Stereo-Review-1990-06.Pdf

JUNE 1990 $2.50

INCORPORATING GH FICELITY'

STEREO TO GO MIX, MATCH, AND TAPE SPECIAL TEST: INFINITY'S MODULUS SPEAKER SYSTEM ALSO TESTED: ONKYO CD PLAYER, PHILIPS TAPE DECK, WHARFEDALE SPEAKERS, AND MORE...

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27276 Breathtaking thenewPolk RTA 15t

The breathtaking performance of Polk Audio's new RTA 15t loudspeaker system is the result of the rare combination of state-of-the-art technology and superior design. Incorporating technology from Polk Audio's limited production SRS (Sig- nature Reference Loudspeaker System), the RTA 15t uses advanced components and design technologies to achieve outstanding musicality, detail and imaging. The heart of this design is a line source array that achieves an openness and spaciousness permitting a wide range of optimum listening positions. At the center of this line source is Polk's SL3000 tri-laminate tweeter, an engineering triumph in high frequency smoothness and dispersion. Outstanding bass impact and dynamic range is realized by using two 10" sub -bass radiators (one front mounted and one rear mounted). This dual bass radiator technology achieves deeper, flatter, more accurate bass than conventional designs. The new Polk RTA 15t ...one listen will take your breath away.

The RTA 15t is available in natural oak, natural walnut and black oak wood veneer finishes.

polk The Speaker Specialists

5601 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215 (301) 358-3600 Where to buy Polk Speakers? For your nearest dealer, see page 120.

CIRCLE NO 90 ON READER SERVICE CARD Toy wonder Francis Goldwyn has a new idea that's 150 million years old. He also prefers Christian Brothers Brandy.

Founder, The Manhattan Toy Co., Ltd. Prehistoric and modern toys. Last year's sales: $5,000,000.

the LhristtanBrothers

THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS BRANDY 40 ALL. B, VOL i60 .004 , 1990.CB VINEYARDS. MENLO PARK CA When you know better. Stereo Review Incorporating High Fidelity®

BULLETIN 5 SYSTEMS 68 LETTERS 8 POPULAR MUSIC 91 NEW PRODUCTS 13 RECORD MAKERS 106 AUDIO Q&A 30 CLASSICAL MUSIC 109 SIGNALS 32 GOING ON RECORD 118 TECHNICAL TALK 40 THE HIGHEND 127 EQUIPMENT SHIRT -POCKET DAT? 18 News from Japan by Bryan Harrell CAR STEREO 25 PAGE 65 In the lab and on the road with the Carver M-2060 power amplifier by Ken C. Pohlmann THE BASICS: ADDING MACHINES 33 Specialized add-on components by Ian G. Masters .01111111k .06,041111116 HIRSCH-HOUCK LABS EQUIPMENT TEST REPORTS 45 Philips FC-60 Cassette Deck, page 45 Advent Heritage Speaker System, page 49 Onkyo Integra DX -5700 Compact Disc Player, page 52 Wharfedale Coleridge Speaker System, page 57

STEREO TO GO ) Summertime, and the music is easy by Ian G. Masters INFINITY MODULUS SPEAKER SYSTEM 7( ) A special test report by Julian Hirsch PAGE 70 GETTING WIRED 75 Today's designer cables by Rich Warren MUSIC MIX, MATCH, & TAPE 65 All you need to make tape anthologies by Steve Simels QUINCY JONES 80 "Jazz prepares you to turn on a dime" by Eliot Tiegel BEST RECORDINGS OF THE MONTH 83

Cover: For more on Sony's WM-AFS9 Sports Walkman and Denon's DCP-I00 portable compact disc player, see page 60. Design by Sue Llewellyn, photo by Hing/Norton.

COPYRIGHT 8 1990 BY DI AMAN DIS COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved. Stereo Review. June 1990. Volume 55. Number 6. Stereo Review (ISSN 0039-1220) is published monthly by Diamandis Communications Inc. at 1633 Broadway. New York, NY 10019: telephone (212) 767-6000. Also publishers of Car Stereo Review, Stereo Buyers' Guide. Compact Disc Buyers' Guide, and Video Buyers' Guide. One-year subscription rate for the United States and its possessions. $13.94: Canada, $18.94: all other countries. $21.94. cash orders only, payable in U.S. currency. Second-class postage paid at New York. NY 10001, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the U.S.A. Authorized as second-class mail by the Post Office Department. Ottawa. Canada. and for payment of postage in cash. POST- MASTER 'SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: Please send change -of -address forms and all subscription correspondence to Stereo Review, P.O. Box 55627, Boulder. CO 80322-5627. Please allow at least eight weeks for the change of address to become effective. Include both your old and your new address. enclosing. ifpossible, an address label from a recent issue. If you have a subscription problem, write to the above address or call (800) 876-9011. PERMISSIONS: Material in thispublication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to: The Editor, Stereo Review. Diamandis Communications Inc.. 1633 Broadway, New York. NY 10019. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care, but the publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of unsolicited art, photos, or manuscripts.

VOL. 55 NO. 6 STEREOREVIEWJUNE1990 3 Denon's LAMBDA processor ...... ,. bilaterally offsets the digital waveform to eliminate the / \ distortion that occurs when Starting with the first digital recording of low-level waveforms cross the zero line. music in 1972, Denon has produced an unbroken string of digital audio breakthroughs.

The LAMBDA Super Linear Converter: Another significant digital audio first from the first company to record music digitally.

Denon's CD player innovations in- Denons often sound better clude the Super Linear Con- verter, the 20 -bit digital filter, the than current competitors' models. And why a leading hi-fi journal real 20 -bit converter and noise -shaping filter circuitry. found that a moderately -priced Denon equalled or outperformed all others tested, Denon's latest digital advancement is the including machines costing over $1800. LAMBDA Real 20 -Bit Super Linear Converter in the DcD-1560. The LAMBDA system's digital What makes Denon CD players better? Per- haps it's that Denon performs every step in the offset processor and dual 20 -bit converters elimi- music chain from recording artists through press- nate the most common source of distortion in CD ing CDs. And that Denon has concentrated on players: the zero crossings of low-level signals. one thing and only one thing for 80 years. Denon's consistent leadership in digital audio Music. technology may explain why earlier generation

DCD- 1560 shown with the optional side panels available for most Denon models. DENONDES Gna i N T (GRIT Prices quoted are manufacturer's suggested retail prices and may vary. Denon America. Inc.. 222 New Road. Parsippany. NJ 07054 CIRCLE NO27 ON READER SERVICE CARD BULLETIN

by Rebecca Day and a free catalog of the Heath home with six -disc magazines as well as William Livingstone electronics courses, write to single -disc drawers. The 60 - Heath Co., Dept., 350-048, Benton watt -per -channel version costs BEWARE: BAD WORDS Harbor, MI 49022. $700 finished in black, $730 in Since almost all record white; the 25 -watt model costs companies voluntarily agreed in MUSIC ON TV $600 in black, $630 in white.... March to adopt a uniform sticker The 3 -hour "Earth '90" telecast Yamaha has extended the limited to warn parents of possibly on June 2 is expected to draw an warranty on its componentCD offensive language in song lyrics, audience of 1 billion people in one players from one to two years. lawmakers of thirteen states have hundred countries. It will be The new policy covers all dropped proposed legislation that hosted by Olivia Newton -John in component models sold after would make such labeling Europe and by John Denver and January 1, 1990, and mandatory. The wording on the Yu Hayami in Japan with retroactively covers the CDX-420, voluntary label is: "Explicit participation by stars around the CDX-520, CDX-720, CDX-820 and Lyrics-Parental Advisory." Jason world, including Gilberto Gil 82OTi, CDX-920 and 92OTi, Berman, president of the (Brazil), the Jeff Healey Band CDX-1120, CDX-2020, CDC -500, Recording Industry Association of (Canada), Kitaro (Japan), and and CDC -610.... Kenwood is America, which supports Gorky Park (U.S.S.R.). Not a bringing out a line of high -end voluntary labeling and opposes fundraiser, the program is separates including a tuner mandatory legislation, said: "No intended to raise awareness of ($1,100), a preamplifier ($1,000), individual company or environmental problems. a power amplifier ($1,300), and a government action can replace From June 18 to 21, PBS will CDplayer ($1,200). the responsibility of parents in present Wagner's four -opera cycle determining what their children The Ring of the Nibelung listen to." At press time labeling performed by the Metropolitan legislation was still pending in Opera with Hildegard Behrens, Delaware, Florida, Missouri, and Christa Ludwig, Jessye Norman, Pennsylvania. Gary Lakes, James Morris, and other soloists, and the Met DYNACO RETURNS orchestra conducted by James Panor Corp. has obtained the Levine. Check local listings. license for the highly esteemed Dynaco brand name (unused for RECORD COMPANY TRENDS about a decade) and is selling a The ubiquitous Teenage Mutant line of audio equipment under Ninja Turtles may have a hit in that name through specialty their movie -soundtrack album audio retailers. The line includes (SBK), but they have not taken the Options series of speakers over the record industry yet. ($100 to $450 a pair), the Current trends include a Amazing Bass subwoofer ($100), spoken -word boom that continues DIRTY DANCING a surround -sound decoder ($50), with Rhino's release of the Heavily promoted in Europe as in -wall speakers ($150 and $170 collected recordings of the Beat "the forbidden dance" from Brazil, a pair), and an in -wall, Generation writer Jack Kerouac. the dance known as "lambada" is flush -mount audio system ($700). The success of the Bulgarian getting serious attention in the The company will also service old female chorus album "Le Iterystere clubs., movie theaters, dancing Dynaco units. For information des Voix Bulgares" (Nonesuch) schools, and record stores of the write to Panor Corp., 125 Cabot has prompted similar new United States. Waiting in the Court, Hauppauge, NY 11788. recordings, such as "Songs of wings is "vogueing," derived from Amber" (Ryko) by Dzintars, a fashion models' poses, a dance MAPPING AUDIO COURSES Latvian women's choir. The global that originated in the black gay A guide to more than eighty trend is further supported by the clubs of New York City. It is institutions offering courses in flutist James Galway with "The demonstrated in Madonna's video audio engineering and recording Enchanted Forest" (RCA), a Vogue, whch is tied in to the has been compiled by Mark collection of Japanese songs, and movie Dick Tracy. From the discos Drews. Entitled New Ears: A Capitol has released "Cruel, Crazy, of Belgium comes "new beat," a Guide to Education in Audio and Beautiful World" by Zulu -rock star music and dance form based on the Recording Sciences, the book Johnny Clegg and his band playing 45 -rpm records at 331/3. is available for $11.95 postage Savuka from South Africa. PolyGram has issued a sampler, paid (New York residents add 70e "This Is the New Beat," by such sales tax) from Near Ear EQUIPMENT NOTES leading -edge groups as Jade 4U's Productions, 1033 Euclid Ave., ADC has introduced two 101, Miss Nicky Trax, S.M., Boy Syracuse, NY 13210.... To obtain combination receiver/cn changers Toy, and Erotic Dissidents.

Si FRFORI.VIIWil NI.1990 5 -..., -.,..wffillr ) 1) . ' .§I" ' *es a* Og? ilk II ) .). ' ' t .404004441444t leo 4414 Ili 0 4.), %M' ) C ' ' ' .1,9411-0-4 ) , , 1141,1441444 Vol? it_44It VW )..,, , i , , ) ot*)),,s , ) , ) , ; firw : ' , , ,),'' --) - ) ; ' s.,; , ) -,, A ) ) ) , , )), ,) ) I .- ::., A ..._.tir ')) ,,:....;;1 . ettlIFID04.*09110..."...... ,..*...... ,...... ,...... ".110,0,41...... e.... 1 .., .:4*jb01/01,40_,,,rir,"4 111, ., . aGetyvIripta 47f swilies*ge.www4- . - - ...,...,*_ 4,$) ". - - -, ..e...._,,,,,t,r,-440,.ett,0co4,045#6..A*66.*..0000-,014z'"s190*.lhaseso,,:ls...a.*1.r:..6ese..,,,:-`,-,-..,..,..*w_" 21. * ' "The Polk set is the best sounding system we lave tested.

It played loudly and cleanly, and it projected excellent imaging.

In -car measurements were superb."

CAR STEREO REVIEW November December 1989

00\ie 212 5 \WV°le01\3C4 ?0°°0--600

Where to buy Polk Speakers? For your nearest dealer, see page 120.

CIRCLE NO 90 ON READER SERVICE CARD LETTERS Stereo Review

LOUISE BOUNDAS remote. I suggest that you recheck it Editor in Chief Recordable CD's with the sharpness set at maximum. MICHAEL SMOLEN The compact disc format has many JOHNP.KING Executive Editor advantages over digital audio tape; top- Birmingham, MI SUE LLEWELLYN ping the list are convenience, resistance Art Director to damage, and long-term durability. Editor at Large Michael Riggs replies: CHRISTIE BARTER WILLIAM WOLFE. With this in mind, I've been waiting for Thanks for catching that one: Yes, the Music Editor Technical Editor recordable/erasableCD's (compatible HS -U71 does have a sharpness control. DAVID STEIN with current players) and the machines But since sharpness controls work on the Managing Editor to record them. A couple of years ago playback signal, they increase the high - Tandy was developing a system called REBECCA DAY, WILLIAM GOLDMAN frequency video noise when they are THOR. Has there been any word on turned up. We therefore make all video ROBERT ANKOSKO Senior Editors progress in this area from Tandy or oth- measurements with sharpness controls er manufacturers? If so, how long will at their flat settings. In any event, we ARINDA J. SEGARRA we, "the CD faithful," have to wait? would not describe the HS-U71's video MARYANN SALTSER JAMES EUBANKS Assistant Editors response as "poor" but as very good San Diego, CA indeed for a vcR. You would have a hard BARBARA AIKEN, ROCCO MATTERA time detecting a difference in resolution Editorial Assistants Senior Editor Rebecca Day replies: between it and the other VCR's Mr. Fos- Don't hold your breath. A couple of years ter tested with normal program materi- MICHAEL RIGGS ago, Tandy announced that it would WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE al, especially at the SP speed. Editors at Large have its THOR-CD system on the market by the end of 1990. The company has Neeme Jam' Contributing Editors: Robert Ackart, since pulled back, however, and like oth- Chris Albertson, Richard Freed, Phyl er manufacturers will no longer discuss Neeme Jarvi is not a Finnish conduc- Garland, David Hall, Ron Givens, retail timetables for recordable CD'S. tor, as Eric Salzman states in his May Bryan Harrell (Tokyo), Roy Hemming, The format faces two major obstacles: review of Jarvi's recording of the Shos- Julian Hirsch, Ralph Hodges, Stoddard (1) lack of standardization-there are as takovich Symphony No. 4. He was born Lincoln, Ian Masters, Louis Meredith, many as twenty different recordable -CD in Estonia, still forcibly occupied by the Alanna Nash, Mark Peel, Henry formats in development, and (2) the Soviet Union. Pleasants (London), Ken Pohlmann, copyright issue, which is still dogging Parke Puterbaugh, Charles Rodrigues, JOHN F. SHINE Eric Salzman, Steve Simels, Craig digital audio tape four years after that Glenview, IL Stark, David Patrick Stearns format's debut. According to Jan Tim- Production Director: Karen L. Rosen mer, head of Philips Consumer Elec- We regret repeating this unfortunately Production Manager: Michele Lee tronics, "A standard, [reasonably priced] rather common error. Perhaps now that machine for consumer use is still quite a Maestro Jdrvi has been named music few years away." director of the Detroit Symphony Or- WINSTON A. JOHNSON chestra, American music lovers will be- Vice President and Publisher Desert Rose Band come more familiar with him as well as ADVERTISING his recordings. Advertising Director: Nick Matarazzo I ardentlydisagreewithAlanna National Manager: Charles L. P. Watson Nash's April review of the Desert Rose (212) 767-6038 Band's new "Pages of Life," which she Impedance Matching Consultant: Richard.). Halpern concludes is mediocre. I find it to be A recent issue ofConsumer Reports (212) 767-6940 first-rate. I believe it is because of Chris Account Manager: Sharon Dube warnedthatmany American -made (212) 767-6037 Hillman's light tenor voice that he. speakers are not compatible with audio Corporate Account Manager: Tom McMahon Herb Pedersen, and John Jorgenson are electronics manufactured in the Far (212) 767-6025 able to blend such incredible harmo- East. It seems that the impedances of Assistant to the Publisher: Nadine L. Goody Classified Advertising: (800) 445-6066 nies. They are also backed by outstand- American speakers rated at 4 ohms Midwestern Managers: Arnold S. Hoffman, ing country -western musicians. won't match Japanese and Korean re- Jeffrey M. Plaster, (708) 679-1100 As for songwriting, where many coun- ceivers designed for 8 -ohm or 16 -ohm Western Managers: Robert Meth, try lyrics are trite or morose, Hillman's Paula Mayen, (213) 739-5130 speakers. The magazine warned that Tokyo Office: Iwai Trading Co., Ltd. are generally substantive and optimis- such mismatching will overheat ampli- 603 Ginza Sky Heights Building, 18-13, tic. The Desert Rose Band is one of fier sections. Ginza 7-Chome, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan 104 those groups that has truly renewed my Since 4 ohms is half of 8 ohms, then Japan Representative: J. S. Yagi, (03) 545-3908 interest in country music. half the resistance will draw twice as GEORGE GRANATA, JR. much power even when both compo- Burley, ID nents are matched. Using 4 -ohm speak- STEREO REVIEW is published by Diamandis ers thus seems costly and wasteful in Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Hachette terms of energy usage. Publications. Inc. Hi-Fi VCR's GEORGE NUSSBAUM President & CEO: Peter G. Diamandis Executive Vice President: Robert F. Spillane I found an error in "Three Top Hi-Fi New York, NY Senior Vice President, Finance. & CFO: Arthur Sukel VCR's" in the April issue that might Senior Vice President. Manufacturing & Distribution: Murray Romer account for the poor video response of Editor at Large Michael Riggs replies: Senior Vice President. Operations& Administration: the Mitsubishi HS -U7 I .Author Ed- Not so. Severe mismatches between am- Robert J. Granata Vice President, Controller: David Pecker ward J. Foster said that the HS -U71 was plifiers and speakers are actually very Vice President. General Counsel: Catherine Flickinger the only one of the three machines rare. Almost all loudspeakers have com- Vice President, Circulation, Leon Rosenfield tested that lacked a sharpness control. plex impedances that are tricky to char- Vice President. Communications, Phyllis Crawley Gates The HS -U71does Vice President. Marketing, Anthony F. Incalcatera have a sharpness con- acterize with a single number (which is Vice President, Research, Bruce Gershfield trol, which is adjusted on screen by the why impedance specifications are called

8 STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 How to make an OnIwo CD player as good as its competition.

It we wanted to make an Onkyo CD player as good modules and using conventional circuit wiring would as our competition, it wouldn't be too hard. insure that a little harsh digital noise mixes in with the We'd have to remove our isolated transformer with music. Perfect for "grate audio." its three independent power supplies for the Gone would be the die cast aluminum tray Onkyo transport, digital and analog circuits. Asa result, uses, replaced by a plastic version that leads to tracking stability suffers, while signal interference further diminished sound quality and a wear, tear, measurably increases (turning music peaks it's -due -for -repair syndrome. into music mounds). Now, we could do all these things to an Onkyo There'd be no need for Onkyo's proprietary Accubit CD player. But then we wouldn't have a component calibration circuit. Which means there'd be no as masterful as our new DX -5700 with Dual Linear low level dynamics-no sense of depth or 18 Bit D/A Converters and dimension to the music. Accubit2 Calibration. So Carnegie Hall sounds At Onkyo, all our CD players like Carnegie 's closet. are built to be better. That's Taking out Onkyo's a difference you can Opto-Coupling fiber optic hear-and see.

For Product Information

01STKYO Call 1-800-888-8237 200 Williams Drive, Ramsey, N.J. 07446 201-825-7950

CIRCLE NO 47 ON READER SERVICE CARD "nominal"). Speaker impedances often shut down, but this is quite out of the More on CD Care vary through the audio band from less ordinary. The vast majority of the mod- than 4 ohms to more than 20 ohms at ern amplifiers and receivers that STER- In April "Letters," Lewis M.Davis, some frequencies. EO REVIEW has tested will deliver more Jr., commented that the playing side of Virtually all of the high-fidelity loud- continuous power into 4 ohms than into compact discs is the one without the speakers now on the market, regardless 8 ohms; some even perform well into 2 - label. I, for one, did not know this, and I of where they are manufactured, have ohm loads. have been cleaning only the label side. rated impedances between 4 and 8 Finally, raising a speaker's imped- Am I wrong? Should I clean both sides, ohms, with about as many at the high ance will not reduce the amount of pow- the nonlabel side, or what? end of that range as at the low end. A er it draws unless you are willing to PAUL ANDREWS small number do, in fact, present diffi- accept a lower listening level; it will sim- Hingham, MA cult loads that may cause some ampli- ply force you to turn up the volume con- fiers to clip prematurely, overheat, or trol to achieve the same level. The side without the label is the playing side of a CD, and it is normally the only side that may need cleaning. The only reason to clean the label side is if it gets so dirty that it becomes hard to read or if some sort of loose dirt gets deposited on it that might be thrown into the CD J I= player's mechanism as the disc spins. Rebecca Day's February article on "How to Care for CD's" inspired me to suggest another technique of handling them. A "jewel box" is designed so that its spindle works as a clutch. A disc can be uncoupled from the spindle by just pressing the spindle gently. Similarly, a CDis secured by placing its center hole on the spindle and pressing the spindle again. In this way touching and bending of the disc itself is minimized. Also, a word of caution aboutCD cleaning solutions. There are some on the market that are claimed to remove a static charge permanently. This is accomplished by a greasy film of conduc- tive residue left on the disc. As soon as your fingertip touches the disc, it becomes smeared much worse thanit would be if there were no "protective" film at all. Besides, there are hardly any THE practical reasons why aCDshould be rendered nonstatic. ULTIMATE LEO BACKMAN COMPONENT Helsinki, Finland FOR THE Generally, you should avoid putting ULTIMATE anythingon a CD that leaves a residue. SYSTEM. lama MAP. "MI Schubertian Footnote NANO P001140 That's 90 Maxell's copywriters are smarter than Suono, the Jay Austin's letter in March allows. world's most Schubert'sSeventhSymphony was sketched, but not orchestrated, qualify- advanced ingitasanunfinished symphony, audio which was all that the advertisement in cassette. the January issue claimed. DAVE BAUM Central Square, NY

The Ow Level In the May review of the Sony CDP- That X55ES compact disc player, I found a most unusual entry in the "Laboratory Measurements" box at the bottom of L__11 C=Ir iL=1 page 40: "ow -level linearity error." This RESHAPING TIE FUTURE OF CASSETTES must refer to linearity errors that only become apparent when you are listen- 1983 Marcus Ave., Suite 201 Lai.e Success, NY 11042 Tel. 516-326-1122 ing at painfully loud volumes. Canada: H.Roy Gray Ltd., 14 LIdlaw Blvd., Markn 3M, Ontario L3P1W7 JONJEROME That's America IncSubsidiary of -aiyo Yuctin CoLtd Tokyo. Japan Buffalo Grove, IL

CIRCLE NO. 187 0 .1 FE ADER SERVICE CARD 10 Sl'EREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 is MUSIC Conceived in total cedicalion to the pursuit of excellence, the time required to develop the research program for this system I -as spanned at least two decades. The elusive combination of variables required to yield a uniform field has been tantalizing researchers for many years. finally, after McIntosh built one of the most advanced and best instru- mented acoustical .aboratories .n the world was it possible to follow the many theoretical leads to their conclusion. Tien, after th-s extensive effort of analyzing so many different approaches to uni- formity of field, was it possible to snythesize all of this knowledge and in one flash of intuitive genius the director of our acoustical laboratory saw a seemingly simple 5c'lution in tFe correct matching of diameters, masses and compliances and what evolved is a rew measure of accurazy and realism. The in- tellectual and emotional experience of listening to the XR 1052 is something you simply must enjoy in you- own home.

For information on McIntosh products and product reviews please send your name address and phone number to: McIntosh Laboratory Inc. Department 290S STEINWAY & SONS. STEINWAY end the L'RE Device arc ro Box 96 East Side Station Registered Trademarks of Steinway. Inc. ani Stei+ay & Binghamton, 'IY 13904-0096 Sons. and auie used with permissi2n of S einway, Inc.. CIRCLE NO. 29 ON READER SERVICE CARD Handcrafted with pride in the United States by dedicated, highly trained craftspeople. What do you do after build- encyclopedia of high science, To audition the new ing the largest, most sonically - from its time -aligned driver Modulus system, bring your accurate speaker system in array to its servo -controlled favorite disc or tape to a selected the world? subwoofer to its acoustically- Infinity dealer. If you're Infinity, you take inert, sand -filled pedestals. And experience Research everything you've learned from Sonically, it has the and Development, Infinity style. the 71/2 foot, $50,000 Infinity power to drop jaws with its Reference Standard V and applyabsolutely uncanny musical it to the most sonically -accurate accuracy. Infinity compact speaker system in And visually, it would be W get )ou track to what it.kall about. Music. the world. as at home in the Museum of

And you call it Modulus. Modern Art as in any listening For literature and the name of your nearest Infinity A speaker system for the 1990's room. With or without its dealer, call (800) 765-5556. In Canada, call (416) 294-4833, I I. Roy Gray, Ltd. 01989 Infinity Technologically, it is an optional modular components. Systems, Inc. H A Harman International Company. NEW PRODUCTS

Au NoSouRCE The AudioSource Video LC -Iis a disc with a built-in brush designed for cleaning the laser lens in a laserdisc player. When inserted in the player, the disc spins, aligning the lens with the brush. When the cleaning cycle is fin- BAL BASS TREBLE FADER ished, the disc stops spinning. The company recommends cleaning a lens after every 10 hours of play. Price: $49.95. AudioSource, Dept. SR, 1327 N. Caro- BLAUPUNKT lan Ave., Burlingame, CA 94010. The Blaupunkt Washington SQR 49 The amplifier sectionis rated at 25 Circle 123 on reader service card autoreverse cassette receiver incorpo- watts a side into two channels or 7 watts rates the company's Ultra High -Defini- per channel into four. There are four tion tuner with twelve AM and eighteen preamp outputs and a CD input. Several FM presets, preset scan, and last -station antitheft features are included: electron- memory. It also features TravelStore, ic code protection, personal -identifica- which automatically memorizes the fre- tion -number storage, stamped -in serial quencies of the six strongest stations in numbers, and pull-out mounting. Price: an area. The cassette section includes a $650. Blaupunkt, Dept. SR, 2800 S. Super -Laminated tape head and Dolby 25th Ave., Broadview, IL 60153. B, Dolby C, and DNR noise reduction. Circle 120 on reader service card

MISSION ELECTRONICS The Mission Cyrus One is a high -current integrated amplifier that is said to be compatible with any loudspeaker. It is rated at 25 watts per channel, with a 35 -ampere peak -current capability. To- tal harmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz and full power is rated as 0.003 percent into SHERWOOD 8 ohms, 0.004 percent into 4 ohms. The CD -I 192R is Sherwood's top -of - wood's Digi-Link remote system. Pro- There are inputs for a tape recorder, the -line compact disc player. It features gramming can be done either from the video andauxiliarysources,a CD an eight-times-oversampling digital fil- remote control or from the front panel. player, and a moving -coil or moving - ter, an I8 -bit digital -to -analog convert- Price: $299.95. Sherwood, Dept. SR, magnet phono cartridge. High -quality er, and an antishock chassis. The player 14830 Alondra Blvd., La Mirada, CA components such as metal -film resis- comes with a ten -key infrared remote 90638. tors and polyester capacitors are used, control and is compatible with Sher - Circle 121 on reader service card and all RCA -type inputs and outputs are mounted directly to the single circuit board. Price: $499. Mission Elec- tronics USA, Dept. SR, 18303 8th Ave., Seattle, WA 98148. CASE LOGIC Circle 124 on reader service card The Case Logic CSC -Iis a portable protective case for removable car stereo cassette receivers. Made of nylon and padded with thick foam, it comes with a nylon shoulder strap. A double -flap closing system with a Velcro fastener holds the cassette receiver securely in place. The side pocket is designed to hold radar detectors or other accessories.Price: $19.95. Case Logic, Dept. SR, 6930 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301. Circle 122 on reader service card

STEREO RF.VIEW JUNE1990 13 The Orchestra. The Conductor.

