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BP2000s are an amazing achieve-ment! We have literally reinventedthe loudspeaker and combined asix -driver dual D'Appolito bipolararray with a built-in (side -firing) 300 -watt powered 15" subwoofer. (Yes,a complete powered subwooferbuilt into each speaker!) The resultis extraordinary sonic performancebeyond anything you've ever heard.

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CIRCLE NO. 15 ON READER SERVICE CARD

See our dealer list on page 32

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dream, the BP2000s are also the mainspeakers in Definitive's AC -3* readyUltimate Home Theater System. Thisastonishing system is absolutely thefinest sounding available. It recreatesa "you are there" spatial reality thatactually puts you into the soundspaceof the original cinematic action.

The complete system combines theBP2000s ($1499 ea) with a C/L/R 2000center ($650 ea) and BPX bipolar sur-rounds (from $399 ea.). Of course, dual15" powered subwoofers are alreadybuilt into the sleek BP2000 towers.Truly the ultimate listening experience!Visit your Definitive dealer today.

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BULLETINBY BOB ANKOSKO & WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE

BUY DVD AND GET ...Now that a handful of DVDplayers are finally available- at least in some parts ofthe country - manufactureishave come up with a varietyof enticements to help jumpstart the new format (see"First Look at DVD" on page68). Panasonic is offeringrebates of $25 and $50 topurchasers of its DVD-A100and DVD-A300 players,respectively. Buyers of Toshi-ba's SD -2006 and SD -3006players get a mail -in $25coupon toward the purchaseof any DVD title distributedby Warner Home Video;buyers of the more expensiveSD -3006 player also get afree copy of the "Video Essen-tials" test and calibrationdisc developed by video guruJoe Kane. Sony is bundlingIn the Line of Fire and threeother DVD titles with its DVP-S7000 player.

IT'S THEIR BIRTHDAY!Sansui is celebrating its 50thanniversary in the home -audio industry with a newmanagement team in placeand a new line of forty-oneproducts.... The WinterConsumer Electronics Showheld in Las Vegas this pastJanuary marked the show'sthirtieth anniversary. Thefirst CES, in New York in 1967,drew 100 exhibitors and wasattended by 17,000 people.The 1997 show had 1,857exhibitors and an attendanceof 95,000.... This year marksthe 200th anniversary ofthe births of Franz Schubert(see article on page 81) andGaetano Donizetti. Alsoobserved in 1997 are the 150thanniversary of the death ofFelix Mendelssohn and the100th anniversary of thedeath of Johannes Brahms.

A/V DIGESTNBC predicts that withineighteen months it may havea nationwide prime -timeschedule in high -definitionTV. On February 2, NBCbecame the first network to

415. Which of the aboveis a member of Kiss?

ARE YOU "1997'S ULTIMATE MUSIC GEO("?If you think so, hurry and get ready for the Rhino MusicalAptitude Test (RMAT) on Sunday, April 27. Billed as -the mostintense, challenging, difficult, and fun music -trivia contestever," RMAT will determine the trivia expert who -standshead and pocket -protector above everyone else,- andthat person will be crowned "1997's Ultimate Music Geek."Although Rhino Records promises that RMAT will be a barrelof laughs, it will also be tough, with 300 multiple-choicequestions covering all genres of music (except classical).The test will be held at Tower Records in New York (the LincolnCenter store at 66th Street and Broadway) and Los Angeles(8801 Sunset Boulevard) as well as live on the Internet (registerby April 17 at www.rhino.com). It will begin at 3 p.m. Easterntime (12 noon Pacific) and last one hour. A top scorer willbe declared for each location - New York, L.A., the Internet -and the one with the highest score will be the grand -prizewinner of a trip for two to London, New York, Memphis, Cleve-land, New Orleans, and L.A. on a tour of musical attractions.Each of the two runners-up will win a custom Rock-Olajukebox filled with 100 CD's from the Rhino catalog. For moreinformation. visit Tower Records or the Rhino Web site.

broadcast in HDTV when ittransmitted a digital TVsignal for Meet the Press.NBC was the first network tobroadcast TV in color andin stereo.... "AudioFile,"a computer program for cata-loging collections of musicand video, is available inDoubleware's software -in -a -book series for $39.95 (plus$3.95 shipping). It's designedfor PC's running Windows 3.1or Windows 95. For infor-mation call 1-800-871-3136.

FAST FACTSThe Consumer ElectronicsManufacturers Association(CEMA) reports that 15million American householdsnow have home theatersand that U.S. factory salesof home -theater productsreached $8.3 billion, whichis up 4 percent over 1995.Subwoofers, with an annualsales increase of 30 percent,were the hottest home -theater category. .. A CEMAsurvey shows that 62 percent

of multimedia PC users playmusic CD's in their CD-ROMdrives, up from 18 percentin 1994.... Alanis Morissette's"Jagged Little Pill," the best-

selling debut by ad female artist, has now

reached 15 millioncopies, according to the

Recording Industry Asso-ciation of America. The best-selling album by a femalecountry artist, Shania Twain's"The Woman in Me," haslogged 9 million.

a- iatt AWESOME ABSAtlantic's "Workout" is anexercise CD of dance musicby artists like Tori Amos,the Bartons, and the Bucket -heads. Included is an instruc-tion leaflet prepared by theDavid Barton Gym....New York City Ballet Workout(Quill Books, $22) by thatcompany's director, PeterMartins, offers a list of recom-mended recordings of balletmusic ranging from Bachand Tchaikovsky to Barberand Glass.... Laserlight'sten CD's of "Power Classics"contain familiar classicalpieces suitable for exercise.... Mademoiselle magazineadvises exercise -consciousyoung women to "pumpup with punk rock," specifi-cally with the Offspring'sCD "Ixnay on the Hombre,"which "challenges yourmuscles, not your mind."

"CLUB VERBOTEN"DCC Compact Classics hasreleased a four -CD boxedset "tracing the impact of gayand lesbian culture on themainstream popular music"of the twentieth century."Club Verboten" includessongs and performances byeveryone from Noel Coward,Cole Porter, Billy Strayhorn,and Leonard Bernstein toJudy Garland, MarleneDietrich, Sister Sledge, andGloria Gaynor. The fourthdisc offers works by such °classical composers asTchaikovsky, Britten, Menotti,Copland, and Saint-Saens.

6 STEREO REVIEW MAY 1997

PatentedAcoustimass'module. Helps make

a 60 -ton runawaytrain sound like,well, a 60 -ton run-away train. Hidesout of view.

Movie theater drama,concert hall excite-ment. Surroundsound from fiveVirtually Invisiblecube speakers for

left, center, right,and rear channels.

Each about 6" high.

Home Theater Made Easy

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So simple itcomes in onebox. Within

minutes you'llbe enjoying your

favorite movies andmusic more than ever.

Lifestyle music center replacesan entire rack of components.Includes built-in CD player andAM/FM tuner. Technologyinside, simplicity outside.

Remote with realcontrol. Automaticallysets to surround soundfor movies and TV, ortwo -channel stereo formusic. Works rightthrough walls.

"You might call this product 'home theater in a box,' because everything is included and carefully thought

out.... The performance is awesome, and system operation is very intuitive." - Home Theater Technology

The challenge was clear. Develop the best sounding, easiest to use home theater system ever. The result

is the Lifestyle 12 system. Smaller. More convenient. With the kind of dramatic, lifelike performance

you expect from the most respected name in sound. But hearing is believing, so call for dealers near you,

1-800-444-BOSE ext. 995.

_HOMEBetter sound through research.

01496 Row Corporanon i'l/t1

Sound hits qou at a speed of 760 mph.

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shiba PO makes it actuallq feel like it.Your pulse races. Your gut quivers. That little vein in your

forehead is throbbing. Senses-meet Toshiba DVD.

PLEASE, NO TALKING DURING THE SHOW

At Toshiba, we've developed the technology that fits up to133 minutes of heart -pounding video and audio,normally reserved for the finest cineplexes,for use at home on a disc the size of a CD.Picture quality that's three times better thanVHS and audio recorded in full Dolby DigitalSurround Sound" on six discrete channels.

And, our models can even play your favoritecompact discs. 5" (same as CD)

NO WAITING, NO FADING, NO RENOVATING

Because the discs are read by laser, there is never any need torewind a DVD. And, there's no chance of your favorite DVD

deteriorating with every play like a VHS tape. Finally, you won'thave to build an addition to your home to hold your DVDs. The

packages are as streamlined and efficient as thediscs themselves.

TALL, SHORT, OR FRENCH-WE'RE READY FOR ANYTHING

Many DVD movies will come with some of the mostincredible options only Hollywood and Toshiba could dream of,including the ability to change the format of the movie to fitany television you play it through, from regular size towidescreen; language tracks of up to eight differentlanguages ranging from English to French; subtitles in up to32 different languages; the ability to view the same scene ofa movie from any of up to nine remote -controlled angles; or

multiple endings to the same movie. If the feature is on thedisc, Toshiba DVD players are ready for it.

YEAH, SO?

We believe your senses will thank you for this complete andtotal assault. As soon as they're out of traction.

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ah Tomorrow

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Cover. The Yamaha RX-V2(192.

Kenwood I 080VR. and Marantz SR880arc three of the new multichannel A/Vreceivers with onboard Dolby Digitalsurround -sound decoding. Sec page 6(1

for details on these and other currentand upcoming AN receivers.

Photograph by Ralph Mosullo

BULLETIN 6

LETTERS 12

NEW PRODUCTS 15

TIME DELAY 26

AUDIO asia 30

SIGNALS 36

TECHNICAL TALK 38

POPULAR MUSIC 90

CLASSICAL MUSIC 98

THE HIGH END 112

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Stereo Review, Stereo. Hi Fi. HighFidelity, and Backbeat areregistered trademarks of HachetteFilipacchi Magazines, Inc.

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Stereo ReviewINCORPORATING HIGH fIDELIIY

May 199741Equipment Test ReportsNakamichi CA -1 Dolby Digital A/V preamplifier,

page 41Audio Control Bijou Home THX equalizer, page 44Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 speaker, page 50Martin -Logan Aerius i speaker, page 52

54User's ReportMarantz Classics tube components: Model 7preamplifier, Model 8Bstereo power amplifier, andModel 9 mono poweramplifierBY COREY GREENBERG

60A/V Receiversligh-tech surround options

for every budgetBY DANIEL KUMIN

66SystemsThe father of a sound inventionBY REBECCA DAY

68First Look at DVDDVI) is here at last! :\ hands-on evaluationof three of the new players,from Sony, Panasonic, and PioneerBY DAVID RANADA

75New for the RoadCar stereo gear shifts into overdrive for springBY JOE PALENCHAR

81Timeless SchubertA bicentennial tributeBY WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE

87Best Recordings of the MonthMary Black's "Shine," Mozart's ldomeneo from theMetropolitan Opera, Matt Keating's "Killjoy,"and Beethoven piano sonatas from Russell Sherman

A Page 50

Page 60

Page 68

Sound this big from a radio?

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Stereo ReviewAre Proud ToPresent TheirGOLDStereo AndSurround SoundSet -Up DiscSpecial OfferOnly $9.98!Stereo Review and Chesky Records have designed

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Listen and Learn!

Stereo ReviewVice President, Editor in Chief

LOUISE BOUNDAS

Executive EditorBOB ANKOSKO

Art DirectorANDREW THOMPSON

Technical EditorDAVID RANADA

Director, Hirsch -Houck LaboratoriesJULIAN HIRSCHManaging EditorDAVID STEIN

Popular Music Editor Classical Music EditorKEN RICHARDSON ROBERT RIPPS

Assistant Editor Assistant Art DirectorJAE SEGARRA THERESA MORENO

Database CoordinatorSANTIAGO PIZZINI

Editor at LargeWILLIAM LIVINGSTONE

Contributors: Robert Ackart, Chris Albertson,Francis Davis, Rebecca Day, Richard Freed. Will

Friedwald, Phyl Garland, Ron Givens, Corey Greenberg,David Hall, Bryan Harrell (Tokyo), Jamie James,

George Jellinek, Daniel Kumin, Ian Masters, BrettMilano, Alanna Nash, Tom Nousaine, Henry Pleasants

(London), Ken Pohlmann, Parke Puterbaugh,Charles Rodrigues. Eric Salzman, Craig Stark

Vice President, Group Publisherl'ONY CATM

Consumer Electronics Group AdvertisingVP/Associate Publisher

Scott Constantine

Regional VP/Ad Director, East Coast:Charles L. P. Watson. (212) 767-6038

Regional Account Managers, East Coast:Christine B. Forhez, (212) 767-6025

Penry

Midwest Ad Manager: Jerry Stoeckigt. (312) 923-4804

Regional VP/Ad Director, West Coast:Robert Meth, (213) 954-4831

Western Ad Manager: Paula Mayeri, (213) 954-4830

National Record Label Sales Representatives:The Mitchell Advertising Group (MAG Inc.)

Mitch Herskowitz, (212) 490-1715Sieve Gross, (212) 490-1895

Assistant to the Publisher: Aline J. PulleyPromotion Coordinator: Adele Ferraioli-Kalter

Operations Mgr./Ad Coordinator: Linda NeuweilerSales Assistant: Yvonne Telesford

Classified Advertising: (800) 445-6066

Production Manager: Vicki L. FeinmelProduction Assistant: Denise Conlon

Production Director: Patti BurnsBusiness Manager: Jonathan J. Bigham

General Manager: Greg Roperti

Subscription information: 303-604-1464

I /- Stereo Review is published

rhefla by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. Inc.=esChairman: Daniel Filipacchi

President and CEO: David J. PeckerExecutive VP & Editorial Director: Jean-Louis Ginibre

Senior Vice President, COO: John FennellPresident, Hachette Filipacchi New Media: James P. DochenySenior VP, Director of Corporate Sales: Nicholas Matarazzo

Senior VP, Global Advertising: Paul DuCharmeSenior VP, CFO, & Treasurer: John T. O'Connor

Senior VP, Manufacturing & Distribution: Anthony R. RomanoVP, General Counsel: Catherine Flickinger

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Creative Production Dir., Global Marketing: Jean Pierre LabatutSenior VP, Corporate Sales, Detroit: H. E. (Bud) Allen

http://w ww.ches ky.corninnusicChesky Records Radio City Station, P.O. Box 1268 New York, NY I0101

Q

Peace? Hey, we want World Peace as much as thenext guy. But Peace and Quiet? Not a Chance! Notwith the new Pyle XS-MagnaCast- subwoofer in

orbit. Outfitted with double-stacked magnets, awoven graphite cone and an IronMax-coil assembly,the XS subwoofer will shake your world to the core.Share our passion for seismicacoustics. Power-up thebass that's leveling competition around the galaxy.

CIRCLE NO 17 ON READERSERVICE CARD

LETTERSMi n i Disc MavensAs a recent purchaser of a Sony Minidiscdeck ("Format Fisticuffs," March), I cansay that I have been thrilled by nearly everyaspect of its performance, even thoughdealers tend not to know anything morethan the basic functions of the system. Thediscount store where I bought the outfit hadno instruction manual for me to peruse be-fore buying (and wouldn't open a sealedcarton to let me look at one). I was interest-ed in the advanced editing functions butcouldn't find out anything about them untilI took the plunge, bought the thing, andtested it myself.

I plan to record small classical ensem-bles using a small professional mixer andstereo microphone. Post -performance edit-ing is a snap, deleting unwanted segmentsand making very tight edits. In addition, theToslink optical inputs and outputs enableme to link to most consumer DAT machines.The onboard sampling -rate converter ishandy, too.

I hope this format sticks around forawhile. It really suits my needs. I just wishit had been easier to find out about it.

BOB BARNETTPasadena, MD

My store has been a dealer for MD compo-nents ever since they first entered the mar-ket. We have several units set up, from thevery basic to the very advanced Sony ES re-corder, and customers are consistently im-pressed with the sound - even some of ouraudiophile customers who don't like digital.

While the first -generation MD recorderswere not that good, the later machines areexcellent, much better than a cassette deckin terms of sound quality, performance, andusability. For portable or car use, I wouldmuch rather have MD's than CD's, whichare too delicate and may skip in those envi-ronments. GEOFFREY G. GARWOOD

Atlantic StereoCosta Mesa, CA

AM InterferenceIn March "Audio Q&A" reader NormanMcNelis outlined a problem he has withAM interference from a nearby radio sta-tion. I was reminded of something that hap-pened about sixty years ago, when WLW-AM in Cincinnati received permission fromthe FCC to increase its broadcast powerfrom 50,000 watts to 100,000 watts as anexperiment. It was rumored, but never ad-mitted by the station, that they "accidental-ly" pushed the signal to 500,000 watts. Inhomes as much as a mile from the transmit-ter all the light bulbs stayed on 24 hoursa day, and cars passing within 2,000 feet ofit not only found all their lights turned onbut a remarkable increase in spark -plug ac-tion. An iron deer in a yard half a mileaway emitted Amos and Andy very audibly

at 6 p.m. every day. People with amalgamdental fillings received weather reports onthem. The FCC hurriedly rescinded permis-sion for the "experiment," and WLW hasprospered ever since on 50,000 watts. Truestory!

Tell Norman to move! BILL WAGNERSherman Oaks, CA

Optical In/OutI have a five -disc carousel CD player withan optical digital output. I've been trying tofind a receiver from the same manufacturerthat can accept this input but have had nosuccess. It seems strange that the companywould make one component with such afeature, yet make another that won't acceptit. Do any receivers accept optical digitalinputs? Does it really make a differencecompared with conventional hookups?

RICHARD CHINSan Diego, CA

Most receivers and A/V integrated amps andpreamps with Dolby Digital processors canalso accept digital input from a CD player,and some have optical connections. Opticalconnections can help to reduce backgroundnoise caused by ground loops and otherelectrical interference, especially with sig-nals from videodisc players.

Dolby Digital SetupFor the January issue, Daniel Kumin testedthree Dolby Digital (AC -3) decoders, in-cluding the one I have, the Onkyo ED -901.He's right in saying that if you don't have aDolby Digital test disc, setting up this com-ponent can drive you nuts. Where can I buythe test disc? JORGE FIGUEROA

Bayamon, PR

Unfortunately, the Dolby Labs test discs arenot available to the general public. It is pos-sible that the level -setting signals for DolbyDigital components will be licensed to othercompanies to put on commercial test discs,but we don't know of any plans to do this.

Conspicuous ConsumptionFirst, I would like to thank you for givingpermission to the National Library Servicefor the Blind to record STEREO REVIEW. Ireceive and use these recordings.

I usually enjoy the "Systems" feature. Itis fascinating to learn how someone with agreat deal of money and imagination putstogether a music system that couldn't bebought "off the shelf" at any price. I wasoutraged, however, when I read in January's"Systems," titled "Floating Heaven," thatthe elaborate music system built into ahouse boat, which must have cost manytens of thousands of dollars, was orderedand paid for by a physician. If ever we

needed proof that some kind of health-carereform is necessary, this article offered it!

TIMOTHY HENDELHuntsville, AL

From the Old FinnishI'd like to correct the mistranslation of theword kokko in the review of Varttina's al-bum of that title in March "Best of theMonth." It does not mean "eagle" as statedbut "bonfire." Thank you nevertheless forincluding Finnish music in your reviews.

PASI SIVKONENChicago, IL

Viirttind is using the old sense of kokko,taken from the Kalevala, the Finnish nation-al epic, where it means "eagle." The mod-ern sense is "midsummer bonfire," but all ofthe album's lyrics are in the Kalevala style,celebrating what band member Kari Rei-man calls the beauty of the old language.

Copy Rights and WrongsI seem to remember a reference in one ofyour issues to the law pertaining to makingcopies of recordings. The writer suggestedthat one may make a copy for strictly per-sonal use, such as making a cassette from aCD you've bought. Can you clarify this? Idon't want to break the law that protectsmusicians and such from piracy of theirwork, but I would like to hear cassette re-cordings that have a resemblance to highfidelity. EDWARD E. COLES

Anaheim, CA

The "fair use" provision of the copyrightlaw has been interpreted by the courts as al-lowing individuals to make any number ofcopies for personal use of recordings theyhave purchased: for instance, dubbing a CDonto cassette for playback in a car orportable system, dubbing songs for a compi-lation tape for private parties, or makingcopies for a vacation house. Fair use doesnot cover copies made for sale or trade, andit also might not cover copies made as giftsto friends or family members.

CorrectionIn March "New Products," the item on Plat-inum Audio's tower speaker was based onout-of-date information. The speaker shownon page 15 has been renamed the Studio -3,its finish is now black woodgrain vinyl, andthe price has been cut to $1,695 a pair. c

We welcome your letters. Please addresscorrespondence to Editor, Stereo Review,1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.You should include your address andtelephone number for verification. Lettersmay be edited for clarity and length.


"...by a wide and clearlyaudible margin, the Micro9Otis the best small -satellitehome theater speaker systemI have ever reviewed."

-David Ranada, Stereo Review, February 1997

This Micro9Ot home theater system includes:

Two Micro90 satellites, sonically matched

center channel, powered subwoofer, and a

pair of VRS Micro aiffuse-field surrounds

(available separately).

Boston AcousticsHome Theater Options

Micro ReferenceBig theater sound from small,sculpted satellites.

Compact ReferenceIncredible sound from compactspeakers.

Lynnfield VR"Audiophile sound with the fullimpact of Dolby Digital.

Boston Acoustics THXDubbing -studio -quality sound.

The experts at Stereo Review listen to literally hundreds of home theater speakers each year.

So it stands to reason that the Micro90t must be pretty special to warrant such praise.

The reason for this enthusiasm? Good old-fashioned engineering know-how.

Take the Micro90 satellites, for example. They feature a die-cast aluminum housing ofincredible strength and rigidity. So the drivers' energy is projected as pure, clean acousticoutput instead of being wasted as cabinet vibratior. The result: a satellite that can fit in thepalm of your hand, and still fill a room with astonishing sound.

Its anodized aluminum tweeter with AMD handles lots of power, yet reproduces highs withvirtually zero distort on. And its swivel -mount pedestals make for simple shelf or wallmounting. The Micro90 powered subwoofer, with its clean 75 -watt amp and 8 -inch DCD'"'bass unit, produces ample amounts of deep, tight, powerful bass.

Add the tonally matched Micro90 center channel and either direct or diffuse -field surroundsand you've got a system that beats all other satellite home theaters "by a wide and clearlyaudible margin." You can test -listen the Micro9Ot at your local Boston dealer. But restassured, you won't be the first to listen with a critical ear.

BostonAcoustics300 Jubilee Drive, Peabody, MA 01960 (508) 538-5C00. www.bostonacoustics.com/boston

Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. THX is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.Lynnfield VR and DCD are trademarks of Boston Acoustics, Inc.

it on and you're in a different world.Turn it up and you make kindling.

Vflin,-

NOM A truly great amplifier preserves all the delicacy and nuance of music. Yet still has the

power to grab you by the lapels and give you a good shake. That's our 125 watt per channel,

THX-certified HCA-I000A. Its circuitry was designed by John Curl, whose legendary components have transported more music

lovers than most airlines. And like our seven other stereo and multichannel amplifiers, it's fully direct coupled for the purest possible

sound, and incorporates the largest power supply in its class. In fact every Parasonnd

amplifier, from $250 to $2,250, will inspire your imagination. But please be careful, and

keep that far away place safe and sound for your next visit.

PARASOUND1996 Parasomid Producvs. Inc (415) 397-7100 In Canada, call

(604) 988-2966. THX is a registered trademark of Iadas0Irn, Ltd.

NEWPRODUCTS

K 290 SURROUND

AKG AThe K 290 Surround headphones

from AKG (10 ]unces without

cord) have two angled transducers

in each earpiece for four channels

of surround scund and a phantom

center channel: an adaptor

allows hearing conventional

stereo. The 20 -foot cable can be

connected to a multichannel

SWITCHBOX

amp's speaker outputs or via the

optional K 290 Surround

Switchbox in order to toggle

between headphone and speaker

listening. Price: $267: switchbox.

$185. AKG. Dept. SR. Harman Pro

North America, 1449 Donelson

Pike. Nashville, TN 37217.

Circle 120 on reader service care

OP101.111,1

[I

...a...CT) y -To_

S

1

A PIONEERPioneer's PD -R04 is said to be the

only consumer CD recorder priced

under S1,000. The write -once

format allows for recording up to

74 minutes co audio onto a blank

CD -R disc. Features include

automatic syechro recording from

digital sources with automatic

level control: automatic and

manual track renumbering,

record/pause, and record mute:

optical digital connectors; and a

headphone output with volume

control. Price: $999. Pioneer.

Dept. SR. 2265 E. 220th St.. Long

Beach. CA 90810-1639.

CINEPRO Claimed to he the world's most

powerful six -channel amplifier,

the Cinepro 3k6 is rated for up to

350 watts per channel continuous

into 8 ohms. Any two chancels

can be bridged to deliver 1 000

watts into 8 ohms. The 3k6 also

has balanced XLR and unbalanced

BIC AMERICA VNow at the head of the 13.1C

America Venturi line of rear -

vented subwoofers is the powered

V120011. with a downward -tiring

12 -inch woofer and a 170 -watt

amplifier. The rated low -end limit

is 25 Hz. Controls for output level

and the low-pass crossover

(variable from 40 to 180 Hz with

RCA inputs and a separate front -

panel level control for each

channel. Price: $2,995 plus $49

shipping in the U.S. direct from

Cinepro. Dept. SR. 1030 Vicente

St.. San Francisco, CA 94116:

phone, 1-800-395-1222.

Circle 121 on reader service card

an 18 -dB -per -octave rolloff) are

on the front panel. The sub has

an automatic turn -on circuit.

Dimensions are 141/2 x 181/2 x

221? inches. and the finish is

black laminate. Price: $549. 13-1C

America. Dept. SR. 458 Second

Ave., Tiffin. OH 44883.


STEREO REVIEW MAY 1997 15

NEW PRODUCTSROCKFORD FOSGATE

Four new RF car amplifiers from

Rockford Fosgate feature

embossed gray sheet -metal

chassis covers aid anodized red

heat sinks. The stereo RF 2.3

($100) and 2.6x 15165) are rated

for 15 and 30 wats per channel,

respectively, or E0 and 120 watts

in bridged mono. the tour -channel

RF 4.6x (S265) fcr 30 watts each

or 120 watts x 2, and the five -

channel RF 5.3x $460, not

shown) for 30 watts x 4 plus 110

watts to one charnel. all into

4 ohms. Rockforc Fosgate.

Dept. SR. 546 S. Rockford Dr..

Tempe, AZ 85281.


A/D/S/ The A/D/S/ MV60/t tower speaker

has three 8 -inch woofers, one of

which is vented. and a 1 -inch

dome tweeter. The vertical driver

array and specialized crossovers

are said to optimize vertical and

horizontal dispersion for home -

theater use. Frequency response

is given as 30 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB.

impedance as 4 ohms, and

maximum recommended amplifier

power as 200 watts. The 46 x 10 x

131 7 -inch cabinet is finished in

black oak or cherry wood veneer.

Price: S2.200 a pair. A/D/S/.

Dept. SR. One Progress Way.

Wilmington, MA 01887.


CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS MovieWorks, a home -theater

speaker system from Cambridge

SoundWorks. includes a pair of

shielded two-way main speakers

(51/4 x 81/4 x 41/4 inches) finished

in dark charcoal Nextel: smaller

dipole surrounds: a two-way.

three -driver center speaker (14 x

73/4 x 41/4 inches); and a powered


subwoofer (151/2 x 263/4 x 11

inches) with a 12 -inch driver and

a 140 -watt amplifier. Price:

$1,300. Available factory -direct

and in select stores. Cambridge

SoundWorks, Dep.. SR. 311

Needham St.. Newton, MA 02164:

phone, 1-800-367-4434.


CARVER RESEARCHThe Lightstar Reference 2.0

stereo power amplifier from

Carver Research is said to offer

higher performance than the

original Lightstar R3ference at a

lower price. Claimed to be able to

drive any speaker load, no matter

how difficult or reactive, the

Model 2.0 is rated for 300 watts

per channel continuous into 8

JVCThe KD-MK88 from JVC is said to

be the smallest 12 -disc car CD

changer. only 103/4 7: 3 x 63a

inches. Controlled by compatible

JVC head units, the changer

accepts JVC's XC-M120 magazine

and features an antivibration/

shock mechanism that enables it

to be mounted horizontally or

ohms. 600 watts into 4 ohms. or

1.200 watts into 2 ohms. with up

to twice as much on transients.

The high -gain signal-to-noise

ratio is given as 100 dB.

Dimensions are 19 x 614 x 1612

inches, weight 43 pounds. Price:

$2.495. Carver Research. P.O.

Box 1237, Lynnwood, WA 98046.


vertically almost anywhere in a

car. It is also available as the KD-

MK88RF with a wireless remote

and an RF modulator for playback

through any FM radio. Prices:

KD-MK88. $310; KD-MK88RF,

$380. JVC, Dept. SR. 41 Slater

Dr.. Elmwood Park, NJ 07407.


,01111bwit-

1[40c( L=gWMMOU3C

By creating the Compact Disc standard-as well as virtually every innovation

in home, car and portable player design-the history of CD has been virtually

written by one company: Sony.

THE HISTORY

OF CD IS THE

FUTURE OF

From the beginning, our Compact Disc strategy was based upon a fully

integrated approach to CD technology. Now Sony is poised to lead the most

significant advancement of all-the extension of CD into the new DVD format.

Identical to CD in shape and size, but with a much greater storage capacity-

DVD has been specifically designed to serve as the foundation for an entirely

new generation of products.

And as you would expect, Sony is committed to delivering nothing less than

the ultimate DVD experience.

A New Type of Digital MediaAs the original CD created a revolution in audio, DVD is destined to set newstandards for both home video and multimedia.

I Nearly 133 minutes of full -motion video on a single -sided discI Picture quality that approaches the "D-1" (CCIR-601) studio

production standardOver 500 lines of horizontal picture resolution

I Choice of PCM stereo sound or Dolby Digital (AC -3) multi-

channel surround soundSupports letterbox, pan and scan or 16 x 9 formats

I Features up to 8 language soundtracks and 32 subtitles

DVD will also support other new creative applications in the future:I The ability to view scenes shot at multiple camera angles0 Dual layer, single -sided discs that provide more than 12 times

the capacity of current CDsRecordable, rewriteable and high definition media

Looks Can Be DeceivingNearly every aspect of CD has been redefined or reinvented to achieveDVD's remarkable increase in data capacity and density. These includesmaller pit dimensions, a more closely -spaced track (finer track pitch") anda shorter wavelength laser.

What's Familiar:Like CD, DVD is 120 mm (4.72 inches) in diameter and1.2 mm thick

I Like CD, DVD offers instant random access that no tapeformat can matchLike CD, DVD is highly durable and tolerant of dirt, dustand fingerprints

What's New:I DVD can hold 4.7 gigabytes of data per layer (comparedto 680 megabytes of data on a CD)

I For even greater storage capacity, DVD offers dual -layerand double -sided disc optionsEach DVD disc is composed of two 0.6 mm substratesthat have been bonded together to improve rigidity

Clearly, DVD poses new challenges for optical disc technology. Yet oneplayer has been specifically designed to deliver the maximum performancepossible from both DVD and CD.

I,I1IIII

INTRODUCING THESONY DVP-57000

REFERENCE STANDARDCD/DVD PLAYER

VIDEO:SONY MPEG-2 DECCDER ISI assures accurate MPEG-2 decompression.

10 -BIT VIDEO DIGTFAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER minimizes digital artifacts for videothat's closer to the criginal master.

Smoom SCANT" PICTURE SEARCH wit 1 32 -bit RISC microprocessor, for superiorpicture quality in High Speed, Slow Motion and Frame -by -Frame mode.

DIGITAL. VIDEO EOUALIZATION with custom memory setting,.

DIGITAL VIDEO NOISE REDUCTION

COMPONENT VIDEO Ourrur ins age quality with compatible videomonitors and projecTors.

$e"'

TAL :

....L,2r=1111313114 1.4.7)

ANaC144114(11:1 04...4Y4 r.74,

SONY-/FT461C13,

F ER

Pl- ONE LEVEL

)

IV AJAX

PHONES

so

CONVENIENCE:MULTIPLE PLAYBACK MODES include Freeze Frame, Frame Advance, SlowMotion (at 1/10 and 1/5 speeds) and Smooth Scan (at 2X, 10X and 30Xspeeds), in either direction.

ON -SCREEN DISPLAY MENUS simplify player operation.

AN CALENDAR DISPLAY confirms DVD chapter and CD track selections.

Itri-RATE METER monitors average video hit -rate level.

DIGITAL VIDEO NOIS

THE SONY DVP-S7000 INCORPORATES EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY AND

FEATURES THAT PROVIDE DEFINITWE DVD AND CD PERFORMANCE.

BUT WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM THE COMPANY THAT

DEMONSTRATED THE FIRST PROTOTYPE TAT) PLAYER.

AUDIO:CURRENT PULSE D/A CONVERSION low distortion current -source converter, for greaterprecision and immunity from voltage fluctuations.

FULL FEED FORWARD DIGITAL FILTER reduces requantization noise by using 3 -stage 8xoversampling, 45 -bit internal processing and 20 -bit outputs.

DOLBYEDIGITAL (AC -3) COMPATIBILITY with Sony's SDP-EP9ES 24 -Bit decoder ,optional)that features exclusive digital cinema soundfields and bass redirection functions.

DYNAMIC GE CONTROL for adjusting audio dynamic range level.

COAXIAL OR OPTICAL DIGITAL AUDIO OUTPUTS for use with DSP1-1 components and outboard D/A converters.

VD/CD/VIDEO CDREDUC-ION 'CURRENT PULSE D/A COPIVERTER

DVD.ft7131:CID.

0OD

000

CONSTRUCTION:

OPEN/CLOSE

PANEL

UP/DOWN

0 inillOrs'E

CD/DVD PLAYER DVP -S7000

DUAL DISCRETE'"OpricAL PICKUP with separate laser diodes assurescompatibility with DVD, CD, Video CD and CD -R. Also eliminates lens switchingand reduces laser wear.

ALUMINUM FRONT PANEL/ANTI-RESONANCE ToP RATE resist air -borne vibration.

pax MOLDING COMPOUND CHASSIS suppresses mechanical vibration.

LOW -RESONANCE HONEYCOMB CONSTRUCTION WITH OFF -CENTER ISOLATING FEET

IN THE LINE OF FIRE

FLY AWAY HOME

A TOTAL

SYSTEM

APPROACH

TONY BENNETT UNPLUGGED

SESAME STREET'S 25TH BIRTHDAY

1"

At Sony, our approach to DVD extends beyond hardware, :o includepractically every division of our corporation.

During the coming year, Columbia TriStar Home Video will offer anextensive range of its best titles on DVD. These releases will includeblockbusters such as "Jumanji,""In the Line of Fire" and "Legends ofthe Fall;" classics such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind- TheSpecial Edition" and "Taxi Driver;" as well as recent hits such as "Fly

Away Home" and "Matilda."

Additionally, Columbia Home Video will release the full-length DVD

version of the MTV performance "Tony Bennett Unplugged: TheVideo."And Sony Music Video will introduce titles like "Street FighterII -The Animated Movie,""Odyssey Into the Mind's Eye" and "Beavis

and Butt -Head's The Final Judgment."And Sony Wonder is 3ffering"Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration!"

But that's not all. Sony has also established DVDauthoring centers in Japan, as well as at SonyPicture's Culver City Studios.

The new Sony Pictures DVD Authoring Centeris fully engineered to maximize productionefficiency. It features individual stations forMPEG video compression-multiplexing-subtitling-and Dolby Digital encoding- aswell as for quality control assurance andtelecine film transfer.

And when it comes to mastering andreplication, Sony Disc Manufacturing'sreputation for quality and service is secondto none. Since establishing the world's firstCD mass production facility in 1982, thetotal output from our 11 CD plants worldwidehas reached 4 billion discs!

Already, DVD manufacturing is underway inJapan and is scheduled to begin at our DADCfacility in Terre Haute, Indiana. Both facilitiesprovide fully integrated DVD production,utilizing the latest Sony Solo -Line Replicator.

THE SONY

411::=31b

COMMITMENT

ALTHOUGH THE DVD STANDARD IS SUPPORTED BY

THE TECHNOLOGY WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED BY So

MAT'S MODULATION, ERROR CORRECTION AND DISC BOND

IS ALSO RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE "EXPERTS" INVOLVED

PICTURE EXPERTS GROUP THAT DEVELOPED DVD's MPEG CO

IN DVD AS WITH CD, SONY'S COMMITMENT IS COMPLETE. IT UNDERSCO

THE DVP-S7000 IS DESTINED TO BECOME THE BENCHMARK IN TOTAL CD

PERFORMANCE. AND IT'S YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW SONY IS DEFINING

DIGITAL FUTURE-.

CH OF

SONY- c'irgr-Car>

DRrAMDigital Dream Kids

Sony Electronics Inc.

1 Sony Drive

Park Ridge, NJ 07656

http://www.sony.comIdyd

0 1997 Sony Electronics Inc All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Features and specifications subject to change without notice. Sony. Smooth

Scan, Dual Discrete and Defining the Digital Future are trademarks of Sony. Dolby and AC -3 are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp. MTV isa trademark of MTV Networks, a division of

Viacom International, Inc In the Line of Fire:0 1993 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc All Rights Reserved. Fly Away Home: 0 1996 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc All Rights Reserved. Tony Bennett

Unplugged: The Video: 0 1994 Sony Music Entertainment Inc Manufactured by Columbia Music Video550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022-3211."Columbia" Reg. U.S Pat. & TMOff. Marcy

Registrada. Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration' 0 1993 Children's Television Workshop (CTW) Sesame Street Muppets 0 1993 Jim Henson Productions, Inc eSesame Street" and

the Sesame Street sign are trademarks of CTW

NEW PRODUCTSMARANTZ

The Marantz SR -880 AN receiver

boasts onboard Dolby Digital

and Dolby Pro Logic decoding.

