New Audio Technology At

NEW AUDIO TECHNOLOGY AT CES CD Players Cassette Decks Car Stereos Digital -Ready Amplifiers, Receivers, Speakers CHOOSING A PERSONAL PORTABLE NEW SOFTWARE Compact Discs Audiophile Records Video Discs Digital Tapes .0100" Equipment Test Reports Aiwa AD -F660 Cassette Deck Tandberg 3012 Integrated Amplifier Denon DRA-300 AM/FM Receiver Goldring Electro II Phono Cartridge Design Acoustics PS -10 Speaker Disc Specials The PoliceLocal Hero George Jones Wynton Marsalis Mozart's Symphonies Verdi's Nabucco Brahms's Vocal Duets "Flashdance" is available on Stereo Beta Hi Fi Videocassettes horn Paramount Home Video for $39 95 C.,Paramount Pictures Corporation

The NEC VC -739E with Beta Hi-Fi sound. A technological breakthrough in video recording andplayback whereby the video heads record both the audio and video information. Compared to conventional VCR's whichuse stationary audio heads, the VC -739E offers 30 times greater dynamic range. In fact, the audio specifications of the VC -739E exceedeven those of a studio open -reel tape recorder! The NEC VC -739E is the industry's most "fully loaded" Beta Hi-Fi model, with four heads forclear special effects; 134 channel cable ready quartz PLL tuner; 8 -event, 14 day programmable timer; audio -only recordingcapability; fluorescent indicator level meters and more... all controllable by a full function remote. You'll see picture quality with very same "High Video Fidelity" in every NEC model, only with differentarrays of features. The NEC VC -738E is an 83 -channel; clear special effects four -head; 8 -event, 14 day programmable;wireless remote control machine. Even NEC's most basic VCR's, the 134 -channel cable ready VC -737E and 83 -channel VC -734E offer picture quality and ease of operation matching any Y2" machine on the market-at any price WEC Think of it this way. All NEC VCR's offer "High Video Fidelity." And now, thenew VC -739E THE ONE TO WATCH. offers "High Audib Fidelity," too. rp NEC IlnmrIprtrnr,,, It 1 S A 1 Mr1401 Fstrs Avontw F lk Grove Village, Illinois 60007, (312) 228-5900 Circle No. 18 on Reader Service Card. BETA141-FIVCR. NECVC-739E THE THAT WITHTHEPICTURE THEVCR AS ITLOOKS. SOUNDSASGOOD NEW LOW PRIC Now Only Radio Shack's Direct -Drive Turntable Now Costs '40 Less 1799 Was $219.95

No extras to buy! Unlike most other brands, A great deal made even better. Step up to our we include the dust cover and a $39.95 ultra - high-performance Realistic® LAB -440 now at a light tracking moving -magnet cartridge-the breakthrough price! An electronic stroboscope Realistic/Shure R1000EDT. with bright neon lamp lets you quickly and pre- Bring in your favorite record and hear the cisely adjust speed. And the brushless DC ser- difference for yourself. At Radio Shack's new vomotor holds the speed exactly as you set it. low price, there's no reason not to upgrade! No skimping on features. The low -mass straight-line arm keeps the stylus at the proper Take it from Mike Love of The Beach Boys angle to the groove to give you accurate tracking and Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean: for lowest distortion. A 11/2 pound die-cast plat- "This turntable really improves the music-Mike just goes around in ter helps eliminate acoustic feedback. Out -front circles." controls are accessible with the cover closed and include an automatic repeat control for continuous record play. A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION

Catch Mike & Dean's GET YOUR FREE 1984 CATALOG "Rock'n'Roll City" 184 Full -Color Pages Show You What's Really New in Electronics! Cassette-Only $4.99 Name Apt # Radio Shack exclusive! A dozen Rock'n'Roll Dolbyized* record- Address ings with special guests: The City State Zip Beach Boys, Paul Revere & The Raiders, and The Association. All - Bring this coupon to your nearby Radio Shack Or mail to: new versions of 60's hits will make Radio Shack, 300 One Tandy Center. Fort Worth, TX 76102 84A-076 you feel 18 again. Produced by Daryl Dragon.

*TM, Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp. Prices apply at participating Radio Shack stores and dealers. (ISSN 0039-1220) Stereo Review SEPTEMBER 1983 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 9 Equipment NEW PRODUCTS Roundup of the latest audio equipment and accessories 16 TAPE TALK Channel Separation, Recalibrating Dolby?, Head Replacement, High -End Clarity CRAIG STARK 26 CAR STEREO Products and Trends at the Summer CES CHRISTOPHER GREENLEAF 28 AUDIO/VIDEO NEWS Digital -Audio Cassettes DAVID RANADA 30 TECHNICAL TALK Speaker Distortion Measurements JULIAN D. HIRSCH 35 EQUIPMENT TEST REPORTS Hirsch -Houck Laboratories test results on the Aiwa AD -F660 cassette deck, Tandberg Model 3012 integrated amplifier, Denon DRA-300 AM/FM receiver, Goldring Electro II phono cartridge, and Design Acoustics PS -10 speaker system JULIAN D. HIRSCH AND CRAIG STARK 37 NEW AUDIO TECHNOLOGY A report from the Summer Consumer Electronics Show E. BRAD MEYER 58 CHOOSING A PERSONAL PORTABLE When it comes to hi-fi sound, you can take it with you MYRON BERGER 69 Musk THE NEW SOFTWARE Compact Discs CHRISTIE BARTER 74 Digital Cassettes CHRIS ALBERTSON 76 Pioneer LaserDiscs WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE 77 Audiophile Records PAULETTE WEISS 79 BEST RECORDINGS OF THE MONTH 81 Brahms: Vocal Ensembles 81 Susannah McCorkle 84 Mark Knopfler's Local Hero 82 Mozart: The Symphonies 85 CLASSICAL MUSIC 86 Verdi: Nabucco 88 The Etcetera Label 94 POPULAR MUSIC 96 George Jones: "Shine On" 98 Wynton Marsalis from Monk to Mozart 1 10 The Police: "Synchronicity" 102 Ben Bagley: Bernstein and Elmslie 116 Carl Wilson: "Youngblood" 104 Regulars BULLETIN CHRISTIE BARTER AND GORDON SELL 5 SPEAKING MY PIECE WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE 6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 10 ADVERTISERS' INDEX 116

COVER: Design by Borys Patchowsky; photo by Bruce Pendleton. For more on JVC's CQ-F22K "component" personal portable (top), see article on page 69; for the Hirsch -Houck Laboratories test report on the Aiwa AD -F660 cassette deck, see page 37.

COPYRIGHT QT: 1983 BY ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY. All additional mailing offices. Authorized as second-class mail by the Post Office rights reserved. Stereo Review. September 1983, Volume 48, Number 9. Pub- Department, Ottawa. Canada, and for payment of postage in cash. POST- lished monthly by Ziff -Davis Publishing Company. Editorial and Executive MASTER: Forms 3579 and address changes should be sent to Stereo Review. Offices at One Park Avenue. New York, New York 10016; Telephone: 212 Circulation Department, P.O. Box 2771, Boulder, Colorado 80302. SUB- 725-3500. Richard P. Frieze, President; Selwyn Taubman. Treasurer; Ber- SCRIPTION SERVICE All subscription correspondence should be addressed tram A. Abrams. Secretary. Also publishers of Backpacker. Boating. Car and to Stereo Review, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 2771. Boulder, Colorado Driver. Computers and Electronics. Creative Computing, Cycle, Flying. Mi- 80302. Please allow at least eight weeks for change of address. Include old crosystems, PC. Popular Photography, Runner. Skiing. Stereo Buyers Guide. address as well as new-enclosing if possible an address label from a recent Tape Recording & Buying Guide, and Yachting. One-year subscription rate issue. PERMISSIONS: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in for the United States and its possessions, $9.98: Canada. 510.98 All other any form without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to countries, one-year subscription rate S14.98. cash orders only, payable in U.S. Elizabeth Amado, Rights and Permissions, Ziff -Davis Publishing Company. currency. Second-class postage paid at New York, New York 10016 and at One Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016. IT GOES FROM CAR STEREO TO PORTABLE IN 4.5 SECONDS.

INTRODUCING THE SONY MUSIC SHUTTLE. Now you don't have to leave the extraordinary sound of a Sony car stereo when you leave your car. Instead, you can carry it with you, thanks to the Sony Music Shuttle:" The first car stereo that turns into a portable stereo. At the push of a button, the Music Shuttle's cassette player ejects, and is ready for a battery. pack and headphones. What's left behind in your dashboard is the Music Shuttle's AM/FM radio. A radio that delivers high-fidelity stereo even when the cassette player isn't in your car. Also left behind is a large, conspicuous hole where the cassette player once was. A hole that will do more to discourage a thief than any alarm or lock. All of which makes the Music Shuttle the first car stereo that, literally, S ONIC leaves nothing to be desired. THE ONE AND ONLY

c . . .radPrs.irk and Music Shuttle is a .rari.--ark ,D; IIP Sony r qp 1 Sis:-. Dr:ve Park Ridge. New jersey 07656 CIRCLE NO17 ON READER SERVICE CARD Bulletin Edited by Christie Barter and Gordon Sell

THE SUPREME COURT, unable to reach a Festival when it opens there September decision on the so-called Betamax 6 with Stephen Paulus's The Postman case, has asked representatives of Always Rings Twice. Based on the novel both sides to present more evidence by James M. Cain, the opera had its this fall when the court reconvenes. world premiere in St. Louis in 1982. Revolving around the movie industry's claim that home videotaping enables LATEST CD LABEL ENTRY is A&M Records people to enjoy copyrighted materials with five albums in the new format without compensating the copyright scheduled for late -September release: holder, the Betamax case has parallel Joe Jackson's "Night and Day," Quincy implications for audio recording. Jones's "The Dude," the Police's "Syn- Congressional legislation to legalize chronicity," Bryan Adams's "Cuts Like home taping has been sponsored by both a Knife," and Cat Stevens's "Greatest sides. The media producers, Hollywood Hits." and the recording industry, want a royalty surcharge added to the price THE GRAND OLE OPRY, long the most of tape and tape equipment to provide prominent showcase for country music, funds to reimburse copyright holders. in Nashville, Tennessee, has been sold The electronics industry opposes any by American General Corp., an insur- such fee. Whichever side loses in the ance company in Houston, Texas, to the Supreme Court is expected to try to Gaylord Broadcasting Co. headquartered get its way through legislation. in Oklahoma City. The package included Opryland USA (a theme park), a hotel RENT -A -RECORD businesses may never complex, two radio stations, and the see the light of day if the House cf Nashville Network country music cable Representatives follows the Senate's system. Reported price: $270 million. lead and approves legislation that will revise the so-called "First Sale" O MUSIC ON PBS this month includes In doctrine. The legislation would enable Performance at the White House on Sep- record companies to prohibit people tember 21. The show features soprano they sell records to from renting them Leontyne Price and conductor James out. The renting company would need Levine, who will perform and introduce the record producer's permission to young artists from the Metropolitan rent the records, and no company is Opera's apprentice program....The Live likely to allow a practice it thinks from the Met series opens the season will cut into its sales. with Lucia di Lammermoor September 28. Joan Sutherland and Alfredo Kraus head GLOBAL FIRST: EMI Records in England the cast; Richard Bonynge conducts. has issued what it calls "the world's Check local PBS stations for times. first computer game pop single." On one side of the disc is Camouflage, a LP'S DOWN, SINGLES UP IN 1982: The musical number by Chris Sievey and the Recording Industry Association of Freshies, which can be played on any America has estimated that 2,630 new conventional turntable set at 45 rpm. LP's were released by American record When the flip side is put on, the mu- companies in 1982, down about 6% from sic is the same, but, if the player is 1981, while the 2,745 new singles hooked into a Sinclair ZX81 personal titles represented a 3.5% increase computer, the lyrics appear on a video over the previous year. The decline screen. This side also contains two in the number of new LP's continues computer games created by Sievey. a four-year trend, resulting in an overall decrease of 37% since 1978. AMERICAN FIRST: The Opera Theatre The number of cassette titles, on the of St. Louis, which just finished its other hand, was up by 10% last year. eighth season under founder -director New cassette releases now represent Richard Gaddes, will be the first U.S. about 93% of all LP titles, up from opera company to play the Edinburgh 88% in 1981. Stereo Review Speaking My Piece PUBLISHER J. SCOTT BRIGGS EDITOR IN CHIEF WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE MANAGING EDITOR LOUISE GOOCH BOUNDAS ART DIRECTOR BORYS PATCHOWSKY TECHNICAL EDITORS DAVID RANADA, GORDON SELL MUSIC EDITOR CHRISTIE BARTER POPULAR MUSIC EDITOR PAULETTE WEISS ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR DAVID STEIN EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS BARBARA AIKEN, ROCCO MATTERA, SUSAN STOLL LONDON EDITOR HENRY PLEASANTS

SOFTWARE CONTRIBUTING EDITORS CHRIS ALBERTSON ALANNA NASH RICHARD FREED MARK PEEL TOWER RECORDS,aWest Coastthink this attitude must trickle down PHYL GARLAND LINCOLN PERRY chain of stores with branches as far CHRIS GREENLEAF PETER REILLY from managers who love records and DAVID HALL EBET ROBERTS away as Japan, has just opened its firstconsequently understand and like rec- JULIAN D. HIRSCH CHARLES RODRIGUES store east of the Mississippi.It's atord collectors. GEORGE JELLINEK ERIC SALZMAN LARRY KLEIN STEVE SIMELS Broadway and East Fourth Street in Having a lot to choose from seems to PAUL KRESH CRAIG STARK New York, and Tower bills it as thestimulate collectors to spend money. STODDARD LINCOLNJOEL VANCE largest record store in the world. New You collectors should brace yourselves Yorkers have responded by swarming then, because although somewhat few- ADVERTISING DIRECTOR all over the place and spending moneyer new titles are being issued, you have BRIAN E. McCABE as though they had never heard of a re- a choice of some of them in an increas- ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER cession and had never seen a record ing variety of forms. A Rolling Stones JEAN ANDERSON store before. fan, for example, can choose to have Editorial and Executive Offices: 212 725-3500 Few if any Ziff -Davis Publishing Company so well regular analog LP One Park Avenue. New York, New York 10018 stocked. Before going to inspect theor prerecorded cassette or on a Mobile National Advertising Manager: Richard J. Halpern premises the first time, I reminded my-Fidelity audiophile pressing or on a Eastern Advertising Manager: Charles L. P. Watson Midwestern Office, The Pettis Group: 312 679-1100 self that I already have many recordscassette tape from the same company. 4761 West Touhy Ave.. Lincolnwood, Illinois 60846 I've never played and don't need any Beethoven's Violin Concerto played by Arnold S. Hoffman, David W. Palcek more. On that first visit I bought ten. I Western Office 213 387-2100 Itzhak Perlman with the Philharmonia 3460 Wilshire Boulevard went back the next day and bought tenOrchestra conducted by Giulini can be Los Angeles. California 90010 more. Well, they were tempting cut-had on Angel LP or cassette, on video Western Advertising Manager Marge Doherty -Wilhite Japan: lwai Trading Co., Ltd. outs I'll probably never see again, cer-cassette, or on Pioneer video disc. J. S. Yogi tainly not at those prices. 603 Ginza Sky Heights Building The term "software" has been bor- 18-13, Ginza 7-Chome Everybody I know who works in orrowed from the computer field to refer Chuo-Ku. Tokyo, Japan 104 close to the record business has a simi-to all the different kinds of discs and Telephone: (03) 588-0165. 545.3908 Circulation Office lar story: "I wasn't going to buy any-tapes used to feed musical information P.O. Box 2771, Boulder, Colorado 80302 thing, but there was this King Crimsonto the audio and video machines that EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS must be accompanied by re- import of stuff never released in thisare "hardware" for those of us who turn postage and will be handled with reasonable care; country," or "I never thought I'd see an however, publisher assumes no responsibility for the re- consume music via electronic means in turn or safety of art work, photography, or manuscripts. unplayed set of the old EMI Carmen the home. In this issue in addition to with Solange Michel," or "They've got our regular section of reviews of discs Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Japanese repressings of jazz classicsand tapes we have a section (beginning that sound better than the originals."on page 74) on music in some of the Besides being well stocked, the store is othersoftwareformats:Compact clean,comfortable, and apleasant Discs, digital tapes, video discs, and place to browse. audiophile records. CONSUMER COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS Last year I had surgery at Roosevelt In a report from the most recent MAGAZINE DIVISION Hospital, and I was impressed that ev- Consumer Electronics Show (begin- President: Larry Sporn Vice President, Publishing Director: J. Scott Briggs erybody down to the man who mopped ning on page 58), E. Brad Meyer dis- Vice President, General Manager Eileen G. Markowitz the floors seemed concerned about my cusses some of the ways that new tech- Creative Director: Peter J. Blank comfort and recovery. A friend ex- nologyisaffectinghi-fihardware. ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY plained that a hospital's attitude to- What seems to be holding up wide ac- President: Richard P. Friese ward patients is set by the top medical ceptance of some of the new technology President, Consumer Magazine Division: Albert S. Traina personnel and trickles down from them is availability of software. This means Executive Vice President, Marketing to the staff. and Circulation: Paul Chook the ball is now in the court of the rec- Senior Vice Presidents: Philip T. Heffernan. The staff at Tower Records in New ord companies. Let us hope their man- Sidney Holtz. Edward D. Muhffeld, Philip Sine York seem happy to be working there agers behave like people who love soft- Vice Presidents: Baffd Davis, George Morriasey and eager to help customers find the Treasurer: Selwyn Taubman ware and understand and like software Secretary: Bertram A. Abrams discs and tapes they want. It makes me collectors. 0

6 STEREO REVIEW "That nigh- ! was listening to the bass olayer cook. As his hands wen- spidering up and dow-1

the strings his them-Chum-thurn became the group's hear -bear`cnd mine toc. In my living room, I had traveled once aga n to that smokey title jazz club long ago' A JVC H gh Fidelity System can tcke ycu to anoThe- time and place, with components that recce six different kinds of distortion down to inaudible Nothing in-erbres with the reality of your music You're there.

We tie you there.

IVO. COMDANV OF At.4PICA.High Fidelity Division. 41 Slater Drivt nwooci Park. N.. Of/407 JVC CANADA INC Scarborougt. Ont CtRZLE 1.0 2 ON READER SERVICE CA?D SUPERTUNERIII. AN FM CARSTEREO WITH RECEPTION SO CLEARYOU'LL THINK YOU'RE LISTENING TO THIS.

11 %OISE

r3IONEFT NORrAAL BIAS (V) N2-90 E0 ,..,

.171-W.iiritik,112111141,i-...wi -,,s ,- You know what often hap- twisting names for the phenom-ri1.117,". : '.1itri07,41kolllif4I#V15 41-Wik pens just when the music really ena that causes this to happen. "i :Vat' i'Mti. :iiillriM ID I %a: starts cooking on your car's Names like multipathing 4, ..xamintrozw;>: ....viguisfgrorAt1 7,,,,,.. :-.,f. ,W40/41r1,111119ri ' j P FM stereo. and three-signal-intermodulation. ' .a.s.MIUIPM1111L---11=f 1 A j MAI lla L. Because your car's moving, You, on the other hand, also ' '. rir . _0::.47 g.1111 and FM reception conditions call it names. Like"that *&%#! ,,...aiii.mlirs...regiriili.. are constantly changing, you canstatic" or "the *&% # ! station's ::,-41.40.istfilkogrami end up with something that cutting in and out" or "I'm losing -4eipm.2olisitii Time", sounds like bacon sizzling on a the *&%#! signal:' (Not to men- 11% M. ii,21111.ms _...4-11; !:'u...Ivrta.1 hot griddle. tion your temper.) Because cans iliFFkitIMI. ATI§ The 'static, the whine, the But because nothing is move and radio111 h stations dor 1.then .prporrp4ollott 4% fading, the cutting in and out of more important than music to furtheryouuive from the trarsmitter. - Lull..440AAs-,61.*.i:4;7r,i, the engineers at the weaker the signal , ir1 Pioneer, they've Until Superhiner III the only'I -m" .aralt#114'Ifir mi.? 04ft thing you cc uld do about it ivas MP' Mai_ rAw X...... ------been working con- lose something else. Yow temper - - ,._ S I X ---, LI >s Li A tinuously develop- the same antenna, and driving ing the technologyaround and around the'same to virtually eliminateblock on the Near North Side the sound of static(where the John Hancock Build- A lot of things stand in the way of good reception. Like buildings. Mountains. and *&%#! from ing and the Sears Tower, the Even telephone poles.The radio signals bounce off them and cut into the direct signal Causing listening havoc for those who don't have a new Supertuner your car. world's third and tallest struc- tures, respectively, create FM stations.The kind of stuff that WHICH TUNER GETS makes you grind your teeth. listening havoc), Pioneer put one THE BEST RECEPTION IS NOWtuner after another to the test. Even with all the advance- PERFECTLY CLEAR ments in tuner technology, And the clear winner, time you've been left with only two It's one thing to boast that only after time, in both downtown and alternatives. Supertuner III can all but elimi- suburban conditions, was Super - Switch stations. Or pop in nate the aforementioned irritantstuner III. Only Supertuner III re- a cassette. to your listening pleasure. ceived stations with no sound of But now, there's Supertuner But Pioneer sizzling bacon. \tI wanted to prove \I SI 11 And only III. From Pioneer. '/6-0\ %t I 1 it 1 I ;It, /1111 I I I Supertuner III A car tuner that doesn't it. By road testing I %W.. / AI\ \ \\'//// \\ could capture merely rely on convenience gad- Supertuner III s & against the high- and lock in the gets to make you happy. 41 I i' But one that actually de- est quality FM weak stations. livers the clean, clear FM recep-stereo tuners cur- Reading tion you should be getting in thisrently available. 10111 this descrip- day and age. The test tion of the test The kind of interference freewas conducted may be some- 72igreena;sifsnutirr.itermodded buylation occurs when a weak what convinc- sound you thought you could in perhaps the veuossr)owugeger losineasionAn scicausllich7 sayonlyi the sturonng suri ing. But not only get from a cassette. worst reception izawndaonuetuqu'bpeleertud ninegr]l7to each other Unless you area in America. nearly as con- ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY Chicago, Illinois. If Supertuner IIIvincing as actually hearing the THAT VIRTUALLY ELIMINATES performed well here, it would performance of Supertuner III. THE SOUND OF *&%#! FROM perform well anywhere. To do that, you'll have to go YOUR CAR STEREO. Using the same car, with to your nearest car stereo dealer Nothing interrupts the and ask him for a demonstra- pleasure of listening to tion of the new Supertuner III. music on your car's There's a very good FM stereo more than chance he'll already have interference. one installed in his car. Engineers have a That alone should tell bunch of tongue - you something. CD PIONEER' Because the music matters. 322.4400 'Map cc, -*The H M Cousha Co. San Jose. CA Repnnted by Permission - 19143 Pioneer Electronics I USA 1 Inc PG Box 1540. Long Beach. CA91550i Tn hnd yournearest deaky toil -tree. call (go; : ; HitnotsI XIX) CIRCLE NO .I ONREADERSERVICE CARD Becomea Recording Letters Engineer! Compact Discs that can sound bad. Avoid products that show a rapid increase in distortion as im- The coverage of the digital Compact pedance drops or as the frequency rises, Disc players and software in the July issue since that may predict other problems. was excellent. I just purchased the Sony CD JOHN H. ROBERTS player, andI am delighted with what it's Manchester, Conn. done for my stereo system. The sound is great, especially the bass-I was never really aware of how much bass energy my thir- teen -year -old Advent speakers were capable Bryan Adams of putting out! I just wanted to thank Mark Peel for My interest in audio has waned over the confirming my belief that most music crit- past several years, mainly due to the excite- ics don't give good advice. His review of ment in the video marketplace: component Bryan Adams's album "Cuts Like a Knife" television, video-tape recorders, video -disc in July is a farce. In the same issue, Mr. players, stereo sound, etc. Thanks to the Peel hails David Bowie's new album. What heavenlysoundoftheCompactDisc players, my interestinhigh fidelity has been renewed. Now, ifI could just find a willing buyer for my thousand -plus collection of LP's so I could afford an unlimited

supply of Compact Discs . . . ROBERT E. DECKMAN Learn in Los Angeles, Calif. Control Room & Console Labs I pass on this warning to other potential buyers of Compact Discs. Old recordings Studio Synthesizer Lab that originated on analog tapes are now Audio Fundamentals Lab available in the CD format, but those I have seen are labeled "mastered digitally." I con- Digital Logic Lab sider this practice exceedingly misleading, calculated to deceive the unsophisticated Disc Cutting Lab consumer. AllCD's derivedfrom analogtapes Obtain your Diploma in should be properly labeled as such in big Bryan Adams: does he cut it? type. If the manufacturers will not take cor- Multi -track Recording rective steps themselves, then perhaps an- a joke. Mr. Peel is unimpressed by Adams's Technology other government regulation (shudder) islyrics, yet he praises Bowie's writing, such needed. Meanwhile, let the buyer beware. in one year, or credit toward a as "If you say run, I'll run with you;/if you PAUL M. ROSE say hide, we'll hide." Boy, Mark, those are B S Degree. San Francisco, Calif. brilliant lyrics if I ever saw any. "Cuts Like Fall '83 Quarter starts a Knife" is one of the best albums I have bought, andIhave heard several other Monday, September 26th. Audio Myths people say the same thing. Mr. Peel, like most other critics, seems to think that origi- Winter '83 Quarter starts Allow me to offer some addenda to Peter nality is a viable substitute for quality and Monday, January 2nd. Mitchell'sJulyarticleon "21 Audioenjoyment. My view is that if it's commer- Myths." While unweighted noise measure- cial music that's well written and performed ments are certainly not meaningless, they Call or write for 24-pg.illustrated brochure right, it's a good album.Iwill read Mr. are difficult to interpret and can be mis- Peel's reviews in the future not because I leading. Two products may have identical respect his opinions, but becauseI know 212/677-75800, A -weighted noise specifications, but if one that if he pans an album, it's a pretty safe has a wider bandwidth it will exhibit higher bet that the album is good. 1-800/847-4187 unweighted noise, since A -weighting de- RICH PHILLIPS (Toll -free outside of N Y State) emphasizes high and low frequencies. It is Columbia, S.C. therefore possible to discriminate against a better -soundingproductbyconsidering only an unweighted measurement. olnfsAtuitdutioe Regarding harmonic distortion, I under- Numbers Games aResearch stand thatflutesolos and other simple One wonders how manufacturers of au- sounds are still being recorded, so look for a dio equipment come up with their exotic 64 University Place component with less than 3 per cent total Greenwich Village model numbers. In my own system can be New York, N.Y 10003 harmonic distortion (THD). On the other found such esoterica as A-23005, RD -5300, Established hand, you probably couldn't find a compo- 582Z, C-4000, 500A, DQ-10, SB-Fl, KX- 1969 nent amplifier with that much distortion to- 2501, and HR -7650U. How could such Licensed by N Y State Dept of Education day even if you wanted to. The THD spec is numbers ever evolve, and what would com- Approved for Veterans Training one of those that won't tell you if an ampli- pel a manufacturer to use them? fier sounds good, but it may point to one Ihad hoped that with Compact Disc CIRCLE NO20 ON READER SERVICE CARD 10 STEREO REVIEW One Innovation Deserves Another.

Tie audience waitsin anticipation The performers pulse races as he takes the sage. A spotlight shines on the insvumer4 tefore

him. The thrill of a live performance . .. in your ownhome. The key to this breathtaking musical experience is the simullaneoindevel- opment of two innovative products-the Bose 904' Series V Direct/ Reflectir.g " Speaker System and the Digitai Audio Lisa The 901 Seriessystem represent the culmiration of 25 years' research which has made Bose famous for spacicit, Welke music reproduction. The Digital Audio Disc represents the first rec-prding medium capable of capturing the dynamic rarge cf a live performance. Experience the thrill for yourself. Bose will help you make the investment. Fill out the coupon below and 3ose will send you details on a $100 Digital Audio Rebate, a free prochure, and a list of authorized dealers.

Return to: Name Act:tress Bose Corporation Dept. SR -901D. PO Bc x 200C City Stt Zip Code Cathedral Station Boston. Massachusers 02118 Telephone_f___J.

Czrewo tvpoiMphif atr,e..1, alai p raw 1 b 1479 Better soune through research. players, manufacturers beginning a new receivers sporting digital "dials," we will no pression that synthesizers are machines in- product line would at least try to dispense doubt have to change our manner of identi- capable of producing "real" music. Mr. with the more exotic, mystifying, and un- fication, but until then, please try to avoid Peel is the first pop critic at STEREO RE- necessary numbers and letters. So what do simpleminded generalizations. VIEW to show that he is neither narrow- we get in STEREO REVIEW'S July report on JIM PERRY minded and reactionary nor caught in that the very first models? DA -1000, L-03DP, Chief Engineer, WKSS-FM most laughable of decades, the Sixties. DX -3(whathappenedto 1 and2?), Hartford, Conn. TIM DUGDALE FDI000 SL, 9500, SL -P10, and XR-Z90 Sarnia, Ontario (XR-Z90?). Not terribly bad are DP -101 Larry Klein replies:I did not say that and CDP-101, while DA -01 is sensible and broadcasters were simpleminded, only that Yamaha's CD -Iis a refreshing departure. they judged their audiences to be so. And Model names are too often used as little perhaps-present readers excepted-they Music to Die By more than window dressing to attract the are frequently right. In a review (April) of a new recording of eye of the purchaser and not, as they should Prokofiev's two violin concertos, Richard be, to identify a product. I can see already Freed remarks that "the slow movement of that,exceptfora few companies, CD Techno-Pop No. 2 as performed here could almost chal- players aren't about to buck that trend. lenge the one in Schubert's great string RON HARDCASTLE In his June review of Thomas Dolby's quintet as the music one might want to hear Los Angeles, Calif. "Blinded by Science," Mark Peel caught in one's last hour on earth." This suggests a sight of the exact reason why techno-pop is delightful new parlor game. RE "Audio Q. and A." in July: So, ac- fast becoming a fashionably sterile form of The second Mme. Debussy is reported to cording to Larry Klein, we FM broadcast- music. Pop musicians have yet to realize have said that she wanted to hear the an- ers are "simpleminded" for rounding off that even with all this gorgeous technology dantino movement of her husband's string our frequency assignments to make our dial at their fingertips, itis they who have to quartet in her own last hour. Whether the positions easier for our audiences to remem- create the verve and utilize their imagina- wish was fulfilled we don't know, but it ber? No! Simpleminded are the designs of tion and talent to realize the full potential of seems a worthy candidate. For myself,I most of the radios in use, with their ill-con- electronics. "Serious" electronic composers think I might choose another Debussy ceived andpoorlycalibratedfrequency such as Jean -Michel Jarre, Klaus Schulze, piece, the Sonata forFlute,Viola, and scales andpointers!Clever -minded are and especially Isao Tomita have already Harp, a work of divine melancholy. De- those radio programmers who find a catchy, mastered this technique of transforming pending on my mood at the time, I might easy -to -remember"hook"forlisteners. imagination and talent through electronics even consider a pop song, Jimmy Webb's Which is easier to remember, "WKSS, 95.7 to produce music that is anything but peril- MacArthur Park, also divinely melancholy FM" or "96 KISS"? We have would-be lis- ous and alienating. in its own curious way (no sophisticated tit- teners who can't seem to find the AM/FM The synthesizer is an instrument, and it ters, please). A toast, then, to going out in switch on their radios, let alone remember a can be played well or poorly. For years, style! three- or four -digit frequency. reactionary publications such as STEREO Louis SACRISTE Of course, with the increasing number of REVIEW have given their readers the im- Antioch, Calif.

There's something to be said Mho for a truly great album: Platinum'The ultimate in sound reproduction can also be There'snofiner expressed simply: Shure's V15 Type V-MR-with a Micro- Ridge Tip-for the lowest achievement possible distortion in sound reproduction. No other component can in music... bring so much sound out of your stereo system for so little cost. A combination of the Shure's revolutionary Micro -Ridge Tip and Shure's extraordinary V1 e Beryllium MICROWALL/Be''' Stylus Shank has redefined the upper limits of high -frequency thne trackability. The V15 Type V -MR also features a Dynamic MR tip. Stabilizer, MASAR'''-polished tip, leveling alignment stylus, and a Duo -Point Alignment Gauge. Hear the finest in sound reproduction with the V15 Type V -MR at your authorized Shure dealer today. SHURE You'll hear more from us. CIRCLE NO 45 ON READER SERVICE CARD Itwas a time when cars had tail fins ... girls wore "poodle" cuts...everybody moved to suburbia... milk cost 21' a quart...and America listened to the best music ever! Now it's all recaptured in THE GREATEST RECORDINGS OF THE 1950's ARCHIVE COLLECTION

From the ballads of Bing Crosby which resists the accumulation of dust in the sensitive record grooves. The result is a col- and Doris Day to the birth of lection of proof -quality records that actually Rock 'n Roll -over 500 great songs sound better than the originals! performed by leading stars of the Handsome library albums included 1950's. Including out -of -issue and A matched set of hardbound library albums hard -to -find recordings from the has been custom -designed to house the archives of the leading record entire collection. And each album will be companies of the time. accompanied by a specially -written commen- tary-fully illustrated-that weaves together THE DECADE OF THE 1950's was the great- the music, people and events of the time. est inallof American popular music.It If you remember the decade of the 1950's brought to the scene the most dynamic with fondness ... if you long to enjoy again singers-the finest composers-the most the best music of the decade or if you memorable songs of our time. And the want to be introduced to one of the most 1950's was also the decade of recorded exciting eras of our time ... this is an oppor- sound -when more hits by more top artists tunity not to be missed. were put on records than ever before. But please note: This collection is available And now, the greatest of all the music of only by subscription and only from The the best time of our lives has been captured Franklin Mint Record Society. It will not be in one definitiverecordcollection:The sold in any record stores. To subscribe, mail Greatest Recordings of the 1950's. All the the application on this page directly to The finest performances of those years-from Franklin Mint Record Society, Franklin Cen- the archives of every major record label- ter, PA 19091, by October 31, 1983. selected especially for this collection by a panel of stars who helped make the fifties SUBSCRIPTION APPLICATION great: Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, Jo Staf- ford, Frankie Laine, Connie Francis, Ray An- THE GREATEST RECORDINGS thony, Roger Williams and Les Paul. OF THE 1950's The sounds of Please mail by October 31, 1983. a momentous decade The Franklin Mint Record Society Here are the great vocalists singing the great Franklin Center, Pennsylvania 19091 5 songs: Tony Bennett with "Rags to Riches," Please enter my subscription for The Greatest Jo Stafford with "You Belong to Me," Nat Recordings of the 1950's, Archive Collection, Cole crooning "Mona Lisa," Eddie Fisher consisting of 50 proof -quality records in 10 with "Oh My Papa." Here are the duos, trios special hardbound albums with illustrated and groups : the Mills Brothers, Les Paul and commentaries. The issue price for each record Mary Ford, the Weavers, Bill Haley and the is $10.75* plus 80' for packaging, shipping Comets. Here are the great bands and or- and handling. chestras : Count Basie, Harry James, Ray An- No payment is required now. Every three months, Iwill receive a 5 -record album. And I thony, Gordon Jenkins and Mitch Miller. will be billed for each album in three equal And there are rarities too. The panel in- monthly installments, beginning when my first cluded hard -to -find recordings such as Bing a bum is ready to be sent.I understand that I Crosby and Grace Kelly singing "True Love" may discontinue my subscription at any time (the only record she ever made). The inimi- upon thirty nays' notice. table Louis Armstrong doing "Mack the 'Plus my state sales tax. 111 Check here to receive the collection on Knife." And Jane Froman with her emotional high -quality, Dolby** encoded, chromium rendition of "I'll Walk Alone." dioxide tape cassettes. Same subscription All the most memorable recordings of that plan, $1. extra per cassette. fabulous time-in one outstanding collec- "Trademark of Dolby Laboratories. tion to enjoy for years to come. S.gnature Strict standards of quality control will be ALL APPLICATION ARK sucoacT TO Accasnlooca. maintained throughout the production of Mr. Mrs. these records-to make certain the full Misc quality of each original recording is retained. ALKAIIK PRINT CLZARLT The records, which are thicker and heavier, Address_ will be pressed in an atmosphere -controlled "clean room" where careful attention is paid Gty to pressing and inspection. And a special State, Zip anti -static vinyl compound will be used, Collection available on high -quality records or cassettes . '993 FURS flew Products Latest Audio Equipment and Accessories

Sony's Deluxe digital -audio recorder. When it is used with channel's relative level. A playback -mute a VHS deck in the SLP (Super Long Play) switch permits cue -and -review monitoring Compact Disc Player mode, up to six hours of continuous play-in various VCR search, slow-motion, and back or recording are possible on a T-120still -frame playback modes. Thereisa a Sony's CDP-701ES digital Compact front -panel headphone jack with separate Disc player, said to have the most versatile .4111111111111111161.,m "fflimmunggib, volume control. control layout Sony has ever offered on a Frequency responseisgiven as 2 to d consumer product, is designed for the au- MI 20,000 Hz ± 0.5 dB. Harmonic distortion is Cio 10 NI diophile market. It incorporates several fea- less than 0.01 per cent at a 0 -dB recording tures derived from the company's profes- levelwith a1,000 -Hz signal. Dynamic sional CD player: the analog output ampli- tape. The adaptor encodes stereo audio as a range is more than 86 dB. Dimensions are fiers are encased in metal for reduced noise, video/digital signal according to the EIAJ 1615/16 x 211/16 x 1321/32 inches; weight is the power supply is located and shielded for STC-007 standard for fourteen -bit quanti- 133/4 pounds. Price: $800. low hum radiation, the de -emphasis circuits zation. Tapes made with this adaptor are Circle 121 on reader service card use mica capacitors for added stability and compatible with any STC-007 adaptor. accuracy, and conservatively rated metal - The SV-110 can be connected to two film resistors are used for low noise and low VCR's at once for digital dubbing, which distortion. The laser scanner is located on a produces an exact duplicate with no loss in AudioSource Equalizer doubly isolated subchassis for protection sound quality. Front -panel facilities include For Personal Stereos against physical shocks. Unlike Sony's first a pair of two-color fluorescent level indicators with peak -hold capability; one of them AudioSource's EQ-Three five -band can also be switched to show VCR tracking equalizerprovidesstereofrequency -re- quality. There is a single record -level con- sponse modification of ± 10 dB in bands trol and a balance control to adjust each centered at 60, 250,1,000, 3,500, and

CD player, the new model has a separate digital -to -analog converter system for each channel. Programming and cueing facilities have been augmented with such features as a Random Music Sensor, Location Search, and Music Scan. Most of the front -panel functions are duplicated on the supplied Allison's wireless remote -control unit. There is also a headphone jack. A multifunction fluores- Floor -Standing cent display shows track number, index "Bookshelf" number, elapsed time, and time remaining on the disc. An additional bar -graph display Speakers is said to provide a sense of playing location similar to that available with analog discs. The player is styled to match Sony's other 0 Acknowledgingthatmost "book- measures 213/4 x 133/4 x 71/2 inches. The ES Series products. shelf' speaker systems end up placed on largest system, the Model 130, has a 10 - Specifications include a frequency re- the floor, Allison Acoustics has taken inch woofer and measures 291/s x 161/2 x sponse of 5 to 20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB, har- the obvious but unprecendented step of 81/4 inches. All three speakers have a monic distortion of less than 0.003 per cent designing several two-way bookshelf - crossover frequency of 2,000 Hz and at 1,000 Hz, dynamic range of more than sized speakers that are intended to per- crossover networks using air -core chokes 95 dB (1,000 Hz), and channel separation form optimally when standing on the and computer -grade nonpolarized ca- at 1,000 Hz of more than 90 dB. Dimen- floor. The "room -matched" design of pacitors. Speaker impedances areall sions are 17 x 41/4 x 151/4 inches; weight is the Allison Models 110, 120, and 130 nominally 6 ohms with a 4 -ohm mini- 251/2 pounds. Price: $1,500. speakers (left to right in photo) is in- mum. Low -frequency -3 -dB points for Circle 120 on reader set -rice card tended to produce a uniform power out- the Models 110, 120, and 130 are 46.5, put in the typical listening environment. 41, and 35.5 Hz, respectively. System All three models use Allison's ferro- weights are 161/2, 211/4, and 341/2 pounds. Technics Digital Adaptor fluid-damped 1 -inch convex -diaphragm Sensitivity is given as a 90 -dB sound - tweeter for wide dispersion at the high- pressure level at 1 meter with a 2.83 -volt Allows 6 -Hour Recording est frequencies and flat power output inputlevel.Recommended amplifier without on -axis beaming. power is15 to 150 watts per channel. O Designed to match the dimensions and The smallest system, the Model 110, Finishiswalnut -grainvinyl.Prices: appearance of home hi-fi equipment and has an 8 -inch woofer and measures 18 x Model 110, $260 per pair; Model 120, video -cassette recorders (VCR's), the Tech- 111/2 x 71/2 inches. Next up in size, the $320 per pair; Model 130, $195 each. nics SV-1 10 digital -audio adaptor turns any Model 120 also has an 8 -inch woofer but Circle 122 on reader service card home VCR (Beta or VHS formats) into a

16 STEREO REVIEW HEAR ALL OF THE MUSIC AND NONE OF THE TAPE...

Ab51z, - /1 A id Elm

A) r S I Of

iyul7u11-1

THE WORLD'S QUIETEST TAPE If you won't settle for anything less tnan pure music, accept SWITCH TO nothing less than BASF Pure Chrome audio tape. Unlike ferric oxide tapes, BASF Pure Chrome is made of perfectly shaped chromium dioxide particles. And that exclusive Chrome formula- BASF CHROME tion delivers the lowest background noise of any tape in the world, as well as outstanding sensitivity in the critical highfrequency range. And this extraordinary tape is designed especiallyfor the AUDIO TAPE Type II Chrome Bias position. So make sure you're hearing all of the music and none of the tape. Make the switch today to the world's quietest 5'13 tape. BASF Chrome. CIRCLE NO. 15 ON READER SERVICE CARD Chrome Audio Si Video Tapes :191E3 R.- 4EYNOLOB TOBACCO CO.

Viarrilg: The Surgem General Has DEtermined Thet 3garette Smoking Is Dangerous to Yair Health. loudness switch. Connections and switching 30 per cent overload factor at a 107 -dB for two tape decks are provided. sound -pressurelevel.Dealerinstallation Frequency response is 20 to 20,000 Hz time is said to be less than two hours. ± 0.25 dB with a total harmonic distortion The K40 Sound System has six speaker flew of less than 0.007 per cent. The infrasonic units and a total rated power -handling ca- filter has a -3 -dB point of 20 Hz and a pability, including the subwoofer, of 120 I 2 -dB -per -octave slope. The ultrasonic fil- watts with 0.1 per cent total harmonic dis- Products ter has its -3 -dB point at 25,000 Hz and rolls off at the same rate. Deviation from the RIAA curve is within ±0.5 dB. Dimen- sions are 19 x 3 x 121/2 inches. Price: $375. 10,000 Hz for personal stereo systems. The Circle 124 on reader service card unit plugs into the headphone jack of the portable component, and the headphones Ohm Acoustics Has New, Larger Speaker The Ohm Walsh 4 loudspeaker (right in photo) is nearly twice the size of the original Ohm Walsh 2 (shown at left), and it is said to have four times the high -frequency headroom as well as substantially deeper

VP4PNI,C tortion. It includes a 40 -watt subwoofer amplifier, a music detection and turn -on circuit, and an FM signal -source enhancement are then plugged into the EQ-Three. The circuit. slide controls have click detents at their 0 - The K40Signature Series system dB positions. The EQ-Three uses two AA (shown) uses eight speakers and has 160 cells(supplied).Price:$39.95.Audio watts total power -handling capability (both Source, Dept. SR, 1 185 Chess Drive, Foster channels plus subwoofer) with 0.05 per cent City, Calif. 94404. total harmonic distortion. It also includes a Circle 123 on reader service card music detection and turn -on circuit and an 80 -watt subwoofer amplifier. Prices: K40 Sound System, $599; K40 Signature Series Sound System, $899. American Research Wide Dynamic Range in and Engineering, Dept. SR, 1500 Executive Drive, Elgin, III. 60120. Adcom Preamplifier Circle 126 on reader service card Adcom's GFP-1A preamplifier has a bass response. The main Walsh driver, special input for use with digital Compact which handles all frequencies except the Disc players and the new high-fidelity very high ones, has an extra -large dia- Maxell Upgrades Two sound systems in video -cassette recorders. phragm. The rated power -handling capabil- The input's extremely low noise level and ity is 500 watts. The unit features a mid- Cassette Tapes 10 -volt -plus clipping point are said to insure range balance circuit that enables the user a dynamic range of more than 110 dB. Sep- to vary the apparent position of the mid- 0 Although retaining the same designa- arate input and recording selector switches range output. tions as their predecessors, Maxell's new can make the GFP- I A operate as two sepa- The Ohm Walsh 4 measures 151/2 inches XLI-S and XLII-S cassettes (normal and rate preamps. For example, the selector square at the bottom and tapers to 12 inches high -bias, respectively) are said to incorpo- switchestogetherwiththeunit'sdual square at the top. It is mounted on casters rate improvements in both the size and phono-input circuits permit listening to one for easy positioning; total height, including shape of the tape's magnetic particles and the casters, is 41 inches. It is available in in the cassette mechanism. Changes in the oak or walnut finishes.Price per pair. $1,500. Ohm Acoustics, Dept. SR, 241 Taafe Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205. Circle 125 on reader service card

American's Car Systems turntable while taping another disc on a dif- Are Dealer -Equalized ferent turntable. The phono-input sections employ selected resistors, polystyrene ca- 0 American Research and Engineering's pacitors, and gold-plated input jacks. The K40 Sound System and K40 Signature Se- coating formulation involve a proprietary design conforms to the new RIAA specifi- ries Sound System can be installed in al- epitaxial process that produces cobalt -en- cations for phono response and includes an most any car and work with any generally capsulatedferric -oxideparticlesmuch infrasonic filter. Phono-section overload ex- available radio/cassette unit. According to smaller and more uniformly sized and ceeds 315 millivolts. There is capacitive car- the manufacturer, two years were spent shaped than in previous versions of the tape. tridge -load switching, and one of the phono analyzing the acoustic environments of The improvements allow the particles to be preamps is switchable for use with very - American, Japanese, and German cars in packed more densely and uniformly in the low -output cartridges. order to design an integrated speaker -am- tape coating, yielding a1.5 -dB improve- Other features include a CX-disc decod- plifiersystemwith a dealer -adjustable ment in signal-to-noise ratio, a 1 -dB reduc- er, a headphone output with separate vol- equalizer that could deliver optimal sound tion in noise in the critical 2,000- to 10,000 - ume control, detented bass and treble con- in each car. Speaker locations are specified Hz region, and a2 -dB improvement in trols with no effect on the midrange, a tone - for optimal imaging and to eliminate the high -frequency output. control bypass switch, switchable infrasonic need for metal cutting and door -panel mod- Mechanical improvements include a new and ultrasonic filters, a mono switch, and a ifications. The amplification has a built-in slip sheet with hexagonal embossing to re -

SEPTEMBER 1983 19 provement in stereo signal-to-noise ratio right- and left -channel speakers. Frequency and a 10 -dB improvement in multipath re- response is given as ± 1.25 dB from 35 to jection, and, according to Carver, it main- 22,000 Hz. Sensitivity is rated as 89 dB flew tains space, depth, ambience, and full sepa- sound -pressure level at 1 meter with an in- ration of stereo reception for weak or dis- put of 2.8 volts of pink noise. Nominal im- torted FM signals. The TX1-11 measures pedance is 4 ohms; maximum power -han- Products 173/8 x 13/4 x 5 inches and is connected in a dling capacity is 400 watts per channel. The Type C measures 13 x 15 x 44 inches and weighs 80 pounds. Its cabinet is finished in matched oak or walnut veneers.Price: $1,490 per pair. Snell Acoustics, Inc., Dept. duce contact with the tape while maintain- SR, 143 Essex Street, Haverhill, Mass. ing winding accuracy, a new pressure pad, tape -monitor or external -processor loop of a 01830. more "finely tuned" tape rollers, and more receiver or amplifier. Circle130 on reader service card accurately matched shell parts. The pack- Frequency responseisgiven as5 to aging has also been redesigned as part of a 60,000 Hz +0, -3 dB. Total harmonic dis- restyling of the entire Maxell cassette line. tortion is 0.05 per cent from 20 to 20,000 Prices for both XLI-S and XLII-S: C-60, Hz. Intermodulation distortion is also 0.05 Two Dubbing Cassette $5.29; C-90, $7.29. per cent. Separation is greater than 30 dB Decks from Fisher Circle 127 on reader service card from 20 to 20,000 Hz. Front -panel controls include bypass, tape -monitor, and noise/ O Fisher'snew CRW40 (shown) and multipath-reductionswitches. The back CRW77 cassette decks have dual transport Akai's Programmable panel has a threshold -setting control. The systems for use in dubbing one cassette to unit cannot reduce noise or multipath dis- another. One transport in each deck is for Compact Disc Player tortion of a mono FM signal. Price: $250. Circle 129 on reader service card 0 Akai's CD -D1 Compact Disc player enables the user to program up to twenty- four selections for playback in anyorder. Advanced cueing functions include time Floor -Standing Speakers From Snell Acoustics

O The Type C floor -standing speaker system from Snell Acoustics has three front - either recording or playback, and the other mounted drivers and a rear -firing super- is equipped for playback only. tweeter. The sloped baffle for the midrange The CRW40 has a synchronous one - driver and front tweeter is intended to mini- touch dubbing control to ensure that both mize the audible effects of cabinet -edge dif- cassettes start at the same time, Dolby -B fraction and floor reflections and to in- noise reduction, and a continuous -playback and index search. The unit can also skip im- crease the accuracy of the first sound arri- feature (as one tape finishes playback, the mediately to the previous or next selection vals at the ear. other begins). Other features include light on a disc, and it has pause control, fast for- - The drivers include a 10 -inch long -throw touch controls, tape -selector switches, five- ward and reverse, phrase -repeat, and selec- woofer, a 4 -inch midrange, and two 3/4 -inch segment LED record -level indicators, mi- tion -repeat functions. It is programmed on ultra -low -mass soft -dome tweeters. Cross- crophone inputs, and a headphone output. a numerical keypad, and there are front - over frequencies are 450 and 3,500 Hz, and Along with many of the same features as panel displays of the selection number, the 15,000 Hz for the rear tweeter. The cross- the CRW40, the CRW77 also offers Dol- track or index number, the elapsed time, overs in each system are individually ad- by -C noise reduction, an Auto Search func- and the laser pickup's position. The player tion for locating selections on a tape, and incorporates a digital oversampling filter high-speed dubbing capability. that converts the Compact Disc signal, en- Wow -and -flutter for both models is given coded at a 44.1 -kHz sampling rate, into one as 0.06 per cent (wrms). Frequency re- encoded at a I 76.4 -kHz rate. The filter then sponse extends to 14,000 Hz with normal - removes ultrasonic components from the bias tape and to 15,000 Hz with chrome and encoded signal. This digitally filtered signal metal tapes. Dimensions of the CRW40 are is converted to analog audio voltages, which 153/4 x 43/4 x111/16 inches; the CRW77 are filtered by a third -order Bessel filter. measures 153/4 x 43/4 x 10 inches. Prices: Specifications include a frequency re- CRW40, $199.95; CRW77, $249.95. sponse of 20 to 20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB and a Circle 131 on reader service card signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, and channel separation that are all 90 dB or better. High -frequency distortion is 0.005 per cent. Output level is 2 volts (rms) at 100 per Sansui Tuner Receives cent digital modulation. Play -start time is Stereo AM and FM about 2 seconds; random-access time aver- ages 3 seconds. Dimensions are 171/4 x 51/3 x The Sansui TU-S77AMX digital -syn- 121/2 inches; weight is161/4 pounds. Price: thesis AM/FM tuner is capable of receiv- $1,000. Circle 128 on reader service card

Carver Add -On Component Reduces Stereo -FM Noise ing stereo AM broadcasts in all four FCC approved systems. The tuner senses which O Designed to be used with any stereo FM system isbeing used and automatically tuner or receiver, the Carver TX1-11 add- switches to receive the broadcast in stereo. on FM decoder is said to reduce multipath justed under dynamic operating conditions General AM reception quality is also said to noise and distant -station hiss dramatically. to the characteristics of the drivers used in be greatly improved by the use of a PLL The TX1-11 is rated to deliver a 20 -dB im- orderto assure uniform response from synchronous detector instead of a conven- 20 STEREO REVIEW Fournew ways to improveyourhearing by TEN.

Last year -EN. "s Fresentrig fo it For trouble -free id-Df-Tape roLch pre-set but- MODELS - (Cloccwise sors that makes -orIf you don't `nom left) CM -6430, audio en:ineers exciting new at_ to -tipe playback, CE -4432, CM -65:30, were giv3-) a chal-reverse cassette t oth the CM 6430sire 'ax.orre i

4/1

TEN T=N CAR AUDIO The best sound on wheels.

Clr-CLE NO 2 ON READER SERVICE CA=D

-fir

fir . -

/ 2 max. 111 /nu 7.7:". / 2r--.4111111111PN- /1=1111=1 -1111r- ARE ir,41 -71.-_,011111111?-7~' -w-AganT" SZE2111=11 -1111r- -Ar-Amsr#4..111=k11=k flew SOLUTION.Products Dear Bob Carver, I bought a tuner four weeks befo-e you introduced your TX -11 tional envelope detector. The new detector tuner. Now that I've read the AUDIO, STEREO REJ1EW and rejects interference and distortion, improves HIGH FIDELITY reviews and have heart a demo at my audio signal-to-noise ratio, and extends frequency dealer, I could kick myself. Couldn't you please put that special response. Additional features include digi- FM noise reduction circuit into an add-cn unit? By the way, tal frequency display, presets for eight AM and eight FM stations, preset scan, and I have the C-4000 with Sonic Holography and you- M -I 5t wide/narrow i.f. bandwidth selection. Price: and I love them. $400. "Pleading 1-1 Suburbia" Circle 132 on reader service card Dear Bob Carver, I am satisfied with my present receiver except whet I try to listen to FM. The stations in this city are fantastic bu: the KEF's Ultra -Large, noise from multipath interference ma

I lust did it! The Carver TX1-11, Asymmetrica Cha-ge-Coupled FM Decoder, designed to be used in the stereo mode of any FM tuner or receiver, will give you a 20 dB improvement of the stereo quieting (that's 10 times quieter!) and a 10 3B improvement in multipath noise reduction. And you II still have fully separated stereo FM reception with space, depth a -id ambience.

