is very closelyrelated to Tangerine Dream, withSchulze's personal edginess ever -ap-parent. Great remastering job.

Into The Rainbow: Max Lasser's Ark(Relativity, 44:28).

Lasser began his musical career in1972 in Switzerland, playing folk,folk/rock, and jazz -influenced music.In 1984 he joined forces with harp -king Andreas Vollenweider for both

82 Cr.DAVv Disc 2VvcDc 1987

the White Winds tour and album (heis on Vollenweider's latest release aswell). The Ark (Walter Keiser, JoelReiff, and Pedro Haldemann) makeup the rest of Lasser's (and Vollen-weider's) band. So, does this excel-lent recording sound like Vollenweid-er? No, thank God, it sounds like PatMetheny on a good day, and just beatout Metheny's As Falls Wichita SoFalls Wichita Falls for this space.

Mishima: Philip Glass (Nonesuch).I'm not usually big on soundtracks,

but Glass's Mishima, as performedby the Kronos Quartet (a leading ex-ponent of twentieth century chambermusic), may just be one of the bestCDs ever made-period. Bar none.Practically every emotion known toman is evoked by the music ofMishima, which fortunately does notsound like a typical Glassian outing.The combination of a powerful per-formance and the flawless digital re-cording found on Mishima will makeany system sound good, and anybodyhappy.

Silk Road: Kitaro (Gramavision,42:40).

Kitaro is probably the best of thecanned, churn -'em -out, new age syn-thesists out there, and Silk Road, hissoundtrack to a 1980 Japanese TVshow (since expanded to threeparts/discs), is quite well done.Moody, flashy, introspective, andsometimes overdubbed to the pointof confusion, Silk Road combines ev-ery synthesizer available with guitars,drums, percussion, and a healthysmattering of traditional Japaneseinstruments-or at least synthesizerprograms designed to sound like allof the above.

Mythos: Barry Cleveland (Audion,40:55)

Audion is a new label headed upby electronic music wizard LarryFast, and its marvelous discs are ex-clusively devoted to state-of-the-artelectronic instrumental music-"TheFirst Wave of the Next Age." Cleve-land plays electronic guitar, expand-ing the vocabulary of the instrumentwith clocked multiple digital delays,tape loops, violin bows, the Thumbo,the Masley Bowhammer; and the E -Bow. The compositions range fromsolo guitar to full arrangements. Alsofeatures the talents of Bob Stohl andKat Epple (Emerald Web), and MikeMasley.

On The Future of Aviation: JerryGoodman (Private Music, 42:20).

Another terrific new age label, Pri-

vate Music is lucky to be releasingGoodman's debut solo recording.From the Flock to Mahavishnu Or-chestra to this solo, Goodman's vio-lin and guitar playing is astoundingand worth your undivided attention.Don't miss his violo playing (you'llhear it)-an instrument of his owninvention, and see if you can pick upon Sanford Ponder's tweaky Fairlightprograms. It's all so ethereal and ac-cessible at the same time.

Nirvana Rod: Deuter (Kuckuck, 4845).The Celestial Harmonies label has

a lot to be proud of (Paul Horn, HansOtte, James Newton) and ChaitanyaHari Deuter is no exception. This ab-solutely beautiful disc contains musiccomposed, produced, and performedentirely by Deuter, with renu, harpand sebastiano, and tablas. Enchant-ing and meditative, this disc mighthelp you attain the Nirvana its titlesuggests. The post -production digitalreprocessing by Stephen Hill is excel-lent-check it out with headphones.

Flammende Herten: Michael Bother(Sky, 34:88).

Michael Rother is a German multi -instrumentalist of Cluster fame, andis joined by Jaki Liebezeit of Can onthis disc of his debut recording from1976. This disc, as will any other pre-pared from a Conny Plank produc-tion, sounds great despite its age.Rother's compositions range fromsoft, melodic little keyboard ditties,to bold electronic statements spurredon by the marshal drumming ofLiebezeit. Because Sky recordings areso hard to find, I'm assumingRother's second record, Sterntaler, amore realized performance, is alsoavailable. If you see it, grab it! Thencall me and tell me where you got it.

Wolkenriese: Eroc (Brain, 39:32).Eroc, or Joachim Ehrig, is another

German multi -instrumentalist, bestknown for his work with the bandGrobschnitt. Wolkenkriese is a com-pilation of his three solo efforts, andfeatures the nucleus of Grobschnitt,including Gerd Kuhn, StefanDanielak, and Volker Kahrs. WhileGrobschnitt is a not -to -be -missedmixture of Yes, E L &P, Rush, Saga,and Firesign Theater, Eroc's solos aremoody, sparse, introspective, andoutstanding synth/guitar works thatcapture your attention. Great intro-ductionto the gold -mine Brain label.

The Essential Jean -Michel Jarre:Jean -Michel Jarre (Polydor/DisquesDreyfus, 51:44).

Jarre recently made history with

his Rendez-Vous concert, projectedonto the Houston, Texas skyline.Spanning the decade of 1976 to1986, this disc contains excerptsfrom Jarre's best work, includingOxygene, Equinoxe, Les ChantsMagnetiques, and Zodook. At timesthe music on this disc is nothingmore than aural wallpaper, yet forthe most part it is highly emotionaland gripping. The Essential Jean -Mi-chel Jarre is a must for any newage/electronic collection.

Autobahn: Kraftwerk (Vertigo).When Kraftwerk (it means power -

plant) hit America's shore with Auto-bahn back in 1974, the music worldwas stunned, incapable of defining it,and unable to turn it off Combiningelements of electronic music's found-ing fathers such as Pink Floyd, TerryRiley, Steve Reich, TangerineDream, and a host of others,Kraftwerk unwittingly commercial-ized electronic music and opened thedoor for much of what is today calledNew Music. The tunes of Autobahnare catchy, repetitive, well -produced,and innocuous all at the same time.Mindless fun at its best.

Old Land: Cluster and Eno (Sky,41:03).

I don't have to tell you who BrianEno is, but Cluster is Hans JoachimRoedelius (Guru Guru, Harmonia),Dieter Moebius (Guru Guru, Har-monia, Moebius and Plank), HolgerCzukay (Can), and Conny Plank (allof the above/producer). This incestu-ous group of men have been makingmusic in numerous incarnationssince the late Sixties, and not oncehas the product been boring. Thisdisc with Eno seems to be culledfrom two earlier releases called Clus-ter & Eno and After The Heat. Bothminimalist and orchestrated, thesetwo gentlemen never fail to musicallyentertain and please.

Dark Side Of The Moon: Pink Floyd(Harvest, 42:58).

There's little more that can be saidabout this classic recording. Not onlydid it signify the beginning of a newage in music, but it still stands up asa premier new age recording. Somethings do change, however. This ma-terial sounds even better ondisc-providing you get the UKpressings and not their Americancounterparts. The stereo effects thatwere always lost on vinyl appear withthe same amazing lack of subtlety asoriginally intended. This disc is man-na from heaven, especially withoutthe clicks and pops of vinyl.


The Planets: Tomita (RCA Red Seal,52:07).

Have you ever been in a hi-fi shopand not heard Isao Tomita's rollick-ing electronic version of GustavHoist's The Planets? This is electron-ic chintz, glitz, champagne, andbubbles-Tomita is the LawrenceWelk of the synthesizer and you ei-ther love him or leave him. Eitherway, his unique rendition of ThePlanets is marvelously bombastic, ex-tremely well recorded and produced,and difficult not to enjoy-even forits humor value.

Electronic Realizations For Rock Or-chestra: Synergy (Passport, 46:53).

Synergy is Larry Fast, synthesizerbuilder, player, composer extraordi-naire, and this is his 1975 musical de-but now fully realized on CompactDisc. Considering the limited abilityof the synthesizer in 1975, this is anabsolute masterpiece, though Larryhas developed well along with the in-strument. The sound quality is excel-lent, and the disc has been remas-tered in (gulp!) quad. Outstandingtracks are "Slaughter On Tenth Ave-

nue" and "Warriors." Be sure to lookfor Larry's upcoming release on theAudion label; after hearing this, howcan it be bad?

Ancient Dreams: Patrick O'Hearn(Private Music: 32:41).

Patrick has appeared on four FrankZappa albums, including the grandShut Up And Play Yer Guitar, and iscurrently a member of the MissingPersons. Ancient Dreams, however,bears no resemblance to either band.Instead, it is both thundering andmajestic, soothing and elegant, creat-ed through haunting combinations ofsynthesized sounds and exotic per-cussion effects. The spotless produc-tion was overseen by ex -TangerineDream member/producer PeterBaumann, who is also president ofPrivate Music.

Force Majeure: Tangerine Dream(Virgin, 40:28).

There is a reason that TangerineDream is the only band to appeartwice on this list-they are the bestelectronic musicians I know. Plainand simple. Force Majeure features

Edgar Froese and Chris Franke, asusual, but also has Klaus Krieger ondrums and Eduard Meyer, the al-bum's engineer, on cello. The big dif-ference of Force Majeure is that itemphasizes the guitar instead of key-boards, and many have dubbed it theTangerine Dream rock album. Thisis my personal favorite from theband's 20 -plus discography, and it issimply unbeatable late at night dur-ing a thunderstorm with the lightsdown and the volume way up.

Bayou Moon: Tom Newman: (Coda)Tom Newman is the genius re-

sponsible for producing MichaelOldfield's Tubular Bells, albums byCat Stevens, Leo Sayer, John Cale,and many others. All told, he hasplayed in everything from skinkbands to a Sixties psychedelic bandcalled July. On this Coda release,however, he bends all the new agerules with both his instrumentationsand structure to give us a quirky (yetmelodic) roller -coaster ride that'sboth technically excellent and aurallypleasing. My only complaint aboutthis recording is that it's too short!:

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Now that everybodyrealizes the advan-tages of CompactDiscs-the sound

quality is superior in everyway to the LP, you can playthem repeatedly withoutsuffering the surface noiseindigenous to records, andthey take far less space tostore-the relatively higherprice no longer seems alegitimate gripe, even tothose music collectors likemyself who continue to buyalbums and collect CDsmainly to duplicate their fa-vorite LPs.

Two factors continue tofrustrate the serious CD col-lector, however. For somereason, CDs appear on themarket far later-usuallyseveral months-than their corre-sponding LPs and, even more worri-some, the number of titles is severelylimited, especially in country music.At times, the decision of which titlesshould be released on CD appears tofollow no rhyme or reason. Such clas-sic albums as Willie Nelson's RedHeaded Stranger (Columbia),Emmylou Harris's Roses in the Snow(Warner Bros.) and Elvis Presley'sThe Sun Session (RCA), for example,have never been released on CD. Norare any of Hank Williams's or BillMonroe's seminal recordings avail-able on Compact Disc. How gross aninjustice that is becomes apparentwith the knowledge that LouiseMandrel!, a singer whose inimitabletalent is better suited to makingshampoo and sausage commercials,has not one, but two CDs available(both on RCA).

(And while I'm griping, why do thelittle plastic boxes have to be so hard

by Alanna Nash

to get into, especially since I'm al-most always holding a naked discwith one hand and trying to springthe box with the other?)

Those problems aside, it is stillpossible to build a good, basic libraryof country CDs, although if yourcommunity is anything like mine-and I live in a city of just under onemillion people-you will have toshop in a variety of stores to findwhat you need, since most recordoutlets still do not stock anythingnear a full line of country CDs.

In compiling such a collection, I

have tried to select discs that havesuperb compositions and extraordi-nary performances, as well as theheightened sound quality normallyassociated with the technology. Insome cases, however, as noted, I

have included a disc that may be

lacking in one, or even two,of the considerations, butwhich rounds out the list.

Here is my basic countryCD collection, in alphabeti-cal order:

Greatest Hits: Alabama(RCA).

This is one of those discs Iwould not necessarily buymyself, but as the successstory of the '80s Alabama ismore than representative ofthe country -pop synthesisthat passes today for main-stream country music. Of-ten referred to as theMonkees of country music,both because the group rare-ly plays on its own recordsand because of the light-weight subjects of most of

their songs, Alabama neverthelessboasts a soulfoul lead singer in Ran-dy Owen, the only thing that makesmany of their tunes palatable. Thisgreatest hits package features liveversions of two of the band's signa-ture tunes, "My Home's in Ala-bama" and "Tennessee River," andboth renditions are vast improve-ments over the original amateurishrecordings. The real highlight, how-ever, is "She and I," a Dave Logginssong that bounces along with insouci-ant eroticism. All in all, though, thisis enough Alabama to last a lifetime.

Rhythm and Romance: RosanneCash (Columbia).

After generations of sweet, submis-sive, gingham -clad "girl singers,"Rosanne Cash crashed into countrymusic in 1980 like a roller -derby

New Pond, by Grant Wood, Courtesyof the National Gallery of Art.


queen at a square dance. With herNew Wave clothes and spiky punkhair, she seemed more Californiathan country, even if her daddy didhappen to be The Man in Black. Atotal hybrid artist who fits no existingfemale country mold, Cash espousesa hard -edged romanticism in a rock -oriented and progressive musicalframework. Despite such strong per-formances as Right or Wrong andSeven Year Ache, both also availableon Columbia CDs, Cash's music wasnever better expressed than on 1985'sRhythm and Romance, an albumthat challenges the boundaries ofmodern country music in form, con-tent, and even language. This beauti-fully recorded album, which especial-ly shows off the CD capabilities(listen to the sound of the pick on theacoustic guitar strings on "Second toNo One") chronicles the stabilizingof Cash's marriage, her treatment forcocaine addiction, and her maturingrelationship with her father. A tourde force of verve, intelligence, perfor-mance and recording values.

Treadin' Water: Earl Thomas Conley(RCA).

Earl Thomas Conley, who wears asad face remarkably like that of Je-sus, is one of country music's realtreasures. He is an artist who worksfrom tradition, but applies all the oldrules to a modern and energetic pro-duction style. Conley is a thinkingman's songwriter with an eye for theessence of things. This particular al-bum is a perfect modern countryrecord, full of vision, vitality andpunchy rhythms that often settledown more on the rock than thecountry side of things. At the sametime, however, it sacrifices none ofcountry's requisite misery and guilt,Conley's songs forming an affectingfusion of pleading and prayer.Conley's career has never made hima household word, and Treadin' Wa-ter never quite got the recognition itdeserved. Nevertheless, it remainsone of the best country LPs of the de-cade, augmented by a lovely CDrecording.

Greatest Hits: Earl Thomas Conley(RCA).

In 1984, Conley became the firstartist in musical history to producefour number one hits from a singlealbum. In other words, it didn't takehim long to fill up a greatest hits al-bum, and this one is generous. Oneof the two new songs added as"sweetening," or buyer incentive,"Once in a Blue Moon," turned outto be one of the most evocative of

Conley's ballads, and proved him tobe a singer of far greater depth andsensitivity than most of his previousrecords hinted. On the CD version ofthis song, especially at :45 into theperformance, Conley's voice soundslike a well -rosined bow drawingacross a cello string.

Guitar Town: Steve Earle (MCA).Texas native Steve Earle calls his

style "80s hillbilly music," but that'stoo much shorthand for the stunningsynthesis of rough -edged country-rock and rockability Earle rolls outfor his debut LP. A songwriter of un-common strength, Earle draws asharp bead on working-class Ameri-ca, turning up gritty portraits ofsmall-town dreamers and day-to-dayexisters that register with the heartand the head. Whether you considerthis country or rock, Guitar Town,with the classic "Hillbilly Highway,"is one of the most fulfilling debut al-bums to come along in years. Andthe sound, from an original digital re-cording, will knock you dead.

Cadence Classic (Their 20 GreatestHits): Everly Brothers (Rhino).

The Everly Brothers, who camefrom a solid country background-they were even members of theGrand Ole Opry at one point-tookrock'n roll perilously close to countrymusic in the late '50s, and now in the'80s everybody in Nashville is scram-bling to get their harmony into theirmusic. If you've forgotten just howgood they were, or how they influ-enced everybody from the Beatles toSweethearts of the Rodeo, thisdisc-a CD version of the famousBarnaby Records compilation-willbring it all back clear as yesterday.Recordings made in the '50s and '60sare sometimes inferior to today'stechnology, but while CDs as a wholemake the old tracks sound more dy-namic, this particular disc is especial-ly clean. Tape hiss is almost indis-cernible, but what's there was leftinstead of filtering out ambience ortransient response. All the tracks arein their original state-true mono orstereo-and processed with a lighthand on the equalization. Packagedwith a deluxe booklet of rare photosand historical notes.

Once in a Very Blue Moon: NanciGriffith (Philo).

Sometimes called "the Joni Mitch-ell of the '80s," Nanci Griffith is a lit-erate singer/songwriter whose stylerides a fine line between folk andprogressive country. Her textured so-prano, spiced occassionally with a

husky growl, is reminiscent of BuffySainte -Marie when her vibrato reallygets going, and when people discoverwho Griffith is, she'll probably be amammoth star. Meanwhile, in addi-tion to the pretty (if slightly senti-mental) ballads about restless love,this album offers some very hot pick-ing and a number of intriguing story-songs, one about a British motorcycledaredevil who bought it in an EvelKnievel -like car -jumping stunt, andanother about a middle-class blackcouple chasing the American dreamin Houston. Somehow, Griffith man-ages to infuse her music with a '60sinnocence while retaining a savvy,hip edge. A lovely CD from a poten-tially important artist.

His Greatest and His Best: MerleHaggard (MCA).

Most of the Hag's Epic albums areas downcast and predictable as rainthese days, but back when he was stillwith MCA, he wrote some truly in-spired hit singles, full of sass and sar-donic humor. That's mainly whatthis CD contains-all of his MCAGreatest Hits LP, plus "Leonard,""Back to the Barrooms Again," andthree other tracks. The sound qualityis uniformly good, but the five Jim-my Bowen -produced cuts, with theirclose-miking and exemplary mix, arepositively thrilling. At his best, Hag-gard is not only a master of the coun-try song-the finest singer/song-writer of the post -Hank Williams,era, some say-but one of the trueenduring heroes of the genre. There'splenty here to prove it.

The Ballad of Sally Rose: EmmylouHarris (Warner Bros.).

In 1984, Emmylou Harris, one ofthe premiere female country stylists,quit the road to begin work on herfirst major composing project, TheBallad of Sally Rose. A concept al-bum that stands as a tour de force ofwriting, singing, playing and evenproduction (although I'm not as en-chanted with the "soft and bright"washes of sound as I used to be), TheBallad of Sally Rose is based some-what on Harris's own life, and rivalsRoses in the Snow as her masterpiece.In the course of thirteen songs thattrace the life and career of a femalesinger, it incorporates the elements offate, tragedy, and success temperedby heartbreak and elusive peace ofmind. Much of it is among the mostmoving and lyrical offerings in thehistory of country music, and thesound, recorded digitally (althoughthe CD mistakenly says otherwise), isfirst-rate. The sequence listing is in


error, as it fails to list "Heart toHeart" as a separate song.

Profile/Best of Emmylou Harris andProfile II/Best of Emmylou Harris:Emmylou Harris. (Warner Bros.)

Alabama -born, but California -cured, Harris was initially perceivedas less hillbilly than hippie, since shecame to appreciate country musiconly in her twenties. Nevertheless,beginning with her debut album,Pieces of the Sky (1975), she has con-veyed an authenticity above reproachwhile balancing stalwart countrystandards with brilliant, sometimesesoteric, contemporary country -rock.Aside from an almost innate sense ofgood song selection, however, Harrishas a voice that, it has been said,would melt an all -day Sugar Daddy.These two "best of" CDs, sold sepa-rately, demonstrate why both the tra-ditional Old Guard and the hip,country -rock faction accepted herinto their folds. Since my original an-alog recordings of these songs are vir-tually worn out, I was amazed at thedynamic clarity of all of the instru-mentals, but particularly the twin fid-dles on "Making Believe." Fromstrictly a program point of view, Pro-file II . . . is not as grabby as the firstvolume, but the CD rendition of"Wayfaring Stranger" on ProfileII... unfolds things I never heard-like crickets chirping from begin-ning to end!-on the Dynaflex ver-sion. And "Mister Sandman," socharming on analog, with its "an-swers" scurrying across the channels,is something that simply has to beheard on CD. Also worthy of any col-lection is Harris's White Shoes (alsoon Warner Bros.), her co -calledrock'n'roll album, with a hauntingand unforgettable performance of"On the Radio."

Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits Vol-ume 2: Waylon Jennings (RCA).

There is so much more to the big,booming -voiced Waylon Jenningsthan the way he comes across on vol-ume one-mainly as a cardboardcutout intent on cementing his out-law image-that I hesitate recom-mending it unless you also buy vol-ume two, which rounds out hispersona with such songs as "Shine"and "Don't You Think This OutlawBit's Done Got Out of Hand." Buteven without the songs that provide apeek at the rest of his sensibility, vol-ume one is a fair primer to Jennings's'70s output. Besides, it also includes"Amanda," one of the finest mo-ments of his career. A better choiceoverall, however, would be It's Only

Rock & Roll. The catch, natch, howev-er, is that it isn't yet available on CD.

Will the Wolf Survive: Waylon Jen-nings (MCA).

After spending virtually his entirerecording career at RCA, Waylon Jen-nings moved over to MCA last yearand cut this album that eschews hisusual outlaw material for intro-spective songs about life's peaks andvalleys and well -disguised boobytraps. In contrast to the first GreatestHits package, where Jennings oftencomes across as an actor goingthrough his full line of macho moves,Jennings emerges here as a vulnera-ble, three-dimensional human being.His singing is full of punch, commit-ment, and nuance, and the originaldigital production updates Jennings'sinstrumental approach without radi-cally altering his style. If you thoughtJennings was getting tired and repeti-tive, this should definitely changeyour mind. The wolf survives, indeed.

Anniversary-Ten Years of Hits:George Jones (EPIC).

No country collection would becomplete without at least one disc ofGeorge Jones material, since Jones isuniversally recognized as the greatestcountry singer of all time. When youtalk about pain and suffering, Joneshas been there, and he puts everyounce into his music. Unfortunately,the people who decide what to manu-facture on CD don't seem tocare-there's very little available forJones on CD.

Why Not Me: The Judds (RCA).The Judds, the mother -daughter

duo who gave staid, lifeless countryradio a direct and well -positionedkick in the pants, work their magicaround an inventive country -jazzframework and filigreed acoustic gui-tar, coming up with a fresh, new di-rection for both traditional and pro-gressive country fare. The daughter,22 -year -old Wyonna Judd, is beingheralded as the most significant newcountry female voice of the last 20years. A must for any collection.

Rockin' With the Rhythm: TheJudds (RCA).

Slightly more pop -influenced thantheir first two LPs, this one neverthe-less contains one of the most calcu-lated country hits of all time,"Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the GoodOld Days)," and two other numberone country songs. At this stage, TheJudds can do no wrong. Unless, ofcourse, you count their jivey versionof "Working in the Coal Mine," theironly foray into embarrassment. Still,a terrific album.

Whoever's in New England: RebaMcEntire (MCA).

There aren't many women singersin country music today who can in-fuse a song with as much convincingheartache as McEntire, a gen-u-wineOklahoma cowgirl who grew upropin', ridin' and rodeoin'. Withthis-her fourth LP for MCA-it iscertain that she has not only revivedthe woman -to -woman song genrethat Kitty Wells established andTammy Wynette made so famous inthe late '60s-but that McEntire, theCountry Music Association's FemaleVocalist of the Year for two years

". . . This sticker is just for the car's stereo system, sir. The pricesticker for the car is on the other side . . . "


running, has carved her place along-side Kitty and Tammy as one of theforemost woman singers in the histo-ry of country music. Whoever... isMcEntire's finest album yet, toppedoff with a Jimmy Bowen productionthat is nothing less than sparkling.

Lost in the Fifties Tonight: RonnieMilsap (RCA).

Ronnie Milsap, while a superior vo-calist and musician, normally wouldnot make any list I might draw up,mainly because he too often turns inalbum performances that resonatewith glossy shallowness. There's a cer-tain amount of that on this effort, aconcentrated mining of 1950s nostal-gia, but when Milsap gets down andcroons, he's hard to beat for seamless,ingratiating pop. What really gets himin this company, however, is the tech-nical quality of this recording. Milsap,a meticulous sound freak with hisown studio, is also a crafter of impec-cably produced sound.

Stardust: Willie Nelson (Columbia).Of all the Willie Nelson CDs avail-

able, this is the most consistentlypleasing. Nashville record execsthought Nelson was out of his gourdwhen he delivered this LP of Tin PanAlley standards in 1977, but Nelson,

dusting off the old melodies, personal-ized them enough that the rural folksdidn't know whether they were coun-try or pop, and the world at large gotits first unquenchable taste of thepride of Abbot, TX. The CD boastssurprisingly fresh sound dynamics.

Highwayman: Willie Nelson, WaylonJennings, Johnny Cash, KrisKristofferson (Columbia).

With all-star albums popping up asoften as "Baby on Board" signs thesedays, Highwayman is a rare treat-four consummate country voicesblending in friendship and harmonyover dignified, high -quality material,stamping their marks of individualityon even the most familiar songs. Un-like so many all -male record projectswhich boast of endless macho deeds,this one celebrates masculinity fromthe viewpoint of the mature man,one who defines himself through re-lationships with the human family atlarge. Although this album came outin 1985, the title song, which exploresthe theme of reincarnation, still pro-yokes shivers. Overall, an unassum-ing little gem of a record, with mo-ments of almost paralyzing beauty.

Greatest Hits: Dolly Parton (RCA).There are a couple of tunes here

that you would have to be a certifiedDollycologist to stomach-"Me andLittle Andy" is the worst offend-er-but there's no arguing that Par-ton is one of the most original andgifted talents working in any musicalformat. As it turns out, this packageisn't as representative of Parton'scountry songwriting prowess as theDolly Parton/Collector's Series(RCA), but, of course, that isn't yetavailable on CD. This is more ashowcase for Parton the pop singer,and no matter how you feel aboutthat particular shift of allegiance, thiscollection is at least more palatablethan her other CD offerings, RealLove and The Great Pretender. By theway, the CD version of Greatest Hitsreplaces "Hard Candy Christmas"with Parton's hit duet with KennyRogers, "Islands in the Stream."

Golden Record and 50,000,000 ElvisFans Can't Be Wrong/Elvis' GoldRecords Volume 2: Elvis Presley(RCA).

Okay, I'll admit these albumsaren't exactly country, but many ofthe songs-especially on the firstvolume-do still qualify as rockabil-ly. And no amount of blue suedeblubber jokes can nullify Presley's in-fluence or the fact that he was un-

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To record at high levels you need theright tape. We recommend three.Maxell's new MX and XL -S high-per-formance tapes deliver just what youneed for today's digital music. Great

questionably one of the finest singersof all time. The CDs, sold separately,restore the performances to originalmono. Check out also Elvis Presley(RCA), the CD version of his first al-bum. And pray for release of The SunSessions.

Live in London: Ricky Skaggs (Epic).For all his dazzling musicianship

and almost single-handed resurrec-tion of true country music, there aretimes when Ricky Skaggs appearsembarassingly to be the Gomer Pyleof country music. So sincere, so pureof heart, so hillbilly rube, such as inhis onstage prattle on this live digitalrecording. But then, talking is notwhat Skaggs does best. Once he picksup his axe of the moment-assistedby the band of the hour-he movesinto your head and starts rearrangingthe furniture. This Compact Disccontains all of the hits found onSkaggs' other albums, plus some ter-rific new songs: a killer version of"Don't Get Above Your Raising"with Elvis Costello, a previouslyunreleased cut, the chilling spiritual"Talk About Suffering" sung a cape! -la, and three other songs not includedon the original LP. Live in London isspotty in places, but at its best, it's asgood as chicken fried steak.

Greatest Hits: George Strait (MCA).George Strait, a certified hunk of

choice USDA beefcake, has built acareer out of parodying his idols-Merle Haggard, George Jones andLefty Frizzell, to name a few. Whathas earned him the Country MusicAssociation's Male Vocalist of theYear award, however, is not original-ity, but the fact that he does what hedoes so well-with performances fullof grace and even nobility, especiallywhen he turns his attention to west-ern swing. Strait is also, incidentally,a leader of the "new traditionalism,"something you wouldn't know fromthe pop -heavy "Marina Del Rey," in-cluded in this collection of top sin-gles. Would George Jones have cutthat song? But is Jones selling recordsin numbers anywhere approachingGeorge Strait? No way.

Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits Vol-ume 2: Hank Williams, Jr.

The Country Music Associationstill refuses to acknowledge it, butHank Williams, Jr. is one of the mostpowerful singer/songwriters hillbillymusic ever conjured up. A man of ir-resistible charm and wit, if also ofredneck obsessions, Williams hastended to dump all of his growingpains into his music, resulting in al-

bums that are often undisciplinedand uneven, if stocked with diverseand irreverent hit singles. These twoCDs offer all the hits without themisses, and they add up to a stagger-ing body of work. Volume one, from1979-1981, concentrates more onHank's fusion of country and rock,while volume two finds him less an-gry and urgent-but no less engag-ing-as he concerns himself with thevarious ceremonies of the heart. Af-ter a lifetime of promise, Bocephalushas turned into what his daddywould call a hoss.

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.: DwightYoakam (Warner Bros.).

In one of the most bodacious hypecampaigns known to humankind,Dwight Yoakam has arrived full-blown from the head of Hank Wil-liams to capture both the cornbreadand soup bean crowd and the zombieslaves of MTV. Essentially a revival-ist of the traditional honky-tonk style,Yoakam is a snake -hipped mumblerwith a crackerjack band, a knowingattitude, and a stance that makes himseem as if he's auditioning for themovies. But he is also one of thebright lights on a mostlysluggishscene, writing sweet songs of hard -scrabble purity and worth.0

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Special Test Report

DX -A10byJulian Hirsch and

Christopher Greenleaf

SONY'S revolutionary CDX-A10 "DiscJockey" ismore than just a car Ccmpact Disc player, moreeven than a car CD charger, novel as that is. It iseven more than just an Lnustially impressive engi-neering tour de force of miniaturization. What itrepresents is the first step toward moving car stereoelectrcnics out of the dasiboard and into the trunkor another protected area-safe from covetous eyesand meddling fingers.

The ascJockey consists of two basic modules andan optional third. The main unit, designed for trunkmou.nting, is a combination CD player/changer andpreamp_ifier inside a protective case meastringabout 123/4 x 51/4 x 8 inches. Its weight is about 121/2pounds. A long umbilica: cable connects the trunkunit -.c a remote control/display unit, called theCommander, that measures 7 x 1 x 2 inches. =hecable's length allows the Com:narder to be placed 3

virtually anywhere in the car w_thin reach of theoperator-who doesn't have :c be the driver.

The Commander's dimensions allow it to fit into a

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TEST REPORTS

HITACHI DA -501COMPACT DISC PLAYERJulian Hirsch, Hirsch -Houck Laboratories

DESPITE the disarminglysimple appearance andmodest dimensions of Hi-tachi's DA -501 Compact

Disc player, it has a full comple-ment of operating features. Track -search buttons skip back to thebeginning of the current track orforward to the next one, and repeat-ing these operations enables a userto access any track in a very shorttime. The track controls are supple-mented by fast -scan buttons thatmove the laser pickup at high speedin either direction, with the pro-gram audible at reduced volume.The fast -scan buttons can also beused to access indexed portions ofindividual tracks.

The DA -501 can be programmedto play up to fifteen tracks in anysequence. Like most other CDplayers, it also has a REPEAT button,which can be used to repeat theentire disc or a programmed tracksequence. In addition, the DA -501'srepeat button can be used to pro-gram any segment or phrase for rep-etition.

When a disc is first loaded, thedisplay window shows the totalnumber of tracks. The SHIFT button

toggles the display between thetrack total and the total playingtime of the disc. During play, thedisplay shows the current track andindex number (the latter reads 01 ifthe record is not indexed), and theSHIFT button switches it to show theelapsed time, in minutes and sec-onds, of the current track.

The DA -501 is furnished with awireless remote control that dupli-cates all the front -panel controls ex-cept the power switch and the head-phone -volume adjustment. In addi-tion, the remote has a keypad, num-bered from 0 to 9, that providesdirect access to any numbered trackup to 99.

The Hitachi DA -501 weighs 91/2pounds and measures 171/8 incheswide, Wit inches deep, and 31/4inches high. The case and panel arefinished in black with clearly legiblewhite and silver markings. Price:$599. Hitachi Sales Corp. of Ameri-ca, Dept. SR, 401 W. Artesia Blvd.,Compton, CA 90220.

Lab TestsWith the audio outputs termi-

nated in 10,000 ohms and 1,000picofarads, the output level of the

Hitachi DA -501 from the 1,000 -Hz,0 -dB level tones on our test discswas 2.17 volts (identical for bothchannels). The frequency responsewas flat from 20 to about 1,500 Hz,falling off very slightly from there to10,000 Hz before rising to nearly itsoriginal level from 16,000 to 18,000Hz. The high -frequency responsesof the two channels differed veryslightly (a maximum of about 0.3dB), but the worst -case overall re -

The laser trackingmechanism of the HitachiDA -501 responded veryrapidly to the track -skip andscan controls. Only 1.5seconds were required tomove om Track 1 to Track15 o the test disc.

sponse from 20 to 20,000 Hz was+0, -0.9 dB referred to the 1,000-Hz level.

