NOVEMBER 1987 $2.50 USA $3.50 CANADA ELITY AU DI OGH • VID E O • Fl TES T REP O R T S • MUSI C

DIGITAL VIDEO The Hype The• Facts The• Promise Which Digital TV and VCR Features Do You Really Need?

THE EQUALIZERS 12 Ways They Can Perk Up Your Stereo

THE LAB TESTS 6 Speakers— One Could Be For You!

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Aci•PTCP \IQ BALAs a. 9 neitE THE ELITE A-91D INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER. Now that the compact disc has taken the world by storm, ordinary amplifiers are failing their driving test. Because or- dismrtion.What's more, dinary amplifiers simply can't critical signal paths are kept handle the dynamic range and extraordinarily short for less purer signal that digital sound electronic interference and delivers. cleaner sound. Fortunately, the A-91D is When it comes to digital far from ordinary. Because the sound, there's no such thing A-91D is built with one thought as go( x.1 vibrations. That's why in mind—to maximize the per- the A-9 ID uses a special anti- formance of digital sound. vibration honeycomb design With 170 watts per channel in the chassis frame. In isola- into 4 ohm speaker loads, and tion barriers between electronic 120 watts into 8 ohms, the sections. Even in all five insu- A-91D unleashes digital's full lator feet. A large aluminum dynamic range. Extra-large volume control knob with a capacitors and huge finned specially balanced brass shaft cast-iron enclosed transtbrm- also absorbs distortion-causing ers further contribute to the vibration, and printed circuit A-91D's high current capacity boards arc mounted in rubber and sability into speaker kmds kw the same reason. as low as 2 ohms. The A-91D is not only ready Along with all this power [or digital, it's ready for the comes unprecedented purity. future. With six digital inputs You can plug the latest CD (2 optical), and three digital players with optical outputs outputs (I optical). directly into the A-91I), and reap So if you want your digital the rewards of independent sound to drive you to new digital conversion circuitry— 1h:iglus, you need to drive your with twin, glitch-free D/A digital components with the convTrters, a digital filter with Elite A-91I). tburtimes oversampliiig, and For nitre intbrmation, call an analog lowpass filter made 1-800-421-1404. from quality discrete parts, Thk. A-911) also uses Pioneer's exclusive ELITE Non-Switching- Thx. ill amplifier circuit to totally BY PIO N EE R eliminate switching 01987 Pioneer Ekctronics (LISA) Inc.. long Beach. CA TH E A M P LIFIE R T H AT C H A N G E S lbtelrI'gtielaisbmleown=egefdlic!iocidae each amp then produces a signifi- candy beefed up 90 Watts RMS, 180 THE MEANING OF THE WORDS Watts Peak, to one speaker through one channel. Supplying you not only "PEAK PERFORMANCE with a tremendous source of power, but tremendous proof that the only thing IN AN AUTOMOBILE' better than one PLT Turbo amp is two With our new Phase Linear PLT 150 A reservoir of energy on which it can of them. Turbo amplifier, the mere act of sitting 400.00 AN AMP THIS POWERFUL 200 instantly draw, POT 150 TURBO DESERVES A STRONG SPEAKER. in your car can become an exhilarating rio DYNAMIC HEADROOM in times of need, 150 7 Luckily, at Phase Linear we build experience. 170 6 to swell from a 100 speakers rugged enough Because we build into each one the 60 norma130 Watts to handle the power of uncanny ability to boost its power, and 603 per Channel sustain that power, during those crucial 7 to an awesome our amps. 401 I moments when your music makes in- 150 Watts per Our Phase Linear 00 70 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Graphite speakers. ordinate demands on your stereo system. holt Sorel Ourarnon 6 544: Channel. Each one, built with rigid graphite Thus, the Turbo ensures that every And because our amp sustains this musical peak, every rousing crescendo, burst of power 25 times longer than the cones, responds more quickly and accu- comes through flawlessly. industry standard, it produces a truer rately than paper cone models to intense sound than any amplifier in its class. fluctuations in peak performance music. Even truer than larger, costlier amps And because they tend to "break up" that depend totally on their brawn for less at higher volumes, you can blast lack of our turbocharged brain. away all day without the slightest hint of distortion. OUR AMP PROVIDES PLENTY OF POWER So if you've been thinking of buying TO PLENTY OF SPEAKERS. a car stereo amp, we suggest you try our The new Phase Linear PLT 150 is new PLT 150 Turbo. It may not help stable to 2 Ohms. Which means it can the way your car drives. But with the continue to deliver its awesome power right equipment, it will definitely get should you find yourself using it with you going. more than two speakers. M TN. El !.) 5 1.4i rh...4 Imre • a Inlarnan.mal len.... In. Pilaw. Linear • n a regmered 11S&ITIallk In.renanonal lensen OUR TURBO AMP INCREASES YOUR CAR'S And if you need even more power, MOW DYNAMIC HEADROOM. (rare as the case may be), whether for Our new Turbo amp achieves its speakers or subwoofer applications, power boost— its dynamic headroom — we've planned for this as well. GRAPHITE - with what we call a "smart" power supply. We've designed our PLT 150 Turbo Making the best of sound technology. HIGH FIDELITY

NOVEMBER 1987 VOL. 37 NC. 11

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JBL 830 and five more speakers aestcd 23 Making the most of an equalizer 62 International Record Critics Award% 72

TEST REPORTS COLUMNS JBL 830 loudspeaker 23 Front Lines Is the rational audiophile American Acoustics PS W-20() powered subwoofer 27 an endangered species? M ICHAEL RIGGS 5 Advent Maestro loudspeaker 31 Bits & Pieces Optical links—do Infinity RS-7 Kappa loudspeaker 35 they really provide advantages? Jamo Compact 90 loudspeaker 41 DAVID RANADA 13 TSC Symphony I loudspeaker 43 The Autophile The whys and hows Multivision 1.1 digital video controller 46 of the Big Three automakers' custom- equalized systems. CHRISTOPHER J. ESSE 14 AUDIO & VIDEO Crosstalk Component wear: Video and the Digital Revolution. Digital technology is improving picture midrange distortion./LARRY KLEIN _ 18 quality and breaking new ground in special effects./GoRDoN BROCKHOUSE 51 Tape Tracks Tricks and traps of The Joys of Equalization. What a graphic equalizer can and can't do for you, editing cassettes./ROBERT LONG 20 and how to get the most out of it. /LARRY KLEIN 62 Medley White nights, northern lights /THEODORE W. LIBBEY, JR. MUSIC Remembering John Hammond. RICHARD C. W ALLS 71 CLASSICAL 20th Annual H IGH Fum mv/International Record Critics Awards. Finland played host as the jury chose the best records of the year/THEODORE W. LIBBEY, JR 72 DEPARTMENTS POPULAR/BACKBEAT Glimpse the Truth. More Beatles on CD: Letters 6 Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 94 Currents Camcorders may be the catalyst for the new Super VHS format. _8 On the cover, left to right: NEC's The CD Spread Heifetz and DX-5000 VCR, Multivision's I. I Horowitz reissues: Copland, Elgar, digital video controller, Infinity's Falk, Faure Walton, and Stravinsky. _78 RS-7 Kappa loudspeaker, and Classical Reviews Van Cliburn Advent's Maestro loudspeaker. concerto performances on CD: Chausson's Le Roi Arthus; works by Bernstein and Mozart 82 Advertising Index and Reader-Action Page 103

Cover design: Joanne Goodfellow Cover photo: Kenneth Schroers

MON FOR M' (ISSN 00111-1455) s published monthly at 825 Sever', Ave , New York. NY 10019, by ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc . a division ol ABC Publishing. Inc., and a subsidiary of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc C) 1987 by ABC Consumer Magazines. Inc The design and contents are fully protechriby copyright and must not be reproduced ir any manner. Second-class postage paid o- New York, New York, and at additional moiling offices Authorized as second doss moil by the Post Office Deportment, Ottowo. and for payment ol postage in cash Yearly subscription in the U.S.A and Possessions $13 95; elsewhere $20.95. Single copies $2.501Conada $3 50). Subscribers. Send subscriptions inquiries, and address chongv-s •ID FiDEOT,. P 0 Box 10759. Des Mon , s, Iowa 50340 Change of address. Cue old and new addresses, ir • cluding ZIP codes. Enclose address label from ast issue and allow I cue weeks for change to become ef -achve POSTMASTER: Send chom p of oddross to HMI FMIRITT, P.O. Boo 10759, Doi Moin m, IA 50340.

NOVEMBER 1 9 8 7 3 Until now, car stereo systems let you equalize sound through two speakers, at best Which is hardly best, if you have four speakers. The highs and lows you control in only two speakers are virtually cancelled out by the levels you can't control in the other speakers. But listen to Sherwood. Listen to the CRD-350 stereo cassette receiver combined with the EQA-280 equalizer/amplifier. Listen to full equalizer control of all four speakers at 20 watts per channel. A total of 80 watts. The experts did at this past summer's Consumer Electronics Show. And they voted the CRD-350/EQA-280 combo 'Among the most innovative consumer electronics products of the war" The EQA-280's line output loops through the CRD-350's preamp sending fully equalized sound to the four corners of your car. And the EQA-280 gives you seven EQ bands. Five LEDs to indicate power levels. A selectable EQ defeat switch. A high/low gain switch. An automatic remote on/off What about the CRD-350? What about everything you ever wanted in car stereo. You get FM stereo, of course. But also C-QUAM*AM stereo. Dolby** B/C noise reduction for its full logic, auto-reverse cassette deck. Plus, a computer controlled PLL synthesizer timer. Automatic seek tuning. Local/distance switch. 'Rvelve station presets. Preset scan. A compact disc player input Fader control. Auto tape scan system. Auto tape music search and music repeat system. Super Hl-/3 permalloy playback head. Even two illumination colors you can select with one touch. Want more for your money? You'll

a is so s never get it Ask the experts. Like any of the

• em. • =4= dealers listed below. Sherwood's got the market • E. E GIME II MI 10A 210 cornered in four-corner sound.

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LI g, LI CUE /RAMS AWCA/101-WT 23 Sherwood® LIVE PERFORMANCE SOUND'

Southern California — Crystal Sonics, 1 (800) 545-7310, Wisconsin —American T.V., (608) 271-1000, Minnesota, North Dakota, ko wa — Best Buy Co., (612) 896-2300 New England — Manufacturer's Marketplace, (617) 327-7000, Richmond —Auto Sound of Virginia, (804) 282-3152, Indiana — HIS Russ, (317) 243-2940

Sherwood GOaS 16 The Four Corners Of Your Car 16 Ø Equalize Sound .0 Front Lines 1 1' The Rational i .. Audiophile

fir‘ By Michael Riggs

had the pleasure this spring of spending a few days in The result apparently has been increased amplifier the Seattle area, where I visited Carver Corporation. sales on the one hand and consternation and breast-beat- IBob Carver is undoubtedly among the most impor- ing among the faithful on the other. I think what bothers tant figures in the American audio industry. The compa- Carver, and what I know bothers me, is the desire in ny that he started in the late '70s, after his departure some quarters to believe that designing sonically accurate from Phase Linear (which he also founded), is now easily electronics requires something more ethereal than good the largest domestic manufacturer of audio electronics. engineering. The key to Carver's repeated success is his ability to Yet the overwhelming evidence is that we have known develop innovative products. Carver Corporation's for some time how to build amplifiers that make no audi- breakthrough product was a 9-pound, 6-inch cube that ble imprint on the signals passing through them. Given could put out 200 watts per side. The price was about a an understanding of the demands placed on amplifiers by dollar a watt. The desire to deliver that kind of value has music and loudspeakers, an awareness of what the ear is always been at the core of Carver's design philosophy. and isn't sensitive to, and good engineering, it is possible Given his evident success, I was a little surprised to make superb audio amplifiers that can sell for reason- (though not completely) to hear Carver express concern able prices. Carver and others have been doing just that about the future of "the rational audiophile," which is for years. what he considers both himself and his most likely cus- But what happens when people start to believe that tomer. The rational audiophile is a person who wants the this is not enough—that a 10-pound, $500 amplifier can't best possible combination of sound, features, and reliabil- sound as good as a 50-pound, $3,000 model with gold- ity at a reasonable price. It also is someone who does not plated input jacks and fancy capacitors? It is easy to ar- believe in magic. gue that it doesn't matter so long as you have the money Yet one of Carver's recent marketing successes has to support your prejudices. I think the damage goes deep- been a series of what the company calls "t mods." These er than the wallet, however. Beliefs of this kind, unsup- are amplifiers whose basic designs have been modified ported by evidence, tend to pull down the level of dis- slightly to make them sound exactly like certain high- course and to distract people from issues that have priced, esoteric power amplifiers. To some people, it genuine merit. And because they lack solid intellectual comes as a shock that a relatively low-price transistor underpinnings, their widespread adoption makes it hard- amplifier can be made to achieve sonic parity with, say, er for consumers to arrive at sensible, informed buying an exotic tube amplifier. decisions. You can see this effect most readily in the sell- In fact, the alterations are small—minor adjustments ing of Compact Disc players, whose new technical fea- to the output impedance, for example, which can affect tures often benefit the ad copy far more than the user. frequency response into some loads. And the changes in This is not to say that no one should ever buy an ex- sound quality, insofar as they exist at all, are commensu- pensive amplifier of unusual design and aerospace-grade rate. But Bob has demonstrated his ability to make his construction. There is more to owning a high-quality au- amplifiers sound exactly like anyone else's (regardless of dio system than sound, just as there is more to owning a size, price, circuit, or mystique) to people who spend good car than seating capacity. Just understand what their lives and careers chasing such elusive subtleties. you're getting for your money. •

NN W Newel' is published monthly by ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc., a division of ABC Publishing, Inc., and a subsidiary of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. 0 1987 ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc. Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations. Indexed in Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. Current and back copies of HIGH FIDELITY are available on microfilm from University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106. Microfiche copies (1973 forward) are available from Bell & Howell Micro Photo Div., Old Mansfield Rd., Wooster, Ohio 44691. ADVINTISNNI WP M. New Veekt ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc., 825 Seventh Ave., 8th fl., New York, N.Y. 10019. Tel. (212)265-8360. Peter T. Johnsmeyer, Group Advertising Director; Andrew Eisenberg, Associate Advertising Director; James R. McCallum, Advertising Director: Music/Books, Maria Manaseri, Classified Advertising Manager; Angelo Puleo, Director of Production; Marina Paruolo, Advertising Production Manager. alieweees HIGH FIDELITY, 580 Waters Edge, Lombard, III. 60148. Tel. (312) 691-1165/7. Starr Lane, Midwest Advertising Director. las As/melees ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc., 1888 Century Park East, Suite 1900, Los Angeles, Calif. 90067. Tel. (213) 284-3132. Howard Berman, Western Advertising Director. Idlesild awreepewiewee should be addressed to The Editor, HIGH FIDELITY, 825 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019. Editorial contributions will be welcomed, and payment for articles accepted will be arranged prior to publication. Submissions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited photographs or manuscripts.

N O V E M B E R I 9 8 7 L E T T E R S H IGH FIDELITY FEUER M A N N TREASURES ON TAPE neously issued in both mono and stereo Publisher/Editorial Director I would be grateful if you could help me versions on both sides of the Atlantic. M I111.1111 1,11.111 Beatle producer George Martin obvi- find out how I can acquire a copy of the Editor Emmanuel Feuermann recordings (In ously prefers the mono versions of Please \Mime' Riggs Please Me and With the Beatles, and that's Art Diretior Sync 4162/63) mentioned in R. D. Dar- li,111111. (.111111(.11"1, rell's article "Through the Hourglass" all very well. However, he has never dis- Managing Editor [February'. owned the stereo mixes of A Hard Day's eii (am

Jan Crafoord Night and Beatles for Sale (although EMI, Copy Editor Has lic Tullinge, Sweden in its publicity material, makes it seem as Assistant Copy Editor though he has, by quoting his comments Leslie Bill's In Sync cassettes are available from a num- about the first two CDs as if they applied Assistant Managing Editor 14111.1111.111 111•,1•1 to all four). Rather, as he told me in an in- ber of retailers in the United States, but Assistant Managing Editor/Special Projects since you are writing from overseas, we sug- terview published in The New York Times ed., I. feriegio on March 8, he would have liked to have Assistant to the Publisher gest you contact In Sync directly at 2211 Darken II dual ils Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10024.—Ed. cleaned up the stereo mixes of those two Editorial Assistants albums, just as he later (and so brilliant- Judith Nu hots. \l out., Segall.. ly) did with Help! and Rubber Soul. But ASME interns BEATLE-LETTER MANIA haul s strphame Emir II seems clear from your August letters EMI did not consult him until the 11th TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT hour. Clearly, in EMI's view, marketing about the Beatles on Compact Disc that Technical Editor there's still a bit of confusion about what plans took precedence over doing the job I Lis iil right. Assistant Technical Editor the "original" Beatle recordings were. For I Jo isioplici f cc instance, reader Ken Cyr (who is not Allan Kezhen Consulting Technical Editors alone) errs in his assumption that the ster- New York, N.Y. l'alssai .1 towel . Rohe, I Contributing Editor eo mixes we've been hearing all these years Imis El,',,, are "what some joker did with the tracks Popular Music Editor Ken Richardson re- MUSIC DEPARTMENT plies: Mr. Kozinn is correct in stating that after importing them to the U.S." Not so. Classical Music Editor It's true that "some joker" added a bit of the stereo mixes of Beatle album tracks I Imorloir M I Alibi, originated in England and not in the U.S. Popular Music Editor echo to the British tapes, but otherwise, Ken RI, hal ikon the stereo mixes issued in the United As published, Mr. Cyr's letter seems to im- Contributing Editors States are identical to those issued in Eng- ply otherwise; sorry for any confusion. Also, Robert E. Benson. leshe Bet 111.111. II" Bessman. Pamela Bloom. Frame. Mots. Re,. l'honias I.. Dixon. land on LP several months earlier. I have no reason to doubt Mr. Kozinn 's 'Flow Eckert. Jr.. Mese Futterman. Edward Greenfield. Thoinas Hathaway. Paul Hume. Paul Moor. The tracks issued in England as singles claim that John Lennon was referring to John Morthland. Jell Nesin. Robert R. Reins. British singles placed on American LPs and Th as W. Russell III. Tern leachout. and thrown onto American LPs are anoth- Noah Andre Triadeau. Michael Ullman, er matter, and although those are actually not to original album tracks when he dis- kit hard C. Walls. James Wierzhicki

not at issue here (since they're not on the paraged the "pseudo-stereo" mixes of early ART DEPARTMENT CDs), it seems they may be at the root of Beatle songs. Thanks for the clarification. Assistant Art Mistier /opoi some of the confusion about what is and However, even an authority like Mr. Technical Art isn't an "original mix." In many (but not Kozinn can get tangled up in the forest of K. I Inds, • un

all) cases, the British singles were sent to Beatle information and forget what he PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT the United States in mono only, and in pre- wrote—or possibly revise what someone Director of Production paring them for stereo LP, Capitol repro- said—on an earlier occasion. In Mr. Ko- "g r "dr " Advertising Production Manager cessed them to simulate stereo, giving one zinn's interview with George Martin in The Ui channel a tinny, treble sound and making New York Times—and I have it right in Alms System Manager W ilted itliliaidsoo the other sound more bassy. Before the re- front of me— Martin did not simply say "he lease of the Beatle CDs, and the subse- would have liked to have cleaned up the CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Vice-President, Newsstand Sales/Consumer Magazines quent argument about their mono sound, stereo mixes" of A Hard Day's Night and I h 'nun. Shisoll.. this sort of rechanneling is what was tradi- Beatles for Sale for CD release. Rather, he Director, Circulation/Subscriptions lulu, Rana tionally meant by "fake stereo." And said the following (my emphasis added): "I National Sales Manager/Newsstand when John Lennon complained of the ear- told EMI that the first two CDs should go but Robe'', ly American discs being released in "pseu- out in mono, and that if they had to issue Circulation Subscription Staff (),a Blat knion-DeSt It. Joseph Debit o. do-stereo," as reader Carl Glover men- the others in stereo, the mixes should be Lori Rainlord. And, ee Rittenhouse. lamest. Smith tions, his comments were taken to refer to cleaned up and re-equalized for CD." I also Customer Wyk* Ka, Harris the reprocessed versions of singles like "I quote an interview with Martin included in Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She's a EMI's publicity material, which though ARC CONSU MER MAGAZINES, INC. jam,. I 1,tIL. Vice-President, Group Publisher Woman" rather than the album tracks' admittedly misleading in some areas, is Rii I'm,' I MAI 111. O. Vice-President, Advertising Ian mil I'm mile. Vice-President, Operations stereo mix of instruments vs. vocals. clear in the following (again, my emphasis Mat, Ret,t Vicis-President, Finance Strictly speaking, the latter may be de- added): "I think there might be a case for Ilene Belson %Venni-. Vice-President, Production scribed as "bad stereo," but given that issuing the last two of the first four CDs in ONE OF THE ABC 11BIJSHING COMPANIES there are separate and distinct signals on stereo at some time. In other words, Mar- Robert G. But t.,tt. President the two channels, there's nothing "fake" tin was not insisting on stereo CDs of A 1330 Avenue of the Amerii as. Neu Thrk, N.V. 10019 about it. And remember that Please Please Hard Day's Night and Beatles for Sale Magee Me and With the Beatles, as well as all oth- from the word "go," as Mr. Kozinn implies, 31)1 4.111611m m er early Beatle albums, were simulta- not only in his letter but also in his Beatle • ••••••• Magazine Publishers Macchia:0

6 H I G H F I D I L T Y CD exposés for Billboard and the Tower Records magazine Pulse! And by the way, saying that someone in the U.S. "added a bit of echo" to the British tapes is a lot dif- ferent than saying that the tapes were "lav- ishly immersed in artificial echo," which is how Mr. Kozinn put it in the Times (and which is the more accurate description). Allan may have said things that George didn't say and that he himself didn't say that I didn't like, but at least in our fond- ness for bantering about the Beatles, we are all together. So without further ado, turn to this month's BACKBEAT for reviews of the next batch of Beatle CDs.

After several months of the mono vs. stereo controversy surrounding the release of the first four Beatle CDs, I find it ex- tremely strange to hear no outrage over the blatant tampering with the master tapes of Please Please Me. It is well documented that John Len- Buy Any Sony non made an error singing the final verse of the album's title cut: Immediately after he and Paul McCartney sing, "Last night I Compact Disc Player said these words to my girl," Paul contin- ues with the proper follow-up line, but and get 3 CDs free: John begins a line from another verse. By the middle of the lyric, they are back to- Plus a free membership in CBS CD Club. gether. This mistake can clearly be heard Between August I. 1987 and January 31, nothing—it will be shipped automatically If on any LP pressing, American or British. 1988. buy any Sony home, car, or portable you prefer an alternate selection—or none When I cued up my CD of Please compact disc player and receive 3 CDs at all—mail the response card, always pro- free from the 23 listed below. (You pay only vided, by the date specified. You will have Please Me to that spot, I found that a cor- for shipping and handling ) Just mail the at least 10 days to make your decision. If you rected version has been spliced in. Perhaps coupon below, together with a copy of the ever receive any selection without having someone at EMI, in his or her infinite wis- proof of purchase for your Sony Compact had at least 10 days, you may return the Disc Player selection at the Club's expense. The CDs dom, thought the mistake would be too How The Club Works: Every four weeks you order as a member will be billed at apparent on CD and "cleaned it up." (13 times a year). you'll receive the Club's regular Club prices, plus shipping and If these recordings were released on music magazine In addition, up to six times handling. CBS Compact Disc Club reserves a year. you may receive special offers, for a the right to cancel any membership You mono CDs for the sake of "historical accu- total of up to 19 buying opportunities If you are under no obligation to buy anything, racy," then who has the right to tamper want only the Selection-of-the-Month. do and may cancel at any time

with the tapes in such a drastic way? Has 353920 346643 352940 353771 this been noticed by anyone else? Does SIMPLY RED ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER WYNTON MARSALIS CLAUDE BOLLING JEAN Men and Women Down to the Moon Carnaval PIERRE RAMPAL. FLUTE anyone know why this was done? Elektra CBS Eastman Wind Ensemble Bolling Suite No 2 tot flute Donald Hunsberger, Dir & Jazz Piano Trio 352245 3483111 By the way, thank you for a great mag- CBS CBS DAVID SANBORN THE POLICE Masterworks azine! A Change of Heart Every Breath You Take 349324 Warner Bros The Singles 347955 VARIOUS ARTISTS David S. Tho mas ABM HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN 352633 FORE' SOUTH PACIFIC Fishkill, N.Y. D PARTON I RONSTADT 354449 Chrysalis K le KallaWa J Cartetas E HARRIS U2 The Joshua Tree S Vaughan. M Patinkin Warner Bros 347492 Island Ambrosian Singers London Popular Music Editor Ken Richardson re- GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA 346478 Symphony Orch J Tunick. Dir. 353946 In the Digital Mood plies: Yes the mistake is clear, but it can be MADONNA True Blue CBS BRYAN ADAMS Into the Fire Digital Recording Sire heard only on any stereo LP pressing, 118M GRP 354902 346312 FLEETWOOD MAC 342097 346957 which is what you must have. The mistake BILLY JOEL the Bridge Tango in the Night BARBRA STREISAND STEVE WIN WOOD Columbia Warner Bros. was discovered and corrected with a tape The Broadway Album Back in the High Lite 351692 Columbia Island splice for the original mono mix, from BEASTIE BOYS which the CD was mastered. Therefore, the L,CPIIStli 10 10 1 Del Jam Columbia Mail this certificate a copy of your sales receipt and a shipping fee of $4.00 to. SONY CBS CD OFFER PO BOX 1129. 1400 N Fruitridge Ave . Terre Haute. IN 47811 I CD is indeed accurate. 345777 But wait! In researching this reply, I PETER GABRIEL So I have enclosed a copy of proof of pus- Name Geffen discovered that my mono LP copy of Capi- chase for my Sony CD player, plus the 345751 $4 00 shipping and handling fee Rush Address tol's The Early Beatles inexplicably in- PAUL SIMON Graceland my 3 FREE CDs and enroll me in the Warner Bros club under the terms outlined I City cludes the supposedly stereo-only flubbed understand I have absolutely no obli , Slate Zip 344721 gallon to buy anything ever —and may version of "Please Please Me." Does anyone LIONEL RICHIE cancel at any time Sesd this. 3 CDs: know why this was done? Dancing on the Ceiling My main musical interest is Motown ( T Chissic-.11 Insert CD # Insert CD # 344622 NOTE THESE IMPORTANT OFFER Letters should be addressed to The Editor. 111611 FIDELI. ANITA BAKER Rapture TER MS Elektra Insert CD # IT. 825 7th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019. All letters are • , teceipt riiUsi U.- Lii i be 355529 inst 1 1987 and lanuary 41 1988 All subject to editing for brevity and clarity. PHILIP GLASS Dance Piece:, ,111,14 , iilUsi t,t• p.,str m ak e d t‘y CBS :Itlary 28 1988 Vold who-r.-1,1011,1,11,1 THES LEADER O IN DIGITAL N AUDIO' Y . 1.1w Offer valid only ,n continental A (excluding Mask., and Hawaii) cc: 1987 Sony Corporanon of Amer icr, N O V E M B E R ) 9 8 7 7 Compact Disc Club reserves the Sony and The Leader in Digital Audio • Plus $4.00 shipping air to cancel tr, ,..• are trademarks of Sony V75/JTJ and handling. C U R R E N T S

Autumn and Super VHS tapes, thereby maintaining a degree of tery) should serve equally well as a home Autumn is the season of change, and compatibility with existing tapes and ma- playback deck. you'll notice some of that change on retail- chines. In fact, the only incompatibility The GR-S55U, the compact S-VHS-C ers' shelves. Next to the $199 VCR with between S-VHS and regular VHS is that model, has many of the features of its larg- HQ, wireless remote control, and cable- tapes made in the S-VHS mode will not er relative, including high shutter speeds, compatible tuner, you'll find Super VHS play on a regular VHS machine. In keep- 400-line S-VHS playback resolution, and VCRs (with all the trimmings) priced at ing with the latest camcorder trend, the regular VHS recording and playback com- more than $1,000. That's a tough sell, es- GF-S1000HU has three high-speed shut- patibility. Missing is Hi-Fi audio (record- pecially for salespeople who are probably ter options (V25.-, 1/500-, and IA.-second) to ing is on the normal linear mono track more accustomed to making a quick, but improve clarity in slow-motion and still- only), the flying erase head, and the S- low-profit, sale of a basic VCR. Further- frame playback of recorded action scenes. video input. What you gain is a more than more, the desirability of an S-VHS VCR For instance, a golf swing or a tennis 50-percent reduction in weight, down to will hinge on the availability of high-quali- stroke played back in slow motion will about 3.1 pounds including battery and

Closer to picture-perfect: The JVC GF-S1000HU S-VHS Hi-Fl camcorder (left) and its S-VHS-C companion. the non-Hi-Fi GR-S55U.

ty prerecorded S-VHS movies, the number show little or no blurring, as would nor- tape. As with existing VHS-C camcorders, of which will grow slowly as rental stores mally be the case with such rapid move- the GR-S55U records for a maximum of face the prospect of stocking two versions ment. However, the fast shutter speeds re- 20 minutes in the SP mode and 60 minutes of tapes. quire more lighting than the normal /140 - in EP using an ST-C20 cassette. The market success of camcorders may second setting. Both new models should be available in actually pave the way for S-VHS, since the Although other features are typical of November. Prices were unavailable at this improved performance of an S-VHS cam- high-end camcorders, one stands out: a writing, but expect to pay about 25 percent corder can be immediately and fully ap- flying erase head that prevents the glitches more than you would for comparably preciated. Imagine home movies with bet- that usually occur when you stop and re- equipped regular VHS and VHS-C cam- ter resolution than the best available from start the tape during editing. In addition to corders. For more information, contact broadcast TV! its S-video output (for the cleanest signal JVC Company of America, 41 Slater Dr., JVC, which developed the system and transfer to a similarly equipped monitor or Elmwood Park, N.J. 07407. introduced the world's first Super VHS another S-VHS deck), the GF-S1000HU VCR (the HR-S7000U, tested in October), has an S-video input. Remember that the has made the superb resolution of the new improved performance of S-VHS is due in See the Light format available in two new camcorders. part to keeping the luminance (brightness) Many camcorders will work inside a dimly The top model is the GF-S1000HU, which and chrominance (color) portions of the lit room, but below a certain level of light, uses full-size S-VHS tapes and records in video signal separated all the way from the the image becomes grainy, the depth of Hi-Fi stereo through a built-in stereo mi- tape to the picture tube—hence the special field is lessened, and color balance suffers. crophone. The camera's resolution is said four-pin S-video connections. However, it One way around this problem is the Sima to be 450 lines (although playback resolu- takes a critical eye to notice much differ- Camlight-2, a quartz-halogen lamp that tion is 400), aided no doubt by a newly de- ence from the picture obtained using the can attach to the camcorder's shoe or veloped 2A-inch CCD pickup with a total conventional pin-jack inputs and outputs, stand alone as a side or back light. Two of 380,000 pixels (360,000 effective, ac- which are also provided. With its Hi-Fi versions are offered, one powered by AC cording to JVC). As with the company's capabilities and full array of transport ($80), the other by either AC or 12-volt HR-S7000U home deck, the camcorder controls, the rather heavy GF-S1000HU DC ($100). Sima says the vented housing can both record and play regular VHS (more than 7 pounds with tape and bat- keeps the Camlight-2 cooler longer than

a H I G H F I D E L I T Y Yamaha's new FFTspeakers do the same for your ears.

Before you listen to a pair of FFT Series' the scale. The acoustic bass thumps its lowest speakers, close your eyes.Yamaha's about to take possible note. your favorite music into a whole new dimension. The imaging becomes so dimensional, you'll A sonic dimension of greater acoustic im- swear you can "see" the performers on stage. While aging, creating a soundstage purely and precisely the emotions the music contains become even articulated. Where instruments and voices are more powerful. clearly defined in their own space, yet always in Pi truer picture of what you're hearing proper balance. emerges, because we had a truer picture of the You hear the music the way it was meant to FFT Series in its design stage. A computer pro- be heard: Horns stage left. Percussion stage rear. gram called the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) The singer's voice center stage and up front And made this expanded soundstage and greater each distinguishable from the other. musicality possible. And helped our U S. engineers You also hear more of each instrument's true create speakers using the most sophisticated range: Violins are rich and full. A flute riff ascends drivers, crossover networks and cabinet design. All integrated for optimum performance. What's more, each model has the power handling capacity to meet the expanded dynamic range of today's digital audio sources. So listen to the new Yamaha WI' Series at any authorized Yamaha FFT dealer today. Discover how our world-renowned expertise in the creation and re-creation of fine music has been applied to the FFF Series. Then close your eyes, and watch your music come alive. Yamaha Electronics Corporation, USA, PO. Box 6660, Buena Park, CA 90622

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YAMAHA 1887-1987 channels to widen the apparent width of the soundstage. Instead of using a PCM encoding scheme for the delayed back- channel signals, DBX uses its own delta- modulation technique, which is said to produce less noise. Speaking of noise, DBX points out that switching of all sources is done mechani- cally (through gold-plated contacts) to prevent any noise that might be intro- A flip-down cover in DBX's CX-1 preamplifier reveals an extensive array of features. including duced by solid-state or microprocessor surround-sound processing with Dolby Pro Logic. switches. Also, the balance and tone con- trols are removed from the circuit path any other light in its class. It weighs ap- speakers (not to mention its professional when set at their center detent positions. proximately 7 ounces and measures 3/12 signal-processing gear). Each of the CX-1's sections—line, head- inches long. The CX-1 preamplifier ($1,500) is the phone, video, delay, and phono (MM or The Camlight-2 should be of particular most dramatic entry, with an extensive ar- MC cartridge)—draws energy from its benefit for indoor shooting with one of the ray of audio and video switching (for a to- own regulated power supply. new generation of camcorders with high- tal of nine components) and a built-in sur- The CX-1's stablemate, the BX-1 pow- speed shutters (like the JVC models round-sound processor featuring Dolby er amplifier ($2,500), can operate as a con- above). As with photographic cameras, Surround with the new Pro Logic treat- ventional stereo amp rated at 400 watts faster shutter operation requires greater il- ment for enhanced channel separation. (26 dBW) per channel or in a three- or lumination. For additional information, Three other surround effects are intended four-channel configuration. In the latter contact Sima Products Corp., 4001 West for various types of music. mode, it delivers 100 watts (20 dBW) per Devon Ave., Chicago, III. 60646. You can control the levels of the back channel; in the former, a bridged third and center channels separately, after channel delivers 400 watts (23 dBW). which the overall level of these and the These are 8-ohm continuous-power rat- DBX Rounds Out front channels can be simultaneously ad- ings, but the BX-1 is designed to deliver in- As we mentioned briefly in September's justed by the master volume control. A creasing amounts of continuous power new-product preview, DBX has unveiled a soundstage control can gradually blend even into a 1-ohm load, which makes it a line of basic audio components to comple- the front stereo channels into mono, or, good match for speakers—even some "8- ment its Compact Disc players and its when turned the opposite direction, add ohm" models—whose impedances drop growing assortment of Soundfield loud- L—R and R —L difference signals to the steeply at certain frequencies. The BX-1's ating only when a certain level of noise is $1,495 ZB-2745H —is a console with the detected; it can also be defeated altogeth- special Bose-designed sound system (see er. The AM section conforms to the new "Currents," December 1986, for a de- broadcast standard and provides response scription of the Bose system). Two other beyond 5 kHz (compared to a typical top 27-inch consoles offer storage space and a end of 3 kHz) from stations that have al- VCR shelf, while another has a compart- ready made the change. ment that can house one of two new "verti- For more information, contact DBX, cal" VCRs (more on these in a moment). 71 Chapel St., Newton, Mass. 02195. But the big news, literally, is Zenith's first direct-view 35-inch set. The model SD- 3535H is said to take up no more space Top Zeniths than many 27-inch consoles and should Here are a fo% highlights from Zenith's sell for less than $2,800. new line of Digital System 3 TV sets and The vertical VCRs, both regular VHS, VHS VCRs. are about six inches wide and a foot tall. All of the TV sets incorporate a digital They fit neatly into the left side of the com- A new angle: The Zenith VRD-530 VCR fits in comb filter and circuitry that continuous- pany's new SD-2753H 27-inch console a Zenith TV set and in other tight spots ly monitors and adjusts the picture for op- ($1,295), but they'll also fit in other places timum performance. There are no picture- (Continued on page 104) 1-ohm stereo rating is 1,400 watts (31.5 in-picture (PIP) effects and the like, al- dBW) per channel; beyond that, an addi- though the sets can receive World System tional 1.5 dB of headroom is available for Teletext, a news and information service peaks, bringing the maximum (dynamic) that Zenith says is available to more than power at 1-ohm to more than 2,000 watts! 40 percent of U.S. homes. An adapter is The unit can be rack-mounted and has provided for connecting the separate lumi- handles front and rear. nance and chrominance video output from Completing the trio is the TX-1 the new S-VHS VCRs (such as Zenith's AM/FM tuner ($600), distinguished by $1,300 VRD-700, also recently intro- Schotz noise reduction (NR)—a circuit duced). The tuners can receive MIS (ster- that blends the high frequencies of the FM eo TV) broadcasts. On-screen displays in- stereo channels to reduce noise while pre- dicate volume, balance, bass, and treble serving as much stereo separation as possi- settings. ble. The NR respond% dynamically, oper- One of the 13 new 27-inch sets—the A new size: Zenith's 35-inch direct-view set

1111 .111111 /4 1.:":'

PERFECT MARRIAGE New SA-XG is TDK's exclusive SA-X formulation—the world's quietest tape —technomoniously joined together with TDK's most sophisticated mechanism ever—the Our unique 3-layer AS-II mechanism is specifically designed to suppress the generation of modulation noise A precision die-cast alloy frame and molded tape guide block are sandwiched between two transparent precision- molded shell halves made of a special hard plastic, which also incorporate 4 precisely machined metal guide pins The RS-I l's rigidity of construction, accuracy of fit and superior thermal resistance assure unerring tape travel, optimum tape-to-head contact and reduced modulation noise. The result is virtually true-to-source sound quality. So whether you choose the outstanding SA-XG, or SA-X, with its new vibration-dampening Dual Layer Mechanism — „ SA-X (DLM), you can be assured of one thing: An everlasting high bias honeymoon—till decibels do you part.