Rated for 110 watts across the

front and 60 watts to each

surround speaker. it provides

Dolby Digital inputs for RF signals

from laserdiscs as well as optical

or coaxial signals from other

0

Fri soli°.

sources. There are an additional

four audio inputs. five video

inputs, and multiroom outputs.

The SR -880 comes with the

RC2000 universal home -theater

remote control. Price: Si .5C0.

Marantz. Dept. SR. 440 Medinah

Rd., Roselle, IL 60172.


MEMOREXThe Vortex CD holder is part of a

new line of Memorex audio and

multimedia accessories from

Memtek. It stores up to 100 CD's

or CD-ROM's in a rotating tower,

either in a straight column or

twisted into a spiral as shown

below. The Vortex, 145/8 inches in

diameter and 175/8 inches tall. is

made of black. high -impact

plastic. Price: $40. Meintek

Products. Dept. SR. 10100

Pioneer Blvd.. Suite 110. Santa

Fe Springs, CA 90670.


MTXThe limited -edition Model 2300LE

stereo car amplifier from

MTX features a chrome finish and

24 -karat gold-plated logos.

Rated to deliver 150 watts per

channel into 4 ohms with

0.05 percent distortion. the

amplifier also has a built-in 12 -

dB -per -octave crossover. which

NHTNHT's NewWave speaker system

mates a magnetically

shielded satellite suitable for the

main. center, or surround

channels with a compact powered

subwoofer. Each satellite has a

3' ?-inch midrange driver and

a 34 -inch soft -dome tweeter in a

734 -inch -tall molded ABS plastic

case. The subwoofer combines an

8 -inch woofer and a 50 -watt

can be set tor high- or low-pass

action and is continuously

variable frcm 50 to 200 Hz. and

an equalization circuit thai:

provides up to an 18 -dB boost

at 40 Hz. Price: $1.100.

MTX. Dept. SR, 4545 E. Baseline

Rd.. Phoenix, AZ 85044.


amplifier in

an 11 x 11 x 13 -inch (W x

H x D) cabinet: the low -

frequency limit is given as 45 Hz.

Price: five satellites and

subwoofer, $750: two satellites

and subwoofer, $495: three

satellites only. $255. NHT, Dept.

SR. 535 Getty Court, Benicia,

CA 94510.


TANDBERGMeasuring just 438 x 434 x 6

inches (W x H x 0). the Tandberg

Troll is an integrated stereo

amplifier rated to deliver 25 watts

per channel into 8 ohms. A

low -order feedback -loop circuit. a

'nonmagnetic enclosure, and short

'signal paths are said to

,contribute to sonic clarity and

detail. Controls include a power

switch with an indicator light, a

'source selector (CD, tuner, video.

tape). and a volume control:

input jacks and speaker terminals

are gold-plated. Price: $699 in

black, $749 in maple. Tandberg,

Jason Scott Distributing,

Dept. SR. 8816 Patton Rd.,

Wyndmoor. PA 19038.



TIMEDELAY30YEARS AGO

1410111V.I1VinSPECIAL REPORT ON STEREO RECEIVERS1967FIRST REVIEWS: THREE NEW RECORD LABELS

GEORGE GERSHWIN

Prognostications: "AudioBasics" columnist Hans Fantelwrote in May 1967 that theFCC's ruling to restrictprogram duplication betweenAM and FM stations "maywell result in increased avail-ability of mature musical fareon FM channels." JulianHirsch, in his buying guide toreceivers, concluded, "Manyof the receivers on the markettoday offer brilliant perfor-mance; tomorrow they maywell be fantastic." And inthe eighth installment of ourGreat American Composersseries, Edward Jablonskirecalled an anecdote in whichGeorge Gershwin wondered if

Superex headphones, 1967

his music would still be heard ahundred years hence. "It will,"quipped a friend, "if you'rearound to play it, George."

New products includedthe Superex SW -1 headphones($19.95) and the EuphonicsTSW-3 Sound -Off ($22.95),a remote -control "commercialkiller" for muting TV audio.Hirsch -Houck Laboratoriestested the first solid-statepower amp from Marantz, theModel 15 ($395): "Judgingfrom its measured perfor-mance, it surpasses anyvacuum -tube or transistoramplifier we know of."

James Goodfriend heraldedCharles Mackerras's Angelrecording of Handel's Messiahas not only a Best of the Monthdisc but also "the outstandingpresentation of that master-piece in the whole of mylistening experience." AndRex Reed, in a review of theBeach Boys' "Pet Sounds,"deemed I Just Wasn't Made forThese Times to be "the mostexciting single piece of modemmusic I've heard lately."

20YEARS AGOThe "tremendous growth" inCB radio prompted a May1977 feature on solutions toradio -frequency interference inaudio systems. And if ground-ing, shielding, or filteringdidn't work, you could alwaystry to locate and approachthe radio operator - "in acourteous and reasonable way."

Among new products wasGarrard's first direct -drive turn-table, the DD75 ($230). Alsomaking its debut was Atari's

Atari Video Music, 1977

Video Music module ($180),which produced "a variety ofabstract colors, shapes, andpatterns on the screen of a tele-vision set, altering the displayaccording to the rhythmiccontent of music playedthrough an audio system."

The Beach Boys appearedagain, this time in a feature bySteve Simels, "Eleven YearsOn," referring to the time sincehe saw the group at his veryfirst rock concert. "Despite theattrition of years,- he wrote,"... the Beach Boys are stillfueling the fantasies of adoles-cents and of those of us long

Dere() ReviewNow ea K., Rodas rwervicy %go MA.

Oregio Mow Ise 4, The bed Mr tlawn ben ON

beyond them." Noel Coppage,however, got little mileage fromTelevision's "Marquee Moon":"The punk posing soundsa lot like the Fifties recycled,and it is starting to seem as dullto me as pictures of Ikeplaying golf did back then."

In May 1987 test reports,Julian Hirsch reviewedDenon's top -of -the -line DCD-3300 CD player ($1,600) andMagnum Dynalab's FT 101

analog FM tuner ($629). Andin "Strategies for EquipmentShopping," an audio salesmanadvised, "It's not especiallysignificant if I tell you, 'I ownthis myself' - not only dowe all hear differently, butyou can bet I paid a lot less forthe item than you would."

Praised in Best of the Monthwere XTC for "Skylarking"and Riccardo Muti with LaScala forces for their version ofVerdi's La For:a del Destino

Stereo ReviewCIA S1ERB3 =MEWMIN 10 IVY eourenwrCO PLAVERS /09 OR711010

on Angel. But then there werethe Beastie Boys, whose debutnauseated Mark Peel: "If Iwere trying to earn a living as amusician, `Licensed to III'would make me think seriouslyabout smashing my instrumentand never playing another note."

Taking over from WilliamLivingstone as editor in chief,Louise Boundas pledgedthat STEREO REVIEW WOUldcontinue to report on tech-nological advances and provideguidance on buying andenjoying equipment - all inplain English. "As the tech-nology changes and asour readers' needs change, themagazine will change," shewrote. "But its objectives willnot. That's a promise."

-Ken Richardson

The Beastie Boys, 1987


SONY

Are you ready for the evolution of CD?

Identical to the CD in shape and size-but with a much greater storage capacity-

DVD is destined to set new standards in video and multimedia.

To tell you more about it, Video, Stereo Review and Audio have joined withSony and leading A/V dealers to conduct a series of informative seminars. Ken Pohlmann,

contributing editor, win review the fundamentals of DVD technology. He will alsodemonstrate some of the remarkable capabilities of this exciting new format.

To learn the exact time and location for this free seminar, simply call1-888-434-7669. And soon you'll be able to experience

the excitement of DVD for yourself.

Date

April 22April 23April 28April 29April 30May 5May 6May 7May 12May 13May 14May 20May 21

Location Dealer

New YorkBaltimore/Wash.ChicagoSan JoseSan DiegoSeattleDenverMinneapolisBostonAtlantaMiami/Ft. LauderdaleColumbus, OHGrand Rapids, MI

J&R Music WorldBryn Mawr Stereo & VideoUnited AudioFry's ElectronicsDow StereoMagnolia HiFiSoundtrackAudio KingTweeter etc.HiFi BuysSound AdviceStereo VisionsClassic Stereo

VIDEO Stereo Review AUDIO

01997 Sony Electronics Inc. Reproductk3n in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. Sony is a trademark of Sony

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Photo created and produced by Media Group Marketing. Inc ©

PARA Home Dealer Specialists

Wen you're buying audio and video components.

its important to understand that its not enough to

buy a good -Nand VCR Components must also be

chosen for how they sound together PARA is a

professional association of independent specialty

audio/video stores who are committed to the high-

est standards in retailing

PARA stores will take the time to ask about

what you already own and suggest home

theater components that will integrate into

your current system

PARA home entertainment professionals are

educated to explain the newest technologies in

clear, friendly language, helping you get the

best value for your money.

Let us help you choose the system that's lust

right for you.

CALL 1-800 4-PARA 94 to find the PARA

dealer nearest you!

ProfessionalAudioVideoRetailers

Association

AUDIO Q & AIAN G. MASTERS

Adding inputsQi want to add a Dolby Digital proces-sor or a DVD player with Dolby Digi-

tal outputs to my system, but my Pro Logicreceiver has no main inputs. Would it be fea-sible to have the required inputs added?

MARK LEBLANCPelham, NH

AA qualified technician could makesuch a modification, although it would

be major surgery. (One company offeringthis service is MSB Technology, 14251 Pes-cadero Rd., La Honda, CA 94020; tele-phone 415-747-0400; www.msbtech.com.)Unless you are very experienced in suchmatters, I would definitely caution againstdoing the modification yourself. In additionto the possible danger of electrical shockfrom opening the chassis, you would proba-bly void your receiver's warranty.

It would be simpler to add three externalchannels of amplification for the center andsurround speakers and use the receiverin stereo mode to drive the main left/rightspeakers. If the decoder you use providesboth Dolby Digital and Pro Logic decoding,it should work fine without additional mod-ification.

Tower ReceiverCAI am looking for ways to conservespace in my stereo system, and I've

thought of turning my receiver on end likemy tower -style computer. Can I do this, ordoes the receiver have to remain flat?

R. GARTON, JR.Nashville, TN

Alt might look a bit odd, but there's noelectrical reason not to stand your re-

ceiver on end. Because it was designed to sithorizontally, however, it might be wise toexperiment to see which end it should sit on.If the heavy power supply ends up on top,the receiver might tend to topple over.

My only other concern with the verticalarrangement would be about heat. The am-plifier section of any stereo system can gen-erate quite a bit of heat, and that has to beable to dissipate freely. If it does so by wayof metal fins on the back of the receiver, itprobably doesn't matter how you orient thecabinet, but if it is meant to escape fromvents in the top, the flow might not be asfree with the receiver placed on end. I'd runit horizontally for awhile to see how muchheat it generates, then tip it up and see ifroughly the same amount of heat is escap-ing. Make sure that nothing blocks thevents, and if you detect any audible misbe-

havior, I'd suggest letting the receiver cooldown and abandoning the tower approach.

Avoiding Cassette WarpageQOpen-reel tapes are usually stored ver-tically like books, rather than lying flat,

to avoid warpage. gather that's recom-mended for videocassettes as well, eitherupright like books or on their spines. Howabout audio cassettes? Any special way theyshould be stored? CHRIS HAGEL

Glen Cove, NY

A Audio cassettes are prey to the samePt forces as the other tapes you mentionand, like them, should be stored with thereels vertical rather than horizontal. As withvideocassettes, it doesn't matter whetherthey rest on their long or short sides; shelvesand drawers are equally acceptable.

How the tape is wound is important, as itis with both videotape and open -reel. Asmooth, even wind will help avert tapedeformation, especially if the tapes willbe stored for long periods without beingplayed. Usually, simply fast -winding a tapeis not a good idea. Instead, audio tapesshould be wound to the end of the first side,flipped over, and run through the recorder atplaying speed until they are back at the be-ginning. You can't do that with a videotape,unfortunately, so it's a good idea not torewind your videocassettes after playingthem (unless you're taking them back to thevideo store, of course).

Full -Range All Around(atm planning to buy all new speakers togo with my new receiver, and I have

heard that, if you can afford the cost andspace, the ideal is to purchase six full -rangespeakers rather than the conventional sortof surround system. Will my music and mov-ies really sound better with a complete set offull -range speakers? Jim Losisccrrr, SR.

Jefferson, WI

AFirst, if they really are full -range, youwill only need five; a subwoofer is use-

ful if the other speakers of the system aredeficient in bass, but if they produce enoughlow -frequency energy, the extra bass speak-er would be superfluous. If you have acous-tic problems in your listening room, evenfull -range speakers might need some help,but in that case a subwoofer would be re-quired, not another full -range speaker.

Theoretically, since the new Dolby Digi-tal surround system produces full -range sig-nals for all channels, it would seem to be a


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good idea to provide speakers that can re-produce everything in the decoder's output.But in reality, subwoofers usually do a verygood job of filling in any weakness in thelow frequencies, thus allowing somewhatsmaller speakers to be used for the direc-tional material. More important is that thevarious speakers should be very similar ton-ally. Using identical speakers for all exceptthe subwoofer channel would accomplishthat, although they don't necessarily have tobe full-size, full -range boxes. If you do useconventional forward -radiating speakers forthe surround channels, be sure to positionthem so that their output is not directed to-ward the listeners' ears. Wall -mountable di-pole speakers are preferred by many be-cause their front/back driver configurationcreates a diffuse sound field.

VHS Soundtracks vs. CD'sQi hall' 11011( ed that the Aoittultraeks ofVHS movies sometimes sound better

than compact discs played through my two -channel stereo system. Why does the soundseem fuller and in some instances moretransparent? THOMAS J. SWIFT

Lockport, NY

A I've certainly noticed differences, butMt I'm not sure they're improvements.Many movie soundtracks are equalized tobe much brighter than we would expect formusic listening, and that often comes throughon the home video version of a movie. Re-member that the audio tracks were mixedoriginally for playing in a theater throughspeakers mounted behind the screen; a littleextra presence can improve intelligibility insuch an environment. There are lots of ex-amples of songs recorded as movie themesthat are also released on CD, and comparingthe CD mix with the soundtrack version cantell you a lot about the differing require-ments of movie theaters and home stereosystems. I suspect that what you're hearingis the result of that theatrical equalization,and if you like it that's fine. In many cases,however, I have found that the CD version ismore neutral.

Taming LP Surface Noiseock when I copy my LP's to cassette, the

surface noise is extremely high and an-noying, especially between songs. I've up-graded much of my equipment and wouldreplace my cartridge and turntable if thatwould help. 1 clean the LP's with alcoholbefore playing them, hut the noise remains.How can I get rid of it? ALEX BERNUY

Lima, Peru

A You may never eliminate all of it, butDathere are ways to tame such sonic intru-sions. Upgrading your turntable and cart-ridge might well pay dividends in terms ofsuch things as speed stability, frequency re-sponse, and tracking ability, but it is unlike-ly to have much effect on noise. Here aresome of my tricks:

Get the surface as clean as possible. Ifthe disc has been properly maintained, a dry


brushing may be all that's necessary. Reallydirty discs can be cleaned with a propietaryfluid or distilled water. Never use alcohol.

Play the record wet. Put a few drops ofdistilled water on the track (or tracks) youwant to record, and then spread it by lettingthe disc revolve under the bristles of yourcleaning brush. The downside is that manyrecords must always be played wet there-after, but if your main purpose is to get onegood last pass for transfer to tape, that maybe an acceptable sacrifice.

Tape the record in mono. This cancelsout much of the noise that is random inphase, so it can make unlistenable discs ac-ceptable. Mono records almost always bene-fit from this, but even some noisy stereo re-cordings might be preferable in quiet mono.Simply switching your receiver to monomode won't be sufficient, however, as thatswitch comes after the tape -monitor circuit-ry. You'll have to use back-to-back Y -con-nectors to combine the receiver's stereo tapeoutputs to mono and then feed it to both in-puts on your cassette deck.

Tweak it electronically. In vinyl's hey-day, various devices - click -and -pop ma-chines, autocorrelators, and the like - wereavailable to clean up noisy records, and youmight still find one on the secondhand mar-ket. They're tricky to set up and use, howev-er, and sometimes make things sound worse.You could put a graphic equalizer in the cir-cuit between the receiver and the tape deck'sinputs (some receivers let you do this withthe flick of a switch, but others require re-connecting). Since the most obtrusive noiseis in the upper frequencies, and since manyLP's have relatively little music there, somejudicious attenuation of the treble may re-move noise without seriously compromisingthe music you want to record.

220 -Volt OperationMy power amplifier can be switched to

Woperate at either 120 or 220 volts, andsomeone told me I would benefit from usingthe higher voltage. Would this improve mysystem's performance? DEAN Rossi

Reno, NV

A Probably not. The line voltage is basi-cally irrelevant, at least as far as the

amplifier's audio circuitry is concerned. Thepower supply contains a transformer thatconverts the voltage coming in to whateverthe amp needs. Some models have taps fordifferent voltages so that they can be used indifferent parts of the world with the flick ofa switch, but what comes out of the sec-ondary coil of the transformer is the same inall cases. And even if there were some bene-fit in using the higher voltage, it wouldhardly be enough to warrant running a sepa-rate 220 -volt line from your power panel toyour stereo system.

If you have a question about audio,send it to Q&A, Stereo Review,1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.Sorry, only questions chosenfor publication can be answered.

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t- Cohen's Electronics Montgomery. Kincaid's TV:Tuscaloosa.1 is Audio Birmingham.U- Custom Audio Video: Little Rock.- Jerry's Audio Video Phoenix, Tucson- Access to Music Larkspur. Accurate AN: S. Lake Tahoeead Stereo Los Angeles. Audio Concepts Long Beach, San

Gabriel. Bay Area Audio: San Jose. Boots Camera: Fresno.Chistpher Hansen: WestLA. Coast Home Ent. Atascadero, °mutt*Creative Stereo: Santa Barbara, Ventura. David Rutledge Audio:Palm Desert. DB Audio: Berkeley. Digital Ear Tustin.Dow Stereo Video: San Diego & Suburbs, La Jolla, El Cajon, ChulaVista, Escondido. Lee's Home Theater Visalia. Monterey Stereo:Monterey. Pa radyme. Sacramento. Performance AudioSan Francisco. Systems Design. Redondo Beach. VideotekWestminster. Wilson Home Theater Woodland Hills.C.Q.- Audio Visions: Grand Junction. Listen Up: Denver, Boulder,Colorado Springs. Soundlract: Denver & Suburbs, Boulder,Ft. Collins, Colorado Springs.2- Al Franklin's' Greenwich. Audio Etc Orange Carston's Audio Video.Danbury. Roberts Audio Video New London. The Sound Room:Westport. Stereo Sho : Hanford

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The Audiohouse: Vero Beach. Cooper for Stereo- Clearwater.Hoyt Stereo: Jacksonville. Palm Audio: Destine Sound ComponentsCoral Gables. Sound Ideas' Gainesville. Sound Insight: Ft Pierce.Stereotypes: Daytona Beach. Stuart AN Stuart

Laser Disc Enterprises: Atlanta. Merit TV: Columbus*Stereo Connections: Vakioste Stereo Festival Atlanta.H .- Audio Center Honolulu Waipahule- Audio King Cedar Rapids, Des Moines. Archer Audio Video:if Dodge. Audio Video Logic: Des Moines. Audio Visions Sow City.Camera Corner' Davenport

- Ultimate Electronics: Boise. Wise Buy: Idaho Falls.United Audio Centers Chicago & Suburbs. Good Vibes:ampaign. Jon's Home CU. Quincy. Sound Forum Crystal Lake.

Sundown AN Springfield.21- Classic Stereo: Ft. Wayne, Mishawaka. Good Vibes: LafayetteKi ngs Great Buys Evansville. Ovation Audio: Clarksville, Indianapolis.111- Accent Sound: Overland Park. Advance Audio Wichita.Audio Junction Junction City, Manhattan.

Ovation Audio- Lexington, Louisville.-Alterman Audio New Orleans, Metairie.. Lake Charles Music Lakenes. Mike's Audio. Baton Rouge. Wright's Sound Gallery Shreveport.

me- Cookie': Chestnut Hill, Goodwins Audio:Boston,Shrewsbury. Nantucket Sound: anti's. Northampton Audio:Northampton. Pittsfield Radio Pi tsfieklma- Gramophone: Baltimore Ellicott City Myer-Emco-Gaithersburg,Beltsville, Rockville. Sig ht & Sounds: Easton. Soundscape Bahtmore.

r- Cookin'. Portland.-Pecar's:DetroitTroy.Class teal Jam Holland. Classic Stereo- Kalamazoo,

rand Rapids. Sall/ North: Iron Mtn.. Stereo Center FRAV Flint.Court St. Listening Room: Midland, Saginaw.MN - Audio King: Minneapolis & Suburbs, Rochester, St. Cloud.Audio Designs. Winona.E.- Independence AN: Independence. Reference Audio: Sedalia.Sound Central: St Louis.MS- Ideal Acoustics: Starkville- McLelland TV: Hattiesburg.Players AN' Ridgeland.MI Aspen Sound: Missoula, Kalispell . Avitel Bozeman.Rocky Mt. Hi Fu. Great Fallstc- Audio Video Systems: Charlotte. Audio Visions' Wilmington.Now AudioVideo Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston Salem.Audio Lab Wilmington

0. Custom Electronics:Omaha, Lincoln- Cookie'. Nashua, Manchester, Newington, Salem, S Nashua.

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r- Ultimate Elect.' Albuquerque. Sound Ideas:Albuquerque.ultimaleElect. Las Vegas. Upper Ear Las Vegas.

- Audio Breakthroughs: Manhasset. Audio Den: LakeGrove.Edio Expressions Newburgh. Clark Music: Albany, Syracuse.Stereo Exchange: Manhattan. Hart Elect.: Vestal. Innovative Audio:Brooklyn. Listening Room: Scarsdale. Rowe Camera: Rochester.Speaker Shop: Amherst.

- Audio Craft Akron, Cleveland, Mayfield Hts , Westlake- Audio Etc.:ton. Classic Stereo: Limo* Ohio Valley Audio. Cincinnati. Paragon

Sound: Toledo. Stereo Visions: Columbus. Threshold Audio Heath.CA- Audio Dimensions' Oklahoma City. Ultimate Electronics Tulsa.Photo World Bartlesville

Bradford's HiFi Eugene Chelsea AN. Portland Beaverton.Kelly's Home Ctr.' Salem. Magnolia Hifi: (Portland,) Beaverton,Clacloi mos. Stereo Plant Bend.EA- Audio Junction Pittsburgh. Gary's Elect.: State College.GNT Stereo: Lancaster. Hart Elect.: Blakely* HI Fi House:Abington, Broomall, Camp Hill, Harrisburg* Listening Post:Pittsburgh. Palmer Audio: Allentown. Pro Audio Bloomsburg.Stereo Shopper Selinsgrove, Williamsport. Stereoland, NatronaHeights. The Stereoshop- Greensburg.Ea -Stereo Discount Clr.: Providence.SC- AN Design: Charleston. Custom Theater & Audio: Myrtle Beachlistairs Audio Columbia.

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noxville. Modern Music' Memphis. Sound Room Johnson City.2- Home Entertainment: Dallas, Houston, Plano. Audio Tech: Temple,Waco. Audio Video College Station. Brock AN: Beaumont.Bartley': Sound Systems' Abilene. Eljorn's San Antonio. High Fidelity.Austin. Krystal Clear Dallas. Marvin Electronics. Ft. Worth. SoundGuest El Paso. Sound Systems Amodio. Sound Towne Texarkana.Iji- Alpine Elect. Rove Aud 'Acidic Sal Lake CO. Clary Bob's St George.Stokes Bros' LogamUltimals Bert Layton, Murray, Orem, Salt Lake City.VA- Myer-Emce' Falls Church, Tyson's Corner, Fodor Audio Connection:iiiginia Beach. Audiotronkcs: Roanoke. Home Media Ski: Richmond

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B Sound Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna Vancouver &Suburbs, Victoria. Advance Electronics Winnipeg. Bay Bloor RadioToronto. Canadian Sound: Brampton Ont.. Digital Dynamics:Clearbrook. Kebecson: Montreal. Lipton's: New Market 0 nt .Peak Audio: Halifax. Sound Room: Vancouver. StereolandWindsor. Target Hi Fi' London. Treble Clef: Ottawa.Major,- Contact Grupo Volumes' Mexico City.

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intemetaudio.aes.orgis a digital world whether you arebuying a can of peas, trading sharesin IBM, or undergoing heart surgery- the supermarket scanners, stock

exchanges, and biomedical equipment areall digital. In your home, the PC is digital,as are your CD player, your small -dishsatellite receiver, and, in the near future,your HDTV. Without question, digitaltechnology is engulfing the world fasterthan a cold and flu season. Indeed, digitaltechnology's evolution is very much likebiological evolution. No matter what theobstacle, its progress will not be denied.Some way, somehow, like life itself, tech-nology steadily evolves. But unlike bio-logical evolution, technological evolutionis ever -accelerating. The question is, howcan we slowly evolving humans keep up?

One of the few remaining analog tech-nologies is commercial broadcast radio.That's why radio reception has its gooddays and its bad days, and why your carradio sounds better at some stoplightsthan at others. Although digital audiobroadcasting still hasn't walked upright inthe U.S., hundreds of commercial radiobroadcasters have deftly gone digital us-ing the fastest -evolving technology of ourera, the World Wide Web. By appropriate-ly encoding and serving up their broad-cast audio signals, stations can send audiostreaming digitally over the Web. Anyonewith a computer, a modem, and Web ac-cess (or with a WebTV box hooked up toa TV) can log on and listen.

Webcasting heralds a new era in audiodistribution. Just a couple of years ago,you could download an audio file from aWeb page, but you had to wait a half hourbefore you could listen to a 3 -minutepiece. With streaming audio, you begin tohear playback almost as soon as the filehits your computer. Because the file iscompressed, playback can continue with-out interruption even at low data -deliveryrates. Streaming audio overcomes thelimitations of bandwidth. Whereas CDplayback enjoys a data pipeline cruisingalong at 1.4 million bits per second, acomputer modem might accommodateonly 28.8 thousand bits per second, oreven less at peak traffic times.

In order to achieve continuous play-back, streaming audio must use massivedata reduction, which can have a negative

impact on sound quality. Early streamingaudio sounded pretty raw, but the newerversions of the software give much betterresults; although software companies arestretching the truth when they claim "nearCD quality," the sound is indeed quite lis-tenable. Several companies provide thesoftware needed to encode audio signalsat the server and decode them at the re-ceiver. Progressive Networks Inc. (www.realaudio.com) is the best known; itsRealAudio streaming software was amongthe first on the Web, it is probably themost common across the Web, and the re-cent 3.0 version sounds very good. Butother companies, such as Liquid AudioInc. (www.liquidaudio.com) and XingTechnology Corporation (www.xingtech.corn), are competing for their shares of

Early streaming audio

"Webcasts" sounded

pretty raw, but the newer

software gives quite

listenable results.

the market. You can log onto their Websites and download free decoder software;in fact, you can download trial encodersoftware and start streaming your ownfiles. (First check with a good cyber-lawyer about copyright issues.) We'resure to see the advent of special -interest"Webstations" whose listeners are tooscattered for conventional broadcastingbut can be reached collectively via theWeb. An All -Bruckner channel, anyone?

Webcasting changes all the rules.Whereas broadcast signals are limited toa small coverage area immediately sur-rounding the transmitter, Webcast signalstravel worldwide. KING -FM in Seattle(www.king.org) was the first radio stationto Webcast live classical music, and it isstill the best. Whereas only FCC -licensedstations can broadcast signals, anyone canWebcast them. Thanks to a bunch of ener-getic grad students, you can listen to liveconcerts from the University of Miami'sSchool of Music (www.music.miami.edu).

Many big-time companies now routinelyuse streaming audio to promote theirwares. For example, Elektra (www.elek-tra.com) and other big record labels areheavily into streaming audio. The Web isa techno-democracy, however, and evensmall-time record labels can build Webpages that look as cool as those of mega -labels. In fact, with the Web, indie bandsdon't even need record labels (or pressingplants, or distributors, or record stores).You'll find tons of labels and bands at theInternet Underground Music Archive(www.iuma.com).

Be sure to check out the streaming vid-eo on the Web, too. Microsoft has an-nounced NetShow (www.microsoft.com/netshow), a free application for its Win-dows NT operating system. ProgressiveNetworks also offers streaming video,with more than sixty sites online. Stream-ing video looks a lot worse than stream-ing audio sounds, but the arrival of high -bandwidth cable modems in a year or twowill change that. Soon, high -quality mul-timedia streams will be everywhere.

For now, streaming media are limitedto unicasting technology, in which dedi-cated bandwidth is needed for each listen-er; for example, ten users require ten sep-arate streams from the server. But newmulticasting technology that will enablestreams to be directed to countless listen-ers is imminent. In addition, streamingmedia will soon go wireless. Corpora-tions are scrambling to develop wirelessdata -delivery systems such as the LocalMultipoint Distribution System (LMDS)and the Multichannel Multipoint Distribu-tion Service (MMDS). When established,these systems will allow wireless trans-mission of high -bandwidth Internet datathrough clusters of low -power antennas.You'll be able to wirelessly log onto theInternet and click onto streaming radioand video stations, choosing from a worldof Webstations both commercial and pri-vate. Finally, while the various streamingsystems are presently incompatible, a newReal Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)promises to bring standardization. Over-night, all networked computers could be-come universal global media receivers.

Like a living organism, the Web isspreading around the world, linking infor-mation providers (servers) and end users(clients) and blurring distinctions be-tween the two. It is an unstoppable force,an unimaginably powerful and beneficialforce, a force that will redistribute andcreate wealth, and a force that will oblit-erate anyone or anything that is notlogged on. Sound intriguing? Or scary?Are you just a little worried that evolutionis leaving you behind? Then know thatthe Audio Engineering Society is hostingan Internet audio conference in Seattle,June 13-15. Check out its Web site (inter-netaudio.aes.org), and I'll see you inSeattle, walking upright.


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TECHNICAL TALKJULIAN HIRSCH

Speaker Power RatingsIn recent months I have received let-ters from several readers who wereconfused by some of the technicalterms commonly used in the audio

world. The level of confusion rangedfrom incomplete and imprecise interpre-tation of terms to total misconceptions.Even worse, in my view, is the wide-spread use of such terms in advertisingwithout meaningful and understandabledefinitions. In this context, "meaningful"implies conveying useful information tothe prospective buyer of a component.

Perhaps the most common examplesconcern the power ratings of loudspeak-ers. One letter refers to some speakers thereader bought that carry on their rear pan-els a warning reading, "Maximum Ampli-fier Power 150w into 8 ohms," while theinstruction manual for the same speakersstipulates, "Power Handling: 25w - 120wContinuous into 8 ohms on unclippedprogram." My correspondent asks, "Whichis correct?" To that question one mightreasonably add, "What does either ratingmean?" Actually, it would not be face-tious or even misleading for the writer ofsuch a warning to reply (with apologies toLewis Carroll), "Exactly what I intend itto mean, no more and no less!"

Let's take a closer look at the situationI've cited (which is not unusual by anymeans). Most home loudspeakers are de-signed for proper and safe operationwhen installed in a room of more or lesstypical size, shape, and furnishings anddriven by an amplifier capable of generat-ing a reasonable sound level in the listen-ing area. The manufacturer's "recom-mended amplifier power level" is normal-ly a very rough ball -park figure, not asuggested operating level.

For one thing, the amount of powerthat any speaker can absorb for any sig-nificant time is a function of the frequen-cy and duration of the applied signal.Many good hi-fi speakers can handle sur-prisingly large input levels, on the orderof a couple of hundred watts or so, for afew seconds at frequencies above a fewhundred hertz. Even if the speaker's out-put is distorted (as it is likely to be undersuch grueling conditions), the drivers willprobably survive such treatment withoutpermanent damage.

Of course, avoiding damage to the

speaker is not the only criterion for deter-mining an appropriate power level. Al-though the ability to withstand a high in-put may be necessary for system survival,a very high input level will not neces-sarily provide satisfactory sound quality.Most people, I am sure, would prefer toset the volume for an acceptable combi-nation of loudness, distortion, and noise.Everyone has his own criteria for accept-able volume and distortion levels, whichobviously depend on the listening envi-ronment, the program content, and per-sonal taste as well as the ultimate capabil-ities of the speaker.

What about the risk of damaging or de-stroying a speaker driver by excessivepower input? Given the ready availabilityof very powerful amplifiers, even in low -budget receivers, this is a real possibilitythat must be considered. I have damaged

The sound of a damaged

woofer cannot be

confused with even the

most avant-garde music.

a few speakers in my time, not only dur-ing testing, but on occasion even fromover -enthusiastic listening levels. Thespecific risks are also a function of thedriver's operating frequency range, whichis probably the reason for the wide varia-tion in power -level recommendations thatpuzzled my correspondent.

The higher frequencies, handled by thetweeter, do not require a large cone excur-sion. Normally there is no visible (or pal-pable) movement from a typical dome orsmall cone tweeter, and the risk of dam-aging a tweeter is minimal if the drivingamplifier's output is not unreasonablyhigh. If the crossover system is properlydesigned to keep excessive midrange andbass levels out of the tweeter's delicatevoice coil, a tweeter burnout is unlikely.On the other hand, should a serious over-load occur, a tweeter's voice coil can burnout almost instantaneously. There is amaxim (with at least a kernel of truth) tothe effect that the tweeter's voice coil will

usually fail in time to protect the fuse.A woofer, on the other hand, has a rela-

tively rugged voice coil and cone struc-ture, and it is not easy to damage its mov-ing system in normal operation. Whendamage does occur, it is likely to take theform of a physically torn or damagedcone assembly, and anyone in the roomwhen that occurs will have little difficultyin diagnosing the problem!

Returning to the reader's question con-cerning the two different "power ratings"of his speakers, it may be easier now toappreciate how the two ratings, confusingthough they may be, were derived. Themanual for the speakers specifies a powerinput between 25 and 120 watts on un-clipped programs. If the signal waveformis clipped (distorted) in the amplifier,which is a common result of an excessivedrive level, a large amount of harmonicdistortion can be generated. Dependingon circumstances, this distortion can cov-er a wide frequency range, and perhapsdamage a tweeter even if the audible dis-tortion is largely confined to the lowerfrequencies. The onset of waveform clip-ping can be quite sudden, so that damageto one or more drivers in the speaker sys-tem can occur in an instant. By the timeyou hear the distortion, the damage hasprobably been done.

My correspondent also poses to me analmost unanswerable question: "Howmuch power [in watts] is adequate for thissystem [without clipping]?" That is tanta-mount to asking, "How high is sup'?" I'mafraid clairvoyance has never been one ofmy strong suits, so I must sadly decline toanswer. I can, however, assure you of onething: If you blow a speaker, you'll knowit! As I stated earlier, tweeter voice coilsmake excellent fast -acting fuses, and thesound of a damaged woofer cone or voicecoil cannot be confused with even themost avant-garde music.

Even long experience may not preventsuch accidents. It has been many yearssince I unwittingly demolished a speaker,but I can assure you that it is an unforget-table experience. It happened to a pair oflarge, expensive multiway speakers that Ihad rashly connected to an amplifier rated(with impressive conservatism) at 500watts per channel. Through a carelessmishap (my fault, I am chagrined to say),the amplifier delivered its conservativelyrated power in an ear -numbing blast, wip-ing out all the drivers except the woofersin a couple of seconds. This experiencehas made me wary of using ultrapowerfulamplifiers for speaker testing, and I sug-gest similar caution in choosing (and us-ing) components of your music system.

To my correspondent, I suggest that henot worry unduly about demolishing hisspeakers. Just connect them correctly, usean amplifier whose power is reasonable,don't run it at ear -shattering levels, andenjoy the music.


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TEST REPORTS

Nakamichi CA -1 DolbyDigital AN PreamplifierDAVID RANADA TECHNICAL EDITOR

Lately we've been testing somerather complex AN equip-ment. One piece required read-ing two thick manuals for a

complete understanding of its opera-tion, and another had so many pro-grammable options that you'd needtraining in complexity theory to figureall of them out. So it was a big reliefto come across an A/V component thatwas about as simple to hook up andadjust as any preamp providing DolbyDigital (AC -3) decoding could be, theNakamichi CA -1.

Doing Dolby Digital "by the book"is the main reason for the CA -1's sim-plicity. It seems to contain no featuresnot specifically required by DolbyLabs for AC -3 playback at the time ofthe CA -1's introduction (the mandatedfeature set for an AC -3 product issomething of a moving target). Andeverything else is done as per DolbyLabs recommendations, with few pro-grammable options.