The pattern of overshoot and rip-ple on a square -wave test sig-indicated that the DA -501 usfudiolog low-pass filtering in Setweenoutputs. The phase kW 4 degreeschannels rose fromat 1,000 Hz to 9;cteristic of the 11.-Hz, which is c'' hannel time dif-intercm icrose co -4

-'ees at 20,000


TEST REPORTS

FEATURES,...m.....,

0 Front -loading player with CI Fluorescent display shows trackmotor -driven disc drawer and index number or elapsed

CI Track selection by successive playing time of current trackoperations of skip buttons 0 During operation, symbols in

0 Programmed play of up to display window show status offifteen tracks in any sequence pause/play switch

0 High-speed manual scan with 0 Front -panel headphone jack withprogram audible; during play, volume -control knobscan buttons provide access to 0 Wireless remote control providesindexed passages direct track access through

CI Repeat button can replay entire numbered keypad and duplicatesdisc, programmed sequence of all front -panel control functionstracks, or user -defined passage except power and headphone

volume

HITACHI DA -501FREQUENCY RESPONSE

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, LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS

Maximum output level: 2.17 volts Cueing time: 1.5 secondsTotal harmonic distortion at Cueing accuracy: A

1,000 Hz: 0.0032% referred to 0 Impact resistance: sides, C; top, DdB: 0.0075% referred to -20 dB Defect tracking: information layer,

Signal-to-noise ratio (A -weighted): tracks 900 -micrometer defects;96 dB surface layer, tracks

Channel separation: 88.5 dB at 600 -micrometer black dots;1.000 11z; 61 dB at 20,000 Hz simulated fingerprint, pass

Frequency response: +0, -0.9dB from 20 to 20,000 Hz

ference that results from multiplex-ing (switching) a single digital -to -analog (D/A) converter between thechannels.

The DA -501 had almost unmeas-urable noise and distortion levels,as is typical of normally functioningCompact Disc players. Stereo chan-nel separation was 95 dB at 100 Hz,falling to 72.5 dB at 10,000 Hz and61 dB at 20,000 Hz. The largest(900 -micrometer) calibrated infor-mation -layer defects on the PhilipsTS4A test CD were played withoutdifficulty, but the largest black sur-face -layer dots (800 micrometers)caused the player to stutter andhang up. The next -largest dots (600micrometers) and the simulated fin-gerprint were played without audi-ble difficulty.

The laser tracking mechanism ofthe Hitachi DA -501 responded very

rapidly to the track -skip and scancontrols. Only 1.5 seconds were re-quired to move from Track 1 toTrack 15 of the Philips TS4 disc(most players take 4 to 5 seconds).The difficult transition from Track17 to Track 18, which have no silentinterval between them, was exe-cuted perfectly, with no clipping ofthe first syllable of the vocal onTrack 18.

The DA -501 proved to be quitesensitive to physical impact. Whenwe tapped the top of the cabinetwhile a disc was playing, the laseralmost always skipped to anotherpart of the disc or play ceased. Itwas less sensitive to side impact,and a second product sampleproved to be slightly less touchyaltogether. We were able to give theunit a passing grade in this respect,however, because it functioned per-

fectly in normal use when it was notsubject to such impact.

CommentsIn respect to ease of operation,

flexibility, and sound quality, theHitachi DA -501 leaves little to bedesired. The design makes effectiveuse of multifunction controls anddisplays. Especially handy is the as-signment of phrase -repeat operationto the REPEAT button instead of the

In respect to ease ooperation, flexibility,and sound quality, theHitachi DA -501 leaveslittle to be desired.The design makes effectiveuse of multifunctioncontrols and displays.

more common practice of using twoseparate buttons to define the begin-ning and end of a phrase. The pick-up's slewing speed is exceptional,surpassed by only one other CDplayer we have tested. The volumewith 200 -ohm headphones was fair-ly high, but regular headphone lis-teners will probably prefer to usemore sensitive or lower -impedancephones with the DA -501.

The calibrated disc defects of thePhilips TS4A challenged many earlyCD players, but most current mod-els are relatively immune to sucherror -tracking problems. Even so,the inability of the DA -501 to cor-rect for the maximum -size defect onone portion of this test disc shouldnot be given undue weight; its errorcorrection is still far superior to thatof almost all first -generation CDplayers.

In our view, this player's weakestpoint is its sensitivity to tapping bythe fingertips. This should not pre-sent a problem in most normalinstallations, however, and any mis-tracking that results from bumpingor brushing against the player willnot, of course, damage either theplayer or the disc. In all otherrespects the DA -501 is a very satis-factory and easy -to -use CompactDisc player.

Circle 5 on reader service card


TEST REPORTS

PIONEERPD -M6MULTI -DISCCD PLAYERJulian Hirsch,Hirsch -Houck Laboratories

OST of the CompactDisc players we havetested have been verymuch alike in their elec-

trical performance-and so farbeyond most analog record playersor cassette tape decks that compari-sons are difficult to make. For themost part, the real differences be-tween CD players are in their oper-ating features, including their pro-gramming facilities, remote -controlcapability, physical size, and spe-cialized applications such as use in acar or as a battery -run portable.

The Pioneer PD -M6 is certainlyunique in terms of operating fea-tures, since it is the first "CD chang-er" designed for home use. It can beloaded with as many as six CD's,which can be played in any order-and individual tracks on them canalso be played in any order. ThePD -M6 even has a random -play fea-ture that will automatically select arandom program from the six discs.

The PD -M6 comes with a six -discmagazine, as well as a single -disctray, that fits into a 1 x 5 -inch load-ing slot on the front panel, rather asa video cassette fits into a VCR (theslot is covered by a hinged door

when no magazine is inside). Thesix -disc magazine contains six disctrays, which swing out one at a timefor disc insertion. Since the discmagazine loads at the bottom of theplayer, the laser system is above it,so that discs must be inserted withtheir labels facing down (opposite tothe usual orientation).

Most of the front -panel controls(light -pressure pushbuttons) haveconventional functions, includingfast manual search with the pro-gram audible, track skipping in bothdirections, and the usual play,pause, stop, and eject.

The programming system of thePD -M6 is highly versatile, althoughit lacks the index and phrase pro-gramming capability of some otherplayers. A row of buttons numbered1 through 6 selects the disc to beplayed or entered into memory forprogrammed play. If no disc isselected, the six discs are played innumerical sequence starting withthe first. After the disc number hasbeen entered, the track number(from 1 to 99) is selected using a rowof ten buttons numbered 0 through9 below the disc buttons. If no trackis selected, the disc is played fromits beginning.

The two-step operation-disc se-lection, then track selection-can beused for direct access to any part ofany disc. The machine can also beprogrammed to play up to thirty-two selections in any order by usingthe PGM MEMORY button. Pressingthe repeat button causes the entireprogrammed sequence to be repeat-ed indefinitely.

If the RANDOM PLAY button ispressed, the PD -M6 automaticallyenters a random playback sequence,

selecting the discs in a randomorder and playing a randomly chos-en track from a disc before proceed-ing to another disc and track, and soon. The repeat function also oper-ates in the random -play mode. Byloading the magazine with the ap-propriate discs, it is possible toassemble over six hours of musicthat will play in a different ordereach time it is repeated.

The display panel of the PioneerPD -M6 is unusual because of thedifferent types of information itpresents. The numerical readoutnormally shows the current tracknumber and its elapsed time in min-utes and seconds. The display canbe changed to show the total discplaying time and number of tracksor the current disc and track num-ber. The numerical disc -numberreadout is somewhat redundant,however, since the lower portion ofthe display contains six disc sym-bols that resemble Pac-man figures.A red bar appears in the "mouth" ofthe currently playing disc. The dis-play can also be used to check theprogrammed sequence of discs andtracks by successive operations ofthe PROGRAM CHECK button.

The Pioneer PD -M6 comes with awireless remote -control unit thatduplicates all its programming andcontrol functions except power andeject. The player has a front -panelheadphone jack with its own vol-ume control (the line outputs are ata fixed level). The single -disc traypermits the machine to be usedexactly like conventional CDplayers. Of course, the six -disc mag-azine can also be used with a singledisc if desired. Additional maga-zines can be purchased, enabling a


TEST REPORTS

user to prepare a variety of multi -disc programs.

The PD -M6 measures about 161/2inches wide, 121/4 inches deep, and31:4 inches high, and it weighs about14 pounds. It is finished in blackwith gold markings. Price: $499.95.Additional six -disc magazines are$9.95 each. Pioneer Electronics(USA), Inc., Dept. SR, P.O. Box1720, Long Beach, CA 90801.

Lab TestsThe six -disc magazine simplified

our testing of the PD -M6, since wecould load all of our customary testdiscs into it and access any track asrequired. The output voltage was2.07 volts from a 0 -dB recordedtone, or 1.85 volts with the standardEIA load of 10,000 ohms in parallelwith 1,000 picofarads of capaci-tance. The two channels' output lev-els were nearly identical. The fre-quency response was +0.1, -0.2dB from 20 to 15,500 Hz and down0.5 to 0.9 dB at 20,000 Hz (therewas a slight difference between theleft- and right -channel output at thelowest and highest frequencies). Thesquare -wave response of the PD -M6indicated that it uses analog low-pass filtering in its outputs. Theinterchannel phase shift rangedfrom 5 degrees at low and middlefrequencies to 77 degrees at 20,000Hz, suggesting that it uses a singledigital -to -analog converter multi-plexed between the channels.

Other aspects of the player's per-formance were much like those ofmost CD players we have tested.The noise level, distortion, andcrosstalk were all very low (at 100Hz the crosstalk was too low tomeasure, better than 110 dB belowthe 0 -dB output level). The PD -M6operated perfectly in its variousprogrammable modes as well aswhen playing single discs in normalsequence. The servo action of thelaser optical system was slightlyfaster than in many other players,taking 3.5 seconds to slew fromTrack 1 to Track 15 of the PhilipsTS4 disc (4 to 5 seconds is typical).The transition between Tracks 17and 18 of that disc, which have nosilent interval between them, wasflawless. As often happens with re-cent CD players, the maximum de-fect levels of the Philips TS4A testdisc were tracked (and corrected for

FEATL TRES

O Loading magazine holds up tosix CD's for continuousplayback; single -disc tray alsosupplied for conventionaloperation

O Random-access playback of anytrack on any disc in magazine

O Programmed playback for up tothirty-two selections from any ofthe discs in any order

O Random -play functionautomatically selects tracks inrandom order

CI Repeat single track, single disc,all discs, or programmedsequence

O Manual fast search with audibleprogram, skip search in eitherdirection

O Display window shows total timeand number of tracks on loadeddiscs, disc and track number ofselection being played, or tracknumber and elapsed time ofselection being played

O Analog low-pass filtersO Infrared remote controlO Rear apron has subcode

connector for future digitalaccessories, one unswitched a.c.outlet, and line -level audiooutputs

PIONEER PD -A,46FREQUENCY RESPONSE

RED -RIGHT CHANNEIBLUE-lEfT CHANNEL

so 100 SOO I k

FREQUENCY IN HERTZ

Sk 101

LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS

Maximum output level: 1.85 voltsTotal harmonic distortion at

1,000 Hz: 0.0025% referred to 0dB; 0.0032% referred to -10 dB

Si al -to -noise ratio: 102 dB(A-weighted)g

Frequency response: +0.1, -0.7dB from 20 to 20,000 Hz(average of both channels)

Channel separation: 102 dB at1,000 Hz; 82.5 dB at 10,000 Hi

Cueing time: 3.5 seconds (9 to 11seconds when disc change isrequired)

Impact resistance: top, A; side, ACueing accuracy: ADefect tracking: successfully

tracked all defects on PhilipsTS4A test disc

by the player's circuits) without anyaudible difficulty. When we drove200 -ohm phones from the PD -M6,the available volume was more thanample.

The final, and often the most dif-ficult, test we apply to a CD playeris to estimate its resistance to physi-cal shocks in the form of slaps bythe open hand on its external sur-faces. The Pioneer PD -M6 provedto be exceptionally resistant to thissort of treatment, earning a solid Agrade. It definitely does not have tobe treated gently to avoid loss oftracking.

CommentsAlthough we used the six -disc

magazine for most of our tests of thePD -M6, we also played a number ofdiscs one at a time with the single -

disc tray. Operationally, there wereno detectable differences betweenthem. Incidentally, there was someaudible mechanical noise whenevera disc tray was pulled out of themagazine by the mechanism in theplayer and again as it was returnedto it. We weren't disturbed by thisnoise, which is to be expected, andduring actual playback the playerwas totally silent.

We have been impressed by Pio-neer's unconventional and innova-tive approaches to digital -disc tech-nology, first with the unique CLD-900 CD/LaserDisc player and nowwith the PD -M6. CD players maysound pretty much alike, but imagi-native products such as these under-score the fact that there are somereal differences among them.

Circle 6 on reader service card


1ZOO Baud smart DuckIf it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and looks like a duck, it darn well better act like a duck. AndADC's new Hayes Compatible 1200 -baud auto-answer/auto-dial modem one heck III0 duck. And, it's amarket buster at just $169.

By Drew Kaplan

Hats off to Hayes. They've just aboutwritten the book on specs and protocolfor the 1200 baud modem market.

Every professional modem bills itselfas 'Hayes Compatible'. But the big ques-tion is, how much does it really cost tomake a top -of -the -line 1200 baud mo-dem? Or, who's getting rich?

ADC's modem is made in the samefactory, by the same people, as one ofHayes's biggest competitors. And, ADCis a division of BSR, the enormous half -billion dollar electronics giant.

So for $1 69, you'll not only be gettinga duck that quacks properly to Hayesmodems, but sings like a nightingale toyour pocketbook. It can save you a for-tune in time with its extra features.

Don't forget. Now you'll get the S39value (DAK sold it for $24) completeCompuServe Subscription Kit, includ-ing $25 worth (Yes, that's twenty fivedollars. Wow!) of on-line time, addedby DAK, when you buy ADC's Modem.

DUCK SOUPAny computer with an RS232 stan-

dard serial port, will work flawlessly withthis modem. And, virtually any modemor terminal software that's compatiblewith Hayes, will be compatible with ADC.

We've even got intelligent programs,cables, and interfaces (if you need them)to activate your IBM PC or Clone, andyour Apple IIE or IIC. Of course, you cansupply your own cables and modem pro-grams for these computers or for anyother computer you may own.

I've owned a Hayes 1200 baud modemfor about 2 years. I just unplugged it andplugged in ADC's to operate my Hewlett-Packard dumb terminal which I use athome to monitor DAK's computer.

The only differences I noted were im-proved monitor sound, more screen dis-plays and a help menu. And oh yes, onelast extra. I use a few local data baseswhose phone lines are always busy.

Well, ADC's intelligent modem recog-nizes a busy signal, hangs up and keepsretrying the number every 30 seconds.

There are less important (to me) extraslike day, date and time, an extra phonejack and auto tone/pulse switching. So,you'll love it for discount services.

DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?Just think, you can transform your PC

into a terminal that can interact withmain -frames. You can download infor-mation from your main office computerand run Lotus, Wordstar, or you name it.It's all possible with your PC and modem.

You can exchange information withother computers. Say you're a writer,you can send a chapter from your homeor office in Los Angeles to New York,have it edited and sent back to you.

You can even send it directly to type-setters and have a book or a newsletterprepared from your transmitted file.

It's really great when drafts of con-tracts are flying back and forth. Whyretype everything over and over again?

Electronic mail lets you type in your

NOW WITH $25 COMPUSERVE ON-LINE BONUSIt's An Added $39 Value That DAK Sold For $24

Plus, you'll Get CompuServe's Complete Subscription Kit

about playing telephone tag any longer.You can get the weather in Baltimore,

the latest quote on your company's stock,or even reserve a seat on the next flightto Las Vegas. You can upload publicdomain software (there's an enormousamount of free software) or sample thenewest programs before you buy.

There are pay data bases like Com-puServe and The Source that have infor-mation about anything, and thousandsof free bulletin boards about everythingfrom Ham Radio to Parapsychology.

There's even a book that lists and de-scribes such diverse data bases as onewith 6500 references about coffee, toone with 2,000,000 on agriculture.

Of course, economics, medicine, lawand computers are all well represented.

THE TECHNICAL SIDEOR, WHY 1200 BAUD?

The ADC Modem will communicate at1200 baud (about 120 characters persecond) or 300 baud (about 30 charac-ters per second) automatically, depend-ing on the link at the other end.

So, it's clearly a decision of moneyand time. 1200 baud is roughly 400%faster than 300 baud, so if you transferdata across the country, you save 400%on your phone bill. And think of the time$169 can save you!

If you download material from paydata bases, even though some chargemore for 1200 baud, you still come outway ahead because of the amount ofinformation you get per dollar.

It comes with a modular phone cordthat you simply connect to any standardmodular jack. And, it uses standard Bell103 and 212A protocols. It operates inhalf or full duplex.

Its built-in microprocessors let you auto-matically answer in -coming (auto -an-swer) calls Et act on all Hayes commands.

It even waits for dial tones and phonenetwork tones during auto -dial. The mo-dem is 9Y2" X 5Y2" X 2". It's backed byADC's standard 1 year limited warranty.

HOOKING IT UP MADE EASYAll you need is a serial output, a cable

and a modem program. Use your ownfor any computer. Or you can use oursfor the computers below. All our modem

. .

and download files. Look how easy it is.If you own an IBM PC or a Clone, usual-

ly you'll find an RS232 serial port alreadybuilt-in. All you need is our cable andmodem program on disk, which we'vepackaged together for just $29 ($3 PEtH).But, before you order your cable, youmay need a short sex education course.

Sex Education 1 A. You need to deter-mine whether your computer's RS232connector is male or female.

If you look at the picture below, you'llnote that ADC's RS232 Modem connec-tor has holes going in. It's a female. If ithad copper pins sticking out, it would bea male. Now wasn't that simple?

RS22C

So, if yours is female, order our malecable and modem program Or. No. 4353.If you have male pins sticking out, orderour female cable, Order No. 4354.

If you don't have an RS232 port, wehave a serial interface card for your IBMor Clone, complete with cable and modemprogram for $99 ($4 P&H). Or. No. 4355.

For your Apple IIC, your serial inter-face is built-in. All you need is our cableand modem program on disk. They arejust $299° ($3 P&H). Order No. 4356.

For your Apple 11E, you'll need a serialinterface with an RS232 port, a cableand a modem program. It's all yours forjust $89 ($4 PEtH). Order No. 4357.

1200 BAUD SMART DUCKRISK FREE

For business or pleasure, you'll com-municate, gather information and savetime. If you aren't 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it in its of iginal box to DAK within30 days for a courteous refund.

To Order Your ADC 1200 Baud Intel-ligent Modem, now including Compu-Serve's Complete Subscription Kit (no-thing else to buy), with $25 worth of on-line time, risk free with your credit card,call toll free or send your check for DAK'smarket busting price of just $169 plus$6 PEtH. Order No. 4334.

The OnLine Directory of over 1,100Data bases, complete with descriptions

message and you wont have to worry programs on disk let you save, upload ...Next Page Please

. . .Modem Continuedis just $14" ($2 PEtH). Order No. 4358.

The ducks be will sure to be quackingup a storm when they see BSR's fac-.orydirect, through DAK, price on this state-of-the-art 1200 baud intelligent modem.

A LOOK AT COMPUSERVE Et MOREGet a date, check your stocks, leave E -

Mail, or post messages on ElectronicBulletin Boards. Transfer files or down-load public domain programs. Let yourcomputer bring you the wealth of elec-

tronic information that's on-line.Imagine dialing a number and hook-

ing up to a free Electronic Bulletin Boardwhere people post messages about every-thing, from new jokes (I've signed onto ajoke bulletin board.) to computer equip-ment they want to sell.

Most are free, some cost money. Butuntil you are on-line yourself, no briefdescription that I can give you will evenscratch the surface of what's available.

But, let's take a brief look at part of themenu (index) that you'll have at yourfingertips when you log onto Compu-Serve. I've used CompuServe's namesor descriptions. This is by no meanscomplete. And CompuServe is just oneof many data bases available to you.

No matter what your interests are,you'll spend hours on-line learning aboutthings, making plane reservations oreven playing logic games. And, on mostbulletin boards, you'll find the numbersof other bulletin boards.

PARTIAL COMPUSERVE INDEXAIRLINES. ARTS (Art Et Literature), ATARISIG (Atari Forum),

AVIATION (Aviation Forum). BANK (Home Banking), BANSHI (Ban -eh, Game). BROKER (Brokerage). Business (Business Menu), C64SIG(Commodore 64 Forum). CASTLE (Castle Telengard Game), CBIG(CB Interest Group). CBMSIG (Commodore Programming Forurni.Clarke school (For the Deaf). COCO (Color Computer Forum). COM-MODITIES, CP/M. COOTE (Current Quotes). DEMOGRAPHICS (SuperSite). DISCLOSURE (Public Company Details), EARNINGS (Earn'ings Projections Menu). EASY (EasyPlex). ECONOMICS, EDUCA-TION. EMAIL, ENCYCLOPEDIA (On -Line Grolier's Academic Ameri-can Encyclopedia). ENGINEERING (Engineering Menu), ENTERTAIN-MENT (Entertainment Menu), ENVIRONMENT (Environmental For-um), EPIE (EPIE Forum). FINANCE, FINTOL (Personal Finance).FLIGHTS (Travel Menu). FOOD. FORUMS (Menu of Forums), GAMES(Menu of Games). GOURMET (Electronic Gourmet), HEALTHUSERS(Health Users Group), HOBBIES (Hobbies Menu), HOLLYWOOD(Hollywood Hotline), HOME (Home Menu). HOTELS (A to Z Hotels,.IBMNOVICE (IBM Novice Forum), IBMSIG (IBM Users Forumi.INSURANCE. INTERESTS (Other Interests), INTERFACE. INVEST-MENTS (Investments Menu). IOINTERFACE 10 Interface Program),LAWSIG (Law Forum). LEGAL (Legal Menu). LEISURE (LeisureTravel Menu), LIBRARIES (Home Reference Menu). LOTUS (WorldOf Lotus). LOVE (Love Messages). MAGAZINES (Electronic Publish-ing Menu). MAUG (Apple Users Group). MEDICAL (Medical Menu),MOVIES (Movie Reviewenes), MSOFT (MicroSott Users Group).SOP (Standard Er Poore), SCI-FI (Science Fiction Form). SCIENCE(Science Education Forum), SHOWBIZ (Showbiz quiz), STATE (De-partment of State), SPORTS (Sports Menu). TECHNOLOGY, TICK.ER (Ticker retrival), VACATION, VIDEO, WEATHER (NOAAWeatheWire). WINEFORUM (Bacchus Wine Forum), and MUCH MORE

On one board, I found the numbers of 40other boards. Wow, there's so much infor-mation, education and entertainment.

Hayes, Lotus, Wordstar, IBM, and Apple IIE O IIC are registeredtrademarks of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Lotus Development.MicroPro. International Business Machines and Apple Compute:

Protect your computer and 5 peripherals from spikes, turn everything on and off from the front & swivel your monitor.By Drew Kaplan

It's great. Now you don't have to reacharound the back of your computer to turnit on. And not only can you turn on eachperipheral separately, you can turn themall on or all off with one switch.

But there's more. This all new PowerDirector is much more than just a fancy'octopus' that supplies you with 6 outletsto get rid of cumbersome tangled cords.

It aids in the prevention of damagecaused by voltage surges and spikes. Itthen goes on to filter your AC to help pro-tect your equipment and data from linenoises caused by power disturbing airconditioners, refrigerators and the like.

And look at this. It protects your equip-ment from itself. There are 4 separatefiltered sections. So, your computer willbe protected from your printer, modemor other peripherals.

BUT IT'S CONVENIENTThere are 6 nrotected 3 -wire outlets

on the back. 5 are switched from the front.One is unswitched but spike protectedso you can leave a peripheral on.

Each of the 5 switched outlets has anon -glare status light so you know what'son. Push a button for on/off control.

You can swivel the monitor from sideto side. So, if you have a separate key-board, you can really type in comfort.

Above, you can see The Power Direc-tor between the Visual IBM® CompatibleComputer and its monitor. It is 13/4" high,1 33/4" wide and 1 23/4" deep.

You can use it with virtually any com-puter. (It can hang off the back up to 31/2inches with no problem.) It's a perfectcombination of convenience and pro-tection for your computer system. It'sbacked by a limited warranty.

PROTECTION Et CONVENIENCERISK FREE

I've only had my data wiped out onceby a power surge. But, I had over 2 hoursof irreplaceable 1st draft copy in mycomputer when it happened.

Now. I'm using my new Power Direc-

tors with 4 different computers. Withthis added protection, maybe I won'tlose data again. And, I've learned to savemy data much more often since my loss.

If you're not 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it to DAK within 30 days in itsoriginal box for a courteous refund.

To order your 6 outlet Power Directorwith Spike Protection, Line Filtering,Circuit Breaker and a 10' 3 -wire ground-ed power cable risk free with your creditcard, call toll free or send your check forDAK's blockbuster price of lust $79 ($6P&H). Order No. 4623. CA res add tax.

I like the convenience. It's somethingthat helps me every day. But, I'm thrilledwith the added protection. If it even helpsonce, it's worth many times the cost.

13(DAK

IINCNDUSTRIESCall Toll Free For Credit Card Orders Only


1-800-325-0800For Toll Free Information Call 6AM-5PM Monday -Friday PST

Technical Information. . 1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

$4950 BREAKTHROUGH!

r PULSE

S 6When you are at rest, so is your

heart. A low resting heart rate us-ually means you're in good condi-tion. Have you checked yours?

Pi: Eow,

I -1

When you exercise, you shouldreach your heart's target zone. But,have I reached my exercise targetzone, or just had too much coffee?

HeartWindowNow you can exercise, rest swim or go out to dinner wearing the latest in computer pulsetakers on your wrist Plus, it's a talented sports watch and a formal dress watch too.

heart rate up to at least (183 X 60%) or fessional athlete. So, they've built thisBy Drew KaplanIt's a fact You can tell a lot about your-

self from your heart rate. You can eval-uate the condition you are in, how muchstress you 'are under, and how hard youshould be exercising.

Think about it. How fast does yourheart beat when you climb a flight ofstairs? And how long does it take for yourheart rate to return to normal?

Well, if you're at all like me, you maybe a little out of shape. While I'm only37, several friends of my own age haverecently had heart attacks. And frankly,I'm getting just a bit worried.

You see, I am getting past the pointwhere I can simply say, "I'll get back intoshape next year."

So, whether you're a long distancerunner (this is the ultimate jogging com-panion), or just a few pounds overweightlike I am, your heart rate will give you apicture of your heart and bodVs condition.

Now you can take your heart rate any-time, anywhere with the newest in so-phisticated electronic pulse takers.

And best of all, this heart computer iscontained in a beautiful 24 hour alarm,24 hour chronograph, LCD watch, thatyou will be as proud to wear with a coatand tie as you are when you're running.-=

YOUR HEARTS TARGET ZONEYour heart, just like any other muscle

in your body, requires exercise. Unfor-tunately, unlike your arms, you can't seeyour heart's condition just by looking.

The type of exercise called aerobicexercise is specifically designed to exer-cise your heart. The purpose of aerobicsis to reach your heart's target zone.

So what is your target zone? Yourtarget exercise zone is between 60 and80% of your maximum heart rate. Andhere's an easy way to figure it out.

Simply subtract your age from 220beats per minute. So, for me at 37, mymaximum heart rate is (220-37) or 183.

So when I exercise I should get my

110 beats per minute, and no higher than(184 X 80%) or 146 beats per minute.

With the Heart Window to help me, I canbe sure that my workouts are valuable formy heart and neither dangerous esca-pades or total wastes of time. Of course,before beginning any exercise programyou should consult your own doctor.Note: The Heart Window is designed toindicate your pulse rate and aid yourexercise, not to make medical diagnoses.BUT ISN'T EVERYONE DIFFERENT?

Here's the really exciting part. Theworse shape you're in, the faster you'llreach the target zone and the less workyou'll have to do to stay in the zone.

You see, as you get in shape, yourheart doesn't have to beat as hard to dothe same amount of exercise. Just aswhen you work out with weights yourarms become stronger, your heart be-comes stronger with aerobic exercise.

So the Heart Window is safe for thebeginner or the athlete. And, you'll reallysee your improvement as you exercise.But you don't have to exercise. Justwearing the Heart Window and using itat the office when you're under stress,after you've walked up some stairs oraround the block, will make and keep youaware of your body's physical condition.

And look at this. Sit down at yourdesk and take your pulse. Then drink acouple of cups of coffee and take yourpulse again. You'll see just what yourmorning 'pickup' actually picks up, and if,God forbid, you smoke, take your pulsebefore and after a cigarette. Wow!

ALL ELECTRONICWith Innovative's new Pulsemeter

watch, you'll have supreme accuracy. It'slike a direct electronic line to your heart.

You see, unlike other pulsemeters thatuse a light shining through your finger,or a microphone to take your pulse, this in-strument actually measures the electricalimpulses that cause your heart to beat.

The back of the watch is one receptor,and the metal touch sensor on the frontof the watch acts as the other sensor.Just touch the sensor, and you'll seeyour pulse on the large LCD Display.IS IT A DRESS OR SPORTS WATCH?

Innovative Time thinks that everyoneinterested in their pulse must be a pro -

watch with all the athletic extras.It's not only water resistant, it's guar-

anteed to 60 feet (although you can'tactually take your pulse underwater). Ithas a stopwatch, a lap timer, and dualfinish mode. Its band is made of verytough polymers. So, it's a sports watch.

But wait, I don't like black watchesfor dress. So, I've gotten Innovative toadd a deluxe matching stainless braceletto the watch. It's rendered in stainlessand black and is a perfect high fashionchoice. So, it's a dress watch.

Plus, there's a 24 hour alarm and anhourly chirp. The stainless band is greatfor sports or dress. So, you'll get thewatch with the black band on it and thehigh fashion band packed with it, com-pliments of Innovative Time's superbengineering and DAK's good taste.

The Heart Window is backed by Innova-tive Time's 1 year limited warranty andcomes with a 1 year battery in place.

TRY THE HEART WINDOWRISK FREE

Now you can look at your heart aseasily as the time. You'll see how youreact to stress, foods and exercise. Don'tlet DAK's low price confuse you. Takethis pulse watch to your own doctor andhave him test itTry the Heart Window risk free. Try ex-

ercising and then check your cardiac re-covery rate. If you don't like what yousee, you'd better keep the watch. But ifyou just don't like the pulse watch, sim-ply return it within 30 days in its originalbox for a courteous refund.

To order your Heart Window, PulseSports/Fashion Watch, complete with 2bands risk free with your credit card, calltoll free or send your check for just$49.50plus $3 for postage and handling to DAK.Order No. 9844. CA res add sales tax.

In the gym, at the track or at the office,you'll have a direct connection to thecondition of your heart.

DAKINDUSTRIES INCORPORATED

TOLL -FREE ORDER LINEFor credit card orders call 24 hours a day 7 days a week

CALL TOLL- FR E E. . .1-800-325-08008200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

Fat Watcher PlusNow you can walk or jog around the block, walk around the office or even around a trade show, and know how faryou've traveled and how many calories you've burned. Use the alarm to set calorie and distance goals.

By Drew KaplanNo, you don't have to be fat. And no,

you don't have to be a marathon runner.However, if you are, you're going to mar-vel at the feedback you'll get from thisnew electronic Body Monitor.

Before we explore how you can usethis Body Monitor's capabilities to aidyou in losing weight (as it is me) and tomeasure your training achievements, let'slook at some interesting curiosities.

If you're like me, you've probably won-dered just how far you go when you walkaround the block. And, every year I attendthe Consumer Electronics Show and I'vealways wanted to know how far I walk.

Since my plane always seems to be atthe last gate at every airport, I've won-dered just how far I go. I've also beencurious about how much ground I coverin an average day at the office.

Well now, not only will I know howmany steps I've taken, I'll know howmany miles or hundredths of miles I'vegone and how many calories I've burned.

Now we will know it all. And, with theability to set goals, we can use this mon-itor to help achieve our desired fitness.

ONE STEP AT A TIMEIt all starts out with one small step.

Just clip the Body Monitor on your beltor waist band and away you go.

First it counts your steps. As you cansee below, I've taken 1544 steps.

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inn i IIIIt knows how far you've gone because

you set it to your particular stride length.As you can see, I've got mine set at 21/2feet. But you can set yours from 0 to 7'.

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Because it knows your stride length, itautomatically calculates the distance youtravel. Just touch a button, and as youcan see, I've traveled 0.58 miles.

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Push the button again, and you cansee how many calories you've burned.The Body Monitor has a built-in tablethat calculates an average of how manycalories you've burned, based on thenumber of steps you've taken.

And, you can be even more accurateby adding your exact weight to the bodymeter's reading. A formula is included.

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What's really great is that you can seta target for yourself to achieve. Here I'veset 2500 steps. When I reach 2500 steps,an alarm will sound to tell me that I'veachieved my goal.

DAILY ALARM HOURLY CHIME STEP AL ARM LAP

But steps aren't very interesting, soyou can set the alarm to let you burn 100calories or go 3 miles. It's all calculatedthrough the steps, so it's really easy.

Let's say I want to eat an ice creamsundae. It has 260 calories. So, I'd haveto walk 5200 steps. I'm forgetting theice cream sundae, but I may have a pieceof cheese or maybe even a cookie.

Using the Body Monitor for running orwalking lets you see just what you'veaccomplished. And while I can't speakfor you, I personally work and play bestwhen I set goals.

The Body Monitor lets me set andachieve goals. So, it's been a terrific aidin my personal fitness program.

By the way, it's 1.03 miles around myblock and I burn about 105 calories.

I'm really excited about finding outjust how far I walk at the Consumer Elec-tronics Show, but I'll have to wait till itopens in January to find out.

SO MUCH MORE

It may look small, but it has so muchinside. It has a built-in clock with hourlychime, so you don't have to wear a watch.

It has a stopwatch, accurate to 1/100thof a second resolution. And not onlydoes it have a lap timer, it has first andsecond place finishes.

But, with all its frills and all its greatcuriosity satisfiers, it's really a precisionfitness aid.

So, if you walk, jog or exercise, theBody Monitor can aid in measuring whatyou've accomplished. It comes with aone year battery, and it's backed by aone year limited warranty by InnovativeTime, the Pulse Watch People.

SATISFY YOUR CURIOSITYRISK FREE

I've been dieting and exercising foryears. I use my pulse watch all the timeand it tells me how I'm doing. Now thenew Body Monitor gives me feedback asto what I'm accomplishing.

And, I particularly like the goal settingalarms. Now, instead of watching mywatch to see when I've run enough, analarm sounds when I'm through. Plus,it's really neat to know how much groundyou've covered around the office oraround the block.