& T D K.THE ART OF PERFORMANCE.

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TDK is the world's leading manufacturer of audio/video cassettes and floppy disk products. 1987 TDK Electronics Corp

9, * Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. C8C Computers and Communicatons

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verybody knows that digital audio is the wave of the bles can carry the wide-bandwidth digital signals emerg- future. The waves of the future, however, are light ing from many CD players' digital outputs. What the op- Ewaves (photons, to you quantum-mechanical die- tical connections on these CD players presage is the day hards). Optoelectronics will become increasingly impor- when audio systems are primarily digital, a day when tant as digital-audio and even digital-video systems be- some of the unique characteristics of optical transmission come more complex, thus emphasizing the need for high- will come into their own. quality, low-interference interconnections. The opto- I hope that era will not be long in coming, though at electronic system most familiar to readers of this this stage it looks like it may never arrive. Why not? Be- magazine is the laser pickup in every CD player. Using a cause, with the exception of those components produced laser diode (only one, even in three-beam players), an ar- by the same company, none of these optical input/output ray of light-sensitive phototransistors, and an optically devices can be connected to each other. Even the connec- optimized disc, the CD system also demonstrates the tors are incompatible. Even worse, there is no home opti- power of applied light waves. Unfortunately, looking be- cal-interconnection standard, nor do I know of any in the yond this level of development in home-entertainment works, here or abroad. optical links shows that there is confusion, not light, at Even without a fiber-optic digital-audio interconnec- the end of the tunnel. tion standard, it is still amazing that no manufacturer has The most uncomplicated use of an optical data link come up with the obvious digital-audio fiber-optic appli- occurs in CD players from Sony, Nakamichi, Onkyo, Ya- cation: "wiring" a home for sound with a digital encoder maha, and others. In order to reduce noise, optically cou- at the main system, separate digital-to-analog converters pled arrangements of LEDs and phototransistors or at each "tap," and fiber optics linking them all together. photodiodes serve to isolate one part of the circuit from Used as the interconnection medium, optical fibers would another. In Onkyo's models, for example, the opto- offer the following important advantages: couplers are used to keep the digital-processing and ana- • Multiple channel capability with one cable. log-output circuitry electronically separate and are locat- • A cable that is lighter and smaller than shielded ed at the last possible location: between the digital-filter wires. and digital-to-analog converter sections. • Freedom from picking up electrical noises and from While the use of optical isolation in such an applica- generating radio or TV interference. tion smacks of technological overkill (like using Super- • Extremely long cable runs with no loss of audio glue when a paper clip would do), I see no harm in it. Al- quality. though manufacturers of these players like to attribute • Electrical isolation of one component from another reductions in output noise level and other measurable ef- so as to reduce grounding and hum problems. fects to the optical coupling, I have yet to hear any effect • The exploitation of optical fibers in multiroom, that is definitely attributable to the system. But the use of multicomponent, multibrand remote-control systems, if a optoelectronics is promoted by such audio components, home "fibering" standard is promulgated. and public awareness will grow when and if the other sig- I, for one, just can't wait, if only to see what the fringe nificant audio application—component interconnection high-end accessory manufacturers try to do with fiber- —becomes more important. optic cables. Unlike a high-end linear-crystal oxygen-free Several companies (such as Kenwood, Luxman, (LCOF) copper speaker cable, a high-end glass-fiber ca- Denon, and Technics) have introduced CD players with ble can not be "linear crystal," since all glass is noncrys- optical digital-signal output connectors; some are also talline almost by definition (molecularly, glass is a liquid producing components with optical inputs. These compo- in suspended animation). Neither can the cable be "oxy- nents are meant to be linked by optical fibers—thin gen free," because glass, according to its chemical formu- "wires" ideally made of specially treated glass. Optical fi- la, has two atoms of oxygen for every atom of silicon. bers use total internal reflection to achieve very high effi- The glass portion of the cable can't be thicker than nor- ciency in light transmission. Every time a light wave ap- mal, since the light-transmitting properties would suffer proaches the outside of a fiber, the fiber's two-layer greatly. The insulation portion of the cable doesn't have construction either bends or reflects the beam further to be thick, only lightproof and reasonably strong. A down the fiber. With a proper match between transmitter high-end fiber cable couldn't possibly sound better, be- (a solid-state laser in telephone systems) and fiber, signals cause its optical properties are just barely related to the can be transmitted for miles with negligible degradation. reconverted digital-audio quality (if the connection works This too may seem like overdoing it. Simple wire ca- at all, it will probably be working perfectly). However, bles can and do interconnect home-audio components there's one thing you can be sure of when it comes to perfectly well, and only slightly more complex coaxial ca- high-end fiber-optic cable: It will be expensive!

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 1 13 TheAutophile The Great Equalizers

- 111 7.P1- h By Christopher J. Esse

ost people would agree that the performance of a sically as follows: Set up microphones inside the car, feed car stereo system, by nature, pales in comparison them broadband noise signals (usually pink noise), and Mwith that of a decent home system. However, find the offending deviations in the resulting data. How- that notion is starting to fade, thanks in part to the devel- ever, the manner in which this process is undertaken and opment of CD players for the car. The prospect of digital the criteria followed along the way vary among the three sound on the road has spurred improvements in amplifi- automakers' systems. ers (greater dynamic headroom) and speakers (better dy- namic range) and has obligated manufacturers to make In the GM cars, Bose engineers use a dummy (hey, better tape decks to play high-quality dubs of CDs. The Mr. Goodwrench—got a minute?) with an acoustically result is not only a greater appreciation for the quality of accurate head and a microphone in each of its ears. The sound that can be obtained in a car, but greater expecta- general location of the speakers is determined early in the tions as well. design process; later, these positions may be slightly ad- But a major problem remains, and it's not one that justed to optimize stereo imaging. Certain car models can be solved by an amplifier with 6 dB of headroom or a won't get the Bose treatment because of unacceptable CD player with extended ruler-flat response. It's the speaker locations; in most cases, however, GM makes car—specifically, the inside. The acoustic characteristics provisions for Bose's suggested placements. The specific of a car's interior—defined by its cramped dimensions makeup of the noise signal fed to the speakers during and surfaces that are highly reflective (glass) and highly testing is shrouded in secrecy. Thousands of measure- absorptive (upholstery, carpeting, and passengers)—con- ments are made at different seating positions in front and spire with constraints on speaker location to create a back (had enough yet, Goodwrench?), with the fader set sonic hellhole. at center and at both extremes. The mike measurements The cure for frequency-response irregularities and the are gathered up and run through Bose's computer mill. accompanying instability of the stereo image is a combi- The frequency-response and reverberation characteristics nation of equalization and judicious speaker location. A of the car environment are then analyzed and a suitable look at a typical frequency-response curve for a car sys- equalization scheme worked out. All of the steps in the tem will show that attempting corrections using a con- process are interactive, and Bose tells me it has comput- ventional equalizer might worsen the situation. Fortu- erized a good number of them. Naturally, actual listening nately, a crucial element in the response equation—the tests are conducted along the way. position of the listener—varies little in a car. In 1982, en- Flat frequency response is not the goal. First, the gineers at Bose went to work on car systems for GM, masking of road, wind, and engine noise must be ad- studying the acoustics of particular models to develop dressed. This is worked into the EQ circuits based on an custom equalization circuits that counteract measured re- average measured noise level. Second, there is a Bose sponse anomalies. We've reported on these systems in the loudness-compensation circuit in the head unit that, like past ("Currents," May) and more recently on a similar other such circuits, provides bass boost that tails off as Bose system designed for the top version of the Acura the volume is increased. Third, the system is optimized Legend Coupe ("Currents," August). Since Bose's pio- for front-seat listeners: Response in the back will be ad- neering efforts, JBL and Infinity, two other leading justed to the extent that the sound in the front is not ad- American loudspeaker manufacturers, have joined with versely affected (some of this can be done through speak- Ford and Chrysler, respectively, to develop systems with er placement alone). Beyond these considerations, Bose a similar goal (see also "Currents," May). builds in other, unspecified, deviations from flat response. Evidently, a welcome trend has begun. As reported in I asked, but they have this thing about keeping secrets. last month's autosound roundup, Blaupunkt is bringing Unlike an equalizer with fixed controls, the Bose cir- custom equalization to the after-market with an amplifier cuits can have nearly any combination of center frequen- that uses plug-in EQ modules programmed for a wide va- cy, level, and "Q," depending on what's needed. (Q, or riety of car models. And ADS has an EQ system specifi- bandwidth, represents the degree to which frequencies cally designed for the Porsche 911, with versions for oth- below and above the center frequency are affected when er cars to follow. But the automakers share an advantage the level is changed.) To preserve lateral stereo imaging, when it comes to fully realizing the benefits of system the EQ setting in left/right pairs is the same. equalization: Their systems are designed from the ground Bose puts a great deal of emphasis on stereo imaging. up, eliminating troublesome variables such as speaker The measurements collected at the mikes are subjected to type and location. interaural cross-correlation analysis, which shows how The method for determining the necessary compensa- sounds differ in amplitude and in arrival time at each ear. tion for gross peaks and dips in frequency response is ba- This relationship is depicted in a three-dimensional graph

14 H I G H F I D E L I T Y 347955. Huey LOVAS & The 354985. Billie Holiday- News-Forel (Orysalis) From The Original Decal 349985. Johnny Moths/ Masters. Pgitally Henry Mancini-The Holly- Remostered -MCA) wood Musicals Columba) 353037 Miles Davis- 348979. Tina Turner- Sketches of Spain. Break Every Rule Capitol) (Digitally Remostered- Cl. Jazz Masterpieces) 352633 Dolly Porton/ Linda Ronstadt/Emmylou 357186. Hooters-One Horns-Trio (Warner Bros) Way Home. (Columbia) 336396-396390. Billy 356873. The Outfield- Joel's Greatest Hits, Bangin'. (Columbia) Vol. 1 & 2. Columbia) 355362. Whitesnake. 324822. Ravel: Bolero; (Geffen) to VoIse; Rhapsodie 345751. Paul Simon- Espognole-Moazel, cond. Grocelond. (Warner Bros) (Digital- CBS Masterworks) 356279. Gloria Estefan 346478. Madonna- And Miami Sound Machine True Blue. (Sire) -Let It Loose. (Epic) 343319. Janet Jackson- 355958-395954. Control (A&M) Beethoven: Symphonies 349571. Boston-Thrd Nos. 8 & 9 101orall - Stage (MCA) Michael 'Filson Thomas, English Chamber Orch 290916. The Best Of (Lod-CBS Masterworks) Earth, Wind & Fire,

‘401. I !COlU m ba/ARC( 357889. Copland: Billy The 138586. Bob Dylan's Kid; Appalachian Spring; Greatest Hits (Columba) etc.-Bernstein, NY Phil Ntolly Remostered - 319541. Elton John- CBS Masterworks) Greatest Hits. (MCA) ANY 3 CD'S FOR $1 357871. Tchoikovsky: 318089. Michael Jackson WITH ME MBERSHIP Waltzes -S. Comissiono -Thriller (Epic) and Houston Symphony 342105 Bangles- 293597 Led Zeppelin- 246868. Jim Croce- 348649. Pachelbel Canon 348110. Buddy Holly- Nod-Pro Arte) Different Light. (Columba) Houses Of The Holy. Photographs And & Other Digital Delights From The Original (Atlantic) Memories-His Greatest -Toronto Chamber Orch Master Topes. iDigitoity 355776. Stravinsky: The 335547 Berlioz: Firebird 11910 version); Hits. (Solo) Fanfare) Remostered MCA) Symphonie Fantastigue- 350736. Rolling Stones - Song Of The Nightingale Barenboim, Berlin Phil Rewind. (Rolling Stones 314443. Neil Diamond's 353771. Bolling/Rampat 351692. Beastie -Boulez, New York Phil (Digitcd-CBS Masterworks) Records) 12 Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. Suite *2 for Flute & Jazz Boys-Licensed To (Digit* Rernostered- (Columba) Piano Trio (Digircl - CBS) (Del Jam/Columbia) 339044. Mozart: Sym- 346957 Steve Winwood CBS Masterworks) phonies 40 & 41 (-leaded- -Bock In The High Life. 308049. Creedence 348318. The Police- 346544. Kenny G 357178. The Fabulous Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Or. (Island) Clearwater Revival Every Breath You Take -Duotones. (Arista) Thunderbirds-Hot Featuring John Fogerty/ -The Singles (A& M) (Nod-CBS Masterworks) 344622. Anita Baker - 344721. Lionel Number. (CBS Assoc.) Chronicle. 20 greatest 336222. Dire Straits- Richie-Dancing On the 339226. Gershwin: Rapture. (Elekhai 338905. Diana Ross & hits. (Fantasy) Brothers In Arms. Ceiling. (Motown) Rhapsody In Blue; more. 319996-399998. The Supremes -20 343582. Van Nolen- (Worrier Bros.) Thomas, Los Angeles Phil Motown's 25 *1 Hits 355156. Vladimir Horowitz Greatest Hits. (Motown) ()iva- CBS Masterworks) 5150. (Warner Bros 1 341073. Steely Don- Plays Favorite Chopin From 25 Years. (Motown) 352229. Carly Simon- 326629. Bruce Spring- A Decode of Steely Don. (Digitally Remostered- 316604. Tchaikovsky: 1812 291278. The Doable Coming Around Again. steen -Born In The (MCA) CBS Masterworks) Overture; Marche Slave; Brothers-Best of the (Ansta) Beethoven: Wellington's U.S A. (Columbia) 314997-394999. Stevie 352948. Wynton Morsolis Doobies. (Warner Bros 1 330142. Mendelssohn/ Victory -Moozel cond. 342097 Barbra Wonder's Original -Cornaval. Hunsberger, 345777 Peter Gabriel- Saint Saens: Violin )Dival-CBS Masterworks) Streisand-The musiquarium 1. (Tomb()) Eastman Wed Ensemble So. (Geffen) Concertos -- Cho.tiong 1.1 Broadway Album. (Digital-CBS Masterworks) 219477 Simon & 355834. David Bowie- (Dig-CBS Master.) Garfunkel's Greatest 287003. Eagles Greatest (Columba) Never Let Me Down. 356287 Suzanne Vega- Hits, Columbia) Hits 1971-1975 )Asylum ([MI America) Solitude Standing. (AIM)

FLEETWOOD MAC 10 -11.1E JOSHUA TREE H ART Y TANGO IN THE NIGHT IrmgGirls Girls Girls s 'ar4

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W e deliver the CDs you want -right to you ever receive any Selection without FCBS COMPACT DISC CLUB, 1400 N. Fruitridge your door. In fact, if you loin the CBS having 10 days to decide, you may return it PO. Box 1129, Terre Haute, Indiana 47811-1129 Compact Disc Club now, we'll deliver 3 CDs at our expense. of your choice from this ad for lust $1.00. The CDs you order during your Please accept my membership application under the terms outlined Simply fill in and mail the application-we'll in this advertisement Send me the 3 Compact Discs listed here and membership will be billed at regular Club bill me $1.00 for all three. I agree to buy two more selections at send your CDs and bill you for the dollar. prices, which currently are $14.98 to regular Club prices in the coming year-and may cancel my You merely agree to buy 2 more CDs at $15.98-plus shipping and handling, and membership at any time after doing so. regular Club prices) in the next year, and you soles tax where applicable. (Multiple-unit SEND ME THESE 3 CD'S FOR $1.00: may then cancel your membership anytime sets may be higher.) There will be special after doing so. sales throughout your membership. After We also deliver the Club's music completing your enrollment agreement, you I magazine. About every four weeks (13 may cancel membership at any time. My mo n musical interest is (check one): times a year) you'll receive the Clubs music Special Bonus Plan: After you buy 3 CDs (Bur i may always choose iron, Guy akvor magazine, which describes the Selection of at regular Club prices, you can build your col- Mr. ROCK/POP DCLASSICAL the Month for your musical interest.. plus lection quickly with our money-saving bonus Mrs many exciting alternates. In addition, up to plan. It lets you buy one CD at half price for Miss six times a year, you may receive offers of each CD you buy at regular Club prices. Inv Ncy , Special Selections, usually at a discount off 10-Day Free Trial: We'll send details of the Address regular Club prices, for a total of up to 19 Clubs operation with your introductory ship- buying opportunities ment. If you ore not satisfied for any reason City How the Club works. If you wish to whatsoever, lust return everything within 10 receive the Selection of the Month, you days and you will have no further obligation. State Zip need do nothing-it will be shipped So why not choose 3 CDs for $1 right now? Do you hove a VCR' Check onel 13 Yes ONo Do you hove a credit card, (Check one ID Yes 0 No automatically If you prefer an alternate ADVANCE BONUS OFFER: As a special selection, or none at all, fill in the response offer to new members, take one additional ADVANCE BONUS OFFER: Also send me cord always provided and mail it by the Compact Disc right now and pay only $6.95. o fourth CD right now at the super low price date specified. You will always hove at least It's a chance to get a fourth selection at a of lust 5695, which will be billed to me 10 days in which to make your decision. If super low price! , 0.0 400 P(.) 4,,ou nd.o ed i., Piedd, n O , ,leru d Selections with two numbers contain 2 CDs and count as 2-so write in both numbers (P., 1987 Columbia House I H HY/C2 c or,ock,•e, de, w ed To,onTo the roght to refect opplicatton 1 1 1 CBS ( A AI P M :11 I tS t C I I B : li v r e H a ut e, I 4 7 811 L-HHZ/C3 Note We reserveor cancel any membershp any TheAutophile

that guides Bose in determining the best speaker place- After all the data are gathered, EQ for the front and back ment (within given physical constraints) for realistic spa- speakers is computed (left/right pairs get the same EQ). tial reproduction. As for the absence of a left/right bal- Three bands of control are used, with virtually any com- ance control on the Delco head units, a Bose spokesman bination of center frequency, level, and Q possible. explained that "electronically, there is no hope for getting Again, compensation for road noise and the like is part of a balanced image." In addition, the fader affects only the the EQ treatment. JBL, which contributes the amplifier frequencies above 200 Hz, enabling you to shift the image and speakers, also provides a loudness-compensation cir- forward or back while maintaining the overall volume. cuit with a Q chosen specifically for each car model. Insofar as flexibility in speaker placement is limited, It may not be "Job 1," but the audio division at Ford is stereo imaging is not a key design criterion. However, se- responsible for equalizing the Ford/JBL systems (al- vere imaging problems due to peaks at certain middle and though JBL actually did this for the first Lincoln Conti- high frequencies can be quelled by the EQ. In the 1988 nental model). Measurements for the driver's seat are Lincoln Continental and other models to come, however, made through six microphones suspended in the area the audio people are having their say in speaker location. where the driver's ears would be. Called the "99th per- centile ear ellipse" by Ford, this space is derived from Infinity does the EQ work for the Chrysler models and data taken by the car designers to determine the most supplies all the speakers and the amplifiers for the bass/ likely position for a driver's eyes (to aid dashboard layout midrange drivers; the tweeters are powered by the amp in and line-of-sight studies). Other measurements are taken the Chrysler head unit. (Since Infinity makes audio prod- from the passenger seat and the back seat, although the ucts and not cars, it has so far managed to avoid being ac- system is optimized for front-seat listeners, as is the case quired or bought into by Chrysler, which has recently with Bose. been on an international buying binge.) In this system, Ford can test the effects of various EQ settings for three sets of measurements go into the formula: one for each measurement position. The test signal is pink noise. the driver's seat, one for the passenger's seat, and an av- erage for the back-seat area. Four microphones are used —one each facing forward, back, left, and right—and the group is rotated after each series of measurements in or- der to cover all directions. Pink noise is the test signal. The data result in a "map" of the spectrum of sound dis- tributed throughout the car over time. The bass/midrange drivers get different EQ front and back but the same for left/right pairs (except in one mod- el, according to Infinity). The frequencies going to the tweeters are not EQ'ed, although the overall level is set. Infinity president Arnie Nudell says that the response of the Polycell dome tweeter is flat to 15 kHz; he likes the way it sounds and hence would rather not stick addition- al electronics in front of it. Once again, because of road noise, loudness compen- sation, and so on, an overall flat response is not the goal. In fact, Infinity says simply that it's trying to make the sound as natural and uniform as possible throughout the listening area (primarily the front seats), based on both systematic testing and a considerable amount of listening. The company also concedes that its systems don't play as loud as its competitors', explaining that it puts more money into the design of its speakers. The systems I've heard seemed to play plenty loud, though. As with Ford, not much nail-biting was done over stereo imaging. But again, EQ can take care of any seri- ous problems in the midrange, and the dash-mounted tweeters in most of the models are said to distribute the highs evenly. I'm told that imaging in future models will receive a healthy dose of attention.

All dressed up with one place to go: Bose's well-attired dummy Now that you know how the Big Three car manufactur- (shown) has a microphone in each of its ears that listens to test ers and their partners do it, how do the systems sound? signals in the car. The resulting frequency-response and time-delay Great, compared to anything previously offered as a fac- data are used in developing the equalization scheme and in tory-installed system. And because the systems are cus- determining the best location for the speakers Ford makes its tomized for each car model in terms of performance and measurements using six microphones grouped in various seating positions throughout the car, and Infinity uses four. All three installation, they offer a significant challenge to the after- systems are listened to by real ears before the designs are finalized. market. To me, the real question is not whether you want The primary goal is to compensate for the troublesome peaks and to buy the system, but whether you want to own the car dips in frequency response encountered in the harsh acoustic that comes with it. If you do, and can afford the option, environment of a car. I'd say go for it. •

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Acoustics are among the top rated Fur more information, contact loudspeakers across the country your nearest authorized American according to the Audio Video Acoustics dealer. Or call us at International poll. (815) 367-3000.

Listen to the Experts: G E N E R A TI O N III Digital 'Acoustic SPL (Sound Pressure Level) Loudspeakers impressively high: octave-to-octave Whatever frequency balance exceptionally uni- 'instrument" you play, y; ou'll form and smooth "—Stereo Review be the Boss "Low-frequency reproduction quite with Arno-can Acoustics Generation III loudspeakers. You smooth and tight and extends well can really feel the music! But watch into the deep bass; imaging very out ...when you crank up American good, wide dynamic range" Acoustics, you'll have the power to —High Fidelity. shake the room. "Unusually high sensitivity; orches- American Acoustics A Mitek Group Product Get caught up in the experience with tral sound 'big' with a good sense of Generation III loudspeakers. You'll get space; can play loud without any One Mitek Plaza audible distress"—Digital Audio. Winslow, IL 61089 excellent depth and sound separa- 815-367-3000 tion, plus extraordinary wide dynamic All this and an outstanding 10-year FAX: 815-367-3851 range...a must for CDs. American warranty... and built in the U.S.A. TELEX: 989 790 MTX INC UD Crosstalk CT Answers To Readers' Questions

Dy Larry Klein

a problem with modern solid-state equipment than it was Midrange Distortion with tubes. If your receiver is very hot to the touch during Recently, I had my ear close to the midrange driver of my normal operation, it either is being driven very hard into floor-standing speaker system. Much to my surprise, the low-impedance speaker loads, lacks adequate ventilation, driver sounded very hollow and nasal. The other channel's or has misadjusted output-stage transistor bias. If you speaker was no better. In addition, both tweeters seemed to think there may be an overheating problem, check the op- put out very little sound, even on loud program material. Yet erating temperatures of similar units in the store where you everything seems okay from my normal listening position. Is bought yours or write the manufacturer. Very few home something wrong with my speakers—or my ears? electronics components become too hot to touch when op- David Milhan erating normally. Covington, La. With the exception of your speakers, you should expect some of the mechanical components in your system to Probably neither. When you put your ears close to the mid- slowly wear out from normal use. Record and CD players range driver, you heard lots of sound centered around 1 and tape decks will all ultimately need servicing. My only kHz or so and little or no high-treble or lower-bass fre- suggestion for slowing down the normal progression to the quencies. If you were to listen from a normal distance and repair shop or junk pile is to scrupulously follow any clean- strongly boost the 1-kHz range using an equalizer, the ing and maintenance procedures and schedules recom- overall sound quality would be similarly nasal. In short, if mended in the instruction manuals. you hear only part of the audio frequency range or hear it strongly boosted in level, music will often sound unnatural or colored in some way. Your tweeters sounded weak sim- FM Interference ply because the treble energy in normal program material The audio signal of an FM station located about three miles is usually at a lower level than that of the bass or midrange. away is playing through my receiver, independent of the tun- There's a lesson to be learned from all this. The major- er or volume-control setting. The interference is present even ity of the differences you hear among speaker systems are with the antenna disconnected. The FCC, the repair shops, not caused (or cured) by esoteric factors in their design or and the FM station have been of no help. Any suggestions? construction. Old-fashioned frequency-response charac- Pete Momcolovich teristics are responsible for most coloration and imaging Seattle, Wash. problems. When a designer is able to truly control the fre- quency response of a speaker system (which also includes Since your volume control has no effect on the unwanted dispersion), the mysteries about most sonic problems van- FM station, its signal must be entering your system after ish. In the past, the big problem in controlling overall the high-level input circuits. I suspect that your speaker speaker-system response has been the lack of adequately leads are serving as FM antennas, possibly tuned by their revealing test procedures. Recently, though, I've seen some lengths to the intruding station's frequency. The unwanted significant progress taking place in this field. FM signal is transferred from the speaker leads to your re- ceiver's feedback loop, which returns it to an earlier ampli- fying stage. From there, it is detected, amplified, and fed to Premature Component Wear your speakers as an audio signal. You can test my theory by I'm worried that I might be wearing out my new receiver disconnecting all speaker leads from the amplifier and lis- through excessive use. I play it about four hours a day at a tening through headphones. If the intruding station is no reasonably loud volume while listening to LPs, CDs, and longer present, the speakers leads are the pickup. tapes. Since I don't anticipate having the money to pay for a If that is the case, there are several things you can do. replacement in the near future. I need to make this one last Try shortening your speaker leads or reorienting them so as long as possible, even if it means cutting back on its use or as to avoid having them run perpendicular to the direction playing it less loudly. What do you suggest? of the station, lengthening or looping the leads to achieve Peter Stewart this if necessary. You can also try adding small-value ce- Norwalk, Conn. ramic capacitors—say, 0.005 microfarads—across both the amplifier's left and right speaker terminals as radio-fre- The receiver, because it has so few moving parts, is one of quency bypass filters. Finally, check with your receiver's the components in a system least likely to wear out through manufacturer. They may be able to suggest fixes, including use. In any case, the conditions of component use are more returning your unit for anti-interference modifications. important than the amount of it. Heat significantly affects the longevity of electronic devices, though it is much less of We regret that the volume of mail is too great for us to answer all questions.

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 18 ONE STEP IN THE MAKING OF A KEF 'Most speaker companies buy I better do a good job in putting their drivers from somebody else. everyth ng together. Because the lads Either they don't know how to make in the laporatory test every single 111 their own, or they just can't be driver. The Speaker Engineers bothered. Here at KEF, we've been 'They test for mechanical building our own d-ive units for over tolerances. They test for frequency 25 years. response. Then they test the 'We're very fussy about our completed systems. There surely ingredients — bextrene, neoprene, must be easier ways to make nomex, cast aluminium and such. And speakers. But not better.'

'We make a betterspeaker starting at the very beginning! —Jead Prit KEF DRIVE uvr -ONSTRJC7W

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KEF Electronics Ltd, TI. Maaislona Kent ME15 60P. England e lectroi 11:5 a Arnenos Inc 14120-K Sullyfteki Cede. Chantilty, VA 22021 703/631-8810 Smyth Kurx'1 auaan—art L. 595 Rue du F'arc lodustnel, Longueuil. Quebec, Canada 514/679-5490 TapeTracks No-Splice Editing

API /By Robert Long

ost home recordists never touch a roll of splicing flutter, still work that way. In most models, electronically tape except to make repairs when catastrophe driven head-block motors, cams, or solenoids do the job. Mstrikes. Audio cassette tapes are so tiny and frag- To find out how your deck behaves, try recording ile that the skills of a brain surgeon are needed for suc- some sustained music and stopping and restarting the cessful splicing. Spliced videotapes are likely to flop the tape in midphrase using the pause control. There may be picture in retaliation; digital audio tape can respond with gaps or clicks in the sound wherever you stopped. There nasty noise bursts. So in today's popular audio and video also may be a slight puff of off-speed sound if the braking formats, editing is a question of selective copying. or start-up isn't fast enough. Just in case any clicks are For example, owners of camcorders or other "home masked by the music, repeat the test with no input signal. movie" video equipment copy (often between formats) to As a final test of the recording-pause function, copy assemble their shots into a coherent sequence for the edi- some music that contains a very distinctive cue, like a fication or amusement of others. It used to be that un- sudden loud note. When you reach the cue, hit PAUSE, used film footage was wasted. With videotape, you can leaving the deck in recording standby. Then back up the record over your mistakes after you've salvaged the good source music and, when it again reaches the cue, recom- bits. That's one of the beauties of the medium. mence recording. The audibility of the join should tell Part of the assembly process is the substitution of you something about your deck's timing—and your own. background music for the unwanted random noise and With the right equipment and technique, you can chatter you're likely to have picked up as the soundtrack "splice" music more convincingly with a pause than you during a shoot. When you tumble out of the bus on the can with a razor blade and splicing tape. For example, rim of the Grand Canyon and start shooting, the cam- many piano concertos recorded on 78s end a disc side corder's mike is unlikely to pick up anything more inspir- with a piano passage (with, say, strings in the back- ing than wind noise. But using a VCR with an audio-only ground) that culminates in a chord on the beat. On the dub facility, you can replace the live sound with Ferde next side, the full orchestra plays the same chord and Grofe's appropriately cinematic Grand Canyon Suite. continues into the following passage. That chord is there- Of course, you can overdub the sound only on the fore at the end of one side and the beginning of the next. edge (linear) soundtrack. With either VHS Hi-Fi or Beta Which version of the chord do you dub? That on the Hi-Fi, the sound is recorded right along with the picture, first side has just piano and strings: no winds, brass, or so you can't re-record the Hi-Fi audio without also eras- percussion. The next side has everything except the pi- ing the picture. On many decks, the edge track is monau- ano. Yet the piano must be heard there to round out its ral, limiting sonic imaging possibilities as well as fidelity. phrase. A splice at this point is tricky and hard to hide, If it's truly background music you're after, however, the but in many cases, an efficient pause will hide it undetect- audio quality isn't as important as the mood and pacing ably. After recording the entire first side, cue up the tape of the music. to the piano transient in the final chord. That is, press Some decks enable you to play the Hi-Fi sound and PAUSE the very instant you hear the piano chord. Then the edge track (or tracks) simultaneously. This lets you switch to the recording-pause mode and rehearse releas- mix the live dialogue on the Hi-Fi tracks with the music ing the pause just as the full orchestra chord on the sec- on the edge track, though you may have to fade the dia- ond side is starting. logue track in and out every time you play the final tape This is the tricky part. If you count disc revolutions (or make another copy) in order to suppress the unwant- from some index point—a loud click is helpful—you can ed sections. The alternative is a relatively elaborate setup pick up the cue very precisely. If you do it perfectly, the with two simultaneous dubbing sources. There are spe- orchestra will come in right on top of the piano and im- cialized components to help you achieve special effects— mediately after its initial transient, erasing the first half- from audio and video fades to fancy wipes to micro- second or so of the piano chord's highs (the time it takes processor-generated titling—but many are quite expen- tape to move from the erase head to the recording head) sive. And it's sometimes more fun to see how much you and obliterating the chord altogether after that. When can accomplish with the least elaborate means, relying on you listen to the playback, the clearly audible onset tran- ingenuity and imagination more than technology. sient of the piano should convince your ears that the pi- That's why I find editing audio cassettes so satisfying. ano is still playing behind the tutti. All you need is a really quick-acting pause control and Editing techniques that will be practical with home lots of patience. A fast pause isn't as easy to find as it was DAT will have to wait until the format has established it- when all transport controls were mechanical. Back then, self. In the meantime, don't overlook what your deck will the pause simply braked the hub drives as it disengaged do just because it can't manage the sort of editing I've the capstan idler. Only budget decks, often with excessive just outlined. Come on—live a little! •

20 H I G H F I D E L I T Y ONE STEP IN THE MAKING OF A KEF

Anyone can build a good proto- right pairs that match to better than type. The real challeige is assuring ±0.5dB. This accounts for KEF's spot- the quality of everyday production. on stereo imaging Then we test the The Speaker That's why KEF have the most completed pairs for frequency and Engineers stringent production test programme phase response against the original in the industry. prototype. We test each individual Refer- We keep a I this data by ence Series driver for amplitude serial nu-nber on permanent file. response with respect to frequency. If a driver should ever need replace- The computer collates the tested ment, we can supOy an exact drivers and crossovers into left and duplicate.

'Our testing may seem fanatical, but ifs the only way to guarantee performance' — Frer.k Mernc'G, KTPRODUCTION EAZINFER REFE 3EVE MODEL 107

KE F BectioniesltdE ME 15 6CIFt ' eftwoniamotams•cs4 c-J(FI XTRy. VA: 2021 703/611-91: Smyth Sound !lu men Lt. 595 Loncpueud CLetec Canada 9.. 6-91490 YOU", NEVER HAVE 10 SIT THROUGH ANOTHER AMATEUR NIGHT AGAIN. How can you really enjoy professional entertainment Our audio/video preamplifier incorporates Dolby' Pro when your equipment isn't professional? Logic surround sound using dbx proprietary technology For You can't. And dbx can prove it to you. Here and now. And the most thrilling home-theater performance you can get. with a dbx dealer demo later. Our incomparable configurable 2/3/4-channel amplifier For over 15 years, the greatest moments in entertainment provides over 800 watts per channel in actual use. With a have come through us. Today, you'll find dbx professional flatter response than amateur amps costing twice as much. equipment at work at most every important recording studio, Add to these one-of-a-kind components our FM/AM tuner broadcast facility and live performance in the world. with Schotz' noise reduction, uncanny clarity and a noise With 75 patents and a recent Etnrny for co-developing stereo floor way below what you're probably listening to now. TV, our list of firsts and onlies puts us in a class all our own. And a CD player that's so good, Stereo kviewklulian The results are ready for you to take home now Profes- Hirsch wrote: "Even without its special circuits [proprietary sional equipment with all the clarity, impact, nuance and sonic enhancements], the dbx DX5 would rank as one of the range you couldn't get before. Even in the most expensive best available:' amateur systems. Complete your home studio/theater with our superlative The differences you'll see and hear are audible, visible digital-peocessing VCR with VHS Hi-Fi and our own MTh and phenomenal. stereo TV sound. And bring your video enjoyment up to For example, our Soundfield psychoacoustic-imaging where it should be. , speaker systems sound spectacular in any room. c l A visit to your dbx dealer will convince you that Anywhere you sit in that room. 6 . your amateur days, and nights, are over. Audio and Video at its professional best Report preparation supervised by Michael Riggs, David Test Ranada, Christopher J. Esse, Robert Long, and Edward J. Reports Foster. Laboratory data (unless otherwise indicated) is supplied by Diversified Science Laboratories.

he JBL 830 loudspeaker stands choose your hookup scheme according- near the top of the company's JBL ly; parallel pairs could indeed draw high Tline: just below the four-way currents in the midbass. floor-standing 940 and just above the The bass-only woofer (the lower of other three-way floor model, the 630. the two) operates up to 180 Hz, although Also included in the series—launched to DSL's near-field measurement indicates commemorate the company's 40th year that rolloff above this frequency is fairly in business with models using the latest gentle. The upper woofer cuts off much JBL 830 technology to achieve exceptional value more rapidly, but not until about 2.5 —are two compact models. Loudspeaker The 830's relatively broad, shallow tower shape is complemented by a wood- en "foot" to increase stability, particu- larly on plush carpeting. Like all speak- ers in the line, it is covered with rose- wood vinyl—even on the back, since the 830 is conceived of as a free-standing de- sign. A lightweight, rigid plastic frame supports the removable stretch grille. Lead connections are via color-coded spring clips in a shallow recess on the back panel. The speaker is a true three-way sys- tem in that it has three drivers, each cov- ering a different range of frequencies. These bands are not altogether exclusive, however; one of the two woofers works up into the midrange as well. The "woof- ers" are vented through a ducted port at the back of the enclosure. Just above and slightly to the left of these two axially mounted drivers is the tweeter. The purpose of the overlapping-pass- band crossover design is to increase ef- ficiency and power handling in the fre- quency range where music demands the greatest acoustic output. In that range, the two drivers essentially work in paral- lel, with a combined rated impedance of 4 ohms (though Diversified Science Lab- oratories measured averages of 8.1 ohms in the music band and 7 ohms full- range). The impedance drops to a little less than 4 ohms near 20 Hz, below the vent- resonance peak; it also falls to that point at about 40 Hz (between the vent and woofer resonances) and at 150 Hz (at the

minimum above bass resonance that is SCHROERS KENNETH BY OTOGRAPHY the conventional rating point). From there, impedance rises steadily (as the Dimensions: 16/34 by 39 /12 inches (front), 9/12 inches deep (except base: 13 /14 inches crossover cuts out the bass-only woofer) kHz, greatly extending the frequency deep). to a maximum of 15.1 ohms at the bot- range it must handle. Construction of Prior $590 per pair.

tom of the tweeter range, near 3 kHz. It the two drivers is identical, however: 7- Warranty: -Full, - five years parts and labor, is this fairly broad hump that keeps inch cones treated with a high-polymer except two years on enclosure. the average impedance near 8 ohms in layer to improve stiffness and internal Manufacturan JBL, Inc., P.O. Box 2200, Northridge, Calif. 91329. DSL's measurements. If your amplifier damping. U.S. Distributor: Harman America, 240 is fussy about its load, you probably The tweeter is a I-inch titanium-lam- Crossways Park West, Woodbury, N.Y. should observe IBL's 4-ohm rating and inate dome fitted with a "contact lens"— 11797.