For example, all preamps containingAC -3 decoders must supply bass -man-agement functions to divert the lowestfrequencies away from the speakersthat can't handle them and into speak-ers that can, usually a subwoofer. Thisis performed by an array of high-pass

and low-pass crossover filters that areactivated according to the abilities ofyour home -theater speaker system.Unlike some other Dolby Digital de-vices we have tested recently, the CA-I offers only one crossover frequency(80 Hz) and it is the same for bothhigh-pass and low-pass filters, all ofwhich have 12 -dB -per -octave slopes.While an 80 -Hz crossover is slightlytoo low for optimum performance withsome middling and low -end home -the-ater speaker systems, if you performspeaker balancing well, using suitabletest tones and a sound -level meter, youshould not have any major problems.On the other hand, an 80 -Hz crossoverpoint is ideal for more refined (and ex-pensive) home -theater speakers, manyof which are designed for an 80 -Hzcrossover point. That includes all HomeTHX speakers (although a THX-certi-

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fled subwoofer's crossover filter shouldideally roll off at 24 dB per octave).

The CA -1's no -frills approach ex-tends to other areas of its operation. Ithas only two surround modes, for ex-ample_ and both of them are suppliedwithout embellishment: Dolby Digitaland Dolby Pro Logic, both decodeddigitally by the same integrated cir-cuit. And, unlike other recent unitsthat also incorporate multiple digitalinputs, the CA -1 offers no automaticswitching between them and their ana-log counterparts. You must use theDigital Input button at the lower leftcorner of the front panel (or the corre-sponding button on the remote) to turnon a digital input.

The CA -1's three digital inputs onthe rear panel are assigned to a CDplayer (coaxial connector), a laserdiscplayer (both coaxial and Toslink opti-cal connectors), and an input labeledfor either a DVD player or a satellitedecoder box (also both coaxial and op-tical). The laserdisc coaxial digital in-put and the two DVD/satellite digitalinputs will all accept Dolby Digitalsignals, but the laserdisc input must befed from the output of an RF AC -3demodulator (such as Nakamichi's own$450 DE -1). If you want to record anyof these three sources (CD, laserdisc,DVD/satellite) through the CA -1's re-corder outputs, or if you want soundfrom these sources to be fed to a sec-ond room from the CA -1's line -levelremote output, you must also hook upthat source's analog output to the CA -l's corresponding analog input.

Rear -panel analog audio connec-


TEST REPORTStions include line -level stereo RCAjacks for the CD player, a tuner, anauxiliary audio -only source, and twoaudio tape decks. There is a stereoline -level output for feeding a remotelocation as well as the six main audiooutputs for feeding the front left/cen-ter/right, surround left/right, and sub -woofer power amplifiers. AN connec-tions include the laserdisc player, theDVD/DBS unit, one VCR, and oneTV/auxiliary source. All video hook-ups can use either composite- or S -video connectors, including the singlemonitor and remote -room video out-puts. As usual with such composite/S-video facilities, there is no crossingover of video format: Composite -vid-eo signals emerge only from the com-posite -video monitor output, and S -video signals emerge only from the S -video monitor output.

In addition to these connectors, therear panel has facilities for hookingup a remote wired infrared sensor formultiroom operation, for operatingcertain Nakamichi cassette decks andCD players using the CA -1's remote,and for switching on a Nakamichi PA -1 multichannel amplifier. The powercord is of the detachable three -prongvariety, and the single switched ACconvenience outlet also accepts three -prong power cords (a rare ability).

You get two remote -control hand-sets with the CA -1. The larger mainremote control handles all systemfunctions (including a couple that arenot accessible from the CA -1's frontpanel) as well as being able to memo-rize control codes for an audio tapedeck, a VCR, a CD player, a laserdiscplayer, an AM/FM tuner, and a televi-sion. The smaller "sub" remote control

is designed to control the CA -1 from asecond room via an infrared sensor,but it can also be used in the main lis-tening room if you only need itsstripped -down set of control functions(input selection, volume, muting, andpower).

The no -frills philosophy seems tohave spread into the electronic circuit-ry as well, for on the test bench theCA -1 was a very "clean" performer. Ithad good to excellent measurements inall our tests, including tests of DolbyDigital operation that we conductedusing our recently acquired set ofcomputer -generated AC -3 test signals.Those signals also told us that the pre -amp's switchable Dolby Digital dy-namic -range peak -limit function mere-ly limited the signal at a level of -12dBFS (that is, Dolby Digital signalsbetween 0 and -12 dBFS came out at-12 dBFS).

In an engineering white paper, Na-kamichi takes particular pride in theCA -1's volume control, normally arather humble device. In a multichan-nel home -theater system, however, thevolume control acquires a great dealof importance as it must raise and low-er all channels without upsetting theirrelative balances by more than a frac-tion of a decibel so as to preserve theimaging of multichannel sound ef-

DOLBY PRO LOGIC PERFORMANCEAll data for analog input signals, all settings for"large" speakers, output volume at setting of 89.(dBFS = decibels referred to digital full scale)

FREQUENCY RESPONSEfront 20 Hz to 20 kHz +0.1, -0.32 dBcenter 20 Hz to 20 kHz +0.1, -0.35 dBsurround 20 Hz to 7 kHz +0, -3 dB

NOISE (A-wtd)front -69.1 dBcenter -69.1 dBsurround -71.5 dB

DISTORTION (THD+N, 1 kHz)front 0 06%center 0 07%surround 0.05%

SURROUND -DECODER INPUT -OVERLOADMARGINSleft, right (re 2 V) +7.5 dBcenter (re 1.4 V) +10.5 dBsurround (re 1.4 V) +10.5 dB

SURROUND -CHANNEL NOISE REDUCTIONCALIBRATION ERRORre Dolby level (251 mV/ -15 dBFS) -2 Ill

CHANNEL SEPARATION(100 Hz to 7 kHz. worst case)center out, left front driven >56 dB

MEASUREMENTSD OLBY DIGITAL PERFORMANCEAll measurements taken with computer -generatedAC -3 test signals and all outputs set for "large"speakers. Except for separation, results are for theleft front channel but are representative of theperformance of all five main channels.(dBFS = decibels referred to digital full scale)

REFERENCE OUTPUT LEVEL (I kHz)-20-dBFS input, volume at 78 200 mV

FREQUENCY RESPONSE2011, I' 20 kHz +0.12, -0.11 dB

DISTORTION (THD+N)20 Hz to 20 kHz <0.028%

NOISE (re reference output, A-wtd) . -72.6 dB

EXCESS NOISE (with signal)16 -bit (ENI6) +2.7 dB

LINEARITY ERRORat -90 dBFS +0.2 dB

CHANNEL SEPARATION(I kHz, 0-dBFS, worst case)right front out, center driven >81 dB

STEREO PERFORMANCE,D IGITAL INPUTS(dBFS = decibels referred to digital full scale)

REFERENCE OUTPUT LEVEL (1 kHz)-20 dBFS, volume at 78 200 mV

FREQUENCY RESPONSEnormal 20 Hz to 20 kHz 10.12 dBile-emph.p.p. on . 20 Hz to 20 kHz +0.19, -0.12 dB

DISTORTION (THD+N)I kHz at -20 dBFS 0 03%

NOISE (re reference output, A-wtd)normal -72.5 dBde -emphasis on -73.7 dB

EXCESS NOISE (without/with signal)16 -bit (EN 16) +3.6/+3.5 dB20 -bit (EN20) +18.9/+18.9 dB

LINEARITY ERRORat -90 dBFS +0.2 dB

STEREO PERFORMANCE,ANALOG INPUTSOUTPUT AT CLIPPING 11 kW, >8.6 V

SENSITIVITY(for 0.5-V output, max volume) 134.6 mV

DISTORTION (I kHz, THD+N, max volume)0.5-V input, 2-V output 0 003%

INPUT OVERLOAD LEVEL 11.5 V

NOISE A-utd, re 0.5-V output) -85.3 dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE20 Hz to 20 kHz +0, -0.26 dB


fects. This the CA -1 did exceptional-ly well, with very accurate 0.5 -dBchanges for each volume setting from100 down to 30 and outstanding (bet-ter than 0.2 dB) tracking of interchan-nel balance over the control rangemost likely to be used. Even the indi-vidual channel -balance controls weredead -on accurate. They, too, operatewith very precise 0.5 -dB steps, grada-tions that are much superior to the typ-ical 1 -dB steps.

These characteristics all contributedto very clean and smooth sound. Back-ground noise levels and distortionwere low in all operating modes, andthere were no untoward clicks or popswhen I operated any of the controls orchanged the volume. With every signalI fed it, the CA -1 proved to be virtual-ly transparent sonically within the lim-itations of the signal itself - DolbyPro Logic signals, even when they aredecoded as well as they were in thiscase, can't hold a candle to DolbyDigital signals.

The CA -I also.proved to be the eas-iest Dolby Digital component to set upthat I have yet tested. Its full array offront -panel bass -management controlbuttons and indicator lights (clusterednear the numerical volume readout) al-lowed me to select the proper filterconfigurations quickly without havingto turn on a TV monitor to see thehelpful - but, thank goodness, notmandatory - on -screen display. Nordid I have to slog laboriously throughthe kind of tiresome on -screen menusystem "featured" by many otherhome -theater components. I didn'teven have to read the manual to makethese adjustments, though that's some-thing I wouldn't recommend you do athome. Only speaker -level balancinghad to be conducted using the large re-mote control, because it's always bestto set speaker balances with a sound -level meter at the listening position.

The only problem I could find withthe CA -1, and it's truly piddling, wasthat its default mode for Dolby Digitaldynamic range has the peak -limiterturned on. This is simple enough toundo by pushing a button on the mainremote control. But considering hownice the preamp sounds and how easyit is to operate, it's surprising that itsdesigners chose to restrain the spectac-ular effect of its Dolby Digital decod-ing. Then again, maybe they wanted toimpress us primarily with the CA -1'ssolid, smooth, and quiet operation anddidn't want to blow our socks off . . .

at least not at first.

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TEST REPORTS

Sebweeler.1 23 2 315 333 431 4.3

Audio Control BijouHome THX EqualizerDAVID RANADA TECHNICAL EDITOR

Like other products bearing theTHX logo, Audio Control'sBijou seven -channel home -theater equalizer has many

design features required for certifica-tion by Lucasfilm's THX division.These features make the Bijou ex-tremely useful and adept at its intend-ed purpose: flattening the frequencyresponse at the listening position(s) ina full Home THX system, whichwould include a six -piece THX loud-speaker setup (three identical frontspeakers, two surrounds and a sub -woofer) as well as a THX controller/power -amplifier combination or aTHX receiver. At the same time, theTHX features also limit the Bijou'susefulness with non-THX equipment.

The THX design requirements pri-marily affect the equalization facilitiesfor the three front channels and thesubwoofer. In comparison to otherhome -theater equalizers we have test-ed, the Bijou's eleven identical slidercontrols for each of the three frontchannels span only a limited range:from 80 to 800 Hz in one -third -octaveintervals (the eleven bands are cen-tered at 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250,315, 400, 500, 630, and 800 Hz).There are no controls for frequencies

nnSanrud letc

higher than 800 Hz because the fre-quency response of Home THX speak-ers is already relatively flat, so con-trols are needed only in the frequencyregion that is most influenced by roomacoustics and speaker -placement ef-fects - below 800 Hz at worst, andwith many setups only below 400 Hz.If you have a non-THX home -theaterspeaker system that diverges from flatresponse above 800 Hz, then, the Bi-jou will not be able to flatten it. Itsusefulness will also be rather limitedin matching the sound of a centerspeaker to wildly different front left/right speakers (a complete Home THXloudspeaker system has sonicallyidentical front speakers). The Bijou'sclose (one -third -octave) spacing of thefront -channel frequency bands like-wise reflects the kinds of narrow -band

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corrections that are typically needed inthe 80- to 800 -Hz range.

The Bijou provides even narroweradjustment bands for subwoofer sig-nals, since in the low -bass region re-sponse anomalies span even tighterranges. Subwoofer control spacing isat one -sixth -octave intervals between22.4 and 80 Hz (twelve bands centeredat 22.4, 25, 28, 31.5, 35.5, 40, 45, 50,56, 63, 71, and 80 Hz). The Bijou canhandle stereo subwoofer signals, al-though each subwoofer slider controlserves both channels, forcing identicalequalization on them. But in anyspeaker/room/listening-position setupthat is not precisely symmetrical, it'shighly unlikely that stereo subwooferswill have the same equalization re-quirements. In fact, using the Bijouwith asymmetrically placed stereosubwoofers stands a good chance ofproducing a less flat bass responsethan would careful equalization of asingle subwoofer.

For each of the two surround chan-nels, the Bijou provides an eight -bandbank of slider controls with compara-tively wide two -thirds -octave spacingfrom 100 to 400 Hz (100, 160, 250,400 Hz) and even wider one -octavespacing above 400 Hz (800 Hz and1.6, 3.15, and 6.3 kHz). These rela-tively coarse adjustment ranges, whichlimit the degree of response flatnessthat can be achieved from surroundspeakers, do not indicate that AudioControl has ignored the ability of Dol-by Digital (AC -3) soundtracks to putout surround -channel signals equiva-lent in quality to the front -channel sig-


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TEST REPORTSnals. Nor are they a comment on theequalizability of most surround speak-ers. Instead, the coarser adjustmentranges for the surrounds reflect thepredominant importance of getting thefront -channel signals "right" and thesubsidiary dramatic role played bymost surround -channel signals.

The bottom controls of the mainchannels and the top subwoofer con-trol are all centered at 80 Hz, the stan-dard THX-speaker crossover frequen-cy. So the extent to which a non-THXspeaker system can be equalized to flatroom response in its crossover regiondepends, among other things, on howfar its crossover frequency is from 80Hz. Too great a divergence in frequen-cy and you probably won't get enoughcontrol where it is needed.

The Bijou has no crossover or otherbass -management facilities of its own.The frequency response of each bankof controls is flat outside the rangecovered by the sliders. Above 80 Hzeven the response of the subwooferoutputs are flat all the way up to 20kHz. Appropriate bass managementhas to be supplied elsewhere in thesystem, which must therefore containnot only a low-pass subwoofer-cross-over filter, preferably at 80 Hz, but al-so 80 -Hz high-pass filtering on all theother channels. These facilities arestrict requirements for THX con-troller/preamps and THX receivers,but they may not be available at all onnon-THX equipment (especially thehigh-pass filtering).

On the test bench, the Bijou per-formed admirably well, with the con-trol bands producing an average of 5.7dB of maximum boost or cut at theirdesignated frequencies. With all con-trols centered, response through eachchannel was as flat as we can measurefrom 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Noise levelswere extremely low: -94 dB, A -weighted, referred to a 200 -millivoltoutput. Referred to the standard CDplayer output level of 2 volts, thattranslates to -114 dB, which is quieterthan any CD or laserdisc program ma-terial. Distortion and overload levelswere also very good. You are unlikelyto overdrive the Bijou with any THXequipment, though you might want totake special care not to overload thesubwoofer input with non-THX DolbyDigital equipment.

The Bijou's rear panel providesmultipin DB-25 connectors for quickconnection of comparably equippedTHX equipment. But hooking it upwith standard RCA cables was also

easy, especially using the diagrams inthe manual as a guide.

However, Audio Control's manualseverely understates the difficulty ofobtaining the equalized flat responsethe Bijou was designed to produce.You, or your dealer/installer, needadditional equipment: a pink -noisesource, a flat -response microphone ona stand, and an instrumentation -gradespectrum analyzer. You get all three(except the mike stand) in one instru-ment with Audio Control's $995 SA -3050A, which is recommended in theBijou manual. The Radio Shack sound -level meter we often recommend forother purposes will not suffice herebecause of its variable low -frequencyresponse and because there is no testCD containing suitable narrow -bandlow -frequency signals. Furthermore,for best results, you might have tomove the speakers (especially the sub -woofer), and possibly even the primelistening position(s), if your presentpositionings prove unequalizable.

Finally, in addition to proper in-struments and placement flexi-bility, you must have a greatdeal of time. Equipped with a

multikilobuck laboratory -grade spec-trum analyzer and a similarly costlycalibrated microphone, and playingpink -noise signals through a systemthat was full -bore THX from preamp/controller to loudspeakers, it took mea full hour to flatten the response ofthe front left channel and the singlesubwoofer operating together. And thatwas under ideal conditions (low roomnoise, no interruptions, and wearingear plugs so that I wasn't driven crazyby the test tone) - and for only onespeaker! Even though the Bijou's"constant -Q" controls interact muchless than other equalizer designs, therewere still some band -to -band interac-tions requiring repeated adjustments.

Fortunately, our listening room issymmetrical enough that the frontright speaker received very similarequalization, though its bass "splice"with our asymmetrically placed sub-woofer was slightly less than optimal.The center channel also produced aless -than -ideal splice with the sub -

woofer. Lucasfilm's THX division rec-ommends that bass blend should beoptimized for the center channel, withthe other speakers falling as close asthe equalization facilities will allow.But that is surely too cinema -centricfor those of us who listen mostly tomusic.

And this hour-long process didn'tinclude the "spatial averaging" tech-nique that both Audio Control andLucasfilm strongly recommend, whichwould have involved averaging the re-sponse measurements from severalmicrophone positions around the lis-tening area for each speaker. Obvious-ly a very tedious process, it would alsohave meant some degree of compro-mise in response flatness comparedwith what I was able to obtain with thefront left and right speakers and a sin-gle microphone position.

And how flat was the equalized re-sponse? Nearly pancake smooth! Be-fore equalization, the front left/sub-woofer response below 800 Hz variedover a ±4 -dB range (an 8 -dB spread),which is actually quite good for an un-equalized room response. But aftertreatment with the Bijou, the responsevaried only ±1.5 dB (a 3 -dB spread)from 25 Hz to 800 Hz. That is ex-tremely flat room response by any-body's standard; most recording stu-dios and movie -sound dubbing stagesdon't come anywhere near this degreeof flatness. There was a noticeable im-provement in sound quality as well,with the various dips and bumpsaround the 80 -Hz subwoofer crossoverfrequency considerably smoothed outto produce far more consistently firm,nonboomy bass. I heard the differencemost easily with pipe -organ music.(Before -and -after comparisons areeased by a front -panel bypass switch.)Even the limited adjustment facilitiesprovided for the surround channelsimproved their sound at the main lis-tening position, especially in high fre-quencies from Dolby Digital sound-tracks. (Surround equalization shouldbe performed in Dolby Pro Logicmode, without THX processing turnedon and with each surround playingseparately.)

Even though I didn't have the pa-tience or time to complete a rigorousTHX-approved equalization proce-dure, my experience with the Bijouproved to me that it does have all thenecessary facilities to get many home -theater sound systems, particularlyTHX systems, working at their best.Its equalization performance willprobably not be bettered until digitallyprocessed speaker/room correction ison the market (for years it has alwaysbeen "just around the corner"), or atleast until some time -saving automat-ed equalization -setting procedure withthe Bijou as its basis is introduced(hint, hint, Audio Control).


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TEST REPORTS

Wharfedale Diamond 7.2LoudspeakerJULIAN HIRSCH HIRSCH-HOUCK LABORATORIES

The Wharfedale name, a partof the audio scene for morethan sixty-five years, has longbeen associated with high -

quality loudspeakers. During much ofthat time, Wharfedale speakers weredesigned by Gilbert Briggs, the com-pany's founder. Briggs was a pioneerin the high-fidelity industry, and hisspeakers earned a well -deserved repu-tation for fine performance.

Briggs was one of the few audiopersonalities to attempt (with reason-able success) a public AB comparisonbetween live and reproduced music. Iwas fortunate enough to attend theevent, which was held at New York'sCarnegie Hall in the 1950's. TheWharfedale speakers did a surprising-ly good job in this rather ambitiousundertaking, although there was nodifficulty in hearing the difference be-tween live and recorded sound in thoserelatively primitive times.

The art and science of loudspeakerdesign have progressed considerablysince then, and one of the best exam-ples of that progress that I have seen(and heard) lately is Wharfedale's newDiamond 7.2 speaker. The Diamondseries has a long and honorable histo-ry. The first Diamond model was de-

veloped in 1982 as a compact and af-fordable alternative to Wharfedale'sfull-size speakers. Over the years, theBritish company says, it has sold some16 million (!) Diamond speakersthroughout the world.

Today's seventh -generation Dia-mond line consists of three models.The Models 7.1 and 7.2 are compactbookshelf (or stand -mounted) speak-ers that have nearly identical molded -plastic enclosures. Although bothmodels use a 1 -inch tweeter and a 51/4 -inch woofer, the drivers are different;the woofer in the Diamond 7.2 has aheavier magnet and a mineral -loadedpolypropylene cone for greater rigidi-ty, and the tweeter is made of a differ-ent material. The Model 7.3 has the

DIMENSIONS: 117/s inches high, 75/s incheswide, 91/2 inches deep

WEIGHT: 91/2 pounds

FINISH: black woodgrain, black moldedplastic on front and rear

PRICE: $350 a pair

MANUFACTURER: Wharfedale, distributedby M. Rothman & Co., Dept. SR, 50Williams Dr.. Ramsey, NJ 07446; telephone,1-800-227-7491

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same driver complement as the 7.2 ina taller, floor -standing enclosure.

The Diamond 7.2 has a simple,black woodgrain-finish cabinet with ablack front plate covered by a plainblack cloth grille. The only visibleornamentation is the manufacturer'sname and the model number in goldscript at the bottom of the front panel.On the rear of the cabinet are thespeaker's bass port and a pair of bind-ing posts, which are designed to beused with stripped wire ends or largelugs. Removing small plastic insertsfrom the binding posts, however, en-ables them to accommodate single ba-nana plugs or similar connectors (theirspacing is too wide for dual bananaplugs).

The front speaker panel and the cab-inet's rear panel are molded from ablend of ground rock and copolymer,called "Audio Stealth," that is said tobe acoustically dead. The two panelsare tightly clamped together by longscrews, making the enclosure extreme-ly rigid.

Unlike many other vented systems(especially in its price range), the Dia-mond 7.2 has a symmetrically shapedbass vent, with identical flares at bothends. Wharfedale claims that this re-sults in greater bass output with lessdistortion and wind noise.

The Diamond 7.2's tweeter has asynthetic -silk soft dome, with a voice -coil former behind it that prevents astray finger from poking in or other-wise damaging the delicate dome. Thepolypropylene woofer cone has a butylrubber surround.

The crossover design is describedonly as "simple but high grade." Aswe discovered, it meets the desirablegoal of being undetectable in bothmeasurements and listening. Thecrossover frequency is not stated in thesystem specifications, and nothing inour measurements offered any clues.This information is, of course, irrele-vant to the user of the speaker, but thecrossover's "invisibility" serves to un-derscore the skill that went into thespeaker's design.

For listening and most measure-ments, we placed the Wharfedale Dia-mond 7.2 speakers on 26 -inch stands,about 8 feet apart and 3 feet in front ofthe wall behind them. We measuredthe room response, one speaker at atime, with the microphone about 12feet in front of the left speaker.

The smoothed and averaged roomresponse was excellent, with a ±5 -dBvariation over the range of 50 Hz to 15

kHz. The horizontal directivity, mea-sured 1 foot from the tweeter at an an-gle of ±45 degrees off the tweeter'saxis, showed an overall output varia-tion of about 5 dB up to 7 kHz, in-creasing to 12 dB at 15 kHz.

We measured the woofer responseseparately at the cone and port, com-bining the two with corrections for thedifferent areas of the two sources. Thecombined response was ±3 dB from45 to 500 Hz.

System impedance measured a max-imum of about 12 ohms at 30 and 90Hz. It was approximately 4 ohms from150 Hz to 1.5 kHz, rising to 8 to 9ohms between 3 and 20 kHz. The rat-ed impedance should probably be 4 or6 ohms, not 8 ohms, but consideringthe modest driving power likely to beused with a speaker of this size, price,and sensitivity (our measurements con-firmed its 89 -dB sensitivity rating),there is no risk of damage in any prac-tical installation.

A quasi-anechoic response mea-surement at 1 meter with the MLSprogram of the Audio Precision Sys-tem One showed an overall variationof ±3 dB between 300 Hz and 20 kHz,aside from a notch of about 7 dB at 9kHz. Measurements at distances of 2and 3 meters yielded very similar re-sults, with minor differences in thedepth of the 9 -kHz notch. Althoughwe have no good explanation for thisnotch, it is obvious that a very narrownotch at such a high frequency as 9kHz (even if it is real and not a mea-surement artifact) is unlikely to beheard by most people.

As is always the case with loud-speakers, the ultimate evaluation, andthe only truly meaningful one, is in thelistening process. We did a moderateamount of listening before the mea-surement phase of the test, and consid-erably more afterward, and were im-mediately struck by the smoothnessand "all there" quality of the Diamond7.2's sound. Listening to these re-markable little speakers, we found itdifficult to credit our ears (and eyes).Not only did they have an impressive-ly flat and smooth measured response,but they sounded as good as the mea-surement graphs look.

Although not unique, that is an un-usual quality among the speakers wehave tested over the years. But whenyou add to this usable bass extendingto the 40 -Hz region (from a cone lessthan 5 inches in diameter!), you havedefined one of today's "best buys" inhigh -quality, low-cost speakers.

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TEST REPORTS

Martin -Logan AeriusLoudspeakerJULIAN HIRSCH HIRSCH-HOUCK LABORATORIES

The Martin -Logan brand nameis associated almost exclusive-ly with high -quality electro-static loudspeakers, ranging in

size and price from a compact center -channel speaker at $1,750 to a large,full -range model at almost $10,000 apair. The most affordable full -rangeMartin -Logan speaker (an earlier ver-sion of which we reviewed about fouryears ago) is the Aerius, whose namehas now been changed to Aerius i inrecognition of the improvements thathave been made since the original ver-sion was introduced. Despite the up-grade, its price remains unchanged.

The Aerius i is relatively compact

by any standards, and especially so forfull -range electrostatic speakers, whichtypically require a large surface areafor good bass response. Since Martin -Logan could not work a miracle or

DIMENSIONS: 55 n inches high, 101/2inches wilt 121/2 iches deep

WEIGHT: ES pounc.

FINISH: Mick or of wood trim, glossyblack perforated msl gr Ile

PRICE: $1105 a p4-(blacki; $2,095 (oak)

MANUFACILIREMI.Ilartin-Logan, Dept. SR,2001 Delo.--tre St., _awrence, KS 66046;telephone 013-749: 133

suspend the laws of physics, theAerius i was designed to generate bassfrequencies (roughly between 450 and40 Hz) with a conventional 8 -inchwoofer in a sealed compartment at thebottom. The bass section's consider-able weight also provides stability forthe larger (but much lighter) electro-static panel, which it supports physi-cally as well as acoustically.

Viewed from the front, the Aerius iresembles a moderately tall towerspeaker in size and appearance. Its en-tire black front panel, made of perfo-rated metal, has a slight convex curva-ture. Between its two layers of high-grade steel, coated with a proprietarydielectric compound, is a transparentplastic membrane only 0.0005 inchthick. This diaphragm moves micro-scopically in response to variations inthe signal voltage applied between theperforated stationary elements, or "sta-tors," in the system. The diaphragm'smotion generates a sound wave thatpropagates into the room through theperforations in the steel stators.

The instruction manual for theAerius i is well worth reading for itseducational value; the material on thehistory and design principles of elec-trostatic speakers is superb. The majoradvantage of a full -range electrostaticspeaker is that its moving mass is ex-tremely low compared to the com-bined mass of the voice coil and sus-pension of a dynamic speaker. Thatlow moving mass allows it to generate(and radiate) the full audio frequencyrange from a single element, withoutthe complication of blending the out-puts of two or more drivers having dif-ferent acoustic and electrical proper-ties and operating frequency ranges.

There is also, as often happens incomparisons between different tech-nologies, a down side to the electrosta-tic speaker. Its maximum acoustic out-put level is typically less than that of adynamic speaker of comparable size.Generating a comparable sound level,especially at low audio frequencies,requires a substantially greater radiat-ing surface area, which typically re-sults in a higher price as well as greatersize. Martin-Logan's practical solutionto this problem is to use a hybrid de-sign combining an electrostatic mid/high -frequency radiator with a con-ventional cone driver for the bass,such as the 8 -inch cone in the bottomenclosure of the Aerius i.

The Aerius i is a dipole radiator,generating a figure -8 horizontal pat-tern. It should be placed a few feet in


front of a wall, and, since the spacingcan affect the bass performance, Mar-tin -Logan suggests some experimenta-tion to find the optimal placement. Wesettled on a 3 -foot distance from thewall behind the speakers, which wereabout 8 feet apart.

The averaged room response of thepair of speakers measured ±6 dB from60 Hz to 10 kHz, with an additional 5 -dB drop from 10 to 20 kHz. That isfairly typical of the overall room re -

suiting in distortion or even damage tothe amplifier.

The impedance rating of the Aeriusi, though nominally 4 ohms, is alsospecified as 1.7 ohms at 20 kHz. Ourmeasurements showed a typical im-pedance of around 5 ohms over muchof the audio range, with a peak of 32ohms at 45 Hz and a minimum of 1.8ohms at 20 kHz! Fortunately, there islittle recorded energy at frequenciesabove 10 kHz and virtually none at 20

The Martin -Logan Aerius i's subjective volume and

sound quality are virtually the same

whether you are 1 foot or 10 feet from the speaker.

sponse we have measured from othergood speakers under the same condi-tions. A similar measurement at 1 me-ter from a single Aerius i speaker pro-duced a response variation of only ±5dB from 40 Hz to 20 kHz, essentiallythe manufacturer's rating.

Our quasi-anechoic (MLS) responsemeasurements at distances of 1, 2, and3 meters showed an overall responseof better than ±5 dB from 500 Hz to20 kHz except for a broad notch be-tween 6 and 10 kHz with a depth of 6to 15 dB. Since this notch did not ap-pear in conventional (nondigital) re-sponse measurements, nor were thereany audible signs of its presence, I'msure it was an artifact of the digitalmeasurement. The speaker's virtuallyfull -range dipolar radiation pattern in-teracted with the geometry of ourroom in ways that make the computer -generated quasi-anechoic results hardto interpret.

We measured the woofer perfor-mance conventionally, with close mi-crophone spacing. Its frequency re-sponse was within ±2.5 dB from 500to 45 Hz, rolling off at lower frequen-cies at 12 dB per octave.

The Aerius i had good horizontaldispersion. Over a ±45 -degree angleoff its forward axis, the response be-tween 1 and 20 kHz showed only a 5 -dB variation from its on -axis output.

One of the most unusual propertiesof this speaker is its electrical imped-ance characteristic. Conventional dy-namic speakers typically have an im-pedance in the range of 4 to 16 ohms,although a few speakers may go downto the region of 2 ohms. An unusuallylow impedance can cause difficultieswith some amplifiers, sometimes re -

kHz and higher. In addition, the speak-er is fairly efficient, with a measuredsensitivity of 89 dB (rated 87 dB). Atany rate, we played it at levels wellabove our normal maximum withoutmishap or signs of distress from theamplifier or the speakers.

Normally, one of the most importantcriteria in choosing a speaker (some-times the only one) is how it sounds tothe listener. A full -range electrostaticspeaker, and for most practical purpos-es the Aerius i can be considered assuch, has a very different sound char-

acter from a conventional cone -driverspeaker. For one thing, its perceivedsound level is largely independent ofthe listening position. The subjectivevolume level and overall sound qualityare virtually the same whether you are1 foot or 10 feet from the speaker, oreven behind it! This quality may ormay not appeal to you, but I considerit a major advantage of the design.

The distinctively spacious sound ofa full -range electrostatic speaker maybe an acquired taste. I had my initialexperience with a Quad electrostaticabout thirty-five years ago, and I waspermanently "hooked"! Fortunately,today's technology has made possiblemore reliable, and less visually obtru-sive, electrostatic reproducers. Still,for many (if not most) people, the sizeand price of a full -range electrostaticmay disqualify it from consideration.

Whatever the pros and cons of dy-namic and electrostatic speaker de-signs may be, however, there can beno doubt that a good electrostaticspeaker is one of the finest generatorsof musical sound in a home -size envi-ronment. The hybrid design of theAerius i retains the essential qualitiesof an electrostatic, making it one ofthe best examples of an affordable andpractical electrostatic speaker that wehave ever had the pleasure of usingand testing.

"Vern, there's a metermaid here to see you. . . ."


USER'S REPORT

4

-410-

Marantz ClassicsCOREY GREENBERG

The whole world, but especiallythe world of hi-fi, is goingthrough one final, brilliantburst of retro madness before

the new millennium arrives and we allhave to wear silver space suits and useonly highly polished sporks at whatused to be called dinner but as of Jan.I, 2000, will be officially known asMicrosoft Eat.

Model 7 preamplifier

Model 8B stereo amplifier

Model 9 mono amplifier

Now, in hi-fi terms, retro madnessmeans "back -to -the -1950's." Back toAmerican hi-fi's golden age, whenour best and brightest stuck smokingpipes in their smiling craws andkicked audio butt the world over withtheir hand-crafted tube amplifiers,Maytag -sized horn speakers, and justabout everything else you could plugin and make sound with. It was a time

of greatness, when hi-fi had the kindof hands-on, get -down -on -your -knees -and -bias -your -amp kind of manlinessthat's now found only in power toolsand Ultimate Fighting.

Maybe that's why there's been sucha resurgence in interest over the pastfew years in retro hi-fi. And now Ma-rantz, one of the true titans of hi-fi'sgolden age, has commissioned reis-sues of its three most revered andsought-after vintage tube classics: theModel 7 preamplifier, the Model 8Bstereo amplifier, and the Model 9mono amplifier.

At suggested retail prices of $3,800each for the Models 7 and 8B, and$8,400 for a pair of the Model 9monoblocks, the Marantz Classics arenearly exact recreations of the originaldesigns, right down to the smallestcosmetic details. They even duplicatedthe features that no longer make anysense in a modern hi-fi rig, like theModel 7 preamp's microphone (!) in-puts and alternate "Columbia" phono-EQ setting, meant to compensate forthe slightly different playback curvethat early Columbia LP's required.There's even a third phono-EQ settingfor when you want to haul out thatstack of Mills Brothers 78's and hearthem as they were intended to sound!

The point is, Marantz could've leftthose archaic circuits out, and no oneexcept hairy -eared collector geekswould've raised a yeckle, but theydidn't. These Classics duplicate theoriginals in every way, aside from afew safety -related improvements likea detachable AC power cord and muchhigher -quality input/output connectorsthan those that were fitted to the origi-nals. But most important, the new Ma-rantz Classics cost less than half ofwhat pristine examples of the originalscommand on the hairy -eared -collectormarket.

As Marantz has been out of the tubegame for several decades, the compa-ny made a wise choice in commission-ing high -end tube audio manufacturerValve Amplification Components toproduce the Classics. VAC's KevinHayes is the closest thing the high endhas to a tube Renaissance man, and hisknowledge and reverence for the orig-inal Marantz designs is evident in theRich Little job he did on the MarantzClassics.

These reissues not only look identi-cal to the originals down to the lastscrewhead, but when you pop thehood you see just how far VAC waswilling to go to insure the Classics' in -


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The top -of -the -line EosoneRSF 1000 home theater speakersystem features Radiant SurroundField- dipole technology so thateveryone in the room, regardlessof listening position, hears thesame full fidelity sound andlifelike imaging.

On -board, twin 10" poweredsubwoofers provide the bodyslams while titanium dometweeters deliver clean, clearsound and enveloping surroundsound imaging. The center andsurround speakers perfectlymatch the front speakers andtake full advantage of the latestsurround technologies such asDol3y® Digital (AC -3").

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USER'S REPORTtegrity. While some reissues of vintagetube gear in recent years hid shoddyworkmanship and altogether differentcircuitry inside a vintage -style chassis,the Marantz Classics feature the sameaudio circuits and point-to-point wir-ing as the originals. VAC even went tothe same parts vendors used by Ma-rantz in the 1950's and 1960's for thetransformers, carbon -composition re-sistors, and power -supply capacitors.

Only in a few cases where the origi-nal parts were no longer availablewere substitutions made, such as thepremium film -type signal capacitorsinstead of the old-style paper -and -waxcaps. In any case, the substitutionparts measure and sound better thanthe originals, so you'd have to havethickets of hair growing out of yourears to complain about these bows tothe modem age.

The Marantz Model 7 is an all -tubestereo preamplifier (actually, the vin-tage -correct front panel says "MarantzStereo Console") with a sextet of spe-cially selected 12AX7 preamp tubeshandling all signal amplification. Ninesets of inputs and three sets of outputsare provided, and the main preampoutputs also have adjustable level con-trols on the rear panel so that you canmatch the Model 7's output level toany power amplifier, old or new. Amode control is included to let youswitch between stereo, reverse stereo,left channel only, right channel only,and mono. Several different low-cutand high -cut filter settings are avail-able as well as a defeatable tone -con-trol section.

In addition to the two moving -mag-net phono inputs, there are four line -level inputs labeled FM -AM, FM mul-tiplex, TV, and auxiliary. Despite thenames, all four inputs can be consid-ered interchangeable aux-type inputssuitable for any line -level source froma CD player to a tape deck to a hi-fiVCR. The Model 7 also has two moretypes of inputs that were included forhistorical accuracy but won't be ofmuch use to you: the aforementionedmicrophone inputs, which are simplyhigh -gain unbalanced RCA inputs,and tape -head inputs, which were usedback in the olden days if your bighonkin' open -reel tape deck didn'thave its own playback electronics. 1

guess if you've got a pair of old Astat-ic crystal dispatcher mikes and an oldUher open -reel job, and you want tomake some really, really awful -sound-ing home recordings, then you mightfind some use for these extracurricular

inputs, especially if you've alwayswished your voice sounded like Howl -in' Wolf. For the rest of us, Marantzships the Model 7 with shorting "dum-my" plugs in these inputs to guardagainst noise pickup.