If you're not 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it to DAK in its original box within30 days for a courteous refund.

To order Innovative Time's Body Mon-itor with Step Counter, Mileage Coun-ter, Calorie Counter, Stop Watch andGoal Setting Alarm, call toll free, or sendyour check for DAK's breakthrough priceof just $3990 ($3 P&H) Order No. 4651.CA res add tax.

It's great for fitness, but I'm wearingmine to work and even around the house.It's small in size, but it sure feeds back alot of exciting information.

DAKINUSTRIESINCD.

Call Toll Free For Credd Card Orders Only24 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week


Technical Information. . _1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

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BSR's Endangered ColossusPrepare for bone jarring bass and dramatically clear highs from these newly developed 15- 3 -way 5 speakersystems that nearly missed their chance to charm an audiophile's ear. BSR moved its dbx and ADC divisionsinto one facility and these speakers almost became orphans. So now, they're yours at a close-out price.

By Drew Kaplan low clean bass. They have matched 25mm voice coils,It's a shame. But, it's also a great oppor- Its magnetic structure weighs a thun- also protected by ferro-fluid and polyamid-

tunity to get a pair of 15- audiophile dering 48 ounces. But that's not all. The imid to 200° centigrade. They are drivenloudspeakers with the newest in stereo magnetic field is developed by the rare by powerful barium ferrite magnetic fields.imaging at a market -breaking price. earth metal Strontium for state of the art NOT QUITE FINISHED YET

Imagine a precisely matched mirror massive but flawlessly controlled bass. To prevent phase shift and cancella-image pair of top -of -the -line BSR speak- A 38mm voice coil with a 200° cen- tion, two totally separate crossover net-ers that can effortlessly recreate the cata- tigrade temperature capacity, will handle works are employed in these speakers.clysmic impact of a full orchestral cre- the most demanding digital or analog re- All frequencies below 800 hz are di-scendo at full volume and yet offer flaw- cordings. And, a new super rigid cabinet rected to the 1 5" woofer. The front sys-lessly subtle sound detail to 21,500hz. design virtually eliminates coloration due tern routes frequencies above 800hz to

You'll thrill to thunderous bass all the to uncontrolled cabinet resonance. the 8" mid -range to take full advantageway down to 26hz. Incredibly rich, full, At low volume, the bass will fill in and of its superb reproduction capabilities.vibrant sound at low volume will explode envelop you. At high volume, your room, Frequencies above 3400hz are routedwith life as you increase the volume. your walls and your neighbors will shake. to the horn tweeter.

But before we examine the front speak- (Not for apartment dwellers please.) The top mounted system routes onlyfrequencies above 1 200hz to the 5" poly-propylene ambiance mid -range driver,and frequencies above 3400hz are routedto the top sonic placement tweeter.

There are level controls for both thetop and front mounted speakers so thatyou can voice the speakers to matchyour musical taste and environment.

Note: Only the top tweeters are moun-ted at the the edges. The front mountedtweeters are conventionally mountedfor acoustical symmetry.

Each speaker is fuse protected for upto 200 watts peak, 150 watts continuouspower. You can operate these super ef-ficient speakers with as little as 20 watts.

AND OH WHAT A PRETTY FACEThe speaker systems are 30" tall, 191/4"

wide and 101/2" deep. Their lovely oakwood -grain appearance is enhanced bythe dark removable grill cloths that beau-tifully contrast with the rich wood -graintones. They're a statement of audio ele-gance when placed in any room. They'rebacked by BSR's 2 year limited warranty.A COLOSSAL DREAM COMES TRUE

RISK FREEYou'll hear depth of sound at low levels

that was previously unobtainable. Andyes, when you crank up the volume, yourmusic will explode with realism and drama.

Try these speakers in your own sys-tem. Then compare them at any Hi-FiStore with any pair of speakers up to$1000. If they don't beat all the competi-tion hands down, simply return them toDAK in their original boxes within 30days for a courteous refund.

To order your matched pair of BSRtop -of -the -line 1 5" 3 -way 5 speaker sys-tems with unique stereo imaging riskfree with your credit card, call toll free orsend your check for DAK's market -break-ing price of just $298 for the MATCHEDPAIR plus $22 for Postage and Han-dling. Order No. 4352. CA res add tax.

It's a dream system for an audiophile.Sonically pure, thunderously powerful,these BSR speakers will make your futurelistening years an on -going fabulous, ifnot earthshaking experience.

er complement, the twin overlappingcrossovers and the top mounted sonicplacement and ambiance speakers, let'ssee why they were almost orphaned.

You see, BSR, the half billion dollarelectronics giant, is the parent companyof two of the best names in up -scaleaudio, dbx and ADC.

Last year dbx developed a new multi -thousand dollar speaker system calledthe Soundfield One which lets you sitvirtually anywhere in your room and havefull stereo imaging and terrific sound.

BSR decided to consolidate ADC anddbx into one building (still 2 companies)and put all its speaker efforts into dbx.

POOR JACKWell, while dbx's engineers were off

designing their multi -thousand dollarmasterpieces, BSR's Senior AcousticalEngineer (he had been Fisher's ChiefEngineer for 10 years during its top endcomponent stereo days), was designingBSR's radically new speaker line.

The revolutionary top of the line 1 5"stereo imaging pair pictured above will letyou enjoy superb stereo imaging withoutsitting directly in front of your speakers.

But unfortunately, in the consolida-tion move, BSR's speakers went by thewayside, and so did Jack.

Enter DAK. After a few fearful nego-tiations and considering the engineer-ing costs BSR had already expended, theyagreed to make the speakers just for DAK.

Because there's virtually no BSR over-head left on these speakers, and theR&D was all but complete, we've gottenthese speakers for virtually the compo-nent costs plus a little BSR labor.

And don't worry about Jack. BSR hadhim finish the engineering (they reallyare great people) and they'll pay him aroyalty on each speaker we sell. Besides,by the time you read this, Jack is sure tobe snapped up as the Chief Engineer atanother esoteric audio company.

WHAT'S STEREO IMAGING?Stereo imagery is the logical separa-

tion and interaction between channels.It's the successful creation of a panoram-ic wall or stage of music rather than theconfined, easily located 2 speaker sound.IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE THAT COUNTS

Imagine the full thunder of a kettledrum, or the pluck of a string bass beingexplosively recreated in your living room.BSR's 1 5" sub -bass acoustic suspensiondriver will revolutionize your concept of

MATCHED PAIRSThe mid -range and high end of BSR's

speakers are truly unique. Front moun-ted 8" polypropylene mid -range driversprovide rich sound while top mounted5" polypropylene mid -range drivers pro-vide an open, lifelike ambiance.

Front mounted exponential horn tweet-ers provide awesome brilliance to 21,500hz, while top mounted tweeters enhanceseparation because they are mounted tothe outside edge of each speaker.

So, this system has a specific left anda specific right speaker. You'll find wide,but interactive separation that will vastlywiden your ideal listening area.

The imagery will give the illusion ofmusicians actually playing in front ofyou. Your music will take on a three di-mensional quality. You'll enjoy superbstereo imagery regardless of each speak-er's specific placement in your room.

MORE SPECIFICSThe exponential horn tweeters, both

in front and on the top of these systems,employ 25mm rigid phenol diaphragmsfor stability and accurate response.

Polyamid-imid binders and ferro-fluidcoolant allow for a 300% increase inheat dissipation so you can drive thevoice coils up to 200° centigrade.

Now, the mid -range. Both the 8" frontfiring and the 5" top firing polypropylenedrivers reproduce the mid -range fre-quencies like no ordinary speakers.

It's amazing that so many speakermanufacturers simply slap in 5" papermid -ranges to reproduce what's reallythe major portion of the sound spectrum.

BSR's 8" and 5" polypropylene mid-ranges are rigid, exacting drivers thatdeliver incredibly pure uncolored sound.

DAK INC.nu"'"R'"Call Toll Free For Credit Card Orders Only


l-soo-ass-osooFor Toll Free Information, Call 6AM-5PM MondayFriday PST

Technical Information. . 1 -800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park. CA 91304

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Smart Sound DetonatorObliterate the wall between you and the individual instruments in your music. Infuse your ownstereo system's sound with a breathtakingly vibrant 30 to 50% improvement in sound quality thatyou can measure with this superb BSR Equalizer/Spectrum Analyzer limited $149 close-out

ter. Just a 5db roll -off at the high end, up You can control the highs at 4,000hzBy Drew Kaplan

Close your eyes. Touch a button. Andyou'll hear your stereo system literallyexplode with life.

You'll hear the gentle brushes on asnare drum, the startling bone -jarringrealism of a thunder clap, or the excite-ment of a full cymbal crash.

You'll hear string bassesdeep low instruments emerge from bass(that will sound murky by comparison),with such clarity and such definition thatyou'll feel you can almost touch eachinstrument.

This astoundingly distinct yet power-ful bass adds such a full bodied warmfeeling to your music, you'll feel as ifyou've been lovingly wrapped in a warmsoft blanket on a cold winter's night.

But don't take my word for the soundquality improvement With the Pink NoiseGenerator, Calibrated Electret CondenserMike and the 220 Element Spectrum An-alyzer, you can instantly measure eachand every improvement you make.

Plus, there's more. A subsonic filtereffectively adds the equivalent of manywatts onto the power of your amplifier.

Plus, with its provision for two sepa-rate tape decks including two way dub-bing, you'll have much more than justgreatly improved sound.

You can count on great sound fromthis top of the line Equalizer/Analyzer. Ithas a frequency response from 5 hz to100,000hz ± 1 db. And, it has an incred-ible 100db signal to noise ratio.

BSR, the ADC equalizer people, makethis super Equalizer/Analyzer and backit with a 2 year standard limited warran-ty. Our $149 close-out price is just afraction of its true $379 retail value.

FIRST THE EQUALIZERYOUR STEREO'S HIDDEN SOUNDS

Your stereo can sound incredibly bet -

and other

around 14,000 hz to 16,000hz, can justdecimate the harmonics that give youthe open feeling you'd experience at alive concert. A similar roll -off at 60hz,causes the fundamental bass notes tojust fade away into the 'murk'.

An equalizer isn't some magical devicethat manufactures sounds that don't ex-ist. Most of the frequencies that willmake your music really vibrant, are actual-ly already recorded in your music.

You'll be able to prove this with a fewsimple tests we'll try when we discussthe Spectrum Analyzer.

You see, certain frequencies are sim-ply not reproduced with as much volumeas are the mid -range frequencies whichstretch from about 800hz to 2,000hz.

An equalizer simply lets you establishaccurate control of all frequencies to fityour equipment, your recordings, yourtaste, and your listening environment

TOTAL MUSICAL CONTROLAnd, what a job it can do. It's totally

unlike bass and treble controls whichsimply boost everything from the mid-range down for bass, or everything upfor treble. You can boost the low -bass at31.5hz, 63 hz and/or 125 hz to animatespecific areas or instruments.

And, when you boost the part of thebass you like, you don't disturb the mid-range frequencies and make your favoritesinger sound like he has a sore throat.

The high frequencies really deter-mine the clarity and brilliance of yourmusic. The problem is that highs arevery directional. Wherever you move inyour listening room, you'll find a big dif-ference in high end response, as you'llsee when we test the Analyzer.

No recording engineer or equipmentmanufacturer can even begin to controlyour listening environment.

8,000hz and/or 16,000hz, to bring crash-ing cymbals to life at 16,000hz while atthe same time you can cut tape hiss orannoying record scratches at 8,000hz.

But there's more. Don't leave out themid -range. You can boost trumpets at300 to 500hz or a clarinet at 1000 hz.You can boost or cut any part of the fre-quency spectrum a full ± 1 5db.

TAPE DECK HEAVENYou can push a button and transfer all

the equalization power to the inputs oftwo tape decks. Now you can pre -equalizeyour cassettes as you record them andget all the dramatically enhanced soundrecorded right on your cassettes.

This is an especially great feature whenyou play your cassettes on bass -starvedportables or high -end starved car stereos.

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SIMPLY PLUG IT INUse your tape monitor circuit, but don't

lose it. Now your one tape monitor cir-cuit lets you connect two tape decks.

Just plug the equalizer into the tape'in' and 'out' jacks on your receiver orpreamp. We even supply the cables.

As you listen to your records, FM orany 'Aux', any time you push the tapemonitor switch on your receiver you'llhear your music jump to life.

The output from your receiver is alwaysfed directly to your tape deck(s) for re-cording, and with the touch of a button,you can choose to send equalized or non -equalized signal to your deck(s).

When you want to listen to a tapedeck, just select which tape deck youwant, turn the switch on the equalizer,

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and your tape deck will work exactly asit did before. Except, now you can listenwith or without equalization.

Look at this. You can dub tapes fromdeck 1 to deck 2, or from deck 2 to deck1 with or without equalization.

THE SUBSONIC FILTERMuch of the power drawn from your

amplifer is used to drive your woofers.When you drive the amplifier too hard, itclips and you end up with distortion.

A subsonic filter removes a lot of non-musical material you can't hear that existsbelow 20hz. So, it relieves your amplifierof a lot of work. It doesn't actually createmore watts (Please, no letters from my'technical' friends) for your amplifier.

But, it's like turning off the air con-ditioning in your car. It saves you usingabout 7hp of what you have. And there-fore, you'll have more watts for cleanpowerful sounding music.

THE SPECTRUM ANALYZERNow you can scientifically analyze

your stereo listening room and test yourequipment by using BSR's Real TimeFrequency Spectrum Analyzer.

Plus, you'll see your music not as asingle level on a VU meter, but as akaleidoscopic parade of 10 individual20 element VU meters.

Each is tuned to a specific octave ofthe sound spectrum. An eleventh 20 ele-ment meter averages all levels.

The effect is awesome. You can visual-ly isolate a string bass or cymbal, andactually see each individual instrumentalmost as a wave moving across the 220individual florescent elements.

THE MOUTH AND EARSIt talks. The Analyzer speaks with a

voice of pure calibrated Pink Noise. PinkNoise is the standard composite 'sound'of all frequencies used for testing in labsaround the world. All frequencies from20hz to 20,000 hz are generated at theexact same level at the exact same time.

It listens too. If you are testing a cas-sette or a component in your system,use the 'Line Button'. If you're testingyour whole system with speakers, use thematched calibrated electret condenser

microphone (included). Either way, you'llhave a quick, easy and accurate way toevaluate the total sound of your system.

HOW TO TESTSPEAKERS, EQUIPMENT AND TAPE

Testing your speakers in your listen-ing room is the really crucial test. Simplyplace the calibrated microphone whereyou normally sit to listen to your stereo.

At the end of an 18 foot cord is the ear of the system.Just clip the mike wherever you sit and test your room.

Turn on the Pink Noise. You can switchto Left Channel, Right Channel or both.There's a meter range button, a sen-sitivity control, and even a switch thatlets you freeze the meter.

Just sit down at the equalizer. Startwith one channel. You'll see all 10 octavebands on the meter. Just slide the cor-responding controls to increase or de-crease any area that needs help.

You have now set up your system toits maximum capability. But as you'llsee, location is very important. Move themicrophone 5 feet to the left or right.

Then turn on the Pink Noise and checkthe Spectrum Analyzer. Now you cansee why the specifications that comewith your system are only a starting point.

Here's a way to test your tape deckand tape. First record Pink Noise for 3minutes at -20VU. Then play it back andnote the readings on the meters.

Now, record the Pink Noise again atOVU or +3. Wait till you see how muchthe high end falls off. Now you'll see whyall specifications are listed at -20VU.

With the Equalizer/Analyzer you canenjoy the finest stereo sound from yoursystem and be a test lab too.

WHY SO CHEAPBSR now only sells equalizers under

their ADC name. Well, as Detroit comesout with new cars each year, ADC comesout with new equalizers. We got them tosupply us with just 30,000 of last year's

ADC model before they shut it down.They had already paid for all the tool-

ing, all the research and design, so wewere able to buy these for less than halfthe normal price, for cold hard cash.

THE FINAL FACTSThere are 20 slide controls, each with

a bright LED to clearly show its position.Each control will add or subtract up to1 5db. (That's a 30db range!)

There are separate sound detonationslide controls for each channel at 31.5hz,63 hz, 125 hz, 250 hz, 500hz, 1,000 hz,2000 hz, 4000 hz, 8000 hz, and 16,000 hz.

BSR backs this top of the line GraphicEqualizer/Spectrum Analyzer with a 2year standard limited warranty. It is 1 71/a"wide, 3'/2" tall and 83/4" deep.

MAKE YOUR MUSIC EXPLODERISK FREE

It's startling. Music so vibrant with lifeyou'll swear it's 3 dimensional. Sculp-ture your music any way you want it Ifyou're not 100% satisfied for any reason,simply return it to DAK within 30 days inits original box for a courteous refund.

To order your BSR EQ3000 SmartSound Detonator 10 Band Graphic Equal-izer with Real Time Spectrum Analyzerand Calibrated Mike, with Subsonic Filterand Two Way Tape Dubbing risk freewith your credit card, call toll free, orsend your check, not for the $379 retailvalue. Don't even send the $227.97 dealercost. Send just$149 plus$8 for postageand handling. Order No. 4100. CA resadd sales tax.

The sound of your stereo will explodewith life as you detonate each frequencyband with new musical life. And, you cansee and measure exactly what you've done.

DAKINDUSTRIES INCORPORATED


CALL TOLL -FREE. . .1-800-325-08008200 Remmet Ave Canoga Park, CA 91304

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Surround Sound & More ExplainedJourney into space, down mountains or through meadows as you sit in front of your TV. Now the bigger than lifesound of a movie theater comes to your living room. Just wait till a space ship warps right through your couch!

By Drew Kaplan hear laser blasts from the left, applause It's easy. Just put it on top of your VCRIt's awesome. Cars will race out of

your TV and through your room. You'lljump because gun shots are so real. And,if you're walking though a meadow, you'llhear crickets and birds all around you.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of theeffect that you can expect when youconnect this Surround Sound Processorto your stereo VCR or even monaural VCR.

WHAT IT ISThere's just no two ways about it. You

are right in the middle of the action. Ifyou're watching an avalanche, you're in it.

If there's a storm, you'd better get yourrain coat. Battles will be waged and you'llbe right in the middle. And, it's all inyour grasp, now!

This new Surround Sound Processortakes the stereo signal from your VCR(read on for monaural) and produces dra-matic sound through its two front, shield-ed 2 -way speaker systems.

Well, big deal. That's what you getfrom stereo. Ah, but hold on to yourchair. Because, there are over 700 moviesthat have Dolby' Stereo Surround Soundencoded on them. Note: Most tapes justsay Dolby' Stereo, not 'Surround' onthem, but wait till you hear the effect.

Surround Sound has infused movieswith life when you have been at a theater.But, now you can decode them at home.

The Surround Sound signal is obtainedby matching the Left and Right ChannelPhase relationships and sending the dif-ference to the rear.

The engineers create these phase dif-ferences to provide the special effectsfrom the rear. And let me tell you, it willknock you right out of your easy chair.

You'll also have variable rear delay toadd to the rear speakers' effect. You'llhave massive 3 dimensional movement.

So, unlike stereo where things onlymove from side to side, now they canalso move from the front to the back.

Moving from 2 to 3 dimensional soundis mind boggling. There's absolutely nolimit to the locations in your room fromwhich any specific sound can come.

FIRST FOR STEREOSwitch in Surround. You'll hear the

mewn.mantc horlin all around

from all around you when you're at a ballgame, or a freight train approaching youfrom the rear. Watch Out!

If the movie you are watching doesn'thave Surround or you're watching StereoTV, switch to 'Stereo'.

SURROUNDSOUND ',IERI HN1 H HUSIC, DNR

You'll receive a very powerful versionof Surround that is created by this proces-sor. You'll still have full front stereo.

Plus, you'll have the variable ambianceand movement cues from the rear. Infact, in many cases you'll find 'Stereo' tobe even more powerful than Surround.

There's a second stereo button called'Music' that is especially designed toadd only ambiance to the rear, for musi-cals and music videos.

BUT IS MONAURAL DEAD?You haven't been left out. There's a

third switch which infuses your monauralVCR or TV station with resounding life.

It's a highbred stereo synthesizer. Firstit synthesizes stereo for the front speak-ers. Then it synthesizes a third channelfor the rear action effect.

Add the variable ambiance delay andyou'll have sound all around you. It'samazingly full and rich.

You'll have all the effect of a star shipgoing through your room. But, it won'tbe with the precise location detail of theSurround Signal itself.

Don't despair. It's terrific. It's full andalive. If you don't have a stereo deck fordirect comparison, you'd swear that youhad real Surround Sound.

It's amazing. Your viewing of TV orvideo will never be the same again.

FAcV INSTAI I ATION

or TV. Then connect the audio output(s)from your monaural or stereo VCR to thedecoder. And look at this. You can switchbetween two video sources.

Anyway, the rest of the installationconsists of hooking up the 4 speakers.Put two in front and two to the side orrear (wire included) and you are ready forthrilling, throbbing AV excitement.

ALL THE CONTROLSYou'll have control of everything. Of

course you can select input 'A' or 'B'.And you can select Surround Sound,Stereo, Synthesized Stereo or Music.

There's a master volume control. Plus,there's an input level control. And, there'sa rear effects level control.

You can also delay the amount of am-bient delay from 10 to 30 milliseconds.Plus, there's balance, bass and treble.

The speakers are a specially sealedacoustic suspension design. You'll beamazed at the massive sound created bythe 4 woofers and 4 tweeters. It's madeby Universal, the cable specialists, andit's backed by their limited warranty.EXPLODE YOUR CONCEPT OF VIDEO

RISK FREEThe realism of a space ship warping

through your living room is unparalleled.If you aren't 100% enthralled, simplyreturn it to DAK within 30 days in itsoriginal box for a courteous refund.

To order Universal's Video SurroundSound, Stereo, Synthesized Stereo andMusic decoder and enhancer that willexplode your concept of the capabilitiesof home video risk free with your creditcard, call toll free or send your check forDAK's breakthrough price (including all4 speaker systems) of just $19990 ($12P&H) Order No. 4690. CA res add tax.

Move from one or two dimensionalvideo viewing to live, center of the action,thundering, 3 dimensional video sound.

DA INDUSTRIESINC.

Call Toll Free For Credo Card Orders Only24 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week


Technical Information....1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668900 Rammat Aua Cannna Park CA 91304

SAME OLD DOG, BRAND NEW SUBWOOFER

1599 Thunderin, SubwooferMan's best friend meets the audiophile's best friend at an earl shaking bone jarring new price. Now you can addthe impact of a 15" subwoofer to any stereo system for just 9990.

By Drew Kaplan

A puppy may be man's best friend.Woof, Woof. . .But, now I've got a newfriend you can add on to your stereo sys-tem. It doesn't need to be taken on walks,washed or fed. But, it makes a greatcocktail table for you when you're beingfed. And, oh what a woof it has.

GREAT SOUND FOR EVERYONEIt's called a subwoofer. And, normally

it is the beloved pet of only the mostardent audiophiles.

It's not generally understood that itcan be used with virtually any speakersystem in any stereo. And, in addition tosubstantially increasing and perfectingthe bass response, it has a significantimpact on the mid -range clarity too.

Before I tell you exactly how mar-velous your stereo will sound when youconnect this subwoofer to it, there aretwo things you should know.

First, you'll be getting your new friendat a phenomenal price. DAK has soldover 10,000 of Cerwin-Vega's 12" sub -woofers. They had a retail price of $332,but we sold them for $1645°.

Second, your new friend comes com-plete with a paid up health insurancepolicy in the form of a 2 year limitedwarranty from its father, BSR.

By the way, the puppy sitting on top ofthe subwoofer is the same puppy I usedwith Cerwin-Vega's, but wait till you hearwhat's under him now. You'll have BSR's1 5" massive infusion of explosive bass,added to your system for just $9990.

But don't be misled. BSR bass is cleanand tight; never sloppy or overpower-ing. It adds a feeling of depth and full-ness to your music that you simply can'tget with two or 3 -way speaker systems.

HERE'S WHAT IT DOESBasically, the problem with most speak-

er systems is that the bass overpowersthe system. In a 3 -way system, a woofermay be crossed over at about 800hz.And, in a 2 -way system as high as 3000hz.

So, the woofer must handle move-ments of up to an inch at frequenciesbelow about 80hz, while at the sametime attempting to reproduce the veryfine vibration type movements of themid -range frequencies.

It is this difference in movements thatcauses both the bass to be weak or notprecise, and the mid -range to becomemuddy (intermodulation distortion).

Even the best 3 -way systems fall preyto these problems. And, it's why a sub -woofer can do so much for your mid-range clarity as well as your bass.

PROBLEM SOLVEDBSR's subwoofer has a specially en-

gineered crossover network that sendsfrequencies above 120hz to your regularspeakers and reproduces just the mam-moth movement frequencies from 120hz down to 22hz with a special floor fir-ing dual wound super subwoofer.

If you have downstairs neighbors, thissubwoofer isn't for you. The woofer is avery special hybrid. It has a mammothone and one half inch voice coil whichallows the speaker to make the very large

movements required to reproduce thevery low frequencies.

But, it would do a lousy job of repro-ducing mid -range, which is why, costaside, manufacturers don't put big voicecoils in normal 10" or 12" woofers.

To make the massive movements ac-curate, this woofer has a very large mag-netic structure. This magnetic structurealso makes the subwoofer system ex-tremely efficient. (The sensitivity is 91.5db at 1 watt at 1 meter.)

So, whether you have two or three-way speaker systems, with 8", 10" 12"or even 15" woofers, you'll find the sonicimprovements staggering.

You'll hear and feel the awesome effectof thunder rumbling through your home.You'll hear a depth and dramatic fullnessto your music that won't be heavy butwill thrill you with its massive strength.

Flom a floor's eye view' of the subwoofer. You'll fool and hutboss so shim. you'll think Nis.

EASY HOOKUPIt's easy to connect. Simply run the

right and left speaker wires from youramplifier to the input terminals of thesubwoofer. It works with any systemfrom 20 to 150 watts per channel.

Then, you simply connect the speaker

wires from your two standard 8 ohmstereo speaker systems to the outputterminals on the subwoofer. They receivethe exact signal that they did beforeexcept that everything from 120hz downis routed only to the subwoofer.

Placement of your regular speakers isjust as critical as usual for stereo imag-ing, but the subwoofer can be placedanywhere because low frequency mater-ial is totally non -directional.

The subwoofer makes a perfect cock-tail or end table. Its rich wood -tone ap-pearance matches any decor. It is 24%2"long, 161/4" high and 20" wide.TRY AUDIOPHILE'S BEST FRIEND

RISK FREEThe fullness, richness and depth is

awe inspiring. Wait till you connect thissubwoofer to your system and experiencetruly massive force from your music.

If you aren't 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it to DAK in its original box within30 days for a courteous refund.

To order BSR's Thundering Subwooferwith its dramatic 15" Dual Wound VoiceCoil Subwoofer risk free with your creditcard, call toll free, or send your check forDAK's breakthrough price of just $9990($14 PEtH). Or. No. 4514. CA res add tax.

You can't replace the love and soft-ness of a warm puppy. But, wait till youexperience the richness and depth thissubwoofer will add to your bass and theclarity you'll hear in your mid -range.

.41DAKINDUSTRIESNC.

CIl Toll Free For Credo Card Orders Only24 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week

14300-325-0800For Toll Free Information, Call 6AM-5PM Monday -Friday PST

Technical Information 1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

Remote control BlowoutAMID. I=1

Command Consoles, Modules & Computer InterfacesBurglars will think you've got a family of 10 at home when you're out. And, you'll feel like you've got a butler, 2maids and a security guard when you're home. And now, for just $19' you can interface your computer.

By Drew Kaplan

It's late at night. You're in bed. Thelights are romantically low. The stereothat is playing in the background, as wellas your lights, will be automatically turnedoff after you're asleep.

As you peacefully drift off, you'll besecure in the knowledge that to a burglaron the prowl, your family still appears tobe moving about.

CHEAP THRILLSRomantic lighting, burglar deterrents

and energy saving controls, are just thebeginning of this remarkable, installa-tion free, remote control system.

Now you can remotely turn on, off anddim your lights, thwart burglars, andeven turn the lights on or off in an unat-tached garage or barn.

It's exciting. Just imagine effortlesslyretrofitting your home for remote con-trol without running a single wire.

From my own nightstand, I can dimthe lights in the bedroom, turn off myson's TV and turn on our outside securitylights or all the controlled lights in thehouse. Wow!

This instant remote control systemsimply plugs -in in seconds and consistsof inexpensive space age control mod-ules and command centers.

It actually uses your existing house oroffice wiring. And if you can plug in alamp, you can plug-in this system.

THE COMMAND CONSOLEImagine that you're watching TV. You

can dim the lights from your easy chair.If you hear a noise, touch a button andyour outside flood lights jump to life.

It's all easy when you have this top ofthe line Command Console, shown above,sitting next to you. It can let you controlup to 16 different lights and appliances.

You can turn each on or off. You candim or brighten lights. And look at this.You can turn all your controlled lights onor off for instant security with the 'All On'and 'All Off' buttons on the console.

You can even move it from room toroom because its total installation con-sists of simply plugging it in. Or. at DAK's

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super low price, you can put CommandConsoles in as many rooms as you wish.

No matter where a Command Consoleis, you can control lights, fans, TVs, andstereos anywhere in or around your home.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKSAs you push each button on the com-

mand console, a powerful but silent, en-coded signal is sent down its AC cordinto your home or office wiring.This safe, silent encoded signal, travels

throughout your electrical system. And,it won't disturb your TV or your FM.

It can even reach your unattachedgarages, barns, sheds and even yourpool light, porch lights and yard lights.

Wherever you want to control a lightor appliance, all you have to do is plug-inone of the system's controller modules.

Each module has a rotary dial num-bered from 1 to 16. Just dial in a numberto match one of the 16 number buttons.

Then, just plug the module into thewall and the lamp or appliance into themodule for instant remote control.

Important note: You will still have localcontrol of all your lights and appliancesby just using their normal switches, eventhough they are plugged into modules.

Each module actually senses whenyou turn the controlled unit's switch andautomatically relinquishes control.

There are separate modules for lampsthat have full range dimming capabilityfrom 0% to 100%, and handle up to 300watts. There are appliance modules thathave no dimming but can handle up to500 watts, or 1 /3hp motors.

And, there are even light switch mod-ules that have both full dimming and 500watt capability which you can install in-stead of your present wall switches.

You can move the modules from place

to place or change their code numbersin seconds. And of course, if you move,your system goes with you.

THE TIMERThis sophisticated electronic brain

can perform 32 tasks. Just plug it in andyou're in operation.

Select the module number you wantto control, then decide if you want thecontrolled device to come on or off.

If you only want something to happenonce, just push the 'Once' button.

There is a 'Daily' button that lets whatyou've programmed occur every day.

There's a 'Security' button. You can pro-gram lights and radios to give your housea lived-in look when you're away.

With The Timer, you can set your win-dow air conditioning to come on an hourbefore you return from work.

Or, you can have your porch lightscome on so you'll never enter a darkhouse. You can set your hall light tocome on at 11 PM and off at 6AM. Andyou can have your electric blanket shutoff at 7AM and come back on at 10PM.

TELEPHONE CONTROL TOOYou can even phone home and con-

trol anything. Just plug it into both yourAC line and any modular phone jack inyour home or office.

Then just call your regular phone num-ber, hold up its 'beeper controller', giveyour 3 digit code that you set yourself,and start controlling.

You can call home and turn on yourlights before you leave work or beforeyou leave a midnight party. It's a greatsecurity device.

SOME NEAT IDEASYou'll find the system changes and

bends to meet your exact needs. Youcan set several modules to the samenumber so that the front and rear lightscan come on together.

Or, you can set all the lamps in a roomto come on and even dim together.

You're sure to want a module in yourdining room. Eating by subdued light is areal pleasure. And it's important to re-member that not only do you get fullremote control, you get 0% to 100%brightness control of your lights.

It's like getting free dimmers thrown. . .Next Paae Please

. . .X10 Continuedin with your remote control system. So,for bedside lamps, swag lamps, ceilinglights, track lights and garage lights,you'll be in full command.

And, you'll automate your fans, coffee -maker, humidifiers, and crock -pots.

With a little imagination, you can adaptother electronic devices that will let youwater plants, control green houses, andof course, make use of audio cassettedecks with 'timer ready' switches.

And, if you own a second home, nowyou can activate pipe heaters if there's anearly frost, or 'switch on' the house so it'swarm or cool and lit when you arrive.

QUITE A SYSTEMAs you get into bed tonight, think

about what you'd do if you heard a noiseoutside or downstairs. Just push a button.

Think about how nice dimmed lightswould be in your bedroom or living room.If you're at all like me, you'll love all the'plu -in' things you can do with X10.19" COMPIPTER CONTROL TOO

It's amazing. Look at your computerscreen. Pick a lamp anywhere in yourhome and touch a button. Both the lampon the screen and the 'real' lamp willjump to life. And, it's yours for just $19'.

You can choose 10% to 100% inten-sity. And, not only can you turn anythingyou choose 'on' or 'off' right now, youcan program the device to come 'on' orturn 'off' multiple times today, tomorrow,or any day(s) you wish during the week.USE YOUR COMPUTER -DON'T LOSE IT

What's really neat is that you can oper-ate the system directly from your compu-ter, but you store all your programmedinstructions in X10's 80C48 micropro-cessor based Control Center.

And look at this. The Control Centerinstantly connects and disconnects fromyour computer without tying it up.

The control center has battery backup (9V battery not included), and youcan back up all your stored commandson the copyable X10 master disk.

So, not only is your programming pro-tected, but you can store summer, win-ter, and vacation schedules on disk.

In fact, although the included softwaresupports at least 95 devices (minimum,depending upon which computer youown), you'll have access to 256 com-mand capabilities. So, you can programanything you like. Imagine all the excit-

$199° BLOWOUTComputer Interfaces were originally $129 for:

IBM MACINTOSHAPPLE COMMODORE

ing things you can program your com-puter to do. Wow!