Both my TX -11 and TX1-11 use the Asymmetrical Charge- Coupled FM Decoder circuitry which very significantly reduces the multipath noise and distant station hiss b wh ch FMstereo is extremely vulne-able. To get virtually noise -free stereo FM, simply connect the TX1-11 supplies and eight separate output -circuit through the tape monitor or external processor loop ofyour sections to feed the system's seven drivers The crossovers are also active circuits with existing system. their own power supply. Good :isten ng! The speaker has a soft -clipping limiter that is automatically activated under conditions of near -continuous peak overloading. The soft clipping permits up to a 6 -dB in- Bob Carver crease in perceived loudness without significant audible distortion. Full electronic overload protection safeguardsallthe drive units and electronic circuits against acci- dental damage. Although intended initially for use in pop -music studios, the KM 1is said to achieve such a high level of sound quality that it can be used for monitoring live classical music, especially in digital recording sessions. The KM l's maximum output is 120 dB sound -pressure level on program peaks under typicallistening conditions. Second - and third -harmonic distortion measured at a mean sound -pressure level of 96 dB under TXI-11 anechoic conditions is less thanI per cent from 20 to 20,000 Hz. Rated frequency range is 30 to 20,000 Hz ± 2 dB. Since it is For information, please write to: Carver Corporation a self -amplified system, the input imped- CAR P 0. Box 664, Woodinville, WA 98072 ance is the same as for an amplifier, 20,000 POWERFUL MUSICAL ACCURATE ohms. The driver complement is four 113/4 - inch Bextrene-diaphragm woofers, two 41/4 - inch Bextrene-diaphragm midrange units, Distributed in Canada by Evolution Audio. Ltd and one 2 -inch Mylar-dome tweeter. The

STEREO REVIEW cas ett &iginee o ng you a )/ DISTORTION) signifi provement in 1 dynami range. XL I -S provides -excep.- co ionally sm th lirar per- -o ormance c ara teriStics w-20 f XLII-S (EQ: 70 its) -ILI J -40 sound and lwerdistbrtion XLI-S (EQ:120 vis) While XL I -S as a (pater Sat!'ti resis- H-50 lance in high rfruencies 0 -60 sicnal to noise ratio. -low did we ahie this? -:-70 AC BIAS IM ississimP EPRAMAL

.__Maxel engineers have_ I managed to improve the 0 C20.05 0.10.2 0.5 1 5 10 20 -Epitaxial* magnetic parti- ITIRCQUENCY kH I cles used on both tapes., So you get abetter sig- FilesI antime, we By developing a crystal - nal to noise ratio, greater suggest y u listen o them. [cation process that pro- - solution o' sound and ror leeical specifica- ducesaimore compact, higher output levels, tion sheets on the XL -S .mobth Or cobalt ferrite Qrcburse, greater series, writto:i er on the gamma ferric ynamic rangeisn'tthe- Audillee xide core, they've been only reason to buy Maxell Corporatioof America, kyle to pack 11 ie particles high -bias XLII - r e, Moona- re densely and with ma bias equiv lent XL I -S.ch rsey 07074. renter uniformity on the Both tapes h ye more surlacc, precisetape travel and - maxell.XLFS90 This increases max - greatly reduced distortion Possum 70 vs urn output level and levels. maxell.[XLES90 . Ines AC hins noise . You'll see. both these ict-1 in turn expands improvements covered in NLI e dyna nic range. - detail irrfuture-Audiophile

PROVED EPITAXIAL PARTICLE CHARACTERISTICS if /Alb/trid CASSETTE

MORE UNIFORM I SMOOTHER COBALT FERRITE LAYER -FPARTICLE SURFACE 44ft C GAMMA -FERRIC OXIDE )4704 IT'S WORTH IT. COATINQ THICKNESS: 1C1-11A(1A = 1/10,000,000 mm) CIRtLE NO. 27 ON READER SERVICECARD

4 FROM SINGLE RACK TO MULTI -STACK flew Products

C.W.C's modular funi- tire systems cal expand from single Lnits midranges and the tweeter are cooled by to complete Home En- magnetic fluid. All drivers are selected to tertainment Centers so close tolerances and matched in pairs by yDJ'll never be bo>ed-in computer. Enclosure dimensions are 301/z x by clysoletesrereo cabinets. 523/4 x 26 inches; weight is 264 pounds. The Enjoy Old -World system is available in a variety of finishes craftsmanship with customized mounting arrangements on tplay's finest audio, special order. Price per pair: $25,000 un- video and computer mounted as shown, more depending on co mpo cents. mounting and finish. Great Home Enter- Circle 133 on reader service card . taiiment Centers begin with CustomWooch..c rk S. 'Design. From $235. (Mi suss. -e tail ) CLII LAI-free for the dealer Pioneer's New Line of nearest ion. Digital Receivers CWD 0 Pioneer's new SX-40, SX-50, and SX- 60 AM/FM receivers all feature quartz- CUSTOM WOODWORK & DESIGNINC controlledPLLdigital -synthesistuning with station search and presets. All models TCLIAREE: 1-800-323-2159 IMILL1N015: 312-563- 745 are equipped with A/V (Audio/Video) switchinginputsforhigh-fidelity sound from such sources as a television set, a In Natural Oak. Oa k 0.1. or Nannal American Vkal -rut

VCR, or a video -disc player. Another feature converts monophonic inputs, such as AM radio, to simulated stereo sound. The SX-50 also includes infrasonic filters, two McIntosh tape monitors, power -level indicators, and STEREO CATALOG adaptor jacks for stereo AM. The top -of- the -line SX-60 (shown) offers a moving- coil -cartridge pre -preamplifier and ten AM and FM DIRECTORY and ten FM station presets. Rated power output for the SX-40 is 38 Get all the newest and latest information on thenew watts per channel into 8 ohms from 20 to McIntosh stereo equipment in the McIntosh catalog. In addition you will receive an FM station directory that 20,000 Hz with no more than 0.02 per cent covers all of North America. total harmonic distortion (THD); for the SX-50 it is 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms from 20 to 20,000 Hz with no more than 0.02 per cent THD; and for the SX-60 it is 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms from 20 to 20,000 Hz with no more than 0.005 per cent THD. The SX-40 and SX-50 measure 43/4 x 161/2 x 121/4 inches. The SX-60 measures 51/8 x161/2 x143/8 inches. Prices: SX-40, $300; SX-50, $375; SX-60, $500. r 1 Circle 134 on reader service card McIntosh Laboratory Inc. SR East Side Station P.O. Box 96 Binghamton, N.Y. 1 3904-0096 NOTE. All product descriptions and specifi- SEND cations quoted in these columns are based NAME on materials supplied by the manufacturers, who will respond directly to reader requests ADDRESS for further information. TODAY! Domestic inflation and fluctuations in the CITY STATE ZIP value of the dollar overseas affect the price L of merchandise imported into this country. j Please be aware that prices quoted in this If you are in a hurry for your catalog please send thecoupon to McIntosh. issue are therefore subject to change. For non rush service send the Reader Service Card to the magazine.

CIRCLE NO 32 ON READER SERVICE CARD STEREO REVIEW PRICE SLASHED Suggested Retail Price $115, March 1983 Dealer Cost $75, Now Cut to $39. Prepare yourself for the most aggressive attack and the most challenging game of your life. This chess computer has 7 levels of difficulty. Plus you'll save $76. It's you against the computer. Chess the computer does (horrors, he's taken Fidelity is in the forefront of new chess comes alive with this awesome space your man), all is not lost. technology. Their new line has a new age computer opponent. If you're the type of person who says, cosmetic look and a new way of of enter- You'll be challenged by 7 levels of dif- "If I only had my Queen back, I could ing 'your' moves into the computer cal- ficulty and a program that can actuallybeat this thing," no problem. You can led sensory (the computer moves are analyze over 3,024,000 board positions. add back in any piece, anywhere. still tie same, they're shown on a dis- So, you had better come out fighting. And, that's not all. Not only can you play or with lights). The only thing you won't have to fight add back in any piece you've lost, you The new system doesn't make the about with this computer is the price. can take any of the computer's away. So, computer any smarter, but since this We've already chopped Fidelity's $1 1 5 you can get rid of a pesky Bishop, Knight computer doesn't look like the rest of price down to just an incredible $39. or even a Queen. their line, they sold all 16,000 of these March 1983 Dealer Price List But there are limits. This computer smart but nonmatching computers to

WIT won't let you make an illegal move. And, DAK or cash. So, you'll save a bundle. 11CMGI YOU"! .43.1 141,C1 it won't make any illegal moves itself. TRY TOUGH COMPUTER CHESS

(MESS CMALUNG(11 There's more. The computer has a RISK FREE 1,1, Is I 1 -' broad vocabulary of chess master book If you like a challenge and your ego is SIMPLE TO USE openings such as: Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, strong enough to withstand losing to a Notice that I said, "Simple to use," not or Queen's Gambit Declined. Plus, you computer, why not play just one game. simple to beat. Using this computer iscan set up any classic chess game in If you aren't 100% satisfied, you can incredibly easy. You don't even have to mid -play and see how you would do. return this computer within 30 days in tell the computer which piece to move. It does everything a real chess master its original box for a courteous refund. Just tell the computer which square would do. It castles, it has pawn promo- To order your Fidelity Chess Challenger you want to move from and to. The com- tion and en passant. So, best of luck. 7 Computer Chess, risk free with your puter knows the exact location of every I can't beat this computer at level 3 credit card, call toll free or send your piece on the board, so it automatically which it calls its 'advanced level'. And, I check not for the suggested retail price knows what piece you are moving. don't even want to talk about rilkigames of $115. Don't even send the dealer cost When the computer wants to move, it at its level 7 'tournament level'. shown on the current March 1983 price shows you the square it wants to move WOW, IT'S REAL CHESS list of $75. Send just $39 plus $3.50 for from and the square it wants to move to, But, when all is said and done, playing postage and handling to DAK. Order No. on its 'From/To' LED display. chess is what it'sall about. And this 9682. CA res add 6% tax. It's simple. It's easy. And, best of all, itgame is very smart, very tough, but in- Whether you're a novice or a master, lets you concentrate on your game, not credibly easy to use. one cf the 7 levels will keep you humble. on how to use the computer. It is full sized, measuring 121/8" wide, Plus it's a fabulous $115 value gift for OUTSMART THE COMPUTER 8" deep and 1" high. It comes complete someone really important, like yourself. Even at level one you may need help with regulation Stauton design magne- beating this super smart computer. tized chess pieces. And, it simply plugs There's help. Just touch a button, and into any standard wall plug. the computer will join your team. He will It's made in the United States (isn't DAK pick your best possible move. A second that a change) by Fidelity Electronics. INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED button touch will send him back to his They are the largest and best known of TOLL -FREE 1-800-423-2636 own side to pick his best response. the chess computer manufacturers. And, fbusy, after hours, on weekends or in CA You can cheat. Let's say you make a it's backed by their limited warranty. CALL TOLL -FREE ...1-800-228-1234 really dumb move. After you see what SO WHY IS IT SO CHEAP? 10845 Vanowen St., N. Hollywood CA 91605 facility come with calibrated tone genera- tors to compensate for differing tape sensi- tivities. As a rule, however, most of today's Tape Talk tapes are extremely closeinsensitivity, though this was not necessarily the case when you bought your machine. If you are determined to keep your present deck, have a technician align it for a current brand of high -quality tape. Tape -sensitivity differences of less than 2 dB won't generally cause any audible mistracking, so unless you recorded a lot of your old tapes with hit-or-misscalibrationadjustments,the odds are good that you'll still be able to hear whatever highs are there.

Head Replacement t -Nown a ten -year -old Uher-Royal 784E %al tape deck whose record and playback heads are now worn out. Can you advise me where I can get new ones and perhaps suggest a service center that special- Channel Separation In any case, you should bear in mind that izes in tape -recorder repairs? the kind of channel separation you get when P. S. HIND QWhy doesn'tSTEREO REVIEW print listening through headphones to any but Venice, Fla. channel -separation measurements in true binaural recordings is actually unreal- cassette -deck test reports? It seems to me istically excessive. (A binaural recording is AOrdinarily, I'd suggest getting in touch that the stereo effect (which I find greatest made with microphones placed to simulate with the manufacturer of your ma- when listening through headphones) de- the position and spacing of human ears.) chine, but as the company in question seems pends on good channel separation, so this When you use most headphones you do not to have ceased U.S. operations,I suggest should be a serious consideration in choos- actually get the same stereo image the that you write to the Nortronics Co., Inc., ing a deck. Is there an audible difference musicians and recording engineers sought 8101 Tenth Avenue North, Minneapolis, between separation figures of. say, 46.5 and to create. That is why some headphones Minn. 55427. They make an extremely 53.75 dB? (and accessory devices)actually reduce wide range of replacement heads and can KEN BOUTHOT channel separation by partially blending the probably meet your needs (include the Auburn, Mass. signals, thereby yielding a more realistic name and model number of your deck). sound. Installing the new heads is a task best left AIn the early days of stereo recording to professionals who have both the experi-

(the late Fifties and early Sixties, ence and the specialized equipment neces- before there even were any cassettes), there Recalibrating Dolby? sary. It should be within the competence of was a problem in designing tape heads so as any good stereo dealer's service technician, to prevent left -channel signals from being r\what kind of calibration has to be however, and I'm sure that within the area coupled, inside the tape head, to the coil %.0( done to keep Dolby -B from wiping where you reside you should be able to find windings for the right channel (and vice out the high frequencies? My Technics RS - reliable assistance. versa). This effect was most severe during 276 deck was a top -of -the -line model when recording because of the presence of the it was new, seven years ago, but tape for- large ultrasonic bias current. Since such mulations have changed so much that none interchannel leakage threatened stereo sep- of those listed in the manual are on the High -End Clarity aration, the quarter -track 1/4 -inch open -reel market any more. Should I have my dealer raI'm absolutely in love with high-fre- stereo format was standardized using alter- set my deck up for a specific tape and use W quency clarity in my recordings. Can nate pairs of tracks (one and three, two and only that? Can I then play my old tapes it be improved by recording on metal tape four) instead of adjacent ones for the two properly? with normal (ferric) bias and EQ? sides of the tape. As a result, in this format JOHN R. SKRIPAC TEE ADELAJA there is a space of 0.093 inch between the Littleton, Colo. Morgantown, W. Va. left- and right -channel signals both on the tape andinthe head windings. Head AA little checking showed that your ANo way! While you may get lots of designs have improved dramatically since deck was rated originally to have a highs, the distortion caused by trying then, however, and today's cassette decks frequency response ( ± 3 dB) out to only to record metal tape with ferric bias will be can maintain adequate stereo separation 13,000 Hz with chrome tape, 12,000 Hz unbearable-try it and see. Once you have even with adjacent left and right tracks with ferric. If now, some seven years after recorded a metal tape using the proper set- physically separated by only 0.014 inch. you bought it, you don't get all the highs ting, however, you can (artifically) boost How much channel separation is ade- when you dub new discs or top-quality the high end by playing it back using the quate? While many manufacturers don't open -reel tapes, the problem has nothing to ferric switch position. This will give you a even bother to list this specification any do with Dolby! Besides, Dolby -B (like other boost of about 4 dB, starting a little above 1 more, the worst channel -separation specs noise -reduction systems) is designed to low- kHz and continuing on up. That will cost I've seen recently have been about 35 dB, er high -frequency noise (hiss, mainly). The you by correspondingly increasing tape hiss and the higher numbers you cite are proba- absence of this noise may be perceived by by the same amount, but maybe you'll think bly more typical. If you compare cassette someone who is used to hearing it as a loss the result is worth it. Certainly you won't decks with phono cartridges and FM tuners, of high frequencies from the music even hurt anything by trying. 0 I think you'll find that well -designed prod- though no such loss has actually occurred. ucts in these categories generally offer from Dolby -calibration facilities are not nor- 30 to 40 dB of separation, which I consider mally included on the front panels of Becausethe number of questions quite adequate. You may be sure, however, today's cassette decks because a home user we receive each monthisgreater that if we have occasion to report on a deck without the proper instruments can inadver- than we can reply to individually. whose channel separation is low enough to tently introduce decoding errors greater only those letters selected for use in degrade the stereo image audibly, we will than those for which he is trying to compen- this column can be answered. Sorry! mention that fact. sate. Decks that have a Dolby -calibration

26 STEREO REVIEW Freedetailson adifferent kind of record club

offering... BACH, BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS, FLEETWOOD MAC, LINDA RONSTADT, CHICAGO,KANSAS BARRY MANILOW, BOSTON, ELTON JOHN,JAMES TAYLOR, JEAN-LUC PONTY, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH,STEVE MILLER BAND, PETER FRAMPTON, BARBRA STREISAND,EAGLES, CHUCK MANGIONE and every other composer and artist in print.

You can now own every record or tape that youQUICK SERVICE. Same day shipping on many

. . . rarely later than the next several may ever want . . . at tremendous savings orders and with no continuing purchase obliga-days. Partial shipments always made in the tions. You can get valuable free dividend cer- event of unforeseen delay . . . all at no extra tificates, you can get quick service and al; the cost to you. 100% iron -clad guarantees you want. 100% IRON -CLAD GUARANTEES on all prod- Now you can stop price increases that leaveucts and services. Everything is guaranteed you with less music for your recordand tape factory fresh and free of defects or damages of budget. You can guarantee yourself more any sort. Your total satisfaction isuncondition- music for less money through membersh,p in ally guaranteed. Discount Music Club. Discount Music Club is a no - Look at these benefits: obligation membership club that TREMENDOUS SAVINGS on every recordguarantees tremendousdiscounts and tape in print-no "agree -to -purchase" ob- on all stereo recordsand tapes and ligations of any kind. lets you buy what you want...when DISCOUNTS OF 43% TO 73% off mfg.you want...or not atall if you choose. suggested list . . . special catalog features These are just a few of the money- hundreds of titles and artists. saving reasons to write for free ALL LABELS AVAILABLE including mostdetails. You can't lose so why not fill imports through special custom ordering serv- out and mail the coupon ice. If we don't stock it we'll get it for you. for immediate information. SCHWANN CATALOG lists thousands of titles; classical, pop, jazz, ballet, opera, musicalr Dept. 9-0983 shows, folk, rock, vocal, instrumental, country. Discount Music Club 650 Main St. DISCOUNT DIVIDEND CERTIFICATES. Di- P.O. Box 2000 vidend Gifts-Every shipment carries a di- New Rochelle, NY 10801 vidend gift or dividend certificate. Certificates NAME redeemable immediately for extra discounts.

NEWSLETTERS. Happenings in the world of ADDRESS music; concerts, critiques, new releases . . . special super -sale discounts of up to 73%. CITY DISCOUNT ACCESSORY GUIDE. Diamond needles, cloths, tape cleaners, etc. Discount STATE Music Club is your complete one stop music and accessory buying service. L J CIRCLE NO10 ON READER SERVICE CARO 27 SEPTEMBER1983 tuning and tape -selection functions contin- ue to proliferate and improve. Auto -reverse mechanisms are also improving, with more players giving equal performance in both directions, and many units offer better FM Car Stereo sensitivity and multipath rejection. There is still no clear victor in the battle By Christopher Greenleaf to see which of the four competing formats for stereo AM broadcasting will win out. Jensen showed a prototype that received a Harris -type signal from a local station, and Sansui again demonstrated a receiver with a chip to decode all four types of signals. PRODUCTS AND TRENDS AT THE SUMMER CES Sony is selling a similarly functioning portable with all -type stereo AM reception. This seems to be the logical approach for THE large and very diverse car stereo sec - go this year won't be in the car stereo busi- radio manufacturers until the broadcasters tion at this summer's Consumer Elec- ness by next year's show. But, in the mean- settle on a single system. But most compa- tronics Show in Chicago made at least two time, consumers can only benefit as the in- nies and consumers remain confused and things very clear. First, despite the consid- tense competition makes better products frustrated by the FCC's abdication of re- erable differences between the home and available at lower prices. sponsibility in the selection of a stereo AM mobile listening environments, increasingly Some car stereo features are so nearly system. sophisticated and demanding consumers universal now that many companies don't Even the better current car stereo "re- have led the car stereo industry to offer fea- even bother to mention them as a "feature," ceivers" (AM/FM tuner, tape player, and tures and performance more and more com- such as locking fast -wind modes on tape integratedamplifier)maynotprovide parable with those of home hi-fi compo- players or separate bass and treble tone con- enough oomph to satisfy consumer demands nents. Second, car stereo is no longer the trols (unless the unit is specifically designed for more impressive sound levels, but the exclusive province of the specialist manu- for use with an outboard equalizer). The flurry of new external power amplifiers facturers. It seems as if nearly every compa- "feature" on some units is now a bass -con- should let anyone who wants to blow his ny that has ever sold a transistor or a voice tour control or switchable loudness compen- ears out do so. A number of the exhibitors coil is now "serious" about car stereo-and sation. And though there are still many at the CES could be easily located on the with good reason. There is a lot of money units sold that lack noise reduction, those mammoth floor of McCormick Place by the being made in the field. In fact, some audio aimed at serious music lovers almost invari- periodic explosions of high -decibel sound dealers have been carried through the reces- ably have at least Dolby -B, with Dolby -C from their custom -fitted demo cars. sion by their car stereo business. making an appearance on quite a few new Audiomobile, Kenwood, Philips, Rock- It should be reassuring to consumers that tape players at the show. The dbx system ford Fosgate, Yamaha, and one or two oth- so much ingenuity, engineering skill, and was also well represented, both as a built-in ers showed amplifiers at or above the 100 - audio experience is being lavished on mak- feature and in add-on components. These watt -per -channel level, and new models of- ing a moving vehicle a really satisfying were fewer introductions of DNR-equipped fering more than 70 watts appeared in lines place in which to hear recorded or broad- units than in previous years, but it is still fromConcord,Jet,JVC,Nakamichi, cast music. The big question we heard popular because of its ability to reduce hiss Sparkomatic, and some of the new special- everywhere at the CES, however, was: how in both tape and FM program sources with- ist manufacturers. The list prices for add-on many more companies can profit from car out special encoding. amplifiers with at least 50 watts per chan- stereo before the already crowded field be- Digital frequency -synthesis tuning is be- nel are rarely less than $250, so extra power comes glutted? Probably some of those coming increasingly available in car receiv- doesn't come cheap. But the potential im- showing extensive car stereo lines in Chica- ers,and computer -controlledautomatic provementinperformance,particularly when a booster amp is used with advanced noise -reductionsystemsandthelatest speakers, is exciting enough to make it worthwhile for many buyers. Most car speakers are still two-way designs, but there was a marked increase in three-way systems at the show. There were also subwoofer/satellite systems, and Al- pine, Audiomobile, Becker, Cerwin-Vega, and Linear Power showed crossover circuits, from $50 to $225, to link the drivers in such systems or to link several extra drivers to a power amplifier. Speakers were available in sizes to fit virtually any possible location in a car or other vehicle. Subwoof- ers, for instance, can often take up a sizable part of a car's rear deck, but Linear Power has a $200 Bass Vent model that can be mounted in a 6 x 9 -inch opening. Large The dbx CA- 1 decodes cassettes encoded with either the dbx or "Type B" noise -reduction systems, and it has bass and treble slide tone controls too.

Grundig's GCE 9900 auto -reverse AM: FM receiver and tape player has digital -synthesis tuning and six station presets for each band.

28 STEREO REVIEW woofers were included-usually with one or two upper -frequency drivers in a coaxial or three-way array or on a single mounting panel-in systems from Alpine, EPI, JBL, Jensen, Jet, Kenwood, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Pyle, Sanyo, Sparkomatic, Sony, and Yamaha. Among the host of familiar home audio names entering the car field, AR, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, and Polk offered full -range car speakers. In between the high -volume onslaughts, it was possible to hear some astoundingly good imaging, open -sounding bass reproduction, and unusually effective equalization in some of the demo cars. Audiomo- bile's demonstration of its dealer -adjusted amplifier/crossoversystemproved what everyone knows but some seem reluctant to admit: probably the most important factors in achieving high-fidelity sound in a car are the placement of the speakers and the Mitsubishi showed a equalization applied to each speaker. The prototype under -dash contrast between good sound and appalling Compact Disc player sound from the same equipment in the same installed in one of car was enough to convince even some skep- the company's Cordia tics about the importance of careful instal- automobiles. lation and professionally adjusted equalization. American Research and Engineering showed a pair of their K40 series amplifier/ owners that a whole segment of the market in the market. Still at the top in price is Na- equalizer/speakersystems,whichthey is devoted to foiling sticky-fingered "audio- kamichi's Mobile Sound System, which in- claim can do for any car what the Delco- philes" who covet their neighbor's expensive cludes a speaker pair, a tuner/tape player, GM/Bose Music System does for GM lux- gear One of the happiest solutions to the and a power amplifier for about $2,000. Al- ury cars. problem is called the Stereoschuttle ($37.50 pine, Jensen, Pioneer, Sony, and others are For eager do-it-yourselfers, there was a to $57). It is actually two nesting boxes with also offering matched components that in surprising number of user -adjustable five - matingsixteen -pinconnectors; one box some cases cannot easily be used with other and seven -band equalizers available, and a holds a car stereo unit that's wired into it, manufacturers' products. couple of models even had nine bands. Al- and the other is installed in or under the What about digital car stereo? Well, pine, JVC, and Yamaha showed versatile dash and wired into the rest of the system. Mitsubishi installed a CD player in an ex- add-on equalizers that are intended for sub- When you leave your car, just slide out the pensive car, and it worked very well on the tle rebalancing of an installed system to suit box with the receiver/tape player and takeshow floor, but no one is claiming that ei- a particular listener's tastes. itwith you. (The conceptissimilar to ther the CD system or the prototype digi- Away from the show proper, there was Sony's Music Shuttle, the tape player of talcassette systems(see "Audio/Video Sony's "Magic Bus," a recreational vehicle w:lich can be detached from the car's built- News," page 30) are anywhere near ready fitted out with a variety of new audio gear in receiver and used with a battery module for ordinary road use. Hold onto your dbx- and a systems -matching computer to con- as a personal portable.) Various expensive, and Dolby -encodedtapes and make as trol itall. The most interesting part of it, intricate, and ingenious alarm systems were many more as you want for your car, since however, was a new twist on an old idea, also demonstrated at the show. it looks like several years at least before diversityreception.Substantiallybetter Single -brand car stereo systems are carv- you'll have a better sound source for hi-fi FM reception is possible if a vehicle has two ing out a small but apparently secure niche listening on the road. CI separate antennas and the means to switch between them according to which is pulling in the stronger or clearer signal. Sony's new version is called the Diversity Antenna; a AmilliMM1111111111111 microprocessor samples both antennas' outputs and selects between them too quickly value 01.0011. P.m for the ear to notice any interruptions. O NOW Blaupunkt and Grundig both demon- L00 r strated receiver/tape players with subcar- 1 ay. it TWA rier-triggered automatic override circuits to , a NI 41111111 MI NI Timm. "..:. S . 11 receive broadcast traffic reports in certain 10 3. L --- --.. mew ux .444,sum Lees ma r. metropolitanregions(yes,they canbe switched off). These are doubtless only the ddalaasei first of many "traffic -smart" car stereos in- C T2 RI, VITAF.91AR (MME' TONE tended to help ease rush-hour congestion. Theft is such a big worry for car stereo Sansui's CX-990 tuner/tape player can decode stereo AM signals broadcast using any of the four systems currently allowed by the FCC.

Yamaha's YCR-9W receiver/tape player has a Spatial Expand feature to enhance stereo imaging in a car system.

SEPTEMBER 1983 29 below 0.01 per cent at full recording level. To my mind, Sony's helical -scan system also has several important advantages over fixed -head machines. Perhaps the most im- Audio/ Video flews portant advantage is psychological: befit- ting the revolutionary nature of digital audio recording, the Sony system makes a clean and decisive break with previous analog recording technologies by abandoning the standard -sized audio cassette (while increasing the recording time) and the fixed - head methods so long the mainstay of analog recording (while gaining in operational flexibility). Psychology aside, the helical - scan system fordigital audio can take advantage of the circuitry, manufacturing techniques, and-most important-the fieldexperience developedthroughthe manufacture and use of millions of helical - scan Beta and VHS video -cassette recorders. (It should be noted that whatever recording system is used for digital audio cassettes, the tape cannot be housed in a stand- DIGITAL -AUDIO CASSETTES ard audio cassette shell. The tape in such shells is too exposed to damage from fingerprints and/or dust, damage that is not very ovEn the past couple of years there have The new Sony approach increases the audible in analog recordings but can be fa- been several demonstrations of proto- track density by sweeping two single-track talto digitally encoded ones. Protective type digital -audio cassette recorders, ma- heads across a slowly moving metal -particle shells like those used for video cassettes will chines that could eventually give audio- tape in the "helical -scan" method used in be necessary when mass production of digi- philes a studio -quality recorder at a rela- video cassette recorders. Although the tape tal audio cassettes begins.) tively low consumer price along with the speed is only 6 millimeters (about Ye inch) To semi-professional recording engineers convenience of a compact and inexpensive per second, since the heads are mounted on and producers, the fact that digital editing tape package. Even now, efforts are under a spinning cylinder, or "drum," they record was considered in the design of the system way in Japan to establish digital -encoding 2,300 tracks per inch, and each track is re- should be gladdening, as should the 44.1 - standards for the new medium. The proto- corded with a linear bit density of about kHz sampling rate and sixteen -bit resolu- types I have seen so far (from JVC, Pioneer, 52,000 bits per inch. The product of these tion. If the announced sampling rate and Sharp, and others) have all used a metal - two numbers is the recording density: an in- resolution are carried through to the final particle tape the same size as that of a credible 120 million bits of information per production models, the Sony decks will be standard audio cassette, and they have been square inch. This density is from six to ten directly compatible (with a simple interface variously hampered by short playing times, times higher than that yet obtained with circuit) with digital Compact Disc master- insufficiently wide audio bandwidth, or a various fixed -head digital -audio cassette re- ing systems. If nothing else, the system may too -low signal-to-noise ratio. corders. The three-hour recording time of provide the first inexpensive and easy all - Sony has taken an ingeniously different the Sony deck results from the slow tape digital access to the digital -disc medium. approach to these rather difficult engineer- speed. [For those of you interested in tech- A digital audio cassette recorder may also ing problems. At the International Confer- nical details, the system employs a 30 -milli- provide a means to make digitally identical ence on Consumer Electronics held after meter -wide head drum spinning at 1,800 dubs of Compact Discs, a prospect current- this summer's Consumer Electronics Show, rpm; the tape -wrap angle is 90 degrees. ly worrying record -industry officials. At a the company announced its development ofEach track is 23.5 millimeters long with an recent meeting of the New York City chap- a digital -audio recorder that can record azimuth angle of 6.3 degrees and a pitch of ter of the Audio Engineering Society, Marc continuously for three hours on a cassette 11 micrometers. The tape is the same over- Finer of Sony Corp. pointed out, however, with overall size one-half that of an ordi-all width as in a normal cassette -3.81 mil- that once portable and automotive CD nary (analog) audio cassette. Although no limeters-yet also holds linearly recorded players become available (probably before demonstration of the device was given, Sony auxiliary and control tracks. The cassette it- the digital cassette medium arrives), there showed a picture of what I presume was a self measures 65 x 48 x 10 millimeters.] will be less reason to make copies of CD's. lab prototype. It seemed to be a very com- This format is specifically intended for Moreover, with CD's the home recordist pact machine, no larger than an average digital audio; it is not a hybrid like digital cannot use the rationalizations of taping to hardcover James Michener novel. Sony has audio tapes made with a VCR and a digital - prevent record wear or taping because of proposed its system as the digital -audio -cas- audio adaptor. As a result, it has several ad- poor disc -surface quality, for the digital - sette standard. vantages beyond the small size of the tapes disc system suffers from neither problem. How do they do it? The key to any digital and recorders. The digital audio informa- tape format is something called recording tion is formatted so as to allow such niceties INother relateddigital -recording news, density, which simply means the amount ofas variable -speed playback, tape -copy edit- there have been recent efforts to standard- digital data (measured in bits) that can be ing (as is done with video tapes and profes- ize the CD system's extra data -carrying ca- stored on a given area of tape (by conven-sional digital -audio recordings), and rapid pacity for such things as text, lyrics, and tion measured in square inches). Increasing and precise digitally controlled cueing (the other graphic information. At a private the recording density permits the very large fast -forward and rewind speeds can be two demonstration during the recent Consumer quantity of digital data generated by only hundred times the normal playback speed). Electronics Show, Technics showed the re- two audio channels to be stored on a smaller The digitalerror -correction system has sult of some experimental efforts to encode amount of tape. Since audio cassette tape is been designed so that an error concealment TV pictures along with music on Compact very narrow (about Vs inch wide), a higher is likely to be required only once in every Discs. While the pictures shown were neces- recording density has previously been ob-two days of playing time even if the "block sarily still -frames and of no better than vid- tained by increasing the number of tracks in error rate" is one out of one hundred (a fair- eogame-display quality, their demonstra- the digital cassette recorder's heads. In rely high figure). Sonically, the system re- tion certainly showed how important Com- cording, digital data from two audio chan- cords sixteen -bit -encoded audio signals us- pact Disc technology may become in future nels might be distributed over sixteen or ing a 44.1 -kHz sampling rate, implying that years. Once CD players get installed in thirty-two parallel tracks by using, for ex-the recorder will be capable of a dynamic cars, for example, there might be CD's en- ample, an advanced -technology thin-film range greater than 90 dB, a flat frequency coded with nothing but road maps for dis- recording head. response out to 20,000 Hz, and distortion play on a small video screen. 0

30 STEREO REVIEW

A Tweeter/Midrange Bracket-Designed to give the Jensen Series 3000 Speakers tweeter and midrange proper baffling for maximum performance. B Midrange-The 6'2" TRIAX (shown left) features a 2" piezoelectric midrange with a phenolic impregnated cone that smooths out the mid frequencies for a cleaner, richer sound. C Tweeter-The 61/2" TRIAX (shown left) also features a 11/2" piezoelectric tweeter that has no voice coil to burn out. Starts working at 6,000 Hz and keeps going to 40,000 Hz, well past the range of human hearing. D Cone-Molded from a new blend of polymer and cellu- lose called P28!* It has the strength of polypropylene but with the same low weight of paper, bringing excellent transient response, less distortion, and cleaner sound. P28 resists aging, cracking, heat, humidity and water. E Spider-Long excursion, high efficiency design for producing high volume levels with less distortion. F Voice Coil-Two layers of pure copper wire precision wound on a high temperature Nomex" bobbin for high efficiency and high power handling capacity. G Housing-Special design steel housing resists twisting and buckling and will keep all the parts of the loudspeaker in exact alignment even when mounted on an uneven surface. H Magnet Assembly-New strontium magnets offer 11% more useable power over that of other materials. Other Features-Tweeter/Midrange wiring to main ter- minal connection is made without passing through the woofer cone. This allows the woofer to move more freely resulting in less distortion and higher acoustical efficiency. (6" x 97 61/2" TRIAX & COAX) The grilles are acoustically transparent, perforated metal that is ultrasonically welded to the frame to prevent rattles. The 61/2" and 4l/2" speakers also have a unique twist -lock feature that insures firm attachment to speaker and pre- vents them from falling off when installed in a door. WARRANTY 2 FULL YEARS.

The exploded view (above) of the 6Y2" Triax® helps illustrate the refinements in the new Jensen Series 3000 speakers. ensenSeries 3000 spetakers move sound erformance into new dimensions. nseri Series 3000 car sbreo speakers are and Performance with any car stereo -eceiver 6" x 9" TRIAX_ The Jensen J3033 also he reault of years of research spent redefining or ccmponer t From the outside in, Series 'eatures bi-amp capability Ip further enhance he very lints of acoustical superiority By 300C TRIAX" and COAX speakers have been power handling-an in.red ble 10C watts- ntegrAirc state-of-the-art tecirology with desig led for ease of installation, new evels while minimizing d,slorion. A new tweeter and nnoyativa design and conlru:lon concepts, of sensitivity, efficiency and Jensen's most midrange produce music wth except onal he JensenSer es 3000 offers a new dimen- acarate son c reproduction to date. lanty and smoothness ion in speaker performance. TRI.4X4' Speakers. Jensen invented the 61/2" TRIAX. The, Denser J3023 packs 75 T: develop this exciting line of new TRIA> 3 -way speaker system. So advanced watts of power hardiing. A crille height of less pealters,.3ach individual component part of and nnovatNe, it's protected by a patent. And, han 1' and a moLittng depth of less than 2, car letec speaker system was scrutinized. while our competitors are still trying to imitate we believe, makes -his tie tr nnest door TRIAX After I:ng and .-;areful study, some compo- it, we've taken our speakers to yet a higher iou can buy. A TRIAX Ills small ha; never nents were refined, many olhe's uncle- went level of sound performance. sounded so big! 3 complete redevelopment cased on tie most imbracrig every innovation from a new Jp-toclale design, material and manuractur- =or our big COAX sound, IL n the pace_. cone material to a more powerful magnet, ng teilirdogie s they :roduce the most accurate sound Jensen Al Series 3000 speakers have been has eier ach eyed. dynarmc range -enhanced to maximize fidelity COAX Speakers. Jensen Series 3000 help keep the speaker rigid before and after depth simplifies installation on standard and COAX speakers share the outstanding inno- installation. The new pad rings reinforce the imported cars. The highly efficient design of vations that have set a new standard for sound acoustical seal without increasing the critical these speakers gives greater power handlin( reproduction. New P28 cone material, powerful mounting depth. capability with lower distortion. strontium magnet, new phenolic cone tweeter Nothing was overlooked in designing all combine to enhance their performance. these speakers for sound reproduction and 41/2" COAX. The Jensen J3003 offers 50 COAX speakers also offer refinements to user convenience. Jensen would settle for watts of power handling. Our smallest Series make installation quicker and easier. Like the nothing less! 3000 speaker utilizes the same materials as 61/2" TRIAX, the grilles on these speakers are all other models in the line and is ideal for round and thinner so door obstructions clear 61/2" COAX. The Jelsen J3013 delivers installation in most doors, side panels, and them more easily. Rounded, thicker pad rings 75 watts of power handling. Shallow mounting rear decks.

SPECIFICATIONS: TRIAX TRIAX COAX COAX Model Number J3033 J3023 J3013 J3003 Maximum Power Handling 100 watts 75 watts 75 watts 50 watts Useable Frequency Response 38 Hz -40 kHz 52 Hz -40 kHz 52 Hz -40 kHz 63 Hz -40 kHz Sensitivity (4 volts @ 1 meter) 103 dB SPL 101 dB SPL 100 dB SPL 98 dB SPL Impedance 4 ohm 4 ohm 4 ohm 4 ohm Woofer Size 6" x 9" 6'2" 612" 412" Midrange Diameter/Type 3" Cone 2" Piezoelectric Tweeter Diameter/Type 2" Piezoelectric 112" Piezoelectric 2" Piezoelectric 2" Piezoelectric Magnet Weight 20 oz. 20 oz. 16 oz. 12 oz. Mounting Depth 378" (98.4mm) 178" (48mm) 178" (48mm) 1 78" (48mm)

Full 2 year warranty. Jensen" and Triax" are registered trademarks of Inter- national Jensen. Inc.. an Esmark Company. For further information see your local Jensen Representative or call 1800) 323-0707. 1983 Jensen Sound Laboratories. Nomex" is a registered trademark of E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. Inc.

JENSEN CAR AUDI() When it's the sound that moves you. Technical Talk ByJulian D. Hirsch

Speaker Distortion Measurements

SOME of the measurements made on distortions. This problem arises in part be- fect of the room on the data. What we are speaker systems, such as of their fre- cause a speaker does not exist (functionally) measuring is the distortion caused by the quency response, appear at first to be analo- by itself. It is surrounded by an acoustic en- nonlinearity of the woofer's suspension and gous to similar tests made on amplifiers and vironment that plays a large part in its ac- magnetic system. In the case of vented sys- other electronic components. But it is im- tual output with respect to both frequency tems, though, there is a possible ambiguity portant to realize that this analogy is some- response and distortion. Almost any aspect in the data because the port radiation be- times rather tenuous, and the use of the of the acoustic output of a speaker is a com- comes comparable to the cone radiation at same name for a specification is no assur- plex function of frequency, and most meth- some frequency, below which the port ac- ance that it means the same thing when ap- ods of measuring both response and distor- tually contributes the dominant portion of plied to products as different as amplifiers tion involve some form of smoothing out to the total low -frequency output of the speak- and speakers. produce a less complex -looking test result er. Very different distortion readings may For example, although the frequency re-that can be interpreted more easily. be obtained from measurements at the cone sponse of an amplifier can be measured There are instruments that can make and the port, and combining these into a with considerable accuracy and compared swept distortion measurements analogous single -valued distortion curve requires some directly with that of any other amplifier, to the widely used swept frequency -re- o' the same compromises used in splicing there is no such thing as the "frequency re-sponse measurements. They are very expen- the woofer frequency -response curve to the sponse" of a speaker. In fact, a loudspeakersive, however, and only a relatively few higher -frequency room -response curve. has an infinite number of frequency re- manufacturers and research laboratories Moreover, the actual bass distortion is sponses, because there are infinitely many have them. Without such a facility,itis rarely an audible factor in a speaker's sound test -microphone and speaker locations, and worse than useless to attempt to measurequality.It may be heard, if at all, as a any attempt to consolidate them all into adistortion over most of a speaker's operating change of timbre in the sound of some in- neat and reasonable form requires some frequency range. Even a slightly differentstruments, but itis highly unlikely to be major compromises, which are not always test frequency may make a large difference sensed as a harsh distortion. So why bother stated and may not be valid. in the measured distortion. Also, there is no with it at all? Well, the woofer distortion What about distortion? It is widely recog- general agreement about which of the manycurve shows how low in frequency the woof- nized that speaker nonlinearities far exceed possible types of distortion-and speakerser can operate without a serious loss of those of any amplifier and are therefore have an amazing variety of types not neces- sound quality. In most cases, there is some presumably more likely to determine the to- sarily found elsewhere in an audio system- frequency below which a speaker shows a tal system distortion. Considering the (mis- are audibly objectionable and which are rapid increase in distortion as its cone ex- guided)emphasis placedonminuscule not. On the whole, I feel that most speaker - cursions become highly nonlinear. Electron- amounts of amplifier distortion by manu- distortion data would be misleading to read- ic bass boosts cannot force a speaker to emit facturers, dealers, ad writers, and many au- ers unfamiliar with the proper (and compli- useful bass energy below that point. This diophiles, why do we not get as concernedcated) ways of interpreting them. measurement, then, combined with that of about the thousands of times greater distor- Why, then, do we measure and refer in the frequency response of the woofer, gives tion typical of our speakers' output? our reports to the bass distortion of the a good indication of a speaker's true low - Perhaps we should be more concerned,speakers we test? For one thing, the close frequency limit. but first there is the annoying little problem microphone placement used for our woofer To have any meaning, such a measure- of defining and measuring these acoustic measurements essentially eliminates the ef- ment must be related to the driving signal

Tested This Month Aiwa AD -F660 Cassette Deck Tandberg Model 3012 Integrated Amplifier Denon DRA-300 AM FM Receiver Goldring Electro II Phono Cartridge Design Acoustics PS -10 Speaker System

SEPTEMBER 1983 35

\ LICHTE 10 mg. "ter", 0.8 mg. nicotine. KING: 17 mg. "tar,

\1.3 mg --ncotine. a.. per cigarete by FTC method.

t it takes. akin; Sti

Share the spirit. Share the refreshment.

Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That CigErette Smoking Is Dangerous to lour Health. level. Most speakers are reasonably linear the applicaticn of very high power levels at concerned that readers might ignore or mis- (nondistorting) at very low levels, and every the lowest audio frequencies. Even if nei- understand this explanation and assume speaker becomes nonlinear above some high ther of these happened, the resulting distor- that the SB-X700 has a "high" distortion drive level. (This is somewhat analogous to tion curve would usually show an abrupt level, which it does not. amplifier power ratings and the differences rise below some critical frequency, similar This and similar experiences have now between their operation at low signal levels to the clipping action of an amplifier, that led us to modify our bass -distortion test so and near the clipping point.)For many would not necessarily relate to the speaker's as to allow for differences in speaker sensi- years, we have used constant -voltage speak- audible performance with musical program tivities. More important, these changes- er drive signals of 2.83 and 8.94 volts, material. instituted with last month's speaker tests- equivalent toI and 10 watts, respectively, We experienced all of the above effects permit more realistic comparisons. Our new into 8 -ohm loads, for testing bass distortion. during the period when we tried this meth- procedure is based on our midrange sensi- The measurements are made at a number of od some years ago (the test results were not tivity measurement, in which the SPL is different frequencies from 100 Hz down to used in our published reports). But recently measured at 1 meter using a 2.83 -volt mid - the point where distortion becomes exces- theweaknessesof ourconstant -voltage band random -noise drive signal. The volt- sive (more than 15 or 20 percent). drive system were demonstrated.In our age required for a 90 -dB SPL measurement From time to time, it has been suggested tests of the Technics SB-X700, a relatively in that test is then computed, and that volt- that our reference instead be a constant sensitive(or.if youprefer,"efficient") age is used as the constant drive for the sound -pressure level (SPL) output from the speaker, the distortion atI watt rose steeply bass -distortiontest.This avoids unfairly speaker, such as 90 dB. But such a measure- (though not excessively) below 50 Hz, but penalizing highly sensitive speakers or fa- ment must be made very close to the woof- at10 watts the measured distortion was voring relatively insensitive ones, yet it does er, and no fixed SPL at that point would be considerably higher than we usually en- not create the potential of exceeding the easy to relate to the SPL at some distance in counter from speakers of this quality. We limits of the amplifier or speaker since just an arbitrary room environment. Also, to noted in the text of the report that the SB- about any speaker and amplifier should be maintain a constant SPL as the speaker's X700 was about 6 dB more sensitive than able to produce the moderately loud 90 -dB output decreased would requre that the am- most comparable speakers and that there- sound -pressure level easily. These changes plifier drive level be increased substantially fore the "1 -watt" and "10 -watt" power lev- are a typical example of the way in which as we went down in frequency, which could els really should be interpreted as "4 -watt" our test procedures have evolved over the produce some serious side effects. For in- and "40 -watts"levelsif ourdistortion past thirty years to accommodate ongoing stance, the amplifier might reach its clip- measurements on it were to be compared technological developments and to improve ping level before the speaker "bottomed with those on most others. We were not the value of our test reports forSTEREO RE- out," or the speaker might be damaged by happy with this state of affairs. We were viEw's readers. Equipment Test Reports Hirsch -Houck Laboratories: Julian D. Hirsch and Craig Stark

Aiwa AD -F660 Cassette Deck

THE Aiwa AD -F660 cassette deck offers signals. The two heads, which are in a com- is visible through the clear door, which is Dolby-B and Dolby -C noise reduction mon case (with a spacer between them), are removable for head cleaning and capstan as well as Dolby-HX Professional high -fre- made of hard permalloy with a Sendust fac- demagnetizing. Sensor switches within the quency headroom extension. A three -head, ing. The dual capstans are belt -driven by a cassette well detect tape type and automat- dual -capstan deck, the AD -F660 has a hor- d.c. servomotor and have a special "Micro - ically set the proper equalization and bias izontally mounted control panel, and among Grain" surface to prevent tape slippage be- levels. In addition, there is a bias -optimiz- its features is an automatic head -demagne- tween the capstans and pinch -rollers. A sec- ing control for ferric and Cr02-type tapes. tizing circuit that is activated for 11/2 second d.c. motor turns the reel hubs. All Besides the transport pushbuttons, the onds each time the deck is turned on. transport modes are solenoid -operated, and control keyboard contains one long -throw The AD-F660's separate record and play- the play, record, pause, and record -mute (4 -inch) record -level slider and six small back headsectionsallowinstantaneous pushbuttons have LED indicators pushbuttons for selecting counter and mem- comparison between source and recorded The AD-F660's illuminated cassette well ory options. The four -digit electronic count -

SEPTEMBER 1983 37 lestresports +5 er can be set to read either in conventional, 111 (0 DB) arbitrary units or in minutes and seconds 0

remaining on a tape side (during fast wind- ...... ing it displays minutes only). The memory \ a 6 AIWA AD -F660 modes include not only the usual rewind/ RECORD -PLAYBACK RESPONSE

stop and rewind/play but also the option of a 10 I I i i 1 - METAL W/DOL BY C continually repeating a section within a U \\% w - METAL (T OK MA) : %. tape. TheMUSIC SCANfeature permits skip- 0 15 Cr02- TYPE (TDK SA/ ---FERRIC(MAXELLUDXL-I) ... ping ahead or back to the start of a selection _...... - and beginning playback from that point. 20 .. -.:.: n" TheINTRO PLAYfeature operates similarly 1-20013) -25 except that it plays only the first 8 seconds 20 30 SO 00 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K of the music and skips to the next starting +5 70#S (METAL/C 02) point and repeats the process if the user 120 AS (FEAR C) 2 11Artl doesn't press the play button. BothMUSIC SCANandINTRO PLAYutilize the blank -5 PLAYBACK RESPONSE spaces between selections, and the AD - FREQUENCY IN HZ (CYCLES PER SECOND) F660 has a button to insert the spaces when you are recording your own tapes. The upper curves indicate overall record -playback response at the manufacturer's indi- Record and playback levels are shown by cated 0 -dB recording level using the tapes designated on the graph. In the center are the a twelve -segment -per -channel LED scale same measurements recorded at -20 dB relative to the upper curves, a level convention- calibrated from -20 to +10 dB, with the ally used for tape -deck frequency -response measurements. Bottom curves show playback Dolby -levelmarkingat+2 dB.The response from calibrated test tapes and indicate performances with prerecorded tapes. 0-, +1-, and +2 -dB LED's are yellow, with red above and green below these levels. Recommended maximum peak -level inputs AD, and Maxell UDXL-I (ferrics); Sony and withoutnoisereduction,measured are marked at +4, +6, and +8 dB for fer- UCX-S, Memorex HB-II, and BASF Pro II 54.4, 56.1, and 60.5 dB with UDXL-I (ferric, chrome, and metal tapes, respectively, (CrOrtypes); and Fuji FR and Maxell MX ric), SA (high -bias), and MA (metal), re- and the highest illuminated segment re- (metal). By using the fine -bias adjustme-It spectively. With the customary IEC A - mains on for approximately 2 seconds to en- we obtained almost identical curves with all weighting and Dolby -B,the S/N's im- sure thatitwill be noticed. Front -panel these formulations. For our graphs and proved to 67.6, 69.2, and 73.9 dB. With the LED's indicate tape or source monitoring, measurements, however, we substituted the same weighting and Dolby -C, the ratios im- tape type, noise -reduction system inuse, premium Maxell UDXL-I for the standard proved to 73.9, 75.6, and 80.1 dB, which is etc. The front panel also contains a record - TDK D because it yielded a somewhat bet- astonishingly good performance. balance control, a headphone jack, and a ter signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). With all Wow -and -flutter figures were no less im- switch for external timer control. three tape types the frequency response at pressive, measuring only 0.019 per cent The rear panel of the AD -F660 has the - 20 dB was very wide, being down by 3 dB (wrms) and 0.038 per cent (DIN peak - usual input and output jacks, a connector at about 25 and 19,000 Hz. At the officialweighted) with our Teac MTT-111 test for an optional infrared remote control, mi- IEC 0 -dB level of 250 nanowebers/meter, tape. Both tape speed and Dolby -level cali- crophone jacks, an FM multiplex switch, nearly 4 dB above the AD-F660's own 0 -dB bration were exact, and frequency -response and a two -position headphone -volume indication, the Dolby-HX Professional sys- errors introduced by either Dolby -B or Dol- switch. The deck measures 165/8inches tem extended thetreble overload point by -C at levels of 0, -20, and -40 dB wide, 43/s inches high, and 111/4 inches deep, somewhat beyond what we would expect, amounted to less than I dB throughout the and it weighs just over 12 pounds. Price: but since the system could not be switched entire range of the deck. Line -level sensitiv- $395. Aiwa America, Inc., Dept. SR, 35 out we could not measure its effect precise- ity was 59 mV for a 0 -dB output of 0.41 Oxford Drive, Moonachie, N.J. 07074. ly. As the uppermost curve at the 0 -dB level volt. The microphone inputs required a level shows, however, using metal tape with the of 0.3 mV for a 0 -dB reading, and they Laboratory Measurements.The play- the Dolby -C noise -reduction system (which overloaded at 33 mV, an average figure for back frequency response of the AD -F660 lowers the high -frequency record pre -em- home cassette decks. for both normal (120 -microsecond) and phasis) produced a response that was flat high-bias/metal(70 -microsecond)tapes almost all the way to 18,000 Hz. Comment.Its combination of top per- was almostruler -flat,measuring within The third -harmonic distortion of a 315 - formance, tasteful styling, and an array of +0.5, -1 dB over the 31.5- to 18,000 -Hz Hz tone recorded at the IEC 0 -dB level useful features for under $400 makes the range of our IEC standard (BASF) cali- measured 0.22, 0.89, and 0.26 per cent for Aiwa AD -F660 a bargain hunter's delight. brated tape. Maxell UDXL-I, TDK SA, and TDK MA, We did miss a playback output -level con- Aiwa supplied the three TDK tapes-D respectively, and the recorded level on these trol, the record -indicator light is difficult to (ferric), SA (high -bias), and MA (metal)- three tapes could be raised by 5.1, 4.1, and see when you are standing directly in front used in the factory setup of our sample 8.6 dB before 3 per cent distortion was of the deck, and neither the high nor low deck. We also tested it with a variety of oth- countered. With reference to the 3 per cent setting of the headphone volume switch was er formulations, including Sony EH F, TDK point, the signal-to-noise ratios, unweighted quite right for our particular headphones. And we would havefeltsafer with a built-in calibrated oscillator for bias optimization- even though we found that the three -head DOLBY-HX PROFESSIONAL design of the AD -F660 enabled us, using low-level FM hiss as a signal source, to op- THEDolby-HX Professional system level and ineffect overbias the tape. timize the bias by ear very nearly as accu- incorporated in the Aiwa AD -F660 What the system does, therefore, is to rately as with our lab generator. (Some of is a means of extending response when lower the regular bias by the amount of the features we missed on the AD -F660 are high-levelhigh -frequencysignalsare additional bias produced by any power- available on Aiwa's next models up, the present. Such signals often drive tapes ful high frequencies that are present. AD -F770 and the AD -F990.) But we can- into saturation, decreasing treble capac- While Dolby-HX Professional does not not fault the AD -F660 either sonically or in ity, which is also what happens when too give normal and high -bias tapes all the terms of ease of operation. much bias is applied. The theory behind treble performance of metal tape (which We had no way of testing the automatic the Dolby-HX Professional systemis is also assisted by this system), it does head demagnetizer, but we find the idea an that high-level high frequencies in a mu- significantly improve their high -end fre- interesting one. The well -spaced controls sic signal actually contribute to the bias quency response. worked smoothly, and although the minutes -and -seconds mode of the electronic

38 STEREO REVIEW One of the best piecesof audio equipmentyou canbuy r--

. -7- la= = EN I ANA 41:00110 0.01V iia-an CIA1.0 31. a ...MO

t. o8 V l.51 L 0000000000000.

ME,

0e dlier07:7 . 4",r .