The Model 8B is a stereo tube pow-er amplifier with a push-pull dualEL34 output section rated at 35 wattsper channel. A pair each of 6BH6 and6GC7 preamp tubes complete the tubecomplement, along with a solid-statediode rectifier. True to its vintage -cor-rectness, the Model 8B features thesame gorgeous old-style bronze -tonefinish as the original Marantz amps,and VAC did a hell of a job duplicat-ing the original finish - the reissueamp looks like it stepped right off acollector's shelf.

An on -board bias meter and test cir-cuit make biasing the Model 8B's out-put tubes an easy task, even for valvevirgins - I sure wish my old Dynacoshad such an easy -to -use bias scheme.Because a tube amplifier's outputtransformer must be matched to thenominal impedance of the loudspeak-er, the Model 8B has separate speakerbinding posts for 4-, 8-, and I6 -ohmspeakers. An easily removable perfo-rated tube cage is included to keeplesser cats from toasting their noses onthe hot -running tubes when the Model8B is operating, but I'm happy to re-port that my two genius cats kept asafe distance at all times, sitting justclose enough to the amplifier to stealthe considerable heat that those tubesthrow off. Maybe they leamed theirlesson watching Daddy singe his fin-gers and jump around the room allthose times he biased his old tube

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amps without a handy bias meter likethe 8B's.

The Model 9 is a mono tube poweramp with a quartet of EL34 outputtubes operating in push-pull configura-tion for an output rating of 70 watts.With a much larger power supply anda more refined audio circuit overall,the Model 9 offers more than just apower upgrade from the Model 8B.Front -panel level controls are includedin case you want to bypass your pre-amplifier and plug a CD player or oth-er line -level source straight into a pairof Model 9's. In normal operation,these level controls are turned all theway up to effectively remove themfrom the circuit path. In addition to theattractive, vintage -styled front -panelbias meter and test circuit, the Model9 also has provisions for testing andadjusting the circuit's AC balance.

Like the Model 8B, the Model 9 hasspeaker binding posts for 4-, 8-, and16 -ohm speakers. Unlike the 8B, how-ever, the Model 9's output connectors,as well as its RCA input jack, are lo-cated on the front of the amp, behinda removable decorative panel. Hey,don't look at me. That's how they didit back then. The Model 9's owner'smanual explains that while most inter-connects and speaker cables in theolden days were thin enough to fit be-hind the decorative panel, many mod-em cables won't fit unless you leavethe panels off. My Kimber cables cer-tainly didn't fit, and I imagine that ifyou have anything more serious than18 -gauge zip cord, and you reallyshould if you own amps as nice asthese Marantz Classics, the panelswon't fit for you, either.

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USER'S REPORTThe Model 9 has three features not

found in the Model 8B. An infrasonic"low" filter, activated by a front -panelswitch, rolls off the amplifier's bassresponse below 20 Hz in case yoursystem passes enough low -frequencyrumble to swamp the Model 9's powerreserves and cause distortion. A phaseswitch, also on the front panel, flipsthe absolute polarity of the audio sig-nal at the output terminals. But themost interesting switch is the triodemode switch on the amplifier's backpanel. By flipping this switch, you canchange the way the four EL34 outputpentodes are connected to the circuit,configuring them as a pseudo -triodeoutput stage rated at a little over halfthe Model 9's normal power rating.

Why would you do this? Well, hard-core tube nuts swear that triode cir-cuits sound better than pentodes be-cause they're simpler. That may be so,but that only applies to true triodes -pentodes like the Model 9's EL34 out-put tubes can be connected as pseudo -triodes by tying their screen grids totheir anodes, but it's not quite a truetriode, and my listening comparisonsactually favored the sound of the Mod-el 9's normal, 70 -watt mode of opera-tion. The sound was cleaner and moreopen in the highs than the sound of theamps in triode mode.

Now, the other two Classics are cer-tainly fine-looking specimens of retromadness, but just between you andme, I think the Model 9 wins thisbeauty contest hands down. With itsbrushed gold -tone front panel and biground bias meter, the Model 9 reallyadds a touch of elegance to any livingroom, even mine.

At this point, you might be askingyourself why Marantz, a thoroughlymodem company right in the thick ofcurrent trends like home theater andbig -screen TV's, would go to all thistrouble and expense just to reissuelong -discontinued designs that arenearly 50 years old and surely inferiorin terms of measured performance toits latest $500 A/V receiver?

I know I asked myself that questionwhen I first heard about the Classicsreissue project. I used to run vintagetube amps in my own hi-fi rig, butwhile they sounded plenty warm andenjoyable, even this obsessive audionut got tired of all the futzing andbabying and tube rolling. I also grewto desire a more strictly neutral pre-sentation, especially when I began re-viewing hi-fi gear professionally. I

felt, and still feel, an obligation to as-

semble as neutral and accurate a sys-tem as possible so that I can judge areview component's own colorationswithout clouding them with those ofmy system. So now I use good solid-state amps, which are far more accu-rate and revealing of component sub-tleties upstream.

But I'll tell you what - all it tookwas one lazy afternoon spent listeningto music with the Marantz Classics toremind me just how much sheer fungood tubes can be to listen to. Andmake no mistake, these Marantz reis-sues are really, really good tubes. Yes,they sound a tad old-fashioned com-pared with the best modern tube gear,but I think that's why they're so sooth-ing and relaxing to listen to. Heardthrough these Classics, everythingsounds just that much warmer, thatmuch smoother than usual. I'd nevercall the Marantz reissues "accurate,"but they certainly cast the kind ofgolden glow over the sound that cantranscend the whole issue of what isand isn't neutral, lulling you into for-getting everything but how muchyou're enjoying the music.

At first, I substituted just the Model7 preamp for my usual solid-state pre -amp so that I could get a handle on itssound before I hooked up the Classictube amps. The system became warm-er on top and more forward in themidrange - classic old-style tubesound. But it was only when I hookedup both the Model 7 and the Model 8Bamplifier that I fully appreciated theMarantz Classics. In the context of myneutral, solid-state system, the tubepreamp alone sounded out of placeand a bit dated. Same with the amps.But when I hooked them both up, thesound became so thick and juicy and,well, tubey, that I just let myself getlost in it.

If you've ever dreamed of owningthese Marantz vintage components butcould never imagine ponying up thedough for what these babies commandon the collectors' market, the MarantzClassic reissues offer you as close to asecond chance as you're going to get.Whether you choose the wonderfullymusical Model 8B or the more power-ful and refined Model 9 amplifiers,partner them with the Model 7 pream-plifier and you'll have a system thatlooks and sounds as golden as yourfondest memories.

Marantz, Dept. SR, 440 MedinahRoad, Roselle, IL 60172; telephone,630-307-3100


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CIRCLE NO. 66 ON READER SERV CE CARD

I-ICH-TECH SURROUND OPTIONS

by Daniel Kumin

If you're in the market for an audio/video receiver, you've picked an ex-cellent time to go shopping. Technolo-gy's inexorable march and the in-evitable market pressures of the home -theater boom have combined to raiseboth performance and value to giddy-ing new heights. Of course, from yearto year the same can usually be said ofjust about anything electronic, fromfoot massagers to Unix workstations,but never mind: This year's crop of

ic,civcia truly Ia uIc uwi yc.Power and features have reached all-time highs, while the broad -market de-but of discrete -channel digital sur-round technology - specifically, Dol-by Digital (DD) - has engendered anew breed of A/V receiver (see "Digi-tal Developments" on page 65).

The term A/V receiver may meandifferent things to different people, solet's begin by finding some commonground. A conventional stereo receivercombines three familiar audio compo-nents: an AM/FM tuner, a preamplifierto provide signal switching and con-trols such as volume and tone, and atwo -channel power amplifier to per-form the grunt work of making theaudio signals strong enough to drivespeakers.

An A/V receiver is fundamentally

the same but also incorporates a sur-round -sound processor, inputs/outputsand switching facilities for video com-ponents, and two or three additionalpowered channels. The surround proc-essor's job is to extract four (or more)playback channels from specially en-coded recordings. Today the universalsurround -decoding standard is DolbyPro Logic (DPL). The DPL systemadds a dedicated channel for a centerspeaker to the original Dolby Sur-round system, which relies on a plantom" center channel to supplement thefront left and right channels and thesingle mono surround channel.

Dolby Digital takes things further,providing 5.1 discrete channels: fivefull -range channels (front left, center,and right and stereo surrounds) andone dedicated low -frequency -effectschannel (the ".1" in 5.1) to handledeep bass. Since much of the requisitecircuitry is already on board, manyA/V receivers also offer additionalsurround settings for use with regularmusic CD's and non -Dolby -encodedTV programs. The effectiveness ofsuch ambience -enhancement modes islargely a matter of taste. Althoughsome are pleasingly subtle, many tendto produce exaggerated reverberation.

Even though all A/V receivers have

a left and right surround output, thesurround channel in a Dolby Surroundrecording is actually monaural, whichmeans identical signals are sent toboth "rear" speakers. Many standardA/V receivers thus employ a singlesurround channel that simply feedstwo outputs, but THX-certified modelsthat "stereo-ize" the surround signal- a process THX-originator Lucas -film calls decorrelation - are requiredto have an amp channel for each sur-round output, as are all the new 5.1channel DD receivers.

Nowadays, the majority of A/V re-ceivers apportion equal power to allthree front channels because the centerchannel is every bit as important as theleft and right channels - especiallyfor playing movie soundtracks, whichrely on the center channel for a greatdeal of music and effects as well asdialogue. Surround -channel wattagevaries from as little as one-fourth thefront -channel ratings to equal power.Some manufacturers feel they can getaway with less power in the surroundchannels because many surround gspeakers are smaller and more limitedin power handling than their frontcounterparts. (On the other hand, if thesurrounds are smaller than the frontspeakers, they are also likely to be O


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Sherwood's Newcastle R-945 receiver ($1,295) will decode Dolby Pro Logic as wellas 5.1 -channel Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround soundtracks when it hitsstores later this year. It delivers 100 watts to each of its five channels.

The AmfiTheater 1 receiver ($500), sold under the AmFi by Mondial brand that hcsbeen established by Mondial Designs, features an RDS-capable FM tuner and delivers75 watts to each of the three front speakers and 30 watts to each surround.

somewhat less sensitive, so this rea-soning may not be valid.)

Ready for 5.1One of the leading trends in A/V re-ceivers this year is the "5.1 -channel -ready" design, featuring a discrete -six -channel input (or set of inputs) to ac-cept the six output channels from anoutboard Dolby Digital decoder aswell as fully discrete amplification forthe surround channels. When a 5.1 -channel -ready receiver is fed a DDsignal from an outboard decoder, itamplifies the front and surround chan-nels and simply passes the low -fre-quency signal through, usually to apowered subwoofer.

The beauty of 5.1 -channel -ready

models is that you can buy your A/Vcenterpiece now and add a decoder forDolby Digital (or another 5.1 -channelformat) later. Among the many newDD -ready receivers hitting the storesare a number of reasonably pricedmodels. Onkyo's TX-SV444 ($430),rated to deliver 60 watts each to thethree front speakers and 20 wattsapiece to the surrounds, has a multi-channel -input grouping with six RCAjacks for hookup to an outboard DolbyDigital decoder. (Other Onkyo receiv-ers sport a convenient multipin DB-25input connector that makes hookupto an outboard decoder a simple one -cable affair.) To name but a few of itsmany features, the TX-SV444 incor-porates Lucasfilm's Cinema Re-EQ

mode, which "corrects" the tonal bal-ance of movie soundtracks for play-back in a home setting, and it uses anoversized power supply and high -cur-rent discrete -transistor outputs to bol-ster power -amp performance.

The SA-AX710 ($400) and SA-AX910 ($500) from Technics breakground as the lowest -price 5.1 -chan-nel -ready receivers on the market. Inaddition to having sets of six RCA in-puts for use with an outboard DolbyDigital decoder, both are rated to de-liver 100 watts into each of five chan-nels (maximum power at 1 kHz) andemploy the company's unique ClassH+ power -amp design, which usestwo power -supply "rail" voltages, oneof them dedicated to supplying highpower as needed. The key differencesbetween the two models are the SA-AX910's on -screen display capabilityand its front -panel A/V input. Tech-nics will complete its budget DD pack-age early this summer when the SH-AC300 decoder arrives in stores. Forthe remarkably low price of $300, theoutboard device will offer a CinemaRe-EQ mode, independent level con-trols for each channel, and three setsof optical and coaxial digital inputs.

Onboard Digital SurroundMeanwhile, the population of A/V re-ceivers featuring both Dolby Pro Log-ic and Dolby Digital decoding on-board is rising - and prices are fall-ing. At $800, the Kenwood Model1080VR is a full $400 less than itspredecessor, the KR-V990D, whichwas the least expensive DD receiveron the market when it came out a yearago. Rated to deliver 120 watts acrossthe front and 60 watts to each sur-round speaker, the 1080VR has fivesurround modes for music and a tunerthat receives RDS (Radio Data Sys-tem) text messages over the FM band.For an additional $400, Kenwood of-fers the Model 1090VR, which deliv-ers 150 watts to each of its five chan-nels and offers a host of extra features,including dual-room/dual-source cap-ability. Though Dolby Digital (anddigital -domain Pro Logic) decodingis onboard in both units, an outboardRF demodulator (such as Kenwood'sDEM-999) is required to play DD -en-coded laserdiscs, which carry an RF-modulated DD signal. Of course, the1080VR and 1090VR accept the Dol-by Digital -encoded audio signals car-ried on DVD discs directly. For $500,Kenwood also offers the DD -readyModel 1070VR, which has six-chan-


nel RCA inputs for an outboard DDdecoder.

As a bonus, the Model 1080VR isequipped with Kenwood's new er-gonomically correct FutureSet remotecontrol (also available separately as a$50 accessory), which features back-lit keys, macro programming capabili-ty, and the ability to "download" con-trol codes for new components over thephone (codes for most current audioand video gear is preprogrammed intoit). You call an 800 number, specifythe brand and model number of thecomponent, hold the remote up to thephone, and you're done!

Denon has expanded its Dolby Digi-tal receiver lineup with the $1,200AVR-3200, which is $600 less thanlast year's entry-level DD model, theAVR-3600. The new model is rated todeliver 70 watts to each of its five out-puts - plenty of power for most real -world systems - and is built around acustom Dolby Digital processor de-signed to minimize noise and distor-tion. Somewhat unusually, the AVR-3200 also has a six -channel ExternalDecoder input for adding a second,outboard 5.1 -channel digital processor- perhaps a DTS decoder? - at a lat-er date. Other highlights include afull -system learning remote and anicon -based on -screen display systemwith the ability to link and memorizeinputs and operating modes. For thoseinterested in upgrading to Dolby Dig-ital in stages, Denon has two newDD -ready models with six -channelRCA inputs for an outboard decoder,the AVR-2400 ($699) and AVR-1400($549).

To headline its upscale Newcastleline, Sherwood is offering the R-925($995), its first Dolby Digital receiver.In addition to producing a rated 100watts for each of its five channels, theR-925 has three five -channel DSP sur-round modes implemented by a Moto-rola DSP56009 signal -processing "en-gine" that performs digital -domaindecoding for both Dolby Digital andPro Logic. The chip's considerablecomputational configurability will per-mit Sherwood to introduce the R-945($1,295) later this year, which willalso perform 5.1 -channel decoding inthe DTS format. The company's newreceiver lineup also includes the R-725 ($799), a 5.1 -channel -ready re-ceiver with a multichannel set of RCAinputs.

One of Pioneer's two new DolbyDigital receivers dips below the$1,000 mark, too, yet still manages to

One of two new Dolby Digital receivers from Pioneer, the VSX-D6065 ($970) delivers100 watts to each of its five channels and employs a Pio-leer chip that performs Dol-by Digital and Pro Logic decod ng and provides five ambience modes for music.

The SR -880 ($1,500, also shown on page 61) is the first receiver from Marantz withonboard Dolby Digital decoding. It delivers 110 watts across the front and 60 wattsto each surround speaker and has a full set of precmp outputs.

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At $800, Kenwood's 1080VR (also shown on page 61) is the least expensive DolbyDigital receiver available. It has an RDS-capable FM tuner and delivers 120 wattseach to the three front speakers and 60 watts to each surround speaker.

WIPOPRODenon has expanded vutu y s,91tal receiver lineup with the AY k i,100),featuring a custom surround processor, an External Decoder input for a second, out-board 5.1-thannel processor, and five amplifier channels rated at 70 watts each.


The RX-V2092 ($1,599, also shown on page 61) is Yamaha's first receiver with on-board Dolby Digital decoding. It offers thirteen surround modes and pumps out 100watts each to five speakers plus 25 watts each to a pair of front -effects speakers.

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Rated to deliver 100 watts into each of five channels, the Technics SA-AX710 receiver($400) has a multichannel RCA -input grouping for use with the 51-I-AC300 outboardDolby Digital decoder (bottom, $300), which is slated to hit stores this summer.

deliver 100 watts all around via dis-crete output stages. The VSX-D606S($970) employs a Pioneer -designedchip that handles both Dolby Digitaland digital -domain Pro Logic sur-round decoding as well as providingfive DSP ambience modes. It also in-cludes Pioneer's Heads Up remote -control system, which lets users oper-ate Pioneer or other -brand componentswith the cursor keys on the remotecontrol and the illuminated display onthe receiver's front panel. Pioneer'sother new Dolby Digital receiver, theVSX-D906S ($1,210), boasts an im-proved amp section and an icon -basedgraphical on -screen programming/control system that can display CDtitles when it's connected to a PioneerPD -F1000 100 -disc CD changer.

While there are more popularlypriced Dolby Digital receivers tochoose from than ever before, there'sstill plenty of 5.1 -channel action in theflagship -receiver department. Yama-ha's new top -of -the -line RX-V2092($1,599), the company's first receiverwith onboard DD decoding, uses twoYamaha -designed ASIC's (applica-tion -specific IC's): One handles DolbyDigital decoding, and the other adaptsYamaha's Tri-Field processing to theDD environment in an attempt to yieldan even more cinematic aural experi-ence. The TriField effect relies on en-hanced sound fields developed for anextra pair of front surround channels.Consequently, the RX-V2092 powersseven channels, with 100 watts to fivespeakers and 25 watts each to a pair of

front -effects speakers. The RX-V2092also boasts audio and video multiroomoutputs, with fully independent sourceselection, and it even comes with asmall remote handset for use in thesecond room. Pre-out/main-in jacksare provided for all channels, aidingfuture system expansion. A strikinglydesigned, back -lit main remote hand-set with abundant macro capabilitiesand controls for subwoofer level andAB speaker switching is included.

The latest A/V paragon from Ma-rantz is the SR -880 ($1,500), the com-pany's first receiver to bring DolbyDigital and digital -domain Pro Logicdecoding onboard. Rated to deliver110 watts across the front and 60 wattsto each surround, it features a full setof preamp outputs for system expan-sion and line -level multiroom jacksfor delivering independent audio to asecond room. The SR -880 comes withMarantz's very cool RC -2000 control-ler, an unusually adaptable and power-ful LCD -screen remote with multiplecommand "pages," automatic back-lighting, and extensive macro com-mand capabilities.

Harman Kardon, another long-standing name on the domestic hi-fiscene, is offering its first receiver withresident Dolby Digital decoding, theAVR-75 ($1,599). With high -currentdiscrete -channel outputs, its power rat-ing is 90 watts to each of its five chan-nels. Highlights include an on -screenmenu system and a learning remotecontrol that is preprogrammed to oper-ate Harman Kardon components.

A couple of other notable brandnames have cleared the A/V horizonthis year. Sansui, a classic hi-fi makerof the Sixties and Seventies, is backwith a new lineup following someyears of sporadic absence from theseshores. Sansui's Dolby Pro Logic -based RZ-5200AV ($499) is rated todeliver 55 watts per channel across thefront and 17 watts to each surround,and it provides four ambience settingsfor nonencoded music programs.

Toshiba, a major force on the videoside of home theater, has plunged intothe audio world with the XB-2000Dolby Digital receiver ($1,899), a 100watts x 5 design featuring multiroomaudio facilities and an icon -based, on-screen control system. The on -screendisplay is navigated with the cursorkeys on a remote handset that contains(or is capable of learning) the controlcodes for most brands of equipment.

B&K Components, the small up-state New York company known for its


high -value preamps, power amps, andother separates, is expected to unveilthe first -ever American -made A/V re-ceiver sometime this summer. Dubbedthe AVR5.1, it was conceived and de-signed at the firm's Buffalo facility,where it will be manufactured. For thetidy sum of $2,200 you get a five-yearparts -and -labor warranty, five 105 -watt channels, and onboard decodingfor Dolby Pro Logic (in the digital do-main) and two 5.1 -channel formats,Dolby Digital and DTS. The surroundprocessing is done by two Motorola56009 -series 24 -bit chips (B&K pridesitself on being a Motorola "beta" sitefor audio development).

Designed to be easily upgradablein both software and hardware, theAVR5.I features the same custom -pro-gram system used in B&K's A/V pre -amps, which lets you create up totwenty user presets combining sourceselection, surround mode, and settingsfor master volume, channel balance,and surround delay. The receiver re-quires an RF demodulator to decodethe Dolby Digital soundtracks on la-serdiscs; B&K plans to offer its ownDT -1 outboard demodulator for $100to $200.

Another American firm, MondialDesigns, known for its high -end Ara-gon and Acurus brands of separate -

"Mg am,

Sansui is making a comeback with a revamped lineup that includes the Dolby ProLogic -based RZ-5200AV ($499), a no -frills receiver with four ambience modes thatdelivers 55 watts to each front sneaker and 17 watts to each surround.

component audio gear, is also enteringthe A/V-receiver fray (though in thiscase the unit is manufactured off-shore). The company is kicking offits new AmFi (American Fidelity) byMondial brand with a $500 Pro Logic -based receiver called the AmfiTheater1. Rated power output is 75 wattsacross the front and 30 watts to eachsurround. The receiver has a dual -wound power transformer and, in thename of enhanced separation and dy-namic control, uses separate storagecapacitors to segregate the power sup-plies for the front channels from thosefor the surround -channel outputs. TheFM section of the AmfiTheater 1 isequipped to decode RDS text mes-sages and post them in its large, lumi-nescent front -panel display window. It

even has a self -setting (courtesy ofRDS) clock -timer that can be used toprogram the receiver to turn on or offautomatically.

Believe it or not, we've onlyscratched the surface of the A/Vreceiver options you can findout there. Serious gear hunters

owe themselves a solid afternoon ortwo (or three, or four) of comparisonshopping just to get acquainted withthe many choices available. If you'rethe type of person who looks forwardto such expeditions, so much the bet-ter. It on the other hand, you're a bitintimidated by the whole process, restassured that the excellent perform-ance/value quotient of today's A/V re-ceivers makes it hard to go wrong. o

I

Dolby Digital's advantages over Dol-by Pro Logic should be generally wellknown by now. They include fully in-dependent, discrete surround channels,full -range response in all five mainchannels (including the surrounds),superior dynamic range, absolute sep-aration between all channels, and asixth, dedicated low -frequency -effectschannel. Most movies released in thenew DVD format - the first begantrickling into stores in March - willcarry a 5.1 -channel Dolby Digitalsoundtrack. More than 125 laserdiscsalready have DD soundtracks.

The encoded 5.1 -channel signalfrom a DVD player makes its way to aDolby Digital A/V receiver (or out-board processor) by way of a standarddigital output. But to take advantageof the DD soundtrack contained on alaserdisc, you need an RF demodula-tor, which is built into most (but notall) A/V receivers.

A

Though Dolby Digital appears des-tined to become the de facto standardfor multichannel sound - at least formovies - it's not the only 5.1 -channelgame in town. Digital Theater Systems(DTS), which competes with Dolbyin commercial -cinema multichannelsound, is licensing its DTS DigitalSurround system to a growing numberof companies that make home A/Vgear, mostly smaller, high -end outfits.Two A/V receivers - from B&K andSherwood - that feature DTS de-coding are scheduled for release thissummer. A couple of dozen DTS-encoded music CD's and a dozen or soDTS movie laserdiscs (which do notinclude a stereo digital audio track)should now be available. It's unclearwhether any of the DVD titles sched-uled for release this year will carry aDTS soundtrack.

The DTS format uses a bit ratethat's nearly four times higher than

1 A

that used by Dolby Digital, and thatmay explain why some audiophilesbelieve that DTS offers slightly morerefined sound quality. The higher bitrate is also the reason a DTS sound-track cannot cohabitate with a stereodigital soundtrack on a laserdisc theway DD does.

While the price of admission intothe 5.1 -channel digital surround gamehas dropped dramatically in just thepast year, it probably will not continueto fall as quickly in the future becausesubstantial digital processing is re-quired to decode a 5.1 -channel sound-track. Having a receiver with DolbyDigital onboard can make setup andcalibration considerably simpler. Butit's by no means a prerequisite to greathome -theater sound. The new breed of"5.1 -channel -ready" receivers, able towork alongside the growing array ofaffordable outboard decoders, offer anequally attractive alternative. - D.K.


SYSTEMS

The Father ofA Sound Invention

ike most audio/video buffs,Paul Reime had a difficulttime fitting his array ofspeakers, electronics, CD's,and tapes into his enter-

tainment room so that it looked goodwithout compromising performance.Unlike most, he had the engineeringsmarts to do something about it.

An electrical engineer by vocationand a woodworker by hobby, Reimeserved as assistant project engineer onthe New Orleans Superdome and de-signed jet engines for the military dur-ing his thirty -six -year career. Now re-tired, he is tackling projects close tohome in Belleville, Illinois. There isevidence of his precision craftsman-ship throughout his wood -and -brickranch, including a two-story add-ontower that houses his drawing boardand workshop. It was here that hedeveloped the Stereo System Cabinetwith Loudspeaker Door Assembly, forwhich he holds a U.S. patent.

It is no ordinary cabinet. There's nota speaker or a wire to be seen, yet the411/2 x 23 -inch oak armoire (6 feetwide when the doors are open) con-ceals two front satellite speakers, afour -driver center -channel speaker, asubwoofer with a 12 -inch dual -voice -coil driver, and a 27 -inch TV. Sure,there are some entertainment armoireson the market that claim to do muchthe same thing; the trick is thatReime's invention does it without af-fecting the home theater experience.As he explains, "The TV is at eye lev-el, the front -channel satellite speakersare at ear level, the center -channelspeaker is as close as possible to earlevel, and the subwoofer is at floor lev-el but completely decoupled from theAN cabinet. All of these positions areespecially important for producinggood home theater."

The cabinet accomplishes its mis-sion on a much tighter budget than thepremium -priced, assembled storage

units found in many furniture stores.Reime doesn't put a price on his laborof love, but he will say that materialsfor the cabinet rang up "a couple ofhundred dollars."

Look at the closed cabinet and yousee an attractive medium -oak armoirewith light-colored fabric speakergrilles that help create a pleasing over-all appearance. Reime can even listento the audio system with the cabinetdoors closed if he wants backgroundmusic for meals in the adjacent diningroom. The system is at its optimum,though, with the doors opened to their6 -foot span to create a realistic sound -stage for both stereo listening andhome theater.

Reime's cabinet owes much of itsuser -friendliness to the focal point ofhis invention, a 1 -inch -thick, door -length hinge mechanism. The cleverlydesigned assembly swings on pinsat the top and bottom of each maindoor and folds in such a way as to


enable the front satellite speakers -located on shelves behind the fabricgrilles - to point forward whether thedoors are open or closed. All it tookwas a strip of double -stick tape to holdeach Optimus PRO LX5 speaker to its8 -inch -deep shelf. Speaker wires runalong the side of the hinge assemblyand back to the rear of the cabinet.Power cords and interconnects areneatly bundled in the rear of the cabi-net with twist ties, and all power cordsare fed from a pair of six -outlet surgeprotectors.

The center -channel speaker enclo-sure, which Reime constructed of 3/4 -inch plywood, houses a quartet of Ra-dio Shack Model 40-1234 shielded 5 -inch speakers. The unvented enclosureis covered by a polyester curtain fabricthat he auditioned for sonic transpar-ency. "When you put a fabric up to thelight," he says, "the more you see, thebetter off you are in choosing a mater-ial for a speaker grille."

The subwoofer "section" of the cab-inet is simply a cavity around whichthe cabinet is built. "The subwoofersits on the floor so that no vibration istransferred from the subwoofer to thecabinet," Reime notes. He installed anEminence SW40128 12 -inch dual -voice -coil woofer in a 1 -inch -thickplywood enclosure and ported it to thefloor. "I get good, natural, tight bass,"he says.

The surround speakers are Opti-mus PRO 77 5 -inch two -ways whoseplacement is dictated by the size of theentertainment area and the locationof the sofa. One speaker is mountedagainst the fireplace and points out to-ward the listening position. Its twinsits on a buffet and directs sound tothe center of the listening space.

Reime's modest ensemble of ANelectronics is consistent with his basicbut solid foundation. Still, there's noskimping on power from his TechnicsSA-GX690 Dolby Pro Logic receiver,which delivers 100 watts each to thefront left, front right, center, and sur-round channels; the subwoofer is pow-ered by the receiver's front left andright channels. After scrutinizing vari-ous 27 -inch stereo TV's, Reime settledon the Sony Trinitron KV-27S25. Healso tapped Sony for his system'sCDP-C400 five -disc carousel CDchanger and TC-FX41OR cassettedeck. Hitachi's VT-F391A VHS Hi-FiVCR rolls the videotape.

Fitting audio into home decor isnothing new for Reime. This cabinet isthe sixth in a line of progressive de-

signs, each of which improved on theformer until the engineer came upwith the space -saving hinge -doorbrainstorm. Now that he has solvedthe problem of speaker positioning.

Behind each of the A/V cabinet's maindoors is an Optimus PRO LX5 satellitespeaker resing on a shelf.

Reime is contemplating the next ad-vancement: space for a larger TV."The only thing I'd change would beto make the TV opening big enoughfor a 35 -inch set," he says. althoughthe 27 -inch TV suits the 10 -foot dis-tance to the sofa just fine.

Take a walk around Reime's homeand you'll find that the electrical wiz-ard was way ahead of his time. Forty-five years ago, during the constructionphase of his house, he ran speakerwire through the walls and installedJensen speakers between the studs.There are also three pairs of speakersthat connect to various exterior loca-tions for outdoor listening. "The out-door speakers are on wheels, andwhen I want to listen to them in a par-ticular spot I roll them out to the near-est receptacle," he says. "Because Iran speaker wire throughout the house,I can tap off it just about anywhere."

- Rebecca Day


"All right, Mr. DeMille,I'm ready for my close-up."BY DAVID RANADA

They're here! DVD players, thatis. This last disc -based A/V-program distribution mediumof the decade - indeed, of the

millennium - and possibly the lastmechanical -carrier medium in history,has been eagerly awaited by audio-philes and videophiles alike. Audio-philes have had their appetites whettedby the stunning multichannel perfor-mance of laserdiscs with Dolby Digi-tal soundtracks; we already know howgood DVD can sound since it, too,carries Dolby Digital audio. And whatabout video quality? Is it really asgood as it's cracked up to be? To an-swer this and other questions that havetantalized us for months, we roundedup three of the first DVD/CD playersand gave each of them a thoroughworkout using some of the first DVDrecordings.

"ROUND UP THE USUALSUSPECTS..

Very shortly we'll be seeing DVDplayers from almost every major con-sumer -electronics manufacturer, in-cluding some Taiwanese and Koreancompanies that you wouldn't expectto produce leading -edge products. We

5 chose to compare three of the firstplayers we could get hold of, and allof them turned out to be from familiar

:12manufacturers: Panasonic's top model,0 the DVD-A300 ($750); one of Pio-

neer's laserdisc/DVD combi-players,

the DVL-700 ($999); and Sony's topinitial DVD offering, the DVP-S7000($1,000). While each player has anenormous array of features, so manythat I couldn't possibly discuss themall here (see the abbreviated compari-son chart on page 71), each one alsohas a particular claim to fame: ThePanasonic includes full Dolby Digitaldecoding with digital -to -analog (D/A)converted outputs, the Sony can sup-ply component -video outputs (theoret-ically the purest video -signal system),and the Pioneer can play laserdiscs aswell as DVD's.

One of the interesting things aboutSony's DVP-S7000 is that its list priceis precisely the same as that of Sony'sfirst CD player, the classic CDP-101of more than a decade ago. Nothing il-lustrates better the strides digital sig-nal processing (DSP) technology hasmade in the intervening years than theadditional capabilities included for thesame price in the DVP-S7000 - noth-ing, that is, except the stunning videoand audio performance that those ca-pabilities, and those in the Panasonicand Pioneer players, make possible.

"HERE'S LOOKING ATYOU, KID!

It takes only a few seconds of compar-ative viewing to notice that DVD'simage quality is superior not only toVHS and all other consumer analog -videotape media, but also to both of

the previous best consumer video me-dia: live -broadcast TV and laserdisc.The DVD image is sharper and hasless smearing of small color details,lower noise (graininess), and far great-er stability than even a laserdisc im-age. In comparison with DVD, eventhe best VHS image is almost laugh-ably poor in quality.

While these differences are quitenoticeable with typical composite -vid-eo connections, they are like night andday using S -video hookups (compo-nent -video connections seem to be on-ly slightly better than S -video). DVD'svideo superiority is so striking thatafter only a short exposure to it youwon't be satisfied with anything less,not even laserdisc. As the Munchkinsmight put it, it won't be long beforethe laserdisc is "positively, absolutely,undeniably, and reliably dead." As forme, I'm waiting for the inevitable sell-off of laserdisc titles at blow-out pricesto add to my collection.

When it comes to differences be-tween DVD players things are muchless black -and -white. There are knownor calculable performance standardsand limitations on video signals, andin any DVD comparison they willpose the following two questions:

1) Should a player be downgraded ifits out -of -the box performance devi-ates from theoretical perfection in pa-rameters that can be exactly correctedby adjustments of a monitor's bright-ness, color, contrast, and tint controls?This is analogous to slight differencesin audio -component output levels,which can easily throw off any audiocomparison but which can also be eas-ily corrected by adjusting a volumecontrol.

2) Should Player A be downgradedif its output looks inferior to PlayerB's because Player B deviates fromtheoretical perfection in ways thatproduce pictures that are more im-mediately appealing? This is alreadya common phenomenon in TV sales:Screens set to produce images withhigh contrast look "brighter" and areeasier to sell even though increasedcontrast produces inaccurate imagesand can shorten picture -tube life. Let'shope that the intense competitionamong DVD-player makers doesn'tlead them to produce deliberatelygoosed video signals simply in orderto sell more players or to garner betterreviews.

Those two factors make it extremelydifficult to do a completely fair DVD-player comparison. Question 2 can be


FIRST LOOK

we RIO 111.

Pioneer's DVL-700 combination DVD/laserdisc player ($999)

dealt with by a combination of labmeasurements and viewing tests. Thelab data should tell us if what we areseeing is a result of actual perfor-mance superiority or of signal manip-ulation. Unfortunately, at press timethere did not exist a complete set ofvideo test signals on DVD that wouldnot only enable us to do such tests butalso to calibrate players and monitorsto compensate for the kind of devia-tions mentioned in Question 1.

There are quite a few other sub-sidiary requirements for fair DVD-player comparisons, whether by a re-viewer or a shopper.

Unless the use of trick features(still frames, slow motion, etc.) is par-amount in your viewing habits, makecomparisons using full -motion normalplayback. That is not only more repre-sentative of normal viewing, but it canreveal differences that are only appar-ent when the image is moving. On theother hand, very active images make itdifficult to see some characteritics,such as resolution (detail).

Make sure the hookup to the mon-itor is as close to identical as possiblefor each player. The video cablesshould not only be the same length butpreferably physically identical as well.And it's clear that you should compareapples with apples. Don't compare theS -video output of one player with thecomposite -video output of another un-less that has some relevance to yourpurchasing decision.

Use two copies of the same DVD,

MIN 111111 JP

synchronize the players exactly, andswitch between them instantaneously(this is why you need two copies). Asynchronization difference of a coupleof movie frames can bias a judgment.Make sure that the switching devicedoes not itself introduce video artifacts.

Use a variety of recordings (videoand film originals, full -screen and let-terboxed), as there seem to be somephenomena caused by interactions be-tween the DVD video -encoding sys-tem and the decoding system in the

that the Panasonic looked very slightlysharper than the Sony and Pioneerplayers on letterboxed movies. Thesharpness differences were far less ap-parent with full -screen material or ma-terial originating from video sources(not film). The Pioneer produced anobvious "contouring" effect at oneparticular "fade-in" effect on Pioneer'sown demo disc, an effect that was notnearly as apparent with the other play-ers. Playback of a continuous -gray -scale test pattern revealed linearityerrors in the Pioneer's video D/A con-verters that could be responsible forthis effect.

In one brief passage of a preproduc-tion DVD of Jumanji, I thought Icould see the results of Sony's 10 -bitvideo D/A conversion, but this wasonly after I was told by Sony whereand how to look for the differences.Finally, at one point during TwisterBill Paxton's striped jacket producedfar less of a moire effect with the Sonyplayer than it did with either of theother two.

Sony's top first -generation DVD player, the DVP-57000 ($1,000)

players that vary from one type of re-cording to another.

The video and audio quality of therecording itself may vary widely inquality. Be forewarned.

Try, as much as is possible, tomake the switching double-blind sothat neither the viewer nor the personthrowing the switches knows whichplayer's output is being viewed.