FULLY COMPATIBLEDAK has over 70,000 customers with

X10 systems. The standard modules thatyou already own are 100% compatible.So, for $1 990, how can you go wrong?

How is it done? Well, your computertells the Command Center what you wantdone. The Command Center then sendsa silent encoded signal throughout yourhome's electrical system.

If it says, "Number 7 module turn onto 40%", only number 7 will respond. Ofcourse, groups of modules can be con-trolled and you can assign several lights,such as outside flood lights, to the samenumber. It's all easy. It's all flexible.

BACK TO THE ACTIONOK, you're sitting at your Commodore

or Apple IIE or IIC Computer. You'll seepictures of a variety of rooms. Just tellyour computer what types of devicesyou'd like to control.

Whenever you would like to place alamp or appliance, just choose one from ascreen like the one shown above. Thesepictures, or ICONS as they are called incomputerese, will appear. There are manytypes of devices to choose from.

If you were at your IBM PC you'd seetext. (You can even control your wholeoffice or factory.) If you were at yourMacintosh, you can draw your own rooms,even using Macpaint. Wow!

So, with Command Consoles or withyour computer, or with both, you'll havecontrol never before possible of electri-cal devices in your home or office.

Wait till you feel the power of yourcomputer surging through your home. Asecurity mode can make your lights comeon and off at random times for security.You can even manually control 8 devices

from the Console itself.All Command Consoles, Modules and

Computer Interfaces are backed by X10'sstandard limited warranty.

FINAL CLOSE-OUTRISK FREE

It's simply thrilling to use. It's security.It's convenience. And, it's fun.

If you aren't 100% satisfied, simplyreturn any component to DAK in its orig-inal box within 30 days for a refund.

To order Any Combination of Com-mand Consoles, Modules and Computerinterfaces call toll free, or send yourcheck for the amounts shown below.

Order any combination of CommandConsoles and modules you desire.

1)The Control Console -Lets you con-trol up to 16 different modules. On/off/dim/all on/all off. Just S199° ($2 PEtH).Order No. 4622.

2)32 Event Clock Timer -Lets you con-trol 8 modules with up to 2 on and 2 offcommands to each. Also acts as a com-mand base plus sleep and security extras.Just S269° ($2 P&H). Or. No. 9777.

3)Telephone Responder -Phone homeand control 8 devices. It's also a base. It'sjust $3990 ($3 PEtH). Order No. 9778.

4)Lamp Module-Controls/Dims lampsup to 300 watts plugged into walls. Just$11' ($1 PEtH). Order No. 9779.

5)Wall Switch Module-Controls/Dimslights now controlled by wall switches.500 watt capacity. Just replace your wallswitch with this automated module. Just51290 ($1 PEtH). Order No. 9780.

6)Appliance Module -Control stereos,TVs, or anything with motors. 15 amps,500 watts, 1 /3hp rating. Just $1190 ($1PEtH). Order No. 9781.

An X10 Computer Home Controllercomplete with Appropriate Software Diskand Cable is just $19' (4 PEtH).7)For your Commodore 64 or 128, it

simply plugs in. Use Order No. 4378.8)For your Apple IIE or IIC, use Order

No. 4379. Note: For the Apple IIE only(the IIC has one built-in), you'll need aserial interface (same as for a modem).It's just $79 ($2 P&H). Order No. 4380.9)Most IBM PCs & Clones have a

serial port, so X10 should simply plug in.Use Order No. 4410.10)For your Macintosh, the X1 0 sim-

ply plugs in. Use Order No 4411.Comma:ewe. Commodor 64 In 128 and Apple. Apple lie. IIC.M.Intoshreacpaint 18M et Perel rt swecosterea oademarmottomm000re tiec

Iron." Ltd and Apple Computer and .ntematoonal Summits* Machtnee

Answering Attack PhoneLet's vanquish the problem of bulky complicated answering machines.beepers. Now when you're out, just the sound of your voice is

Stamp out beepers. Here's a micropro-cessor controlled answering machinethat's so smart it will give you your mes-sages without using a beeper.

But, before we explore just how easyit is to use and all of its sophisticated fea-tures, such as, toll saver, 2 -way record,and remote saving or erasing of mes-sages, let's take a look at the phone.

Like the answering machine, the phonehas attacked wasted motion, compli-cated commands and uncomfortable fitwith the latest in technology.

Here's a phone that will dial any ofyour 10 most frequently called numberswith the touch of a single button. Justtouch another electronic button and thephone will operate in Tone or Pulse.

Another button gives you instant re -dial. And, as for comfort, well just waittill you cradle the great sounding PhoneCompany style handset on your shoulder.

This phone which can be desk or wallmounted, is no larger than a conven-tional feature phone. It's just 9" deepand 8Y2" wide. And, a standard instantlychangeable audio cassette (included) isconcealed just to the right of the handset.

VANQUISH THE RESTEasy to use. Forget cumbersome 'fixed

time' outgoing announcements. Mostmachines make you fill a 20 second con-tinuous loop cassette.

If you've ever tried to do this, you knowjust what a pain it is to make your mes-sage just the right length. With the AttackAnswerer, just push 'Record Announce-ment' and talk into the built-in micro-phone from 2 seconds to 50 seconds.

After you've recorded your announce-ment, the machine will automaticallyplay it back for your approval.

When you get your first call, it will beanswered on the 4th ring. (Read on tosee why.) If you're at home, you'll hearthe message being left by the caller overthe built-in speaker if you desire.

If you wish to talk to the person, justpick up the receiver and start talking. Ifyou don't, you've just experienced theprivacy protection called 'call screen-ing', which lets you hear who's callingbefore you decide to answer.

This machine will let your caller leaveany length message up to one minutelong. If they hang up in 20 seconds,that's how long the message will be.

If they don't choose to leave a message,the machine will ignore the call. So,when you play back your messages, allyou'll hear are messages, no dead space.And of course, you won't have to listento your own announcement betweeneach message you receive.

And let's conquer the problem of lostall you need to retrieve your messages.

TOLL SAVER, OR THE 4TH RINGIf you're across town or out of town,

why invest a dime or pay for a toll call ifyou have no messages?

Each time you reset your machine, itwill answer the first call on the 4th ring.After it's taken its first message, it auto-matically starts answering on the secondring. So, when you call in, just hang up ifyou get to the third ring. You'll automati-cally know that you have no messages.

If you do have messages, just give themachine a special signal with your ownvoice, and you'll receive your messages.Then you can have the machine save orerase the messages that you have heard.

MISSILE GUIDANCEThis machine is so smart that it elec-

tronically marks each message's location.It knows precisely where your outgoingannouncement as well as each messagethat has been left is located.

The action is fascinating to watch. First,it plays your outgoing announcement.Then, it sounds a tone as it zips to theend of the last message it took.

It then beeps and starts taking thenew message. Finally, it rewinds back tothe precise start of your outgoing an-nouncement, prepared to start again.

MORE SMARTSIf you want to record both sides of a

call, just touch the 2 -way record button

and you'll have a record of the call.Everything is automated. Just touch

one of the full logic controlled buttonsand this computer answers with a con-firming beep and jumps into action.

To play back messages at home, justtouch the 'Message Report' Button. Aflashing message light even tells you ata glance if you've received any messageswhile you were out.

EASY INSTALLATIONJust plug in the modular phone jack

and the included AC adaptor. Then, justrecord your announcement.

The Answerer Attack Phone is readyto take messages or act as your superautomated office or home telephone.It's made by Unitech and backed by theirstandard limited warranty.THE ANSWERER ATTACK PHONE

RISK FREEIt's new. And, it will set you free. From

its Phone Company feel handset to itselectronic convenience extras to its stateof the art answerer, you'll have incred-ible convenience and simply great sound.

If you're not 100% thrilled, simplyreturn it to DAK within 30 days in itsoriginal box for a courteous refund.

To order your Unitech Answerer AttackPhone with totally automated telephonefeatures and easy to use answering ma-chine risk free with your credit card, calltoll free or send your check for DAK'sbreakthrough price of just $99 plus $7PEtH. Order No. 4359. CA res add tax.

Wait till you hear the phone. Wait tillyou use the 1 touch dialing. And, wait tillyou hear the sound quality and enjoy theconvenience of this answering machine.

1_ INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED


CALL TOLL -FREE. . .1-800-325-08008200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

$9990EARTHSHAKER

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Croon nu Titan PlusYou'll experience melodious but thunderous sound at home or on the road from this b/ -amplifiedaudiophile portable with subwoofer, 7 -band equalizer and dual high speed dubbing cassette decks.

It's rich. It's deep. And it's power'ul. the low bass, and not letting it clip (over- One Touch Record, Auto -Stop, Automa-This portable has the sound and features load) the left and right channel amplifiers, tic Level Control and a Tape Counter.

you can maximize the acoustical detailof your mid -range and high -end soundwhile you infuse your bass with life.

Because this electronic crossover al-lows some frequencies as high as 400hzto reach the mid -range amplifiers, it maybe pushing credibility to call it a truesubwoofer. But, you'll be amazed at thepower, punch and tightness of the bass.

you'd expect from home stereo.In fact, when you are at home or at the

office, it makes a great second stereosystem, with its rich thundering bassand vibrantly alive highs.

You'll have superb sounding FM stereo,AM and sequentially playing cassettes.

COLOSSAL SOUNDForget boom box sound. Now you can

have bi-amplified, equalized and enhan-ced deep bass sound wherever you are.

The Equalizer. Most portables have'Tone' controls or, at best, some havebass and treble controls.

Now you can infuse your bass with ifeat 50hz for the very low bass and at100hz for mid -low bass. String basses,drums and orchestral crescendos willliterally throb with life.

Cymbals, or brushes on a snare drum,will take on life and excitement as youboost this equalizer's 1 5,000hz control.

And best of all, you won't make yourfavorite singer's voice sound raspy whenyou boost the highs or muddy when youboost the lows, because an equalizer letsyou sculpture just the areas of the fre-quency spectrum you want to enhance.

The 7 -band EQ lets you sculpture thesound at 50hz, 100hz, 300hz, 1 ,000hz,3,000 hz, 7,000 hz and 1 5,000hz.

Thundering Subwoofer. Just switchin the separate electronically crossed -over amplifier Et 'super woofers' to addearthshaking depth and fullness.

By separately amplifying (bi-amplifying)

EVEN BIGGER THAN IT LOOKSThe speakers across the front provide

a continuous 22W' wall of sound. Thewoofers in the center don't affect stereoseparation, because very low frequen-cies are totally non -directional.

The outer mid -range speakers pro-duce clean, solid mid -range that will letyou enjoy your favorite music withoutcoloration. And outermost, are the power-ful piezo tweeters which widen yourperception of stereo and produce crys-tal clear, vibrant highs.

ALL THE MUSICPowerful AM and FM tuners with a

large slide rule dial, let you pull in evendistant stations. At home or away, you'regoing to have great reception.

Dual Cassette Decks. Now you cancopy cassettes at normal or high speed.Now you can listen to one cassette andthen another, automatically.

The twin decks in this portable areperfectly matched for great soundingrecording and playback.

You can make great sounding record-ings from its built-in tuners or from itsbuilt-in mike. You can also plug in yourown external mikes. You'll also have

And don't forget, these decks playsequentially. Just put tapes in decks 'A'and 'B'. When the first tape is finished,the second tape will automatically begin.

You can operate this portable on AC(cord included), by standard D batteries(not included), or by 1 2V DC from your car(cord not included). It's made by Unitechand backed by their limited warranty.A DUAL CASSETTE CROONING TITAN

RISK FREEThis silver-tongued music maker will

amaze you with both its purity and itspower. It's perfect for the bedroom, den,office or out in the yard.

If you're not 100% satisfied, simplyreturn it in its original box within 30 daysfor a courteous refund.

To order Unitech's Crooning Titan PlusPortable with 7 -Band Equalizer, Bi-Am-plified Subwoofer, and High Speed Dub-bing, Sequentially Playing, Dual CassetteDecks, risk free with your credit card,call toll free, or send your check forDAK's earthshaking price of just $9990($7 P&H). Order No. 4637. CA res add tax.

Why be tied down to one room to lis-ten to your favorite cassettes or radiostations? Now you can have really greatsound and high speed dubbing anywherein your home or in the great outdoors.

DAKINDUSTRIES

CO Toll Free For Credit Card Orders Only24 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week

I-800-325-0800For Toll Free Information Call 6AM5PM Monday -Friday PSTTechnical Information.. .1-800-272-3200Any Other Inquiries 1-800-423-28668200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91304

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HOME CD PLAYERS

ACCUPHASE by MADRIGAL

DP-80/DC-81 Separate -Type CD PlayerCD -playing system consisting of the DP -80 CD player to read digital signals fromCDs and the DC -81 digital processor toconvert the digital signals the DP -80reads into audio signals. Separate trans -

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Accuphase DP -80/-81 CD Player/Processor

port and digital -processing chassis con-nected by optical fiber. Uses a D/A con-vertor with discrete elements. DP -80 CDplayer features one master clock to con-trol all operation timing; linear motor laserpickup and 18 -bit microprocessor toachieve a - 1 -sec selection time; playermechanism mounted on ceramic -resinmounting and floated from chassis; front -panel play, track -search, and pause keys;subpanel skip -back, fast -forward, fast -re-verse, repeat -disc, and repeat -phrasekeys. Cues by track number. Displayscurrent track number. DC -81 digital pro-cessor features wideband optical -fiber in-put receptacles; 16 -bit digital signal anddeglitch signal for each channel input toD/A convertor through 17 optoisolators;121 -stage double oversampling digital fil-ter in each channel; 9 -pole GIC-typeButterworth active filters; direclty coupled0 -dB gain buffer amp used soley as anoutput stage; de -emphasis circuit consist-ing of passive elements and buffer amp;independent power transformer for eachdigital and analog circuits; fixed- and vari-able -level audio output; XLR-type bal-anced output. 75 -ohm coaxial -cable ter-minal allows the DC -81 to be connectedto Compact Disc players of other manu-facturers. 17.5" W X 5.75" H X 15" D; 33lbs $7,000

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH

CD -04 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with proven14 -bit 4 v -oversampling DAC system.Features programming of 99 tracks inany order, 99 tracks in sequential order;skip forward; skip back; fast forward;

fast reverse; time/track selection; repeattrack, disc; full -function remote control;one -beam laser; 14 -bit digital filtering;dual D/A converter. Oversamples at176.4 kHz. Displays current track num-ber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc. 17" W x 4.33" H x 14.5" D. $480

ADC

16/2R Compact Disc PlayerSlide -drawer -loading CD player with ad-vanced error -processing circuitry forprecise tracking. Features programmingof 16 tracks in any order; skip forward;

skip back; fast forward; fast reverse:cancel: repeat track, disc, program; full -function remote control; 7 -pole (7th -or-der) analog filtering; 3 -beam laser. Cuesby track number. Samples at 44.1 kHz.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track; remaining time ondisc; program in memory. 17" W 3.12"H x 11.75" D. 10 lbs $37016/1. As above without remotecontrol $330

CD 100X Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with three -beam laser. Features advanced error -processing circuitry; programming of 16tracks in random order; repeat track,disc, program; skip forward and back.Displays current track, remaining time ondisc, elapsed time of the track. 13.5" Wx 3.5" H 11.5" D $299

ADCOM

GCD-300 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; skip forward; skipback; repeat phrase, remote control; dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track, elapsed time of disc,program stored in memory. Cues bytrack number. Max line output 2.5 V;THD at 1,000 Hz 0.004%; sep 80 dB; FR5-20.000 Hz 0.5 dB $500GCD-200. As above without remotecontrol $450

ADS

Atelier CD3 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with separate16 -bit linear D/A converters for eachchannel and both digital and analog fil-ters. "Computer -on -a -chip" micropro-cessors provide computing power fortracking -system control, error correction,filtering, and user control input. Errorcorrection system varies the size of cor-rection window in response to actual

ADC 16/2R CD Player


Home CD Players 1 Home CD Players

data errors. Entire transport system held inrigid, die-cast chassis for permanent align-ment of all system component and is sup-ported by shock mounts to keep acousticand mechanical vibrations from causingtracking errors. Features 3 -beam laser;digital filtering (resampling frequency 88.2kHz programming of 30 tracks in randomorder; sound audible during fast forwardand fast reverse; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, phrase, program; full -functionremote control; headphone jack with ad-justable level; fixed and variable outputs;digital interface. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time of disc, remaining time ondisc, program stored in memory. Cues bytrack number, index number. Max line out-put 2 V; headphone output 2 V; THD at 20-20.000 Hz <0.01% at 0 dB; S/N >102dB; sep >86 dB; FR 20-20,000 Hz ± 0.25dB; 20 lbs; 17.5" W X 2.75" H x 14.8"D $1,250

ADS CD3 Compact Disc Player

Aiwa DX -1500 CD Player

repeat track, disc. program; headphonejack with adjustable level; sound audibleduring fast forward and fast reverse scan.Samples at 44.1 kHz. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of current disc.program stored in memory, and remainingtime on disc. $375

Atelier CD4 Compact Disc PlayerCD player with cast laser and disc trans-port assembly shock mounted in rubberisolators, aluminum and steel chassis/housing, and multiple power supplies toisolate digital and analog stages for mini-mum interaction and noise generation. Aservo -laser intensity system switches fo-cus intensity depending on quality of discto maximize performance. Brick -wall dig-ital filter works in conjunction with ad-vanced multiple -pole low-pass filter. Fea-tures error -correcting system using avariable -size window of correction; 16 -bitD/A convertors; fast -focus 3 -beam laser;programming of 16 tracks in random or-der; reapeat disc, track, user -markedphrase, and program; random-access bytime within a track; access by indexcode; audible fast search; 5 -function in-frared remote control. Displays elapsedtime from track start, remaining time todisc end, track/program selection num-ber. index, program in memory . . . $900

AIWA

DX -1500 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc playerwith nine -function wireless remote con-trol. Features programming of sixteentracks in random order. programming of99 tracks in sequential order; track skipforward; track skip back; audible fast for-ward and fast reverse; cancel feature;

AKAI

CD -A70 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with anti -reso-nant construction including high -polymercabinet, insulated floating suspension,and support feet for accurate tracking.Dual power supply eliminates mistrack-ing during dynamic sections. Natural -log-ic programming allows 27 -keystroke pro-gramming for virtually unlimited numberof track programmability. Features gold-plated RCA jacks: subcode terminal; disccenter support; stabilized servo controlsystem; independent left/right monauralamps; skip forward; skip back; fast for-

Akai CD -A70 Compact Disc Player

ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track,disc, phrase. program; 32 -function re-mote control; 3 -beam laser; steep 90 -dBattenuation digital filtering; 7th -order ac-tive analog filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan. Cues by

AMA

track and index number. Oversamples at88.2 kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, program in memory. 17.3"W x 3.1" H x 10.2" D: 8.6 lbs ... $475

CD-A3X Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with anti -reso-nant insulated floating mechanism andstabilized servo control system for accu-rate tracking, gold-plated RCA jacks,disc center support. Features program-ming of 36 tracks in random and sequen-tial order; skip forward; skip back; fastforward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc. phrase, program; 3 -beam la-ser; 7th -order active analog filtering; sin-gle D/A converter; sound audible duringfast scan. Cues by track and index num-ber. Samples at 44.1 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time on disc, programin memory. 17.3" W X 3.1" H x 10.2" D;7.7 lbs $350

CD -M515 Compact Disc PlayerMid -sized -chassis drawer -loading CDplayer with anti -resonant insulated float-ing mechanism and stabilized servo con-trol system for accurate tracking anddisc center support. Features program-ming of 36 tracks in random and sequen-tial order; skip forward: skip back: fastforward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, phrase, program; 3 -beam la-ser; 7th -order active analog filtering; sin-gle D/A converter; sound audible duringfast scan. Cues by track and index num-ber. Samples at 44.1 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-

rent track, elapsed time on disc, program inmemory. 13.8" W X 3.3" H X 10.2 D$340

CD -A30 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with anti -reso-nant insulated floating mechanism and



stabilized servo control system for accu-rate tracking and disc center support.Features programming of 36 tracks inrandom and sequential order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase,program: 3 -beam laser; 7th -order activeanalog filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan. Cues bytrack and index number. Samples at 44.1kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, program in memory. 17.3"W X 3.1" H x 10.2" D; 7.7 lbs ... $340

AUDIOQUEST

TCD-10 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with improvedfiltering system to reduce phase shift.Analog stage following D/A converterstage employs vacuum tubes. Featuresrandom-access programming of 785tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; 3 -speed fast forward and reverse;4 -sec precord-pause insertion; anti -jam-ming protection; repeat track, disc, andprogram; headphone jack with adjust-able level; infrared remote control; one -beam laser; dual D/A convertors. Cuesby track number. Oversamples at 176.4kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, remaining time on disc. In-

cludes an additional altered output: mu-sic scan; single play; and a digital outputfor CD graphics. CD ROM, etc. Head-phone output 0-5 V. 16.5" W x 3.5" H X11.75" D; 9.75 lbs $1,495

CD -1 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with premium -quality capacitors and mechanical damp-ening. Features skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; repeat disc;headphone jack; dual D/A converters;

AUDIO -TECHNICA

AT-CD20 Compact Disc PlayerDraw -loading CD player with 3 -beam la-ser and programming of 9 tracks in ran-dom order. Features full -function wire-less remote control; double -resolutiondigital filtering; 5th -order active filter; re-peat disc, phrase, program; track search;index search; dual -speed fast forwardand reverse with automatic switching inPLAY or PAUSE modes; CIRC dual -error

Audio Technica AT-CD20 CD Player

sound audible during fast scan. Cues bytrack number. Oversamples at 176.4kHz. Displays current track number. In-cludes 4 sorbothane isolation feet $695

correction system: dual D/A converters;headphone jack with adjustable level.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, and total music

r audio

if

COMPACT DISC PLAYERSJVC XL-V200B 3 -BEAM. DIG FILTERED. PROGRAMMABLE.. CALLSHARP DX-111BK AFFORDABLE CD PLAYER S159.95SHARP DX-620BK PROGRAMMABLE W REMOTE 199.95SONY CDP-35 PROGRAMMABLE 199.95SONY CDP-50 PROGRAMMABLE W REMOTE 249.95TEAC PD -400 PROGRAMMABLE W REMOTE 219.95TECHNICS SLP-110 NEW AND PROGRAMMABLE 215.00TECHNICS SLP-310 NEW, PROGRAMMABLE W/REMOTE CALLTECHNICS SL -P500 TOP OF THE LINE' CALLTOSHIBA XR-J9 MIDI -SIZE PROGRAMMABLE 149.95TOSHIBA XR-35 PROGRAMMABLE W REMOTE 199.95TOSHIBA XR-V22 DOUBLE CD PLAYER 319.95

PORTABLE CD PLAYERSPANASONIC RX-CD70 AM -FM. DUBBING CASS. W/DOLBY 449.95SHARP WQ-CD15BK AM -FM, CASSETTE 369.95SONY D-14 PLAYER ONLY W AC ADAPT. BATTERY PK. & CASE 159.95SONY D-55 ABOVE W FM, PROGRAMMABLE. & HEADPHONE 249.95SONY 0-7S WORLDS SMALLEST. & PROGRAMMABLE 229.95SONY CFD-W888 AM -FM DUBBING CASSETTE W DOLBY 499.95TECHNICS SL-XP5 NEW, PROGRAMMABLE W/HEADPHONES CALLTECHNICS SL-XP8 ABOVE W DIGITAL AM -FM 269.95TOSHIBA XR-P9 3 -BEAM. PROGRAMMABLE WIREMOTE 219.95

ELECTRONICSSONY STR-AV340 (35X2) AM -FM RECEIVER W/REMOTE 219.95TEAC V -450X CASSETTE DECK W DOLBY B.C. 8 DBX CALLTECHNICS SA -959 (100X2) AM -FM RECEIVER W EC) & REMOTE 349.95TECHNICS SA -370 (40X2) AM -FM RECEIVER W REMOTE 199.95TECHNICS SU-V60 (90X2) VC -4 CLASS AA INTGRATED AMP 215.00TECHNICS ST -G40 OTZ DIG TUNER W 16 RANDOM PRESETS 100.00

SEE A BETTER PRICE? CALL US! WE WANT YOUR BUSINESS!,

Mimi/ audio12 E. Delaware Pl., Chicago 60611

Phone Now10:00-5:00 1-800-621-8042

Hours: TOLL FREE1-312-664-0020

Price Lists & Quotes Mon. thru Sot. Orders & Quotes

Ulf fM111010711.:INIVIMI.M111111.114W111.1MM:411114111(101.01 mon(aitiimi MI aIrallialaillWallen

1987 COMPAGI. DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 119

SAVE MONEY TIME FREIGHT ON NAME BRAND STEREOEQUALIZERS

ADC SS-117EX 10 BD PER CH W SPATIAL EXPANDER 149.95 I'MADC SS -412X 10 BD PER CH W SPEC ANALYZER 279.95 !IPAUDIOSOURCE EQ-ONE II 10 BD PER CH W ANALYZER 249.95 l'SAUDIOSOURCE AV -1 10 BD AUDIO VIDEO PROCESSOR CALLTECHNICS SH-8046K 14 BD W ANALYZER & 4 PRESETS 169.95 itTEAC EOA-10B 10 BD PERCH.W ANALYZER 85.00

11TEAC EGA -20B ABOVE W TAPE DUBBING CAPABILITY 99.00

SURROUND SOUND DECODERSAUDIOSOURCE SS -1 I15X2) W DOLBY 199.95S.S.I. 36011 WITH DOLBY 2199..9955 riSANSUI DS -77 110X2) AUDIONIDEO PROCESSOR

1CA. L91-579TECHNICS SH-AV44 (25X2) W'DOLBY tiHEADPHONES

SONY MDR -CD -5 MONITOR HEADPHONES 64.95KOSS SST -7 NEW DIGITAL READY 44.95KOSS PRO -4X PLUS ONE OF KOSS' MOST POPULAR 51.00SENNHEISER HD-414SL OPEN AIR. LIGHT WEIGHT 49.00

CASSETTE TAPESTDK SA -90 SUPER AVILYN 18.00 10TDK HXS-90 HIGH BIAS. METAL PARTICLE 31.00 10MAXELL XLII-90 HIGH BIAS 18.00 10MAXELL XLII'S'-90 HIGH BIAS 24.00 10BASF CRE II -90 TRUE CHROMDIOXID TAPE 16.90 10FUJI METAL -90 FR' SERIES TAPE 30.00 10SONY UCX-90 HIGH BIAS 15.00 10

ACCESSORIESALLSOP CD CLEANER 14.95

DISCWASHER CD CLEANER . 11.95

PARSEC 740311 ANTENNA 54.95TEAC CD -74 STORAGE CASE 29.95UPS rates apply on these units Prices and Availability Subject to Change

Clearance reared 0^ persona and company checKs

MersterCord

VTSA

- send for free price list -NameAddressCityState Zip

or use your address label


ime. Sound audible during fast scan.Play -spacing function inserts 3 secondsbetween selections. Includes stereo out-put cord. RC20 remote control transmit-ter, 2 AA batteries. Headphone output0.16 V. 7 Ibs; 17" W X 3.60 H X 11.5"D $400

BANG & OLUFSEN

CD50 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; digital filtering (resam-pling frequency 88.2 kHz) programmingof 34 tracks in random order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, pro-gram; full -function remote control.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, elapsed time ofdisc, program stored in memory. Cuesby track number, index number. Max lineoutput 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.003% at

0 dB; S/N 95 dB; sep 94 dB; FR 4-20,000 Hz 0.3 dB; 17.7 Ibs; 16.5" H x3" W x 12.75"D $999Optional CD 50 Remote Terminal $150

CDX Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading CD player. Features one -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency kHz 176.4 kHz) programmingof 40 tracks in random order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-

decoders/ch; 19 -bit resolution yield; 6analog filters; D/A converters; isolatedCD tray; solid wood end panels. 17.5" WX 5" H X 11" D; 20 lbs $2,495

CARVER

DTL-200 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -beamlaser and Digital Time Lens circuitry tocorrect sonic problems in source materi-

current track, elapsed time of disc, pro-gram stored in memory; sound audibleduring fast forward and fast reverse; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc. phrase,program; cue by track number, indexnumber. Maximum line output 1.9 V; totalharmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz 0.05%;signal-to-noise ratio 96 dB; separation86 dB; frequency response 5-20.000 Hz;13 lbs; 19' W X 3.44' H x 11.25" D$650

Carver Digital Time Lens Compact Disc Player

al. Features 18 -bit linear -phase digital fil-ter for vertical ellimination of samplingdistortions through a 726 dB/octaverolloff; programming of 9 tracks in anyorder; programming of 99 tracks in se-quential order; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, phrase, and program; 24 -function remote control; 121st -order lin-

Bang & Clasen CDX CD Player

verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, pro-gram. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime of disc. program stored in memory.Cues by track number, time. Max lineoutput 2 V; THD at 1.000 Hz 0.003°0 at-0 dB; S/N 96 dB; sep 94 dB; FR 3-20,000 Hz ±0.3 dB; 13.4 Ibs; 16.5" W x3" H x 12.25" D $699

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO

CD1 Compact Disc PlayerFeatures 2 chassis (1 for decoders andother for playing mechanism); 3 separatepower supplies; three separate 16 -bit1 20 COMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE

ear -phase digital filtering (F.I.R. @ 88.2kHz); dual D/A converters. Cues by trackand index number. Oversamples at 88.2kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, remaining time on disc, pro-gram in memory. Sound audible duringfast forward and reverse. 19" W X 3.44"H x 11.25" D; 13 lbs $699

Digital Time Lens Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; digital filtering (resam-pling frequency 88.2 kHz); programmingof 9 tracks in random order; display ofcurrent track number, elapsed time of1987

DTL-50 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -beamlaser and Digital Time Lens circuitry tocorrect sonic problems in source materi-al. Features programming of 9 tracks inany order; programming of 99 tracks insequential order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat track, disc, phrase, and program;12 -function remote control; 88.2 kHzdouble digital filtering; dual D/A convert-ers. Cues by track and index number.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time on disc, remain-ing time on disc, program in memory.Sound audible during fast forward andreverse. 17" W X 3" H X 11.25" D; 10lbs $549

dbx

DX3 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; digital filtering (resam-pling frequency 88.2 kHz); programmingof 9 tracks in random order; sound audi-ble during fast forward and fast reverse;skip forward; skip back; fast forward:fast reverse; cancel; repeat track. disc,program. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track. Cues bytrack number, index number. Equippedwith 3 dbx signal -processing circuits:DAIR- a 2 -band design for adding impactto musical transients, compression con-trol for background listening (has fixedthreshold with variable gain belowthreshold and professional OverEasycompression with variable ratio abovethreshold), ambiance control to add or

These listings are based on dataprovided by the manufacturers. Formore product information, contactan authorized dealer or the manu-facturer directly. Manufacturers'addresses are given in the directo-ry beginning on page 147.


c 1985 DiscwasherA DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL JENSEN INC

subtract left -right (out -of -phase) informa-tion in the midrange and treble fields in-creasing or decreasing spaciousness ofthe entire sound field. Maximum line out-put 2 volts; total harmonic distortion- 0.002% from 20-29,000 Hertz, total t-ar-monic distortion less than 0.07% with dbx

dbx DX3 Compact Disc Player

processing; S/N ratio 90 dB below 1 V A-wtd, 96 dB below 2 V A-wtd, 100 dB withplayer in use, with dbx same as withoutprocessing except full compression limitsmax dynamic range to 60 dB while fullDAIR increases dynamic range 10 dE to106 dB; sep 90 dB; FR 10-20,000 Hz+- 0.5 dB, - 1 dB; 10 Ibs; 17.12" W x 3.39"H x 11.44" D $599

DENON

All Denon CD players feature Direct Digi-tal to Analog Converters (DDAC) to virtu-ally eliminate distortion in digital -to -ana-log conversion process.

DCD-1500 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 88.2 kHz); programming of 20tracks in any order; sound audible duringfast scan; skip forward; skip back; fastforward/reverse; cancel; repeat track,disc, phrase, program; 10 -function re-mote control; headphone jack with ad-

justable level. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time of disc, remaining time ondisc, program stored in memory. Cuesby track number, index number, time. to-tal harmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz0.0025%; signal-to-noise ratio 96 dB;separation 95 dB; frequency response 5-20.000 Hz + 0.3 dB $650

DCD-1300 Compact Disc PlayerFeatures real-time super -linear digital -to -analog converter; 20 -random -preset pro-gramming; headphone jack with adjust-able volume control; analog and digitalfiltering; call selector; repeat selector; in-dex search $550

DCD-700 Compact Disc PlayerFeatures super -linear D/A converter;wireless remote control; analog filtering;headphone jack with adjustable volumecontrol $400

DCD-500 Compact Disc PlayerFeatures super -linear D/A converter; 15random presets; analog filtering; head-phone jack $330

Accessories

ACA -52. Side panels for DCD-1300/1500$30

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With one of the largest compact disc collections in the country. RadioStation KRAV knows it has to clean CDs because it can't affordplayback tracking problems. And a dirty compact disc will distort thesound by blocking or scattering the CD player's laser beam.

