Stereophile Magazine
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MUSIC IN THE ROUND without powering down the Pioneer, tered Rhymes, in the recording by Paul and practical objection to the practice then turning it on again. (It turned out Hilliard and the Estonian Philharmonic is that it manipulates the very musical that I could.) Chamber Choir (SACD, Harmonia signals whose purity we are trying to Although the DV-58AV is glossy Mundi HMU 807469), while the Op- preserve. black with blue indicators, its controls pos’ analog outputs were clean but The Bag End E-Trap ($1500) uses and connections are standard issue for obscured details. In that regard, the active electronics similar to those in an a modern universal player. Front-panel Pioneer was almost competitive with equalizer to control an acoustic device touch buttons manage Standby/On, the Bel Canto PL-1A. It was very sat- that acts directly on room acoustics disc control, and menu/navigation (this isfying to find this level of pure audio rather than imposing anything on the last is better managed with the remote enjoyment in such reasonably priced electronic signal path.2 The E-Trap is control). There are also two special but- hardware. And there was still more actually rather cute. With its 10” driv- tons, each with a tiny LED indicator: to be gleaned from SACDs, DVD-As, er, controls, and power amplifier in a One, the SACD setup control, sets pri- and even CDs by stay- ority among CD, two-channel SACD, ing with the Pioneer’s and multichannel SACD. The other, HDMI connection to labeled Pure Audio, turns off all digital the Integra DTC-9.8, and video outputs to optimize the ana- or by using a modified log output’s performance. On the rear 3xS/PDIF connection panel are the outputs: for audio, analog to the Meridian 861 5.1- and two-channel, digital coaxial, surround controller, and TosLink; for video, composite, as I’ve done with the component, and S-video; and for both, Oppo DV-980H. HDMI. The DV-58AV worked fault- With its more sub- lessly with all 5” discs stantial construction, Connected to the Integra DTC-9.8 superior analog out- multichannel preamplifier/surround puts, and reasonable processor via HDMI cable, the DV- price of $499, the Pio- 58AV played SACDs at a level about neer DV-58AV is an 3dB lower than the Oppo DV-983H outstanding candidate universal player. It would have been for a keeper legacy nice to use the Oppo’s trim control universal player. Oth- to match levels, but as this operates in ers will have to com- the digital domain and is likely to be ment definitively on accompanied with some loss of resolu- the values of its video tion, for comparisons, I had to use the performance, but I Integra’s calibrated volume control to found it no slouch in match the player’s outputs. And, of that department ei- course, this was also a comparison of ther. the Pioneer’s DSD output to the Oppo cutline DV-983H’s PCM-converted output. Bag End E-Trap The HDMI-based comparison of Although acoustically the DV-58AV and the DV-983H was treating your listening room may the box measuring 18” (457mm) H by 13” a near standoff, the Pioneer pulling most important thing you can do to (330mm) W by 9.5” (241mm) D and slightly ahead in bass definition and make your system sound its best, ev- weighing 33 lbs (15kg), it looks like a high-frequency sweetness. Recall from eryone seems to have a reason not to small subwoofer without input termi- my May report that I preferred the do it. I understand. Décor and signifi- nals. Fore and aft are two small micro- Oppo DV-980H’s PCM-converted cant others usually stand in the way, phones; either one can supply the input output to its direct DSD output, but but also imposing is the sheer bulk of to, effectively, two single-band paramet- the Pioneer’s DSD output was superior effective treatments, especially those ric filters (range 20–65Hz) that add tar- to the DV-980H in either mode. How- used to tame big problems in the bass. geted resonance peaks to the feedback ever, it took some quick A/B switch- Low frequencies simply demand that circuitry that powers the driver. As a ing to hear any of these differences; ex- effective treatments be several inches result, the input signal at those peaks is tended listening to all three players was thick and cover wide areas. All of this amplified and output via the 10” driver quite satisfying. is a lot easier if you’re designing a lis- but, cleverly, opposite in phase to that It was through its multichannel ana- tening room from the studs out, but of the input. Place the E-Trap in a high- log outputs that the Pioneer distanced