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 23 Howa 77year-old became the first name in digital audio. Denon's been involved in every phase of music repro- duction since the days of wind- up record players. So after seven decades of break- throughs in studio recording, disc pressing, home high fidel- ity and professional equipment, we were uniquely prepared "Oneofthemostfinely to take the next step. A tape ergineeredpieces as "a winner on every count:' "the player I recommend most o audiogearon the highly," "superlatives have to be planet' Ken Pohlmann, used:' and "in several respects, Digital Audio, on the DCD-3300 the best I've ever heard.'' the same engineers who design Reactions which simply Denon pro machines design demonstrate one point. It's a lot

EVERY DENON COMPONENT REFLECTS LESSONS LEARNED IN THE RECORDING STUDIO recorder so fundamentally dif- ferent, it would obsolete every previously accepted notion of how good recorded sound could be. In 1972, Denon research- ers achieved their goal. The world's first digital recorder worthy of commercial record

PPIU M MI NI M M EMPRTT` THE NEW DCD-150011. ITS SUPER LINEAR CONVERTER COMES STRAIGHT OUT OF DEN ON STUDIO RECORDERS. Denon home audio. And the "Alookintotheinieriorof same ears that guide Denon thisplayerrevealsthat recording sessions evaluate the sound of Denon playback Denonengineerswere components. not takinganvshorteuts Perhaps that's why each whatsoever on:,,Germany's Hli4b. Vision, succeeding generation of WHAT OTHER AUDIO COMPANY HAS THESE CREDENTIALS7 Denon CD players is eagerly easier to make audio sound production, the legendary anticipated by the world's like music when you really Denon DN-023R. We quickly audio critics. And why they've know what music sounds like. put our digital innovation to use, variously hailed our CD players producing digital processors, digital editors, digital mixers, and the world's first digitally- recorded LPs. DENORN

Clipping excerpted horn the August. 1987 .ssue of Divot Audio Denon America, Inc , 222 New Rood, Porsippany, N107054 (201) 575-78K) Reponted wain perm.ssion Denon Cartado, Inc., 17 Denison Street, Mark ham, Ont. L3R 165 Canodo an acoustic lens molded to fit over the di- tests (85 dB SPL), total harmonic distor- Test aphragm, just beyond the point of its tion (THD) is less than 2 percent in every Reports maximum excursion. The High Spatial measurement—even in the deep bass— Identification Dividing Network cross- and less than Y, percent at all test fre- over uses precision parts, such as poly- quencies above 100 Hz. Naturally, dis- propylene capacitors and inductors tortion does creep up with the level, but wound to prevent saturation. even at the highest (100 dB SPL), most DSL tested the 830 in two positions: measurements still show less than 1 per- 39 inches and 6 inches out from the wall. cent THD, and the average above 100 (Placing it flush against the wall would obstruct the port.) The frequency-re- Room Response Characteristics sponse plots were very similar at high frequencies for the two positions, as you DB 830 might expect. Keeping the speakers far- +5 ther out in the room produced smoother re midrange response but less deep bass, 0 \ and this position (which, in any event, is 5 • more consonant with the overall design) bounda y -dependent region was the one used for our published • 10 on-axis response off-axis (30 ( respontre curves and the remaining measurements. ---i- Measured this way, on-axis response 4, 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K stays within +4,-4Y4 dB of the average in the music range, all the way from the Sensitivity (at 1 meter; 2.8-volt pink noise) 50-Hz band to that centered on 20 kHz. This includes a dip in the 300-Hz region, Average Impedance (250 Hz to 6 kHz) presumably attributable to interference from a floor reflection. Since the height of the drivers above the floor is deter- mined (and therefore can be controlled) by the designer in a floor-standing mod- el, we're not surprised that this dip is considerably milder than usual. Another dip is visible at the bottom of the tweeter range, followed by a gentle rise at higher The JBL 830's titanium- frequencies. laminate dome tweeter is Off-axis response follows the on-axis fitted with an acoustic curve closely throughout the midrange lens to improve response and treble, with very little evidence of and dispersion. beaming (which manifests itself as diver- gence between the curves) at the top. In Hz still is less than V, percent. In our the range between 100 and 200 Hz, how- 300-Hz pulse power-handling test, the ever, the off-axis output shows a marked 830 negotiated calculated peak levels of increase over the on-axis. With the more than 120 dB SPL, with no evidence speaker placed nearer the wall, the mea- of strain. surements emphasize the peak near 1 Subjectively, too, the speaker plays kHz and add several dB in the deep loud passages without struggle, though bass—particularly on-axis and in the admittedly without the utter clarity and bands just below 100 Hz. effortlessness of some much more expen- Distortion is remarkably low. At the sive models. Tonal balance is essentially lowest sound pressure level used in these neutral. Even with the speakers placed out into the listening room, however, we REPORT POLICY judged the bass slightly heavy on some Equipment ter • • on laboratory mea. music. Nonetheless, many listeners will surements and I listening tests. Unless doubtless prefer the greater heft afforded otherwise noted, test data are provided by Divers, lied Science Laboratories. The choice of equip- by placement near the wall. The overall ment to be tested rests with the editors of High Fi- impression is one of forwardness. The delity. Samples normally are supplied on loan from stereo imaging strikes us as good side-to- the manufacturer. Manufacturers are not permitted side, somewhat less so front-to-back. to read reports in advance of publication, and no report or portion thereof may be reproduced for It's hard to remember that the 830's any purpose or in any form without written permis- price is so moderate. The elegance of its sion of the publisher All reports should be con- appearance—and its sonic performance strued as applying to the specific samples tested. —seems to demand that it be compared High Fidelity and Diversified Science Laboratories assume no responsibility for product performance with pricier competitors. Good value is or quality. one thrust of the JBL Series, and JBL has succeeded admirably with the 830. si

V I4 ER IQ R ' 25 Reality

Realized.by creating a third set of sound arrivals. These Compact discs, whose potential is still trapped in SONIC HOLOGRAPHY TRANSFORMS EXCITING the two-dimensionality of conventional stereo, are NEW PROGAM SOURCES AS WELL AS special impulses cancel the objectionable second sound arrival, leaving only the original sound from even more lifelike with Sonic Holography. FAMILIAR OLD ONES INTO TRULY LIFELIKE each loudspeaker. Thanks to the Carver Asymmetrical Charge- MUSIC EXPERIENCES. The result is a vast sound field extending not only Coupled FM Detector, FM stereo broadcasts can be wider than your speakers, but higher than your received hiss- and interference-free, ready to take on Watch a movie on a 13" black and white TV. an astonishing presence and dimension through Now see it in 70 millimeter Technicolor with Sur- speakers as well. Sounds will occasionally even Sonic Holography. round Sound. seem to come from behind you! It is as if a dense Listen to your favorite musicians on a portable fog has lifted and you suddenly find yourself in the Even AM stereo can actually become a three- dimensional phenomenon with Sonic Holography radio. Now sit three rows back from the stage at a midst of the musical experience. Or, as the Senior and the new Carver TX-11a AM/FM tuner which live concert. Editor of a major electronics magazine put it, "When The difference is dimension: Width, depth, the lights were turned out, we could almost have delivers AM stereo broadcasts with the same dynamics and fidelity as FM. breadth and detail that turn flat sensory input into sworn we were in the presence of a live orchestra." breathtaking reality. They're the missing ingredients IMAGINE THE POSSIBIUUES. Thanks to VHS ENHANCE YOUR SPATIAL AWARENESS of live musical performance that Sonic Holography and Beta Hi-Fl stereo soundtracks (found even on restores to records, compact discs and even hi-fi WITH CARVER COMPONENTS. When consider- rental tapes), and the increasing number of stereo ing the purchase of a new preamplifier or receiver, movie soundtracks. TV broadcasts, Sonic Holography can put you inside remember how much more you get from the Carver The most experienced and knowledgeable the video experience, too. experts in the audio industry have concurred. Julian 4CCOt, C-1 and Receiver 2000. Or add Sonic Holog- It's a breathtaking experience. Without the need raphy to your existing system with the C-9 Hirsch wrote in Stereo Review "The effect strains for additional rear speakers, extra amplifiers or credibility — had I not experienced it, I probably add-on unit decoders, the visual experience is psychoacousti- Each can transcend the limits of your listening would not believe it." cally expanded by lifelike sound that envelops you, (and viewing) experiences by adding the breath- High Fidelity magazine noted that it seems to transforming stereo from monochromatic flatness taking, spine-tingling excitement that comes from open a curtain and reveal a deployment of musical into vibrant three-dimensional reality. Instead of being transported directly into the midst of audio- forces extending behind, between and beyond being at arm's length from the action, you are video reality. the speakers." According to another reviewer, "It immersed in it brings the listener substantially closer to that Visit your nearest Carver dealer soon and expand Then there are the familiar audio sources which your range of experiences with Sonic Holography. elusive sonic illusion of being in the presence Carver innovation has further improved upon, each of a five performance." of which gains character and All this with your existing speakers and music heightened impact through collection Sonic Holography. HOW SONIC HOLOGRAPHY WORKS. Unfor- tunately, conventional stereo cannot isolate the out- put of left and right speakers and send their output only to your left and right ears. Left and right ver- sions of a sound occurrence also cross in the mid- dle of your listening room, confusing your ears with additional extra sound arrivals a split second apart. Stereo imaging and separation suffer because both speakers are heard by both ears, confusing your spatial perception. The Sonic Hologram Generator in the Carver 4000t Preamplifier, C-1 Preamplifier and Carver Receiver 2000 solve this muddling of sound arrivals

OVER W PO Box 1237 Lynnwood WA 98046 POWERFUL MUSICAL ACCURATE

evolution Distributed in Canada by technology long with Magnum and MTX, with pin plugs on both ends to run from Test American Acoustics is one of this output to the low-level inputs on the Reports Athree loudspeaker companies PSW-200. If not, you can run the cable that comprise the Mitek Group. Of the with bared wires on one end between the three, it is the home-audio specialist, as PSW-200's high-level inputs and an ex- shown by its full line of component- tra pair of speaker connections on your grade products. (We tested the D-8500 amp or receiver. (For instance, feed your in the June 1986 issue.) The PSW-200 is prime speaker pair from the A connec- a powered subwoofer designed to com- tions and the subwoofer from B.) The bine channels and supplement the deep- unused input pair should be covered bass underpinning of speakers that are with the supplied dummy plugs. satisfactory in all but that frequency Either way, it's important that the range. connections you use respond to the sys- The solid wood cabinet is supported tem's volume control. Otherwise, every on four legs that hold it 3%2 inches above time you adjust the volume of the prime American a horizontal bottom plate, which is itself speakers, you'll also have to readjust the supported by four rubber feet. With the gain of the PSW-200's amp to match. Acoustics enclosure inverted or on its side, you can The gain control balances the subwoofer see the mounting baffle—with the driv- to the prime speakers but need not (and PSW-200 er, port, connections, and controls—on should not) be touched once a satisfac- Powered the underside of the enclosure proper. tory balance is achieved. Subwoofer

Dimensions: 22 /12 by 18 /12 inches (top), 19 /12 inches high. The 15-inch cone woofer's 2-inch voice That process also involves the para- Price: $700. coil is driven by an amplifier rated at 300 metric controls. One, marked FREQUEN- Warranty: -Limited, - one year parts and watts (14.8 dBW) maximum into the 2- CY, is intended to focus the action on a labor. ohm load presented by the driver. The range (centered between 30 and 100 Hz) Manufacturer: American Acoustics amp is mounted within the port's duct, that will best complement your prime Loudspeakers, The Mitek Group, 1 Mitek Plaza, Winslow, III. 61089. where the moving air helps cool the out- speakers. The other control, marked put transistors. The lower plate serves to BOOST, is rated to deliver as much as 12 deflect the acoustic energy outward (be- dB of additional level adjustment at the tween the legs) on all four sides. frequency chosen with the first control. At one end of the baffle are the AC All this sounds quite rational, but in cord and power switch, a phase-inver- practice, the controls interact with each sion switch, low- and high-level input other and with the low-pass crossover fil- pairs, an amplifier gain control, and two ter (which is designed to attenuate every- "parametric" controls for shaping the thing above 70 Hz), preventing the clear- subwoofer passband to the needs of the cut application implied by the owner's prime speakers. American Acoustics manual. In both bench and listening supplies two 20-foot stereo interconnect tests, we found setting the controls a cables; the one you use depends on your strictly trial-and-error affair, with the system. If you have a volume-controlled ear being the only useful arbiter. preamp output, you can use the cable This makes for a lot of traffic across

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 27 THE PERFECT PARTNERS FOR YOUR JEEP'" THE PERFECT PARTNERS FOR YOUR STEREO TV THE PERFECT PARTNERS FOR YOUR DISCMAN'" THE PARTNERS' PARTNERS. Now y, can takP !,gh Idel,t y .o,ur ,C1 Add!' Custom Carrying Case: Wall/Shell Mount Wherever ,. wheelti tire yflo Brackets. 12V Adaptor. Rechargeable Battery Pack

For those of you who have wanted to listen to high quality Walkman" or Stereo TV Receiver to the latest portable CD sound both in and out of the listening room, your wait is over. players. A battery pack, DC adaptor, and carrying case AR's new Powered Partners" stereo loudspeakers are unlike featuring Music Windows with Velcro.' closures, are optional any portable or transportable speakers to date. They feature touches of perfection. an individual powerful amplifier, a 4" woofer and 1" tweeter Simply put, the Powered Partners deliver the best sound in each impact-resistant, black crackle, cast aluminum you can carry. No surprise. They come from AR, the company enclosure. They also feature individual volume and tone that's been making speakers sound great controls, inputs for anything from an FM or cassette for 32 years.

Velcro.5 a trademark of Velcro USA Inc Met) ,s trademark of American Motors Walkman and Dscrnan are trademarks of Sony Corp ACOUSTICAi TELEDYNE ACOUSTIC RESEARCH RESEARCH 330 Turnp.ke Street. Canton M002021 For the name of the nearest authorized AR dealer call 1 -800-345-81 12 the listening area as well as a lot of grop- mentals of a sound—say, a piano chord Test ing for hidden controls during the pro- —were coming from the subwoofer. In Reports cess. You also have to learn to rotate the some cases, this perception actually was adjustments "backward" because they due to too high a gain setting. In others, face downward on the baffle. This is no excessive overlap between the sub- serious problem, however, and once the woofer's frequency range and that of the job is done, you need only reach down prime speakers produced a few over- for the on/off switch from then on. Our emphasized notes. We didn't find the first impulse was to plug the AC cord subwoofer's frequency control effective into a switched outlet on our preamp, ob- in addressing the latter problem, though viating the manual switching at the sub- overall level mismatches always were woofer, but American Acoustics indi- easily corrected with the gain control. cates that it should be plugged directly Distortion was quite low, although it into a wall outlet. can be responsibly assessed only in the As a reminder that the unit is on, very limited range at the center of the there's a small red LED on the enclo- passband, because of the steep rolloffs sure's top surface. When you've finished above and below. But in that range, the the tuning procedure, you can install the figures all remained below 1 percent, supplied smoked-glass top, through even at the maximum test sound pres- which the lit pilot remains visible. Alto- sure level (100 dB SPL). Sensitivity is gether, we thought the subwoofer quite more than adequate for any reasonable handsome and, with the glass top, an ex- cellent end table particularly suitable for modern decors. We were also impressed Room Response Characteristics by the solidity and evident durability of DB the PSW-200's construction. PSW 200 We tried the PSW-200 with a number +5 of prime speaker pairs, and it was able to 0 contribute something to each one. Our 5 graph shows frequency response as mea- bboouunnddeerryy--ddeeppeennddeenntt rreeggliooan sured by Diversified Science Laborato- —10 on-axis response 11-sur1 3311:lei3ritinissir ries with the speaker four inches from the wall, the frequency control at mini- HZ 20 50 100 200 500 11( 21( 51( 10K 20K mum (30 Hz), and the boost at maxi- mum (+12 dB—a nominal figure at Sensitivity (at 1 meter: 2.8-volt pink noise) some frequency settings, but the actual difference between maximum and mini- mum boost at the 30-Hz position). Other settings of the frequency control had more effect on sensitivity (which is easily counteracted with the gain control) than on the bandpass characteristic, though some differences are discernible in the Low- and high-level inputs, response-shaping many curves made by the lab. una ievei com ma. ana In early listening tests, we noted that phase and power switches some sounds were readily localized at are clustered on the the subwoofer itself—even with the unit bottom of the PSW-200's placed between and in the same plane as enclosure, out of sight. the satellites with which it was set up. Flipping the phase switch did help re- need; with the gain all the way up, only duce the audibility—that's why it's 4.3 millivolts (0.0043 volt) were required there. In some systems, you may end up to produce an acoustic output of 90 dB with your prime speakers out of phase SPL at 1 meter. with the subwoofer (because your power How well the PSW-200 will mate amp is phase-inverting, for example). with your speakers depends in part on You could cure the problem by reversing them. A really chintzy pair whose bass speaker leads, but the switch eases com- doesn't hold up well down to 100 Hz or parisons, helping you decide which way so will leave you with a hole in the over- sounds best. all response that the limited frequency Even so, we found it desirable to keep range and flexibility of the subwoofer the prime speakers reasonably near the can do nothing to fill. But the PSW-200 subwoofer's plane, vertically as well as can and does add extra acoustic energy horizontally, for the best possible sonic in the octave or so where most speakers integration and imaging. Otherwise, we good enough to deserve a subwoofer are were sometimes aware that the funda- rolling off rapidly. • 0.

N O V E M B E R 19 8 7 29 RED F IN ITIO • rated stereo with space, depth and ambience! THE CARVER The Asymmetrical Charge Coupled FM Detector was first intro- duced in CARVER's TX-11 Stereo RECEIVER Tuner, receiving unparalleled critical Redefines your expectations of acclaim: receiver performance with the power 'A major advance.., its noise reduction you need for Digital Audio Discs plus Solid line: audio output s.gnal. Broken line: power supply voltage. Shaded area: wasted power. Vertical for stereo reception ranged from appre- virtually noise-free stereo FM recep- lines: power to speakers. ciable to tremendous. It makes the major- tion. A receiver with astonishing per- ity of stereo signals sound virtually as quiet The 150 watts-per-channel formance incorporating two highly as mono signals, yet it does not dilute the (continuous sine-wave output) significant technological break- stereo effect." CARVER Receiver is about the throughs: Bob Carver's Magnetic Julian D. Hirsch, STEREO REVIEW same size and weight of con- Field Power Amplifier and his "Separation was still there; only the ventional receivers having merely Asymmetrical Charge Coupled background noise had been diminished, 30 watts per channel! FM Detector. and with it, much of the sibilance and NOISE-FREE RECEPTION: The AM - hissy edginess so characteristic of multi- ESSENTIAL POWER: Your system path interference." FM CARVER Receiver gives you FM needs an abundance of power to Leonard Feldman, AUDIO stereo performance unmatched by reproduce, without distortion, the that of any other receiver. "What distinguishes the TX-11 is its dynamic range of music on Digital ability to pull clean, noise-free sound out As it is transmitted from the station, Audio Discs and fine analog of weak or multipath ridden signals that the stereo FM signal is extremely recordings. would have you lunging for the mono vulnerable to distortion, noise, hiss switch on any other tuner we know of" The Magnetic Field Amplifier in and multipath interference. HIGH FIDELITY the CARVER Receiver gives you However, when you engage "The Carver Receiver is, without ques- 150 watts per channel CARVER's Asymmetrical Charge tion, one of the finest products of its kind (continuous sine-wave output) Coupled FM Detector circuit, the i have ever tested and used." of pure, clean power with superbly stereo signal arrives at your ears vir- Leonard Feldman, AUDIO defined, high fidelity reproduction. tually noise-free. You hear fully sepa- The Magnetic Field Amplifier The CARVER Receiver has been produces large amounts of power designed for fidelity, accuracy and (absolutely necessary for the ac- musicality. You will want to visit your curate reproduction of music at CARVER dealer for a personal audi- realistic listening levels) without the tion of this remarkable instrument. need for heavy heat sinks, massive SPECIFICATIONS: 150 watts transformers, and enormous power per channel RMS into 8 ohms, capacitors required by conventional Reflected multi-path Asymmetrical Charge 20 Hz to 20 kHz with no more amplifier design. signals cause audible Coupled FM Detector than 0.05% total harmonic Unlike conventional amplifiers distortion. gives your ears a true sonic image distortion. which produce a constant, high vol- tage level at all times, irrespective of the demands of the ever-changing audio signal (Even when there is no audio signal in the circuit at all!), the Magnetic Field Amplifier's power supply is signal responsive. Highly efficient, it produces exactly and only the power needed to carry the signal with complete accuracy and fidelity.

CAM ER PO Box 1237 Lynnwood WA 98046 POWERFUL MUSICAL ACCURATE

evolubon Distributed in Canada by technology ven before it is hooked up, Ad- with most speakers. Test vent's Maestro makes quite an im- Diversified Science Laboratories' test Reports Epression. It is a very handsome re- data backs up most of our listening im- alization of a time-proven genre: the pressions. We attribute the heaviness to medium-size, three-way floor-standing the slight prominence centered at 200 Hz loudspeaker. The black stretch grille and (seen in the on-axis response curve) com- the cabinet's black-vinyl-covered sides bined with the broad dip centered at 500 and back are gracefully set off by the Hz (visible in both on- and off-axis unit's solid oil-finished pecan top and curves). The slight forwardness probably "foot." comes from the small rise between 1 kHz If you pull off the grille cloth—which and 2 kHz in conjunction with the peak is on a removable, curved-edge plastic at 10 kHz. The rolloff in the off-axis re- frame—you'll find the front panel cov- sponse above 10 kHz is evidence of Advent Maestro ered with acoustically absorbent foam. tweeter beaming. Though it is by no This is said to reduce sound-wave dif- Loudspeaker fraction across the baffle surface and to improve imaging. The flush-mounted, vertically arrayed drivers include a 1- inch polyamide soft-dome tweeter with ferrofluid cooling, a 2-inch mica-filled polypropylene dome midrange driver with a separate subenclosure (and liquid cooling), and a 10-inch long-excursion acoustic-suspension woofer. Crossover frequencies are 900 Hz and 4.5 kHz. Hookup is via back-panel push connec- tors that are large enough to also accept banana plugs. Next to the connectors is a fuse holder containing a 1.5-ampere fuse. Our first audible impression of the Maestro was one of slight bass heaviness. Mind you, the deep bass (evaluated with pipe-organ music) was satisfying, and the Maestro has neither an obtrusive boominess nor a disco-optimized artifi- cial punch. But when the speaker was placed within a few inches of the wall be- hind it, male vocals and the lower instru- ments of a string orchestra had a slight but distinct upper-bass emphasis. Even when the unit was pulled out into the room about a yard, much of this effect remained, whereas the very lowest fre- quencies became slightly less prominent. (Advent's placement recommendations are fairly general, suggesting the speaker be as close as possible to one of the walls forming the nearest corner and two to three times that far from the other.) Dimensions: 33 /14 by 16 inches (front), 9% inches deep. At higher frequencies, the sound was means severe, the beaming, combined Price: $699 per pair. a bit forward without ever being exces- with the tweeter's location (substantially Warranty: -Limited, - five years parts and sively bright. Indeed, we felt that the below ear level for most seated listeners), labor. very top of the audio spectrum could could account for the impression of Manufacturer: Advent, 4138 North United stand a little lift. The overall response slightly rolled-off extreme highs. Parkway, Schiller Park, III. 60178. didn't seem to favor any particular type Keep in mind that most of the sonic of music, a sign of a judiciously chosen effects we describe are subtle and that we frequency balance. The Maestro could are talking about a speaker with an ex- play very loud without sounding harsh cellent overall on-axis response that de- or strained and without losing clarity in viates only ±2Y, dB from 50 Hz to 20 complex passages. Lateral imaging was kHz. The measured off-axis response about average—neither razor-sharp nor was nearly as flat, though the variations blurred. But the impression of depth was from flatness somewhat altered the posi- very good and was maintained even with tions and shapes of the curves. All the the speakers against the back wall, a po- data point to a frequency balance as good sition that tends to flatten out the image as our listening tests indicated.

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 31 ".*•••va • IC "Matthew Polk Has a Passion for Perfection!" Experience the Awesome Sonic Superiority of His New Signature Edition SDA 1C and SDA 2B.

L J he genius of Matthew Polk has now basic concept of mono is that you have one "Mindboggling, astounding, brought the designer styling, signal (and speaker) meant to be heard by both flabbergasting" High Fidelity Magazine vanced technology and superb sonic ears at once. However, the fundamental and Words alone cannot fully describe how much performance of his award winning SDA basic concept of stereo is that a much more more lifelike SDA TRUE STEREO reproduction Signature Reference Systems into the new lifelike three-dimensional sound is achieved by is. Reviewers, critical listeners and novices alike Signature Edition SDA IC and SDA 2B. having 2 different signals, each played back are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the sonic through a separate speaker and each meant to improvement achieved by Polk's TRUE STEREO "They truly represent a be heard by only one ear apiece (L or R). So technology. You will hear a huge sound stage breakthrough." Roiling Stone Magazine quite simply, a mono loudspeaker is designed to which extends not only beyond the speakers, but Polk's critically acclaimed, 5 time Audio Video be heard by two ears at once while true stereo beyond the walls of your listening room itself Grand Prix Award winning SDA technology is the loudspeakers should each be heard by only one The lifelike ambience revealed by the SDAs most important fundamental advance in loud- ear apiece (like headphones). The revolutionary makes it sound as though you have been speaker technology since stereo itself Listeners Polk SDAs are the first TRUE STEREO speakers transported to the acoustic environment of the are amazed when they hear the huge, lifelike, engineered to accomplish this and fully realize original sonic event. Every instrument, vocalist three-dimensional sonic image produced by the astonishingly lifelike three-dimensional and sound becomes tangible, distinct, alive and Polk's SDA speakers. The nation's top audio imaging capabilities of the stereophonic sound firmly placed in its own natural spatial position. experts agree that Polk SDA loudspeakers al- medium. You will hear instruments, ambience and subtle ways sound better than conventional loud- "A stunning achievement" musical nuances (normally masked by conven- speakers. Stereo Review said, "Spectacular... Australian HIFI tional speakers), revealed for your enjoyment by the result is always better than would be the SDAs. This benefit is accurately described by Polk SDA Technology solves one of the achieved by conventional speakers." High Julian Hirsch in Stereo Review, "...the sense of greatest problems in stereo reproduction. When Fidelity said, "Astounding.. We have yet to hear discovery experienced when playing an old each ear hears both speakers and signals, as any stereo program that doesn't benefit." The favorite stereo record and hearing, quite liter- occurs when you use conventional (Mono) new SDA IC and SDA 2B utilize new circuitry ally, a new dimension in the sound is a most speakers to listen in stereo, full stereo separa- which allows the drivers to more effectively attractive bonus..." Records, CDs, tapes, video tion is lost. The undesirable signal reaching utilize amplifier power at very low frequencies. and FM all benefit equally as dramatically. each ear from the "wrong" speaker is a form of This results in deeper, more powerful bass acoustic distortion called interaural crosstalk, response, greater dynamic range and higher "You owe it to yourself to which confuses your hearing. efficiency: In addition, the new circuitry makes audition them." Iligh I idellh Slaginirie these new speakers an extremely easy load for "Literally a New SDAs allow you to experience the spine amplifiers and receivers to drive. Lastly, the tingling excitement, majest) and pleasure of imaging, soundstage and depth are more pre- Dimension in the Sound llw music in your home. You must hear the cise and dramatically realistic than ever. Stereo Revie w Magazine remarkable sonic benefits of SDA technology for )ourself You too will agree with Stereo Why SDAs Always Sound Better The Polk SDA systems eliminate interaural Review's dramatic conclusion: 'The resuh Stereo Review confirmed the unqualified crosstalk distortion and maintain full, True is alwa)s better than would be achieved by sonic superiority of Matthew Polk's revolution- Stereo separation, by incorporating two com- conventional speakers...it does indeed add ary SDA Technology when they wrote, "These pletely separate sets of drivers (stereo and a new dimension to reproduced sound." speakers always sounded different from con- dimensional) into each speaker cabinet. The ventional speakers — and in our view better — stereo drivers radiate the normal stereo signal, as a result of their SDA design. while the dimensional drivers radiate a differ- Without exaggeration, the design principals ence signal that acoustically and effectively embodied in the SDAs make them the world's cancels the interaural crosstalk distortion and first true stereo speakers. The basic concept of thereby restores the stereo separation, imaging polk speaker design was never modified to take into and detail lost when you listen to normal The Speaker Specialists account the fundamental difference between a "mono"speakers. The dramatic sonic benefits mono and stereo signal. The fundamental and are immediately audible and remarkable. 5(,411 %tiro 1)riw, Haltimory. Mtl. 21215

Where to buy Polk Speakers? For your nearest dealer, see page 99. W E L L C H A N G E Y O U R ID E A S 1

C O N C E P T 9 0 Li do* W arr B & W REVISES AN E Q U ATIO N. TH E RES U LT IS U N BELIEVABLE.

The Matrix revolution - an historic breakthrough in enclosure ckletkpi, B&W have taken the Matrix quantum leap a stage has lit the fuse. The honeycomb Matrix structure has virtually elittketied beyond They challenged the view that only a size- unwanted radiation characteristics. Setting you free to enjoy the,pure. able and intrusive enclosure could possibly uncoloured sound of the drivers. produce a sound of true monitor quality. With one of the last great barriers to perfect sound reproduction lifted. That equation between size and sound quality is B8AV have undertaken an intensive development programme using the now rewritten by B&W in their Concept 90 series latest Computer Aided Design techniques. This has brought about e CMI/CM2 loudspeakers Giving an . incredible new generation. demonstrating B&W's sensitive shaping of audio 191 the response to the wide dynamic range of today's rest of the century. Its called Concept 90. CMI and CM2 wet the Wee compact discs progeny of the state of NM art. At one end a rich and satisfying bass output At the other, fastidious reproduction of the most delicate passages TH E M ATRIX REV OLU TIO N Here is a loudspeaker whose mighty SETTIN G SOU N D FREE, performance is at home in limited roomscapes.. whose appearance is perfectly attuned to design- conscious living. ,

C MI AN INC RE DIBLE SOU N D SYSTE M.

By moulding the CMI enclosure and Matrix in one piece and using a new glass-fibre reinforced polyester material. B&W have drastically reduced cabinet thickness- normally 15mm - to just 5mm. The result: a gain of 46% internal volume and a bass output which completely belies the CM1's C M2 TH E PO W ER TH E GL ORY diminutive size. Bass/midrange performance has been refined by For the resolute perfectionist. Concept the introduction of a new version of the woven 90 reserves a further dimension. The Kevlar Lone fused in B&W's celebrated NI monitor' supreme power and bass extension System sensitivity of 85c111 Maximum sound la lull 112 octaves morel of the CM2. pressure level of 105dB fin WOO cult'. The perfect The CMI element crosses to the expression of the Concept 90 philosophy. slender sub-bass module of CM2 at only 150Hz, leaving performance unimpaired and giving a fully omni- directional pattern of sound radiation. Drivers are reflex loaded and deliver perfect optimisation of output and bass extension. In CM2 the maximum sound pressure level is raised to 107dB with superla- tive accuracy and stereo imagery.

B&W Loudspeakers of America P.O. Box 653 Buffalo, New York 14240 (416) 297-0595 The lack of harshness at high listen- Advent's 6-ohm nominal and 4-ohm Test ing levels can be at least partially attrib- minimum impedance ratings for the Reports uted to low distortion. At a loud 95-dB Maestro are thus entirely justified. sound pressure level (SPL), distortion is The Maestro's elegantly restrained usually less than 1 percent for all fre- quencies above 63 Hz. At a very loud 100 Room Response dB SPL, distortion is still better than that of many similar speakers-2 per- DB cent or less for frequencies above 63 Hz. Maestro + 5 Although our listening tests were • '.... 4.-"-- _ ...., ...... ----,..— I...... _ .... conducted at moderate levels, it is com- 0 ••••• 0..., \ forting to find out from the lab data that - 5 NI the speaker can absorb the full output of boundary -dependent region the test amplifier (67.5 volts peak, equiv- - 10 011-81i5 response ___ Off-axis (30 ( response alent to 570 watts, or 27.6 dBW, into 8 ohms) for a calculated peak SPL of al- HZ 20 50 100 200 1K 21< 5K 10K 20K most 118 dB. Sensitivity is about average for a speaker of the Maestro's size and Sensitivity (at 1 meter; 2.8-volt pink noise) type. appearance is carried through to the 40 I/4 dB SPL The impedance curve is fairly well sound quality, which is at all times a fair Average Impedance (250 Hz to 6 kHz) controlled, with its deviations from flat- representation of the program material. 10 ohms ness determined by the crossover and Its departures from neutral performance resonance frequencies. It dips to lows of are slight and may, in fact, benefit the 5 and 4.7 ohms at 20 Hz and 120 Hz, re- sound of many recordings. It is a good spectively. The highest impedance is performer at a reasonable cost and worth 19.6 ohms at the 52-Hz bass resonance. an audition. •

mong the most interesting of In- new polypropylene formulation that is Infinity finity's recent introductions is said to combine low mass with excellent RS-7 Kappa Athe Kappa series of loudspeakers damping. Crossovers are at 600 Hz and (based on a set of newly developed driv- 4.5 kHz. Loudspeaker ers) in its Reference Standard line. The The drivers are arrayed vertically up top two models, the RS-8 Kappa and the middle of the front baffle. To mini- RS-9 Kappa, are four- and five-way mize diffraction, Infinity mounts the speakers, respectively, and use a special midrange driver and tweeter flush with 5-inch graphite-reinforced polypropyl- the baffle and rounds the corners of the ene dome driver to cover the critical distinctive oak-veneer cabinet. In addi- range from 80 to 500 Hz, where many tion, the dark-brown cloth grille attaches musical fundamentals lie. At the bottom to the enclosure with short pegs to pre- of the series is the RS-6 Kappa, a book- vent interfering reflections from the shelf speaker of more conventional three-way design. In between is the sub- ject of this review, the three-way, floor- standing RS-7 Kappa. DB RS 7 Kappa Like the two larger models, the RS-7 + 5 Kappa uses a 12-inch acoustic suspen- sion woofer with a cast frame and an in- 0 jection-molded cone of polypropylene - 5 and graphite fiber, which is said to yield boundary-dependent region an excellent stiffness-to-mass ratio. Its - 10 on-axis response off-axis (30 ) response 3-inch Polydome midrange driver and EMIT (electromagnetic induction HZ 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 51< 101< 20K tweeter) high-frequency unit are com- mon to all the speakers in the new series. Sensitivity (at 1 meter; 2.8-volt pink noise) Although earlier Infinity speakers have frame. Adjustable feet on the cabinet's n9 dB SP( used midrange and treble drivers similar pedestal base enable you to tilt the speak- Average Impedance (250 Hz to 6 kHz) to these, the company says these versions er back slightly, which the company says 7 ohms deliver significantly better performance. may improve performance in some in- Approximate Tweeter Control Range (re "flat") The new EMIT is particularly interest- stallations. + 5,-3 dB at 20 kHz Approximate Midrange Control Ram p (re "flat") ing. Infinity says the diaphragm is now Amplifier connections are made to ' 3 dB, 1 in kHz 50 percent lighter than before, extending color-coded multiway binding posts set response to 44 kHz. The principal im- into the back panel near the bottom of provement in the midrange driver is a the cabinet. Next to the binding posts are

N O y E M B E R 1 9 8 1 33 Fine Ceramics laser guide shafts hold their tolerances five These anti- times longer than resonant chassis other materials. spacers are made with Kyocera's proprietary Fine Ceramics. These are the CD features they'll be copying next

3rd-order analog filters cause less phase shift than the 7th- and 9th-order designs that others use.

• Since Day One, every Kyocera player has had true 16-bit oversampling.

While our supplied remote controls are The front fascia of all great, this optional full our players is brushed system remote control aluminum, not plastic. lets you operate a complete Kyocera system from any- where in the house!

Our real wood side panels help damp resonance. They also look good. In May of 1983, Kyocera introduced a CD player with true 16-bit digital filters. Today, the competition's calling this circuit "the latest thing' Years ago we had four-times oversampling. This year every high-end player worth mentioning has a similar design. In September, 1984 Kyocera raised some eyebrows with the world's first Fine Ceramics anti-resonant CD chassis. Now the stores are full of flimsy imitations. How did all these innovations happen to come from Kyocera, and not some household name? Perhaps because Kyocera's knowledge of digital circuitry comes from years of building computers for some of the best-known names in electronics. Perhaps because Kyocera is a world leader in Fine Ceramics, the technology used to house circuitry in aerospace and other advanced applications. Or perhaps because some top-rated CD players from other brands were actually made by Kyocera. Now Kyocera has four world-beating Compact Disc Players, ranging in suggested retail price from $350 to the $800 model DA-710CX shown here. Each boasts technology so advanced, it's a preview of what the competition will be selling in 1989. After all, history does repeat itself. ;CKYOCERa Built right from the ground up.

Kyocera Electronics, Inc., 100 Randolph Rood, CN 6700. Somerset, New Jersey 08873-1284 (201) 560-0060 Kyocera Canada, Inc , 7470 Bath Road, Mississauga, Ont.. L4T1L2, Canada (416) 671-4300 Ultimate Power.