You're looking at something The LCD rear] out is instantly updated with unusual in the audio spectrum: a signal from the tuner/preamp, giving you a complete visual report at all times. a series of high -end components and an integrated remote that - 11-ogran your 5 -disc CD changerwith dig- truly work in concert.Intro- ital optical output and 4X oversampling. ducing the Mitsubishi' E-5200 You have control of 360 degrees of Dolby audio system.A system de- Surrougd-sound. Because you can adjust signed so that the amp, tuner/ the volume of two 4 -way speakers with preamp, graphic equalizer, dual laminc_ted drivers the two speakers in the rear. cassette deck, CD changer and speakers on the left are under You can even make adjustments to your total and complete control by the seven -hand graphic equalizer programmable remote on the Turn on a 150 -watt -per -channel" amplifier. right. In fact, we call it a "re- sponding" remote, because un- Have complete control of a dual auto-reterse cassette deek featuring Dolby' B, C, HX Pro" like other remotes ours features and Hi logic controls. an LCD that not only shows you what the system is actually doing Ifs also compatible with all Mitsubishi video but also confirms that the tuner/ products, so you can program your VCR here. preamp has executed your com- 1989 Mitsubishi Electric Saks America. Inc t)oll,'. Surroune! and HX Pro are trademarks of Dolby Lahtrratoni:, mands. So you and your orchestra Licensint Corp "150 -watts per channel minimum RMS. both channeLs driven into 8 ohms from 20Hz-174H: with no ?II Irre than 0.C4.1',", total harmonic distortion For the name of vs In are always in perfectharmony. authorinl lea ley call I S27-8888 cwt

A MITSUBISHI ELECTRONICS TECHNICALLY, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

CIRCLE NO 22 ON READER SERVICE CARD NEW PRODUCTS

ADC The ADC Soundshaper 310 ten -band increase distortion. A sensitivity con- graphic equalizer allows up to 15 dB of trol enables you to keep the analyzer boost or cut in every octave. It includes display centered on the screen regard- anomnidirectionalmicrophone,a less of the signal's volume level. There pink -noise test -signal generator, and a is an EQ-defeat button for instant com- real-time analyzer display. Its switch - parisons. Price: $200. ADC, Dept. SR, able 18 -dB -per -octave infrasonic filter 707 E. Evelyn Ave., Sunnyvale, CA removes signals below the audible range 94086. that otherwise would waste power and circle 126 on reader service card

ZEBRA ACOUSTICS Zebra Acoustics speakers all employ a rounded -edge cabinet design that's said to virtually eliminate diffraction effects. The top of the line is the three-way Z-12 (left), with a12 -inch woofer, 4 -inch midrange, and 2 -inch tweeter. It's rated for a frequency response of 25 to 20,000 Hz and a sensitivity of 90 dB. Dimen- sions are 16 x 31 x 13 inches. The similar Z-10 (not shown) has a10 -inch woofer and measures 13 x 24 x11 inches. The Z-8 (shown on the right) is a two-way system with an 8 -inch woofer ALLEN PRODUCTS and 2 -inch tweeter. Rated response is 45 The Allen Products compact disc and to 20,000 Hz, sensitivity 93 dB, and cassette stand, designed to be placed on dimensions 11 x 19 x 10 inches. The Z-6 or near stereo equipment, shows the (not shown) is a two-way system with a recording you're currently playing. It is 61/2 -inch woofer and a rated response of available in black, charcoal gray, gold, 60 to 20,000 Hz. Nominal impedance is metallic silver, and royal blue with 8 ohms for all models, and the finish is standard lettering in silver, white, and blackash.Theoptionalmatching black. The words "FM in play" show stands, 10 or 20 inches high, come with when no disc or tape is displayed. The carpet spikes and rubber feet. Prices: aluminum stand has padded feet. Price: from $299 to $149 a pair; stands, $50 or $14.95. Allen Products Co., Dept. SR, $60. Zebra Acoustics, Dept. SR, 8332 1509 Adelia Ave. S.,El Monte, CA Bristol Ct., Jessup, MD 20794. 91733. Circle 125 on reader service card Circle 127 on reader service card

MEMOREX The Memorex DSS-100 is a Dolby Surround Sound system that includes a DS -10 four -channel amplifier delivering 5 watts per channel. Its three inputs can be used for a Tv, VCR, laserdisc player, or any other line -level component. The amplifier has a stereo synthesizer that can create simulated stereo sound from mono inputs. A pair of Memorex Series 10 speakers, 45 feet of speaker cable, and an audio patch cable are included with the system. Price: $249. Memorex, Dept. SR, P.O. Box 901021, Fort Worth, TX 76101. Circle 128 on reader service card

16 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 DEUTSCHE GRAKIMOPF ON RCA PHILIPS ARCHIV L'OISEAU-Dr RE ANGEL NEWPORT CLASSIC ,,v/e//tr/iiwit/ j)Peiviie kai

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Heifetz: The Decca Masters, Vol. 1 Copland, Billy The Kid; Rodeo (Complete Into The Woods Bernadette Peters & Humoreske, Clair de lune. Golliwog's Andres Segovia Plays Bach Chiconne. Ballets) St. Louis Symphony S atkin original cast. Title song. No One Is Alone. Cakewalk, many more MCA 00604 Sicilian°. 3 Pieces For Lute. Gavotte en Ron- "Brilliant "- Gramophone Angel many more. RCA deau. more. MCA 63600 41491 61656 Respighi: The Pines 01 Rome: The Foun- Amazing Grace-All tains 01 Rome; Roman Festivals The Salerno -Sonnenberg. Mendelssohil, Violin Time Bagpipe Favorites Cliburn, Philadelphia Orch. Muti Angel 34443 Concerto; Saint-Saens. Rondo cap. iccioso Title song. 16 more lur _iszt 6 Grieg Rachmaninov, Symphony No. 1 Con- Angel 34670 Pro Arte/Fanfare 24616* Piano Concertos Ng 00606' certgebouw Orchestra Ashkenazy "Full Krystian Zimerman: Chopin, Tile 4 Prokofiev. Peter And The Iguana3.4.v.o. of churning, driving energy."-Fanfare Ballades Plus Barcarolle 8 Fantasie in F Wolf: Tchaikcvsky, London 15347*Minor Dramatic "Gramophone DC 15332 Nutcracker Suite Dud- The Academy-By Request Academy of ley Moore. na'rator. St. Martin -in -the -Fields Marriner. Sheep May Ravel. Bolero; La Valse; Rapsodie Espag- Boston Pops Williams. Safely Graze. more. Angel 54094 nole; Alborada del Gracioso Montreal Philips 15137 Beethoven, Symphonies Nos. 2 & 8 Lon- Symphony Orch. Dutoit. London 15199 don Classical Players Nornngton Handel, Music For The "Brilliantly Jascha Heitetz: Bruch, Violin Concerto No. Royal Fireworks: Concerti a Due Cod Nos. executed "-Opus Angel 00466 1 & Scottish Fantasy, Vieuxtemps. Ccncer- 2 & 3 English Concert Pennock. Archie 25375 Rhapsody In Electric Blue Jeffrey Reid to No. 5 RCA 44363. Classic Marches St. Louis Sym. Slatkin. Strauss. Don Quixote; Burleske Janigro. Baker, synthesizers. Rhapsody In Blue. 3 RakOczy March. Turkish March, Wedding cello. Janis piano Chicago Symphony Preludes. more Newport Classic 34647 Ravel, Piano Concerto; Concerto For The Orchestra Reiner. RCA 63643* Left Hand Argench 8 Beroft pianos London March. Radetzky March, more. RCA Emanuel Ax: Beethoven, Piano Conc. Nos. Symphony Abbado DG 15468 Ashkenazy: Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto 1 & 2 Previn, cond RCA 83469 Adams, The Chairman Dances Plus Chris- tian Zeal And Actvity. more. San Francisco No. 3 Concertgebouw Orchestra Haitink. Beethoven, Symphony Pavarotti At Carnegie Hall Symphony deWaart. Nonesuch 00491 -Fabulous Hi-Fi News London 25157 No. 6 (Pastorale); Songs and arias by Schubert. Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale); 2 Gregorian Chant Schola of the more Royal Phil Verdi. Flotow. Liszt. Scz riatti. Hofburgkapelle. Philips 15434 Previn. RCA 43612 others. London 15311 Overtures Academy of Ancient Music Hog - D. Scarlatti, 7 Sonatas; wood. L Oiseau-Lyre 25397 Nazareth, Brazilian Waltzes 8 Tangos Larghetto; more Nar- Dvorak. Mozart, Clar. Conc.; Horn Conc. 1 & 4Arthur Lima. piano. "Record of the Year'. ciso Yepes. guitar. Nev World' Neidich. Jolley Orpheus Chamber Orchestra -Stereo Review Pro Arte 83731* DG 15497 Sym. DG 15481 Handel, Water Music The English Concert Tchalkovsky, C evoland Van Cliburn: Rachmaninott, Piano Sonata Pennock. "The playing is everywhere fresh and Symphony No. 4 Dohnanyi vital "-Ovation Archly 15018 No. 2; Prokofiev. Piano Sonata No. 6; Chicago Symphony more RCA 00607"Stravinsky, Petrouchka; Song Of The OrchestraSolti. Nightingale; more Montreal Symphony London 25038* Dutoit. London 15331 Hoist. The Planets Montreal Symphony Orchestra Dutoit London 15448 Dvotak, Sym. No. 8; more Dohnanyi Cleveland Orch. London 15042

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Vivaldi, 9 Concerti a Ouattro I Musics "A 4241reaialan94,08the(jae must.`- Fanfare Philips 15313 YES! Please accept my membership in The International Preview Society and send me, for 10 Saint-Saens, Symphony No. 3 (Organ) days FREE examination, the 3 selections I have indicated below, Lnder the terms of this offer. I Montreal Symphony Dutoit London 15529 may return them after 10 days and owe nothing, or keep them and pay only $1 (shipping and Bach, Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 4-6 handling addeo to each shipment).I understand thatI m not obligated to buy anything...ever! The English Concert Pennock. Archly25417* Rease send selections or: Berlioz, Symphonic Fantastigue The Compact Disc Cassette * Philadelphia Orchestra Muti. Angel 54244 Write Selection Accardo: Bach, Violin Conc. Chamb. Orch Numbers Here - of Europe. Philips 25162 Vivaldi, 4 Seasons Simon Standage. Mr English Concert Pinnock. Archiv 15356 Mrs Perlman: Brahma, Sonatas for Violin & Miss First Name Initial Last Name (PLEASE PRINT) Piano; more Angel 33760 Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 20 8 21 Address Apt Malcolm Bilson. forteptano. Archly 25208 Tomita's Greatest Hits The Planets. Bolero. Pachelbel Canon. more. RCA 53955 City State Zip Suppe, Overtures Light Cavalry, more Montreal Sym Dutoit London 25219 Telephone ( Ashkenazy: Mozart, Piano Concertos Area Cede Nos. 8 (Liitzow) & 9 (Jeunehomme) London 15418 Signature Beethoven, Triple Concerto Mutter. Ma. Zeltser. Karajan conducts. DG 05319* Members who choose CDs will be serviced by the BMG Compact Disc Club and will receive CD Discovery 19 times a Newman: Bach, Organ Works Prelude R. year (about every 3 weeks). Full membership details will follow with the same -i0-Day. no -obligation, no -minimum Fugue in C. more Newport Classic 34604 purchase privilege. Current BMG CD Club member; not eligible for this offer. Limited to new member.. continental U S A only, one membership per family We reserve the P05 ZFPO5 IPS 6550 E 30th St. Indianapolis, IN 46219 right to request additional irfor mation or Tied any application Local taxes. it any wit be added PJ BF IPS 536'Note: Selections marked () are available on CD only. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON RCA PHILIPS ARCHIV L OISEAU-LYRE ANGEL NEWPORT CLASSIC

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James Galway & Kazuhito Yamashita: ltzhak Perlman: Brahms, Violin Concerto Italian Serenade Charming pieces by Chicago Symphony Orch. Giulini. A Grammy Paganini, Rossini, Bazzini, others. RCA 73824 Award Winner, Angel 63343 The Movies Go To The Opera Great Opera Mozart, Serenade No. 3; more Academy of Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (Choral) themes from Moonstruck. Fatal Attraction. Ancient Music Hogwood "Played with... Kenny, Walker, Power. Salomaa. London Raging Bull, more. Angel 14806 Kiri to Kanawa Sings Gershwin Somebody style."-Fanfare L'Oiseau-Lyre 15000*Classical Players Norrington. Angel 00467 Dvorak, Symphony No. 7 Loves Me. I Got Rhythm, The Man ILove. The Cleveland Orchestra Syncopated Clock & Other Leroy Anderson Summertime, more. Angel 70258 Dohnenyi. "One of the Favorites Fiddle Faddle. more. Kunzel Viennese Rochester Pops. Pro Arte 24767*Michael Feinstein: Pure Gershwin &Won- finest."-Digital Audio Bonbons Maazel der I ul. Embraceable You. Liza. more. London 15018 15287'Ravel, Mother Goose (Complete); Le Tom - Elektra. 54173 Strauss, Also sprach beau de Couperin; Pavane; more Montreal Zarathustra; Der Rosen- Symphony Orch. Dutoit. London 25197 Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik Plus kavalier Waltzes; more. The Pearl Fishers Golden Age perfor- Pachelbel. Canon, more. Academy of St. Mar- Chicago Symphony mances by Jussi Btoerling with Robert Merrill, tin Marriner. Philips 15530 Orchestra Reiner. RCA 63627* Licia Albanese, others. RCA 00992 Itzhak Perlman: French Violin Rags And Riches David Canadian Brass: More Greatest Hits Showpieces N.Y Phil. Mehta. Carmen -Fan- Dusing Singers Bill Bailey Barber. Adagio; Bach. Wachet Aul: more by tasy. Tzrgane. Havanaise, more. DG 15457 Won't You Please Come Home: many more. Gershwin, Bizet. others. RCA 64348 Newport Classic 01036 Anything Goes Broadway revival cast. Title Andres Segovia Plays Rodrigo, Ponce & Ashkenazy: Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto Vladimir Ashkenazy: Mozart, Piano Con- song, I Get A Kick Out Of You. Friendship, Torroba Fantasia para un Gentilhombre. No. 1: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini many more. RCA 43950 certos Nos. 11 & 14 Phlharmonia Orchestra Castles Of Spain. more. RCA 63579 Haitink conducts. London 25153 Ashkenazy. London 25424 Bach, Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-3 Andrew Lloyd Webber, Variations; William The Mystery Of Bulgarian Voices Simon Rattle: The Jazz Album Rhapsody Lloyd Webber, Aurora Julian Lloyd Webber. In Blue, Ebony Concerto, more. London Sin- English Concert Pinnock. "Among the best Bulgarian State Radio 8 TV Female sounding CDs. --Fanfare Archly cello. Maazel cond. Philips 15473 Choir. "Absorbing...haunting."- Fanfare forketta. others. Angel 72226 15541* Nonesuch 01081 The Legendary Enrico Caruso 21 favorite The Digital Fox Organist Virgil Fox plays Fête a la Francaise Montreal Symphony By Request The Boston Pops Williams. arias including Vesti la giubba. La donna e Toccata 8 Fugue in 0 Minor: Widor, Toccata: Orchestra Dutoit. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Olympic Fanfare, many more. Philips25360 mobile, more. RCA 34274*more. Bainbridge more. London 25235 ltzhak Perlman: Mozart, Violin Concertos World's Greatest Overtures 1812. Poet 8 Nos. 3 & 5 Vienna Phil. Levine. "Extraordi- Peasant. Die Fledermaus. Egmont. Academic. narily rich."- Fanfare DG 15146 Flying Dutchman, more Pro Arte 24789* INSTANT HALF-PRICE BONUS PLAN Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2; James Galway's Greatest Hits The Man 6 Etudes -tableaux Evgeny Kissin, piano. With The Golden Flute plays Memory, Angel Of Music, Greensleeves, more. RCA 73233 London Sym. Gergiev. RCA 00915 Unlike other clubs, you get Copeland, Appalachian Spring (Complete); Cortege macabre (from Grohg); more St. SAVE050% off Bonus Savings with 54176 This remarkable $1 offer is being Louis Sym. Slatkin. Angel ysCeDnertiuvebwirthaytoruegr Mozart, Overtures Magic Flute. Marriage Of regular made to introduce you to an Figaro, Don Giovanni, more. Academy of St. 5 outstanding classical music Martin Marriner. Angel 34267 membership-with never any Gershwin, Catfish Row: An American in full -price purchase! Paris, Cuban Overtures, more Slatkin obligation to buy. St. Louis Symphony. Angel 14877 IPS 536 You'll find hundreds of outstanding albums in each issue of the Society's magazine, which will be sent to you approximately 1every 4 weeks. That gives you 13 conve- nient, shop -at-home opportunities a year, NO POSTAGE but there is no obligation to accept any NECESSARY offering at any time. IF MAILED You choose only the music you want! IN THE If you'd like to accept the Main Selection, UNITED STATES you need not do a thing.Itwill be sent automatically. If you'd prefer an alternate BUSINESS REPLY MAIL selection or none at all, just mail back the FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 5071 INDIANAPOLIS, IN Notification Card by the specified date. You'll always have at least 10 days to POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE decide. But if you don't, you may return your Main Selection at our expense. You may cancel your membership whenever you wish, simply by writing to us. Or, re- Q7A-e Ofidallielerea main a member and take advantage of future money -saving bargains. /1,e,eteleCiGiel?* 3 Compact Discs or Cassettes for just Si! PO. BOX 91406 Begin your membership now by choosing INDIANAPOLIS IN46209-9755 any 3 albums shown here for just $1, plus shipping and handling. Send no money now. We want you to judge for yourself before you decide to buy. If not delighted, return your 3 albums at the end of 10 days without obligation. (Shipping and handling added to each shipment.) 1.1..1,111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 NEW PRODUCTS

MILLENNIUM The Millennium line of Power Cell rechargeablebatteriesandbattery chargers from Gates Energy Products is the company's first offering direct to consumers. The two- and four -position battery chargers, called RapidChargers, accommodateC, D, AA, AAA,and 9 -volt batteries. They are said to charge Mil- lennium Power Cells in 3 hours, or 33 percent faster than comparably priced chargers. Prices: Power Cells, $4.99 to $7.99; RapidChargers, $15 to $20. The TRIAD DESIGN Power Cells come with a lifetime guar- Triad Design's System Seven is a antee. Millennium, Gates Energy Prod- three-piece satellite/subwoofer speaker ucts,Dept.SR,P.O.Box23649, system. The midrange driver in each Gainesville, FL 32602. satellite has a 11/2 -inch voice coil, a cast Circle 130 on reader service card basket, and a special magnet structure that's said to provide the advantages of electrostatic drivers without drawbacks such as low sensitivity. The 1 -inch fabric -dome tweeter is isolated from the midrange by a damped, rotating mount- SANUS SYSTEMS ing system. The bass module has a 12 - The NaturalFoundationslineof inch woofer powered by a built-in 70 - speaker stands is the midprice series watt amplifier. Frequency response is from Sanus Systems. The stands in- rated as 140 to 20,000 Hz ±2 dB for the clude a concealed cable path and are satellites and 28 to 110 Hz ± 3 dB for the available in7-,14-, 21-, and 28 -inch subwoofer. The satellites' midrange en- heights. Standard construction is me- closures are 51/2 -inch cubes, and their dium -densityfibercorefinished with height including the tweetersis10 three coats of hand -sanded black lac- inches. The subwoofer isa13 -inch quer. The 14- and 21 -inch stands are cube. Available finishes are lacquered also available with solid oak or walnut light or medium oak and walnut ve- pillars. Downward and upward steel neers or black, white, red, yellow, blue, spikes and neoprene isolation pads are or green textured paint. Price: $975 for included. Price: from $50 to $85 a pair. the system. Triad Design, Dept. SR, 490 Sanus Systems, Dept. SR, 3178 Ryan NE 219th Ave., Troutdale, OR 97060. Lane, Little Canada, MN 55117. Circle 129 on reader service card Circle 131 on reader service card

KRELL DIGITAL The design of Krell Digital's top -loading MD -1CDplayer is said to eliminate virtually all sources of interference. An electronic sensor confirms that aCDis loaded, and a weight centers and stabi- lizes the disc. The transport is based on the Philips single -beam CDM-3 swing - arm motor -drive mechanism, originally developedforCD-ROMapplications. Custom -designed toroidal transformers and two -stage regulation are used to limit internal noise. External noise is said to be minimized by the black acrylic mounting, which prevents extraneous resonances from reaching the assembly, and by the suspension design-each component is made from solid aluminum and mounted to a solid -aluminum base plate. The MD -I has fiber-optic andcoaxialdigitaloutputs.Price: $4,000. Krell Digital, Dept. SR, 20 N. Plains Industrial Rd., Suite 12, Walling- ford, CT 06492. Circle 132 on reader service card

STEREO REVIEW JUNE. 1990 17 SHIRT -POCKET DAT? REPORTED BY BRYAN HARRELL

TOKYO-Two hours of digital Sony intends this format for use During playback, the head drum ro- recording on a cassette the size of a in voice recording (just as Philips tates twice as fast as it does during postage stamp? With a recorder the originally intended its compact cas- recording, allowing the head to scan size of a candy bar? sette format for dictation), and no each segment of the recording twice; Not surprising news in the year doubt thefirstproducts will be the information is stored in a semi- 2001, but quite a thrill earlier this expensive. But considering its high- conductor memory, whereitis year when Sony announced the de- fidelity audio quality and its aston- sorted and compiled for error cor- velopment of just such a technolo- ishing compactness, it takes only a rection and conversion into an ana- gy. Better yet, the company had a littleleap of the imagination to log signal. working prototype to prove it. envision a digital Walkman the size This system not only obviates the Though it will be at least another of a credit card that would more need for the extremely high preci- year until an actual product is put than satisfy the casual listener. sion necessary in conventional heli- on sale, what Sony has created is an Car audio presents another set of cal -scan tracking systems, but it also ultracompact voice -memo recorder possibilities for all but the most dis- enables the simplification of loading using what must be the smallest dig- cerning audiophiles. With increas- and servo mechanisms. In fact, the italrecording medium yet apart ingly complex sound systems being pinch -roller and tape -guide pin are from computer memory chips. The installedin smaller and smaller moved from the transport mecha- tiny cassette measures only 30 x cars, space is becoming more prob- nism to the cassette so that the tape 21.5 x 5 millimeters and houses a lematic than ever. But imagine how pass can be created by inserting the reel of metal -evaporated tape only many of these cassettes could be head drum directly into the cassette 2.5 millimeters wide. More aston- stored in a glove compartment! For itself. The drum pokes into the cas- ishing is the 2 -hour recording time many, the format's advantages may sette only about half way, and tape in a single direction. make its somewhat higher distor- wrap is just 100 degrees. Why this new format may be of tion and smaller dynamic range ac- significance to music listeners be- ceptable. History Repeats Itself comes obvious when you look at the Personally, I look upon this new audio specs: dynamic range of 80 How It Works development with a little nostalgia. dB, frequency response of 10 to Like aVCRor full-sizeDATdeck, When I came to Japan in the late 15,000 Hz-and in stereo. NotCD the memo recorder uses a spinning Seventies, my work required a lot of quality, but better (in terms of dy- head drum, albeit one only 14.8 travel between Tokyo and Osaka namic range) than existing stereo millimeters in diameter. The big on high-speed shinkansen express FMand better than low -price analog difference, however, is Sony's new trains. To make the frequent jour- cassette machines. nontracking(NT)playback method. ney more pleasant, I fitted a good pair of headphones onto a small cassette recorder and enjoyed stereo music tapes in mono. The unit was a Sony Pressman, one of the most compact available at the time. Although the sound wasn't great by home standards, it was quite good considering the convenience. Better yet, I could slip the machine in a coat pocket and listen to music while walking. A year or two later, Sony released the first Walkman, which was essentially a stereo playback -only version of the Pressman, but with a shiny blue finish.I can't help but think that once Sony markets a voice recorder in this new format, audio renegades will start using it for music. Who knows? The rest may be

Sony's digital memo recorder with a 100 -yen piece (slightly larger than a nickel) history.

18 STEREO REVIEW.P.INE 1990 ADVER SEMF THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL AUDIO IS BEING SHAPED BY TECHNICS TODAY.

multi-stage ADVERTISEMENT Technics MASH 1 -Bit Multi -Stage Noise Shaping Technology

What is MASH Technology?

MASH technology, quite simply, is a using 16, 18 or more bits, MASH uses only conventional converters, errors create noise. radically new solution to the most stubborn one bit to perform its task. This leads to the As a result, MASH is digital audio technology problem in compact disc sound reproduc- elimination of the errors that plague of the highest caliber. In fact, MASH chips are tion-the conversion of analog signals from wp among the most sophisticated audio circuits the digital domain. With the creation of a new ever manufactured; Figure 1 shows a conversion system-MASH, or Multi -Stage photograph of a MASH chip. Noise Shaping-we have taken a giant step Compact disc players with MASH toward realizing the true potential of digital Technics digital -to -analog circuitry are able to convert audio. And this cutting -edge technology is the digital data contained on CDs into cleaner, °Am tIN6474 available from Technics. WI purer musical waveforms. This results in MASH converter technology uses a I9 measured specifications that are superior to revolutionary method to perform conversicns those of other conventional CD players. of digital signals into analog audio (D/A), a Someday, all digital audio devices may use method that obsolesces all previous D/A OR* vott* circuitry as sophisticated as that employed in conversion techniques. Instead of employing '11 MASH. Technics has made this new conventional "multi -stepped" converters Figure 1 technology available today.

The Musical Benefits of MASH

Although audio engineers love to devise compared to that of a MASH 1 -bit circuit. In a reduced to an extremely small value. This few of them truly represent conventional circuit, low-level signals suffer kind of sonic precision a breakthrough in sonic performance. MASH an increase in distortion due to the amplitude the hallmark of MASH technology. is just such a breakthrough. Foremost is the of a larger signal. MASH circuits are largely Where conventional converters use extremely clean audio signal which is output free of this distortion. analog technology, MASH uses digital from a MASH circuit. While other converters With MASH, very soft sounds such as technology. It enjoys all of the advantages that suffer from low-level nonlinearity and offset the ambience in a concert hall are more make digital audio superior to analog audio. errors, MASH is virtually free of these defects. accurately reproduced, and elements of For example, conventional converters must As a result, low level signals are reproduced louder sounds such as the harmonics of rely on laser trimming or manual adjustments with great accuracy, even in the presence of musical instruments sound more faithful to of analog components to provide accurate high-level signals. Figure 2 shows the distor- the original. Throughout the entire MASH performance. As a result, performance varies tion characteristics of a conventional circuit circuit, at all listening levels, distortion is from unit to unit; the unit you purchase may not measure up to the one that was reviewed. 019.1. INsIoNion ed 1-031 DAC 00101 Nk. 01.1aellon In noNianao Ladder DAC With MASH, the digital processing is

NO NO sskinIN NO 310 TN IN Ma NS DI 330 precisely duplicated in each unit, yielding

3010. excellent consistency. This high precision (000 a_ ON. -NA - so a MASH technology allows design engineers to .0000 a push the sonic performance almost to the 1010 -ra -Ills theoretical limit. Conversion inaccuracy has been DIN identified as the primary deficiency in the -NO -A, 040 0.00 current generation of digital audio hardware. 041.1 However, many manufacturers have continued to use conventional converters, increasing the Figure 2 number of bits and adding compensation

Technics ADVERTISEMENT circuits to improve their operation. As these microprocessors, both performance and circuits become more and more complicated, reliability are greatly increased. they become more subject to error and failure. Because of its better design principles In particular, conventional converters suffer and real -world robustness, MASH performs from degradation due to aging, vibration, significant'y better than conventional heat, and humidity. Often, a compact disc converters. For example, conventional player satisfactorily adjusted at the factory converter nonlinearity can reach several dB at will be out of adjustment by the time it a -90 dB signal level. MASH circuits deliver reaches the dealer's shelves. The superior unprecedented linearity, even at extremely low MASH digital conversion system, however, levels, as shown in Figure 3. And MASH eliminates many of these deficiencies and is technology will continue to deliver the same not affected by normal environmental Figure 3 precise audio performance time after time, changes that plague conventional circuits. even in the harsh conditions to which Because arithmetic processing is performed portable and automotive audio products are by digital signal processing (DSP) subjected

A Simple MASH Analogy

MASH is a highly sophisticated system. A certain switch combination will not room is half of the maximum. If the bulb is technology. It is not easy to see how one bit always produce the desired room brightness. turned on more than it is off, the average level can take the place of 16 or more bits. As the bulbs age and their output varies, the of brightness will increase and vice -versa. Fortunately, a simple analogy may be result can deviate even more. Similarly, Similarly, MASH uses only one bit to produce employed to explain the operating principle conventional converters introduce error as any level of sound. The one bit in the MASH behind MASH 1 -bit conversion. they attempt to reproduce the audio signal. D/A conversion method is analogous to the Conventional digital -to -analog converters, MASH 1 -bit technology uses a radically one hign-intensity lightbulb being either on using a sequence of resistors, are like a row new approach. Instead of many bu'bs and or off. Because the timing is very accurate, of lightbulbs, each connected to a switch. switches, only one high -intensity bulb, and the switching very fast, and only one level Sixteen bulbs, for example, each with a one sophisticated high-speed switch are step required, MASH produces sound with different brightness, can be lighted in various used. Room brightness is varied by simply virtually no audible error. The advantage over combinations to achieve many levels of room switching the bulb on and off. For example, if a system with many bulbs (or bits), and the brightness. In fact, 216, or 65,536 different the bulb is always off, the room is dark, and if need to adjust for their relative levels is clear. levels of brightness could be achieved. But the bulb is always on, the room is very bright. One -bit technology is an inherently more relative differences in individual bulb If the bulb is on half the time and off half the accurate method of converting digital data to intensities will introduce error into the time, the average level of brightness in the an audio waveform.

Technics ADVFRTIFMFNT

The Technology Behind MASH

MASH is a highly computational algorithm processes the requantization error, Ilistraton Of Ttansfir Olorrarint, method, using the precision and reliability causing it to decrease dramatically in the For Sin* Pir6ock PWM Was, eon, n

inherent in highly advanced digital signal audible audio band. As shown in Figure 5, the V processing. It specifically addresses a in -band noise (from 0 to 22.05 kHz) for a 16 - difficult problem in D/A converison known as bit conventional converter (line A) is much requantization noise. When digital data is higher than for a MASH circuit (line B). converted to an analog waveform, an error or Higher noise levels far beyond the audio band 1. noise is introduced into the signal. This noise are eliminated by output smoothing filters. As is significant, especially when measured at a result, the audio requantization noise -floor

low signal levels. MASH uses a technique is lowered significantly. 01 00 T. known as noise shaping to reduce this noise. This DSP technique allows a signal to Figure 6 In fact, MASH is an acronym derived from the be conveyed with a fewer number of bits per term, Multi -Stage Noise Shaping. Using a sample. Yet the signal itself retains the MASH performs the conversion in terms of multi -stage technique, the signal passes performance level of many more data bits. To time-an inherently more accurate method. through both first -order and second -order accomplish this, extremely high oversampling Instead of requiring an accuracy of 216 noise shaping stages to achieve third -order rates must be employed. In the MASH along the amplitude axis, MASH outputs only noise shaping, as shown in Figure 4. This system, different oversampling rates are two values (high and low); no adjustments are possible. For example, the SL-PC45 CD required, and in principle no differential error player uses a 32 -times oversampling rate. is produced along the amplitude axis. Precise Some versions of MASH use even higher switching is obtained along the time axis by _, , sssss sampling rates. Through noise shaping and using a quartz -crystal oscillator for the clock high -order oversampling, noise is reduced to signal. Looked at in another way- levels below those possible with conventional conventional conversion is an analog type of methods. conversion, whereas MASH is a digital MASH uses pulse -width modulation conversion. Hence it is more precise. A (PWM) to deliver the noise -shaped audio MASH circuit can easily achieve the signal to the output stages. The digital audio performance of 18- or 20 -bit conventional signal from the noise shaper is in the form of converters, and deliver that performance with Figure 4 11 -value data. It in turn is converted into consistency that is otherwise impossible. pulses each having a width corresponding to Because only one bit is used at the one of the eleven values. The width of each PWM output and a simple low-pass filter is pulse determines the average amplitude of the employed for smoothing, problems with output waveform, as shown in Figure 6. For conventional converters such as differential example, a narrow -width pulse would nonlinearity, zero -cross distortion, offset produce a low average amplitude signal. This error, switching noise, and the need for 1 -bit pulse switches at a staggering rate of deglitching circuitry, are avoided entirely. 33.9 MHz, or 768 times the original sampling Instead, the digital data is converted into an frequency. It is this fast and accurate signal audio waveform with truly digital precision. that controls the "light switch," that is, Although it is a highly complex method, there reconstructs the audio waveform. By is a great elegance in the MASH 1 -bit Figure 5 converting the signal in terms of amplitude, approach.