M140 0 ,Of 0 CASWIl 111=01101011 warm ' =MO 0141 00 aaa 10 a a

BetaGk isapiece of video equipment.

tems. And that makes this piece of video equip- Introducing Beta Hi-Fi7 ment just about the best piece of audio equipment Throughout the years, wl-en it came to enjoy- you can buy. ing great home video, something was always Unlike other stereo VCR's, Beta Hi-Fi records missing from the picture. Great sound. both stereo sound and video using the rapidly spinning video heads, with a tape -to -head speed DIGITAL AUDIO 100 dB over 200 times faster than conventional VCR BETA HI-FI 90 dB audio recording. 80 dB OPEN REEL TAPE The result: Fantastic, full -fidelity sound to match 70 dB LP RECORD the brilliant picture quality of a Sony Betamm0 FM BROADCAST Imagine being able to see your favorite movies 60 dB CURRENT STEREO VCR and to feel them as well, as this true-to-life sound 50 dB explodes onto the screen. AM BROADCAST 40 dB Experience all the moving intensity of An Officer and a Gentleman, the non-stop action of (Dynamic Range, measured in dB, is the ratio of the softest to the loudest sounds an audio medium can handle.) The Road Warrior, and the melodic vibes of Lionel Hampton in concert. Or start your own video Stereo VCR's didn't solve this problem. With a collection of your favorite rock artists with dynamic range of about 46 dB (only slightly better Video 45's." sound than AM broadcasts), they fell way short of And, since Be:a Hi-Fi also lays down a standard bringing the "true theater experience" into your monaural track, it's fully compatible with existing home. So you still couldn't find a VCR with sound Betamax equipment and Beta videocassettes. quality in tune with picture quality. But don't just take our word for That was until now. it; experience it for yourself at Sony brings you the best your nearest Sony dealer. sound system ever developed Beta Hi-Fi. It's like nothing for home video: Beta Hi-Fi. you've ever seen... or heard. Beta Hi-Fi boasts an incredible 80 dB of full -color sound when hooked up to your audio SONY: system, and wow and flutter so C1983 Sony Corporation of America. Sony. low it can scarcely be measured (less Betamax. end Beta Hi-Fi are trademarks of Sony than 0.005%). Corporation. Video 45 is a trademark of Sony OR OM MI Corporation of America. -An Officer and a That's sound quality superior to all EN in Gentleman-: Paramount Home Video. "The Road but the most advanced digital audic sys- Warrior-: Warner Home Video. CIRCLE NO. 3 ON READER SERVICE CARD counter does not have the accuracy of a digital Compact Disc player-we found on the AD -F660.Indeed, our cassettes clock, we found it extremely useful. that metal tape was required to capture the sounded so similar to the original CD's in On prerecorded materials the AD -F660 full high end at high signal levels and that if this respect that we are tempted to say they was exceptionally close to our reference we played the music at nearly ear -shatter- were indistinguishable. Semantic niceties deck. For serious recording the difference ing levels some hiss could be made audible aside, the Aiwa AD -F660 is clearly in a between Dolby -B and Dolby -C was very ap- even with Dolby -C. But the clarity that league with the best. -Craig Stark parent, but that is hardly surprising. When characterizes digital discs also character- using our most demanding test source-a ized the tape copies we recorded and played Circle 140 on reader service card

Tandberg Model 3012 Integrated Amplifier

TANDBLRUS new Model 3012 integrated ume control, minimizing thenumber of ex- 1 per centprecisionresistorsforaccurate amplifier is rated to deliver 100 watts traneous elements in the signal path. 2 -dB control steps and have selectable turn- per channel into 8 -ohm loads from 20 to The 3012 embodies a number of design over frequencies (100 or 200 Hz for the 20,000 Hz with no more than 0.02 per cent concepts that its creators felt would contrib- bass, 3,000 or 6,000 Hz for the treble). Al- distortion. It is packaged compactly, meas- ute significantly to its audible qualities, if though loudness compensation-anathema uring 17I/s inches wide, 133/4 inches deep, not to its measured performance. For exam- to some purists-is included in the 3012, it and 31/4 inches high and weighing about ple, Tandberg engineers concluded that di- is designed to give a maximum low -frequen- 211/4 pounds.Its styling and size match electric absorption in certain types of elec- cy boost of only 6 dB and does not affect the those of current Tandberg tuners, and it can trolytic or ceramic capacitors used in most high -frequency response. be stacked with one of them to form a "re- amplifiers for interstage coupling tends to The output stages of the Tandberg 3012 ceiver" of exceptional quality. The ampli- degrade sound quality in subtle ways. To use two power MOSFET's per channel; fieris available in either matte -black or eliminate any possibility of such degrada- these require no current or voltage limiting pewter finish. tion in the 3012, no electrolytic or ceramic for their protection and also operate at a The front panel of the 3012 presents a capacitors are used in its signal path, from very high speed (as demonstrated by the simple, uncluttered appearance, yet it pro- the phono inputs to the speaker outputs. amplifier's slew rate and by a slew factor vides all the operating flexibility you expect Low -loss plastic (polyester)foil -dielectric said to be more than 1,200). The power sup- from a top -grade amplifier. The large vol- capacitors are used instead in all signal -car- ply is based on a compact but powerful to- ume knob is concentric with a center -de - rying circuits. The designers also felt that a roidal transformer, with a pair of 15,000- tented balance control. There is a front - high slew rate was a desirable quality in an microfarad filter capacitors providing the panel headphone jack. Small pushbuttons amplifier, and the 3012's 1,000 -volt -per -mi- necessary energy storage for handling high - control power, tone -control defeat, bass and crosecond slew rate is the result. Within the power program peaks. Price: $995. Tand- treble turnover frequencies, and loudness amplifier circuitry, every opportunity was berg of America, Inc., Dept. SR, P.O. Box compensation. A pair ofPEAK CLIPPING takentoeliminate known or suspected 58, Armonk, N.Y. 10504. lights show when either channel is overdriv- causes of signal degradation. en. Small detented rotary switches operate The phono preamplifier of the 3012 ac- Laboratory Measurements. The top of the speaker selection(A, B, A + B, OFF),the cepts either a moving -magnet (MM) or the 3012 never became too hot to touch dur- tone controls, and theRECORDandPRO- moving -coil (MC) cartridge input; there are ing the one -hour preconditioning period or GRAMsource selection. These last two con- separate MM and MC input jacks, but no subsequent high -power testing. The internal trols enable the usertoselectdifferent switching is required. The phono equaliza- heat sinks are effectively cooled by air en- sources for simultaneous listening and tape tion follows the modified RIAA character- teringthroughthebottom and exiting recording. ThePROGRAMoptions include istic adopted by the IEC several years ago, through the top of the amplifier. Our power phono, tuner, and two tape -recorder inputs which calls for the phono-input response to measurements were made through theDIGI- as well as aDIGITAL DISCinput. TheRECORD be rolled off below 20 Hz. The 3012 incor- TALDISC input. The 1,000 -Hz clipping -pow- sources are the same except that the tape porates a fixed infrasonic filter that cuts off er output with 8 -ohm loads was 109 watts mode connects the two decks for copying below 15 Hz at an 18 -dB -per -octave rate, per channel (for a clipping headroom of from either one to the other. effectively eliminating any possibility of 0.37 dB). The maximum output was 127 It is noteworthy that theDIGITAL DISCin- amplifier or speaker overload from record watts per channel into 4 -ohm loads and 98 put isnoridentical to the other high-level or turntable rumble. watts per channel into 2 -ohm loads. Using inputs, tuner and tape. The latter two are The tone controls depart from conven- the tone -burst signal of the dynamic -head- buffered by low -distortion amplifier stages tional practice, being designed to give use- room test, we measured short-term clipping before they are selected by the front -panel ful correction only at frequencies where it is outputs of 156, 213, and 156 watts into switches, so that crosstalk between them is likely to be needed, with a minimum of au- loads of 8, 4, and 2 ohms, respectively. The completely eliminated. TheDIGITAL DISCin- dible effect elsewhere. The bass and treble 8 -ohm dynamic headroom was, therefore, put, however, is switched directly to the vol- controls (eleven -position step switches) use 1.93 dB. (Continued on page 44)

40 STEREO REVIEW IntroducingPanasoniccan raise your theSupreme car Elite. standard of listening: audio system that PAnasomc 4reffikalear .:74ers ',111111111illiV ii Mii OO *a../ IMO W OOO.O N o 11W -GC 3,17 MIR 732 RWIN1 1181131=1 a u0 DM, Panasonic lilUtTlar rawassainWINIWoloor I BA-- .".1,^ SW VOL SEEK QUM 4RGFREQ roma. moor HYPERTUNER so MON WI al AM sumo MOW a 14.--a0-111 "."1,1 ?oft c.,02111 IMF IAA no a JWT ,r= (7) c , TC Nf 0-----c 11:,q- masi Panasonic - LOW alle.011b--... `1,Tam '4111111111111 "11111KM1111:1111 AMC Me/ rihaiT AL ago e n CIO F.4.-,-Agliiii 111111 .k. SSW 1111 " . - ibum "IN'ON f. a .11lila FI: Lawalll 01""COI riZtrz Bantam these advanced features are also offered it the systemcomponent forwith your was some car:engineered cf the the PanasonicSupreme most w sophisticated-h advancedElite. introduces a new stereo component Tect-nology hat provides his car audio Each soundfeatures eitherCasseteReceiverBantam Jnit miniReceiver (00-S818). with -chassis he to100 your Supreme WattTo own s -apePanasonic car. ate the you Cassette performance can 0cmrnancer integrate Stereo of a Supreme Elite nearly(C0on the -S358) roaddoubles today.features FM sensitivity theThe -anasonic Supreme -allowing Hypertuner Elie you Cassette/Stere:-fi to enjoy Receiver that withalsoEqualizer/Amplifier sound.features Ambience. (CY-SG100). To virtua ly -hissurround component you - displayOthergreate-forward/rewind.as an 'eatures for receptionauto station -reverse include rangefrequency cassetteelectron than a conventional -'d cpayer timetuning ofwin withday locking digitalas FM tuners. fastwell withstandard Panasonic of listening. Supreme nowSo. Elite. you .1 canconventional raise that car standard audio has been you Maxirnu n Power Quip it: '0)W (4 x 25W)f at you re looking for a more compac- unit. most of kHz Panasonic car audio CIRCLE NO The driving force .1 ON READER SERJICE CARD

Jeep A CJ 0.3 111 0.3

1 1 I I 1 I I 1 1 1 1 III 1 1 1 1 0.2 TANDBERG 3012 0.2 REFERENCE POWER 1100W/ TANDBERG 3012 HALF POWER (-3 DB) 0.1 -LOW POWER 1-10 DB) 0.1

0 .05 .05

F Z .02 Z.02 0

0 0 Cr .01 I t N 11 :.01 a. IpS .005 =4 .005

.002 .002 20 50100 200 500 K 2K 5K 10K 20K 0.1 0 2 0.5 2 5 10 20 50 100 FREQUENCY IN HZ (CYCLES PER SECOND) CONTINUOUS WATTS PER CHANNEL

The 1,000 -Hz harmonic distortion, driv- tortion curve's shape was similar,with The 3012's sensitivity for a1 -watt refer- ing 8 ohms, rose from 0.003 per cent atI slightly lower readings (0.005 to 0.025 per ence output was 16 millivolts (mV), with an watt to 0.014 per cent at 100 watts. With cent) over the full frequency range at 10 A -weighted noise level of -77 dB referred

4 -ohm loads, it was 0.0056 per cent at 1 watts output. to 1 watt. The MM phono sensitivity was watt and 0.034 per cent at 100 watts (the The amplifier's slew factor exceeded our 0.17 mV, with a -80 -dB noise level, and thermal -protection circuit cut off the ampli- measurement limit of 25 (Tandberg's own for the MC input it was 0.016 mV with a fier at this point). The 3012 is not rated for measurements show a slew factor of 1,200, -75 -dB noise level. The phono preamplifi- 2- or 4 -ohm operation, but with 2 -ohm loads corresponding to a 24 -MHz input before er (MM) overloaded at a very high input the distortion was 0.014 per cent atI watt, waveform distortion becomes visible!). We level, ranging from 240 mV at 20,000 Hz to increasing to 0.55 per cent at 70 watts. The measured the IHF IM (intermodulation) 323 mV at 20 Hz. The phono equalization output devices had become very hot at that distortion with 18- and I9 -kHz inputs at a was within 0.5 dB of the RIAA characteris- point and apparently were no longer able to 100 -watt output, which produced a second - tic from 35 to 20,000 Hz, falling to -1.5 deliver the nearly 100 -watt output we had order (1,000 -Hz) component of about -86 dB at 20 Hz because of the infrasonic filter. measured earlier. dB and a third -order (17 -kHz) component It was not significantly affected by phono- The distortion at rated power into 8 ohms of -78 dB. The amplifier displayed strong cartridge inductance. was between 0.012 and 0.018 per cent from ultrasonic ringing when we drove a simu- The characteristics of the 3012's tone 20 to 20,000 Hz except for a rise to 0.047 latedreactiveloudspeakerloadwith a controls were as close to ideal as we have per rise 10,000 -Hz square wave. This load, wMse seen from a simple bass -and -treble configu- may have been the result of an interaction highly reactive impedance dips to 2 ohms at ration.Evenattheirextremesettings, with power -supply ripple, although this was some frequencies, is designed to be more se- where the response at the frequency limits not apparent on the spectrum -analyzer dis- vere than that of any loudspeaker one is was varied by about 10 dB, the midrange play. At half and one -tenth power, the dis- likely to encounter. was totally unaffected. Using the 100- and 6,000 -Hz turnover frequencies and the middle control settings, we were able to modify the response by 6 dB at 20 and 20,000 Hz with essentially no effect between 60 and 3,000 Hz. The loudness compensation was SAM equally subtle inits action, beginning to boost the response below about 200 Hz at volume settings of -20 dB or less and giving a maximum boost of 6 to 7 dB at 20 Hz. WAT T5 The overall frequency response with the tone controls bypassed was literally ruler - PER CHANNEL! flat (less than 0.1 dB total variation) from 20 to 20,000 Hz.

Comment. Tandberg claims that, good as the measured performance is, the 3012's special distinction lies in its sound quality. Although we have never found such distinc- tions among high -quality amplifiers to be audibly significant, we can say that the sound of the 3012 is easily as good as that of any other fine amplifier we've heard. Possi- bly those golden ears who claim to hear differences between the types of capacitors used in an amplifier will be able to appreciate the special sonic properties of the Tandberg 3012 more than we can. The 3012 has absolutely no vices that we could detect. Itis not in the least fragile, since it shuts itself off if abused electrically or thermally, returning to service automatically when conditions have gone back to "I'm not an electronics expert. sir. Let me check with our service normal. There are no extraneous noises con-

department . . . Oh, Jerry, how big is a 'jumbo' watt?" nected with its operation: no switching tran-

44 STEREO REVIEW FM/.44M TA, SYNT vEN.Lf, F-90

new technology invented by Pioneerengineers.The Digital Direct Decoder is an unconventional circuit THE DIGITAL that uses a 126 MHz pulse train and a pure 38 KHz sine wave, thereby eliminating the need for a DIRECT DECODER. conventional noise filter (which creates distortion, harmonics, and limits frequency response). Consequently, Total Harmonic Distortion TECHNOLOGY SO at 1 KHz has been reduced to 0.0095% (mono) and 0.02% (stereo), which you'll have to agree is an ADVANCED EVEN A exceptional improvement over conventional tuners. Signal-to-noise ratio is an astonishing 93dB (mono), 86dB (stereo). HUMAN BEING Furthermore, alternate channel selectivity (always a nemesis and rarely exceeding 60dB CAN HEAR before) has been raised significantly to 90dB at 80dBf, eliminating neighboring station "bleed THE DIFFERENCE. over" once and for all. And, whereas the better tuners available Most highly -touted, so-called technological before produced stereo channel separation breakthroughs are actually so subtle only a handfulnumbers no higher than 50dB, the F -90's num- of people in the world can actually discern that bers are up 30% to 65dB. there's a difference. Suffice it to say you can expect the same The rest of us, audiophiles and normal outstanding performance from our new A -90 human beings alike, must be content to subtract integrated amplifier. the old specs from the new and assume there really To begin with, there's 200 watts per channel is an audible difference. of exceptionally clean power.(0.002% THD, But not with the F-90 tuner. A new tuner 20-20,000 Hz at rated power, both channels with design technology that High Fidelity says driven, 8 ohms.) represents'!..a stunning breakthrough in FM tuner And signal-to-noise ratio is a superior performance thanks to a circuit it (Pioneer) calls a115dB that combines with the above numbers Digital Direct Decoder..:' to get distortion levels that read at the level Not only are the new F -90's specs remark- of immeasurability. ably superior to the naked eye, its sound quality The reasons: our new dynamic power and reception capabilities are unmistakably bettersupply, non -switching amp circuits, an FET Buffer to the naked ear. circuit, D.C. Servo circuit, and a new, higher specifi- Coupled with its companion amplifier, the cation on even the lowliest components. A-90, you have a system Naturally, we recom- that produces much mend you audition both cleaner, more musical tie F-90 and A-90 at your sound.The kind of sound earliest convenience. the musicians and record- Because mere words ing engineers had in mind can't describe a difference in the first place. so remarkable it can actually The reason is an be heard with your own exclusive, revolutionary two ears. OD PIONEER' Because the music matters.

©1983 Pioneer Electronics ( USA) Inc.. PO. Box 15.40. Long Beach. CA 'M CIRCLE NO5 ON READER SERVICE CARD __Iestinezports sients, no start-up or turn-off thumps, no and a state-of-the-art amplifier (the expres- appear to justify its considerable (but not audible hum or hiss at any control setting, sion "state-of-the-art,"althoughmuch unreasonable) price. This amplifier is built and so forth. We did much of our listening abused, definitely applies to both products so well and performs so satisfactorily that it using a digital Compact Disc player as the in this case). israther difficultto criticize.Itisthat program source, and the results were as sat- The solid construction and quality of the good. -Julian D. Hirsch isfying as one would expect from the combi- components used in the Tandberg 3012 set nation of a state-of-the-art program source it apart from most of its competition and Circle 141 on reader service card

Denon DRA-300 AM / FM Receiver

THE Denon DRA-300 isa moderately Next to the display window is a group of DRA-300 was able to deliver about the powered, moderately priced stereo re- tuning controls. Long UP and DOWN buttons same power into lower load impedances, ceiver with digital -synthesis tuning for both step the tuning by one interval per opera- with clipping outputs into 4 and 2 ohms of the AM and FM bands. Its audio amplifier tion. Holding a button in causes the tuner to 47 and 45 watts per channel, respectively. section is rated to deliver 33 watts per chan- step repeatedly, but there is no automatic The short-term output was very high during nel into 8 -ohm loads from 20 to 20,000 Hz scan or signal -seek feature, so some time the 20 -millisecond bursts of the 1,000 -Hz with no more than 0.05 per cent total har- may be needed to cover the entire tuning signalusedforthe dynamic -headroom monic distortion. According to Denon, the range. Five smaller station -preset buttons measurement, measuring 100 watts into power amplifiers employ a "non -switching" and a memory button are used in the con- 8 ohms, 68 watts into 4 ohms, and 66 watts variable -bias circuit that reduces high -fre- ventional manner to store station frequen- into 2 ohms. The 8 -ohm reading, in particu- quency distortion. cies.Unlike most receivers, which often lar, was so good that we doubted its validity, The DRA-300 has most of the operating have rather elaborate signal -strength or but it was confirmed by repeated measure- features one looks for in a modern stereo re- tuning indicators, the DRA-300 has only a ments. This gives the DRA-300 a dynamic ceiver,includingstation memories(five single green LED, which shows that a sig- headroom of 4.8 dB, which is the highest we each for AM and FM), a large, legible, dig- nal of receivable strength has been ac- can recall measuring on any receiver or sep- ital frequency display, and pushbutton tun- quired, and a red LED stereo indicator. arate amplifier to date. ing controls with frequency steps of 100 The rear of the receiver contains the The 1,000 -Hz harmonic distortion with kHz for FM and 10 kHz for AM. The bass usual signal input and output jacks, bind- 8 -ohm loads rose smoothly from 0.013 per and treble tone controls are operated by ing -post antenna terminals, and a detach- cent at 0.1 watt to 0.13 per cent at 40 watts. small knobs with center detents, and sepa- able hinged AM loop antenna. The spring - With 4 -ohm loads, the readings were 0.02 rate buttons activate the two sets of speaker loaded speaker terminalsaccept the per cent at 0.1 watt and 0.11 per cent at 40 outputs. The front panel also contains a stripped ends of the speaker wires. One of watts. Even 2 -ohm operation gave com- power switch and a headphone jack. the two a.c. outlets is switched. The Denon pletely acceptable distortion readings, from Input switching is controlled by pushbut- DRA-300, finished in silver gray, measures 0.022 per cent at 0.1 watt to 0.09 per cent at tons, with green LED's showing which about 17 inches wide, 16 inches deep, and 30 watts. Only at 40 watts did distortion be- source has been selected. The inputs include 41/2 inches high.Itweighs 163/4 pounds. come significantly higher, measuring 0.3 AM, FM, phono, and a high-level input Price: $299. Denon America, Inc., Dept per cent. marked DAD/AUX for a digital Compact SR, 27 Law Drive, Fairfield, N.J. 07006. Judging by the nearly constant distortion Disc player (on the Japanese market the readings we obtained across the audio -fre- CD is known as the "DAD," or Digital Au- Laboratory Measurements. Its moder- quency range, Denon's "non -switching" cir- dio Disc). The SUBSONIC filter button en- ate power rating and generous dimensions cuit appeared to be fulfilling its promise. At gages an infrasonic filter that cuts off sig- combinedtokeeptheDRA-300 cool therated33wattsperchannel(into nals below 15 Hz at 6 dB per octave, and throughout our tests. The internally 8 ohms) the distortion was between 0.08 pressing the FM MODE button switches the mounted output -transistor heat sinks are and 0.09 per cent from 20 to 1,000 Hz, fall- tuner to mono and disables the interstation- convection -cooled by air entering at the bot- ing to between 0.05 and 0.06 per cent from noise muting for reception of weak signals. tom of the receiver and exiting at the top. 2,000 to 20,000 Hz (in most amplifiers, dis- The loudness compensation is controlled by With both channels driving 8 -ohm loads, tortion rises appreciably at the higher audio a button below the large volume knob. The the output waveform clipped at 43 watts per frequencies). At half power and one -tenth DRA-300 can be used with two tape decks, channel, corresponding to a clipping head- power, the distortion curves had the same and a knob on the panel connects them for room of 1.13 dB. Unlike most other receiv- shape, but the readings were considerably dubbing from either one to the other. ers (and separate amplifiers as well), the lower at reduced power levels (typically 0.01

46 STEREO REVIEW BuffSt

_ from ...... High Positim oxSANX30

ME. war tTte(R0,4, Mammy oft 6 sr r ..... mai%biz;

10180111cissmi '`,...... t...... '41.1741%:t..ettzt...... "*"*"...... 2,..._-..,

--c .---.":4,.--'' -4,- --- "------';'ik- ..-- .----ii ,,_,r, -,--- -%-"'-!---..------.---f--4----%------7-5------#- -'"-e--W------....--__.r*:,...,--!....---...., _---e------'---"-_----%--.../.%-:-_--,-. ------' ------metalframe Reference die-cast Professi.)nalin your TheTDK impressive usingTDK sound with your probably nowbe- Series...it'llthepleasureit. You're cassettes Soshare bias performance ears. they'llapprEciate toughest high superior TDKhasfriends; arethe sound of their addition,which audiophile. comesto muse In AD -X the when it in bias particle You, know veryselective. jiaracteristics.normalAvilyn critic .ve You're far 7:eveloredfamous wider equipment TDK's delivers a performance.theperiec-, needs. cses and far lessdistor- andlistening in with TDK's MACHINE deciding j.st asselective formulationrange Plus, DK®YOUR y)urrecordingyou're tape.TDK Dynamic before. cassette FOP And retorting aline of tionthan everbiasMA -R perform- THEMACHINE your developed metalhigh-energy choosingthat.So we cassettes uniquefeatures unibody mown eudio which -of -a-kind performance requirements.anal in a one -ugh yourcriticalProfessi ance ;batmeet it theTDK CARD We call SERVICE READER Series. NO 48ON Reference CIRCLE Corp Electronics 01982 TDK Regular and Menthol Kings and 100s.

Kings: 12 mg "tar," 1.0 mg nicotine -100's 14 mg "tar,' 11 r-g nicotine av per cigaretii FTC

Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health.

Morns Inc 1983 1 i I 4-4-i-44-44.4-t-t-1-4- 4-4 " I DENONDRA- 300 I I 11111 I I I III AMPLIFIER SECTION DENON DRA -300 0.5 -REFERENCE POWER ( 33W 1 0.5 AMPLIFIER SECT ION HALF POWER (-3 DB) N - - LOW POWER( -10 DB) I

0.2 0.2 I 4 OHMS .1 - 0.1 NI.- I- 4111V40 ek 5 ..'1).".'.....%N...... w...1... 1(!ii 0.05 -air 04.' o-.....°. ot-os lam.. cr 2 400.. 4OHMS 2 0.02 00 .10" "I ,. grio''''s A 11.01...... 4.....'' 0. , 0.01t ...... - . - ...... -...... K 0.1 0 2 0 5 2 5 10 20 so loci FREQUENCY IN HZ (CYCLES PER SECOND) CONTINUOUS WATTS PER CHANNEL

to 0.02 per cent over the full range at 3.3 The basic amplifier response at high fre- 15,000 Hz. The channel separation was watts, which corresponds to a comfortably quencies(above about6,000Hz) was about 43 dB from 150 to 2,000 Hz, falling loud listening level for most people). slightly affected by the volume -control set- to 34 dB at 30 Hz and 37.5 at 15,000 Hz. The IHFintermodulationdistortion ting (this is not unusual), and the SUBSONIC The AM -tunerfrequency response was (mixed 18- and 19 -kHz input frequencies) filter showed a rolloff beginning at 100 Hz quite limited, down 6 dB from the maxi- was -66 dB at 1,000 Hz and -69 dB at 17 and amounting to 7 dB at 20 Hz. The loud- mum (between 200 and 300 Hz) at 28 and and 20 kHz. The amplifier was stable with ness compensation boosted both low and 2,100 Hz. a simulated reactive speaker load (showing high frequencies as the volume level was only moderate ringing on a 10,000 -Hz reduced. Comment. The Denon DRA-300 is note- square wave). The slew factor was 3, with a In mono, the FM tuner usable sensitivity worthy both for what it does and what it full -power sine wave taking on a triangular was 16.3 dBf (3.6 microvolts, or uV), and does not do. It departs from convention in shape at about 60 kHz. the stereo switching threshold was at 29.3 not having any signal -strength indicator The amplifier sensitivity, for a reference dBf (16 µV). The 50 -dB quieting sensitivity (other than the "go/no-go" light). But most output of 1 watt, was 26 millivolts (mV) at was 23.3 dBf (8 µV) in mono and 39.2 dBf people probably have little need for a sig- the DAD/AUX input and 0.4 mV at the phono (50 AV) in stereo. FM distortion at 65 dBf nal -strength indicator, and the four- to five - input. The corresponding A -weighted noise (1,000 µV) was 0.13 per cent in mono and segment LED displays devoted to that func- levels were -78 and -73.5 dB. The phono 0.18 per cent in stereo. The mono and stereo tion on most receivers rarely convey much input overloaded at a high level, from 157 to noise levels at 65 dBf were -77 and -70 useful information beyond what is already 222 mV depending on frequency. The DAD/ dB, respectively. obvious to the ear. AUX input overloaded at 3.1volts, which Other FM performance parameters in- The DRA-300 lacks any rapid means of should not cause problems in a home system cluded a capture ratio of 1.55 dB. AM re- scanning the FM band; doing so by holding (very few sources will reach that level even jection of 54 dB at 45 dBf (100 µV), and a in one of the tuning buttons is a rather slow on peaks, and the CD players we have marginally acceptable image rejection of 37 process. But once all the station presets tested typically have a maximum output of dB (although it is rated at only 45 dB). Se- have been entered, few listeners scan the en- 1.5 to 2 volts), but it is well to be aware of lectivity was fairly good, 59 dB and 4.7 dB tire band anyway. A built-in lithium bat- the input limitation. The phono input resist- for alternate- and adjacent -channel spac- tery maintains the preset memories when ance was 47,000 ohms, shunted by a very ings,respectively. The muting threshold the receiver is turned off (for as long as five low capacitance of about 20 picofarads. was 30.2 dBf (18 µV). The 19 -kHz pilot - years, according to Denon, even if the re- The RIAA phono equalization was very carrier leakage into the audio was a rather ceiver is not plugged into a powered sock- accurate (within 0.5 dB of the ideal re- high -50 dB, but the tuner hum was a low et!). Although the level of the 19 -kHz pilot sponse from 20 to 20,000 Hz) and was not -73 dB. carrier in the tape outputs was undesirably significantly affected by cartridge induc- The FM frequency response was flat high for taping FM broadcasts with Dolby tance. The tone -controlresponse curves from 30 to 1,000 Hz, rising slightly to +1.5 noise reduction, most Dolby -equipped cas- were hinged at about 500 Hz for the bass dB between 10,000 and 13,000 Hz and still sette decks have multiplex filters to deal control and 1,000 Hz for the treble control. up almostI dB (relative to 1,000 Hz) at with just such a situation. These are all,in any case, minor criti- 4.10 cisms. The most novel aspect of this receiver 1:111111 ::::: is something not mentioned in its specifica- s Inn: NAM OU.S..o tions -its ability to drive the lowest -imped- AUDIO OUTPUT MUNI. ance speaker loads at a high power level 0 DB z1 VOLT 10 anunititimitimillintstun IA. without distress to itself or to listeners. As M.e regular readers of these test reports know, a M DENON DRA- 300 20asul.....ttimms=1111.1..... il FM -TUNER SECTION amplifiersthatare comfortabledriving NoommonBalanikiEleg1 USABLE MONO 2 -ohm loads are not at all common, even at 0 SENSITIVITY Z -30 1. 3.6pv high prices, and low-priced receivers with Solon eseassla WA: MR that quLlity are exceedingly rare. It may LI =11 n THD 4- NOISE... 40watuninnuroz WOMB not be audible during casual listening, but it 'ir.a know that your receiver can de- J soRIMEMIL' ULUsuge::: is good .d1 . liver its full performance regardless of the hiiralegi ..1-J2I _3m N ... 111:11 - '34 1111-- speakers connected toit.Moreover, the 60ME. - 60-0B QU ETiNG kia: NO SE DRA-300's very high dynamic headroom ::: Spy (MONO) - 70 50pV (STEREO) ...so _ - - - -.-,- ...... should enable this apparently low -power receiver to sound more like one with two or - SO . three times its power rating -and to cope well with the high peaks encountered in -90 EMEMENEMERMIREI REM playing digital Compact Discs. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 BO 90 R.F TEST -SIGNAL INPUT IN B F Overall, the Denon DRA-300 combines

SEPTEMBER 1983 49 some fairly standard features and perform- reasonable price and in a relatively plain 300 signifies the start of a trend in receiver ance parameters with others that are truly wrapper, without most of the flashy trap- design. -Julian D. Hirsch outstanding. It provides excellent perform- pings of too many consumer electronics ance in those areas that really matter, at a products today. Let us hope that the DRA- Circle 142 on reader service card

T is widely accepted that stereo imaging The PS -10 has a nominal 8 -ohm imped- peared to be small enough for such a meas- I can be improved by using the smallest ance and asensitivity rating of 90 dB urement. The resulting curve varied less possible sound sources. Therefore, the De- sound -pressure level at 1 meter when driven than ±2 dB from 115 to 1,900 Hz. sign Acoustics"PointSource" PS -10 with I watt. The overall frequency response The averaged room response from our speaker was designed to radiate sound from of the system is rated at 48 to 22,000 Hz, sample pair of PS -10's was very flat above the smallest area consistent with the neces- and the speaker is intended for use with am- 1,500 Hz. The 30 -degree -off -axis tweeter sary dimensions of its drivers and enclosure. plifiers rated at between 15 and 250 watts dispersion was excellent up to 10,000 Hz, It is a three-way bookshelf speaker with an per channel. The cabinet is covered with then the response dropped to - 20 dB at unconventional appearance and driver con- walnut -grain vinyl veneer and measures 14 20,000 Hz. There were the usual response figuration. The 10 -inch woofer faces down- inches high, II inches wide, and 133/4 inches variations through the midrange, normal ward and radiates frequencies up to 190 Hz deep. It weighs 233/4 pounds. The PS -10 is results of interference with reflections from through a1 -inch -highslotbetween the packaged and sold in pairs. Prices: $500 per room surfaces. The spliced curves showed a speaker's enclosure and its base. The other pair. Design Acoustics, Dept. SR, 1225 system response within ±2.5 dB from 140 drivers face forward in the usual manner. Commerce Drive, Stow, Ohio 44224. to 20,000 Hz, with the woofer output rising Most of the frequency range containing at 100 Hz to a peak of about 7 dB above the fundamental tones from musicalinstru- Laboratory Measurements.The woofer average midrange level before falling off at ments-from 190 to 2,600 Hz-is radiated of the Design Acoustics PS -10 is an acous- 12 dB per octave at lower frequencies. We by a 5 -inch acoustically treated cone driver tic -suspension design that operates ina also plotted the composite response with the mounted near the center of the 11 x 12 -inch sealed enclosure. We measured its output close-miked midrange curve substituted for front panel. The 1 -inch soft -dome tweeter, by inserting the microphone through the the room measurement between 150 and located near one corner of the front panel, base slot to place it as close as possible to 1,100 Hz. The junctions between the vari- operates above 2,600 Hz. The asymmetrical the cone. The output reached a maximum ous curves matched very closely, but the tweeter placement permits pairs of PS -10's level at 100 Hz and fell off at 12 dB per overallfrequency -response variation was to be installed with both tweeters either at octave above and below that frequency. A not greatly reduced by this technique. The the inside or the outside, providing some second response maximum was measured at tweeter -level adjustment tilted the response control of imaging atdifferent speaker 650 Hz, where the woofer's output equaled curve above 1,000 Hz, with a maximum ef- spacings. its 100 -Hz level, and there was also a much fect of ±3 dB above 5,000 Hz. The front baffle of the PS -10 is covered smaller response peak at 1,200 Hz. These We could also see the woofer's secondary with resilient rubber to reduce diffraction at higher frequencies, however, do not radiate peaks (though greatly attenuated) in the the edges of the enclosure. On the front through the slot with equal effectiveness room response. They appeared as a pair of -panel is a small knob that provides a contin- and thus do not have a major effect on the peaks and dips with peak -to -peak ampli- uous ± 3 -dB high -frequency level adjust- total output of the system. tudes of 3 to 5 dB at 650 and 1,200 Hz. ment. The brown cloth grille is retained by Although we do not usually measure the Such small aberrations (as well as consider- plastic snaps. The speaker's connectors, re- response of midrange drivers with a close - ably larger ones) frequently appear in our cessed into the rear of the cabinet, are insu- spaced microphone, since this type of meas- speaker -response measurements, and they lated and spring -loaded like those often urement is valid only when the cone diame- are usually the result of room resonances or used for speaker outputs on amplifiers and ter is small compared with the wavelength room -boundary interactions with the speak- receivers. They are spaced on 3/4 -inch cen- of sound at the highest measured frequency, er. In this case, however, the variations in ters, and their openings are large enough to the size of the PS -10's midrange cone (the the room response corresponded closely accept dual banana -plug connectors. company calls it a "mid -bass" driver) ap- with the measured anechoic woofer re -

50 STEREO REVIEW Sony creates seventh row, center. Forever.

INTRODUCING THE SONY COMPACT beauty of Mahler or the Moody Blues socn. For a sound you can't believe, DISC PLAYER. as never before. from the audio .nnovator you assu:edl.i The inventor of digital audio pro- This highest of fidelity remains can. cessing is pleased to raise the curtain faithful, too. Because the digital discs SONY on the CDP-101. Hailed by the discrim- are read by laser beam, there's THE ONE AND ONLY inatino ears at High Fidelity as "the none of the physical wear inevitable most fundamental change in audio tech-with tape or vinyl. While the CDP-101 nology in more tar eighty years." ingeniously ignores scratches, There are compelling reasons for dust, and fingerprints. such applause. Equally ingenious, an infra- The CDP-101.based on the world's red remote control even lets you fast compact disc system co -developedselect tracks without budging by Sony and Phil:ps of Holland, offers from your armchair. Yet for all its concert -hall freedom from distortion, sophistication, the CDP-101 is wow, flutter, and other sonic gremlins. thoroughly compatible with what- Plus an awesome dynamic range ever sound system you now own. exceeding 90dB. To bring you the full We suggest you hear tie CDP-101 c I483 Smiy Corp. of America Sony is a registered trademarkof the Sciy CorpI Sony Drive. Park Ridge. New if,r soy 07656 CIRCLE NO. 6 ON READER SERVICE CARD Ind mareaurts

sponse, and we are inclined to link the two although the analyzer's frequency resolu- dible bass response remained strong and effects. tion was somewhat limited in this test. clean far below the measured 100 -Hz max- The woofer distortion was measured with The FFT analysis clearly showed the di- imum -output frequency; in fact, the lower a constant input voltage equivalent to one rectivity of the PS -10's tweeter when we limitfortrulyeffectivebassresponse that would generate a 90 -dB sound -pressure subtracted the 45 -degree -off -axis response seemed to be about 50 Hz, confirming the level at a 1 -meter distance. This level was from the axial response. The two curves be- manufacturer's 48 -Hz rating. The highs based on our own measurement of the gan to diverge above 10,000 Hz, with a sounded best to us with the tweeter level set speaker's sensitivity, which in the case of maximum difference of 24 dB at 20,000 at "0" (which also gave the flattest meas- the PS -10 was 91 dB for a 1 -watt input, al- Hz. The group -delay (phase) characteristic ured response). The slight bass emphasis at most exactly the rated value (and unusually varied about 0.3 millisecond overall be- 100 Hz produced a moderate heaviness on high for a small acoustic -suspension sys- tween 2,000 and 20,000 Hz. male voices, but the PS -10 was similar in tem). With the same microphone placement this respect to many other speakers we have used to measure its frequency response, the Comment. The Design Acoustics PS -10 tested. Overall, we found the sound from woofer's distortion was less than 1 per cent isbest operated close to ear height, al- the PS -10's to be as satisfying as we would down to 66 Hz, rising to only 3.5 per cent at though not necessarily against a wall. Its expect from a good 5250 speaker. It is quite 45 Hz and 6 per cent at 30 Hz. considerable depth may prevent its installa- possible that different placements of these The PS -10's system impedance was un- tion on normal bookshelves, since it will ex- units could make substantial changes in usually uniform, between 6 and 10 ohms at tend over the front of even a 12 -inch shelf. their sound quality, but we found them im- most frequencies from 20 to 20,000 Hz, We did our listening and room -response pressive enough without attempting to op- with one dip to 4.5 ohms at 130 Hz. The measurements withthe speakers placed timize the installation. No doubt there are axial frequency response, measured with against the wall on a ledge about 27 inches some homes for which the PS -10's unortho- our IQS FFT analyzer, was ± 3 dB from above the floor. For the FFT measurements dox configuration is especially well suited, the 180 -Hz lower limit of the measurement the speaker was placed on a stand several but its compact size and unobtrusive looks up to about 20,000 Hz. This measurement, feet from a wall. should enable it to fit in almost anywhere made at a I -meter distance with the speaker In our listening tests, the PS -10's deliv- both aesthetically and acoustically. placed well away from walls and floor, also ered a smooth, balanced sound that was -Julian D. Hirsch showed the anomalies in the upper woofer generallyconsistentwithour measure- range revealed by our other measurements, ments. We were pleased to find that the au- Circle 143 on reader service card

Goldring Electro II Phono Cartridge

GDLDRING phono cartridges have earned A special feature of the Electro II is its magnet cartridges). The coils are wound a reputation for quality and value in Van den Hul stylus, a line -contact design with wire having a diameter of only 15 mi- Britain, where the company is based. In the said to approximate the contours of a cut- crometers, making possible the combination past, Goldring has produced conventional ting stylus more closely even than the Shi- of high output voltage with low moving moving -magnet cartridgessellingfora bata and similar shapes developed in the mass. broad range of prices. Our tests have shown quadraphonic record era. The advantage The Goldring Electro II has a die-cast them to be quite comparable with similarly claimed for this stylus shape is more accu- aluminum structure, and the fit of the me- priced cartridges from Japan and the U.S. ratetracking of high -frequency groove chanical components is so close that no ad- Now Goldring has entered a new arena with modulations resulting in wider and smooth- hesives are used. According to the manufac- the Electro II, a high -output moving -coil er response and reduced distortion. The turer, this very rigid construction results in (MC) cartridge rated to deliver 2.5 milli- rated frequency response of the Electro II is exceptionally stable stereo imaging. Each volts (at a 5-cm/s groove velocity) that re- 20 to 20,000 Hz ± 3 dB, with a channel sep- cartridge comes with its individual calibra- quires no head amplifier or transformers to aration of 25 dB at 1,000 Hz and channel tion curve and test measurements. Price: be completely compatible with any modern levels balanced within I dB. $150. Goldring USA, Ltd., Dept. SR, 1185 amplifier's moving -magnet (MM) phono The equivalent tip mass of the Electro II's Chess Drive, Foster City, Calif. 94404. input. stylus system is 0.6 milligram, and its verti- As with almost all other moving -coil car- cal tracking angle is specified as 20 degrees. Laboratory Measurements. We mount- tridges, the Goldring Electro II's stylus is The vertical tracking force should be be- ed the Electro II in a low -mass (8 -gram) not user -replaceable (though if the stylus tween 1.6 and 2.2 grams, with a 1.8 -gram tone arm for testing and listening. The com- becomes worn or damaged, the entire car- nominal rating. Since itis a high -output binedarm/cartridgeresonance wasat tridge can be replaced at a cost substantial- cartridge, the Electro II should be termi- about 9 Hz, a nearly ideal frequency, and it ly less than that for a first-time purchase). nated in the standard 47,000 ohms, with a was well damped. All measurements were Thecartridge'sdimensions, mounting load capacitance between 100 and 500 pico- made with a vertical tracking force of 1.8 holes, and 9 -gram weight make it compati- farads. The d.c. coil resistance is 77 ohms, grams after we checked the effect of higher ble with most tone arms having an effective and the inductance is 0.2 millihenry (both forces on the tracking ability of the car- mass in the range of 8 to 14 grams. much lower than are typical of moving - tridge. (There was at most a minor im-

52 STEREO REVIEW Very simply, our R-851 is not for everyone. Not for every dealer. Not for every audio buyer. Only for those who demand the ONLY ONE AUDIO best. Those who want sound that's pure and distinctive... who hear subtleties others miss. For those discriminating listeners, the R-851 DEALER IN TWENTY is well worth the quest. Hear the silence before you WILL CARRY THE hear the sound. Switch on the R-851, switch from one function to another. Try Phono. Tape 1. Tape 2. Auxiliary. Back to Phono. KYOCERA R-851 Absolute silence (of course, you'll get sound on AM/FM). The silence is the mark of a great receiver. And great engineering. TUNER/AMPLIFIER The kind of quiet an audiophile loves to hear. WITH MOS FET AMPS. Sound that takes you closer to the source. We've turned on the R-851 for some very experienced-even jaded- audio ears, and all we can say is it stops 'em every time. The soundisdif- ferent. The sense ofbeing thereis almost overpowering. All this comes from 85 watts per channel of power* (with dynamic power far above this figure) and some of the most sophisticated circuitry in the business. Above all, it uses MOS FET's, the new breed of output transistors, in the amplifier section. They can handle the transients, the power surges, the power requirements of present-day sound (and tomorrow's digital sound) better than bipolar transistors ever could- and give you a sonic purity like no other (many claim MOS FET's have picked up the warm, rich sound of the great tube amps and gone a step beyond!).

Fine tuned for every audio need. From front end to output jacks, the R-851 offers every feature an audio enthusiast might want. The most commonly used controls are right up front-the more esoteric ones are placed behind a neat flip -down front panel. There's microprocessor - controlled quartz -locked tuning with 14 station programmable memory (7 AM & 7 FM): automatic station seek; 3 -band parametric - style equalizer; fluorescent display panel; and two-way tape monitonng and dubbing. If you need some help in finding that one Kyocera dealer in twenty. contact: Kyocera International. Inc., 7 Powder Horn Drive, Warren, NI 07060 (201) 560-0060. CIRCLE NO7 ON READER SERVICE CARD

KYOCER2

'85 watts RMS per channel, both channels driven, at 8 Ohms with no more than 0.015% THD from 20-20,000 Hz. 23& tEs azimausualla 0

.6 4- 0 0 1-6 5 0 (0 J GO4RINgs L TRI,S)03: W -10 M 0IS I - z voil EMI 0 SI.."' 0 E204 mimi,...... , ,...... W..4 a. -3. 0o 100 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 5 10 15 20 25 30 FREQUENCY IN HZ (CYCLES PER SECOND) PEAK VELOCITY IN CM/SEC OF TEST DISC

In the graph at left, the upper curve represents the frequency re- to the intermodulation-distortion (IM) and 10.8 -kHz tone -burst test sponse of the cartridge. The distance (measured in decibels) be- bands of the TTR-102 and TTR-103 test records. These high ve- tween it and the lower curve is the average separation between locities provide a severe test of a phono cartridge's performance. the two channels (anything above 15 dB is adequate). The inset The intermodulation-distortion readings for any given cartridge can oscilloscope photo shows the cartridge's response to a recorded vary widely, depending on the particular test record used. The ac- 1,000 -Hz square wave, which indicates resonances and overall tual distortion figure measured is not as important as the maximum frequency response (see text). At right is the cartridge's response velocity tracked before a sudden increase in distortion occurs.

provement at 2 grams, the maximum force The Electro II's frequency response with el 3. The high-level 32 -Hz tones of the Cook available with the tone arm we used.) the CBS STR 100 test record was flat with- 60 record were played so well at 1.8 grams Following the manufacturer's recommen- in ± I dB from 40 to 10,000 Hz, then rose that we reduced the tracking force to only 1 dations, we terminated the cartridgein slightly and showed some irregularity be- gram-the Electro IIstill played without 47,000 ohms and a capacitance of about tween 10,000 and 20,000 Hz. The overall mistracking. The 300 -Hz portion of the 200 picofarads. The output was 1.93 milli- response was +2.5, - I dB over the entire German HiFi:2 record was tracked at the volts at a 3.54-cm/s groove velocity. We 40- to 20,000 -Hz range of the record. The 60 -micrometer level with 1.8 grams and at also checked its performance with much channel separation was 20 to 23 dB through 70 micrometers with 2 grams. These track- lower resistances and higher capacitances; the midrange, increasing to 25 dB from ing tests indicate that the Goldring Electro there was virtually no effect on its response 6,000 to 10,000 Hz and becoming uneven in II should be able to cope with almost any- other than some reduction of output voltage thetopmostoctave.Frequency -response thing one is likely to find on a record. with resistances on the order of 100 to 1,000 measurements withthe JVC 1007 and ohms. The Electro II's performance into a B&K 2009 test records gave similar results. Comment. We are not especially enam- wide range of loads suggests that Goldring The 1,000 -Hz square waves of the CBS ored of moving -coil cartridges in general, recommends a 47,000 -ohm load, normally STR 112 test record were reproduced with since audible advantages of typical low -out- considered suitable for a moving -magnet only a single cycle of moderate -amplitude put MC cartridges are difficult to demon- cartridge, only to emphasize that the Elec- overshoot and ringing. This test produced a strate, while their disadvantages are only tro II should not be plugged into the MC nearly ideal "flat-topped" square wave with too obvious (high price, the need for addi- input of an amplifier. The low input resist- the over -40 -kHz ringing that is one of the tional amplification, nonreplaceable styli, ance -of an MC input would probably have characteristics of this record. often a peak in the high -end response, poor little effect on the performance of the car- The stylus's vertical tracking angle meas- tracking ability, etc.). Most of the MC cartridge, but the ElectroII's high output ured 22 degrees. The tracking distortion tridges that we have enjoyed using have would most likely overload the input. was measured with the Shure TTR-102 test been high -output types like the Electro11. record (an intermodulation test at velocities These can combine the best of both worlds: from about 7 to 27 cm/s). The distortion the low noise, extended high -frequency re- readings were around 3 per cent for veloci- sponse, and total independence of pream- ties up to about 25 cm/s, increasing to 6 per plifier -load effects of MC cartridges and cent at the record's maximum level. This the compatibility with standard amplifier rasi;6t,iseLE represents good tracking performance since phono inputs and more reasonable prices of there was no obvious mistracking even at 27 MM cartridges. oR cm/s. High -frequency tracking distortion The Goldring Electro II has all these de- SATANFiC FORCED was measured using Shure's TTR-103 test sirable qualities (we exclude user -replace- record, which has shaped I0.8 -kHz tone THAT BANOur able styli from the list of criteria, since MC bursts at a 270 -Hz repetition rate. Here is cartridges with that feature often have oth- SPEAKER COILS! where the Van den Hul stylus seemed to er weaknesses in their performance). The show its mettle, producing a constant and low resistance of the Electro IIvirtually nearly unmeasurable distortion reading ofgrounds the amplifier phono input, result- about 0.5 per cent over the full 15- to 30- ing in extremely low noise, even at maxi- cm/s range of the record. Itis very likely mum volume settings, with most well -de- that 0.5 per cent is the residual distortion of signed amplifiers or receivers. The sound the record with our test setup, and this per- from this cartridge was as good as we have formance has not been surpassed by any ever heard. other cartridge we have measured. The Electro II is undoubtedly a very fine The tracking ability of the Electro II was cartridge, with a clarity and an effortless checked subjectively with the Shure ERA and uncolored sound that place it well up in IV and ERA V "Audio Obstacle Course" our personal ranking. The fact that it sells records. With the ERA IV record, we heard for what is, these days, a most reasonable traces of incipient mistracking at the high- price, is yet another attractive feature. est level (No. 5) of the orchestral bell and -Julian D. Hirsch flute sections. The three -tone test signal of the ERA V was mistracked slightly on Lev- Circle 144 on reader service card

54 STEREO REVIEW Nakamichi-Commitment to Innovation

Innovatior -not a word to use lightly! Innova- corders by using special test tones on ear cas- tion demands a fresh look-a break with the sette. This technique cannot be used when play- past-a new solution to an existing problem. ing tapes that were recorded without the :ones. Innovation begins with ar idea born of free A practical playback azimuth -alignment system thought, unfettered by tradition, unshackled by must utilize music itself as a test signal. but how preconceived notions of what is possible. Tech- can an electronic circuit know what music should nological innovation is akin to artistic inspirat on. sound like? An idea orig nates in the creative soul of one per- Can music be used to check itself? Yes! We've son; the R&D lab-technology's "orchestra"- invented a way to measure phase error between converts that idea into reality. signals on a single track. To the non -technical Conside the Nakamichi Dragon-an innova- music lover, this sounds like gobbledygook but tive cassette deck in the True sense of the word! your ears will tell you that it works! It won't make Why? Not because Dragon plays both sides of a good music out of bad, but it does reproduce ao- cassette automatically, but becaLse it is the first solutely everything that was recorded without loss to do it perfectly-the first to solve the "bi-direc- of overtones, clarity or life. And. it works or every tional playback problem" :hat has plagued every tape-recorded commercially or at home-and auto -reverse cassette deck ever made! in both playback directions! The "bi-directional playback problem" is The system is NAAC-Nakamichi Autc Azi- caused by cassette tolerances which allow tape muth Correction. Dragon is the first deck to have to follow a different path when played in reverse it-which makes Dragon the world's first 'per- than it did when recordec. This produces "azi- fect" auto -reverse cassette deck! Nakamichi- muth error" which results in lost overtones. Instru- where commitment to innovation creates the ments no longer sound true to products of the future-today! life and the music is deac! ,r more information on NAAC and I I - This is not acceptable to Jragon, write to Nakamichi U S A Corporation. 1101 Colorado Avenue Nakamichi! A decade ago, we Santa Monica. California 90401 solved the "azimuth -alignment problem" of conventional re- DRAGON Auto Reverse Cassette Deck nkNakamichi

..F.PTEMBER 1983 55 4 k 101111114..., 41:91.

41111te-4,7417. , tit 44%04 -.44161AL 9 ,R- 16' i* tia '

Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined 111. - '"e' 44,4 That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health. V12..1 17 mg "tar,' 11 mg nicotine ay.-'. 0;4; -'444..t. .1 per cigarette, FTC Report Mar '83 r fillier" .. C7* . d" 4.1104, ke% ' - ,i-- qi .to

4Come to where the flavor is!

14 a Come to Marlboro Country.

Marlboro Red or Longhorn WO's- you get a lot to 4ike. 77.