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With a worldwide reputation for sonic excellence, the new Luxman Receivers also deliver more power than ever before. For over 60 years, Luxman audio compo- ratings has created a need for receivers with nents have been internationally recognized "real" output power. for their superb sonic quality. With the tremendous dynamic power of However, the recent introduction of the new Luxman receivers, our reputation compact discs with wide dynamics and high- for "Ultimate Fidelity" is likely to change to accuracy loudspeakers with low impedance "Ultimate Power"

L U X M A N A Division of Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. (213) 326-8000 The finest home audio components in the industry... are available only at the finest retailers:

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Diversified Science Lab- with a gentle rolloff below. oratories' measurements show these Distortion is unusually low in the controls to be unusually well behaved. deep bass but a little higher than average The tweeter control slopes response up- through the rest of the range. At the lab's ward or downward starting at about 7 lowest test level (85 dB SPL), total har- kHz; the midrange control introduces a monic distortion averages about Y. per- small rise between approximately 900 cent from 100 Hz up, but with peaks of Hz and 2.5 kHz or a dip between approx- as much as 23/4 percent. Distortion rises imately 700 Hz and 3 kHz. The range with level: At the highest test level (100 available is large enough to be useful but dB SPL), it is greater than 1 percent over not so great as to encourage gross distor- almost the entire test range (63 Hz to 10 tion of the speaker's balance. kHz), with spikes of 4 to 6 percent at For the rest of its measurements, some frequencies. However, we did not DSL set the controls to their "flat" posi- hear any distortion when playing music, tions and placed the speakers several feet even at high volumes. In our 300-Hz from the walls, according to Infinity's pulse power-handling test, the RS-7 recommendation. The resulting curves Kappa accepted the full output of the are exceptionally smooth and flat. lab's amplifier (68 volts peak, equivalent Room-corrected 'A-octave response is to 27.6 dBW, or 578 watts, into 8 ohms) without distress, delivering a calculated peak sound pressure level of almost 117 dB. We would say that the speaker has more than adequate dynamic range for reproducing music at home. Sensitivity is about average for mod- ern speakers, but impedance is low. The minimum of 3 ohms occurs at 1.8 kHz with the midrange control turned all the way up. With the controls set to their flat positions, the curve ranges from a low of 3.4 ohms at 90 Hz to a high of 10 ohms at bass resonance (42 Hz). Over most of the audio band, the impedance is between 4 and 7 ohms. The RS-7 Kappa could be a difficult load for some amplifiers, and we concur with Infinity's recommendation that you drive it with an amp capable of delivering plenty of current. We would advise against running a pair of RS-7 Kappas in parallel with another set of speakers. For our listening tests, we once again followed Infinity's recommendation, placing the speakers well out into the room. The results were altogether grati- fying. Balance is very good, with a slight tendency toward richness in the midbass Di III•112/01111: 17 by 37 1/4 Ales (front), . (probably attributable to the small re- inches deep plus clearance for connections. within ±3 dB on-axis from the 50-Hz sponse rise in that region). We tried vari- Price: $1.318 per pair. band to the 16-kHz band and within ±4 ous settings of the driver level controls Warranty: -Limited, - five years parts and dB from the 40-Hz band to the 20-kHz but found that we preferred the sound Manufacturer: Infinity Systems, Inc., 9409 band. Off-axis response is similarly im- with the controls set close to the posi- Owerismouth Ave., Chatsworth, Calif. 91311. pressive, though not quite as smooth. tions marked flat. Stereo imaging is pre- Particularly noteworthy is the absence of cise and stable, with a good sense of high-frequency beaming, as evidenced depth, and cymbals and plucked strings by the close tracking of the two curves in are reproduced with the requisite snap the extreme treble. The small dip in the and definition. At the same time, the RS- octave between 250 and 500 Hz probably 7 Kappa renders strings and voices with is the result of interference from a floor great smoothness, free of the harshness reflection. The other main features of the that often mars otherwise good speakers. curves are a smaller dip between 500 Hz This is a very enjoyable speaker. If and 1 kHz, another between 2.5 and 6 the other members of the Kappa Series kHz, a gentle lift above 12 kHz, and a are as good as this one, they all should small bump between 100 and 200 Hz. enjoy great success. •

40 H I G H F I D E l l T Y he 90 is the next-to-the-top model minor beaming at the top of the mid- Test in the aptly named Compact Se- range driver's response and still less at Reports Tries from Jamo, a Danish compa- the top of the tweeter range. The curves ny whose speakers are becoming increas- are reasonably flat and well extended for ingly prominent in the U.S. market. The so small a speaker. two smaller models in the series, the 50 The absence of very deep bass pre- and 70, are both two-way designs. The sumably reflects a trade-off that contrib- 90 and the 120, which tops the series, are utes to the 90's astonishingly high sensi- three-way models—astonishing for a tivity, although its bass-reflex design speaker small enough to fit comfortably undoubtedly contributes as well. Also Jamo on a generously proportioned bookshelf, unusual for a system that must fit every- Compact 90 as the 90 does. thing into so small a cabinet is the evi- This is a bass-reflex system, with a Loudspeaker ducted port at the back (meaning, among other things, that it requires some clearance for "breathing room" at the back). The port is fitted with a compliant seal that evidently is intended to act as a passive radiator by increasing the duct's acoustic impedance. Also on the back are color-coded spring-clip connectors for amplifier leads. Each of the three drivers on the front panel is surrounded by a mounting plate that is beveled to minimize diffraction and to add eye appeal, since they aren't hidden behind a conventional grille. However, the 3½-inch midrange driver and 8-inch woofer do have wire-mesh grilles directly over their cone dia- phragms to protect them from damage. The tweeter is mounted at the throat of a round horn whose depth similarly pro- tects the 1-inch soft-dome diaphragm. Nominal crossover frequencies are 1.2 kHz (woofer to midrange) and 4 kHz (midrange to tweeter), though Diversi- fied Science Laboratories' near-field measurements suggest considerable overlap at both points. The 90's room-corrected Vroctave re- sponse, when mounted on an 18-inch speaker stand and with its back six inch- es out from the wall, is shown in our graph. On-axis, the response stays with- in about ±4 dB from the 80-Hz band to that centered on 16 kHz, except for a marked trough (to —5/2 dB) between 300 and 400 Hz. However, this depres- sion is at least partially attributable to in- terference from floor reflection. Diver- gence of the two response traces suggests

Dimensions: 9 by 14 /12 inches (front), 6/12 p plus clearance for driver trim. dent care taken to achieve a smooth im- Price: $280 per pair. pedance curve to aid power transfer. Warranty: -Limited, - one year parts and Though there are the usual bumps and dips of a three-way vented design, no Manufacturer: Jamo, Denmark. peak is greater than 12.7 ohms and no U.S. Distributor: Jamo Hi-Fi USA, 425 Huehl trough less than 5.5 ohms. Jamo's rating Rd., Bldg. 3a, Northbrook, III. 60062. (4 to 8 ohms) is conservative; the 90 can be paralleled with other loudspeakers with, if anything, less worry than aver- The tweeter (right) is at the apex of a short age about drawing excessive current horn. from the driving amplifier.

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 48 Proton s AV27 audio-video system Your audio-video system should be looks. And, it's the perfect comple- a reflection of your lifestyle. That's ment to Proton's stunning new 27" why you'll want the ultimate in picture, flat screen stereo monitor/receiver. sound and design. The Proton AV27 audio-video Introducing Proton s new AV27 system. Once you own it, you'll know audio-video system. you've arrived. At the heart of the system is our 414.5 The ultimate audio/video guide is superb, remote-controlled 300 Series yours free for the asking. audio components with exclusive Dynamic Power on Demand " (DPD - ). Proton's Ultimate System Guide for Since its introduction, DPD has AudioNideophiles tells you everything received the highest acclaim. It does about the innovative technology and 300 Series Remote-Controlled Components with what no other technological innovation design that go into creating the re- 1 Dynamic Power on Demaid (top to bottom) AM-300 Stereo Amplifier. AT-300 Stereo Tuner has for CD, other digital recordings. nowned Proton line. AD-300 Cassette Deck. 83OR CD Player or hi-fi video listening pleasure. DPD For your copy, which includes a list boosts the amp's output up to four of the Proton retailers near you, times its rated power, to let you hear call (800) 772-0172. even the highest musical peaks In California. (800) 428-1006. clearly, without distortion. When you put the 300 Series together with our new matching P R O T O N speakers, you'll have a combination C L E A R L Y T H E B E S T that sounds as extraordinary as it 737 W. Artesia Blvd Compton, CA 90220 Distortion typically runs higher in bright quality—again, very much as you Test small systems than in large ones, and the might expect in a speaker of this type. If Reports 90 is true to form. At the lowest test this is of particular concern, combining sound pressure level (85 dB SPL), total the 90s with a separate subwoofer might harmonic distortion averages about Y, supply what you're looking for. percent above 100 Hz (the rolloff at low- We'd expect readers most often to er frequencies prevents valid assessment choose Compact 90s for a second sys- by conventional techniques). At the tem. In a relatively small room, they maximum test level (100 dB SPL), the average has crept above 1 percent, with Room Response Characteristics spikes to 2 percent or more, but this still is moderate for a speaker of this size and DB price. The speaker can be driven even Compact 90 +5 harder without gross sonic anomalies: In our 300-Hz pulse test, it successfully ne- 0 gotiated peaks calculated at more than — 5 120 dB SPL. boundary-dependent region As with most other small speakers, -10 on-axis esponse - - clarity suffers when you try to push the Off-axis (30) response 90 too hard. Blurring or thickening of HZ 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K climaxes isn't excessive for this category of speaker, but if you want to avoid these Sensitivity (at 1 meter; 2.8-volt pink noise) effects altogether, you probably should won't have to be driven hard to achieve 95 ,/,1 dB SPL be looking for a larger system. Nor is the satisfactory listening levels. And those Average Impedance (250 Hz to 6 kHz) sound entirely uncolored: Partly because levels can be obtained with a lower-cost, 8 2 ohms there's so little very deep bass, some mu- low-power amplifier that takes advan- sic is reproduced with a rather shallow, tage of the 90's high sensitivity.

ince the beginnings of high fidelity out the back of the enclosure. Each driv- TSC (and before the beginnings of er is flanked by a pair of curved vanes Symphony 1 SHIGH FIDELITY), there have been that collect the sound radiating from the two approaches to loudspeaker design: cone's edge and redirect it around the en- Loudspeaker conventional and radical. Much has closure and out into the listening area. been achieved simply by chipping away A damper plug, mounted in a bracket be- at tried-and-true formulas, honing them tween each pair of vanes, has a felt sur- to achieve an ever more satisfying sound. face that absorbs the undesirable acous- Then there are the radical departures, tic energy from around the dust cap of which have frequently led to important developments. But not all radicalism is Room Response Characteristics productive. It is easy to see the maverick idea as misguided until, with hindsight, DB we discover its value and accept it. Symphony 1 +5 Therefore, we must be wary of making hasty judgments when confronted with a 0 1. v ‘ speaker as radical as Tennessee Sound's 5 Symphony I. _boundary -dependent region Its basic concept—and the subject of -10 on-axis response patents in several countries by TSC pres- - ott-exie (30') response ident Lloyd B. Smith—is that the sound HZ 20 50 100 200 .. 1K 2K 5K 1 generated near the outer edge of a cone T AR' driver is much less subject to distortion Sensitivity (at 1 meter; 2.8-volt pink noise) than that created near the center; thus, each driver. Aside from this plug, the 88 1/. dB SPL the propagation of sound from that part space between the vanes' inner edges Average Impedance (250 Hz to 6 kHz) of the cone should be favored in a loud- is open, allowing free propagation of 14 2 ohms speaker system. The crux of the patent, acoustic energy. and of the Symphony I, is a system of re- The Symphony I is a small two-way flector vanes that direct the "cream" of system. The lower portion of its enclo- the acoustic output toward the listening sure houses a 5-inch woofer, the upper area. The remainder of the sound is portion a I /12 -inch tweeter. Both sections either absorbed by the structure or al- are sealed; what look like grilles on the lowed to slip through it and become part front are, in fact, patches of a carpeting of the indirect ambient room sound. material that may (as TSC claims) help Both drivers in the Symphony I fire control diffraction but otherwise aren't

N O V E M B E R i 9 8 7 43 MITSUBISHI DRIVES THE FUTURE.

Mitsubisri be ieves thpt mobile el actr_.-n- grcted into tte phone base. The result is ics should -1' kike a bock seat to h.:m€ a full-featurec phone tharrs boti moble electronics. We've created our Diamc iii and transp:roble. Collection - - an exclisrve group o4 DiamondSe.ntnimis ttc com Pele! advarcedo:mponents that puts ;utie, secunly wst?, -n. Custom LSI clarity pc- techno °gill your fir gertips. vices an aLundance iE atures and From cl'.kreos \i‘ith some of t-e ctions in c corr pact _nit, del veing indusinis best tuners. to Compact D arperior proteptior kir yourvericle systems f-s-t-e mobile purist, Mitsubis -irs Drive the future wti MitsubiEri's Dia- DiamoncKudorm products reflect our nond Ccilecipn Mobile Electronic:. commitrrie,n - to superior design. Prc ducts. Experieme wt afs dcvin he Its no sur:rise that a compam„ -hct roc d. Today was at the forefront cl cellular tech nopog develc pod mother thnological cou:i: DiamonciTel "55. A dromatic downs:tic of the transceiver allays it to be hie- MITSUBISHI' MOOILE ELECTRONICS

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Loup' part of the propagation scheme. Diversi- curves obtained with the speaker in these Test fied Science Laboratories' near-field re- two positions are markedly similar in Reports sponse measurements suggest that the some ways, strikingly different in others. crossover is at about 1 kHz. High treble is very similar, with a If you want to embellish the system, peak at about 12 kHz and a steep rolloff TSC also offers the Symphony 2 sub- above that. In neither case is there strong woofer, designed along the same lines evidence of beaming—nor should there and built of the same solid cherry (and be, on the basis of TSC's design goal and with the same three lacquer finishes— our listening tests. The trough at around clear, black, and white). It is rated to ex- 3 kHz is equally apparent in both sets of tend the bass an extra octave, from 60 Hz curves. Below this dip, response is to 30 Hz. The Symphony 2 has been tai- rougher with the speaker out in the lored specifically to complement the room, and the peaks and dips seldom oc- Symphony 1, but the latter is designed for use with or without the subwoofer. Rated impedance of the Symphony 1 is 8.5 ohms or greater across the audio band; the combination is rated at 6 ohms or greater. The solid cherry is very handsome and the assembly excellent—particular- ly considering the trapezoidal shape and rounded edges designed to lead wave fronts around the enclosure and into the listening area. The vanes, too, are nicely finished, and there are heavy rubber feet on the cabinet bottom. Electrical con- nections are made to heavy-duty color- coded multiway binding posts near the bottom of the back panel. Internal wir- ing is all done with Straight Wire Music Ribbon cable. In light of this evident care for materials and craftsmanship, we were surprised by the rather gritty feel of the lacquer finish, but TSC says this is deliberate and intended to help control diffraction. The owner's manual points out that the distance between the Symphony Is and the wall behind them can have a pro- found effect on the sound. In fact, when you consider how much of the sound es- Dimensions: 13 by 15 inches (back, including projections), 1 1/12 inches deep. capes between the vanes and travels di- cur at the same frequencies. For in- Price: $750 per pair; optional Symphony 2 rectly toward the wall, it's clear that stance, both curves show a peak in the subwoofer, $1,200 per pair; optional floor some positions could pose problems of 800-Hz band, but it is much less obvious stands, $120 per pair; optional wall brackets, $65 per pair. reflective interference with the main in the graph for the position nearest the Warranty: -Full, - five years parts and labor. sound, particularly if the speaker is near wall. The broad dip at around 400 Hz in Manufacturer: Tennessee Sound Co., P.O. the wall. TSC's literature shows the that graph (presumably attributable to Box 1252, Bristol, Tenn. 37621. Symphony I mounted three different interference from floor reflection) is ways: on a Symphony 2, on a floor stand, much sharper and centered somewhat and on a wall bracket, each implying a lower in frequency in the other data. different spacing from the wall. And there's about an octave less of useful The only placement directions given bass without the reinforcing effect of a in the manual instruct you to have the nearby wall. tweeters close to ear level, keep the So for stand-alone use of the speaker, speakers well away from the side walls, the data suggest placement near the wall. and start with them 18 to 24 inches from The Symphony 2 subwoofer presumably the backup wall—and keep experiment- will supply the bass you would lose in ing, if necessary. The lab chose the two moving the speaker out into the room. positions that most nearly match those Depending on just where you put it in for which its measurement room is cali- the room, however, you may find the re- brated: on an 18-inch stand 6 inches sponse rather rough and colored, as we from the wall (with the results shown in did in our listening tests. On the other our graph) and on the same stand 39 hand, freestanding placement supplies a inches from the wall. The response pleasant sense of space, since the reflec-

N O V E M B E R 1 9 6 7 43 Test tions of the sounds that escape through several other dips to near 7 ohms. The Reports the vanes are perceived as spatial infor- highest peak is 25.6 ohms at bass reso- mation. nance (just below 100 Hz). Another, Except for the 3-kHz dip on-axis, re- near 1 kHz, measures 20.1 ohms, while sponse in the nearer-the-wall position yet another, occurring in the tweeter lies between + — 2 dB from the 100- range and apparently related to the dip Hz band to that centered on 12.5 kHz. at around 3 kHz, measures 16.4 ohms. That's quite good for a satellite designed It's difficult to decide which proper- for use with a subwoofer when you want ties of the Symphony 1 relate to its fun- to add the low bass. Off-axis, the spread damental concept and which to its par- is somewhat greater: about +3 3/4, —3 dB ticular approach. Any structure in the over the same range. Given the design sound path can pose sticky problems goal, distortion measurements aren't as concerning diffraction, resonance, and superb as we'd hoped, but they're cer- even horn loading. The vanes are very tainly better than average for a speaker well damped (the wooden stiffeners on of this size. Outside of the deep bass our test samples don't appear in earlier (where the response rolloff always makes photographs), minimizing resonances distortion measurements unreliable), the within the vanes themselves, but the lowest test sound pressure level (85 dB) acoustic behavior of the space between yielded an average of about V, percent the cabinet and the vanes is another mat- harmonic distortion, while the highest ter. Since we test ends rather than (100 dB SPL) generated a little more means, analysis of such matters is be- than i percent. yond the scope of this report, though the Impedance measures slightly lower test results do raise questions. Pending than TSC's specification, though the 8- further answers, we view the Symphony ohm rating certainly is appropriate. 1 as an interesting speaker whose per- Minimum impedance is 6.3 ohms near formance has yet to bear out every aspect the top of the passband, and there are of its operating principles. •

Multivision 1 .1 s your video system grows, you inset picture, freeze it, swap it with the Digital Video may feel the need for an audio- main picture, sequentially view all four Avideo switcher to obviate expedi- inputs, and even control the inset's color Controller tions into the jungle of cables behind and tint, all from your easy chair. In fact, your components. You'd do well to con- you must use the 1.1's remote, since there are no controls on the unit itself. Why would you want to do all of this? For one thing, you can view one channel on the main screen while recording from another channel fed to the inset picture, enabling you to edit out commercials as you go. A video camera connected to one of the inputs can be used as an electronic babysitter or for surveillance, displaying its picture on the inset or, for a closer look, on the main screen. The inset's freeze-frame capability can itself be use- ful for catching a phone number that's flashed briefly on the main screen. And PIP gives you the option of watching two channels at once. If you choose to do so, however, be aware that the 1.1 has no self-contained tuner—you'd have to sup- ply two of them. Finding two tuners is not as difficult Dimensions: 17 by 3 inches (front), 10 as it may seem, for most monitor/re- hus deep plus clearance for connections sider the Multivision 1.1 Digital Video ceivers and VCRs have audio-video AC Convenience Outlets: One switched (300 watts max.). Controller, an affordable four-in/one- feeds from TV-tuner sections. By con- Price: $329 out switching system with PIP (picture- necting the feed from each into two of Warranty: 'Limited, 90 days parts and in-picture) capability, which enables the the 1.1's four inputs and using the unit's labor. simultaneous viewing of any two video audio-video output to in turn feed the Manufacturer: Multivision Products, Inc, sources from a set of four composite vid- monitor, you're in business. Since the 1.1 1751 Fox Dr , San Jose, Calif 95131 eo and stereo-audio inputs. It enables has no built-in RF modulator, it must be you to change the size and location of the used with sets that have composite-video

46 H G H FI D E L I T Y inputs (i.e., monitors). If you want to use panel processor jacks. The mute button Test it with a conventional TV, you'll need to totally kills the sound. Shifting the UP/ Reports supply an external RF modulator. DOWN rocker changes the color intensity The 1.1's remote source switching is of the inset picture; shifting POSITION remarkably flexible. The handset affords changes its tint. independent control of the audio and of All this isn't as complicated as it the main-screen and inset displays. The sounds, thanks to the excellent owner's device also enables you to feed an FM manual. Besides, shifting MUTE provides tuner into one of the inputs and a TV a convenient means of returning to the tuner into a second. By choosing the factory settings, in case you get things to- main-screen display from the TV tuner tally flummoxed. Anyway, we're sure and the audio from the FM-fed input, you'll find the 1.1 as easy to connect and you're set for simulcast reception. A use as Diversified Science Laboratories group of three color-coded LEDs for did in testing it. each input informs you of the choice The results of those tests (measuring you've made. from Input 1 to the audio-video output) When you first turn the Multivision are, in a word, perfect, indicating no deg- 1.1 on, the inset display is in the lower- radation of the video signal at all. Audio right corner of the screen. You can repo- sition it with rocker switches on the re- All of the Multivision 1.1's controls are on its mote or move it clockwise or counter- remarkably versatile clockwise to one of four preset positions infrared remote handset. with the POSITION rocker. Pressing the button marked with the Multivision logo removes the inset. The size of the inset can be increased by factors of 3, 4, 6, or 8 by repeatedly pressing this button while pressing SHIFT. Main-screen, inset, and audio sources are chosen via three ranks of four but- tons (labeled 1-4) on the remote. The three bottommost buttons (marked "4") serve dual purposes. Shifting the MAIN-4 button locks the audio to the main- screen picture source, which is the set- ting for normal operation. Shifting IN- SET-4 links the audio to the inset picture. The four inputs can be viewed sequen- tial!), on the inset picture when you press performance is equally exemplary. Fre- SCAN. The scan sequence stops with the quency response is flat across the audio second press of this button, and the scan band and well beyond it. Noise is as- rate can be changed from 1.5 to 3 to 6 to toundingly low. Input impedance is suf- 12 seconds—and back to 1.5 seconds— ficiently high and output impedance suf- All measurements were made from Input 1 with the factory by consecutive presses of a shifted SCAN ficiently low to ensure problem-free settings and the insert mode off 2 45 volts button. SHIFT AUDIO-4 deletes the cur- hookup. Distortion is below our report- Maximum Audio Output (at 1 kHz) rent MAIN source number from the auto- ing limit at a 0.5-volt output and less Audio Gain 0 0 dB matic scan sequence so that you can skip than 0.023 percent across the entire au- over unused inputs. dio band at a 2-volt output. Even though Audio S/N Ratio (re 0.5 volt; A-weighted) 103 dB To capture a picture in the Multi- this level approaches the device's maxi- Harmonic Distortion (THD; 20 Hz to 20 kHz) vision's digital memory, press FREEZE. mum output (2.45 volts), distortion is at 2-volt output 0 023% To unfreeze, press FREEZE again or composed entirely of the relatively be- Frequency Response

SWAP. Changing the inset size or inset nign second-order harmonics. 0. - 1/4 dB. < 10 Hz to 171 kHz source, or switching off the inset alto- It's up to you to decide whether you'll • 0, -3 dB, < 10 Hz to > 300 kHz gether, also unfreezes the display. Shift- find the Multivision 1.1 Digital Video Audio Input Impedance 14k ohms ing the FREEZE button calls up the strobe Controller useful in your system. We Audio Output Impedance 0 ohms mode, which updates the frame at the quickly became very enamored of it. As a Video Frequency Response same rate as set for scanning. The swap straight audio-video switcher (with re- 500 kHz to 4.2MHz flat button, as its name implies, exchanges mote-controlled audio and video pro- Luminance Level standard the main-screen and inset displays; and if cessing loops), it's perfection incarnate. Gray-Scale Nonlinearity (worst case) the audio has been linked to the video, it The PIP features are very handy for sur- none switches that also. You can switch only veillance and freeze frame displays, to Chrome Differential Gain none the audio by pressing ASWAP. The say nothing of monitoring the recording Chrome Differential Phase none APROC and VPROC independently switch of a second channel to strip out commer- Chroma Level standard into the signal path any audio or video cials. And if you're a football fan on New Chroma Phase Error none signal processors connected to the rear- Year's Day... •

N O V E M B E R 1 9 6 7 47 ittook a to hrfEi

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AD ATNCEMENT IN TAPE HANDLING SINCE THE VHS CASSETTE. lix.lay's VHS cassettes may give mu eight hours of programs. But today's VHS decks make locating those programs a real bore. That's because conventional decks must skwly thread the tape around the head drum every time you go from Fast Forward or Rewind into Play And slowly pull the tape back into the cassette whenever you return to Fast Forward or Rewind. Of course, most VCRs have visible scan. But can mu imagine scanning through a two-hour movie? Pass the aspirin. Akai's exclusive Quick Start system gives ou fast, fast, fast relief. For the first time, the VHS tape remains fully threaded— Unloading Ice conventional VCR Full.loading for °rock Start even during Fast Forward and Rewind. So switching between functions is more thanfilv tunes faster than conventional VI IS decks. There's more. To make locating programs even easier, Akai searches and scans recorded segments automatically Best of all, this revolution in tape handling is found not just on our top model— but on every new Akai VCR. Sound great? Seem simple? Wonder why no one ever did it before? WHY IT TOOK AKAI TO PERFECT VHS TAPE HANDLING.

Akai has over Simply stated, Akai has been building tape recorders for over 35 35 years of experience building years. And what is a VCR if not a tape recorder? People may forget that it tape recorders of all kinds. r ,e.--- ....e..... w.e.e m.e.e m....e' ...... e.e m.e.e...-A,..,...... -..--e.. .e...e4e.e.e.e..... w ..9.• r Ae- m m.e.e.d..e..e...e...... ,..)___. — J

was Akai that I )Li i it the first II( Hne video tape recorder in 1965 and the first lightweight helical-scan pc rtable video tape recorder in 1969. Compared to Akai, even the biggest names in video recording seem like lohnnies-come-lately” To invent Quick Start, Akai invented a completely new tape transport with better tape tension control, more precise guide poles and specially conductive fine ceramic tape guides. The entire transport is under the intelligent control of a micro-processor that only years of tape deck experience could develop. The Akai Quick Start Transport. Sure it's simple...when ou know how AT AKAI, SOPHISTICATION MEANS SIMPLICITY Akai, a leader in on-screen programming, now takes ease-of- operation one step further. On our new decks, most programming functions require no more than one touch. Nothing cordd be simpler. Or more sophisticated. Take Akai's new top-of-the-line VS-M930U-B. It offers digital special effects with memory; VHS Hi-Fi stereo; four heads; HQ circuitry with CCD noise reduction;

Universal Wireless Remote is program mable editing; universal wireless remote control with LCD readout; on-screen independently of the VCR You can pmgramming and naturall; Akai's Quick Start sNem with Index and "download - program med information Address Search, as well as Intro Scan. Not just bells and whistles, but features any serious recordist would deem essential. Akai. Original thinking from a true original. AKAI Akin !Mourn. Mitsubishi Electra s air • Snierica. Ins. 22S ()Id Ness Brunsts iii, lig .k1 PI, .11.1%,11. Iiosi S, Fir the It 'CAI. cif air nears, ' dealer. call 1,llFnm 1.1000-421 ,11.0 Where audio and video are one. • • Your loudspeakers may well have some of the most advanced drive units and crossovers in the whok

Even so, something is still standing between all the natural sound they produce and your ears. The loudspeaker cabinet walls. When the drive units vibrate, they will make the cabinets vibrate as well Stopping the complete sound spectrum that comes from the drive units from ever reaching you. This effect is known as colour- ation. And it's the reason you're always conscious that you are listening to music produced by two loudspeakers rather than a truly live concert performance. INSIDE EVERY BOX IS THE NATURAL SOUND STRUGGLING TO GET OUT

Colouration is a great barrier The bass has depth and body is required to virtually eliminate Matrix I, 2 and 3. to pure sound reproduction. Loud- and no resonant boom. unwanted sound radiation from Each has a different size, speaker manufacturers all over The mid- and high-frequencies the cabinet is a honeycomb-like maximum acoustical output and the world have been searching for have a new sparkle and definition. structure of unique design inside it. bass extension. All have the same a way to break through it. And, for the first time ever, They also discovered that enhanced stereo imagery, improved

Now B&W have finally done the natural decay of reverberation this so improved the performance transient response, low distortion it. With an invention that's the is heard exactly as it's heard in of the cabinet that they also had and totalf reedom from coburation. most exciting and important break- a live performance. to improve the quality of all the The Matrix series takes its through in loudspeaker technology The familiar, but greatly drive units. place in the B&W range, succeed- that even they have made in the unloved hangover effect is dead. Consequently, as well as the ing loudspeakers that in their time

last 20 years. Long live the Matrix. drivers with homopolymer cones have made history. It's the Matrix This revolution was achieved manufactured under licence from You just cannot miss

series of new digital with an idea so very simple that CBS Inc., Matrix also features a them at your B&W

monitors. The first B&W practically invented the newly designed ferrafluid tweeter. stockist. ever loudspeakers to Matrix by accident. The new Matrix series itself They are truly totally eliminate the They discovered that all that features three digital monitors. the only loudspeakers coburation from the that are seen but loudspeaker cabinet. LISTEN & YOU'LL SEE definitely not heard.

B&W Loudspeakers of America P.O. Box 653 Buffalo, New York 14240 (416)297-0595 VIDEO and the DIGITAL REVOLUTIOH

1n recent years, "digital" has replaced from its use in audio. The CD and DAT is used, rather than 14 or 16 bits. The re- "revolutionary" as the most-used (some are both intended as near-perfect data sulting maximum video signal-to-noise would say overused) word in the audio storage/retrieval systems for sound infor- (S/N) ratios of 36 and 48 dB, respectively, manufacturer's lexicon. While few would mation; what comes out, at least in theory, are adequate for most digital-video appli- dispute that the digital Compact Disc has is virtually identical to what goes in. But cations. Video data are stored only tempo- had an enormous impact on home audio with digital-processing TVs and VCRs, rarily in electronic random-access memo- and that digital audio tape (DAT) may the output can be very different from the ry (RAM), not in a permanent medium have a similar effect (should the system input. Whereas CD players are supposed like disc or tape (though totally digital ever gain entry to the U.S.), we've also to faithfully reproduce the recorded pro- VCRs are under development). To pro- been treated to a great deal of digital silli- gram content, digital-video products have duce a desired effect, a mathematical oper- ness. Just about every audio product imag- two other main purposes: improving the ation is performed on the data in memory. inable has been proclaimed "digital picture quality (by reducing noise and jit- The transformed signal is then converted ready," whereas the only thing digital ter, for example) and generating special ef- back to analog form; in the case of video, about some of them is that you use your fects. The effects now available to the this usually is a composite-video signal. fingers to operate the controls. home videophile include the ability to dis- Let's look at what some of those trans- Now that digital technology is being play several images on the screen simulta- formations can accomplish. applied to video, we can expect similarly neously and to apply "artistic" effects. Arguably, the most significant digital- misleading claims. This is not just con- Many of digital video's operating prin- TV feature—to judge more by the amount fined to the promises being made; some ciples, however, are similar to those of dig- of research and development applied to it digital-video products or features them- ital audio. Both systems obtain their digi- than by the number of currently available selves seem a little silly. Some, but not all: tal signals via analog-to-digital (A/D) products using it (precisely one, as of this A few applications of digital video do offer converter integrated circuits (ICs) and writing)—is the "noninterlaced" or "pro- meaningful benefits. As with digital-audio feed out processed signals through digital- gressive-scan" display. To understand products, you will ultimately have to sort to-analog (D/A) converters. The sam- what one of these does, you'll need a little things out for yourself. To help you, here is pling frequency for video is much higher background on how a screen works. a rundown of the various digital-video fea- than for audio—typically two to four With conventional televisions and tures now on the market. times the color subcarrier frequency of monitors, pictures are created by a beam At present, digital technology as ap- 3.58 MHz. Depending on the product and of electrons scanned over the inside of the plied to video differs greatly in concept application, a six- or eight-bit word length (Continued on page 54)

By Gordon Brockhouse

N O V E M B E R 1 9 6 7 II There are two tests for of a system.

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The R4. Its slim, spare design gives little hint As you know, aid/s/ began life as require an engineering degree to of the technological sophistication and sonic a speaker company. But it was coax into operation. Nor surren- power that reside inside. only a matter of time before our der to the indignities of planned all by remote control. And when interest in accurate musical repro- obsolescence. we say control, we mean control. duction led us to think seriously That philosophy today finds its With the RC1, you can control the about the electronic portion of a expression in the Atelier R4 and nuances of every remote-ready sound system. its perfectly matched family of Atelier component in your system components. —the compact disk player, the T PIER L I j13u C3i C cassette deck, the tuner, even A new class of component, C T Atelier components which have as a look under the hood yet to leave the drawingboards rl c- n will attest. at aid/s/.

( At first glance, the R4 may If you're a computer buff, you'll IJI appear to be a receiver. And it's be pleased to know you have As you can plainly see, the R4's displays are true that the unit functionally the option of controlling Atelier extremely legible and easy-to-read from incorporates the classic elements functions by connecting your pc anywhere within a wide viewing angle. The unit provides you with full information of that category of product. But to the RS-232 port in the R4. about its operating status, so you know beyond the impressive amplifier, what you're doing and not flying blind. pre-amplifier and tuner sections, What we wondered was whether the R4 bears about as much we could improve upon that resemblance to a receiver as which was available at the time. a BMW 735 does to a motor The results appeared first in this scooter. A look inside will illus- country in 1983. trate the point. We draw your attention first to 1 what you'd least expect to find in a high fidelity product—a com- puter. Specifically, a microproces- sor designed by a/d/s/ to provide a level of functionality never avail- able before. For example, you can program the R4 to automatically turn on any combination of

The R4 gives you true multi-room capabili- sources within your Atelier sys- ties, while the Rd provides the means to tem for listening and recording, control the system no matter what room you're in. whether you're at home or off on an extended vacation. Lean, spare and understated, the Atelier Series was an articulation When you are at home, you'll With the RC1 remote control unit, you can control every important function of every of our belief that high-grade elec- appreciate the fact that the R4 remote-ready Atelier component. You can tronic components needn't look can give you access to any source do it standing up, sitting down or lying on your back. It issues more than 200 different like laboratory instruments. Nor from any room in your house— commands. the plectropic heart Music and time.

Pertinent to the subject of control As audio purists, we also feel is the large scale integrated chip compelled to tell you that the that's embedded within the R4's R4's microprocessor exists entirely control circuit. This chip makes it outside the path of the audio possible for you to control volume, signal. In other words, it keeps bass and treble settings in precise, to itself, which is as it should be. digital increments—channel to The FM portion of the R4 is as channel, and with none of the impressive as everything else variation in levels that are typical about the unit. Finetuning is of "twirl-knob" systems. done in small, digital increments, The sonic purity is uncommon which results in superb signal A glimpse inside reveals how carefully because the design is acquisition—the best possible, thought-out the R4 is. No space is wasted. uncommon. in fact—and eliminates distortion Electronic circuitry, heat sinks, transformers, etc., are all contained within a box that and "fuzzy" reception. Working stands only 2/34 " high. The R4's preamp signal paths down the signal chain, we come When you need more power, are unusually noise free. That's to the IF amps. Their bandwidth we have more amplifier. Our because all circuits have been has been carefully designed to PA4 amp provides 150 watts per painstakingly protected from yield exceptional selectivity. channel, and nearly double that stray radiation by ample amounts Finally, stereo decoding is, in a amount when bridged. Whether of shielding—one of just many word, impeccable. The result: you use one or two PA4's in tan- steps we've taken to preserve the optimum stereo separation. dem with the R4, operation extremely low distortion of the remains completely automatic. amplification stages. As for the prodigious amount of power the R4 produces for Moreover, you don't surrender its size, that was accomplished any of your remote control thanks to our use of a proprietary capabilities—a fact that nicely rail-switching technology that differentiates Atelier from its automatically and instantane- competitors. ously increases power for high- One final point deserves to be energy music transients—well repeated. When we entered the beyond its rated 75 watts per electronics arena in 1983, our channel. stated goal was to produce superb audio equipment that never became outdated. The R4 is the product of that vision, and it won't. For more information about any a/d/s/ products, phone a/d/s/, toll-free, at 1-800-345-8112. (In PA, call 1-800-662-2414.)