Technics Leadership

A technology as superior as MASH methods, and other 1 -bit methods. Technics Telephone Company (NTT)*. cannot exist too long without competition. has extensive experience in this new MASH offers many significant Other manufacturers have worked hard to technology. While other manufacturers have advantages over conventional conversion devise their own 1 -bit conversion methods rushed their 1st generation 1 -bit chips to methods, and is far ahead of the 1 -bit similar to MASH. And although imitation is market, Technics is now employing its 3rd offerings of other manufacturers. Clearly, the highest kind of flattery, it doesn't always and 4th generation chip sets. In fact, Technics Technics is the leader in 1 -bit digital audio measure up. In this case, Technics maintains began research on MASH in 1984, in technology-a future technology that is here advantages over both conventional conversion collaboration with Nippon Telegraph and today.

*Note: Technics developed the MASH 1 -bit DAC. NTT (LSI Labs) invented MASH technology. NTT has applied for trademark registration for MASH. Technics ADVERIISMIL NI

CD players and changers from Technics musicalaccuracy through MASH Technology

"Thanks to technology such 3S that contained in MASH circuitry, CD playback has never been better. In particular the Achilles Heel of CD players, low- evel nom -linearity, has beenovercome. A Technics MASH PS70 CD player I recently measured showeda 90dB non -linearity error of 0.0dB compared toa 2- or 3 -dB error typical in conientional players. This is an incredible technical achievement." Ken C. Pohlmann, Author of The Compact Disc Handbook

"The SL -P370 [usir g MASH 1 Bit Technology] is obviouslya first-rate product, as nearly "state of the art" as any I know of, and surely one of the top values in home CD players."

Julian Hirsch, Hirsch -Houck laboratories STEREO REVIEW April 1990

Technics Technics, Inc.1 Panasonic Way Secaucus, NJ 07094 ANYCD CHANGER CAN CHANGE DISCS. THE ONE WILLCHANGE THE WAYYOU HEMMUSK. Technics introduces MASH* one - throughout the louder passages as well. 3 -inch or 5 -inch discs, they also bring bit technology. And because MASH delivers wider you music for hours. Any way you like. When you (and your friend) sit dynamic range, the expanded distance Continuously. Only selected tracks. down to hear music, you want as much between the very quietest and loudest Random play from all discs. Or random glorious sound passages can give you more of the only from selected tracks. All under the MAS H with as little of directness and dramatic impact of the direct control of the wireless remote. multi -stage noise shaping anything else original performance. With the virtual You can even - thanks to its top - as possible. elimination of zero -cross distortion. loading design - change 4 discs while Technics' MASH digital -to -analog The net effect is that you're that the fifth keeps playing. Because when converter system not only helps improvemuch closer to the music. And that you and a friend are having such a rich low-level reproduction during quiet pas- much further from distractions. experience, who wants the music to stop. sages, it also brings you more accurate Of course, since all our CD reproduction of the harmonics in music changers play any combination of five Technics Technics developed the MASH one bit DAC NTT (LSI Labs) inventedMASH ter houlogy NI I has applied for Irddenkok regvArahon for MASH The science of sound CIRCLE NO. 181 ON READER SERVICE CARD CAR STEREO

woofer amplifier, and frequencies over 80 Hz are passed through a pair of phono jacks to another power amplifier. For example, you could use two M-2060's-one in mono mode for the subwoofer, the other in stereo mode for the midrange and high frequencies. The biamp mode is a great feature-amplifiers from some other manufacturers require a separate crossover for this kind of setup. Also, if an 80 -Hz crossover point doesn't suit your system, you can shift the frequency through internal modification. Buried deep inside the amplifier is an infrasonic filter, which attenu- ates 3 dB at 15 Hz to eliminate use- less (and detrimental) woofer flap- ping. Of course, the M-2060 also contains protection circuitry that shuts down the amp in case of short- ed speaker leads, thermal overload, or other stressful conditions. At the other end of the chassis, far away from the audio wiring, is a ter- minalstripwiththreelugsfor ground, power, and a remote turn - CARVER M-2060 on lead so that the amplifier can be automatically powered via the on/ POWER AMPLIFIER off switch of a head unit. There is also a 10 -ampere fuse and a power - by Ken C. Pohlmann, Hammer Laboratories onLED.Because car amplifiers are usually tucked away in the trunk, FORmany people, a simple trols, inputs, and outputs are all theLEDis useful mainly as a diag- cassettereceiver and four arranged along one end of the chas- nostic tool, to make sure the unit is loudspeakers is sound sys- sis. A terminal strip provides four being powered. tem enough for a car. But the lugs for outputs to loudspeakers as As with many other Carver power addition of an external power am- well as three lugs (left, right, and amplifiers, the M-2060 uses propri- plifier can represent a tremendously common) for high-level inputs. The etary Magnetic Field technology in- cost-effective step toward better fi- latter are used only for connecting volving an unusual switching power delity; higher sound -pressure levels the M-2060 to a receiver that has no supply that monitors the power de- can be achieved, and, more impor- line -level outputs. Normally, inputs mands of the music and selects one tant, relative distortion is reduced. are handled through a pair of line - of three bipolar power -supply rails You don't need a monster amplifier level phono jacks. to suit the signal's voltage needs. In to realize the benefit-a reasonable There are two screwdriver holes this way, power is used only on amount of power will suffice-but on the end of the chassis that permit demand, so less power is used over- the amp should be versatile enough input -sensitivity adjustments from all. Because of its decreased average to meet your installation needs. The 250 my to 4 volts, a wide enough current draw, the amplifier's size Carver M-2060 is precisely on tar- range to accommodate virtually any and weight can be diminished, and get, providing a pair of channels upstream unit. Two recessed push- it runs more efficiently and cooler rated for 60 watts into 4 -ohm loads buttons allow for mono and biam- than conventional amps. And that as well as sufficient inputs, outputs, plified operation. The mono button reduces the burden on the car's elec- and bridging options to fit any exist- bridges the stereo channels, creating trical system, allowing the user to ing car audio system. one 120 -watt output channel. The add more amplificationwithout As with most car power ampli- biamp button engages an electronic needing a higher -capacity battery or fiers, its appearance is strictly no- crossover at 80 Hz, with a slope of a modified alternator. nonsense. The metalchassisis 18 dB per octave, that splits the A look inside the M-2060 re- crowned by heat sinks, and the input signal into low- and high -fre- vealed a combination of integrated paint job is flat black to assist in quency bands. The low band is fed circuits and discrete components, heatdissipation.Operating con- to the M-2060, so it becomes a sub - with many high -quality parts, in -

STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 25 "Model Eleven...Exquisite Sound...Dwarfs Any Portable Stereo ...A High lech Wonder...Thumbs Up:' Doug Simmons-The Village Voice MODEL ELEVEN BY HENRY KLOSS Fits under airline seats -23 lbs. Can be checked as luggage. Cambridge SoundWorks' Works on all electrical systems. Model Eleven is the world's first Delivers the full range of music. transportable full -range, high per- Is backed by a unique formance component system. It 5 -year warranty. consists of a powerful 3 -channel Makes an ideal Father's Day am lifier and two "satellite" or graduadon gf t. nu -frequency speakers-all Introductory pa in a tugged "BassCase"T" Price: $599 that, when empty, serves as the sys- Valid until sound virtually identical tem's subwoofer. Model Eleven's July 1,1990 to our acclaimed performance, when coupled with your Ensemble" speaker system. portable CD or tape player,* * rivals that Model Eleven can be used virtually of the most expensive component sys- anywhere in the world -115- or 230 -volt, tems. And because we market it directly 50 or 60 Hz AC or 12 -volts DC. Because the from our factory, it costs hundreds less than entire system fits under an airline seat-or it would in stores. can be checked as baggage-you can take it just about anywhere. But Model Eleven's sound is so good, so "big' you may want to 11117hedthrts used in Model work Kith a room's acoustics for optimum keep it home. It's an &yea nuo-iwysatelate performance. Remove the satellite speakers, &peakersare no- ideal second (or first) coromise, htgh- amplifier and your portable CD player from music system fora iWorrnancc BassCase. Place the satellites where they comp:was-just like study, bedroom or jtvihapect tafrd in the create a musical "stage" near ear level. Put kitchen. At $599t we finest homespeaker the BassCase where it reinforces low fre- .til/SteMS don't know of any quency output-on the floor, even behind combination of furniture. The result is musically accurate components near its Performance that rivals the price (transportable best home component systems. or not) that approaches its sound quality. Until now portable music systems were, at best, a compromise. Even the most I !my Klosscreated thedaminant speaker modelsof thc 50s AR), expensive ones lack the deep bass necessary '60s (KLMand '70s vidirn0 -as. twit as ourhOlvacclaimed for full, natural sound. But Model Eleven Evernbk an d Ambiance"speakers. Whik pack* a sterro.,system aztoa suitcase befa or a vacation. he realized that an curviffier a C7) delivers the all-out performance previously pi@ rrand nivsmall speakas take up thesanr space trquiredfor found only in high quality home component an acousticsuspension nn?ferto reproduce trallyclecp bass.prat lituthonspinraanfor Tiocsrace, model EkwaN. bass*raker systems. Its three speakers are designed to tnclostar ninth doublesas theentar sjsam .carryiqg case.

"We Know Of No Small Speaker That Surpasses The Overall Sound Of Ambiance 40Hz region than any "mini speaker" we've Ambiance encountered. Stereo Review magazine BY HENRY KLOSS described Ambiance as "...beautifully balanced, delivering a frill -size sound image Ambiance is an ultra -compact speaker with not a hint of its origin in twosmall that proves high performance, small size and boxes...vety few small speakers we have low cost need not be mutually exclusive. heard can match the overall sound of Ambiance is ideal for bedrooms, dens, dorm Ambiance, and we know of none that rooms...or for use as an extension speaker surpass it." Available in Nextel or primed or in surround sound systems. While no for painting for $109 eacht, orin solid oak speaker of its size can provide the same low for $129 eacht -backed by our 30 -day Amhtance &an alma -compact speakcrthat panrshtghpetfomiance, bass as our Ensemble and Model Eleven money-backguarantee-direct from Anal six and lowcost need not be mutuallyarlasiir. systems, Ambiance has more output in the Cambridge SoundWorks. "Cambridge SoundWorks May Have The Best Value In The World. AWinner." David Clark-Audio Magazine Ensemble BY HENRY KLOSS Not all the differences are as obkious as our two subwoofers. Ensemble is a speaker system that can Unlike seemingly similar systems, provide the sound once reserved for the best Ensenule uses premium quality components speakers under laboratory conditions. It for maximum power handling, individual virtually disappears in your room. And crossovers that allow several wiring options because we market it directly, it costs hun- aid cabinets ruggedly constructed for dreds less than it would in stores. proper acoustic performance. Nk even Ensemble consists of four speaker units. .Id -plate all the connectors to prevent limo compact low -frequency speakers repro- corrosion. duce the deep bass, while two small satellite Unkkesatellite.rystems which use a silt* Inv sulmogfer: Ensembkfeatiors separate units reproduce the rest of the music, making :ompact bass unitsrfor each stow channel it possible to reproduce 71zgfit morcgracef*intoxiglAilig environment, and he0 mininziee the effras just the right the listemiwroomN.standitg naves. amount of enerty in each part of the 30 -day money -back musical range satisfaction guarantee. without turning At only $499 t -complete with your listening Avoid all hardware and 100' of speaker room into a stereo Price cable,-Ensemble isthevalue on to- showroom. Increase day's speaker market.Esquiremaga- Orderby zine describes them by saying, ,You get July 1,1990 a month to play with the speakers oefore you either return them or keep Your listening ture. The satellites can be hung directly on them. But you'll keep them:'Stereo Review room works with Ensemble, the wall, or placed on windowsills or shelves. said "It's hard to imagine going wrong with No bulky speaker boxes dominate your living Ensemble." For literature, reviews or to order, not against it. space, yet Ensemble reproduces the deep write us at the address in the coupon, or call No matter how well a speaker performs, bass thatnomini speakers can. 1-800-AKA-H1F1. * at home the listening room takes over. Ifyou put a conventional speaker where the room can help the low bass, it may hinder the I'Lcement0most upper ranges, or vice-versa. Ensemble, on nacernentformon* Placement Jiv bass nynfivremenr orn more ikWIIIICICOUStk" the other hand,takes advantageof your fin. m mac Itc6 refrOrement C014,111W(MdCOITIer J p. m avwfs frIpliNITMentS room's acoustics. The ear can't tell where I T bass comes from, which is why Ensemble's Z.V,~Irart bass units can be tucked out of the way-on 1bu can put finsanbles low:frequency units =4 whew they shouldgofol superb bass. lbucant do this with conwntional the floor, atop bookshelves, or under fumi- speakas bccauseirou haw to be concerned about the upperfirquencies comingfrom the same enclasuirs as the low ones.

CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS Our toll -free number connects you to su,,, 1021 I5iisWonua St .N0A1011, Masbachusetis rIly Model Eleven... a Cambridge SoundWorks audio expert. He ID Send more information and test reports. or she will answer all your questions, send Send Ensemble risk -free for 30 days, for $499. Or Ensemble... literature and reviews-or take your order Send Model Eleven risk -free for 30 days, for $599.1 nd (qty) Ambiance (Nextel), for $109 ea. f (you can use Visa, MasterCard or American OSend_ (qty.) Ambiance (Primed), for $IN ea: t Or Ambiance... Express) and arrange shipment via UPS. El Send_ (qty) Ambiance (Oak), for $129 ea. Your Cambridge SoundWorks audio expert I'm paying byEl Check 0 MC O Visa AmEx . Risk Free For 30 Days will continue as your personal contact with us. Ara. Number Exp *9AM to midnight (ET), seven days a Signature Call 1-800-AKA-HIFI* week. In Canada, call 1-800-525-4434. Name Fax: 617-332-9229. Outside the U.S. or (800-252-4434) Address Canada, 617-332-5936. City State Zip All Cambridge SoundWorks products © 1990 Cambridge SoundWbrIts. *Ensemble is a regis- Phone (Area Code) Number are sold only factory direct. This allows you tered trademark of Cambridge SoundWorks 'llasccase, FOR IMMEDIATE SERVICE: 1-800-AKA-HIFI. to save hundreds of dollars and audition our Ambiance, Model Eleven and Cambridge SoundlAbrics are MA residents add 5% sales tax. products theitghtway-in your home trademarks of Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc. Ensemble f Plus freight (Ensemble $8-$27, Model Eleven $6-$16, review quote reprinted with permission of Audio Magazine, for 30 days, with no risk, no sales person Ambiance $4-$12). Delivery time usually 2-7 days. © 1989 Diamandis Communications. We ship worldwide, including APO & FPO. hovering nearby. * *CD player not included in Model Eleven system. -J CIRCLE NO. 157 ON READER SERVICE CARD CAR STEREO eluding precision resistors. Parts are nect the head unit's line -level out- power output. While musical details mounted on a single circuit board, puts to the amplifier's inputs with are obscured under road conditions, and output devices are pressed to high -qualityaudioleads.(Good an amp's ability to deliver clean the bottom of the heat -sink area, leads are important in a car audio wattage, and lots of it, can be plainly where the chassis is polished to bare installationto guard againstin- evaluated. Once again, I was well metal to enhance heat conduction. duced noise, the bane of mobile satisfied with the M -2060's ability Construction quality was good, but electronics.) The amplifier was ini- to pump out clean listening levels. we noticed two last-minute resistor - tially configured as a two -channel For example, the new London re- capacitor pairs soldered to the cir- unit, driving a pair of Nakamichi cording of Shostakovich's Eighth cuit board by pigtails-not the ideal SP -65Cfull -range loudspeakers. Symphony engineeredbyColin technique for a mobile audio prod- Subsequently, to evaluateitsbi- Moorfoot captures a dynamic live uct subject to long-term shock and amping abilities, we used it to drive Chicago Symphony performance vibration. Price: $370. Carver Cor- a pair of Nakamichi SP -80 8 -inch that demands the utmost from an poration, Dept. SR, P.O. Box 1237, subwoofers while another amplifier audio system. The third movement Lynnwood, WA 98046. handled the front speakers. In both (a favorite test cut of mine) has tre- cases we were careful to adjust the mendous transient and frequency - Installation M -2060'ssensitivityfor optimal response demands, and the M-2060 The M-2060 was installed in the performance. For those unfamiliar was able to cope nicely under most front trunk of my Porsche 911 Tar- with this simple procedure, the M - conditions. The orchestra and solo ga, the amplifier's chassis firmly 2060's owner's manual gives excel- instruments sounded clean and nat- mounted to the floor of the trunk lent step-by-step advice, and itis ural, with particularly good brass. using the supplied screws. We were clear and helpful in all other re- Less winning was the string sound, careful to allow clearance under the spects as well. whichwassomewhathardor unit for air circulation (a higher pinched to my ears. Under driving standoff inthe mounting -bracket Road Tests conditions,theamplifiernever design would havefacilitated My road tests always start in the showed any evidence of noise or mounting over carpet). As with any garage with some careful static lis- interference problems. installation, we prudently discon- tening. Over the years I've installed As you might expect, a 60 -watt countless combina- amplifier can only do so much. At then attached a short ground lead, a tions of audio equipment in my high levels,itplainly ran out of remote turn -on lead, and a power 911, with results that vary all over steam, and distortion rose quickly. lead to the battery. A common point the map. But over time I've come to That is not a criticism of the M- was used for the ground leads from know exactly what that car sounds 2060; it's a question of how much the amplifier and other audio com- like; in a matter of minutes after an you want to spend on power. In fact, ponents to prevent ground loops. In installation, I can make a pretty fair the high performance of the M-2060 addition, we isolated the amplifier's appraisal of the component under is a good argument for adding one chassis from the signal ground by test. In this case, it was immediately or two of these amplifiers to your rubber grommets on the mounting clear that the M-2060 amplifier was system. The extra power is particu- brackets. highly competent. For example, in larly important for loud listening Carver recommends inserting an the fine new Delos recording of Bar - under high ambient -noise condi- in -line fuse in the power cable (but talc's Miraculous Mandarin, engi- tions such as sustained highway doesn't supply either fuse or cable), neered by John Eargle, the intricate driving. and we followed that advice, using a musical details were distinctly audi- Under most conditions the M- 10 -gauge cable with a 20 -ampere ble, and I got an excellent sense of 2060 clearly excelled. Its sound was fuse located close to the battery ter- the Seattle Opera House. In particu- smooth and dynamic, and it had the minal. Of course, we were careful to lar, the percussion, celeste, and or- ability to drive speakers cleanly to allow access to the amplifier's con- gan were almost as forcefully con- the limits of its power delivery. It nections and sensitivity controls. veyed as by my home system. offers highly useful options such as We used a Blaupunkt New York Of course, the true test of a car biamplification and mono bridging. SCD 08 CD tuner as the head unit, amplifier is on the open road, where Its intelligent design minimizes the making it a simple matter to con- the ambient noise requires a. high burden placed on a car's charging and battery system, and in our tests it was free of induced noise. In LABORA I OR\ N1E 1St TREMENTS short,it appears that Carver has 1,000 -Hz output power at clipping: Maximum distortion (20 to 20,000 been successful in bringing its home with 14.4 -volt power supply, 51 Hz at half rated power into 4 (and commercial) power -amplifier watts into 8 ohms, 66 watts into ohms): 0.36% at 20,000 Hz, 30 technology to the car. With technol- 4 ohms; with 12 -volt power watts output ogy like this available at a moderate supply, 35 watts into 8 ohms, 52 Sensitivity (for a I -watt output into price, anyone can raise the perform- watts into 4 ohms 4 ohms): 33 to 279 my Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 A -weighted noise (referred to a ance of his car audio system by a Hz +0, -2.1 dB l -watt output): -88.4 dB substantial notch. Circle 139 on reader service card

28 &FERE° REVIEW JUNE 1990 rr

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TECH NOLOGY. CIRCLE NO. 165 ON READER SERVICE CARD AUDIOScA

ry at your disposal, you would be able to or an outboard D/A converter, is essen- bv Ian G. Masters store just under 6 seconds of stereo dig- tially a version of the raw data from the ital music; a 40-mb hard disc would disc. What happens at this point is not hold just under 4 minutes of material- influenced by the now -unused circuitry hardly enough to preserve your vinyl in the player. Audio and Computers collection. I am interested in acquiring some Advanced storage techniques, digital Qform of in -home analog -to -digital compression, and recordable optical Extra Amp4fiers (AID) converter and connecting it to my media may all make what you want to Q I am currently operating two sets of personal computer so I can store my do possible in the future, but that's still speakers, front and rear, from a extensive vinyl collection on hard drive down the road a bit. 100 -watt integrated amplifier.I also or floppy disc. Being able to call up own a second integrated amp that has music from any album in any order as slightly lower power, and I would like to easily as retrieving a file would be a Conversion Cornpatzbil- ay' use this to drive the rear speakers. The dream come true. Is this possible? Q Now that1 -bitdigital -to -analog second amplifier has preamplifier out- MICHAEL J. COLCLOUGH (D/A) converters are appearing in puts and power -amplifier inputs, but the Courtenay, British Columbia various audio components, would it be main amplifier does not. How can I set possible to connect the digital output of up my system to do what I want? AItmight be possible-technical- say, a 20 -bit CD player to the input of an MICHAEL WARD ly-but it would hardly be practi- amplifier containing its own 1 -bit DIA Chester, WV cal given today's levels of computer converter? memory. A little arithmetic will illus- DON NAKAUCHI A The most direct method would be trate the point: The A/D converters used Honolulu, HI PI to use your lower -powered ampli- in producing compact discs sample an fier as the control center (it could still be audio signal 44,100 times a second, and ANo problem. Whether the conver- used to run the rear speakers if you each sample results in a "word" of 16 sion process uses 16 bits, 20 bits, or require more power in front). Buy a pair bits (or, in conventional computer par- 1 bit is a function solely of the D/A con- of male -to -male Y -cords with RCA lance, 2 bytes). Thus, every second's verter, and the digital output of a CD plugs on both ends. Connect the single worth of recording requires 88,200 player bypasses the converter built into ends to the pre -out jacks on the first bytes of memory, and that doubles for the player. What goes to the second amplifier and one of the other ends to stereo. So for every megabyte of memo- component, whether it is an amplifier each of the main -in jacks. This ampli-

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CABLE VCR CDV TUNER AMP CD ABLE VCR CDV TUNER ALr P CD DAT TV CABLE VCR CDV TUNER AMP CD DAT 'TV CABLE VCP TUNER AMP CD DAT TV CABLE VCR CDV TUNER AMP CD DA Tr .'1/11 AuDIO&A fier will now operate normally. The oth- four tracks of mono rather than the er, one opera is likely to leak into another plugs should be connected to one set usual two stereo programs, halving the er to an unlistenable degree. Rather of line inputs (auxiliary orCDor tuner) number of tapes I'd have to carry? than go through all this, why not just on the second amplifier; connection to MICHAEL HOOVER ELIOT buy longer tapes? Handled carefully, C - its tape -monitor jacks would work as Cleveland, SC 120's work just fine. well. This arrangement would allow you to set the system up once, balance the AAlthough you might be able to do two amplifiers' levels, and forgetit; this, it wouldbetricky and is not yn ng13 o la afterward, the input, level, and tone really advisable. Switches could be in- QMyCDplayer is a model that is controls of the first amplifier would serted to interrupt the signal to the indi- known to invert the polarity of its control both. vidual sections of the recording and output. After reading about absolute If, however, there's a particular rea- erase heads, and this would allow mono phase, I decided to reverse the polarity of son you want to continue using the 100- recording; on playback you could sim- my speakers, and the sound from my watt amplifieras your control center, ply turn the balance control all the way CD'Simproved dramatically. But then whether because of added features or over to the channel you wish to hear. my LP's sounded worse. Short of buying greater flexibility, you can still do it by Butinstalling suchswitches would a new one, is there a way to invert the feeding the signal from one set of tape- mean opening up the recorder and delv- polarity of myCDplayer so that both out jacks on this amplifier to a high-lev- ing into its guts, and this is never a good sources will be in proper phase? el input on the other. You will still be idea (if nothing else, it would certainly BOBFINK able tolistento the same sources void your warranty). Beachwood, OH through both, but now you will have to Even if you do decide to doctor your control their levels independently. machine this way, the sound would AYou might do it by using isolating probably be well below par. Noise levels PI transformers, butit would be a and dropouts would be adversely af- good deal easier to invert your phono Mono Cassettes fected by using only half the track cartridge by switching the leads in the QI'mplanning a trip to Europe, and width, and the closeness of the tracks in headshell. That's if youreallythink it I would like to take along a porta- each direction might well result in unac- makes a difference. Even if the polarity ble tape player and cassettes of some ceptable amounts of crosstalk. Cross- inversion is audible, it is hard to believe favorite recordings. Since most of these talk doesn't matter too much in stereo, it would be an improvement on all discs are old mono opera recordings, could I as both tracks carry versions of the since there is no universal polarity stan- adapt the cassette machine to record sameprogram; with your setup, howev- dard for recordings. El

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every day. In the studio I may watch are blurred: You get things like arti- by Ken C. Pohlmann as a producer synthesizes string ficial -sounding classical recordings parts, then drops them into a new with close miking, hundreds of tape pop tune. In the lab I might demon- splices, and overdubbed parts. strate how to perform a spectrum Therein lies the problem. Pop analysis. In the concert hall I might music rules the market; its sound is listen to a rehearsal of Beethoven's everywhere. As a result, the pop Ninth. Sound like fun? You bet it is. sense of reality has infiltrated many But there's also a big problem- other aural environments. Close each of these realms is exclusive of your eyes and listen to television; the others. It is virtually impossible you'll notice how unreal it sounds to reconcile their differences. compared with the world around A studio recording of a pop song you. That's because the production is a wholly manufactured artifact, techniques seek to emulate the pop often without any basis in perform- perspective. Next time you're listen- ance. Parts are recorded across pa- ing to a concert (in a concert hall), rallel tracks without regard for their take out a dollar bill and rustle it human, instrumental, or synthesiz- between your fingers. You'll get nas- er origins. The signals on these ty looks from other people because tracks are processed during both re- the sound is so loud. Then repeat cording and mixing, then balanced the experiment at home. Chances througharepetitive,automated are you won't be able to hear the process in which the console, at the sound because at home you listen at final stage, does the mix itself. The a much higher average volume. In result is, by design, an artificial crea- fact, we grossly distort most classi- WHAT IS REALITY? tion. The recording itself is the mu- cal music during playback by raising Pr sic. Once the recorded song is made, the volume to levels never imagined it will never be made again. If the by the composers. In both cases, the the Universi- song is ever performed, the objec- pervasive, exaggerated, hyper -real ty of Miami, where I di- tive will be to reproduce the sound soundofpoprecordingshas rect the music -engineer- of the recording. changed our sonic expectations. ing program, is rather In the concert hall, musicians per- As audio technology rockets to- unusual. It has three doors, each form from a published score, fol- ward the twenty-first century, pop leading to an entirely different part lowing the interpretive guidance of music will expand into entirely new of the audio world. The first door the conductor. A recording of their forms of recording and playback. leads to a recording studio with a performance is documentation of While this creativity and discovery thirty -six -input console, a twenty- an acoustical event, made with little is important for pop,it may be four -track recorder, and a digital or no signal processing. To be suc- entirely inappropriate for other mu- editing system. This is a place where cessful, the recording must convey sic and media. All of which brings music is manufactured according to the impression of hearing the per- us back to the third door and the the latest trends in our pop culture. formance as it actually existed in engineers in the lab with their own It is a place where the combined tal- the hall. While some recordings be- little reality. ents of musicians, producers, and come legacies, it is the music itself Formerly, their task was to repro- engineers come together to hone the and the spontaneous conditions of duce some kind of reasonable fac- cutting edge of the recording art. its performance that are prized. simile of the original signal. Today, The second door leads into a six - These two listening experiences audio technology has largely hundred -seatconcerthallwith are in total opposition. A pop re- achieved that goal and thus must acoustics well suited to classical cording should sound artificial, be- move on to higher concerns. Engi- music. Musicians and conductors cause it is; it has no basis in any neers must create future consumer assemble on the stage and meticu- prior creation. A classical recording audio systems with different kinds lously rehearse great compositions should sound live; it is a re-created of hardware and software, tailoring from the past in preparation for live event. Put on a pop recording and them to the kind of music the equip- performances. It is like a shrine to listen: The compressed dynamic ment will record and reproduce. our classical culture. rangeandelectronicprocessing With any luck, audio technology The third door leads to an engi- present an aural perspective entirely will splinter into specialties; only in neering laboratory where audio cir- unlike everyday sound. Now put on that way can individual musical re- cuits are designed, constructed, and a classical recording. If it is properly alities be preserved. Only then can repaired. Music isfar from the recorded and produced, the per- listeners maintain fidelity to their minds of this room's inhabitants. spective will be very different. The perspectives and choose the kinds Instead, this is a world of oscillo- two recordings are based on entirely of sonic realities they wish to hear. scopes and soldering irons. different realities. Problems occur Or, in the case of my office, which I pass through each of these doors when these different kinds of reality door to go through. 0