After much tedious and exasperat-ing experimentation, in which I triedto follow these guidelines, I concluded

Panasonic's top DVD player, the DVD-A300 ($750)

The fact that I had to hunt for criti-cal passages, amounting to maybe 20seconds out of 8 hours of programmaterial, indicates just how close invideo performance these three playersare. Most of the time in normal movieplayback they looked identical. So un-less you're a stickler for ultimate videoperformance - and you have a videoplayback chain that could verifiablydeliver it (the resolution of our lab-

quality monitor's component -video in-put was sorely tested by the Sony'sbetter than 480 -line performance) -you should also consider other, equal-ly important areas of DVD-player per-formance to make a rational purchas-ing decision.

"IT'S GOING TO BE ABUMPY NIGHT"

Cueing ability is one such area. Afterall, if you want to get to "Frankly, mydear, I don't give a damn" or "Beam

70 STEREO \ II .W MAY 1997

me up, Scotty," and the recording isn'tconveniently marked with a "chapter"designator at those classic moments,you're going to be in for frantic re-mote -control handwork that could ulti-mately prove frustrating, depending onthe player. (Chapters are the DVDequivalent of CD tracks.)

With any DVD player, however,don't expect the kind of fluid back -and -forth cueing possible with somelaserdisc jog/shuttle controls or similardevices on multihead VCR's. TheMPEG-2 video -encoding system usedto store images on a DVD is decidedlynot "time -symmetrical." It has a pre-ferred direction of movement - for-ward, and at normal playback speed toboot. Doing anything else with a DVDrisks a slight decline in picture qualityor a loss of smooth operation.

Fast -scanning with all of the playersdid not show a portion of every framewith everything sped up, as with aVCR. Instead, it resembled fast scanon a laserdisc player: The player rap-idly jumps from one frame to anotherone "nearby." Depending on the playerand where you are on the disc, thatjump can mean a continuity break ofa fraction of a second or 10 secondsor more, producing a rather bumpyeffect. If your classic scene is shorterthan the jump interval, the most reli-able cueing strategy is to stop scan-ning before you get there and play intothe scene at normal speed. Because ofa DVD player's continual overshoot-ing in fast scan you might never actu-ally zero in on "and your little dog,too" with the scan controls.

Of the players examined here, theSony DVP-57000 is the only one like-ly to avoid continual overshooting. Ithad the widest array of bidirectionalcueing and fast/slow-motion effectsof any of the three players, and theyoperated with the smallest jumps. Ifound cueing up with the other twoplayers very frustrating at times. Nei-ther the Panasonic nor the Pioneeroffered frame stepping in reverse (it'sthat time -asymmetry effect again,Spock), which complicated makingcomparisons of still frames. The Pio-neer also had the very annoying habit,when in pause mode, of going back tothe first chapter on the disc when Ipressed the "cue up to the beginningof the present chapter" button. It didperform this operation correctly dur-ing CD playback, and the Sony andPanasonic did it right in both CD andDVD playback. I also found that Pio-neer still hasn't straightened out the

FEATURES CHECKLISTPANASONICDVD-A300

PIONEERDVL-700

SONYDVP-57000

PLAYBACK CAPABILITIES

DVD's

DVD's with 96-kHz/24-bit audio

CD's (audio only)

Laserdiscs

CD -Video I2 -cm discs (rare)

CD -single 8 -cm discs (rare)

Video CD 12- or 8 -cm discs (rare)

CD -R (recordable) discs

V

VIDEO OUTPUTS

Composite -video

S -video

Component -video

V

AUDIO OUTPUTS

Stereo (two -channel)

Multichannel analog

Coaxial digital (PCM/AC-3)

Optical digital (PCM/AC-3)

AUDIO FEATURES

Dynamic -range control (DVD audio)

Karaoke microphone input VGENERAL CONTROL FEATURES

Picture -parameter adjustment

On -screen setup menu

Menu -language selection VDVD-SPECIFIC FEATURES

VFast -scan forward

Fast -scan backward VDouble -speed fast -scan forward

Double -speed fast -scan backward

Slow motion forward

Slow motion backward

Frame step forward VFrame step backward

Resume playback from stop point

Playback from memorized point

Cueing by title

Cueing by chapter

Cueing by time

Title repeat

Chapter repeat VA-B repeat

Random playback

Programmed playback

On -screen DVD bit -rate meter

Digital video noise reduction

Parental program lockout VMacrovision copy protection


long-standing numerical keypad "syn-tax" confusions on its laserdisc play-ers. To get to tracks/chapters num-bered greater than 10, you sometimeshave to push a +10 button, but at othertimes you can enter the track/chapternumber directly. Both the Sony andPanasonic remotes use only the direct -entry control syntax.

Sony's superior disc -navigating per-formance is mostly the result of itshaving used a special-purpose videosignal -processing chip to interpolatebetween recorded video frames duringtrick -feature operation. Its highly suc-cessful employment here means thatwe might be seeing similar devicesincorporated into second -generationplayers from other manufacturers -at least I hope so.

"IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN -I really shouldn't question the wisdombehind what had to be some very hastyengineering decisions made by thedesigners of these players, who had todo a tremendous amount of work toget them out so soon after the DVDspecification was finalized. Yet two ofthese three players have a least onequestionable "feature" that, one wayor another, you'll end up paying for.And both concern audio.

The Panasonic DVD-A300 has fullydecoded and D/A-converted multi-channel Dolby Digital (AC -3) outputsfor left/center/right front channels,left/right surrounds, and a subwoofer.Both the Pioneer and Sony players'analog audio outputs are stereo only(or AC -3 mixed down to a Pro Logic-decodable two channels). Panasonic'smanual says that the decoded outputscan be connected to an AN amplifieror receiver with multichannel inputconnections. If you already have eitheran outboard Dolby Digital decoder ora receiver that has built-in decoding,Panasonic's DVD-A100 ($600) comeswithout multiple onboard audio D/Aconverters.

The system amplifier/receiver is re-ally the best location for Dolby Digitaldecoding and multichannel D/A con-version because it is likely to have farbetter setup and adjustment facilitiesthan any DVD player with multichan-nel analog outputs. The DVD-A300'sbass -management facilities, for exam-ple, don't allow for bass redirectionbased on speaker size, and it has noadjustments for Dolby Digital cross-over frequency, center and surroundspeaker delays, interchannel balances,

NOW PLAYING:WHAT'S ON DVD VIDEOIf you think finding DVD titles will be aseasy as picking up the latest videocassetteor laserdisc at your local video store.think again.

While a number of DVD players areout there, only Warner Home Video, Co-lumbia TriStar Home Video, and a hand-ful of secondary software companies have

released movies or music programs in thenew format. And only major -market re-tailers are likely to carry the discs, at leastinitially.

For its March 24 launch, Warner begantesting about forty titles in select retailstores in New York, Los Angeles, Chica-go, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, and

Washington, D.C. Warner will also dis-tribute DVD's from sister companies NewLine Home Video, HBO Video, and War-ner Reprise, as well as from MGM/UAHome Video, with which it has a long-term distribution agreement. Columbia isreleasing DVD's to all markets, but theselection for its April 29 launch is limitedto four titles.

Warner first sounded the DVD bellmore than two years ago and has sincetried to convince its studio counterpartsthat the format could invigorate home -vid-eo sales as consumers replace their tapeswith the superior DVD's. As cable andtelephone companies threaten to beammovies into the home, and as the videorental market flattens out more and moreevery year, DVD is seen as securing thefuture of video into the next century.

Warren Lieberfarb, president of WarnerHome Video, certainly sees it that way."This is a bit about writing an insurancepolicy for the future of packaged media,"he said during a panel discussion at theWinter Consumer Electronics Show a fewmonths ago, "while at the same time cre-ating a format that gives consumers a realmotive to buy the best hits of the past."

Other DVD proponents agree that theformat will in time play an important role

AVAILABLE NOWBatman (Warner)Battles of the World (Learning Co.)Birdcage, The* (MGM/UA)Blade Runner - The Director's Cut

(Warner)Bodyguard, The (Warner)Bonnie and Clyde (Warner)Bridges of Madison County, The (Warner)Clapton, Eric: Unplugged (Warner Reprise)Color Purple, The (Warner)Dumb & Dumber (New Line)Eraser (Warner)Exorcist, The (Warner)Fugitive, The (Warner)Genius of Edison, The (Learning Co.)Get Shorty* (MGM/UA)Glimmer Man, The (Warner)Goldeneye* (MGM/UA)GoodFellas (Warner)Interview with the Vampire (Warner)JFK - Special -Edition Director's Cut

(Warner)Lethal Weapon (Warner)Madonna: The Girlie Show Down Under

(Warner Reprise)Mask, The (New Line)Michael Collins (Warner)Midnight Cowboy** (MGM/UA)Mortal Kombat (New Line)Player, The (New Line)Poltergeist* (Warner)Raging Bull** (MGM/UA)Rain Man* (MGM/UA)R.E.M.: Road Movie (Warner Reprise)Road Warrior, The (Warner)Rocky** (MGM/UA)Rumble in the Bronx (New Line)Seven (New Line)

Singin' in the Rain (MGM/UA)Space Jam (Warner)Species* (MGM/UA)Streetcar Named Desire, A -

Director's Cut (Warner)Time to Kill, A (Warner)Twister (Warner)Unforgiven (Warner)Wizard of Oz, The (MGM/UA)Woodstock (Warner Reprise)

APRILCanine Caper (Similar)Dude Gang (Simitar)Evita - Documentary (Simitar)Fearless Hyena (Simitar)Fly Away Home (Columbia TriStar)Great American Train Ride, The (Similar)In the Line of Fire (Columbia TriStar)Jumanji (Columbia TriStar)Legends of the Fall (Columbia TriStar)Long Knives (Simitar)National Parks, The (Simitar)Odyssey into the Mind's Eye (Sony Music)Sex Crimes (Simitar)Thinking Big (Simitar)Tornado Run (Simitar)

MAYArrival, The (LIVE)Beavis & Butt -head's Final Judgment

(Sony Music)Bennett, Tony: Unplugged (Sony Music)Cutthroat Island (LIVE)Mars Attacks! (Warner)Red Sun (United American)Sesame Street's 25th Birthday (Sony Music)Sleepers (Warner)Stargate (LIVE)

72 STEREO REVIEW MAY 1997 * Will contain both pan -and -scan and 16:9 widescreen versions** Will contain both pan -and -scan and 1:85 widescreen versions

in the industry. "For the nextyear, DVD is going to be alot of work for very littlemoney," says the MGM/UApresident, Richard Cohen."We're doing everything wecan to drive the hardware,and the format is so superiorthat it will eventually be-come a large business. DVDcan do for video what CDdid for the music business."

But as loud as Warner and Columbiahave been, the home video arms of othermajor Hollywood studios have been si-lent. At press time, 20th Century FoxHome Entertainment and Disney's BuenaVista Home Video were reported close tomaking an announcement on releasingDVD movies, but Paramount Home Videowas still taking a wait -and -see approach.

Andrew Kairey, executive vice presi-dent of Universal Studios Home Video,says his studio is ready to go, but the lackof copyright legislation is holding it back.Stalled in Congress last fall, legislation toprotect against DVD piracy has yet to bereintroduced this term. And "the biggestissue," according to Kairey, is that Holly-wood is squabbling with the computercommunity, which does not endorse copy-right protection. However, he believesDVD can still launch successfully becausethe format is compatible with CD's. "It'snot 100% dependent on video."

Despite the limited software support,both hardware and software companies

are predicting first -year salesof DVD players to be any-where from 500,000 units toas many as 2.8 million. Info -Tech, a researcher based inWoodstock, New York, goesout on the limb even furtherby predicting that DVD play-er penetration will reach 80million by the year 2005 -and that some 600 DVD ti-des will be available this year.

Based on the titles available at launchand that are scheduled for release in com-ing months, Hollywood will have a lot ofcatching up to do to make that last predic-tion come true. The list below adds up to130 announced DVD titles. The suggestedretail price that is cited most often is $25,with some TriStar DVD's ranging from$25 to $27. Prices go as low as $15 to $20(Simitar) and as high as $30 (PolyGram).

- Eileen Fitzpatrick

GONE WITH THE WIND

Street Fighter II (Sony Music)Where the Red Fern Grows (United

American)

JUNEBad Boys (Columbia TriStar)Desperado (Columbia TriStar)Matilda (Columbia TriStar)Michael (Warner)Reservoir Dogs (LIVE)Substitute, The (LIVE)Taxi Driver (Columbia TriStar)Total Recall (LIVE)Turbulence (HBO)

SPRINGAmerican in Paris, An (MGM/UA)Best Years of Our Lives, The (HBO)Casablanca (MGM/UA)Dead Man Walking (PolyGram)Digital Library (Learning Co.)Doctor Zhivago (MGM/UA)Fargo (PolyGram)Fish Called Wanda, A (MGM/UA)For a Few Dollars More (MGM/UA)Four Weddings and a Funeral (PolyGram)Ghost in the Shell (PolyGram)Gone with the Wind (MGM/UA)Invasion of the Body Snatchers -

1978 (MGM/UA)Lord of the Dance (PolyGram)Magnificent Seven, The (MGM/UA)Moonstruck (MGM/UA)Pink Floyd: The Wall (MGM/UA)Portrait of a Lady (PolyGram)Rob Roy (MGM/UA)Short Cinema (PolyGram)Some Like It Hot (MGM/UA)Speechless (MGM/UA)

That's Entertainment (MGM/UA)Three Tenors, The (PolyGram)U2: Live from Sydney (PolyGram)Usual Suspects, The (PolyGram)

JULYDoors, The (LIVE)Madonna: Truth or Dare (LIVE)Red Heat (LIVE)

AUGUSTBasic Instinct (LIVE)Dirty Dancing (LIVE)Dracula, Bram Stoker's (Columbia TriStar)First Knight (Columbia TriStar)League of Their Own, A (Columbia TriStar)My Fellow Americans (Warner)Terminator 2 (LIVE)

FALLCable Guy, The (Columbia TriStar)Craft, The (Columbia TriStar)Little Women - 1994 (Columbia TriStar)Sense and Sensibility - 1995

(Columbia TriStar)

BY END OF YEARBen-Hur (MGM/UA)Black Stallion, The (MGM/UA)Blown Away (MGM/UA)Cliffhanger (Columbia TriStar)Close Encounters of the Third Kind

(Columbia TriStar)Ghostbusters (Columbia TriStar)Glory (Columbia TriStar)Last Action Hero, The (Columbia TriStar)Net, The (Columbia TriStar)Philadelphia (Columbia TriStar)Sleepless in Seattle (Columbia TriStar)

dynamic compression during late -night viewing, or the contribution ofthe Dolby Digital LFE (low -frequencyeffects) signal. All these importantfeatures are typically found in amplifi-ers and receivers containing DolbyDigital decoding. To take advantageof such adjustments you'd have to usethe digital output of the Panasonicplayer. Unfortunately, the DVD-A300is the only one of these three playersthat does not offer both coaxial andoptical SPDIF digital audio connec-tions. And Panasonic doesn't includean accessory optical cable, which islikely to be overpriced when you findone sold separately.

Previous Pioneer laserdisc playersthat had Dolby Digital capability sup-plied it in the form of a special RF(radio -frequency) signal, which had tobe converted in an external RF-de-modulator circuit to a standard AC -3signal that in turn was fed to an AC -3decoder. I would have thought thatsince Pioneer makes the demodulatorchip used in many brands of RF de-modulators it would have built thatchip into the DVL-700. Uh-uh! Thedigital output labeled PCM/AC-3 onthe DVL-700's rear panel feeds sig-nals only from standard digital CDand laserdisc soundtracks and AC -3signals from DVD's. To play backlaserdisc Dolby Digital soundtrackswith the DVL-700, you still have tohook it up to an outboard AC -3 RFdemodulator, all of which are alsooverpriced. The saving grace here isthat many of those who would be in-terested in the DVL-700 are peoplewith large laserdisc collections whoprobably also already have an AC -3 -capable laserdisc player together withan RF demodulator. Although theywon't need to buy another demodu-lator to use the DVL-700, they won'treduce their home -theater system'scomponent count, either.

"WILLKOMMEN, BIENVENU,WELCOME"

Since I was getting not a little tired ofwatching three demo discs and thepreproduction copy of Jumanji, noth-ing was more welcome than the re-ceipt. at the last possible moment foruse in this article, of final -releasepressings of three DVD movies fromWarner: Eraser, Space Jam, and Twist-er. Aside from furnishing some real -world signals for more realistic playercomparisons, these discs enabled meto check some of the interactive fea-


FIRST LOOKtures that are incorporated into theDVD system. (Both Eraser and Twist-er, by the way, are double -sidedDVD's, with a letterboxed version onone side and a pan -and -scan standard4:3 version on the other.)

All three recordings interact withthe players much like a computer pro-gram interacts with its computer. Eachprovides an on -screen menu for navi-gating around its various chapters andfor selecting among its possible spe-cial features. The menu graphics arecarried as data contained on the disc,so the menu's contents are customizedto the program material. For example,with Twister the interactive menu cantake you to freeze-frame productionnotes and the theatrical trailer. You canalso jump to specific scenes using ascene -access menu. There are manymore cue -marked scenes (34) than aredisplayed in the scene -access menu(9), however, and the additional scenesmust be cued with the player's owncueing facilities.

These DVD movies also enabled meto confirm that the multisubtitle, mul-tilanguage capabilities of all threeplayers operated correctly. Space Jam,for example, has both subtitles andlanguage overdubbing that are select-able among French, Spanish, and Eng-lish. The players differed somewhat inthe ease of selecting subtitles and lan-guages during playback.

The manuals for the Panasonic andSony players offered a glimpse of theintentionally global nature of the DVDmedium, showing the full range ofpossible subtitle languages by listingtheir DVD codes. The list runs fromAfar through Esperanto, Greenlandic,Kinyarwanda, Urdu, and Wolof to Zu-lu. While Ebonics does not have a lan-guage code, Latin does - Hollywoodcan't afford to lose that vast VaticanCity audience.

DVD packaging is nifty. A DVDbox is, at 71/2 inches, taller than a CDjewel box, but it's the same width soas not to require deeper shelving. Acardboard title card wraps around thebox, providing continuous front -to -back graphics while also serving asthe front cover of the DVD container.The disc is retained by a push -to -re-lease center -hole clip that is easier touse than its CD equivalent.

"HOUSTON, WE HAVEA PROBLEM"

Don't think that the DVD's superbsound and picture quality will become

a source for a virtually free home li-brary of videotape copies - you won'tbe able to simply rent a DVD andcopy it on your VCR. The DVD sys-tem contains several technical safe-guards to prevent copying of DVDcontents, and besides, you'd lose theDolby Digital multichannel sound-track even if you could make a copyof the video. (Wrangling among thehardware manufacturers, movie stu-dios, record companies, and computerindustry over the inclusion of copy -prevention technologies was partly re-sponsible for the ong delay in gettingDVD players and discs to market.)I was able to verify the operation of atleast one aspect of copy preventionwith the three Warner DVD movies.

These "protected" DVD titlesall turned on the Macrovisioncopy -prevention circuitry builtinto each player. Note that the

discs themselves do not contain theMacrovision copy -prevention signalsbut merely data instructing the playerto turn on its own Macrovision cir-cuits. The "flavor" of Macrovisionprotection I observed is known as"pseudo -sync pulse generation," thetype of Macrovision commonly usedto protect prerecorded videocassettes.This technique causes, among otherthings, the automatic video -gain con-trol in a VCR to misjudge the bright-ness of the image, resulting in a cyclicbrightening and darkening of the pic-ture on playback. The pseudo -syncpulses were generated on all videooutputs of all three players, includingthe Y (luminance) signal portion of allthe S -video outputs and the Y compo-nent of the Sony player's component -video outputs.

Certain VCR models are known tobe immune to Macrovision pseudo -sync pulses when copying Macrovi-sion-protected prerecorded VHS tapes,but I was not able to obtain one ofthese units to see how it reacted toplayer -generated pseudo -sync pulses.What I was able to observe when feed-ing a DVD signal through a Macrovi-sion-vulnerable VCR on its way to amonitor was that the VCR reactedbadly to the Macrovision pulses (pro-ducing occasional picture jumping aswell as some brightening/darkeningeffects) even though I wasn't record-ing the video. This means that DVDusers must avoid hookups that sendDVD video signals through a VCRsimply to get them onto a TV screen.That hookup scenario is the normal

one if you don't have a TV with directvideo inputs and must use the VCR'sRF (Channel 3 or 4) output to watchtapes. But if your monitor doesn'thave direct video inputs (and prefer-ably at least one S -video connection),you should replace it anyway with anewer model that does have them inorder to see all that DVD has to offerin picture quality.

There is another flavor of built-inDVD-player Macrovision protection- color -striping - that DVD's aresaid to be able to activate and to whichno home VCR is immune. But I couldnot detect its presence with conven-tional test equipment when playingany of the Warner titles (these specificdiscs may not carry the necessaryturn -on codes), nor did I see any color -striping effects with my attemptedVCR copying (the picture having al-ready been pretty well screwed up bythe pseudo -sync pulses).

Color -striping is adaptive: Its viru-lence can be varied during playbackby codes on the disc. This is to preventvisible side effects during normaldirect viewing. Perhaps Warner didn'thave time to do the necessary codingon these early releases. Color-strip-ing's compatibility with normal play-back over typical home hookups isstill an open question. Here's wherethat Latin capability comes in handy:Caveat emptor.

"WE'RE NOT IN KANSASANYMORE"

Aside from compatibility issues, whichmay not even arise if Hollywood re-frains from using color -striping, thereis very little else the buyer need be-ware of with the DVD system. There'slittle risk in buying into the systemnow. You don't even have to buy anyDVD's yet - you can simply use aDVD player to play audio CD's (orlaserdiscs in the case of the Pioneerplayer) until you decide to invest in acomplete Dolby Digital home -theatersystem.

Like Dorothy's house in The Wizardof Oz, the DVD system has been up inthe air for a while. Now it has finallycome down to earth, dropping us intoa Technicolor, Oz -like world of visualand sonic marvels, thanks to the digi-tal wizardry of MPEG-2 video codingand Dolby Digital audio coding. But,unlike Oz, DVD is real. Was it worththe wait? The answer - DVD-subtitlestyle - is a definite oui, si, da, ja, hai,and yes!


BY JOSEPH PALENCHAR

SUMMER'S just around the corner.Are you ready? More to the point, isyour car stereo system ready for thoseweekend jaunts? Is the cassette deckor CD player functioning properly?How about the tuner? Do the speakerssound okay, or are they just squeakingby? Does the system play loud enoughwhen you're cruising the highway, ordoes the music take a back seat towind and road noise? Whether you'recontemplating a complete system over-haul or just sizing up a new in -dashCD player, today there are more au-tosound options to choose from thanever before.

Among the many new products hit-ting store shelves this spring are sever-al car stereo firsts, including a 51 -discCD changer, a powered subwooferwith a high -efficiency Class D amplifi-er, in -dash CD and cassette playerswith "self -hiding" faceplates, CDplayers with pro -style balanced out-puts that prevent electrical -systemnoise from corrupting the audio signal,and a dual -format CD/cassette receiverthat's designed for the squarish radiolocation in the dashboards of millionsof Chrysler and GM vehicles. If you'reon a tight budget, or if you lease yourvehicle and want to upgrade the soundsystem without having to replace allof the factory -installed gear, auto -sound companies are also serving up asmorgasbord of add-on components.Included are power amps that can be

J

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FOR SPRINGconnected to factory head units with-out special adaptors.

Now let's take a closer look at theseand other noteworthy car audio prod-ucts, most of which were previewed

at the Winter Consumer ElectronicsShow in Las Vegas this past January.Unless otherwise noted, all are slatedto reach store shelves this spring, andprices are "manufacturer's suggestedretail," which tends to be higher thanactual selling prices.

Hassle -Free UpgradesGetting factory -installed and store-bought car stereo equipment to worktogether can be as challenging as get-ting Dennis Rodman to behave on thecourt. To simplify the process, JBL,Infinity, Rockford Fosgate, and Xtanthave introduced "universal" poweramplifiers designed to work with anyfactory -installed head unit, includingthose with so-called differential float -

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Pioneer's DEH-P85DHR CD receiver ($530) for GM and Chrysler cars supplements theRadio Data System (RDS) with an ID Logic database of every AM and FM station inthe U.S. It also features the company's Detachable Face Alarm+ security system.


ing-ground outputs used in many pre-mium factory systems. JBL introducedits first universal amps last year, butthis year the company is taking factoryintegration a step farther. Its five newGT series models feature a built-insource switcher so that you can togglebetween a factory head unit and anafter -market CD changer, slave CDplayer, or mobile TV (more on thoselater). The GT amplifiers range inprice from $549 for the four -channelGTQ360 to $199 for the two -channelGTS100x, which are rated to deliver60 and 35 watts per channel into 4ohms, respectively.

Infinity is offering five universalpower amps at prices starting at $319for the two -channel Model 52a, whichis rated to deliver 50 watts a side into4 ohms. Rockford Fosgate's four newRF series amplifiers are designed towork with a variety of factory headunits. The lineup includes the two -channel RF 2.3 ($100), rated for 15watts per channel into 4 ohms, and thetop -of -the -line RF 5.3x ($459), ratedto deliver 30 watts x 4 plus 110 watts

to a fifth channel, all into 4 ohms.Xtant has two new universal poweramps, including the 302a ($549),which is rated to deliver 75 watts x 2into 4 ohms.

Although tube -type powered sub -woofers have been prescribed foryears to treat bass anemia in factoryautosound systems, Sony's cylindricalXS-TL1 powered sub ($350) is unique.It employs a super -efficient Class Dswitching amplifier that is said to con-vert most of its input power into us-able output power rather than dissi-pating a big chunk of it as heat. As a

result, the 100 -watt amp runs so coolthat it doesn't need a heatsink, and itcan deliver as much wattage to thespeaker as a conventional Class ABamplifier two to three times its sizewhile consuming far less power. Mea-suring 16 inches long and 8 inches indiameter, the XS-TL1 accepts eitherline -level or speaker -level inputs andhas a 63/4 -inch woofer, EQ and levelcontrols, and an adjustable low-passfilter.

In still another twist on factory -sys-tem integration, Audiovox's GC -600CD/cassette receiver is designed to fitseamlessly into the dash of GM andChrysler vehicles, and its volume andon/off functions can be operated fromthe audio controls mounted in thesteering wheels of some 1996 and1997 Chevrolets and Pontiacs. It's theonly after -market head unit that can be

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Denon's DCT-1000R CD tuner ($999) features balanced outputs and has a scrollingdisplay for messages broadcast by RDS-equipped radio stations. It also has a detach-able front panel and controls for an outboard CD changer.

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Panasonic's CQ-DP895 CD receiver ($550), rated for 50 watts each to four channels,also has 2 -volt pre -outs to feed an external amp, a subwoofer output, and a wire-less remote control. A removable flip -down face covers the CD slot.

controlled from factory steering -wheelcontrols. Audiovox's FD -100 cassettereceiver, introduced in 1995, is alsoone of a kind in that it can be linked tothe audio -control cluster mounted inthe dash of some Ford Taurus andMercury Sable models. Both headunits are sold only through car dealers,whose prices vary widely.

SoundGate, a new company basedin Sheridan, Wyoming, has introduceda unique $100 accessory that enablescertain Sony head units to be operatedby the dashboard audio controls in theFord Taurus and Mercury Sable or theback-seat controls in Nissan Questsand certain vans and sport utility vehi-cles from Ford and Mercury. Dubbedthe FRDSW1, the palm -size deviceplugs into the joystick input found onsome Sony head units and into thewiring for the car's audio -control clus-ter. SoundGate says that a device tolink several Sony head units to steer-ing -wheel controls in GM, Chrysler,and Acura vehicles is in the works.

The SourceConvenience features abound in thecrop of source components now hit-ting store shelves. Alpine has expand-ed its selection of in -dash CD chang-ers from one to four. The new models- three of which fit into a standardDIN -size dash opening - put a three -disc, magazine -loaded CD changerand an AM/FM tuner at your finger-tips. The 3DE-7985 ($500) and 3DA-7987 ($680) are preamp-only units,the 3DE-7886 ($530) has a built-inamplifier rated to deliver 35 watts toeach of its four channels, and the3DA-W880 ($1,000) combines the CDchanger, a cassette deck, a digitalsound -field processor, a seven -banddigital equalizer, and the same poweramp as the 3DE-7886 in a double -DIN -size chassis.

Rockford Fosgate ups the disc countto five with its RFX-8620 changer, dueon dealer shelves this spring (price un-available at press time), which can becontrolled by any Rockford cassette orCD head unit with changer controls.Unlike the in -dash five -disc changerdiscontinued recently by Denon, theRockford unit is only 71/4 inches deep(compared with the Denon changer's101/2 -inch depth), so it should fit inmost DIN -size dash openings.

For easier and safer operation, anumber of companies have introducedhead units with hinged faceplates thatconceal disc and cassette slots whenclosed. The "flip -down" design frees


up space for larger, more visible con-trol -panel displays and bigger buttons.Panasonic, Kenwood, Audiovox, andEclipse are introducing their first flip -down models, while Clarion, JVC,and Sony are expanding their selec-tion of such units.

In addition to a flip -down faceplatewith a large, super -bright multicolordisplay, Panasonic's CQ-DP895 CDreceiver ($550) boasts an amplifierrated to deliver a generous 50 wattsinto each of four channels, making itthe most powerful standard -size headunit on the market, according to thecompany.

But when it comes to "movable"faceplates, Kenwood has one -uppedthe competition with the MASK an-titheft technology featured in its newline of in -dash CD and cassette play-ers. Turn off the ignition, and a pair ofmotorized arms flip the faceplate 180degrees, concealing the entire unit be-hind a blank panel. The "self -hiding"panel is available on four cassetteplayers, ranging in price from $330 to$450, and four CD players, rangingfrom $380 to $550.

Never having to repeat a song orhandle a disc while driving fromMaine to Florida is the conveniencepromised by Pioneer's 51 -disc CDServer ($650), car stereo's first truemegachanger. Designed for trunk -mounting, the 113/4 x 91/2 x 8 -inchchanger can be controlled by a num-ber of Pioneer cassette and CD headunits, and there's a "swap -slot" ontop for loading and unloading singlediscs. A Disc List feature lets you as-sign labels to the discs in the chang-er's 50 -disc magazine so that you canlocate CD's by scrolling through thetitles in the display of the head unitconnected to the changer.

For another $250, Pioneer's option-al Voice Commander kit lets you finda disc without taking your eyes off theroad. As you scroll through the disclist, the Commander announces eachtitle you recorded in memory. Betteryet, just say the title, and a voice -recognition feature lets the changerfind it for you.

To help you find your favorite musicon the FM band, a growing number ofhead units are outfitted with Radio Da-ta System (RDS) technology. RDS ra-dios display the call letters and pro-gram formats of FM stations thatbroadcast an inaudible RDS data sig-nal. They can also search for RDS sta-tions by music format and automati-cally interrupt cassette or CD play -

The Audiovox GC -600 CD/cas5ette receiver for GM and Chrysler cars, said to be theonly after -market head unit compatible with factory stee-ing-wheel controls (Cllevro-let and Pontiac only), includes controls for an outboard CD changer.

Alpine's CVA-1000 monitor/

receiver ($1,300),with an AM/FM

tuner and a colorLCD panel thatfolds out of the

DIN -size dashunit, can control

the company'sSEA -8081

security system,its NVA-N751A

navigationsystem, and

assorted AlpineCD change's andoutboard digital

processors.

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RFX-8620

Any of Rockford Fosgate's head units with changer controls can operate is RFX-8620five -disc CD changer (price unavailable at press tine), which is sized to fit mc sf DIN -size dashboard openings. A flip -down faceplate coiceolE the CD mechanism.

With Clarion'sVDH9300 VHS

Hi-Fi videotapeplayer ($450),small enough

to fit in a consoleor under a

seat, backseatpassengers can

while away along trip

by watchingmovies.

back so that you can hear traffic oremergency reports broadcast by a lo-cal RDS station. Kenwood and Clari-on are introducing their first RDS-equipped head units, while Pioneerand Denon are expanding their selec-tion. Unlike first -generation RDS ra-dios, some of the new models displayscrolling emergency or promotionalmessages if broadcast by a station.Head units with scrolling capabilityinclude Denon's DCT-1000R CD tun-er ($999) and Kenwood's KDCPS-907CD receiver ($599).

RDS isn't perfect. It doesn't operatein the AM band, and although thenumbers are growing, only about 700of the nation's 5,000 FM stations areequipped to broadcast an RDS signal.In a half -dozen of its new RDS headunits, Pioneer fills in the gaps with anID Logic read-only database contain-ing the frequencies, call letters, andformats of every AM and FM stationin the country. In addition to beingable to search for non-RDS stations byformat, the DEH-P85DHR ($530) CDreceiver is one of four new Pioneerheads that's designed to fit in GM andChrysler dashboards. It's also one ofmany new Pioneer components featur-ing DFS (Detachable Face Security)Alarm+, an upgraded version of a fea-ture unveiled last year that lets you

turn a car stereo into a full-fledged se-curity system.

Another component that unites an-tosound and car security is Alpine'sCVA-1000 monitor/receiver ($1,300),which can be used to control the com-pany's SEA -8081 security system($800), its new NVA-N751A naviga-tion system ($1,800), and assortedAlpine CD changers and outboard dig-ital signal processors. The standardDIN -size in -dash unit is equipped withan AM/FM tuner, a four -channel am-plifier, and a motorized 51/2 -inch LCDscreen that folds out of the dash to dis-play audio and security settings andnavigation maps.

In deference to the still expandingranks of bass enthusiasts, more car ste-reo companies are offering head unitsequipped with nonfading, line -levelsubwoofer outputs and accompanyingfront -panel level controls. Eclipse andPanasonic displayed their first headunits with subwoofer outputs, andAlpine and Pioneer significantly ex-panded their entries in this category.

Serious audiophiles will appreciatethe market debut of CD players withbalanced line -level outputs: Denon'sDCT-1000R CD tuner mentioned ear-lier ($999), Rockford's RFX-8140 CDtuner ($849), and Kenwood's KDC-PS907 CD receiver ($599). When spe-cial cables are used to connect thehead's balanced outputs to an amplifi-er or signal processor with balancedinputs, alternator whine and other dis-tracting electrical -system noise is can-celed in all but the most extreme inter-ference conditions.

Attacking system noise from anoth-er angle, a growing number of head

JBL's GT series "universal" power amps, designed to workwith any factory head unit, range from the 35 -watt stereoGT5100x ($199) to the 60 -watt, four -channel GTQ360 ($549).


units are equipped with preamp out-puts that deliver 2 volts or more in-stead of the usual 0.75 to 1.4 volts, theidea being that feeding a more robustsignal to an outboard power amp helpsprevent noise from being induced intothe audio signal, resulting in a highersignal-to-noise ratio. JVC's new KD-GS929 CD receiver ($380) and KS-RT626 cassette receiver ($300) have4 -volt pre -outs. Seven of Panasonic'snew CD receivers have 2 -volt pre -outs; an eighth model has 4 -volt pre -outs. In Rockford Fosgate's newly ex-panded line, all the source units areequipped with pre -outs that deliver atleast 2.4 volts, and the top -end RFX-8140 CD tuner is capable of deliveringa whopping 8.5 volts.

Of course, these so-called high -out-put heads only produce those highervoltages when the volume is crankedup and the music is loud. To maximizethe noise -reducing benefits of higher -voltage preamp ouputs - without mak-ing listeners endure excessive soundlevels - Audio Control has developedthe Master Volume Control ($249), a41/2 x 10 x 11/2 -inch box that you in-stall just prior to the inputs of an out-board power amp; it has a remote levelcontrol that can be mounted on thedash. Putting a "signal valve" up-stream lets you keep head volumeturned up so that the output voltage isas high as possible while the signaltravels to the amplifier.

Other notable source units includeClarion's VDH9300 VHS Hi-Fi video-cassette player ($450), which is smallenough to fit in a console compart-ment and under some seats, and Jen-sen's first two GM/Chrysler-fit CD re-

Cerwin-Vega's Stealth Series -3 subwoofers, designed for smallbox or bandpass enclosures, include the 5-12.8 (5160) with a12 -inch driver and 8 -ohm operation rated down to 30 Hz.

ceivers, priced at $429 and $499. AndBlaupunkt offers the only head unitswith programmable tuner timers thatautomatically tune in your favoriteradio programs even if you're listen-ing to a tape or CD. Four models areavailable, at prices ranging from $250for a cassette receiver to $400 for thetop -of -the -line CD receiver, and allfour of them have controls for an ex-ternal CD changer.

Power to SpareThe watt wars are escalating to a newextreme with SoundStream's launchof the ultimate weapon: the $2,000Tarantula mono subwoofer amplifier,rated to deliver 2,000 watts into 1, 2,or 4 ohms. Competitors in sound -pres-sure -level contests will appreciate theoptional $99 AirBass wireless remotesystem, which lets you boost subwoof-er output by up to 24 dB while stand-ing outside the car.

In its $17,000 XES Reference sys-tem, Sony seeks to advance the causeof musicality without resorting tobrute force. The company trumpets theXES-M50 two -channel amplifier atthe heart of the system as the first caramp that does not use negative -feed-back circuitry. Sony maintains that

can limit dis-tortion in less expensive power amps,high -quality amps suffer because thefeedback process creates its own dis-tortion. The XES-M50 is rated to de-liver 50 watts per channel into 4 ohms,or 200 watts into 1 ohm.