retrofitting requires cunning and, of- pressure zone, such as the junction of itself from the Oppo DV-980H and, to ten, careful negotiation with whoever two or three room boundaries, and its a degree, from the DV-983H as well. shares your living space. output will oppose and cancel the en- The clarity and detail of the Pioneer’s This is where electronic room equal- analog stages, as well as their bass slam, ization can be a great help. At best, 2 Keith Howard examined the topic of active room mode cancellation in January 2008—see www.ste- were outstanding. The DV-58AV was however, room-EQ software is still reophile.com/reference/108tech—and Robert Harley able to reveal layer on layer of musi- imperfect. In practice, it works best reviewed the Phantom Acoustics Shadow, an early device to operate in the same manner in the E-Trap, cal meaning from such complex music only over small areas of the room. in December 1989—see www.stereophile.com/ as Tarik O’Regan’s choral suite Scat- However, one significant philosophical roomtreatments/1289phantom.—Ed. 2 www.Stereophile.com, July 2008 STRP-080700-MITR.indd 2 4/30/08 2:19:20 PM MUSIC IN THE ROUND ergy in the room modes. sion of 12’, but my room measures 14.5’ I preset one of the E-Trap’s filters to Shaping the filters to match one or by 26’ by 8’, with large openings into about 47Hz and put the E-Trap on the two major room modes and adjusting other spaces. floor close to a sidewall in a corner creat- the feedback in the filters—effectively adjusting the Q and magnitude of the E-Trap’s response—reduces the total en- RecordinGS in the Round ergy in the room at those frequencies. Moreover, a significant advantage of acoustical treatment (active or passive) COWBOY JUNKIES: Trinity Revisited Revisited is, indeed, the best title for this Plus: A Film by Pierre & Francois Lamoureux recording. It’s like meeting an old friend after a is that even the decreasing energy of a With: Ryan Adams, Jeff Bird, Vic Chesnutt, Natalie long interval: the differences are both appreci- decaying signal is subject to this attenu- Merchant ated and lamented. Rounder Zoe 01143-1121-2 (DVD, CD) Fire Burning in the Snow: Baroque Music from ation, leading to a steeper decay to in- The Cowboy Junkies’ second album, The Trinity Latin America 3 nocuous levels. These effects also apply Session (CD, RCA 8568-2-R), has become Jeffrey Skidmore, Ex Cathedra Consort and an iconic release for many of us. On the one Baroque Ensemble to the harmonics generated by these hand, it is a warm and moving dozen songs, Hyperion SACDA67600 (SACD) fundamental modes. Thus, while stay- half covers, half originals, offered in spare This lovely disc is filled with charming, simple ing out of the reproduction chain and but satisfying arrangements. On the other, it music and delightful sounds. The collection is a spectacular demonstration of what inti- begins with, is interspersed with, and con- leaving unchanged the signals emitted mate communication can be achieved with cludes with drum-paced processionals from by the speakers, the E-Trap attempts a simple microphone arrangement (in this the anonymous verses of Hanacpachap cus- case, a single Calrec Ambisonic mike) in an sisuinin. In between are lots of melodious and to remove the room’s low-frequency acoustically supportive and satisfying venue. foot-tap–inducing songs for voices accompa- colorations—sort of like a narrowband This recording holds a special place in the col- nied by colorful instrumental forces. Some lections of many of us. pieces are liturgical, some private and per- bass trap with gain. For this new recording, the original Junkies reas- You’ll find more information at sembled, along with some notable guests, at www.bagend.com, but you won’t find, the original recording venue, Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity, to re-experience and there or in the E-Trap’s shipping car- celebrate the 20th anniversary of that event— ton, a step-by-step guide to how to set though not to repeat it, even though the same 12 songs are performed in the same order as it up. Hasn’t everyone got an FFT spec- on The Trinity Session. Like the original record- trum analyzer with 1/2Hz resolution ing, Trinity Revisited derives from a single ses- sion dictated by the need to fit all setup, sound in their closet? Bag End recommends checks, and performances around the church’s the SMAART analyzer (www.eaw. primary activities. Thus, this recording enjoys com/products/software/index.html), many of the original’s ad hoc liberties, which can be experienced in some of the prepara- but I used what I had on hand.