32 STEREO REVIEW JUNE. 1990 plus shipping handing with membership Details r), PLUS A CHANCE TO GET ONE MORRICDFREE! Pi& Ayr

JOEL

OIL MOOT

Tom Petty -Full Moon Fever. Eric Claptor -Journeyman. Billy Joel -Storm Front.Bobby Brown -Dance...Wiley Crue-Dr. Feeigood. Paula Abdul -Forever Your Title cut plus Without You Girl. Cold Hearted. Straight Free Fallon, Love Is A Long Road. Bad Love. Pretending. Old We Dtdn t Start The Fire. Va Know It. On Our Own: more (LICA) 402.602 TnT. etc (Elektra) 387.944 Up. more (Virgin) 374.637plus many more (MCA) 382.184 Love, etc (Werner Bros) 400.457 more (CDIurnbia) 387.902 Karma -World Beat (Epic) Lenny Kravitz -Let Love Robert Palmer - The Bost Of Luther Joey Defrancesco- Alannah Miles (Atlantic) Vandross-The Best Of Where Were You? 404.475 402.800 Rule (Virgin) 401.893 Addictions. Volume One Marvin Gaye -Greatest ilsland) 400-937 Love (Epic) (Columba) 404-939 George Harrison -Best Bost Of Procol Harum 400.473/390.476 Hits (Motown) 367-565 Blue Oyster Cult -Career 01 Dark Horse 1976-1989 (A&M) 344.457 XYZ (E nigma) 402.024 (Dark Horse) 402.594 Kenny G Live (Arista) 01 Evil: The Metal Years Joni Mitchell -Blue David Benoit -Waiting 401-505 (Reprise) 365.411 The Byrds-Greatest Hits (Columbia) 404.871 Crosby, Stills, Nash And (Columbia) 342.501 For Spring (GRP)401.901 Jeffrey Tate -Haydn Young-Deja Vu (Atlantic) John Wesley Harding Traffic -John Barleycorn Bad Company -I0 From 6 Rush-Fresto (Atlantic) Symphonies No 99 In Flat 404.202 Must Die (Island)364-935 (Sire/Reprise) 404 509 (Atlantic) 341.313 401.695 & 101 In D "The Clock" Chamber Callowey-All The Way Jim Croce -Jim Croce Van Morrison -Astral Pat Benatar-Best Shots Live. The Final Tour (Sala) Weeks (Warner Bros ) A Decade Of Steely Dan Orchestra (Angel) 402.537 (Solar/Epic) 404-491 (MCA) 341.073 (Chrysalis) 401.646 403.154 364.901 Enrique Batlz-The Michelle (Ruthless) Best Of Kansas' Yo -Yo Ma -Great Cello 404.483 Jimi Hendrix -Early LIttle Foat-Dxie Chicken Afternoon Of A Faun Sym. (CBS Assoc) 327.742 Concertos (CBS Master) Orch 01 The State Of Classics (Warner Bros) 363-515 401.604 Flashback -Original (Special Music Co ) Joe Cocker -Greatest Mexico (Musicmasters) Soundtrack (WTG) 404-400 402.677 Best Of The Doors Hits (A&M) 320.911 Best Of The Canadian 402.255 (Elektra)357.616/397.612 D.R.1.-Thrash Zone Brass (CBS Masterworks) Alice Cooper -School's Meths Franklin -30 Motown's 25 Mi Hits Benny Goodman -Benny (Enigma/Metal Blade) Out (Warner Bros )402-644 (Motown) 319.996/399.998 401-596 Goodman' Private 404.012 Greatest Hits (Atlantic) Eagles -Live (Elektra) 350.793/390.799 Elton John -Greatest Hits Best Of The Grateful Collection/ Beethoven. Earth, Wind 8 Fire - 400- 713/390 716 (MCA) 319-541 Dead (Warner Bros) Brahms, 5 Weber Heritage (Columbia) Rolling Stones -Exile On 291.633 Berkshire Quartet/Leon Joe Cocker -Mad Dogs Main Street Creedence Clearwater 404 004 Best Of The Dooble Bros. Pommers. Piano And Englishmen (A&M) (Rolling Stoner, Rec ) Revival -20 Greatest Hits (Musicmasters) 3rd Bass -The Cactus 389-783 350.652 (Fantasy) 308.049 (Warner Bros) 291.278 Album (Def Jam/Columba) 402-214/392-217 Rolling Stones -Sticky Simon 8 Garfunkel - Brahma: Violin Concerto; 403.436 Tommy Bolin -The The Best Of Emerson, Ultimate (Geffen) Fingers (Roiling Lake 8 Palmer (Atlantic) Greatest Hits (Columba) Bruch: Concerto No .1 The Kinks -UK Live 389.486/399-485 Stones Rec) 350-645 306-969 219- 477 Nadja Salerno - (MCA) 403.303 The Band -To Kingdom Jody Watley -You Wanna Barbra Strersand-A Paul Simon -Negotiations Sonnenberg; Edo De Queen Lattfah-All Hail Come... The Definitive Dance With Me? (MCA) Collection: Greatest Hits And Lowe Songs Waart and Minnesota The Queen (Tommy Boy) Collection (Capitol) 402-610 (Columbia) 401.141 (Warner Bros) 400'721 Orch (Angel) 400-135 403.287 388.181/398.180 The Fixx-One Thing The Best Of The Dregs - r Leads To Another (MCA) Divided We Stand (Arista) 402.974 386.979 NO POSTAGE Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger (Chess) NECESSARY 379-677 IF MAILED Grateful Dead -Skeletons From The Closet IN THE (Warner Bros) 378.406 Roy Orbison-The All - UNITED STATES Time Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 (Columba Special Prod ) 377.945 The Who -Who's Better, Who's Best (MCA) 376.657 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL Son Of "MOODS Go To Jerry Lee Lewis -18 FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO 660 TERRE HAUTE IN The Open" -Various Original Sun Greatest Hits Artists (Angel) 404-665 (Rhino) 369.108 POSTAGE WILL BE PAID B" ADDRESSE( Dave Grusin -The The Very Best of Poco Fabulous Baker Boys (Epic) 367623 Soundtrack (GRP) 402.958 Louis Armstrong -The Best 01 The Decca Year!. The Singer (Decca) Columbia House 402.941 Chunky A -Large And In Charge (MCA) 402.875 1400 NORTH FRUITRIDGE AVENUE Oran "Juice" Jonas -To Be Immortal (OBCL) TERRE HAUTE, IN 47812-9202 402-784 Gipsy Kings-Mosaique (Elektra/Musiaan) 402727 Milli Vsniiii-Gin You Livingston Taylor -Life Is Know It's True (Arista) Good (Crat) 402.669 379-610 Elliot Easton -The k.d. tang And The 11111 1 1111111111 1111111111111111111111 ..... 1.1.1.1.1 Collection (EMI America) Reclines -Absolute Torch 404-863 & Twang (Sire) 381.624 Young MC -Stone Cold Rhymin'. Bust A Janet Jackson -Rhythm Nation 1814. Aerosmith-Pump. Love In An Eievator, The 13 -52's -Cosmic Thing. Love Shack. Move; Non -Stop, etc (Delicious Vinyl) 400.085 Miss You Much; plus more. (A&M) 388.918 Janie's Got A Gun; etc (Geffen) 388.009 Roam; plus many more (Reprise) 383.877 AND A CHANCE TO GET ONE MORE CD -FREE! ANY 8 CDs FOR A PEN plus shipping/handling with membership Mark Knopfler-Last Exit Taylor Dayne-Can't Fight Don Henley -The End Of Roxette-Look Sharp! To Brooklyn (Warner Bros ) Fate (Arista) 388017 The Innocence (Geffen) (Parlophone) 381.939 389.536 Belinda Carlisle - 383.802 Youssou N' Dour -The On The Cutting Edge George Benson - Runaway Horses (MCA) Elaine Elias -So Far So Tenderly (Warner Bros ) Lion (Virgin) 384.362 400-788 Toad, The Wet Sprocket Red Hot Chili Peppers - Close (Blue Note) 387.530 -Pale (Columbia) 404.889 384.214 DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Reba McEntire -Live Mother's Milk (EMI) The Blue Nile -Hats 389.205 Dino -24/7 Anderson, Bruford, Prince -And In This (MCA) 400.739 (4th & Broadway/Island) Wakeman. Howe (Arista) Corner (Jive/RCA) 400.838 (A&M) 404.525 Big Audio Dynamite- Joe Satriani-Flying In A 387.415 384115 Julia Fordham-Porcelain Megatop Phoenix Don McLean -For The Blue Dream (Relativity) (Columbia) 388.215 24-7 SP4Z-Harder Than 400.655 (Virgin) 404418 Batman -Prince's Memories Volume 1 8 2 You (In Effect/Relativity) Original Soundtrack (Gold Castle) 401.224 They Might Be Giants - Camper Van Beethoven 387.373 Lee Rittenour-Color Rut -Key Lime Pie (Virgin) (Warner Bros) 383.885 (GRP) 400.051 Flood (Elektra) 404.376 388.074 Jimmy Buffett -Off To Dave Grusin -Migration Paul Carrack-Groove See The Lizard (MCA) (GRP) 403.044 Approved (Chrysalis) Squeeze -Frank (A&M) 387.340 388.0i8 Nick Lowe-Basner. The 401.257 Dave Edmunds -Closer Best Of Nick Lowe Kate Bush -The Sensual Chris Isaak-Heart To The Flame (Columbia) 400002 World (Columba) 401.232 Shaped World (Reprise) (Capitol) 387.126 386.144 Michel Camilo-On Fire Erasure -Wild! The Beach Boys -Still (Epic) 389.999 (Reprise/Sire) 400.820 Paul Kelly And The Cruisin' (Capitol)387.092 The Psychedelic Furs - Messengers -So Much Earl Klugh-Solo Guitar Water So Close To Home Joe Cocker -One Night (Warner Bros) 389.932 Book 01 Days (Columbia) Of Sin (Capitol) 387.084 400.689 (ABM) 384.321 Michael Bolton -Soul N.R.B.0.-Wild Weekend Whitesnake-Slip Of The (Virgin) The Alarm -Change Bryan Ferry / Rosy Music Tongue (Geffen) 387.027 Linda Ronstadt-Cry Like Provider (Columba) 389.882 -Street Life (Reprise) A Rainstorm, Howl Like 383.083 (I R S ) 400-465 Randy Travis -No Holdin' 384.230 ZIggy Marley & The The Wind (Elektra) 389.874 Joan Baez -Speaking Of Back (Warner Bros) Indigo Girls -Strange Fire Melody Makers -One (Epic) 400.333 Peter Gabriel -Passion Dr. John -In A Dreams (Gold Castle) 389.767 Bright Day (Virgin) 386.987 Max 0 (Atlantic) 400.077 (Geffen) 383810 Sentimental Mood 401.216 Terence Trent D'Arby- Harry Connick,Jr. (Warner Bros ) 384.040 Neither Fish Nor Flesh Lloyd Cole & The When Harry Met Sally - Chicago -Greatest Hits The Residents -The King Commotions-1984-1989 Diana Ross -Working 1982-1989 (Reprise) (Columbia) 389.726 And Eye (Enigma) 400036 Music From The Motion (Capitol) 383.778 Picture (Columbia) 386.821 Overtime (Motown) 401.166 Bob Dylan -Oh Mercy Laurie Anderson - 383984 (Columbia) 389.262 St range Angels Pixies -Doolittle (Elektra) Dvorak: Violin Concerto: Do The Right Thing - 382.887 Pat Metheny Group - Original Sound Track (Warner Bros) 389.940 Romance: Carnival Over. Carpenters-Lovelines Midori, Mehta, NY Phil. Letter From Home (Geffen) Featuring: Branford (A&M) 388.942 Vitamin Z -Sharp Stone The Cure -Disintegration (Elektra) 382.093 (CBS Master) 386.573 383.901 Marsalis (Columbia) Bad English (Epic) Rain (Geffen) 389.601 Spyro Gyra-Point Of 401.117 10,000 Maniacs -Blind Mozart: Symphony No 41 View (MCA) 383.463 Ian McCulloch- (Jupiter); Divertimento 383.737 Barry White -The Man Is Candleland (Sire/Reprise) Man's Zoo (Elektra) 382.077 No.1,K136. Muti, Berlin Back! (A&M) 388.843 389.593 Phil.(Angel) 386.466 Indigo Girls (Epic) 381- 269 Liszt: Piano Sonata, The Jesus And Mary Patti LaBelle -Be 3 Petrarca Sonnets, more. Chain -Automatic Lou Reed -New York Yourself (MCA) 386.334 Vladimir Feltsman, Piano (Warner Bros ) 389.551 (Sire) 378.216 (CBS Master) 388.538 David Byrne-Rei Momo Babyface-Tender Lover R.E.M.-Green (Solar/Epic) 386.177 (Sire) 389.494 (Warner Bros) 375.162 Rickle Lee Jones -Flying Marshall Crenshaw - Cowboys (Geffen) 388199 The Smithereens II R.E.M.-Eponymous Good Evening (Capitol) Yellowjackets-The Spin 389.387 (I R S ) 374.777 (Warner Bros) 386.110 (MCA) 388173 Bee Gees -One Quincy Jones (Owest) Jethro Tull -Rock Island Soul II Soul -Keep On Rolling Stones -Steel (Warner Bros) 386.060 Basia-London, Warsaw 8 389.577 (Chrysalis) 388.157 Mom' (Virgin) 386.037 Wheels (Rolling Stravinsky: Firebird; New York (Epic) 401.752 Billy Ocean -Greatest Nell Young -Freedom Grateful Dead -Built To Stones Rec ) 387.736 Jeu de Cartes. Esa-Pekka Bonham -The Disregard Hits (Jive/RCA) 400.879 (Reprise) 388.132 Last (Arista) 388.025 Yo -Yo Ma/Stephane Salonen, Philharmonia Of Timekeeping The RippIngtons- Lou Gramm -Long Hard Elton John -Sleeping Grapeill-Anything Goes. (CBS Master) 385.203 (WTG) 383.497 Kilimanjaro (GRP) 400.853 Look (Atlantic) 388108 With The Past (MCA) Mostly Cole Porter Tunes Gloria Estefan-Cuts Richard Marx -Repeat Melissa Etheridge - Tracy Chapman - 387.993 (CBS) 387-845 Both Ways (Epic)382.341 Offender (EMI) 380.915 Brave And Crazy (Island) Crossroads (Elektra) Tina Turner -Foreign Cher -Heart Of Stone Selections With two numbers contain 2 CDs and count as 2 - 388.090 387.951 Affair (Capitol) 387.118 (Geffen) 383-893 so write in both numbers nThe age of CD sound is here -and you have a practical way to find the CDs you want. As your introduction to the Club. you SEND NO MONEY -JUST MAIL POSTPAID CARD Send these 8 CDs for 14 can diffuse any 8 CDs listed in this ad -all 8 are yours for only 1C, plus shipping and handling. And in exchange, you simply Columbia House, 1400 N. Fruitridge agree to buy 6 more CDs (at regular Club prices) in the next 3 P.O. Box 1129, Terre Haute, IN 47811-1129 years -and you may cancel your membership anytime after doing so. Please accept my membership application under the terms outlined in this How the Club works: About every four weeks (13 times a year) advertsement. Send my 8 Compact Discs and bill me only le, plus shipping you'll receive the Club's music magazine. which describes the and handling. I agree to buy six selections at regular Club prices in the coming Selection of the Month -plus many exciting alternates, new hits and old favorites from every held of music. In addition. up three years -and may cancel membership at any time of ter doing so. to six times a Year, you may receive offers of Special Selec- My main musical interest is (check one): (But l may always choose from any category) tions, usually at a discount off regular Club prices, for a total of 0 Hard Rock 0 Soft Rock D Modern Rock 0 Pop up to 19 buying opportunities. Eric Clapton. Richard Marx. Psychedelic Furs. Barbra Streisand. If you wish to receive the Selection of the Month, you need Joan Jett Paula Abdul Midnight Oil Barry Manilow do nothing -a will be shipped automatically.If you prefer an alternate selection, or none at all, fill in the response card 0 Heavy Metal D Black Music 0 Easy Listening D Country always provided and mail it by the date specified. You will Motley Crue, Luther Vandross. Johnny Mathis. 0Jazz always have at least 10 days in which to make your decision. If Skid Row Regina Belle Ray Connell CI Classical you ever receive any Selection without having 10 days to decide, you may return it at our expense The CDs you order during your membership will be billed at Mr. Extra Bonus Offer: regular Club prices. which currently are $1298 to $1598 -plus Mrs also send one more CD shipping and handling. (Multiple -unit sets may be somewhat Miss Print First Nome Initial Lost Nome right now, for which I will be higher) After completing your enrollment agreement you may billed only $695. cancel membership at any time: if you decide to continue as a member, you'll be eligible for our bonus plan. It lets you buy one Address Apt CD at half price for each CD you buy at regular Club prices 10 -Day Free Thai: Well send details of the Clubs operation with your introductory shipment If you are not satisfied for any City ...and I'm entitled to get reason, return everything within 10 days and you will have no this extra CD FREE! further obligation. Store Zip Extra Bonus Offer: As a special offer to new members, take one additional CD right now for only $6.95 This discount_rour- Do you have a VCR? (04) 0 Yes 0 No 210/F90 Do you have a credit card? (03) YesEl No chase entitles you to choose an extra CD as a bonus FREE And you'll receive your discounted CD and your bonus CD with More e.e reserve tne Net to tamer any avocation in. cancei any marnbershp inese otters not availabie n APO FPO Alaska. Karma Puerto Roo none lot detatts or altemanve diet Canscuan resaients serviced Iron, Toronto ApeAtcabie 9FW/F6 9FXJ59 your 8 introductory selections -that s 10 CDs in all, Send no sates era. added to al, orders money now -lust mail the card c. 1990 CBS Records Inc (XLUMBIA INCSE:11Tre Haute. I\ 47811 more users are integrating their TV Specialized components and audio systems. In many cases, this means replacing the television setitself with one that includes to enhance stereo more advanced audio capability or addingavideocassetterecorder with appropriate circuitry. Alterna- performance-the tively, some buyers add to their systems an outboard MTS decoder capable of receiving the stereo sound ninth ina series on broadcast with more and more TV programs and of capturing the second audio program, or SAP, as well. the basics of audio. The SAP function, which forms part of the stereo -Tv standard, has been relatively little used so far, but it enables broadcasters to add com- BY IAN G. MASTERS mentary or simultaneous transla- tion to television programming. Combined audio/video systems can also take advantage of the sur- THE main building blocks of round sound, or Dolby Surround, a stereo system are fairly effects encoded in many videocas- simple: one or more signal settes and videodiscs. The system sources, some form of con- uses a form of matrix to add am- trol section, an amplifier to boost bient sounds to a conventional ster- the signaltousablelevels, and eo soundtrack, which can be re- speakers or headphones to turn it all trieved on playback by an appro- back into sound. These basic func- priate decoder. A number of televi- tions may be accomplished by a to a conventional audio system. sion sets and VCR'S include sur- small number of components, each These are often lumped together as round -sound decoders of some sort, of which does several things, or the signalprocessors,althoughthe as do a few A/v receivers, but these system may be made up of a greater range extends beyond the manipula- are often fairly simple circuits. To number of separate pieces of equip- tion of electrical signals. Whatever carry the Dolby Surround logo, a ment that do only one. Either way, they are called, they constitute a sig- decoder must provide certain mini- what happens to a signal on its way nificant addition to the hi-fi arsenal, mal functions, but the most ad- from a tape or a disc to your ears although not everylistenerwill vanced circuitry is usually found in doesn't vary a lot. want or need them. outboard units. These vary consid- For many listeners, however, the erably in features, but the most elab- usual techniques and capabilities Making It Do More orate ones include outputs not only are not enough. Some wish to fine- One of the major developments for the stereo music tracks, a center - tune the performance of their exist- in audio has been the increase in channel dialogue track, and the rear ing components, while others sim- high -quality sources, and a number ambience signals but for at least one ply want their systems to do more of new components have become subwoofer output as well. Some also than a conventional stereo setup available to allow access to them. include low -power amplifiers for can manage. For both purposes, a For instance, the chronically low the dialogue and ambience signals host of devices, both active and pas- quality of television sound is largely and variable time delay for the rear - sive, are available that can be added a thing of the past, and more and channel material. The bestalso

STEREO REVIEW JUNE 199033 Believeit or not, compact disc for the car has been around awhile. There are even a chosen few who could actually afford to buy one. Well, now car CD is really here. Because Pioneer has advanced the technology so far and created a line of players so extensive that now it's possible for anyone to afford the clarity of digital CD sound. It begins with our new single- play CD systems. You'll love the high power as much as the price. But try that puts multi -play CD, AM -FM tuner not to overlook the detachable and cassette all at your fingertips faceplate. An innovative security with a remarkable wireless remote. feature we recently developed There's much more, of course. for added convenience. - And to And while we're on the sub- find out,

- -If- - ject of convenience, Pioneer's call us 6 -disc multi -play changers let at 1-800-421-1404. We'll send you a you enjoy hours of uninterrupted free copy of our new brochure. As music while you drive. well as direct you to a Pioneer dealer near you, who will be glad to show you Plus they can be easily added to our complete line of car CD systems. your car without replacing your After all, he's been waiting for this existing audio system. moment just as long as you have. For those who want it all, we also offer an incredible 3 -source system CD PIONEER" C(1990 Raw. ElwiranKs (USA) Inc.. Long Booth. CA CIRCLE NO. 31 ON READER SERVICE CARD ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF CAR CD. FIVE YEARS AFTER IT WAS INTRODUCER THE. BASICS

have Dolby Pro Logic circuitry, that enables the user to listen to a operated from many different loca- which directs the dialogue exclu- signal before combining it with the tions. The most advanced such sys- sively to the center channel, provid- others in the overall output. tems involve considerableextra ing a stable image from any listen- For most audiophiles, the need to wiring from room to room, but ing position. combine signals in this fashion oc- much the sameeffectcan be The surround -sound experience curs rarely, if at all. Far more com- achieved by using a remote exten- has also led a number of manufac- mon, as the number of possible der, which picks up the infrared sig- turers to produce components that components that can be incorpo- nal from a normal remote control in can create a similar effect from nor- rated into a system rises, is the need one location and sends the code by mal (nonencoded) stereo sources. to accommodate extra pieces of wire to a retransmitter with the Such ambience enhancers are some- equipment. Various switchers are equipment in another room. times combined withsurround - available to meet this need, en- Since many of today's audio com- sound decoders, but free-standing abling you to add extra signal pro- ponents are provided with remote enhancers exist as well. Most use cessors or tape decks or just increase controls, it is quite common to have digital signal processing (DSP) to three or four separate devices to create simulations of various acous- operate a single system. To reduce tic environments, from cathedrals the confusion this can cause, a num- to intimate jazz clubs, by electronic ber of companies produce system means. In a sense, the aim of am- remotes, which can operate a num- bience enhancersistocreate a ber of separate components using "three-dimensional listening experi- only one keypad. These work well ence" akin to the four -channel, or as long as all the equipment is made quadraphonic, systems of the Seven- by the same company, but that's ties, but unlike those systems (and rarely the case. For systems made unlike Dolby Surround), ambience up of equipment fromseveral enhancement is a single -ended func- sources,auniversalremote,or tion that doesn't require an encoded learning remote, may be the answer. signal to work with. As with sur- Such controls can be programmed round decoders, ambience devices to emulate the functions of almost require at least two extra speakers any infrared remote control, what- and channels of amplification. ever the source, and often permit a fairly complicated system to be con- Managing Signals trolled completely with asingle Not all users of audio equipment handset. are content to take a passive role, just listening to (or watching) their Curing Audio Ills equipment. Active audio is usually Perhaps the commonest sort of concerned with making recordings, add-on components arenot de- and one of the most useful addition- signed to increase the number of al components for this is the mixer, things a system will do but to which can combine signals from improve the performance of exist- several sources and vary their rela- ing equipment. Such devices may tive levels. The simplest versions be active (that is, electronic) or pas- are microphone mixers, which ac- the number of inputs your system sive, but all are aimed at optimizing cept signals from two or more mi- can accommodate. For the truly the sound from a stereo system. crophones,combinethem,and complex system, it is even possible Among these add-ons is possibly boost the output to a level compati- to buy a patch panel or patch bay the most misunderstood compo- ble with the line -level inputs of a that operates like an old-fashioned nent in audio: the equalizer. Basical- tape recorder. Often each input can telephone switchboard to route au- ly elaborate tone controls, equaliz- be controlled by a pan pot, which dio signals from one component to ers fall into two categories: graphic distributes the mono signal from another. and parametric. A graphic equalizer the microphone to both stereo out- The need to route a signal may divides the frequency spectrum into put channels in differing amounts, also extend well beyond the main a number of fixed bands, each one enabling you to place the sounds it components themselves as more withits own slider control that picks up anywhere on the perceived and more audiophiles build systems allows the signal in that band to be stereo stage. Most mixers also in- intended to be enjoyed throughout increased or decreased by as much clude one or more stereo line -level the house. A number of multiroom as 12 dB. The positions of the slider inputs, enabling you to combine, system controllers have sprung up controls form a rough visual repre- say, voice and recorded music. The for this purpose in recent years, sentation of the equalizer's frequen- most elaborate mixers also provide ranging from simple remote speak- cy -response curve, hence the name output -level meters, a master level er -level controls to complex devices "graphic." control, and a cue or preview system that enable the "host" system to be The most basic graphic equalizers

36 STEREO REVIEWPNE 1990 Not For Sale

Years ago, I was working my way through med school and bought my first system. The only place I splurged was on speakers.I bought a pair of KLIPSCH.HERESYs; but to save money I got them in unfinished wood cabinets. Now I'm a doctor and, frankly, making some bucks. So I recently went back to the same dealer and dropped a bundle for all new electronics and a different brand of speakers. When I set up the new equipment, I wanted to hear the improvement, so I hooked up the old HERESYs next to the new speakers. I was quickly disappointed. The old HERESYs sounded a lot better than the new speakers. They just had more life and clarity.I felt like I had wasted my money on speakers. My dealer was great about it. He let me exchange those speakers for a beautiful new pair of KLIPSCHORNs: They have the biggest, most lifelike sound I've ever heard. The old HERESYs? I'm not sure what to do with them but they're definitely not for sale. Neither are the KLIPSCHORNs.

For your nearest KLIPSCH dealer, look in the Yellow Pages or call toll free, 1-800-395-4676.

Iciipscn A LEGEND IN SOUND' P.O. BOX 688 HOPE, ARKANSAS USA 71801 CIRCLE NO 2 ON READER SERVICE CARD THE BASICS

offer five bands of control, but some sometimes required to remove ra- The digital age has given rise to its professional models divide the spec- dio -frequencyinterferenceabove own type of add-on component, de- trum into as many as thirty bands, the audio range. signed to isolate the digital parts of a each one-third of an octave wide. While equalizers vary thefre- compact disc player from its analog Perhaps the most common format quency response of a system, anoth- elements, reducing possible interfer- for home use is the octave equalizer, er sort of add-on works on the ence in the process. Several audio in which ten controls are provided, dynamic range.In environments lines now include outboard digital - corresponding to the approximately with high ambient noise levels, the to -analog (D/A) converters, linked to ten octaves of the audio spectrum. quiet passages in a recording may the digital output of a CD player Eight -band and twelve -band equal- become inaudible. To overcome either by coaxial or fiber-optic ca- izers exist as well. Parametric equal- this, a compressor can be used to ble. A number of integrated ampli- izers are much less common than reduce the spread from highest to fiers contain their own D/A convert- the graphic variety. They typically lowest levels. On the other hand, ers for the same reason. divide the spectrum into a smaller signals that have been heavily com- Nonelectronic additions to an au- number of segments, usually two or pressed to begin with sometimes dio system are common as well. three, but the width and center fre- benefit from use of an expander, These include special acoustic treat- quency of each band can be varied which increases dynamic range. Of- ments for problem rooms, spikes to to allow very sophisticated spectral ten, both functions are included in a improve the physical coupling of shaping. single component. speakers andother components Equalizers of either sort are useful with the surfaces they sit on, vari- to correct for spectral imbalances in ous types of specialty cables to con- recordings or equipment (especially nect the components together (par- speakers) or, to a lesser extent, to ticularly the amplifiers and speak- smooth out acoustic anomalies in a ers), and stands to place speakers in listening room. In special circum- the proper relationship with the lis- stances,such as recording from tening room's floor and the listen- worn or peculiarly balanced recorder's ears. ings, equalizers can also be a creative tool for improving the sound of Necessary Additions flawed material. Many listeners use Most extra components are op- equalization(commonlyabbre- tional, but there are instances in viated EQ) to alter the sonic charac- using"conventional"equipment ter of music to their taste, often by where the choice of a particular boosting the bass frequencies to model demands the use of an add- create a more impressive sound. on to make it work. One example While equalizing to taste is a valid already mentioned is the dedicated use, it does represent a decrease in equalizer. Another is the moving - fidelity and may overdrive an am- coil (MC) phono cartridge, which plifier if taken too far. usually produces an output much In addition to broad -band equal- lower than that of a standard mov- izers, there are specialized versions ing -magnet design and so requires a as well, designed to perform specific boost if it is to be used with normal tasks. One is the dedicated equaliz- inputs. Many preamplifier sections er: A few speaker manufacturers de- now include special MC inputs to sign their products to be used in take care of this, but many do not. conjunction with a specific equaliz- One area where extra equipment In such cases either a special trans- er tailored to compensate for non- can pay the highest dividends is in former or an MC head amplifier linearities in the transducer. Anoth- the reception of FM radio. The addi- (also sometimes called a pre -pream- er sort of specialized equalizer is a tion of an antenna is almost always plifier) must be inserted in the sig- filter, designed to remove certain worthwhile, whether ahigh -gain nal path between the phono car- unwanted signals. An infrasonic fil- rooftop model or a directional in- tridge and the preamplifier input. ter (often incorrectly called sub- doorvariety.Specificreception Similarly, some speakers are de- sonic) may be included in amplifiers problems can also be corrected by signed to be biamplified, a process with very good low -frequency re- the use of such devices as an anten- in which each driver is powered by sponse to remove signals generated na booster, which is a radio -fre- its own amplifier. To accomplish by warps in vinyl records; these quency amplifier that strengthens this, an active (or electronic) cross- extremely low -frequency signals are low-level signals (and, occasionally, over must be used to divide the sig- not audible, but they are capable of noise along with them), or an atten- nal into the proper bands before the using up a good deal of an ampli- uator, which cuts back the level of amplification stage. fier's power reserve and generating strong local signals that might cause distortion. At the other end of the overloading of thetuner's early NEXT: Video-the newly respectable spectrum,ultrasonicfiltersare stages. home -entertainment medium.