The Atelier system of electronic compo- nents. From top to bottom, the R4, the CD4 compact disk player, the C4 cassette deck and the PA4 power amp. That's even an Atelier storage module they're sitting on. a/d/s/ VIDEO and the DIGITAL REVOLUTION

screen. The screen is coated with phos- CZ-2697. In one Y. second, the CZ-2697 are under development, NEC is the first to phors that glow when bombarded by the scans the odd-numbered lines twice, once bring a system to market: Its DX-1000 and electrons. The brightness of the spot that's each in their normal positions and again in DX-2000 VHS VCRs have digital NR sys- traced by the beam is controlled by a sig- the positions the even-numbered lines nor- tems that operate on tape playback (the nal applied to the electron guns, which in mally occupy. The process is reversed in DX-2000 was tested in our April issue). turn derives from the video signal. Cur- the next 40 second with the even lines be- They reduce noise essentially by combin- rent applied to a wire coil (the "yoke") ing additionally scanned in the odd-line ing alternate fields, which doubles the im- around the neck of the picture tube mag- positions. The visual results, according to age signal strength but increases random netically deflects the beam across the face Toshiba, are less jitter, improved apparent noise only by a factor of 1.414. The princi- of the screen, sweeping from left to right in resolution, and greater color density. ple is similar to the noise reduction fea- approximately 52 microseconds. A pic- Another approach may produce even tures of VHS HQ, except only adjacent ture is composed of a series of nearly hori- better results. As before, two lines are I lines are summed in that technique. And zontal scan lines that start at the top left of sampled and stored in memory and read ! while HQ's analog NR systems improve the screen and work their way down, al- from memory twice as fast as they are video signal-to-noise ratio by 2 to 3 dB, ways from left to right (see Fig. 1). written. However, instead of simply scan- NEC claims its digital system improves In the NTSC system for TV transmis- ning each line twice, this system synthe- the S/N ratio by 6 to 9 dB. The visual re- sion and reception (the standard in North sizes or interpolates the in-between lines 'sults seem to back up this claim, at least America), video images come in movie- by averaging information from the two with some images: Very grainy or snowy like "frames" composed of 525 scan lines, surrounding lines in the same field. Dur- source material is significantly improved, with each frame scanned in 1/,,, second. Of ing the 14,, second that an odd-numbered but pictures suffering from regular inter- the 525 scan lines, 483 are active (meaning ference (such as ghosts) are less affected. they contain image information); the other The "brute force" field-summing na- 42 are used for picture synchronization ture of NEC's systems makes them sus- and non-image data, such as closed cap- ceptible to blurring on material with rapid tions and Teletext. movement—some images persist on the A moving picture displayed at the 30- screen longer than they should. However, Hz frame rate will appear to flicker. To the DX-1000 and 2000 have rotary con- prevent this, the beam creates a picture in trols that affect the degree of noise reduc- two alternating, interlaced "fields" of 242 tion (that is, the portion of the signal from (actually 241 1/2) lines each, instead of en- the previous field that is added to the cur- tirely scanning the screen every 'Ad second. rent one). A three-position switch per- In one /140 -second period, the odd-num- forms the same function on the newer DX- bered lines are scanned, and in the next 1/.0 5000, which also benefits from a more second, the even-numbered lines are sophisticated NR system. With judicious traced between them. A similar multipli- Fig. I. A TV picture is mode up ofa series of nearly use of the NR and sharpness controls, you cation scheme is applied to eliminate flick- horizontal scan lines traced from top to bottom. can obtain an optimum trade-off between er in motion pictures. They are filmed at a noise, resolution, and blurring. If you're 24-Hz frame rate but are projected at 48 field is being scanned, the system synthe- interested in this kind of product, check frames per second by means of a slotted sizes even-numbered lines by averaging the quality of its signal-processing func- shutter that flashes each frame on the adjacent odd-numbered lines. Line 2 is tions using material with lots of motion. screen twice. thus an average of lines 1 and 3; line 4, an Try the aerial scenes from Top Gun. There is usually enough motion in a TV average of lines 3 and 5. During the next Frame-comparison NR systems prom- image that we are not aware of the defects second, line 3 is an average of lines 2 ise to be more effective than the direct ap- of the interlacing process. However, when and 4, and so on. Thus, an entirely new proach now used by NEC. With this meth- large, bright slow-moving or stationary frame of information is sent to the picture od, the current and previous frames would objects with well-defined edges are dis- tube every 40 second (see Fig. 3). Com- be compared. Except in material with rap- played, jitter is readily apparent. This can pared to the line-repetition method, flicker id movement, most of the difference would most easily be seen with computer-gener- is said to be reduced still further with in- be due to noise. The frame-difference sig- ated graphics and lettering used in sports terpolation, especially on objects with nal would then be subtracted from the cur- and news broadcasts; look for a flickering well-defined diagonal boundaries. Appar- rent frame, resulting in a picture almost on the horizontal borders. ent vertical resolution is also further im- completely free of noise. This approach Noninterlaced televisions attempt to proved, although more memory and spe- would require far more memory than cur- eliminate this problem by scanning all 483 cial signal processing have to be used in rent methods and would also generate un- active lines 60 times a second. To do this, the interpolation process to avoid smear- desirable by-products in scenes depicting each scan line of the incoming video infor- ing in scenes with motion. TV sets using rapid movement. Motion-detection sys- mation is digitized and the data stored in this interpolation technique are not yet tems would reduce the NR effect during memory. There are several ways of treat- available in North America, but Sony is scene changes or scenes with rapid mo- ing this data. The simplest involves read- selling them in Japan. tion. Because the eye is less sensitive to ing it from memory twice as quickly as it is AGAINST THE GRAIN noise in rapidly moving scenes, effective written and scanning each line twice by noise reduction remains, but side effects use of doubled horizontal beam-deflection The other major application of digital would be reduced. frequency (see Fig. 2). That's the principle technology toward improved picture qual- Digital noise reduction can also be used behind the only digital noninterlaced TV ity is noise reduction (NR). Although to eliminate ghosts (the TV equivalents of set sold in North America—the Toshiba many techniques for video noise reduction (Continued on page 59)

34 H I G H F I D E L I T Y PHILIPS DISCOVERS AMERICA. NOW WAIT TILL AMERICA DISCOVERS PHILIPS.

The first reviews for the CO 960 compact disc player (top) are in, and the verdict is unanimous: This is the new "CO reference standard." The FA 960 integrated amplifier (bottom) brings out the true potential of the CO sound-with 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms ID s 0.03%1. Its CO Direct mode eliminates every avoidable source of noise and distortion.

American audio and videophiles will finally hear and see More to the point, "It was the vast Philips research anc for themselves what they've so far only heard about. As one development facility that invented the Compact Cassette, the American publication reported, "Philips of the Netherlands is [laser optical] video disc, and the Compact Disc!' one of the largest electronics companies in the world!' In fact, "Most non-Japanese CD players, including most WORLD-CLASS TECHNOLOGY, EUROPEAN

49447 S.. .I 4 deepanner Elcul 411rp. ‘orth ‘meriran Philips I0111p:111, rhis sophisticated 4-speaker stereo television receiver 127H326931 provides 10 watts per channel with a 27" diagonal flat square black matrix picture tube and advanced digital features.

of the 'high-end' audiophile machines ... employ Philips chas- For more information, and for your nearest Philips dealer, sis and circuits:' call 1-800-223-7772. Our fame and technology have preceded us. Our products are now here. Products for people who demand the best.

EXCELLENCE. PHILIPS PHILIPS SPEAKERS BUILT UPON THE BELIEF THAT MUSIC IS MEANT TO BE PLAYED, NOT PLAYED WITH.

When we built the first Advent' in 1968, filled polypropylene dome midrange, 750 watts we believed music should sound exactly the way of power handling capability and a sound diffraction the artist had intended. Nothing added. Nothing baffle. (Designed to enhance stereo imaging taken away. and broaden the musical soundstage.) Just music. Wherever you put an Advent, Since then, trends in speaker you know it will look great. Our famous design have come and gone. But the solid hardwood tops and bases go per- Advent philosophy has remained the fectly with any decor and there's an same. You'll know why when you listen Advent for virtually any size room. to our current line of loudspeakers. If you want to hear music with They've been designed with the latest a little something extra, listen to any technology yet preserve the clean, loudspeaker. If you want to hear the accurate sound Advent is known for. truth, listen to an Advent. All our speakers feature high efficiency long throw woofers, ferrofluid- filled tweeters and are compact disc ready. The Advent Maestro takes this ///A DV E R (( g)) performance even further with a mica- Sound as it was meant to he heard.

Advent • is a re9slered Irade mark ii Intemahnnal Jensen Inc c 1987 InternalionaI Jensen Inc VIDEO and the DIGITAL REVOLUTION -

FM-radio multipath) once their on-screen since the mid-'70s, allowing fine lumi- switch between main picture and subpic- location and amplitude are determined. nance detail within the chroma passband ture. Some permit you to change the size Proposed ghostbusting systems have auto- to be displayed. Sets without comb filters of the subpicture. Multivision's adapters, correlation programs that search the digi- usually have a simple low-pass filter that which work with any TV set, can size the tized signal for repetitions of patterns. A cuts off at about 3 MHz to prevent inter- subpicture according to the viewer's wish- pattern repeated at a lower amplitude is ference between chrominance and lumi- es and place it in any part of the screen (see likely to be a ghost. The signal correspond- nance, but this limits horizontal resolution the test report on the Multivision 1.1, p. ing to that pattern is subtracted from the to about 250 lines, far less than the theo- 46). incoming signal, thus removing the ghost. retical NTSC maximum of about 330 The technical specifics for PIP vary Such a system can achieve a highly visible lines. The same interference-reducing from model to model, but the basic princi- gain of 10 dB or so in video S/N. function can be performed digitally, possi- ples are the same: After the information bly in conjunction with other processing. for the subpicture is digitized, it must be GHOSTBUSTERS resized to fit into the small area allotted MANIPULATING THE PICTURE The same function can be performed with for it. On Hitachi and RCA digital VCRs, an analog auto-correlator and long delay In addition to the picture improvement, the circuitry digitizes and stores a 450-line lines; that kind of equipment has been digital circuitry can manipulate the pic- portion of a frame. It then deletes selected used by cable-TV operators for some time. ture. Indeed, this aspect of digital video re- scan lines, so that the subpicture can be But ghosts can be detected and corrected ceives greater emphasis than picture en- created using 128 scan lines. To make the more accurately with digital systems be- hancement in most advertisements and subpicture only one third of the screen's cause they can apply correction to a very product brochures. Many of these features width, it is read from memory three times precise point on a scanning line. With ana- are pure gimmickry—buy them if you like as quickly as it was written. This allows log systems, phase and amplitude shifts in them —but a few do offer genuine benefits: each line to be scanned in 17 microsec- the delay line can lead to the creation of Digital adjustment of conventional picture onds, rather than the 52 microseconds it "negative ghosts" as the ghost image is characteristics. Often, picture controls normally takes to scan one horizontal line. subtracted from the wrong location in the (brightness, contrast, hue, tint, etc.) on For PIP to be most useful, two video picture. conventional TV sets do more than they're sources have to be available. A few digital The last major digital picture-improve- supposed to. Adjusting the contrast may TV sets on the market have two tuners, as ment scheme under development concerns also affect brightness, for example. Some does the Multivision 3.1 adapter, but most the reduction of interference between the digital-chassis TV sets apply nonlinear have only one, preventing the simulta- color and brightness portions of a TV sig- correction algorithms to the digitized vid- neous viewing of two broadcasts. Howev- nal. The basic problem stems from the eo signal so that only the picture charac- er, don't overlook the tuner in your VCR chrominance (color) information of an teristic the viewer wishes to adjust is af- as a source of a second broadcast signal. NTSC video signal occupying the same fected. Digital VCRs with PIP enable viewers to frequency range as the fine luminance Picture-in-picture (PIP). As the name im- watch a tape and broadcast source at the (black-and-white) picture detail. Prob- plies, this feature enables viewers to watch same time, perhaps viewing a TV program lems occur when luminance information two or more pictures on one screen. The in the main picture while scanning the in the chroma frequency region is inter- main picture occupies the full screen, tape in the subpicture. Most PIP-equipped preted as color and vice versa. An image while a subpicture from another source TV sets and VCRs enable a source con- containing sudden successions of black- forms a small inset image about V12 the size nected to a video input (such as a video- white shifts—say, a tweed jacket—can of the main picture in a corner of the camera) to form either an inset or a main trigger the chroma detector, causing a screen. A viewer might use this feature to picture. problem known as "cross-color" that monitor a sports event while watching a VCR special effects. Storage of a frame or manifests itself as a colored moire pattern videocassette, swapping displays to catch field in digital memory is very helpful in in the affected area. Sudden changes in the instant replays. During commercials, eliminating noise bars and other visual dis- color content of adjacent lines may be in- viewers could relegate the main program tractions when using a VCR's special play- terpreted as brightness changes, causing to a subpicture while scanning the other back modes. Even two-head models with "dot crawl," a moving pattern of fine dots channels on the main display. digital processing offer visually perfect at the color boundary. Most products with PIP enable the still frames, double-speed playback, and Analog comb filters have been used to user to choose the quadrant in which the slow motion. Scanning that's free of tear- separate chrominance and luminance subpicture is displayed and to instantly ing and noise bars is also possible, as is

z g Fig. 2. A frame can be displayed in 'I,,, second by scanning each line in its _fields Fig. 3. In an interpolating display, pairs of odd-numbered lines are averaged twice: lines of the odd field are repeated in the even-numbered locations to synthesize the in-between even-numbered lines, and vice versa. Si

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 51 comprehensible audio during double- updated at a time interval set by the user. find them useful (in small quantities, I speed playback. Still frames from broad- A few units enable slow-motion images, hope) in sprucing up their creations. Simi- casts can be produced from the tuner of either forward or reverse, to be shown over larly, strobing and multiple-image effects appropriately equipped VCRs. And with different portions of the screen. Whatever might have limited appeal, although some models, a still picture can be dis- the multiple-screen effect, selected hori- strobed stills or quadrant-by-quadrant played while the tape and sound continue zontal scan lines are removed and digital- slow motion should be useful for analyz- to play; the same applies to off-air stills. video data is read from memory at double ing a golf swing or a tennis stroke. Non- Some units allow a succession of still im- (for four screen areas) or triple (for nine interlace displays, video noise reduction, ages to be "strobed" on the screen. screen areas) the writing speed. and digital color controls are all more uni- The basic processing for digital VCRs The special "artistic" effects available versal in appeal, though not as flashy to depends more on the storage of the picture on some digital VCRs and TV sets seem al- demonstrate. in memory than on mathematical opera- most unlimited and—to some of us—al- Digital video will really come into its tions. For example: In slow-motion play- most useless. By averaging digitized pic- own with the introduction of two new me- back, after a field has been digitized and ture information from adjacent areas, dia: true digital VCRs that record video stored in memory, the memory contents mosaic effects are created. Mottled images signals as binary digits (which should be are read several times to send the same and photolike "solarization" can be creat- available within five years) and Extended- field to the screen repeatedly. Flickering ed through other mathematical manipula- or High-Definition TV systems (starting and jitter, seen in conventional slow-mo- tions. It's a fairly simple matter to "paint" in the mid-'90s). EDTV or HDTV signals tion playback, are thereby eliminated. To a digitized picture—that is, overlay a color will be transmitted and recorded in analog eliminate noise bars during scanning, the onto the screen—or to dissolve the picture form, but compression schemes using digi- outputs of the two VCR heads are simulta- from the center. Not too long ago, these ef- tal technology will squeeze the infor- neously digitized and stored. Information fects were available only on professional mation into as narrow a frequency spec- from the two heads is joined to form a sin- video-processing gear costing tens of thou- trum as possible. Digital decoders in TV gle, coherent picture. sands of dollars. But who needs them at receivers will restore the image almost to home? its original state, and resolution will be GIMMICKS? That's a question that can be justifiably several times that of current systems. Pro- Aside from giving the opportunity for asked about any of the features described posed systems will also transmit audio in spectacular in-store demonstrations, other here. There's no doubt in my mind that a the digital format. Meanwhile, you should digital-video features have rather dubious lot of TV sets and VCRs will be sold just take a hard look at which digital features benefits. Some digital VCRs allow a suc- because they're "digital." Yet all of these you need—and don't need. • cession of still images to be displayed in features do have a place, somewhere. each of four screen quadrants; others will Painting, solarization, and mosaic effects Gordon Brockhouse was formerly an editor even show nine images at one time. Each may soon lose their luster for the typical of Canadian audio and computer industry still frame, either off-air or off-tape, can be viewer, but advanced videographers may trade publications. The Home Theater Where were you the last time a movie over- whelmed you? At your favorite theater, right? You felt transported to another place and time. The sound drew you into the story with an almost magical realism. You simply couldn't experience it at home—until now. Shure Home Theater Sound' decoders using patented Acra- Vector' logic accurately recreate the exciting multi-channel sound of todays very best theaters. Over 1000 discrete components and 60 integrated circuits combine to precisely decode specfal signals already on video tapes, discs and broadcasts. It's a must for the ultimate theater , t4 experience. Reference Brochure Available- Write us or see your Audio/Video specialist.

SINUIREa -

IN T

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The NAD 7600 offers all the high performance of our Monitor Series control amp, tuner and power amp, plus all the simplicity and convenience of a remote-controlled receiver. No longer does the word "receiver" connote compromise. The 7600 is a truly complete, ultra-high-performance package, fine tuned over a three year period by a thousand thoughtful, careful and (we think) correct design decisions. A very few examples... • A high resolution FET-input phono preamplifier produces excellent sound-stage imag- ing and astonishing resolution of inner detail. It offers the same no compromise performance as our top-of-the-line separate preamplifier, the Monitor Series 1300. • Every circuit in the 7600 is designed with very high headroom and extremely low noise to handle any signal source. Its total dynamic range, measured with respect to the output of a CD player, exceeds 110dB. If ever a receiver were "digital ready," this is it. • The FM section uses the same basic circuitry as our new Monitor Series 4300 tuner— arguably the world's most sensitive tuner. NAD's proprietary FM NR system reduces noise in weak signals by as much as 10dB. We know of no receiver with better FM reception. • 'liming the 7600 combines the accuracy of digital technology with the convenience of a traditional analog knob. We find that most people much prefer spinning a heavy flywheel to holding down a little button. In addition, the 7600 has a total of 16 presets for your favorite stations. • We chose professional quality, semi-parametric tone controls for the 7600. They provide genuinely useful corrections without veiling or coloration. • The power amp section is the same as our new Monitor Series 2600. It uses NAD's innovative "Power Envelope" technology to produce +4dB of dynamic headroom. Conservatively rated at 150 watts per channel, the 7600 produces 400 to 800 watts per channel (depending on speaker impedance) of usable music power. It will generate very high sound pressure levels (an average of over 114dB SPL) with most loudspeakers. • The remote control is the ultimate in ergonomic design—easy to grasp with the controls logically arranged for easy use. Plus, unlike most remote controls, it lets you balance your speakers while you're in your listening chair. In short, what makes the 7600 receiver a world class product. .. is a long story. If you'd like to read it, write for our Monitor Series brochure. Or visit your authorized NAD dealer—and hear the result of a thousand design decisions, correctly made. Rack handles are optional equipment

The Monitor Series From NAD For more information send this coupon to NAD (USA) INC. 1575 UNIVERSITY AVENUE I NORWOOD, MASS. 02062 Name Address City !slide Zip lthough graphic equalizers are 20 Hz to 20 kHz (i.e., 20-40, 40-80, 80- when adjusted using signal generators and probably the most popular accesso- 160, 160-320, 320-640, 640-1,280, 1,280- other instruments, can compensate for ry components, they are also the 2,560, 2,560-5,120, 5,120-10,240, and many acoustic problems. Most home-lis- Aonly ones that require, for most ef- 10,240-20,480 Hz). tening situations do not need this degree of fective use, some knowledge about sound control, which usually comes at a very stiff and the frequencies of music. Unfortu- Q: What is the advantage of a ten-band price. nately, most equalizer instruction man- equalizer over a five-band model? uals choose to ignore the implicit chal- A: In addition to providing individual CI: What are some practical examples of lenge and are seldom even clear about control of each octave in the audio band, a how an equalizer can improve the sound of which knobs (or sliders) achieve which au- ten-band unit usually has separate sets of a system? dible effects. In the questions and answers right- and left-channel controls. Although A: Even if you were blessed with a perfect below, I've focused on the areas that most a five-bander is less expensive, smaller, audio system —whatever that might be— instruction manuals neglect, including and simpler to use, it is also less precise, the tapes, discs, and FM signals you play this very basic question: since each knob adjusts a two-octave band through it are likely to be flawed in a vari- of frequencies. Also, most five-banders ety of ways. Here's how an equalizer can Why would anyone want an equalizer in control both channels with a single set of help improve the sound of your program the first place, aside from the pleasure of sliders, which can be an inconvenience. sources—and, if needed, that of your loud- owning a component with all those con- But maintaining tha quality of a stereo speakers and the acoustics of your listen- trols? In other words, what does an equaliz- image requires identical equalization ing room. The control frequencies men- er do? changes to both channels, which is simpler tioned are typical of those found on ten- A: Think of an equalizer as a very sophisti- to do with "ganged" controls, regardless band equalizers, running from 32 Hz at cated and flexible tone control. Conven- of the number of bands. the bottom to 16 kHz at the top of the tional bass and treble controls are able to For critical adjustment of recording- range. boost and cut the relative strengths of fre- studio and concert-hall acoustics, profes- FM. The FCC requires that a high-fre- quencies only at the low and high ends of sionals sometimes use 'A-octave equaliz- quency boost (called pre-emphasis) be ap- the audio range, but an equalizer can indi- ers. These have 30 sliders per channel and, plied during FM transmissions. Its pur- vidually adjust bands of frequencies with- in the range. Each slider on a typical ten- band equalizer controls an octave-wide range of frequencies and is usually identi- fied by the center frequency of the con- trolled band.

Q: What is an octave? A: An octave is the span covered by a 1:2 ratio of frequencies. Likewise, a half oc- tave is a frequency ratio of 1:V2 (1 to the square root of 2), and one third of an oc- tave covers a frequency range of 111/2 (1 to the cube root of 2). For example, the band from 220 Hz to 440 Hz is an octave; specif- ically, it is the range from the A below middle C to the A above middle C. On a keyboard instrument, a span between eight consecutive white notes is an octave. The human hearing system covers a range of approximately ten octaves from about

Almost Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Equalizers That the Instruction Manuals Never Told You

62 pose is to minimize hiss during FM recep- tion by means of a complementary high- frequency de-emphasis circuit built into all FM tuners. Unfortunately, the added pre-emphasis makes it difficult to broad- cast high audio frequencies at their natural strength without overloading the broad- The Joys o cast transmitter. Most stations—even classical ones—are forced to cut back somewhat on the high-frequency content of their records, tapes, or Compact Discs for broadcast. A more natural treble level can be re- stored by boosting the 8- and 16-kHz con- li trols until the sounds of high strings, cym- Eq•plization bals, hi-hats, harps, and guitars seem real- istic. (The 8-kHz slider will probably need to be raised only slightly, the 16-kHz slid- er a good bit more.) Since stations handle their pre-emphasis and signal compres- sion differently, the optimum boost setting in your system will vary from station to station, but you should be able to find a good compromise that will make most sta- tions sound better. r ‘t Record players. An equalizer can compen- sate for the frequency-response problems that are caused by peaky phono cartridges, cartridge/preamp impedance mismatch- es, and poorly engineered recordings. Shrillness can be eliminated by cutting the 8- and 16-kHz controls; boosting them can restore openness and musical detail. You can also minimize bass muddiness (or add warmth) with the 125-Hz control and aug- ment the low bass (or reduce low-frequen- cy noises) with the 32- and 64-Hz sliders. Cassette decks. A bad hiss condition can frequently be alleviated by cutting back on the 8- and 16-kHz controls. The trick is to adjust for maximum attenuation of the hiss with minimum loss of the musical highs. Weak bass can be helped by boost- ing the 64-Hz control. When dubbing tapes to be played in your car, you can frequently improve their sound by recording with some bass boost

0 V E M E 63

•E ...... "-- , IllUSTRATION BY TERRY SiRftt IL The Joys of Equalization at 125 and 64 Hz and some treble boost at switching your amplifier to mono and ad- wide band of frequencies centered on its 8 kHz and above, although trial and error justing the equalization of the problem labeled frequency, not just the labeled fre- will be necessary to determine what channel until both speakers sound rela- quency itself. Adjacent octaves are also af- sounds best in your car. These adjust- tively alike when you use the balance con- fected to some degree, depending on the ments can also help in making tapes des- trol to go from one speaker to the other. design of the equalizer and the amount of tined for alfresco Walkman playback. Equivalent responses from both speakers boost or cut applied. Also remember that Some cassette decks have difficulty will help maintain good stereo imaging. very few sounds, musical or otherwise, in- dubbing warped records because the very D To add more punch to a disco beat, try volve only a single frequency; most sounds high-level signals at very low frequencies some boost at 64 Hz. include a number of fundamental frequen- produced by the warps overload the tape D To add more body and warmth, boost cies and their harmonics, which together or the machine's electronics. If there is the 125- and 250-Hz areas. can span several octaves (see the instru- "blocking" (signal cutoff) or distortion on D If male voices sound boomy, try a slight ment frequency-range chart on page 65). playback of certain dubs, try rerecording cut at 125 Hz. Nonetheless, here's an octave-by-octave them through an equalizer with its 32-Hz If voices sound nasal, cut back the con- breakdown of control effects: control set for full cut. trols at 2 and 4 kHz. 32 Hz (low bass). Until the advent of au- CD players. It's no secret that many CD E If brushed cymbals and chimes lack diophile recordings and CDs, sounds in recordings have been poorly engineered shimmer and "air," try a boost at 16 kHz this range rarely occurred on records be- cause they were difficult to record and re- produce. When boosted, this control can help restore the gut-thumping bass heard from kick drums and double basses, and the bodyshaking resonances of low pipe- Most sounds include organ notes and bass-drum rolls. Howev- er, it won't do much for FM broadcasts, A number of fundamental because stations often roll off their signals below 50 Hz. When set for cut, the control Frequencies and their reduces any infrasonic and very low-fre- quency noises that may be present. Harmonics, together 64 Hz (bass). This octave contains most of the frequencies that provide the punch in Spanning several octaves. rock music. Many speakers fail to deliver the goods at these frequencies, and some boost can help restore the missing bass en- ergy. Too much boost may overdrive your woofers if they can't handle the extra cone and sound shrill or harsh. A slight cut ap- and—to a lesser degree—at 8 kHz. excursion the boost produces. plied by the 8- and 16-kHz controls can E For a more natural-sounding balance 125 Hz (upper bass). This range is overly often be of significant help. A slight boost when listening at background-music lev- prominent in many speaker systems, at 4 kHz can also help restore part of the els, boost the frequencies at 125 Hz and be- sometimes in an attempt to cover up poor sense of hall ambience sometimes lacking low. This is the principle behind the "loud- performance in the two lower octaves. But in CDs. ness" control. the result is usually a boomy sound and Loudspeakers. Speaker systems typically bottom-heavy male voices. A slight cut suffer from various frequency-response Q: Can you describe the audible effect of may help restore naturalness. If, on the problems, and an equalizer can help in each of the slider controls? other hand, a system's sound lacks rich- many cases. Here are a few examples: A: This is tricky, because, as you can see ness or warmth, a slight boost in this oc- E If low-bass frequencies are lacking, try a from the preceding answer, many of the tave will help. moderate boost at 32 Hz. terms used to describe sonic effects are 250 Hz (lower midrange). Also responsible ID "Standing waves" in a room produce lis- necessarily imprecise. In addition, the son- for warmth and richness. Low strings are tening areas with an unpleasant, heavy- ic effect of any particular frequency slider greatly affected by this control. sounding bass reinforcement or bass-shy is dependent on the overall response of the 500 Hz (midrange). Many musical instru- cancellation, typically in the range of 40 to system and on the frequencies of the pro- ments, as well as the male voice, produce 70 Hz. If there are standing waves in your gram material passing through it. For ex- most of their energy in this range. For that chosen listening area, you can reduce their ample, if you raise or lower the 32- or 64- reason, this control can emphasize or de- effect with one or more of the bottom three Hz controls while listening to a solo flute emphasize tenor sax and most other wood- equalizer controls. Note, however, that recording, you will hear little or no effect winds, snare drum, piano, male voices, the bass heard elsewhere in the room will on the sounds of the flute, since they occur and the richness of massed strings. probably not be corrected simultaneously. at middle and high frequencies. However, 1 kHz (upper midrange). This octave and E Many older loudspeaker systems are you would affect the strength of any extra- the two above it cover the range of the weak in the highest treble registers. Try neous low-frequency noises (like rumble ear's greatest sensitivity. A boost or cut in boosting the 8- and 16-kHz controls. from a turntable or the sound of air condi- this octave will both change the music's E If one speaker of a stereo pair is installed tioners inside or traffic outside the studio). apparent loudness and make certain in- in a corner or near sound-absorbing Boosting or cutting a band will affect struments or vocalists appear to approach drapes or soft furniture, its bass or treble the strength or tonal quality of sounds that or recede. output may need adjustment to bring it in are predominantly in that range. Keep in 2 kHz (lower treble). An area of high aural line with the other. You can do this by mind that each slider controls an octave- sensitivity. Female voices, strings, wood-

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MEMEMEMMEMMEMMEMMEMM aii1111 1 . WHY MANY OF AY'S EXPENSIVE LOUDSPEAKERS TRAP MANY 0'THE MOST CRITICAL NOTES. The music that goes into many of today's domed drivers. Virtues like highly priced loudspeakers isn't always the same these compelled Stereo music that comes out. Many of the finer notes and Review to also comment on nuances are often trapped or lost. Why? Because Altec Lansing's "...high sensi- advanced recording techniques and digital pro- tivity and ability to absorb cessing demand a dynamic range of over 90 dB large power inputs. ..a Carbon Fibers in Woofer Cone and an extended frequency response. Demands speaker that can develop high sound pressure that are often beyond the limits of ordinary levels in any environment. - Even the hand crafted loudspeakers. walnut veneered cabinets utilize the latest com- The truth is, most people can't hear what's puter aided design techniques, thick walls and missing from their music - like a broad frequency extra bracing to eliminate resonance. range -or what's been added - like coloring or So come hear Altec Lansing loudspeakers. distortion. But there are a few who can. And discover just how much of your music has For that select group, listeners with well trained been trapped by less than extraordinary loud- ears, Altec Lansing has engineered a new line of speakers. Call I-800-ALTEC 88 for information loudspeakers to recreate every subtlety and the Altec dealer nearest you. (In PA 717-296 of recorded music with a clear open HIFI.) In Canada call 416-496-0587 or write 265 sound and without coloring or Hood Road, Markham, Ontario L3R 4N3. distortion. Even the accuracy of CD recordings can be more fully appreci- ated on these Altec Lansing loud- speakers, prompting Stereo Review Polyimide/Titanium Mid-range to remark " ...the bass distortion was among the lowest we have measured. The speakers have, very good bass, and a warm, extended and unstrained character. - The secret to Altec Lansing's consummate per- formance? Remarkably sophisticated technology. Like woofers of a woven carbon fiber material (instead of paper or polypropylene) that is extremely rigid yet sufficiently light for maximum transient response and extraordinary low fre- quency definition. The result is a pure, clean, deep ALTEC LANSING bass that beautifully complements the performance LOUDSPEAKERS FOR of our mid and high frequency polyimide/titanium THE WELL-TRAINED EAR

.C` AP, Comunler PWd,,,T MN, kl PA ,833, The Joys of Equalization winds, and acoustic guitars are strong in A: Colorations are not mysterious; they will roughly indicate the relative amounts this octave. Excessive nasality in a singing can almost always be traced to measurable of musical energy in each octave band, it voice can be reduced by using this and the irregularities in frequency response. The will not give you a reliable picture of the 4-kHz control. ear interprets such irregularities, depend- frequency balance of the sound produced 4 kHz (mid treble). The three highest tre- ing on the frequencies involved, as nasal- by your system. Knowing this requires ble octaves are responsible for much of the ity, glassiness, harshness, boominess, and that the equalizer/analyzer have a micro- life, air, and presence in reproduced so forth. Of all components, equalizers are phone (which some do). sound. These are also the octaves in which the ones best equipped to tame coloration. problems in room acoustics, phono car- (Speaker system resonances, which equal- a: How accurately can I equalize my room tridges, and speakers can become signifi- izers really can't do anything about, are acoustics, assuming I have the required cant. Image and depth are sometimes af- also responsible for some undesirable au- equipment? fected by the 4-kHz control because much dible effects; however, these are usually A: The problem is the "required equip- of the recorded reverberation (which the much less bothersome.) ment." Conventional room-measurement ear interprets as depth) occurs in this area. techniques—even those using pink-noise O W- Crispness can be added or excessive hol- test signals and '/,-octave real-time analy- lowness diminished with this control. sis—lack the required resolution: They 8 kHz (high treble). This range is some- gloss over the fine sonic details the ear times confused with the extreme treble. finds so important. This is not to say that Speakers with too much energy in this aberrations in the low- or high-frequency range have a harsh, overly forward quality range won't be picked up, but those prob- that is frequently mistaken for good high- lems can be detected with program materi- frequency response. A listening room with al—and corrected by ear—without elec- inadequate damping (because it lacks car- tronic assistance. peting, soft furniture, drapes, etc.) can Some recent research indicates that y10- often be made to sound smoother and less octave resolution or better is required to irritating by cutting back in this frequen- measure all the audible midrange peaks cy range. Harsh-sounding CDs may also and dips. If so, any pink-noise room- benefit from a cut in this band, as can any equalization system —automatic or other- excessively sibilant vocalists or steely wise—must have that resolution if the ap- strings. plied corrections are going to be audibly 16 kHz (extreme treble). This band con- relevant over the full audio bandwidth. tains comparatively little musical energy There is a solution to the problem short and is also the range in which human hear- of rushing out to buy a computerized '/- ing begins to give out. If you don't hear a: Is it possible to overload an audio system octave equalization system. Learn to use much effect from this control, those are (fan equalizer is used improperly? the built-in high-resolution spectrum- the likely reasons. When set for full boost, A: Yes. Although a 3-dB boost has only a analysis system residing between your this control can add a sense of openness slight audible effect, it requires twice the own ears. The pink-noise test signals and and detail to the sound. It is also helpful output power from an amplifier (mea- the microphone-fed real-time analyzers (in the cut position and in conjunction sured in watts) at the boosted frequencies. can serve as a good starting point to make with the 8-kHz control) in reducing cer- A 6-dB boost requires four times the pow- basic adjustments. But, particularly in the tain types of hiss or distortion. er, and a 15-dB boost requires more than middle frequencies, don't consider the 30 times the output power for signals in readings sacrosanct. Make your final ad- Q: Is it easy to make corrections by ear? the particular band of frequencies that are justments by ear. If you are critical A: Some trial and error is necessary in set- boosted. Operation of an equalizer with enough, the results will be far better than ting up any audio system. Keep in mind full treble or bass boost at loud listening those achieved by depending solely on in- that moderation is the best policy when us- levels can overdrive your speakers and ex- strument-based analysis. This is because ing equalization. If too much boost or cut ceed your amplifier's power rating. When "playing by ear" takes into account both seems to be required for satisfactory per- an amplifier runs out of power, it "clips" the speaker's first-arrival sound and the formance, it may mean that you need the audio signal and can generate poten- various coloration-causing room reflec- speakers with better response or need to tially damaging spurious signals; when a tions. Adjustments using only pink noise adjust your room's acoustics or the place- speaker is overdriven, it can be thermally and a microphone end up correcting just ment of the speakers. or mechanically damaged. In short, avoid the speakers' long-term room response, To prevent complete response disar- large boosts at high volumes. usually with a detrimental effect on the ray, do not move more than one slider at a speakers' first-arrival sound. time when starting to make adjustments. a: Some equalizers feature built-in real- Aside from its use in speaker/room If the control you choose doesn't create time or spectrum analyzers. What purpose matching, an equalizer can do wonders for the desired effect, move it back and try an- do they serve? the sound of an audio (or audio-video) sys- other. Get as close as you can by moving A: A real-time analyzer uses a bar-graph tem by correcting defects in the source ma- only one control, then zero in on the goal display to show the relative strength of the terial. Although it certainly can't make a using either or both of the neighboring signal in each octave controlled by the silk purse out of a sow's ear, a properly controls. equalizer. Each vertical bar usually corre- used equalizer can make improvements sponds to a slider control, and the display that will surprise and delight even the Q: How much good can an equalizer do typically can be switched to respond to sig- most critical listener, in addition to pro- when most of the problems I object to are nals in the right channel, the left channel, viding an excellent education on the audi- colorations in the sound? or both combined. Although the analyzer ble frequency range.