. WY It" - 404k, P, IN N its early years, the Consumer Elec- tronics Show (CES)-a semi-annual event where manufacturers exhibit their new products to distributors, dealers, and the press-was mainly devoted to audio. Lately, however, the audio exhibitors at the show have been, by NewAudio and large, an unhappy lot. Beleaguered by a poor economy, changes in consumer tastes, overproduction, and competition from video, the audio industry had to accept a smaller role in the fast- Technology- growing world of video equipment, electronic games, communications devices, iand personal computers. fi But last year's Summer CES gave hints that the audio business was turning around, and revival was even more apparent at last winter's show in Las Vegas. This summer's CES in Chicago left no doubts that audio is alive and well again. True, video was as big as ever, but the importance of audio in video (and vice versa) is increasing as consumers demand better sound from their video equipment and as more and more music performances appear on video discs, video tapes, and cable TV. The new optimism among the audio exhibitors was unmistakable-and clearly justified. After all, people will still want to enjoy music long after their video games have been put away to collect dust in the attic. The main reason for audio's resur- gence is the introduction of the digital Compact Disc, whose influence-direct or indirect-was visible in every cate- - equipment at the show. Their selling price of $800 and up puts CD A Report from players well into the high -end category for playback -only devices, and there is as yet relatively little music to play on the Summer CES them. Nevertheless, the possibility of delivering to the average consumer au - By E. Brad Meyer dibly perfect replicas of original master tapes seems to have everybody thinking new thoughts. Every new preamplifier, power amplifier, FM tuner, cassette deck, receiver, and loudspeaker in sight was touted as "digital -ready," and the products that cannot be used in con- junction with CD's-analog turntables, tone arms, and cartridges-were all being improved to meet the challenge of the digital system's performance. What has happened, in fact, is that once again the best audio "hardware" (the playback equipment) is notably superior to most of the "software" (the program material) available for it. The CD system is not the only technologi- callyexcitingnew audiomedium. There are also digital -audio adaptors for conventional video -cassette recorders (from Sony, Technics, and others, with prerecorded PCM-encoded VHS - format cassettes from Mobile Fidelity [see page 76]), two video -disc systems

58 STEREO REVIEW with stereo sound and CX noise reduc- Yamaha), players were shown by Akai, fi shoppers can also follow. A couple of tion (LaserVision and CED), and two Dual, Fisher, Luxman, Marantz, NEC, CD's will slip easily into a coat pocket systems of recording high-fidelity audio Sansui, and Sanyo. and make an extremely consistent por- with video on video cassettes (Beta Hi- As for the software: there are now table reference source with wide dy- Fi and its new VHS equivalent, which several CD pressing plants in operation namic range and very low distortion. was exhibited at this show and is de- in Japan and Europe, but CBS's Amer- This test assumes that CD players scribed below). In the near future weican facility won't be on line until late sound pretty much alike, which they do; can also expect to see PCM-encodedin 1984. Overseas customers are buying the audible differences among them are audio cassettes as well as small, porta- about three times the number of discs vastly less than between analog phono ble "8 -mm" video -cassette recordersper player sold than was predicted by cartridges or tape recorders. But there that can record PCM-encoded audioPhilips'soriginalmarketing studies, are differences in "tracking ability." 1 along with video. which means that there aren't many carried around a defective CD that How well all these new formats suc-left over for export to the U.S., so the causes my own player to mute briefly in ceed in the marketplace will depend, as flow of discs from overseas will be slow. certain places and tried it on every ma- always, on how attractive the program A wild -card entry in the CD pressing chine I could find at the show. Most material for them turns out to be. Thebusiness, a Virginia company calledhad no problems with it, but a couple disappointed reaction to the sound of Digital Images, may ease the situation actually stuck or skipped, underscoring many early Compact Discs-which was somewhat, however. the importance of evaluating that as- largely justified-shows what can hap- At the show a Chicago record -store pect of any player before you buy. I also pen when advances in recording prac-chain passed out a list of more than a noticed major differences in the ease tices don't keep up with developments hundred CD titles they claimed to have with which different players could cue in recording and playback technology. in stock, with a like number due to ar- up the defective section on the disc. The big question for the moment,rive within the month. A quick trip to however, is whether today's home ster- the branch nearest the Conrad Hilton Electronic Components eo systems are adequate to the play-hotel downtown revealed less than half back challenges posed by the new me-that number remaining, and most were The electronics in audio systems will dia. That's one of the things we concen- selling for $21.95, well above the going have to change in several ways to ac- trated on at the show, and we'll report price in most of Europe and Japan commodate both CD players and high- our conclusions in each category below. (around $17). fidelity video hardware. At the very What's clear in any case, though, is The Recording Industry Association least, preamplifiers, receivers, and inte- that the Compact Disc and other ad-of America (RIAA) has formed a grated amplifiers will need additional vanced systems have galvanized the hi-Compact Disc Group to publicize the inputs and switching facilities. Most in- fi industry into making changes in oth- medium and issue comprehensive cata- put -selector switches on the new equip- er equipment that will help even goodlogs. Members of this industry group ment have a position labeled CD or DAD old analog LP's sound better. So even ifincludesoftwareproducers-Arista, (for Digital Audio Disc); some even you have no plans to invest immediatelyCapitol, CBS, Chrysalis, PolyGram, read VIDEO/DAD. In almost every case, in one of the new formats, there is still RCA, Telarc, and Warner Bros. A con- however, this position does not repre- reason for good cheer. sumer hotline has been established for sent an additional high-level input but Instead of a tedious list of every newthose wanting further information; the is a simple relabeling of a previously ex- product in every line from every manu-number is (212) 355-6947. isting AUX input. facturer, we've provided an overview of The first CD's on the Telarc label ap- There were exceptions, however. A trends in each product area along with peared at the show as demonstration high -end Technics preamp (the SU- illustrative examples. More detailed in- material for various exhibits, with the A4MK2, $1,100) has three phono information about many of the productsAtlanta Symphony recording of Strav- puts, a tuner input, and a second line - introduced at the Summer CES has al-insky's Firebird Suite getting a particu- level input labeled CD/Aux/VIDEO. The ready begun appearing in STEREO RE-larly good reaction (and rightlyso; last position actually covers three pairs VIEW'S "New Products" pages, and testitsounds magnificent).Frustratingly of input connectors; the pair in use is reports on some of the more significantenough, however, none of the compa- selectable by pushbuttons behind a items will appear in future issues-be- ny's CD's were officially available for door as the bottom of the front panel. sides those included in this one. sale, and exhibitors were requested to And the preamplifier in Tandberg's im- 'return them when the show was over. proved 3000A series of components has There were CD players at the booths a DIGITAL DISC input for which the The Compact Disc of every major manufacturer on the usualbuffer amplifier has beenre- The medium that is causing most ofshow's mammoth main floor in McCor- moved in order to prevent overload on the fuss has two big obstacles in themick Place, in almost all of the demon- loud transients. way of mass -market acceptance: the stration suites in the McCormick Inn Despite the need of an additional in- players and the discs are too expensive, across the street, and in a surprising put for digital -audio and/or video sig- and there aren't enough discs. The anx- number of the rooms across town at the nal sources, it seemed at the show that iously awaited downward price breakConrad Hilton booked by the specialist the trend toward an excessive use of been was nowhere in evidence at the show; in audio companies, which used CD's to pushbuttons has fortunately fact, most of the so-called second -gen-demonstrate loudspeakers, amplifiers, halted. Pioneer, for example, has re- eration players are more expensive than and other components. Audio writers styled its entire line of electronic com- the early models, selling as they do forare always advising people to listen to ponents, and the volume control on the between $1,200 and $1,400. Besides the new equipment using familiar program new units is once again a knob. The proliferation of wireless remote eleven first -generation CD playersmaterial, and the "favorite CD" seems STEREO REVIEW tested for the July is- to have replaced the "favorite cassette" controls in audio and video cassette re- sue (Hitachi, Kenwood, Kyocera, Mag- with many members of the audio press corders and TV sets has accustomed the American consumer to the convenience navox, Mitsubishi, Phase Linear, (except those covering car stereo, of Sharp, Sony, Technics, Toshiba, andcourse). It's a practice that ordinary hi- of chair -side operation. Remote con -

59 SEPTEMBER 1983 trols first appeared on single -brand au- Similarly, there are power amps thatswitching power supply gives undimin- dio systems a couple of years ago andautomatically adjust the bias on their ished performance at line voltages as are now spreading to separate compo-outputstagestocompensatefor low as 95 volts and also helps keep the nents. The usual system design involves changes in heat -sink temperature. In total weight down to 16 pounds. Anoth- the installation of an infrared sensor in the Revox B251 integrated amplifier. a er new model with a good power -to - one component, either an integrated microprocessorwith a nonvolatile weight ratioisthe Carver receiver amplifier or receiver, which then servesmemory is used to set and store the gain ($700). Rated at 130 W/ch continuous, as the control center for the other parts levels of each of seven input -bufferit weighs only 17 pounds. It has the of the system. Revox has taken a slight- amps in order to match levels betweensame noise -reduction circuits as the ly different tack with a remote unit thatinputs. Other new amplifiers and re-Carver TX -11 tuner and aVIDEO/DAD can directly control either a new model ceivers have computer -controlled vol- input (but none labeled Aux). integrated amp or a tuner. With an ume and tone -control circuits. Few radio stations can broadcast add-on interface it can be adapted to The Compact Disc has had a big im-Compact Discs with anything near control Revox's older receiver, turnta- pact on manufacturers of power ampli-their full dynamic range and potential ble, cassette deck, or B77 open -reel fiers and receivers, who are making sig-channelseparation,butthathasn't deck as well. nificant improvements in their prod-stopped tuner manufacturers from im- If you like the idea of remote control ucts' ability to deliver the high peakproving the performance of their de- but don't want to buy new components,currents that loudspeakers require forsigns to be able to cope with such consider AR's new SRC -1 add-on wire- wide -dynamic -range musical passages. broadcasts. As with other CD -inspired less remote unit for under $150. Con-Harman Kardon emphasized this fac- changes, many of the improvements are nected in a tape -monitor loop (or be- tor in its entire receiver and amplifierworthwhile in themselves. tween the preamp and power amp), it line, including the 100 -watt -per -chan- One of the most notable is from Pio- controls power on/off, volume, balance, nel(W/ch) hk870 basicamplifier, neer, whose $300 F-90 tuner features and partial or full muting as well as which costs $500 and is said to be ableDigital Direct Decoder circuitry. Origi- providing a tape -monitor loop to re-to put out 60 amps (!) for brief periods. nally developed to give lower distortion place the one it occupies. The unit hasMany receiver makers are finally start-and better separation at high frequen- an audiophile -quality buffer amplifier ing to publish power ratings for 4- and cies, the new stereo decoder circuit pro- followed in the signal path by a micro- even 2 -ohm loads. vides the unexpected benefit of substan- processor -controlled resistor -ladder at- Itis possible to use some ordinarytially better selectivity, which is impor- tenuator, and it has a signal-to-noise ra- stereo power amplifiersin whatis tant in many American urban locations tio greater than 90 dB. known as a "bridged mode," in whichwith crowded FM bands. The alter- Greater control versatility is provided the two audio channels are used to drive nate -channel selectivity of the F-90 is in many new units through the use ofa single speaker. This mode requires85 dB, a 20 -dB improvement over Pio- internalmicroprocessors-computers, two complete stereo amplifiers for nor-neer's better previous designs. if you will-both to control the audiomal two -channel operation, but it can For $1,500 the Revox B261 offers a signal and to store information. In addi- multiply the total available power by uphost of special convenience features. tion to the computer -run tape -matching to four times. A new SoundcraftsmenThe front -panel liquid -crystal display circuits used in some cassette decks for amplifier equipped to operate in thiscan be switched to show either the several years, many FM tuners now manner is the DDX4 1 0 ($450), whichtuned frequency or a preprogrammed continuouslycontroli.f.bandwidth delivers 205 W/ch into any impedancefour -character station name. Each of with a microprocessor that actually from 2 to 8 ohms or 500 watts (mono)the twenty preset memories stores not monitorssignal -receptionconditions. into 8 ohms in bridged mode. The unit'sonly the frequency (in 12.5 -kHz steps if necessary) but also the settings of the controlsfori.f.bandwidth, stereo/ mono, high -blend, and a choice of two antenna inputs. Carver Corporation is selling an add-on adaptor to give any 0 MEM FM tuner the improved stereo perform- 104.3411 ance of Carver's own TX -11. The new unit is the TX1-11 ($250) and connects between the tuner and preamp or in a 0 tape -monitor loop. The situation continues to be both confused and confusing for stereo AM. There are currently no fewer than four FCC -approvedstereo -AM broadcast Marantz introduced a line of receivers with Compact Disc and video inputs. The SR430 ($300) shown here offers 30 watts per channel of power and digital -synthesis tuning.

Pioneer's SX-50 digital receiver ($375) also has CD and video inputs. It uses a familiar volume knob and slider tone controls instead of the often finicky microprocessor touch buttons.

60 STEREO REVIEW Polk's Revolutionary SDA Is Now More Affordable Technology St,leo H' Unit Dirierisbnal Vi!= Unit Rerec Mid/Woober Micf/Vvooier r--irren;iona/Stereo -IF Unit F"( Unit Low EreqLency Drivers Stereor:irreniional Mid:Wooter Mid/Woofer . Low Frequency un cub Sass Radiator i. //) Ha trir""M6 PolxuniqueThe SDA bot-iSecond series ir Jesign louct,peake-rs SDA concept areard totalson cy It Makes Your Music Come Alive cILdingviewsYear.last andyear the High Himanyreceived =i Fidelity Granc prestigious unprecedented Prixsaid -Product :hat awards tFe ofraveSDA-1 .hein- re- soundingW-ibS9935 to usor to ornformatiorloucs)eake.rs $8513use the and readers or the (priceda nameseviceI our fromofincrediblecard your theperformance.buolspeakers.icamensional sonic ly improvel advantages ma;, SDA -he ngspatial technology SDA's andof headphones depthf achievede it,',combines by three allowdrama-t- ard rci- g aredimensionwouldStereo availableically help Review inaudible "change the -o yousounc.- raved benefits irand a "quite Nowmore o of forever" theF.DA literally afforda3le drarr technology and a at- new ALdtimorePolknearest o. MDAudio, authorizec 21230. Inc. 1913 InP -31kCanada itinnapol dealer. Evolution s Rd., Bal- eachastonishinglyheadphor)tionalumph ear spez

price. The ADC LT -30 linear -tracking turntablecomescompletewith P - mount cartridge for under $100. Also The Carver TX1-11 ($250) is an add-on component with the same circuitry that gives the Carver TX -11 tuner its outstandingly low noise and distortion -free reception.

Revox's B 261 FM tuner ($1,500) displays either the frequency or the call letters of the tuned station. It has twenty programmable presets and many other unusual features.

62 STEREO REVIEW becoming cheaper are tone arms that old models except the top one, the V- 15 $1,395 TCD 3014 deck can also record adjust such parameters astracking Type V. And even that model has been the full audio bandwidth at a 0 -dB level force, damping, and antiskating with upgraded to the V-15 Type V -MR, thanks to a combination of Dolby -C electronically controlled servomotors.with a "Micro -Ridge" stylus tip that and the company's own Dyneq system Denon introduced two new turntables provides a taller and narrower groove - of dynamically variable record pre -em- with servo -controlled tone arms, the contact area than the old hyperellipti-phasis. In the dbx camp are Luxman, DP -45F ($350) and DP -35F ($300). cal stylus. Many of the new Shure mod- with the KX- 102 ($1,000), and Tech- The P -mount cartridge -installation sys- els (and some from ADC and others) nics, which now provides dbx noise re- tem picked up new adherents in Akai,are P -mount designs but come with duction in addition to Dolby -B and Dol- Hitachi, JVC, and Sharp, and P -mount adaptors allowing them to be mounted by -C in its entire line down to the $220 cartridges are now available from most on conventional arms. RS- M 234X. major manufacturers, including Em- The first moving -coil cartridge from Increased mechanical reliabilityin pire, Shure, Stanton, Audio-Technica,Goldring, the Electro II, is now avail- auto -reverse transport mechanisms has and ADC. able for a list price of $300 (see test re- encouraged Yamaha, JVC, and others The most interesting -looking method port on page 52). It is a high -outputto introduce models with that feature. for damping tone-arm/cartridge reso- model requiring no head amp, and itSome of these, such as JVC's three - nances appeared on a turntable from has a Van den Hul stylus (another very head DD -V9 ($800), record and play in Elite/Townshendknownsimply as narrow -contact -area design)fixedto both directions. Other interesting auto - "The Rock." Attached to its tone arm the cantilever without adhesives. reverse machines include the Sansui is a small cylinder that projects down- D990R ($650) with Dolby -B, Dolby -C, ward into a liquid -silicone bath. Earlier Tape Recording and dbx noise reduction, the Yamaha "paddle -damped" arms have had the K-700 ($495), Pioneer's CT -90R paddle attached near the pivot: this one Digital PCM tape decks using stand- ($520), and Akai's GX-R6 ($399). is on the very end of the arm near the ard -sized (or smaller) audio cassettes Technics offered two versions of a cartridge. The trough of silicone ex- are still a year or two away (see "Au- PCM digital adaptor for audio record- tends out over the record and must bedio/Video News," page 30).Inthe ing on Beta- or VHS -format video cas- swiveled out of the way to load a record meantime, tape -deckmanufacturers settes. The portable version, the SV- onto the turntable. want to give their customers a record- 100, which carries its own rechargeable Speaking of rocks, the Entec Granite ing medium capable of dubbing Com- Turntable has a solid granite platter pact Discs with as close to full dynamic and base. The 35 -pound direct -drive range as possible, which is why more ef- platter is suspended on an air bearing, fective noise -reduction systems-Dol- and the base has its own pneumatic sus- by-C and dbx-are becoming more pre- pension system. (A small air pump sits valent.Undergoing a resurgencein in the next room and is connected to the popularity is the Dolby-HX Profession- table by a long, thin hose.) Price, with- alheadroom -extensionsystem,pre- out arm, is a monolithic $4,500. viously used only by Bang and Olufsen The big news in cartridges is that but now appearing in machines from Shure Brothers has introduced a wholeAiwa (see test report on page 37) and new line, dropping every one of their Harmon Kardon as well. Tandberg's

Crown showed a PZM-style microphone, the Sound Grabber, that can either be hand held or used with a stand as shown. Prices start at $99.

Denon introduced two lower -priced relatives of its DP -52F turntable: the DP -45F (shown, $350) and the DP -35F ($300). Both models have the same microprocessor -controlled servo -tracer tone arm.

SEPTEMBER 1983 63 441111111111111111.111=11111111111111.ft.1111111,0 IMP -r_7 MI The cassette -deck field is very active. Automatic music search systems have become very popular, such as that mai included in this Onkyo TA -2044 Integra model ($300).

battery, is $900; the plug-in home mod- the Teac X-1000 take 10 -inch reels, run TDK gave a seminar at the show to el, the SV-110, is $800. The adaptor is at either 33/4 or 71/2 ips, and can use the discussthenew tapetechnologies. specifically designed to work at the ex- new EE -type tapes. With EE tape and Among the topics was the prospect of tra -slow, six -hour recording speed of dbx I noise reduction, 71/2-ips operation vertical recording, a method in which the VHS system. There is a single knob is said to yield signal-to-noise ratios in the magnetic domains in an evapo- for fading both record channels, and excess of 100 db and frequency re- rated -metal -filmcoating are aligned with either version the user can switch sponse out to 30,000 Hz. The Akai deck perpendicular to the surface of the tape. off the playback muting to scan audio records or playsin both directions;At present the system requires pole cassettes at high speed. auto -reverse takes only 0.4 second. pieces on both sides of the tape, but it Akai and Teac both introduced inter- Recording tape continues its gradual must eventually be made to work with esting open -reel decks equipped with evolution with the introduction of high- single -sided heads. Vertical recording dbx Type Inoise -reduction circuitry. er -grade audio and video tapes from promises tremendous increases in the While this is a very effective system, it many manufacturers. (One surprise: amount of information that can be is generally intended for professional VHS tape from Sony.) It is apparent, stored on each square inch of tape. use (as is Dolby -A), and it demands however, that both the digital audio New tape formulations were intro- better low -frequency performance fromcassette and the new "8 -mm" video duced by Maxell, Denon, Konica, and the tape recorder than the dbx Type II format will require new tape formula- 3M, and just about every other tape system that is used in all of dbx's own tions if they are to work reliably. Themanufacturer announced improve- consumer -level products and in all oth- specification for the narrow -tape video ments in their current formulations. er dbx-equipped home audio products. format includes the option of one PCM The two systems are completely incom- audio channel recorded along with the patible. Both the Akai GX-747 dbx and video signal. Loudspeakers Like amplifiers, loudspeakers will be sorely taxed by the loud deep bass and wide dynamic range of Compact Discs. And, as with power amplifiers, all the speaker manufacturers atthe show promisedthattheirproductswere ready to meet the challenge. Methods used to increase power handling include increased efficiency, separate subwoofers (or other extra low -frequency drivers), internal biamplification, electronic equalization, and plain old brute force (that is, heavy-duty drivers). (Continued on page 66) Sansui's D -990R cassette deck ($650) is well supplied with features: auto -reverse, three noise -reduction systems (Dolby -B, Dolby -C, and dbx), blank selection search, remote control, and a built-in five -band equalizer.

Almost all the tape companies showed new or upgraded formulations. Fuji's new GT-1 cassettes are said to be specially formulated for car use.

64 STEREO REVIEW 0nor

ilrr "MN WI- Iga I I * *40 .411162.stailta IIHAMAY

- :

THE REVERSE IS ALSO I RUE.

Most audio manufacturers don't provide for automatic azimuth adjustment in their auto reverse cassette decks. So side B never sounds asgood as side A.Yamaha doesn't do things like most audio manufacturers. Introducingthe K-700 auto reverse cassette deck.The only one that sounds as good as a Yamaha-in both directions. To insure reproduction accuracy, we developed a special high - precision rotating head mechanism that permits precise,independent adjustment of head azimuth in both directions. And the head itself is the same pure Sendust type used in our top -of -the -linedeck.The result is uncompromised sound quality with auto reverse convenience. But that's just the beginning of the K -700's convenience. During recording, the K-700 counts down remaining tape time, automatically fades out at the end of the tape, then automatically fades back in after the tape is reversed and continues recording. Another fader button allows professional sounding fade-ins or fade-outs at any point during recording.You can also preprogram up to 15 selections to be recorded or playedback in any order. Then there's Intro Scan, Search, Blank Skip, Repeat, Auto Source Change, Auto Tape Selector, Dolby* B and C, Real-timeDigital Counter, and an optional remote control unit. How much for all this? Much less than you'd expect to pay for this much deck.The K-700. It's all true. Find out at your Yamaha dealer. Or write for complete information: Yamaha Electronics Corporation, USA, P.O. Box 6660, Buena Park, CA 90622. Dolhs is a registered trademark of DAM. Labs, Inc.

FOR THE MUSIC IN YOU. YAMAHA More than any other components, Outboard speaker equalizers, to beJSE Corporation has introducedits speakers must be heard to be appre- connected between a preamp and power"Infinite Slope" loudspeakers with ef- ciated, and there are always far tooamp, appearedinhigh -end designsfective crossover slopes in excess of 100 many new models at any CES to de- from Thiel and Infinity. The equalizerdB per octave. The directional charac- scribe in a reasonable amount of space. can give deeper or louder bass from a teristics of the system are effectively We'll have to summarize by saying that small- or medium-sized cabinet but re- those of its individual drivers. (The JSE interesting new models were shown by quires extra amplifier power (a factorModel 2 sells for $900.) Infinity, Snell, Polk, Boston Acoustics, of ten for a 10 -dB boost). Another way A complex, experimental loudspeak- Spica, Beveridge, Fourier, Allison, AR, to increase output capability is to divideer system with fourteen drivers per unit Varis, Celestion, Thiel, Electro-Voice, the frequency spectrum and provide was shown privately by dbx. Designer and ADS-among others. poweramplifiersfortheseparate Mark Davis said it could not have been The most efficient speakers use horn- bands. Internal biamplification was of- produced without the aid of a comput- loaded designs, and the industry's old- fered as an option by ADS and as er.Itfeatures an extremely uniform est maker of horn -loaded loudspeakers standard equipment in the huge KEF(though unusual)dispersionpattern is Paul Klipsch. Although the Klipsch- KM -1 StudioMonitor, whichatthroughoutthefrequencyrange, a orns are perhaps as certifiably "digi- $35,000 per pair (as shown at CES)property that speaker designers have tal -ready" as any other speakers at the won the high -price contest by a small previously regarded as desirable but show, their maker reportedly didn't like margin over the even larger Infinity hopelessly out of reach. The speaker as the sound of the CD's he heard (there are Reference Standard. shown in Chicago is not yet ready for lots of bad ones) and refused to use them If you like your present speakers but commercial release, butits imaging for his demonstrations. need more bass output, you can add a properties are quite remarkable, and One loudspeaker that generated a subwoofer or two. JBL's new B380 cov- the conceptsit embodies show great great deal of praise wasn't even on offi- ers the range from 25 to 70 Hz with a promise. cial exhibit: the Apogee Acoustics Full- single 15 -inch driver and costs $495. If Many other designers are making use Range Ribbon. These large planar ar- money is no object, the Entec subwoof-of computers in their work for such rays offer the imaging and detail of an ers have three drivers and a 250 -watt things as calculating component values electrostatic system, but they can play power amp in each cabinet; you can buy for crossovers or measuring the per- louder and go lower and they're easiera pair for $3,495. (Even the Entecs formance of experimental systems. The for amplifiers to drive. Each unit haswere pushed to their limit by Keith 0.computer speeds up thetraditional three separate 6 -foot -high ribbon driv- Johnson's new percussion record on the trial -and -error process of speaker de- ers; a pair sells for around $6,500. Reference Recordings label; it's sure tosign by orders of magnitude, and it of- be the new favorite among sonic -block- fers the capability of using more com- busterfans,replacing Tchaikovsky's plex mathematical models that take 1812 Overture.) into account the actual physical behav- In a multi -driver loudspeaker, each ior of drivers, as opposed to their sim- driver is supposed to cover a specificpler theoretical performance. The re- part of the frequency spectrum. Mostsulting improvements in the smoothness speaker systems use crossovers that at-and accuracy of the finished products tenuate the sound of each driver outsidewere audibly evident everywhere; they the desired band of frequencies by 6 or are real and significant. 12 dB for each additional octave, resulting in considerable audible output Video Sound beyond the nominal limit. The last year or so has seen speakers with 24 -dB -per - Many new audio components have octave crossover slopes, and now the line -level inputs labeled vtpi,o, but they

There were probably more new speakers on display at the show than any other product category except video games. Subwoofers were popular. The JBL B380 above retails for $495.

Many of the Japanese speaker makers have been introducing models that they hope will be more pleasing to Western ears, such as the Yamaha Natural Sound NS -2000 ($3,000 per pair)

66 STEREO REVIEW Surround Sound's M-360 decoder ($329) IMF .1410 NOTCH Pk RJR. SCMJNO Fm CTS TS DFC0D(R extracts the special sound -effects

I and ambience information from movie soundtracks recorded with the four -channel Dolby process.

All the new Koss personal stereos include a "safeLite" feature that warns the user when the sound -pressure level at his ears exceeds 95 dB. accept only sound, not pictures. An example of the kind of component that willserve as a full link between audio and video systems is the ADC VSS-2 Video Sound Shaper. Connected in the audio system's tape -monitor loop,it enables a user to listen to the video program's sound through his audio system as well as providing audio/video inter- connectionsfor three video sources, permitting dubs with simultaneous fade in and fade out of both picture and sound. For instance, you can dub sound from an audio cassette onto video tape and mix in narration using the built-in microphone preamp. The $400 unit also provides dynamic -range enhancement, fully transferred to aI -inch profession- new system is already offered for sale in de -hissing, five -band equalization, andal video tape, with the Dolby -A -en-Japan by Matsushita; a similar (and, pseudo -stereo synthesis to enrich other- coded stereo soundtracks played we were told, compatible) version was wise lifeless video sound. through a surround -sound decoder andshown privately at the CES by JVC. Just as big -band jazz moved from thea four -channel audio system. The sound Rather than take up room between the dance hall to the radio and the phono-quality (not to mention the picture) waschrominance and luminance signals in graph in an earlier part of this century,phenomenally good. The presentationthe video frequency spectrum (as Beta rock video is slowly moving from theactually suffered somewhat from theHi-Fi does), the VHS scheme uses an discos to the home via cable services disparitybetweenthespectacularlyentirelyseparatesetoffrequency - such as MTV and on standard videohuge sound and the 19 -inch picture.modulated audio record/play heads cassettes, video discs, and "video 45's,"The visual limitations of the U.S.-stand- mounted on the rotating drum between short video cassettes with high -qualityard NTSC video system were definitely the two sets of video heads. The audio is stereo audio. So far, however, the only stretched by this source material. not recorded on an adjacent track but medium withhigh-fidelity soundin Beta Hi-Fi offers a storage/retrieval underneaththe video tracks; the audio which this material is available is Betamediumwithsoundqualitygood is recorded first, and the video is laid Hi-Fi, Sony's system of recording twoenough that serious amateur recordistsdown over it. The video material gets FM audio carriers along with the videowould do well to consider it for audio -recorded nearer the surface of the tape signal. Unfortunately, Beta Hi-Fi suf- only applications. Sanyo has recognized coating so that the underlying audio is fers from the same software problemsthis potential in its VCR -7300 ($995), not erased by the video recording proc- as the Compact Disc system, only morewhich has anAUDIO -ONLYswitch that ess. The technique is called d-mpx (for so.Its sonic potentialis higher than turns on a built-in sync -pulse generator depth -multiplex). muchofthesoftwareavailableto allow recording without any video in- The demonstration of the hi-fi quali- achieves, especially movie soundtracks, put. Using an L-830 cassette at thety of the new VHS system was convinc- and the supply of material has so farBeta III speed gives 5 hours of contin- ing. Contrary to earlier denials, the been short in quantity and uneven inuous sound recording for a tape cost ofJVC version uses the same dbx Type II Matsushita's. As quality. about $12. The VCR -7300 looks like an noise reduction as Hope still remains, however, that the outsized portable radio;itmeasureswith Beta Hi-Fi, the main problem with home viewing experience can be accom- only 141/2 inches in its largest dimensiongetting the system accepted in the mar- paniedbytruehigh-fidelitysound. and weighs only 15 pounds with bat-ketplace will be in the area of software, What we can expect when that happenstery. It can be powered from the a.c. not hardware. But, as we said at the be- was foreshadowed in a demonstrationline, a 12 -volt d.c. source (such as a car ginning, that's the situation faced byall put on jointly by NAD and Proton,battery), or a Ni-Cad battery pack. the technologically advanced media at companies known for spectacular au-Other Beta Hi-Fi units were shown by this point. In the continuing, ever -shift- dio/video demos at Consumer Elec-NEC and Toshiba. ing race between hardware and soft- tronicsShows. We weren'tdisap- Meanwhile, the VHS camp has been ware to ride the leading edge of techno- pointed this year. They showed the first busy cooking up its own version of high- logical development, it's software's turn reel ofRaiders of the Lost Ark, care- fidelity stereo sound on video tape. The to catch up.

67 SEPTEMBER 1983 C 37 7001 /.44 1' HANDEL STINE° P3aao TRIO SONATAS IIEINZ HOLLICEK. ob MAURICI IVURGUE. nb MOZART KI.A. it: TITNEMANN. beam. 111S1110 4AGASIIIMA. cnntralmas r TWOSTRINGQI 11(TE1'-, HONANE VOTTFTharrandannd and t2101WillOd aWINO COMMIE ig I', II-FLVI MAXIS 11 371-11,0,1-1114111IINtoR 11Nr° g 111111111: -WStibbN I BEETH SYMPH No.5 OTMAR SUI ER STA ATSKAPELL PUN

C37-70). . vmPHONY NO. 5 m C M i p 67 38C37-7026 HANDEL TRIO SONATAS 7003 MOZART STRING QUARTET ,u1 1Ni H conducting Heinz HOLLIGER, oboe NO. 17 in B Flat Major, KV 458 "HUN T NG STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN NO 15 in D Minor, KV 421 SMETANA QUARTET 37 '061 r,NICTI NY I I \ 111 I)1 ;0E,:. \ DIE GROSSE SILBERMANNORGEL .1-111- FOUR SlAsciNs DES DOMES ZU FREIBERG BEETHQ !EN SvviPt40N,

OTMAR SUITNER LS.Badi /. -... STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN ogli.111., me. Memo .110.1.4a, ONO

WNW= OM ter MIMI 11.01.

Hans Otto..

037 7004 DIE GROSSE SILBERMANNORGEL 38037-7011 BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY N., 3 38037-7013 ANTONIO VIVALDI: THE FOUR SEASONS DES DOMES ZU FRIEBERG EROICA" in E Flat Major. Op 55 Gunars LARSENS violin J.S. BACH -,, SIIITNER Rudolf BAUMGARTNER: direction Hans OTTO. organ FESTIVAL STRINGS LUCERNE

anda 70

C.1.911 SIAM TO DECIDE BEETHOVEN ilk WHICH SYMPHONY&Tr N.1O CD PLAYER OTMAR SUra ITE BEE IS BEST, BEAUN STRING QUA "RASOUMOVSK MAKE THESE SMETANA

38C37- 7032 BEETHOVEN NO. 7 in A Major. Op. 92 .38L.5/ , .i ETHuVEN slRING QUARTET NO Otmar SUITNER conduct ng ,1E Minor, Op. 59. NO. 2 STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN RASOUMOVSKY NO. 2 YOUR SMETANA QUARTET

REFERENCE Analog or digital, a system is only as digitally recorded over 650 titles, and in the good as its signal source. When it comes to process has captured many of the most recording digitally, one company stands out critically -acclaimed performances of the CD'S. from the rest-with over a decade's more world's greatest music with sonic accuracy experience than most of its competition. second to none. Denon is credited with having Compositional masterpieces; definitive introduced digital technology to the field of performances; state-of-the-art sound. The audio in 1972. For over a decade Denon Denon Reference Compact Discs. continually has refined PCM recording technology to a point where fifth -generation Denon professional PCM recorders are DENON currently in use in Denon's own recording studios. IMAGINE WHAT WE'LL DO NEXT. During these exciting years, Denon has CIRCLE NO19 ON READER SERVICE CARD Choosinga Personal Portable By Myron Berger

WHEN Sony introduced thefirst Walkmanpersonalstereo tape player four years ago (it wascalledtheSoundaboutthen), people were amazed at the quality of the sound delivered by the tiny machine. While the first Walkman could not match the sound from high -quality headphones and a home component system, neither could you take a home cassette deck out for a jog around the park. In the intervening years, nearly every company in the audio business has entered the personal stereo market, and some of the units now available are capable of delivering music into headphones with a quality approaching that of a good home system. With the vast range of products available, choosing a personal stereo tape player or radio is not easy. But there are a few tips that can simplify the task, especially if you are concerned with maximizing sound quality. First, narrow your range of choice. If you're like most readers of STEREO RE- VIEW, you would be unlikely to buy a home or auto tape deck without a noise - reductionsystem(Dolby,dbx,or DNR), and by requiring noise reduction in any portable tape player you are considering, you can eliminate perhaps 80 per cent of the players on the market. As in shopping for any hi-fi equipment, avoid brand names tnat are totally unfamiliar or that sound suspiciously similar to famous brand names. For example, if you come across a "Xony Walkaway," simply walk away. Then, choose a machine that suits the environment in which you will use it. If you want to jog, ski, or roller-skate while carrying a portable stereo, you

SEPTEMBER 1983 69 should pick a ruggedly built model. Make sure that the transport in a tape player remains stable when the unit is shaken. If you are just going to lie in a hammock in a quiet back yard and listen to tapes of string quartets, rugged- ness may be less important to you than overall sound quality. But if you're going to use your radio or tape player where there is a lot of ambient noise- on buses, subways, or airplanes, say- you should also be concerned with the amount of isolation its headphones provide (or its ability to drive better -isolat- ing separate headphones). If the usually limited published specifications for personal stereos make it hard for you to determine whether a particular machine is the one for you, there are a few revealing tests you can perform yourself in a store (see the box on page 73). The current crop of pocket stereos includes a generous variety of configura- tions: cassette players, cassette record- Sony Walkman Professional (WM-D6) er/players, cassette players with built- in FM tuners or plug-in cassette -shapedsette deck masquerading as a personal the W M -D6 also offers several features radiomodules, AM/FM receivers,portable. It not only plays and recordsunique among personal portables:a FM -only receivers, and even stereo mi- tapes with Dolby -B but also has proba- peak -reading LED level indicator that crocassette players. Rather than at- bly the most impressive array of specs also shows battery reserve, inputs for tempt to report on all of the devicesin the field. Frequency response is given externalmicrophones andline -level available, we'll spotlight only a few ofas 40 to 15,000 Hz ± 3 dB, wow -and - sources, and an adjustable playback - the more unusual hi-fi models. flutteraslessthan0.04per cent speed control. Speed stability is main- The Sony Walkman Professional (or(wrms), and signal-to-noise ratio as 58 tained by a quartz -locked capstan -servo the WM-D6) seems to be a home cas- dB (metal tape, Dolby off). For $350 system.

Panasonic's "dbx Way" (RO-J2OX)

Kenwood CP-80

70 STEREO REVIEW The Panasonic RQ-J20X is currentlytape type shouldn't matter too much. in stereo, a capture ratio of 0.4 dB, al- the only pocket stereo tape player with Another recent contribution to high-ternate -channel selectivity of 60 dB, a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) in excessfidelity pocket -stereo design is the JVCand stereo separation at 1,000 Hz of 40 of 80 dB (81 dB, to be precise). No, theCQ-F22K (shown below and on this dB. The unit comes with a set of head- $150 unit is not the world's first pocketmonth's cover).Characterized asa phones. Price is $79.95. digital cassette player; rather, it uses"component headphone stereo system," Also radio -only is the Koss Digital dbx noise reduction to achieve this highthe $190 package consists of a cassette Music Box ($110). It offers a numeri- S/N figure. With the dbx circuitryplayer with Dolby -B and auto -reverse, cal LCD readout for the station fre- switched out, the S/N specification is aan AM/FM stereo tuner module, a bat- quency, signal strength, and battery more modest 56 dB. The "dbx Way," tery power -supply module for the tuner, condition. Like home digital -synthesis as the unit is also called, has a ratedand a set of multipurpose headphones. receivers, the Digital Music Box has dynamic range of 97 dB at 1,000 HzThe system can be used in a wide vari- station preset buttons (four AM, and with the dbx switched in. A Panasonicetyofconfigurations.The cassettefour FM) and automatic search and engineer said that its wow -and -flutter player and headphones can be used ei-scan tuning modes. It also has a unique hadbeenunofficiallymeasuredas ther alone or with the tuner module at-feature designed to protect a user's ears 0.035 per cent, but he added candidlytached, and the tuner and tuner -batteryfrom the hearing loss that has been as- that audible wow can be induced bymodules can be used together either as sociated with listening to music at high shaking the device (an absolutely typi- a pocket stereo radio connected to thevolume levels: a yellow LED, called a caleffectwith most personal tapeheadphones by wires or clipped directly "safeLite," glows whenever the sound - players). onto the headphones for truly wirelesspressure level from the supplied head- Kenwood's CP-80,the company's listening. phones exceeds 95 dB. Exposure to first entry into the personal stereo field, Easily the most thoroughly specified sound -pressurelevelsof 95 dB or is an auto -reverse cassette player/radioFM -only personal stereo, as well as onegreater for more than four hours a day with the unusual feature of snap -onof the best, is Proton's Model 100 por-can lead to hearing impairment, ac- "micro speakers." The two miniaturetable FM receiver. Its tuner is a versioncording to Koss, and the safeLite is full -range drivers are housed in a singleof the Schotz circuit used in NAD meant to warn users when they have en- enclosure, but their outputs are aimed home equipment, and the separate bass tered the danger zone. indifferentdirections.Pricedat and treble controls use the standard Although the personal portables de- $189.90, the CP-80 has Dolby -B noisehome -stereoBaxandallcircuit.The scribed above are only a few of the reduction, an AM/FM tuner pack, andspecifications compare favorably with more unusual ones with true high-fidel- headphones with a removable head-those of home components, including a ity performance, their wide variety of band (to turn them into earphones).stereo 50 -dB quieting sensitivity of 34.2 features and capabilities is representa- Frequency response is said to be fromdBf (28 microvolts), total harmonic dis- tive of the field as a whole. It's a prod- 40 to 16,000 Hz with metal tape, al-tortion at 1,000 Hz of 0.15 per cent in uct category that seems to have some- though for a playback -only unit thestereo, a signal-to-noise ratio of 74 dB thing for everyone. And it's still grow -

Proton Mc del1)(

JVC CO-F22K

SEPTEMBER 1983 ing, as audio manufacturers come up stricted frequency response than home recently introduced stereo microcas- with ways to improve sound quality tape decks. sette recorders to their pocket stereo even further and to make personal ster- The boom in personal portables has lines. But because prerecorded micro- eo even more convenient. been a spur to engineering creativity, cassettes are not available in the U.S. For example, dbx has announced itsspawning products never dreamed of (you can get them in Japan) and there PPA-I Silencer, which is a $49 add-on before. For instance, Sony recently in- is a relatively small number of home battery -powered dbx-tape decoder for troduced the WMF-5, a water-resistantdecks on which you can record your personalstereos.Itconnectsto a (not necessarily waterproof) cassetteown, there has been little effort as yet player's headphone jack and includes player/radio-immediately dubbed to market a playback unit with high- its own volume control and a head-"Swim Man" by the audio press-that fidelity performance in the U.S. None- phone output that supplies the more has been used successfully for half an theless, an official of National Semi- than 90 -dB dynamic range possible hour 3 feet under water (an application conductor-makersofthepopular with dbx-encoded tapes. The small the company does not recommend). DNR single -ended(playbackonly) unit's bypass switch also has a setting Other pocket portables have been intro- noise -reduction system-says that provocatively labeled TYPE B that, ac- duced that are designed to mate with DNR-equippedstereomicrocassette cordingto dbx, acceptably decodes larger, speaker -equipped portable ster- decks are on their way. These might "otherpopularnoise -reductionsys- eo systems in order to give the user a substantially improve the sound quality tems" (no prizes for which one theylarger choice of listening formats or obtainable with the diminutive tapes. mean). The Silencer may be worth- greater convenience. Sharp, Aiwa, and Ultimately, the performance of all while if only for adding "type -B" de- Toshiba, among others, produce varia- present-day portable players will prob- coding capability to older, less -expen- tions on this theme, and Sony now of- ably be eclipsed by digitalcassette sive tape players. fers a car stereo unit that has a pop -out players or the as yet undemonstrated The recent development of Dolby -B - portable called the Music Shuttle. portable digital Compact Disc players. decoder integrated circuits that can run Accessoriesforpersonalportables These machines are at least a couple of off only 3 volts (two AA cells) and their are beginning to appear in great num- years away from commercial reality. In incorporationintothelatest tape bers and variety. These include such the meantime, a well-chosen personal players might also presage the immi- items as booster amplifiers and speak- portable stereo can supply amazingly nent arrival of add-on Dolby -B decod- ers, solar power packs for all -day listen- good sound at surprisingly little cost. In ers for personal portables. Remember, ing at the beach, waterproof pouches, audio at least, it turns out that you can however, that the performance of any battery chargers, various cable adap-take it with you. add-on noise -reduction device may be tors, and, of all things, five -band pocket limited by the frequency response and headphone equalizers. Myron Berger is a freelance writer who has been covering audio, video, and computers background noise level of the player it We can probably also expect better, for seven years. His syndicated column is used with, and personal portables if not bigger, things in the area of mi- "State of the Art" appears in newspapers tend to be noisier and have a more re - crocassettes. Several companies have throughout the country.

Koss Digital Music Box

dbx Silencer (PPA- 1)

72 STEREO REVIEW In -Store Tests for Personal Stereos

WHEN you go shopping for a personal sic at very loud levels, the short -duration Portable stereo FM receivers, whether portable, you can, and should, test a peaks found on some high -quality tapes can stand-alone units or cassette -shaped mod- number of key performance factors in the place considerable demands on the dynamic ules inserted into the cassette compartment store before making your purchase-pro- range capability of a portable's amplifier. of a portable tape player, usually use the vided you can find a store with a coopera- To test this, move the headphone pieces for- headphone cord as an antenna. To examine tive staff. ward off your ears and onto your cheek- the unit's reception under changing signal Testing tape -drivestabilityina tape bones to protect your ears from high volume conditions-as would occur, for example, if player is easy: while listening to a cassette levels. Then slowly turn up the volume until you wear itwhile jogging-move around you already know has no significant wow - you hear distortion. This is easier to hear while auditioning theradio.Orient the and -flutter (as with all serious hi-fi shop- with a relatively simple musical tone, such headphone cord in different directions to ping, you should bring your own test mate- as a clarinet or flute recording or, better see if reception quality suffers. Check how rials), shake the player vigorously in several yet, a steady test tone. The sound level many stations can be received cleanly, espe- different directions and listen for any bur- should be very loud, even with the head- cially stations with more distant or weaker bles in the sound or wavering of the musical phones on your cheeks, before you hear any transmitters. Does the radio switch auto- pitch. Ideally, there shouldn't be any, but distortion at all. Note: this test is not valid if matically into mono when stereo reception even good players will probably be affected the unit has weak batteries, because they is too noisy, or must it be switched manual- to some degree by this rough treatment. will cause the amplifier to distort at lower ly? Does the background noise level de- Look for the player that is affected least. listening levels. Bring along your own new crease when you switch the unit into mono? Although any kind of music can be used for batteries. It should if the FM circuits have a low in- this test, wow -and -flutter can be heard most Testing a personal portable for frequency herent background -noise level. easily in recordings of instruments with dis- response is somewhat trickier, since the One of the more important aspects of por- crete fixed pitches such as pianos, organs, overall response of the unit may be limited table component design is power consump- harpsichords, and synthesizers. A good by the supplied headphones. The best way tion. Unfortunately, the rate at which a unit solo -piano tape, for instance, will very effec- to check frequency response in the store is uses batteries is not easy to test in a store. tively expose tape -transport deficiencies. to use the portable unit to drive a set of The best you may be able to do is to find a Another simple test will let you judge the high -quality dynamic headphones designed specification in the component's instruction inherent signal-to-noise ratio of any porta- for home use (you'll probably need a plug manual for battery life (the longer the bet- ble tape player. All that you need is a blank adaptor for the hookup). Use tape or broad- ter) or power consumption (the lower the tape that has nonmagnetic leader spliced cast program material with a wide dynamic better).If you use a personal portable a onto the ends, as most cassettes do. The and frequency range, and listen in particu- great deal, rechargeable nickel -cadmium background noise level of the blank tape lar for the unit's response at the frequency batteries may pay for themselves after only will serve as the reference noise level to extremes, since personal portables often a few weeks of use. which you will compare the noise levels of have problems reproducing very high and Another matter you should check while various players. very low frequencies. Use awell -made shopping is the number, type, and cost of Place the blank tape in the player and op- home dub of a wide -range disc as the pro- the accessories available for each unit, such erate the fast -forward or rewind control so gram source for auditioning tape players. things as a.c. power supplies, replacement that there's only about a minute of tape left Test the player's headphones by plugging ear cushions for the headphones, FM -tuner to play, then press the play button and turn them (again using an adaptor if necessary) modules, and carrying cases and straps. If the volume up high. The hiss you will then into a convenient home -typereceiver. you plan to wear the unit, make certain that hear is a combination of the player's noise Sometimes the headphones supplied with a it is not too heavy or bulky and that the car- level and the background noise of the tape portable unit have such poor sound quality rying straps are long enough and adjustable itself, with the latter much higher than the that you might want to substitute others. for a snug but comfortable fit. former. As the magnetic tape changes to the nonmagnetic leader, pay attention to how much the noise level drops. The greater the drop, the lower the inherent playback noise level of the machine. When comparing players using this test, always use the same blank cassette and headphone set and always set the volume at the same subjective level while the tape (not the leader) is playing. Try to concentrate only on the hiss levels; ignore low -frequency crackling or rumbling noises you hear while the leader is playing-unless you also hear them from the magnetic tape. If the player has a switch for playback equalization, be sure to use the appropriate setting (normal or chrome/metal) for the test tape you are using. With the better players you may not hear any differences. And if the player has a noise -reduction system, turn it off for this test-but don't forget to test its operation also before making your purchase. Simply play an appropriately encoded tape with the noise -reduction system switched on and off, and note whetherit sounds significantly quieter with the system on. Even if you do not normally listen to mu-

SEPTEMBER 1983 73 THE NEW SOFTWARE

microphones to point up various instru- Of the CD's I auditioned, the winner in ments or groups of instruments may have a the length -of -play stakes is the L'Oiseau- place in analog recording; a certain amount Lyre album of highlights from Handel's Compact of sonic detail gets lost or is veiled over by Messiah conducted by Christopher Hog - the time the music passes through the sev- wood. It clocks in at fifty-seven minutes and eral electromechanical processes involved. thirty-two seconds (and a really fine record- Discs With CD's the veil is lifted. Music that is ing itis too). A close runner-up is Joan recorded and played back digitally comes Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti's London across with such clarity that what you hear CD of excerpts from Verdi's La Traviata, B y Christie or do not hear is almost entirely the conduc- which runs only a few seconds shorter. The tor's decision (at least it should be the con- booby prize for duration goes to a Deutsche B arter ductor's and not the engineer's). A micro- Grammophon Archiv CD, Trevor Pinnock's phone placed over a string section to give it (deservedly) best-selling version of Vivaldi's more presence in an analog recording may The Four Seasons. The distinction of being result in undue brightness or shrillness on a shortest is just barely missed by Herbert CD. And such is the case with both of these von Karajan's recording of Saint-Saens's 1812's-less so with the Maazel recording, Third Symphony on DG. (Karajan's is not WITH the advent of the Compact Disc but even it could use a little more sonic one of my favorite recordings of this work and the technology behind it we enter space. anyway, and I'd advise you to wait for a new era in musical reproduction-in the There are other things to think about as Charles Dutoit's on London.) Neither of home, on the air, on foot (one day, undoubt- the dawn of the CD era breaks over us, these CD's offers more than thirty-eight edly), and in the car. I suppose eventually things to look for and things to look forward minutes of playing time. Which means twelve -inch vinyl LP's will gather dust in to. They include: you're not getting much music for your attics and in the bins of secondhand shops Uninterrupted performance. Like tape, money, distinguished though that music much as old 78's do today. Eventually we the CD format allows for the uninterrupted may be. Which brings us to . . may even take for granted the quality of performance of works that occupy more Programming. The CD offersrecord sound the CD makes possible. than one side of an LP record, although manufacturers the opportunity of recou- For the present, however, I am reveling in most cassettes simply duplicate the corre- pling works in their catalogs that obviously the quality of that sound, which is truly sponding LP format in this respect, side belong together and have not yet died un- wonderful even on fairly modest equipment. breaks and all. Perhaps if Bartok had writ- timely deaths from poor sales. Such is the Ihave been listening to some Compact ten his Concerto for Orchestra knowing it pairing of Rodrigo's suite of colorful minia- Discs chosen from the first American re- would wind up on LP, he would have tures titled Concierto Madrigal for two gui- leases of CD software and can confirm that brought it in at something under thirty min- tars and orchestra with his better-known the two most distinguishing characteristics utes, but he did not. So on records the work Concierto Andaluz for four guitars, both of CD playback are its extended dynamic is interrupted after the Intermezzo interrot- played by Los Romeros and the Academy range and the total absence of background to in order to carry the finale over to the of St. Martin -in -the -Fields under Neville noise of any kind. second side. Not so on CD. And when the Marriner. Both works were divorced from Added enhancements include better ster- performance in question is as brilliant and other LP partners on Philips to make for a eo separation and imaging, considerably as pointed as Sir Georg Solti's new one, now delightful CD release; both are digitally re - richer bass and generally truer highs, and transferred to a London CD, the enormous mastered analog recordings as well. freedom from such things as outer -groove potential of the medium can be readily ap- There probably won't be too many in- pre -echo and inner -groove distortion. The preciated. Whatever the miking setup may stances of this kind of creative recoupling. CD also frees the listener from wow, flutter, have been for Barenboim's 1812, the Chica- Record manufacturers have not rushed to and the anxiety induced by thunderous cli- go Symphony under Solti sounds almost take advantage of the reprogramming op- maxes in big orchestral works where LP's like a different orchestra. The sound is ab- portunities offered by the cassette, even to are most susceptible to distortion. solutely stunning. fill out unused playing time, and there are The surging climaxes and booming artil- Another work thatbenefits from the often contractual reasons that make it diffi- lery of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture make CD's capability for uninterrupted playback cult. But the cassette is cheap compared it a classic audio demonstration piece.It isStravinsky's complete music for The with the CD. We have all gotten used to the puts stereo equipment through its paces not Firebird, which receives a glowing perform- occasional short -playing record or tape, but just because it is so loud, but because it's ance by the Concertgebouw Orchestra un- the clamor for value -per -dollar on the part also very soft, at least at the outset. Of the der Sir Colin Davis on a Philips CD. The of CD buyers is bound to be greater. two versions I listened to, the one by Lorin remarkable thing hereisthatitderives Price. CD's are expensive. The price of Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic is de- from an analog master (nowhere indicated the players will undoubtedly come down in cidedly the better engineered and more idio- in the packaging) and still sounds so good. a year or two, but my hunch is that the matic performance. It has a kind of ethnic, Extended play. The CD is capable of at Compact Disc itself will remain a pretty Russian solemnity and heft lacking in the least sixty minutes of playing time (even up costly item. Most labels are leaving the ac- recording by Daniel Barenboim and the to eighty minutes, according to some re- tual selling price for the individual dealer to Chicago Symphony, which sometimes bor- ports), so there is no reason that an opera decide, but the suggested U.S. retail price ders on corniness. Maazel also uses the cho- that normally occupies three LP's cannot be ranges from $17 to $20 (English dealers are ral version, which is especially effective in fittedonto two CD's, with appropriate selling them for just under £10, approxi- digital playback as the hushed voices of the breaks. Record companies have been noto- mately $15 to $16, including taxes). The singers emerge, at the beginning of the riously slow to pick up on this convenience prices to dealers in this country are predom- work, from total silence. in their tape releases (a recent exception be- inantly in the $12 to $13 range. Both recordings, however, reveal how the ing London's recording of I Masnadieri, Banding. A major advantage the CD microphone techniques developed for more available on three LP's or on two cassettes), holds over tape is instant access. On most "realistic" sound on LP's will have to be re- and we won't have a complete opera on CD players you can move from the first move- evaluated for CD recording. Close micro- for a little while yet, in the U.S. anyway, ment to the second or third movement of a phone placement and the use of multiple but let's hope for the best. work instantly, at the push of a button. The

74 STEREO REVIEW 0 a 0

same is true of forward or backward moves, from one track to another, on a pop record. CD recordings can be said to be "banded," just as LP's are banded, except that the banding on a CD cannot actually be seen by the eye. It is part of the digital information encoded on the disc. Some classical CD's are banded by the work, such as the splendid set of six Scarlat- ti sinfonias performed by 1 Musici (Philips), Marriner's elegant performances of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (also on Philips), and the two CD's that offer the Tchaikov- sky 1812 Overture along with other works. More useful still is banding by movement, which is the case with the Bach violin concertos on L'Oiseau-Lyre conducted by Hog - wood withsoloistsJaap Schroder and Christopher Hirons, Pinnock's Four Sea- sons, the distinguished performances by Alfred Brendel of Mozart's Piano Concer- tos Nos. 15 and 21, and the Rodrigo disc. The lack of banding on the Philips CD of Stravinsky's Firebird is inconvenient. Al- though the work is played without pauses, it does have distinct sections that could easily have been banded. The favorite demonstration passages, for instance, occur some thirty minutes into the score, and while CD's can be fast -forwarded in short order, three or four handy banded divisions could have been encoded onto the disc without any kind of audible interruption. Indexing. Another CD that would benefit from banding is the landmark second re- Conductor Neville Marriner cording of Bach's Goldberg Variations by the late Glenn Gould for CBS. The LP version should have been banded too, if not for and the "Coda" at index five. Think what through on LP or tape, especially in dy- every single variation atleastfor every this will do for music -appreciation courses! namic range. Who's to say that we're not in group of three or four. Great was my sur- Or for anyore interested in how music is for many surprises as more and more analog prise to discover that on CD Gould's per- utructured. recordings of the past are transferred to the formance was indeed segmented, but in a The future. There is no question about it new medium at fall tirottle? way that can be used only with those in my mind: sooner or later the future will Most of these CD's can be enthusiastical- players that have an indexing feature. The belong to the digital audio disc, the CD. But ly recommended, with those few exceptions record is not banded, but you can move the LP will be with us for a good while yet. and caveats already noted. Most, too, repre- from the first statement of the aria to any Treasured collections will remain treasur- sent the state of the art in performance as one of the thirty variations or even to the able, and much that exists on LP today will much asintechnical quality.Inbrief, final restatement of the aria at the push of probably never be available in any other they're mostly sensational format. In time, however, just as many 78's two or three buttons-instantly, or after a Brandenburg Concertos. Academy were cleaned up and transferred to LP, BACH: few seconds of scanning. For the moment, of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, Neville Mar- indexing seems to be a feature only of CD's many of the best recordings of the past will riner cond.PHILIPS 400076-2 and400077- manufactured by CBS/Sony in Japan. That find their way into the CD catalog. 2, two discs. label's charming collection of Haydn flute Evidence of just how impressive analog trios by Jean-Pierre Rampal and distin- recordings can sound on CD is amply shown BACH:Violin Concertos Nos. I and 2; Con- guished colleagues is banded, so that access by five of those I listened to-the Messiah certo for TwoViolins.Jaap Schr6der, to the beginning of any one of the six trios conducted by Hogwood, the Rodrigo al- Christopher Hirons (violins); Academy of can be achieved in a flash, and it is indexed bum, the Firebird, the album of operatic AncientMusic, ChristopherHogwood by movement within each trio. duets by Sutherland and Pavarotti (CD cond. L'OISEAU-LYRE400080-2. A CBS album that couples Beethoven'sdoes magical things for the voice), and BACH:Goldberg Variations. Glenn Gould Fifth Symphony with Schubert's Eighth, Marriner's Brandenburgs. London Records (piano). CBS MK 37779. is good about telling the buyer whether a conducted by Maazel, offers even further BARTOK:Concerto for Orchestra. Chicago indexing wonders: itis banded by move- recording was remastered from an analog original, but Philips is not. In fact, in the Symphony Orchestea, Sir Georg Solti cond. ment and also indexed according to a mu- LONDON 400052-2. sical analysis of each movement. Thus, af- case of the Brandenburgs, the words "digi- ter the statement of the "Main Theme" in tal recording" appear on the disc itself, al- BEETHOVEN:Symphony No. 5, in C Mi- the first movement, you can move to the though it most assuredly is not. nor.SCHUBERT:Symphony No. 8, in B "Sub Theme" at index two, the "Develop- The analog masters of all of these record- Minor("Unfinished").ViennaPhilhar- ment" at index three, the "Recapituration" ings were, however, obviously of first-rate monicOrchestra,LorinMaazelcond. (made in Japan, remember) at index four, quality, offering far more than ever came CBS/SONYCD 36711.

