ARCH 1984 $1.75

ARMAN/KARDON CD491 ASSETTE DECK WORTH TWICE ITS PRICE

SOUND REINFORCEMENT FOR TIE AMATEUR TESTS IN THIS ISSUE LINN ARM AND CARTRIDGE EXCELLENT COMBINATION ALPINE 7347 CAR RADIO/ TAPE PLAYER ADVANCES THE ART TECHNICS SH -8055 EQUALIZER /RTA VERY GOOD VALUE

70301

AmericanRadioHistory.Com " Flashdance- is available on Steer Beta Hì -Fi Videocassettes frcm Paramount Hume Vide) in, $ 30 45 +Paramount Pictures Corporation.

The NEC VC -739E with Beta H! -Fi sound. A technological breakthrough in video recording and playback whereby the video heads record both the audio and video information. Compared to conventional VCR's which use stationary audio heads, the VC -739E offers 30 times greater dynamic range. In fact, the audio specifications of the VC-739E exceed even those of a studio open -reel tape recorder! The NEC VC -739E is the industry's most "fully loaded" Beta Hi-Fi model, with four heads for clear special effects; 134 channel cable ready quartz PLL tuner; 8 -event, 14 day programmable timer; audio -only recording capability; fluorescent indicator level meters 1 and more ... all controllable by a full function remote. You'll see picture quality with very same "High Video Fidelity" in every NEC model, only with different arrays of features. The NEC VC -738E is an 83 -channel; clear special effects four -head; 8-event, 14 day programmable; wireless remote control machine. Even NEC's most basic VCR's, the 134-channel cable ready VC -737E and 83 -channel VC-734E offer picture quality and ease of operation matching any 1 " machine on the market- at any price. Think of it this way. All NEC VCR's offer "High Video Fidelity." And now, the new VC -739E THE ONE 1n WATCH. offers "High Audio Fidelity," too. NEC corporation, Tokyo, Japan NEC Home Electronics (U.S.A.) Inc., 1401 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007, (3t2) 228-5900

AmericanRadioHistory.Com THE NEC VC739E BETA HIFI VCR. THE VCR WITH THE PICTURE THAT SOUNDS AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS.

Enter No. 1 on Reader Service Card

AmericanRadioHistory.Com MARCH 1984 VOL. 68, NO. 3

See page 43. See page 23. FEATURES SOUND REINFORCEMENT FOR THE AMATEUR Glen Ballou 36 PERFORMANCE -CHECK YOUR AMP AND PREAMP: PART II M. J Salvati 42 EQUIPMENT PROFILES HARMAN/KARDON CD491 CASSETTE DECK Howard A. Roberson 50 TECHNICS SH -8055 GRAPHIC EQ/RTA Howard A. Roberson 54 ALPINE 7347 CAR STEREO Leonard Feldman & Ivan Berger.. 60 MICRO -ACOUSTICS 630 PHONO CARTRIDGE George Shellenberger 67 LINN ASAK CARTRIDGE AND ITTOK LVII TONEARM Edward M. Long 70 LUXMAN KX-102 CASSETTE DECK Howard A. Roberson 76 See page 91. MUSIC REVIEWS AUDIOPHILE RECORDINGS 80 ROCK/POP RECORDINGS Michael Tearson, Jon & Sally Tiven 82 COMPACT DISCS Bert Whyte, John M. Eargle, C. Victor Campos 91 DEPARTMENTS SIGNALS & NOISE 6 WHAT'S NEW 9 TAPE GUIDE Herman Burstein 10 AUDIOCLINIC Joseph Giovanelli 13 ROADSIGNS Ivan Berger 16 AUDIO ETC Edward Tatnall Canby...... 23 BEHIND THE SCENES Bert Whyte 26 SPECTRUM Ivan Berger 33

The Cover Equipment: Harman/Kardon CD491 cassette deck. The Cover Photographer: Carl Zapp. Audio Publishing, Editorial and Advertising Production Offices, 1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036. See page 37. Subscription Inquiries, (800) 525-9511; in Colorado (303) 447-9330.

AmericanRadioHistory.Com THE WORLD'S QUIETEST TAPE SWITCH TO If you won't settle for anything less than pure music, accept nothing less than BASF Pure Chrome audio tape. Unlike ferric oxide tapes, BASF Pure Chrome is made of perfectly shaped chromium dioxide particles. And the exclusive Chrome formulation delivers the lowest BASF CHROME background noise of any tape in the world, as well as outstanding sensitivity in the critical high frequency range. And this extraordinary tape is designed especially for the Type II Chrome Bias position. So AUDIO TAPE make sure you're hearing all of the BASF, music and none of the tape. Make the switch today to the world's quietest BASF tape. BASF Chrome. Chrome Audio & Video Tapes

Enter No. 2 on Reader Se