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Northern Lights Once and Future Hero

inland is a nation of trees, lakes, and relatively few et's say you're a present-day civil-rights activist, one people. Its population of 4.5 million is less than that who believes unequivocably in the equality of all Fof Austria or Switzerland and only about half that of Lmen and women, who feels that this best of all soci- New York City. Yet the Finns have made an impressive eties is sadly lagging in its efforts to turn that sentiment commitment to music and the fine arts. In doing so, they into a reality and who also feels that the efforts of an have had to rely mainly on themselves, since their geog- individual can really make a difference. Okay, now say raphy and language set them apart from Western Europe after having initially chosen journalism as the vehicle for —even from the rest of Scandinavia. In their effort to be your idealism, you're embarking on a second career in culturally self-sufficient, they have had to develop their another area where you feel the phrase "social justice" own artists and institutions and establish their own reper- can be translated into action: a career in the recording tory. One might think of that as a handicap, but the industry. I think, once the laughter has died down, that Finns have taken advantage of it. even your best friends (especially your best friends) will Everywhere in Finland is evidence of the vitality of tell you that you are, if not dangerously deluded, at least Finnish musical life. During the week I was there this making a big mistake. summer for HIGH FIDELITY'S International Record Crit- This is what struck me most when I read the many ics Awards, I saw many encouraging signs, starting with tributes to famous record producer (and before that, jour- the hole in the ground adjacent to Finlandia Hall that in nalist/critic) John Hammond after his death in July at two years' time will be the $100 million home of the the age of seventy-six. It wasn't just his gift as a talent Finnish National Opera. I visited the newly built cultural scout that impressed me—though he "discovered" (he center in Jarvenpia, which boasts a state-or-the-art rec- disparaged the word in a nod to the romantic notion that ord library and an acoustically and architecturally mag- great talent will inevitably flourish) Billie Holiday, Count nificent recital hall; saw the underground museum at Basic, Charlie Christian, George Benson, Bob Dylan, Retretti, where the art on display attains a curious sort of Aretha Franklin, and Bruce Springsteen, among others. harmony with the natural beauty of its lakeside sur- Nor was it merely the unusual span of his career—from roundings; and spent three days in the town of Kuhmo in Billie to Bruce, the eulogists noted. No, it was the simple the northeastern forests, which every summer hosts a fact that there was once a time when an idealist could chamber music festival to rival the world's best. enter the record biz and not only act out his most And, of course, I attended the festival at Savonlinna, humane impulses but also have spectacularly successful where the repertory always includes a work by a contem- results. Such a person might find some fulfillment work- porary Finnish composer. While I was not especially tak- ing for a small independent label today, but otherwise, en with the music of the dramatic situations in Aulis Sal- forget it: Change is currently a threat to the main func- linen's The King Goes Forth to France, I thought the tion of the major recording companies, which is to dupli- singing was excellent, and I had to admire the sophisti- cate past success. And yet, change has a way of coming cated theatricality of the production. Living composers back into style. rarely get this kind of treatment. Hammond's career flourished, in terms of the number But that's one reason Finnish composers continue to of significant artists being signed and then having an write operas. Sallinen has a new work on the way based impact on popular culture, during those periods when on the saga of Kullervo from the Finnish national epic, history and his beliefs were most in sync: roughly, the the Kalevala (the same tale on which Sibelius based his '30s and the '60s. And just as the '60s were Hammond's early Kullervo Symphony). Einojuhani Rautavaara is at last great decade, there are many who believe it was, up work on a new opera about Galileo. His recently pre- to this point, America's (of course, there are also many miered opera Thomas has already been recorded, and it's who believe no such thing). For those of us who look a good bet that the new one will make it onto record, too. back at that decade not just for nostalgia but for inspira- For the Finns, music has been a means of proclaiming tion, and who would rebuke those grinches who dismiss a national identity and bridging the chasm of cultural iso- something like special coverage of the Beatles' CDs as lation. It remains a cornerstone of Finnish education and yuppie yearnings for youth rather than the appreciation is acknowledged as one of the goals of Finland's domestic and explication of the best of our common progressive policy. For anyone on the outside looking in, this com- heritage, Hammond is someone who can give one hope— mitment to music seems a shining example of getting for now, as an anachronism, and soon, perhaps, as a hero your priorities right. Ted Libbey for the '90s. Richard C. Walls

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 78 • -41‘ 20th Annual 1 nternational Record Critics Awards

AIM

BY THEODORE W. 1,11313E1:JR.

he Finns are killing us with kind- pause you made was so poetic," one lady Amy, whose work Shin'anim Sha'ananim ness," I wrote to a friend at the told me afterward). People from southerly turned out to be as intriguing as its title end of July, too exhausted to at- latitudes—New York, for example—are (parodied by jury president Alain Fanta- Ttempt a more elegant summation not made of the same stuff as the Finns. pie as Chine anime, chat anonyme) sug- of the week I had just spent with the jury of Well, spending a week in Finland was a gested. the International Record Critics Awards difficult job, but somebody had to do it. In any other year, one of these works (IRCA). "Their tactics remind me of the The jury's task was to select the best classi- might have won the prize. This year, way they handled the Red Army during cal recordings of 1987. And in truth, that though, two other pieces claimed the ju- World War II. They are said to have hid- part of the job was difficult, especially ry's ten votes. The world-premiere record- den in the trees until the Soviet tanks went when it came to the Serge and Olga Kous- ing of Cristobal Halffter's Cello Concerto by, then dropped down on top of them, sevitzky International Record Award No. 2 had too much going for it—starting yanked open the hatches, and hurled gre- (KIRA). The past year has been a very with the incandescent playing of soloist nades in the crews' faces. It was all very good one for recordings of contemporary Mstislav Rostropovich—to be denied. upsetting, and very fatal, to the Russians. orchestral music, and the field of KIRA And young English composer George "With us, they've been almost as ruth- nominees proved to be as strong as the jury Benjamin's remarkable setting of Wallace less. They've done it with food, drink, and had ever seen. By pure coincidence, works Stevens's The Snowman for soprano, pic- deprivation of sleep. They've made us eat from four Finnish composers were in the colo trumpet, and chamber orchestra— salmon, crayfish, fresh strawberries, and running, eloquent testimony to the fine entitled A Mind of Winter and, like the smoked reindeer meat; they've toasted us state of contemporary composition in Fin- Halffter concerto, recorded under its com- with champagne and aquavit; and just land and to the excellent job the Finns are poser's direction—similarly proved too when we were ready to drop, they've taken doing of getting this music on record. We strong a contender to be overlooked. After us out on midnight cruises of the lakes and were especially impressed by an evocative, reaching a deadlock, the jury quickly vot- offered us yet more to eat and drink. By tightly written piece entitled Verblendun- ed to split the award—a $3,000 cash prize one or two in the morning, we couldn't tell gen by thirty-five-year-old Kaija Saariaho, jointly underwritten by HIGH FIDELITY whether the red-orange glow on the hori- already a significant figure of her genera- and the Musicians Club of New York— zon was that of dusk ... or dawn." tion. Other strong entries came from dis- between the two composers, as we have It was, of course, both. In Finland in tinguished Romanian composer Stefan done on several occasions in the past. the middle of July, the sun doesn't really Niculescu, a KIRA perennial, and from Much to our delight, we were able to con- set, it bounces. The Finns don't seem to French composer and conductor Gilbert tact both Halffter and Benjamin (who at mind this, for they get twenty-seven was the enough darkness dur- youngest ever to win ing the winter to ac- the prize—for a work, quire the same wild incidentally, that he craving for sunlight had written when he that Californians have was only twenty-one) for snow. When sum- within a few hours of mer comes, they just the decision. We were don't go to sleep. But doubly delighted when after a week of 20-hour both accepted our in- days—with four hours vitation to come to of sleep a "night" Helsinki to receive thrown in as a conces- their awards. sion to my faltering The voting for the circadian rhythms— International Record I was beginning to Critics Awards was wonder if I'd make complicated by other it through the next i factors, chief among day—or was it night? I them the need to audi- was having trouble tion several recordings signing my name and The members of thejury. from left: Theodore W. Libbey, Jr. (United States); Harry Halbreich that had failed to almost fell asleep dur- (Belgium); Bengt Pleijel (Sweden); Pierre Michot (Switzerland); Enzo Restagno (Italy); Ingo reach members of the ing one of my own Harden (Germany); Edward Greenfield (Great Britain); Alain Fantapil (France). Absent jury before the meet- speeches ("That long from photo: Alfred Hoffman (Romania) and Jose Luis Perez de Arteaga (Spain). ing. Fortunately, our

72 H I G H FI D E L I T Y GLUCK: 1phigenie en Taur Montague, Aler, Allen, Mass Monteverdi Choir, Lyons , :64-/ Opera Orchestra, Gardiner. kMiitente en Tauride Philips 416 1 Diant akinkpue•lohnAkr•Ihriit" dikn • Here Numb

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SIBELIUS: Kullervo; other works. Saarinen, Hynninen; Helsinki CHAUSSON: Le Ro Arthus. University Male Choir, Academic Zylls-Gara, Oulico Winbergh; Choral Society, State Academic Choeurs de Racio France, Male Choir of the Estonian S.S.R., Nouvel Orches -:v Philharmonique, Helsinki Philharmonic, Berglund. Jordan. Erato ECD 83213. Angel EMI CDCB 47496.

1987 KIRA Winners

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BENJAMIN: A Mind of Winter. HALFFTER: Concerto No. 2 Archibald, Walmsley-Clark; for Cello and Orchestra. London Sinfonietta, Benjamin. Rostropovich; Orchestre Nimbus 5075. National de France, Halffter. Erato ECD 75320. ilTil

working sessions were at the Sibelius OTHER NOMINEES Academy, a remarkable facility with a wonderfully up-to-date Compact Disc li- brary that saved the day. The staff, headed IRCA by rector Ellen Urho, proved enormously SINGLE DISCS Ozawa. Philips 416 821-2. helpful throughout our deliberations. For BEETHOVEN: Symphonies Nos. 2, 8. STENHAMMAR: Serenade, Op. 31. the first time in recent memory, the London Classical Players, Norrington. Gothenburg Symphony, Jarvi. BIS award-winning records were all selected Angel EMI CDC 47698. CD 310. on the first ballot, a tribute not only to the DEBUSSY: Preludes, Bk. II. Antonioli. GERMAN BAROQUE CANTATAS. Le- smooth functioning of the jury under the Claves CD 50-8607. droit, Ricercar Consort. Ricercar chairmanship of Fantapie but to the excel- MAGNARD: String Quartet, Op. 16. 034008. lent working conditions at the Academy. Artis Quartet. Accord 149160. KRONOS QUARTET: Works of Scul- Three records received the IRCA MARTIN: Missa. PIZZETTI: Mosso do thorpo, Sallinen, Glass, Noncarrow, prize, all of them multidisc sets. I was es- Requiem. Mikaeli Chamber Choir, and Hendrix. Nonesuch 79111. pecially happy to see one primarily Finn- Eby. Proprius PROP 9965. ish effort in the winner's circle: Sibelius's MESSIAIN: Chrenochreenlos L'Ascen- MULTIDISC SETS Kullervo Symphony, gloriously recorded sion. Bavarian RSO, Rickenbacher. BACH: St. John Passion. English by EMI with the Helsinki Philharmonic, Schwann VMS 2118. Baroque Soloists, Gardiner. DG 419 soloists Jorma Hynninen and Eeva-Liisa MOZART: Plats Concertos. Costea; 324-2. Saarinen, the Helsinki University Male Oradea Chamber Orchestra, Acel. HANDEL: Athena. Kirkby, Sutherland; Choir and Academic Choral Society, and Electrecord ST-ECE 02948. Academy of Ancient Music, Hog- the State Academic Male Choir of the Es- SCHUMANN: DicklerKobe; Lioderk- wood. Oiseau Lyre 417 126-2. tonian S.S.R., all under the direction of eels. Bar, Parsons. EMI CDC 747 397. MAHLER: Symphony No. 8. London Paavo Berglund. This was one of those SCHUMANN: Violin Sonatas Nes. I, 2. Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, dream releases in which all the elements of Kremer, Argerich. DG 419 235 -2. Tennstedt. Angel EMI CDCB 47625. the recording had come together faultless- SHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Quintet: Sev- MAHLER: Symphony Ile. 9. Concertge- ly. Berglund, who made the first recording en Romances. Soderstrom, Ashken- bouw, Bernstein. DG 419 208 -2. of this fascinating score in 1971 (Sibelius azy, Fitzwilliam Quartet. London 411 MESSIAIN: Turangallia Symphony. withdrew the piece after its first public 940-2. Philharmonia Orchestra, Salonen. performance in 1892 and would not allow SIBELIUS: Kuilerve. Gothenburg SO, CBS 42126. it to be performed during his lifetime), Jarvi. BIS CD 313. VERDI: La Forza del Destine. Freni, knows the music better than anyone, un- SIBELIUS; TCHAIKOVSKT: Violin Con- Domingo; Teatro alla Scala, Muti. An- derstands its pacing and structure, and ex- certos. Mullova; Boston Symphony, gel EMI CDC 47485. hibits such a remarkable feeling for its color and imagery that one is left com- pletely convinced by his interpretation. KIRA The Helsinki Philharmonic outdoes itself AMY: Shin'anim Sha'ananim. Erato MATTHEWS: Sonata No. 5 (Land- for him, and the soloists and chorus turn 75264. scape). Unicorn-Kanchana DKP in brilliant performances, aptly character- BULLER: Theatre of Memory. Unicorn- 9053. ized and full of energy. Kanchana 9045. NICHIPOR: Symphony No. 1. Electre- Energy and characterization are two of HARRISON: Ulysses' Bow. Nonesuch cord ST -ECE 02824. the principal strengths of John Eliot Gar- 79129. NICULESCU: Cantos. Electrecord ST. diner's conducting as well. Both traits are HEININEN: Symphony No. 3. Fuga CS 0197. certainly evident in his recording of 3047. OLAII: Harmonies IV (Concerto for 23 Gluck's 1phiginie en Tauride, a splendid KOKKONEN: Requiem in Memoriam Instruments). Electrecord ST-ECE Philips release (produced in cooperation M.K. Finlandia FAD 353. 02941. with the Opera de Lyon) that stood off MACHOVER: Spectres Parham's. RAUTAVAARA: Thomas. Ode 704. strong competition from Christopher Bridge BCD 9002. SAARIAHO: Verblendungen. BIS 307. Hogwood's recording of Handel's Athalia to receive the second of the awards. Some jurors questioned the suitability of Diana Montague for the role of Iphigenie, but Musicians Club of New Ibrk there was no question whatsoever regard- ing the cohesion of the performance or the The Musicians Club ofN ew York, which administers the Koussevitzky Award of the efficacy of Gardiner's interpretation, American International Music Fund and provides the cash prize of $3,000 jointly which breathes life into the work and re- with HIGH FIDELITY, was founded in 1911 "to bring about a better understanding veals Gluck's mastery at every turn. and closer fellowship among musicians and lovers offine music." Comprising pro- The IRCA jury has a tradition of fessional musicians and amateurs, its goals remain: to cultivate a more lively inter- championing important but neglected est in music, to aid young musicians through sponsorship of concerts and competi- composers whose works fall on the fringe tions, and to focus attention on the American composer and performer. Its president of the standard repertory. We have shown is Bruce L Kubert: past presidents have included Walter Damrosch, Norman Dello our enthusiasm for these undervalued Joio, and-from 1961 to 1975-Olga Koussevitzky. masters, along with our concern for the enrichment of the classical catalog, by

74 awarding prizes in recent years to record- called to tell us that we had the green light aboard the Viking Line's MS Olympia— ings of the Stenhammar quartets, Zem- for a gathering the following July in Fin- one of the largest ferries in the world and a linsky's opera The Birthday of the Infanta, land. That had been wonderful news, but seagoing hotel of the utmost comfort. and Magnard's Symphony No. 4. This Pleijel didn't stop there. He decided to Of course, no one wanted to miss that year, thanks to Erato's continuing efforts plan a "pre-IRCA" meeting in Stock- part of the pre-meeting, and Pleijel saw to to mine the rich ore of French Romanti- holm, which would involve the top movers it that the rest of the Stockholm session cism, we had another "find" worthy of the and shakers in Swedish musical life and be was just as exciting. At a delightful lun- IRCA award: Ernest Chausson's magnifi- capped by an overnight sailing to Helsinki cheon hosted by Pleijel and his wife Odile cent opera Le Roi Arthus, a work of ex- traordinary imagination and sensitivity. Although heavily indebted to Wagner, it is NOMINATING COMMITTEE a masterpiece nonetheless, and under the sympathetic direction of Armin Jordan, it SILGIUM SPAIN casts a spell as potent and mysterious as Thierry Grisar, The Record Dealer Jose Luis Perez de Arteaga, Rese fia, the wizardry of old Merlin in its sensuous Harry Halbreich, Compact, RTBF Scherzo, El Pals, National Spanish retelling of the story of Arthur, Lancelot, Belgian Radio, RSR Swiss Radio Radio and Guinevere. Serge Martin, Diapason-Harmonie, My own feelings were that this co-pro- Avant Scene, Belgian Radio SWEDEN duction of Erato and Radio France—fea- Albert de Sutter, Gazet van Antwerpen Stig Jacobsson, HiFi & Musik turing Teresa Zylis-Gara, Gino Quilico, Bengt Pleijel, Musikrevy and Gosta Winbergh in the lead roles, BULGARIA with the Chorus of Radio France and the Dimiter Zenginov, Bulgarska muzika SWITZERLAND Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique—had Fernando de Carli, Corriere del Ticino, been thrown together a bit hastily: Zylis- CANADA Azione Gara and Winbergh, the Guinevere and Raymond Chatelin, Vancouver Prov- Mario Gerteis, Tages-Anzeiger Zurich, Lancelot, seem to be sight-reading at cer- ince, Playback, CBC Luzerner Neuste Nachrichten, tain crucial moments when they should be Thomas Hathaway, High Fidelity, Sound emoting, and the work of the chorus is at Queen's Quarterly Andre Hunziker, Le Courrier, Video & times rather undisciplined. Even so, the Rick MacMillan, Music Magazine, The Revue Son, Cooperation flashes of genius in Chausson's music Music Scene Pierre Michot, Journal de Geneve, shine through, leaving one all the more Gazette de Lausanne convinced that his accidental death at the FINLAND Eric Pousaz, 24-Heures, Lausanne age of 44 was one of music's tragedies. Jukka Isopuro, Helsingin Sanomat, When these three recordings emerged Hifi UNITED STATES on the first ballot as the jury's preference, I Michael Fleming, St. Petersburg Times couldn't help feeling that we had done our mam a Paul Hertelendy, San Jose Mercury job well. As HIGH FIDELITY'S classical Alain Fantapie, Opera International News music editor, I was participating in my Francois Pigeaud, Le Monde de la Theodore W. Libbey, Jr., High fourth IRCA meeting, and I had been musique Fidelity, National Public Radio through enough debates to welcome this Tim Smith, Fort Lauderdale News, quick arrival at a consensus. While I was GREAT BRITAIN Sun-Sentinel still the youngest member of the jury, I Edward Greenfield, The Guardian, David Patrick Stearns, USA Today was no longer the newest: That distinction Gramophone James Wierzbicki, St. Louis Post- went this year to Enzo Restagno of Turin, Robert Layton, Gramophone Dispatch, High Fidelity, National Italy, music critic of the Stampa Sera and Public Radio a delightful, knowledgeable colleague ITALY Bill Zakariasen, New York Daily News, whose insightful comments made him a Luigi Bellingardi, Stereoplay, Suono, Ii High Fidelity valuable member of our panel from the Mondo della Musica, Piano Time, start. HIGH FIDELITY publisher and edi- Nuovo Revista Musicale ltaliana WEST GERMANY torial director William Tynan, attending Mario De Luigi, Musica e Dischi Ingo Harden, Frankfurter Alkgemeine his second IRCA meeting, arrived in Fin- Enzo Restagno, Stampa Sera Zeitung, Preis der deutschen Schall- land just as the jury completed its delibera- plattenkritik tions. The first thing he heard was how JAPAN Ekkehart Kroher, Der Musikmarkt, smoothly the voting had gone; the second Toshio Oka, Stereo Sound Frankfurter Alkgemeine Zeitung was how delightful the overnight cruise Kenji Tsumori, Asahi Shimbun Hartmut Luck, Preis der deutschen from Stockholm to Helsinki had been. Schallplattenkritik, Radio Bremen The cruise had been the idea of Swed- THE NETHERLANDS Stefan Mikorey, Fono Forum ish juror Bengt Pleijel. Disappointed that Jan de Kruijff, HiFi Video Test, Com- Ulrich Schreiber, Stereoplay a series of unanticipated developments pact Disc Wolfgang Seifert, Deutscher Musikrat, had prevented him from attending last Der Musikmarkt year's IRCA meeting in the U.S., Pleijel ROMANIA Gerhard Wienke, Fono Forum, Preis had thrown himself into planning the 1987 Alfred Hoffman, Muzica, Romdnia der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, session down to the last detail. Even before Literara S. German Radio we had finished our 1986 meeting, he had

75 irca in their Stockholm apartment, we had an tress of Olavinlinna. Krause and accompanist Martin Katz in a opportunity to meet with a number of The fun began the second night in Hel- lieder recital capped by three absolutely leaders in the Swedish music industry, in- sinki with a boat trip from the harbor to gorgeous encores, including two songs by cluding Henrik Karlsson (Swedish Acade- the fortress island of Suomenlinna. We Sibelius. That evening, we were treated to my of Music), Roland Sandberg (Swedish had passed Suomenlinna on our way into dinner at the Olavinlinna fortress, fol- Music Information Center), Arne Brodd Helsinki aboard the Olympia—it guards a lowed by a performance of Aida. After the (Rikskonserter and Caprice Records), 60-meter entrance channel, which makes opera, Soderman (who was quickly be- Anders Franzen (the Swedish Radio Com- for a tricky passage if your ship has a beam coming my favorite Finn) sprang a sur- pany), Frank Hedman (Bluebell Records), of 30 meters. Standing on the ramparts, we prise on us: It was July 22, the crayfish sea- and Jacob Boethius (Proprius Records). could see why Helsinki had never been son had opened the day before, and we There was also a special guest whose arriv- taken by sea. Not willing to let the fortress were all going to learn why crayfish are al thrilled the assemblage: the great Swed- fall into disrepair, the Finns had converted such a delicacy. ish soprano Elisabeth Soderstrom, who its main hall into a restaurant, the Walhal- One of the interesting things about had made a special trip into Stockholm in la; there, surrounded by massive stone Savonlinna is that the festival's chorus order to be with us. walls, we sat down with our new Finnish master is also a boat skipper; at 11 the next That evening, we attended a perfor- friends for a splendid dinner. Among the morning—or, rather, the same morning— mance of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito at evening's guests were composer Eino- he took us across the lake aboard the festi- the Drottningholm Theater, a beautifully juhani Rautavaara, music publisher Roger val's steamer, the Solve. Joining us was a preserved 18th-century opera house . on Lindberg, and Finnish IRCA nominator special guest, musicologist Erik Tawast- the outskirts of Stockholm. Arnold Ost- Jukka Isopuro. stjerna, author of the definitive biography man, the theater's music director, con- The next day, having completed our of Sibelius. Lunch was at the Restaurant ducted. The next morning, Ostman joined deliberations, we were in the best of moods Rauhanlinna, once the summer home of a us and hosts Sandberg, Brodd, Franzen, for our visit to Hvittriisk. Saarinen's Russian general. From there, we were tak- and Karlsson for a working meeting and blending of art deco and the rough style of en by bus to Kerimaii, where the world's lunch at the Swedish Music Information the Finnish countryside, his inventive use largest wooden church is located, and then Center. This proved to be a very stimulat- of native materials, and his remarkable on to Savonlinna. The evening's opera was ing session, and we learned a great deal fantasy had an instant appeal. Once again, Sallinen's The King Goes Forth to France, about the way the Swedish musical estab- the Finns had found an unexpected setting a remarkably effective piece of theater that lishment functions. After saying goodbye for a restaurant. Dinner at the Restaurant occasionally has difficulty skirting musi- to our excellent hosts, we piled into taxis Hvittrask, with its windows open to the cal banality. After that, it was back onto and headed for the dock and our appoint- trees, was a fitting reward for the morn- the Solve for a midnight cruise on the lake. ment with MS Olympia. ing's work. The evening was capped by a All that remained was to return to Hel- We arrived in Helsinki the next morn- stroll down to the lake to watch the sun- sinki and award the prizes. We were very ing refreshed and ready to work. Too bad set—an absolutely magical moment. happy to find both Halffier and Benjamin Pleijel had forgotten to tell the Finns that Our excursion the next morning to waiting for us when we got back to the In- this was supposed to be a business meeting. Ainola—where Maire Pulkinnen, director tercontinental Hotel, and to learn that Almost from the moment we stepped off of the Ainola Museum, served as our Jorma Hynninen (who is also the director the Olympia, we fell victim to the generous guide—was one of the most eagerly antici- of the Finnish National Opera) had cut wining and dining that, by week's end, was pated events on our schedule. To set foot short a vacation in order to accept the to produce a state of euphoric exhaustion in the home of Sibelius, to breathe the air award for Kullervo. Finland's Minister of in nearly all of us. Our hosts throughout he breathed and to go out and walk among Culture, Anna-Liisa Piipari, delivered a were the Finnish Foreign Ministry and the his trees, was a thrilling experience, one brief congratulatory address and present- charming Ritva-Liisa Elomaa, the master- that provided me with some valuable in- ed the awards. Jury chairman Fantapie mind behind what soon proved to be the sights, both into Sibelius's character and read cables from John Eliot Gardiner and most enjoyable and successful meeting in his music. A few minutes later, we had a Armin Jordan; Harry Halbreich said a few IRCA history. Elomaa, director of cultur- chance to meet with one of Sibelius's most words about Halffter's Cello Concerto al affairs for the ministry's press and cul- distinguished successors, composer No. 2, and I a few about Benjamin's A tural center, was an old friend—I had Joonas Kokkonen. Mind of Winter. Reports of the awards known her when I was a critic for The New Back in Helsinki that evening, the were carried that night on all three Finn- York Times and she was Finland's press members of the jury were guests of honor ish television networks. counselor in New York. Her boss, Tom at a buffet dinner hosted by Jaakko Ilo- A formal dinner following the awards Soderman, provided the ministerial mus- niemi, general manager of the Union Bank ceremony was held at Koningstedt, a gov- cle to ensure that everything ran smooth- of Finland. Among the other guests at the ernment mansion on the outskirts of Hel- ly, and he was always on the lookout for a dinner were composer Aulis Sallinen and sinki that is used as a residence for visiting way to test our capacity for new experi- soprano Ritva Auvinen. dignitaries. Those attending included the ences. Among the highlights were day The next morning, the jury headed for ambassadors of Spain, England, Belgium, trips to Hvittriisk and Ainola (the homes Savonlinna. While the others had a 40- Italy, and France and consular officers of architect Eliel Saarinen and composer minute flight, Pleijel and I took a six-hour from the embassies of Sweden, Germany, Jean Sibelius, respectively), both in the train ride through the heart of eastern Fin- and the United States. Siiderman, paying wooded environs of Helsinki, and a two- land, arriving just in time to join our col- tribute to the IRCA jury, praised our pro- day excursion to the town of Savonlinna in leagues on an outing to the art center at fessionalism and international spirit and the heart of the idyllic Savolaks region in Retretti. Here, at an underground concert called us "guests of the year." Coming eastern Finland, where operas are per- hall that had been blasted out of solid from a host of his caliber, it was a high formed nightly in the 13th-century for- rock, we heard Finnish baritone Tom compliment indeed. •

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BY ROBERT E. BENSON, THOMAS L. DIXON, K. ROBERT SCHWARZ, TERRY TEACHOUT, AND BILL ZAKARIASEN TCHAIKOVSKY, MENDELSSOHN od-instrument effort from Ton Koopman of the charts. But it presents little more L A CONCERTOS: HEIFETZ on Erato ECD 88173. than the kind of pianism that was heard on This latest rtnsue iii R d Seal's Jascha But at whom are these midprice CDs the first of Vladimir Horowitz's Deutsche Heifetz series offers the most electrifyingly aimed? For a few dollars more, the con- Grammophon recordings—playing that dramatic performances of these master- sumer can purchase Mozart and Schubert may occasionally echo the glories of days pieces ever recorded. In the Tchaikovsky recordings of real distinction. And al- past but is not much more than a series of concerto, Heifetz and Fritz Reiner both though I've heard of cost-cutting mea- mannerisms. Throughout the recording, collaborate and vie with one another in a sures, I doubt whether many music lovers one is distressed by the inescapable evi- performance unequalled for its drive, dra- will be willing to part with the opening dence that this great artist is playing with ma, and lack of sentimentality. It is a per- measure of Schubert's Fifth, which was in- the music rather than playing it directly; formance for the ages, as is the version of explicably removed in the mastering pro- moreover, a comparison between Horo- the Mendelssohn concerto, where Heifetz cess. Playing time for Haydn (MCA Clas- witz's performance of the Rachmaninoff and Charles Munch convey the impres- sics MCAD 5846): 50:02; playing time for Polka on this disc and the composer's own sion that neither of them took an interpre- Mozart/Schubert (MCA Classics MCAD recorded account offers conclusive evi- tive or technical breath from the first note 5845): 57:21. K.R.S. dence of the gaps that are now to be heard to the triumphant ending. The CD con- in Horowitz's technique. BRUCH CONCERTO, FANTASY: On the other hand, Horowitz: The Stu- cludes with delicious accounts of Tchai- FL A kovsky's Serenade milancolique and the LIN, SLATKIN, CHICAGO dio Recordings, 1985 (Deutsche Grammo- Waltz from the Serenade for Strings in C, Whatever one may think of the intrinsic phon 419-217-2; playing time: 64:27) re- Opus 48. merits of Max Bruch's Violin Concerto veals playing that is less mannered and This fabulous reissue is certainly not No. 1 (1866) and Scottish Fantasy (1880), more straightforward. In fact, the major recommended to those with high blood one cannot dispute that a fiery, impetuous work, Schumann's Kreisleriana, compares pressure or to anyone with prim or con- personality is needed to perform them. Ja- favorably with the pianist's earlier effort ventional tastes. For such individuals, the scha Heiftez had such a personality; Cho- for CBS. This recital disc can honestly be recent CBS reissue of the Mendelssohn Liang Lin does not. It's not that his play- recommended, particularly to Horowitz's and Tchaikovsky concertos, featuring ing is imprecise; on the contrary, his many fans. Still more appealing is a recent Isaac Stern and Eugene Ormandy, is the flawless technique enables him to negoti- CBS reissue of Horowitz encores (CBS one to have. Only those who think the ate even the most virtuosic passages with Masterworks MK 42305; playing time: standard classics should be exciting and athletic grace. 71:55), an outstanding transfer that pre- provide unsuspected thrills should investi- What Lin lacks is a certain rhapsodic, sents an exceedingly generous selection of gate the Heifetz. Playing time: 64:24. romantic fervor that would turn these pieces, in which Horowitz glows in his au- (RCA Red Seal 5933-2.) T. L. D. technically superlative performances into tumnal prime. Need one say more? T.L.D. a truly arresting musical experience. His r AS HAYDN, MOZART, SCHUBERT tone is lean and wiry, and though he plays LF A KATHLEEN BATTLE: L A SYMPHONIES: LUBBOCK with considerable energy, he creates little SALZBURG RECITAL Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 44 (Frauer) passion. He is not assisted by the record- This recording, taped at the 1984 Salzburg and 49 (La Passione), Mozart's Symphony ing's balance, which allows the distant- Festival, captures the gifted young recital- No. 40, and Schubert's Symphony No. 5 sounding violin to be overshadowed by the ist at the top of her engaging form. Kath- are among the crown jewels of the Classi- orchestra. Still, it is frustrating to find this leen Battle's small soprano is beautifully cal symphonic repertory. Since there is no promising young violinist with so little to focused and projected throughout the pro- lack of recordings on CD of either the Mo- say musically and so little to communicate gram, which is an attractive mixed bag of zart or the Schubert, any new entry must expressively. Perhaps these works mean art songs (by Mozart, Mendelssohn, be a performance of some individuality. little to him; if that is the case, his attitude Strauss, and Faure), Baroque chestnuts, Unfortunately, the Orchestra of St. seems to be shared by Leonard Slatkin, and arrangements of spirituals. Particu- John's, Smith Square, offers undistin- who coaxes energetic but empty readings larly noteworthy is a lively performance of guished readings that possess little charac- from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. "Witness" that is every bit as good as the ter. The small chamber orchestra plays Playing time: 53:01. (CBS Masterworks classic 1927 Victor recording by Paul idiomatically and is never unmusical, but MK 42315.) K.R.S. Robeson and Lawrence Brown. it is plagued by persistent lapses in intona- James Levine's piano playing is neat tion and ensemble. The players fare far Fagg NOROWITZ RECITALS and orderly but rarely memorable. (One L A better in the two Haydn symphonies, pro- AND REISSUES also suspects that he is at least partly re- ducing interpretations of greater individ- Horowitz In Moscow, containing works by sponsible for such occasional lapses from uality and accuracy. Perhaps they felt less Scarlatti, Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, musical grace as an overly speedy "Man- burdened by the weight of existing record- Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Liszt, and Mosz- doline.") But what on earth could the crit- ings; indeed, the only pairing of these two kowski (Deutsche Grammophon 419 499- ic who recently dismissed Battle's lovely Haydn symphonies on CD, other than on 2; playing time: 60:52), is a much-heralded voice as "a vocal fragment" possibly have the present disc, is the vivid, austere pert- recital disc that has quickly risen to the top had in mind beyond contriving such a

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Artists like Bat- Symphony Orchestra under Jesus Lopez- COPLAND WORKS: tle should be cherished, and not dismissed Cobos, is as fine as any issued so far. Ló- CINCINNATI POPS, KUNZEL with a vulgar sneer. Playing time: 51:17. pez-Cobos leads a pulsating, sumptuous This is an appealing collection of familiar (Deutsche Grammophon 415 361-2.) T.T. performance—perhaps not with quite the and offbeat compositions by Aaron Cop- devil-may-care excitement of Enrique Ba- land. The shorter works are John Henry: A ELGAR WORKS: tiz's for Varese Sarabande, but one that Railroad Ballad for Orchestra; an orches- ' LLOYD WEBBER, MENUHIN points up the work's balletic origins even tral arrangement of "The Promise of Liv- This pairing of the Enigma Variations and better. Moreover, Telarc's warm, spacious ing" from the opera The Tender Land; the the Cello Concerto, Opus 85, is the ideal recording makes for somewhat easier lis- Jubilee Variation; the Ceremonial Fan- Elgar coupling, and Julian Lloyd Webber tening than the often larger-than-life and fare; and An Outdoor Overture. These se- proves a noble and moving soloist in the occasionally gimmicky Varese Sarabande lections all show Copland in his best "opti- latter work. The weak link in the chain is sonics. Soprano Florence Quivar sings the mistic" mood, and the performances by Yehudi Menuhin, whose uncertain con- brief incidental solos idiomatically. the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and con- ducting leads to noticeable ensemble diffi- The most important thing about this ductor Erich Kunzel have optimum vigor culties in the second movement of the disc, however, is that it contains the first and affection. Sherrill Milnes, who is in Concerto and in the tricky finale of the CD recording (in fact, the first stereo re- very good voice, is on hand to sing Book I Enigma Variations. But Menuhin elicits cording) of Falla's Homenajes. This work of Old American Songs, but the disc's eloquent playing from the Royal Philhar- has suffered from neglect, since its four greatest appeal resides in an exceptionally monic Orchestra elsewhere in both works, sections (composed between 1903 and broad rendition of the Lincoln Portrait, and the digital recording is warm and spa- 1920 and dedicated to conductor E. F. with none other than Katharine Hepburn cious. Each variation in the Enigma Vari- Arbos and to composers Claude Debussy, as narrator. To my knowledge, this is the ations is banded separately. Michael Ken- Paul Dukas, and Felipe Pedrell) are wildly first time a woman has recorded the work nedy's notes are short but informative. different in playing time, character, and (though I've heard Marian Anderson and Playing time: 60:41. (Philips 416 354-2.) orchestral texture. Lopez-Cobos, though, Eartha Kitt perform it live), and Hepburn T.T. ties them together quite nicely: He's espe- does an outstanding job. Granted, her cially successful in the concluding (and voice is quite tremulous these days, but ELGAR, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, rambling) Pedrelliana, and he makes a somehow that helps give her recitation an

1..r1 01 :1 MOZART: ORPHEUS better case for Homenajes than any other emotionally charged dedication. I've nev- Deutsche Cirammophon has brought out interpreter I've heard. A forceful rendi- er heard any speaker make Lincoln's two new releases from the conductorless tion of the Interlude and Dance from La words more inspiring. A truly outstanding Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. One fea- Vida Breve completes this disc, which is collection of Americana, although Telarc tures the strings of the ensemble in a pro- splendidly recorded throughout. Playing could have offered us more. Playing time: gram of music by Elgar and Vaughan Wil- time: 60:15. (Telarc CD 80149.) B.Z. 51:39. (Telarc CD 801 17.) B.Z liams, while the other is a second installment of what appears to be an inte- Fip e FAURE REQUIEM: STRAVINSKY WORKS: gral set of Mozart's complete serenades N ig ATLANTA, SHAW I. NEW YORK, BOULEZ and divertimentos. Gabriel Faure's Requiem (1893) and its The exotic 21-minute symphonic poem, The Elgar/Vaughan Williams cou- later counterpart by Maurice Durufle The Song of the Nightingale, adapted from pling consists of the former's Introduction (1943) have more in common than the fact Stravinsky's opera Le Rossignol,is master- and Allegro, Serenade in E minor, and Ele- that they were both written by French- fully orchestrated with exquisite percus- gy, and the latter's Fantasia on "Green - men. The two works share the same quali- sion tintinnabulation, sliding brass, and sleeves" and Fantasia on a Theme by ties of serssity, comfort, and conciliation delicate exotic effects. The score is best Thomas Tallis. It is beautifully and sensi- (neither contains a Dies Irae movement), known in Reiner's excellent Chicago Sym- tively played, though the Introduction and and both were originally scored for cham- phony version on RCA (CD 5733), but Allegro and Fantasia on a Theme by ber forces, although the later, orchestral Boulez is equally persuasive, and CBS's Thomas Tallis need the weight of a larger versions the composers wrote are far from mid-'70s analog recording, released here string group. Playing time: 48:47. (Deut- being elaborately scored. Coupling them for the first time, hasn't a touch of the sche Grammophon 419 191-2.) on a CD is most appropriate, especially overloading that mars the RCA. The Mozart disc (with Eine kleine since the length of the two works together Boulez's Firebird—wonderfully played Nachtmusik and the Divertimentos in E would probably preclude their fitting on by the New York Philharmonic—is a ma- flat, K. 252, and D, K. 131), is pure plea- an LP without a serious constriction of the jestic affair full of mystery and magic. sure, barring a few slightly fussy-sounding sonic quality. Telarc has recorded them in Boulez directs the original 1910 version, phrase endings in the first movement of superb performances featuring the Atlan- as do Colin Davis, Antal Dorati, and Eine kleine Nachtmusik. One almost sus- ta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Rob- Charles Dutoit in their recordings of the pects that these odd touches are thrown in ert Shaw leads spacious, affectionate ren- work; it is unfortunate that none of them solely to show how comfortable Orpheus ditions of both, and when power is called adds the trombone glissando in the "Infer- is without a conductor. Good studiolike for (as in the climaxes of each Sanctus), he nal Dance," an effect Stravinsky intro- digital sound from Steven PauL Playing knows how to provide it. There is nothing duced in later versions. The Davis/Con- time: 62:43. (Deutsche Grammophon 419 to be faulted in the orchestral playing or certgebouw recording of Firebird on 192-2.) T.T. choral singing, and the solos in the Faure Philips remains my favorite, although it are beautifully handled by soprano Judith has no coupling and no indexing whatso- FALLA WORKS:, Blegen and bass James Morris. The re- ever. The new CBS version has 25 cues for CINCINNATI, LOPEZ-COBOS corded sound is open and clear, with the Firebird and four for The Song of the Manuel de Falla's 1919 ballet The Three- solid registration of the low organ tones Nightingale. Like Nightingale, Firebird Cornered Hat has already fared well on being especially gratifying. Unequivocally was recorded in the mid-'70s and sounds Compact Disc, and Telarc's new record- splendid in every respect. Playing time: better than many all-digital releases. Play- ing of the work, featuring the Cincinnati 74:23. (Telarc CD 80135.) B.Z. ing time: 64:20. (CBS MK 42396.) R.E.B.