SEPTEMBER 1983 75 THE NEW SOFTWARE

HANDEL: Messiah. Judith Nelson, Emma VERDI: La T'aviata (excerpts). Dame Joan that, he resolutely draws a line connecting Kirkby(sopranos);CarolynWatkinson Sutherland (soprano); Luciano Pavarotti New York to the west coast of England, (contralto);PaulElliott(tenor);David (tenor); National Philharmonic Orchestra, sending a gasp of astonishment through his Thomas (bass); Choir of Christ Church Ca- RichardBonyngecond.LONDON 400 formally dressed audience. "It won't be thedral, Oxford; Academy of Ancient Mu- 057-2. easy," continues the engineer, this time pro- sic, Christopher Hogwood cond. L'OisEnu- VIVALDI: The Four Seasons. The English ducing a wave of laughter from the 1969 LYRE 400 086-2. Concert, Trevor Pinnock cond. ARCHIV 400 audience with whom I viewed the film in a HAYDN: "London" Trios, Nos. 1-4; Diver- 045-2. New York movie house. timentos Nos. 2 and 6, Op. 100. Jean-Pierre As films go, The Tunnel is hardly a clas- OPERATIC DUETS. Dame Joan Suther- sic.Its most interesting feature may very Rampal (flute); Isaac Stern (violin); Mstis- land (soprano); Luciano Pavarotti (tenor); lav Rostropovich (cello). CBS MK 37786. well be its mid -Thirties creators' perception National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard of the distant Sixties: a streamlined society MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 15, in B - Bonynge cond. LONDON 400 058-2. where picture phones are the norm, cars flat Major (K. 4501; Piano Concerto No. 21, in C Major (K. 467). Alfred Brendel (pi- feature huge stabilizing shark fins across their roofs, and people think nothing of ano); Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, crossing the Atlantic by gyroplane. Not an- Neville Marriner cond. PHILIPS 400 018-2. ticipated were hippies, flower children, hot RODRIGO: Concierto Madrigal; Concierto pants, cold wars, and rock music. Also not 4ndaksz. Los Romeros (guitars); Academy Digital anticipated was the tremendous growth of of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, Neville Mar- home entertainment.High-fidelity stereo riner cond. PHILIPS 400 024-2. sound was only for the very wealthy. "Ster- SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3, in C Mi- Cassettes eo sound"? Well, not as we have come to nor (`Organ"). Pierre Cochereau (organ); know it. But to celebrate the tunnel project Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,Herbert C. Aubrey Smith was able to treat his von Karajan cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMO- By Chris guests to the ultimate in home sound: a gen- PHON 400 063-2. tle tug on a tasseled silk cord and velvet cur- Albertson tains at one end of the mansion's large liv- SCARLATTI: Six Sinfonias. I Musici. ing room parted to reveal a live symphony PHILIPS 400 017-2. orchestra! It was all made to appear quite STRAVINSKY: The Firebird. Concertge- routine, but I doubt if anyone viewing The bouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, Sir Colin Tunnel in the Thirties walked away think- Davis cond. PHILIPS 400 074-2. N The Tunnel, a film made ir the mid- ing that he had caught a true glimpse of the TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture; Marchei Thirties but set in the Sixties, C. Aubrey Sixties. Smith played a multimillionaire who helps Slay. BEETHOVEN: Wellington's Victory. Sound reproduction has come a long way Vienna State Opera Chorus; Vienna Phil- finance the construction of a transatlantic in the past fifty years, but most people have tunnel. To launch this improbable under- yet to experience just how far it has come. narmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maazel cond. taking, he CBS/SONY CD 37252. invites a group of potential Granted, an electronicallyreproduced backers to his mansion for a briefing by the Mahler symphonywillprobablynever TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture; Marcheproject's enthusiastic architect. "Basical- sound quite the same as having a symphony Slav; Capriccio Italien. Chicago Symphony ly," the young man tells toem, facing a map orchestra play itin your living room, but Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim cond. DEUT- of the Western Hemisphere, "we want to recent technological developments are rap- SCHE GRAMMOPHON 400 035-2. build a tunnel from here to here." With idly narrowing the gap. Chances are that most of us will first experience true digital Donald Fagen sound reproduction in our own homes via Compact Discs or the very few digital tape cassettes that have just begun to appear. The latter, of course, also require special playback equipment, such as the Technics SV-P 100 digital cassette deck, which costs $3,000 but can also be used to make your own tapes with what Craig Stark described in the March 1982 issue of STEREO REVIEW as "the cleanest soundIhave ever recorded." There are at least eight albums currently available in the VHS digital audio cassette format. All are from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, a company known for reissuing albums licensed from various labels in state-of-the- art pressings. Mobile Fidelity's limited -edi- tionOriginalMaster Recordingsseries proved how good analog discs could sound when optimum care was exercised during the mastering and pressing process. The company's digital cassettes are also leased from various labels, and-oddly enough- only one of the eight was actually recorded digitally. The repertoire is small but varied, with

76 STEREO REVIEW the eight cassettes ranging from Respighi to The following digital cassettes are avail- audience is quite palpable in "Vladimir Supertramp. The material has, of course, able from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab for Horowitz in London" (PA -82-031). Horo- been selected on the basis of its suitability $60 each: witz returned to London for the first time in to the extended dynamic range of the digital more than thirty years for a gala recital in medium, so it is not surprising to find Pink DONALD FAGEN: The Nightfly. VHS 1982 under the patronage of the Prince of Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," Gustav 120. Wales. :t was telecast in Europe and the HoIst's The Planets, and the Alan Parsons EARL KLUGH: Finger Paintings. VHS United States, and with slightly varying contents it is available in several audio and Project's "I Robot" among the offerings, 025. but I do wonder why the relatively dull serv- video formats. The RCA LP was favorably ing of "Finger Paintings" by Earl KlughCHUCK MANGIONE: Feels So Good. reviewed here last month by Eric Salzman. made the grade. The latest release, Chuck VHS 068. On th.s video disc Horowitz plays a cou- Mangione's plodding "Feels So Good," is ALAN PARSONS PROJECT: Robot. ple of pieces by Chopin, six Scarlatti sona- an equally puzzling addition when one con- VHS 084. tas, Schumann's Scenes from Childhood, siders the wealth of good music available. PINK FLOYD: Dark Side of the Moon. and Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata. Those who follow closely the work of this pianist, Be that as it may, my purpose here is not VHS 017. to review the music (that has, in most cases, now nearly eighty, agree that the London been done in previous issues), but to com- SUPERTRAMP: Crime of the Century. recital was among the best of his recent per- ment on the sound of the digital cassettes. VHS 005. formances and well worth documenting. Yes, it is wonderful not to hear the swoosh HOLST: The Planets.London Philhar- The embarrassing intermission interview and clicks of bad pressings, but you don't monic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti cond. presents Horowitz as a garrulous old bore, have to go digital to eliminate such extra- VHS 510. but the LaserDisc format makes it possible neous sounds. What isreally impressive RESPIGHI: Feste Romane; The Pines ofto skip any section with a flick of the remote here is the total lack of wow -and -flutter and Rome. Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel control switch. The piano sound is metallic and sometimes harsh, which I think is the the marvelous quiet that accompanies the cond. VHS 507. softestpassages.DonaldFagen's "The tone Horowitz produces these days, not a Nightfly" gets my highest rating as far as fault of the recording. The visual presenta- sound quality is concerned, but that is un- tion is handled exactly the way Ilikeit, doubtedly because itis the only one that which is not surprising since the director was digitally recorded in the first place. was Kirk Browning, who directs most of the There was some trouble with the first cas- Pioneer Live from Lincoln Center series. sette I received of The Planets; ironically, it No director is credited for "Pavarotti in manifesteditself near the beginning of London" (PA -83-043), but it has the famil- "Mars, the Bringer of War" as a rather LaserDiscs iar look (and sound) of the Pavarotti galas sharp and lengthy crackling noise thatI we have seen here on PBS. He sings the suspect tested my speakers to their limit. same sure-fire arias from Tosca, Luisa MobileFidelitypromptly furnished me By William Miller, Macbeth, L'Elisir d'Amore, and so with another copy, and it sent Ho1st to my forth, accompanied in London by the Royal ears without so much as a tick. Livingstone Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kurt The real test comes when you toggle back Herbert Adler. Pavarotti's British fans are and forth between these digital cassettes just as demonstrative as the American ones. and their analog disc equivalents. There is I generally find his platform manner ingra- no question about it, the cassettes are mar- tiating, but when he floats on waves of love velously clear and distortion -free. But there THE magic spell of home video seemed to surging up from the audience, as he does is a trade-off; their sound lacks warmth. It be everywhere but my house when I be- here, he is all but irresistible. is hard to pinpoint, but it is as if the digital gan a recent project to survey the classical Smetana's Mb Vlast (My Fatherland), recording process had sheared off the room music on Pioneer LaserDiscs. I started with played by the Czech Philharmonic con- ambience.I am sure that recording engi- an almost random sampling of the available ducted by Vaclav Neumann (MC -034), neers will find a way to humanize these cool instrumental and vocal selections, and al- was recorded at a concert at the Spring Mu- sounds, and, all things considered, I do pre- though I've been quite impressed by demon- sic Festival in Prague in 1981, but the pres- fer what the cassettes have to offer. strationsofthePioneerplayer, Iap- entation is quite different from the Horo- Finally, I have not been able to find an- proached the discs themselves somewhat witz and Pavarotti concerts. Here, shots of other source of prerecorded digital cas- warily, with a couple of prejudices and a the musicians alternate on the screen with settes, and you might wonder why Mobile number of questions. footage of the landscape or art and architec- Fidelity's catalog is so incredibly skimpy. I have strong views on the way classical ture associated with the events the music One obvious reason is the price: at $1,500 to music is presented on television, and I am depicts.Iwould have preferred less fre- $3,000 for the playback equipment and $60 prejudiced in favor of the methods used on quent shifts from scenery to musicians, but per cassette, the market has to be quite lim- the Public Broadcasting Service in the two the photography is beautiful, the perform- ited. But piracy, too, is a consideration. Aseries Live from the Met and Live from ance is rousing, and the sound is pleasing. digital cassette is a pirate's dream, for it is Lincoln Center. The techniques PBS pro- In February the Angel recording of Bee- tantamount to having in one's possession ducers use in telecasting live performances thoven's Violin Concerto by Itzhak Perlman the original master tape. That also holds often capture a great deal of the electricity and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted true for the new Compact Discs, and I am that passes back and forth between the mu- by Carlo Maria Giulini was among those told the problem is already very real in Eu- sicians and the audience in the theater. cited for honorable mention in STEREO RE- rope, where CD's have been on the market When to this is added the intimacy afforded VIEW'S Record of the Year Awards. Accord- for some time. Is there a future for digital by close-ups, the result is sometimes a TV ing to a producer at Angel, the LP was not cassettesinthe home? Perhaps, butit show thatis more exciting than the live the soundtrack of the newly released video would have to be in a more economically event in the concert hall. disc (PA -83-042), but the two must have feasible format. Right now,Ihold more This sense of a special occasion on which been recorded at about the same time, and hope for that transatlantic tunnel. an important artist performs for an adoring the interpretation is essentially the same.

SEPTEMBER 1983 77 THE NEW SOFTWARE

Not a taping of a concert performance, French style, they sing and act quite con- mous set, is quite spectacular. There are no this is a studio recording. The camera work, vincingly. Samson is a particularly conge-elephants or camels, but lots of priests, however, is quite similar to that of televised nial role for Vickers, and Shirley Verrett is priestesses, slaves, warriors, prisoners, and concerts, with many close-ups of orchestra a splendid Dalila. The opera's big moments ballet dancers in the sumptuous Triumphal members, soloist, and conductor. If some ofcome off well, especially the last -act Bac- Scene. And you are there. Or at least I felt the tension evident in live performances is chanale, which is danced with a great dealthat I was. absent here, there is no lack of conviction in of pagan fervor. The climax is the seduction Capturing an outdoor performance at the playing or in the demeanor of Perlman scene in Act II. In good form vocally, Ver- night strained the cameras to their limits, and Giulini. The greater control afforded rett manages to convey a great deal of sul- and the balances between voices and or- by studio recording results in better lighting try allure while singing the most famouschestra are often less than perfect. But to and sound. and, of course, no applause aria. "Mon coeur s'ouvre a to voix." All have succeeded as well as the technical staff I also played three of the complete operas told, it's a wonderful performance. did for this video disc is a triumph of engi- currently available on LaserDisc-Britien's The performance of Aida from the arenaneering. The director was Brian Large, a Peter Grimes (PA -82-008), Saint-Saens's in Verona is thrilling.Ifelt transported- BBC specialist in opera on TV, and the Samson et Dalila (PA -82-014) and Ve-di's not so much to Egypt, where the story is set, sound supervisor was Jay Saks, who is also Aida (PA -82-017). The first two are works but to Italy, where the performance was executive producer of RCA Red Seal. closely associated with the Canadian tenor taking place. Obviously, you cannot expect All of these video discs are in the Ex- Jon Vickers, who sings the leading malea lot of subtlety from artists who have totended Play mode, which offers chapter roles in these performances conducted by project to an audience in an outdoor arena, search and pause, but not freeze frame, Colin Davis at Covent Garden in London. but although the performance may be short slow motion, or frame -by -frame scanning. Britten's operas have appealed to me very on nuance, it is long on authenticity. The Beethoven concerto and the Pavarotti little, but the power of the video medium to Anton Guadagno conducts in a straight- recital are single records with suggested list draw you into the performance is so steong forward manner without annoying eccen- prices of $24.95 each; the Horowitz recital and Vickers's characterization of Grimes is tricities of interpretation. The Italian sing- and Ma Vlast, also single discs,listfor so compelling that I found myself watching ers contribute to the sense of idiomatic $29.95. Each of the operas takes two discs and listening with interest. By the end I wasrightness with voices of the proper weight and lists for $59.95. actually moved by Grimes's fate. and color for their roles, and all of them When I started listening to (and looking More interesting to me musically and project the text clearly. The surprise is so-at)these recordings inthe office sound dramatically is Samson et Dalila, which I prano Maria Chiara, who, as Aida, sings room and in the living room of my colleague think is generally underrated. The opulent more beautifully than I have ever heard her Chris Albertson, one of the questions in my Covent Garden production is colorful, and before either live or on records. mind was whether the sound would be good although the cast may lack authority in The production, which features an enor-enough for those accustomed to listening to classical music on records and FM broadcasts. The answer is yes. Shirley Verrett The novelty of video with stereo sound as Dalila may have led me to overrate the sonic quality somewhat at first.Itis not up to the standardsetby the Compact Disc,of course, but it is better than I have ever been able to get with FM stereo simulcast for PBS TV shows. To my ear the studio recording of the Beethoven violin concerto sounded best, and the sonics of the live performances varied from disc to disc depending on the locale and circumstances of the original recording. There are none of the surface noises associated with LP's, but some hiss (I presume from video tape) is audible in quiet passages,particularlynoticeableinPeter Grimes and the Horowitz concert. CX noise reduction quieted this significantly. Would someone accustomed to moving around the house while listening to records sit down and watch a concert? Yes, and having something interestingtolook at makes you concentrate more on the music. Do I want this sytem at home? Yes. I've had more than my share of gala performances by Horowitz and Pavarotti, so I wouldn't have to have those. But I'd like to own the Beethoven concerto, and the Sam- son et Dalila and Aida are really magical. Now, I'm going to have to check to see what is on video disc for the RCA system. I hear rumors that RCA is negotiating with the Met and the Paris Opera for some very interesting stuff. And speaking of magic, there's talk of a Tosca with Maria Callas.

78 STEREO REVIEW Amanda McBroom, who wrote The Rose for Bette Midler and sings it herself here along with eight other selections. The sound on this easy -listening pop record is stun- Audiophile ning, open and clear throughout. It's a real treasure. BILL BERRY AND HIS ELLINGTON Records ALL-STARS: For Duke. REALTIME RT 101 $17. A sonic spectacular, this is a very entertaining instrumental jazz set of eight By Paulette well-known Ellington pieces played by such performers as Scott Hamilton and Ray Weiss Brown. The sound has an admirable "live" quality, with a terrific sense of space.

LEss consistent in producing greatly improved sound quality is the half -speed re - ME.SPITE the impressiveness of the digital mastering process employed by Mobile Fi- L, Compact Disc, there are many popular - delity Sound Lab and Nautilus (among oth- music enthusiasts who are not yet ready to ers). This technique cleans up an existing invest $800 to $1,000 in a digital playback recording by returning to its original two - machine, especially when the discs them- track master tape and from it recutting a selves arrive in such a slender trickle. For lacquer master at half the normal speed. those concerned with excellent sound repro- The result is less distortion and extended duction for a standard stereo system, how- dynamics. ever, there are the so-called "audiophile" Limited pressing runs and superior vinyl recordings. Most of them cost about twice and packaging are characteristic of Mobile the average list price of regular LP's, but Fidelity's Original Master and Nautilus's the greater care that goes into the processes Superdisc series of half -speed remastered of recording and manufacturing these rec- discs. Their catalogs include some of the ords makes many of them worth the price to best albums by the most prominent per- discriminating buyers. formers of jazz, pop, and rock. The following are some of the ones I like best. THE direct -to -disc recording process elimi- LED ZEPPELIN: Led Zeppelin II. MO- Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders nates the tape step from recording and with BILE FIDELITY MFSL 1-065 $17. This is a it the distortions that tape is prone to. There superb example of the improvement possi- collector. Well, in the case of Mobile Fidel- is no opportunity to overdub or otherwise ble with half -speed remastering. A good ity'sfourteen -disc special edition of the doctor the sound, and the result is a truly deal of the aural gimmickery was lost in the Beatles. I think it's worth it. A magnificent "live"and natural -soundingrecording. original pressing, and this audiophile pack- audio package with spanking clean press- Since the process also eliminates the possi- age is a revelation. ings, it offers revelation upon revelation of bility of editing a recording to conceal er- THE PRETENDERS. NAUTILUS NR38 the influential quartet's vocal and instru- rors, however, very few musicians are will- $14.95. Just when you think you know a re- mental powers. ing to make direct -to -disc records. Of the cording intimately, Nautilus comes along The following are other titles in the half - comparatively few releases, none are by the and adds an unheard-of dimension. Listen speed format with unusual musical interest superstars of pop, rock, or jazz. for the sparkling guitar of the late James and audio quality that is at least good to The three principal sources of direct -to - Honeyman Scott, the emotion in Chrissie excellent (the Steely Dan and Gerry Raf- disc recordings-Nautilus, Sheffield Lab, Hynde's distinctive voice, the rhythm sec- ferty discs are particularly fine): and RealTime-strictly limit the number of tion that acts as a foundation of such mem- ROD STEWART: Blondes Have More discs pressed by each stamper and use only orable cuts as Kid and Brass in Pocket. Fun. MOBILE :;*IDELITY MFSL 1-054 $17. high -quality vinyl. This controls the degra- MOODY BLUES: Days of Future Passed ROLLING STONES: StickyFingers. dation of quality from disc to disc and (with the London Symphony Orchestra). MOBILE FIDELITY MFSL 1-060 $17. lengthens each disc's playing life. As a re- MOBILE FIDELITY MFSL 1-042 $17. CROSBY, STILLS & NASH: CSN. sult each title is a true collector's item.I MOODY BLUES: On the Threshold of a NAUTILUS NR 48 $14.95. recommend the following three: Dream. NAUTILUS NR 21 $14.95. CARS: Candy 0. NAUTILUS NR 49 THE SHEFFIELD TRACK RECORD. In the Sixties, the Moody Blues' record- $14.95. SHEFFIELD LAB Lab 20 $16.95. This is the ings were known for their psychedelic sound KENNY ROGERS: The Ganr5ler. MO- way instrumental rock should sound. In effects and their use of orchestral accom- BILE FIDELITY MFSL 1-044 $17. comparison it will make muddy water of paniment. The Nautilus and Mobile Fideli- STEELY DAN: Aja. MOBILE FIDELITY much of what you've been listening to.It ty half -speed versions of these two albums MFSL 1-033 $17. was produced as an audio demonstration show clearly what was buried in London's GROVER WASHINGTON JR.: Wine- disc with a mere four cuts totaling sixteen original murky packages. Individual instru- iight. NAUTILUS NR 39 $14.95. minutes. The clarity is extraordinary, mak- ments emerge from the mush of the original THE DOORS. MOBILE FIDELITY MFSL ing every note from every instrument dis- production. Surfaces are pristine, and both -051 $17. tinct. It's short, sweet, and worth its price. discs benefit enormously from the extended ELTON JOHN: Greatest Hits, Volume I. LINCOLN MAYORGA/AMANDA Mc - dynamic range. NAUTILUS NR 43 $14.95. BROOM: Growing Up in Hollywood Town. THE BEATLES: The Collection. MOBILE GERRY RAFFERTY: City to City. MO- SHEFFIELD LAB Lab 13 $16.95. Another ex- FIDELITY BC -1 $325. To spend $325 for B ILE FIDELITY MFSL 1-058 $17. quisite recording, this one with full orches- any artist's recordings, you have to be more FRANK SINATRA: Nice 'n' Easy. MO- tra backing up the clear sweet soprano of than just a fan, you have to be a really avid B ILE FIDELITY MFSL 1-086 $17.

SEPTEMBER 1983 79 9 mg." ac', 0.7 mg. mcotme at. pet ogarette by FTC meth)c

Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health.

Fresh Menthol Taste ith LowTar. That's Success! Best of the month Stereo Review's Selection of Recordings of Special Merit

Clear, Natural Singing, THE monumental Brahms Edition, ing-of greater interest, perhaps, to in- Deutsche Grammophon's imposing stitutions and libraries than to individu- Marvelous Sound in sixty -two -disc, all-inclusive commemo- als.I certainly would not recommend Vocal Ensembles from ration of the Brahms sesquicentennial, listening to more than one record side includes a five -disc set devoted to vari- (thirty minutes) pe- sitting, let alone all DG's Brahms Edition ous collections of vocal duets and quar- ten of them. Actually, listening in small tetswithpiano accompaniment,in segments allows for a better focus on some cases with choral participation as the set's individual attractions. well. Except for the two sets of Liebes- In the five groups of duets, the voice lieder Waltzes (Opp. 52 and 65), which parts are distributed among soprano, have been recorded several times be- alto, and baritone. The texts come from fore, most of the works are unfamiliar,Goethe, Morike, ar.d Eichendorff, from so the new set should offer discoveries various German folk sources (including even to seasoned collectors. Des Knaben Wunderhorn),and from Collections of this kind are, of course, Bohemian, Italianand Scottish folk the "documentaries" of record collect- collections. Not all of these brief inspi- Edith Mathis, Brigitte Fassbaender, Peter Schre-Yr, and Dici.rick rischer-Dieskau

SEPTEMBER 1983 rations are of equal merit, but the evo- Clara Schumann), and she performslighted by the engineers. DG has again cativeDie Nonne and der Ritter(Op. them with engaging humor and natu-provided model annotations, and the 28, No. 1), the beautifully harmonized ralness. Both these and theDeutsche sound (digital in the first three discs) is Phdnomen(Op. 61, No. 3), and the Volkslieder(except the ones with cho- marvelous. -George Jellinek two-partKleinge(Op. 66, Nos. 1 and 2) rus) were previously released on DG, are particularly attractive.Brahms's but their reappearance in this set is wel- BRAHMS:Vocal Ensembles. Three Duets, treatment of the familiar Scottish bal-come. They are a treasure trove of the Op. 20; Four Duets, Op. 28; Four Duets, ladEdward(Op. 75, No. 1), however, poetic subjects (rustic scenes, folk leg- Op. 61; Five Duets, Op. 66; Four Ballads is less memorable than Karl Loewe's. ends, religious imagery, Gothic tales) and Romances. Op. 75; Three Quartets, The singing of the duets by Edith Op. 3!; Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52; New that form such a significant part of Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 65; Three Quar- Mathis, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Die-German lieder, and not only those of tets, Op. 64; Four Quartets, Op. 92; Three trich Fischer-Dieskau is distinguishedBrahms. Some less devoted listeners Quartets from Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103; Six throughout. Tenor Peter Schreier joins will find a bit of monotony here and Quartets,Op. 112;Volks-Kinderlieder; them for the twoLiebesliedergroups, there, but there is much beauty in the Deutsche Volkslieder.Edith Mathis (so- which are done at a cosy, unhurried melodies and in Brahms's affectionateprano); Brigitte Fassbaender (contralto); pace and are graced by lively and liltingand unpretentious settings. Mathis and Peter Schreier (tenor); Dietrich Fischer- piano accompaniments. A particularlySchreier present these songs with ex- Dieskau (baritone); Karl Engel, Wolfgang impressive demonstration of ensembleceptional clarity and endearing natu-Sawallisch, Gernot Kahl (piano); North precision is offered in Op. 52, No. 4. All German Radio Chorus, Hamburg, Gunter ralness. They are particularly effectiveJena cond.DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 0 four singers are also excellent here,in the duet settings, which are extraor- 2740 280 five discs $39.90. thoughFischer-Dieskauoccasionally dinarily dramatic. over -emotes in some of his passages in Itisnot likely that this phase of the secondLiebesliedergroup. Brahms's activity will ever again be dis- Except for the four little gems thatplayed in such a well -organized and constitute Op. 92, I find the later quar-clearly laid -out manner-or, for that tetslesseffective;inthem Brahmsmatter, that the songs will ever get bet-Mark Knopfler's Beautiful, seems to have indulged his contrapun- ter performances. Karl Engel has the tal skill at the expense of spontaneity. greatest share of the piano work, and hePowerfully Exciting Film The singers, however, remain above reis excellent throughout. In theLiebes- Soundtrack forLocal Hero proach. Mathis has all to herself the liederhe is joined at the piano by con- fourteen Volks-Kinderlieder(dedi- ductor Wolfgang Sawallisch, and their cated to the children of Robert and lively collaborationislovingly spot - LOCAL HERO is an offbeat, whimsical film about a junior oil executive from Houston who's sent to Scotland to negotiate for the purchase of an entire coastal village so his company can build a refinery there. The twist is that the Guitarist and villagersdon'tband together to save composer their homes and land from the big cor- Mark Knopfler poration. Rather, they conspire to get the most lucrative deal they can from it. The challenge for soundtrack composer Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) was to create music that would evoke the rustic charm of the village at the same time its inhabitants are scrambling to sell it out. Knopfler met the challenge with a series of programmatic compositions for synthesizer and guitar and string -band music inspired by Scottish folk tunes-music that is alive with the sea and stars, wool and malt whiskey. It is a brilliant accomplishment. In composing the music forLocal Hero,Knopfler was able to do something that's all but impossible for anyone working within the strictures of pop album making: he took a theme and developed it. In the soundtrack album, the Local Herotheme appears five times infivedifferentarrangements-for acoustic guitar and synthesizer,for pennywhistle, for jug band, for solo synthesizer, and for rock band-and it seems to grow in power and beauty with each version. Its various incarnations paint an aural canvas of the village at work and at rest: the bleached complex- 14 ion of coastal buildings, the collision of

82 STEREO REVIEW Find out in Stereo Review.

Sutscribing to Stereo Review makes sense. Whether you're Half Price shopping for your first stereo system, upgrading your Subscription Certificate present one, looking for maintenance tips or trying to sort thrcugh the hundreds of new recordings released every r 1 month, Stereo Review has answers you can rely on. Our world-famous Equipment Test Reports help you Stereo Review P.D. IBox,r Colorado277 80322 select new audio equipment. Explanations of features, YES! Please enter my subscription to Stereo laboratory test results and comments from our expert tech- Review at 50% off (based on the kill one-year nicians make it easy for you to select components for a great subscription price of $9.98). audio system. If you already have a terrific sound system, Stereo One year (12 issues) for $4.99 Review can help you care for it and upgrade it. With hints on Two years for $9.98 getting four -channel sound from your stereo discs ...how to 0 Three years for $14.97 care for your tape deck's heads ...how to handle records to CHECK ONE: 0 Payment enclosed. Bill me later. preserve them ...and much more. Mr., Mrs ./Ms Stereo Review also helps you select the music to play (please print full name) 8H484 over your sound system. We cover every category of record- Address Apt ing on disc or tape, to help you steer away from uninspired per'ormances or mediocre recordings. City

Stereo Review. When you subscribe you'll join the Zip group of people who enjoy music on their own terms-and State truly know what to buy. Foreign postage: Add $1 a year for Canada Add $5 a year (cash payment in U S currency on y)for other countries outside U.S. and Use the coupon to subscribe possessions Please allow 3C to 60 days for delivery of first issue. -and save 50%! gray sea and crimson sky, the flushedbum of luminous themes and excitingHarry Warren. But I am now totally cheeks of a young couple at a Saturdaycontrasts. Whether you see the movie convinced that in her choice of material night dance. In contrast, Knopfler'sor not, this music will take you to an- she was merely demonstrating yet an- folk -like tunes are played by the Ace-other world and make you hear, feel, other facet of her considerable talent: tones with the raw, unvarnished appealeven smell it. It's that good. superb taste. of a small village band caught on the -Mark Peel "The People That You Never Get to cusp of modern rock and their native Love" is a new Inner City album that traditions.At times,Knopfler even LOCAL HERO (Mark Knopfler). Original - represents a departure for Susannah weaves Alan Clarke's synthesizer to- soundtrack recording. Mark Knopfler (gui- McCorkle. Here she singsfourteen gether with the rough -edged Acetones tars); Alan Clarke (synthesizers); Gerry songs by as many composers or teams, to suggest the string and reed choirs in Rafferty (vocals); the Acetones (instrumentals);othermusicians.WARNER BROS. and the resultis unquestionably her an orchestra, as on his stirring arrange- 23827-1 $8.98, 23827-4 $8.98. finest album to date. Accompanied by a ment of the traditional Scottish tune, quartet under pianist Keith Ingham's The Mist Covered Mountains. sensitive leadership, she again demon- The music Knopfler wrote to depict strates her knack for finding material the Americans in the film sticks out like that may be obscure but is consistently a drilling rig against a North Sea sun- wonderful. As she effortlessly wends set. FreewayFlyer,a four -on -the -floor, Susannah McCorkle's her way through the subtleties of her lane -shifting break -down, is notable for well-chosen program, she also reveals a giving Knopfler a chance to show offFinest Yet: Wonderful new and very prepossessing maturity. his formidable guitar technique.Boom- Songs, Wonderful Singing She has the ability to absorb the finer town isa cocktail -lounge jazz piece attributes of other singers and knead fueled by the bluesy sax of Mike Breck- them into her own personal style; when er, andThe Way It Always Starts isa IHAVEadmired singer Susannah Mc -you hear Susannah McCorkle caress a diluted Tex-Mex ballad sung by Gerry Corkle ever since she first came tosong, you know that she has done some Rafferty.Except forFreeway,they my attention, butIsometimes won- very intelligent, selective listening. And pass by like just another day in the ratdered if my enthusiasm had not been it is a joy to listen to her as she conveys race, which may say as much about thecolored to some degree by the wonder- nuances that others let slip by. cultures that collide inLocal Heroas ful songs she sang. After all, her three Every selection on "The People That anything that happens in the movie. previous Inner City albums were de- You Never Get to Love," which takes Mark Knopfler's soundtrack forLo- voted to the highly original works ofits title from a sinfully delightful song cal Heromakes a brilliantly realized al -Johnny Mercer, "Yip" Harburg, and by Rupert Holmes, is a highly polished gem, from Dave Frishberg's whimsical FoodophobiatothefamiliarI've Grown Accustomed to His Face. Ican Susannah think of no greater compliment a song- McCorkle writer can get than to have a song performed by the increasingly inimitable Susannah McCorkle. -Chris Albertson

SUSANNAH McCORKLE:The People That You Never Get to Love.Susannah McCorkle (vocals); instrumental accompaniment. No More Blues; The Hungry Years: Alone Too Long; I Won't Dance; I'm Pullin' Through; Foodophobia; Bye Bye Country Boy; Rain Sometimes; The Lady's in Love with You; I Have the Feeling I've Been Here Before; The People That You Never Get to Love; The Call of the City; I've Grown Accustomed to His Face; The Feeling of Jazz.INNER CITYIC 1151 $8.98.

Academy of Ancient Music: Mozart's Symphonies Played as He Intended

THEAcademy of Ancient Music has certainly earned recognition as one of the finest orchestras performing on period instruments, but now, with the ;release of Volume 6 in the group's re -

84 STEREO REVIEW Best of the Month Recent selections you might have missed

POPULAR Joan Baez: Very Early Joan. VAN- GUARC VSD-79446 7. "... a spellbinding album by one of the most influential... popular artists of our time." (August) Angela Bolin: Too Tough. ARISTA AL 9616."Polished,powerful, and pretty." (June) Phil Collins: Hello, I Must Be Going!

ATLANTIC 80035-1." . . an eclectic, well -

crafted album . . . ." (June) Kate and Anna McGarrigle: Love Over and Over. POLYDOR 422-810 042-1 Y-

1.".. an aural delight . . . ." (May) JohnMcLaughlin:Music Spoken Here. WARNER BROS. 23723-1. "... further explores and enlarges the acoustic/elec-

tric synthesis . . . ." (May) Lou Reed: Legendary Hearts. RCA AFL1-4568."Passionateandinspiring rock-and-roll." (July) Carlos Santana: Havana Moon. CO- LUMBIA FC 38642. "Soulful, fresh, and personal" (August) Simon & Bard Group: Tear It Up. FLY. NG FISH FF 262."Sophisticated music Christopher Hogwood (left) and Jaap SchrOder played with feeling." (July) Mel Mils: After All This Time. MCA velopment. The real miracle, however, cording of all of Mozart's symphonies MCA -5378.". . . one of country music's on L'Oiseau-Lyre, it must simply be is in the finale of the Jupiter. For once real vocal masters." (July) considered one of the finest orchestras Mozart's contrapuntal pyrotechnics are ZZ Top: Eliminator. WARNER BRos performing music of the Classical peri-clear, and they bring the movement to 23774-1. '7 -lard -rocking, low -riding, sleazy, od, regardless of the instruments em-an almost unbearable peak of excite- and funny." (August) ployed.Thisfour -disc,digitallyre- ment. This list of revelations could con- corded set magnificently completes the tinue almost phrase by phrase. Thegist CLASSICAL serieslaunchedunderChristopherof itis that you simply hear morein Bart6k:String Quartets Nos. 1-6. Hogwood's direction more than three these performances. CBS BM 37857. "The Juilliard Quartet's years ago (Volume 7 was released a few But the use of authentic instruments third Bartok set ranks among the very fin- months ago). It is especially welcome is not the only reason these readings are est." (May) because it brings together so many ofso distinguished. Much of the credit Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 the composer's noblest and most famil- also belongs to the joint leadership of and 27. LONDON CS 7251. "Elegant, pas- iar symphonies, including the Paris, the Hogwood, who plays continuo, and con- sionate, and committed performances from Haffner, the Prague, and the Jupiter, certmaster Jaap Schroder, and the rest Sir Clifford Curzon . . ." (August) and because, as the first digitals in the goes to the splendid ensemble of players Mozart: Opera Arias.PHLIPS 6514 series, they are so beautifully recorded. they have assembled. Throughout, the 319. "Marvelous music, gorgeous singing Much of the success of these per-tempos are well chosen, the pacing is by Kiri Te Kanawa." (July) formances is, of course, simply the re- elegant, and the phrasing is precise. All Poulenc: Solo Piano Music. EMI/ sult of using the instruments for whichin all, this set offers some of the finest PATE MARCONI C 069-73101. "A glowing new collection from Gabriel Tacchino . . ir- Mozart wrote. You hear what Mozart Mozart playing around. resistible." (June) Lincoln intended you to hear. A telling example -Stoddard RachrnanInoff: Symphony No. 3; The of the effectiveness of authentic instru- Isle of the Deed. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON ments is in the opening of the G Minor MOZART:The Symphonies, Vol. 6.No. 31, 2532 065. "Definitive interpretations by Lo- Symphony (No. 40), where each note is in D Major (K. 300a/297, "Paris," first and rin Ware', stunning digital sound." (July) distinctly heard instead of being sub- second versions); No. 35, in D Major (K. Schubert: Piano Sonata In B -flat Ma- merged in the rustle we usually get 385, "Haffner," second version); No. 38. in jor. HYPERfON A66004. "... an exceptional from modern orchestras. The sharper D Major (K. 504. "Prague"); No 39. in E - realization of a great work " (August) flat Major (K. 543); No. 40. in G Minor (K. Shostakovlch: Symphony No. 5, Op. contrast between strings and wood- 550, first version); No. 41, in C Major (K. winds afforded by period instruments 47. LONDON LDR 71051. "State-of-the-art 551."Jupiter"). Jaap SchrOder (concert- sound, illuminating reading." (May) also produces a stronger sense of dia- master); Christopher Hogwood (continuo): logue in the second theme of the firstthe Academy of AncientMusic, Jaap R. Strauss: Death and Transfigura- movement, and the clarity of the Clas- Schroder and Christopher Hogwood cond. tion; Four Last Songs. ANGEL DS -37887. "Profoundly satisfying . . . ." (June) sical strings etches a sharp figure when L'OISEAU-LYRE 0D172D4 fourdiscs the opening theme reappears in the de- $51.92, © KI72K43 $51.92.

SEPTEMBER 1983 8 5 Classical Musk

flews Brief/

Gus, the Chicago Symphony cat, with friends Aldo C'iccolini and Luna TRADITIONALLY. donors to dressed to the Women's Asso- rael, was won this year by the Davies of Madison, Connecti- the Chicago Symphony's ciation, Chicago Symphony, young American Jeffrey Ka- cut, the first-class stamp will annual fund-raising marathon 224 South Michigan Avenue, hane. A native of Los Angeles be printed in yellow and ma- may make their contributions Chicago, III. 60604. and a graduate of the San roon, possibly to suggest the in honor of either dogs or cats, Francisco Conservatoryof gilt and deep red plush of the depending ontheir sympa- Music, Kahane was a prize house itself. The first -day -of - thies. Traditionally, too, the Aldo Ciccolini, who winner in the Clara Haskil issue ceremony is being held dog lovers prove to be margin- PIANISTis shown above with feline Competitionandwonthe September 14 at the Met. 0 ally more numerous or more companion Luna, is at present fourth prize in the 1981 Van generous, or both, and this touring North America, with CliburnInternationalPiano year was no exception. The engagementsrangingfrom Competition. His Rubinstein THE Canadian Brass, one of dog fund pulled in a total of Seattle to Toronto to Miami. awardincludes$10,000, a the most popular touring $45,172fortheorchestra, The French EMI artist has gold medal, and numerous en- ensembles in the business, is nuzzling ahead of the cat fund also just completed recording gagements for orchestral ap- newly represented on records by a mere $713, which seems Isaac Albeniz's Piano Con- pearances and solo recitals in and tapes released by both not to have pleased the orches- certo and Falla's Nights in the the United States and else- RCA and CBS, and while the tra's cat -in -residence, Gus Gardens of Spain with the where. A record contract is repertoire in each case is typi- (short for Gustav, as in Mah- London Symphony under En- under negotiation. 0 cal of what the group plays in ler). Gus is pictured here with rique Batiz. concert, the recordings differ the CSO's general manager, Angel, Ciccolini's U.S. la- markedlyincontent.The John S. Edwards, and one of bel, reports that the first al- NI ElROPOLITANOPERA CBS entry, "Champions" the orchestra's violinists, Tom bum in his six -record survey (FM 37797, © FMT 37797), Hall. of the piano music of Erik Sa- ill0 a is basically a collection of pop- One of the premiums for tie (S-36482) is the sixth best- ular standards in the attrac- donors was a collection of bal- selling recording in the com- tive arrangements for which letmusic recordedby the pany's catalog-also that, all the Canadian Brass are CSO over a period of fifty told, Ciccolini's Satie records 1.s: 14N: l s N 20 known. Sa..aaaa...s.s.s..al® The RCA album, years, from the days of con- and tapes have sold well over a "High,Bright,Lightand ductor Frederick A. Stock to quarter of a million copies, Clear" (ARCI-4574, e the present (represented by making Satie the best-selling THE U.S. Postal Service is AREI-4574), which isdigi- three unreleased excerpts twentieth-century composer issuing a twenty -cent tally recorded, brings together from Prokofiev's Romeo and on Angel Records. 0 commemorative stamp to a number of familiar Baroque Juliet conducted by music di- mark the one hundredth anni- pieces. Two of them will be es- rector Sir Georg Solti). The versary of the Metropolitan pecially familiar to weekend record is still available for $15 THE Arthur Rubinstein In - Opera, the first time the post television viewers: a rondo by plus$3shippingforeach ternational Piano Master office has honored an opera Jean Joseph Mouret that in- copy. Orders should be ad- Competition in Tel Aviv, Is - company. Designed by Ken troduces Masterpiece Theatre

86 STEREO REVIEW on PBS and a fanfare by Jo- ics] . . . aimed at consumers hann Gottfried Reiche that who are interested in classical early risers will recognize as music but who are not sure the theme musicfor CBS how to begin building the ba- Television's Sunday Morning sicrepertoirelibrary." The news program. first release comprises twenty RCA recently reissuedits titles,with a suggestedlist recording of the Mozart Clar- price of $5.98. inet Quintet, K. 581, played CBS Masterworks A &R by Richard Stoltzman and Ta- chief Peter Munves describes shi (AGLI-4704, 0 AGKI- the Portrait albums as "new 4704), and before long more Dolby -A transfers of original copies were sold than in all the master tapes [that] have been time it had been available be- specially produced" for this fore being deleted a year ago. series, offering extended dy- The reason: the music served namic range and "the cleanest in part as background for the reproduction these master re- widely viewed final episode of cordings have ever enjoyed." M*A*S*H on television ear- There are forty titles altogeth- lier this year. 0 er,sellinginthe mid -price range. 0

Two technically improved, low-priced series of cata- SEVENTEEN years ago New log classics have just been in- York's Metropolitan Op- troduced, one by RCA called era opened its first season at LegendaryPerformersand Lincoln Center with a per- the other by CBS called Mas- formance of Samuel Barber's terworks Portrait.Both are Antony and Cleopatra. It was Esther Hinds as Cleopatra available on LP's and prere- considered a total washout- corded cassettes. overproduced andoverlong. the composer and Gian Carlo summer, with Esther Hinds RCA's Red Seal division Unlike the queen's barge, it Menottithatbreathed new especiallyimpressiveinthe vicepresidentThomasZ. looked as though the opera it- life into the work. It was this role of Cleopatra. And it was Shepard defined his compa- self would sink to the bottom version, in a handsome pro- this version that New World ny's new series, saying it fea- of the Nile never to be heard duction directed by Menotti RecordsrecordedinItaly tures "remarkable perform- again, but some years later and conducted by Christian when the Charleston company ances by the world's most im- the Juilliard School of Music Badea, that was revived at the played the real Spoleto Festi- portant artists in digitally re - inNew York mounted a Spoleto Festivalin Charles- val in June and July. Release mastered sound [editor's ital- scaled -down version made by ton, South Carolina, early this is scheduled for early 1984.0

Disc and Tape Reviews By RICHARD FREED DAVID HALL GEORGE JELLINEK STODDARD LINCOLN ERIC SALZMAN

J. S. BACH: St. Matthew Passion. Jon Gar- very good, and the whole reading is evenly delectable, youthful Symphony in C Major rison (tenor), Evangelist; Hans Georg Ahr- paced. Among the soloists, Kristina Laki is amiable rather than pert but enjoyable ens (bass), Jesus; Kristina Laki (soprano); and Benjamin Luxon are excellent, and Jon nonetheless. The five pieces orchestrated by Ann Murray (contralto); David Britton Garrison, as the Evangelist, discharges his Bizet from his suite for piano four -hands, (tenor); Harold Stamm, Benjamin Luxon narrative clearly though nasally. Ann Mur- Jeux d'Enfants, get an appropriately light (bass); Hanover Boys Choir; NDR Chorus ray sings musically, but her voice is not and fanciful treatment, and the Patrie and Symphony Orchestra, Raymond Lep- quite rich enough for the prdfoundest mo- Overture benefits from a broadly lyrical ap- pard cond. ANGEL 0 DSCX-3934 three ments. Unfortunately, solidity, care, and proach and a welcome soft-pedaling of the discs $38.94, 0 4X3X-3934 $38.94. straightforwardness are not enough to give bombastic element so uncharacteristic of excitement to such a dramatic work; Ray- Bizet. The sound is rich and spacious. D.H. Performance: Solid mond Leppard's even pacing is perhaps Recording: Fine more appropriate to the St. John Passion BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture, Op. 84 This performance may be characterized as than to the urgency of the St. Matthew. The (see MENDELSSOHN) solid, careful, and straightforward. The or- digital sound is splendid, however. S.L. chestral and choral balances are generally BRAHMS: Vocal Ensembles (see Best of BIZET: Symphony in C Major; Jeux d'En- the Mooth, page 81) (ants, Suite; Patrie Overture. Orchestre Na- FINZI: Cello Concerto, Op. 40. Yo Yo Ma Explanation of symbols: tional de France, Seiji Ozawa cond. ANGEL 0 DS -37928$12.98, 0 4X5-37928 (cello);RoyalPhilharmonicOrchestra, digital -master analog LP $12.98. Vernon Handley cond. LYRITA SRCS.112 0 = stereo cassette $13.98 (from International Book & Record = digital Compact Disc Performance: Neatly turned Distributors, 40-11 24th Street, Long Is- ® = eight -track stereo cartridge Recording Spacious land City, N.Y. 11101). = direct -to -disc recording Beginning with conductor Roger Desor- = monophonic recording Performance: Excellent miere's record in the late Forties, the com- Recording: Generally good The first listing is the one reviewed; bination of these three Bizet works has been other formats, if available, follow it. a popular one on LP's. Seiji Ozawa's is the Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) is often thought first digital recording. His reading of the of as a latter-day British pastoral -lyric corn -

SEPTEMBER 1983 87 leap off the grooves in striking colors, but he is in opulent voice, encompassing the wide range of the music Verdi gives him. Cap- puccilli sounds both human and regal in the bargain. Placido Domingo is in a class by himself in the not very prominent role of Is- maele, and Lucia Valentini Terrani brings a voluptuous tone to Fenena's predominantly gentle music. I miss a certain gravity in Ev- geny Nesterenko's Zaccaria (he sounds more like a bass -baritone than a true bass on this occasion), but his cleanly focused tones are a joy to hear after a plethora of gruff and gravelly basses, and his top range is imposing. All this is unsurprising. The surprise is Bulgarian soprano Ghena Dimitrova, who has a genuine dramatic voice with thrust and temperament yet enough sensitivity and technique to sing with delicacy when the music demands it. If she is not yet an international celebrity, she will be one in no time if she continues to sing as she does here. And having Lucia Popp in the small role of Anna is also an unexpected bonus. The Berlin chorus sounds fine but has some trouble with articulation. The orchestra is heavily favored in the balances, and Sinopoli draws powerful sonorities from it Lucia Valentini Terrani (Fenena) and conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli (a la Solti) with fearsome chords that tend to obliterate the voices, choral as well as individual. But, when all is said and done, this is the most satisfying recording of any Verdi A Stirring Nabucco opera to come my way in a good long time. -George Jellinek e1USEPPE SINOPOLI, surely a major con- theorizing about Verdi's operas. Frankly, it ductorr in emergence, is still a young worried me for a bit, but my apprehensions VERDI: Nabucco. Piero Cappuccilli (bari- man (he was born in 1946), but his photo- soon vanished when I discovered that Sino- tone), Nabucco; Placido Domingo (tenor), graphs disclose a face straight out of the poli had clear-cut ideas about the score and lsmaele; Evgeny Nesterenko (bass), Zac- OldTestament.Verdi'sNabucco thus no difficulty whatever in conveying them caria; Ghena Dimitrova (soprano), Abi- seems like a preordained vehicle for his with vigor and incisiveness in performance. gaille; Lucia Valentini Terrani (mezzo-so- operatic recording debut, which itis. Ac- The result, in fact, is the most stirring ac- prano), Fenena; Kurt Rydl (bass), High tually, this Deutsche Grammophon record- count 'this opera has ever had on records. Priest of Baal; Volker Horn (tenor), Abdal- ing is the outgrowth of a Berlin stage pro- The singers, however, must share in the lo; Lucia Popp (soprano), Anna. Chorus duction that Sinopoli led with great success credit. In the title role, veteran Piero Cap- and Orchestra of the German Opera, Ber- in May 1982. The press kit for the release puccilli may not have the individuality that lin,Giuseppe Sinopoli cond. DEUTSCHE contains an interview in which the maestro can make even aless -than -optimal Tito GRAMMOPHON 0 2741021three discs indulges in a certain amount of nebulous Gobbi interpretation (London OSA 1382) $38.94,00 3382 021 $38.94.

withineach new Deep Dual Audio-Technicacartridge are Magnet'completely TWO separate,magnetic independentmagnet, Separate systems. and coilsfor pole pieces, each stereochannel. insure theultimate Now, to we've separation, in stereo barrier installed aaetic thetwo systems. between innovative thoughtful, It's the typical ofevery extra step design. Audio-Technics theAdoTcehondiacya NIuMetal Shieldt Hear Independens between magneticsystem ModelAT-155LC illustrated. audio-technica.

CIRCLE NO. 11 ON READER SERVICE CARD 88 STEREO REVIEW poser such as George Butterworth, John Ireland, and Ralph Vaughan Williams (in his gentler works), but the first movement FINE REPRODUCTIONS of his Cello Concerto (1951-1955) is made of tougher fiber. While there are elements AT A PRICE YOU of late Elgar and of Walton here and there, the effect of the movement as a whole is one CAN LIVE WITH. of passion laden with tragic import. The solo role is highly exacting and features an elaborate and brilliant cadenza at the close. PRESENTING The slow movement, on the other hand, finds Finzi at his most poignant and conso- MASTERWORKS latory. After its slow introduction, the polo- naise -like finale is somewhat akin to that of PORTRAIT. the Sibelius Violin Concerto-brilliant and high-spirited yet essentially lyrical. Made in 1979, this British recording ap- Masterworks Portrait pears to have been the disc debut of Yo Yo Ma, who had won the Avery Fisher Prize is a distinguished the year before. His performance here is al- series of recordings culled togetherbrilliant, and heisbacked by from the vast CBS knowing orchestral playing under Vernon Handley's direction. D. H . Masterworks catalog. Priced reasonably, and RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT reproduced with master- GRIFFES:Fantasy Pieces, Op. 6; Roman ing and tape duplication Sketches, Op. 7; Sonata; Three Tone -Pic- techniques superior to tures, Op. 5.Noel Lee (piano). Ncse.suc H-71409 $5.98, © H4-71409 $5.98. the original editions, Performance Communicative Masterworks Portrait Recording Handsome records and cassettes are A note on the jacket advises that this re- a unique bargain. cording was made in Copenhagen in De- Whatever your musical cember 1977; it has taken a long time to reach us, but it appears to be the most gen- passion, you're sure to find erouscollectionofCharlesTomlinson yourself in a Masterworks Griffes's piano works yet offered on a rec- Portrait. Selections range also especially welcome in None- such's original low-priced series. from Baroque to 20th The first and last of the four Roman century works...from Sketches-The White Peacock and symphonic staples to Clouds-were orchestrated by Grilles him- esoteric chamber pieces. self, as was the scherzo that concludes the three Fantasy Pieces (called Bacchanal in The artists are the finest the orchestral version), and all three have been recorded in the orchestrated versions. in the world. The perfor- In each case, both the piano and orchestral mances are interna- settings have their own allure, just as in the tionally acclaimed. music of Ravel, so it is good to have all the originals as knowingly set forth as they are Select several Portraits here by Noel Lee. His fine performances are handsomely recorded (by Peter Wille- for your home. mots), the surfaces are exemplary, and the annotation is by the Grilles authority Don- na K. Anderson. R.F. in quality. HAYDN:Trumpet Concerto in E -flat Ma- Etched jor (seePopular Discs and Tapes, page 110) Masterworks

HUMMEL:Trumpet Concerto in E -flat PortrayRecords Major(see Popular Discs and Tapes, page andCassettes 110) fromCBS. JOPLIN:Ragtime Music(see Collections- Katia and Marielle Labeque) RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT qMAS1:1;,R,W01.),XS PORTRAIT KODALY:String Quartet No.1, Op. 2; String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10.Kodaly Quar- tet. HLNGAROTON 0 SLPD 12362 $12.98. Performance Intensely beautiful Recording. Excellent Available at all Sam Goody, In the landscape of twentieth-century mu- Musidand and Discount Records. sic, Zoltan Kodaly is a difficult figure to

SEPTEMBER 1983 CIRCLE NO. 21 ON READER SERVICE CARD place. Heisinvariably associated with any. That's quite an accomplishment when Hungarian folk music, with Bartok, and you think about it. RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT with choral singing and training. But his These relatively early string quartets- MARTIN): String Quartet No. 1.Panocha music is not like Bart6k's, and as a folklorist they date from 1908-1909 and 1918-illus- Quartet.SUPRAPHON1111 3018 G $9.98 he sometimes seems to belong not to this trate the point. The First Quartet is ob- (from Intersound Inc., 14025 23rd Avenue century but to thelast.Kodaly's music viously connected with Romanticism, par- North, Minneapolis, Minn. 55441). could not have been written in the nine- ticularly in the last two movements, but it is teenth century, but, particularly in his early Performance Excellent hard to say exactly with whom or what. The Recording Excellent chamber music, he is as much the legiti- vein of originality is even more easily appre- mate heir of late Romanticism as,say, ciatedinthe Second Quartet, whichis The Panocha Quartet's survey of the seven Richard Strauss. Yet, at the same time, he much more condensed and much more ob- string quartets of Bohuslav Martina is al- was able to put a considerable distance be- viously folkloric. It's not necessarily the bet- most complete now, only Nos. 2 and 3 re- tween himself and the Central European or ter work, but itis a more "modern" inter- maining to be covered. The last four quar- Slavic Romantics who should have been his pretation of the same point of view. Both tets, already issued, may be the strongest natural ancestors. In a sense, Kodaly in-are intensely studied and gorgeously per- works in the cycle, but No. 1is an intrigu- vented a genuine, home-grown Romantic formed by a quartet named for the composing piece in its somewhat less disciplined style for a country that really didn't have er in a superb digital recording. E.S. way-a sort of prelude to the more individ- ualistic works to follow. Martina called this work of 1921 his "French" Quartet because of its echoes of Debussy and Ravel, but there are other echoes, too-of Dvotak and Kodaly. Although Martina showed a more distinctively personal character in subsequent works, his blending of these disparate elements is ingratiating. As in the earlier in- .1 -FIE TURNTABLE stallments, the Panocha Quartet plays with enormous conviction and polish. R.F.

MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 3,in THAT BEAT TkiE A Minor, Op. 56 ("Scottish"). BEETHO- VEN: Egmont Overture, Op. 84.Philadel- phia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy cond. RCA ARLI-4359 $8.98, 0 ARK 1-4359 COFFICT DEC $8.98. PerformanceBland Mendelssohn RecordingVery good In a recent test done by Popular 1-li-Fi, all four review- Eugene Ormandy and his players come ers chose the Linn Sondek LP12 Turntable over the through with avirile and warm-blooded Compact Digital Disc. reading of Beethoven'sEgmontOverture, but, for all the finesse of the orchestral execution, Mendelssohn'sScottishSymphony "The Compact Disc Player sounds impressive at first, fares less well. The opening promises a rich- probably due to its relative absence of surface noise ly lyric reading, which this one certainly is, but once the music starts there is something which but the windswept vistas evoked inthe tells you immediately that it is wrong."-Chris Thomas scherzo seem rather pale and undramatic. The adagio is as mellifluous as one could wish, but the main body of the finale could "All the key musical elements were there, but the subtle do with a shade more bounce. The epilogue nuances of the music - delicate cymbal playing, intri- is massive and grandiose and very nearly cate guitar work and so on - were missing which convincing. Inall, though, thisis rather made the overall presentation of the music less con- bland Mendelssohn. Splendid, warm sound vincing and involving than that provided by the ana- throughout. D.H. logue front end." - Simon Davies L. MOZART: Trumpet Concerto in V Ma- jor(seePopularDiscsand Tapes, page " ... although it was better than we had anticipated, it 110) still was far behind our reference Linn/Ittok/Asak T combination in pure sound quality." - Chris Frankland W. A. MOZART: Andante in (- Major, K. 315 (see WEBER) "In my view itstill has some way to go before it is as W. A. MOZART: Symphonies Nos. 31, good as the best analogue disc playing systems." - 35, 38, 40, and 41 (see Best of the Month, Jonathan Kettle page 84)

For a complete reprint of the review, and other information on the RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT turntable that beat the compact disc, circle the reader service num- PROKOFIEV: Cinderella, Op. 67.Moscow ber listed below. RadioSymphonyOrchestra,Gennady Rozhdestvensky cond.MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETYMHS 824651 two discs $16.50 LINN (plus $1.60 postage and handling charge from the Musical Heritage Society, 14 Park SONDEK Road, Tinton Falls, N.J. 07724). For further information contact PerformanceRichly vital AUDIOPHILE SYSTEMS LTD , 6842 HAWTHORN PARK DR . INDIANAPOLIS. INDIANA USA 46220 Recording Expansive ALDBURN ELECTRONICS LTD ONTARIO. CANADA Although this is a reissue of a 1967 record- CIRCLE NO26 ON READER SERVICE CARD ing that made its intitial appearance here

90 STEREO REVIEW sonorities of this piece. Avoiding virtuosic on Melodyia/Angel, the "Special Merit RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT tag is awarded not only by virtue of its being display and dwelling on the melodic lines, the only complete recording of Prokofiev'sSCHUBERT: Octet in F Major for Strings they deliver an elegant performance, full of masterly Cinderella ballet but also because and Winds, Op.166. Boston Symphony loving detail-all beautifully caught in the of Gennady Rozhdestvensky's marvelously Chamber Players. NONESUCH 0 D-79046 digital recording. S.L. idiomatic reading. The recording is slightly $11.98, © D4-79046 $11.98. blowsy by today's standards, but its some- Performance Elegant RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT what exaggerated spaciousness seems to me Recording. Splendid appropriate to the grandeur of a three -act SHOSTAKOVICH: S}mphon, No. 10, in Soviet ballet that is a lineal descendant ofThe Boston Symphony Chamber Players E Minor, Op. 93. London Symphony Or- Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. stress the lyric qualities of Schubert's won- chestra, Andre Previn cond. ANGEL 0 DS - The fifty numbers in the complete score derful octet and turnin an exquisitely 37955 $12.98, © 4XS-37955 $12.98. display a level of musical craftsmanship ful- phrasedperformancethatglowswith PerformancfWarmly eloquent ly as various and colorful as that which warmth. Each of the musicians is a soloist Recording Very good Tchaikovsky brought to his more famous in his own right, but as experienced orches- ballet. Along with the justly celebrated tral players they are able to achieve an ex- There is much to be ,,t id for Andre Previn's waltz and the terrifying midnight transfor- cellent ensemble and to balance the difficult new recording of the masterly Tenth Sym- mation scene, there are delightfully comic episodes depicting the ugly stepsisters and some cinematically derived "modern" elements that must have required considerable nerve on Prokofiev's part at the peak of the Stalin regime. The record is thoroughly en- Endorsed joyable, and the extensive and informative program notes by Peter Rabinowitz are a welcome bonus. D.H. Denon"Mirage speakers represent unusually fine value in sound for the dollar. We RAVEL: Bolero; Daphnis et Chloe, Suite recommend them for use with our No. 2; Alborada del Gracioso. Singing City Choir of Philadelphia (in Daphnis); Phila- electronics." delphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti cond. Harman Kardon 'A high quality audio system requires the ANGEL 0 DS -37885 $12.98, © 4XS-37885 use of uniformly high quality components. $12.98. We have found tnat Mirage loudspeakers Performance Fussy are among the best value in speakers Recording High-powered available." RAVEL: Bolero; Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2; Pavane pour une Infante Definite. NAD-USA "Accurate loudspeakers are necessary in Ambrosian Singers (in Daphnis); London order to realize the benefits of today's finer Symphony Orchestra, Arpad components. We find that Mirage FEL 0 SEFD 5004 $15.95. loudspeakers amply fulfill tnat criterion, Performance. Adequate to excellent and at a reasonable price." Recording Clean and bright None of the performances in these two Ra- Onkyo "Mirage speakers project a seamless, vel collections measure up interpretively to open, three-dimensional sound field which those in the similar digitally mastered re- retains the musical excitement of the leases by Charles Dutoit with the Montreal original performance." Symphony, Leonard Slatkin with the St. Louis Symphony, and Eduardo Mata with the Dallas Symphony. In the Alborada del Gracioso, Riccardo Muti's reading is alternately super -macho Perhaps they know and languid. The Daphnis et Chloe suite is treated too fussily, and at Muti's ultra -slow tempo Bolero becomes an oppressive jug- something you should. gernaut of a piece. The Angel recording, however, sounds big and rich, with very wide dynamics. Arpad Job, whose Budapest -recorded survey of the Bartok orchestral repertoire released last year on the Canadian Sefel label was extraordinary, has not been able to produce equally fine readings of the more -or - less standard repertoire in his recordings with the London Symphony, also for Sefel. His Kodaly and Janacek disc did not quite hit the mark, and the same is true for this Ravel collection. At least the performances are unfussy and the tempos right. The Pa- vane is a bit untidy in spots; it is a difficult piece to play well despite its seeming sim- plicity. Bolero comes off best here, with a well-chosen, steady tempo and some interesting twists in the climactic build-up. The digital sonics are clean and bright. D.H. SEE THE MUSIC. ROSSINI: Theme and Variations for C'lari- net and Orchestra (see WEBER) Mirage Acoustics. Unit 7, 1361 Huntingwood DrScarborough Ontario, Canada MIS 311, 416-298-34:14 in Canada. 617-329-8410 in U.S. CIRCA F NO I7 oN READER SERVICE CARD SEPTEMBER 1983 91 phony of Dmitri Shostakovich. Though this Richard Strauss's cunningly textured and performance may not convey the blinding deeply moving threnody for the Germany RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT intensity of Herbert von Karajan's two he saw destroyed by World War II. It has TELEMANN: Oboe Concertos in E Minor, readings for Deutsche Grammophon, Pre - had some remarkable recordings, beginning D Minor, C Minor, F Minor, and D Major. yin's slightly more relaxed pacing enables with the first one, which was conducted by Heinz Holliger (oboe); Academy of St. the listener to assimilate the musical mes- Herbert von Karajan in 1948. The stereo Martin -in -the -Fields,IonaBrown cond. sage more readily. The opening movement versionI have particularly treasured over PHILIPS 6514 232 $12.98, © 7337 232 gains most, for where Karajan's orchestral the years is Klemperer's 1962 reading, still $12.98. colorations seem almost iron gray and pre- available on Angel (S-35976) with the same dominantly bleak, Previn helps us believe coupling as on this new Karajan disc. Klem- Performance: Wonderful Recording: Sensitive there is "balm in Gilead." Karajan still has perer had a wonderful feeling for the organ- the best ofitin the terrifying scherzo, ic growth implicit in every musical line and Telemann really outdid himself in these though Previn comes off withafinely dynamic point of this late masterpiece, and oboe concertos. For example, the opening pointed ending to the movement. inhis new recording Karajan not only dissonances of the C Minor are shocking Warmth, eloquence, and a nice "give" in brings out the same sense of inexorable even in our day; the second movement of the phrasing and rhythm again characterizegrowth but gives a shattering intensity to same work makes a dramatic shift from mi- Previn's handling of the crucial allegretto. I the climaxes. Indeed, one would have to go nor to major, and its slow movement is truly would question here only a slight overbal- back to the days of Stokowski with the Phil- profound. Similar delights occur through- ancing of the horns as they signal the sym- adelphia Orchestra or of Koussevitzky with out these wonderful concertos. And Heinz phony's turning point from bleakness and the Boston Symphony to recall a string so- Holliger plays them with a perfect blend of uncertainty to realization of self. The Lon- nority comparable to what Karajan elicits virtuosity and lyricism. The same qualities don Symphony is on its toes from start to here from his twenty-three Berlin virtuosos. are reflected in the beautifully wrought ri- finish, and the sound is rich, brilliant, and Karajan's reading of Death and Trans- tornellos and accompaniments by the Acad- satisfyingly spacious. D.H. figuration makes an interesting contrast to emy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, led by Iona Klaus Tennstedt's equally remarkable re- Brown. This is top-drawer Telemann, ex- RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT cent Angel recording. In Tennstedt's inter- quisitely performed. S.L. pretation, the Transfiguration is everything. R. STRAUSS: Metamorphoses; Death and In Karajan's, the Transfiguration has its VIERNE: Symphony No. 2, in E Minor, for Transfiguration, Op.24.BerlinPhilhar- properly imposing place at the close, but it Organ, Op. 20. David M. Patrick (organ). monic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan is the iron -fisted onslaught of death that SAGA 5487 $8.98 (from International Book cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 0 2532 haunts the whole work. The entire Berlin & Record Distributors, 40-11 24th Street, 074 $12.98, © 3302 074 $12.98. Philharmonic'sperformancehereisas Long Island City, N.Y. 11101). impressive as that of the selected string Performance: Immensely powerful Performance Excellent Recording: Awesome players in the Metamorphoses. The solid and brilliant digital sound is on a par with Recording: Superb Written in 1945 as a "study for twenty- the best we have had from the Philharmonic Louis Vierne was born in 1870, studied with threesolostrings,"Metamorphosesis in Berlin. D.H. Franck and Widor (organists both) at the

Now when you buy JVC VHS videotapes,you can get these little extras. JVC announces the Video Cassette nents like turntables and cassette When you pick up a few t Giftawaythat'll make a lasting decks. Even JVC radio cassette record- JVC VHS videotapes, you 4 impression on your eyes and ears. ers and more. All packed with features never know what you'll T90 Whenever you buy any grade of JVC's that only JVC can let you stagger walk out with. 4 1120 VHS videotape? you can get home with. more out of it than just outstanding It's not a contest or a sweepstakes. performance. The only thing you have to enter is Start saving tape inserts and you're your local JVC tape dealer's store. JVC COMPANY OF AMERICA eligible for up to 24 high-tech goodies. Then grab a flyer for details ** and Magnetic Tape Division 41 Slater Drive. Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 Including JVC high fidelity compo- start saving your Giftaway inserts. JVC CANADA LTD.. Scarborough. Ont. Void where prohibited. Good for purchases from 7 15 -12 31 83. only. -STD. HG. and SHG T-120. "Or write JVC, P.O. Box 4500, Litchfield,MN 55355 by 10/31/83. CIRCLE NO. 16 ON READER SERVICE CARO 92 STEREO REVIEW Paris Conservatoire, and was organist of America, that is the target of the authors' are visited,is a fate -pursued, vulnerable, Notre Dame Cathedral from 1900 until his merciless sting here. and, in the end, defeated creature whose death in 1937. His "symphonies" are organ Even with Brecht's simplistic wall -poster portrayal is very affecting. The four male solos composed for the gigantic nineteenth- philosophizing the text of The Seven Dead- singers form a good vocal ensemble, Greek - century instruments that were (and are) the ly Sins is fiercely effective in its attack on chorus -style, but the recording does not al- glories of French cathedrals. To me, these the world's false values. And, as usual, ways give them enough clarity and promi- organs and the music writtenfor them Weill's acerbic, openly decadent, yet fre- nence. The orchestra, however, is captured usually sound like grandiose mush, but quently haunting music is the perfect vehi- in sharp detail. Conductor Simon Rattle Vierne's music sounds better on this English cle for the poet's message. In my view, gets my compliments for playing down the recording than I have ever heard it in per- though, neither this nor any other Brecht/ music's coarse qualities, thus drawing Weill formance. The excellent organist David M. Weill creation is the major musical state- closer to the mainstream-a Mahler with- Patrick, the organ of Buckfast Abbey, De- ment its fervent admirers declare it to be. out bombast or a Hindemith with a vulgar von, and the recording engineers have to- Ilike this new performance, however. streak. In sum, this is a disc that even those gether achieved a sonic clarity that brings Elise Ross, whose name is new to me, sings who do not particularly like Weill might out the musical values of the work and suc- her music straight, without cabaret atti- enjoy. G.J. ceeds in making it listenable, believable, lik- tudes, and that enhances its appeal. Her able, and even rather moving. Anna, the young woman on whom the sins (Continued on page 95) As with almost every organ I have heard, the instrument and the music are most impressive in the softer passages. The beautiful, quiet inner movements of Vierne's work are especially wonderful on this ultra -quiet disc. As for the large symphonic sound of The speakers they just the outer sections, if you like Bruckner, Reger, and Franck, you'll love this. Vierne was an accomplished composer in a grand couldn't beat, notevenfor style, and his music is presented here to its best advantage. E.S. $5,000 cash reward. WEBER: Clarinet Concerto No. 1, in F Mi- a nor.ROSSINI:Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra.MOZART:An- dante in C Major (K. 315).Richard Stoltz - We believe we make significantly man (clarinet); Mostly Mozart Festival Or- better speakers than anyone else. But chestra, Alexander Schneider cond. RCA that's just an opinion. It needed to be 0 ARCI-4599 $12.98, © AREI-4599 put to a tough, pragmatic test. $12.98. So, in a series of full -page trade Performance: Brilliant ads, we repeatedly offered a $5,000 Recording: Fine cash reward to the first audio dealer Richard Stoltzman is a young virtuoso who or salesman who could show us a could easily bring the clarinet to the level of popularity currently enjoyed by the flute. speaker that surpasses any given His combination of brilliance and passion is Fourier model in certain basic, stunning in the Weber F Minor Concerto, scientifically verifiable performance and his wit and humor abound in the glitter- characteristics. Not one of these ing Rossini Theme and Variations. Mo- insiders was able to come up with zart's beautiful Adagio in C Major, originally scored for flute, comes off very well a valid challenger. Not a single one. indeed on the clarinet. Stoltzman has, how- We weren't the least bit surprised. Fourier loudspeakers ever, perfected the long -line legato to such a are mathematically optimized. Our computer models for the degree that it obliterates the articulation, electrical and acoustical behavior of drivers, crossover an all-important factor in eighteenth -cen- networks and enclosures are the most complete, detailed and tury music. Nonetheless, he is a likable performer who brings infectious joy and enthu- accurate in the world. Out of the many hundreds of siasm to the music he plays, and he is well loudspeaker manufacturers, the three or four who bother served in the accompaniment here. S.L. with mathematical modeling at all use considerably older and less sophisticated models. You can easily hear the difference WEILL:The Seven Deadly Sins.Elise Ross (soprano); Anthony Rolfe Johnson,Ian in the end product. Caley (tenors); Michael Rippon (baritone); Go see your audio dealer about Fourier speakers. And if John Tomlinson (bass); City of Birming- he tells you there's something better, ask him why he didn't ham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle collect an easy $5,000. cond. ANGEL 0 DS -37981 $12.98, © 4XS- 37981 $12.98. Performance: Good CURRENT FOURIER MODELS: FOURIER 1 THREE-WAY SYSTEM (3.0 Recording: Good CUBIC FEET). FOURIER 8 TWO-WAY SYSTEM (1.3 CUBIC FEET). FOURIER 6 TWO-WAY SYSTEM (0.65 CUBIC FEET). ALL MODELS PROTECTED BY A Kurt Weill called The Seven Deadly Sins a LIFETIME LIMITED WARRANTY PROGRAM (DETAILS ON REQUEST). ballet chante. It is a modern morality play in the guise of a cantata, the last Brecht/ Weill collaboration, written in Paris in 1933 after the accession of the Nazis forced both authors out of Germany. Against such a background one would have thought that these highly political creators would have Mathematically Optimized Loudspeakers voiced their outrage against their persecu- tors. That was not the case. It is world cap- FOURIER SYSTEMS, INC., 540 NEPPERHAN AVENUE, YONKERS, NY 10701 italism, as embodied in Brecht's vision of TELEPHONE: (914) 965-5300 CIRCLE NO. 22 ON READER SERVICE CARD SEPTEMBER 1983 93 Nurse's Song, and the Britten folk -songar- rangements also offered here come off brilliantly, as do the Barber songs. The Barber I side, indeed, is a treasure; there could hardly be a more valuable collection of Barber's songs on a single side, nor is it likely that any of them could have more persuasive in- terpreters than Maurice and the superb pianist David Garvey. "A Little Consort Music" by the Little Consort Amsterdam is a nice enoughas- sortment of early pieces. The range is from the fifteenth through the mid -eighteenth century, and the instrumentation is light. Walter van Hauwe and Kees Boeke play flutes and recorders, Boeke plays the viola da gamba as well, and the Little Consort's third member, Toyohiko Satoh, plays lute and theorbo. The one extended work in the program, a fifteen -minute suite by Jacques Hotteterre for flute, gamba, and theorbo, was spoiled for me by Van Hauwe's noisy gasping for breath at the start of almost Jorge Oraison every phrase. Otherwise, the music is pleasant, if not especially memorable, and again itis enhanced more than a little by the clean, spacious recorded sound. Etcetera -Richard Freed THE new Dutch label Etcetera, distrib- combined and actually constitutes an elab- BARBER:Four Songs, uted in the U.S. by Qualiton Imports, is Op.13;Three orate suite, since each of the variations is in Songs, Op. 45; Sleep Now, Op. 10, No. 2; 1 described in its literature as having been a specific form-sarobanda, pavana, min- Hear an Army, Op. 10, No. 3. "started by two music enthusiasts dedicated BRITTEN:A uetto, giga, aria, fuga. The final movement, Charm of Lullabies, Op. 41. Folk -Song Ar- to exploring repertoire that deserves to be by way of contrast, is a highly extroverted better known." The label's initial release rangements: The Salley Gardens; Come You yet oddly genteel Fiesta whose theme is one Not from Newscastle?; The Plough Boy; 0 comprises five discs and the equivalent cas- of those oddly familiar -sounding, vaguely settes. They are splendidly recorded, very Waly, Waly, Sweet Polly Oliver.Glenda folk -flavored original tunes; triangle, casta- Maurice (mezzo-soprano); David Garvey handsomelypackaged, nets, tambourine, and some imaginative (piano). ETCETERA ETC 1002 $10.98, @ pressed (curiously, for a Dutch company, in wind coloring provide a certain rustic flavor XTC 1002 $10.98. Germany rather than Holland). without ever suggesting anything like the The album of Grieg keyboard works abandon such a title might suggest. The CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO:Guitar Con- played by Kjell Baekkelund and Robert first of the three solo pieces on the album, certo No. 2, In C Major, Op. 160 (Concerto Levin was recorded by CBS in 1977; the Tarantella, is by all odds the most familiar Sereno).Jorge Oraison (guitar); Concertge- other four were recorded by the well-known part of this package, and a splendid piece it bouw Chamber Orchestra, Haarlem, Adam Dutch producer Klaas Posthuma within the is. The Capriccio and Rondo are less sub- Gatehouse cond.Tarantella, Op. 87, No. 1; last couple of years. The Elly Ameling set of stantial buf agreeable enough makeweights. Suite, Op. 133, No. 3, Capriccio; Rondo, Op. Hugo Wolf songs may not seem to fit in Even the concerto is more agreeable than 129. with the idea of unexplored repertoire, but Jorge Oraison (guitar). ETCETERA consequential, perhaps, but itis all very ETC 1001 $10.98, © XTC 1001 $10.98. the company intends to present "aspiring easy to listen to in Jorge Oraison's skillful young artists as well as established artists," and stylish performances. GRIEG:Norwegian Dances, Op. 35; Old and the presence of the very solidly estab- The Grieg piano package offers the origi- lished Ameling should serve to validate this Norwegian Romance with Variations, Op. nal forms of two works far more familiar to 51.Kjell Baekkelund, ambitious young label's high standards and Robert Levin us now in their orchestral garb-if the Old (pianos). ETCETERA ETC 1004 $10.98, © general seriousness of purpose. Her pro- Norwegian Romance with Variations may XTC 1004 $10.98. gram is also an attractive one, including be said to be familiar at all. It is surelya nine of the most appealing of Wolf's Goethe stranger in our concert halls. The orchestral WOLF:Anakreons Grab; Mignon (Kennst settings and all six of the lesser -known little version is so much more fetching, however, Du das Land); Mignon I, songs to poems by Gottfried Keller (the II, 111; Philine; that the two -piano version sounds like little Hockbegliickt in Deiner Liebe; Als Ich auf Swiss writer whose tale Delius used for his more than a study or sketch awaiting more dem Euphrat Schiffte; Nimmer Will Ich opera A Village Romeo and Juliet). Full suitabletreatment.PianistsLevin and texts are provided in German, French, and Dich Verlieren. Alte Weisen: Seeks Ge- Baekkelund are also a bit less tidy here than dichte von Keller.Elly Ameling (soprano); English. they are sharing a single keyboard in the Of the Rudolf Jansen (piano). ETCETERA ETC lesser -known material,Iwas Norwegian Dances. The music of the Nor- 1003 $10.98, © XTC 1003 $10.98. agreeably surprised by the Mario Castel- wegian Dances is much more pianistic in nuovo-Tedesco collection, and I suspect gui- character, and their performance ofit, LITTLE CONSORT AMSTERDAM:A tar fanciers will not be the only ones to en- greatly enhanced by thelifelikesonics, Little Consort Music. joy it. The composer's Second Guitar Con- Purcell: Dioclesian: strikes me as the most generally convincing Chaconne. Weiss: Lute Suite in D Major, certo, here offered in its premiere recording, one yet recorded. is a good deal less familiar than his first, Passacaille. Hotteterre: Quatrieme Suite. Britten's endearing Charm of Lullabies Guilelmus: Basso Danza a 2. Capirola: Bas- Op. 99, which is available in at least four does not appear to have been available here sa Danza "La Spagna." Ortiz: Recercada different recordings at present. This Con- since the deletion of the briefly circulated Tercera; Recercada Quinta. Fontana: Son- certo Sereno, as it is titled, has an unusual Westminster recording by Maureen Forres- ata Decima. Anon.: Istampita "Aquila al- and intriguing format: the middle move- ter. In the Etcetera recording Glenda Mau- ters"; Bassa Danza. Little Consort Amster- ment, marked Sarabanda con variazioni, is rice, an American mezzo, is almost a match dam. ETCETERA ETC 1005 $10.98, 0 XTC nearly as long as the two outer movements forForrester exceptinthe concluding 1005 $10.98.

94 STEREO REVIEW COLLECTIONS EMI. MARILYN HORNE: Live at La Scala. Anon.: Chloris Sighed. Handel: Semele: Awake, Saturnia; Iris, hence away. Alva- rez: La Partida. Turina: Farruca. Montsal- vatge: Cancion de Cuna. Granados: La Maja Dolorosa. Obradors: El Vito. Pou- lenc: Le Bestiaire.Rossini: Semiramide: Angel Ah, quel giorno. Copland: Simple Gifts; Ching -a -Ring Chaw; Long Time Ago; At The Standard theRiver.Foster:Beautiful Dreamer; Available on New Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair. Marilyn High Quality XDR Cassettes of Excellence Home (mezzo-soprano); Martin Katz (pi- MOZART GIULIANI ano). CBS M 37819, © MT 37819, no list BARBARA COST FAN TUTTE GUITAR CONCERTOS price. HENDRICKS Salzburg Festival aroduchon SINGS Marshall Ballsa A Klee Moons ANGEL ROMERO Performance- Imposing SPIRITUALS Battle van Dam English Chamber Orch. Leppard Vienna Philharmcnic MUTT Recording: Excellent Alexeev

Marilyn Horne gave this recital in June 4 1981, and the program is certainly a diverse one. Her special zest and affinity for the TA. T 014327AL Spanish repertoireisenthusiastically af- firmed here, and her winning combination \is of tonal richness and exuberance enriches the American portion of the program. I find DSC X-3940 DS -37967 her approach to Poulenc, however, to be DS -38024 overpowering in tone and understated in hu- WAGNER Masse -ref mor. Horne has recorded the Handel and OVERTURES MANON Rossini arias before. TENNSTEDT COTRUBAS Am I alone in suggesting that perhaps we Berlin Philharmonic KRAUS are treated to too many live events on rec- Chiiko ords, especially when they duplicate already Van Dam recorded material? Here we are also deal- Orchestra & Chorus ingwith many shortselections,which Capitoie de means lots of applause and shouts of Brava! Toulouse On the other hand, Horne is in fine form RAE SON here, and she and her excellent partner DIGITAL Martin Katz are framed in outstandingly DSCX-3946 vivid and resonant sound. G.J. DS -37990 DS -38047

KATIA AND MARIELLE LABEQUE: CHECK HOWCCONSUMERS ROLLS BACK THE PRICES Gladrags. Mayerl: Honky-tonk. Joplin: The Entertainer; Antoinette; Magnetic Rag; RCA VIDEO ACCESSORIES unsru ALLSOP VIDEO HOCENR 514 99 Maple Leaf Rag; Elite Syncopations; The KIWI VCR BAGS 59 90 ION/ AMMEI VIDICRAFT Deaner II 199.90 Strenuous Life: Stop -time Rag: Bethena. VIDICRAFT Guard Stabilizer 49.90 Gershwin/Donaldson: Rialto Ripples. SEM - Battery Portable Light Set 69.90 Johnson: Carolina Shout. Katia and Mari- TELEPHONES MG35 AM/FM Stereo Cass Z-5000 Ccmpu Receiver Mill MURA MP400 589.90 Labeque (pianos). ANGEL S-37980 VJP900 SeleCtaViSion 900 MUM MP600 99.90 elle Convertible Stereo VCR, 5 Piayr Anti Roilleg, MD tape corn Progtmbl Timer. DC .ower Amp Quartz PLL Tuner. 16 Presets, UNMEN 003500 134.90 $9.98, © 4XS-37980 $9.98. Head System. 21 day, 8 event patabily. Lightweight Stereo UNIOEN E 06000 199 90 progrmr. Remote 3949.90 Hdphns. Auto Slop 654.90WC Mixing 5329.90 Performance Jumps HEADPHONES PIONCE11 AKAI KOSS Pro 40 548.90 Recording Lively SENNHEISER H0420 59.90 SENNHEISER HD430 79 90 These are lively, speed -time versions of clas- 04 =41 k31 CAR SPEAKERS sic rag material arranged for two pianos PIONEER IS6901 5109.90/pr KE6100 In dsh Cass. AM FM GXF71 Computer Cass. Deck PIONEER TS6906 94.90/pr KD Video Rack Revolves PIONEER TS108 45.90/pr and embellished with Baroque -jazz varia- Holds 24 Betamas Cassettes Stereo. Supertuner IIDo by *Dolby B/C NR System, Auto Tape Tuning, Super GX 3 Head/ PIONEER T S1644 51.50/pr tions by Francois Jeanneau. The playing is horizontally, or 20 VHS verti 15 Sta Preset, Auto Scan/Serb JENSEN J3033 84.90/pr catty 58.49 5199.902 Motor $299.90JENSEN J2020 79.90/pr brilliant. Unlike many European musicians, Technics JENSEN J3023 76.90/pi 81.AUPUNK T SON Y JENSEN J3013 62.90/pr the Labeques have a first-class sense of rag- JENSEN J1279 72.90/pr JENSEN J1365 69.90/pr time. What they lack is lyric empathy. In ADS 3201 Call to Price the notes, John McLaughlin calls Joplin - ADS 3001 Call lor Price IP PERSONAL PORTABLES quite rightly, I think -the first fusion com- Richmond Autorev, NK XMA-10 Anti Theft Music 5A-6 Direct Drive Progrmmable SONY WM06 5254.90 poser, but, with the exception of the concert Tape Head, Separate Bass Shuttle Cass Pant LED Analog L near Tracking Turntable Polly SONY WM5 84 90 Treble, DNR, 7.5 Watts ot 2, Display, Autorev, Headphones automatic operation One touch, SANYO MG360 89.90 waltz Bethena, thisis Stravinskian stop - SANYO MGI60 58 90 RRI $229.90 S259 90 search & CIr 3194.90 time, not Schubertian slow -drag. SANYO MG12 34 95 In general, no attempt is made to adhere ley SANYO audio-technica VIDEO TAPE FUJI T 120 58.79 to the composer's original directions, even FUJI SIEG T 120 10.95 MURAPHONE TDK T 120 8.79 where they are very clearly written out (as MEMOREX T 120 8.50 SONY L830 10 50 is the forte finish to Bethena). One piece, DAD 8 Digital Compact StereoMP800/801 Base 8. Remote AT152LP Direct ,19 in VectorSONY L750 9 50 Antoinette, clearly described as a march Disc Player. Solid State Laser each complete. Cordless.1 000 Aligned Spree Phono Cartridge SONY L500 7.25 Tracking System -ully pro Itrange. 32 number memory 5 to 35,000 Hz response SONY L830 HG 13.95 and two-step, is grossly misintepreted as grammable 5699.90 5215.90 894.90 lyric,misteriosomusic!BillyMayerl's MAXELL TOK FUJI SONY Si 49 1114,190 12 59 4.4990 S6 49 FP IIIETAL10 54 45 51990 Honky-tonk (subtitled A Rhythmic Absur- 2 39 41,41160 229 54190 339 FP1441190 275 uoTO M.19411990 3 39 SA90 129 Fitsv1160 2 19 11090 1 I 119 dity, Slow Fox Trot), the Gershwin/Don- MAC60 / 49 090 15 EVA 239 11110 1 79 1.1111120 I 99 aldson rag, and the better-known James P. 110C90 2 25 1360 99 01:90 .DIN OPPFP rimTAPE I Johnson Carolina Shout are welcome varia- Wecarry the Fell Car Stereo Line of Concord. ADS Kenvanad Sherwood Mfr guaranteed tions on the Joplin diet. The album is a tour ORDERS ONLY Call 800 431-2932 PHONE ORDERS only CONSUMERS CO. PL4 MasterCarl Visa or COOe de force, but it has little to do with my con- NY and Customer Service call 914 664-2909 MAIL ORDER For prompt delivery use %loner Order Ca Over s or Certified Check or Credit Card iAM P 0 Boo 550 Dept 513983 cept of this music. E.S. 3', for Credit Card Orders) Add 5'tor Shipping & HandlingMin 53 501 NY Residents must ad Sales Tarr Mount Vernon.New York 10551 Personal C94C4S held 2 weeks Minimum COO Order 5100 Write for Free Catalog 42 ON READER SERVICE CARD SEPTEMBER 1983 CIRCLE NO Popular musk

flews Briefs

c8.

Slim Harpo Joan Armatrading -Will Powers - forth "The Best of Slim Har- po, the Original King Bee." looking forward to "a proper Perry Como THE secret of the mysterious SlimHarpo(realname rest." She still enjoys the work Will Powers has at last James Moore) was one of the but wants somewhat more of a RECORDS ON RCA: The been revealed.Powers'sal- most original of all the post- break between tours. "I just long-standing and contro- bum "DancingforMental war blues singers. His biggest want to stay home and do a bit versial litigationinvolving Health" was released by Is- hit, Baby, Scratch My Back, of gardening." Colonel Tom Parker, the es- land this summer after a pub- came out in 1966. His vaguely Proper rest or no, she's re- tateofElvisPresley,and licity campaign designed to ominous, misterioso'harmoni- cording a new album,her RCA Records has been re- pique curiosity. The unknown ca playing and singing have eleventh, during the break pe- solved, leavingRCAstill artist refused to give inter- been a big influence on a lot of riod. Her latest, "The Key" on Presley's only record company views,statingthathe was rock -and -rollers, including the A&M, finally won her a mass worldwide. In the thirty years waiting for the proper time to Rolling Stones and Dave Ed- popular audience commensu- of the RCA/Presley partner- reveal his "influential identi- munds, who covered his tunes, rate with the praise she has ship he became (and remains) ty." Powers turns out to be and the Moody Blues, who, if gotten from critics since her the best-selling solo artist in rock photographer Lynn you can believe it, took their recording debut in 1972. She recording history. RCA's lat- Goldsmith, whose work has name from Harpo's Moody says her new popularity "feels est Presley package, "I Was appeared in this magazine and Blues. great." the One," is reviewed on page many others. Harpo's material has been Armatrading sings in a rich 104 of this issue. "Dancing for Mental hard to find lately, and this contralto without a trace of A different kind of record Health," Powers/Goldsmith's new album represents the first the English accent that marks with RCA is held by singer debut disc as a vocalist, fea- real retrospective of his work. her speech. Born in the West Perry Como, who has been on tures eight songs she wrote in I consider it one of the essen- Indies, she moved to England the label longer than any oth- collaboration with Sting, of tial releases of 1983. S.S. when she was seven and says er artist initshistory. This the Police. She produced the she feels totally English. But summer Como celebrated fif- album as well and appears in she complains that the Eng- ty years in show business, for- an excellent video of one of its Joan Armatrading, who lishdon't quite understand ty years on RCA, and sales of songs, Adventures in Success, sings, composes, and her sense of humor. Call Me over 100 million records. which sports dazzling comput- playswhateverinstrument Names, a single from "The At a party in his honor the er graphics. crosses her path, is now per- Key," is a wry look at spouse - seventy -one -year -old Como, forminginAustralia, New beating."In' America most known for his easygoing style, Zealand, and Japan. This is people got [the point], that it's quipped, "Ithought Iwas TS ABOUT TIME: Rhino Rec- the last segment of a seven - funny, that I'm not condoning dead" when he was called to I ords, the oddball California month tour that began in Eu- wife -beating, but the reverse. the podium to accept a bronze label that has been running ropeinMarch and swept In Europe they totally missed sculptureof himself. Good what is probably the best rock across North America start- that." Released in April, "The wishes were sent by President reissue series ever attempted ing in July. Key" made the Top Forty on Ronald Reagan, New York (including Bobby Fuller, the Interviewed in New York the pop charts and has been State Governor Mario Cuo- Beau Brummels, and Ritchie thissummer,Armatrading charting strongly since. Some- mo,and New YorkCity Valens), has finally brought admitted that she was already body's getting it. P.W. Mayor Edward Koch.

96 STEREO REVIEW A big -band vocalist in the paign debt he ran up last year 1930's, Como became a star indefeatingRepresentative on radio, movies, and records Margaret Heckler. in the 1940's and on television In a fund-raising letter to in the 1950's and 1960's. He his constituents, Frank sug- has remained an enormously gests they sing new words he popular entertainer, releasing has provided for an old Domi- hitrecords and selling out no tune. The song is Domino's clubs and concert halls 1956 hit I'm in Love Again, through the 1970's and into which is revised as I'm in Debt the 1980's. It should come as Again. It builds to the climac- no surprise that his latest disc, tic line: "You get a tax credit "So It Is," has been issued by if you give to me." S.S. RCA Records. 0

100 TOUGH,"Angela Be- ONEof the founding fathers fill'slatestalbum,re- ofrockback inthe viewed here in June's "Best of the widespread popularity of berger's, Macy's, and A &S in 1950's,Fats Domino isno the Month," has yielded two small personal portable cas- New York City and its envi- longer very active in music. hot singles, the title tune and sette players, however, RPM rons and in such other stores Contenting himself with an Tonight 1 Give In. Winding Fashions is marketingthe as Marshall Field in Chicago, occasional appearance ata up her current tour, Bofill will RPM Soundman, a stone - Foley's in Houston, Sanger - nostalgia concert, he spends include material from "Too washed denim jacket intended Harris in Dallas, Dayton's in most of his time taking care of Tough" in her shows in Atlan- specifically for men and wom- Minneapolis, Burdine's in his New Orleans real-estate ta on September 3, Hartford, en who use such tape equip- Miami, and the May Compa- holdings. Connecticut, on September 9, ment. The jacket's left front ny on the West Coast. For the ButDomino'sBlueberry PhiladelphiaonSeptember pocket is designed to hold the name of the store nearest you, Hill stillturns up on TV's 10, and New York City on player and headset; the right write RPM Fashions, Empire Happy Days, and his music September 17. 0 pocket will hold up to three State Building, 350 Fifth Av- also lives on in some less likely cassettes. Other features in- enue, Room 350, New York, places. For example, Repre- clude zip -off sleeves to turn N.Y. 10118. sentative Barney Frank, Dem- Music affects our lives in the jacket into a vest. And if you need guidance ocrat of Massachusetts, is us- many ways, but it hasn't Retailing for about $48, the on finding the best player to ing a Domino song in a pitch often influenced the actual cut jacketwillbe availableat put in the left pocket, consult to cover the $80,000 cam- of our clothes. Recognizing Bloomingdale's, Saks, Bam- the article on page 69. 0

Disc and Tape Reviews By CHRIS ALBERTSON PHYL GARLAND ALANNA NASH MARK PEEL PETER REILLY STEVE SIMELS JOEL VANCE

THEB -52'S: Whammy! The B -52's (vocals ably the B -52's; as usual, they are silly. mildly parodies Tex-Mex, and he also kids and instrumentals). Legal Tender; Wham- campy assemblages from the detritus of about the terrible album cover designs of my Kiss; Song for a Future Generation; American pop culture (can you think of any the 1950's. He wrote all the material with Butterbean; Trism; and four others.WAR- previous New Wave album where the per- his associate Johnny Perez, his producer NER BROS.23819-I$8.98, © 23819-4 formers announce their astrological signs?). Richard Gottehrer, bassist Brad Kizer, and $8.98. Musically, however, thisis dire, faceless other folks. "Party Weekend" has twelve electro-pop dance rock without the eerie selections (rare on U.S. albums), all the Personality crisis Performance Appalachianechoesthatoriginallyin- tunes as sprightly as they are silly, so you Recording Crisp formed the B -52's' sound. I find that sad, really get your money's worth. J.V. The five young people from Athens, Geor- because what the world emphatically does gia, known as the B -52's may be a novelty not need at this point is another band ped- MARSHALL CRENSHAW: Field Day. act, but there's been something irresistibly dling faceless electro-pop dance rock-un- Marshall Crenshaw (vocals, guitar); Chris appealing about their cosmic surf music in less, of course, by "the world" you mean the Donato (bass); Robert Crenshaw (drums). the past. Consequently, I'm a little disap- people who program MTV. S.S. Whenever You're on My Mind; Our Town; pointed with where this new record finds One More Reason; Try; One Day with You; them heading, although the writing was al- JOE "KING" CARRASCO AND THE For Her Love; and four others.WARNER ready on the wall after their previous EPCROWNS: Party Weekend. Joe "King" BROS.23873-1 $8.98, © 23873-4 $8.98. with David Byrne of Talking Heads. In its Carrasco and the Crowns (vocals and in- Performance: Disappointing lyrics, at least, "Whammy" is still recogniz strumentals). Let's Go; Dance Republic; Recording: Good TearsBeen A -Falling;PerfectSpot; Burnin' It Down; Get Off; and six others. What I think we've got here is a serious case Explanation of symbols: MCA MCA -5404 $7.98, MCAC-5404 of sophomore slump. This is not a dishonest record-Marshall Crenshaw is far too con- digital -master analog LP $7.98. 0 = scientious a craftsman to pander to some- =stereo cassette Performance Good body's idea of what's suitable for radio =digital Compact Disc Recording Good play-but it is kind of dull, and that's al- @ =eight -track stereo cartridge most shocking after the excitement of his direct -to -disc recording Joe "King" Carrasco plays the Tex-Mex = previous release. Of course, there are be- monophonic recording border -style music made famous by Buddy = Holly and later carried on by the Sir Doug- guiling songs scatteredhere and there The first listing is the one reviewed; las Quintet. This is a straightforward dance (Whenever You're on My Mind, the single, other formats, if available, follow it. album by a highly competent and deliber- is a wonderful summer car -radio ditty), but ately primitive bar band. At times Carrasco even the best ones can't touch the stuff on

SEPTEMBER 1983 97 Crenshaw's debut LP, and the overall tone of the material on "Field Day" is strangely glum and morose. Steve Lillywhite's production should have given Marshall and his splendid band the kind of sonic depth that could compensate for the relative thinness of the new material, but it has just the opposite effect:I was struck by how overdressed everything here seemed. Instead of hearing songs, I found myself admiring drum sounds, rather like Milton Berle's joke about walking out of a Broadway musical humming the costumes and the scenery. I suppose the cliché that most artists have a lifetime to write a first album and six months to do the follow-up could explain the less than scintillating music of "Field Day." Then again, maybe Crenshaw's justbeendepressedlately. Whatever the reason,Igive this one no more than a B -minus. S.S.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT DAVE EDMUNDS: Information. Dave Ed- munds (vocals, guitar); instrumental accompaniment. Slipping Away; Don't You Double; I Want You Bad; The Watch on My Wrist; and six others. COLUMBIA FC 38651, © FCT 38651, no list price. PerformanceInstant party Recording Dense Ah yes, another year, another serenely en- The Life and Art of tertaining Dave Edmunds album. The big news here-and the big departures from George Jones what one thinks of as Edmunds's style-are the two tracks produced by Jeff Lynne. COUNTRY-MUSIC journalist Jack Hurst enough to cash in an IRA. Yet Jones sings Imagine Gene Vincent fronting the Electric oncesaid that George Jones might each one as if it's totally new, delivering the Light Orchestra, and you'll have an inkling provetobe "theLast Country Sing- lyrics with a freshness and intensity that of what they sound like-apart from ter- er . . . the last poor boy to give traditional suggest he's lived it. Chances are, he has. rific. The rest of the record, except for a country music everything he has in him." But experience isn't all that goes into shrewd cover version of Wait, an obscure J. Some folks will disagree, but I'll lay odds it Jones's performances. As Emmylou Harris Geils tune that's bluesier than Edmunds won't be many, because for Jones life and says, he "takes a song and makes it into a usually gets,is the by -now familiar Ed- art are virtually inseparable. In an inter-work of art-always." Nowhere on "Shine munds mix of pop styles in a time warp view several years ago,I asked him about On" is that artistry more apparent than on somewhere between Presley and the Bea- his widely publicized personal problems: the exceptional song / Always Get Lucky tles, all served up with good humor, melodic "Well," he said, "I'm just weak. We've all with You by Merle Haggard. Play Hag- grace, and deft production touches. This is got our weaknesses, but some of us can cope gard's and Jones's versions back to back, not exactly a groundbreaking album; Ed- with 'em a lot easier than others.I don't and you'll be astonished at the difference in munds is a craftsman, and his music is de- know how to explain it." mood. Haggard merely sounds happy about signed mostly to amuse. But in the current He explains it best, actually, in his music, it all, but Jones sounds as if the woman in pop climate, we're fortunate to have such an and even if you didn't know about all he'squestion had saved his very soul and that amusing arch -conservative around. S.S. been through, you'd know from hearing he's simply going to burst if he doesn't tell "Shine On," hisfirst solo album in two her about it right now. As anxious as he BILLY FIELD: Bad Habits. Billy Field (vo- years, that George Jones is an eternally may be to get his message across, though, cals, piano); vocal and instrumental accom- troubledindividual.Often calledthe he takes the time to do it right. paniment. Bad Habits; Baby I'm Easy; greatest honky-tonk singer of alltime, Even if "Shine On" isn't the total master- Never Be Blue; Celebrity Love; Good Golly Jones sounds best coming through a throb- piece Jones fans have been waiting for, it's Me; andfiveothers. ELEKTRA 60190-1 bing jukebox speaker. The quarter drops, chock-full of fine performances. And even if $8.98, © 60190-4 $8.98. and out comes the Voice of Despair, anxious we've heard too many of the songs before, at first, then desperate. He holds onto the Jones sings them as no one else does. if Performance: Old-fashioned fun cry as he might the last bottle on earth. you're going to buy only a couple of country Recording: Good When you talk about pain and suffering, albums this year, think about getting this From the show -biz wilds of Australia comes George Jones has been there. one. -Alanna Nash Billy Field with a collection of his and Tom On "Shine On," though,Jonesalso Price's songs that he performs with a lot of sounds as if a new layer of skin had grown GEORGE JONES: Shine On. George Jones old-fashioned verve. The overall sound is over the old wounds. It doesn't mean he's (vocals); vocal and instrumental accom- that of the big bands of the late Thirties and any less sensitive, only a little less tortured paniment. Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet early Forties with a big, rolling, skipping than usual. But his artistry isstill there, Love on Me); She Hung the Moon; I'd beat. Field sings in a jaunty bray that sum- and, despite all the self-flagellation, so is his Rather Have What We Had; Tennessee mons up memories of both Louis Armstrong remarkable voice, his instrument for wring- Whiskey; Almost Persuaded; I Always Get and-are you ready?-Louis Prima. It all ing every ounce of meaning from a lyric. Lucky with You; Memry'ville; I Should've begins to wear a bit thin after three or four Four of the ten songs here have been kicked Called; The Show's Almost Over;01' cuts, but there is a considerable amount of around by various artists before, and one of George Stopped Drinkin' Today. EPIC FE fun to be had here, especially in the title them, Almost Persuaded,isnearly old 38406, © FET 38406, no list price. song. P.R.

(Continued on page 101)

98 STEREO REVIEW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 4344 45 46 47 48 49 50 El 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 E6 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 El 82 83 84 85 86 .37 88 39 90 91 92 93 94 95 S6 97 98 99100101102103104105 106107108109110111 112113114115116117118119120 121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135 136137138139140141 142143144145146147148149150 151152153154155156157158159160 4 Li Please send me 12 issues of Stereo Revievi. for S4.99 and bill me. (Full subscription price $9.98) SR 9833 PLEASE PRINT-Use only one card per person. NAME ADDRESS

1111111111111111 CITY STATE_ ZIP CODE (Zip Code must be included to insure delivery.) Void after November 30, 1983 FREE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1C 11 12 13 14 15 INFORMATION 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2E 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 4C 41 42 43 44 45 SERVICE 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 5E 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 7C 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99100101102103104105 106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120 121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135 Here s an easy way for you to get man- 145146147148149150 ufacturer s information about products 136137138139140141142143144 advertised or mentioned editorially in 151152153154155156157158159160 this issue. Just follow the directions below...and the literature will be sent 4 Please send me 12 issues of Stereo Review *or S4.99 and bill me. to you free of charge from the manu- (Full subscription price $9.98) SR 9832 facturer. PLEASE PRINT- Use only one card per person. Tear out one of the perforated NAME postage -free cards. Please print or type your name and address where in- ADDRESS dicated. Use only one card per person. STATE ZIP CODE Circle the numbers on the card that CITY correspond to the key numbers at (Zip Code must be included to insure delivery) Void after Novembe.- 30, 1983. the bottom of the advertisement or editorial mention that interests you. (Key numbers for advertised products also appear in the Advertisers. Index.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1C 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2E 26 27 28 29 30 Simply mail the card. One card per 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 4C 41 42 4344 45 person is all that is necessary. No 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 5E 56 57 58 59 60 postage is required. 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 This address is for our Free Infor- 96 97 98 99100101102103104105 mation Service only. All other in- 91 92 93 94 95 quiries are to be directed to, Stereo 106107108109110111 112113114115116117118119120 Review, One Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135 10016. 136137138139140141 142143144145146147148149150 151152153154155156157158159160 4 u Please send me 12 issues of Stereo Reviev, toi $4.99 and bill me. (Full subscription price $9.98) SR 9831 PLEASE PRINT-Use only one card per person. FREE NAME INFORMATION ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE SERVICE (Zip Ccde must be included to insure deliveryVoid after November 30. 1983. NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE Shelf UNITED STATES Conscious? Now you can organize BUSINESS REPLY CARD your copies of F MST CLASS PERMIT LAO PHILALA LPI 6A, PA

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY- Stereo Review Now your magazines can be a handsome addition to your decor, well organized, and easy to find, Stereo Review thanks to these durable library - P.O. BOX 13878 quality cases or binders. They're made of luxury -look leatherette PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19101 over high -quality binders board. And both styles are custom - designed for this or any magazine you save, with size, color, and imprint selected by the publisher. FREE transfer foil included for marking dates and volumes.

Magazine binders NO POSTAGE hold a year's issues NECESSARY on individual IF MAILED snap -in rods, com- IN THE bining them into one UNITED STATES volume. $7.95 each; 3 for $22.50; 6 for $42.95 Mixed titles OK for BUSINESS REPLY CARD1 quantity prices. II RST CLASS Pt HMI I #2/34b PHILADELPHIA, PA. MINEIr POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY- Stereo Review Open -back cases P.O. BOX 13878 store your issues for individual PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19101 reference. $6.95 each; 3 for $19.75; 6 for $37.50. Mixed titles OK for quantity prices.

Here's how to order: CASH: Send your name, address and remittance' (plus postage and handling) to: NO POSTAGE Stereo Review NECESSARY IF MAILED P.O. Box 5120 IN THE Philadelphia, PA 19141 UNITED STATES CHARGE: Use your American Express, Master- Card or Visa account. Include your BUSINESS REPLY CARD name, address, card number, expira- FIRST CLASS PERMIT #27346 PHILADELPHIA, PA. tion date and signature.

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY- Stereo Review P.O. BOX 13878 For faster service, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19101 PHONE TOLL FREE: 800-526-0790. (In NJ only: 201.540.0445)

PA residents add 6% sales tax FLOCK OF SEAGULLS: Listen. Flock of of the Heat; I Have the Touch; Not One of ''Plays Live" works as a continuous al- Seagulls (vocals and instrumentals). Wish- Us; D.I. Y; San Jacinto; No Self Control; bum, not simply a review of Gabriel's smash ing (If I Had a Photograph of You); Night- Bika; and nine others. GEFFEN 2GHS 4012 hits (Games Without Frontiers is notably mares; Transfer Affection; What Am I F two discs $13.98, © 2G5 4012 $13.98. missing).Even the crowd pleaserslike Shock the Monkey and Solsbury Hill fit Supposed to Do; and six others. JIvE/ARTS Performance: Excellent TA JL8-8013 $8.98, 0 JC8-8013 $8.98. into the cerebral overall pattern. As a uni- Recording: Excellent remote fied performance, it builds to some power- Performance Uneven "Plays Live" enlarges Peter Gabriel's repu- ful, yet often quiet, climaxes, as in the chill- Recording: Pretty good tation as an electrifying stage performer, a ing Family Snapshot.Italso drags in Flock of Seagulls had two of the biggest matter of gospel to his fans but rather sur- places-The Family and the Fishing Net, dance -club hits of 1982, / Ran and Modern prising when you consider the nature of the Intruder, and I Go Swimming, all on side Love Is Automatic, as well as what had to music he makes. Its subtle lyrics and pacetwo, seem to go on for months. But most of be the most inane rock video. The keys to would appear to be too reflective to work "Plays Live" overwhelmingly confirms the their success were simple: slick electronics, easily with an audience of thousands, many conventional wisdom that Peter Gabriel is a a lightning pace, and the stinging guitar of of them hundreds of feet from the source of great live performer. M.P. Paul Reynolds. When the group's new al- the sound. There is little flamboyance (ex- bum, "Listen," sticks to that formula, the cept for the grease paint and stage show), RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT results are, frankly, irresistible. Reynolds is no hackneyed histrionics. Yet Gabriel pro- at his best on Electrics and The Traveller, jects a strong persona, developed during his HEAVEN 17: Luxury Gap.Heaven 17 (vo- slicing through a wall of distortion -laced career with Genesis and through three solo cals and instrumentals,: vocal and instru- rhythms with electrifying chords and crack- albums. That helps focus the audience's at- mental accompaniment. Crushed by the ling harmonics. But for most of "Listen" tention on his often -difficult material, much Wheels of Industry; We Live So Fast; Let's the Seagulls make the mistake of emphasiz- of it taken from his most recent-and most All Make a Bomb; Key to the World; ing Mike Score's vocals and relegating Rey- sophisticated-album, "Security." Temptation; Come Live with Me; and three nolds to a chunking, repetitive background. How does he do it? For one thing, he ar- others. ARISTA AL8-8020 $8.98, © AC8- Score sings with the predictable anxiety ticulates. You don't have to know these 8020 $8.98. that issynth -pop'ssignature-justthe songs already to understand them. And, as Performance Enlightened thing, unfortunately, to make the drab lyr- "PlaysLive" amply demonstrates, Ga- Recording. Good ics of these songs seem even drabber. Con- briel's execution is painstaking. Despite the sequently, only about half of "Listen" is generally slow tempos, the music relies Disco with a social conscience? That's the worth listening to. M.P. chiefly on intricately arranged percussion. unlikely combination Heaven 17 has come The backing is more like a drum band than up with on "Luxury Gap." Actually, there a rock band, with Larry Fast's synthesizers, were hints of it on the group's first album, RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT Tony Levin's bass, and David Rhodes's gui- in the song We Don't Need No Fascist PETER GABRIEL: Plays Live.Peter Ga- tars pounding out a polyrhythmic web of Groove Thong, but those hints have grown briel (vocals, synthesizers); vocal and in- sound rather than delineating clear melodic here into a full-blown disco diatribe. Blend- strumental accompaniment. The Rhythm lines. ing racing synthesizer rhythms (the speed Please remain seated for this performance.

When you audition the new 200 Series separates from Revox, you will enjoy a musical experience rarely encountered outside the concert hall. First, listen to the new Revox B251 Integrated Amplifier.It offers a switching power supply for more power reserves; a new power output stage with a faster rise time for accurate transient reproduction; and a signal-to-noise ratio at low output (better than - 80 dB at 50 mW) that makes it an ideal companion for digital disc players. When you audition the B261 Digital Synthesizer Fly Tuner, you'll notice how it locks in weak FM signals - even when adjacent to strong ones - that other tuners mute or mask with noise. The B261's signal-to-noise and distortion specs are so low that they challenge the limits of test instruments. So the music you hear is the music being broadcast. No more no less. Finally, you may switch back and forth " among the B251's six source inputs. Choose any of 1 the B261's 20 pre-set stations. Adjust the volume ono kwix balance. Monitor the separate record -out circuit. Or %or k.wr operate the Revox turntable, open reel recorder, and Niko 8201 renote tranimitter and cassette deck. You may do so without leaving your wr Nowt"' wood cloinet optional Remote capability easy chair. Iwo retrolittcble into most Revox turrttabes and tape decks The 200 Series from Revox of Switzerland. A quan- tum leap forward in sonic accuracy. With the convenience of infrared remote control. Contact your Revox dealer EMJ(D)EFc. REVOX for an audition session. 1425 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37210

CIRCLE NO. 28 ON READER SERVICE CARD

SEPTEMBER 1983 101 may cause your speakers to hyperventilate), layers of slapping electronic percussion, and a blue -eyed -funk vocal harmonies that sug- E gest Hall and Oates, Heaven 17 now makes it possible to dance to some of today's most pressing social issues: the enslavement of la- bor (Crushed by the Wheels of Industry), the killing pace of modern urban life (We Live So Fast), the absurdity of living under the threat of nuclear war (Let's All Make a Bomb), and the decadence of our credit- card culture (Key to the World). As far as I'm concerned, it's an idea whose time has come: a synth -band with its heart-and not just its beat-in the right place. M.P.