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DISCRETE TECHNOLOGY

LSI MKII Compact Disc PlayerDrawer-loeading CD player with one setof variable and one set of fixed outputsthat can connect directly to a power amp.Features skip forward; skip back; fastforward; fast reverse; repeat track, disc,program; one -beam laser; digital filtering;analog filtering; dual D/A converters.Cues by index number. Oversamples at176.4 Hz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track. 16.5" W X3.5" H X 11.88" D; 16.5 lbs . . . $1,195

FISHER

AD -8156 Compact Disc PlayerFeatures 6 -function wireless infrared re-mote control; 8 -selection programmablescan function; horizontal -load system

programming of 15 tracks in any order;repeat program, disc, phrase; forwardand reverse skip search; forward and re-verse index search; audible fast forwardand reverse music search; timer play-back function. Displays track number, in-dex number, elapsed time. Lightedsymbols/words indicate program, re-peat, A -B repeat, play, pause. 10 -keyfront -panel number pad. 17.12" X 2.88"X 10.44"; 9.5 lbs $270

11-4800 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; programming of 15 tracks inany order; repeat program, disc, phrase;forward and reverse skip search; for-ward and reverse index search; 2 -speedaudible fast forward and reverse musicsearch; timer playback function. Displaystrack number, index number, elapsed

111OiCJ rIal

. 0 INIK,

Fisher AB -815B CD Player

with motorized drawer; skip forward andreverse; ALL/ONE/OFF repeat functionwith LED indicator; digital display of trackand index numbers; index search. 440mm W $400

AD -924B Compact Disc PlayerFeatures 16 -selection programmablescan function; horizontal -load systemwith motorized drawer; skip forward andreverse; ALL/ONE/OFF repeat functionwith LED indicator; digital display of trackand index numbers; index search. 440mm W $380AD -922B. As above except 400 mmW $380

GENERAL ELECTRIC

11-4911 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with infraredremote control. Features 3 -beam laser;

time. Lighted symbols/words indicateprogram, repeat, A -B repeat, play, pause.17.12" X 2.88" X 10.44"; 9.5 lbs .. $230

feedback, all -discrete analog stage toensure very low IM distortion from DC -100,000 Hz eliminating "alias error" andallowing the use of very shallow analogfilter after D/A converter to preserve spa-tial information. Features programmingof 15 tracks in any order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase andprogram; cueing by track number; 3 -beam laser; single D/A converter; 16 -bitlinear -conversion digital filtering withdual sample; all discrete, gradual slopeanalog filtering. Oversamples at 88.2kHz. Displays current track number.17.36" W X 4" H X 13.25" D; 12.8lbs $575

HITACHI

DA005 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with direct PITservo, 5 -stage error correction, 121 -band digital filter. Programs 15 tracks itany order. Features skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat track; repeat disc; repeat phrase;repeat program; cues by track; 28 -func-tion remote; headphone jack; adjustableheadphone; three -beam laser; single D/Aconverter; display of current track num-ber; display of elapsed time of currenttrack; display of remaining time on disc;sound audible during fast scan. Head-phone output 2 V; 11 lbs $800

DA501 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 4 -way re-peat and direct Pit servo. Programs 15tracks in any order. Features skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re -

Harman Kardon HD300 Compact Disc Player

HARMAN KARDON

HD300 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with zero -

General Electric 11-4911 CD Player


verse; timer play; repeat track; repeatdisc; repeat phrase; repeat program; cueby track; 18 -function remote; headphonejack; adjustable headphone; three -beamlaser; analog filtering; single D/A con-verter; display of current track number;display of elapsed time of current track.Headphone output 2 V; 10 lbs . . . $600

DA6001 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with direct Pitservo, new floating mechanism, 6 -digitFL display and 4 -way repeat. Programs15 tracks in any order. Features skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; timer play; repeat track; repeatdisc; repeat phrase; repeat program; cueby track; 6 -function remote; three -beamlaser; single D/A converter; display ofcurrent track number; display of elapsedtime of current track; sound audible dur-ing fast scan $450


DA500 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; programming of 15tracks in random order; display of cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track; program stored in memory;sound audible during fast forward andfast reverse; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; repeat track,disc, phrase, program; cue by track num-ber, index number. Max line output 2.5 V;total harmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz0.003%; IMD 0.003%; signal-to-noise ra-tio95 dB; separation 92 dB; frequency re-sponse 5-20,000 Hz. 17.12" W x 3.25" Hx 10.36" D $450

DA600 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 4 -way re-peat and 6 -digit FL display; direct Pit ser-vo; new floating mechanism. Programs15 tracks in any order. Features skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; timer play; repeat track; repeatdisc; repeat phrase; repeat program; cueby track; three -beam laser; analog filter-ing; single digital -to -analog converter;display of current track number; displayof elapsed time of current track; soundaudible during fast forward and fastreverse $400

JVC

XL-V100BK Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with high -pre-cision 3 -beam laser pickup design forhigh sensitivity and low resonance andvibration, separate digital and analog cir-cuits for improved isolation and lowernoise; Independent Suspension System(ISS) and large insulators to protect thepickup and disc from vibration and reso-nance; 2 outputs (fixed and variable). Re-mote controllable with selected JVCCompu-Link Components. Features pro-gramming of 15 tracks in any order; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse: cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase,and program; 30 -function remote control;headphone jack with adjustable level;higher -filter digital filtering; analog filter-ing; dual D/A convertors; sound audibleduring fast scans. Cues by track number,index number, and time. Oversamples at176.4 kHz. Displays current track num-ber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc, program in memory. Headphoneoutput 2 V. 17.19" W X 3.94" H X 15.88"D; 17.7 lbs $1,000

XL-V440BK Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with high -pre-cision 3 -beam laser pickup design forhigh sensitivity and low resonance andvibration, Independent Suspension Sys-tem (ISS) to protect the pickup and discfrom vibration and resonance; 10 -key di-rect access and programming; New YServo System with High -Balance Servoand High-Trackability Servo for unerringtracking of any disc. Remote controllablewith selected JVC Compu-Link Compo-nents. Features programming of 15tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; repeat

disc, and program; 23 -function remotecontrol; 3 -beam laser; headphone jackwith adjustable level; digital filtering; sin-gle D/A converter. Cues by track numberand time. Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track. Headphone output 2 V.17.19" W X 3.31" H x 11.36" D; 7.3lbs $400

XL-V330BK Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with high -pre-cision 3 -beam laser pickup design forhigh sensitivity and low resonance and

vibration Independent Suspension Sys-tem (ISSI to protect the pickup and discfrom vibration and resonance; direct ac-cess programming; New Y Servo Systemwith High -Balance Servo and High-Trackability Servo for unerring trackingof any disc. Remote controllable with se-lected JVC Compu-Link Components.Features programming of 15 tracks inany order; skip forward; skip back; fastforward; fast reverse; repeat disc, andprogram; 23 -function remote control; 3 -beam laser; headphone jack with adjust-able level; digital filtering; single D/A con -

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verter. Cues by track number and time.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track. Headphone output 2 V. 17.19"W x 3.31" H x 11.36" D; 7.3 lbs . $350

XL-V220BK Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with high -pre-cision 3 -beam laser pickup design forhigh sensitivity and low resonance andvibration, Independent Suspension Sys-tem (ISS) to protect the pickup and discfrom vibration and resonance; New YServo System with High -Balance Servoand High-Trackability Servo for unerringtracking of any disc. Remote controllablewith selected JVC Compu-Link Compo-nents. Features programming of 15tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; repeatdisc, and program; headphone jack withadjustable level; digital filtering; singleD/A converter. Cues by track numberand time. Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track. Headphone output 2 V.17.19" W x 3.31" H x 11.36" D $275

KEN WOOD

DP -1000 IIB Basic Series CD PlayerDrawer -loading CD player displayselapsed time of current track, remainingtime on disc, and program in memory.Features programming of 16 tracks inany order; skip forward; skip back; re-peat track, disc, and program; cue by in-dex number; 24 -function wireless remotecontrol; linear -skate disc loading; 16 -bitlinear quantizing per channel; semicon-ductor laser; audible FF and FR. Spacefunction provides 4 seconds between se-lections. W&F below measurable limit;dynamic range 95 dB; constant linear ve-locity 1.2-1.4 m/sec; sampling frequency44,100 Hz; max line output 2.0 V; head-phone output 31 mW/32 ohms; THD

0.0015% at 1,000 Hz; FR 20-20,000 Hz+ 0.5 dB; 15 lbs; 15.31" W x 3.16" H x12.22" D $510

DP -850(B) Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player displayselapsed time and remaining time on disc.Features laser with servo control; repeatdisc and program; cue by track and indexnumber; headphone jack with adjustablelevel; linear -skate disc loading; index andtrack search; memory function; 16 bitslinear quantizing per channel; timer play.W&F below measurable limit; max lineoutput 2.0 V; headphone output 25mW/32 ohms; THD less than 0.003% at1,000 Hz; separation 90 dB at 1,000 Hz;frequency response 5-20,000 Hz ±0.5dB; 10.5 lbs; 16.22" W x 3.31" H x 12.16"D $315

KINERGETICS

KCD-20 Gold Series CD PlayerCompact Disc player with high -outputvoltage for directly driving a power amp.Line stage with increased gain and front -panel volume and balance controls elimi-nate need for preamplifier. Features coil -spring suspension transport and all -

metal chassis and cabinet for better

Kinergetics KCD-20 Compact Disc Player

isolation from hum and mechanical prob-lems; dynamic and analog processingcircuits; remote power supply; dual D/Aconverters; single -beam laser with qua-druple oversampling; full -function dis-play; indexing; CIRC error -correctionsystem. Black anodized panels with soft -gold lettering. 19" rack mount. 19" W3.75" H x 10.62" D; 14 lbs $795Optional remote control approx . $100

KYOCERA

DA -910 Compact Disc PlayerCompact Disc player with motorizeddrawer and Ceramic Compound Resin(CCR) chassis. Features 1 -beam laser; 4 -times digital filtering oversample; pro-gramming of 24 tracks in random order;display of current track number, elapsedtime of current track, remaining time ondisc, program stored in memory; skipforward; skip back; cancel; repeat track,disc, phrase, program; cue by track num-ber, index number; 8 -function remotecontrol; headphone jack with adjustablevolume; direct -coupled DC -servo amplifi-er; solid ferrite power transformer to cuteddy current, minimize flux leakage, andimprove voltage regulation; die-cast zincpickup mechanism to isolate unwantedvibrations; automatic gain control in opti-cal servo mechanism; 3 -step output levelswitch for direct connection to a poweramp. D/A converter system uses newlydeveloped digital circuits, 3rd -orderBessel filters, and independent left/rightD/A converter circuits. Analog circuitsvulnerable to external and internal vibra-tions are encompassed in a Fine Ceram-ic Linear (FCL) module that surpressesunwanted vibrations. Independent powe

PRICES LISTEDare only the manufacturers' suggested retail prices

(also referred to as list prices):actual selling prices are set by each dealer.

All prices are subject to change without notice.

circuits for both the digital and analogcircuits in the power stage prevent digitalnoise from leaking over to analog cir-cuits. Hand -Held remote transmitter usesa pulse -modulated infrared beam systemand duplicates all basic push-button con-trols of player. Maximum line output 5volts; total harmonic distortion at 1,000Hertz 0.005%; signal-to-noise ratio 95dB; separation 90 dB; frequency re-sponse rated at 5-20,000 Hertz ±0.5

dB; 22 lbs $1,600

DA -810 Compact Disc PlayerCompact Disc player with motorizeddrawer. Features 1 -beam laser; digital fil-tering oversample; programming of up to24 tracks in random order; display of cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, remaining time on disc, pro-gram stored in memory; skip forward;skip back; cancel; repeat disc, phrase,program; cue by track number, indexnumber; headphone jack (adjustable out-put). Maximum line output 4 volts; totalharmonic distortion at 1,000 Hertz0.005%; signal-to-noise ratio 95 dB; sep-aration 90 dB; FR 20-20,000 Hz ± 0.5 dB;18.12" W x 4.5" H x 12.62" D $1,100

DA-710CX Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc playerwith ceramic guides for laser head mech-anism. Features programming of up to24 tracks in random order; programmingof up to 99 tracks in sequential order;skip track forward; skip track back; fastforward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack; repeat disc; repeat phrase; repeatprogram; 39 -function remote control;headphone jack with adjustable volumecontrol; digital -filtering oversampling;third -order analog filtering; dual digital -to -analog converters; sound audible dur-ing fast forward and fast reverse. Cuesby track number; cues by index number.Displays current track number, remain-ing time on disc, and program in memo-ry. Headphone output 50 mW. 18.12" Wx 3.56" H x 12.12" D; 13 lbs

. $750

DA-610CX Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc player withthree -beam laser and four Fine Ceramicsspacers located in the chassis to isolate thelaser from any external vibrations. A Zirco-nia-ceramic guide shaft provides smoothertravel of the laser transport for better track-ing stability. Included 24 -key wirelesshand-held remote control can be used in asystem remote or separately. Featuresskip track forward; skip track back; fast for-ward access: fast reverse access; cancel;

124 C()Nti.m: I Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987


Kyocera DA-610CX CD Player

repeat track, disc, and program; pro-gramming of 15 tracks in any order, 99tracks in sequential order; headphonejack with adjustable level; 9th -order ana-log filtering; single D/A converter; soundaudible during fast scans. Displays cur-rent track number, remaining time ondisc, and program in memory. 18.12" WX 3.56" H X 12.12" ID; 11.11 lbs . $550

DA -610 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam digital filtering; programming of 16tracks in random order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse; re-peat track, disc, program; 8 -function re-mote control; headphone jack with ad-justable level; auto shut-off at end ofplay; remote independently or throughremote system center; 16 -bit quantiza-tion; 9th order analog pass filter. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track. Max line output 2 V;headphone output 40 mW; THD at 1,000Hz 0.005%; S/N 90 dB; sep 90 dB; FR 5-20.000 Hz 0.5 dB $550RC -101 Remote Control Unit. Wirelessremote control center for selection/function control of Kyocera remote con-trol products. Features single -cable in-terconnect to units; 2 external remotesensor inputs; manual override $200RS -103 Remote Control Sensor. Featuressingle -cable connection to Kyocera RC -101 control center and external remotecontrol sensor. Allows multi -room re-mote control of Kyocera remote -capableCD players, receivers, and cassettedecks $75RT-102 Remote Transmitter. Handheldwireless remote transmitter with 12 re-ceiver, 6 tape deck, and 5 CD player func-tions. Features auto system power on/off.Controls main functions on Kyocera's re-mote control components directly or byremote sensors $50

LUXMAN

D-03 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features one -beam laser; programming of 20 tracks inrandom order; skip forward; skip back;

fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, program; 7 -function remotecontrol. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime of disc, remaining time on disc, pro-gram stored in memory. Cues by tracknumber, index number, time. Max lineoutput 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.003% at- 1 dB; S/N 97 dB; FR 5-20,000 Hz - 0.5dB; 18.7 lbs; 17.81" W x 3.31" H x12.94" D $1,500

D-404 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features one -beam laser; programming of 8 tracks inrandom order; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; repeat track,disc, program; 5 -function remote control;headphone jack with adjustable level.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, remaining time ondisc, program stored in memory. Cuesby track number. Max line output 2 V;THD at 1,000 Hz 0.003% at -1 dB; S/N96 dB; sep 90 dB; FR 5-20,000 Hz -0.5dB; 13.2 lbs; 17.81" W X 3.31" H12.36" D $580

D-100 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with STAR cir-cuitry. Features programming of 15tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat disc, program; 10 -function infra-red remote control; 3 -beam laser; mirror-image/phase-coherent anti-aliasing ana-log filtering; singe D/A converter. Cuesby track number. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc, program in memory. 17.25" W x3.36" H X 12.31" D; 9.7 lbs $480

MAGNAVOX

CDB650 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with FavoriteTrack Selection (FTS) to allow user toprogram favorite tracks from a CD li-brary. Includes an additional altered out-put; music scan; single play; and a digitaloutput for CD graphics, CD rom, etc.Features random access programming

of 785 tricks in any order; skip forward;skip back; 3 -speed fast forward and re-verse: 4 -sec precord-pause insertion;anti -jamming protection; repeat track,disc, anc program; headphone jack withadjustable level; infrared remote control;one -beam laser; low -order analog low-pass digital filtering; high -order analogfilter with phase and amplitude charac-teristics; dual D/A converters. Cues bytrack number. Oversamples at 176.4kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, remaining time on disc.Headphone output 0-5 V. 16.5" W X 3.5"H < 11.75" D; 9.75 lbs $430

CDB560 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 16 -bitdigital -to -analog converter and 8 -func-tion infrared remote control. Featuresprogramming of 20 tracks in any order;skip forward; skip back: fast forward:fast reverse; repeat track, disc; dual D/Aconverters. Oversamples at 176.4 kHz.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, 16.5" W X 3.5" Hx 11.75" D; 9 lbs $330

FD2041 SL Compact Disc PlayerTray -loading CD player. Features digitalfiltering (resampling frequency 176.4kHz); programming of 20 tracks in ran-dom order; sound audible during fast


1987 COMPACI DISC BUYERS GUIDE 125


scans; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track;10 -function remote control (optional).Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, time on disc, pro-gram stored in memory. Cues by tracknumber. Max line output 2 V; THD at1,000 Hz 0.003% at 0 dB; IMD 86 dBbelow 0 -dB level; S/N 96 dB; sep 94 dB;FR 20-20,000 Hz t 0.15 dB. 16.5" W3.5" H x 11.75" D $299

FD1051 BK Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with digitaloutput for CD-ROM or digital sound pro-cessing. Features digital filtering (resam-pling frequency 176.4 kHz); program-ming of 20 tracks in random order; skip

programming; display of current tracknumber, elapsed time of current, pro-gram stored in memory; sound audibleduring fast forward and fast reverse; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-gram; twin D/A converters; synchronizedrecording. Cues by track number. Maxline output 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005%;S/N 96 dB; sep 90 dB; 14.3 Ibs; 16.5" Wx 4.62" H x 13.12" D $650

CD -152 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 176.4 kHz) programming of 16tracks in random order; display of cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-

Magnavox FD1051 BK CD Player

forward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; 8 -function remote control. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track. 12.5" W x 3.5" H11.75" D $290

CDB460 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 16 -bitdual D/A converters. Features program-ming of 20 tracks in any order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse. Oversamples at 176.4 kHz.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track. 16.5" W x 3.5" H

K. 11.75" D; 10 lbs $250

FD1041 BK Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features digi-tal filtering (resampling frequency 176.4kHz); programming of 20 tracks in ran-dom order; sound audible during fastscans; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, time on disc. 12.5" W X 3.5" Hx 11.75" D $240

MAN

MCD-1 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 29 tracks in any order; re-peat disc, program. Cues by track num-ber and time. 19.5" W X 3" H x 12.5" D;12 lbs $1,490

MARANTZ

CD -74 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features one -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 176.4 kHz) programming of 24tracks in random order; delete -selection

rent track, program stored in memory;sound audible during fast forward andfast reverse; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; repeat track,disc, phrase, program; cue by track num-ber. Max line output 2 V; THD at 1,000Hz 0.005%; S/N 96 dB; sep 90 dB; 9.5Ibs; 16.2" W x 4" H x 11.62" D .. $330

CD -30 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -beamlaser. Features programming of 16

tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; repeat

and tape. Remote control of volume. Canoperate as a preamp. Features program-ming of 99 tracks in any order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; repeat track, disc, and program;full -function remote control; one -beamlaser; dual D/A converters: sound audi-ble during fast scan. Cues by track andindex number. Oversamples at 144 kHz.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, program in mem-ory $1,500

MISSION ELECTRONICS

DAD7000R Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with infraredremote control. Features one -beam la-ser; programming of 20 tracks in randomorder; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track,disc, program; Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track.Cues by track number, index number.Max line output 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz0.004% at -0 dB; IMD <-86 dB; sep90 dB; FR 20-20,000 Hz ±0.3 dB; 15 Ibs;13"W X 3"H x 11"D $749

PCM 7000 Remote Control CD PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with twin DACsingle chip and fully interactive electron-ic display. Programs 20 tracks in any or-der. Features skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; re-peat track; repeat disc; repeat phrase;repeat program; cue by track; cue bytime; full -function remote; headphonejack; adjustable headphone output; one -beam laser; oversamples at 176.4 kHz;twin DAC single chip VSLI digital filter-ing; post DAC analog filtering; dual D/Aconverter; display of current track num-ber; display of elapsed time of currenttrack; display of elapsed time on disc;display of remaining time on disc; dis-play of program in memory. 17" W X 3"H X 13.5" D $699

Marantz CD50 Compact Disc Player

track and disc; digital filtering; dual D/Aconverters. Cues by track number.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, remaining time on disc. 16.5"W x 3" H x 10.88" D; 7.7 lbs .... $330CD 50. Same as CD 30 with wireless in-frared remote control $400

MERIDIAN by MADRIGAL

207 Professional Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading 2 -piece CD player withadditional inputs and switching for tuner

PCM 7000R. Similar to the PCM 7000with massive transformer in analog sec-tion, optimized grounding, and four sep-arate regulated power supplies . . $899

MITSUBISHI

DP -209R Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -beamtracking system. Features programmingof 36 tracks in any order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse; re-peat track, disc, and program; head-phone jack with adjustable level; wireless

126 CompAcT Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987


remote control; analog filtering; singleD/A converter; sound audible during fastscans. Cues by track and index number.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track. 16.81" W X 2.5" HX 11" D; 7.26 lbs $330DP -109. Similar to DP -209R except noremote control or adjustable headphonejack $280

NAD

5355 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc player.Features three -beam laser; display ofcurrent track number, elapsed time intrack, remaining time on disc; sound au-dible during fast forward and fast re-verse; skip forward; skip back; repeatdisc; fast foward; fast reverse; repeatdisc, program; cue by track number, dis-play of program in memory; 9 -functionremote. Max line output 2.0 V; THD at1,000 Hz 0.003% at 0 dB; S/N 98 dB de -emphasis on; sep 90 dB at 1,000 Hz; FR5-20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB $498

5330 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer-loeading CD player. Featuresskip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse; repeat disc; 3 -beam laser;3 -pole analog filter; sound audible duringfast scan. Cues by track number. Sam-ples at 44.1 kHz. Displays current track,elapsed time of current track, remainingtime on disc. 16.5" W x 3.3" H x 12.2"D $348

NEC

CO -705 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc player.Features one -beam laser; digital filtering(resampling frequency 88.2 kHz); non -delay digital filter with 5 -pole active lowpass; programming of 15 tracks inrandom/sequential order; display of cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time of disc, remain-ing time on disc, program stored inmemory; sound audible during fast for-ward and fast reverse; skip forward; skipback; cancel; repeat track, disc, repeatprogram; cue by track number, indexnumber, time; dockable full -function re-mote control; max line output 2.5 V;headphone output 1.5 V; THD at 1,000Hz 0.005%, at 5-20,000 Hz 0.01%; IMD0.01%; S/N 95 dB at 1,000 Hz; sep 70 dBat 5-20,000 Hz, 90 dB at 1,000 Hz; FR 5-20,000 Hz ± 0.5 dB; 23 lbs; 16.94" W x42.09" H x 14.19" D $749

CD -607 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; digital filtering (resam-pling frequency 88.2 kHz): programmingof 15 tracks in random/sequential order;sound audible during fast forward andfast reverse; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, program; remote control; 5 -pole active low pass filter; high-speedCMOS D/A switching circuit. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, elapsed time of disc, re-maining time on disc, program stored in

memory. Cues by track number. Max lineoutput 2.5 V; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005%;S/N 95 dB; sep 90 dB at 1,000 Hz; FR 5-20,000 Hz ± 0.5 dB; 14.77 lbs; 16.28" WX 3.22" H $599

CD -650E Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc playerwith nondelay 16 -bit digital filter, dualD/A converters, variable and fixed outputlevels, 99 accessable number of tracks.Features programming of 15 tracks inany order; skip forward; skip back; fastforward; fast reverse; repeat disc,phrase, program; full -function remotecontrol; headphone jack with adjustablelevel; sound audible during fast scan.Cues by track number. Oversamples at88.2 kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, remainingtime on disc. 16.91" W X 2.98" H X10.78" D; 9.81 lbs $449

CD -500E Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 12 -func-tion remote control. Features program-ming of 15 tracks in any order; skip for-ward; skip back; repeat disc, program, 3 -beam laser; headphone jack withadjustable level; analog filtering. Cue bytrack number. Displays current tracknumber, program in memory. 16.91" Wx 2.98" H x 10.78" D; 9.81 lbs .. $329

NAKAMICHI

OMS-7All Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 176.4 kHz); dual 16 -bit, glitch -free D/A converters; programming of 24tracks in random order; display of cur-

Nakamichi OMS-7All CD Player

rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, remaining time on disc, pro-gram stored in memory; sound audibleduring fast forward and fast reverse; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat disc, program; cueby track number, index number; 7 -func-tion remote control; headphone jack withadjustable level. Max line output 2 V;headphone output 35 mW; THD at 1,000Hz 0.0025%; S/N -104 dB; sep >100dB; FR 5-20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB; 16 lbs;17.12" W x 3.94" H x 12.12" D $1,650OMS-5A11. Similar to OMS-7A11 withoutremote and programming functions

$1,375

OMS-4A Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with shunt -connected de-glitching; multi -regulatedpower supply; magnetic chuck; remotecontrol. Features programming of 15

tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;headphone jack with adjustable head-phone level: 3 -beam laser; 16 -bit digitalfilter; dual D/A converters. Oversamplesat 176.4 kHz; Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time on disc. Head-phone output 8 mW/8 ohms. 16.94" W X3.95" H X 12.81" D; 15 lbs $995

OMS-3A Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with shunt -connected de-glitching; multi -regulatedpower supply; magnetic chuck; remotecontrol. Features programming of 15tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;headphone jack with adjustable head-phone level; 3 -beam laser; 16 -bit digitalfilter; single D/A converter. Oversamplesat 176.4 kHz; Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time on disc. Head-phone output 8 mW/8 ohms. 16.94" W x3.95" H X 12.81" D; 15 lbs $699

ONKYO

Integra DX -320 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with Opto-coupling system using 6 fiber-optic cou-pling modules to electrically separate thedigital and analog sections for improveddigital -to -analog conversion. Featuresseparate power supplies for the digital,analog, and 3-motor/transport sections;programming of 16 tracks in random orsequential order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward fast reverse; cancel;repeat track, disc, phrase, and program;13 -function remote control; timer playswitch for use with an audio timer; head-phone jack with adjustable level; 3 -beam

laser; 96 -stage digital filter; 7 -pole shield-ed analog filter; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scans; opticalplay switch; super -servo and delta powersupply in analog section: common -modenoise filter; vibration damping Cues bytrack and index number. Oversamples at88.2 kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc, program in memory. 17.12" W x3.62" H x 14" D; 13 lbs $580CW-320. Optional wood -grain side pan-els for DX -320 $60/pr

DX -220 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with Opto-coupling system using 1 Opto-couplingfiber optic module to electrically separatethe digital and analog sections for im-proved digital -to -analog conversion. Fea-tures separate power supplies for thedigital, and analog sections; program -

1987 COMI'Ac r Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 127


ming of 16 tracks in random or sequen-tial order; skip forward; skip back; fastforward fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, and program; 10 -function re-mote control; headphone jack with ad-justable level; 3 -beam laser; 20 -stagedigital filter; 7 -pole analog filter; singleD/A converter; sound audible during fastscans. Cues by track number. Over -samples at 88.2 kHz. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time on disc, re-maining time on disc, program in memo-ry. 17.12"W x 3.62"H 13.75"D . $400

DX -120 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with customanalog -output common -mode noise fil-ters to remove extraneous digital noisefrom the analog -output signal. Featuresprogramming of 16 tracks in random orsequential order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward fast reverse; cancel;

Onkyo DX -120 Compact Disc Player

repeat track, disc; 3 -beam laser; 20 -

stage digital filter; 7 -pole analog filterwith gradual rolloff to preserve phase ac-curacy; single D/A converter; sound au-dible during fast scans. Cues by tracknumber. Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeon disc, elapsed time of current track;program in memory. 17.12" W X 3.62" Hx 13.75" D; 10 lbs $300

PANASONIC

SL -P3600 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with Fine -Fo-cus (FF1) single -beam laser pickup, high-speed linear motor to minimize accesstime, high -resolution digital filter to en-hance sound quality; large multi -functionFL display Features progrmming of 20tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; 2 -speed fast forward and reverse;repeat track, disc, and program; floatingisolation system to isolate optical deckfrom external vibrations; ultra -compactbrushless direct -drive spindle motor;preset playing time operation. Samplesat 44.1 KHz. Displays current track num-ber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc, remaining time on track, programstored in memory. 16.88" W x 3.03" H X10.44" D $270

PIONEER ELECTRONICS

PD -9010X Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; digital filtering (resam-pling frequency 176.4 kHz); program-

ming of 32 tracks in random order; soundaudible during FF and FR; skip forward;skip back; cancel; repeat track, disc, pro-gram; remote control; headphone jackwith adjustable level. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, remaining time on disc, programstored in memory. Cues by track num-ber, index number. Max line output 2 V;THD at 1,000 Hz 0.001% at -0 dB; S/N98 dB; 18"W x 3.75"H x 12.19"D .. $540

PD-7030(BK) Compact Disc PlayerFeatures auto -program edit; auto -pauseprogramming; program -time calculation;programming of 24 tracks in any order;track and index search; 2 -speed audiblemanual search; reapeat disc, program;multi -mode display; disc stabilizer;honecomb chassis; headphone jack withadjustable volume; remote control.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz $470

PD-6030(BK) Compact Disc PlayerFeatures programming of 24 tracks inany order; track search; 2 -speed audiblemanual search; repeat disc, program;disc stabilizer; honeycomb chassis; 6 -digit display; headphone jack; remotecontrol $350

QUASAR

CD8956 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading 20 -step random-accessCD player with direct access. Featureshigh-speed linear -motor access system;skip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse; cancel; programming of 20tracks in any order; repeat track, phrase,disc, and program; one -beam laser; sin-gle D/A converter; 96th -order FIR doubleoversampling filter; sound audible duringfast scan. Cues by track and index num-ber. Samples at 44.1 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time on disc,remaining time on disc;. 16.94" W X3.03" H x 0.19" D $250

RCA

MCD-145 Dimensia Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; programming of 15 tracks inrandom order; skip forward; skip back;cancel; repeat track, disc, program; full -function remote control; headphone jackwith adjustable level; automatic status in-dication and switching; local or remoteprogramming; display of all functions onDimensia monitor; use of standard orsystem link cabling. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack. Cues by track number, index num-ber. Max line output 1.8 V; THD at 1,000Hz or equal to 0.005% at -0 dB; S/N> or equal to 90 dB; sep > or equal to80 dB; FR 20-20,000 Hz ± 1 dB; 17.12"W x 3.36" H X 11.12" D $399

MCD-141 Digital Command CD PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; programming of 15 tracks inrandom order; skip forward; skip back;

Pioneer PD-7030(BK) CD Player

PD-5030(BK) Compact Disc PlayerFeatures programming of 24 tracks inany order; track search; 2 -speed audiblemanual search; repeat entire disc; repeatprogram. Includes disc stabilizer; honey-comb chassis; 6 -digit display; and head-phone jack $300

PROTON

830R Compact Disc PlayerFeatures programming of 20 tracks; fastscan; real-time digital display; repeatfunction; headphone jack with adjustablelevel; remote control $349

fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, program; full -function remotecontrol. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track. Cues bytrack number, index number. Max lineoutput 1.8 V; THD at 1,000 Hz > or equalto 0.005 % at -0 dB; S/N or equal to90 dB; sep -- or equal to 80 dB; FR 20-20,000 Hz ± 1 dB; 17.12" W X 3.36" H11.12" D; approx $399

CD180 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; programming of 15 tracks inrandom order; audible 2 -speed forward

1 2 8 COMPACT Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987


and reverse scan; skip forward; skipback; repeat disc, track, program; fluo-rescent display of track and elapsedtrack time; independent disc suspensionsystem. Max line output 2 V; THD at1,000 Hz 0.005%; S/N 90 dB; sep at1,000 Hz 90 dB; FR 5-20,000 Hz. 17.12"W x 2.88" H x 10.36" D; approx . $199

REALISTIC

CD -1400 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with infraredremote control. Features three -beam la-ser; programming of 15 tracks in randomorder; sound audible during FF and FR;repeat function -track, disc. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of disc,elapsed time of current track, index num-ber, repeat mode. Access by index code.FR 5-20,000 Hz + 0.5,-1dB; dynamicrange 90 dB; S/N 90 dB; ch sep 90 dB.14.56" W x 2.89" H x 10.36" D $260

CD -2200 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Featuresthree -beam laser; programming of 15tracks in random order: sound audibleduring FF and FR; repeat function, track,

ROTEL

RCD850 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with program-ming of 9 tracks in random or sequentialorder. Features skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; re- CP 710 Compact Disc Playerpeat track; repeat disc; 3 -beam laser; Features 16 -selection memory

Rotel RCD-850 CD Player

high -slope digital filtering; 3rd -order ana-log filtering; single D/A converter. Sam-ples at 44.1 kHz. Cues by track number.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track. 17" W X 3.81" H x11.44" D; 9 lbs $399

Realistic CD -2200 CD Player

disc; Displays current track number,elapsed time of disc, elapsed time of cur-rent track, index number, repeat mode.Access by index code. FR 5-20,000 Hz+0.5 -1dB; dynamic range 90 dB; S/N 90dB; ch sep 90 dB.12.62" W x 3.31" H X12.06" D; 8.6 lbs $200

REVOX

B 225 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc playerwith infrared or wired remote and 1,000 -Hz calibration tone corresponding tomax output level. Features 1 -beam laser;digital filtering (resampling frequency176.4 kHz); programming of 19 tracks;display of current track number, elapsedtime of current track, elapsed time ofdisc, program stored in memory; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase,program; cue by track number, indexnumber, time; 7 -function remote control;headphone jack (adjustable output). Ac-cess time 3 seconds or less. Max lineoutput 2 V; headphone output 13 V (600ohms); THD 0.006% at 1,000 Hz at ratedoutput; S/N 96 dB; sep 90 dB; FR 20-20,000 Hz + 0, -0.6 dB $849

SANSUI

CD -E750 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features pro-gramming of 8 tracks in any order; fastforward; fast reverse; repeat track, disc,program; headphone jack with adjust-able level; 3 -beam laser; combinationdigital/analog filtering; sound audibleduring fast scan. Cues by track number,index number. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time on disc, remainingtime on disc, program in memory. 9.9 lbs;14.97" W x 3.62" H X 12.19" D $400CD -V350. Similar to CD -E750 except nodisplay of program in memory. 16.94" WX 3.22" H X 12.36" AD; 8.8 lbs .. $400

CD-V550R Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with autospacing to add 4 -second blanks betweendubbing sections. Features program-ming of 16 tracks in any order: fast for-ward: fast reverse; repeat track, disc.program: 4 -function remote control;headphone jack with adjustable level;combination digital/analog filtering; 3 -

beam laser; sound audible during fastscan. Cues by track number, index num-ber, time. Displays current track number,

1987

elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, remaining time on disc, pro-gram in memory $370

SANYO

3 -beam

laser; skip forward; skip back; reapeatdisc, track; 2 -speed fast forward and re-verse; 8 -digit fluorescent display; wire-less remote control $300CP 700. As above without remotecontrol $250

SCOTT

960DA Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with LargeScale Integrated (LSI) circuitry for im-proved reliability. Features programmingof 15 tracks in any order; skip forward;

fast forward; fast reverse; re-peat track, disc, program; 8 -function re-mote control; 3 -beam laser; 7th -order an-alog filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan. Cues bytrack number. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc, program in memory. 11.1 lbs;17.25" W x 3.75" H x 11" D $350950DA. Same as above without remotecontrol $300

SEARS ROEBUCK

9755 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with direct, in-dex, and skip search. Features 3 -beamlaser; programming of 15 tracks in anyorder; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; repeat track, disc,and program; 10 -key remote control;headphone jack. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc. 370 mm W x 72 Hx 365 D; 3.3 kg $230

9754 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with direct, in-dex, and skip search. Features 3 -beamlaser; programming of 15 tracks in anyorder: skip forward; skip back; fast for -

For explanations of abbreviations,specifications, and technical terms,turn to the dictionary on page 149.