For simpler, real -world installations,a number of companies are offeringtheir first five-, six-, and seven -channelpower amplifiers. Infinity's five -chan-nel Kappa 255a ($919), due in storesthis spring, stands out as thefirst autosound amplifier tocombine Class A/13 and ClassD amplification in a singlechassis. The AB section isdesigned to deliver 50 wattseach into 4 ohms to four sat-ellites, while the Class Dchannel pumps 200 watts in-to the subwoofer. The Infini-ty amplifier's internal cross-over can also be reconfig-ured for triamplified opera-tion, with separate amplifierchannels dedicated to thesystem's tweeters, woofers,and a subwoofer.

Quadamplified operationis possible with the seven -channel SoundStream DaVinci ($2,499), rated to de -

The 150 -watt Class D switching amplifi-er in Sony's XS-TL1 powered subwoofer($350), 16 inches long and 8 inches indiameter, is said to be so cool -runningthat it doesn't need a heatsink.

liver 50 watts each to two tweeters andtwo midranges, 100 watts each to twowoofers, and 200 watts to a subwoof-er, for a total 4 -ohm output of 600watts.

Rockford Fosgate intends to satisfydemand for simplified, single -amplifi-er sound systems with the debut of itsfirst five- and six -channel models: thepreviously mentioned RF 5.3x ($459)and the six -channel Punch 360.6($699), which is rated to deliver 30watts per channel into 4 ohms. Bothamplifiers are designed to work withany factory head unit.

The Precision Power DAC-348 D/A converter ($999) featuresoptical and coaxial digital inputs, a 24 -bit processor, two 20 -bit converters, and a Class A analog output stage.

Processor PreviewLike ice cream, signal processorscome in a variety of flavors. Some per-form sophisticated equalization andcrossover functions; others replicatethe ambience of different listening en-vironments, sometimes to dramatic ef-fect. The scoop on KEF's Model 3006surround processor ($750), scheduledto reach stores this summer, is that it'sthe first 5.1 -channel DTS Digital Sur-round decoder for the car. Dependingon the recording artist's intent, DTS-encoded discs can direct ambiencesignals to a pair of rear speakers andvocals to a center speaker, put you inthe middle of the audience during alive performance, or generate gee -whiz sound effects within a 360 -de-gree sound field. But caution is in or-der: Only two dozen or so DTS-en-coded CD's are available, mostly fromthe small HDS label, and you'll need acar CD player or changer with a digi-tal output to deliver DTS signals to theprocessor.

Precision Power has another mis-sion in mind for its first parametricequalizer: reproducing music as accu-rately as possible by flattening fre-quency -response peaks and dips. Foreach of its ten bands, the trunk -mount-ed PMQ-210 ($899) provides continu-ously variable controls for center fre-quency, boost/cut level, and "Q," orthe range of frequencies affected bythe other controls. The PMQ-210 issaid to be compatible with all factoryCD or cassette head units exceptthose with differential outputs. Anoth-er processor aimed at serious enthu-siasts is the company's PowerClassDAC-348 outboard digital -to -analogconverter, featuring a 24 -bit processor,

two 20 -bit converters, and aClass A analog stage. The$999 device has two digitalinputs.

Resistance to noise is oneof the promises of Sound -Stream's first balanced -inputactive crossover, which op-erates as a two- or three-waynetwork. The Balanced X.0($379) can be used in con-junction with either of thecompany's two balanced -line drivers, which converta source unit's unbalancedoutputs to balanced ones.

Speakers forEveryoneAsk any car audio installeror teenage couple: Car inte-


riors are smaller than ever. Too manytrunks and hatches won't accommo-date subwoofer enclosures withoutsacrificing unacceptable amounts ofstorage space. Many speaker -mount-ing locations are too shallow to makeroom for speakers that generate ac-ceptable bass levels. As a result, au-tosound suppliers have cooked up anassortment of new speaker designsthat can do more in less space.

Kenwood's recipe includes two sub -woofers intended for small sealed en-closures. The 10 -inch KFC-WS252($150) is rated to handle 150 wattscontinuous and is optimized for 0.4 -to 0.8 -cubic -foot boxes. The 12 -inchKFC-WS302 ($170) is rated to handle250 watts and is designed for boxesbetween 0.6 and 1 cubic foot in size.Cerwin-Vega's Stealth Series -3 sub -woofers have 8-, 10-, 12-, or 15 -inchdrivers that are designed specificallyfor mounting in small sealed boxesand bandpass enclosures, and eachmodel is available in 4-, 8-, and 12 -ohm versions. Prices range from $130for the S-8 to $190 for the S-15, ratedto handle 150 and 250 watts continu-ous, respectively. Mounting depthsvary from PA to 57/8 inches.

Precision Power's assortment ofsmall -enclosure subwoofers is grow-ing with the introduction of four Pow-erClass models, all eschewing tradi-

Infinity's Kappa UniPlane speakers, ircluding the 80F 8 -inch woofer (left, $370 apair), the 42F 4 -inch two-way (center, $249 a pair), and the 62F 6 -inch two-way(right, $320 a pair), have mounting depths ranging from less than 2 inches to a mere3/4 inch. A fourth model, the 6 -inch 60F woofer ($270 a pair), is not shown.

tional cones for rigid flat -piston di-aphragms said to boost accuracy aswell as efficiency. Prices start at $199for the 8 -inch PC8, which is rated tohandle 200 watts rms and is optimizedfor a 0.5 -cubic -foot box.

Infinity claims the shallowestmounting depths of any speaker ofequal diameter for its four new KappaUniPlane speakers. The pancake -likespeakers feature inverted cones thatslice mounting depths to 3/4 inch forthe Model 42F 4 -inch two-way ($249a pair) and less than 2 inches for theModel 80F 8 -inch woofer ($370 apair). Tweeters in the two-way modelsare mounted in the center of the woof-

SoundStream's Da Vinci power amp ($2,499, shown with the IILT4 balanced -line con-verter) is rated to deliver a total of 600 watts into 4 ohms: 50 watts each to twotweeters and two midranges, 100 each to two woofers, and 200 watts to a sub -woofer. The AirBass wireless subwoofer volume control (not shown) is a $99 option.


er cone's apex; the coincident designis said to improve off -axis responseand help raise the soundstage evenwhen the speakers are mounted low inthe doors.

Boston Acoustics and Clarion cameup with different solutions to the chal-lenge of delivering a convincing stereoimage in a car. Boston Acoustics' new61/2 -inch RM6 speaker ($249 a pair)and 6 x 9 -inch RM9 coaxial speakeruse fabric -dome tweeters mounted off -center, which is said to improve fre-quency response by minimizing high -frequency diffraction. The new X2speakers from Clarion feature pivotingtweeters. Prices range from $100 fora pair of SRM251 1 -inch silk -domesolo tweeters to $250 for a pair ofSRF6981 6 x 9 -inch coaxials to $450for the SRS1691 two-way componentset with two tweeters and two 61/2 -inch woofers.

AuraSound has included swivelingtweeters in four of its seven new ForceSeries two- and three-way speakers,and bass cultists will get a kick out ofthe latest version of the company'strademark "bass -enhancement" sys-tem, the Bass Shaker Plus ($329). Thisyear's model adds a diminutive, high -efficiency Class D amplifier rated at100 watts rms. When mounted to acar's floor, the Shaker vibrates thecar's interior so that you can feel thebass without exposing your ears todamaging sound -pressure levels. How'sthat for virtual reality?

Franz Schubert, born in Viennaon January 31, 1797, was clas-sical music's greatest melodist.This year musicians, critics,

and audiences join in celebrating thebicentennial year of this little -under-stood man whose music continues totouch listeners with its unique depthand intimacy.

Of the great composers who workedin Vienna, Schubert was the only onewho was actually born there, and hehad the shortest lifespan. Mozart diedtragically young at thirty-six; whenSchubert died, he was only thirty-one.But in that short lifetime he composeda large body of music in all majorforms, and in all except opera he pro-duced enduring masterpieces.

Schubert's great symphonies, pianopieces, chamber music, and songs aremoving works that appeal directly to

TIMELESCHUBERTA Bicentennial Tribute By William Livingstonethe senses, and they are easily accessi-ble to the general public. The big mel-ody from the "Unfinished" Symphonyis so widely recognized that it hasbeen called the greatest tune ever writ-ten, and a couple of his songs, Sere-nade (Standchen) and Ave Maria, areas well known as pop standards.

A strong element of love suffusesthe Schubert bicentennial observancesin Europe and North America. FromNew York to Los Angeles exhibits ofSchubert photographs and documentshave been mounted in concert halls,and soloists, chamber ensembles, andsymphony orchestras are program-ming more of his music this season.On his actual two -hundredth birthday

I in January, both the Cleveland Orches-E tra and the New York Philharmonic,

for example, performed the "Great C9 Major" Symphony (No. 9).

The Schubert Institute (U.K.) hasset up a World Wide Web site (http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/ramorris) tokeep track of the major anniversaryevents, such as the Schubertiade inMarch at the 92nd St. Y in New York,the last in a ten-year series of short an-nual Schubert festivals. Other bicen-tennial observances include concertperformances of his rarely heard op-eras, Alfonso and Estrella and Fierra-bras. The flutist Paula Robison, thepianist Garrick Ohlsson, and the vio-linist Itzhak Perlman are among themany instrumentalists playing Schu-bert solos or chamber music. The bari-tone Thomas Hampson is observingthe bicentennial with his first perfor-mances in Europe and America ofSchubert's great song cycle Winter-reise (Winter Journey), which EMI isrecording for release this year.

Also due from EMI are bicentennialsets of great Schubert lieder (song) re-cordings from the past. In addition toseveral Masses, Sony Classical is re-leasing some of his chamber musicand symphonies on original instru-ments, and BMG Classics will issuea complete set of the symphoniesconducted by Colin Davis. New thismonth from London Records is a CDof the String Quartet No. 15 and "Not-tumo," a single movement in E -flatMajor for piano trio, played by theTakacs Quartet with pianist AndreasHaefliger. A Schubert lieder recitalby the soprano Renee Fleming wasscheduled for March release on Lon-don, and Teldec has a similar recentlieder CD by Barbara Bonney that isquite impressive.

Among the smaller labels, Nimbushas released a CD of lieder recordings


Schubert (at keyboard) is flanked byhis friend Josef von Spaun (left) and thebaritone Michael Vogl at a privateconcert of his music, a Schubertiade.

by the baritone Heinrich Schlusnus,made between 1927 and 1941, and re-released the Brandis Quartet's record-ings of Schubert's late chamber musicfor strings, three CD's for the price oftwo in a gold -embossed box. And Es-sex Entertainment has reissued VoxBoxes of rare Schubert chamber mu-sic, the Masses, and the piano sonatasplayed by Walter Klien. This year Den -on will release its thirteenth and finalCD of Schubert's complete solo pianomusic performed with authority, grace,and affection by Michel Dalberto.

To mark the bicentennial, Hyperionembarked (in 1987!) on an epic pro-ject to record all of Schubert's morethan six hundred songs with the pi-anist Graham Johnson accompanyingmany distinguished singers. "A Voy-age of Discovery," a specially pricedsampler from the first twenty-sevenCD's in the Hyperion Schubert Edi-tion is now available. Among the twodozen singers represented are EllyAmeling, Arleen Auger, Janet Baker,Thomas Hampson, Christoph Pregar-dien, and Peter Schreier.

This year's Schubert celebrations donot approach the magnitude of the me-

dia circus that was staged in 1991 toobserve the two hundredth anniversaryof the death of Mozart. Comparedwith Schubert, Mozart was a tabloidcelebrity. The public knew how heshot pool and hung out in palaces withkings, power brokers, and spin doctorsbecause they had seen Amadeus, a fic-tionalized Hollywood movie that woneight Oscars.

Even today Schubert remains anenigma. The son of a poorschoolmaster, he lived most ofhis life near the poverty level.

He got some musical training at theaustere Catholic seminary where hewas educated, and while working atill -paying teaching jobs, he began tocompose prolifically. At the age ofseventeen he wrote Gretchen am Spinn-rade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel),the song that is recognized as his firstmasterpiece and the first great GermanRomantic Lied (or art song). The fol-lowing year, in addition to instrumen-tal works, he wrote 144 songs.

Suffering from poverty, loneliness,and depression, in 1818 he gave upteaching, quarreled with his dictatorialfather, and went to live with one oranother of his male friends, who en-couraged him to become a free-lance

musician. These friends were a close-knit group of artists and writers whoadored Schubert and put on privateconcerts of his music in their homes,events called Schubertiades.

Schubert never married or had alove affair with a woman. Whateverhappiness he knew in his often drablife came from the act of composingand from the society of his menfriends. He partied with them, took va-cation trips with them, shared roomswith them, and enjoyed playing hismusic with them.

Although some of his songs and pi-ano pieces were published and per-formed in his lifetime, he was poorlypaid for them, and his operas wereunsuccessful. He never heard a pro-fessional performance of any of hissymphonies, and many of his greatestworks, such as the "Trout" Quintet,the "Unfinished" Symphony (No. 8),and the Piano Sonata in B -flat Major(D. 960), were not published until af-ter his death.

In 1822, when he was only twenty-five, Schubert contracted syphilis,which caused him physical and emo-tional pain for the few years that re-mained to him. In 1824, while work-ing on his most melancholy composi-tion, the Quartet No. 14 ("Death and


the Maiden"), he wrote to a friend thathe considered himself the unhappiestman on earth. "Imagine a man whocan never be healthy again . . . a manwhose brightest hopes have vanished,someone for whom love and friend-ship now offer nothing but pain. Everynight when I go to sleep, I hope neverto wake up again."

In his last year Schubert apparentlydrew on his suffering to create worksthat have a celestial beauty, amongthem the three sublime piano sonatasthat were published posthumously, theString Quintet in C (often called thegreatest piece of chamber music everwritten), and Winterreise. At his broth-er's home on November 19, 1828, hedied miserably at the age of thirty-one.

For more than a century fictional-ized biographies presented Schubert asa jolly, plump, nearsighted, happy-go-lucky fellow who was too shy topursue girls. It was a view that in noway reflected the intensity and emo-tional substance of his music, andmodem scholars have dismissed it assentimental and trivializing.

Although many musicologists arestill conservative and reluctant to ex-amine the private lives of great com-posers, the noted biographer MaynardSolomon has scrutinized the diariesand letters of Schubert's friends, andin 1989 he published his conclusionsthat Schubert's friends were a group ofhomosexuals forced by a hostile soci-ety to keep their private lives secretand that Schubert himself was gay.

Many laymen had long ago reachedthe same conclusion, but a few schol-ars have wished to preserve a sanitizedimage of the world's greatest melodist.Critics, however, have described Solo-mon's evidence as "incontrovertible,"his arguments as "well reasoned," andhis conclusions as "compelling" and"convincing." The subject was debatedfor a few years in academic circles,centering mostly on whether Schu-bert's sexual orientation could be seenor heard in his music, but there waslittle reaction from the general public.

Discussions of Schubert's personallife have not changed the public's af-fection for him or its love for his verysensuous music. In a panel discussionthat preceded the New York Philhar-monic's week-long celebration ofSchubert's birthday in January, thepoint was made that every era reinter-prets Schubert in its own way. KurtMasur, the orchestra's music director,was asked whether his views of thiscomposer have changed over the seven

decades of his life. He answered "Notat all. I learned the 'Unfinished' Sym-phony when I was about twelve. Itpenetrated to the central core of myfeelings, and it still does the samething today."

I feel the same way, and Schuberthas been an unfailing artistic compan-ion throughout my life. I was aboutfourteen when I first heard the potentmelodies of the "Unfinished" Sym-phony on a neighbor's recording, andit helped to draw me to the orchestralclassics. Such Schubert songs as Erl-kiinig (The Elf King) and Der Hirt ausdem Felsen (The Shepherd on theRock) taught me to appreciate lieder,and the "Trout" Quintet was an easyintroduction to chamber music.

My love affair with Schubert's mu-sic was fueled by performances andrecordings by pianists like CliffordCurzon from England and Jorge Boletfrom Cuba and by such great Germanlieder singers as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Irmgard Seefried, Fritz Wun-derlich, and Christa Ludwig, by the

Belgian soprano Suzanne Danco, andby Elly Ameling from Holland.

Most of their recordingsare no longer available,but the continuing vitali-ty of Schubert's music is

proved by the emergence of a newgeneration of wonderful interpreterslike the Fontenay Trio, the EmersonQuartet, and the pianists Krystian Zim-ermari, Andras Schiff, Imogen Cooper,and Radu Lupu. And there are manysingers today - Kathleen Battle, Che-ryl Studer, Mitsuko Shirai, ThomasHampson, Bryn Terfel, Bo Skovhus,and Wolfgang Holzmair, to name afew - who can recreate the intensedesire and joy of love in Schubert'smusic as well as his darker, melan-choly sense of life.

Through performances of his worksby today's finest musicians, Schubertcontinues to increase the amount ofbeauty in the world and the amount oflove. His life was short, but his art hasproved to be very, very long.

FAVORITE SCHUBERT CD'S

Some of the following recordings ofer performances, while others are

Schubert masterpieces are reissues of old -brand -new. All have given me pleasure,

and all are currently available in stores. - W.L.

Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished");Symphony No. 9 ("Great C Major").Berlin Philharmonic, Ginter Wand cond.RCA VICTOR 68314 (two CD's).

Wandererfantasie.Maurizio Pollini (piano). DEUTSCHEGRAMMOPHON 447 451 (with Schumann's

Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17).

Piano Sonatas in A Major (D. 664)and B -flat Major (D. 960).Radu Lupu. LONDON 440 295.

"Trout" Quintet.Clifford Curzon (piano); members of theVienna Octet.String Quartet No. 14 ("Death andthe Maiden").Vienna Philharmonic String Quartet.

LONDON 417 459.

String Quintet in C Major.Heinrich Schiff (cello); Alban Berg Quartet.

EMI 47018.

Piano Trios; Notturno.Fontenay Trio. TELDEC 94558 (two CD's).

Die SchOne Miillerin; Three Lieder.Fritz Wunderlich (tenor), HubertGiesen (piano). DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

447 452.

Winterreise.Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone);Rirg Demus (piano). DEUTSCHE

GRAMMOPHON 447 421.

Schwanengesong; Seven Lieder.Wolfgang Holzmair (baritone);

Imogen Cooper (piano). PHILIPS

442 460.

Lieder.Mitsuko Shirai (mezzo-soprano); HartmutHoll (piano). CAPRICCIO 10 171.

Lieder.Barbara Bonney (soprano); Sharon Kam

(clarinet); Geoffrey Parsons (piano).

TELDEC 90873.

Mass in E -flat Major (D. 950).Soloists; Chorus and Orchestra of the

Bavarian Radio, Carlo Maria Giulini cond.

SONY 69290.


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BEST OFTHE MO\ TH

STEREO REVIEW'SCRITICS CHOOSE THE OUTSTANDING

CURRENT RELEASES

A Charmer by Mary BlackIrish singer Mary Black has longsnuggled between traditional folkand contemporary music but never aseffectively as she does on her new

record, "Shine." Producer Larry Klein,who helped former wife Joni Mitchell re-fine her post-folkie sound, guides Blackthrough a stunning repertoire of songsabout the importance of a nurturing, sus-

taining love relationship, and how thespirit suffers a kind of death when thatlifeline is denied.

Black takes to these songs like she wasborn to sing them and as if every experi-ence of her life prepared her for theirarrival. The album shows her at a newlevel of musicianship as Klein, throughhis use of sparse but pointed instrumental

touches, moves her to a more vivid andsophisticated sound. In the atmosphericAlmost Gone and in two very Joni -likesongs, Nobody Lives Without Love and Bythe Hour, where Klein gets close to theMitchell approach of acoustic guitar andnoticeably naked, high-strung bass, hecoaxes Black into delivering perhaps herfinest -nuanced performances. Those wholament the loss of her more ethnic Irishmaterial will find her telegraphing her na-tional pride in the occasional pennywhis-tle dancing beneath a galloping rhythm(One and Only) and in her beautiful re-gional pronunciation ("look" for "luck" inthe exquisitely painful / Misunderstood).

"Shine" is an album that not onlypleases on first listen but, like a richlydrawn novel, delights and surprises onmany repeated visits. Alanna Nash

MARY BLACK: Shine.Shine; One and Only; Almost Gone: NobodyLives Without Love; I Misunderstood:Trespass Shoes: I Will Be There: What DoesIt Matter; Beautiful: Late Night Radio: By theHour. CURB 1341 (51 min).

The Met'sSplendid NewIdomeneo

Mozart's ldomeneo (1781)was an opera too advancedfor its time. Refusing to beconstrained by an old-fash-

ioned libretto, Mozart strove, above all,for theatrical realism and dramatic conti-nuity. He could not entirely avoid the dacapo arias demanded by convention (andhis star singers), but he often replacedthem with meaningful and effective ac-companied recitatives. Furthermore, hetook pains to link the various "numbers"into a seamless whole. ldomeneo repre-sented music drama in an evolutionarystage, and we are left wondering how farMozart might have progressed in this di-rection had the opera's indifferent recep-tion not discouraged him.

Conductor James Levine clearly viewsldomeneo as a music drama, and for hisnew Deutsche Grammophon recording heassembled a splendid cast to realize hisvision. His is a "modern" view of thework in the sense that appoggiaturas arenot stressed and embellishments are spar-ingly used. Choral and orchestral effects,on the other hand, are fully exploited toenhance the dramatic action, which con-cerns the return from the Trojan War ofIdomeneo, the King of Crete. On the wayhe encounters a storm at sea and vows, inexchange for his safety, to sacrifice thefirst person he meets on land. Unfortu-nately, that person is his son, Idamante.


BEST OF THE MONTHAt this stage of his career, Placido Do-

mingo seems perfectly cast in the titlerole, the embodiment of weary wisdomand paternal grief. Vocally, too, the tenoris in fine shape, and he delivers the short-er and less ornate version of the taxing"Fuor del mar' aria excitingly. When therole of Idamante is given to a mezzo-soprano (as opposed to the alternate ver-sion Mozart later created for a more as-sertive tenor), the character is somewhatsoftened. Cecilia Bartoli's portrayal istender and touching, admirably pointed inher recitatives.

Others who have recorded Ilia (a Tro-jan princess in love with Idamante) mayhave brought fuller tones to her two won-derful arias than the soprano Heidi GrantMurphy does in the present set, but shecreates a convincing figure of girlish vul-nerability supported by pure and accuratesinging. In contrast, Carol Vaness domi-nates all of Elettra's scenes the way shehas done at the Met. In her tempestuousfinal aria, "D'Oreste, d'Aiace," she paintssuch a vivid picture of hysterical frenzythat it would be unseemly to ask for firm-ly centered tones.

The sometimes troublesome music ofArbace (low tenor/high baritone) is somagnificently voiced by the baritoneThomas Hampson that this relatively mi-nor character takes on a principal role.

Tenor Placido Domingo as King of Crete

The so-called supporting roles support thetotal edifice in the manner of majesticGreek columns: Frank Lopardo con-tributes a firmly intoned High Priest, andBryn Terfel delivers the brief message ofthe subterranean Voice with majesty andeloquence. There have been other suc-cessful recordings of ldomeneo, but noth-ing like this one for uniform excellence.

George Jellinek

MOZART: ldomeneo.Placid() Domingo (ldomeneo), Cecilia Bartoli(Idamante). Heidi Grant Murphy (Ilia), CarolVaness (Elettra). Thomas Hampson (Arbace),Frank Lopardo (High Priest), Bryn Terfel(Voice), others: Metropolitan Opera Chorus andOrchestra, James Levine cond. DEUTSCHE

GRAMMOPHON 447 737 (three CD's, 176 min).

"Killjoy"Pop

Killjoy" Is HereIf you yearn for honest songs thatmake the passage from artist to audi-ence without contrivance or modifi-cation, Matt Keating is a cult hero

worth cultivating. Most impressive are hisendlessly inventive turns of phrase, whichrival Elvis Costello's in their compulsivecleverness, and his ability to sound like aslightly skewed pop band almost all byhimself. Take the title track of "Killjoy," avengeful power -pop romp that unfurlswith disarming panache amid sentimentssuch as "The past it feels like sewage, andthe present takes a bite / And the futuresmells like kerosene all ready to ignite."Don't Go the Road Alone is a more aus-tere variation on the same feel -bad theme,with the focus on Keating's emotionallyunvarnished voice. Lurking beneath everysong is the sneaking suspicion that thingsare bound not to work out.

If you are curmudgeonly in tempera-ment - which is to say, merely realisticabout matters - then you're likely to finda kindred spirit in Keating, whose combi-nation of acute insight and minor -key popis irresistible. "Killjoy," his fourth recordon Alias, tastes of real life: dreams, disap-pointments, sober reflections, and thesometimes black sense of humor it takesto get through it all. He gets to the heartof the matter in the heartbroken, plainspo-ken mix of philosophy and confession inThe Fruit You Can't Eat, a song that iselectrifying in its candor: "You wanted aman of substance / You got one with sub-stance abuse."

Now that you know "Killjoy" is the an-tithesis of escapism - snagging itself onthe thorns of self-reproach and a distaste

Li

Matt Keating: irresistible curmudgeon

for life's shabby status quo - it's possi-ble to savor the album for its artistry. Justto Feel Something is built around grand,distorted guitar hooks as Keating laysbare the lengths to which people will gojust to, in fact, feel something. By the Wayrises from an offhand mumble to a dis-tracted howl and back as a relationshipunravels. In the final song, the singer con-fesses to a paramour that he is HappyAgain. But as low-key music from somecocktail lounge of the mind dribblesaround him, Keating makes sure to attacha caveat: "I can't even pretend that happi-ness won't come to an end."

If that sensibility resonates with some-thing inside you, "Killjoy" will become aclose companion. File it in the vicinity ofBig Star's "Sister Lovers," John Lennon's"Plastic Ono Band," and Neil Young's"Tonight's the Night." Parke Puterbaugh

MATT K EAT I NI Gs Killjoy.Killjoy: Don't Go the Road Alone; BoweryHeights; The Fruit You Can't Eat: Emily: You andMe and This TV: Just to Feel Something: Bythe Way: A Roundabout Way to Get Wise: WhileWe Fiddle: The L Word: Happy Again. ALIAS093 (44 min).

Beethoven PianoSonatas fromRussell Sherman

Russell Sherman is something ofa Renaissance man, not onlysecond to none as a profoundlyperceptive keyboard virtuoso but

also deeply versed in the humanities (hiscollection of essays published in 1996by Farrar Straus Giroux, Piano Pieces,makes for thoroughly stimulating read -


ing). Though his recording career goesback to 1955, his discography has beenfairly sparse. Even so, it has covered theground from Beethoven, Brahms, andChopin to several modern composers.And now we have Volume I of a Beetho-ven sonata cycle on Gunther Schuller'sGM Recordings label, with Schuller him-self exercising meticulous care as produc-er. Rather than issuing the sonatas inchronological order, Schuller and Sher-man have opted to mix works from differ-ent periods in the same set, much as onewould do for a recital program.

The composer's very first piano sonataripples along for the most part with aptlyClassic poise, but Sherman is not bashfulabout spicing the performance with judi-cious rubato, as in the final movement.He captures beautifully the charmingwaywardness of the opening of theSonata No. 9 as well as the darker aspectsof its middle movement. The Sonata No.16 presents an interesting contrast in per-formance style compared with the EMIrecording by Stephen Kovacevich, whotreats the final movement as a nice, steadyamble. Sherman. however, does not hesi-tate to let Beethoven pause briefly hereand there to glance at a bird or flower.

The "Waldstein" Sonata (No. 21), thatperennial test piece for would-be virtu-osos, is handled here in very even-tem-pered fashion at the outset. Clarity of tex-ture takes precedence over bravura show-manship. The suspense Sherman createsin the transition from the slow movementto the finale is positively uncanny, and inthe finale he builds slowly toward thekind of thanksgiving hymn that Beetho-ven was to bring to orchestral realizationin the "Pastoral" Symphony.

I am among those who contend thatthere is no such thing as a definitive inter-pretation of the three late sonatas, ofwhich this set offers the first and third,Nos. 30 and 32. Each performer mustseek out an individual vision of Beetho-ven's intentions within the general param-eters of the notes he set down. In Sher -man's performance the improvisatorystart of No. 30 is a joy of organic flexibil-ity. The compressed fury of the prestissi-too movement is less evident than I haveheard it in other readings, but an ecstatichigh is reached in the marvelous aria -and -variations finale. Those who expect agranitic first movement in No. 32 may bea shade disappointed, but I have seldomheard a clearer and more telling explica-

Pianist Russell Sherman

tion of its inner textures. The great set ofconcluding variations makes a fitting cli-max for this first installment of Sher -man's Beethoven cycle. You won't hearthe famous trills done more effectively.

The recorded sound is very fine, if amite distant. The annotations by Shermanand the producer's note by Schuller areinsightful and illuminating. I look for-ward to the rest of the series. David Hall

B EETINOVEN: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 9,16, 21, 30, and 32.Russell Shaman (piano). OM kit uttumoti2050 (two CD's, 134 min).

NOW ON CD

POPULARTHE BLUES PROJECT: Anthology.POLYDOR CHRONICLES 529 758 (Iwo CD's).MIKE BLOOMFIELD ANDAL KOOPER: The Live Adventures.COLUMBIA/LEGACY 64670 (two CD's).Fans of Al Kooper and Sixties blues, rejoice!"Anthology" is the first comprehensive overviewof his band with Danny Kalb, Steve Katz,Andy Kulberg, and Roy Blumenfeld, and the1968 "Adventures" appears on domestic CDfor the first time.

THE MILES DAVIS QUARTET:The Musings of Miles.DCC COMPACT CLASSICS 1106. DCC gives its"24 Karat Gold" treatment to classic mono sidesfrom June 1955, with the trumpeter joined bypianist Red Garland, bassist Oscar Pettiford, anddrummer Philly Joe Jones. Among the tracksare I Didn't. A Night in Tunisia, and Green Haze.

PETE SHELLEY: Homosapien.RAZOR & TIE 2126. After leading the Buzzcocksthrough their initial punk -pop heyday, Shelleyadopted the synth -pop stylings of New Wave forthis 1982 solo album, featuring the title club hit.The reissue adds five tracks from his 1983 follow-up LP. "XL.I." including Telephone Operator.

T. REX: The Slider. POLYGRAM CHRONICLES534 355. Tanx. 534 356. Zinc Alloy and theHidden Riders of Tomorrow. 534 357.The first initallment in Polygram's remasters oflater material by Marc Bolan's Seventiesband. These three albums, originally released inthe wake of Bang a Gong (Get It On) fame,are supplemented by non -LP singles and B-sides.

ROCK 'N' ROLL LEGENDS.READER'S DIGEST MUSIC 211 (three CD's:

mail-order only, 1 -888 -RD -MUSIC).This handy package offers four out-and-outclassics and one rare or lesser -known track (allin their original recordings) from each of twelveHall of Famers: Elvis Presley, Bill Haley,Fats Domino. Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry.Jackie Wilson, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles.Dion, the Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, andBobby Darin.

IS

CLASSICALB ARTOK: String QuartetsNos. 3, 4, and 6.Juilliard String Quartet. SONY 62705. First ina series. of reissues commemorating the Juilliard's50th anniversary. "Sonically the results are veryfine. and musically the set oimpares well with thefinest" (May 19831.

B EETHOVEN: Sonatas for Celloand Piano.Antonio Janigro (cello); Jorg Demus (piano).VANG1JARD 56/77 (two CD's). "They bring finemomentum and tension to Op. 102. No. 2, inparticular" (April 1966).

HAYDN: The Creation.Helen Donath, Ruben Tear, Jose van Dam;Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra,Rafael Friitibeck de Burgos cond. EMI 69343(two CD's). "... Friihbeck paces the musicin a loving. relaxed manner" (March 1979).

LICLONA: The Ultimate Collection.Emesto Leruona (piano). RCA VICTOR 68671(two CD's). The Cuban composer performsfavorites like Malaguena and Siboney, plus tenpreviously unreleased selections, all recordedbetween 1427 and 1954.


POPULARI

NEW RECORDINGS REVIEWED BY CHRIS ALBERTSON, FRANCIS DAVIS,WILL FRIEDWALD, PHYL GARLAND, RON GIVENS, BRETT MILANO,

ALANNA NASH, PARKE PUTERBAUGH, KEN RICHARDSON, & STEVE SIMELS

AEROSMITH: Nine Lives.1 siiiiA 675-17 (63 111111. rnhanrcd CD).

Performance: Get your saddlesRecording: Mean

There's a Great Rock Moment on "NineLives," Aerosmith's studio album No.

12, and it comes early. Barely thirty sec-onds into the opening title track, the bandlocks into high gear and Steven Tyler letsloose with a thrilling "Well, well, well ...."Enjoy those shivers: Ten years after "Per-manent Vacation" and nearly twenty-fiveyears after their debut, Boston's Finest areback on Columbia and playing like dirtywhite boys again.

Don't be alarmed by the presence ofJourney/Silverchair producer Kevin Shirleyand the usual committee of song doctors."Nine Lives" spits like an angry stray. Forevery ballad there are two blitzkriegs, likethe charging blues of Something's GottaGive and the relentless thrash of Crash,which ends with the guys reveling in theknowledge that they can still Pound It Out.Riffs and melodies are well-fed. Joe Perrygrabs attention with some hit-and-run guitarsolos, and the ballads - well, their chor-uses are nice and muscular, and I don't evenmind that Desmond Child and the band sortof co-op Dream On for Hole in My Soul.I do mind the overlong Fallen Angels and thepseudo -exotic Taste of India, where Tyler -Perry unsuccessfully try to do Page -Plant.

Aerosmith has always been best at doingJagger -Richards, and overall the new albumbeats the pants off any studio Stones inrecent memory. Or, as Tyler wails, "Ninelives / It ain't over / Nine lives / Live forten." I'd give 'em twenty.

Give 'em credit, too, for coming up withthe most entertaining and user-friendly en-hanced CD I've seen in a long time. Youcan be a virtual member of Aerosmith byplaying guitar or drum parts along with se-lected tracks via your computer keyboard.And the ECD challenges you to play well ifyou want to negotiate nine levels of paint-ings, solve six levels of a puzzle, and record

your parts without getting hooted at. Withsuch cool multimedia and music, how canyou go wrong? K.R.

BRUCE COCKBURN:The Charity of Night.R11., ,11151 111;116 11,S

Performance: BraveRecording: Clean

Works of conscience don't often con-nect as works of commerce in this

nighty decade. Bruce Cockburn, however,refuses to shrink from sketching reality -based portraits of a world gone wrong. Yethis work is more than just reportage. as itencompasses nimble folk -jazz settings, anilluminating use of language, and the abilityto integrate the personal and the political.

"The Charity of Night" lays out its cen-tral metaphor in the opening Night Train,where a locomotive rhythm is the sound ofevil as an inexorable, uncontained force.The rigorous strumming of acoustic guitars,

the rustling of brushes on a snare drum, andthe slithering of a bass evoke the momen-tum of a harrowing shadow world of politi-cal repression and intrigue, expressed inthis powerful image: "The ultimate forget-fulness of violence / Sweeps the landscapelike the headlight of a train." And he writesfrom experience. Take these lyrics from TheMines of Mo:ambique, inspired when hewent on a fact-finding mission to investigatecivilian deaths and injuries from land minesplanted during wartime: "Rusted husks ofblown -up trucks / Line the roadway northof town / Like passing through a sculpturegallery / War is the artist, but he's sleepingnow." Cockburn also turns his eye inwardon songs like Pacing the Cage and TheComing Rains, avoiding the hard-core folk-ie's fate of unrelieved topicality.

Rob Wasserman's bass and Gary Bur-ton's vibes contribute to the understatedeloquence of more impressionistic numberslike the mesmerizing instrumental Mistressof Storms. Cockburn's dusky baritone andunique guitar stylings - folk in complex-ion and jazz in elocution, with a hint ofrock dynamics - serve his songs well. Theonly problem with "The Charity of Night,"his twenty-fourth release, is that it tends tomake most anything you play after it soundtrite by comparison. P.P.

THE DEAD RECKONERS:A Night of Reckoning.

ktrsis.(,0001 (45 111111).Performance: Not your average countryRecording: Dead -on

Two \ eats ago, several of Nashville'sI,c.t. it overlooked, solo acts - singer/

songwriters Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch,singer/guitarist Mike Henderson, fiddlerTammy Rogers, and drummer/songwriterHarry Stinson - joined forces to found theDead Reckoning label. They bet the farmthat there are enough fans of original,acoustic music to support a label operatingoutside of Music City's formula. And how.

"A Night of Reckoning," following soloalbums from all except Stinson, amounts

LOOKING FOR BEAK?Yes, that's Beak, not Beck, and VOLcan find the tree -jazz, punkish rod.

band in Issue 1 of Check It Out! The In -die Music Digizine, billed as the firstCD-ROM magazine dedicated to inde.pendent music. You can alsofind Farflung, Man or Astro-Man?, the Oblivians, Dr. Oc-tagon, and Trance Missionhere; the second issue of thehandsomely designed andeasily navigable bimonthlyis set to include Jim Camp-ilongo and the Ten -GallonCats as well as Kenny Youngand the Eggplants. Bios, re-views, and discographies areprovided, and some of the

bands are shown in live performancefootage. For subscription information.call the Bi-coastal Interactive Group at703-968-3313 or visit BIG's Web site atwww.bigzines.com. K.R.

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to a sampler of their considerable wares.Recreating in the studio the atmosphere oftheir package tours, they take turns show-casing their songs, backed by their confed-erates. There's a terrific vibrancy about thisproject. not so much in sheer energy but inthe spirit of the musicianship and in theway the songs are arranged and performedin the balance of craft and spontaneity.