38 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 I.. L LLLL LL L ILLAtIcI(LLI_

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ProPerformer Series Loudspeakers: Maximum musical performance in a minimum size. The same grand scale sound that has made JBL's larger speakers the No.1 choice of recording studios, concert halls, clubs and rock stages worldwide is quite at home in the ProPerformers. The only limit on their performance is your imagination. They fit anywhere...from the living room to the kitchen to the workshop to the office. The choice is yours. There are ProPerformer Series Loudspeakers and subwoofer combinations to match your musical desires. Come in and audition JBL ProPerformer Series Loudspeakers and bring pro sound home.

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sure, but at best the results were not sense of physical pressure that hard- byJulian Hirsch very good andrarelyproduced lyanyof thelargerspeakers much clean fundamental output be- achieved. Other program material low 50 or 60 Hz. A few large "infi- was also reproduced with excellent nite -baffle" systems, from compa- quality, althoughit was obvious nies such as Bozak, could reach that the 8 -inch "tweeter" was not of down another octave, though not the same caliber as the AR woofer. always smoothly or with low distor- A more fundamental disadvantage tion. The redoubtable Klipschorn, of the acoustic -suspension system stillmanufactured today, gave a powerful bass output down to 40HZ When I heard the Acoustic or a little below, but at considerable cost in space and dollars. Research AR -1 speaker at the Villchur's "acoustic -suspension" 1954 Audio Fair, I felt speaker had a relatively "floppy" suspension, resonating well below certain that I had heard the the audio range. The speaker was future of highfidelity installed in a small sealed cabinet, sound in the home. As it and the stiffness of the enclosed air supplied most of the restoring force turned out, I was right. for the cone and voice coil, a force that is normally provided by the cone's physical suspension. In con- was its low efficiency, which made trast to physical suspension, the air the speaker difficult to drive with had an essentially linear compliance contemporary amplifiers limited to THE AUDIO TIME even for very large excursions. 15 or 20 watts. Even the large MACHINE The acoustic -suspension design, amplifiers of the day, such as the together with a long -throw voice McIntosh MC -50, could easily be coil and an edge surround that driven into clipping at relatively NEday in October 1954 I allowed a peak -to -peak cone excur- moderate listening levels. walked into a room in sion of more than an inch, gave the Well, it didn't take too long for Manhattan's New Yorker compact AR -1 (25 inches high, 14 the rest of the speaker industry (and Hotel, sat down, and re- inches wide, and 111/2 inches deep) the buying public) to appreciate the 0mained for perhaps an hour. When the ability to generate clean, rela- significance of the AR -1, and within I left, I felt certain that I had heard tively flat bass down to 30 Hz or a few years bass -reflex speakers had the future of high-fidelity sound in lower, with lower distortion than largely been supplanted by a variety the home. As it turned out, I was was then possible with most existing ofacoustic -suspension models. right. speakers. The AR -1 sold for $185, a Most of these, including those from The occasion was the 1954 Audio not inconsiderable sum in those AR itself, were designed for higher Fair, and in the room was the exhib- days. Its12 -inch acoustic -suspen- efficiency than the AR -1, at a slight itof a newly formed company, sion woofer was teamed with a sacrifice in extreme low -frequency Acoustic Research, Inc. In atten- Western Electric755A 8 -inch response. dance were the company's princi- midrange/tweeter, crossing over at As most of you know, vented pals,Edgar Villchur and Henry about 800 Hz. speakers are still very much a part Kloss. Their initial product was a The sound I heard that day in the of today's hi-fi scene. The compre- compact ("bookshelf") speaker sys- AR demo room was awesome. Or- hensive design methods developed tem, the AR -1. As I recall the occa- gan music was reproduced with a by A. N. Thiele and Richard Small sion, a single AR -1was playing have made vented -speaker design a (stereo was still a few years in the true scientific procedure instead of future), and the sound was like Tested This Month the old "cut and try" methods used nothing I had ever heard from a in the past, and today there is a pro- compact speaker, or indeed from liferation of remarkably good small almost any other speaker of any Philips FC-60 andinexpensivespeakers,both size. vented and sealed. To put the event into perspective, Cassette Deck In 1955 I bought an early AR -1 up to that time speakers had to be Advent Heritage (serial number 147), which I used large, heavy, and expensive in order Speaker System for years and have stored in my ga- to reproduce low frequencies with rage for perhaps twenty-five years. reasonable effectiveness. There Integra DX -5700 Occasionally when I hear or test a were attempts to reduce their size Compact Disc Player particularly fine -sounding new and cost using variations on the speaker, I wonder how the old AR -1 common vented (bass -reflex) enclo- Wharfedale Coleridge would compare with it. After all, Speaker System

40 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 INVESTING IN SOUND? rgici in igg 0 0 0 0 El EEl D 0El 0 0E 0 0 0 0 ElE 0 0 El0 0

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AUTHORIZED DEALERS both technology and listening taste sponse by sacrificing efficiency, behave evolved over the past thirty or cause of the low cost of amplifier CANADA Call B&W Canada (416) 751-4520 AL Birmingham: Audition thirty-five years-is it possible that power today. AZ Phoenix: Buzz Jensen's Sound Advice. Hassler s Tucson: Wilson a speaker I had considered to be a Audio The measurements were equally CA Alhambra: Valley T V Berkeley: Honkers Sound Beverly Hills: milestone at the time of its intro- interesting. The AR -1's woofer re- Sound Center Capitola: Capitola Audio Claremont: Omega High Fideli- ty Culver City: Audio Video City Dublin: Stereo Plus Encino: Sound duction would be outclassed by sponse was ± 1.5 dB from 50 to 800 Factor Fresno: Boot's Glendale: Marconi Radio Irvine: Sound some of today's speakers? Or that I Hz, falling to -6 dB at 35 Hz and Quest Lancaster: California Sound Works Los Angeles: Henry Radio, Hollytron. Radioactive Sound Monterey: Monterey Stereo N. would no longer be so impressed by -14 dB at 20 Hz. The composite Hollywood: Sound Factor Palo Alto: Audible Difference Pasadena: its quality? room response was within ± 2.5 dB Sound Factor Redondo Beach: Systems Design Group Sacramen- to: Paradyme San Diego: Sound Company. Breier's Sound Center Luckily, I was able to relive some from 36 to 6,000 Hz, falling to -14 San Francisco: Stereo Plus. Harmony Audio San Gabriel: Audio of that original listening experience dB at 20 and 20,000 Hz. The upper - Concepts San Luis Obispo: Audio Video Concepts San Raphael: Catania Sound Santa Rosa: Catania Sound Sherman Oaks: Sher- without requiring the services of a middle and high frequencies were man Oaks Camera Tustin: Digital Ear Woodland Hills: Wilson Audio general-purpose time machine. I strongly "beamed," as would be ex- Video CO Avon: Mountain Music Boulder: Listen Up Colorado Springs: took the old AR -1 from its shelf in pected from an 8 -inch cone driver. Listen Up Denver: Listen Up the garage (no easy task, given its But the acoustic -suspension woofer CT Danbury: Hi Fi Stereo Consultants Fairfield: Audio Design Hart- ford: Stereo Shop New Haven: Audio Etc Norwich: Sound One 60 -pound weight!), cleaned its exte- showed its mettle in its low distor- DC Washington: Myer Emco rior, and installed it in the lab next tion measurements, made with an FL Coral Gables: Sound Components Ft. Lauderdale: Audio Center Largo: Sound Creations Melbourne: Sound Gallery Port Ste. Lucie: to a couple of good modern speak- input of 2.83 volts (equivalent to a Southern Audio Video Tampa: Audio Visions Tequesta: TV & Audio ers. Unlike my early years with the Center Vero Beach: Audio Images Winter Park: Absolute Sound GA Atlanta: Sounds of Distinction Marietta: Music Audio Savan- AR -1, when I drove it with a home - How many household n ah: Audio Warehouse built 10 -watt Williamson amplifier HI Hilo: Hilo Audio Honolulu: Media Systems. Sam Sung Electronics IA Iowa City: Woodburn Sound Service Sioux City: Ptlanz Electronics that was really not up to the job, I appliances do you know of that IL Aurora: Stereo Systems Bloomingdale: Audio Visions Cham- now had 100 watts or more avail- paign: Glenn Poor's Chicago: Paul Heath Evanston: Audio Con- can still funetxon 100 percent sultants Hinsdale: Audio Consultants Joliet: Stereo Systems able to me. I would also be able to Kankakee: The Shoppe Libertyville: Audio Consultants Naperville: qfier thirty-five years? Stereo Systems Springfield: The King's Stereo measure the speaker's performance KS Overland Park: Audioport Ltd Prairie Village: Golden Stereo using the instruments and tech- Wichita: Custom Sound KY Louisville: Musical Images niques of 1990. LA Baton Rouge: Art Colley's Audio Specialties New Orleans: Wilson First, the sound. Since I had only 90 -dB overall sound -pressure level Audio a single AR -1, all listening had to be at I meter). From a maximum of 8 MA Boston: Goodwin's Braintree: Nantucket Sound Danvers: done in mono. Naturally, the AR -1 percent at 20Hz,the distortion N. Attleboro: Audio Concepts Northhampton: Sound and Music Shrewsbury: Tweeter Etc did not sound exactly like any of the dropped to 3 percent at 30 Hz and ME Camden: Harbour Audio Video Scarborough: New England Music speakers with which I was able to remained at about 0.3 percent from MD Baltimore: Soundscape Rockville: Myer Emco MI Ann Arbor: Stereo Shoppe Dearborn: Almas Hi Fi Farmington compare it, but that is true of any 70 to 350 Hz. Hills: Almas Hi Fi Flint: Stereo Center Lansing: Stereo Shoppe speaker comparison. Its bass was The AR -Iis basically a 4 -ohm Royal Oak: Almas Hi Fi Saginaw: Stereo Shoppe Stevensville: Stereo Shoppe still superb, but I was impressed by system, but it has connections for 8 - MN Minneapolis/St. Paul: Hi Fi Sound. Sound Center how well some of today's speakers MO St. Louis: Antech Labs. Flip's Stereo Place ohm operation as well (you add a MS Starkville: Ideal Acoustics compared with it, even in the low series 4 -ohm resistor that dissipates MT Great Falls: Rocky Mountain Hi Fi NC Charlotte: Higher Fidelity Morgantown: Mac's T V Raleigh: bass. From the beginning, everyone half the power it receives from the Audio Advice Wilmington: Atlantic Audio Video recognized that the higher frequen- amplifier). My tests and listening N E Omaha: Custom Electronics NH Nashua: Tech Hi Fi Portsmouth: State StDiscount cies from the AR -1 were not of the were done in the 8 -ohm mode, in NJ Cherry Hill: Soundworks Kinnelon: Sound City Lawrenceville: same quality as its bass output (a which the actual impedance varied Hal s Stereo Montclair: CSA Audio Design Paramus: Leonard Radio Princeton: Woodbridge Stereo W. Long Branch: Woodbndge Stereo problem that AR later rectified with between 8 and 17 ohms from 20 to Woodbridge: Woodbridge Stereo Wyckoff: Conklin Audio the AR -3, which is another story). 20,000 Hz.I also found that con- NM Albuquerque: Hudson's Audio Carlsbad: Beason's Santa Fe: The Candyman That judgment is still valid today, necting the speaker for boosted NV Las Vegas: Union Premiums Reno: Audio Alternatives when we expect (and often get) high -frequency response (about 2 dB NY Albany: Altair Audio Batavia: Unicorn Audio Boonville: Adiron- dack Music Lynbrook: American Audiophile Mamaroneck: Audio smooth, well -dispersed highs even more drive to the 8 -inch driver) Experts Merrick: Performance Audio Video Nanuet: Ear Drum from inexpensive speakers. Nev- improved the overall balance con- New York City: Leonard Radio. Lyric Hi Fi. Park Place Audio. Stereo Exchange Orchard Park: Stereo Chamber Patchogue: Square Deal ertheless, the early acoustic -suspen- siderably. Radio Oueens: Leonard Radio Rochester: JB Sound Southhamp- sion woofer is still able to shake the It was gratifying to find that my ton: Charos Custom Sound White Plains: Lyric Hi Fi OH Cincinnati: Audible Elegance Dayton: Carlin Audio Dublin: Audio room and massage the skin, the memories of the sound from this Encounters Heath: Threshold Audio Toledo: Jamieson's Stereo qualities that caught my attention Warrensville Heights: Hoffman's Stereo speaker were not entirely colored by OK Oklahoma City: Audio Dimensions Tulsa: K -Labs on that day in 1954. nostalgia. And how many house- OR Beaverton: Chelsea Audio Corvalis: Northwest Audio Labs Eugene: England Audio. Oregon Typewriter Portland: Chelsea Audio Today, with the benefit of cheap hold appliances do you know of that PA Fairless Hills: Audiolab Pittsburgh: Better Sound Concepts amplifier power, clipping is no lon- can still function 100 percent after Philadelphia it Suburbs: David Mann Audio, Sassafras, Soundex Shill- ington: Phoenix Hi Fi York: Audio Clinic ger a problem. Much to my surprise, thirty-five years, most of that time RI Providence: Stereo Discount Center. Middleton: Soundings what had seemed like a grossly inef- spent in an unheated garage? Per- SC Charleston: Audio Warehouse Columbia: Sound Advice TN Knoxville: Lindsay Ward Memphis: Modern Music ficient speaker in 1954 is actually of haps I will rummage around among TX Amarillo: Sound Systems Austin: High Fidelity Dallas: Preston average efficiency compared with some of my other accumulated hi-fi Trail Audio Denton: Bob Bell Audio Video Ft. Worth: Marvin Elec- tronics Houston: B&M Electronics. Groove Audio Video. Sheffield Audio typical speakers of 1990. There is components (none as old as the AR - Laredo: Metex Intl Lubbock: Sound Wave apparently a deliberate design trade- unfortunately) and reactivate my UT Sall Lake City: Audition Audio VA Charlottesville: Preferred Sound Falls Church: Myer Emco Rich- off by today's speaker manufactur- audio time -travel system on other mond: Audio Systems Ltd Virginia Beach: Digital Sound Warren- ton: Artistic Audio ers,extending low -frequencyre- occasions. VT Brattleboro: Scientific Stereo Barre: Ormsby's WA Bellevue: Home Entertainment Olympia: The Audio Experience Seattle: Definitive Audio 42 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 WI Eau Claire: EME Audio Green Bay: Hi Fi Heaven Madison: Specialized Sound Milwaukee: Audio Emporium WV Wheeling: Sterling Sound JUST LISTEN...

And you have a chance to listen again... as B & W's guest atABBEY ROAD STUDIOS in London, England.

The world's most famous Just visit your nearest author- The Abbey Road recording studio, Abbey Road, ized B&W dealer and experience Classical Collection- employs B&W loudspeakers for the sound preferred by the B&W's special relationship with all classical music recordings, as world's most demanding listeners. Abbey Road and EMI do most of the world's major You may then qualify to win a ..020, makes possible this record companies. trip (for two) to London, very special CD, B & W's Matrix 801 Series 2 England and to receive a including some monitor is the only moving coil special V.I.P. tour of Abbey of the finest, dynamic loudspeaker to be cur- Road Studios as B&W's hon award winning, rently designated "Class A" by ored guest.* classical selections ever re- Stereophile magazine. (Best corded at Abbey Road. Ifs yours for attainable sound, without any just $5.00 (a $15.95 value), now, practical considerations; "the state only at your authorized B&W dealer. of the art!) LISTEN AND YOU'LL SEE Stereophile, "Recommended Components," Ulf ot Vol. 12 No. 10, Oct. 6 e y rout! = 1989

'No purchase necessary. See your authorized B&W Dealer for details. P.O. Box 653, Buffalo, N.Y. 14240 Offer expires July 31, 1990. Void where prohibited by law. In Canada 104 Carnforth Rd.. CIRCLE NO. 49 ON READER SERVICE CARD Toronto, ON M4A 2K7 BLAUPUNKT'S TAMPA. THE HEAT IS ALWAYS ON.

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The Blaupunkt name and BLUE DOTsymbolare registeredtrademarksof Blaupunkt- Werke GmbH Bosch Telecom. 1990 Robert Bosch Corporation CIRCLE NO 67 ON READER SERVICE CARD TEST REPORTS

recordingbiasaccordingtothe high -frequency signal level, reduc- PHILIPS FC-60 CASSETTE DECK ing bias slightly during just those moments when strong treble signals Craig Stark, Hirsch -Houck Laboratories might otherwise cause the tape to saturate. The lower bias level en- ALTHOUGH Philipsofthe same attentiontodetailcarries ables the tape to hold more treble Netherlandsinventedthe through to the electronics as well. energy. We have never encountered compact tape cassette, very The playback head, for example, is any instance in which the varying few of its own recorders connected to a low -noiseFETdiffer- bias levels produced by Dolby HX have been marketed in this country. ential amplifier by oxygen -free, con- Pro caused any audible ill effects; The FC-60 is thus the first Philips tinuously cast pure copper wire. indeed, our experience with the sys- cassette deck we have had the op- The FC-60's dual -capstan, closed - tem has been entirely positive. portunity to test. A three -head unit loop transport isolates the section of The FC-60's dual recording -level with Dolby B and Dolby C noise tape that is actually passing across indicator system is in some respects reduction and switchable Dolby HX the heads to minimize flutter. Both unique. Peak signallevels from Pro headroom extension, the FC-60 capstans are equipped with bal- - 35 to +12 dB are shown conven- heads the company's new line. anced flywheels and driven by a sin- tionally on a sixteen -segment -per - The FC-60's recording and play- gle DC motor. A second DC motor is channel display, with the 0 -dB point back heads are physically separate used for high-speed tape winding. calibrated to the standard Dolby re- but bonded together in a single case. The cassette -well door is remov- cording level (200 nanowebers per Such a design does more than just able to facilitate head cleaning and meter).Supplementingthisbar - enable the user to switch between demagnetizing and,asinmost graph indicator, however, is a sec- source and tape for instant compar- decks, contains a clear panel in- ond display that reads out recording isons between the input signal and tended to let the user see how much levels of 0 dB and higher in alphanu- its recorded result. It also enables tape remains on a side. Unfortu- meric characters. This display also each head element to be optimized nately. the cassette well is unillumi- stores the highest level previously for its function. In the FC-60, for nated and has no rear reflector. reached in a recording and will flash example, the recording head has a Moreover, theopticaldistortion that value for a period of 5 seconds relatively large 4 -micrometer gap caused by the curvature of the panel when the wt CALL button is pressed. width (the distance between the was so great that we found it impos- Bias -trimandtape -sensitivity head's two pole pieces), which en- sible even to see whether the reels (Dolby -calibration)controlsare ables the recording signal to pene- were moving. provided to flatten frequency re- trate the full depth of the oxide layer Although many decks today in- sponse and assure accurate opera- on the tape. By contrast, the gap corporate the Dolby HX Pro head- tion of the noise -reduction systems. width of the playback element is a room -extension circuit, very few be- These adjustments must be made properly narrow 0.6 micrometer, sides the Philips FC-60 enable the by ear, however, using low-levelFM enabling the deck to reproduce the user to switch it in or out. Dolby hiss or some similar source as a test highest audiblefrequencies. The HX Pro operates by varying the signal since no calibrating oscilla-

STERF0 REviEw JuNE 199045 1990 Inc Morns Philip O

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tors are provided. The FM -multiplex filter is pushbutton-defeatable; leav- FEATURES ing it on when unneeded will roll off El Separate recording and playback 0 Four -digit electronic counter the deck's response at extremely heads shows elapsed time or counter high frequencies. 0 Closed -loop dual -capstan units Additional pushbuttons control transport 0 Alphanumeric display of the memory-rewind/replay circuitry CI Switchable Dolby HX Pro transport modes headroom extension 0 Memory rewind/replay and the fifteen -selection program CI Dolby B and Dolby C noise 0 Fifteen -selection program memory, which will skim through reduction memory with automatic music the tape at high speed and find 1:1 User -adjustable bias and tape search recorded selections separated by 4 sensitivity 0 Switchable FM -multiplex filter seconds or more of silence. Thereat - CI Sixteen -segment -per -channel 0 Front -panel headphone jack with peak -reading level indicators volume control ter, you can choose the selection with supplementary 0 Facilities for external timer you want to hear by keying in its alphanumeric readout of levels activation in recording or program number. Recording levels at 0 da and above: recall of playback mode highest peak level are set by a single master control, supplemented by a smaller channel - balance control. The front -panel headphone jack has its own volume LAB MEASUREMENTS control, but there's no playback -level control for the line outputs. Fast -forward time (C-60): 77 CI Tape: TDK SA (Type H, seconds chrome -equivalent) In addition to the usual rear -panel Rewind time (C-60): 76 seconds IEC 0-dis distortion: 1.9% input and output connectors, the Speed error: + 1.82% Meter indication at 3%THD+ FC-60 has a pair of jacks for a wired Dolby tracking error: Dolby B and noise: +3 dB remotecontrol(notsupplied). Dolby C. +1, -0.5 dB Signal-to-noise ratios (in decibels): Overall, the deck measures161/2 Wow -and -flutter: 0.046% wrms, Unwid. A-n*1. CCIRIARM inches wide, 131/4 inches deep, and 6 0.087% DIN peak -weighted NR off 57.5 61.6 58.3 Line input for indicated 0 dB: Dolby B63.1 70.8 68.7 inches high, and it weighs a little 75 my Dolby C65.8 78.4 77.5 more than 14 pounds. Price: $549. Line output at indicated 0 dB: OTape: TDK MA (Type IV, Philips, Dept. SR, P.O. Box 14810, 0.633 volt metal) Knoxville, TN 37914. Meter indication at IEC-standard IEC 0 -dB distortion: 2.0% 0 dB: +2 dB Meter indication at 3%THD -I- Lab Tests ClTape: TDK AD (Type I, ferric) noise: +4 dB The FC-60's playback frequency IEC 0 -dB distortion: 0.81% Signal-to-noise ratios (in decibels): response, measured with our BASF Meter indication at 3%THD+ Unwld. A-u'ld. CCIRIARM NR off 56.2 59.6 56.0 calibrated IEC-standard test tapes, noise: +6 dB was very flat with both 120 -micro - Signal -to -noise ratios (in decibels): Dolby B 62.5 68.9 66.5 Limeld. A -old. CCIRIARM Dolby C65.1 77.0 75.6 second (ferric) and 70 -microsecond NH off 55.4 58.8 55.2 (chrome and metal) equalization. Dolby B 63.1 68.5 65.7 There was a very slight bass rise (1.2 Dolb-y C 66.3 76.3 75.1 dB at 31.5 Hz) and a comparable falloff in the extreme treble ( -1.4 dB at 18,000 Hz), with the range PHilIPS EC 60 CASSETTE DECK from 100 to 10,000 Hz varying by RECORD -PLAYBACK RESPONSES WITH 0018 k 'RC only ±0.5 dB. The overall record/playback frequency -response curves with sam- 5 -rrx AD (TYPE iFERRIC, ples of TDK AD (ferric), TDK SA - "OK SA (TYPE II( HROME FOLIVALENT) o (chrome), and TDK MA (metal) 'OK mA , tYPE Iv mrrAli tapes are shown in the accompany - 15 inggraph.Measurementswere

2 made with Dolby HX Pro switched on as this produced the best treble 25 . at high levels and enabled 20 50 10 0 500 .5k 10k 201response PEAr BA, n ON, P RESPONSES comparison with decks where the ,f- 57 ANDARD BASF 1ES1 TAPES, HX Pro circuit cannot be defeated. +s (The inevitable rolloff at the highest o , '---- - frequenciesbeganapproximately

-5 I 2,000 Hz lower when Dolby HX Pro was disengaged.) The upper curve, FREQUENCY IN HERTZ for TDK MA, shows that high-level treble response can be improved

48 Sump Rivn-.11 m1990 TEST REPORTS even more with Dolby C. At the usual-20 -dBmeasuringlevel, TDK AD produced the best frequency response, down only 1 dB at 20,000 Hz and 1.5 dB at 24 Hz. The signal-to-noise ratios were extremely good, particularly with the chrome -equivalent TDK SA. Rut- terfigures werelessimpressive, however, and the absolute speed error (1.8 percent fast) was poor. On the other hand, the Dolby noise - reduction systems exhibited almost no frequency -response error;this excellent result is partially attribut- able to the FC-60's inclusion of asensitivityadjustment,which makes possible exact source/tape levelmatching during recording. Fast -winding speeds were average, and input sensitivity and output levels were entirely normal. Commetits Given so large a front panel, Phil- ips could have done a better job of sizing and arranging the FC-60's many pushbuttonswitches. We found them rather awkward to lo- cate and use. We also foundit annoying that we couldn't get into the recording mode simply by pressing the record and play buttons simultaneously. You have to press one and thentheother,as we learned when we missed the beginning of several recordings thinking the machine had started while it remained in record -pause mode. Ergonomic matters aside, we were pleased with the FC-60's overall sound quality. We cannot rank it among the very top decks (which ADVENT HERITAGE tend to cost two or three times as much), however, for a slight but SPEAKER SYSTEM detectable graininess was audible on high, hard piano notes, and the ster-Julia)? Hirsch, Hirsch -Houck Laboratories eo image was not quite as tightly focused as that produced by our reference deck. ADVENT loudspeakershave the upper two-thirds of the front Nonetheless, considered by itself historicallybeentwo-way panel, placing the tweeter close to or in comparison with other decks systems featuring acoustic - the ear level of a seated listener. in the same price class, the Philips suspension woofers. The The sides and rear of the enclo- FC-60 held its own and then some. new Heritage follows in that tradi- sure are made of a black -finish par- Its imaging was good, its sound was tion. It is a columnar floor -standing ticleboard, but the front and top solid and musical, and we often speaker with two 8 -inch acoustic - appear tobeV4 -inch -thicksolid caught ourselves having to check suspension woofers that cross over wood (our test samples had an whether the monitor was set to at 3,500 Hz to a1 -inch soft -dome attractiveoak -grainfinish).The source or tape. That's quite enough tweeter cooled by ferrofluid. The drivers are concealed behind a re- to satisfy all but the most super -crit- woofers are high -excursion drivers movable black cloth grille, and the ical ear. whose voice coils are wound on alu- bottom 21/2 -inch portion of the front Circle 140 on reader service card minum forms. The drivers occupy panel is finished in black to give the

SI FRE() RFV1FWit'NE199049 TEST REPORTS

visual effect of a base or pedestal, minimum of 3.2 ohms at 20 Hz and ohms before the cone reached its although the cabinet is actually con- in the 90- to 200 -Hz range, reaching linear limits, and at 10,000 Hz the structed as a single integral unit. a maximum of 22 ohms at 1,800 Hz. amplifier clipped at 260 watts into The input terminals (five -way bind- The bass resonance was at 52 Hz, 5.6 ohms before the tweeter was ing posts on 314 -inch centers) and a where the impedance rose to 10 overloaded. protective fuse are recessed into the ohms. The composite corrected fre- lower part of the back panel. quency response of thesystem Comments The manufacturer's specifications showed an elevated bass and lower - The Advent Heritage was one of for the Heritage include a frequency midrange output between 40 and those rare speakers whose sound response of 42 to 23,000 Hz ± 3 dB. 400 Hz, and a somewhat lower aver- closely matched the way its meas- The tweeter's dispersion over an an- age level from 400 to 4,000 Hz, ured response curves looked. It had gular range of 30 degrees (either ver- where the output varied over a a mildly warm, rich bass and lower tical or horizontal) is said to pro- ± 2.5-ds range.Inthe tweeter's midrange, with a startlingly deep duce an output variation of less range, above 5,000 Hz, the response low -bass extension given the right than ± 1 dB up to 13,000 Hz. The was unusually flat and smooth, with program material. The highs were nominal system impedanceis6 a variation of about ± 1.75 dB from obviously extended, smooth, and ohms, with a rated minimum value 4,000 to 20,000 Hz. well dispersed. If I had drawn a fre- of 4 ohms. The tweeter's' dispersion over a quency -responsecurveforthis The system's sensitivity is rated at 45 -degree horizontal angle was ex- speaker from listening to it (normal- 89.5 dB sound -pressure level (sPL) at cellent, with virtually no divergence ly a foolhardy project),it would 1 meter with an input of 2.83 volts. between the on -axis and 45 -degree have come out very much like the Itisrated to handle continuous off -axis response at frequencies be- one my instruments produced. inputs up to 150 watts and peaks up low 12,000 Hz. The woofer's output Possibly because of its very low to 600 watts. The bass resonance fell off at 12 dB per octave below its distortionin the deep bass, the frequency is given as 55 ± 5 Hz, maximum output point at about 65 speaker gave theimpression of with a usable frequency extension to Hz and was down about 8 dB from greater bass extension than it really 34 Hz at -8 dB in the bass and up to the 50- to 300 -Hz average value at had. The lowest frequencies were as 23,000 Hz at -3 dB in the treble. 35 Hz. The system's group delay likely to be felt as heard, an unusual The total harmonic distortion (THD) varied±0.4millisecondfrom quality among speakers with mod- is given as less than 0.5 percent 20,000 Hz down to 1,500 Hz, in- est -size woofer complements. above 75 Hz with a 1 -watt input. creasing somewhat at lower fre- The Heritage was one of the lim- The Advent Heritage measures quencies. ited number of speakers that I hated 37314 inches high, 101/2 inches wide, In single -cycle pulse -power tests, to pack up after tests were con- and 131/s inches deep (plus an addi- the 100 -Hz woofer output distorted cluded.Itis both attractive and tional 5/8 inch for the grille). Each audibly at a 525 -watt input into its highly listenable, two qualities that speaker weighs about 45 pounds. 3.2 -ohm impedance. At 1,000 Hz are not always found in the same Price: $699 a pair. Advent, Dept. (still in the woofer's range), the am- speaker. SR, 25 Tri-State Int'l Office Ctr., plifier clipped at 600 watts into 11 Circle 141 on reader service card Suite 400, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Lab Tests The Advent Heritage proved to be somewhat more sensitive than its ratings would indicate (although our live -room measurements could account for much of the difference). The speaker developed an SPL of 93 dB at 1 meter with a 2.83 -volt pink - noise input signal. With a 2 -volt sine -wave input (equivalent to a 90 - dB SPL in our sensitivity measurement), the woofer distortion was very low when the microphone was placed close to the speaker board and midway between the woofers. From only 5 percent THD plus noise at 20 Hz, the distortion decreased to 1.3 percent at 30 Hz and to 0.45 percent from 80 to 130 Hz, and it remained less than 0.8 percent up to

1,000 Hz. ". . It's just as well-Grandpa's frequency response The system impedance was a was down to 3,960 to 4,135 cycles per second."