ELTON JOHN: Too Low for Zero. Elton John (vocals, keyboards); Davey Johnstone (guitars, vocals); Dee Murray (bass, vocals); Nigel Olsson (drums, vocals); vocal and instrumental accompaniment. Cold As Christmas (in the middle of the year); I'm Still Standing; Too Low for Zero: Religion; I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues; and five others. GEFFEN GHS 4006 $8.98, © M5G 4006 $8.98. Performance- The usual Recording Excellent Elton John and Bernie Taupin, the Abbot The Police: left to right, Sting, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland and Costello of rock, are back with "Too Low for Zero," and their return is a gentle reminder of why it was so easy to let them go in the first place. It's a lavishly arranged The Police's "Synchronicity" and produced album of self-satisfied, tepid rock. The opening track, Cold As Christ- 1 -IL latestalbumfrom the Police, portrait of the artist in the aftermath of his mas (a song about the breakup of a mar- T"Synchronicity" on A& M, is Sting's own collapse. riage and family), reminds us that Elton Second Coming.LikeYeats'sfamous If all this sounds like heavy going, it real- and Bernie-and all of us who grew up lis- poem, it is an arresting, terrifying, and to- ly isn't, because the center of the album tening to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and tally convincing view of things falling apart. holds. "Synchronicity" is as brilliant musi- Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting- And it is a masterwork. cally as it is intellectually. A modified reg- are getting older, but the rest of the album Synchronicity (it's a Jungian concept) gae beat has become not merely the Police's makes it clear that older isn't necessarily refers to coincidences that may not be coin- signature but their pulse. No one is more wiser. One thing that does come with age, cidental,simultaneousoccurrencesthat responsibleforthePolice's sound than though, is an increasing inpatience with lit- seem to make a meaningful pattern. In Copeland. There may be a more technically tle annoyances we once could overlook. Like Synchronicity I, the opening cut of the Po- accomplished rock drummer somewhere, the way Elton swallows the last syllable of lice's album, Sting recites a litany of syn- but none other I can think of so thoroughly every word. Or the way Bernie writes know- chronous pairs: "a star fall, a phone call; a defines and drives a group's music. And, sex ing winks and elbow jabs into his lyrics ("I dream dance, a shared romance . . . ." symbol or not, Sting is as expressive and guess that's why they call it the blues") that The next song, Walking in Your Footsteps, versatile a vocalist as we have in pop music. don't really mean anything. uses a familiar symbol of extinction, the di- You could strip the Police down to just Admittedly, "Too Low for Zero" would nosaur, to suggest where mankind may be Copeland's drumming and Sting's singing, be a lot easier for me to take-after all, the headed. Accompanied only by drum, flute, and it would still be compelling music. worst you can say aboutitisthatit's and Andy Summers's eerily drifting guitar, One caveat: be prepared for Mother, the stodgy-if I didn't have this mental picture Sting's vocal rises from a quizzical chant in lone contribution by Andy Summers. Al- of the artist as a buffoon in garbage -can the middle register in the first two verses to most surely written during his collaboration sized glasses and a canary suit. And, give a high-pitched, frightened plea: "Hey Mis- with Robert Fripp on "I Advance Masked," Elton and Bernie credit, they always come ter Brontosaurus, do you have a lesson for its Wild Man Fisher sixteen -bar -blues vo- up with at least one fine song. Here it's One us?/ If we drop the atom bomb, will they cals and Indian -raga tape -loop guitar line More Arrow, a genuinely touching remem- say that we were dumb?" are totally out of sync with the rest of the brance of a departed friend.It's almost Synchronicity II, at the end of the first album. This cut and Copeland's Miss Gra- enough to make me forget the yellow feath- side has a superficial musical similarity to denko do, however, provide some critically ers and sequined top hat. Almost. M.P. Synchronicity I, with both being built on needed comic relief. the relentlessly driving beat of Stewart If you need any more convincing that Copeland's drumming, Sting's surging bass, "Synchronicity" is one of the most impor- RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT andSummers'sdense, ringingguitar tant rock albums of 1983, perhaps I should NRBQ: Grooves in Orbit. NRBQ (vocals chords. The final line of each verse evokes get into another line of work. -Mark Peel andinstrumentals);theWhole Wheat the terrifying spectre of the slow progress Horns (instrumentals). Smackaroo; Rain onto land of a creature from the dark bot- THE POLICE: Synchronicity. The Police at the Drive -In; How Can I Make You Love tom of a Scottishlake.Yeats's "rough (vocals and instrumentals). Synchronicity Me; When Things Was Cheap; A Girl Like beast/slouching toward Bethlehem"? The I; Walking in Your Footsteps: 0 My God; That; My Girlfriend's Pretty; I Like That meaning is clear: man's time is up. Mother; Miss Gradenko; Synchronicity II; Girl: and four others. BEARSVILLE 23817-1 The theme of collapse is at work in more Every Breath You Take; King of Pain; $8.98, © 23817-4 $8 .98. specific ways elsewhere onthe album. Wrapped Around Your Finger; Tea in the Performance Excellent Every Breath You Take is a chilling depic- Sahara. A &M SP -3735 $8.98, © CS -3735 Recording Good tion of jealous obsession, King of Pain a $8.98. Oh, I do love a good-time band. And I've never been disappointed in an NRBQ al -

102 STEREO REVIEW bum. Before I listened to this latest outing I wondered what goofy tune they would choose for their traditional live cut,recorded in a club with the Whole Wheat Horns. This time it's Daddy -O, about a guy who staggers home blitzed with apples and peaches and kisses. Lately there has also been one "serious" song on each NRBQ album, and hereitis When Things Was Cheap, which appears to be a list of suspi- cions about the President. Among the other songs are a remake of Johnny Cash's early rocker Get Rhythm (also on their "Live at Yankee Stadium" album), two"silly" songs, Rain at the Drive -In and My Girl- friend's Pretty, another more serious one, A Girl Like That, and such throwaways as Hit the Hay and 12 Bar Blues. The endearing thing about NRBQ is that they're out to have a good time, and they know their stuff. Only a confident and secure band can appear to be as casual as this one is or to skirt the edge of sloppiness with such fine and hilarious disdain. These guys are the Monty Pythons of rock. J.V.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT DOLLY PARTON: Burlap and Satin. Dolly Parton (vocals); vocal and instrumental accompaniment. Ooo-Eee; Send Me the Pil- low You Dream On; Jealous Heart; A Gamble Either Way; Appalachian Memo- ries; I Really Don't Want to Know; Poten- tial New Boyfriend; and three others. RCA AHLI-4691 $8.98, ® AHK1-4691 $8.98. Performance. Excellent Recording Good No matter what you might think of the music Dolly Parton has chosen to sing through the years, you have to admit that she's It y m d like directions cn how to get here lust writ us turned in consistently strong performances. When it comes to singing, Dolly's vocal JUST ABOUT EVERYONE who tours Jack twirls and swirls rank with the best of them. And when it comes to expression, to com- municating what a song is all about, I dare Daniel's Distillery wants their photo snapped you to find another white female singer alive who can sell a song with such pure, with ME Jack. unadulterated soul. Generally, that's held true even when the And our guides are pleased to makethese songs themselves weren't anything to get excited about, as on Parton's last album, Jack and "Heartbreak Express," and on her new one, photos. You see, we're proud of Mr. "Burlap and Satin." There are some stand- outs on the latter, to be sure: the scorching his whiskey and the medals he won.And disco hit Potential New Boyfriend, her own terribly moving Appalachian Memories, prouder still to maintain a tradition115 years and the plaintive A Cowboy's Ways. Mainly, though, "Burlap and Satin" is old. That's why we hope about communication-about feelings, not about songs or even music. "Dollycolo- you'll pay us a visit some- gists," as the late Noel Coppage called us, are likely to think every song sounds as if it time soon. We'd be CHARCOAL had come from a previous album. But if MELLOWED Dolly isn't making many great strides here, at least she's still holding our attention. It flattered to show you isn't the great album I hoped it would be, mainly because most of the songs-includ- around the distillery. And DROP ing I Really Don't Want to Know, her new duet with Willie Nelson-could be a lot equally pleased to snap stronger. Of her six originals here, only a BY DROP couple stick with you. But anyone who has your picturewith the the sensitivity to write a song like Appala- chian Memories, which distills all the pow- manwho started it all. er and pathos of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath into just over four minutes, should be capable of producing an al- Tennessee Whiskey 90 Proof Distilled and Battled by Jack Daniel Distillery bum that would set new standards for this Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc., Route 1, Lynchburg (Pop. 361), Tennessee 37352 Placed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Government. SEPTEMBER 1983 genre of country -pop. While you're waiting for Dolly to come up with that one, "Burlap and Satin" isn't a bad way to spend the time. A.N.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT JUNE POINTER: Baby Sister.June Point- er (vocals); vocal and instrumental accompaniment. Ready for Some Action; I Will Understand; To You, My Love; New Love, True Love; and five others.RCA BXLI- 4508 $8.98, © BXK1-4508$8.98. Performance Sizzling Recording: Good The Pointer Sisters made their debut approximately ten years ago with an album they have yet to surpass. I've lost track of the various comings and goings of members Craftsman of the group, but I'm delighted to report that some of the fire and sassiness that first Carl propelled them into the spotlight can be found in this new solo album by "Baby Sis- ter" June Pointer. She has an ambitiously Wilson hard -edged tone that cuts through the background sound and commands immediate attention on the opening Ready for Some Ac- tion, which she definitely is. When she belts out I'm Ready for Love, she sounds like a IALWAYS thought that the Beach Boys were Up. Lieber and Stoller'sclassicYoung Diana Ross gone wild in an arrangement overrated, then and now, but Carl Wil- Blood is done as an affectionate joke, but that is an almost humorous take -off on the son's new solo album,."Youngblood," is a John Fogerty's Rockin' All Over the World old Motown sound. June Pointer's distinc- delightful surprise. For straight -ahead en- means business. What You Do to Me by tive personality shines through it all. This is tertainment, solid writing and singing, in- John and Johanna Hall gets the Beach a singer who refuses to be ignored, and I strumental support, and production (by Jeff Boys' layered background -vocal treatment, don't think she will be. P.C. Baxter), this is as good as pop gets. and Wilson turns in a no-nonsense vocal on Wilson wrote the music for seven of the Billy Hinche's One More Night Alone. RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT cuts, with lyrics by Myrna Smith -Schilling. "Youngblood"isa splendidpiece of He sings with the ease that comes of his work. Don't miss it. -Joel Vance ELVIS PRESLEY: I Was the One.Elvis twenty years' experience with the Beach Presley (vocals, guitar); vocal and instru- Boys. But there is a new exuberance behind CARL WILSON: Youngblood.Carl Wilson mental accompaniment. My Baby Left Me; his vocals, a feeling of release-you can al- (vocals, guitar); vocal and instrumental ac- (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care; Lit- most hear him saying, "I don't have to go companiment. What More Can I Say?;tle Sister; Don't; Wear My Ring Around clumping around the country singing that She's Mine; Givin' You Up; What You Do Your Neck; Paralyzed; Baby Let's Play golden -oldie stuff." The collaborations be- to Me; Time; Rockin' All Over the World; House; and four others. RCA AH L I -4678 tween Wilson and Smith -Schilling display One More Night Alone; Young Blood; Of$8.98, © AHKI-4678 $8.98. craftsmanship and good construction, and the Times; Too Early to Tell; If I Could three of them are outstanding: What More Talk to Love. CARIBOU BFZ 37970, 0 Performance Incendiary Can I Say?, She's Mine, and Givin' You BZT 37970, no list price. Recording: Good for the period Oddly enough, this is the lirst intelligent Presley repackaging that American RCA

CIRCLE -1 14 CN READER SERVICE CARD 104 STEREO REVIEW immiiimaismumm WHILE OTHERS PROMISE...WE DELIVER! ORDERTOLLFREE SENO FOR OUR FREE 240 PAGE (800) 221-8180 WOO V100

IN NEW YORK CALL CATALOG (212)73243600

NUMMI( E02600 23 PARK ROW, DEPT. SR9, NYC, NY 10038 10 Band IncludesSCiectrum DISOWN, 2 FREE Pr, *19995 SONY St_ 2500 1 Meter Go)aends TIHNIS AUDIO $69995 0 HI R SUPER VIDEO SONY STRY x 450 ,41:1w Receiver) .229.95 1 SONY PSX-700 (Turntable) .289.95 SPIECIALS1 VIDEO RECORDERS SONY TCFX6CCI Cassette DeCk) .229.95 RCA vie -900 Convertible VHS) '919 1 TECHNICS SL0200 CO Turntable) .99.95 PANASONIC PV -6500 (Portable VHS( .899 TICHNIGS11/100 Nan Turntable,*69.95 PANASONIC PV -1320 1 TECHNICS 19.1.235X .mS w Remote) .489 Clt)r Cb Cassette Dec10 .199.95 rJ.1.}1 SONY SL.2400 Seta WIreleSS Remote'.475 TECHNICSSA410 45wi Receiver, . .199.95 SONY S1.2000/172000 95 Pal TECHNICS REIS-205 Cass DELI() RIA Beta Portable) '779 PIONEER P1 -44F (Turntable, .179.95 SANYO VC6400 (Beta Clear 4 Head) '429 PIONEER 101-303 (45w Receiver) .14495 CLARION 55508 I SANYO VC400011(Beta Remote) .339 PIONEER CT -20 Cassette DeCIO '11495 AM FM Cassette JVC 1871000 MIS ReCOrOen '519 PIONMR RT.909 (10 reel iautia rev ('489.95 Auto -Rev AIWA FISJO2 HITACHI VT11A MIS ReCOrtler, '459 MAI MA22 i3OW ReCeverl .169.95 514995 :assette Autc Pr. $11995 AKA GXF-71 Cassette DeCIO .29495 M Stereo VIDEO CAMERAS . PANASONIC PK-957 AutO For us, '839 SONY P51.1(-2 (Turntable) .99.95 TEAC V2'RX Cassette Deck) .339.95 CAR STEREO ) RCA CCO12 Color Camera) .499 RCA CCOIS (ColOr Camera) '879 MARANTZ SE420 Receiver 6Sim .27995 CONCORD HP1.118F (12w cn '249.95 ( STEREO -TOGO W1NEGUARD MA -4400 HITACHI VKC4150 lAutO FOCUS) '799 Electric Antenna) '64.95 PIONEER UKE-7100 (Dig, Ai R 00, .249.95 SONY WM5 ,CUSS Stereo, '77 SONY 10/C-2500 PIONEER KE-6100 (Dig.DP) '229.95 PIONEER 3710 SONY WM T A IX Cass Stereo) '119.95 (Thru-LenS Auto FOCUS) .969 C. ,12 ;Way Speakers, '28995 PA,c PIONEER K65100 (Dig P13, tiock, .189.95 SONY WIA-F1 (FM Cass Stereo '74.95 19C GXS-9U (Color Cameral '719 PIONEER KPA-400iSupertuner .139.95 SANYO MD -160 Cassette Dolby, '59.95 11/C G25-311 Camera /HRC.3) '629 TECHNICS AL -51 PANASONIC CC/S903 (0)9.00 A .299.95 3 -Way SDKs) .149.95 PAIR' SANYO MG -2 AM FMiCaSSiSten '85 ZENITH VC -1810 (Beta Low Light 4389 CLARION 5700 (Dig Tuning) '209.95 SANYO PAGEI iCasS Stereo) '29.95 1(1.14-510 (Speakers, '14995 PAR'. CLARION 750C4t Ob. AIR, 20w,chi.219.95 SPEAKERS SHIPPED FRIGHT COLLECT AIWA HSP-02 iCaSS Ster Auto Rev) . '89 SONY COLOR TV CLARION 2002C111 TOSHIBA KTS-3 i FM Cass Stereo) ..59.95 SONY K91918 '409.95 HEADPHONES i50m, EO LED) .109.95 TOSHIBA KTVS-1 Cass AM-FM/Stereo) .89 SONY KV-1947RS KOSS PRO 4 -AAA '47.95 CLARION 100909 (25w /Lm MI '67.95 TOSHIBA RP -S5 (AM. FM 940Stere01'55 9 Cable remote, .539.95 AUDIO-TECHNKA ATH-0.4 '44.95 JENSEN RE530 (1)10.1)0,ATS,sCan).329.95 PANASONIC 1101-20X SHARP 191174119 1 .279.95 O SENNHEISERHD-424 .64.95 JENSEN R1518 (Dig,Db /ARO '239.95 CUSS stereo obx) .124.95 OUASAR TT4259(15 Remote) '349.95 SONY MDR 80-T '59.95 JENSEN R-40111(Db,AiR.DNR.Ki) '209.95 JVC COP-2 (Cass/FM Stereo) '94.95 NOTE OLOR TELEVISIONS ARE 0 SONY XR45 (Auto /Rev) '194.95 sENNHOSER MS -100 .49.95 JVC CO/ iCasS DOIDW '74.95 . FREIGHT COLLECT Rep -Am),) '299.95 CARTRIDGES SONY XR75 19C PC -11 (Port Stereo, '229.95 8 SHURE V-15 Type V '129.95 CAR SPEAKERS SHURE M9711E '54.95 JENSEN J-2020 '89.95 (.wow caws) .79.95 SHURE M91ED - '18.95 JENSEN J-140114, 1-Tr,. (TELS"NES DA* COLECO GEMINI VIDEO CONSOLE .79.95 3 SHURE M9611 - '36.95 SONY KS -69016 x9 2 -Way, .54.95 EXTEND -A -PHONE 3000 'Less'99.95 COLECOVTSION VIDEO GAME '149.95 AUDIO TECHNKA 152U, .r'''89.95 PIONEER TS -6906 (6x93-way).79.95 PAIR EXTEND -A -PHONE 4000 '139 95 ATARI VIDEO CAME ,C8-2600, '79.95 0 STANTON 8815 .84.95 PIONEER TS -1644 CODE -A -PHONE 1550 ATARI VIDEO CAME CX-5200, '169.95 .54.95 , , STANTON 681EEE thin mt)'49.95 PAIR r,swer Mach' '185 MATTEL INTELLJVISION '149.90 - ALTEC LANSING 4A 6x9 COax '129.95 PAIR D /MIXERS PACER P-71100or '124.95 VECTREX VIDEO GAME .109.95 2 FREEDOM MOVIE ACKK) - .229.95 '79.95 C.) AUDIOCONTI%C101 RADAR DETECTORS ODYSSEY 2 VIDEO GAME '329.95 FREEDOM RHONE 3500 I '139 COLECO EXPANSION MOO 1 Allows use of Equalizer Anaraer, FOX VIXEN .179.95 '86.95 ADC SS -20112 -and FO LED .17495 FREEDOM PHONE 300 ,,ess ATARI games on COleCOVisiOn) .59.90 FOX XK .89.95 DEMON DIALER MODEL I 76-T .179.95 GAME CARTRIDGES FOR COLECOVISICM NUMARK DM-1550(Mixer) RADAR INTERCEPT . '229.95 '129.95 '119.95 COLECO Goff NUMARK ICI-240011110-13anO, WHISTLER SPECTRUM '229.95 PHONE CONTROLLER PC 30 .29.95 AUDIOSOURCE E(I-110-Band, ED'279.95 WHISTLER 0-1000 '169.95 COLECO DOnkey Kong Jr .29.95 '69.95 FUZ28uSTER SUPERHET II '169.95 COLECO Srnurf .27.95 PANASONICXT 1215 '69.95 COLECO Zaioon .44.95 KEYBOARDS CAR ACCESSORIES GTE FASHION PLATE '47 95 COLECO Turbo '59.90 AUOIOSAFE 111-1 .C.i, , .35 PANASONIC XXI 1521 COMPATIELE ATARI 2600 CARTRIDGES '449.95 '49 159 95 1 CASK) CT -501 PAGE ALERT SONIC ALERT CARTRIDGES .319.95 .109 I '99.95 CASIO CT -405 PAGE ALERT 4444 ,Deluxe Aix,. SANYO TH 010 ACTI.IISDON River Raid .22.95 CASIO 111.5 .69.95 'CALL ITT PC 2500 ' , '39.95 UNDO BOK T1.-3000 Car Alarm, ACTIMIONSDICIer Fighter '22.95 1 CASIO PT -30 .89.95 UNDO B0%11-1000 Car alarrr. TALL PRECISA 838-' '17.95 '19995 ATARI Centipecte .26.95 CASIO MT -6S :$17...... 4;77:41410 ATARI Ms PaC-Man .2695 C AcceSsOmes-) ATARI Sword Quest Fire World .24.95 ( AUDIO TAPES .) COLECO Zac,o0 . . . '27.95 COMMODORE 64164K1 .229.95 DISCWASHER DISCKIT '33.99 !MACK Demon AttaCk '21.95 M NETWORK Baseball . .12.95 MINIMUM ORDER 12 AUDIO TAPES .1 COMMODORE VIC-201510 89.95 DISCWASHER 0-4 SYSTEM '10.99 ATARI 400 16K RAW .14995 DISCWASHER DISCSE1 '1795 PARKER BROS. Empire Stokes Back '24.95 MAxELL JOxL I or UOXLC-60 2 49 ATARI 800 ,484 RAM) '479.95 DISCWASMER D'STAT 6.79 TIGER VISION "remold '19.90 1 MAXELL JDXL I Or UDXLIIC-90 '2 79 .499.95 DISCWASHER GOLDEN D5 .00, .7.49 COMPATIBLE MATTEL CARTRIDGES 1 MAXELL XLIS Or XLIIS C-90 '3.39 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS T199/4161 .169.95 DISCWASHER PERFECT PATH '499 ACTIVISION Stampede .24.95 MAXELL JD C-90 '2.49 '26.95 TIMEX TS -1000 (2K RAM) '44.95 MAXELL ME 44 Head Demagn. '1499 !MACK MiCrC Surgeon 1 MAKELL MX -90 (Metal) *4.79 SHARP PC -1500(3 SK RAM) .209.95 NORTRONICS C.M211 COLECO DOnkey Kong .27.95 MAXELL JD 35.90 .5.49 EPSON FX-80 ,Printer CALL PRO BULK ERASER .39.95 MATTEL F3tirger Time '31.95 1 TOE S.4C-60 '1.99 STAR MICRONICS GEMINI 10 '329.95 1 Toll SA C-90 .2.39 SMITH CORONA TAPES TDK MA C-90 (Metal) .4.79 ULTRASONIC TYPEWRITER '39B95 FREE GIANT VIED TDK DC.60 '1 15 ANY BRAND T-1201,er. HC. '8.95 TEM DC -90 .1.49 CATALOGS 1 1 TDK AD C-90 .1.99 ANY BRAND 1.-500 nG. '7.95 TOK SAX -90 .3.39 240 Page Autho video Catalog ANY BRAND L750,E.7er HG, .9.49 C "M/ ) nG 1 TOK SA35-190 (EE tyDe10 .22 99 CANON P-21DiDesk Printer, '49.95 ANY BRANO L-830 .9.95 SHARP B.506 iScentiflo '19.95 80 Page JKleo Mmne Catalog ANY BRAND T 160x.-nr '14.95 TDK 40471 mead Demagnetizer .13.99 VHS Beta Laser CEO SONY UCXS C-90 .2.99 CASIO CFX-20 ANY BRAND MVO Grade T-120 '11.95 SONY FeCr 90 .1.99 (Scientific Calculator Watch) '34.95 32 Page Record and Tape CA1A10g CASIO IN/1000C SCOTCH T-120 '8.49 SONY M C.60 (MiCro). . ..1.99 1111k0 *OA OVER 10 000 AFFERENT SATING, 1 RUI FRI or FR1I C-90 .2.99 Mater Sport WatChl . . *44.95 rol NANJUOI ARTISTS MAO TITLES SONY MCA GRADE L-750 '9.95 BASF Pro II.90 or Pro ill -90 .2.49 CASIO 1100 POP vor A)/ COUNTRY WESTERN, NC HIGH GRADE T-120 '10.95 1 SCOTCH Master II c -Bo .2.79 UoggerS Watch BOCK) .... '29.95 WE CARRY TAPES EY: MAXELL, CASIO TC-500 (Calendar Watch) '59.95 SONY, SCOTCH. FUJI, MEMOREX BASE, *COITION*/ 5% DISCOUNT ON CASIO TS -1000 $399 $69? AMPEX, JVC. PANASONIC, 21TH 100 OR NOES ASSORTED TAPES (Thermometer Watch, '34_95 1 OUANTITY MODEL NUMBER DESCRIPTION TOTAL 1 CHECK OFF DESIRED MERCHANDISE & INCLUDE THIS 1 AD WITH ORDER.

HOW TO ORDER BY MAIL: FOR PROMPT AND 1 COURTEOUS SHIPMENT USE ATTACHED ORDER FORM Pt FACF SEND MONEY ORDER CERTIFIED CHECK CASHIERS CHECK MASTERCARD VISA Onclude card number interbank NO expira- bon date signature and attach to order, DO NOT MID CASH. PERSONAL AND BUSINESS 1 CHECKS MUST CLEAR OUR BANK BEFORE PRO- CESSING $25 MINIMUM ORDER. Shipping. NAME MERCHANDISE Handling It InzuranCe Chaige is 5% of Total TOTAL Order with a $3.95 minimum iCanadian ADDRESS 1 Orders Add 10 Shipping with a 95 minimum charge For shipments by air CITY STATE ZIP LOCAL please double these charges SORRY, NO SALES TAX COD.S. NEW YORK STATE RESIDENTS PLEASE (N Y Pes ADO SALES TAX ALL MERCHANDISE SHIPPED fill 1 BRAND NEW, FACTORY FRESH AND 100% . PRINT 4 DIGIT NO SNIPPING GUARANTEED. FK:ikNrr I ABOVE NAME MasterCard Only(, Pr.W1_ L_J Er] &HANDLING 1 j SIGNATURE OF 1 DEALERS/INSTITUTIONAL INOUIRIES CARD HOLDER TOT AL 1 MANX THAT AMOUNT CALL (8013) 221-3191 ISSUED CARD Ilionmosommommummommmwmommommemommommummommom11 CIRCLE NO39 ON READER SERVICE CAI.D has ever come up with. It will show all the record shows that to be a whopper of a lie; Most of them were love ballads, and all of Stray Cats fans out there where the boys theauthorityof these performances speaks them were filler. To come up with enough cribbed their style from. "I Was the One" volumes. This is timeless rock-and-roll. S.S. tracks for an album, Columbia reprised the contains most of Presley's best rockabilly aptly titledSome Memories Just Won't Die songs, neatly sequenced and without the MARTY ROBBINS:Some Memories Just from Robbins's last album (also produced fake -stereo reprocessing that has marred Won't Die.Marty Robbins (vocals); vocal by Montgomery) and borrowedHonkytonk too many earlier Presley reissues. Instead, and instrumental accompaniment.Some Manfrom the previously released movie the original Presley tracks were remixed Memories JustWon'tDie: Change of soundtrack. The tacked -on tunes are grab- with instrumentals newly recorded in stereo Heart; Angelina; I Miss You the Most; bers, both of them, but the rest is dreck- by mostly the same musicians Presley first HonkytonkMan; and five others. COLUM- well-sung dreck, but dreck just the same. recorded with. For this release they copied BIA FC 38603, © FCT 38603, no list price. While I've never been a fan of Snuff Gar- their old performances exactly, even down rett's production, the sparse, leanHonky- to the mistakes. It's great stuff. Performance: Fluid as ever Recording: Sweet tonkMan shows that he really knew the It'sfashionable these days to dismiss best way to present Marty Robbins.A.N. Presley as a sort ofidiot savant,a not -too - In the days just prior to his death, Marty bright guy who just happened to be in the Robbins went into the studio with producer RICK SPRINGFIELD:Living in Oz.Rick right place at the right time. Happily, this Bob Montgomery and recorded eight sides. Springfield (vocals, guitar); vocal and instrumental accompaniment.Me & Johnny; Human Touch; Alyson; I Can't Stop Hurt- ing You;and six others. RCA AFL1-4660 $8.98, © AFKI-4660 $8.98. Performance: Loud tip11111 Recording: Thick Rick Springfield started off as a rocker in UCA,,ii_treeand Australia and came to the U.S. to pursue just cvolus u`'. 1.t, fame. After some nasty bumps in the record eGrie business he became a successful TV actor, but music remains his preferred profession. Pnc . et or narneyourto rile _ His first hit album, "Working Class Dog" thane pace....rtoc., (the single wasJessie's Girl),was enjoyable and revealed that he had a sense of humor. ptbest His second album, "Success Hasn't Spoiled beat find.inLi Me Yet," contained less humor, and this, you can his third, is simply gaudy and noisy. The AEI few traces of humor are unpleasantly cyni- .16% iiiii cal and are smothered in the over -recorded noise of power -pop. On the evidence ofMe & Johnny,about 04, 10 ) 500.91411111° IsIY°(' his years in Australia yearning to be a pop idol, I suspect that Springfield doesn't want to be a rock musician as much as he wants RECEIVERS CASSETTE DECKS TURNTABLES PORTABLES to be a rock star. If that's so, he'll keep on TECHNICS SA.1010 5409 TECHNICS RS -51245X R.,TECHNKS SL -11 5144Ala/ANS-JOT sns .,47 TECHNICS SA-S10 8274 TECHNICS RS -14234X TECNINCS SL.S cALL AIWA HSTO3 SO making dead albums. Springfield is a some- TECHNICS SA-410 .,.. TECHNICS RS4112535 CALL TECHNICS SL -0%354 $145 AIWA CS -3100118J $123 ITC RTINO CALL MACY/09RX RRSONY Ps -Fin CALL AIWA CS -4000 $153 time musician who's at his best when he AFC R1104 cALLTEAL $450 RRSONY PS-LXSOO CALL AIWA CS -200111U STS cALL SONY PS; IT JVC RR -22 TEAL V -211X .., SO 7 SONY WOKS 0119 doesn't try too hard. J.V. .192JVC 01.03110 SONY STR-VX/50 CALL TEAC TRPC CALL SONY 511-F33W 544 SOOTY STRY8550 ,A,, SONY TC-FXS0511 CALL JVC a42 cALLPANASONIC R0411110X0110 SANSUI 2-1000 9254 SONY TC-FX1100 CALL JVC ClUISSF CALL PANASONIC R114015575 ANAL AA4442 SONY TC-Y7 RR CALL SP.SLP K SO CALL PANASONIC RYCAS 11145 AKAICSY21 SANSUI XR-05_ RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT AKAI AA4122 .., SISS CALL PANAso/NC R X 5046 11154 AKAI GM 7 8210 PANASONIC RS 4940 $83 AKAI HXAS 11225 CARTRIDGES PANASOTOC a 7 F15 512S BETTY WRIGHT:Back at You.Betty SPEAKERS AKAi1714 PI NO TECNNICS SS -L31 SHURE 1054 _5125 20 175 BLANK TAPE JVC PC4410024 5113 Wright (vocals); vocal and instrumental ac- TECHNICS St1151 .1.5 BASF 1111011C-00 nrn:...... 5. _:::SANYO 919935K _ 510 TECHNICS 50421 ....140 MK SAX -C-90 companiment.Burning Desire; She's Older ...T. 134SHURE MOTE TECHNICS swim CALL MK SA -C-10 1144 ao.,,0$2, SHuRE TWIT CAR STEREO Now; Be Your Friend; I Promise You; Live, !VC SIX 544 CALL 113 SONY X RASO _ NATELL 000LIT-C-10-0." OS PICKERING 0sv-1003 _ _ CALL AFC SK 50 CALL sown is_ CALL KUM OOKLIT.S.CAO-RTIK, MA OCTOFON (ALL 5100E1Si -TAT Love. Rejoice;and four others. EPIC FE SANSUI Sa13111 CALL SONY UCIO4/0 IlloWTORPS "LL JENSEN RE -530._ __CALL SONY SS-USNIA CALL SONY UCX-S-C-I0 JENSEN 51012 CALL 38558, © FET 38558, no list price. WE CARRY NOSY SPEAKER BRANDS YOUR CHOICE. MKJRAELL6WMATOR SA AMPS S TUNERS J84E11.143" CALL 7.,20 VHS VIDEO TaPtTW. PLEASE CALL OR WRITE FOR QUOTES, SATS JVC 20 PIONEER UK0.51100 11132 Performance Winning JVC TX22 _C.R.PIONEER TS414107.__Ar SST VIDEO SONY TA*? ROMER UKP -7200 TIM Recording: Very good EQUALIZERS PANASONIC017 v220 8431 SONY STY7 __CALLCALL SANYO FTC -27 SIN ADC SS -315 UST PANASONIC PV 132o CALL SONY TAAX44 CALLSANYO FTC -45 MI ADC SS 115 SANYOF 150$ _ $200 PANASONIC', 1520 CALL SONY ST -4144 CALL 1111 Marlon Jackson, who produced this record, AOC SS us 5145 PANASONIC Pv MO CALL TECHNICSSIP/3731 ALTEC arS4S-04 SW SANSUI SE ax CALL PANASONIC PV -6502 CALL TECIROCS SU-W/07 1235 isevidently trying to nosehis way up SANSUI SE 77 CALL PANASONIC PR .557 CALL TECNNICSST-SSOS 11135 TECHNICS 51141055 _5225 JVC HA TIDO through the cloud of glitter left behind by .. LWTECHNICS ST -5707 WO Cell or write TECHNICS SH4025 NM JVC 011 25507Tu 25 CALL AKAI ANNS 5192 AIM EAGTO brother Michael as he took off for the outer 1152 NC HIX Mc CALL AKA1 AT 57 ___ 5112 forFREE limitsof superstardom.Marlon'seffort ALL MERCHANDISEIS BRAND NEW & FULLY WARRANTEED. Price Flyer!. here is powered by Betty Wright, who sings Quantities limitedPrices subject to change withoutnotice these mostly reggae -flavored compositions with lusty vigor. The soul -reggae mix is a CALLOR WRITEFOR THE LOWEST PRICES ON OVER80 MAJOR BRANDS. winning one, and the ingredients mesh properly. Although the lyrics lack the power Mon and meaning that lie at the heart of reggae, CallTollFree! 800-221-0974(.,9Nvi-530PM EST. Or CALL 212-253-8888 everybody seems to have a good time with Fri the music. The best moments come onReg- NIGHTOWLUNE!Call Toll Free! 8043-327-1531_ _ _ 5-30 wn - 10Pm E S T gae the Night Away,which is as good a dance number as you're likely to hear this year, andBe Your Friend,which is played STEREOCORPORATIONOF AMERICA lowdown and funky. It works quite nicely, I Dept. 109 think, and brings a welcome breath of fresh MasisirCard air to the soul front. P.G. 1629 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11210 VISA' litS47 -- (Continued on page 108) CIRCLE NO. 38 ON READER SERVICE CARD 106 STEREO REVIEW Use your convenient Mastercard, FOR MAIL ORDERS Visa, American Express, Diners Club. CALL TOLL FREE: Ask about details of COD orders. LE4Lr Money orders accepted. Allow 4 weeks id. clearance on personal checks 1-800-341-0783 InMain..., Alaskaand OPEN SUNDAYS CAMERA & STEREO OF MAINE Hawaii,Call 1-207-283-1401 155 MAIN STREET BIDDEFonp.NI Atm.: 04005 Call For Shipping 10 A.M.-8 P.M. e ,ii u t il 1 i . And Handling On Mail Orders ....,\ = , . , -,,,,______-- ; TURNTABLES 4\' 4 };-' Ti STEREOS -TO -GO iv

SANYO(c) s. SONY AIWA PIONEER Technics c 115-J02 MG -31 $49.95 WALKMAN $129.95 $64.90 t-5 MG -7 $24.95PL -2 PLL-8005259.90 SL -B100 $62.95 SL-7MD S199.95 WM4 549.95 HS -P02 $109.95 PL -4$88.90 ut MG -100 $99.95 -44 $169.90 SL -B200 572.95 SL -10 5399.95 MG -1 $59.95PL -5$94.90 WM5WM7 $119.95 $79.95PLF $259.90 SL -B300 $82.95. SL -V5 $129. 95 .. MG110DT $109.95PL -7 $um on PLF -88 X PROWD6 $229.95 SL -Q200 $89.95 SLV6 $159.95 eo M5550 $59.95 FM1 $77.95 Call For SL -Q300 $99.95 SL-DL5 $129.95 .4 TOSHIBA MG 10 544.95 FM2 $129.95 Best Selection SL-QX200 $139.95 SL -B3 5119.95 01 WA33 $119.95 KT -S3 $54.95 MG 90 $69.95 SL-QX300 5149.95 SL-CY-L15 $179.95 x WA55 $129 95 KTA-SI $109.95 MG 15 549.95 And Availability SL -5 $114.95 SL -B5 $139.95 X SRF 80W 599.95 KT-VSI 579.95 MG 12 544.95 JVC Sony Akai SL -o $164.95 SL -D5 $169.95 4C WM-R2 $129.95 MG34OT $89.95 CASSETTE `,.,---= -* . iisimiN, R4 AM/FM STEREO SPEAKERS .°',2:n i 1 No 7 /.'( ' cr 7,16"-M RECEIVERS C DECKS -,:_ e 0 PIONEERTechnic W" 41, a", Oa a OD PIONEER' PIONEERThchnics aseroaanollat0.., SR1000 $149.95 RS M205 $99.95 SA110$109.95 CT -4 81)9.95 SD225 $119.95 $149.95 $179.95 Aries 50 RS -M224 $119.95 " 47 SX5 SA2I0$139.95SR2000 CT -5 $139.95 to SX202 $119.95 $219.95 $119.95 $229.95SD320 $169.9' SA310$169.95SR520 3 Way CT -6R $179.95RS -M222 SD420 $219.95 SX303$129.95 5119.95 RS-M227X $139.95 2 SA410$189.95SR220 100 Watts Total Pair CT -7R $229.95 a acSD530 $239.95 $199.95 R620 $279.95 RS-M234X $15, ra raSX6 SA510 $279.95 CT -8R $319.95 SD221 $99.95 S X7 $329.95 SR-7100DC5349.95 PHASE III RS 5179.95 SA810 $339.95 CT.9R 049.95 SD321 $129.95 SX8 $439.95SA1010 $519.95SR-8100DC5409.95 4 Way System $189.95 RS-M245X $209.95 100W Per Speaker pair aAKAI For AKAI 0 Call ForCallTECHNICS Best Selection HX-1 $109.95 Best Selection AA -R42 $289.95 SBX-500 Linear Phase HX-2 $189.95= AA -R32 $229.95 Lowest Price $229.95 Lowest Price HX-3 $159.95 3 -Way Speaker And Availability GX-7 $287.95 .7,' - Call For and Availability Honeycomb System Pair PM -R1 $119.952 Best Selection SONY Sansul CS -F14 $129.954. Lowest Price J.V.C. SONY Call For Best Selection GXF-31 $209.95 a; And SHERWOOD GX F -9I 5497- 95 tti.0 Lowest Prices and H X -R5 $239.95 Availability J.V.C. TEAC A Sansui NIKKO Availability On Speakers GX-R6 $279.95v ... C4117:1= AM/FM CASSETTE CAR STEREOS IN -DASH 41.....P....-...-:41;2 .. * MITSUBISHI PIONEERJENSENCONCORD Clarion Seattle S1 E-530 $309.95 5100R $109.95 $119.95 Richmond $239.95 FTC -1 $49.95 KP2205 HPL-101 $149.95 R X-735 $209.95 5150R KPA400 $739.95 E-520 $259.95 $129.95 Manhattan $239.95 $69.95 E-518 $239.95 HPL-112 $179.90 CZ725 5300R$149.95FTC-28$139.95 CR-3003 $279.95 UKP5600 $139.95 FTC -38 $89.95 7; E-512 $219.95 HPL-118 $249.90 RX-707 $154.95$359.955550R $139.95 Tucson r,,,to KPA500 $149.95 $199.95 E508 $179.95 HPL-118F $279.95 RX-726 $129.95FTC-120$179.95 Washington$439.95 R X-123 $99.95 FTX-140 $229.95 ... - UKE310-408 $179.95 $179.955700RHPL-119 $319.50 7500R $189.95 Berlin $945.95 ..tKE5100 5179.95 $249.95 R X909 $209.95 ..- FTX-1605249.95 ert '220 $149.95 HPL-121 53uOR $139.95 Chicago $249 95 0. KE6100 $199.95 HPL-122 $299.95 R X-755 $169.95FTC-180$289.95 - QA5000 $89.95 $89.95 5900R $209.95 BEA155 35amp $49.95 Call For New ModelsCV-23 9300R $239.95 AMP $129 95 Ji . c+ CALL FORBEST SELECTION,LOWEST PRICEAND AVAILABILITYONSONY AND PANSASONIC CAR VIDEO BLANK EQUAL: (0) TAPES IZERS .... SPEAKERS *- --,RECORDERS fh- RI Panasonic PV -6600 Panasonic PV -1220 Zenith R8900W TDK ADC 3. PIONEERJENSEN RCA CC -015 ADC SS5 579.95 ,-, Panasonic PV -1780 JVC HR -7100 no 0 TS 6905 $74.95 pr. J2033$89.95 pr. c PV -1510 JVC HR -7650U RCA VJP-900 SA -C90 $2.39 ea ADC SS115 $159.95 Et TS -6906$89.95 pr. J2020$79.95 pr. Panasonic PK-957 JVC HR-2650U/TU26U Minolta T -700S SA-XC90 52.49 ea. ADC SS215 $219.95r. $89.95 pr. 0 TS -6907$99.95 pr. J2130 MAXELL ADC SS315 $269.95g 0 TS -6904$49.95 pr. J2037$64.95 pr. We carry a full line of recorders by ADC SS20 $189.95- 0. TS -T3 $32.95 pr. J2041 $49.95 pr. Panasonic RCA JVC Sony DXLI1C90 $2.49 ea AUDIO SOURCE rt. co = TS -168 569.95 pr. J2126$49.95 pr. Zenith Sharp Sanyo Olympus DXIIISC90 $3.49 ea EQ-ONE $269.95 * TS -1655K $74.95pr. J1242$79.95 pr. Pentax Canon Minolta > $59.95 pr. SONY 0 TS -167 $49.95 pr. J1065 CALL FOR LOWEST PRICES AND BEST SELECTION Minimum Order TS -108 $39.95 pr. J1401 $69.95 pr. 10 Tapes SEH 310 Call go, J1405$44.95 pr. ON VIDEO RECORDERS AND CAMERAS SE0 11 Callri't SEND $2 FOR YOUR cr . =.1. fi FAMOUS MAKER COPY OF LaBELLE'S An COMPLETE CATALOGUE :es.:.2 tlo ...-.'-' 8°4°4)mm $69.95 35MM CAMERAS idoms-101 MACRO ZOOM :lame

c Canon PENTAX Address 3. AE , won Om,' it rOmensSI79 95 MINOLTA NIKON ..! AE I PROGRAM* SOmm XGM w/50mm f2 5169.95K 1000 w/50mm f2.. $119.95 FE w 50mm 18E... $239.95 40CI 8 FD Lens 521995x700 w/50mm 12 ME SUPER w/ 50 mri FM2 w/50mm 18E. $239.95 $219.95 c..,i w 50mm I8 FD Lens City 5159 95 XG-1 w/SOmm f2 5149.9512 $159.95 FG w/50mm 1 8E.. $234.95 SURE -SHOT 35M w Case 510995 ME F w/50mm f2 5219.95 rlt CASES FOR MINOLTA $15 CASES FOR NIKON.... $15 44 CASES FOR CANON $15 CASES FOR PENTAX. $15 State Zip - ee OP 30 das return pukes II returns must be phoned in torprior authorization..All products must be returned in original tailorspaikaging clean O. and unscratched DO not %rite tape. or delacc manufacturersoriginal rartons l'Iraw include blank %arrant', cardsIt there should he a a of Nfl t U. CIRCLE NO23 ON READER SERVICE CARD but Nat Adderley never moved very far mastery of understatement that belies her from the turf he used to share with his skill. Listening to this album reminded me brother. of one of those John Wayne Westerns While the spirit of the old Cannonball where the Duke is assembling a group of Adderley group is kept very much alive in first -raters to go out on an adventure. One "On the Move," by a Nat Adderley Quintet of the applicants performs some stupendous of identical instrumentation, it is probably feat of marksmanship and is accepted with unfair to make a comparison between the Wayne's laconic, "You'll do." two bands. Cannonball's group made a Oh, boy, does this lady know her stuff! stronger impression becauseitprovided Clooney's tone, inflection, and interpreta- blessed relief from the day's unimaginative tion are all impressive, but above all she one -note -piano rock-and-roll, and its soulful communicates the feeling that she enjoys struts counteracted the cool breezes of West the opportunity to sing golden material like NAT ADDERLEY: On the Move. Nat Ad- Coast jazz that some fans found too frosty. Arlen's. The crucial test for me wasOne for derley (cornet); Sonny Fortune (alto saxo- Nat Adderley's group has awell-worn My BabyandStormy Weather-great phone); Larry Willis (piano); Walter Book- sound, but the music is well executed-lis- songs, I know, but done to death. Her ver- er (bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).Malandro; tening to it is a little like watching a good sions of them are the best that anyone is go- The Little Boy with the Sad Eyes; Natural- movie remake featuring one member of the ing to hear for quite a long time. ly;and two others. THERESA TR 117 original cast. CA. Arlen had several glittering lyricists- $8.98. Johnny Mercer, "Yip" Harburg, and Ted Performanct Cooking RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT Koehler-but my favorite on this album is Recording Good remote Leo Rubin's hilarious lyric forHooray for ROSEMARY CLOONEY: The Music of Love.Clooney has a rousing time with it. Nat Adderley never achieved the popularity Harold Arlen. Rosemary Clooney (vocals); She's nobly supported by a group of the of his late brother, Julian "Cannonball" Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone); Warren Concord Jazz regulars (Scott Hamilton, Adderley, but he had a great deal to do with Vache (cornet); Dave McKenna (piano); Dave McKenna, Jake Hanna) aided by the success of the Cannonball Adderley Ed Bickert (guitar); Steve Wallace (bass); Warren Vache's cozy cornet and newcomer Quintet in the early Sixties. Not only did he Jake Hanna (drums).Happiness Is a Thing Ed Bickert's charging guitar. They are a share the front line with his brother, adding Called Joe; Get Happy; Ding Dong the band worthy of a very worthy "band sing- solid brass to sinewy reed, but he contrib- Witch Is Dead; Out of This World; My er." She'll do. J. V. uted such popular tunes to the group'i rep- Shining Hour;and four others. CONCORD ertoire asWork Song, That's Right!,and JAZZ CJ -210 $8.98. The Old Country.Nat also frequently re- RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT Performance: Excellent corded under his own name, and when Can- Recording: Excellent GIL EVANS:Priestess.Gil Evans (piano); nonball died in 1975, many people thought Lew Soloff (trumpet); David Sanborn, Ar- he would take over the quintet. His decision Rosemary Clooney as a jazz singer (or, as thur Blythe (alto saxophone); George Ad- not to do so seemed a wise one at the time, she describes herself, "a band singer") has a ams (tenor saxophone); other musicians.

Se\\ and \M e s3\ oC No TEAC E.ver \deo 7" Auto P,od\ o Reverse Reel to Reel

Specials .11b 411. dociii00 1 ts t t '399 Quantities X7RMK2 Limited

12.

11111 (I). Z-5000 75 Watt'/channel Receiver '279 echnics SA -410 Power rated from 20-20 KHZ $99 with no more than .007% THD. 45 Watt'/channel JVCRC -770 CS 505-55 Class A Digital Portable Stereo DualSemi Auto Turntable r. irt r, $199 4 Speakers w/cartridge L mai $109 NEC 'EKOSS 8 Hr. VHS L550 L750 Music with ;Q74 Box Remote $550 $750 Case Quantities $46 Panasonic PV 1220$436 Only WISCONSIN DISCOUNT STEREO TOLL FREE800-356-9514 2417 w. badger rd madison, wi 53713 Weekdays 9-9 Saturdays 9-5 608 271 6889

CIRCLE NO 56 ON READER SERVICE CARD 108 STEREO REVIEW Priestess; Short Visit; and twoothers. AN- ond side, especially Evans's arrangement of mond -like version of 1 Had the Craziest TILLESAN 1010 $7.98. Charles Mingus's Orange Was the Color ofDream. Welcome back, Ms. Forrest.P.R. Her Dress Then Silk Blue, which, though Performance:Grand unmistakably Evansian, beautifully retains SUSANNAH McCORKLE:The People Recording.Good remote the character of the composer. C.A. That You Never Get to Lore (see Best of the Listening to "Priestess," just released but Month, page 83) recorded in 1977, it is hard to believe that RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT Gil Evans, whose music is so thoroughly in RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT the present, celebrated his seventieth birth- HELEN FORREST:Now and Forever. Hel- day last year. Evans is best known for hisen Forrest (vocals); Hank Jones (piano);MAL WALDRON: One Entrance, Many collaborations with Miles Davis in the late GeorgeDuvivier(bass);GradyTate Exits. Mal Waldron (piano); Joe Hender- Forties and Fifties; there is talk of another (drums); Bob Zottola(trumpet,flugel- son (saxophone); DavidFriesen(bass); reunion in this decade, but only time will horn); Clint Sharman (trombone); Frank BillyHiggins (drums). Golden Golson; tell if it can produce anything approaching Wess (saxophone,flute).You'll NeverChazz Jazz; Herbal Syndrome; and three the magic of their "Sketches of Spain," Know; 1 Had the Craziest Dream; But Not others. PALO ALTO PA80 I 4-N $8.98. "Miles Ahead," and "Porgy and Bess" al- for Me; and six others.STASHST 225 $8.98 Performance:Superb bums. Both men have altered their musical (plus $1 postage and handling charge from Recording: Quite good courses, and while Davis now seems to be Stash Records, P.O. Box 390, Brooklyn, floundering, Evans remains on an even keel. N.Y. 11215). Pianist Mal Waldron combines high crea- His musical thinking is as grand and ad- tivity with impressive technical skill to pro- Performance:Excellent duce music that is both unique and endur- vanced as ever, and he has moved into the Recording:Good electronic age to incorporate that king of ing, yet we seldom hear his work on records plugged -in instruments, the synthesizer. On "Now and Forever" marks the return to re- these days. Waldron's music often leans to- "Priestess," Evans uses this tool, played by cording of Helen Forrest, who retired from ward the bizarre, but it is always eminently Pete Levin, prominently but unobtrusively the music scene in the early Sixties to mar- logical and accessible. On "One Entrance, as a springboard for his soloists. ry. If you want to know who she was, what Many Exits," recorded early last year, he Old musical associations never die, they she meant in pop, and why you should hear leads a superb quartet comprising saxo- just fade into new charts; at least, that is the this record, thenIsuggest that you read phonist Joe Henderson, bassist David Frie- feeling I get from Billy Harper's title track Chris Albertson's graceful and witty linersen, and drummer Billy Higgins. It brings here, which fills the first side. It bears more notes. If you want to revel in fine pop sing- to fruition the seeds Waldron was planting than a casual resemblance to the sounds ing, just listen to Forrest as she swings back in 1957 when he rendered a brief but generated by Miles Davis after his Fillmore through this collection of standards in high, memorable composition called Nervous on transformation, but the Evans stamp is still wide, and handsome style. Her voiceis a television jazz event that has yet to be unmistakable. There are rough edges on smoother and silkier than ever, her vitality equaled, the celebrated CBS special The Arthur Blythe's solo, but this robust piece and enthusiasm that of a teenager, and her Sound of Jazz. More! C.A. was built to take such treatment. One can skilled savvy in how to sell a song that of a also marvel at the three tracks on the sec- master. Standout cut: aglittering,dia- (Continued on page 112)

SAVE MONEY TIME FREIGHT ON NAME COMPONENTS AKAI CS -F 12 STEREO CASS Dk S115.00 AKAI GXF-31 COMPUTER CONTROLLED DK 198.00 AKAI GX-7 NEW CASS. DK. IN STOCK CALL ADC SS20 IN STOCK $198.00 ADC SS -3 IC TOP OF THE LINE 227.00 ADC SA -1 IN STOCK NOW 120.00 B.I.C. FM -6 FM ANTENNA 22.00 JVC KDD-50 SUPERBUY CASSETTE DECK 180.00 KENWOOD KR -720 DIGITAL RECEIVER.. 189.00 MARANTZ SR -8100 RECEIVER SUPER DEAL SPECIAL SANSUI Z-7000 NEW RECEIVER 450.00 CASSETTE TAPES SANSUI Z-5000 SUPERB RECEIVER DEAL 285.00 11 88.00 SONY UCXS-90 NEW HIGH BIAS TAPE $30.00 10 SONY PS-LX2 SEMI AUTO DD TURNTABLE CALL SONY METAL 90 MINUTE TAPE 30.00 10 SONY STR-VX550 NEW RECEIVER IN STOCK' SONY METAL 60 MINUTE TAPE 25.00 10 SONY STR-VX4 SUPER QUARTZ RECEIVER 199.50 85.00 SONY FECR-90 HIGH BASIS PREMIUM 20.00 10 SONY WM-5 PERSONAL PORT DECK SPECIAL TDK MA -90 METAL CASSETTE TAPE 49.50 10 TEAC V-2RX CASS DECK W dbx 215.00 TDK SA -90 SUPER AVALIN TAPE 21.00 10 TEAC V-5RX DECK SPECIAL w dbx 126.00 TDK AD -90 NEW AUDUA TAPE 19.00 10 TECHNICS SL -5 LINEAR TRACKING TT BASF PRO II OR III 90 SPECIFY PLEASE 22.00 10 TECHNICS SL -6 LINEAR TRACKING T.T. 175.00 82.00 MAXELL UD-90 ULTRA DYNAMIC 27.50 12 TECHNICS SLB-30 BELT DR. FULL -AUTO. 10 95.00 MAXELL XL -90 TYPE I OR II 32.00 12 TECHNICS RS -M205 CASS. DK. SPECIAL' SHURE CARTRIDGE AUDIO TECHNICA V-15 TYPE 5 WRITE MODEL AT-132EP 546 00 V-15 TYPE 4 675.00 MODEL 140 -LC 66 00 SEE A BETTER PRICE? LET US KNOW,' V-15 LT Special MODEL 125 -LC 49.00 WRITE OR CALL FOR JENSEN, SONY 1.1 AND SANYO AUTOMOTIVE r send for free price list

10 Name Mimi, audio Address 1.1 w 12 E. Delaware Pl., Chicago 60611 City Hours: Phone Now 10:00-5:00 TOLL FREE State Zlp 1-312-664-0020 Mon thru Sat. 1-800-621-8042 or use your ..e...IOW 4 -alr=.041.11.,ft41111M1.11141.11MWMP,MOUDINIWIMPAIIIIIIIktellkiMPO1.10...), 'IMANDIMI ,40,41014.1.1111.Y41.. '10114MI:ftilifilailaDY-4.11.011Mliatillerigillil.1110101110i-YOM 109 SEPTEMBER 1983 -.goz°1r4frAs-1-- 'We 'Basic 'Repertoire STEREO REVIEW again presents the annual revision of the Basic Rep- ertoire. In pamphlet form, the 1982 Marsalis, Monk, and Mozart updating includes disc and tape rec- Trit trumpet artistry of young Wynton ommendations for over 180 standard The second new Wynton Marsalis release Marsalis is not by any means restricted is a classical set, but it is definitely not the musical works. For your copy, send to jazz, as he proves most eloquently withold Hazel Scott Boogie-Woogie to Bach SI (check or money order), plus a two simultaneous releases that are as differ- gimmick revisited. Indeed, it is not a gim- stamped (400, self-addressed No. ent as, well, Monk and Mozart. mick at all, for Marsalis is as at home with 10 envelope (91/2 x 41/s in.), to Basic Indeed, Thelonious Monk and Leopold Hummel as with Hancock. Repertoire, Box 506, Murray Hill Mozart are both in Marsalis's repertoire, Superbly recorded, this digital album fea- Station, New York, N.Y. 10016. and itis from the former's little-known tures one of those mysterious European en- 1953 composition Think of One that his sembles, the National Philharmonic Or- second album as a leader derives its title. chestra (of England), conducted with char- This is an eclectic set featuring a quintet acteristic dash by Raymond Leppard. The that is more or less his regular workingorchestra may lack a well-known identity group, with his older brother Branford onbut not musicianship. Marsalis performs saxophones and the lyrical Kenny Kirkland with impressive aplomb in three trumpet AUDIOand on piano. The first album, "Wynton Mar-show pieces, the most famous of which, salis" (Columbia FC 37574), demonstrated Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E -flat Ma- his ability to generate a commanding pres- jor, he first played, with the New Orleans VIDEO ence even with sidemen of the caliber and Philharmonic, when he was fourteen. Here, experience of Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Marsalis's own cadenza ends the first move- and Herbie Hancock. The new album offers ment, and, unless my ears deceive me, there no bigger name than Wynton Marsalis him- is a salient smidgen of New Orleans in it. ALL THE TOP BRANDS FOR THE self, but none is needed; he has chosen his Marsalis's creativity also comes to the fore company well and with a keen ear for what when he embellishes his part in the second SAME PRICE is musical and tasteful. movement of Leopold Mozart's Trumpet While Marsalis isstill developing as a Concerto in D Major, but in doing so he is musician, he already has an engaging wayonly following a tradition as old as the mu- DEALERS PAY of his own, a style that represents a pleasant sic itself.In sum, Wynton Marsalis's re- * SAME DAY SHIPPING weave of Miles, Morgan, Armstrong, and cording debut as a classical artist is every * NO -LEMON GUARANTEE Navarro, all acknowledged influences. That bit as impressive as his extraordinary jazz * NO DEPOSIT style is bound to evolve into something even debut was. -Chris Albertson more personal, and Marsalis has the good CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR sense not to force it. "Think of One" is al- WYNTON MARSALIS: Think of One. ready more adventurous than its precedingWyntonMarsalis(trumpet);Branford album, and I'd bet that is due in part to Marsalis (soprano and tenor saxophones); FREE BOOKLET Marsalis's having produced it himself. Kenny Kirkland (piano); Phil Bowler, Ray "ULTRA HI-FI DIGITAL As producer Marsalis leaves plenty of Drummond (bass); Jeffrey Watts (drums). room for his fellow players. This is no blow- What Is Happening Here (Now)?; Think of at HALF THE COST" ing session but a well -planned set of musical One; The Bell Ringer; My Ideal; Later; variations that are as carefully honed and as Melancholia; Knozz-Moe-King; Fuchsia. 9-9 DAILY-TIL 5PM ON SATURDAY spiffy as the leader's own appearance. Both COLUMBIA FC 38641, © FCT 38641, no list in his playing and, apparently, in his atti- price. 1.301-488-9600 tude toward life, Wynton Marsalis displays a professionalism that defies his age and HAYDN: Trumpet Concerto in E-Aat Ma- seems to run in the family. (Listen to broth-jor. L. MOZART: Trumpet Concerto in D INTERNATIONAL HI -Fl er Branford's sinewy Coltrane -rooted so- Major. HUMMEL: Trumpet Concerto in prano on The Bell Ringer.) Altogether, DISTRIBUTORS, INC. E -flat Major. Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); there are six Marsalis brothers (look for NationalPhilharmonic Orchestra,Ray- MORAVIA CENTER trombonist Jason Marsalis to emerge next) INDUSTRIAL PARK mond Leppard cond. CBS 0 IM 37846, 0 as well as father Ellis, a boppish pianist. IMT 37846, no list price. BALTIMORE, MD. 21206

CIRCLE NO 40 ON READER SERVICE CARD I10 STEREO REVIEW $4 9 50 BREAKTHROUGH! [P ti L. ci F S Re' Fpui SG 121 When you are at rest, so is your When you exercise, you should heart. A low resting heart rate us- reach your heart's target zone. But, ually means you're in good condi- have Ireached my exercise target tion. Have you checked yours? zone. or just had too much coffee?