In the roots -rocker / Desire Fire, Kane(formerly of the O'Kanes) forcefully de-scribes what he likes in a woman, as Hen-derson laces the track with frenetic, spookyelectric guitar. Welch's Waiting for the As-sassin is a creepy -good, cryptic story. Andthe album closes with a reprise of theO'Kanes' When We're Gone, Long Gone, athought -provoking and hymnlike appraisalof what really matters in the way a life islived. It's a moving finish to a quietly re-markable record. A .N.

JOHN FAHEY: City of Refuge.I im/ki:uR 644 830 127 (65 min).Performance: EccentricRecording: Fine for a motel room

5-or people who are looking to the outerlimits for the next set of sounds, John

Fahey's approach to guitar - melding a ba-sic blues vocabulary with a subtext of in-dustrial noise - qualifies as avant-garde.Sure, he's been around for decades, but sohave Esquivel and Martin Denny, whose"space-age bachelor -pad music" got discov-ered by bored Gen X'ers cultivating theirfinely tuned sense of irony. Now, it's Fa-hey's turn, maybe.

"City of Refuge," like its creator, is will-fully odd. It was recorded in the motelroom where Fahey had been living after adecade that included bouts with homeless-ness, chronic -fatigue syndrome, and alco-holism. A charitable view of this instrumen-tal album would hold that it sounds like anupdated, urban -industrial version of a ruralblack levee -camp moan. Indeed, there aretimes when the steely angularity of Fahey'splaying evokes both the futility of beingand the will to persevere. In moments likethese, you can understand why he is reveredas one of the pre-eminent guitarist/visionar-ies of the past thirty years.

But moments like these are rare, as thealbum tends to indulge in scraping, detun-ing, and formless delving into the heart oflate -twentieth-century darkness. The high

or low point, depending on your perspec-tive, is On the Death and Disembowelmentof the New Age, a twenty -minute sound col-lage that rivals Lou Reed's "Metal MachineMusic" as an exercise in noise for noise'ssake. Like much of "City of Refuge," it is akind of Eraserhead for the ears. P.P.

MARVIN GAYE:The Vulnerable Sessions.Mou owN 530 786 (29 min).Performance: Ballads reinventedRecording: Satisfactory1.11he character of "The Vulnerable Ses- sions," an album of ballads, should

come as no surprise to Marvin Gaye's mostloyal fans. Three of the seven songs - WhyDid I Choose You, I Won't Cry Anymore,and The Shadow of Your Smile - appearedon "Romantically Yours" in 1986, two yearsafter his death. His preferred vocal trackswere only recently discovered in the Mo-town vaults, however, and alternate versionsof some songs are included here as well.

Gaye began recording this material in1967, four years before his brilliant, politi-cally charged concept album, "What's Go-ing On." He would toy with the "Vulnera-ble" songs for nearly a decade in an effortto complete what he considered to be hisfavorite album. And though his originalintent was to emulate the classic crooningof Frank Sinatra, the alternate versions re-affirm his affinity for rhythm and blues. Theearlier interpretations, though sweet andfluid, are often straight, following the me-lodic line. In the later readings. he com-monly avoids the melody altogether, weav-ing intricate melismatic patterns in the styleof soulful R&B.

The only drawback to this collection isthat it contains merely a half-hour of music.In the end. Gaye's treasured "Vulnerable"album remains unfinished, but it bears wit-ness to his artistry. P.G.

RICHARD GOLDMAN: Girls N' Cows.GADFLY 225 (41 min).P.O. Box 5231, Burlington, VT 05402.Performance: NeatRecording: Good low-fi

Satire being the thing that closes on Sat-urday night, it's good that satirical sing-

er/songwriter Richard Goldman also writesfetching melodies and genuinely affecting,perceptive lyrics. Otherwise, we'd have tomake do with a debut album that's merelyhysterically funny. The songs on "Girls N'Cows," recorded on the cheap - that is, ina bedroom with a drum machine, whichsomehow adds to the charm - address allsorts of issues, including marriage ("Theonly good years that we had were the tireson the car") and celebrity ("Zsa Zsa Gabor /Nobody knows what she's famous for").Elsewhere, Goldman feels bad for a none -too -bright gal pal in All of Her GirlfriendsAre Braindead. Stylistically, the tunes rangefrom "Revolver" -era Beatles (the gorgeousfolk-rock of The Prettiest Girl at the Funer-al, which should be a hit for somebody) tofake -country (No Cows Allowed). The bot-tom line: This is a thoroughly endearing al-bum, and Goodman's a real find. S.S.

THE GUESS WHO:The Ultimate Collection.RCA n: 30)( (Mice CD s. 221Performance: Mostly funRecording: Good to excellent

The Guess Who is a guilty pleasure forme. but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

In any case, I think these guys have gottena raw deal historically. If they had beenEnglish rather than Canadian, they wouldhave been megastars. Not only that, but you

ShockThe Sushi!I r the tradition of theatri-

cal troupes influencedby rock pop culture - theFlying Karamazov Broth-ers BILe Man Group,those Stcmp guys -cone theTokyo ShockBows. E esides toyingwith words, dry ice,firrac kers, and a livesccrpicri the foursome do danger-

ous and hilariousthings with milk,a cactus, a vacuumcleaner, and vari-ous parts of thebody. Their synth -driven guerrillaGodzilla vaude-ville show, whichhas landedOff-Broadway,also features

the Shock Boy Dance(th nk InLtant Y.M.C.A.) and otherchances tor audience par-ticipatiir (think twice).De initalr in the categoryof vlust Be Seen to BeBe ieved the TokyoShack Boys make theKodo Drummersof Japan looklike a coleeklFtch. K.R.

111'y


POPULAR MUSIC

ItHMO WOO IdOWN

thing

SNAPPY'It rummer breaks arm, new drum-

mer turns ballad into rocker, andthe rest is That Thing You Do!. themovie written and directed by TomHanks. If you missed the theatricalrun of his delightful story about afictional one -hit Sixties group called

the Wonders,it's now on FoxVideo, and itstill rings funnyand true asit follows thisEverybandfrom choosinga name tocracking theTop Ten. Thereare fine per-formances byan ensemblecast of new-comers plus

Liv Tyler as theGirlfriend, and it's all held togetherby what the Manager (Hanks) callsthat "snappy" title tune - in fact,written by Adam Schlesinger ofFountains of Wayne and. as youread this, either the winner or a loserfor Best Original Song at the Acad-emy Awards. But there's nothingfailed about Hanks's giddy first timebehind the camera. K.R.

know something - they may actually havebeen a major band!

Okay, I'm kidding - though after lis-tening to "The Ultimate Collection," a verywell -assembled boxed set of their, er,oeuvre, I think maybe I'm not. The problemis that even in an era when it was cool to beeclectic (late Sixties, early Seventies), theGuess Who just ranged too far across thestylistic map, which confused casual listen-ers. The band dished out psychedelic pop(No Time), jazzy pop (Undun), lounge pop(These Eyes), heavy metal pop (AmericanWoman), and country -rock pop (New Moth-er Nature). Wait a minute, I'm detecting atheme here. Good lord, they played pop!

That established, it should be noted thatall the hits are here, gorgeously remastered,along with some interesting alternate takes,rehearsals, demos, etc., plus a judicious se-lection of album tracks (dirty little secret:despite a rep as a singles machine, theGuess Who was an album band at heart).This means we get a generous helpingof the more, shall we say, conceptual work,including material from the criminally out -of -print "Rockin'." For all of these goodies,this sort -of fan gives thanks. One caveat:The liner notes are appallingly illiterate andsingularly uninformative. S.S.


MARK HUMMEL: Heart of Chicago.TfiNir-Cotit 1158 (56 min)Performance: Heart in the right place, tooRecording: A bit muffled

On his sixth record, harmonica virtuosoMark Hummel pays tribute to the Chi-

cago masters, among them Little Walter,James Cotton, and Sonny Boy Williamson.A jump blues specialist, he gets especiallyraw here, backed by Walter guitarist DaveMyers and former Muddy Waters drummerWillie "Big Eyes" Smith and bassist BobStroger. Hummel blows his harp with a deftcombination of attack, phrasing. and tone.often breaking into "talking" solos, chord-al assaults, and hand vibratos. He makesRockin' at the Riverside swing more thanrock and, in the slow burn of / Want YourLove, taps into a listener's most private de-sires. The interplay of harmonica, guitar.and rolling piano is impressive, reachingmoments of glory in Out on a Limb andLove Shock. That precision breaks down inStep Back Baby, and the "peaches" and"shake your tree" clichés of Peaches Treewear thin by this millionth telling. But thatcomes far into the program, and by thenyou're just too intoxicated to leave. A.N.

FREEDY JOHNSTON: Never Home.Iiik \ 6pc(),_:(J111111,

Performance: Promise deliveredRecording: Good and garagey

Hoboken singer/writer Freedy Johnston'sthree previous albums earned him stacks

of critical raves but didn't make much of acommercial splash. And I'd maintain therewere reasons for that: With a few excep-tions, his material was stronger on wordsthan on tunes, and for every shimmeringnumber there were several that were merelywell -crafted.

That's not the case on "Never Home,"where Johnston's songwriting finally be-comes flat-out irresistible. His approachhasn't changed much: He still favors afolkish acoustic -guitar base with touchesof mid -Sixties garage rock. But the hookshere are killers, and Western Sky and YouGet Me Lost are classic -model pop bal-lads. Working with an old -school producer(Neil Young/James Taylor associate DannyKortchmar) was a smart move: the sound is

punchy, and Johnston's rough -edged voiceseems more flexible.

If his tunes have gotten catchier, theemotional depth in his lyrics hasn't suf-fered a bit: You Get Me Lost and One MoreThing to Break, respectively, look at thehopeful beginning and cranky end of a loveaffair. And he doesn't confine himself tofamiliar romantic topics. On the Way Outis a rocker about a criminal on the run,and He Wasn't Murdered appears to bea surreal take on the circumstances sur-rounding the death of Kurt Cobain. If itis, then the line "He wasn't murdered bylove or loneliness" ranks as the month'sbest pun. B.M.

THE OFFSPRING:lxnay on the Hombre.COLUMBIA 67810 (42 min).Performance: TastyRecording: Crystal-clear

Thepunk -rock revival seems to have

passed: Green Day's last album was arelative flop, as were recent solid efforts byBad Religion and Social Distortion. Mak-ing its major -label debut after the 1994 in-dependent hit "Smash," the Offspring istaking no chances: "Ixnay on the Hombre"is a thoroughly commercial album completewith two power ballads, but it's also moretuneful and more fun than any of the discsreferred to above.

In fact, the album's got some great jokes,including a cheesy mambo "intermission"and a Jane's Addiction takeoff, Me & MyOld Lady, in which singer Dexter Hollanddoes a hilariously accurate Perry Farrell im-itation. The two ballads aren't really punk.but they're not bad, sporting big hooks andharmonies while taking convincing looks atteen anxiety (Ama:ed) and grown-up heart-break (Gone Away). The straight -ahead punktracks are no slouch either, with proudly sil-ly standouts in Cool to Hate and Mota. Andin a semi-serious vein, Change the Worldapes an arena -guitar sound to send up rockstars' political pretensions.

The Offspring may get knocked for be-ing a bubblegum punk band, but there's noreal shame in that. Somebody had to pickup the dumb -fun torch now that the Ra-mones are gone. B.M.

The Offspring: tuneful punk, and some great jokes to boot

SILVERCHAIR: Freak Show.i-905 151 111111: eill).11)(cd ('I)).

Performance: Mega -whinyRecording: Generic

T"eY'reyoung, they're cute, and they

sound like an imitation of Bush imitat-ing Nirvana. In terms of originality and be-lievability, Silverchair is the REO Speed -wagon of alternative rock. That's tine if youlike guilty pleasures (the band's hit debut,"Frogstomp," was a passable one), but nowthe guys throw self-pity into the mix. "FreakShow," nothing less than a concept albumabout how awful it feels to become rockstars, doesn't exactly make the heart bleed.

Angst can be tine if you're a good lyri-cist, but singer/guitarist Daniel Johns'swords are more like a tantrum, and his be-ing 17 is no excuse for such howlers as "Nomore maybes, your baby's got rabies," "Meand shame are the same," and "The onlybook I own is called How to Lose" (try theBuck -a -Book, pal). The music is - sur-prise - a slick and metallized version ofNirvana/Bush's sound. The one departure is- surprise - a ballad with strings (Ceme-tery), which resembles Bush's Bonedriven,which resembled Nirvana's All Apologies.

The freak -show idea is overplayed in theCD Extra material, where circus tents holdthe usual assortment of videoclips and in-terviews. But fans should be disappointedto find that not one of the half -dozen clipsincludes a complete song. And in the inter-views, Silverchair whines about bad re-

views - odd behavior for a group thatclaims to hate being rock stars. B.M.

1,12: Pop.I\I AND 524 314 (60 mint.Performance: Still epicRecording: LikewiseWry as it may to become a different band,

U2 is still U2, and that's not a bad thingto be. For all the lounge -lizard irony thatBono displays onstage and in press confer-ences, he's still as earnest as he's been sinceDay One. For all the samples and gadgetrythe band uses nowadays, it's still the mix ofBono's voice and the Edge's snaky guitarthat gives "Pop" its kick. And for all thepostmodern trappings U2 affects. its statusas rock's last great arena band is intact.

Discounting the willful left turn of1993's "Zooropa," this is the logical follow-up to 1991's "Achtung Baby," and thoughthe peaks of "Pop" don't quite match Oneor Mysterious Ways, the new set is moreconsistently rewarding. Once again, the ma-jor departures occur early: The openingDiscotheque (which, in case nobody's no-ticed, sounds a lot like the Rolling Stones'Undercover of the Night) and the edgy Mo-fo both make creative use of sampling exot-ica. But from there the album settles into amore traditional U2 sound. It wouldn't behard to imagine the semiacoustic Staring atthe Sun on the band's first few albums, andeven a techno-driven track like Miami hasthe moody feel of its earlier ballads.

The real surprise is the amount of subtle-ty on display. The grandiose Last Night onEarth is the sort of number Bono might haveoversung in the past, but here his vocal istempered and affecting. And the countryishIf God Will Send His Angels opens with analmost a cappella vocal that sounds like thelatest of his homages to Elvis Presley. Thistime. he's got the heart to pull it off. B.M.

CHRIS WHITLEY: Terra Incognita.WORK 67507 (46 min: enhanced CD).Performance: AtmosphericRecording: Scrub -brush good

Ckris Whitley's 1991 debut, "Living withthe Law," laid out a mythic landscape of

America that signaled the arrival of a fero-ciously talented visionary. Nothing he hasdone since comes near it. Still, "Terra In-cognita" maps an intriguing journey, a mys-tery voyage through the emotional MilkyWay of a failed romance, where Whitley isa kind of astronaut more afraid of comingdown than floating in his own cosmic ruin.

Where "Living with the Law" focused onhis clear, hypnotic guitar chords, and "Dinof Ecstasy" counted on violent distortion,the new album does both, to the accompani-ment of his rusted -out vocals. More suc-cessful with lyric and melody than withHendrix -like jazzy fuzz -tones, he nonethe-less sets up a fascinating texture of swirling,often atonal guitars against which to placehis provocative lyrics ("She got engine inher eyes / She got a throttle that she cannot

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POPULAR MUSICdisguise"). But his conceit is too thin to sus-tain an entire album - and in fact, he'slucky to be able to successfully manage twofive-minute songs (Clear Blue Sky, Aerial).

If, halfway through, you're feeling morethan a little lost in space, that's a good timeto check out the multimedia of this en-hanced CD. The layout is sort of Sixtiespsychedelic, with tulips that open wide andclose, a giant green vegetable minding itsown business, and a cow (click it for por-tions of Weightless). There are also inter-view snippets, where an affable Whitley in-telligently describes the origin of his music.But the real surprise is his deep, sonorousspeaking voice, as different from his high,thin vocals as, well, cows from tulips. A.N.

JAZZCHICK COREA AND FRIENDS:Remembering Bud Powell.SIRE:CH/CONCORD 9012 (74 min).Performance: This Bud's for youRecording: Excellentn ud Powell continues to inspire pianistsMI' of all ages, as well as tributes of everyform imaginable. But Chick Corea's "Re-membering Bud Powell" goes well beyond

QUICKFIXESHOWARD ALDEN: Take Your Pick.CONCORD 4743 (62 min).Alden's signature as a guitarist is a seventhstring that lends a pianolike richness to hischords and risks making an actual piano re-dundant. No such problem here: The pianistis Renee Rosnes, whose fleet counterpointis the perfect touch. And Alden plays witha new rhythmic aggressiveness. Copyrightalert: After All, credited to David Foster, AlJarreau, and Jay Graydon, is actually a BillyStrayhorn ballad from 1941. F.D.

THE BURNS SISTERS: In This World.Pim.° 11 91i (42i min).Producer Garry Tallent gives Annie, Marie,and Jeannie Burns free rein to mix theiroriginal folk, country, and Celtic in songspersonal, social, and politic. From the joyfulcelebration Dance Upon This Earth to the

Eyes, the sisters know how to get to theheart of the matter. And to yours. A.N.

STEVE KOLANDER: Pieces of a Puzzle.RIVER NORTH 1204 (38 min).Kolander continues to develop as a writer,trying to meld country, blues, jazz, and rootsrock into a definable style. Despite being

the usual homage; it has all the earmarks ofa true labor of love, a project to whichCorea devoted much time and energy.

A far cry from the plugged -in sounds ofhis Seventies band Return to Forever, this isan acoustic session for which Corea hassurrounded himself and drummer RoyHaynes with some of today's most accom-plished young players: trumpeter WallaceRoney, saxophonists Kenny Garrett andJoshua Redman, and bassist Christian Mc-Bride. Haynes brings first-hand experiencewith Powell, and Roney's Miles Davis -inspired playing brings to mind a 1947Savoy date on which Powell and Davismade a rare joint appearance. "Remember-ing," however, is not an attempt at recreat-ing the pianist's music. Rather, Corea says.he set out to probe Powell's "intent."

I don't know how you determine some-one's intent - as Corea admits, Powell hada variety of approaches to each composition- but I can tell you that the end result hereis a superbly executed session. C.A.

CHARLIE HADEN AND PAT METHENY:Beyond the Missouri Sky (Short Stories).VFRvii 537 130 (70 min).Performance: Breathing as oneRecording: Intimate

The many traits shared by bassist CharlieHaden and guitarist Pat Metheny - be-

ginning with the unlikely combination ofinstrumental virtuosity and a homespunlyrical bent - make them ideal partners.Metheny here occasionally overdoes the or -

shepherded by Buddy Cannon, the manbehind Shania Twain and Billy Ray Cyrus,he routinely falls between stylistic cracks,probably where his musical sensibility feelsmost at home. Keep an eye on him. A.N.

JUNIOR MANCE: Jubilation.S ILLE 2046 (66 min).On this live set recorded at Toronto's Mon-treal Bistro in 1994, the pianist's gospeledge still crops up, his wonderful blues baseis very much in evidence, and the trill is notgone. Mance beautifully builds up AutumnLeaves, romps through Atlanta Blues, andbecomes ever so lyrical in Lover Man. Hedeserves more attention than he gets. CA.

MEXICO 70: Imperial Comet Hour.BIG POP 0120 (49 min).P.O. Box 12870, Philadelphia, PA 19108.Mexico 70 seems driven in its pursuit of theperfect pop song, and it comes close in Lit-tle Tears and It'll Never Happen Again. Likethe best pop albums, "Imperial Comet Hour"insinuates itself into your memory until itfeels like it's been attached with Velcro.

TONIO K.: Amerika.GADFLY 226 (38 min).P.O. Box 5231. Burlington. VT 05402.Aptly subtitled "Cars, Guitars, and TeenageViolence," Tonio's second LP makes its CDdebut, and while it's not as brilliant as hisfirst, "Life in the Foodchain," longtime read-

chestral and string -section effects he canachieve by use of electronics, and a few ofthe thirteen pieces drift by pleasantly butaimlessly. Overall, however, the duets onflavorsome themes by Henry Mancini, RoyAcuff, Jim Webb, Ennio Morricone, andHaden and Metheny themselves are mes-merizing in their intimacy. F.D.

CONRAD HERWIG:The Latin Side of John Coltrane.As-ron Pt. 4C1 4003 (70 min).Performance: Sharing the chantRecording: Excellent

LI ere's a concept album that works beau-tifully, though I would have given odds

on its chances. John Coltrane's modal vampssuggested the influence of Latin music, evenif that was very indirect. And today, thesaxophonists and pianists in most Latinbands have memorized their Coltrane andMcCoy Tyner. None of which would ensurethe success of "The Latin Side of John Col-trane" - and certainly not if trombonistConrad Herwig and co -arranger Paul Hol-derbaum had approached it as an album ofTrane favorites with Latin percussion un-derneath soloists just running the changes.

What they've given us instead are soar-ing big -band arrangements of those Col-trane pieces that most lend themselves toan idiosyncratic Latin treatment, by virtueof their open-ended construction (India,for example). These savvy versions locatethe unsung chant as the element that thegreat saxophonist and the Afro-Cuban drum

ers may rest easy: I still consider it, like itspredecessor, to be the greatest album everrecorded. Most gut -wrenching cut: Say Good-bye, his prescient, Otis Redding -derivedfarewell to our appalling century. S.S.

VERUCA SALT: Eight Arms to Hold You.Oi il'osT 30001 (51 min,For its second full-length record, the bandteams up with metal producer Bob Rock,who arrives with all the arena trappings -big guitar, big distortion, big dumb drum.Fortunately, he hasn't messed with the sing-ing and songwriting, and the harmonies re-main the drawing point. B.M.

ISLANDS.PL, It MAYO WORLD MUSIC 129 (45 min).The ten tracks are from Cape Verde, Mar-tinique, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Madagascar,Tahiti, Hawaii, and Tortola. Their exoticrhythms and languages give your mind andspirit a lift while taking you on a brief 'round -the -world vacation. William Livingstone


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POPt .1,A II MUSIC

CABARET: ACROSS A SMALL ROOMCabaret is about intimacy. It's aboutthe most direct connection be-tween performer and audience. It'salso about telling a story, but the

truly great singers, following in the tra-dition of Billie Holiday and Frank Sina-tra, are great musicians as well. It isn'tabout belting to fill a Broadway theater orscreaming to be heard over a big band.Most musical -comedy stars and Fifties poplegends would be out of place in the smallrooms that line New York's RestaurantRow, West 46th Street.

Although it's a style unto itself, cabaretborrows heavily: It uses the best songsintroduced on Broadway as a start-ing point, and many of its best sing-ers are heavily influenced by jazz.As Holiday and Sinatra proved,if you can make a lyric sound spon-taneous, you can make the per-former -audience relationship evenmore immediate. Jazz, with its em-phasis on spontaneity, is a naturalbedfellow.

Two prominent talents on NewYork's cabaret scene, Ann HamptonCallaway and Martha Lorin, havecome out with distinctive tributesto Ella Fitzgerald, displaying theirlove for the great Lady as wellas showcasing their own consid-erable talents. They share a deep,sultry sound, and while they'vebeen inspired by Fitzgerald's formi-dable swing, their capacity forlyric interpretation is more in tunewith traditional cabaret goals. Lor-in's set, "A Celebration of Ella"(Cabaret Jazz 5021; 20 Maple St.,Garden City, NY 11530), was re-corded with Paul Smith, amongthe most virtuosic of Fitzgerald'spianists. It's a very personal, one-to-one recital, with Lorin doingfull justice to material that is de-rived largely from Ella's imposing"Songbook" series.

Callaway's accountant may con-sider her theme for TV's The Nan-ny to be her finest work, but mostfans prefer her slow, blues -tingedballads. Then again, no one's goingto complain that she doesn't do a brilliantjob on her set of uptempo and scat num-bers, "To Ella with Love" (After 9fTouch-wood 2006; 1650 Broadway, Suite 1210,New York, NY 10019). Likewise, thoughCallaway is always most convincing whenaccompanied by her own piano, she onlyadds to her scope here by trading in thatlow -budget style for an ambitious full -orch-estra canvas, an all-star rhythm section ledby pianist Cyrus Chestnut, and solos byguest trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

Singing pianists like Callaway, BarbaraCarroll, and Shirley Horn, the current -dayqueen of the genre, are cabaret's bread andbutter. Whereas many singers were intro-

duced in dance bands, Carroll got her breakin Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1953 Broad-way show Me and Juliet. In the decadessince, she has established a reputation asthe show world's premier pianist/entertain-er, a position roughly analogous to whatGeorge Shearing has achieved on theboundaries of jazz and pop. On "All in Fun- The Music of Jerome Kern" (After 9/Touchwood 2007) she takes the composer'sidiosyncratic harmonic structures into ba-roque territory. What Shearing did quite fa-mously with Pick Yourself Up, she nowdoes with I Won't Dance (which also quotesIrving Berlin's The Piceolino and Sonny

Shirley Horn

Rollins's St. Thomas). Carroll's one -notesinging is less engaging on record thanin person, but her keyboard charisma.most often backed here by an appropriate-ly sentimental string section, is dazzlinglyentertaining.

As both player and singer, Shirley Hornstrives for soulfulness rather than dazzle.She is certainly the opposite of the fastand frantic Fitzgerald, and she comes offmuch better in clubs than in concert ven-ues because the saloon atmosphere suitsher relaxed, informal style. On "LovingYou" (Verve 537 022), George Mesterhazy'stastefully applied synthesized string linesdon't hurt. Nor does the album's choice of

songs, including near -definitive readings ofIvan Lins's Love Dance and The Island.While those are Lins's best-known efforts,"Loving You" also contains a pair of "oth-er" songs by alleged one -hit writers. Erroll(Misty) Gamer's Dreamy and Artie (Here'sto Life) Butler's title cut. This is mood mu-sic of the most intelligent and sensual kind.

Claire Martin and Christy Baron aremuch more surface -oriented, but their sur-faces are so attractive that this is hardly acomplaint. Both have a sound that's slickand commercial in the least pejorativesense of those terms. Their backup groupsare well-oiled and, though acoustic, have

a kind of sheen that would gainthem entry to fusion as well asstraight -ahead jazz radio stations.Baron seems to be looking for anR&B audience in addition to thestandards crowd, and her album,"I Thought About You" (Chesky152). includes the most overdonesongs in both the jazz and black -pop genres, such as Body and Souland Ain't No Sunshine. The stan-dards on Martin's "The WaitingGame" (Honest/Linn 5018; 33 Mu-sic Square W., Suite 100, Nashville,TN 37203) are a little farther offthe beaten path, such as You Hit theSpo, a mostly straight -ahead read-ing of Betty Carter's Tight (whichproves that this great song canwork without its composer's man-nerisms), and a valiant attempt toclaim Joni Mitchell's Be Cool aswitty jazz a la Dave Frishberg.Most of Martin's work is about mo-tion rather than emotion, but hermost appealing track shows her in-jecting a note of coy personality(and a Mayfair accent) into ThomasDolby's The Key to Your Ferrari.

Those who (wrongly) considerElla Fitzgerald a foreign influencein the realm where Bobby Shortreigns as king may be even moresurprised to find a cabaret starwhose primary inspiration is ArethaFranklin. Baby Jane Dexter comesout of a tradition of large -soundingsaloon mamas like Bessie Smith,

Sophie Tucker, and Ethel Merman, and on"Big, Bad & Blue - Live!" (Quannacut9602; distributed by Original Cast), her vi-sion of cabaret isn't so much Cole Porter asfolk, blues, and quasi -Nashville. Yet, for allher power, she stays true to cabaret's idealof intimacy, not just in comparatively quietballads like her winning version of Some-thing to Live For but even in her character-istic barrel -voiced admonishments of do -wrong dudes and an unkind, unjust world.Dexter's idiosyncrasies offer further proofthat cabaret isn't just a music museum, ex-huming a closed canon of long -dead show-tunesmiths. It's a living, breathing art form.

-Will Friedwald


masters have in common. It helps, too, thatHerwig, the most prominently featured so-loist, doesn't overblow in what would be avain attempt to replicate Coltrane's intensi-ty. He proves to be a rewarding soloist inhis own right, a trombonist who combinespassion of statement and smoothness of pro-duction in an arresting manner. Of the othersoloists, pianists Richie Bierach, EddiePalmieri, Danilo Perez, and Edward Simonmost catch the ear - especially Bierach,whose angled, percussive choruses in A LOW'Supreme nicely capture the flavor of Tyn-er's on the original recording without com-ing across as imitative in any way. F.D.

EARL HINES: IN NEW ORLEANS.CiiiARosct 21)(1 ( 7 I min).Performance: More varietiesRecording: Crisp

pianist

Earl Hines didn't change withPthe times; rather, it seems, they changedwith him. Take the solo recordings made inNew Orleans in 1977 and now reissuedwith five previously unreleased tracks fromthe session. In a style that had been unique-ly his own for more than half a century, thevenerable player weaves and bops his waythrough twelve tunes, most of them jazzstandards. Of course, only the melodies arefamiliar; what he does with them is as closeto wholly original as anything can get. Evenwhen he injects stride and ragtime pas-sages, he avoids sounding dated. Perhapswe lose our perception of time becauseHines gives us so much to absorb, each per-formance an onslaught of ideas and skillful-ly interwoven patterns. It's almost numb-ing, but in a delightful way, and the beautyis that we can listen to it over and over, dis-covering something new each time. C.A.

GEORGE SHEARING: Favorite Things.H \ RC 83398 (58 min).Performance: Yes, yes, yesRecording: Worthy

On -I-avorite Things," an album of soloperformances, pianist George Shearing

treats us to an hour of shifting moods thatrange from the very somber, almost funere-al opening of Not You Again to an airy Sum-mer Song. But airy is as light as it gets, forthis is mostly a soul-searching trek throughtunes that have caught his fancy over theyears. Artie Shaw's Moonray, a song thatShearing recorded in 1942 on his secondBritish Decca date, gets a complete make-over here, with an effective touch of Bee-thoven's famous lunar probe. You will alsohear Scarlatti, Brahms, and a bit of bop. Anabsorbing album from start to finish. C.A.

CollectionDREAM SESSION - THE ALL-STARSPLAY MILES DAVIS CLASSICS.MILESTONE 9264 (66 min).Performance: Pleasant dreamsRecording: Very good

r- roducers Hitoshi Mizuno and Todd Bar-kan have assembled two groups of top-

notch musicians for this "Dream Session," aMiles Davis tribute that should prove to be

enduring. The rhythm section is the samefor both groups - pianist Jaki Byard,bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Ed Thig-pen - but the horns and vibist Eddie Lockeare neatly shuffled around. Everyone givesa fine performance, even Grover Washing-ton. Jr.; here he plays soprano saxophonewith more substance than I had everthought him capable of. The trumpeters -Eddie Henderson, Roy Hargrove, and Nich-olas Payton - give equal but separate per-formances. And I do mean equal: The three

approach Miles's music from their own per-spectives but with common devotion, andthe same can be said for tenorists BennyGolson and George Coleman.

I have no favorite track among the eight,because this is a thoroughly enjoyable andloving tribute to a colossus whose artistrythese men experienced first-hand. Whatwould Miles have thought? Well, he mighthave asked, half in jest, "Where's my mon-ey?" But I bet he also would have smiledand said, "That's my music." C.A.

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CLASSICAL

SINEW RECORDINGS REVIEWED BY ROBERT ACKART,

RICHARD FREED, DAVID HALL,JAMIE JAMES, GEORGE JELLINEK, AND ERIC SALZMAN

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concertos No. 4and No. 5 ("Emperor").Gerhard Oppitz (piano); Leipzig GewandhausOrchestra, Marek Janowski cond. RCA VICTOR68417 (70 min).Performance: RefreshingRecording: Well -tailored

The appeal of these performances restsperhaps as much on what they don't of-

fer as on what they do. First of all, however,they are very attractive in respect to clarityand elegance of execution. They are also asabsolutely free of pomposity or posturingas they are of any form of eccentricity.

There is no self-conscious suggestionhere that we are dealing with a rebelliousTitan engaged in heroic struggle. Instead,Gerhard Oppitz and his splendid collabora-tor, conductor Marek Janowski. allow notonly the Fourth Concerto but also the "Em-peror" to seek its own level as an essential-ly lyric work, and one in which the Classi-

cal tradition is by no means rejected out-right. The slow movement of No. 5 in par-ticular gains from this approach, movingalong with the all but weightless ease of aradiant Classical reverie rather than theangst -laden tread of late -Romantic innerdrama. The outer movements, too, are just atad brisker and lighter than what seems tohave become the norm of late, without di-minishing the work's substance, its stature,or its very genuine emotional power. For alltheir obvious contrasts, which are by nomeans smoothed away here, these two con-certos have seldom seemed truer partners.

The soloist and conductor, too, are truerpartners than many of the pianists and con-ductors who have recorded these concertosbefore. There is nothing mass-produced orroutine about the way Oppitz and Janowskiappear to be responding here to one anotheras well as to the music to achieve total inte-gration throughout both works, and every-one is in absolutely splendid form. Oppitz'stone is consistently crystalline, his rhythmsteady, his phrasing alert but uncluttered.Janowski has the venerable Leipzig Ge-wandhaus Orchestra playing with an abun-dance of both vigor and warmth, and he al-lows the various instrumental solos to shinewith winning spontaneity. The recordingitself, encoded for Dolby Surround andplayable on both surround -sound and con-ventional stereo systems, is well tailored tothe material. R.F.

BRITTEN: A Midsummer Night'sDream.Sylvia McNair (Tytania). Brian Asawa(Oberon). Ian Bostridge (Flute), Robert Lloyd(Bottom), others; New London Children'sChoir; London Symphony. Colin Davis cond.l'imies 454 122 (two CD's. 148 min).Performance: EnchantingRecording: Evocative

BenjaminBritten's magical setting of

Shakespeare's magical play was hisfinest opera after Billy Budd. and it maywell be the best operatic treatment of theBard ever composed. The key to its successis that it sticks close to the play rather thanattempting to condense, rewrite, and "im-prove" the original. Although the play'saction is somewhat simplified, with everyscene except the finale taking place in thefairies' sylvan kingdom. Shakespeare'swords are unaltered. Britten's music weavesaround the wondrous language with a lav-ish, freewheeling inventiveness that changesmood and color with the transparent light-ness and elasticity of a soap bubble.

The London Symphony plays with su-perb virtuosity and ideal flexibility under

Colin Davis. and the Philips engineers havecaptured the performance in a warm, evoca-tive recording. The cast could not be bet -

%It -Nair% Asawa Lloyd

tendon Sy/wk./1y On hestra

Colin basic

tered (not even by that of the first record-ing, conducted by the composer). The fairyking and queen are both gloriously sung.Brian Asawa's mellifluous, richly coloredcountertenor is reminiscent of that of AlfredDeller, who created the role of Oberon, andSylvia McNair is simply ravishing as Tyta-nia. his queen. Her lovemaking with Bot-tom (amusingly sung by the veteran Britishbass Robert Lloyd) is hair-raisingly erotic

Grace NoteKathleen Battle has virtuallydisappeared from the opera stage

since being fired by the Met back in1994 for what were described as"unprofessional actionsduring rehearsals." Onceacclaimed for herperformances of the light,lyric -soprano operaticrepertoire, the 48 -year -oldsinger from Portsmouth,Ohio, has of late beenheard live only in rarerecital and concertappearances.

A five -timeGrammy winner.Battle continues torecord, however. Herlatest Sony Classicalproject, "Grace," is aCD of sacred arias andsongs by J. S. Bach,Handel, Mozart.Rossini, and Faurethat was released inMarch. The harpistNancy Allen, theorganist andharpsichordistAnthony Newman,

SopranoKathleenBattle

and theAmericanBoychoir joinBattle in someselections, and a chamber orchestra isconducted by Robert Sadin.

,12


- never mind that her lover has been trans-formed into a donkey.

The young (human) lovers are well cast,too, with John Mark Ainsley especiallypleasing as Lysander, a role created by Pe-ter Pears. In a particularly luxurious bit ofcasting, the exciting young lieder specialistIan Bostridge sings the role of Flute; hisrendition of "0 sweet bully Bottom!" is oneof the drollest moments in this set. J. J.

CHARPENTIER: Les Plaisirsde Versailles; Arias on Stanzas from"Le Cid"; Amor Vince Ogni Cosa.Les Arts Florissants. William Christie cond.ER.vro 14774 (53 min).Performance: SkillfulRecording: Bright

Wimam Christie and Les Arts Floris-sants here offer three wispy little

works in French Baroque genres unknownto few but musicologists - the operatic di-vertissement, the "serious song," and thedramatic pastorale. They have their charms.but very slight ones, and they require con-siderable imagination on the part of themodem listener.

The divertissement, Les Plaisirs de Ver-sailles, is a bantering contest between Mu-sic and Conversation, embodied by sopranoand mezzo, as to who will rule the roost atLouis XIV's court. It's done with consum-mate skill, and hearing mezzo Katalin Kar-olyi, as Conversation, squawking while so-prano Sophie Daneman's prissy Music at-

tempts to show her stuff will initially raise asmile. It doesn't wear well, however, and ul-timately tends to support the notion that hu-mor doesn't translate.

The very brief pastorale Amor Vince Og-ni Cosa (Love Conquers All), a delightful bitof fluff about amorous shepherds and shep-herdesses, gave Charpentier a chance toshow off his ability to compose in the Ital-ian manner. What will speak most forceful-ly here to modem listeners is the trio ofsongs on texts based from Comeille's tra-gedy Le Cid, which are sung with affectingwarmth by tenor Paul Agnew. JJ.