50 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 61932 Peer Elect-plics USA IrLtong 35aChCA

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from an external timer.It has a ONKYO INTEGRA DX -5700 front -panel headphone jack with a volume control, which also adjusts COMPACT DISC PLAYER the output from the variable -level analog jacks on the rear apron. The Julian Hirsch, Hirsch -Houck Laboratories rear apron also has fixed -level analog output jacks, coaxial and optical digital outputs, and remote -control THEOnkyo Integra DX -5700 play shows the current track and jacks to connect the DX -5700 to a is a versatile compact disc index numbers as well as the status compatible Onkyo tape deck, am- player with a number of cir- of several controls and elapsed or plifier, or receiver. cuitfeatures designed to remaining time for either the cur- The DX -5700's remote control minimize extraneous noise pickup rent track or the entire disc. A slide duplicates all of the player's front- and distortion at all signal levels. It switch can dim the display or shut it panel controls except for the display has separate 18 -bit digital -to -analog off entirely. A button on the panel dimmer and the power switch. Dur- (D/A) converters for each channel provides direct access to any num- ing remote volume adjustment a and optical coupling between its bered index point, although index motor rotates the player's knob, digital and analog sections to elimi- numbers cannot be included in a which has no visible index marker nate noise from leakage of digital program sequence. or other visual indication of its set- signals into the analog audio cir- There are four repeat modes: en- ting. The remote control provides cuits. TheD/Aconverters are hand - tire disc, programmed tracks, A -B one other feature not present on the trimmed for greatest accuracy in the (any user -defined segment of the front panel: anAUTO SPACEbutton two most significant bits to reduce disc), and shuffle play (reshuffled that inserts 4 seconds of silence distortion, and the converters are for each repeat). TheINTROfeature, between tracks for taping. preceded by eight-times-oversam- available only from the remote con- The Onkyo DX -5700 is a fairly pling 18 -bit digital filters. trol, plays the first 7 seconds of each large and heavy unit that measures A twenty -key track -selector panel track. A TIME EDIT feature automat- 171/8 inches wide, 141/2 inches deep, provides single -touch access to any ically selects the tracks that will fit and 51/8 inches high and weighs just track of mostCD'Sand two -button on the A and B sides of a cassette over 18 pounds. Price: $580. On- access to tracks numbered from 21 (for tape durations up to 90 min- kyo, Dept. SR, 200 Williams Dr., to 99. As many as twenty tracks can utes). The DX -5700 goes into its Ramsey, NJ 07446. be programmed for playback in any pause mode after the tracks as- desired order, with a music -calen- signed to the A side of the tape have Lab Tests dar display showing the remaining been played; when the tape has been The Onkyo DX -5700's frequency unplayed tracks. AnEDITfeature turned over, pressing pause resumes response was flat within ± 0.03 du enables you to modify a program playback of the tracks assigned to from 20 to 20,000 Hz, with channel sequence by adding or deleting the B side. levels matched within 0.04dB. tracks. The bright fluorescent dis- The DX -5700 can be operated Maximum interchannel phase shift

52 S'I'EREO REVIEWJUN E. 1990 DEFINED

The New, Quality Name in State -of -the -Art Audio Optimus brand audio equipment offers you tapes and discs. Hall Effect adds concert hall the very best combination of high technology, ambience to nearly any stereo source. inrovative features and superb styling- You also get alphanumeric LCD display, backed by in-depth lab testing and quality 30 -station memory, dubbing facilities for two control that's second to none. VCRs and two tape decks. For only $549.95. Flagship of the new Optimus line is our Discover the new Optimus components today. STAV-3200 digital -synthesized stereo receiver Exclusively at with Dolby/Hall Effect Surround. Its main amplifier is rated 100 watts per channel at Radm /hack 0.050/0 THD, and there's a separate 25 -watt AMERICA'S amplifier for the rear channel. TECHNOLOGY Built-in Dolby Surround* brings you thrilling SM "movie theater" presence from encoded video STORE A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION Price applies at participating Radio Shack stores and dealers. 'TM Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp. Receiver power measured per FTC rules. TEST REPORTS

was 0.42 degree, in the 8,000- to from 30 to 10,000 Hz and rising to compared with that of most other 12,000 -Hz range. The output volt- - 102 dB at 20,000 Hz. The A - CD players using conventional D/A age from a 0 -dB recorded track was weightedwide -bandnoisewas converters. Although some of the 2.01 volts. about -105 dB, and quantization new 1 -bit -conversion machines we Channel separation was 110 to noise was about -88.5 dB. Dy- have tested have produced lower 120 dB at 100 Hz, 100 dB at 1,000 namic range (EIAJ) was -96.5 dB, noise or distortion readings than the Hz, and 75 dB at 20,000 Hz. The and frequency (speed) error was DX -5700, the differences are min- 1,000 -Hz total harmonic distortion - 0.0032 percent. uscule and certainly not audible un- (THD) plus noise was -86 to -88 The player's headphone volume der normal listening conditions. In dB (0.005 to 0.004 percent) from 0 was excellent, one of the best we an informative brochure on CD - to -60 dB. At a 0 -dB level, the dis- have tested in that regard. Slew time player technology, Onkyo expresses tortion was a nearly constant -88 of the linear -drive laser transport skepticism concerning the advan- dB (0.004percent) from 20to was relatively fast, requiring 2 sec- tages of 1 -bit converters. To their 20,000 Hz. onds to go from Track 1 to Track 15 credit,thecompany's engineers The linearity of the player's re- of the Philips TS4 test disc. Fairly have done a first-rate job with their sponse to low-level dithered test sig- strong impacts on the case did not 18 -bit ladder converters, and the nals on the CBS CD -1 test disc was produceaudiblemistracking(it DX -5700 delivers a level of per- very good. The error (departure took a hard blow directly over the formance that is usually found only from the ideal signallevel) was disc transport to do that). The in somewhat more expensive con- - 0.4 dB at -70 dB, - 0.3 dB at -80 player tracked the 750 -micrometer ventional players. dB, -1.5 dB at -90 dB, and -2.5 defect section of the Pierre Verany I feel that it makes more sense, dB at -100 dB. #2 test disc, but it totally mistracked however, to select products having The DX -5700's noise spectrum on the 1,250 -micrometer section. this level of refinement by their when playing an infinity -zero (un- operating conveniences rather than modulated) test track was highly Comments their circuit configurations or their uniform with frequency,reading The performance of the Onkyo performance measurements (which about -120 dB or slightly better Integra DX -5700 was very good are all fantastic even by the CD standards of a couple of years ago). Any FEATURES features that you have no intention of using should obviously be given O Dual 18 -bit, hand -trimmed D/A O Time Edit to select tracks to fit little or no weight in the selection converters tape cassette process. There is also the important O Optical coupling between digital O Headphone output with volume matter of reliability, which unfortu- and analog sections control O Eight-times-oversampling O Display of track and index nately cannot be evaluated during a (352.8 -kHz) digital filters numbers, elapsed or remaining short-term test program. One can O Programmable to play as many time on track or disc, status of only infer the reliability of a prod- as twenty tracks in any order special modes; music calendar uct, to a limited degree, from its O Direct single -key access to tracks indicating unplayed tracks numbered I to 20 Dimmer switch to reduce display obvious physical ruggedness and O Direct access to index points brightness or shut it off the reputation of its manufacturer, O Shuffle play O Can be operated from external and the DX -5700 earns excellent O Intro scan to play first 7 seconds timer for unattended playback marks in both respects. of each track Fixed- and variable -level analog O Auto Space to insert 4 -second audio outputs This player also has such desir- interval between tracks O Coaxial and optical digital able qualities as fast slewing and O Repeat of disc, programmed outputs access times and very good impact sequence, user -defined segment Remote -control connectors for resistance.Itsabilitytotrack (A -B repeat), or shuffled tracks integrated operation with (reshuffled for each repeat) compatible Onkyo components through defects on a disc is satisfac- O Wireless remote control tory, though somewhat below the level of performance we have found with a number of players during the LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS past few months. It is easy to operate, with an uncluttered and well - Maximum output level: 2.01 volts Frequency response: ±0.03 dB Total harmonic distortion at from 20 to 20,000 Hz marked control panel. In fact, the 1,000 Hz: between -86 dB Low-level linearity error: less than only ergonomic feature that I found (0.005%) and -88 dB (0.004%) 0.5 dB down to -80 dB, 1.5 dB wanting was the lack of an index from 0 to -60 dB at -90 dB, 2.5 dB at -100 dB mark on the motor -driven volume - Signal-to-noise ratio (A -weighted): Cueing time: 2 seconds control knob. Certainly a white dot 105.3 dB Impact resistance: top and sides, A could be applied to it without diffi- Channel separation: 110 to 120 dB Defect tracking: tracked at 100 Hz, 100 dB at 1,000 Hz, 750 -micrometer defects on culty. That quibble aside, however, 75 dB at 20,000 Hz Pierre Verany #2 test disc the DX -5700 provides the feel, ap- Maximum interchannel phase pearance, features, and quality of a shift: 0.42 degree at 10,000 Hz high -price machine at a mid -price

level.

54 STEREO t 1990 Sculpted for dramatic impact, and designed for The series includes the AM -656 Integrated ease of use, Proton's 600 Series components fit Amplifier, the AT -670 Tuner, the AV -646 AM/FM elegantly into any environment. Seldom used Receiver, the AD -630 Auto Reverse Cassette controls are concealed, vet revealed at the touch Deck, the AC -620 Compact Disc Player and the of a button. Cables, hidden by rear panel covers, matching AB -600 pedestal. Each component can disappear into the pedestal of this sleek, free- be controlled with the versatile AH-681 remote, standing unit. which also controls select Proton video products. And naturally, the sound is pure Proton. With Proton's new 600 Series. A rewarding high performance technologies like Dynamic investment for the discerning listener. ?ower on Demand'?" (DPD), the new Schotz 11 From every point of view. :caner circuitry and the exclusive Aphex® Aural Exciter'," 600 Series components provide absolute clarity and realistic reproduction for incomparable listening pleasure.

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smooth and notably free of the usual irregularities caused by room - boundary reflections. Output varied only 2.5 dB overall between 50 and 1,000Hz,sloped down gently (about 6 to 7 dB) from 1,000 to 3,000Hz, and remained nearly constant up to 10,000Hz.The curve rose about 8 dB in the uppermost octave, from 10,000 to 20,000Hz.The overall response variation was ±4.5 dB from 33 to 20,000Hz. Quasi-anechoic FFr response measurements clearly revealed the cause of the high -frequency rise. The tweeter had a large, undamped resonance at about 23,000Hz,with an amplitude of at least 16 dB. In theFFTmeasurement, the lower skirt of this peak affected the response at frequencies as low as 8,000HZ.The Coleridge's phase lin- WHARFEDALE COLERIDGE earity was excellent, however, with an overall group -delay variation of SPEAKER SYSTEM less than 0.1 millisecond from 4,000 to 20,000Hzand a maximum of 0.5 Julian Hirsch, Hirsch Houck Laboratories millisecond at 400Hz. Horizontal dispersion was good WHARFEDALE, a re- finished in either natural or black up to about 18,000Hzexcept in the spected British loud- ash on all visible surfaces except the region between 2,000 and 3,000Hz speaker manufactur- top, including the front and back (apparently the crossover to the er founded in 1932 by panels. The removable gray cloth tweeter). In that range, the output Gilbert Briggs, has developed a new grilleis sculptured to reduce the measured at 1 meter from the speaker system that combines clas- apparent bulk of the speaker. The speaker varied about 6 to 8 dB over sicallyuncoloredEnglish (BBC - topis covered in a water -proof, an angle of 45 degrees off the for- type) sound with the greater dy- mar -resistant gray laminate. The ward axis. At other frequencies, namic capability typical of the best cabinet also has an integral M- such as from 4,000 to 10,000Hz,the American designs. The Wharfedale inch -high base, which conceals the response curves taken on -axis and Coleridge is a compact two-way sys- port opening and the connection 45 degrees off -axis were very similar tem whose 8 -inch woofer operates terminals (multiway binding posts except for a level difference of about in a ported enclosure. High frequen- that accept dual banana plugs). 3 dB. cies (above an unspecified crossover The Wharfedale Coleridge meas- Sensitivity was a very high 92 dB frequency) are radiated by a I -inch ures 19 inches high, including the sound -pressure level(sPL)atI me- titanium -dome tweeter whose direc- base, and 101/8 inches square (plus a ter with an input of 2.83 volts of tivity is said to match that of the half -inchfrontgrilleextension). pink noise. The speaker's imped- bass driver in the crossover region. Each speaker weighs 30 pounds. ance descended to 7 ohms between The tweeter's voice coil, wound on Price: $700 each. Wharfedale, Dept. 200 and 400Hzand reached a max- an aluminum former, is cooled by SR, 20600 Nordhoff St.,Chats- imum of 24 ohms at100Hz. ferrofluid. worth, CA 91311. Although the impedance did fall to The woofer cone is formed of a 4.5ohms between12,000and special polypropylene material Lab Tests 15,000Hz,a rating of 8 ohms would called "mineral -filledhomo-poly- We placed the Wharfedale Cole- be justifiable. mer" (MFHP). Wharfedale says ridge speakers on short stands that The bass distortion, measured at that MFHP produces less coloration raised their tweeters to slightly be- the woofer cone with an input of and has better dynamic qualities low a seated listener's ear level. 2.25 volts (equivalent to a 90 -dBSPL than other cone materials.Also They were 2 feet from the back wall, in our sensitivity measurement), used is a "sandwich mount," which 7 feet apart, and 5 to 6 feet from the was about 7 percent at 25Hz,falling clamps the woofer chassis firmly to side walls. The composite frequen- to between I and 2 percent from 40 both sides of the front panel, stiffen- cy -response curve, formed by splic- to 65Hzand varying from 0.2 to 0.7 ing the cabinet to minimize its effect ing a close-miked woofer response percent between 100 and 1,000Hz. on the sound. to the averaged room response of Since the effective crossover to the The Coleridge cabinet is available the left and right speakers, was very port was at approximately 100Hz,

SI ERR) REVIEWJU NI.: 1990 57 TEST REPORTS

we also measured the distortion high sensitivity enables high levels there and found that it dropped off to be achieved with almost any am- smoothly from 15 percent at 20 Hz plifier; a few watts should be suffi- to 1 percent at 44 Hz and 0.4 percent cient to satisfy the most hard -of - at 100 Hz. hearing listener, yet we felt no hesi- The woofer cone bottomed with a tation in driving it with a 350 -watt single -cycle input of 160 watts into amplifier. its 24 -ohm impedance at 100 Hz. The discrepancybetweenthe Few amplifiers, however, can de- speaker's on -axis and off -axis re- liver that much power into such a sponse in the region between 2,000 AudioNideo, Car Stereo, Telephones highimpedance. L AT LOW DISCOUNT PRICES! At1,000 and and 3,000 Hz was one of the few 10,000 Hz, the amplifier clipped at respectsinwhich our measure- respective outputs of 470 and 1,285 ments appeared to be at odds with Youll find the most helpful shopping infor- watts before the speaker distorted the claimed performance of the mation in the 116 page Crutchfield catalog. seriously. Wharfedale Coleridge, although we may havemisinterpretedsome Comments statements concerning the woofer The sound of the Wharfedale Co- and tweeter's matched directivities FREE leridge was very smooth and bal- in the crossover region that are anced, making it an easy speaker to made in Wharfedale's very interest- listen to. It had no obvious empha- ing and informative booklet de- Stereo sis or lack of output at any frequen- scribing the system's features. We cy, and the 23,000 -Hz tweeter reso- have seen similar crossover irregu- Catalog nance peak had no audible effects larities with other speakers, but they that we could discern. Comparisons carried no specific claims for free- Refer to the Crutchfield catalog with a comparably priced pair of dom from this common effect. before buying your next car stereo, Celestion SL-12si speakers showed Nevertheless, the Coleridge im- home stereo, or video product: a fairly close match in tonal balance pressed us as a distinctly above - 116 pages of helpful articles, consumer between the two, although their spa- average small speaker, combining tips, charts, and installation guides. tial qualities were very different (the attractivestyling and very good Color photos, complete descriptions width of the sound stage produced sound, including unusually deep and technical specifications on by the Coleridge system was essen- and distortion -free bass for its size. hundreds of the finest brand name tially equal to the spacing between Though priced considerably above products. the two speakers). Wharfedale'sstandardlineof You get more value shopping at Despite its small size, the Coler- speakers, it nevertheless represents Crutchfield: idge could be played at high vol- a reasonable value today. umes without sounding strained. Its Circle 142 on reader service card ThIl-free product advice, ordering, and customer service. 24 hour shipping. Absolute satisfaction guaranteed. Full 30 -day return privileges. Discount prices cn Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Jensen, Proton, Advent, Clarion, Kenwood, AR, Infinity, Bose, and many more! r Call or send this coupon now for your FREE Catalog 800-336-5566 Be sure to mentionStereo Reviewwhen calling

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PC products fax/copiers "Fourteen years ago this coining Tuesday. he took the tubes from his i security products amplifier and went looking for a drugstore with a tube tester. and that's the last I've seen or heard of him... ." CRUTCHFIELD 58 S. FERE() R Ev JUNE. 1990 I Crutchfield Park, Dept. SR. Charlottesville, VA 22906 Some peoplecan nevereavewell enough alone.

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Shortly after it was introduced, the Adcom Improved Performance Features GFP-555 preamplifier won widespread critical The new GFP-555 H has been enhanced by several acclaim for outperforming other preamps costing improvements: two and three times more. Never satisfied to rest on its reputation, Adcom has I. A front panel control for easy and instant use, on upgraded this superior product to make it better than demand, of signal processors. 2. 1% Roederstein resistors and film capacitors to ever. Born from the lineage of the affordable GFP-555 and inspired by the no -compromise GFP-565, the new reduce noise and distortion to inaudible levels. GFP-555 II, together with any of Adcom's power 3. Front panel, six -source input controls allow amplifiers, will provide the serious music listener with listening to one source while recording another. a new, higher level of musical performance at a very 4. Choice of two outputs: MAIN allows the use of tone controls and filters with the protection of reasonable cost. coupling capacitors; or BYPASS (the purist's Superior Dynamics approach), a direct coupled output for the shortest, simplest gain path. By increasing the size of its power supply and by lowering the output impedance, musical contrasts are A Better GFP-555 or a dramatically detailed and lifelike. Less Expensive GFP-565? Adcom's new custom -designed linear gain amplifiers are many times faster than the frequency componentsin The GFP-555 II is both. Designed to take the musical signals, easily meeting the demands of the latest place of the highly successful GFP-555, it is actually digital recording technologies. an ingenious, less costly version of the GFP-565, A new tone control circuit has also been created for with undiminished musicality and sonic impact. greater symmetry. And for audio purists, the tone Ask your authorized Adcom dealer for a controls are out of the signal path except when needed. demonstration of this remarkable stereo component. Altogether, these improvements deliver the thrill of You'll be glad that Adcom can never leave well enough an emotionally satisfying, live performance. alone. 0

details you can hear 11 Elkins Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 U.S.A. (201) 390-1130Distributed in Canada by PRO ACOUSTICS INC. Pointe Claire, Quebec 11912 4\ CIRCLE NO. 60 ON READER SERVICE CARD ;:

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WEcan thank the gods of audio that and a wide range of portable CD the -nontbs without "r" in their players are now available, some narues are no longer months of low- with exotic c:rcuitry that echoes defi.I-. was rot very long ago that the velopments ii home audio. And the urge to be out in the summer sun omnipresent boombox has shared automatically meant we hadto in this progress too: Most models lea sericus audio behind. People with any pretensions to quality-as wile insisted on having music on opposed to :hose that are simply tt-e leach or by the pool found loud-contaii CD players. 0-eumelveslugging a "portable" aboi the size-and weight-of a The Analog Majority cont::-ete Mock, with sound quality Portable audio was built around tc riatch. The explosion of minia- the ability to listen to tapes on the Summertime, use audio components over the go by means of lightweight head- past decade has changed all that, phones, and that is still the most and the music fcrt_inatell., and it has become rou- crowded part of the field, although -o have very respectable sound more and mere tape players include irdeed wherever we happen to be. AM/FM tuner sections as well. is easy... 1r fact, the huge popularity of porta- One fairly recent development re ble i.ereo -as produced such a pro - suiting largely from the addition of the portable has IF -elution of equipment that it's of - radio is the increase in tape units .ton Lard to make a choice. with record* capability. Most of Itever harder to keep up with these have built-inmicrophones; come of age. the tochni:al developments as the the Emerson CRR I 00CS, for exam- audio companies close the gap be- ple, can reccrd in mono from its twcc-I home and portable perform- mike or from the included tuner. BY aaceand capabilities. The first port- Sanyo's MP 40R comes with a de- able tape players were remarkable, tachable microphone that permits IAN G. MASTERS :.-crtiinly, but few would argue that mono recording. and the unit also their quality matched that of even a features a built-inpiezoelectric modest home deck. That's not nee- speaker for monitoring. Both ma- I I es.sarily tree any more, as refine- chines list fcr a very modest $60. mer Is suck as Dolby C noise reduc- Similar models arc available from a ti )ri metal -tape capability. autore- variety of companies, including Hi- vcr!..t operation, speed -stabilization tachi and Pzuasonic. More ambi- de% ccs, and the like show up even tious is another Sanyo recorder, the Du home quite inexpensive tape MGR 95R ($90), which has a de- pki Tie digital revolution has tachable stereo microphone and can afecied the portable market as. also record stereo from its built-in Sony's water-resistant FM tuner. Sony's WM-D6C also WM-AF79 ($160)is an provides a stereo microphone input AM/FM/cassette and offers such niceties as Dolby C Walkman from the and a quartz -controlled tape drive Sports line. for speed accuracy as well. This useful recorder sells for $400. Perhaps the most elaborate model among the affordable recording devices is the EM -P2 from Sansui, which the company describes as a "player/mixer/amp." Designed for use by musicians, this unusual portable can accept a feed from an electric musical instrument (through the headphone jack) and also offers pitch variation and "echo control," all for $175. The ultimate in terms of sound quality and flexibility, though, is probably an advanced portablecassetterecorderfrom Uher, the CC 160AV (often used by professionals), but you'll have to cough up $1,800 to get it. Recording machines are in the minority, however, and audio man- Quasars CD8959 ufacturers have not neglected the portable CD player more usual functions of a tape ($250) has four -times player. A number have introduced oversampling and a autoreverse units, for instance, such bass -boost circuit. as the Citizen CC -1R ($35) or the Lloyd's PS 883 ($40), and several have even incorporated ways to overcome the tendency of such mechanisms to suffer from head - alignment variations from one side of the tape to the other. JVC's CX- F40, for example, uses a fixed head with four gaps, two for each direction, while the Aiwa HS-PX900A offers azimuth adjustment in both directions. The Aiwa player, which sells for $290, is also one of the growing number with Dolby C circuitry. Another is the Kenwood CP-C7, which lists for $249. The most unusual feature of this autoreverse player is that the company claims a playing time of 121/2 hours from a single charge of its internal battery. Panasonic doesn't claim incredibly long operating times for its RQ- V505, but it will run on a single AA battery. Alaron's RY-280 ($24) uses Panasonic's RX-DS30 a solar cell to recharge its internal ($320)is a complete battery, and the Sony WM-A52, at system with AM/FM $63, contains a solar -powered calcu- radio, cassette dect lator and clock. and CD player. While all of these portables ac- knowledge that much of the listening will be done under the sun, a few units also take into account the possibility that the weather will not be so clement. Realistic's $30 SCP-26 player is weatherproof, as is the somewhat more ambitious Sony WM-AF79 ($160).

62 STEREO REVIF.WiUNE1990 Bits on the Run The combination of portable stereo and the compact disc seemed to be made in heaven, and the two have been living happily together for several years. At first, the portables were short on quality and fea- Toshiba's RP -2068 ($80) tures compared with their home is a digital -synthesis equivalents, though they did tend to AM/FMheadphone have greater immunity to physical radio with eight shocks. In the past couple of years presets and a clock. however, portable CD players have been catching up quickly, and many of the advances made in tabletop players have been showing up in their peripatetic cousins. Numerousmachines,forin- stance, now feature at least double- oversampling digital -to -analog (D/A) converters and digital filter- ing. Whether or not the high -frequency phase shifting that oversampling is intended to cure would ever be audible through headphones is debatable, but it was inevitable that the technique would show up in portable units because a large number of them are used with home systems as often as in the field. Both the Kenwood DCP-80 ($450) and the Technics SL-XP6 ($380) offer four -times oversampling, as does Toshiba's XR-9459. The latter is a $450 player that also features circuitry for a surround -sound effect. Panasonic's SL-NP12 features 16 - bit D/A conversion, as did its predecessor, the NP11. Denon's introduction to the world of portable CD ups the ante to eight -times oversam- Aiwa's HS-PX900A pling combined with dual 16 -bit D/A cassette player ($290) converters, as does the latest from has Dolby C and a 15- Sony, the D-35. Both list for $400. mir ute quick -charge Sony's top -of -the -lineDiscman battery system. D-555, which retails for $450, made quite a splash when it was introduced because it was the first portable to include digital signal processing (DSP). In addition, this unit is right up there with home models in offering an optical digital output for use with amplifiers containing their own D/A conversion circuits. Features that are being seen more and more in portables are three - beam lasers and the ability to play 3 -inch cD's without adaptors. This ability may or may not be an appealingfeature,depending on whether the smaller CD format ever captures the public's imagination. While programmability is not as Denon's DCP-100 advanced in most portables as it is ($400) has eight -times in full-size players, the ability to oversampling and a select fifteen or sixteen tracks is now 20 -bit digital filter with common. Magnavox offers twenty - noise shaping. STEREO REVIEW JUNE 199063 JVC's PC -X300 ($550) has dual cassette decks, an AM/FM radio, and a synchro- start CD player.

Kenwood's CP-C7 ($249) playsior 1212 hours onp4ingle charge of its internal battery.

track programminginits$280 as well, along with a separateCD inch woofers, a ten -band equalizer, D6800, and Denon's DCP-100 has output. Fisher's PHW1000 ($140) and-no kidding-wheels! The de- memory for thirty-two tracks. and PHW3000 ($170) have the signersincluded wheels because same feature but without the built- they were sure no one would want Better Booming inCDplayer;CDline inputs are pro- to carry this massive unit around. Of all the ways audio is packaged, videdinstead.Panasonic's RX- Whether anyone will want to listen the boombox is the one most often CT830 ($110) has a similar input to it is another matter. regarded with horror, at least by along with a phono input. people who don't own them. And Another approach has been taken Extension Speakers while there are still plenty of models by Soundesign in its Model 4979, If you ever want to make your on the market designed for quantity which sells for $300. In addition to portable a little less than personal, of sound rather than quality, most dual cassette transports, it includes all you really have to add is a good hi-fi companies have applied the aCDplayer that fits into a well on pair of small externalspeakers. same sort of technical advances to top; away from the boombox the Many manufacturersoffersmall their top systems as they have to player can be used with head- speakers-both powered (with headphone portables. As a result, it phones. built-in amplifiers) and passive- is possible to achieve very decent A couple of the more distinctive designed to be used with portables sound from a boombox, and their portablesystemsarenotreally instead of headphones. Among the flexibility usually outdoes all but boomboxes, though they have han- best known are the Partners series the most elaborate home systems. dles and offer much of the same from Acoustic Research, compris- In this top segment of the market, flexibility. The Cambridge Sound - ing six powered and nonpowered practically all systems now include Works Model 11 is a suitcase that models ranging in price from $470 compact disc players. Sharp and its contains a 30 -watt integrated ampli- to $200 a pair. sister brand Optonica have taken fier, two satellite speakers, and all Anothernoteworthyentryis this a step further by including dou- necessary cables-and the suitcase Sony's SRS -77G ($200 a pair), small bleCDplayers in several models. itself is a subwoofer. Just drop a water-resistant speakers whose The Sharp CD -X99 offers random portableCDplayer or cassette deck built-in amplifier and volume con- play from two discs and sells for into the foam cutout in the Bass - trol can be bypassed so that you can $900,whilethe Optonica WQ- Case, and you're ready to go. Fac- make adjustments from the port- CD83 features not only dual players tory -direct price is $599. Citizen's able source component. And Bose's but dual 16 -bitD/Aconversion for CBM 5000LT is smaller, only brief- RoomMate II and Video Room - $700. Sanyo's $800 MCD950 also case -size, but it contains aCDplayer Mate powered speakers ($339 a has twoCDplayers, along with pas- that can handle 3 -inchCD'Swithout pair) are also small enough for por- sive radiators for bass oomph. an adaptor and has thirty -track pro- table use and have a wide range of JVC has also addressed bass per- gramming. BothCDand amplifier carrying accessories available. formance in its PC -X300, which not output jacks are provided. It weighs Every year with the beginning of only includes a five -band equalizer less than 6 pounds and sells for summer, the urge to have music but a powered subwoofer as well. $350. wherever we go becomes stronger. The JVC sells for $550 and offers a At the other end of the size scale is Today, audio designers' success at very useful synchro-dubbing feature a glitzy system from Technidyne, cramming hightechnologyinto to aid in transferring music fromCD the TD -10000 ($500), that the com- ever -smaller boxes means that we to cassette. This feature is offered pany says may be the world's big- can have good sound away from on the $400 Fisher PHD 800 system gest portable system. It contains 10 - home.