Cmii' \CT Disc BUYERS' GUIDE I 2


ward: fast reverse; repeat track, disc,and program; headphone jack. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, elapsed time on disc, pro-gram in memory. 370 mm W x 72 H365 D; 3.3 kg $180

SHARP

DX-620(BK) Compact Disc PlayerHorizontal -drawer -loading CD playerwith 3 -way music search system (APMS.APLD, APSS) and infrared remote con-trol. Features programming of 9 tracks;

mote; headphone jack; with adjustablehead level; three -beam; oversamples at88.2 kHz; independent L/R digital filters80 dB attenuation; five -pole active above30,000 Hz analog filtering; dual D/A con-verter; display of current track number;display of elapsed time of current track;display of program in memory; sound au-dible during fast scan. Headphone out-put 5 V: 16.9"W X 2.9"H x 12.9"D $599

SV40 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with volumecontrol included on 17 -function remote.

Sharp DX -620 Compact Disc Player

cue and review; LCD digital time counter;displays playback time in minutes andseconds; headphone jack. 17" W X3.12" H X 11.75" D; 9.7 lbs $300

DX-110(BK) Compact Disc PayerDrawer -loading CD player with 2 -way

De-vice (APLD), Auto Program Search Sys-tem (APSS)). Features cue and review;one -beam laser; LCD digital timecounter; displays playback time in min-utes and seconds; headphone jack. Traysensor automaticaly retracts at touch offinger. 13" W X 3.12" H X 11.75" D; 10.4lbs $250DX-610(BK). As above except 17" W,11.7 lbs $260

SHERWOOD

CDP-300R Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player remote com-patible with Sherwood remote -controlledreceivers. Features programming of 20tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; one -beam laser; 4x-oversampling digital fil-tering; 1st -order linear -phase analog fil-tering; sound audible during fast scan.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time on disc. 17.36"W X 3.25" H X 9.75" D; 11 lbs $400CDP-310R. As above with remotecontrol $450

SHURE BROTHERS

06000 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with remotecontrol incuding remote volume. Pro-grams 15 tracks in any order. Featuresskip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse; cancel; repeat track; repeatdisc; repeat phrase; repeat program; cueby track; cue by time; 19 -function re -

130 ComPAc.i. Disc; BUYERS' GUIDE

Programs 15 tracks in any order. Fea-tures skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track;repeat disc; repeat program; cue bytrack; headphone jack; with adjustablelevel; three -beam; samples at 44.1 kHz;dual -break-point analog filtering; single

display of current tracknumber; display of elapsed time of cur-rent track; display of program in memory;sound audible during fast forward andfast reverse. Headphone output 5 volts;9 lbs, 11 ozs; 16.9" wide X 2.9" high X10.6" deep $399

D5000 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc playerwith 14 -function wireless remote controland 16 -bit process with doubleoversampling. Programming of up to 15tracks in any order. Features skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track; repeat disc;repeat phrase; repeat program; three -beam laser; oversamples at 88.2 kHz;digital filtering; analog filtering; singleD/A converter; display of current tracknumber; display of elapsed time of cur-rent track; display of program in memory;sound audible during fast scan. 11 lbs;16.9" W X 3.9" Fi X 10" D $399

SONOGRAPHEby CONRAD-JOHNSON

SD -1 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with discreteFET audio circuits and power suppliesdesigned by Conrad -Johnson. Featuresprogramming of 20 tracks in any order;skip forward; skip back; fast forward:fast reverse; repeat disc, program; head-phone jack; digital filtering; dual D/A con-verters; sound audible during fast scan.Cues by track and index number. Over -

samples at 176.4 kHz. Displays currenttrack number, program in memoryelapsed time of current track. 18" W3.75" H x 12" D; 8.5 lbs $695

SONY

CDP-650ESD II Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 88.2 kHz) programming of 20tracks in random order; sound audibleduring FF and FR; skip forward; skipback; cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase,program; 20 -function remote control;dual D/A converters; linear motor; head-phone jack with adjustable level; digitaloutput stage; auto-delex; shuffle play.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, elapsed time ofdisc, remaining time on disc, programstored in memory. Cues by track num-ber, index number. Max line output 2 V;THD at 1,000 Hz 0.0025%; IMD 0.0025%;S/N 96 dB: sep 96 dB; FR 2-20,000 Hz± 0.3 dB; 20 Ibs; 17" W x 3.12" H X 14"D $1,300

CDP-620ES II-Featured on CoverDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 88.2 kHz) programming of 20tracks in random order; sound audibleduring FF and FR; skip forward; skipback; FF: FR; cancel; repeat track, disc,phrase, program; 20 -function remotecontrol; dual D/A converter: linear motor;headphone jack with adjustable level;auto delex; shuffle play. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, elapsed time of disc, remainingtime on disc, program stored in memory.Cues by track number, index number.Max line output 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz0.0025%; IMD 0.0025%; S/N 96 dB; sep96 dB; FR 2-20,000 Hz ±0.3 dB; 20 Ibs;17" W X 3.12" H X 14" D $950

\

Sonographe SD -1 CD Player

1987


CDP-520ES II Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 88.2 kHz); programming of 16tracks in random order; sound audibleduring FF and FR; skip forward; skipback; FF; FR; cancel; repeat track, disc,phrase, program; 15 -function remotecontrol; headphone jack with adjustable

gram; 12 -function remote control; 3 -

beam laser; 96th -order digital filtering; fi-nal -stage analog filtering; single D/Aconverter; sound audible during fastscan. Cues by track number, index num-ber, time. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, remainingtime on disc, program stored in memory.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz $500

Sony CDP-520ES11 CD Player

level. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, remainingtime on disc, program stored in memory.Cues by track number, index number,time. Max line output 2 V; THD at 1,000Hz 0.003%; IMD 0.003%; S/N 96 dB; sep96 dB; FR 2-20,000 Hz .t 0.3 dB; 15 Ibs;17" W x 3.12" H x 13.25" D $600

CDP-520ES II Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 88.2 kHz); programming of 16tracks in random order; sound audibleduring FF and FR; skip forward; skipback; FF; FR; cancel; repeat track, disc,phrase, program; 15 -function remotecontrol; headphone jack with adjustable

CDP-55 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading Compact Disc playerfeatures programming of up to 20 tracksin any order and programming of up to99 tracks in sequential order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase,and program; 11 -function wireless re-mote control; 3 -beam laser; 96th -orderdigital filtering; single digital -to -analogconverter; sound audible during fast for-ward and fast reverse. Cues by bothtrack number, and index number. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track, remaining time of entiredisc, and program stored in memory.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. 17" W X 3.25"H X 13" D; 11 lbs $400

Sony CDP-30211 CD Player

level. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, remainingtime on disc, program stored in memory.Cues by track number, index number.Max line output 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz0.003%; IMD 0.003%; S/N 96 dB; sep 95dB; FR 2-20,000 Hz ± 0.5 dB; 15 Ibs; 17"W X 3.12" H X 13.25" D $550

CDP-203 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 20 tracks in any order. 99tracks in sequential order; skip forward;skip back: fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-

CDP-50 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 20 tracks in any order, 99tracks in sequential order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-gram; 11 -function remote control; 3 -

beam laser; 9 -pole final -stage analog fil-tering; single D/A converter; soundaudible during fast scan. Cues by tracknumber, index number. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, remaining time on disc, programstored in memory. 17" W X 3.25" H X13" D; 11 lbs $370

CDP-45 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 20 tracks in any order, 99tracks in sequential order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track. disc, phrase, pro-gram; 6 -function ren'ote control optional;3 -beam laser; 9 -pole final -stage analogfiltering; single D/A converter; sound au-dible during fast scan. Cues by tracknumber, index number. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, remaining time on disc, programstored in memory. 17" W x 3.25" H x13" D; 11 lbs $330

CDP-7F Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading CD player. Features 3 -beamlaser; programming of 16 tracks in ran-dom order; sound audible during FF andFR; skip forward; skip back; FF; FR; can-cel; repeat track, disc, program; 4 -func-tion remote control; headphone jack withadjustable level. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,remaining time on disc, program storedin memory. Cues by track number. Maxline output 2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.004%;IMD 0.004%; S/N 90 dB; sep 90 dB; FR2-20,000 Hz ± 0.5 dB; 9 Ibs; 8.5" W x3.12" H X 12" D $300

CDP-35 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 20 tracks in any order, 99tracks in sequential order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-gram; 3 -beam laser; 9 -pole final -stageanalog filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan. Cues bytrack number, index number. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, remaining time on disc,program stored in memory. 14" W X3.25" H X 13" D; 10 lbs $270

CDP-25 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 16 tracks in any order, 99tracks in sequential order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-gram; 3 -beam laser; 9 -pole final -stageanalog filtering. Cues by track number,index number $270

D-170 Mini Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player features pro-gramming of 16 tracks in any order, 99tracks in sequential order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-gram; 3 -beam laser; 7 -pole final -stageanalog filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan. Cues bytrack number. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc: remaining time ondisc, program stored in memory. 7.5" Wx 3" H X 14" D; 9 lbs $265

SYLVANIA

CD1560 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -speedsearch fast forward/reverse. Features 8-

1987 CoNtpAc.r Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1 3 1


function infrared remote control; skip for-ward; skip back; 20 -track random accessprogramming; digital filtering; 4 Xoversampling; dual 16 -bit D/A converter;anti -jamming protection; repeat; track/total, time/memory displays; LED func-tion indicators; pause; line output jacks;digital output jacks. 16.5" W x 3.5" H x11.75" D $330

FDE203 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; repeat track and program; 20 -track random access programming; sin-gle -stage servo tracking; soft muting; 4 Xoversampling. 16.5" W x 3.5" H X11.75" D $299

CD1460 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -speedsearch forward/reverse. Features skipforward; skip back; 20 -track random ac-cess programming; digital filtering; 4xoversampling; dual 16 -bit D/A converter;anti -jamming protection; repeat;track/total, time/memory displays; LEDfunction indicators; pause; headphonejack; line output jacks; digital outputjacks. Optional remote control available.16.5" W x 3.5" H x 11.75" D . $250

CD1150 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 3 -speedaudible search forward/reverse. Fea-tures skip forward; skip back; memoryprogramming; digital filtering; 4Xoversampling; store/cancel/review;pause; LED function indicators; pause;headphone jack; line output jacks; digitaloutput jacks. 12.5" W x 3.5" H x 11.75"D $240

TANDBERG

TCP 3015A Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with all analogsignal path circuits completely directcoupled and discrete. Programs tracks inany order. Features skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat track; repeat disc; repeat phrase;repeat program; cue by track; full -func-tion remote; headphone jack; with ad-justable level; one -beam laser; oversam-ples at 176.4 kHz; dual D/A converter;display of current track number; displayof elapsed time of current track; displayof program in memory; sound audibleduring fast scan. 12.5 Ibs; 17.12" W x3.5" H X 13.75" D $1,295Remote Control. $98Universal Remote. $138

TEAC

ZD-5000 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with zero -dis-tortion circuit, gold-plated fixed and vari-able outputs, intro check, timer play,subcode output, in -operation programediting, variable volume from remote, all -metal chassis, floating isolation system,heavy-duty audiophile -grade insulatorfeet, RC -301 20 -function remote controlincluded. Features programming of 20tracks in any order; skip forward; skip

back; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat track, disc, phrase, program;headphone jack with adjustable level; 3 -beam laser; oversampling digital filter;7th -order analog filtering; dual D/A con-verters; sound audible during fast scan.Cues by track and index number. Over -samples at 88.2 kHz. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, elapsed time on disc, remainingtime on disc, program in memory. 17.5"W x 3.88" H x 13.44" D; 20.2 lbs$1,100ZD-3000. Similar to ZD-5000 withoutfront -panel direct -access keypad, introcheck, and indexing. No variable volumefrom remote (front panel only); large in-sulator feet. Includes RC -301 remotecontrol. 17.5" W X 3.44" H X 13.44" D;17.6 lbs $950

ZD-700 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with zero -dis-tortion circuit. Features programming of16 tracks in any order; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat track, disc, phrase, program;headphone jack with adjustable level; 15 -function remote control; 3 -beam laser;digital filter; 7th -order analog filtering;single D/A converter; sound audible dur-ing fast scan. Cues by track and indexnumber. Samples at 44.1 kHz. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, elapsed time on disc, re-maining time on disc. 17.12" W x 2.89"H X 11.62" D; 16 lbs $699

cue to automatically position pick-up atfirst note of desired track; FL dispaly;twin high-speed D/A converter; high -res-olution double -sampling digital filter; 9th -order low-pass analog filtering; Class AAoperation of sample and hold circuitry;Class AA output amp; steel/zinc dis-castdouble -isolated anti -resonant chassisdamped with heavy rubber and Technics'Non -Resonant Compund; FF1 single -beam pickup; high-speed Linear MotorAccess Systems locates track beginningin less than 1 sec; subcode output; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; sound audible during fast scan;repeat track, disc, program, program-ming of 20 tracks in any order; head-phone jack with adjustable level. Cues bytrack number, index number, time. Over -samples at 88.2 kHz. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, elapsed time on disc, remainingtime on disc, remaining time on track,program in memory, 17" W X 7" H X 15"D; 22 lbs $1,000

SL -P500 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with Fine Fo-cus Single Beam (FF1) laser pickup, cop-per -plated styrol capacitors and audio -application electrolytic capacitors inanalog circutry. Average access time toeach track is approx 0.8 seconds. Fea-tures programming of 20 tracks in anyorder; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track,

.t ot 7:b7.

Technics SL -P500 CD Player

PD -400 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features pro-gramming of 16 tracks in any order; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; repeat track, disc, phrase, pro-gram; 8 -function remote control; 3 -beamlaser; single D/A converter; sound audi-ble during fast scan. Cues by track andindex number. Oversamples at 88.2 kHz.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track. 17" W X 2.94" H10.89" D; 7.75 lbs $449PD -200. Similar to PD -400 without re-mote control and oversampling $399PD -100 $349

TECHNICS

SL -P1200 Disco Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading CD player designed for usein discos or production environments.Cues CD to any track or any point withina track. Rocker control allows momen-tary advance or retard of music. Quartz -locked pitch control ( 8%) and 2 -speedcueing. Features rear -panel remote jackfor mixer; infrared remote control; auto

disc, phrase, program; 27 -function re-mote control; headphone jack with ad-justable level; one -beam FF1 laser; high -resolution digital filtering; single D/Aconverter; sound audible during fastscan. Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, elapsed time on disc, re-maining time on disc, program in memo-ry. 10.1 Ibs; 16.94" W X 3.44" H X10.84" D $520

SL -P310 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with remoteprogramming, access, and volume con-trol. Features programming of 20 tracksin any order; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, program; 20 -function remotecontrol; headphone jack; one -beam la-ser; digital filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan. Over -samples at 88.2 kHz. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, elapsed time on disc, remainingtime on disc, program in memory. 16.94"W x 3.03" H x 9.44" D $375

132 CompAcor Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987


SL -P110 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 96th -or-der high -resolution FIR double-oversam-pling digital filter, Tchebyshew activelow-pass analog filter, and friction -free 4 -wire suspension system to support thecombined -collimator focus lens. Fea-tures programming of 20 tracks in anyorder; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track,disc, program; one -beam laser; singleD/A converter; sound audible during fastscan. The linear motor is used in the la-ser pickup traverse mechanism providesa high-speed max access time of 1.2seconds to any destination on disc.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time on disc, remain-ing time on disc, program in memory.16.94" W X 3.03" H X 9.44" D $320

SL-PJ11 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with a digitalnoise canceller, digital phase limiter, anddrop -out protection circuits to eliminatecrosstalk problems between the focus -error and tracking -error signals. Fea-tures programming of 15 tracks in anyorder; skip forward; skip back; fast for-ward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat track,disc, program; one -beam laser; analogfiltering; single D/A converter; sound au-dible during fast scan. Samples at 44.1kHz. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, elapsedtime on disc, remaining time on disc, pro-gram in memory $300

TOSHIBA

XR-V11 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player. Features 3 -beam laser; digital filtering (resamplingfrequency 88.2 kHz); programming of 8tracks in random order; sound audibleduring fast forward and fast reverse; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; repeat track, program; headphonejack with adjustable level. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time of disc, remain-ing time on disc, program stored inmemory. Cues by track number. Max lineoutput 2.0 V; headphone output 0-5 V;total harmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz0.003%; signal-to-noise ratio 96 dB; sep90 dB; frequency response 20-20,000 Hz

1.0 dB $499

XR-35 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 10 -keyremote control. Features 3 -beam laser;programming of 16 tracks in any order;fast forward; fast reverse; repeat track.Displays current track number, elapsedtime on disc. 16.53" W x 3.19" H X12.16" 13; 9 lbs $350

XR-30 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 16 -pro-gram random memory and auto repeat.Features 3 -beam laser; fast forward; fastreverse; repeat disc. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time on disc, re-maining time on disc. 16.53" W x 3.19"H X 12.16" 0; 9 lbs $300

VECTOR RESEARCH

VCD-900 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with full -func-tion remote control (10 -key direct -trackaccess, remote volume control). Fea-tures programming of 15 tracks in ran-dom and sequential order; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase, andprogram; 3 -beam laser; digital and ana-log filtering; single D/A converter; soundaudible during fast scans. Cues by tracknumber. Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track, elapsed time on disc;program in memory. 17" W X 3.5" H X12.5" D; 11 lbs $500

VCD-770 Compact Disc PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with 12 -keyremote control and quadruple oversam-pling. Features programming of 15tracks in random and sequential order;skip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse; cancel; repeat track, disc,phrase, and program; 3 -beam laser; digi-tal filtering; single D/A converter; soundaudible during fast scans. Cues by tracknumber. Oversamples at 176.4 kHz. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track, elapsed time on disc; re-maining time on disc; program in memo-ry. 17" W x 3.5" H X 8.25" D; 11 lbs$350

YAMAHA

CD -2000M Compact Disc PlayerFeatures Yamaha LSI technology; 3 -

beam laser; independent L/R ch digitalfilters; vibration damping circuit assem-bly; 10 -key direct -selection access; 12 -selection programmable random-accessplayback; index search; 3 -way musicsearch; 3 -way repeat play; 6 -digit multi -

Yamaha CD -2000M Compact Disc Player

function fluorescent display; fixed -/vari-able -level output terminals; output -levelvolume controls and display; space -in-sert function; 10 -key remote with volumecontrol; timer -operated playback; front -panel headphone jack; gold-plated out-put terminals; XLR connectors; rack -mount adapters. 17.12" W X 3.75" H11.12" D; 11.4 lbs $899

CD -2000B Compact Disc PlayerFeatures Yamaha LSI technology; 3 -beam laser; independent L/R ch digitalfilters; vibration damping circuit assem-bly; 10 -key direct -selection access; 12 -selection programmable random-accessplayback; index search; 3 -way musicsearch; 3 -way repeat play; 6 -digit multi-function fluorescent display; fixed -/vari-

able -level output terminals; output -levelvolume controls and display; space -in-sert function; 10 -key remote with volumecontrol; timer -operated playback; front -panel headphone jack; subcode outputterminal; gold-plated output terminals.17.12" W X 3.75" H x 11.12" D $799

CD -1000B Compact Disc PlayerFeatures Yamaha LSI technology; 3 -beam laser; double -resolution digital fil-ter; vibration damping circuit assembly;10 -key direct -selection access; 12 -selec-tion programmable random-access play-back; index search; 3 -way music search;3 -way repeat play; 6 -digit multi -functionfluorescent display; space -insert func-tion; 10 -key remote control; timer -oper-ated playback; front -panel headphonejack; sub -code output terminal; gold-plat-ed output terminals. 17.12" W x 3.75" HX 11.12" ID; 11.2 lbs $699

CD -700B Compact Disc PlayerFeatures Yamaha LSI technology; 3 -

beam laser; double -resolution digital fil-ter; 12 -selection programmable random-access playback; index search; 3 -waymusic search; 3 -way repeat play; 6 -digitmulti -function fluorescent display; 10 -keydirect -selection access; timer -operatedplayback; 10 -key remote control; sub -code output terminal. 17.12" W X 3.81"H X 11.44" D; 10.9 lbs $599


beam laser; double -resolution digital fil-ter; 9 -selection programmable random-access playback; index search; 3 -waymusic search; 3 -way repeat play; 4 -digitmulti -function LED display; front -panelheadphone jack with adjustable level; 10 -key direct -selection access; timer -oper-ated playback; remote control .... $399


beam laser; double -resolution digital fil-ter; 9 -selection programmable random-access playback; index search; 3 -waymusic search; 2 -way repeat play; 4 -digitmulti -function LED display; front -panelheadphone jack; timer -operated play-back. 17.12"W x 3.75"H x 11.12"D$319


beam laser; double -resolution digital filter;9 -selection programmable random-ac-cess playback; index search; 3 -way musicsearch; 2 -way repeat play; 4 -digit multi-function LED display; front -panel head-phone jack; timer -operated play. 13.12" WX 3.75" H X 11.12" D $259


PORTABLES PLAYERSCITIZEN CONSUMER PRODUCTS

CDP-120 Compact Disc PlayerPortable CD player with 2 headphonejacks. Programmable for up to 16 selec-tions. Features push button controls:program, memory. repeat, mode, stop,play/pause, cue, and review. LCD indica-tor reveals track number, time, andactivated mode. AC power supply isbuilt in. FR 20-20,000 Hz; 1.2" H X5" W X 7.36" D. Available in black orblue $250

GENERAL ELECTRIC

3-7050 Portable Compact Disc PlayerAC/DC portable component system withCD player, cassette deck, and radio. CDsection: vertical loading; laser pickupwith auto focusing and precision track-ing; LCD display for track number, tracktime. total time, repeat, memory; controlsfor eject, display, play, pause/stop.FF/Rev; music skip & memory; synchro-nized recording from CD to cassette.Cassette section: 6 -pushbutton tapetransport; auto shut-off in play andrecord modes; Dolby B; 3 -digit tapecounter. Radio section: AM/FM/FM-ste-reo; rotary volume, balance, and tuningcontrols; LED stereo indicator; 5 -bandgraphic EQ; direct on -air recording; 0.25"headphone jack. L/R mikes. AC inputwith auto AC/DC switching. L/R speak-ers, L/R aux input and output (RCA), DCinput. Black, silver, red. 25.8" X 10" x6.3" $400

HITACHI

DAP100 Portable Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading portable CD player withbuilt-in AC/DC convertor; AA battery

Panasonic SL-NP20 Portable AM/FM/CD Player

(X6) operation; automatic repeat func-tion; music scan. Other features includeskip forward; skip back; fast forward; fastreverse; repeat track; repeat disc; head-phone jack with adjustable level; three -beam laser; analog filtering; single D/Aconverter; display of current track num-ber; display of elapsed time of currenttrack; sound audible during fast scan.Headphone output 2 V; 2.64 lbs . $350

JVC

XL-R1OK Portable Compact Disc PlayerPortable CD player with accurate pin-point laser pickup. Features program-ming of 15 tracks in random order; end-less play; skip; music search; remaining -time display; high filter; line-out andheadphone jacks; tone switch; battery in-dicator. Works with rechargeable batter-ies. Provided AC adapter (AA-R1OK). Op -

GE 3-7050 Portable System with Compact Disc Player

134 COMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE: 1987

tional carrying case with rechargeablebattery (BN-R1OK) available. FR 4-20,000Hz. 5" W X 1.36" H X 5" D; 15.5 oz$280

MAGNAVOX

CD8850 Portable Compact Disc PlayerVertical -loading CD player with 7 W maxcontinuous RMS power output per ch in"boom -box" -type unit. Features detach-able 3 -way speaker system; 5 -bandgraphic EQ; cue and review on CD andcassette; 3 -way power supply. CD playerfeatures skip forward; skip back; head-phone jack with adjustable level. Dis-plays current track number. 10" W8.75" H X 6.25" D (w/o speakers); 22.5"W X 8.75" H X 6.25" D (with speakers)

$500

CD8880-Featured on CoverPortable CD player with radio and cas-sette deck in "boom -box" -type unit. In-cludes 3.5 W min RMS output power perch; stereo cassette deck with electronictape speed; CD -to -cassette dubbing; 2 -way speaker system; 5 -band graphic EQ;cue and review on CD and cassette; 3 -way power supply. CD player featuresvertical loading; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; headphonejack with adjustable level; 1 -beam laser;dual D/A converters. Cues by track num-ber. Displays current track number. 26"W 6/75" H V 6" D $400

PANASONIC

RX-CD70 Portable Compact Disc PlayerVertical -loading CD player with a fine -fo-cus single -beam laser system. Part of a3 -piece portable boombox-type unit withdual cassette deck and FM/AM/FM-ste-

Portable CD Players 2 Portable CD Players

reo radio. CD player features program-ming of 15 tracks in any order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; repeattrack, disc, and program; headphonejack; digital phase comparison system;sound audible during fast scan. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ondisc, remaining time on disc. Entire unit30.06" W x 6.89" H X 9.36" D; 15 lbs. 7oz $600

SL-NP20 Portable Compact Disc PlayerVertical -loading portable CD player withbuilt-in AM/FM/FM-stereo digital tuner.Features programming of 15 tracks inany order; skip forward; skip back; re-peat track, disc, and program; head-phone jack with adjustable level; one -beam laser. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track,elapsed time on disc, remaining time ondisc $350

SL-NP10 Portable Compact Disc PlayerFeatures skip forward; skip back; repeattrack, disc, and program; headphonejack with adjustable level; 1 -beam laser.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, elapsed time ondisc, remaining time on disc. 1265 mm WX 22.9 H X 126 D $280

QUASAR

CD8936 Portable Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading portable CD player with di-rect acsess and switchable high -cut filterfor HP output. Features skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;headphone jack; repeat disc and track;one -beam laser; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scans. Cues bytrack number. Samples at 44.1 kHz. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track; remaining time on disc.Headphone output 15 mW. 4.97" W1.25" W x 4.97" D; 13.8 oz $240

REALISTIC

CD -3000 Portable Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading CD player with headphonejack. Features three -beam laser; pro-gramming of 16 tracks in random order;sound audible during FF and FR; skipforward, skip back; repeat track. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeon disc, remaining time on disc. 110 mmW X 70 H X 110 D. 420 g $280

SANYO

MCD40 Compact Disc PlayerPortable CD player, AM/FM tuner, cas-sette deck. Features programming of 16tracks in any order; auto reverse; syncrodubbing; Dolby NR; soft -touch controls;graphic EQ; line -in and -out jacks; autostop; 2 -way speakers; 3 -way powersource; LED indicators: LCD $450

CP10 Portable CD PlayerFeatures multi -function LCD display;AC/DC operation; 16 -selection program-mability; skip forward and back; searchforward and back; headphone jack; re-peat disc. Battery pack optional .. $240

SONY

CFD-W88E Compa:t Disc PlayerPortable dra"ver-lcading CD system withAM/FM tune', speakers, and double tapedeck. CD player features programmingof 16 tracks in any order, 99 tracks in se-quential order; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, phrase, program; 3 -beam la-ser; 7 -pole cigital-stage analog filtering;single D/A converter; sound audible dur-ing fast scan. Cues by track number; Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track, elapsed time on disc, re-

maining time on disc, program stored inmemory. 22" W X 8.25" H X 6" D; 30lbs $650

CFD-5 Boombox Compact Disc PlayerPortable, top -loading CD player withAM/FM tuner, amplifier, speakers and ahandle. Features 3 -beam laser; soundaudible during FF and FR; skip forward;skip back; FF; FR; repeat track. disc,headphone jack with adjustable level.Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, remaining time ondisc. Cues by track number. Max lineoutput 2 V; THD at 1.000 Hz 0.008%;

Sharp CD -P1 Portable System with CD Player

CD

( DESIGNED FOR CD USE

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MPATIBLE(BY DESIGN)The new AZDEN DSR-50 has been

designed specifically to enhance yourCompact Disc listening pleasure.

Incorporating such new designs andtechnological advances as: 40mmdouble dome diaphragms made of 16micron thin polymer, copper -cladaluminum wire (CCAW), gold-plated plug,the DSR-50 delivers distortion -freetransparent sound.

Unlike companies which have justslapped on a "CD Compatible" label,

AZDEN, a world leader in transducertechnology, has produced acompletely new "State -of -the -Art"headphone, one which iscomfortable, powerful, and designedto enhance your digital musicexperience.

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136 COMPACT' Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

Portable CD Players 2 Portable CD Players

IMD 0.008%; S/N 85 dB; sep 85 dB; FR2-20,000 Hz +1, -3 dB; 17 lbs, 3 oz; 22"(with speakers) W X 8" H X 8" D. $550

D-77 Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading portable CD player withAM/FM tuner. Features programming of16 tracks in any order, 99 tracks in se-quential order; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, phrase, program; headphonejack with adjustable level; 7 -pole final -stage analog filtering; single D/A con-verter; sound audible during fast scan.Cues by track number. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, elapsed time on disc; remainingtime on disc, program stored in memory.5" W X 1" H X 5.25" D $360

D-55 Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading portable CD player with FMtuner. Features programming of 16tracks in any order, 99 tracks in sequen-tial order; skip forward; skip back; fastforward; fast reverse; cancel; repeattrack, disc, phrase, program; headphonejack with adjustable level; 3 -beam laser:7 -pole final -stage analog filtering; singleD/A converter; sound audible during fastscan. Cues by track number. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, elapsed time on disc; re-maining time on disc, program stored inmemory. 2.25 lbs $330

D-7 Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading portable CD player featuresprogramming of 16 tracks in any order.99 tracks in sequential order; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, phrase,program; headphone jack with adjust-able level; 3 -beam laser; 7 -pole final -stage analog filtering; single D/A con-verter; sound audible during fast scan.Cues by track number. Displays currenttrack number, elapsed time of currenttrack, elapsed time on disc; remainingtime on disc, program stored in memory.5" W X 1" H x 5.25" D; 2.75 lbs . $300D-7 Deluxe. Same as D-7 but includescassette adapter that allows player towork through car or other cassette sys-tem. Includes headphones $330

D-5SPL Portable CD PlayerComes with AC adapter for home use;optional battery pack allows portableuse. Features 3 -beam laser; sound audi-ble during FF and FR; skip forward; skipback; FF; FR: repeat track, headphonejack with adjustable level. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, remaining time on disc. Cuesby track number. Includes battery andcase. Max line output 2 V; THD at 1,000Hz 0.008%; IMD 0.008%; S/N 85 dB; sep85 dB; FR 5-20.000 Hz 1 dB $270

TECHNICS

SL-XP8-Featured on CoverTop -loading portable CD player withbuilt-in quartz -synthesizer AM/FM tuner.Features programming of 18 tracks inany order; 8 AM/8 FM station presets:

Technics SL-XP5 Portable CD Player

skip forward (tune up); skip back (tunedown); fast forward; fast reverse; cancel;repeat track, disc, program; headphonejack with adjustable level; one -beam la-ser; digital filtering; single D/A converter;sound audible during fast scan.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number, elapsed time of cur-rent track, elapsed time on disc, remain-ing time on disc, program in memory.Includes carrying case and power sup-ply. 4.97" W X 1.09" H X 4.97" D $370

SL-XP5 Portable Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading portable CD player with FF1single -beam laser. Features program-ming of 18 tracks in any order; 8 AM/8FM station presets; skip forward (tuneup); skip back (tune down); fast forward;fast reverse; cancel; repeat track, disc,program; headphone jack with adjust-able level; digital filtering; single D/A con-verter; sound audible during fast scan.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Displays cur-rent track number. elapsed time of cur-

track/disc, remaining time on disc, pro-gram in memory. Includes carrying caseand power supply $300

TOSHIBA

XR-P9 Portable CD PlayerTop -loading Compact Disc player forhome or portable use. Features 2 -waypower capability; 3 -beam laser; program-ming of 16 tracks in any order; 14 -keywireless remote control; skip forward;skip back; repeat track; headphone jack.Displays current track number, elapsedtime on disc, remaining time on disc.4.97" W X 1.56" H X 7.03" D $350

XR-J9 Portable Compact Disc PlayerTop -loading personal CD player with 16 -program random memory and auto re-peat. Features 3 -beam laser; skip for-ward; skip back; repeat program;headphone jack. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time on disc. 9.84" W X1.84" H x 5.12" D; 2.9 lbs $250

.

of

DIGITAL

the Season...'

te:1.;.?

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,,:

,,

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All your favorite holiday songs arranged, de-signed and produced

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DIGITAL CHR1STMAS...for serious audiofiles andlovers of great music.