It's a high fashion dress watch and a sharp looking sports watch depending on whichWrist band you use. You get two luxurious EKGbands with this watch. Now you can exercise, rest, swim or go out to dinner wearing the latestin computer pulse takers on your wrist Plus, it's a talented sports watch and a formaldress watch too. By Drew Kaplan my heart and neither dangerous esca- has a stopwatch, a lap timer, and dual It's a fact. You can tell a lot about your- pades nor total wastes of time. Of course, finish mode. Its band is made of very self from your heart rate. You can eval- before beginning any exercise program tough polymers. So, it's a sports watch. uate the condition you are in, how much you should consult your own doctor. But wait, I don't like black watches stress you are under, and how hard you BUT ISN'T EVERYONE DIFFERENT? for dress. So, I've gotten Innovative to should be exercising. Here's the really exciting part. The add a deluxe matching stainless bracelet Think about it. How fast does your worse shape you're in, the faster you'll to the watch. It's rendered in stainless heart beat when you climb a flight of reach the target zone and the less workand black and is a perfect high fashion stairs? And how long does it take for your you'll have to do to stay in the zone. choice. So, it's a dress watch. heart rate to return to normal? You see, as you get in shape, your Plus, there's a 24 hour alarm and an Well, if you're at all like me, you may heart doesn't have to beat as hard to do hourly chirp. The stainless band is great be a little out of shape. While I'm only the same amount of exercise. Just asfor sports or dress. So, you'll get the 36, several friends my own age have when you work out with weights, your watch with the black band on it and the recently had heart attacks. And frankly, arms become stronger, your heart be- high fashion band packed with it, com- I'm getting just a bit worried. comes stronger with aerobic exercise. pliments of Innovative Time's superb You see,I am getting past the point So the Wrist EKG is safe for the begin- engineering and DAK's good taste. where I can simply say, "I'll get back into ner or the athlete. And, you'll really see The Wrist EKG is backed by Innova- shape next year." your improvement as you exercise. tive Time's 1 year limited warranty and So, whether you're a long distance But you don't have to exercise. Just comes with a 1 year battery in place. runner (this is the ultimate jogging com-wearing the Wrist EKG and using it at TRY THE WRIST EKG panion), or just a few pounds overweightthe office when you're under stress, after RISK FREE like I am, your heart rate will give you a you've walked up some stairs or around Now you can look at your heart as definitive picture of your heart and body. the block will make and keep you aware easily as the time. You'll see how you Now you can take your heart rate any- of your body's physical condition. react to stress, foods and exercise. Don't time, anywhere with the newest in so- And look at this. Sit down at your let DAK's low price confuse you. Take phisticated electronic pulse takers. desk and take your pulse. Then drink a this pulse watch to your own doctor and And best of all, this heart computer is couple of cups of coffee and take your have him compare it with his EKG. contained in a beautiful 24 hour alarm, pulse again. You'll see just what your Why not take a copy of this ad too. 24 hour chronograph, LCD watch, that morning 'pickup' actually picks up, and if Chances are that also want one. you will be as proud to wear with a coat God forbid you smoke, take your pulse Try the Wrist EKG risk free. Try exer- and tie as you are when you're running. before and after a cigarette. Wow! cising and then check your cardiac re- YOUR HEART'S TARGET ZONE JUST LIKE A HOSPITAL EKG covery rate. If you don't like what you Your heart, just like any other muscle With Innovative's new Pulsemeter see, you'd better keep the watch. But if in your body requires exercise. Unfor- watch, you'll have supreme accuracy. It's you just don't like the pulse watch, sim- tunately, unlike your arms, you can't see like a direct electronic line to your heart. ply return it within 30 days in its original your heart's condition just by looking. You see, unlike other pulsemeters that box for a refund. The type of exercise called aerobic use a light shining through your finger, To order your Wrist EKG, Pulse Sports/ exercise is specifically designed to exer- this instrument works just like a hospital Fashion Watch, complete with two bands cise your heart. The purpose of aerobics EKG. It measures the electrical impulses risk free with your credit card, call toll is to reach your heart's target zone. that cause your heart to beat. free or send your check for just $49.50 So what is your target zone? Your The back of the watch is one receptor, plus $3 for postage and handling to DAK. target exercise zone is between 60 and and the metal touch sensor on the front Order No. 9638. CA ms add 6% tax. 80% of your maximum heart rate. And of the watch acts as the other EKG sen- On the track, in the gym or at the here's an easy way to figure it out. sor. Just touch the sensor, and you'll see office, you'll have a direct connection to Simply subtract your age from 220 your pulse on the large LCD Display. the condition of your heart. beats per minute. So, for me at 36, my IS IT A DRESS OR SPORTS WATCH? maximum heart rate is (220-36) or 184. Innovative time thinks that everyone So when IexerciseI should get my interested in their pulse must be a pro- DAK heart rate up to at least (184 X 60%) or fessional athlete. So, they've built this INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED 110 beats per minute, and no higher than watch with all the athletic extras. -- TOLL -FREE1-800-423-2636 (184 X 80%) or 147 beats per minute. It's not only waterproof, its guaran- fbusy, after hours, on weekends or in CA With the Wrist EKG to help me, I can teed down to 60 feet (although you can't CALL TOLL -FREE .. .1-800-228-1234 be sure that my workouts are valuable for actually take your pulse underwater). It 10845 Vanowen St., N. Hollywood CA 91605 CALLPRICk.

I P.R.I.C.E. 961-2400 Remember, 80o34311M(617) legitimate offer in Mass. will beat any items. on in -stock the phone, THEATER FILMS for big Just pick up Call PRICE. -tree number, video cassette dial our toll savings on stereo, P.R.I.C.E. recorders, car and ask tor FLASHDANCE. Original -soundtrackre- portable home stereo, quotes. $419 cording.Irene Cara, Shandi, Helen St. adios, taperecorders, motors .. answering reel deck,3 John, Karen Kamon, Laura Branigan, Don- 7 inch ....SOMA. telephoneand computer Teac X300 equipment . na Summer, Kim Carnes, others (vocals machines, auto- and Hifi player Dolby' B/C, JVC Video AM/FM cassette 869 . .. and instrumentals). CASABLANCA 811492-1 software. . cassette deck, 5232 RX1940 .

...... Tai HX-R5 .. Panasonic .. , ..848 $8.98, © 422-811492-4 $8.98. reverse ...... w/ch, digitalrec..$529 with headphonescartridge ....B/C, DBX SA1010 120 control M97HE phono-head, Dolby' remote Shure 3 8280 Performance Spirited and varied Technics hour VCR, RSM253X ...... PV 5400 8 Technics ...... Recording. Very good P81188001iC 14day/1 event blank quantities cassette cassette tape, portable., ...... 1)CALL programmable...... 979 cartridge...... TOK SAX portable The soundtrack of the hit movie Flashdance 681s phono .SCALL cassette Stanton equipment .cord auto- 5030 AM/FM .....$139 contains some exceptionally spirited per- and Hitt recorder, Panasonic ...... direct - Sony VideoAM/FM cassette .9129 formances by an assortment of popular ... four speakers -auto, quartz, HSJO2 ...... SL0300 fully $99 AiV415 MR, headphones deck. .8189 ...... singers. While the styles here represent the . Technics ...... rev digital car turntable...SIM 5700R 6 w/ch, SuperTuner3 drive turntable d -drive whole range of current dance music, and Clarion rev., $1 59 semi -auto, 9/30/83. KPA-600 auto . .. - . Akai AP -D2 . . change after PiOnaer while there are a number of composers and . " ... subject to . car deck . errors. Prices producers involved, the whole is dominated typographical WE SELL: for B1RANDS Pickering by Giorgio Moroder, who served as Donna Not responsible OF THE SOME Teac AudioTechnica Summer's producer during her reign as dis- JUST Discwasher TDIC Stanton AND Pioneer Aiwa co queen. Moroder produced and wrote the Nikko Clarion Panasonic OnTwo music for five of the ten selections here. His Sony Akai Jensen .41 Shure work is augmented by Sylvester Leroy's ar- Technics rangements and a few special touches from

Phil Ramone, who supervised the music for C.O.D. , 02368. MestorCoM Tse0.050, Randolph MA the film and himself produced or co -pro- Hours 9 to9 Mon -En Drive,SRE983, 10 to 5 Sat 67 Need duced three songs on this disc. The collabo- CIRCLE NO46 ON READER SERVICE CARD ration was a successful one, resulting in a notable crispness and sonic brilliance, with STEREO & TAPE OUTLET synthesizer effects that are at times posi- SEND FOR OUR NEW tively haunting. Call Toll Free 800-272-1362 As for individual performances, Irene FREE 40 PAGE CAR STEREO Cara's rendition of the title song, Flash - SONY CLARION dance . . . What a Feeling, which has be- All in stock CALLYFOR PRICE 93001 258.99 come a huge hit, pits her emotionally laden, HI -Fl DISCOUNT PIONEER 7500R 199 99 KE 6100 19999 590011 209 99 bittersweet voice against a pulsating back- OE 7200 239 99 5700R 189 99 ground, and Shandi's taunting treatment of WU 7100 224.99 5500R 145 93 CATALOG No.64 % 65 27999 555011 145 99 He's a Dream is notable for its gutsy relish. OP 6500 15999 WO A Amplilier 7499 Sweeter sounds characterize Laura Brani- OP ATKI 16999 300 106 11999 OP 4205 17499 gan's Imagination and Kim Carnes's I'll Be Lowest prices 134.99 HOME' STEREO Here Where the Heart Is. There are some on audio KUAP55560000 P 139.99 TECHNICS 53 99 SA410 Receiver dogs tucked into the corners-Donna Sum- GM 120 209.99 components! 109.99 SA 510 Receiver TS 108 45 99/pr 28999 mer's hiccupped Romeo left me cold, and SL 813 Turntable 13999 Fast service! TS 167 47 99/pr SL -015 Turntable 149.99 Cycle V is absurd chanting "Soo -duce me 4 TS 78.99/pr Fully insured! RS M2340 Cass. Deck 164:99 I T S 16905 84 99/pr tonight"-but in general like the crack- RS M235% Cass Deck 19499 In factory TS 6906 98 99/pr ling energy of this album. P.G. TS X8 94.99/pr BLANK TAPES sealed SANYO Maxon XL I or 1190 2.69 Miceli 01 I or II 60 cartons! TX 140 199 99 225 GANDHI (Ravi Shankar-George Fenton). Maul! XI IS or IIS C90 FIX 180 279 99 349 Maxell/TOR Metal C-90 Original -soundtrack recording. Ravi Shan- FTC 120 18999 479 TOO SA C90 239 F T 590 24999 kar (sitar); orchestra. RCA ABL I -4557 TOE SA C 60 1 99 PA 6110 133.99 TOO 0C60 83 $9.98, © ABK1-4557 $9.98. JENSEN TOO 0C90 1 33 2033 92 99/pr TOO 110 C 90 1 99 Performance: Good :51:Ounn 2020 8499/pr TOO SAX C 90 399 2037 69 99/Pr TOKLX 35-90 549 Recording. Good ---IREPRODUCT1011,inc. 2130 92 99/pr T 120 VHS Video 899 1279 77 99/pr NG T 120 VHS Video 11 49 The scoreforRichardAttenborough's (201) 227-6720 2041 54 99/pr L 750 Beta Video 899 1201 64 99/pr HG L 750 Beta Video 9.99 epic film about the great Indian nationalist 2126 48 99/pr AlimP Bela/VHS HtIcInr 1499 CLIP & MAIL TODAY! 1055 J1365 68 99/pr and spiritual leader Mohandas Gandhi was BLAUPUNKT rimmummommomimmeimor 1101 68 99/pr devised mostly by Ravi Shankar, and it is a 1401 68 99/pr Manhattan 263 99 I Sound Reproduction, Inc. 1069 J 1369 4799/pr C 3003 274 99 fine and evocative piece of work. Shankar's All JENSEN in Stock CR 3001 6PA 415 429 99 I 7 Industrial Rd., Fairfield, N.J. 07006 Chicago 253 93 virtuoso sitar playing is here put primarily CALL FOR LOWEST PRICES in the service of dramatic inflection for the Please rush your free Hi-Fi Discount Catalog We carry a lull line of Car Stereo & Accessories Sorry no I C 0 0 s We accept money orderscashier's or certified film's action. George Fenton composed the checks as well as MasterCard P. Visa 13% Surcharge) and I Name American Express 15% Surcharge) Personal checks 3 week other incidental music in the beef -and -kid- delay Shipping to Continental USA T3 75All items have manufacturer's guarantee Write for our latest FREE CATALOG. ney -pie style so popular with the English Address NJ. Alaska Hawaii call 12011 572 1001 Mon Sat 9AM 6PM even in the twilight of the British Raj. P.R. City :rC LOCAL HERO(see Best of the Month, State Zip STEREO & TAPE OUTLET page 82) mo Emi um CIRCLE NO 49 ON READER SERVICE CARD 1849 Route 27. Edison. NJ 08817 STEREO REVIEW CIRCLE NO. 29 ON READER SERVICE CAR) STEREO REVIEW CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED RATES: Per Word. 15 Word Minimum. COMMERCIAL: $4 10. EXPAND -AD': $6.15. PERSONAL RATE: 52 25 Ads set n all Bold Type@ 20% Pre- mium. Ads set with Background screen @ 25% Premium. DISPLAY: 1." x 21,4". $500.00. 2" x 21/4", $1000 00. 3" x 21/4".$1.500.00. GENERAL INFORMATION: Fre- quency rates and prepayment discounts available. Payment must accompany order except credit card -Am. Ex.. Diners. MC, VISA (include exp.date) -or accredited ad agency insertions. Copy subject to publisher's approval, must be typewritten or printed. First word set in caps. Advertisers using P.O. Boxes MUST supply permanent address and telephone number. Orders not acknowledged. They will appear in next available issue after receipt. Closing date: 5thof the 2nd month preceding cover date (e.g.. Mar. issue closes Jan. 5th). Send order & remittance to: Classified Advertising. STEREO REVIEW Magazine. 1 Park Avenue, NewYork. NY 10016. Direct inquiries to Rose Lynch. (212) 725-7686 HAFLER IN STOCK TRADES ACCEPTED. Morel Elec- EQUIPMENT FREE CATALOG -LOWEST DISCOUNT PRICES on tronics,57 Park Place -SR. New York, NY 10007, (212) 964- Stereo/esoteric components and accessories for the 4570. home and car Sony, Bose, JVC, AR, SAE, other -high BANG & OLUFSEN, Carver, ADS, Revox. Reasonable quality.' brands. AUDIO UNLIMITED, 1798A Technol- prices. Soundcrest Inc.. (201) 756-4858. ADC ogy Drive, San lose, CA 95110. (408) 279 0122, 1-6, M- DYNACO OWNERS: 60,000 LBS parts/accessories/kits. Th. Free catalog. SCC, Box 551 (SR983), Dublin. Ohio 43017. QUALITY. USED AUDIO EQUIPMENT' Newsletter, (6141889-2117. hundreds of list ngs. items for sale, items sought. published 6X annually. $6 one year subscription. Hard to find FREE! :983 CATALOGUE.1001 bargains. Speakers -parts audiophile records! Play it Again Sam. 12611 -SR. Madi- OHICANAL REPLACE ME tubes -high fidelity components -record changers -tape .1110, son Avenue. Lakewood. Ohio 44107 (216) 228-0040 MC, For those wah new Technicil turntables we have Visa recorders -kits. Everything in electronics. Write. McGEE Fl -mount Cartridges in stock from $14.95 8 up FREE SPEAKER CATALOG! Woofers, nyds, tweeters, RADIO & ELECTRONICS, 901 McGee Street, Kansas City. hardware, crossovers, grille cloth, plans. kits, informa- MO 64.08-1891. tion, much more. Discount prices! UNIVERSAL SOUND, 16001 221 0906 LYLE EN11111111n Ss,. ST Su SII Dept SR, P.O. Box 36052, Sarasota, FL 33583 (813) 953- AUDIO DISCOUNTS otters quality audio equipment in- (212i 871 3303 lireilys. N.Y. 11811 5363. cluding esoterics and car stereo at DISCOUNT PRICES! Monday thru Saturday call (301) 593-8833. AUDIO DIS- PM:an.* Caen Mon Sat1)ara COUN-S, 1026 McCeney Silver Spring. MD 20901 VISA. M/C. C 0.D for yourconvenience. auciko-tedwicama DISCOUNT CAR STEREO FREE SPEAKERKIT CATALOG. 17 proven designs. Also, 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE 40 pages on 400 components. (JBL. ribbons, polypropyl- enes) 52. GOLD SOUND. Box 141SR, Englewood. CO PRICES TOO LOW TO LIST 80151 .303) 789-5310 MANUFACTURER'S NAMES SAVE!!' LOWEST PRICES ON NAME BRAND STEREO MEMIIIPLIV MOST MAJOR BRANDS,IIKACI,410.00.4.4114 EQUIPMENT. All units new with full warranty. Call for low Stereo': I=NowNEE 800-645.6607 prices or write for free catalog. The Audio Advisor Inc., Box (714) 594-5749 MI .x(5161665-6670 6202. Grand Rapids MI 49503. 616-451-3868 VISA. MC, Express Amex. CALL US WITH YOUR BEST PRICE Most Orders Shipped Same Day PEOPLE WHO KNOW STEREO BUY THEIR SOUND DI- AUDIO HARMAN-KARDON, Crown, Revox, DBX, Denon, Carver, RECT. Now YOU can buy the finest in hi -fidelity compo- Hafler, Electro-Voice, DCM, Ortofon, SME. Thorens. Best nents, ncluding esoterics and auto sound, at unheard of YAMAHA ADS BOSE ONKYO prices DIRECT SOUND MARKETING provides sensible. SONY HAFLER H K BRAUN prices -Professional Consultation. East: (904) 262- PHASE LINEAR DBX ADCOM SAE expert advice, INHOUSE SERVICE FACILITIES and fac- JBL AR JVC CONCORD AIWA 4000; West: (213) 840-0878. tory fresh components on an in stock basis. Discover ORTOFON TECHNICS MICRO SEIKI Americas best kept audio secret Send for our free cat- AND MANY MORE alogues to: DIRECT SOUND MARKETING, Dept. S, 3095 VIDEO Bolling Way, Atlanta, Georgia 30305 or call (404) 233- SONY RCA JVC 9500. M/C, VISA, AMEX accepted. Sales tax charged to VCR 'S CAMERAS BLANK TAPES 1-800-431-32320 12 Georgia residents only. ATARI & MATTEL VIDEO GAMES CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-826-0520 for Acoustat, Dahl- FE. V!..!..t 13: Call Or Write For Price Quotes quist, HAD. Carver. Denon, Thorens, Hailer, dbx. Tand- 709 Brea Canyon Rd., Suite 9, WaNint, CA 91799 I- 9 berg, VSP. Grace, Grado, Dynavector. 3D. B&W, Proton, - . S 1 Belles Snells, Nitty Gritty, Stax, Sota. Perreaux. Asiatic Oracle. Pyramid. Walker. M&K, CWD, Audioquest. THE %Vint! Effsttv: JEST IN THE WEST' Nattier, Nakamichi. Dahlquist. DCM. 't Y IT ISTIRSSS>Si3SS SSi SSASR if SOUND SELLER. 1706 Main St.. Marinette. WI 54143. (715) vlagneplanar. Beveridge. APT. Threshold. Polk. Oracle. 735-9002. ang & Olufsen. B&W. Adcom. Rocky Mountain HI -Fl, 812 Central, Great Falls. MT 59401 1406) 761-8683 DROP IN NOW FOR A NEW CATALOG FEATURING; NEEDLES! NEEDLES!NEEDLES! NEEDLES! NEEDLES! Genu- OHM. SNELL, PERREAUX. ASTATIC. N.A.D., 3D, Oracle, B.E.S. Bang & Olutsen,N.A.D., Carver, Boston Conrad Johnson. Walker, Thiel. Audioquest. Amber, Dy- ines, LOWEST Prices. (COD ok) Call: AL DI0FoN. 800- Acoustics, Denon, Alpine, Luxman, Allison, D.C.M., navector. Cizek etc. Shipping paid. Audio File. 1202 South 431-3232. (212) 438-6400, 10AM-7PM. Mon -Fri. Conoress, Austin. Texas 78704.(512)443-9295. 3D Ac3ustics, Adcom, Pyramid, ADS, Amber, Audio - :ONNECTICUT ADVENT APT -Holman. B&O. Carver. SAVE 75%. BUILD YOUR OWN SPEAKERS, Crossovers, Pro, AudioSource, AudioControl, Benchmark, Beyer, Dahlquist. DCM Time Windows. Polk. Maher. Mitsubishi. Woofers, Mids, Tweeters. Instructions. Hi-Fi, Pro, Auto. Cizek, C.1. Walker, D.N.R., Dynavector, Fried, F.A.S., Nakamichi. Ortofon. Micro -Acoustics. N A D.. Stax.Ci- Send $2.00 for catalog -refundable. DKI Audio, Davis. IL Grace Grado, Hitachi, Last, Mitsubishi, Monster Ca- zek. Signet. OED. Teac. Marcoff. Boston Acoustics. will ship prepaid. Sounds Incredible, 39 Federal Road. Brook- 61019. ble, Nitty Gritty, Niles, Plexus, Proton, Signet, Stax, field. Conn 06804. Call Ira for quote (2031775-1122 AUDIO DEN, call us for our service, our experience and Sumiko, Ungo Box and plenty more. Prompt, cour- especially our prices. We carry Adcom. Audio Research. teous service. FREE shipping in U.S.A. Feel free to CABLE TV CONVERTERS & EQUIPMENT. Plans and Dahlquist, Infinity, Nakamichi, Polk, SAE, Revox and Darts. Build or buy. For more information send $2.00: C Klipsch. We ship anywhere in the USA. Experienced with call fcr information. SOUND STAGE AUDIO, 184-10 & D ELECTRONICS INC., P.O. Box 21, Denison, MI 49428. overseas sales. AUDIO DEN LTD . Smith Haven Plaza 2021 Horace Harding Boulevard, Fresh Meadows, NY Nesconset Higiway, Lake Grove, New York 11755 (516) 11365, (212) 762-3220, Exit 25 (Utopia Parkway) LOWEST PRICES. NAKAMICHI, 1BL, DBX, HK, and 360-1990. 1.1.1., MC/VISA. MORE. Dynamic Sound, Box 168(A), Starkville, MS NEEDLES! NEEDLES! NEEDLES! NEEDLES! Genu- MAXIMIZE LISTENING PLEASURE. reduce subsonic 39759. (601) 323-0750. 1 PM. -9 PM. ines, LOWEST Prices. (COD ok) Call: AUDIOFoN, 800- feedback, improve tracking with WAVE-WATE-The 700 - 431-3232. (212) 438-6400, 10AM-7PM. Mon -Fri. gram record weight with sure -grip finish $13postpaid. WOOFERS-MID-TWEETERS-X-OVERS. THE BEST SE Gerkman Engineeing. Box 28251, Detroit, MI 48228. LECTION AND PRICES and now TOLL -FREE ORDER- HIGH -END SPEAKER KITS, raw drivers and auto speaker systems from the world's finest manufacturers. For be- NAKAMICHI Shamefully Low Prices. New and used. BX- ING. 1-800-221-0251 (orders only -min. order $25.00). ginners and audiophiles. Audax, Dynaudio. Dalesford. 2. LX -3. LX -5. ZX-7, ZX-9, Dragon. AudioWorkShop. (206) ALL new 32 page Catalog with kit plans, polypropylene Jordan, JVC. SEAS. Morel. others. A&S SPEAKERS Box 323-4987. 7462S. Denver. CO 80207 (303) 399-8609 woofers and complete technical specifications. C.O.D. BEST PRICE & IN STOCK! ARC, Thorens, RGR, Hailer, Kyocera, Onkyo, Technics, B&W, Meridian, Vander- orders accepted. For 1983 catalog send $1.00 to: SRC THE REVIEWERS ARE RAVING! Our customers are delighted' Get our brochure and see why WE ALONE otter the steen Dynavector, Snell. Tascam, Spendor. Bryston.. Audio, Dept. SR, 3238 Towerwood Dr., Dallas, TX 75234, definitive Hafler mods. MUSICAL CONCEPTS. 1060 Fifth P.K. Audio, 4773 Convention St.. B.R., LA 70806. (504) 924- (214) 243-4145. Plaza. Dept. 2, Florissant. MO 63031. (314) 831-1822 1001. HOUSTON AND THE SOUTHWEST: Audio Pro'philes is a ANNIS HAN-D-MAG IS THE BEST Demagnetizer for fully authorized, warranty -service dealer with these magnetic tape equipment. Price is $29.70. "Demagne- manufacturers' products in stock: Quad, Acoustat, KEF, tizing Notes" and literature on request. Annisco, 1101 N. Dahlquist, Vandersteen, Thiel, Mission, Audio Re- Delaware, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202. (317) 637-9282. TV I.: search, Threshold. PS Audio, Tandberg, Metier, Oracle, Walker, Dynavector, Grace, Kiseki. Audio Pro'philes, CUSTOM MADE FOAM SPEAKER GRILLS. Any size, color, quantity. Info 256. Custom Sound, Algonac. MI 48001. REMOVES VOCAL FROM MOST STEREO DISCS 12651 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77024. (713) 973- The Thompson Vocal Eliminator can actually remove most or 0000. virtually all of a solo vocalist from a standard stereo record and yet leave most of the background music untouched' Not an ELECTRACRAFT-features Aiwa, Audio Control, B&O. equalizer' We can prove it works over the phone Write or call Concord. Dahlquist. DCM, Denon, Grad°, Haller, Island for a brochure and demo record below. COST: $349.00 Sound, Linear, Mitsubishi, NAD. NEC. Signet. Snell. Thiel. FREE! ?y, O il ELECTRACRAFT, 212 North First Avenue, Sandpcint. N ALL NAME BRANDS 1 YOU SHOULD SEE,,US Idaho 83864, (208)263-9516. Video VCR VHS BETA TelephonesI z Home Computers Car Stereos c CLEARANCE SALE! FONS MARK I turntables. As Is Where ii For: Video Tapes Televisions T.V.Games Is. $75.00 each. 2/$130.00. Lot prices available. Colorado Accessories ETC. residents add tax. Lord Brothers, P.O. Box 6430, Denver, .. Time Delay Ambience ibeftwiscalesitieill CO 80206. (303) 534-7590. Studio Echo/Reverb Slatelleleill40111 T What to How To i Tape Noise Reduction itseatettrandessald HIGH PERFORMANCE AUDIO KITS. PHONO. EQUALIZ- in BUY ,. ERS. DELAY and more. Send for FREE catalog. PHOENIX CHOOSE Parametric Equalization1111120MegAtellalkad PlitarticZerevag SYSTEMS. 91 Elm Street. Manchester, Connecticut 06040. Electronic Crossovers (203) 643-4484 VIRLIASILIIWUJUAIAZI M . FREE 32 PAGE CATALOG i Compressor/ExpandersMiltakkaagillrmi 0 ADVENT receiver, 50/50 W deluxe $299.00. Direct -to -discs WITH PRICES! Mic Preamp/Mixers liNINIesiosoftid (3 different) $15.00. AR. Selestion, Dynaco. Grado. MXR, o LOWEST PRICES IN THE USA R uxr.e4 Rf'f47. Scott. SCC. Box 551(SR983). Dublin, OH 43017: (614) 889- E GUARANTEED!! We manufacture a lull line of high quality 2117. VISA/MC/COD. Send $2.00 to cover postage and handling !., equipmentYou will probably have to pay twice as much elsewhere to obtain comparable quality Only Direct Sales make To: HARMONY VIDEO our prices and quality possibleWrite or call for a 24 page Dept. SR -9 : brochure and demo record We specialize in Phonograph Needles & Cartridges. . 2357 Coney Island Avenue Write to: LT Sound, Dept. SR. P.O. Box 338, Toll Free: 800-368-3506 ° Brooklyn. N.Y. 11223 Stone Mountain, GA 30086, Phone (404) 4931258 or for immediate price quote call: Featuring the i, F I L 800-221-8927 complete line of TATE II SURROUND STEREO SYSTEM. 3 Dimensional re- alism from stereo audio/vision sources. Winner 01 1982 Hi- Bang&Olufsen Fi Grand Prix. Fosgate Research Incorporated. 215 W. ATTENTION SOUTHERN AUDIOPHILES: Nakamichi, Polk Leroux, Prescott. AZ 86301. (602)445-6999. Needle in a Haystack, Inc. Audio. Dahlquist. Carver, Ortofon, Jensen, Fultron, Pro- ton, NAD, Yamaha. SOUND ADVICE. Village Plaza, Rus- LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICES ANYWHERE! Full war- Wt. rr. Needling World Send fora tree catalog. ton. LA 71270.318-255-8000. ranty -Fast delivery. Audio, Video. Car stereo. Com- puters. Software. Video games. Telephones, morel! MUSIC LOVERS AND AUDIOPHILES!! We are proud to announce the GRAND OPENING of "APPLE AUDIO", Electrified Discounters. 996 Orange Ave., West Haven, CT ATTN: AUDIOPHILE BARGAIN HUNTERS! THE SOURCE featuring the finest such as: ADS, Amber, Audio Pro, Au- 06516 MC/VISA. (203)937-0106 offers cost -saving prices on a wide variety of high quality audio components. You can become a member of the most dio Control, Beyer, Blaupunkt, Celestion, Dynavector, SONY DIGITAL: CDP:101, PCM-70Ies, PCM-Fl: HAF- innovative buying group in the world. Our subscribers Grace, Grundig, GEM, Last, Monster Cable, Sherwood, benefit from our efforts to provide the lowest prices. most Sumiko, Sony, Thorens, 3D Acoustics, Ortofon, Ungo Box LER, PS AUDIO, ACOUSTAT, PYRAMID, GRADO, STAX, extensive selection and highest quality of service avail- and more! Professional installations on Car Audio and DYNAVECTOR, dbx, THORENS. Authorized dealer, free able anywhere. Our regularly published newsletter con- Alarms. FREE SHIPPING IN USA. Feel free to call for information. Open 7 days. 220 Volts Electronics for over- shipping (617) 547-2727. Q Audio, 95 Vassar, Cam- tains industry news, new product updates. equipment reviews and an assortment of quality products at prices seas also available. APPLE AUDIO, 74-18 37th Ave., bridge, MA 02139. Buy -sell -trade -consign new/used. that are simply too low to advertise. We also frequently of- Jackson Heights, NY 11372. EXIT BROADWAY/ROOSE- VELT ON BOE (278). MC/VISA, Tel: 212-507-0561. MC/VISA/AMEX. COD ok. fer "next year's" models for sale even before they reach the U.S.A. officially. The cost, only $15.00 per year (approx. 8 MARIAN ACOUSTICS LOUDSPEAKERS deliver audi- MONSTER CABLE. 696 per ft. cut to any length. We carry issues) includes a credit certificate of equal value. Ourin- ophile performance at affordable prices. Rte 28, Ark- all Monster Cable accessories. Hafler. Precision Fidelity, formative brochure and buyer's guide. "How To Buy Hi Fi" ville, NY 12406. Dealer inquiries invited (914) 586-3295. Systemdek. Alpha I moving coil cartridge. Maxell UDXL II, is available for only $2.00. Please call or write for addi- C90 $2.39 each. TDK SA90 $2.29 each. minimum 0112. Call tional information. THE SOURCE. 20 Nassau St.. Prince- ATTENTION HAFLER DH -200, DH -220 OWNERS: We or write for other great prices. $3.00 shipping charge. MC ton, NJ 08540.1-609-921-0800. Canadian. overseas and and VISA. Trolley Stereo. 451 Moody St.. Waltham, MA dealer inquiries are invited. TELEX 833040. We honor all have all new high performance circuits for Hafler 02154. (617) 924-3336. major credit cards and will ship COD with a small deposit. amplifiers. Not a "modification", but FIVE new PC cards and a 40,000 Mfd power supply. Call or write: CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM JENSENS STEREO SHOP, Dept SR4, 2202 River Hills Drive, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337. (612) 890-3517. 2 3 4 5 CALL US! Conrad -Johnson, Hafler, Perreaux, PS Au- 6 7 8 9 10 dio, Krell, Amber, Denon, NAD, VSP Labs, Adcom,

11 12 13 14 15 (MINIMUM) Audiosource, DCM, ADS, Boston Acoustics, Ohm, Rogers, Tandberg, Thorens, Grace, Grado, Nitty 16 17 18 19 20 Gritty, VPI, Dynavector, more. AUTOMOTIVE: Con- 21 22 23 24 25 cord, Kenwood, Linear Power, Zapco, more. Friendly, expert consultation. Fast, free shipping. MC/VISA. 26 27 28 29 30 REFERENCE AUDIO SYSTEMS, 18214 Dalton Ave- 31 32 33 34 35 nue, Gardena, CA 90248. (213) 398-4205. 36 37 39 38 40 TAPES & RECORDERS 41 42 43 44 45 OLD TIME RADIO -original broadcasts on quality tapes. Free catalog. Carl R. Froelich. Route One, New Freedom. 46 47 48 49 50 Pennsylvania 17349. COMMERCIAL: $4.10. EXPAND -AD': $6.15.PERSONAL RATE: $2.25 14004164RM TAPE WORLD A,.tleo 849 MAXELL TOP T 120 1 '50 H. CPA* 10 99 # OF WORDS # OF INSERTIONS TOP MA 90 4 39 MAXELL TOOT 120 1.750 819 1014 SAX 90 319 MAXELL %L10, 16.90 339 1011 AD/1 90 199 %WELL UDR. la 10 90 249 PAYMENT ENCLOSED S TPASA 90 2 . MAXELL 6064, 1.11C 60 229 TD19 SA 60 189 MAXELL (090 219 CHARGE You Will be billed monthly American Express Diners Visa MasterChafqe Interbank it TM AD 90 189 MAXELL /A i 369043 649 TDK AD 60 1.9 MAXELL U133690 539 1019 D 90 129 SONY UCMS 90 299 Account # 11319 D60 115 1130 HO 01 a4.0 5*.62 13 99 Exp Date NE ANA HOHOP ANY COMPE TDORS PRICE Of THE TOTAL ORO( R 6699N1 3raer US VGA MC no 468 ClIN9O COO APO 166 SIGNATURE 323 Brown Av. Boa 361 ININt. PA 1111/01 412.28)4621 PRINT NAME OPEN REEL TAPES. Prerecorded. Catalogue. $1.00. Bar- ADDRESS clay -Crocker. 313-S Mill Street, Poughkeepsie. NY 12601. CITY STATE 71P 1930-1962 RADIO PROGRAMS. Beats Television!! Tapes, SR -983 $1.00 Hour! Established esteemed dealer. Informative 275 page catalog. $1.25. AM Treasures. Box 192SR, Babylon, N.Y. 11702. PROTECT your LP s -Poly sleeves for jackets 130. Square BORROW $30.000 without Interest' All eligible Repay Bottom Inner Sleeves 80. Poly lined paper 150 white lack anytime_ Free details' Infohouse-508S. 533 Sutter, San ets 350 Postage $2 50 Record House, Millburn, N Francisco. CA 94102 Q 101111tA apes 10931 SALES REPRESENTATIVE Part Time -For large na- SOLON MK MAR C.90 639 MAXELL MX C-90 4 89 WORLD'S LARGEST, COMPUTERIZED CATALOG of rare tional audio distributor Knowledge of audio equipment MK SAX C-90 3 19 MAXELL WM. 11 C.90 2 49 records. 26,000 ertnes. Classical. showbiz. popular. jazz. importer t Many areas still open Call 9AM to 9PM daily or TOK SA C-90 2 ISMAXELL WM. N C60 2 37 TI:Ot SA C40 195 MAXELL XL IFS C.90 329 comedy, spoken. $4.00 refundable. Round Sound West. till 5PM Saturdays. International Distributors. Baltimore. TOK MAC -90 435 MAXELL UD C-90 225 TDK AD C-90 1 65 MAXELL 110 3590 535 P 0 Box 2248. Leucadia. CA 92024. MD 21206. Phone 1-301-488-9600 113K ADC -60 1 45 MAXELL XL 135-908 6 45 TDK ADX C.90 3 15 MAXELL XL 113590 11 49 SOUNDTRACKS -New and out -of -print fan music re- ELECTRONIC REPRESENTATIVES NEEDED' Lowest TDK DC -90 1 29 MAXELL T 120 875 TDK D C-60 115 MAXELL T i20 HGX 10 95 cordings Free listings CINE MONDE RECORDS. 1488 possible prices.' Over 100 brands' Audio. Video. Car MK LX 35-90 525 FWI FR 11 C-90 2 75 Vallejo St. San Francisco. CA 94109. Stereo. Computers Electronic Experts, 1000 Orange Ave TDK LX 35-9013 585FUJI METAL FR C-90 45 TDK SA 35-90 9 49 SONY LAIX C-90 25 West Haven, CT 06516 113K 1 120 945 SONY UCXS C-90 285 RECORDS/TAPES/IMPORTS' Extensive selection of Eu- MK 7.190 15 49 SONY 1 750 695 MK 1113-01 DEMAG 13 95 SONY L-500 695 ropean and Japarese imports, domestic re:ords, tapes DISCWASHER DISC OUT 33 49 SONY L-750 HG 10 95 and new releases Send 61.00 for catalogIMOBY MUSIC, INSTRUCTIONS D45CWASHER CF4 SONY L-630 1195 SYSTEM 9 49BASF PRO 111 COO 14410(S) Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. YOUR OWN RADIO STATION' AM, FM, cable. licensed. DtSCWASHEA CO5C9FT 16 49 5 TAPES -FREE CAR BOX 13 95 DISCWASHER 16 or FLUID 999 Sony FECR C-93 199 FREE IMPORT RECORD CATALOGUE' Finest quality rock, unlicensed. low cost transmitters' Free information CM Now,212-434-341 7 or ort144 by m0/1 A4013 50 414444ttoortbsuD to 570 Ow, 970 4111 5% 01 total actor Double above 0 prom. Owl new wave, audiophile pressings from Japan. Europe. UK. Broadcasting Box 130-R9. Paradise. CA 95969 Outside USA vo44 MC /Vow add 14r4Ong 3% Large selection Huge Inventory 24 hour service. OUMITY TkPfi BE A RECORDING ENGINEER' New classes quarterly 864 East 7111 Asa 0.0. SM enmity.. et tine STRAIGHT LINE MARKET, P.O. Box 8822-E. Durham, NC Institute of Audio/Video Engineering. 1831 Hyperion. Dept 27707. L. Hollywood. CA 90027.1213)666-3003 FREE CATALOG!! Complete selection of Consumer and ORION RECORDS. CASSETTES, $8.00 each postpaid $7.00. three or more. Free catalog Box 4087 Malibu. CA MOVIE FILMS/VIDEO TAPES Industrial Audio/Video tape and accessory products. 90265 COMPETITIVE PRICES! PROMPT DELIVERY! Corpo- AUDIOPHILE ALBUMS. DISCOUNT PRICES. Prompt 16mm SOUND Features. Shorts. New, Used for Sale Free rate/Bid Solicitations Welcome. Wyco Sales, Dept. SR, shipping. FREE catalog FOR THE RECORD. Box Catalog National Cinema. PO Box 43, Ho-Ho-Kus. NJ 21201MM, Columbus, OH 43221 07423 P.O. Box 887, Cary, NC 27511. (919) 461-8113. ORGAN AND CHORAL RECORDS For free catalog write AMPEX 1800' 7" REEL TAPES. New! Boxed! Backcoated. Gothic Records, PO. Box 1576-F, Tustin. CA 92681 BOOKS & MAGAZINES 10 reels $25.00. 20/$45.00. Add $4.00 shipping. Tower. Dunkirk. MD 20754-0213. JAPANESE RECORDS' Thousands of high quality Japa- PUBLISHERS OVERSTOCKS BARGAIN BOOKS 2.000 nese records available, including the largest in -stock in- titles. all subjects' Free catalog Hamilton s. 98-58 Clap- FOR Neon Olin Sle446629 ventory and an extensive special order catalog. Send $1 00 board, Danbury. CT 06810 Tall. NUM. RM. SONY. M. SCOTCH DISCIVAIMEN for our complete catalog. which also features imports from 1899290 52 69 2081290, fa 60 9.490 39 861190 649 over 30 countries. Paradox Music Mail Order. 20445 Gra- SA60 99 14090 4 39 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES 30 09 5.41190 3 25 mercy Place, PO Box 2896, Torrance, CA 90509. (213) 320- 10 I.0890 2 69 O2W 1331. MC/VISA. AMEX Established 1978 MO 25 00C16 1 69 00590 9 asld LEARN WHILE ASLEEP Hypnotize' Astonishing details. L63510098 1 49 1120 (750 le 4 11 49 FREE CHAMBER MUSIC RECORD CATALOG' FREE rec- strange catalog free' Autosuggestion, Box 24-ZD, Olym- 0X35108 4 112010 175016 14 5.4351104 2260 1503 ord offer' Brass' Woodwinds' CRYSTAL RECORDS. Sedro pia, Wasnington 98507 TOR 0911., SPECIALS CAL 24 149512121645-2661 Woolley. WA 98284 0.00iTiONN. WAGES BNOPING IT UF5 VANN 4 STATES 0RINI15 UP 10170 A0013 50 TOTAL MOM OUT9101 4 S516-56959761TABS001.131.1 41008 Mt VLSI WELCOME TOPEOYFR S70A00 PLAC0 906 2481418 1 WHILE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR "Out -of -Print" Rec- FOR INVENTORS ords you should've been looking for us' DISCcntinued (213) 40.000 OLD RADIO SHOWS on Tape. Jazz Big Band re 846-9192 motes. Country Western. discographies. anthologies INVENTORS,IDEAS HAVE VALUE. chronologies. Send $2 for huge catalog (refundable) INDIANA'S FINEST JAZZ AND FOLK: REDBUD REC- McCoy's Recording. Box 1069S. Richland. Washington ORDS! Send S1.00 for catalogue. 611(s) Empire Mill, Ever think of an idea, forget it and see it later on the Bloomington, IN 47401. VISA /MC (812) 824-2400. Imme- market/ Many people don't forget. act quickly and 99352 diate Delivery. are rewarded by American Industry. Write down your idea. We offer free disclosure registration and AUDIO SPECIALTY SHOPS initial consultation regarding your idea's potential FOR ALL MUSIC LOVERS! We have the widest selection value Call or write without delay for your free infor- of audio equipment available in all price ranges. Kyo- mation package. cera. Sherwood. Allison. Harmon-Kardon, Infinity, Aiwa, -COMPACT DISCS AMERICAN INVENTORS CORPORATION Thorens. Luxman, Holler, Klipsch, SAE. Sennheiser and 82 Broad St, Dept. SR more. Call for information or stop in. CONTINENTAL Also: CURRENT& HARD TO FIND Westfield, MA 01086 SOUND, 98-77 Queens Blvd., Rego Park, NY 11374. (212) (413) 737-5376 459-7507. 12111044We Delivery. MC/VISA. ALBUMS & CASSETTES A fee Based Marketing Company MUSIC SUPERMA Offices Coast to Coast KLIPSCH, CROWN, DENON, NAKAMICHI, ADS, Lux - WRITE FOR P.O. BOX 1635 GIANT CATALOG man etc. Outstanding sound rooms. Visit us! Open RESEDA,CA. 91335 INVENT;ONS, IDEAS. NEW PRODUCTS WANTED' In- anytime by appointment. Ideal Acoustics, 110 Willow dustry vesentation/nattoral exposition Call free 1-800- 528-6050. Arizona. 1-800-352-0458X831 Rd., Starkville, MS 39759, (601) 324-1020. RECORDS. CASSETTES. IMPORTS, cutouts. picture 21st CENTURY AUDIO -PHILADELPHIA. For listening en- disks. oldie 455. catalogs $2.00. NERT. Box 268 -SR. joyment. Argent. Audible Illusions. Belles. Beveridge. Lawrence. MA 01842 PERSONALS Conrad -Johnson. DCM. E A R . Oracle. Perreaux. Pyra- MAKE FRIENDS WORLDWIDE through international cor- HAND NUMBERED LIMITED EDITIONS. Rare and unis- respondence. Illustrated brochure free. Hermes-Verlag. mid. RGR, Sota. Spica. Stax-ESL. Sumo. VPI more. Also sued boxed sets with booklets. Monk. Mulligan, Am- available: Iverson Eagle 7A amplifier and Kahn -Hazeltine Box 10660/Z. D-1000 Berlin 11. W Germany. mons/Lewis. For information write: MOSIAC RECORDS. AM and FM stereo tuner. More at 5041 Rising Sun Ave.. 1341 Ocean Ave.. Suite 135S. Santa Monica CA 90401 CORRESPONDENCE FOR FRIENDSHIP IN PHILIP- 19120 (215)324-4457. MC/VISA. PINES, MALAYSIA. Free information. AAWS-(SR). Box CENTRAL KENTUCKY'S AUDIOPHILE CENTER!" 2777. Orcutt. California 93455-0777 WANTED SOUND AUDIO. Affordable hi -end equipment for the mu- SCANDINAVIAN LADIES. SINCERE, seek correspon- sic lover. Belles Research, Counterpoint. Grace. Janis. CASH FOR Unwanted LP's. Prerecorded Reel/Reel Tapes. dence for friendship. Details -Send stamp. Scannaclub. Koetsu. Linn, Pyramid. 3D Acoustics. JVC Video, Sony Box 4 -SR. Pittsford, NY 14534. Video 153 Patchen Dr.. Lexington. KY 40502, (606) 269- Reder, Box 323S. Hillburn, NY 10931 4118 For information call or send SASE. KLIPSCHORN. Advise price. type of finish. serial number. ORIENTAL SINGLES seeking cultural exchange. friend- Robert Bowe. 5606 Taraway. Toledo. Ohio 43615 ship. sharing, marriage. Write: CHERRY BLOSSOMS, Box RECORDS 1021 P. Honokaa. Hawaii 96727. WANTED: MUSIC LOVERS to review and rate nationally SHOW ALBUMS. Rare, Out -of -Print LP's. 64 pg. list. $1.00. released rock albums. Receive Free album in exchange for CLASSICAL MUSIC LOVERS EXCHANGE -Nationwide Broadway/Hollywood Recordings. Georgetown, Conn. your opinion -Music Poll! Write: Class -A -Researching, link between unattached music lovers. Write: CMLE. Box 06829. STORE 68 Sugar Hollow (Route 7) Danbury. Conn. Box 07023(SR), Milwaukee, WI 53207. 31, Pelham, NY 10803. COLLECTORS' Soundtracks. Mint. List $1 (refundable) INDIVIDUALS. COUPLES -all ages -meet others na- Jemm's. PO. Box 157, Glenview. III 60025 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES tionwide for sports. hobbies, friendship. correspondence. Electronic Exchange. Box 68-S31. Manhattan RARE ORIGINAL RECORDS. all kinds. mostly mint. 5000 Beach. CA 90266 list $2 00. refundable. Carl. Box 828, Princeton, NC 27569 ERASE DEBTS with little-known law -CREATE wealth' Details FREE -WealthKit. No. DD9. Billings. N.Y. 12510 DIRECT -DISC, DIGITAL, half -speed mastered. DBX en- RUBBER STAMPS coded. and YSL Japanese Pressings. Send $1 00 for cat- MAIL ORDER OPPORTUNITY' Start profitable home alog DISConnection. PO. Box 10705. Tampa. FL 33679. business without experience or capital. Information free. RUBBER ADDRESS STAMPS. BUSINESS CARDS Free Mail Order Associates, Dept. 779, Montvale. NJ 07645 Catalog 1-800-851-4945 Jackson s. Brownsville Road -E- RECORD COLLECTORS SUPPLIES. S.S.B.Cardboard 101. Mt 413M011, III. 62864 jackets. 500. Plastic lined sleeves. 150. Opera boxes. 78 BORROW $300-$30.000 INTEREST FREE' Keep indef- sleeves. etc. Postage $2.00. FREE CATALOG VISA -MC initely' Free Details. Write: American, 1601 Main. Plain- phone orders, 614-299-0476. 614-272-6715 DAY OR field. Indiana 46168. STAMPS NIGHT. CABCO. 400-3. Box 8212. Columbus, Ohio 43201. AMAZING PROFITS SELLING How to Make Money Books' SOMETHING SPECIAL -My collector lots of mint stamps. THOUSANDS of like new LPs. prerecorded tapes cata- Details $1 00 Tom, 298"S"Sandbug Lane, North Bend. No junk Priced: $3 00. $5.00, $10.00. Eastern. Box 461, logue $2.50 Records, Hillburn, New York 10931 OR 97459. Milton. MA 02186. III ADVERTISERS' INDEX READER PAGE SERVICE NO ADVERTISER NUMBER

AMC Jeep 42. 43 Angel EMI Records 95 26 Audiophile Systems 90 11 Audio-Technica U.S., Inc 88

15 BASF 17 Ben Bagley Bose Corporation 11

Visits Carver Corporation 22 21 CBS Records 89 42 Consumers Company 95 Bernstein Custom Woodwork 8 Design, Inc 24

DAK Industries 25 and Elmslie OAK Industries 1 1 1 19 Denon America. Inc 68 14 Design Acoustics 104 10 Discount Music Club 27 9 Discwasher Cover 4 Barbara Cook sings Elmslie 22 Fourier Systems, Inc 93 Franklin Mint Corporation 15 12 Fujitsu Ten 21 THE latest releases in Ben Bagley's enor- song for which he wrote both the music and mously valuable and, happily, continu- the lyrics.It was originally recorded by Illinois Audio 109 ing series of albums honoring the founding Billie Holiday for use as the juke -box ballad 20 Institute of Audio Research 10 fathers of the "modern" American musical opening his ballet Fancy Free. Chita Riv- 40 International Distributors. Inc 110 theater and those who followed are "Leon- era, who sings it here, is no Billie Holiday, ard Bernstein Revisited" and "Kenward but who is? Rivera also sings a wonderful Jack Daniel's 103 ElmslieVisited."Bernstein,ofcourse, song dropped from Wonderful Town (ac- 39 J IL R Music World 105 needs no introduction. Elmslie does. Jensen Car Audio 31-34 cording to Bagley, because star Rosalind 2 JVC 7 Elmslie seems to have hung around on the Russell couldn't sing it) called The Story of 18 JVC 92 fringes of the business for a long time with- My Life, alitany of wrong moves and out ever really hitting any artistic or com- missed opportunities. The lyrics for this one mercial jackpot. His earliest stage success are by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, 7- Kyocera 53 was, perhaps, his book and lyrics for Thefrequent Bernstein collaborators who turn Grass Harp, adapted from the novel by up a lot on this album. The least appealing 23 LaBelle Camera 8 Stereo of Maine 107 Truman Capote and produced off Broad- numbers here are the ones Bernstein wrote way in the early Seventies. (The original - with Alan Jay Lerner for the misbegotten Marlboro 58, 57 cast album was produced by Bagley and is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Among the 27 Maxell Corp. of America 23 still available on Painted Smiles PS 1354.) most appealing are We Are Women and 32 McIntosh Laboratory. Inc 24 A widely published poet and novelist, Elms - Ringaroundarosie, written for Candide but 13 Mirage Acoustics 91 lie has been a busy librettist. He has worked rarely used in productions of it. Again, fine with several leading American opera com- performances of fine material too easily and Nakamichi 55 posers, including Jack Beeson, Ned Rorem, too often overlooked. -Christie Barter 18 NEC Cover 2, 1 and Thomas Pasatieri, and his significant body of work in that form is represented KENWARD ELMSLIE VISITED.Barba- 4 Panasonic 41 here by a couple of scenes from Washington ra Cook, Estelle Parsons, Catherine Malfi- Phillip Morris /Players 48 Square, an Elmslie/Pasatieri collaboration Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. 8, 9 tano, Elaine Stritch, George Rose, Brent 5 Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. 45 based on the Henry James novel. Judging Ellis, Richard Thomas, others (vocals); or- 37 Polk Audio 61 by these brief but lovely excerpts in deeply chestra, Bruce Pomahac, Thomas Pasatieri 48 P.R.LC.E. 112 felt performances by Catherine Malfitano conds. Beauty Secrets; One Night Stand; and Brent Ellis, who created their roles for The One and Only Person in the World; Radio Shack 2 the Michigan Opera Theater, this is cer- Brazil; "They"; The Candygram Song; The 28 Revox 101 tainly a work I'd like to hear more of. R. J. Reynolds/Salem 38 Richest Man in the World; I Trust the R. J. Reynolds/Vantage 80 Therestof "KenwardElmslieVis- Wrong People; Who'll Prop Me Up in the R. J. Reynolds/ Winston 18 ited"-the bulk of it, in fact-is given over Rain; Bang -Bang Tango; Eggs; Adele the to songs selected from shows Elmslie has Vaudeville Martinet. Washington Square: 43 Sansui Electronics Corp. Cover 3 worked on and assorted numbers ranging FirstLove;Catherine'sAria. PAINTED 45 Shure Brothers 12 from the really good (I Trust the Wrong SMILES PS 1339 $9.98. 17 Sony Corporation 4 People from The Grass Harp, sung by 3 Sony Corporation 39 6 Sony Corporation 51 Elaine Stritch, and Barbara Cook's rendi- LEONARD BERNSTEIN REVISITED. 49 Sound Reproduction, Inc 112 tion of Beauty Secrets from the as yet un- Nell Carter, Chita Rivera, Estelle Parsons, 29 Stereo & Taps Outlet 112 produced musical Lola) to the really terri- 38 Stereo Corp. of America 108 Jo Sullivan, John Reardon, Arthur Siegel, 28 Studer Revox America, Inc 101 ble (Eggs, sung by Richard Thomas). But others (vocals); orchestra. Conquering the the focus here is, or should be, on the words. City; Lonely Me; Big Stuff. We Are Wom- While the music, by various hands, some- en; Bright and Black; Another Love/Dream 48 TDK Electronics 47 times upstages them, they are consistently with Me; Rio Bamba; President Jefferson literate and generally ring true. And, as al- March; It's Got to Be Bad to Be Good; The 56 Wisconsin Discount Stereo 108 ways, Bagley has rounded up aterrific Story of My Life; Take Care of This bunch of singers to put them across. House; Ain't Got No Tears Left; Ring- The Bernstein album brings some treas- aroundarosie. PAINTED SMILES PS 1377 Yamaha International Corp. ures to light too, particularly Big Stuff, a $9.98. SEPTEMBER 1983

1 1 6 STEREO REVIEW Z-9000 X

SANSUI DOESN'T CLAIM TO HAVE THE WORLD'S ONLY DISTORTION -FREE RECEIVER. NOW WE HAVE FOUR.

Unlike most high fidelity comps- control. One -touch Simul Switch 130 to 55 watts, aid you can r les Eansui doesn't reserve its lig sirr ultaneously turns on the appreciate why no otier collection r---iDst advanced technology excLi- power and one input-turntable of receivers gives you so much si-ely-or the top -of -the -line model tape deck or AM, FM broaccast control over your music. That's why ever/ model it -he microprocessor also controls Maybe you're wondering why our new "Z" Quartz Synthesizer the Quartz-PLL digital synthesized Sansui doesn't gwe you less tech- Compu Receive- Ine (Z -9000X, tuning that presets 8 FM and 8 AM nology and fewer features, as. Z -7000X, Z -5000X, Z -3003X) is stations. The drift -free tuning, others do. It's bez-ause we lever distortion -free whether auto scan or manual, is compromise when it °comes to Sansui puts its so precise that in congested area. music. And neith3r snould you best Super Feedforward even the weakest station sounds Some compet tive receivers as if it's just around the correr. Watts per channel herald the fact that hey eliminat=2 There's also a programmable digi- Minimum RMS, 20-23-KHz, both audib e distortion. Bit only Sansui, al quartz timer/clock with th"ee channels driven-ito 8 ohms, at .vth its highly acclaimed and exdu- daily independent memory func- rated Total Harmonic Distortion. siie Soper Feedforward DC power ions. You can awaken to FM; fall 130 \,,N.. C050/ amplrier system banishes every asleep to cassette music, and arrive Z -9000X conceivable type cf audible and n- -lame to hear your favorite -ecord. Z -7000X 1(0 w .005% air:Jibe distortioi-THD, TIM, inter -Thetop -of -the -line Z -9000X Z -5000X ;0 w .007%

rrodulation, envelope, svolchric , makes listening even more plea- Z -3000X C5 w .008% c-ossover, etc. And -his unique cis- surable with a 7 -band graphic -crtion-destroying circuitry is bui r equalizer, a built-in reverb amp, rtoeYery new Samui"Z"receivi preset volume control, plus pre- -he super irtelligence amps for MC and MM cartridge', of microprocessor control More music rift-VIA-L Similarly, all ntaJcls iicor control across the board SANSUIELECT ROWS CORPOF ATON oorate a high degree of autonna Combine all this with power Lyndhurst.NJ 07071 Gar -Jena CA 90248 -ion, hanks to microprocessor handl ng capability ranging from SansuiElectric Co LtdTokyo, Jar-an

Putting more pleasure in sound Circle No. 43 on Reader Service Card. The Discwasher Brand D'MAG is not just a head demagnetizer... it's a cassette deck demagnetizer. Magnetic fields surround not only tape heads but capstans, guides and other steel portions of a cassette deck as well; and all of these magnetized parts are capable of reducing high frequencies on recorded tapes by as much as 4dB with only a single playback. Discwasher D'MAG utilizes permanent high energy samarium cobalt magnets for both efficiency and consistency in demagnetizing effect. With a single pass, D'MAG will neutralize magnetic fields from any cassette deck, whether home or car. And permanent magnets mean that D'MAG doesn't require batteries or power cords.

IT'S BEEN WORTH THE WAIT discwasher n9mAG m Cassette Deck Demagnetizer

Cassette DeckDemagnetizer

Write Discwasher for your free copy of 'Guscle.fo T,ape Care-.

1407 NORTH PROVIDENCE FOAD. P.O. BOX 6021. DEPT. SR. COLUMBIA. MO 65205 discwashea A DIVISION OF JENSEN an ESMARK Company CIRCLE NO9 ON READER SERVICE CARD