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TCHAIK OVSKY: Sviatoslav Richter called Cliburn "a ge- Concerto No. 1 in B Hot minor, Op.23.• nius—a word I do not use lightly about RACH MANINOFF: performers." Aram Khachaturian, even Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. more carried away, found him "better Cliburn; RCA Symphony Orchestra*, than Rachmaninoff. You find a virtuoso Kondrashin*; Chicago Symphony, Rei- like this only once or twice in a century." ner. John Pfeiffer and Richard Mohr, prods. Yet another juror, the Marquis de Gon- RCA Red Seal 5912-2 taut-Biron (director of Paris's Marguerite RACH MANINOFF: Long Competition), said he had "almost

Concerto No. 3, in D minor, Op. 30. • the technique of Horowitz during his PROK OFIEV: prime, and he has everything Horowitz Concerto No. 3, in C, Op. 26. lacked." Uiburn, Symphony oi the Air*, Kondra- As for the rich, spacious performance shin*; Chicago Symphony, Hendl. John of the Rachmaninoff Second included on Pfeiffer and Richard Mohr, prods. RCA Red the first of these CDs, my own opinion of Seal 6209-2. Cliburn's playing—here and in general— In Van Cliburn, this country produced coincides exactly with what Winthrop one of the most phenomenally gifted pia- Sargeant wrote in The New Yorker after nists in history. Now, nearly three years that welcome-home concert in Carnegie after the announcement of its "imminent" Hall on May 19, 1958. Sargeant wrote that appearance, RCA has rereleased on Com- Cliburn "proved to be a pianist in the pact Disc his most popular recording: that grand manner. In saying this, I am refer- of "the" Tchaikovsky concerto, which in ring to a special, rare, and profoundly im- its LP release has been one of the greatest pressive kind of piano playing ... He is a classical sellers in the history of the phono- living representative of the great 19th- and graph. On its heels, the label has issued a early 20th-century school of virtuosity, second CD containing his recordings of which included such formidable artists as the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto and Sergei Rachmaninoff, Josef Lhevinne, and Prokofiev Third Concerto. Josef Hofmann, and it is indeed heartening Let me confess to a certain inability to to find the traditions of this school flour- write about Van Cliburn objectively. In ishing in one so young. Mr. Cliburn has early 1958, on special assignment from plenty of technique. His octave passages Time-Life International, I flew to Moscow are electrifying; he can produce a tremen- to cover the four-week inaugural Interna- dous volume and variety of tone, and he tional Tchaikovsky Competition. Cliburn, could, if desired, make a magnificent im- at the time a gangling twenty-three-year- pression as a master of the showier side of old from Kilgore, Texas, won first prize in his art. But the most arresting thing about the piano competition and became a his playing is his mastery of other things— worldwide front-page sensation. Time im- the tasteful and assured use of rubato in mediately scheduled a cover story to coin- the style of the distinguished virtuosos of cide with the May 19 Carnegie Hall dupli- the past, the delicacy in executing pianissi- cation of his triumphant Moscow orches- mos, the sure sense of musical phraseolo- tral concert, and I was told to get my gy, the feeling for restraint as well as cli- Soviet visa extended in order to spend max, and all the remaining elements of three additional weeks in close contact musical sensitivity that go to make up a su- turned even the most seasoned veteran with Cliburn in Moscow, Leningrad, and perb keyboard artist." into hamburger. Here is that live perfor- Riga. I thus heard him four times in recital I heard Cliburn play Rachmaninoff's mance, but with everything right in place, and four times as soloist in this Tchaikov- Third Concerto at least half a dozen times, as near to total perfection as can be sky concerto, and in the Rachmaninoff and I expect to go to my grave unshakably achieved. In addition, Cliburn plays it un- Third as well. convinced that he played it better than any cut and with the longer, more difficult of The Soviet people inundated Cliburn other pianist I ever heard do it, including the cadenzas—more, incidentally, than with an exuberant outpouring of loving, its creator. RCA long ago released on LP one can say for Horowitz or even Rachma- jubilant adulation such as few artists, even the live version Cliburn gave at Carnegie ninoffhimself. the greatest, ever experience. As he said in Hall in 1958, but the sonic refurbishment During that 1958 Soviet tour, in a dis- fractured Russian when Dmitri Shostako- achieved in the remastering for CD makes cussion of Sergei Prokofiev's recording of vich presented him with the competition's the sweep and power of the performance his own Third Concerto, M um told me massive gold medal, the love he got from seem even more miraculous. Bear in mind with finality: "I'm sorry, but it's just not those wholehearted audiences inspired the circumstances of the recording: Cli- Russian." His own performance of the him. This performance of the Tchaikov- burn was playing what Time in its advance work, at any rate, incorporates the same sky dates from that halcyon period 29 cover story called "the toughest concert of expansiveness, the same grand manner, years ago. his life"—after two unremitting months of the same rapturous exaltation, that make In conversation with me at that time, turbulence and stress that would have his accounts of the Tchaikovsky and the

II2 H I G H FI D E L I T Y STURBIN G LEGACY

AN CLIBURN ELIOIEC LOVI I ADMIRATIOA FROM AUDIENCES DURING HIS 958 RUSSIAN TOUR.

Rachmaninoff concertos so imposing. called "one of the fattest contracts ever of- nomenal gifts. Cliburn's life eventually I wish these reminiscences of Van Cli- fered a young artist, with built-in guaran- turned out to be considerably less happy burn could have had a much happier per- tees for 'long-term security.'" and fulfilled than the one he so richly de- sonal ending. James Joyce, from exile, re- Another of the Moscow jurors, Arthur served. viled his native Ireland as "the old sow Bliss, had presciently cautioned: "If, like I treasure the score or so of Cliburn that eats her farrow." Cliburn left New fine wine, he can mature slowly and some- discs in my LP collection as unique and ir- York for Moscow unable to pay his tele- what secretly, he'll be a great artist. But if replaceable. Anyone with a sense of docu- phone bill. The day after he won his prize, he's affected by the immense publicity he's mentary musical history will snap up any 1111 the desk in his Moscow hotel room had a gained, he'll be like many other prizewin- that can still be found, for Van Cliburn towering stack of cablegrams on it, with ners: He'll have a brief period of glory and will always occupy a unique niche in the impresarios and recording firms every- be spoiled. I hope his friends will be wise musical pantheon not only of this country, where fighting ferociously to glom on to enough to say, 'Now you mature.'" but of the world. Separately or together, him. He returned to a Broadway ticker- As we all know, Cliburn eventually got these two superlative CDs take their place tape parade and the same concert fee lav- crushed by irresistible forces that simply immediately as hallmarks of 20th-century ished upon the venerable Artur Rubin- overwhelmed him. Shortsighted managers pianism. Playing time for Tchaikovsky stein; shortly after that, he began getting limited his sensational repertoire to only a First/Rachmaninoff Second: 68:43; play- 60 percent of the box-office gross. RCA few flashy works instead of patiently, lov- ing time for Rachmaninoff Third/Proko- outbid Columbia by giving him what Time ingly nurturing and developing his phe- fiev Third: 73:09. Paul Moor

N O V E M B E R 19 8 7 113 V

BEETHOVEN: mendous dramatic force, but the delibera- chestra, those of the Eighth and Ninth— Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. tion and clarity with which it unfolds in and the First and Second a year ago—are

rik Robert Shaw Chorale, NBC Symphony the 1938 performance is gone. less so. They bring to mind B. H. Haggin's Orchestra, Toscanini. Arthur Fierro, prod. With this one reservation, Toscanini's description of the way scholar Donald RCA Rd S- al 5936 2 {A). 1952 performance of the Ninth Symphony Francis Tovey played Beethoven's sona- BEETHOVEN: is among the most beautiful and sensitive tas. In recital, Haggin said, Tovey did not Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125; on record. Red Seal's faithful remastering apply his insightful analyses to creating a Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93. of the original tapes for this Compact Disc musical performance; he played like a TaIlls Chamber Choir, English Chamber reissue reveals it to be even more appealing teacher making points to educate the audi- Orchestra, Thomas. Steven Epstein, than one had thought. The LPs were sharp ence. In the same way, Thomas's energetic prod. CBS M2K 39711 (2, D). in pitch and sounded hectic, but these CDs but cold performances call attention away Arturo Toscanini's interpretation of the reveal how lyrical Toscanini's conception from the musical progression and focus it Ninth Symphony changed over the years. was. The sound from Carnegie Hall is not instead on all that he has learned about In 1938 (in the performance preserved by as resonant as on other discs in Red Seal's balances—as in the passage at the end of the Arturo Toscanini Recordings Associa- Toscanini reissue series, but the clarity is the first-movement development, where tion on ATRA 3007), points of emphasis breathtaking, and reequalization has re- the rising tremolo figures in the cellos and were underscored by accents, ritards, or sulted in a richer, darker tone than on any violas are needlessly prominent. Thomas's broad changes of tempo; by 1952, though, of the original LPs. The soloists are good, Eighth and Ninth symphonies are less sat- these moments were marked more lightly. and the Robert Shaw Chorale is simply as- isfactory overall than ones where the parts The result, as heard on this new Red Seal tounding. It would have been useful to are merely audible and not magnified. CD, is a far more exquisite and subtle in- have the principal sections of each move- Playing times: 92:24. Thomas Hathaway flection of the musical line in the third ment indexed, but the exceptionally infor- movement and greater continuity in the mative liner notes by Mortimer Frank are BERNSTEIN: expansive variations of the fourth move- a bonus. Orchastral Music. ment. The second movement remains al- In contrast, the long-awaited recording Liberman, Kittrell ; Saint Louis Symphony, most unchanged. of the Ninth from Michael Tilson Thom- Slatkin. Marc Aubort and Joanna Nick- as, one of today's great conductors, is dis- renz, prods. Angel EMI CDC 47522-2 (D). appointing. The orchestra and the voices are well reproduced, but careless editing makes joins audible. This is noticeable as well in the recording of the Eighth Sym- phony, contained in the same set. As for the performances of both sym- phonies, Thomas's decision to use a small orchestra is as regrettable as the earlier re- cordings in his Beethoven series had led one to expect. His wanting to hear how Beethoven's symphonies sounded with a chamber orchestra was reasonable enough: He rightly guessed that it would suggest solutions to problems of phrasing and balance that would be valuable when performing with large orchestras. How- ever, there was nothing in the sound of

M GHFIM WYARCH W B W B M WYARCH GHFIM these experimental small-orchestra per- Toscanini: His views on the Ninth changed. formances that justified preserving them on CDs. Particuarly in the larger Beetho- However, the first movement of the ven symphonies (Nos. 5, 7, and 9), the 1952 performance is diminished. What- straining of the reduced string sections to ever meaning one extracts from this open- match the winds and brass at climaxes Slatkin: doing right by Bernstein ing movement, it derives from the chang- have produced what a reviewer for The ing harmonic contexts in which the New York Times characterized correctly Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Sym- declamatory, rhetorical figures that con- (if approvingly) as a "fibrous" sound that phony Orchestra continue their American stitute the movement's thematic material is ugly. (The records of the Fourth and the music series on Angel with a Compact are recombined and developed. In his 1952 Sixth were less disagreeable only because Disc devoted to four of Leonard Bern- interpretation of this movement, Toscani- the recording, at least on LP, camouflaged stein's best and most durable theater ni's faster-than-usual tempo and his hur- the players' deficiency.) scores: Facsimile, Fancy Free, the On the rying over transitions made the musical Moreover, while Thomas's interpreta- Town dance episodes, and the overture to argument harder to follow. The move- tions of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Sym- Candide. The logical comparison is with ment as a whole comes across with tre- phonies were admirable despite the or- Bernstein's own recordings, and here Slat-

114 H I G H F I D E L I T Y kin fares surprisingly well. Bernstein and that Le Roi Arthus most resembles. the New York Philharmonic performed The score of Le Roi Arthus is, for the COMPACT DISCS these scores with immense panache and an most part, magnificent. The thematic AND LASER VIDEO DISCS authentically jazzy, rhythmic feel. Slat- structure is strong; each role is beautifully THE GREATEST kin's readings are less aggressive and not characterized; the vocal writing, while dif- SELECTION... quite as breezy, but are far more polished ficult, is always rewarding; and the orches- and very nearly as satisfying in their own tration is elaborate yet transparent in the THE LOWEST PRICES way. (By contrast, Bernstein's Deutsche true Wagnerian sense. What keeps the op- $12.99 PER DISC 513.99 PER DISC ll ( FIS pop including: 511 10,1 o',1 115 Grammophon remakes of Fancy Free and era from being hailed as an unqualified -to( lose PHILIPS ( I Vss including: S‘pi rese t11OCt10 Ill the On the Town dance segments with the masterpiece is the libretto, which, though Streisand (Inc Soler In lascats Israel Philharmonic don't even come close Pink F In‘c1-‘lomentArt East Romani, full of poetic imagery, leaves most of the Lapse . Studio Recruiting, to the mark.) characters strangely unrelated to one an- 511 IF IAR( including: Bachbu•ters • ime %re ( ON( F R ION-I Nlusiciln Slatkin performs Fancy Free with its other. Moreover, the pivotal character of I Irche•Ifill Spectaculars I 111 l'l 551 IS Duloit Star I racks I & II original prelude, a jukebox recording of the archvillain Mordred comes off as 511 %NW- I. including: 511 FIF IFS including: 1151 III SINGS ‘101.ART the song "Big Stuff" by singer Jean Kit- shadowy at best, and the love scenes be- Magical VIssters Four l'F REM 5\ I radition 51 hot- 51brim(5 23.98/ kIRI SINGS GERS1131 trell and a '40s-style piano trio, over which tween Lancelot and Guinevere oddly lack 511 (.RC including: e l ASER VIDEO a nostalgic haze of simulated shellac the eroticism that Massenet was able to in- In I he Digital Mood -- VI I N. 10% DI SCOI, Ni I Digital Duke SI Of I RF.IS IV 533.98 scratch has been dubbed. The effect is ject into similar episodes in his operas. HI. I I" 33.98 511 53 %FINER including: SI! I N I RE NNING 2933 clever, the singing exactly right. Richard That bit of naysaying aside, Le Roi ( ars-Door ill Door SI'S( I %RC/FIVES F Don John Hits 3 ill I NIES 1-6 33.98 ea. Freed has contributed excellent liner Arthus is an imposing score, full of the I.a Rumba Soundtrack ROI "1101 lik1.1.ET I \S-kick.33 hilt-snake 51,1 1)1 0(81,1) 33.98 notes, Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz pageantry the story demands and unfold- Best of the Doors rimier r I IDIOM CD•B l'135 I 2-1 he Joshua free ',laser )699.00 . shipping have done a superb job of digital produc- ing occasionally in scenes of tremendous I leetwood !Stec-Tango fees membership \ladonnaA%hoNThat Girl in the LASER( El B. tion, and each movement is separately power, such as the Act H encounter be- samms IlagareCure-kiss %le our unique mail order IA Simon-Gracrland banded. The real star of this recording is tween Arthur and the wizard Merlin—a rental club,with ails purchase Leonard Bernstein, of course, but the scene to rival that between King Philip I( A IS %•( ECk•MON EV OR DER.C.O.)J DI) S2) -.flipping: 52 for 1st II'D(53 for 1st IN) 25C each Adel CD playing of the Saint Louis Symphony runs and the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Ott for IS sf FREE Scheann npurchaseof 5 or more ("Ds a close second. Leonard Slatkin must be Carlos. In addition, Chausson's handling CALL NOW TOLL FREE some kind of orchestra trainer. of the chorus is superb, most notably in the Terry Teachout opera's glowing finale, when the dying Ar- 1-800 634-2187 thur sails off into the spiritual beyond. IN MASS. CALL (617)254-3368 ° MUSSON: Erato's recording is quite splendid. Ar- Sight & Sound, Inc. All Laser Since 1984 18 Bennett St., Boston. M.% 02135 1. 1.1 Arthus. min Jordan's conducting has all the dy- Zylis-Gara, Quilico, Winbergh, Massis, namic sweep one could desire, while the Friedmann, Cachemaille ; Choeurs de Ra- orchestral and choral work is beyond re- dio France and Nouvel Orchestre Philhor- proach. Baritone Gino Quilico sings the monique, Jordan. Guy Chesnois, prod. Erato frightfully difficult role of Arthur bril- FREE 30 DAY [CD 88213 (3). 0 NUM 75271 (3). MCE liantly, with particularly resplendent top PREVIEW 75271 (3). notes. However, he sounds too youthful IN YOUR In the span of his brief life, Ernest Chaus- for the part—perhaps this is one assign- O WN HOME son planned ten operas, only two of which ment to which his father Louis would have were completed: Helene, in 1884, and Le been better suited. Soprano Teresa Zylis- SHARE THE TOTAL Roi Arthus (King Arthur), composed to Gara and tenor Gosta Winbergh are con- EXPERIENCE Chausson's own libretto in 1887-8. He OF PICTURE worked harder on this score than on any TAKING WITH other, and although he produced such TODAY'S TOP PROFESSIONALS masterpieces as the Symphony in B flat FORMAT KEY and the Poime de /'Amour et de la mer Close-up views of the pros at work on location, in the studio and in the lab. during the same period, it was to Le Roi L. I=1 Cassette New equipment and methods too difficult Arthus that he was most deeply commit- to capture in words and pictures alone. ted. Unfortunately, he was destined never a/ Compact Disc to hear it—the opera didn't receive its pre- Cif) Vidootassotto MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY miere until 1903, four years after Chaus- Qi Vidootlisc VIDEO MAGAZINE son was killed in a freak bicycle accident. Box 11368, Des Moines IA 50340-1368 Opon rool Throughout most of his career, Chaus- Rush orders call 1-800-999-8783 son was deeply under the spell of Wagner, RECORDING INFORMATION Send my FREE 30 DAY PREVIEW, and sign me up for a full year of MODERN so it was natural for him to be drawn to the (A) analog original l'HOTOGRAPHY VIDEO MAGAZINE for Tristan-esque tale of the romance between (D) digital original $79.95. Ill receive 4 quarterly video cassettes Lancelot and Guinevere, Arthur's queen. at a 20% savings off the single copy price. If I am not completely satisfied with the premiere Large symbol beneath title indicates reviewed format The story, of course, parallels that of Tris- video, I can return the tape within 30 days Small symbols following catalog number of reviewed for- tan and Isolde, though here the lovers con- mat indicate other available formats (if any). and owe nothing. Li VHS BETA tinue to live and the king dies. The music Catolog numbers of all formats of a particular record- 1J Bill me $79.95 for 4 quarterly issues. of Le Roi Arthus is decisively Wagnerian ing usually are identical except for differing prefixes or suffixes. Catalog numbers of formats other than the re- Name. in its sonorities and in its use of "endless viewed format are printed only if their basic numbers dif- melody" and leitmotif, though one could fer substantially from that of the reviewed format. Arabic numeral in parentheses indicates number of CASdtadress:ityte': Zip. say the same of works by other French items in multi-item set Unless otherwise indicated, all composers of the period, such as Massenet multi-LP sets are in manual sequence. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. FiFN87 and Lab; indeed, it is Lobo's Le Roi d'Ys I.

NOVEMBER 1 9 8 7 SS vincing and radiant-voiced as Guinevere these outstanding performances restore and four short anthems. All of these works and Lancelot; bass Rene Massis does as the music of a minor but considerable tal- are making their CD debut, and the per- well as he can with the fragmentary role of ent to the catalog. Playing time for CDD formances are up to the high standards set Mordred; and bass-baritone Gilles Cache- 238: 47:30; playing time for CDD 239: by the Corydon Singers in their previous maille makes a highly effective Merlin. 41:25; playing time for CDD 240: 45:27. Britten album. Sioned Williams is the ex- The singers in the smaller parts (notably Terry Teachout cellent harpist in A Ceremony of Carols, Gerard Friedmann as Lancelot's faithful James O'Donnell the equally satisfactory retainer Lyonnel) are uniformly excellent. DURUFLE: organist in the Missa Brevis. All three of Erato's recorded sound on LP is clear Choral Music. these discs feature first-rate digital sound and well balanced, though rather flat in fu Murray, Allen, Trotter ; Corydon Singers, by Mark Brown. Texts are supplied and perspective in the manner of most French English Chamber Orchestra, Best. Mark each work is fully banded. Playing time for radio broadcasts. The CD edition has no- Brown, prod. Hyperion CDA 66191 ID). Durufle: 48:11; playing time for Bruckner: tably more depth of field and warmth of BRUCKNER: 51:24; playing time for Britten: 48:50. tone. In sum, Le Roi Arthus is one of the Choral Music. Terry Teachout most distinguished recordings of the year. Corydon Singers, English Chamber Or- Bill Zakariasen chestra, Best. Mark Brown, prod. Hyperi- GLAZUNOV: on CDA 66177 ID). "The Seasons" and Concert Waltzes DOHNANYI: BRITTEN: Nos. I and 2. Serenade in C Major, Op. 10: Choral Music. Philharmonia Orchestra, Svetlanov, Piano Quintet in C Minor, Op. 1. rik Williams, O'Donnell; Choir of Westmin- LIP cond. David Mottley, prod Angel EMI 'yder, Cleveland Quartet Thomas ster Cathedral, London, Hill. Mark CDC 747847 (A). prod Pr, Arte CDD 238 ID). Brown, prod. Hyperion CDA 66220 (D). TOIAIKOVSKY: DOHNANYI: Maurice Durufle's Requiem, commis- The Salmons, Op. 37b. Violin Sonata in C Sharp Minor, Op. 21; sioned by Durand in 1947 and modeled rk U.S.S.R. State Symphony Orchestra, Cello Sonata in B Flat, Op. 8. closely on the Faure Requiem, is usually Svetlanov. Japan Victor/Melodiya VDC Salaff, Katz, Snyder. Thomas Mowrey, performed either in its original version for 1134. prod. Pro Arte CDD 239 (D). full orchestra or in an alternate version for DONNBNYI: organ with cello obbligato. This 1961 ver- Piano Music. sion—scored for strings, trumpets, tym- Snyder. Thomas Mowrey, prod. Pro Arte pani, harp, and organ—bears the same re- CDD 240 (D). lationship to the original orchestration as

DOHNANYI: Concert Etudes, op. 28, the chamber orchestra version of the Nos. 1 and 4; Rhapsody in C Major, Op. 11, Faure Requiem that was restored and No. 3; Ruralia Hungarica, Op. 32a, Nos. 2 recorded by John Rutter (Collegium and 6; Pastorale; Variations on a Hungarian COLCD 101) bears to the more familiar Folk Song, Op. 29. DOHNANYI-DELIBES: version for full orchestra. The Durufle Re- Waltz from "Coppelia." quiem is exquisite in whatever version one Ernst von Dohnanyi (1877-1960) was has the chance to hear, but this "in be- once widely admired as both a virtuoso pi- tween" version may well be the most satis- anist and a composer. Brahms knew and fying of all. The wonderful performance liked his piano quintet; Sir Donald Francis by Matthew Best's Corydon Singers, cou- Tovey devoted a respectful essay to his pled with an equally sensitive performance chamber music; and Boris Goldovsky pre- of Durufle's 1960 Four Motets on Gregori- ferred him to Schnabel as a piano teacher. an Themes, are what Durufle must have But Dohnanyi stayed in Hungary during precisely had in mind. Baritone Thomas World War II and acquired an undeserved Allen and mezzo-soprano Ann Murray (of reputation as a Nazi collaborator that he Graham Johnson's Songmaker's Alma- never managed to shake. He moved to the nac) are the fine soloists. United States after the war and ended up Also new from the Corydon Singers is a teaching at Florida State University. To- follow-up to their earlier collection of day, his recordings are out of print and his motets by Anton Bruckner (Hyperion Svetlanov: performances hard to better music forgotten, save for the popular Vari- CDA 66062). This recording couples the ations on a Nursery Tune and the witty austerely beautiful Mass in E minor for While these two lovely CD reissues should Serenade in C for String Trio. chorus and wind instruments with an ear- prove to be of enormous delight to any Pianist Barry Snyder and the Cleve- ly setting of the Libera me, framed by two musical Slavophile, they also show how land Quartet have undertaken a three-CD short pieces for three trombones. Hyperi- very far we are from doing justice to the survey of Dohnanyi's music for Pro Arte. on's recordings of the Corydon Singers are work of Alexander Glazunov. The Seasons The influence of Brahms is very strong in welcome additions to the slender choral is occasionally considered this "happy" these surprisingly attractive works, which catalog on CD, and one hopes for a trans- Russian composer's masterpiece, but that include the Serenade in C, the C minor Pi- fer of their Vaughan Williams G minor is a naive, highly misleading view. While ano Quintet, a pair of sonatas for violin Mass as soon as possible. this score and the Violin Concerto remain and cello, and a group of piano solos. But Not long ago, the Westminster Cathe- popular, Glazunov has no single master- the piquant sound of Hungarian folk mu- dral Choir joined forces with the Corydon piece, and much more study, recording, sic is never far away, either, and the level Singers on a well-received Hyperion CD of and listening will have to be done before of craftsmanship is extraordinarily high choral music by Benjamin Britten (CDA any sophisticated conclusions about his throughout. Beautifully recorded by pro- 66126). Now they can be heard in a Britten stature can be reached. ducer Thomas Mowrey and accompanied album of their own containing the popular Those studies should be helped by by David Eagle's excellent program notes, A Ceremony of Carols, the Missa Brevis, (Continued on page 90)

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HOW TO ORDER BY MAIL: SEND MONEY ORDER, CERTIFIED OR CASHIER'S CHECK, MASTERCARD, VISA or AMERICAN EXPRESS (Include cord number. Interbank No, expiration date and signature.) TO: JAR MUSIC WORLD, 59-50 QUEENS-MIDTO WN EXPRESSWAY, MASPETH, NY 11378, DEPT. 14F1187. DO NOT SEND CASH. Pomonal and business checks must clear our Authorization Center before processing $25 Minimum Order, Shipping, Handling &Insurance Charge is 5% of Total Order with a $3.95 minimum (Canadian Orders Add 15% Shipping, with a $9.95 minimum charge.) For shipments by air, please double these charges SORRY, NO CO D's. NEW YORK RESIDENTS PLEASE ADD SALES TAX ALL MERCHANDISE SHIPPED BRAND NEW, FACTORY FRESH, AND 100% GUARANTEED LIMatP i a WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TYPOGRAPHICAL OR TRANSPOSITIONAL ERRORS (Continued from page 86) GRAINGER: A brilliant and idiosyncratic pianist, Percy Svetlanov's stunningly beautiful record- Dished Up for Piano by the Composer. Grainger claimed to despise the instru- ing. Performances of such excellence may Coxe. Kenneth Forfia, prod. Titanic TI ment that made him famous. "I have al- lead thoughtful collectors into exploring L. 155 (D). ways loathed the piano," he said, "because the symphonies, which remain overlooked Handel in the Strand ; Walking Tune ; The I consider it an affront to destroy a melodi- in the concert hall and which have recent- Merry King ; Molly on the Shore; Jutish Med- ously conceived idea by trying to fit it into ly become available on CD. The Tchaikov- ley ; One More Day, My John; Lullaby (from the limitations of two hands and a box full sky disc contains Alexander Gauk's ex- "Tribute to Foster"); The Sussex Mummer's of hammers." Though Grainger published pert orchestrations of the series of piano Christmas Carol ; The Hunter in His Career; a great deal of piano music, the result was works that were also, if somewhat inaccu- Knight and Shepherd's Daughter; In a Nut- that most of it was "dished up" (as he liked rately, entitled The Seasons. Actually, shell ; Colonial Song; Shepherd's Hey; Irish to put it) from works originally scored for these are simple but remarkably evocative Tune from County Derry; Country Gardens. orchestra or chamber ensemble. works depicting each month of the year, Enormously popular in Grainger's and each is saturated with a Slavic ethos. own day, these fetching miniatures have Yevgeny Svetlanov (like his closest long since disappeared from recital pro- Western counterpart, Riccardo Muti) has grams, so Nigel Coxe's new CD of Grain- often been thought of as a master of the ger's piano music on Titanic comes as a re- lead-footed school of conductors—brutal, freshing and overdue surprise. The coarse, unfeeling, a figure in whose perfor- program ranges from Country Gardens mances orchestral crudities abound. Judg- and Shepherd's Hey to more substantial ing from these CDs, that is nonsense. It compositions like /n a Nutshell. Coxe's would be close to impossible to better the brisk and unaffected playing suggests con- performance on either disc. siderable familiarity with Grainger's own Speaking of the neglected Slavic reper- 78-rpm recordings. Kenneth Forfia's boxy tory as well as conductors of former days, digital sound does less than perfect justice such as Gauk, one wonders when someone to Coxe's tone, but brings out his hum- with a taste for the less familiar will revive ming with unwelcome clarity. the Frederick Stock orchestration of Since CD anthologies are ideally suited Tchaikovsky's lovely A minor Trio. Play- to the music of miniaturists like Grainger,

ing time for Glazunov: 60:21; playing time ARCHIVES FIDELITY HIGH a collection of Frederick Fennell's bril- for Tchaikovsky: 46:33. Thomas L. Dixon Grainger: a miniaturist who loathed the piano liant Grainger recordings for Mercury (or, for that matter, a CD of Grainger's cele- brated Columbia electrics) would be a wel- come complement to this excellent disc. But Dished Up for Piano by the Composer serves perfectly well on its own as an intro- duction to the delightful music of Percy Grainger. Playing time: 65:25. Terry Teachout

MOZART: Requiem, K. 626; Church Sonatas, K. 278, 329, 336. Alliot-Lugaz, Visse, Hill, Reinhart, Bail- leux ; Choeur regional Nord-Pas-de- Calais, La Grande Ecurie & La Chambre du Roy, Malgoire. George Kadar, prod. CBS MK 42273 (D). When Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music released their version of the Mozart Requiem in 1984, they provoked a storm of controversy. Hogwood, using a new edition by Richard Maunder, removed the Sanctus and Bene- dictus (presumably the work of Mozart's twenty-five-year-old pupil Franz Xaver Why pay cash for batteries Siissmayr) and considerably retouched the remaining movements. The bold, revision- ist result displeased many listeners, but no when you can charge it? one denied that it was a performance with There's no limit to how much you can charge with Toshiba's new a point of view. KT-4097 personal stereo. Because it's rechargeable. It comes with long last- A point of view is precisely what Jean- ing Ni-Cad batteries and a recharger. Add the wired remote control, Claude Malgoire lacks. Malgoire and his auto-reverse, AM/FM stereo, Dolby*B NR, nich with Tomorrow historical-instrument band, La Grande lightweight headphones and you'll agree, Ecurie & La Chambre du Roy, will not Toshiba deserves a lot of credit. TO *TM Dolby Labs Toshiba America Inc 82 Totoora Road Wayne NJ 07470 ruffle any feathers with their rendition of the Siissmayr-completed version of the Requiem, but neither will they dispel an

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94 H I G H FI D F L I hy fill another BACKBEAT with Beatles? First, your response to our comprehensive coverage of the group's initial four Compact Discs was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Second, our competitors have shown little interest in seriously judging these CDs, devoting as little as a column and a quarter to tossing off the first batch. Third, this is John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr we're talking about, and their music is simply the most important pop catalog to be reissued on CD. Here, then, are Beatle albums five, six, seven, and eight—in stereo. For more on that, read on.

British version there are 14 songs, only background admonition "watch what you half from the film, and no "movie music." do" is seconded by John's terse "yeah" in The second seven—five original tunes the foreground. And John's shaky, achey wrapped in the Beatles' last two covers— falsetto. Have I said "perfect" too many were dispersed among three different Cap- times yet? And while I'm on vocal de- Our story so far, even if you've been fol- itol releases: June '65's Beatles VI ("You tails—well-made CDs always get me into lowing closely, is unreasonably complex. Like Me Too Much," "Tell Me What You voices—John's two ballad leads are major EMI, in its corporate perspicacity, has See," "Dizzy Miss Lizzie") and June '66's works of emotive art: the melancholy stirred up a mighty windfall with its Yesterday... and Today ("Act Natural- Dylan imitation "You've Got to Hide "Twenty Years Ago Today" marketing ly," "Yesterday"), both complete fabrica- Your Love Away" and the distilled, dou- strategy. Most interested parties have al- tions patched together from singles and ble-tracked heartbreak on "It's Only ways agreed that the only rational Beatles spare tracks, and the juggled American Love." And Paul's uncanny harmonies canon begins with the British Parlophone version of December '65's Rubber Soul make the country leads—Ringo's on "Act LPs, as opposed to the arbitrarily gerry- ("It's Only Love," "I've Just Seen a Naturally" and his own on "I've Just Seen mandered American Capitol releases. Face"). So much for the rather confused a Face"—seem effortlessly authentic. And now the most-interested party, EMI, provenance. But these barely scratch the surface. seems to concur, since a globeful of Beatle The sound of this new Help! is not con- The Beatles' unequaled gift for multiple fans are older, presumably better off, and fused at all, however. Almost a silk purse, simplicities, for adding on or filling in just waiting to be reminded of their pri- in fact, but then it was hardly a sow's ear to without losing the focus of the track, is mary allegiance so they can replace their start with. Originally recorded in decent, simply everywhere on Help! I have tried, worn-out Beatle product with snazzy new un flashy stereo (but also released in yesterday and today, to temper my re- stuff that sounds better, is historically cor- mono), this is the first Beatle album to be sponse to the Beatles' obvious, very nearly rect, and has fab, gear technological ca- issued on CD in stereo. Producer George overwhelming achievements with a grain chet. Which brings us to Help! (Parlo- Martin himself digitally remixed these or two of rock 'n' roll salt, but once again I phone CDP 46439), digitally remixed, tracks from the original master tapes— find myself surprised by their easy, unpre- remastered, and released on Compact "not to change anything," he says, "but to tentious brilliance. The fundamental Disc. cut down on background noise, clean up things do indeed apply as time goes by, This Help! is the fifth Parlophone al- the individual sounds, and bring in the im- and nobody, I think, applied those funda- bum, originally released in August 1965 age a little bit—to harden up the sound a mental things more effectively than John, along with the Beatles' second Richard bit." True to his studio role with the Bea- Paul, George, and Ringo. Help! on CD is Lester film. The Capitol LP was a gatefold tles from the beginning, he has done noth- an essential text. Jeff Nesin "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" af- ing controversial, but the extra care is im- fair, with the seven actual Beatle songs mediately evident. There is a little noise, from the film interspersed with five pretty most audible on "Yesterday," but overall pedestrian orchestrations. Happily, on the the CD sound is remarkable. Direct com- parison with Capitol's stereo Help! is a bit frightening: When I switched to the rec- ord, I had the unsettling sensation of try- ing to listen through two straws. Parlo- phone's stereo LP is somewhat cleaner, but the striking instrumental and vocal clarity of the CD leaves no real choice, even for a vinyl-loving Luddite like me. As usual with the pre-Pepper Beatle al- The title track has, hallelujah!, lost that bums, when Rubber Soul arrived in Amer- insufferable orchestra-and-sitar intro and ica, three days after its December 1965 re- now stands as a stunning reminder of the lease in Britain, it was incomplete. Four of Beatles' wonderful vocal arrangements— the songs on the British Parlophone origi- the ease with which they concocted and nal—"Drive My Car," "Nowhere Man," executed complex and unique trades be- "What Goes On," and "If I Needed Some- tween the lead (in this case, John) and one" —would not officially reach this backing voices (Paul and George) that car- country on LP until Capitol's release, the ry the weight and make the song special following June, of Yesterday... and To- without distracting attention from the ini- day. In place of these four songs were "It's tial impact. Ditto "You're Going to Lose Only Love" and "I've Just Seen a Face" That Girl," where Paul and George's from the Parlophone Help! Obviously,