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On Manhattan compact disc.'T I41 IA *Actal running tune h t , 2 i minutes

CD CHANGERS & BO PLAYERS

HITACHI

DAC50 Compact Disc PlayerCD player with ability to load 6 discs andprogram 32 tracks on any disc in any or-

der. Features skip forward; skip back;

Link Components. Features program-ming of 15 tracks in any order from 7

discs; oversized fluorescent display; 20

direct -call keys; continous, programmed,random, and timer play; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;

Luxman 0-408 CD/LD Player

fast forward; fast reverse; repeat track;

repeat disc; repeat program; cue by

track; 26 -function remote; headphonejack; with level adjustable; three -beam la-

ser; analog filtering; single D/A convert-er; display of current track number; dis-play of elapsed time of current track;display of program in memory; sound au-

dible during fast scan. Headphone out-

put 2 V $700

JVC

XL-M700BK Multi -Disc CD PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with an auto-matic changer, 6 -disc magazine, and sin-

gle -disc tray for 7 -disc playback. Remotecontrollable with selected JVC Compu-

1111111111

cancel; repeat track, disc; 32 -function re-

mote control; headphone jack with ad-justable level; digital filtering; single D/Aconverter; sound audible during fast

scans. Cues by track number.Oversamples at 88.2 kHz. Headphoneoutput 2 V. 17.19" W X 3.36" H X 12.12"

$600

LUXMAN

D-408 Compact Disc/LaserDisc Player

Combination drawer -loading CompactDisc/LaserDisc player with 22-funtion re-mote control. CD player features one -

beam laser; sound audible during fastforward and fast reverse; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;cancel; repeat track, disc, program;headphone jack with adjustable level.

Displays current track number, elapsedtime of current track, the program stored

in the memory. Cues by track num-

........ ...........

Parasound COD -940 CD and Cassette Combo Player

Mitsubishi DP -409 Multi -Disc Player


ber, index number, time. Max line output2 V; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.003% at 1 dB;

S/N 96 dB; sep 90 dB; FR 5-20,000 Hz

- 0.5 dB; 34.7 lbs; 16.56" W x 6.62" H

x 17.62" D $1,300

MITSUBISHI

DP -409 Multi Compact Disc PlayerCD player with 5 -disc auto changer andmagazine. Provides continuous or pro-

grammed play from any or all 5 discs.Features programmming of 30 tracks in

any order; skip forward; skip back; fastforward; fast reverse; cancel; repeat

disc, track, and program; 16 -function re-mote control; three -beam laser; analogfiltering; single D/A converter. Cues by

track number. Sound audible during fastscans. Displays current track number,elapsed time of current track, program in

memory. 16.81" W X 4.12" H X 13.36"D; 17 lbs $500

CD Changers & Combo Players 3 CD Changers & Combo Players

PARASOUND

CDD 940 CD Player/Cassette DeckCombination Compact Disc player andcassette deck in one unit. CD section:drawer loading; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; repeat disc,

frequency response 5-20,000 Hz t 0.5dB; 34 lbs, 7 Oz, 16.56" W x 6.62" H x17.62" D $1,200

CLD-909-Featured on CoverFeatures semiautomatic front loading;programming of 10 CD tracks and 10 LD

Pioneer CLD-909 CD/LD Player

track; headphone jack; 3 -beam laser:multiple digital filtering; gentle analog fil-tering; single D/A converter; sound audi-ble during fast scan. Cues by track num-ber. Samples at 44.1 kHz. Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track, elapsed time on disc, re-maining time on disc. Cassette section: 2heads; 2 motors; Dolby B & C; Dolby HXPro; elapsed -time counter; LED meters;soft -touch controls; headphone jack;electronic counter; Sendust head. W&F0.07% WRMS; FR (r 3 dB) ferric 20-16,000 Hz, high bias 20-17,000 Hz; metal20-18,500 Hz; S/N (A-wtd) ferric 65 dBDolby B, 75 dB Dolby C, high bias 67 dBDolby B, 77 dB Dolby C, metal 67 dBDolby 8, 77 dB Dolby C. 17.25" W x3.75" H x 10" D; 16 lbs $500

PIONEER ELECTRONICS

CLD-900 Compact Disc/LaserDisc PlayerDrawer -loading player for CompactDiscs and LaserVision videodiscs. Fea-tures 3 -beam laser; programming of 1

track; sound audible during fast forwardand fast reverse; skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; repeattrack, disc, phrase; remote control; head-phone jack with adjustable level. Dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track, remaining time on disc.Cues by track number, index number,time; 6 separate servo systems includingtilt servo to compensate for warpeddiscs; 83 -mm disc damper for addedplayback stability. Total harmonic distor-tion at 1,000 Hz 0.003% at - 0 dB; sig-nal-to-noise ratio 96 dB; sep 94 dB;

Sony CDP-C10 Home DiscJockey

chapters; high -resolution video repro-duction; CD subcode output; on -screendisplay; remote control of CX NR $900

PD-M6(BK) Multi -Play CD PlayerMulti -disc player holds up to 6 CDs. Fea-tures wireless remote control; randomaccess programming of 32 tracks fromup to 6 discs; skip forward; skip back;fast forward; fast reverse; pause; cancel;random play for continuous shuffle play

Teac AD -7 CD/Cassette Player

from 6 discs. Repeats all 6 discs, singledisc, program, track. Displays disc num-ber, track number, elapsed time on disc,total playing time on disc, program inmemory. Includes 6 -disc and single -discmagazine $500

SONY

CDP-C10 Multi -Disc CD PlayerDrawer -loading CD player with ten -discmagazine. Features progamming of 20tracks in any order. 99 in sequential or-der; skip forward and back; fast for-

ward/reverse; cancel; repeat track, disc,phrase, program; remote control; singleD/A converter; headphone jack with adjust-able level; 3 -beam laser. Cues by-track/index number. Displays current tracknumber, elapsed time of current track anddisc, remaining time on disc, program inmemory. Audible scans $800XA-10. 10 -disc magazine $20 ea

TEAC

AD -7 CD Player/Cassette DeckCombination CD player and cassettedeck. CD section: drawer loading; pro-gramming of 15 tracks in any order; inde-pendent output for CD; auto space; randomprogramming dubbing from CD to tape;skip forward/back; fast foward/reverse; re-peat track, disc, program; 15 -function re-mote control; 3 -beam laser; single D/A con-verter; headphone jack with adjustablelevel. Cues by track/index number. Dis-plays current track, elapsed time of currenttrack. Audible fast scans. Cassette: full IC -logic 3 -motor rotary head; auto -reverserecord and playback; Dolby B, C, dbx;memory playback $999

TECHNICS

SL -P16 50 -Disc Compact Disc PlayerMagazine -loading CD player holds andhas access to up to 50 CDs. Can play

any track of any disc in any order or all50 discs in continuous sequence begin-ning at disc 1 to end of disc 50 for about60 hours of continuous music. Can addup to 4 additional units for a maximum250 -disc capacity. Features skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; cancel; repeat track, disc, pro-gram; 14 -function remote control; 3 -

beam laser; analog filtering; single D/Aconverter; headphone jack with adjust-able level. Cues by track number, indexnumber, time. Samples at 44.1 kHz; dis-plays current track number, elapsed timeof current track and disc, program inmemory; reamining time on disc $4,000SL-P16U. Enables access and use of 50CDs to SL -P16 $3,500

TOSHIBA

XR-V22 Compact Disc PlayerDouble -drawer -loading CD player plays 2discs. Features 3 -beam laser; fastforward/reverse: programming of 30tracks in any order; repeat disc.Displayscurrent track number, elapsed time ofcurrent track and disc $550

1987 CompAci. DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 139

CAR CDYERSALPINE

7900 CD TunerCompact Disc player with AM/FM tuner.Features volume control; balance control;bass control; treble control; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;pause; preamp outputs; dual preamp out-puts: auto scan. FR 5-20,000 Hz 1 dB;S/N A-wtd 90 dB referred to 0 dB; THD at1,000 Hz 0.005% referred to -20 dB; chsep 85 dB at 1,000 Hz, 60 dB at 10,000Hz $850

5900 CD PlayerCompact Disc player with track/time dis-play. Features volume control; balancecontrol; bass control; treble control; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; fast re -

chassis. CD section features super linerD/A converter; 3 -beam laser; thermalshut -down circuit to prevent overheat-ing; built-in DC -to -DC converter to main-tain steady current supply. AM/FM tunersection features Denon Optimum Re-ception System (DORS) to automaticallyadjust stereo separation, high filtering,and muting according to signal strengthof incoming FM stations; quartz -fre-quency tuning; 18 FM/6 AM station pre-sets; scan function. Preamplifier sectionfeatures tone controls $900

FORD/JBL

Ford Compact Disc PlayerDirect -loading car CD player. Featuresautomatic music search; music scan; re-

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Alpine 7900 ETR/PLL FM/AM Tuner CD Player

verse; pause; preamp outputs; disc re-peat; auto disc initializer; power loading;line input with noise suppressor. FR 5-20.000 Hz + 1 dB; S/N A-wtd 90 dB re-ferred to 0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005%referred to 20 dB; ch sep 80 dB at1.000 Hz, 60 dB at 10.000 Hz . . $650

BLAUPUNKT

CDP-05 Compact Disc PlayerCar CD player that operates with low- orhigh-level inputs. Features volume, bal-ance, bass. and treble controls; skip for-ward: skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; pause; preamp outputs; 3 -beamlaser; automatic cartridge loading; float-ing shock -resistant disc drive; radiooverride. Optional fader control. FR 18-20.000 Hz + 3 dB; W&F unmeasurable;S/N (A-wtd) 89 dB referred to 0 dB; THD0.15% referred to 0-30 dB; ch sep 70 dBat 10,000 Hz. 2" H x 7" W X 6.25" D;3.36 lbs $550

DENON

DCC-8900 Car AM/FM/CD UnitDIN -E -sized AM/FM radio and CompactDisc player with theft -proof slide -out

peat disc/track; digital LED display. FR5-20,000Hz; THD 0.05%; dynamicrange -90dB; S/N 90dB. CD player isonly available as a dealer -installed ac-cessory to 1987 Lincoln Town Carsequipped with Ford/JBL audio system.

$600-$800

FUJITSU TEN

SD -1110 Compact DiscCompact Disc player with emergencyeject system. Features skip forward; skipback; fast forward; fast reverse; disc re-peat; 3 -beam laser; digital filtering; music

scan; track number and play -time indica-tor. Frequency response 5-20,000 Hz

1 dB; W&F 0.001%; signal-to-noise ra-tio (A -weighted) 90 dB referred to 0 dB;total harmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz 1%referred to 20 dB. 7" H X 2" W X 6.5"D $550

KENWOOD

KDC-9 Compact Disc PlayerAutomobile Compact Disc player withelectronic volume control. Features bal-ance control; bass control; treble control;fader control for front and rear speakers;skip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse; pause; return; preamp out-puts; repeat track and disc; repeat clearfunction; eject button; 3 -beam laser; dualamp balancer (fader); LED volume dis-play; 20 dB attenuator; auto loading. Fre-quency response 5-20,000 Hz it 1 dB;W&F below measurable limit; signal-to-noise ratio (A -weighted) 90 dB referredto 0 dB; total harmonic distortion at 1,000Hz 0.005% referred to -20 dB. 4 Ibs;7.06" H X 1.94" W u 5.15" D $659

MITSUBISHI

CD -100 Compact Disc Player2 -piece CD player with full computer log-ic; sequential operation; auto -slot -discloading; full -program repeat; 1 -programrepeat; fast forward reverse; fast for-ward and reverse program skip; programscanning; total number program readout;multicolor LCD; thermal protection for la-ser diode; internal condensation protec-tion. Dash unit 2" H x 7" W x 6.36" D.System 1. CD player in 50-W system withCV -231 equalizer amp (see section 6)and a choice from a range of speakersdepending on car . $600-$700/systemSystem 2. CD player in 100-W systemwith RX-741 electronic AM/FM cassetteradio, power amp, and a choice from arange of speakers depending on car.Cassette radio has quartz-PLL synthe-sizer; 5 AM/5 FM presets; electronic

Kenwood KDC-9 Car CD Player

I-10 CompAcT Disc: BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

WDS RATED #1COMPARE SERVICE!TOP NAME BRANDS

AT WHOLESALE PRICES!

WDSWISCONSIN DISCOUNT STEREO

2417 W. BADGER RD.MADISON, WIS. 53713

Hours M -T 8-8FRI 9-8

or COD SAT 9-5EXTENDED WARRANTIES AVAILABLE

CALL TOLL FREE

MAJOR BRANDSWE CARRY MOST

EXAMPLES OF SOME OF OUR SUPER SPECIALS!1.0.4

TEAC V450XDolby B + C dbx

$109

is;ff.3211- $119Dolby B C

Aiwa ADF3502 -motor, Bias Tuning

$139Dual 6200with Ortofon

cartridge

$788

TEAC X-200010 Inch

Reel to Reel

$319

Technics SLP500Top of the Line

* &199*Auto -Reverse

Sansui PL-95RBFront -Load Linear Tracker

lirrn $149Dolby B+C

Aiwa ADR450Auto -Reverse, 2 -Motor

$199

Akai AAV401 Digital,80 watts/ch. Video Inputs

$169

TEAC W440C DolbyB+C, High Speed Dubbing

CALLIgglinlik SPECIAL

3bx x DSDynamic Hange Expander

-ellearMil $269

Toshiba XRV22Dual Disc Player

0.04 *$269*Wireless

Sansui SE8814 Band EQ, 5 Presets

(1.=41) $119Digital

Sherwood CRD165Auto -Reverse, 12 Presets

$329 $149Wireless 3 -Beam

Technics SA590100 watt/ch

Li4.0,4mizo $199

JVC KDV6 3 -HeadColby B C, 2 -Motor

TEAC Disc Player15 Track, Programmable

v. -td-ww-11

Jensen DigitalAuto -Reverse, Fader

MEM *$349*Wireless

Sansui SXV1 000 ao wt/chBest Audio/Video Receiver

Sony D-14Portable Disc Man

$159w/Battery

Pack

$139CD Input

$149

Sherwood CRD301Digital, Dolby, Auto -Reverse

*$299*Best Buy

Sansui D-905 3-Head.Auto Reverse, Dolby B C

am ZE.r. .7"CALL

Wireless

Kenwood KVRA95RB100 watts/ch, 7 -band EQ

Cph $219Wireless

Hitachi Disc Player3 -Beam, 15 -Track

$339w/Remote

TEAC V850X 3 -Head,3 -Motor, Dolby B C dbx

V/ /MN\ .- $399Auto Reverse

TEAC R888 3 -Head,3 -Motor, Dolby B - C dbx

ion- I$569Wireless

Pioneer CombinationCD/Laservision

"The Tower"by Sansui

$109 ea.160 watt/speaker

$88 ea.

EPI 3 -WayFloor -Standing

$369150 watt/ch

Integrated Amp & TunerTop cf the Line, 20 presets

Pr -'20`o $229

Concord HPL520Dolby B C, Digital

IA110;1111.4! $219

Technics SLP300Wireless Remote

Reasons Why WDS Rated #1:'All Orders Processed within 12 Hours.*95% of All Orders Shipped Within 48 Hours.*All Units Factory Sealed With Full Warranty.*No Extra Charge for Mastercard -or Visa.'We Can Ship Complete COD (Only $2.00 Extra).'Buyer Protection Plan Included With Every Item- Free.

'7 -Day Service Guaranteed*No Extra Hidden Charges'No Inflated Shipping Charges*Established 1954 - Our Sales RepresentativesHave Over 5 Years of Training.

'Extended Warranties Available

CALLLOADED

Concord HPL550Top of the Line

$299Sony G -7W

Complete Midi System

WA% $299 DubbingSansui CP99 PortableTop of the Line

SOME ITEMS CLOSEOUTS.SOME LIMITED QUANTITIES.

CALL

Proton Clock Radio$119

Wireless44, KOSS JCK200SHeadphones

Car CD Players 4 Car CD Player

memory; auto seek/scan; step -touchtuning; power output 7 W RMS max into4 ohms; auto reverse with tape directionindicators; locking fast -forward and re-wind; metal/chrome equalization; musicprogram sensor; pinch -off tape protec-tion; Dolby B; loudness, fader, and bal-ance controls; separate bass and treblecontrols; night illumination; digital fre-quency display; power antenna lead;Stereo Reception Control; preamp out-puts. 2.12" H x 7" W x 5.5" D. Amp withpackage is CV -251, 4 -channel amplifierwith 25 W/ch $900-$1,000/system

PANASONIC

CO -E800 Compact Disc PlayerRandom-access programmable CD play-er with AM/FM tuner. Includes AM tuner;FM tuner; volume control; balance con-trol; bass control; treble control; skip for-ward; skip back; fast forward; fast re-verse; pause; preamp outputs; discrepeat; single -beam laser; ch-blend cir-cuit; disc scan; tuner on/off; auto -loaddisc; 5 selections; 12 FM presets; 6 AMpresets. CD section: FR 5-20,000 Hz;S/N (A-wtd) 90 dB ref to 0 dB; THD at1,000 Hz 0.005% ref to - 20 dB. Tunersection: FM stereo 50 -dB quieting sens15.2 dBf; alt-ch sel 75 dB; capture ratio1.5 dB at 65 dBf; FM S/N at 65 dBf 70dB. 1' H X 7' W x 5.12" D $700

for elapsed play time, total play time, re-maining time; full illumination. CD sectionspecs: FR 5-20,000 Hz ± 1 dB; W&F un-measurable; S/N (A-wtd) 90 dB referredto 0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005% re-ferred to - 20 dB. Total weight 8.4 Ib;main unit dimensions: 2' H X 7.12' W X5.88" D; secondary unit dimensions: 2' HX 7.12" W X 6.5" D $550

DEX-77 AM/FM Compact Disc PlayerAM/FM CD player with Supertuner III.Tuner features 24 station presets (18 FMand 6 AM); Best station memory selectsand stores stations by signal strength.CD section features 3 -beam pickup;wired remote control for track scan; autopower loading system; random playfunction; repeat all/track; secret codeanti -theft system. $800

PHILIPS AUTO AUDIO

DCO 85 Removable CD PlayerIn -dash DIN chassis Compact Disc play-er also for portable and home use. In-cludes volume control; balance control;bass control; treble control; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;pause; preamp outputs; disc repeat; digi-tal filtering; portable with battery pack.FR 20-20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB; W&F belowmeasureable limits; S/N (A-wtd) >90 dBref to 0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.008% ref

Pioneer DEX-77 AM/FM CD player

PIONEER

CDX-P1 Compact Disc PlayerCompact Disc player with DIN chassis;control amp: electronic control module.Features volume control; balance con-trol; bass control; treble control; skip for-ward; fast forward; fast reverse; pause:preamp outputs; disc repeat; fluorescentdisplay for elapsed play time, total playtime, remaining time; full illumination. CDsection specs: FR 10-20,000 Hz ±2.0dB; W&F unmeasurable; S/N (A-wtd) 90dB referred to 0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz0.005% referred to 20 dB. Bass controlboosts or cuts 10 dB at 100 Hz; treblecontrol boosts or cuts 10 dB at 10,000Hz. Total weight 8.4 lb; main unit dimen-sions: 2" H X 7.12" W X 6.5" D; second-ary unit dimensions: 2" H X 7.12" W X6.5" D $600

CDX-1 Compact Disc PlayerCompact Disc player with DIN chassis;electronic control module. Features skipforward; fast forward; fast reverse;pause; disc repeat; fluorescent display

to -20 dB; sep 90 dB at 1,000 Hz, 0 dBat 10,000 Hz. 180 mm H X 51 W X 149D $550

CD10 Portable Car CD PlayerDIN box unit with a retractable automo-tive tray. Includes volume control; bal-ance control; bass control; treble control;skip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse; pause; preamp outputs;disc repeat; digital filtering. FR 20-20,000Hz ± 0.5 dB; W&F 0%; S/N (A-wtd) 90 dB

Sansui CD -X500

ref to 0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz >0.008%ref to -20 dB; sep -90 dB at 1,000 Hz,-90 dB at 10,000 Hz, >90 dB at 20,000

Hz. 180 mm H x 51 W x 149 D $400

SANSUI

CD -X500 Car Compact Disc PlayerSlot -in disc -loading CD player with 3-

beam laser. Features programming of 16tracks in any order; automatic musicsearch; automatic repeat play; introskip;skip forward; skip back; fast forward;fast reverse. Displays current track, run-ning time, and mode $599

SANYO

FTEC2 AM/FM Stereo CD PlayerAM/FM stereo Compact Disc player foruse with an outboard amp. FeaturesAM/FM tuner; volume, balance, bass,treble, loudness controls; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;pause; preamp outputs; disc repeat; 3 -beam laser; display LCD; PLL-synthesiz-er; 12 FM/6 AM presets; seek; scan;local/DX switch; stereo/mono; search:intro scan; 16 -track programmability;endless play; fader; stand by; power an-tenna jack; lead sportster jack; Viper se-curity system. CD section specs: FR 5-20,000 Hz; S/N (A-wtd) 90 dB referred to0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005% referredto 20 dB; ch sep 80 dB at 1,000 Hz.Tuner section specs: FM stereo 30 -dBquieting sens 19.2 dBf; capture ratio 2dB at 65 dBf; sep at 1,000 Hz 35 dB at 65dBf. Bass control boosts or cuts 10 dB at100 Hz; treble control boosts or cuts at10,000 Hz. Main unit dimensions 178 mmH X 50 W x 130 D, tuner 178 mm H X25 W X 130 D, DC converter 120 mm HX 35 W x 24 D $700

FTEC1 AM/FM Stereo CD PlayerAM/FM stereo Compact Disc player foruse with an outboard amp. FeaturesAM/FM tuner; volume, balance, bass,treble, loudness controls; skip forward;pause; preamp outputs; disc repeat; 3 -beam laser; display LCD; PLL-synthesiz-er; 6 FM/6 AM presets; scan; local/DXswitch; stereo/mono; intro scan; fader;stand by; power antenna jack; leadsportster jack. CD section specs: FR 5-20,000 Hz; S/N (A-wtd) 90 dB referred to0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005% referredto 20 dB; ch sep 80 dB at 1,000 Hz.Tuner section specs: FM stereo 30 -dBquieting sens 19.2 dBf; capture ratio 2dB at 65 dBf; sep at 1,000 Hz 35 dB at 65

142 COMPAUI Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

Car CD Players 4 Car CD Players

Sony CDX-A10 Car DiscJockey

dBf. Bass control boosts or cuts 10 dB at100 Hz; treble control boosts or cuts at10,000 Hz. Main unit dimensions 178 mmH x 50 W x 130 D, tuner 150 mm H X25 W x 130 ID $600

SONY

CDX-A10 DiscJockey10 -CD player/changer with remote con-trol and optional digital -synthesis AM/FMtuner module. Player/changer designedto be mounted in trunk or rear compart-ment of vehicle. Outputs connect to 1 or2 external stereo power amps. All func-tions controlled by DIN -sized remotecommander designed for dash. Features3 -position Dynamic Range Suppressor;switchable Surround Sound circuit; 10 -track programmability; Auto Music Sen-sor; Random Music Sensor. Includesconnecting cables and 1 XA-10 discmagazine $1,000XT -10. Tuner pack $130XA-10. Disc magazine $20 ea

CDX-R7 Compact Disc PlayerCompact Disc player with separateFM/AM tuner module. DIN -E size de-signed for in -dash mounting; tuner mod-ule can be mounted separately. RCAjacks provided for connection to 2 exter-nal amps for front and rear control. Fea-tures balance control; bass control; tre-ble control; skip and search in forwardand reverse modes; pause; four preampoutputs; 3 -beam laser; fader; digitalclock; 18 presets; stereo/mono switch;auto loading. CD section specs: FR 5-20,000 Hz ±2 dB; W&F not measurable;S/N (A-wtd) >90 dB ref to 0 dB; THD at1,000 Hz 0.005% ref to - 20 dB; ch sep-85 dB at 1,000 Hz; bass control boosts

or cuts 10 dB at 100 Hz; treble controlboosts or cuts 10 dB at 10,000 Hz. Tunersection: FM FR 20-15,000 Hz ±2 dB; FMstereo 50 -dB quieting sens 15.3 dBf (1.6ALV); alt ch sel 70 dB at 400,000 Hz; cap-

ture ratio 1.5 dB at 65 dBf; sep at 1,000Hz 42 dB at 65 dBf. Total weight 5.8 lbwith tuner module; main unit dimensions:178 mm H X 50 W X 155 D; secondaryunit dimensions: 178 H X 25 W X 135

$700

CDX-5 Compact Disc PlayerCompact Disc player. DIN -E size de-signed for in -dash or under -dash mount-ing. Remote control turn -on and preampinput capabilities enable it to be used inline with an existing tuner/cassette deck.RCA jacks for preamp in/out connec-tions. Features volume control; balancecontrol; bass control; treble control; skipforward; skip back; fast forward; re

reverse; pause; preamp inputs and out-puts; 3 -beam laser. CD section specs:FR 5-20,000 Hz ± 1 dB; W&F not mea-surable; S/N (A-wtd) >90 dB ref to 0 dB;THD at 1,000 Hz 0.005% refto -20 dB;ch sep greater than 85 dB at 1,000 Hz;bass control boosts or cuts 10 dB at 100Hz; treble control boosts or cuts 10 dB at10,000 Hz. Total weight 4 lb; 178 mm Hx 50 W x 155 D $600

TECHNICS

CO-DP5 Compact Disc TunerCompact Disc player tuner with outboardDC/DC converter and tuner section. In-cludes AM tuner; FM tuner; volume con-trol; balance control; bass control; treblecontrol; loudness control; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;pause; preamp outputs; speaker out-puts; disc repeat; FFI single -beam laser;12 FM presets, 6 AM presets; 15 stepRAM programming. CD section: FR 5-20,000 Hz; W&F unmeasureable; S/N (A-wtd) 90 dB ref to 0 dB; THD at 1,000 Hz0.005% ref to -20 dB. Tuner section:FM FR 20-15,000 Hz ±3 dB; FM S/N at65 dBf 70 dB; main unit: 7" H X 2.06" WX 5.88" D; secondary unit: 7" H X 1" WX 5.12" D $700

YAMAHA

YCD-1000 CD Player-Featured on CoverCompact Disc player with unique discloading system. Features volume control;bass control; treble control; skip forward;skip back; fast forward; fast reverse;pause; preamp outputs; disc repeat;three -beam laser; digital filtering. CDsection: FR 5-20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB; W&F0%; S/N (A-wtd) 100 dB ref to 0 dB; THDat 1,000 Hz <0.0015% ref to -20 dB; chsep >90 dB at 1,000 Hz. 2^ H x 7.06" Wx 6.25" D $549

Yamaha YCD-1000 Car CD Playerwith CD cartridge

PRICES LISTEDare only the manufacturers' suggested retail prices

(also referred to as list prices):actual selling prices are set by each dealer.

All prices are subject to change without notice.


CD ACCESSORIES

APATURE by ACR

Gold Interconnect CablesHigh -resolution professional audio andvideo patch cords. For use with all video,CD, VHS, Beta formats; all audio compo-nents. Length: 1 meter $18 ea.5 meter chrome cable $20 each2 -meter chrome cable $24 eachPremium Gold Interconnect Cables.Same as chrome cables except with 5micron gold ends $30 ea

ADS

B3 Storage ModuleStorage module with tambour door andvertical dividers. Stackable; length andwidth matches measurements of Ateliercomponents; useful for storing cas-settes, CDs, LPs. Available in black orwhite $150.0084. Similar to B3 except open front withadjustable shelf $100.00

ALLSOP

59000 Rotary CD Cleaning DeviceHand -operated wet -system CompactDisc cleaner using soft, replaceable padto clean from center to edige of disc.Gear drive automatically rotates discwhile cleaning pad is being turned$29.95

AUDIOSOURCE

LLC-1 CD Laser Lens CleanerDigitally encoded Compact Disc withbuilt-in, man-made carbon -fiber impreg-nated cleaning brush to clean harmfulresidues and particles from the laser lensof CD players. Inserts into CD player like

any other disc. Inaudible test tone posi-tions disc, aligns brush and lens, andspins disc in circular motion . $26.95

AUDIOOUEST

AD Sorbothane Isolation FootUsed for improving performance of CDplayers, tube electronics, turntables, andtelevisions. Sorbothane disc. Set offour $39.00

AO Sorbothane CD DamperSorbothane-backed composite discdamps CDs. Set of 2 $15.00

BIB

A-607 CD Cleaning SystemCompact Disc tray, cleaning unit, fluid,and brush $14.95

A-611 CD Storage ModuleStrong practical CD storage unit holdsup to 10 CDs in their jewel boxes. Finger-tip touch release system automaticallyejects selected CD for easy removal. In-terlocking modules can be expandedvertically or horizontally. Molded ofstrong ABS plastic. Wall or shelfmounting $4.59

BOLIT by LaGORIO IMPORTS

Bolit Gold Polish and ProtectorFor use on plastic sound -equipmentcases, turntable covers, and CompactDiscs. Restores laser readability to CDswhile reducing dust accumulation. Helpsto reduce and/or eliminate skips, clicksetc. due to scratches on CD surface. 1 -oz bottle $5.95

AudioSource LLC-1 CD Lens Cleaner

144 CompAcT Disc BUYERS GUIDE 1987

COASTAR

Compact Disc OrganizerPortable carrier holds 15 CDs. Availablein black or grey with red accent . .$24.95

COUNTERFEET by SUMIKO

CD Interface MatClear plastic mat permanently adheres tothe label side of a CD disc. Protects labelfrom scratches. 10 mats per package$10

DASH II DESIGNS

Model 4010 Tall TurntableCD storage furniture rotates to reveal 4vertical rows of 40 cloth -covered storageslots. 11.5" W X 30" H X 11.5" D; 30 lbs.Oak finish $185.00Walnut finish $225.00

Model 2830 Full Module CD Storage UnitCD storage furniture with 5 vertical rowsof cloth -covered storage slots. Stackablemodules each holding up to 200 CDs. 30"W x 30" H X 5.5" D; 40 lbs. Oakfinish $158.00Walnut finish $188.00

Model 4000 Small TurntableCD storage furniture rotates to reveal 4vertical rows of 20 cloth -covered storageslots. 11.5" W X 16" H X 11.5" D; 20 lbs.Oak finish $140.00Walnut finish $165.00

Model 2835 Half Module CD Storage UnitCD storage furniture with 5 vertical rowsof cloth -covered storage slots. Stackablemodules each holding up to 100 CDs. 30"W x 16" H x 5.5" D; 25 lbs. Oakfinish $89.00Walnut finish $108.00

Model 2810 Single TowerFeatures 40 cloth -covered storage slotsand detachable predrilled base. Can beplaced upright in base or on its side. 6.5"W x 30" H X 5.5" D; 12 lbs. Oakfinish $76.00Walnut finish $90.00

Model 2820 Mini ModuleStackable CD storage unit with cloth -covered slots to hold up to 20 CDs. Verti-cal or horizontal storage. 6" W X 16" H h5.5" D; 7 lbs. Oak finish $45.00Walnut finish $58.00

D.G. INDUSTRIES

Compact Disc StorageStackable plexiglass tray stores 29CDs.Tilts CDs for easy reading . $29.95

CD Accessories 5 CD Accessories

DISCWASHER

Discwasher Compact Disc CleanerIncludes a CD cleaning unit, CD -1 clean-ing fluid, cleaning pad grooming brushand replacement cleaning pad. 14 oz;6.75" W x 5.25" H x 1.25" D $19.95

CD Storage SystemLightweight, durable unit stores up to 20CDs in their jewel boxes. Designed to al-low user to "flip" through CDs stored inunit. Can be wall mounted. 6" W X 2" HX 14.75" D $19.95

DYNASOUND ORGANIZER

Sound SenderAdaptor plugs it into car's cigarettelighter to play portable Compact Discplayers through car radio's FM soundsystem $30.00

FINAL DESIGN

NuIIi Secundus CD Storage UnitHandcrafted hand -oiled waxed -hard-wood storage unit holds up to 40 Com-pact Discs. Features polished -bronzeglass doors with machine -carved finger

laserline CD -2400, -1200, and -800

pulls; precision -ground ball -bearingdrawer. Natural or medium oak. 8.36" HX 12.25" D X 12.25" W; approx 15lbs $149.95

Audiofile Compact Disc Travel CaseDurable tote bag designed to carry up to20 CDs. Features laminated foam interiorfor cushioned protection; dual -zipper ac-cess flap; detachable adjustable shoul-der strap; offset plastic base tray holdsdiscs upright. Available in assorted col-ors. 10.5" long '< 6"W X 6.5"H . $15.95

Compact DisCollatorsOrganizational trays for storing CompactDiscs. Stores up to 20 CDs in upright

staggered formation for easy access.quick viewing, and condensed storage.CDSA. Self-adhesive base for mountingto clean, flat surface. 10.25" long X 6" WX 6.36" H with CDs $7.95CDSM. Slide -mounted version with ball -bearing slides $19.95

GENEVA GROUP

PF-400 CD Storage AlbumLP -size storage unit for CDs. Accommo-dates 4 CDs in clear -plastic carryingcase. 12 ozs $7.99

PF-410 Compact Disc CleanerEasy -to -use premoistened cleaning padscleans at least 5 Compact Discs each.Features 18 premoistened cleaningpads. 3 ozs $7.99

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS

Flip 'N' Play Compact Disc File 18Plastic storage rack with touch -releasemechanism holds to store up to 18 Com-pact Discs vertically. Racks may bestacked $7.95Flip 'N' Play Compact Disc File 10. Asabove except holds 10 CDs $4.95

JOOK-BOX

ADSC 01 Album/CD/Cassette StorageModular storage system allows storageof all type of audio/video software in oneunit. Holds up to 75 albums, or up to 90cassettes with snap -in cassette rack, orup to 56 CDs with adapter, or up to up to30 VHS/Beta video tapes. Constructedof high -impact polystyrene in 4 colors(red, black, grey, white) $9.95

CR 01 CD/Cassette Storage Unit2 units snap into CDA 01 cassette stor-age to hold up to 7 CDs or 7 unboxedcassettes. Constructed of high -impact

1987

polystyrene. Available in 4 colors (red,black, grey, and white). 5" W X 1" H 6"D $2.99/set

LASERLINE by CREATIVE POINT

CD -2400 Compact Disc Storage UnitCompact Disc storage unit holds up to 24Compact Discs. Includes Securing Re-lease Mechanism (SRM) to secure discin slot and release disc cartridge at atouch. Constructed from impact -resis-tant, high-grade plastic. Modular designfor adding additional units. 18.66" W X4.9" H x 6.75" DCD -1200. Same as CD -2400 except$29.95

holds up to 12 CDs. 12.6" W X 3.95" HX 6.75" D; 2.15 lbs $19.95CD -800. Same as CD -2400 except holdsup to 8 Compact Discs. 6.4" W X 4.9" HX 6.75"D $9.95

MEMOREX BY MEMTEK

Compact Disc CleanerCleans digital Compact Discs for accu-rate music reproduction. Restores uni-form disc reflectivity. Includes cleaningsolution, pad, bristle brush, and storagecase $14.99

Compact Disc Player DustcoverSoft durable vinyl CD player dustcoverwith clear front panel for convenientviewing of controls. Available in medium(14" X 12.5" X 3") and large (18" X 14"X 3") sizes $5.99

Compact Disc OrganizerStorage unit with independent storageslots holds up to 12 CDs in a vertical po-sition. Twin pack $4.99

Compact Disc Storage CaseHigh -quality dust -proof replacementstorage case for individual CompactDiscs. Standard jewel -box size and de-sign. Twin pack $2.99

MICROLAND FURNITURE

Rolltop-Box CD Stoarage UnitSolid -oak rolltop box for CD storage.Rolltop tambour curtains assembled withindividual of solid oak on a canvas back-ing. Boxes held together with tongue -and -groove joints. Dark -oak stained fin-ish with a durable clear lacquer sealerand 4 nonskid protective pads on thebottom. Available in single -row model tostore up to 16 CDs. Available by phoneor mail order. $6.95 shipping & handlingcharges $39.95Optional solid -brass name plate forplacement on storage unit $9.95

These listings are based on dataprovided by the manufacturers. Formore product information, contactan authorized dealer or the manu-facturer directly. Manufacturers'addresses are given in the directo-ry beginning on page 147.