CORIGLIANO: To Music; Voyage forFlute and String Orchestra; Campane diRavello; Elegy for Orchestra;Promenade Overture; Creations.I Fiamminghi. Rudolf Wenhen cond. THAW:80421 (62 min).Performance: Necromantic glowRecording: First-class

ohn Corigliano is one of our most inven-tive and wide-ranging composers, but

you'd never know it from the first fourpieces on this recording. In an unfortunate

bit of programming. these short works, alldrenched in the same warm, Neoromanticglow, are set up one after the other. A cer-tain sameness ensues; even though theywere created over a period of thirty years,they all sound like outtakes from the samefilm score.

Things perk up with the PromenadeOverture, a witty twist on Haydn's "Fare-well" Symphony in which the musicianssaunter onto the stage instead of packing upto leave as in the Haydn. Obviously, this isa piece with a built-in build-up, and thecomposer and performers take advantageof it. Creations, originally written for a pro-jected television version of Genesis fromthe Bible, is a colorful background for actorIan McKellen's low-key narration of "TheCreation of the World" and "The Creationof Adam and Eve." The scoring is a bit toofacile and literal -minded in illustrating thetext, but it is full of ingenuity and offers thevariety lacking earlier. The performancesby I Fiamminghi, an excellent Belgianorchestra, and the recording by Telarc areboth first-class. E.S.

HAYDN: Piano Concertos in G Major,F Major, and D Major (Hob. XVIII: Nos.4, 7, and 11).Mikhail Pletnev (piano); DeutscheKammerphilhannonie. Mikhail Pletnev cond.VIRGIN 45196 (62 mini.Performance: ExceptionalRecording: Mellow

esaydn's key hoard concertos are not con-sidered to be among his most impor-

tant or most representative works, but thereis a great deal of pleasure to be found inthem, as Mikhail Pletnev demonstrates withtruly revelatory enthusiasm in these remark-ably enlivening performances. He respondsto Haydn's quasi -syncopated enticements inthe opening movement of the G Major withaccents that evoke the character of the oldfortepiano while at the same time makingevery phrase spring to life with unexpectedwit and spice. The wonder of it all is thatthe rhythm is by no means upset by this sortof emphasis, with its tiny punctuating paus-es, but rather strengthened by it; giving thephrases room to breathe does not apprecia-bly slow things down but actually enhancesthe impression of overall liveliness. Plet-nev's own cadenzas, in this movement andthe adagio, are far less persuasive, tendingto meander and lose touch, and the slowmovement does seem overindulged andlacking in flow. But then in the finale, as inthe first movement, all thought of resistanceis simply overwhelmed.

I have no reservations at all about thetreatment of the famous D Major Concerto.The orchestral contribution is especiallyalert and pointed from the first bar to thelast, the slow movement flows most agree-ably, and the concluding Hungarian rondohas probably never been quite so mischie-vously winsome. The F Major, a workwhose authenticity is in some question, cer-tainly benefits from the treatment it receiveshere, but it amounts to little more than anentr'acte between the two more substantialconcertos. R.F.

&MINIM Symphonies Nos. 3 and 7;Concerted° ("Moby Dick").Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz cond.Di.ios 3164 (58 min).Performance: ExcellentRecording: First-rate

Petet Mennin (1923-1983) was one ofAmerican music's major symphonists.

The best of his nine works in that form rankwith the best of Roy Harris, William Schu-man, and perhaps David Diamond (somefeel the jury is still out on Diamond). Al-though seven of Mennin's symphonies have

been recorded, at this writing only the twoperformed here by Gerard Schwarz and theSeattle Symphony are available.

I've always felt that No. 3 was one of thebest, with an opening movement that packsa wallop comparable to the opening of theVaughan Williams Fourth Symphony. Asplendid long line is sustained throughoutthe slow movement, and a relentless drivemanifests itself in the finale. The Seventh,styled "Variation Symphony," is a moresomber piece and displays in some pas-sages the fierce nervosity we find in middleand late Schuman. Its high point comeswith the two final sections, beginning witha quasi-passacaglia. In both of these works,Mennin's command of structure and ex-pressive content is absolute. I am less con-vinced by the music of the I I -minute Con-certato subtitled Mob), Dick. I sense littleof Melville here other than a brooding qual-ity that evolves into an elemental motoricdrive.

In any case, Schwarz and his Seattlecrew are in fine form - even with a slightslackening of momentum midway in thefirst movement of the Symphony No. 3. Therecorded sound is absolutely first-rate. D.H.

P IAZZO L LA: Revirado; Fuga yMisterio; Milonga del Angel;Decor ssimo; Soledad; La Muerte delAngel: Adios Nonino; Libertango;Verano Porteo; Michelangelo '70;Buenos Aires Hora Cero; Tangata.Emanuel Ax. Pahlo Ziegler (pianos). SONY62728(60 mini.

Performance: Spectacular, intenseRecording: First-class

When composer/performers die theirmusic often goes into limbo, but this

has not been the case with the great tan-guero Astor Piazzolla. In his lifetime hardlyanyone else performed his music (whowould have dared?), but since his deaththere has been a whole spate of versions,often on classical labels. Some of the mostsuccessful to date are these two -piano ar-rangements by Pablo Ziegler, the pianist in


CLASSICAL. MUSIC

HUNGARIANAthoughtful list of inexplicablyneglected symphonic works might

well begin with Ernst von Dohnanyi'sSuite in F -sharp Minor, a strikingfour -movement work that is perhaps evenmore lovable and more brilliant thanhis one piece that clingsto a peripheral place inthe repertory, the Varia-tions on a Nursery Songfor piano and orchestra.Hungaroton has madeamends handsomely withan ingratiating new re-cording of it by the Bu-dapest Symphony underTamas Vasary - who,like Dohnanyi himself, isa Hungarian musicianwho has earned recognition as both anoutstanding pianist and a fine conductor.Happily, this is no mere stopgap; Vasary'sfeeling for the suite's endearing tunes andgorgeous orchestral color (includingprominent, folk -flavored solo passagesfor clarinet and cello) is beyond question,and his response is surehanded.

The two additional works on the well -filled disc have at least had circulation in

FANTASYother recent recordings, but not verymany. They are especially welcome hereas part of a program that shows thecomposer at his most appealing. CsabaOnczay is the very persuasive soloist inan uncut, beautifully integrated

performance of theKonzertstiick for Celloand Orchestra, and theorchestra alone follows upwith the somewhat laterSymphonic Minutes, a setof five concise andcharacterful pieces asmasterfully accomplishedas the F -sharp MinorSuite, and almost asfetching. Hungaroton'sproduction team

apparently focused more on warmth thanon sharp -edged delineation, and that suitsthis music just fine. Richard Freed

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Piazzolla's quintet for more than ten yearsand himself a major tanguero. Two -pianoPiazzolla was, apparently, the brainstorm ofthe Argentinian musician and record pro-ducer Ettore Stratta, who also conceived thenotion of pairing Ziegler with the classicalpiano virtuoso Emanuel Ax.

Piazzolla's incomparable bandoneon ismissing, but the music sits extraordinarilywell in the two -keyboard medium, and theblizzard of elegant virtuosity that these ar-rangements require - and which these twovery different pianists supply in equal mea-sure - is almost its own justification. Inthe end, however, it is the intensity of thismusic, its connections with the EuropeanClassical/Romantic tradition, and the abilityof these performers to express both thatmake it all work. That Piazzolla's musiccan transcend the narrow definitions of tra-ditional tango has been demonstrated be-fore, but never better than here. E.S.

RACHMANINOFF: Piano ConcertoNo. 3; Piano Sonata No. 2; Preludes inG Major, C -sharp Minor, G -sharp Minor,and G Minor.David Helfgott (piano); CopenhagenPhilharmonic, Milan Horvat cond. RCAVirroR 40378 (74 min).Performance: RespectableRecording: Mixed bag

The Australian pianist David Helfgott re-mained relatively unknown to the world

at large until the film Shine, detailing hiscomeback from nearly a decade of mentalaffliction, created a sensation at the 1995Sundance Film Festival and went on to wincritical plaudits worldwide. The machinery

DOHNANYI: Suite in F -Sharp Minor;Konzertstiick for Cello and Orchestra;Symphonic Minutes.Csaba hit /a) b. II() ), Budapest Symphony,Tamas Vasary cond. HUNGAROTON 31637(71 min).

of publicity thrust Helfgott into a glaringlimelight that has primed expectations inmany quarters for a sensational rival to thelikes of Vladimir Horowitz or Vladimir Ash-kenazy, at least in the realm of Rachmani-noff performance. For it is the formidableyet subtle Rachmaninoff Third Piano Con-certo, which Horowitz "owned," that is themusical focal point of the film.

To put it bluntly, Helfgott gives us musi-cianly and thoroughly respectable readingsof the Third Concerto and the knuckle -bust-ing B -flat Minor Sonata, but he in no waymatches the dynamic subtleties, let alonethe blazing virtuosity, displayed by the twomagnificent Russian pianists. The curiouslyintractable sonata takes an Ashkenazy or aHorowitz not merely to deal with its techni-cal challenges but, more important, to makethe structure intelligible. I give Helfgott anA for effort, but that's not enough.

As for the concerto, the performance wasrecorded at a November 2, 1995, concert inCopenhagen's Tivoli Concert Hall. Helf-gott's playing aside, I find the miking un-comfortably close -a conductor's ear view,so to speak. This music needs more elbowroom to make its proper effect, and whilethe Copenhagen Philharmonic under MilanHorvat provides able collaboration, the mu-sic also needs a world -class orchestra.

In many respects, the best known of thefour preludes recorded here tells the story.The famous C -sharp Minor Prelude is onthe broody side, slower in pace by a fullminute than Rachmaninoff's own three ver-sions. The equally famous G Minor is like-wise on the slowish side, lacking in elemen-tal drive. The studio sonics for the solo cuts

are decent enough but no match for Ashke-nazy's London recording venues. The best Ican say about the present CD is that it's afine souvenir of the film. D.H.

ROSSINI: Stabat Mater.Luba Orgonasova, Cecilia Bartoli (sopranos);Raul Gimenez (tenor); Roberto Scandiuzzi(bass); Vienna State Opera Chorus; ViennaPhilharmonic, Myung-Whun Chung cond.DI:nTsc'lu:GRA MMOPHON 449 178 (59 min).Performance: GloriousRecording: Ditto

The oft -repeated joke about Verdi's Re-quiem is that it was one of his greatest

operas. Much the same might be said ofRossini's Stabat Mater, as sensational apiece of liturgical music as was ever writ-ten. This new recording is a fine one, with alucid, spacious acoustic that captures apowerful, surging performance by the Vien-na Philharmonic. Conductor Myung-WhunChung wrings every ounce of drama out ofthe music, yet he also makes the tender,gentle passages sing.

The cast of soloists is a fine one, thoughCecilia Bartoli isn't ideally suited for thesecond soprano part. She has the high notes,but her dark, pure mezzo-soprano timbre

lacks the full measure of clarity and trans-parency for her cavatina. Luba Orgonasovais marvelous in the "Ittflammatus." whichimmediately follows, her robust, brilliantlyhued voice riding high over the orchestra.The most Rossinian of the soloists is tenorRaul Gimenez, who sings a superb "Cujusanimam," tastefully shaped yet endowedwith all the emotional urgency one couldask for.

Yet the highest vocal honors go to thechorus, recorded with outstanding brillianceand clarity, qualities that make the spectac-ular finale every bit as exciting as anythingRossini ever wrote for the opera house. JJ.

SISELIUS: Nightride and Sunrise;Luonnotar; Lemminkoinen Suite.Solveig Kringelhom (soprano); RoyalStockholm Philharmonic, Paavo Jarvi cond.VIRGIN 45213 (73 min).Performance: ImpressiveRecording: Very good

tavo Jiirvi (the son of the redoubtableNeeme) shows himself to be a formida-

ble Sibelius interpreter. Each work here is achallenge. Nightride and Sunrise can bepretty dull stuff unless the conductor paysclose attention to subtleties of colorationand dynamics throughout the fierce gallopof the "Nightride" section. Luonnotar, themystical tone poem for soprano depictingthe creation of the world as recounted in


The magazinethat knocks you on your ea

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CLASSICAL MUSIC

GLORIOUS BAROQUE SLAPSTICKCan there be a more unlikely subject foran opera than the life of St. Alexius? A

poor little Roman rich boy, he disappearedon his wedding night and turned upseventeen years later as a homeless beggarliving incognito under the grand staircase ofhis own palace. For this extraordinarilydubious achievement he was awarded thepalm of sainthood, a Roman church of hisvery own, and finally an opera by aFlorentine cardinal, Giulio Rospigliosi(who later became Pope Clement X), and acertain Stefano Landi, a former choirboy.The improbabilities multiply. This saintlyRoman opera, written for a cast of castratiand boys, is always cited in the historybooks for its innovative comic scenes!

The new Erato recording of Landi's11 Sant'Alessio by William Christie andLes Arts Florissants lacks castrati but leavesthe opera's slapstick, acres of recitative, andsensational improbabilities reasonablyintact. Alexius no sooner makes his Act Iappearance than two local hoods descendon him, pull his beard, tear his rags, andotherwise manage a little sadistic bum -baiting. These antics, delightfully set tomusic, are followed by a rousing andcampy song -and -dance number for, I kidyou not, the devils in hell. Not long afterthat is an interpolated dance number for akick line of peasant girls played by thechorus boys. I am not making this up.

Music? Absolutely stunning, but bewarned - most of it is recitative. There area few substantial choruses and instrumentalnumbers spotted throughout, and a choraland choreographic finale of somedimensions, but most of the two-hour

the Kalevala, requires the greatest delicacyof touch in its opening pages as well as asinger of superlative power and control, onewho is able to navigate the stratosphere.The Lemminkiiinen Suite - properly titledFour Legends, Op. 22 - contains not onlythe well-known Swan of Tuonela and thehold -on -for -dear -life finale known as Lem-minkainen's Homeward Journey but alsotwo lesser -known and less interesting sec-tions, Lemminkiiinen and the Island Maid-ens and Lemminkiiinen in Tuonela, in whichthe challenge is to avoid bombast.

Happy to say, Jarvi surmounts all thehurdles with ease. Nightride and Sunrise isexhilarating and colorful. The listener ismade more than usually aware of the kin-ship between the "Sunrise" music and theOlympian trombone theme of Sibelius'sSymphony No. 7 more than a dozen yearslater. Luonnotar is totally spellbinding,thanks in large measure to the fine-tunedvocal control of soprano Solveig Kringel-born. The Lemminkainen pieces come offsplendidly, with a magical Swan of Tuonelaand a real go -for -broke Homeward Journey.The response of the Stockholm Philhar-monic players is razor-sharp, and the conicsare a joy to the ear. Get this one. D.H.

length of this work is occupied by seriousrecitative in a sumptuous early -opera style.Only in a few places does the musicactually coalesce into song - but whatmoments they are! The arias and thechoruses - comic, demonic, or seriouslyexpressive - are drop -dead beautiful, but itis on the strength of the handling of therecitative that this revival lives or dies.And it lives. Christie and his ensemblemake a triumph of it, revealing anextraordinary series of forgotten wondersand unsuspected beauties.

It's a small miracle the way Christie

keeps finding glorious voices for earlyopera. Patricia Petibon, in the title role, hasone of those clear,voices capable of the most exquisite dictionand phrasing. Those are not secondaryconsiderations in a work like this; a tellingdelivery of the words is everything, and thisis a wonderful reading of what is a trulydeclamatory role. Listen to Alessio's big

TCNAIKOVSKT: Piano Concerto No. 1;Nutcracker Suite (arr. Economou).Martha Argerich, Nicolas 1..colioniou (piano);Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado cond.Mil !Tsui GRAmmoptioN 449 816 (53 min).Performance: DazzlingRecording: Rich and smoothErom the evidence here, Martha Argerich

has certainly not lost her enthusiasm forthe most popular of all piano concertos, andshe is definitely a performer who benefitsfrom recording live. Her 1971 studio re-cording of the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1with Charles Dutoit and the Royal Philhar-monic on Deutsche Grammophon, in therather expansive interpretative frame thatwas the norm at the time, is still one of theoutstanding accounts. This latest remake,taped in concert in 1994, puts the work in asomewhat different perspective.

As in her 1980 concert recording withKiril Kondrashin and the Bavarian RadioOrchestra on Philips, Argerich trims twominutes off the length of the first movementcompared with the 1971 recording withoutgiving the slightest hint of breathlessness orany degree of undue haste. The music sim-ply flows more naturally, more unaffected-ly, with a greater sense of spontaneity and

sequence of scenes near the end of thesecond act, first solo, then with the Deviland an angel, and culminating in theexquisite song "0 morte gradita." There isno aria in the entire repertoire whose simpleand melting beauty is more deeply earnedthan this one!

Sophie Marin-Degor, as the saint'sneglected wife, has the most passionaterole, and she makes the most of it. The twocomic pages, played by Mhairi Lawsonand Steve Dugardin, are perfectly cast, andso is Clive Bayley as an oily Demonio,the only true low voice among the leads.Although Nicolas Rivenq is describedin the cast list as a bass, his Eufemianosounds as much like a tenor as ChristopherJosey's Adrasto. Even the allegoricalfigures are outstanding - notablyMaryseult Wieczorek, who, as both Romeand Religion, gets some of the mostexquisitely melodic music. Chorus andorchestra are equally essential parts of LesArts Florissants, and their work isimpeccable.

A notable feature of the performance isits theatricality and expressivity. Christieand his performers take this grandemotional and dramatic subject as seriouslyas would any self-respecting Baroquepainter. There is good humor and plenty ofgrand theatrical gestures, but even whennothing external is taking place, theinternal drama never falters. A remarkableachievement. Erie Salzman

LANDI: II Sant'Alessio.Les Arts Florissants, William Christie cond.ERATo 14340 (two CD's, 129 min)

electricity. There is no lack of poetry in theslow movement, and the finale, while ex-ceptionally fleet of foot, never quite runsaway with itself.

But while Argerich amply reconfirms herstatus at or near the top of the list of per-

formers of this concerto, this particular re-cording may not be a clear choice. It is heronly digital one, and it is demonstrablyricher and smoother than the two earlierones, as well as free of the coughing andapplause that intrude in the live Philips re-cording from Munich, but there are somelapses in balance. The brief cello solo abouttwo minutes into the slow movement, forinstance, is virtually buried here, as it is onthe Philips disc; Dutoit and his recording


team saw that it was put in proper perspec-tive. There is also the matter of the compan-ion work, here a reissue (from 1983) of apianistically brilliant but quite dispensabletranscription of the Nutcracker Suite, awork Tchaikovsky put together specificallyto exhibit certain orchestral textures. R.F.

VIVALDI: Six Concertos, Op. 10.G. SAMMARTINI: Concerto in F Major.Michala Petri (recorder): Moscow Virtuosi,Vladimir Spivakov cond. RCA VICTOR 68543(62 (MM.Performance: ExcellentRecording: Likewise

Vivaldi's Op. 10 concertos, usuallyplayed on a transverse flute, are here

given a broader range of color and fullercharacter delineation by Michala Petri, whouses an alto recorder for Nos. I, 2, and 5and a sopranino recorder for Nos. 3, 4, and6. The disc is filled out with a more extend-ed and especially fetching Concerto in FMajor by the lesser -known of the Sammar-tini brothers, Giuseppe, that is heard onthe flute or oboe from time to time but ishere offered on the instrument for which itappears to have been written, a soprano re-corder. This is by all means one of the mostattractive releases of its kind in a long time.Petri has never been more ingratiating, norhas she ever enjoyed such consummatecollaboration with an orchestral ensemble(could it be Vladimir Spivakov himself wehear in the poignant violin solo at the be-ginning of the largo in the Vivaldi ConcertoNo. 6?). The recording itself is exemplaryin both its well -judged focus and its all-round vividness. R.F.

VIVIER: Prologue pour un Marco Polo;Bouchara; Zipangu; Lonely Child.Susan Narucki (soprano): vocal ensemble;Schonberg and Asko Ensembles, Reinbert deI.eemv coml. Pim II'S 454 231 1(,5 min).Performance: Superb, metaphysicalRecording: Otherworldly

laude Vivier was born in Montreal inV1948, studied with Stockhausen inCologne, traveled in Asia, and then movedto a very rough quarter of Paris, where hewas murdered, under somewhat mysteriouscircumstances, in 1983. His work hasemerged in recent years as some of themost original and striking in avant-gardemusic. Most of it is vocal - some of it setto a language that he made up - and all ofit has an almost unbearable intensity.

Reinbert de Leeuw and his excellentDutch performers have put together a col-lection of four Vivier works that form astrange, otherworldly opera about MarcoPolo - another Westerner who traveled inAsia. These superb performances, superblyrecorded, catch the metaphysical accents ofthis fervent, strong, monodimensional mu-sic, whose true subject matter has to dowith journeys, aspirations, and dreams.

1 have one strong criticism: No texts atall are supplied with the CD. Not all of thelanguage in these pieces is made up, and itwould be desirable, at the very least, toknow what these people are singing orspeaking about. E.S.

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CLASSICAL MUSIC

CPIJICFIXESBACH: Concertos for Three and FourHarpsichords (BWV 1063-1065);Italian Concerto (BWV 971); Fantasiaand Fugue in A Minor (BWV 904).Bob van Asperen, Bernhard Klapprott,Marcelo Bussi, Carsten Lohff (harpsichords);Melante Amsterdam, Bob van Asperen cond.VIRGIN VERITAS 45204 (62 min).The first concerto here is one by Vivaldithat Bach arranged for four harpsichordsinstead of four violins, but the one for threeharpsichords is genuine Bach. The famousItalian Concerto, brilliantly performedhere (presumably by Bob van Asperen), isa solo work in concerto style. The rathermismatched Fantasia and Fugue in A Mi-nor (probably two separate works) ismerely a filler. But the performances areall worthwhile, with first-class soloists andan excellent ensemble of vintage solostrings. E.S.

MOZART: Sonatas for Piano andViolin in F Major (K. 377), E Minor(K. 304), F Major (K. 547), and E -flatMajor (K. 481).Yefim Bronfman (piano); Isaac Stern (violin).SONY 61962 (78 min).Sony has not only given pianist YefimBronfman top billing (following Mozart's

own description of these works) but hasfor the most part placed him conspicuous-ly farther forward than violinist IsaacStem, giving the impression of a keyboardrecital - a robust, brilliant, and stylishone - with some incidental fiddling in thebackground rather than a full partnership.Only in K. 304 (recorded in a differentsetting) do Stem's characteristic warmthand spirit make themselves felt. R.F.

POULENC: Babar the Elephant.RAVEL: Mother Goose, Suite.Meryl Streep (narrator); Mona and ReneeGolabek (piano); New Zealand Symphony,JoAnn Falletta cond. KOCH INTERNATIONAL7368 (61 min).Poulenc composed his odd little piecebased on the children's book Bahar theElephant at the very end of his life. Thiswhimsical disc of storytelling matchedwith music is the sort of thing adults wishchildren would like, rather than something

kids will actually listen to. Meryl Streep'spear-shaped tones are a bit too snooty forthe material, but adult fans of Babar andPoulenc will certainly want to have thisrarity on their shelf. The Ravel suite isperformed with and without narration. JJ.

TELEMANN: Wind Concertos.Catiletala Kok). DLU I Si t IL HARMONIAMUNDI 77367 (62 min).Telemann wrote dozens of lightheartedand idiomatic concertos for every conceiv-able instrument -except, oddly enough,

keyboards - and the estimable CamerataKöln seems to be determined to recordthem all. The solo instruments here in-clude recorders, flutes, oboe, oboe d'amore,violin, and cello. Telemann was an earlyexponent of fusion, combining Italian,French, German, and even Polish styles.The results are fluent, witty, sometimessurprising, often sweet, invariably sophis-ticated, amusing, and inventive - and.in these superlative performances, ear -caressing. E

DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY: Credo.Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone); St.Petersburg Chamber Choir, Nikolai Komievcond. PHILIPS 446 089 (63 min).The thirteen selections here from RussianOrthodox liturgical music are richly har-monized, and the mixed choir expertlyperforms them, riding the dynamic rangefrom hushed pianos to exultant fortes.Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings his relativelybrief solos with rich tone and ringing fer-vor, warmly blending with the choral bodybut delivering a stunning A -natural in thepenultimate selection. GJ.

NOBUKO IMAI: Viola Bouquet.Nobuko Imai (viola); Roland Pontine')(piano). PHILIPS 446 103 (77 min).The world -class violist Nobuko Imai hereoffers a mix of fluff and genuine sub-stance. Indeed, only one of the sixteen se-lections is a major piece. Kodaly's re-markable transcription for solo viola ofthe fantasia from Bach's Chromatic Fanta-sy and Fugue. Of the other substantialpieces, I would single out Kodaly's ownearly Adagio and Brahms's powerful CMinor scherzo from the F.A.E. Sonata.The lighter pieces by Tchaikovsky, Faure,Elgar, Bloch, Kreisler, Schumann, Falla,and others are elegantly done, Roland Pon-tinen's piano accompaniments are flawless,and the recorded sound is a pleasure. D.H.

CollectionsMICHEL BEROFF ANDJEAN-PHILIPPE COLLARD:French Piano Duos and Duets.ENII 55(47 0,7 nun).Performance: StunningRecording: Very good01%f the live works on this disc, Bizet's

Jeux d'Enlants, the only one for pianoduet (four hands at one keyboard), is alsothe only one presented in its original form.All the rest were conceived and composedspecifically and brilliantly in orchestralterms, then transcribed for two pianos. It'sRavel's transcription of two Debussy noc-turnes, Nuages and Fetes, as well as of hisown Rapsodie Espagnole. but Debussy'sown of The Afternoon of a Faun and Du-kas's own of his famous scherzo, The Sor-cerer's Apprentice.

While these versions are not in any senseviable substitutes or replacements for therespective orchestral ones, they are remark-ably effective in their own right. All threecomposers. after all, wrote brilliantly forboth the piano and the orchestra, and theseperformances by the long-time (if only oc-casional) collaborators Michel Beroff andJean -Philippe Collard are downright stun-ning. The recording itself is just about idealin respect to both realism and balance. R.F.

JOEL KROSNICK ANDGILBERT KALISH:In the Shadow of World War II(Cello Sonatas by Prokofiev, Poulenc,and Carter).

Krosnick (cello): Gilbert Kalish (piano).Aumifscii 26682 (69 min).Performance: SplendidRecording: First-rateA II three of these cello sonatas were

Dit completed within a year of each other,in 1948 and 1949, and they all have a Janus -like aspect. looking both forward and back-ward. The Prokofiev reflects to a degree thebeating he and Shostakovich took in 1948from the Soviet apparatchiks, who demand-ed a strictly socialist -realist aesthetic - nomore modern monkey business. Howeverwell crafted, the work has always seemed abit spiritless to my ear. All praise then tocellist Joel Krosnick and his superb collab-orator, pianist Gilbert Kalish, for bringing itto vibrant life.

The Poulenc finds that Gallic master ofsong and choral music in typically matureform. For all the seeming nonchalance ofthe three fast movements, they make stiffdemands on the players in terms of bothvirtuosity and musicianship. The high pointis the elegant yet intensely tender cavatinaslow movement.

The wonderful Elliott Carter sonata isthe one really forward -looking work in thiscollection, pointing toward his mature andoften knotty musical speech. but a happymedium is struck between complexity andaccessibilty. Piano and cello very much re-tain their individual instrumental charac-ters, generating both comedy and deadlyserious drama. The new performance hasmore warmth than the one Krosnick and


Paul Jacobs recorded for Nonesuch in 1969,heretofore the standard version (and stillavailable on CD), and this one has the bene-fit of state-of-the-art sound. A "must" col-lection for cello buffs and lovers of top-drawer musicianship. D.H.

CAROL VANESS: Verdi and DonirstiiArias.Carol Vaness (soprano); Bavarian Radio Choir;Munich Radio Orchestra, Roberto Abbadocond. RCA VICTOR 61828 (72 min).Performance: RewardingRecording: Very good

Carot Vaness sings and interprets the"grand" dramatic roles excerpted here

with assurance, insight, and vocal beauty.The Final Scene of Donizetti's Anna Bole-na is delivered with accurate coloratura anda strong sense of pathos always controlled.Each of the four Verdi pieces offers its ownreward. The "Sempre libera" from La Tra-viata conveys Violetta's near -desperate stateof mind (the passages are too often deliv-ered as a vocalise). There is a ghostly aurato Lady Macbeth's whispered guilt in theSleepwalking Scene from Macbeth, Desde-mona's strength is revealed in the WillowSong and Ave Maria from Otello, and thereading of the Miserere and cabaletta from// Trovatorr is immensely gripping. Through-out, Vaness's voice is beautiful, modulated,unforced, and her attention to the texts andcharacterizations is commendable. Able as-sistance is provided by the orchestra andchorus under the caring direction of Rober-to Abbado. R.A.

COPYRIGHT ID 1997 BY HACHETTE FILI-PACCHI MAGAZINES, INC. All rights re-served. Stereo Review, May 1997. Volume 62,Number 5. Stereo Review (ISSN 0039-1220) ispublished monthly by Hachette Filipacchi Mag-azines, Inc. at 1633 Broadway, New York. NY10019; telephone (212) 767-6000. One-yearsubscription rate for the United States and itspossessions, $19.94; Canada. $29.34 (CanadianBusiness Number 126018209RT. IPN SalesAgreement Number 99236); all other countries,$27.94; cash orders only, payable in U.S. cur-rency. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY10001, and at additional mailing offices. Autho-rized as periodical mail by the Post Office De-partment, Ottawa, Canada, and for payment ofpostage in cash. POSTMASTER /SUBSCRIP-TION SERVICE: Please send change -of -ad-dress forms and all subscription correspondenceto Stereo Review. P.O. Box 55627. Boulder, CO80322-5627. Please allow at least eight weeksfor the change of address to become effective.Include both your old and your new address, en-closing, if possible, an address label from a re-cent issue. If you have a subscription problem,write to the above address or call (303) 604-1464; fax, (303) 604-7455. PERMISSIONS:Material in this publication may not be repro-duced in any form without permission. Requestsfor permission should be directed to: The Editor,Stereo Review, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY10019. BACK ISSUES are available. Write toISI/Stereo Review, 30 Montgomery Street. Jer-sey City, NJ 07302. For each copy ordered, en-close a check or money order for $5.95 in U.S.funds ($7.25 for orders sent to Canada. $12.95for other foreign locations); add $2 to thoseprices for each copy of the 1997 Stereo Buyer'sGuide annual. For telephone credit-card orders.call (201) 451-9420. EDITORIAL CONTRI-BUTIONS must be accompanied by returnpostage and will be handled with reasonablecare, but the publisher assumes no responsibilityfor the return or safety of unsolicited manu-scripts, art, or photographs.

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ReaderService No. Advertiser

4 Adcom

3 Alpine

PageNumber

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- Best Selling Home Plans 58

6 Cambridge Sound Works 48-49,50

- Camel 47

- Chesky Records 10

II Crutchfield 51

- Car Stereo Review 101

15 Definitive Technology C2-1, 32. 33

67 Energy 57

66 Energy 59

36 Eosone 55

18 J&R Music World 84-85

12 JBL C3

27 Jensen 2-3

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39 MCM 105

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25 NuReality 93

47 One Call 95

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42 Paradigm 43

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Catalog Showcase Stereo Review

Stereo Review makescatalog shopping easy, fun &affordable! Order the best inaudio/video equipment, acces-sories and software from thecomfort of your own home.lteat yourself to this excitingopportunity by simply checkingoff your selections on the orderform below, enclosing yourpayment, and mailing it in!You can also order yourcatalogs by phone with ourconvenient toll -free number1-800-360-5224.

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THE HIGH ENDCOREY GREENBERG

Dr. Toole's Amazing PhantomSurround -Sound Tonic

Irecently spent a day with HarmanInternational's VP of Engineering,Dr. Floyd Toole, to hear an amazingdemonstration of 5.1 -channel Dolby

Digital surround sound. I say "amazing"because we weren't listening to the usualhome -theater setup with five speakers anda subwoofer. Instead, all of the soundcoming from around the room was pro-duced by a single pair of stereo speakers!

The trick is "phantom imaging" - cre-ating virtual sound sources by manipulat-ing the output of the real speakers. You'vebeen hearing phantom images all yourlife, like when you're listening to a CDand you hear a singer's voice comingfrom the space between two stereo speak-ers. That stuff's easy as pie. But foolingyour ears into hearing not only a phantomcenter image but distinct images in thespace to the sides and behind you, nowthat takes Merlin -grade sonic wizardry.

Hannan calls the processing used tocreate these phantom images "VMAx,"for Virtual Multi -Axis Sound. Technicallyspeaking, VMAx is a set of auditoryequations known as the Cooper-Baucktransfer function. Developed by Dr. JerryBauck and the late Dr. Duane H. Cooperand now licensed to Harman, this processgoes far beyond what other "3-D stereo"schemes have been able to deliver interms of producing a believable surroundsound field from just one pair of speakers.

If I were to stand in front of a chalk-board and attempt to go into the math be-hind Cooper-Bauck, you would fall into adeep, restful sleep, only to be awakenedan hour or so later by the sound of myhead exploding like a soft melon. Buthere's the simplified skinny. In a perfectstereo world, your left ear would hear on-ly the left speaker, and your right earwould hear only the right speaker. But inthe real world, each ear hears both speak-ers, and this limits the amount of truefront -to -back depth and wraparound im-aging you hear from a stereo recording.

Enter HRTF. This stands for Head -Re-lated Transfer Function, which refers tothe way a person's two ears perform im-age localization. HRTF research centersaround the use of a dummy head not un-like mine, but with a small microphone

buried inside each ear canal to mimic thehuman auditory process. By measuringthe phase, frequency -response, and tim-ing differences as sounds are directed atthe dummy head from as many differentangles as possible, researchers have beenable to come up with HRTF's that, withvarious levels of success, can be used toproduce uncannily realistic 3-D playbackfrom a conventional pair of speakers. Ifyou make enough measurements and getyour math right the way Cooper andBauck did, you can use the processing toenhance both the stability of the phantomimages and the size of the listening zoneso that the 3-D effect doesn't fall apartwhen you move your head.

At Harman, I listened to the VMAxprocess on two separate systems of wildly

With Harman's VMAx

process, I heard distinct,

realistic "ghost" images all

around the room from

a single pair of speakers.

differing quality levels, and in both casesthe results were very impressive. In bothof Toole's demos, a Lexicon DC -I sur-round preamp was used to decode signalsfrom various Dolby Pro Logic and DolbyDigital laserdiscs, and to synthesize mu-sic surround modes from stereo CD's.The Lexicon's outputs all fed into theVMAx processor, which mixed every-thing down to two channels encoded withthe Cooper-Bauck transfer function. Theprocessed stereo output was then fed tothe amplifiers and speakers as it would bein a normal audio system.

Except the result was anything but nor-mal. I heard totally distinct and realistic -sounding "ghost" images all around theroom. The VMAx process even has a"speaker spreader" effect that producesphantom images of the left and rightspeakers that sound as if you'd taken thereal speakers and moved them farther

apart. The spreader is designed to com-pensate for the fact that VMAx worksbest when the two speakers are closer to-gether than you'd normally place themfor a nice, wide soundstage. In practice,the two real speakers generate five phan-tom speakers around the room!

But the acid test of any surround -soundsystem, virtual or otherwise, is pinknoise. Sending pink noise to each speakerin turn is the most revealing test ofwhether all of the speakers in a home the-ater are matched in timbre, and thus ableto reproduce the original sound field ac-curately. In every other virtual -surroundtechnique I've heard, the pink -noise testrevealed stark timbre differences betweenthe real and phantom speakers.

But when Toole sent the pink noise cir-cling around the room from speaker tospeaker, there was virtually no timbraldifference between the five phantomspeakers. I just heard the same soundmove from left to center to right to behindmy right shoulder to behind my leftshoulder - with, I might add, a tightertimbral match than most systems I'veheard using five real speakers. Toole likesto joke that one of the benefits of usingtwo speakers for virtual surround is thatall five phantom speakers are automatical-ly timbre -matched, but it's not simple.Co -inventor Bauck explains that it took alot of research and math to come up withthe necessary equalization parameters.

It's important to note that VMAx is nota product - it's a circuit that will find itsway shortly into products like TV's,home -theater processors, and multimediaPC's from Compaq, among others (Com-paq just announced a new system featur-ing the VMAx processor on an internalaudio daughterboard). I believe the PCworkstation is where VMAx will find itsgreatest success, because this seating ar-rangement automatically places the lis-tener in the perfect sweet spot - in thenear -field listening zone and dead centerbetween two closely spaced speakersflanking the PC monitor. Pretty soon,you'll be able to throw a DVD into theDVD-ROM drive, click on the VMAxicon on your screen, and hear goose -bumpy surround sound swirling aroundyour head, precisely defined in space to adegree that even the best home theatercan't match.

The field of virtual 3-D imaging hashad more than its fair share of gimmick-ry and pseudo -products, but Harman'sVMAx is the first such process that hastruly impressed me. When I heard an ear-ly demo at the 1996 Winter CES, Ithought it was easily the most excitingthing at the show. Now that it's ready forprime time, VMAx is poised to bring ful-ly realized virtual imaging home for thefirst time. This is a whole new ball game,and I think you're going to be as amazedas I was when you get to hear it.


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RECEIVERS - World Radio History

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