N O V E M B E R 1 9 8 7 IPS what had become the customary machina- that ended up on the stereo Yester- tive. "Norwegian Wood" is a mere slip of a tions were in effect, the goal being to cob- day.. . and Today, that about describes it. song, a corny joke with innuendos; the ble together an extra LP (in this case, Yes- (I must say I prefer the "cheaper" Ameri- subject matter of "Nowhere Man" had terday... and Today) for that vast and can sound in these four cases: more been treated with more biting effect by the lucrative American Market. Only this punch.) But as for the ten cuts shared by Kinks; "Run for Your Life" is a reworking time, in the process, a rather strange thing the U.K. and U.S. stereo LP versions of of "You Can't Do That." Still, Rubber happened: By taking four full-sounding Rubber Soul, there is no discernible pat- Soul is an album of great conceptual cuts and replacing them with two sparser tern. The British "Michelle," for example, strides. The lyric content would begin to ones, the American version of Rubber has a muted, unsatisfying quality, while catch up the following year. Soul seems to have a more consciously co- the American one has more presence—but Richard C. Walls herent design than the British original. a comparison of "In My Life" yields the The folkish opener "I've Just Seen a exact opposite conclusion. Aside from the Face," in particular, sets the tone for the actual sound of Yesterday... and Today, relatively soft and melodic U.S. edition. the most egregious examples of tinkering That's not to say that Rubber Soul is on the American releases are the addition of two false starts to "I'm Looking REVOLVER the Beatles' folk-rock recording but rather an album where the sparing use and some- Through You," the absence of a final gui- The incipient eclecticism of December times absence of electric guitar give the tar lick on "What Goes On," and an added '65's Rubber Soul bursts forth on the fol- songs a light, uncluttered feel (the excep- echo to John's solo vocals on "The Word." lowing August's Revolver (Parlophone tions being the four cuts dropped from the For the CD version of Rubber Soul CDP 46441), which is why, listening to the American version, as well as the closer on (Parlophone CDP 46440), George Martin album with the hindsight of 21 years, one both editions, "Run for Your Life"). The has digitally remixed the tracks from discerns that this is the beginning of the instruments that the group chose to stand scratch, to both clean up and, in his words, end for the Beatles. Each step the group in for the electric guitar are almost always "harden up" the sound. There's a bit of took during its middle period to free itself less visceral and sometimes, by 1965 stan- irony in Martin being given a second crack from the conventional pop/rock dictates dards, jarringly exotic. They include piano at his production job and then deciding to served to highlight the disparity in ap- ("You Won't See Me," "The Word"), do what was routinely done to early Beatle proach between John and Paul: What in acoustic guitar ("Girl," "I'm Looking releases when they reached America: the early days was a delightful contrast Through You"), fuzz bass ("Think for toughen up the sound. But it is tougher that could be contained in a single song Yourself"), sitar ("Norwegian Wood"), and cleaner on this CD, and it has stereo now needed separate compositions for full and tambourine ("Wait"). It is these un- that benefits from the album's relative so- articulation. As the duo's questing and re- conventional arrangements that give Rub- phistication vis-à-vis earlier Beatle rec- sponsive imagination led them into the ber Soul its singular aura of lean melodi- ords, particularly in the placement of area of art, their music underwent the evo- cism. The Beatles' creativity (and no backing vocals. My only complaint is that lution that all art music goes through: Ex- doubt boredom) had reached a point the Yesterday.. . and Today version of pressiveness is advanced at the expense of where they were willing to introduce dar- "What Goes On" is preferable to the "correct" form. (Jazz mutates in this way ing spaces into their guitar-band sound; CD's: The guitar is so bloody clever that about every 20 years.) Rather than merely soon their imaginations would take up the it's best left in the back, where it doesn't plug into preexisting genre moves, the in- task of filling those spaces. detract from Ringo's wryly wistful vocal. dividual personalities begin to dominate One would expect this new delicacy of A final impression: Apart from the in- the very materials of the music. Unlike sound to emphasize the usual distinctions strumentation (and the rhythmic experi- any Beatle album up to this point, Revolver between the Parlophone and Capitol ver- ments like the stop-time of "Wait"), one sounds less like the work of a band than of sions: pristine clarity for the Brits and a notes how cautiously the Beatles were ex- three talents determined to have their say. more trebly, bunched-together sound for panding the possibilities of the pop/rock Or if you prefer, do their thing. the Americans. And for the four songs song. The lyrics, in particular, seem tenta- Eventually these differences would prove irreconcilable (and I bet you Klaus Voormann's cover for Revolver, the 1966 album that signals the beginning of the end thought it was all Yoko's fault)—but for now, we can marvel at the variety here, at John's aggressive and sometimes cryptic discontent, at Paul's uninhibited melodi- cism (though years of so-so Wings and solo albums have made it hard to remem- ber how vivid these melodies once sound- ed), and at George's brooding, shy, messi- anic cross-cultural love songs. (Though the inner politics of the band made George seem less prodigious, he, too, was ambi- tious, original, and of radical tempera- ment.) The joint technical experimenta- tion of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band would gloss over some of this divi- sion; Revolver is more like "The White Al- bum," though with a succinctness (the three-minute time barrier hadn't been seri- ously challenged) that would soon disap- pear from pop/rock until consciously re- claimed by the New Wave of the late '70s. One wishes that some of these songs were a bit longer; five of the 14 hover around the two-minute mark. Then again, self-indul- gence was effectively curbed by these tem- poral strictures. Revolver was the last Beatle album to arrive in America in truncated form: "I'm Only Sleeping," "And Your Bird Can Sing," and "Doctor Robert," all with Len- non singing lead and (one suspects) all mainly Lennon compositions, were al- ready appropriated two months prior for Capitol's Yesterday. .. and Today. The CD's restored song order and content not only improve the album's pacing—dig how cuts seven through eleven, "She Said A She Said" through "Doctor Robert," are The gatefold from Pepper, included in the CD booklet along with new photos and notes now a miniature suite encapsulating the whole Lennon/McCartney dialectic—but the pieced-together sections of the closing also reinstate John's full contribution to epic. Most prominently, it's Paul's album, this crucial album. and much of it finds him in the Acceler- As for the sound quality of the stereo ated Trifle Mode in which he would fritter LPs, the Parlophone and Capitol versions away most of his solo career. The "Sgt. were not really that different at this point. Pepper" themes and "Lovely Rita" are the Sure, the gritty pre-metal guitar on "She best of these tracks, especially the latter, Said She Said" is a tad dirtier on the Amer- L ittITS with its crazed lyrics and off-kilter ending ican version, and that most genteel of pop of piano and panting. "When I'm Sixty- songs, "For No One," benefits from the fa- Four" is a decent enough song once you mous Parlophone clarity, but these differ- get past its coy, genre arrangement. It ences are subtle and I don't think anyone could have made a stinging little rocker; would do too well on a blindfold test. The after all, it dates from the band's early pe- three songs that ended up on the stereo As the commonly-agreed-upon apex of the riod. Likewise, "She's Leaving Home" is a Yesterday . . . and Today are another mat- Beatles' career, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely fine composition that deserves the sympa- ter, since that's the crudest-sounding of Hearts Club Band is revered for all the thetic interplay of the Beatles' guitars and the Beatles' post-Help! American albums. wrong reasons. With its connected songs, drums, not the prissy gentrification of Of course, there's a great argument to be its theme-and-reprise structure, its fond strings. "Getting Better" never does— made for crude... . glances toward the music hall and the except for Paul's gleaming bass-playing The CD is derived from the original chamber hall, it is always held up by arbi- and the sly background vocals. Parlophone stereo mix, and there are few ters of official culture as an attempt to le- John's writing shows even more strain, surprises—apart from slight percussion gitimize rock—as if, say, "Ticket to Ride" probably because the throwaways that the touches I'd never noticed on the LPs (as weren't profound enough. Pepper was the stage-revue style of Pepper demanded well as some of those damned silly hand- logical conclusion of the musical chal- didn't come as easily to him as to Paul. claps the group was still not above using) lenges that the Beatles hurdled (and in- "Good Morning Good Morning," cribbed and the verification that "Got to Get You vented) from the start of their career, and from a cornflakes ad on TV, might be the Into My Life" does indeed have a bass its progressivism makes aesthetic sense; least substantial song he ever wrote, and part. What is here is that astounding indeed, as a piece of pop history, it's irre- "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!," sound: the way the brass on "Got to Get sistible. But as a piece of pop music now cribbed from a circus poster, isn't far be- You Into My Life" and the strings on revived out of its historical context, it hind. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is "Eleanor Rigby" stab at you like guitars, shows its age much more than the Beatles' one of his most atypical triumphs: writing the way the wonderful harmonies on earlier work. In June 1967, the album may so purple that it's perversely fascinating. "Good Day Sunshine" sound fresh again. have been the ultimate soundtrack to a Of course, Pepper is less an album of In fact, it's all unexpectedly fresh, even generation twitching to life, but in 1987, songs than of sound collages, and it's on the hippie-isms: love as a positive univer- the CD of Sgt. Pepper (Parlophone CDP this level that the album and especially the sal force, drugs as an adjunct to philosoph- 46442) is just the ultimate baby-boomer CD work best. Compared with my old ical inquiry (except when they're being ad- commodity: digital amnesia for $15. copy of Capitol's mono LP (no, I'm not ministered by a "Doctor Robert"), and the Although Pepper seems a clear asser- embarrassed), the CD sifts through the al- joys of creative daydreaming. None of tion of the Beatles as a group (what with bum's dense layers and makes the thick fil- these sentiments comes across here as op- the veiled metaphor for themselves that trations constantly in use on voice and pressively preachy or opportunistically the Lonely Hearts Club Band is supposed keyboards starkly apparent. "Fixing a contrived. Rather, it all sounds like music to be), the album details their fragmenta- Hole" may not be much of a song— that had quite naturally arrived at the tion almost as powerfully as "The White McCartney's Sartre isn't even as good as right place at the right time. Album" does. John and Paul barely col- his Rudy Vallee—but the way George's Richard C. Walls laborate except on a song for Ringo and on guitar solo erupts from the washes of re-

N O V E M B E R I 9 6 7 .117 verbed vocal and bass is more striking Three of the four writers assigned to re- was just my aberration." Yet that "aberra- than anything the words have to say. And view the CDs favored the mono sound of tion" is the same bad stereo that Martin the CD accurately tracks the shifting their particular titles. Concluding our sto- despises, and had nothing to do with, on background of tape-spliced organ in "Mr. ry with a look at all four CDs as a set, I also the stereo LP versions of Please Please Me Kite!" More important, it does such jus- favored the mono CDs over their stereo and With the Beatles. According to Beatle tice to the Beatles' group vocals that they LP counterparts. pundit Allan Kozinn, "Martin denies a don't get lost among the pervasive trick- A great hubbub ensued, however, in common rumor that seems a more plausi- ery. Pepper may never capture the vitality our "Letters" as well as in many other ble explanation—namely that EMI, eager of performance, but for a sonic signpost of publications. Meanwhile, EMI, parent to rush Rubber Soul onto the market for pop future-past, it breathes, rather than company to both Parlophone and Capitol Christmas 1965, yanked the tapes from exuding a mechanical coldness. (The addi- and father of the Beatle CDs, assured the Martin before he finished work on them." tional treat of this CD is the expanded irate that the next four discs would indeed Another controversy! And despite it all, booklet: extra photos, behind-the-scenes be in stereo. Which brings us to this issue Martin chose not to adjust the stereo when notes, recording information, and a key to of HIGH FIDELITY and another "Over- he digitally remixed Rubber Soul for CD: who's on the cover.) view," wherein your faithful BACKBEAT "I haven't changed it because it's kind of Aural wizardry and acid-head coyness editor, once again driven by delusions of history." My advice is to buy Rubber Soul aside, Pepper's two finest moments are its grandeur (or at least memories of Beatle- on CD but still hang on to your mono Yes- most direct. The more obvious is the gran- mania), endeavors to tell the overall CD terday... and Today. diose "A Day in the Life," its small, dead- story of Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Keep a grip on your mono Pepper, too: pan details mounting up like threats, with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Underneath the expected dust and dirt on John's exasperated, ironic "oh boy" say- Now that we have stereo Beatle CDs, my 20-year-old copy of Capitol's mono LP ing more than the final, pretentious chord we can all agree that the mono vs. stereo is a surprisingly warm and bass-rich ever could. (By the way, the CD approxi- mates the gibberish run-out groove of the original British LP; even better, it captures the stray nuances of the orchestra's swirl- ing noise.) The other moment is what might seem the album's slightest song, "With a Little Help from My Friends." An expression of togetherness at a time when the Beatles were already drifting apart, the song could only have been sung by Ringo, the Everyman who always epit- omized the camaraderie (however illu- sory) that was crucial to our image of the group. The song is loose and full of life in a From the promotional Jilms .lbr the earls l 967 single "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever". . . way that none of the other songs is; the flatness of Ringo's pitch could make you debate is dead, right? Wrong. After listen- sound. I've tried to tell myself I'm being teary-eyed, as could the way he tosses back ing to the four new titles, I find it very too subjective with this most subjective of answers to the questions the others ask much alive on at least one and possibly Beatle recordings; besides, my mid-Seven- him. As the Beatles huddle around his im- two of the discs. First, mono haters, put on ties copy of Capitol's stereo LP (with the perfect voice, they would never be in such Rubber Soul and tell me what you hear. Is Apple label) uncovers the searing guitar perfect harmony again. Mark Moses the primitive stereo of "Nowhere Man" licks on the title track and the marvelous and "If I Needed Someone" really what snare/acoustic-guitar snaps on "Lovely you prefer? And when I say "primitive," I Rita," among numerous other improve- mean primitive: instruments on the left, ments, all of which gain drama on CD. But Ali eYAYI vocals on the right, and a hole in the mid- I keep enjoying the double-channel em- dle so big you could sail a fleet of yellow phasis of that old mono LP: the fullness of Carl Shrader of Albertson, New York, submarines through it. The precise repro- Paul's leaping bass on "Being for the Ben- was on the money when he began last duction on CD exaggerates the division, efit of Mr. Kite!," the depth of the Indian month's "Letters" department with this and the resulting sound is quite harsh, percussion on "Within You Without comment: "Surely you must have realized with bass landlocked in the left speaker. You," the mellowness of Paul's voice on what a Pandora's box you opened with By comparison, my mono Yesterday... "When I'm Sixty-Four." And although your discussion of the Beatles on Compact and Today offers less trebly, more natural Pepper in stereo is unquestionably Martin Disc." Carl was referring to "One, Two, versions of the two songs. and the Beatles' most imaginative use of Three, Four!," BACKBEAT'S section-long Not all of Rubber Soul is in that sim- that technology to that date, "Fixing a coverage in June of Please Please Me, With plistic stereo, though. "Drive My Car" Hole" and "Lovely Rita" remain left- the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, and Bea- and "Think for Yourself" have expertly heavy and "Mr. Kite!" remains right - tles for Sale. More specifically, he was re- balanced mixes, and the CD greatly en- heavy. Sure, the CD version makes Pepper ferring to The Great Debate: Mono vs. hances the former's bass and the latter's sound like it was made yesterday—but is Stereo. All four CDs were released with vocal harmonies. So why the difference on that what we want? mono sound, though each title originally the same album? According to Beatle pro- What I do want are the various mono- appeared in both mono and stereo LP ver- ducer George Martin, "I was playing only sounds that help connect the album's sions on both the British Parlophone and around, finding the best format for stereo. last three tracks: the extra note between American Capitol labels. Our verdict: The Beatles had nothing to do with that: It chicken and guitar at the end of "Good

1111 H I G H FI D E L I T Y Morning Good Morning," the added beats there are a few CD benefits in this compar- and the enigmatic "Who said it?" (or ison: the louder guitar solo on "Taxman," polk whatever) before Paul's counting, the au- the more human voices on "Eleanor Rig- The Speaker Specialists dience laughter just before the reprise of by," the breathier horn solo on "For No the title track as well as Paul's clear ad-lib One." But if you want to hear a major shouts at the end of it, and the much overhaul, listen to how the CD reorga- Where to buy Polk Speakers

smoother segue into "A Day in the Life." nizes the three tracks that were stolen AUTHORIZED DEALER LIST Small potatoes, maybe, but I grew up with CANADA MO Cape Gorardeau • Jener from the original British Revolver LP and son City Joplin Springfield ' • AK Anchorage • • Fairbanks SI Louis those mono-mix differences and miss dumped on the mono Yesterday... and AL Birmingham • Gadsden MS Columbus • Gulfport • • Huntsville • nartisburg -Jack - hearing them today on the stereo CD. Today—namely "I'm Only Sleeping," • Mobile son .0 • Pascagoula Montgomery • tiara Which goes to show you that I am indeed "And Your Bird Can Sing," and "Doctor loosa • 4feStemanT • Great Falls AR Little Rock • Missoula being very subjective about the whole AZ Flagstaff • Mesa Robert." On that last track especially, the • Tuscon NC Asheville V . • • Boone • Chapel Hill thing, acknowledging that the Pepper CD CD lifts the voices out of the din of guitars, CA Arcata ' • Berkeley • Greensboro • Jacksonville

' • Campbell r • Kinston is excellent but still harboring a mysteri- which in turn are cleared of distortion. Canoga Park • • Davis , • • Moorehead City

'r • Los Angeles • Mill • New Bern ", ' • Pineville ous fondness for little noises and moody Sound, however, shouldn't be the only Valley • Mountain View . • Raleigh Napa • Orange • Rocky Mount mono sound. Anybody else have this af- • Penn grove Wilmington • Winston concern when rehearing these four Beatle • Redondo • Sacramento Salem fliction? Drop us a line. • Santa Cruz • .0 ,• • ND Bismarck , albums on Compact Disc. After all, this is San Diego • San Fran NE Lincoln 0, - Norlolk au° • San -Omaha Lest I be called mono-maniac, let me arguably the group's most musically cre- Gabriel m..Sra,:la Barbara NH Concord • Erster 0 • Laconia quickly say that it's safe to trash your copy ative period. The output may be no more • Santa Monica • Stockton , • • Thousand Oaks NJ East Brunswick • Frank of Capitol's mono Help! My copy sounds than that of the previous four albums—a 0 • Ukiah ' ' • Ventura lin Lakes • • Maple 0 • • Walnut Creek Shade ' •••• • Montclair like junk, not because of vinyl wear but be- CO Boulder • • Raritan • Ridgewood still remarkable 55 tracks in less than two Colorado Springs • Denver • Shrewsbury cause of American "coproducer" Dave Suburbs • • Pueblo • Toms River • West years—but the astoundingly quick matu- Caldwell CT Avon • Danbury NM Alamogordo • • Carlo • Fairfield • Green bad wish • • Groton • • NV Las Vegas • Reno Hartford - • New Haven • Newington • New NY Albany • • Batavia London • Nonvall • Buffalo ,• • Corning OE Wilmington • -.• • Elmira • Fredonia • Glens falls FL Daytona Beach • Ft Myers Huntington • Ithaca 0 • Ft Lauderdale • Jamestown • Man • Ft Pierce • • Ft hasset . • Massena Walton Beach ' . lack • Newburgh • New Unroll, & Suburbs Key Yon City V 11 -Lakeland 0. • • Rochester • . • Merritt Island • Scarsdale • Syracuse Miami • " • Vestal • Naples • Orlando OH Akron • Cleveland A Sub Suburbs • Pensacola urbs • CinCinnali f • St Petersburg Columbus • Clayton • Tallahassee n • Findlay • Lima • Tampa • Toledo W Palm Beach OK Lawton • Oklahoma City GA Atlanta & Suburbs • Au • Shawnee !,us,t,ann,, Tulsa • Valdosta OR Beaverton • Bend • Eugene HI Honolulu • Grants Pass • • Medina! IA Davenport ' • Des Moines • Portland ' • Dodge City • PA Allentown '' , • Altoona Iowa City L • • Mason City • Blakely • .. two songs meant for Pepper but taken by manager Brian Epstein to keep the Beatles on the charts • Waterloo Bryn Mawr • • Camp Hill ID Boise • Coeur DAles, • Sandpoint • Twin Johnstown • Kingston Falls .0 • Lancaster Dexter Jr.'s mix of overprominent vocals ration from August 1965 to June 1967 IL Aurora • Bloomingdale Montgomeryville ' ' •o • • Buffalo Grove Natrona Heights • Phil.] and find-the-details instrumental backing, should embarrass the likes of Bruce • Carbonda le . delphrs A Suburbs ' i .. • Cnampaign • Decatur Pittsburgh • Ouakertown o . • Dekalb • Holtman suitable only for transistor radio. The CD Springsteen and U2. Estates • Highland Pant- Selinsgrove • Williams -Joliet • Ban- is an amazing transformation, from the The music of Help!, heard today, is the Oak,, • Lansing PUERTO RICO Rio Piedras • Mt Prospect • RI N Protodence roundness of its expanded bass to the culmination of the Early Beatles. In the ti- Naperville • Normal SC Anderson • Orland Park , • Peoria Charleston ' • Greenrille crack of its tambourines. Of course, good tle track and "You're Going to Lose That Rockford , • • Greenwood • Shaumberg • Spnngfield Rock Hill • Spartansburg sound has long been available on Parlo- r. • Spring Valley' , • Girl," Lennon and McCartney carry their SD Rapid City • • Sim. ! r inliftk .•*" TWH'aunkegan Falls • phone's stereo LP version, but the CD still gorgeous interplay of vocal melody and TN Chananooga IN. Evansville • Ft Wayne . Cookeville .0. • Jackson wins: more clarity ("You've Got to Hide harmony to its highest point, never to re- S0 • • Indianapolis . • • Lafayette • Johnson City f. . '• • Marlon , • Nun - • • Kingsport Your Love Away"), more resonance turn. Meanwhile, the band takes the once s,. • South Bend , . , • KnolvrIle . 0. • McMinn 0 • • Terre Haute rine . 0. • Memphis • ("Ticket to Ride"). Martin's original KS Junction City • Over, Nashville • humble tambourine and turns it into a land Park • Wichita TO Abilene • Aninolon • Austin - • College KY Bowling . rP stereo is admirably realistic, and his digital great big swing machine for "Help!," roling Greena' • Camp Station Corpus Christi balfittlie • o • El Paso • Ft Worth remix for CD does indeed give added "Ticket to Ride," "It's Only Love," "You Lexington • Galveston Louisvolle Houston • Hurst punch to the music without altering the Like Me Too Much," and "Tell Me What Otrenaboro Paducah • Laredo • Lubbock LA Alesandna basic sound (though one might quibble You See." And John's genius was wide Lafayette • Lake Charles Midland • Nacog L • • Opelousas doches ' • Odessa with the resultant softening of Paul's lead- Fir. • West Monroe ' • San Antonio • enough to open the album with the title MA Boston San Marcos • Sher Fitchburg • N Dartmouth • Temple ' guitar riffs on "Ticket to Ride"). track's longing for escape from Beatle- • Worcester • Texarkana

That leaves Revolver, the first Beatle mania ("I was just singing 'help,' " he ME Bangor • Camden UT Logan store onl Salt Lake City CD that calls it a draw with Parlophone's would later explain, "and I meant it—it's 1110 Annapolis o . • Baltimore VA Bristol 0' • Char • F redenclr • Falls Church stereo LP. The real surprise is that the real") and close the album with a revitaliz- Rockville •. Franknh MI Ann Arbor • Binning- • Richmond ham • Dearborn Roanoke CD's improvement over Capitol's stereo ing, screaming cover of "Dizzy Miss Liz- • East Lansing • Vtrgrnia Beach Farmington Hills .• Flint VT Essex Junction LP is correspondingly small. Then again, zie." Rubber Soul, then, shows that even • Grand Rapids • Hon WA Bellingham • Chelan ' Mountain • Kalarnaroo • Oak Harbor . Martin's first-rate original mix makes the geniuses have confused days. Sure, there's • Lansing • Royal Richland • Spokane Oak • Saginaw recording sound quite solid from the start, enough on the album to make any song- • Traverse WI Appleton G•reen •Layu City MN Duluth ' • Mankato .0 • Lacrosse , • Madison and even though a certain Bill Miller takes writer envious, but Rubber Soul, especial- o • • Minneapolis A Suburbs o • • Monnelonica • • Milwaukee • • Wausau the place of the Devious Mr. Dexter as the ly on CD with its original track selection, Rochester • • St Paul WV Barboursville Beckley Charleston "preparer" of this American release, his is primarily the sound of four musicians Huntington • • Piedmont ' • • Wheeling • 0 effect seems to be negligible. To be sure, (Continued on page 103) WY Cheyenne Sendan

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101 HIGH FIDELITY CLASSIFIED

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TAPES AND RECORDS SEARCHING FOR OUT-OF-PRINTS? Try for Discontinued choice everytime you p urc h a se your favorite recording? Records, 444 South Victory, Burbank. California 91502 You can' , Send for your booklet of 20 coupons for only 3.95 SHIPPING ANY SIZE ORDER. UPS 1-800-245-11000 t213) 849-4791 $10 00 now DBM Distributors. PO Box 31509, Baltimore. MD 21207-8509 ▪ 11411 290 T M 991 19 •0119 6 11• OWE 91 /99 91:991.199991 las LIVE OPERA TAPES, CASSETTES Incredible selection W W1 199 auka . DIM 80119 . 911099 119 199 9 119 119991.). 0010 SON, 919 199 F ree Catalogue. Live Opera. Box 3141 Steinway Station, 919 91 M il SO W/ 1•0 .19C. C11•00 /9 9019/ IC. NY 11103 VIDEOS , 19 )19 ROM EDISON TO ELVIS AND BEYOND) LP's. 78's, 45's. 1.000.000 VIDEOTAPES/SOUNDTRACKS Video catalog

=• so $1 00 Soundtrack catalog $1 00 Fl THE 11. Box 1829, No- 199 etc Visit or mail in wants The Olde Tyme Music Scene. 915 VISA MC 91 99, Of , 1.9v 091C1 Of 1049 0109 090F11 M-F •30.5 00 Main Street, Boonton, NJ 07005 201/335-5040—Tuesday vato, CA 94948 otC).)109 . .390911114 999.19.994 C9199.9 • 99 412 283-6621 NO tr184 1 9 1.999914 ANY HOl 09019 CO O ADO in K O 245-6000 thru Sunday CHANGE /61,. 19191, 9.99/ u 19•91•01•9 1191110 9,119119.19 0 OENON. TRIAD. AND KONICA: CALL SHOW ALBUMS--Rare. out-of-print los 64-page list $1 00 WANTED TO BUY Broadway-Hollywood Recordings Georgetown CT 06829 RARE LASSICAL AND JAZZ 250.000 LP's The Record MARANTZ. & MCINTOSH TUBE EQUIP . ARC. Levinson, etc . early speakers by Jensen. Altec. JVL. E V , Tannoy Collector. 1158 N Highland, Los Angeles, CA 90038 1213) Jazz and Rock, discontinued and new, related books Dark etc . Charlie Driods 1818) 444-7079 467-2875 Ages Records. Box 673. O rilh a, Ontario L 3V6K 5

002 H I G H F ID E I I T 1.0 1

(Continued from page 99) for some reason, the song has a much fast- aren't reproduced inside.) EMI should trying to figure out who they are. By the er tempo on Capitol's mono LP.) The have done the same for all other Beatle time of Revolver, the answer is clear: The much-maligned "Within You Without CDs instead of handing us grainy reprints Beatles are loud electric rockers. The best You" also comes across well, the sympa- of cover photos—especially in the case of thing about hearing Revolver today is re- thetic CD sound enabling you to concen- Revolver, where the LP's great back-cover discovering the sheer raggedness of the trate on the quietly sweeping melody. (All shot of the Tripped-out Four is split up music. The dirty guitars all over the place, four CDs emphasize the measured ca- and thrown onto separate pages of the CD the lurching rhythms of "I'm Only Sleep- dences of George's melodies, simplistic to booklet. And by the way, in light of EMI's ing" and "She Said She Said," the racket others but wholesomely expressive to me insistence on adhering to the Parlophone of "Love You To," and especially the in- in songs like "You Like Me Too Much," catalog for CD release, it's somewhat credible drone of "Tomorrow Never "If I Needed Someone," and "Think for strange to see the Rubber Soul disc using Knows"—what a wonderful mess! Even Yourself.") As for "Good Morning Good the American cover art (brown title logo, the strings of "Eleanor Rigby" scrape, and Morning," here's a spot where the CD's Capitol trademark) rather than the British "Yellow Submarine" sounds more like a definition (the jeering brass, John's buzz- (orange logo, Parlophone trademark). sloppy drinking song than a Ringo kiddie ing voice) is preferable to the mono LP's Much stranger is EMI's surprise deci- tune. Thankfully, the CD revels in the memory-fog, and the result confirms my sion to break from the Parlophone catalog clamor of this 14-song masterpiece. feeling that this fine little track has gotten even further by releasing a CD version of And then there's that 13-song opus by far too much bad press. In fact, "Lovely Capitol's Magical Mystery Tour LP, as- the name of Pepper. "Best album of the last Rita"/"Good Morning Good Morning" is sembled from the six tracks on Parlo- 20 years," say 17 Rolling Stone critics. the rock 'n' roll highpoint of Pepper on phone's original Magical Mystery Tour EP "Top rock 'n' roll album of all time," say CD, reaching the absolute pinnacle in the plus five tracks from various singles. So 81 panelists in a Harmony Book. No won- latter: nasty guitar solo, noisy middle- much for historical authenticity. By the der Mark Moses feels a bit weary of it all. eight, "It's time for tea and meet the wife," time you read this, Magical Mystery Tour And yet when I listen to Pepper on CD, I gui-tar shriek! After that, the orchestral will already be available (preceded by The hear many things anew, especially in the crescendos and final chord of the still su- Beatles and Yellow Submarine), while the songs hitherto considered as also-rans. perb "A Day in the Life" seem a rather group's final two studio albums, Let It Be "She's Leaving Home," for instance, now stately conclusion to the previous riot. and Abbey Road, will just be hitting the sounds majestic, Paul's throaty vocal The 28-page CD booklet for Pepper is CD stands. We'll wrap up our coverage front-and-center in digital splendor. (It indeed a treat. (Don't trash the longbox with another section-long special in a fu- helps that this is the slow, stereo version; packaging, though: Its back-cover cutouts ture issue. Ken Richardson RE A D E R - A C T I O N P A G E Many advertisers will send you additional product literature free of charge. Write them care of Dept. 11/87. unless otherwise not ed, at the address below. If no address appears, literal ure is available only through dealers. Bold-face numbers by company names are page numbers for ads in this issue.

Aceostic Research (28,70) B& W Loodspeakers (34,50) M R Musk World (88,89) Phase Linear (2) S way Corporation (Cover IV) 330 Turnpike Street Misobanke Int'l. Inc. 23 Park Row 4138 North United Parkway Sony Dr.' Canton, MA 02021 P.O. Box 653 New York. NY 10038-2302 Schiller Pork, IL 60176 Park Ridge, NJ 07656 617/821-2300 Buffalo, NY 14240 212 732-8600 1 800 323-4815 201/930-6000 ATTN: Dept. HF 11/87 416 297-0595 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 '87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11/87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11. 87 Akal Anserksi, Ltd. (48,49) KIP Electronics (19,21,77) Pioneer Ilectronks Technics (69) 225 Old New Brunswick Road Carver (26,30) 14120-K Sullylieid Circle (Cover 11,p.1) Chantilly, VA 22021 One Panasonic Way Suite 101 20121 48th Avenue W. 2265 E. 220th Street Secaucus, NJ 07094 Piscataway, NJ 08854 P.O. Box 1237 703 631-8810 Long Beach, CA 90810 ATTN: Dept HF 11 87 201 348-7000 201/562-8500 Lynnwood, WA 98036 213 835-6177 ATTN. Dept. HF 11'87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11, 87 206, 775-1202 Kyocera International Inc. ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 (36,37) Polk Audio (32,33,99) TDK (10,11) Alter Landau (66,67) 100 Randolph Rood, CN 6700 dbx (22) 5601 Metro Drive 12 Harbor Park Drive Milford, PA 18337 Somerset. NJ 08873-1284 Baltimore, MD 21215 71 Chapel Street Port Washington, NY 10050 717/296-4434 201 560-0060 Newton. MA 02195 301 358-3600 516 '625-0100 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN. Dept HF 11 87 ATTN- Dept HF I 1 87 617 964-3210 ATTN: Dept. HF 11/87 ADS (52,53) ATT , ; Lee man (38,39) Proton Corporation (42) One Progress Way 19145 Gramercy Place 737 West Artesia Blvd. Toshiba America, Inc. (90) Denon America (24) Wilmington. MA 01187 Torrance, CA 90501 Compton, CA 90220 222 New Rood 617 658-5100 213 236-8000 213 , 638-5151 Wayne. NJ 07470 Porsippony .NJ 07054 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 201 628-8000 201 575-7810 ATTN Nor HF 11 87 Mitsubishi Mobile Sansul Electronics Corp. Advent (58) ATTN Dept HF 11 87 licutrenks (44) (Cover III) 4138 North United Parkway Wisconsin Discount (87) Design A mplifies (92) 800 Biermann Ct. 2417 W Badger Rood Schiller Pork, IL 60176 1225 Commerce Drive Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 Lyndhurst. NJ 07071 1, 800 323-0221 Madison, WI 53713 Stow, OH 213 298-9223 201 460-9710 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 , 87 800 356-9514 216 686-2600 ATTN: Dept. HF 11/87 Actirt‘i ... l.a ii 87 ATTN. Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN- Dept HF 11 87 A merican Acoustics (17) North Amorkan Philips Shure NTS (60) A Mitek Group Product Illinois Audio (79) (55,56,57) Soi.,nd Division Yamaha Mottrenks Corp. (9) One Mitek Plaza 12 E Delaware Place 1-40 & Straw Plains Pike 222 Hortrey Avenue 6660 Orangethorpe Avenue Winslow, IL 61089 Chicago. IL 60611 Knoxville, TN 37914-1810 Evonston, IL 60202-3696 Buena Park, CA 90620 815 367-3000 800 621-8042 615 521-4316 213-866-2200 714 522-9105 ATTN. Dept HF 11 '87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept, HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11 87 ATTN: Dept. HF 11/87 LIMITED OFFER! (Continued from page I I) plifier. For the latter, ADS offers the PA-4 where a regular model might not. The cas- ($999), a 150-watt (21.8-dBW) stereo settes are loaded lengthwise and vertically. power amp that is said to provide high cur- The top model (VRD-530, $899) has ster- rent output to avoid overload when driv- eo Hi-Fi sound, MTS reception, and four ing a low-impedance loudspeaker. The video heads. The other model is the VRD- PA-4 can be bridged for mono operation 230 ($599), also with four heads but mono as well. all around. If you want digital special ef- Unless you already own the R-4, you fects to go with one of the new digital- might consider using the PA-4 power amp chassis TV sets, you can opt for Zenith's with its matching preamplifier/tuner, the first VCR of that ilk: the standard-size CC-4 ($999). The latter contains all the VRD-600 ($1,099), a regular-VHS, four- features of the R-4, minus the amplifier head, stereo Hi-Fi model featuring a and the speaker outputs. For more infor- strobe display that freezes as many as 16 mation, contact Analog and Digital Sys- consecutive broadcast or tape images for tems, Inc., One Progress Way, Wilming- simultaneous viewing. An instructional ton, Mass. 01887. tape (included) will show you how to do all of this. One last bit is the Personal Control Sounds of Yesteryear Center (PCC), a $40 basic-function re- How funny was vaudeville around the "I wouldn't be without it!" mote control that, according to Zenith, turn of the century? You can hear for works with at least 18 brands of TVs, 19 yourself on the Library of Congress's 33- ANNOUNCING THE 1988 EDITION brands of VCRs, and 8 brands of cable hour, 668-selection archival digital-audio OF THE MUSICAL AMERICA recording. From its collection, the Library INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY converters. A series of internal switches OF THE PERFORMING ARTS—the one sets the remote for the particular brand. has included nearly every spoken-word re- indispensable reference volume that can Unlike the growing number of universal cording made before 1910, along with iii s..ti in t h with the int( rnat• remotes, the Zenith's buttons don't have copies of 55 "Nation's Forum" recordings music scene. to be individually programmed, and there of prominent American political figures Act now and enjoy special savings on this are no multifunction keys. issued on 78-rpm discs between 1918 and sought-after reference source. More than For more information, contact Zenith 1920. You can also hear recordings of ac- 650 pages of facts at your fingertips: Electronics Corp., 1000 Milwaukee Ave., tors and actresses, humorous monologues, comprehensive listings of orchestras: opera Glenview. III. 60025. and minstrel shows. and dance companies; music festivals. • The archive is actually an 8-inch Laser- petitions, and schools; major facilities; media contacts, allied organizaf :—from disc that plays on a standard machine. The Argentina to Yugoslavia. Plus. reports from ADS Electronics audio is digitized, compressed, and then North America's top artists managers. The R-4 receiver ($1,100) is the latest ad- encoded as a video signal onto the disc. Simply order by NOVEMBER Ito enjoy dition to ADS's distinctive Atelier Series Each video-frame space holds the equiva- these special savings—Soft-bound edit • for of components. It's powered by a 65-watt lent of 10 seconds of sound. The playback only $45...that's $15 off the cover price of $60, (18.1-dBW) stereo amplifier, and its tuner signal is run through a decoder, convert- or the deluxe hard-bound edition for only has a total of 30 presets for any combina- ing it back to its uncompressed audio $75.. that's $25 off the $100 cover price. We tion of AM and FM stations. Controls that form. Four frames, or 40 seconds, will pay the postage. are used most often are located on the play continuously, with a split-second gap MUSICAL AMERICA DIRECTORY1988 EDITION front, while secondary controls can be thereafter as the decoder reloads. The lis- tener uses a computer keyboard to make 0 Yes, please send me soft-bound found on a tilt-out panel. The remote con- Directories for $45 each (including postage trol will operate other Atelier components selections, which are indexed by title, per- and handling on orders. Outside U.S. connected to the R-4. former, genre, and subject. The infor- add $10 for surface mail, $20 for air mail.) An unusual feature is the programma- mation is displayed on a monitor in a 0 I'd prefer copies of the deluxe hard- ble timer (like a VCR's) that can be used in menu format. bound limited edition for $75 each. (Outside conjunction with a timer-equipped tape The disc can be heard in the Recorded U.S. add $10 for surface mail. $20 for air deck to record as many as five different Sound Reference Center of the Library's mail. Shipped in rugged, corrugated "events" off the radio over a 24-hour peri- Performing Arts Reading Room, Room protective box.) LM 113, James Madison Memorial Build- I enclose od. Adding to the R-4's appeal as an au- ALL ORDERS MUST BE PREPAID dio-video receiver is an audio input for ing, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Wash- NAME video sound that, when sent a signal, auto- ington, D.C. While you're in the area, you might catch the 150,000 video still images ADDRESS matically turns on the receiver. CITY STATE ZIP The R-4 has pre-out/main-in connec- recorded for posterity on optical disc. These can be seen in the Prints and Photo- (If Foreign) PROVINCE/COUNTRY tions that can be used to insert a signal 0 Check enclosed Please charge: processor (such as an equalizer) or, at the graphs and the Motion Picture and Televi- Mastercard [I] ‘isa 0 AMEX pre-out, to connect a more powerful am- sion Reading Rooms at the Library. • CARD NO. FXP SIGNATURE Make cheek or money order (in U.S. dollars only. dawn on a bank with a U.S. address) PAYABLE TO MUSICAL AMERICA DIRECTORY. Send form to MUSICAL AO , AMERICA DIRECTORY, Single Copy Sales, 8th Flr., 825 Seventh Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10019.

DIRECTORIES WILL BE SHIPPED The ADS R-4 receiver has a built-in programmable timer and a distinctive look SHORTLY AFTER PUBLICATION IN MID-DECEMBER. OFFER EXPIRES NOVEMBER I, 1987. HFII/87 104 H , G H Pure Artistry.

Sansui makes music an art form with finely crafted receivers that deliver crystal clear sound. Our S-X1200 produces 120 watts* of pure power, with a toroidal transformer to provide low-impedance driving capability. A transient enhancer adds dynamic impact to everything you hear. Other quality features include station scan, continuously variable loudness control, connections for 2 cassette decks and 2 VCRs with bidirectional dubbing, and binding posts for heavy speaker cables. A black mirror finish makes this receiver as pleasing to your eyes as it is to your ears. You'll find many of the same qualities in three other models: S-X900, S-X700, and S-X500. So select the Sansui receiver to fit your lifestyle and experience pure artistry in sound.

Sansui Electronics Corp. PO Box 625. Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 460-9710 irSANSUI

'120 wefts per channel, min RMS Ixth channels Omen Ink) 8 ohms from 2010 20.000 Hz met no more than 0 01% THD Only Sony offers the most advanced headsets for every mindset. Look to the company that listens to digAal and wider dynamic range; linear crystal, oxygen-free audio four different ways. copper wiring tor less signal path resistance, and If you're going to invest in the world of digital gold-plated contacts for the finest possible conductivity. audio, then only the right kind of headphones will do. And if all that sounds good to you, listen to this: That's why you'd be most comfortable with Sony offers more types of advanced headphones for headphones made by Sony, The Leader in Digital Audio. the widest variety of digital audio applications. So try one Like our best digital equipment, Sony's advanced on and see what it's like to get the most from your music. headphones are designed to let you realize the full After all, once you've paid for the finest digital audio potential of digital sound reproduction. components, anything less than Sony wouldn't be a Each Sony model is built with sensitivity, utilizing sound investment. the most precise technology available. For example, cobalt diaphragm drivers for superior musical resolution Headphones. SO N Y

1987 Sony Corporation of America Sony and The Leader in Digital Audio are trademarks of Sony- THE LEADER IN DIGITAL AUDIO