COMPAC I DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 145

CD Accessories 5 CD Accessories

MONSTER CABLE

Interlink CD CableInterconnect cable for Compact Discplayers for increased performance andsound quality. $3.00/ft1 meter pr $50.002 meter pr $70.0020 ft pr $150.00

Discus Compact Disc StabilizerA black anodized aluminum disc placedon top of a CD while it is played. De-signed to damp out CD vibration, mini-mize laser diffraction and stabilizespeed, resulting in tighter more dynamicbass, faster transients, more focused im-aging and improved depth. .. $29.95

ORTOFON

CD -040 Compact Disc Maintainance KitRemoves dust, dirt, etc. from disc sur-face to prevent mistracking. Includespadded storage box, cleaning cloth, fluidand lens cleaner $19.95CD -042 CD Cleaning Spray $6.50

CD -041 Component Isolators8 absorbing feet with self -stick backingeliminate vibration on CD players . $9.95

RECOTON

CD -20 Compact Disc AdapterPassive adapter cable for playing porta-ble CD player through any cassette deck.

SAC CODS -1 Compact Disc Organizer

Discus + Compact Disc Stabilizer. Sameas Discus, but made of black finishedbrass to do an even better job of stabiliz-ing the disc in those players that canhandle its higher mass. $39.95

NAGAOKAby ANGSTROM ASSOCIATES

CD -1100K CD Cleaning SystemRadial Compact Disc cleaning system.Spray acts as a surface lubricant to forma buffer between dirt and disc surface.Lamb -leather cleaning pad lifts dirt fromfluid layer and absorbs it in center. Fea-tures hand-held design and includesgrooming brush $19.95

CD -321 Flexi KeeperSpring -loaded open Compact Disc stor-age system designed to securely holdand display upright up to 15 CDs. Canalso be used to store audio cassettesand video cassettes $14.95

CD Safe -T -CaseJewel -box -type CD case with softgrooved unbreakable polypropylene bot-tom to keep dust away from CD. Fea-tures hard styrene hinged top for easyopening and access to Compact Discs.35% thinner than standard Compact Discjewel boxes $4.95

CD Protective SleevesProtective CD sleeves made of nonabra-sive anti -static polymer reduce fingerprints and dust build-up. Preventsscratches. Pack of 25 $9.95

One end has mini plug for headphoneoutput jack of player, other end shapedlike cassette to fit into tape transport.Output voltage correctly equalized, de-signed for no loss in dynamic range, FR,S/N $24.95

CD -1 CD Maintainance SystemCD radial cleaner with 100% natural

Signet SK314 CD Cleaning System

chamois, 6 foam applicators, cleaningsolution and CD restorer solution $24.95

CD -11 CD Radial CleanerIncludes 100% natural chamois, 4 foamapplicators, cleaning solution $19.95

SAC

CDDS-1 Compact Disc OrganizerCD holder which stores both double andsingle CDs. Can hold up to 6 double or12 single CDs and can be interlockedhorizontally or vertically. Free standingor wall mounted: smoked plastic . $7.00

SIGNET

SK314. Auto CD cleaning system. Spinsa soft, dry chamois against spinning CD.Cleans for approx 20 seconds and thenautomatically shuts off. Includes bottle ofsafe detergent fluid, six optical -qualitycloths, and 2 C batteries $60.00SK312. Compact Disc cleaner. Featuressoft leather chamois for surface dust andcleaning solution with optical qualitycleaning cloths for tougher dirt . $20.00SK481/1.0. High -definition audio inter-connect made with LC-OFC wire. Rec-ommended for CD players $60.00

SONRISE

SG -11d Mirrormont III CD CabinetSwiveling cabinet stores up to 40 Com-pact Discs horizontally, 20 on each side.Solid oak or solid walnut. Can be stackedone on top of another $76.00

SG-11dL Compact Disc Storage UnitStorage unit for 40 CDs. One side stack -able and wall -mountable $76.00

STUDIO SPEC by ORAELECTRONICS

CDA-1 Compact Disc Car AdaptorAdaptor allows playing of portable CDplayers in cars by generating an FM ste-reo signal directly through the radio an-tenna. Two sets of cables connects CDplayer to adaptor's input and 9 -volt out-put. Includes mounting hardware $59.95

TEAC

CD -74. Cabinet holds 74 CDs . $39.99CD -37. Cabinet holds 37 CDs . $29.99CDC -20. Briefcase -style CD carryingcase holds up to 20 CDs $29.95

146 COMPACT Disc BUYERS GUIDE 1987

DIRECTORY OF MANUFACTURERS

ACCUPHASE by MADRIGAL2081 S. Main St., Middletown, CT06457

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH330 Turnpike St., Canton, MA 02021

ADC (Division of dbx)71 Chapel St., Newton, MA 02195

ADCOM11 Elkins Rd., New Brunswick, NJ08816

ADSOne Progress Way, Wilmington, MA01887

AIWA AMERICA35 Oxford Dr., Moonachie, NJ 07074

AKAI AMERICA800 W. Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA90220

ALLSOPPost Office Box 23, Bellingham, WA98227

ALPINE ELECTRONICS19145 Gramercy Place, Torrance, CA90501

AUDIOQUEST629 Camino de los Mares, #306, SanClemente, CA 92672

AUDIOSOURCE1185 Chess Dr., Foster City, CA94404

AUDIO-TECHNICA1221 Commerce Dr., Stow, OH44224

BANG & OLUFSEN1150 Feehanville Drive, Mt. Pros-pect, IL 60056

BLAUPUNKT2400 S. 25th Ave, Broadview, IL60153

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO4650 Arrow Hwy., #F4, Montclair,CA 91763

CARVERPO Box 1237, 19210 33rd Ave. W.,Lynnwood, WA 98036

CITIZEN2999 Overland Ave., Los Angeles,CA 90064

COASTAR118 Pearl St, Mt. Vernon, NY 10550

CONRAD-JOHNSON DESIGN1474 Pathfinder Lane, McLean, VA22101

COUNTERPOINT10635 Roselle St., San Diego, CA92121-1399

CREATIVE POINT44912 Osgood Rd., Fremont, CA94539

dbx71 Chapel St., Newton, MA 02195

DENON AMERICA27 Law Dr., Fairfield, NJ 07006

D.C. INDUSTRIES7740 Lemona Ave., Van Nuys, CA91405

DISCRETE TECHNOLOGY2911 Oceanside Rd., Oceanside, NY11572

FINAL DESIGN18735 Auburn Dr., Cupertino, CA95014

FISHER21314 Lassen St., PO Box 2329,Chatsworth, CA 91311

FORD17000 Rotunda Dr., Dearborn, MI48121

FUJITSU TEN19281 Pacific Gateway Drive, Tor-rance, CA 90502

GENERAL ELECTRICElectronics Park, Syracuse, NY13221

HARMAN KARDON240 Crossways Dr. West, Woodbury,NY 11797

HITACHI401 W. Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA90220

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS1971 Concourse Dr., PO Box 32899,San Jose, CA 95152

JVC COMPANY OF AMERICA41 Slater Dr., Elmwood Park, NJ07407

KENWOOD1315 E. Watsoncenter Rd., Carson,CA 90745

KINERGETICS6029 Reseda Blvd., Tarzana, CA91356

KYOCERA INTERNATIONAL7 Powder Horn Dr., PO Box 4227,Warren, NJ 07060

LUXMAN19145 Gramercy Place, Torrance, CA90501

MADRIGAL2081 S. Main St., PO Box 781, Mid-dletown, CT 06457

MAGNAVOXInterstate 40 and Straw Plains Pike,P.O. Box 14810, Knoxville, Tenessee37914

MAN6301 Riggs Place, Los Angeles, CA90045

MARANTZ20525 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth, CA93111

MERIDIAN by MADRIGAL2081 S. Main St., PO Box 781, Mid-dletown, CT 06457

MICROLAND FURNITURE17 Madrone Ave., San Anseimo, CA94960

MISSION ELECTRONICS5985 Atlantic Drive, Unit 6, Missis-sauga, Ont., Canada LW4 1S4

MITSUBISHI5757 Plaza Dr., PO Box 6007, Cy-press, CA 90630-0007

MONSTER CABLE101 Townsend St., San Francisco,CA 94107


NAD (USA)675 Canton St., Norwood, MA 02062

NAGAOKA210 Eighth St., Lewiston, NY

NAKAMICHI USA19701 S. Vermont, Torrance, CA90502

NEC HOME ELECTRONICS1401 W. Estes Ave., Elk Grove Vil-lage, IL 60007

ONKYO USA200 Williams Dr., Ramsey, NJ 07446

ORTOFON22 Dupont St., Plainview, NY 11803

PANASONICOne Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ07094

PARASOUNDWharfside, 680 Beach St., #400, SanFrancisco, CA 94109

PHILIPS AUTO AUDIO230 Duffy Avenue, Hicksville,NY 11802

PIONEER ELECTRONICS5000 Airport Plaza Drive, LongBeach, CA 90815

PROTON737 W. Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA90220

QUASAR9401 W. Grand Ave., Franklin Park,IL 60131

RCA600 North Sherman Dr., PO Box1976, Indianapolis, IN 46201

REALISTIC by RADIO SHACK(Division of Tandy Corp.) 1300One Tandy Center, Fort Worth, TX76102

RECOTON46-23 Crane St. Long Island City, NY11101

REVOX1425 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN37210

ROTELPO Box 653, Buffalo, NY 14240

ALL HEW FOR 1986

3 FREECATALOG S

up-to-date product information available Over10.000 products. 10 Million DollarInventory

AUDIO/VIDEO/ELECTRONICS/COMMUTER CATALOG Most complete

(AA Major Brands). Factory Fresh. totallypuranteed. Complete up-to-date ComputerHardware and Software and Accessories

RECORD AND CASSETTE CATALOGComplete list of the most popular artistsand tees

VIDEO MOVIE CATALOG With over 7000Video Cassette and Laser Disc Movies

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY RECEIVED OURLATEST CATALOGS PLEASE FILL OUT POST CARDAND MAIL OR CALL TOLL.FREE

IN NEW YORK ALASKA & CANADACALL (212) 639-0396r =UM =MINI NI MI= OR NI= BR IM MOM MINIMUM

IIIIII

I

IsommmmmunisemsimmiummaimmoimmmrnmmummainemmilCIRCLE NO 34 ON READER SERVICE CARD

148 C0111'.LL I Disc BUYERS' GUIDE 1987

PLEASE CHECK WHICHCATALOGS YOU WANT AUDIO/VIDEO n RECORD/CASSETTE

NAME:

ADDRESS:

CITY:

ARM%

El VIDEO MOVIE

STATE: ZIP:

J&R MUSIC WORLD DEPT. SRCDG B623 PARK ROW, NEW YORK CITY, NY 10038-2397

IIIIII

SAC6844 Vineland Avenue, North Holly-wood, CA 91605

SANSUI ELECTRONICS1250 Valley Brook Ave., Lyndhurst,NJ 07071

SANYO ELECTRIC1200 Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA90220

SCOTT5601 West Side Ave., North Bergen,NJ 07047

SEARS, ROEBUCKSears Tower, 40-15, Chicago, IL60684

SHARP ELECTRONICSSharp Plaza, PO Box 650, Mahwah,NJ 07430

SH ERWOOD13845 Artesia Blvd., Cerritos, CA90701

SHURE BROTHERS222 Harvey Ave., Evanston, IL60204

SIGNET4701 Hudson Dr., Stow, OH 44224

SONOGRAPHE1474 Pathfinder Lane, McLean, VA22101

SONYSony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ 07656

SYLVANIAInterstate 40 and Straw Plains Pike,P.O. Box 14810, Knoxville, Tenessee37914

TANDBERG OF AMERICALabriola Court, Armonk, NY 10504

TEAC7733 Telegraph Rd., Montebello, CA90640

TECHNICS(Division of Panasonic)One Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ07094

TOSHIBA82 Totowa Rd., Wayne, N.J. 07470

VECTOR RESEARCH1230 Calle Suerte, Camarillo, CA93010

YAMAHA ELECTRONICS6600 Orangethorpe Ave., BuenaPark, CA 90620

DIGITAL DICTIONARY

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Analog: A physical representation ofinformation that bears an exact rela-tionship to the original information.An analog recording is a physicalrecord of the changing air pressurethat sound is. On an LP, the wigglesof the groove correspond to thechanging air pressure of the originalsound. When you record on tape, thething that changes is its pattern ofmagnetism. Because the magneticpattern on the tape, or the shape ofthe groove, is analogous (similar) tothe original sound, this kind of re-cording is called analog recording.

Analog to Digital (A/D) Converter: Acircuit that changes a continuouslyvarying voltage or current into a digi-tal output. In digital audio the analogsignal is converted to a binaryoutput.

Binary: A numbering system using abase number of 2. There are two dig-its (1 and 0) in the binary system.

Bit: An abbreviation for a binarydigit.

Burst error: A common occurence indigital audio media, a burst error is alarge error disrupting hundreds ofbits and might be caused by a manu-facturing defect or a dust particle ona CD.

CD-ROM: Compact Disc Read OnlyMemory. A CD-ROM is a special

format CD used as a read only mem-ory system for any kind of programmaterial. Currently a CD-ROMstores between 550 and 650 mega-bytes of data.

Channel: An independent signalpath. Stereo components have twosuch channels.

Channel Separation: The amount ofstereo program material from onechannel appearing in the output ofthe other channel. Expressed in deci-bels relative to the desired channeloutput, with values of 20 to 30 dB(the higher figure being preferable)through most of the audible frequen-cy range being typical of good car-tridges. Digital equipment has chan-nel -separation specifications usuallyover 90 dB.

Compact Disc (CD): A compact discis a form of data storage. It has anouter diameter of 120 mm, a centerhole 15 mm across, a thickness of1.2mm., and a weight of about 14grams. When used to store digital au-dio information they have a maxi-mum playing time of 74 minutes.

Cross Interleave Code (CIC): Errorcorrection using interleaving betweeneven and odd input samples of digitalinformation.

Cross Interleave Reed -Solomon Code(CIRC): CIRC is an error correction

system using the Reed -Solomon codein conjunction with interleaved digi-tal samples. It has been adopted forthe Compact Disc.

Cyclic Redundancy Check Code(CRCC): CRCCs are used for codeerror detection. It is a mathmaticalformula used to locate and identifyerrors in digital information.

Crossover Network: A filter which di-vides a signal into parts and directsthe parts to the proper speaker driv-er. In a three-way speaker, the cross-over network sends the low frequen-cies to a woofer, middle frequenciesto a mid -range driver, and high fre-quencies to a tweeter. Frequenciesoutside the range of each driver areattenuated at a rate determined bythe network design. A crossover fre-quency is a frequency at which eachof two drivers is receiving half theamplifier's power; below or abovethat point, one speakermore power than the other speaker.

CX: A compressor/expander noise -reduction system first introduced byCBS Records for LPs. Capable of 20dB of noise reduction, it extends thedynamic range of phonograph discsto 80 to 85 dB. To realize this exten-sion, the user must play the recordback through a decoder, but the sys-tem is designed so that a recordplayed without decoding is quitelistenable.

Damping: The application of a me-chanical resistance, such as a rubberor silicone material, to the cantileverpivot to reduce the amplitude of aresonance.

dbx: A noise -reduction system bywhich the program is compressed be-fore being recorded, and expandedupon playback to restore the originaldynamic range.

Decibel (dB): A measure of the ratiobetween two power levels. Doublingor halving the power corresponds toa 3 -dB change, and 10 -dB corre-sponds roughly to the audible effectof doubling or halving the loudness ofa signal (although it represents apower ratio of 10:1).


Digital to Analog Converter (D/A): Acircuit that changes digital quantitiesinto a voltage.

Distortion: An undesired change inthe waveform of a signal. With a sin-gle -frequency (sine wave) signal, dis-tortion appears as harmonics (multi-ples) of the input frequency. The rms(effective a.c. point) sum of all har-monic distortion components, isknown as total harmonic distortion,or THD. When a two-tone test signalis used, distortion components ap-pear at frequencies which are sumsand differences of multiples of the in-put frequencies. Their magnitude isexpressed as intermodulation (IM)distortion, which is more distressingto hear than THD. Low distortionfigures are better than high ones.

Dither: Very low-level noise added toa signal being digitized to reduce thehigh -order distortion caused byquantizing very low-level audio sig-nals. See quantization.

Dolby*: Three companding (com-pressing/expanding) noise -reductionsystems developed for tape record -

COMPACT DISCBUYERS' GUIDE -1987ADVERTISERS' INDEX

READER PAGESERVICE NO. ADVERTISER NUMBER

ADS 28-2944 Advent 23

AKG 11613 All Disc Music 8028 Audio Technica 12569 Azden 135

3 Bang & Olufsen 97DAK 50-59DAK 102-115Dash II Designs 136

64 Denon America, Inc., C2-19 Discwasher 121

17 Energy Loudspeakers 1140 Ford 3953 Harris Atlantis 136

5 Hitachi 99Illinois Audio 119

34 J&R Music World 14825 Koss C319 Magnavox 12

Manhattan Record 137Maxell 88, 89

50 Mission Electronics 17, 18, 1921 M&K Sound/Perpetua 84

3 Nakamichi 352 Nationwide Electronics 136

Onkyo 76 Pioneer 101

56 Ryko Disc, USA 4115 Shure Brothers 9

Soundwings 12360 Tandberg of America 4548 TDK Electronics Corp. C4

Telarc 68Telarc 75Wisconsin Discount Stereo 141

2 Yamaha 95

ing. (Dolby B has also been adaptedto FM broadcasting.) Dolby A, theprofessional version of the system,provides up to 15 dB of noise reduc-tion. Dolby B, the most commonlyused consumer version, doubles that.Dolby C uses the same principles asDolby B, but has two compandersoperating in tandem so each operateson a separate portion of the overalldynamic range. In addition, its noisereduction begins two octaves lowerthan Dolby B. Basically, Dolby con-sumer noise reduction works by in-creasing the high -frequency (treble)sounds during recording and decreas-ing them during playback, which re-stores them to their original level, sothe tape hiss added during recordingis decreased during playback.

Drop -out: In digital audio it refers toa momentary break in the flow ofstored information. In CompactDiscs, drop -outs can be traced to twocauses: a defect introduced duringthe use of the CD (such as a scratchor dirt), or a defect incurred duringmanufacture.

Dynamic Range: The ratio betweenthe maximum and minimum signallevel. Expressed in decibels (dB),higher numbers are better.

Equalization (EQ): An intentionaldeparture from response flatness tocompensate for complementary char-acteristics introduced elsewhere inthe system (as with discs, tape, andFM broadcasting). Also used to cor-rect for response deficiencies inspeakers and other components.

Expander: A device used to restorenatural dynamic range by counteract-ing the compression of dynamicrange used in the making of record-ings and in broadcasting.

Filter: A circuit that attenuates sig-nals above or below a specific fre-quency without materially affectingsignals in its passband.

Flutter: The audible effect of short-term record speed fluctuations, oc-curring at a low audio or an infrason-ic rate (0.5 to 200 Hz). This causes afrequency modulation of the pro-gram material, heard as a waveringor roughness of the sound. It is de-scribed as a percentage of ratedspeed; the smaller this percentage,the less audible the flutter. The per-centage is generally combined withwow. (See Wow.) It is often "weight-ed" (WRMS, weighted root meansquare) so that it corresponds to the

average human hearing response.Lower numbers are better.

Frame: A frame is the smallest com-plete section of recognizable data ona disc.

Frequency Response: Always speci-fied as a range, such as 50 to 15,000Hz, but in order to be meaningful itmust be further defined in terms ofdecibel variation from absolute flat-ness over a specified frequency range(e.g., 23 dB from 50 to 15,000 Hz).An indication of a sound system'sability to reproduce all audible fre-quencies supplied to it in proper bal-ance to each other. Broader rangesand tighter tolerances are better.

Hz: The standard abbreviation ofHertz, the unit of frequency; one cy-cle per second.

Initialization: Intialization takesplace when a CD is loaded into aplayer. The player spins the disc, andinformation encoded on it is read bythe laser. This information includesthe playing time of the disc, the num-ber of tracks on the disc, and howlong each track is.

Interleaving: Interleaving scattersdata to various locations on the disc.It is a method of error correctionused to prevent a single defect fromdestroying both the original data andthat required to correct its loss.

Laser: An acronym for Light Ampili-fication by the Stimulated Emissionof Radiation. A device that producescoherent light of a single frequency.

Large Scale Integrated Circuit (LSI):An integrated circuit which contains100 gates or more on a single chip, re-sulting in an increase in the amountof functions performed by a single in-tegrated circuit.

Line: A term used to denote a high-level signal input or output circuit.Line level is usually of the order of avolt, as distinguished from the mi-crophone or phono level of the orderof millivolts.

Loudness Compensation: A form ofequalization, coupled with the vol-ume control, that progressively em-phasizes low frequencies (and some-times also high frequencies) relativeto the middle frequencies as the vol-ume is reduced. Intended to correctfor the human ear's natural loss ofhearing sensitivity at the frequencyextremes when sound level is reduced.


STEREO REVIEWCLASSIFIED

Noise: Any unwanted signal unrelat-ed to the desired signal and tendingto obscure it. In audio, noise is usual-ly heard as hiss (random noise) or ashum (the power -line frequency andits harmonics).

Oversampling: A method of digitalfiltering that eliminates the need forsharp -cut output filters, decreasesphase shifting, and increases signal-to-noise ratio.

Pause Control: A feature of many CDplayers that makes it possible to in-terrupt the playback of a CD at anypoint and allowing play to continueagain from that point.

Phase Shift: Phase shift takes placewhen two identical analog signalshave been delayed relative to eachother in time. It can alter the natureof the signal and cause distortion.

Pitch Control: A circuit which permitsa CD's speed to be varied slightly.

Quantization: The number of possi-ble values available to represent vari-ous levels of amplitude of a digitalaudio signal. In the Compact Discsystem, which uses binary (base 2)numbers, the resolution of the quan-tization is 16 bits, which means thateach sample (see sampling frequency)can have any value between zero and65,535. Higher numbers are betterbecause they allow higher accuracy:16 bit is more accurate than 14 bit.

Reed -Solomon code: The Reed -Solo-mon code is a multiple -error correct-ing code used in digital audio appli-cations. It is particularly well suitedfor correction of burst errors.

Rumble: The audible effect of low -frequency vibration transmitted fromthe motor or other moving parts tothe record or the tonearm. Heard (asa hum or rumbling sound) only whenthe pickup stylus is on a rotatingrecord. Rumble is measured in dBbelow a specified signal level. Lownumbers are better.

Sample and Hold (S/H) Circuit: A cir-cuit that samples the analog waveformat a fixed and periodic rate. It holds theanalog value of the sample until the an-alog -to -digital converter outputs thecorresponding digital word.

Sampling Frequency (or Rate): In digi-tal audio, the number of times a signalis sampled each second. In the Com-pact Disc format, the sampling rate is44.1 kHz, meaning each second of

sound is encoded by 44,100 numbersfor each channel. Higher samplingrates are better because they canrecord higher frequencies.

Semiconductor Laser: A semiconduc-tor electron device which convertselectrical input directly into coherentoptical output power.

Signal -to -Noise Ratio (S/N): The ra-tio of magnitude of the signal to thatof the noise (often expressed in deci-bels). Higher numbers are better.

SPARS code: A three -letter code de-vised by the Society of ProfessionalAudio Recording Studios. It is an in-dication of the methods used in theproduction of a recording (analog -Aor digital -D). Reading from left toright, the first letter of the code tellsyou what kind of tape recorder wasused for the original recording, thesecond letter indicates what kind ofrecorder was used in the mix -down,and the third describes the mastering.A Compact Disc bearing the codeAAD means that the original record-ing A, and final mixdown A, wasmade on an analog recorder. The lastletter D tells you that the mastering,as for all CDs was digital.

Subcode: Each frame of a CD con-tains eight bits reserved for subcodeinformation. Two of these bits areused to store information for the disctable of contents detailing total num-ber of selections on the disc, their be-ginning and ending points, indexpoints within a selection, programbeginning and ending points, andpreemphasis on/off control. The sixremaining bits are available for otherapplications, such as encoding videoinformation on audio CDs.

Synthesizer: A system for generatinga precise and stable frequency whoseaccuracy is determined by a quartzcrystal oscillator, instead of induct-ance/capacitance tuned circuits.

THD (Total Harmonic Distortion):The ratio of the power at the funda-mental frequency measured at theoutput of the system considered, tothe power of all harmonics measuredat the output of the system because ofits nonlinearity when a single fre-quency is applied to the input of thesystem.

Wow: The audible effect of a low -fre-quency flutter, occurring at a rate of0.5 to 10 Hz. Most audible and objec-tionable on sustained tones. Lowerwow numbers are better. See Flutter.

ompact Discs

BRA BONANZA! - 00200New York. Berlin. Annapolis. Dallas. 1-5. St. LOURS.C. Metropolitan Brass Quintets. World-renownedbraes einembles performing their most enjoyable

MUSIC FOR FESTIVE OCCASIONS - CO232The Dallas Trumpets and Organ. A digital deligh-.1Handel. Purcell. Telemann. Mouret. etc.. with theWedding Marches of Mendelssohn and Wagner.

OBOIST PETER CHRIST - C0321with Crystal Chamber Soloists. Music by Thompsol.Ginastera. Persichetti. Schmidt. Wm. Grant Still.'Recording of Special Merit' -- Stereo Review

CHRISTMAS WITH CHICAGO CHAMBER BRASSand the Olen Ellyn Children's Chorus - C043025 jubilant. traditional Christmas favorites.

ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC.ORCHESTRA - C0506Creston "Chant of 1942'. Persichetti. Dello Joio.Hovhaness 'Celestial Fantasy'. "a small master-piece -- High FidelityWESTWOOD WINO QUINTET - C0750Barber 'Summer Music'. Ligeti. Mathias. Carlson"Nightwings' (tape G quintet). Mirvelousl Leavesnothing to be desired* -- San Francisco Chronicle

MUSIC OF ALAN HOVHANESIS - C0001Symphony No. I I: 'All Men Are Brothers". Prayeiof St. Gregory. Armenian Rhapsody No.l. Tzaikeri.Royal Philharmonic C. Crystal Chamber Orchestr 3*great spiritual beauty* -- Fanfare Magazine

MUSIC OF ALAN HOVHANESS - C0002St. Vartan Symphony. "Artik* Concerto for Horn ,;Orchestra. National Philharmonic Orchestra ofLondon C. members Israel Philharmonic Orchestra,.

FREE Compact Discwith each purchase of three

516.95 each. For each 4. pay foronly 3. Add SI .50/order shipping

Send for free Catalog (over 230 records)

CRYSTAL' RECORDS2 2 3 5 Willida Ln, Sedro Woolle WA 98284

USED DISCS WANTED. WE PAY YOU $6.-$10. You biyfor S9.-$11. Free membership, catalog: Audio CIO,1105 Webster Drive #4B, Sandy, UT 84070-3151. (8C1)571-9767.

$8.98 LIST LPs/TAPES $5.39. Compact Discs $12.59,Catalogs $1.00. NULITE, 3277 Roswell Rd. NE, At-lanta, GA 30305.

USED CD'S: We buy for $6; sell for $9.49. AUD 0HOUSE, 4304 BRAYAN, Swartz Creek, MI 48473. (313)655-8639.

CASH FOR CD's paying $6.00 each for used discs. Shipimmediately or write for info. MOLES CDX, 2497 E.Main St., Columbus, Ohio 43209. (614) 231-1701.

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DISKIN. Genuine sheepskin CD and record cleaner.Audiophiles say "THEY'RE GREAT!" $5.95 plus $1.00shipping to: DISKIN, 119 East Oakland Park Blvd, Ft.Lauderdale, FL 33334. Amex and COD call: (305) &i1-3878.


STEREO REVIEW CLASSIFIEDEQUIPMENT

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CALL FOR PRICEFAST & FRIENDLY SERVICE

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ReferenceAudio Systems

We believe serious audiophiles deserve seri-ous service. And that's what you'll get atReference Audio Systems. We offer the best inhigh -end audio and the best in friendly ser-vice by our knowledgeable staff. From thelatest CD player to a classic mega -wattampli-fier, you'll like our surprisingly affordableprices and free shipping.

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CD PLAYERS-IN STOCK, ADCOM, PS, SONY. muchmore. Also: KLIPSCH, ACOUSTAT, HAFLER. PRO-TON. FRIED. MONSTER CABLE. Experienced. friendlyadvice. Immediate. FREE shipping' READ BROTH-ERS STEREO. 593-G King Street. Charleston. SouthCarolina 29403. (8031 723-7276

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COMPACT

002PDIGITAL AUDIO

54 b JFK Si . Harvard Square

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ILLUSIVE COMP\ E.

Cfr<45 13 Gloucester Street

lcotnet or Newoury SI '

Boston MA 021151612i 267 9291

1-800-367-3709A' COMPACT

ED=CI.... ATM AUDIO

0-00

HALF -PRICED CD'S 2 for 1 coupons. book of 20. noexpiration dates. Send $7.98 to. BAD MARKETING.2294 Greenbelt Drive. Grand Junction. CO 81503 (303)241-0019

COMPACT DISCS, Most $12.99-514.99. 5000 plus ti-tles. Free catalog plus regular updates. OZ REC-ORDS. 5246 Memorial Drive. Stone Mountain. Georgia30083. (404) 292-5452.

ANNOTATED INDEX OF CLASSICAL CD REVIEWS. Aguide to recommended performances. "Stereo Re-view" and ten other magazines referenced Revisedquarterly. $3 75/issue KEN'S KOMPENDIUM. 2400Hawthorne Dr . Atlanta. GA 30345

4500 TITLES, ROCK. JAZZ. CLASSICAL AND MORE.Suppliers to the industry. Phone orders preferred. CallCD ESTABLISHMENT at (612) 645-8589 or send $1.00(refundable) for the most extensive CD catalog ever,CD ESTABLISHMENT. 1451 University Ave . St Paul.MN 55104

1DL LOMPACT DISC BUYERS' GUIDE 1V6/

Some companies make their headphonesdigital -ready by designing newstickers.

Koss designed new stereophones.

I licre's an easy way and a hard way tocreate digital -ready stereophones.

The easy way is just to design a new labelfor your old phones and hope nobody notices.

The hard way is to do what Koss did withtheir new line of SST stereophones. They startedby inventing a new element specifically designedto faithfully reproduce the wider dynamic rangeof today's recordings. Then they incorporated thisSuper Sonic Technology into four of the sleekest,most comfortable phones ever designed.

Naturally, the Koss SSTs have digital -readystickers just like those other headphones.

But one listen will convince you that theKoss stickers mean something.


KOSESSTSt pER somc I.(:11\()I,OCYTM

Koss Sir!, ,phones. 4129 North Port Washington Road.Milwaukee. \\ I 33212. Koss Limited. 4112 South Service Road.

Burlington. Ontario L71.4X5. Koss -Europe: CH -6855,Stahio-Switzerland. t 1986 Koss Corporation.

THINK OF IT AS THEWORLD'S SMALLEST DIGITAL PLAYER.

Now you can take tha c ynamics ofdigital Performance anywhere. WittTDK H CS. It capures the purity andnuances of digital sourd -Ike no o herhigh-bi.is audio cassette.

Specifically designed to recorddigitally -sourced HX-S offersfour tirres the magnetic sorage capa-bility of other high -bias cassettes avail-able today. Plus unrra-::h_ed highfrequency MOL (Maximum OutpLtLevel) for optimum pertir mance

With 311 this going for it. HX-S doesmore then step-up your pocket -sizedplayer t also acts like fJe injection foryou.* ca- audio system. Auld it can turna boorr oox into a potable music

TDK -tX-S. One small step for cigitalOne giant leap for m JS c-and.

THE ART OF PERFORMANCE.TDK is tie world's lead ng manufactu-er of audio & video cassettes and

CIRCLE 10 48 ON RE4DIEFI SERVICE CARD

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