64 STF.REO REVIEW JUNE1990 111111 1r A up IL

SING a professional rock critic sette with your name and the song is low -paying work with few selections printed on the label. fringe benefits-no groupies, A browse through the PS catalog, no medical insurance, no re- however,dampened my enthu- spect from relatives-but at siasm; the selections available were least one material advantage: less than encyclopedic (nothing, for you get lots of free records, tapes, example, by the Rolling Stones, al- and CD's. This, of course, has its though you could get the Jaggerz own drawbacks (your apartment and their 1970 hit The Rapper). And starts to resemble a flea market), but when I got down to it, my own it does allow you a nifty leisure -time record collection was far more com- activity: programming custom cas- prehensive than what Personics of- settes, both for your own amuse- fered. So Ifigured: Why let these ment and for the edification of guys program my tapes? Why not go friends with lesser collections. home and-gasp!-do it myself? Actually,Iused to make tape So I did, churning out homemade anthologies all the time, but I'd got- All you need to make anthologies by the score in the last ten out of the habit in recent years few months. Here, then, are a cou- and didn't get into it again until ple of tricks of the trade that I've after a recent vacation. Before I left, picked up in the course of the expe- a friend presented me with a tape, tie anthologies is rience to help you do the same. and it saw me through ten days in Amaze and astound your friends, or Greece. The selections were eclectic just keep yourself busy on a night to the max-Gene Pitney, John when HBO is running a Robby Ben- Coltrane,Jana6ek's Sinfonietta- a little imagination, son festival. It's easy. All you need but somehow they all made sense in is a little imagination, a couple of context and made lying on the technical doodads, and access to a beach seem somehow, well, produc- lot of music. Incidentally, for pur- tive. I wasn't being decadent; I was a couple of doodads poses of this discussion, we'll as- widening my cultural horizons. sume that your stereo system in- Still, the taping bug didn't hit me cludes a turntable, a CD player, and anew until after I got home and a dual -transport cassette recorder. found myself browsing at a certain well-known record store in New and a lot of music. Ge: to know your pause switch. York City. There, I happened across You'd be surprised how many something you might have seen at people forget to use this simple fea- other stores: the Personics System ture. In case you're one of them, a for making custom cassettes of up to quick recap: If you press stop after 90 minutes of music. It seemed like each song you include on one of Es by your home tapes, you'll probably a pretty good deal. All you had to do was pick a bunch of songs out of the get a resounding click after each PS catalog, hand the list to a clerk, toe Simels selection. Hit the pause switch in- and voila-in (usually) 5 minutes stead and remain untroubled by you got a digitally duplicated cas- anything but the sound of music. STEREO REVIEW JUNF. 1990 65

dance single at the same time you just route your signal through it and Remember to match source volumes. turn up a track from that Beatles CD then follow all the other steps here Once you've mastered the pause you just got for Christmas. Radio exactly as you would with a conven- switch and the click -free transition, Shack sells a four -channel mixer tional cassette deck? the other thing you've got to watch withslidinglevelcontrolsfor out for is jumps in volume (that's around $70 that's ideal for this job; Pop those tabs! because different records, tapes, and it adds a little noise to your signal You've made the tape-still more CD'S may be mastered at wildly dif- but not enough to be problematic. songs, say, about buildings (John ferent levels). Face it, there's little in And using it is simple verging on Cougar's Pink Houses) and food life, or music, more annoying than idiot -proof. All you do is connect (Dee Dee Sharp's Mashed Pota- having a quiet folk song burst out of themixer betweenyour audio toes)-and now you're ready to your speakers at twice the volume sources and your recorder. Then dupe another copy for yourself or of the heavy-metal track that pre- you wait till, say, the LP track you're simply give it to a friend. Now take ceded it. So remember. Each time recording from starts to end, start one final precaution: Pop out the you change your source (that is, the up the tape or CD selection that you erase tabs on the top of the cassette. song you'rerecording from,in want to follow it, and slide the turn- That way you'll never accidentally whatever format), see how it regis- table volume control down as you record over the results of your time, ters on your tape deck's level meters bring the tape or en volume up. effort, and creativity. Or maybe you and adjust the record level accord- really like doing the same work ingly. Again, keep the record -pause Think about tape configurations. twice? switch on until you've had a chance Despite advances in tape technol- to match those levels. Bear this ogy, this rule of thumb remains val- Think thematic-up to a point. advice in mind, and you can put id: The longer the tape, the less reli- Half the fun of making these tapes Vladimir Horowitz up against Bon ableitis in terms of stretching, is finding some connection between Jovi, decibel for decibel. audio dropouts, and so on. In other the various selections you plan to words, don't use a C-120. Practical- include. These, of course, are lim- Use a real-time counter. ly speaking, your best bet remains a ited solely by the reaches of your How many times has this hap- C-90, which gives you 45 minutes a collection and your imagination. A pened to you? You're near the end side. But the new C -100's, designed rock-and-roll collector I know, for of side one of an absolutely brilliant for taping two longer -than -average example, once made me a tape con- anthology, but 20 seconds before CD'S, give you an extra 5 minutes a taining thirty-six different versions the side -closing song is due to end, side to play with that's basically of Let the Good Times Roll, as run out of tape. Oh, the frustra- risk -free, and I find they work well recorded by obscure New Orleans tion! A simple, if somewhat pricy, for the kind of Cuisinart anthologies r -&-b acts. A classical buff of my way to avoid this embarrassment is we're discussing. And while we're acquaintance once gave me a simi- to get a cassette deck with a real- on the subject, use the highest -qual- lar tape consisting of the same Ital- time counter. That will tell you how ity cassettes you can find. Of course, ian verismo aria done by twenty-one much time is available at any given good tapes may reveal the sad shape tenors, in chronological order begin- spot on your cassette so you can your old records are in. ning with Edison cylinders. pick a song that will fit the slot. My own best efforts, however, the How does this work? "Simple," Keep a clean machine. ones people have enjoyed the most said my friend and fellow tape -mak- Before making your tape, be sure as gifts, have always been improvis- er Glenn Kenny. "A 45 -minute tape to clean your tape heads and cap- ations, with few clues going in. For actually gives you about 46 or 47 stans with isopropyl alcohol (not example, once I decided to do a tape minutes. So when I get to around 41 rubbing alcohol) or a good commer- with the general theme of Jingle minutes of music,I'llreset the cial cleaner. And if you're really JangleTwelve -StringGuitars- counter to zero and play the tape feeling high-tech, maybe you should songs that in some way featured the out. That tells me exactly how much use a head demagnetizer as well. sound prominent on Sixties folk- recording time is left, minus about 6 rock records. So I began with a few seconds for leader. Then the trick What about your VCR? cuts by the Byrds, segued into Hall becomes finding a song that will fit Yeah, what about it? Well, though and Oates's How Does It Feel and thematically and also fit the amount you may not have realized it, your the Pretenders' Talk of the Town- of time left." hi-fi VCR may provide better sound and suddenly found myself adding than your cassette deck. In fact, if on old r -&-b songs (Dr. Feelgood, Invest in a mixer. you have only a mid-fi cassette ma- You Talk Too Much) that had noth- If you've ever been to a dance chine, you'll find your VCR a very ing whatever to do with my original club, you've noticedthat songs attractive alternative. Even at a idea but sounded terrific anyway don't just start and stop-they fade slow setting, a hi-fi VCR records and made a weird kind of sense. in and fade out underneath each audio with a sound quality surpris- See, there are no rules here, except other. If you're feeling really crea- ingly close to that of a CD. More- perhaps one: Don't get hung up on tive, you can achieve much the over, a VHS T-120 videocassette your concept. Or as my fellow taper same effect with your home tapes. recorded at the EP speed gives you Glenn puts it, "Don't plan ahead. How? Get a cheap mixer. A mixer nearly 6 hours of high -quality au- The fun of itis to free associate. will let you control multiple sources dio-idealforthat"Wagner's Usually I'll plan maybe the first more or lesssimultaneously, so Greatest Hits" tape you've been three songs and then see where the that,for example, you can turn planning. So if your VCR is already connections are going to take me." down someobnoxious 12 -inch hooked up to your receiver, why not Smart guy. STEREO REvIEW_IUNE 199067 SYSTEMS Urban housing solution

by Rebecca Day

HENRY KLEEMAN'S 5 -foot, 7 -inch Kindel PLS-A speakers took up just enough space in the living room of his two -bedroom apartment that the Chicago attorney decided he had to house the rest of his equipment somewhere else. Still, he wanted to be able to operate the components from the living room and to coordinate the look of his system with the design of his contemporary furnishings. By utilizing the walk-in closet behind his living -room wall, Kleeman was able to achieve all three objectives. He designed adjustable, industrial -type metal shelves to hold his components inside the closet and had faceplate -size holes cut in the wall so that only the front panels would be visible and accessible from the living room. His J. A. Michell Gyro turntable sits on a sturdy, inch -thick birch sliding shelf. The colorful framing panel, also made of birch, is painted with high -gloss acrylic. From top to bottom the system features a Teac X -2000R open -reel tape deck, a Denon DR-M3OHX cassettedeck, a Magnavox CDB560 compact discplayer,a Denon TU600 tuner, a Perreaux SA3 preamplifier, the Gyro turntable fitted with a Zeta tone - arm and an Ortofon MC20 Super moving - coil cartridge, and a Belles Research Model 250 power amplifier. The Kindel speakers are positioned on the opposite wall, connected to the system by 18 - foot lengths of Straight Wire flat Music Rib- bon 32 that run under the rug. Kleeman stores his tapes and accessories in the closet. His seven hundred LP'S and twenty -odd CD's rest on shelves cantilevered off a living -room wall. Although the openings to the component closet were custom cut to fit, Kleeman says that the similar sizes of most comparable components will allow him to upgrade when the mood strikes. Finding an exact -fit re- placement for his 6 -inch -high Belles amp might be a tougher undertaking, however, so he plans to hold on to it for a while. D

S FERE( REVIEW fF NF. 1990 69

INFINITY WODULUS

SPEAKER SYSTEM

1HE newInfinityModulus can be placed on any suitable sur- speaker system defies easy clas- face, including shelves or tables, sification.Basically,itisa and can even be wall -mounted us- three-piece system consisting of ing special brackets available from two small satellite speakers and Infinity ($125 a pair). But they are a subwoofer module powered said to deliver their best perform- by a built-in 250 -watt amplifier. ance when mounted on the pedestal A small outboard Electronic Con- stands designed for them ($300 a trol Unit (ECU) supplied with the pair) and placed well away from the subwoofer allows for considerable room .valls. adjustment of the relative contribu- The cabinets are mace of rigidly tions of the subwoofer and satellites braced high -density fiberboard, to the overall system sound. But laminated with a special internal unlike the satellites in most three- sound -deadening material and pro- piece systems, the Modulus speak- viding a tightly sealed enclosure for ers are full -range units in their own theacoustic -suspensionwoofer. right, with a rated response of 80 to The gl3ssy exterior finis, available 45,000 Hz ± 2 dn. Priced at $1,000 a in either black or white, is similar in pair, they can be purchased and appearance to a fine piano lacquer used independently of the $2,000 but is less easily damaged; the mul- Modulus subwoofer. tilayer plastic coating on the Mod- ulus speakers is relatively resistant The Satellites to scratching. The removable black The Modulus satellite speakers fabric grille is retained by plastic measure only12 inches high,7 fasteners. inches wide, and 105/8 inches deep, The woofer has a 51/2 -inch injec- and each weighs 141 pounds. They tion -molded graphite (imG) cone; the material is said to provide a which therefore minimizes reflec- similar covers for the feet on the high ratio of stiffness to mass. The tions off the woofer rim. speakers can be used to protect a curvilinear cone has a butyl sur- On the rear of each cabinet is a shelf or another supporting surface round mounted on a die-cast alumi- tweeter -leveladjustmentwitha if the pedestals are not used. The num basket. At 4,000 Hz there is a nominal range of about ±2 dB. necessary Allen wrenches and adhe- crossover to Infinity's proprietary There are two pairs of gold-plated sives for fastening protective covers EMIT k high -frequency driver. All binding posts connected by gold- in place are also furnished. of Infinity's EMIT (forElectro- plated metal straps that can be The Modulus satellites' nominal Magnetic Inductance Tweeter) driv- removed for biamplified or biwired impedance is 5 ohms, and they are ers are planar push-pull magnetic operation of the system. recommended for use with ampli- designs in which the diaphragm is The Modulus pedestals, made of fiers delivering between 50 and 200 suspended between arrays of power- die-castaluminum,supportthe watts. The rated sensitivity is a rela- ful neodymiummagnets. The speakers 25 inches off the floor. The tively low 84 dB sound -pressure lev- EMIT k drivers used in the Mod- hollow pedestals can be filled with el (sPL) measured at 1 meter with an ulus and other higher -price Infinity sand or lead shot to increase their input of 1 watt. The Subwoofer Although a pair of the Modulus satellite speakers can deliver full - range high-fidelity sound from most recordings, there can be a considerable amount of energy in the two octaves below their 80 -Hz effective limit. In the full Modulus system, the range below 140 Hz is channeled to the Modulus subwoofer, which also has the beneficialeffect of increasing the undistorted playing level of the satellites, whose small woofers are no longer required to handle the large excursions required for reproducing bass frequencies. The Modulus subwoofer is a nearly cubical box, 171/2 inches square and19 inches high,finishedto matchthesatellitespeakers.It weighs nearly 80 pounds and has a single12 -inch long -throw woofer whose HAG cone is similar in construction to that of the 51/2 -inch sat- The full -range Modulus satellites have EMIT k tweeters and 51/2 -inch cone woofers. ellite woofers. The woofer is on a side of the box that is normally cov- speaker models feature diaphragms mass and more effectively dissipate ered by a removable black grille. made of ultralight Kapton, which is sonic energy. Each pedestal base has The fluted black -metal corner post said to extend their response to four pointed iso-tip feet that are on one of the adjacent cabinet edges about 45,000 Hz. individually adjustable for leveling is actually the heat sink for the Inthe Modulus satellites,the the system. The top plate contains built-in250 -wattamplifierthat tweeter is stepped back a few inches butyl cups shaped to fit the iso-tip drives the subwoofer. The ampli- from the woofer plane to provide feetsupplied withthe Modulus fier, normally in a stand-by condi- accurate time alignment across the speakers, which screw into their tion, turns on automatically when full frequency range at the listening bottom surfaces. The speaker rests the ECU is switched on. position. When used with conven- freely on the top plate of the stand, The subwoofer is driven by a ser- tional dome tweeters,a stepped secured by outer retaining screws vo amplifier, with negative feed- speakerboard design can cause re- that allow a moderate amount of back supplied from an acceleromet- flections that degrade the imaging movement relative to the stand. er on the speaker's voice coil. The qualities of the system. The EMIT k Covers are supplied for the pointed system is said to provide a flat fre- driver, however, has extremely wide feet of the pedestals so that they can quency response (± 3 dB) through horizontal dispersion but is quite be used on a bare wooden floor the subwoofer's operating range of directiveintheverticalplane, without damaging its surface, and 22 to 200 Hz. The feedback system

72 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 alsokeepsdistortionverylow adjuststhecrossoverfrequency The Measurements throughthespeaker'soperating (with 12 -dB -per -octave slopes) be- range. The subwoofer handles a tween 40 and 210 Hz. This simpli- We tested the Modulus satellites mono signal, formed by summing fies matching the levels of the sub - alone, as full -range speakers, and the two stereochannels (stereo woofer and the satellitesif their with the subwoofer and ECU as a imaging is maintained by the har- high-pass crossover switches are not complete three-piece system. The monics of low -frequencyfunda- set correctly or if the room environ- satellites were installed on Modulus mentals, which are reproduced by ment affects their relative outputs stands about 7 feet apart, at least 3 the satellites). in the crossover range. The last feet from any wall, and the sub - The small Modulus electronic knob, marked PHASE, has calibrated woofer was against a wall about 2 control unit (ECU) provides the limits marked 0 and 180, indicating feet to the left of the left -channel subwoofer's interface with the rest degrees of adjustment in the blend- speaker. of the system and controls its crossing between the subwoofer and sat- We established control settings over frequency and level. The ECU ellite outputs in the crossover re- during several days of listening to accepts stereo inputs from the sys- gion. Used when the subwoofer can - the complete system. In most cases, tem preamplifier (it can be connect- there were no clear-cut indications ed to tape-recording outputs, exter- of a "correct" setting, which de- nal -processor outputs, or between pends in great measure on the pro- the preamplifier and power ampli- Unlike most satellite gram material as well as personal fier)and returnsthefrequency taste. We finally settled on the sug- range above 140 Hz to the main gested 12 o'clock tweeter -level set- amplifier from its own high-pass ting. For the subwoofer, we used a outputs. A DIN socket supplies the units, the Infinity 35 -Hz low -cutoff frequency, a 70 -Hz range below 140 Hz to the subwoof- crossover frequency, and 12 o'clock er through a furnished 25 -foot cable. level and phase settings. In addi- The ECU measures 71/4 inches wide, tion, Infinity recommends experi- 4 inches deep, and 1*4 inches high. Modulus satellites menting with placement of the sub - The 140 -Hz crossover uses a pas- woofer, moving it in increments as sive 6 -dB -per -octave network whose small as a few inches. Its 80 -pound capacitors are switchable over a are full -range weight discouraged us from such an widerangebyminiature DIP effort; in our listening room, almost switches on the rear apron of the no alternative locations were avail- ECU. The switchable capacitance able anyway. allows the crossover network to be speakers in their The averaged room response of matched to the input impedance of the two Modulus satellites was ± 5 the main system amplifier, which dB from 70 to 20,000 Hz (actually to could otherwise affect the crossover well above 20,000 Hz, the upper frequency. (The system's compre- own right. limit of our response plotter). The hensive installation and instruction response of the complete system manuals explain the process.) was ± 3.5 dB from 20 to 20,000 Hz. The front panel of the ECU con- The major part of the tweeter's tains two toggleswitches,three not be placed in the acoustically audible range, from 3,000 to 12,000 knobs, and a power pilot light. One optimum location in the room, the Hz, was flat within ± 1.25 dB. The switch controls line power to the phase control actually varies an close-miked response of the sub - subwoofer, and the other selects the electronic delay in the subwoofer's woofer alone was ± 2.5 dB from 20 subwoofer's low -frequency limit, ei- signal path, electronically shifting to 200 Hz with the 22 -Hz cutoff set- ther 22 or 35 Hz (with a 12 -dB -per - the relative positions of the sub - ting and ± 3 dB over the same range octave cutoff slope). The higher fre- woofer and the satellite units. with the 35 -Hz setting. The princi- quency is recommended for most Like the Modulus satellites, the pal difference between the two was listening, since there is little signal subwoofer comes with asetof that in the 22 -Hz mode the output content below 35 Hz, and in full - heavy-duty pointed feet and plastic reached its maximum at about 23 range operation the 12 -inch cone's isolating protectors and adhesives. Hz, while in the 35 -Hz mode the excursion limits can sometimes be Besides the cable that links the ECU maximum occurred in the 50- to 60 - exceeded by turntable rumble or to the subwoofer and cables be- Hz range. very loudly played music. tween the ECU and the main ampli- The crossover controlsettings The level knob varies the sub - fier, only the normal system wiring corresponded closely to the actual woofer's volume to match that of from the main amplifier to the -6 -dB response frequencies (con- the Modulus satellites. The contin- Modulus satellites is required for a firming the manufacturer's claims). uously variable crossover control complete installation. The tweeter -level control's range, at

S1ERF.0 REVIEW JUNE 1990 73 frequencies above 4,000 Hz, was ± 2 Hz, 4 percent at 25 Hz, 1 percent at rial we used, switching off the sub - dB. The phase control varied the 35 Hz, and from 0.5 to 1 percent woofer made no audible change in delay time over a range of 5 to 8 from 35 to 130 Hz. the sound. When used down to their milliseconds, corresponding to an Insingle -cyclepulsemeasure- lower limit of 70 or 80 Hz, the di- effective shift in the subwoofer's po- ments, the satellite's 51/4 -inch woof- minutive Modulus satellite speakers sition of 5 to 8 feet relative to the er "bottomed" with a 100 -Hz input have the essential qualities of a very satellite speakers. We were unable of 57 watts into its 14 -ohm imped- finefull -rangespeakersystem. to hear any effect on music material ance. At 1,000 Hz, our amplifier Their flat response in the upper bass over this range, although the charac- clipped before the speaker reached andlowermidrangeeliminates ter of pink noise was affected audi- its limits, at 625 watts into 8 ohms, chestiness or heaviness on male bly by the phase control. voices, a common flaw in the speak- The minimum impedance of a ers we have tested over the years. satellite speaker alone was 4.4 ohms Best of all, turning the subwoofer at 250 Hz, with a maximum of 21 The sound seemed to on again usually made no difference ohms at its bass resonance of 85 Hz. in the sound. Why "best of all"? The horizontal dispersion was ex- Because this demonstrates that its cellent up to 20,000 Hz, although contribution was limited to the true there was a sharp output dip (appar- fill the front of low -bass range, which is actually ently from interference between the present in a much smaller propor- driver outputs) at approximately tion of recorded music than many the tweeter crossover frequency in a the room quite people think. When we were listen- measurement 45 degrees off -axis. ing to recordings containing string The quasi-anechoic FEr response of bass, percussion, or organ sounds, the Modulus satellite on -axis was however, it was clear that the sub - the flattest we have ever measured thoroughly, extending woofer was doing its job, with a from a speaker, ± 1.5 dB from 180 room -shaking effect when that was to 30,000 Hz. The group delay (a called for. measure of phase linearity) was also well beyond the Describing the sound of the Mod- the best we have yet seen, with less ulus system is not easy, at least not than 0.1 millisecond overall varia- inanyuniversallyunderstood tion from 500 to 29,000 Hz. A "wa- terms. It was balanced, smooth, re- terfall" plot of the output of the speakers themselves. markably uncolored, with the clari- speaker over thefullfrequency ty and freedom from edginess that range during the 2.75 milliseconds comes with a flat tweeter response following the narrow -pulse driving to beyond the limit of audibility. signal was closer to the ideal than and at 10,000 Hz the amplifier again The sound stage was excellent, with any other we have made, showing a clipped first, at 860 watts into the the sources seemingly disassociated rapid decay of the output at all but 7 -ohm impedance of the tweeter. from the Modulus speakers on their the lowest frequencies. Every other pedestals. The sound seemed to fill speaker we have tested in this man- Listening Tests the front of the room quite thor- ner has had prolonged ringing at Obviously, the Infinity Modulus oughly, extending well beyond the one or more resonant frequencies system invites-actually, requires speakers themselves. The subwoof- during this period. -the use of superlatives. The Mod- er was never audibly localizable, and The satellite's sensitivity, some- ulus satellites themselves, without its output was so well integrated what higher than rated, was 89 dB the subwoofer, clearly outstripped with the satellites' output that one SPL measured at 1 meter with a every speaker we have previously could easily overlook its presence 2.83 -volt input of pink noise. Its tested in several important meas- and merely assume thatallthe woofer -distortion measurements (as ured characteristics, including re- sound miraculously came from the a full -range system, without sub - sponse range (except in the low Modulussatellitesalone.That woofer) with an input of 3.18 volts bass), response flatness, and phase would not be an unreasonable con- (corresponding to a 90 -dB SPL at linearity. The subwoofer had the es- clusion given the remarkable per- 1,000 Hz) produced impressively sential properties of a good sub - formance of these handsome little low readings for a driver of this size. woofer, including very low distor- speakers. From 6 percent at 50 Hz, the distortion, deep bass extension, and flat Infinity says that it has invested a tion fell off to1 percent at 100 Hz response. When the entire system great deal of time and money in the and about 0.2 percent in the 400- to was operating, there was never an development of the Modulus sys- 700 -Hz range. The subwoofer's dis- audible hint of the presence of a sep- tem, and the results confirm the tortion, also at a 90-dn SPL equiva- arate subwoofer. success of those efforts. It is really

lent input level, was 15 percent at 20 With much of the program mate- an impressive achievement.

74 STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 11

Today's designer cables are a far cry from the old 22 -gauge "speaker wire."

AUDIO eng_neers often describe tie ideal audio amplifier as "a straight wire with gail." That definition, however, sparks one of 1,-fi's hottest argu- ments: What type of wire? Many perfectionists would argue against a straight wire; others would dispute tie merits of stranded vers-is solid wire. Two somewhat different camps lave formed among manufacturers of premium wire. One might be called the "materials- group. the other the "geometry" group. Of course. a few companies combine preciousmaterialswitl-proprietary geometry. And all agree that gold-plated connectors on the ends are test. At the dawn of the stere3 era, in the early Sixties, audio dealers begar_ providir.g cheap "speaker wire" as an afterthcught with system purchases (and unfortunately some people sti_l wire their systems with the same thin, 22-ga ige wire). Tne con -

81 WIRIER nectors wereusuallymolded, an idea of where we stand at the qualities of its LitzLink intercon- shielded RCA plugs from Switch - beginning of a new decade of de- nects and LitzLine speaker cables craft. A decade later a new aware- signer wire, here's a look at some of "aren't due to arcane wire theory or ness of the importance of speaker the different cables you can buy and marketing hype. They're simply the wire developed, and dealers began what they claim to do. result of painstaking attention to providing 18 -gauge "zip" or "lamp" The newest Monster Cable speak- detail and high -quality component cord. The gauge system (formally er cable utilizes separate conductor materials." Shielded LitzLink inter- AWG, for American Wire Gauge) paths for the high and low frequen- connects range in price from $195 works in reverse logic: The smaller ciesto achieve "wider dynamic for 0.5 meter to $395 for 9 meters; the number, the larger the diameter range, tighter bass, and smoother LitzLine speaker cables range from of the wire. Common 18 -gauge wire high -frequency response." Monster $455 for 0.5 meter to $795 for 9 serves as a reference point, since Cable callsits approach "ampli- meters. most lamps and small appliances tude -balanced multi -network con- IGNET offers three grades of are wired with it. ductor technology." The new cable Music Line Advanced speaker In 1976 a small, Baltimore -based is somewhat flatter than the original cable and four grades of Com- company,PolkAudio,forever Monster Cable for easier installa- ponent Linkage Systems inter- changed the way we think about tion under carpets and around cor- connects. The speaker cable wire. Polk introduced an "audio- ners. Also from Monster Cable is uses 258 strands of oxygen -free phile" product called Sound Cable the more expensive M Sigma Series. copper per conductor leg. The consistingofprecutpiecesof This"linear -phase,balanced -im- Music Line Ultimate series braided litz wire (a special kind of pedance, high -current" cable comes uses two conductors per channel, multistrand wire with separate insu- in a woven round jacket, and prices each fabricated from a different lation around each strand). It sold begin at $750 for a pair of 8 -foot gauge of pure copper by Ohno con- for $1 a foot in roughly a 12 -gauge lengths compared with $35 for two tinuouscasting(Pc-occ).Signet thickness and introduced hi-fi en- 10 -foot lengths of standard Monster trumpets PC-OCC becauseithas thusiasts to the product category of Cable. There are also M Sigma "virtually no transverse crystal bar- high -end wire for stereo systems. interconnects, which are saidto riers to impede signal transmission ATER, in 1979, Monster Cable incorporate"balanced -bandwidth, or color sound." The Maximum introducedthefirstwidely MicroFiber technology in a bal- Transfer Ultimate interconnect, as sold line of premium speaker anced -impedance design." Accord- its name implies, is Signet's top -of - cable. The first Monster Cable ing to Monster Cable, however, "de- the -lineinterconnect,withboth used the equivalent of 12 - tails of this new technology are un- conductors composed of Pc-occ. gaugecopperwireshining disclosed." A pair of 1 -meter inter- This mono -crystal design is said to brightly inside clear plastic in- connects costs $750. have an incredibly low resistance of sulation. Other than being big AudioQuest's LiveWire comes in 0.007 ohm per foot and an equally and beautiful, it was not radically several grades. Oxygen -free, high - low capacitance of 0.0257 nanofar- different from existing cables al- conductivity copper is used in the ad per foot. The less expensive though it was very flexible when Blue and Midnight cables ($2.50 Maximum Transfer Premium inter- compared with ordinary 12 -gauge and $6 a foot, respectively). "Func- connects have center conductors of wire. But when audio enthusiasts tionally perfect copper" is used in PC-OCC but an OFC shield. At $125 were giventhechoice between the Hyperlitz series, which includes per3 -footpair,the Maximum Monster Cable with its "high -quali- Green and Clear cables ($25 and Transfer Ultimate is a veritable bar- ty copper" and the kind of 12 -gauge $50 a foot).All these LiveWire gain compared with some of the ordinary copper wire in brown insu- cables use several small "surface - competition. lation sold by any hardware store, only" conductors in order to elimi- Discrete Technology Laboratories they made Monster Cable a monster nate "skin effect" (see the box on silver -plates the oxygen -free copper success. page 78). In its literature, Audio - inits Platinum -Plus and Dread- Monster Cable wasn't alone for Quest says that "Speaker cables naught speaker cables, which also long. It was soon joined by Vampire need to be broken in. The dielectric feature Teflon insulation. The con- Wire, Kimber !Cable, Straight Wire, [insulation] material in speaker ca- nectors are crimped on and soldered LiveWire, and a bundle of others. bles requires about a week of use to with silver solder. The company's As the competition between cable fully 'form.' The cables will sound interconnects are built the same companies heated up, each tried to significantly better after the break- way. A 10 -foot length of Platinum develop unique features to differen- in period." Plus speaker cable sells for $875, tiate its products from the others- Audio Research Corporation's ca- while a 2 -meter Platinum intercon- much to the confusion of the con- ble is available both in interconnect costs $180. sumer. Moreover, fat, fine -stranded nects and as speaker wire. The four - Music Interface Technologies, a cables were no longer enough. Once conductor LitzLink interconnects California company that likes to go these companies convinced con- are bundles of individually insu- by its initials, MIT, has no relation sumers that better speaker wires im- lated,oxygen -freecopper(oFc) with the prestigious university also proved sound, it was a small step to wires.AccordingtoAudio Re- known by those initials. The com- introduce superior interconnect ca- search, the "strand thickness, count, pany has published an impressive bles for other components. and winding geometry were evalu- "white paper" on the audibility of Since those early days, audiophile ated and specified for maximum speaker cables. It considers the pre- wires have become as popular as sonic purity and articulation at all dominant sonic errors to be in the bottled drinking waters and as com- frequencies." The company further areas of tonalbalance,lucidity, plex as an IRS tax form. To give you proclaims that the superior sound sound staging, and transientre -

76STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 MIT Shotgun Series cables (left, center) and Madrigcl's Co -Planar Capper flat speaker cable (right)

Clockwise from left, Sumiko Premier, Signet MTU-6, Audio-Technica Atus AC -122-A2, Discwasher FG-1085, Signet MTS-6, and Discrete Technology Dreadnaught Platinum interconnects

Top to bottom, Signet MCS-1000 speaker cable. Nakamichi's _Oxygen -Free High -Conductivity speaker cable, AudioQuest Livewire i Ruby cable, 'and Signet's ,,,MLU-250 cable

Discrete Technology's- Balanced-Line Silver interconnects (top left), 312SC speaker cable (top right), and Platinum Series interconnect (lower right) and Audio Research's LitzLink 2 interconnects (lower middle) and LitzLine cable (lower left) [111114 1111[ tlIM1111

NOOSINGcables to hook your increases, so the greater the distance prevent corrosion. But you can get equipment together used to be one between your amplifier and your much the same benefit by periodically of the easiest parts of buying an speakers, the thicker the cable should unplugging and reinserting ordinary audio system (if you had to choose be. For runs of up to about 20 feet, connectors, which scrapes away any at all). Now it is arguably one of 16 -gauge or even 18 -gauge copper wire crud that may have accumulated at the ' the most confusing. Today's stereo is usually good enough and easy to junction between plug and jack. shopper confronts a bewildering handle. Avoid thinner wire (larger The claims made for certain cables

1 variety of cables, boasting all sorts gauge numbers) and wire made of go far beyond such ordinary 111 of exotic materials and aluminum, which is a significantly considerations, however, and are often construction techniques for which their poorer conductor than copper. If you based on theories more relevant to makers claim astonishing virtues. Is it must use very long cables. move up to transmission of radio -frequency signals possible that you really can hear wire? 14- or 12 -gauge wire. One advantage of over miles of wire than to audio If so. what makes one kind better than some of the thick specialty cables is frequencies traveling only a few feet. another? that they're made of many fine strands Such concepts as "characteristic The most basic electrical wound to maintain flexibility: heavy impedance" and "skin effect," to take characteristic of a wire is its gauges of ordinary wire tend to be stiff a couple of prominent examples, are impedance, which has three and difficult to manage. simply not applicable to anything that components: resistance, capacitance. Cables conveying line -level signals goes on in an audio system. and inductance. Resistance, measured between electronic components (cci (Characteristic impedance has to do in ohms, impedes the flow of an player and receiver, for example) don't with standing waves in long electrical current equally at all have to carry large currents, making transmission lines: skin effect is the frequencies. Inductance, which is resistance less of an issue. For tendency of very high -frequency signals expressed in henries or millihenries unusually long runs, it is a good idea to travel along the surface of a (mn), is similar except that its effect to make sure the cable is a low - conductor rather than through it.) increases with frequency. Capacitance, capacitance variety, to prevent any loss Some cables have been promoted on rated in farads, microfarads (,.F), or of high frequencies within the audio the basis of their ability to reduce picofarads (pF), goes the other way, band. This is a very uncommon waveform distortions that occur only at attenuating low frequencies more than problem, however. frequencies of several megahertz-far, high ones. The interaction of these A more likely source of difficulty is far above the range of human hearing. different types of impedance can yield interference picked up by an Other dubious claims have included the other results-for example, a series interconnect cable and fed into an ideas that an audio signal actually resistance in parallel with a amplifier along with the audio signal, travels through the insulating portion capacitance rolls off high frequencies creating noise. For this reason, all of a cable, rather than the conductor. -but until recently no one claimed line -level audio cables have a shield and that wires should be as skinny as that they could not, taken together, around the conductor, which is possible to minimize random motion adequately describe the electrical grounded through the outer portion, or of electrons (promulgated by someone characteristics of an audio cable. "skirt," of an RCA -type pin connector. with a very poor grasp of the size of In speaker cable, what is usually The best shields are foil, but they are subatomic particles). most important is the resistance, which also relatively stiff and easily damaged. Controlled listening tests have so far should be as low as possible to More popular are braided -copper failed to reveal any audible differences minimize power loss. A low cable shields, which work very well if they between cables that meet the resistance also helps keep the overall are dense enough. Probably the most traditional standards outlined above. impedance of the source (the important differences between That does not mean you should take amplifier's output impedance plus the interconnect cables are in the quality of the cables in your system for granted. cable's) low relative to that of the their shields, the sturdiness of their Make certain they are well made speaker. If the ratio of the source and plugs, and the security of the and-in the case of speaker cable speaker impedances, called the connections between the plugs and the especially-adequate to the task. But damping factor, is too low, it can cause conductor and the shield. before you lay out a lot of money on small frequency -response errors. Gold-plated connectors are popular fancy wire, be sure that you're getting Resistance in a given length of cable on high -end components and cables, a real return on your investment. decreases as the diameter of the wire and they are worthwhile insofar as they -Michael Riggs

78 STEREO REVIEW JUNF.1990 sponse. According to the paper, ardent support and vehement rejec- electrical signals do not all travel tion. All concerned agree that inter- along a wire at the speed of light. connects need to be physically well The velocity of the signal, the com- constructed and made from a high pany says, is frequency -dependent, grade of copper. Furthermore, all and it views "skin effect" as a criti- concur that the connectors at the cal factor in designing proper cables. ends of the cable are exceptionally MIT has coined the term "phase important. noise" for all forms of frequency R. A. Greiner, a professor of elec- and phase instability caused by ca- trical engineering at the University bles. The company claims to elimi- of Wisconsin in Madison, provided nate phase noise with its Vari-Lay the most detailed analysis yet of Construction, in which a large num- audio cables in his paper "Ampli- ber of fine conductors are wound fier -Loudspeaker Interfacing," pub- around the core wire at a much lished in the Journal of the Audio steeper pitch than the heavier con- .ems Engineering Society in May 1980. ductors. The ultimate expression of He. analyzed both ordinary and this design approach is the Constant esoteric cable, measuring resistance, Velocity Transmissionseries,in inductance, and capacitance. The which a CVT coupler in every cable paper presents many mathematical is calibrated to eliminate delay dis- formulas describing the characteris- tortion and phase noise. A 1 -meter tics and behavior of cables. His ma- pair of CVT interconnects sells for jor conclusion is that speaker cables $1,100. Musical Interface Technolo- do not behave as transmission lines, gies sells three other grades of cable: Clockwise from top, Kimber Kable the theory subscribed to by many, if Teflon Composite speaker cable, not most, esoteric cable designers. Zapchord($3.95afoot), PC AudioQuest F-14 flat cable, Nakamichi Squared ($8.50 a foot), and Shotgun High -Current Ground wire, Kimber The sonic effects claimed by cable ($9.65 a foot, 8 feet minimum). Kable's KCAG interconnects, JVC's partisans may not, however, be en- UDIO cable manufacturers in CN710-Pro interconnects, and tirely psychological. A disadvantage Great Britain are more likely Madrigal's Helical Planar Copper of component stereo systems is that to espouse the opposite view, cable theamplifier'sdesignernever advocating solid (rather than knows the characteristics of the multistrand)copper wire, mium TC (Teflon Composite) se- speakers that will be connected to it, sometimes as thin as 24 gauge. ries, Kimber says that "TC is not and vice versa. Amplifier/speaker DNM represents the prevail- just our own insulation; it is also the mismatches are more common than 1ing opinion in the U.K. by complex process of placing that in- we would like to admit. In some offering cables consisting of flat, sol- sulation on the conductor." rare cases, the capacitance or induc- id -copper ribbons. The company Themostextravagantcables tance of a cable may coincidentally says that "to transfer complex AC come from Dutch physicist A. J. yield a better interface between the information accurately we need a van den Hul, whose phono car- amplifier and speakers, resulting in good. conductor, just large enough tridges are well known and highly better sound. On the other hand, in cross section to carry the current respected. Van den Hul's standard some cables have been known to peaks with acceptably low power cables use "matched crystal cop- cause amplifier oscillation. loss." DNM's solid -core speaker per," but his MC Gold and MC Sil- RE there real sonic differences wire and interconnect cable sell for ver interconnects are truly some- betweenaudiocables? We $3 per foot, with pre -terminated in- thing else. In MC Silver cable, each leave that up to each individu- terconnects going for $85 in 1 -meter copper strand is clad in silver. The al to decide. What we can say lengths and $100 for 2 meters. MC Gold cables go one step further, is that there are some valid Madrigal Audio Laboratories rep- coating the silver with gold. The 1 - reasons, described in the box resents the flat, solid -wire faction in meter MC Silver interconnects cost on the facing page, to use good the U.S. with its Teflon -insulated $1,300 a pair. 1cables in your hi-fisystem. Helical Planar Copper and Co -Pla- Discwasher Gold -Ens serve the Which theory you choose to sub- nar Copper cables. According to music listener who wants decent in- scribe to and how high a price Madrigal, ". .. solid conductorsof terconnect cables without becoming you're willing to pay for cable com- rectangular cross section would do a caught up in any controversy, not to fort is up to you. better job of carrying musical sig- mention stratospheric prices. Disc - For those curious about the fu- nals" than multistrand wire. washer reserves the gold inthe ture, Vampire Wire hints that the Kimber Kable wins the award for name for the plating on the connect- whole cable business may be mov- the most visually interesting cables. ors, not the wires. These rather con- ing to a new playing field,fiber Each twisted set interweaves either ventional interconnects cost a mere optics, and is already selling fiber- fouroreightcolor -coordinated $22 for a 1 -meter triple strand. optic cable. Theoretically, fiber op- wires. Kimber's wire is also one of There are numerous other cable tics will usher in a brave new world the flattest multistrand cables we manufacturers, among them Audio- without the worries of wire. But you came across. Its LPC series is woven Technica, Sumiko, Boulder, Calrad, can be sure that in a few years you'll fromuptosixteenindividual and DB Systems. Like many other be able to choose between several strands and is ideal for under -carpet audio fetishes that keep the field esoteric opticalfibers to connect installations. In explaining the pre- interesting, esoteric cables engender your digital components.

STEREO REVIEW JUNE 1990 79 "Jazz teaches you to go with the flow, but it also prepares you to stop and turn on a dime." BY ELIOT TIEGEL

THINKyou should live in every inch of your skin and do everything you feel you'd like to do and know how to do," Quincy Jones told me recently in the quiet of his home in Bel Air, California- a few doors up from Zsa Zsa Gabor and a philosophical mile from his other near neighbors, Ronald and Nancy Reagan. "But I'm against the so-called Peter Principle of rising to your own level of incompetence. I'm not going to mess with anything I don't feelI can do, anything I won't be proud of." Considering his long list of credits as a performer, composer, arranger, and producer, it's clear there isn't much that Jones can't do. His latest accomplishment was the Top 10 album "Back on the Block," in which some thirty-two guest artists joined him to show the connections of gospel, jazz, soul, and rap to "the mother of it all," African music. Original- ly planned for release in 1981 on Jones'sthen -newQwestlabel, "Back on the Block" was held up because of his involvement in a number of other projects, including albums by Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, the movie The Color "It was easier to put the pieces Ray Charles (a long-time friend who Purple, and the benefit single We together one at a time than dealing was featuredin"Back on the Are the World, with its own cast of with a room ful:of stars,"he Block"), Tevin Campbell, a twelve- thirty-five megastars. explained. "But I also didn't have year -old Michael Jackson sound - The many performers who appear any choice, because I couldn't get alike from Texas, and singer/com- together in "Back on the Block" them together at the same time any- poser Seidah Garrett. He'll also be were never assembled in the same way. Bobby McFerrin was off doing the executive producer for albums studio at the same time the way they things, Ella was in Paris, Tate 6 was by the Winans and New Order. were for We Are the World. Instead, in Nashville. Miles played four days But record production alone isn't Jones grabbed artists as they be- before Dizzy cut his part, Al Jarreau enough to keep Jones busy. He's came available. "Nobody knew who came in on a Sunday, Herhie Han- also working on a Broadway mu- else was on the record," Jones said cock came directly to the studio sical about Arthur Mitchell, founder with a chuckle. "It was a nightmare after flying in from New York be- of the Dance Theater of Harlem, in scheduling, but I never let it get fore he packed and headed off to a which he hopes "to get moving this me down." The album includes gig in Japan .. .." year," and he's involved in movie duets by artists who were never Now, with "Back on the Block" andTVproduction as well. For the actually in the studio together: Ella behind him, Jones is free to concen- big screen, there's a $35 -million Fitzgerald sings with the late Sarah trate on building up Qwest. This joint venture with a Russian com- Vaughan, Miles Davis plays with year he plans to produce Qwest pany based on the life of the writer Dizzy Gillespie. recordings by veteran singer/pianist Alexander Pushkin. The movie will 80 STEREO REVIEWJUNE1990 111MS be shot in Moscow and Leningrad vinced themselves it's a creative and will draw on music by Russian process, like a mosaic, a collage. But composersforitssoundtrack- Isay,`Writeyour ownstuff, though Jones would like to write the man.' " main theme himself (he's scored Jones writes his own stuff. He co - thirty-seven films since The Boy in wrote three songs in "Back on the the Tree in 1961). He isn't sure yet Block" and came up with the con- who'lldothemusicforthe cepts for three of the others. Him- Broadway show, but he also plans to self a virtuoso in the art of planning write the theme music for his small - a recording, he credits Sinatra, with screen project, a syndicated talk whom he's worked on several al- show with the Rev. Jesse Jackson bums, with helping him understand coming up this fall. how to sequence songs. If there's one strong musical ele- "Most shows by star singers like ment that permeates all of Jones's Sinatra have fourteen songs," he ex- work, it's jazz. He started out as a plained. "Sinatra would have four- Ray Charles is a long-time friend. jazz trumpeter, played with the teen cards with big black letters for Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gilles- the titles. There was something psy- tempo songs. A solo singer can't get pie bands, and led his own ensem- chological about being able to move away with that because there's no ble in the Fifties. "Jazz teaches you the songs around so easily with the variety. to go with the flow and let natural cards." "But if you've got four rappers, impulses happen," he said. "But it As an example of how the system and Joe Zawinul on keyboards and also prepares you to stop and turn worked, he recalled a time when he TevinCampbell andAndrae on a dime. You're not going to say, was with Sinatra and the Basie band Crouch and his gospel choir and `Hey, man, we said we're gonna go in Las Vegas in the mid -Sixties. "I Seidah Garrett and Herbie Hancock this way. What do you mean chang- rewrote the charts for My Kind of and Ray Charles and Chaka Khan ing direction?' " Town and had it rompin'. It was duetting, your ears are constantly Skilled in using every recording - definitely designed to pull out the being tickled. I could never do that studio technique to add bite and a Marines. In the first show, Frank with a Michael Jackson sequence." beat to his music, Jones incorpo- opened with it and did Fly Me to the One project that will not involve rated synthesized sounds as well as Moon, which I'd also arranged, at any complicated sequencing is the the scratching sounds associated the end. I felt it was lopsided, so I soundtrack for the two-hour docu- with rap in "Back on the Block." "A went to Frank after the performance mentary on Jones's life that Warner lot of the technology can actually and said I thought we'd have a bet- Bros. Pictures is preparing. Some dictate the style of music you use," ter show if we reversed the two 600 hours of material have been he said. "Sequencers can take some- songs and opened with Fly Me to assembled, covering every person thing that's almost humanly impos- the Moon. He said, `No problem, Jones has worked with and ranging sible to execute and allow you to let's do it.' And man, it tore the from his early days as a trumpet alter its velocity." show to pieces. We closed with My player to his years as a vice presi- Still, Jones is aware of the dangers Kind of Town, and it was a killer. It dent of Mercury Records to his cur- of going overboard. He admits he's was designed to close the show, and rent eminence as songwriter, pro- concerned, for example, about the it comes from having those cards. ducer, and arranger. trendy technique called "sampling," "When I started thinking about "I'd like my next album to be the in which a band will take snippets sequencing my new album, I made music of my life," he said. "I'm not from recordings by other artists and up cards. It's a process that doesn't talking about an ego trip but some- use them to enhance its own work. strangle you. Sequencing is really thing that will illustrate the last for- "Is it ethical to use other people's important. I think, psychologically, ty years of American music through material?" he asks. "I don't think that listeners are very affected by my life." it'slegally right;it's an infringe- sequencing. A solo singer could nev- ment, a violation. [Rappers and er get away with what I did on that Eliot Tiegelcovers the music industry others who use sampling] have con- album: The whole first half is up - on the West Coast forVariety. STERFoRrviEw JuNE 1990 81 Buckle up and get ready to experience the sonic energy and pure power of Pyle PRO woofers. Pyle engineers have reinvented the heart and soul of loudspeakers - our new woven fiber IronCloth voice coils make Pyle PRO woofers virtually indestructible. When combined with polymer laminate cones, vented pole pieces, massive motor structures and heavy duty housings, you get the most durable speakers available at any price. Now you can dive to the deepest lows and accelerate to the highest peaks with new found confidence. 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CIRCLE NO. 94 ON READER SERVICE CARD BEST RECORDINGS OF THE MONTH

Not so in "Stolen Wishes." For tion is irresistible. In fact, there's Stereo Review's critics whatever reason-more sophisti- just so much to admire here-the choose the outstanding cated technical resources, a new haunting McCartneyisms of /Don't current releases drummer, simply having lived a lit- KnowWhy, the Cars-ish percolation tle-the new songs here sound less ofTorn inTwo, the soaring guitar like the work of three brilliant for- that slicesYour Devotionin half- SHOES RETURN malists and more like the musings thatit's hard to get through the of a bunch of real guys who just hap- album without playing individual WITH "STOLEN pen to have unimpeachable pop tracks over and over again, like gifts. In short, they appeal to both when you were sixteen and every WISHES" heart and head-melodic, touching, new song was the most beautiful and impeccably crafted all at the you'd ever heard. THE story so far: Back in same time. And while the basic This is, in short, one hell of an 1978, at the dawn of the parameters of the Shoes' music re- album, and the fact that it isn't on a punk explosion, four Sixties main the same as before-Sixties major label speaks volumes about pop/rockobsessives who song structures, guitar -focused high - the sad state of the record business. called themselves Shoes (from an glossproduction-this timeout But a great band can persevere in obscure Paul McCartney joke) re- they sound as if they mean what spite of it, which means that for corded an album in their living they're singing, and the combina- both musical and extramusical rea- room in Zion, Illinois. Released on their own Black Vinyl label, it pro- Gary Klebe. John Murphy. and Jeff Murphy of Shoes ceeded to garner rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and ultimately led the band to sign a deal with Elektra. Three above -ground albums followed-all excellent- but the band's airy harmonies and Beatlesque romanticism must have seemed out of step with the then - prevailing alternative rock trends, and Shoes wound up back in Zion with little to show for their efforts except the original master tapes. Undaunted, however, they built a successfullocal recording studio, wrote new songs, and hoped. And now, after all this time and against all the odds, Shoes (down to a trio) has returned with yet another self -produced and self -marketed album, "Stolen Wishes," that just may be their masterpiece. Time may finally have caught up with them, too. Not only has no more gorgeous aural product beenre- leased anywhere in the world in recent memory, but "Stolen Wishes" should have no trouble making itself heard on radios already accustomed to Tom Petty's "Full Moon Fever." Actually, the years in the wilder- ness may have been good for this band. As breathtaking as a lot of their earlier work was, their trademark mélange of massed fuzz guitars,glorious melodies,lost -love lyrics, and angelic vocals had a whiff of unreality about it, a hot- housepop -museum soundthat could be cloying over the space of an album. BEST RECORDINGS OF THE MONTH

sons, "Stolen Wishes" is inspira- and full texts, all in excellent trans- tional. I'm not sure "sublime" is an lations.And Teldec'sengineers adjective that really applies to any have provided an object lesson in rock-and-roll record, but if it does, how to record a singer and pianist in this one certainly deserves it. recital together. Richard Freed Steve Simels THOMAS HAMPSON:Songs from SHOES: Stolen Wishes.Shoes (vocals "Des Knaben Wunderhorn." Mendels- and instrumentals); Ric Menck sohn: Jagdlied; Altdeutsches Fralings- (drums).Feel the Way That I Do; I'll lied.Mahler: Scheiden and Meiden; Follow You; Love Does; Let It Go; Your Ablosung im Sommer; Nicht wiederseh- Devotion; I Knew You'd Be Mine; Want en!; Ich ging mit Lust; Urn schlimme You Bad; Torn in Two; She's Not the Kinder; Zu Strassburg auf der Schanz'. Same; Untangled; I Don't Know Why; Schumann: Marienwiirmchen. Brahms: Inside of You; I Can't Go Wrong; Love DerUberlaufer;Liebesklageeines Is Like a Bullet; Never Had It Better. Madchens;Wiegenlied.Loewe: Herr BLACK VINYL © BV10189-4, Oluf. R. Strauss: Himmelsboten; Jung- BV10189-2 (54 min). From Black Vinyl gesellenschwur. Zemlinsky: Das buck- Records, 2269 Sheridan Rd., Zion, IL lichteMiinnlein.Schoenberg: Wie 60099 ($10 for cassette, $15 for CD, Georg von Frundsberg von sich selber postage and handling included). sang.Weber:Abendsegen.Thomas Hampson (baritone); Geoffrey Parsons Thomas Ilampson: Mahler tout more (piano). TELDEC 244 923-2 (54 min). SONGS FROM scherzo of the Third Symphony. Mendelssohn's Jagdlied is familiar "DES KNABEN enough in its own right, though few LUKA BLOOM'S WUNDERHORN" of us connect it with the Wunder - horn source, and even fewer among "RIVERSIDE" the millions who know the Brahms ODYSSEY SOMEONEat Teldec had the piece that concludes the program, brilliantidea of recording the Lullaby known even to people song settings of verses from who avoid music, would even have UKA BLOOM is an Irishman the collection of German folk heard of that source. with a guitar, a head full of poetry called Des Knaben Wunder- There are two additional Brahms ideas, and an unquenchable horn-songs not only by Mahler, songs earlier in the sequence, both thirstforlife. He wrings with whose name that sourceis utter charmers, and a substantial more music and feeling from an most strongly connected, but by no Abendsegen by Weber that, in its acoustic guitar than most bands fewer than eight other composers, own narrative style, comes closest manage to pull out of a roomful of ranging as far back as Weber and as to the spirit of the famous lullaby. plugged -in equipment. "Riverside," late as Schoenberg-and had the The Zemlinsky song, Das bucklichte his debut album, is the story of a similarly commendable idea of get- Miinnlein (The Little Hunchback), young man's odyssey to America ting the young American baritone is especially poignant. The Schu- that is refreshingly free of postmod- Thomas Hampson to record them mann and Strauss selections are en- ern disenchantment. Here, instead, with the pianist Geoffrey Parsons. dearing, too, but perhaps the single is a boundless vitality. Hampson has already presented his mostingratiatingpieceisCarl The album opens with a hearty Mahler credentials in his splendid Loewe's characteristic ballad setting chuckle, then Bloom launches into Deutsche Grammophon recording of Herr Oluf. Delirious, a song whose kindling of the Kindertotenlieder with Leon- It is not necessary, of course, to warmth and vigor set a positive ard Bernstein and the Vienna Phil- evaluate these songs in respect to tone for the eleven numbers that harmonic. There is probably not an- one another: They are all delightful, follow. What emerges from the pas- other singer anywhere today who and I found myself being happily sionate vocals, fanciful lyrics, and could have brought these assorted swept up in the evident affection forceful, percussive strumming is an songs to life so fetchingly. they inspired on the part of Hamp- affirmation of being and a sense of And how enchanting these Wun- son and Parsons. Both the singer possibilities. A hot-blooded desire derhorn songs are, all eighteen of and the pianist are blessed with to bore into the marvelous mystery them. Not unexpectedly, Mahler is superb technical facility and un- of existence permeates Bloom's mu- the most heavily represented com- common musical intelligence, and sic, in which a Celtic folk style is poser in the group, with six songs their response, not only to the mate- spiced with rock dynamics. Beyond positioned at various points in the rial itself but to each other in per- his own guitar, the accompaniment collection. Some of his material will forming it, makes for a remarkably is sparse-typically little more than be familiar from other contexts: The fulfilling experience. The annota- an Irish bodhran or an Iranian fin- music for Ablosung im Sommer, for tive leaflet includes a concise but ger drum-but powerful. instance, found its way into the truly informative background piece Every journey, whether into a re -

84 STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 Ralph's house. Ralph's house. Ralph's house.

Ralph's house. Ralph's house. Ralph's house.

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The Man Is Alive; An Irishman in Chi- entation for strings and winds, lin- -.41111-7 natown; Rescue Mission; The One; Hud- early stated, and the finale is a pica- son Lady; This Is for Life; You Couldn't resque set of variations ranging Have Come at a Better Time; The Hill from the simplistic to the macabre, of Allen. REPRISE26092-I, © 26092-4, concluding with a sardonic coda. 26092-2 (45 min). The icy quality of much of the music is underlined by the touches of triangle and snare drum. BLOMSTEDT'S In the second release intheir Nielsen cycle on London, Herbert NIELSEN Blomstedt and the San Francisco SYMPHONIES Symphony give us readings of the First and Sixth (the latter in its first all -digital recording) that are fully H I RTY-TH R EEyears separate equal to their landmark versions of Carl Nielsen's First Sym- Nos. 4 and 5. The tempos in the phony from his sixth and FirstSymphonyarebeautifully most startling essay in the judged, especially in comparison Luka Bloom: American odyssey genre, and light-years separate them withtheexaggeratedcontrasts in mood. Indeed, the Sixth Sym- found in Esa-Pekka Salonen's relationship or to a new life in a new phony has remained the least recent version on CBS. High points of place, holds both excitement and corded of the composer's sympho- the Sixth are the intensity of the fear of the unknown in equal meas- nies, perhaps in part because it is so string playing in the slow move- ure, and it is this tingly borderline of different from the others. The First ment and the brilliant wind and per- discovery that Bloom's songs ex- is a genial, post-Brahmsian work, cussion work in the Humoreske. plore with so much magic and feel- and eventhefiercelydramatic The recording as a whole is superb ing. The breadth and scope of "Riv- Fourth and Fifth have upbeat, tri- in body and textural detail. As with erside" is best captured in the cine- umphant endings. Not the Sixth. Blomstedt's earlier San Francisco matic Dreams in America. Incorpo- At the time he wrote his Sixth recording of the Fourth and Fifth rating U2 -style atmospherics in a Symphony, Nielsen was plagued by Symphonies, I can recommend this song that builds in drama like Fair- illhealth, by the sense of being coupling without reservation. I look port Convention's epic A Sailor's unappreciated by his Danish coun- forward to the cycle's completion Life, Dreams in America expresses trymen, and by a feeling of perplex- with the Second Symphony (The inmetaphortheexpansiveness, ity over the music of the post -World Four Temperaments) and the Third loneliness, and promise of this vast War I era. The first movement, with (Sinfonia espansiva). David Hall country. As Bloom surveys the terri- its cunningly crafted linear textures, tory in subsequent numbers, his seems coldly sardonic. The Humor- NIELSEN: Symphony No. 1, in G Mi- mood ranges from exultant (An eske that follows, scored for winds nor, Op. 7; Symphony No. 6 ("Sinfonia Irishman in Chinatown) to reflec- and percussion only,is a savage semplice"). San Francisco Symphony, tive (Rescue Mission). take -off on "the new" in music. The Herbert Blomstedt cond.LONDON © At times, as in the tender, mourn- slow movement is a despairing lam- 425 607-4, 425 607-2 (67 min). ful Gone to Pablo, Bloom recalls the visionary intensity and romanti- Herbert Blomstedt: Scandinavian landmarks cism of the late Nick Drake, though Bloom never succumbs to despair. Even in a moving song about his father's death, he concludes, "The man isalive,alive and breath- ing ... in me." Similarly, in The One-a song obviously addressed to the Pogues' Shane MacGowan- he argues with compassionate ardor against self-destruction. All in all, "Riverside" is a remarkable, uplift- ing album from a troubadour with abundant talent and, more important, soul. Parke Puterbaugh

LUKA BLOOM:Riverside.Luka Bloom (vocals, guitar); instrumental accompaniment.Delirious; Dreams in America; Over the Moon; Gone to Pablo;

88 STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 -Wv-vVv-vivisr-viv\r-v\Ar-AAN-AAAr-ON-ON-Wv-s/vsr-viv'sr-v\ArNWANVANV YOUR INVITATION TO EXPERIENCE THE ONLY NATIONAL RADIO PROGRAM FOR AUDIO BUFFS

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The Sound of Quality POPULAR MUSIC

Discs and tapes reviewed by Chris. Albertson, Phyl Garland, Ron Givens, Roy Hemming, Alanna Nash, Parke Puterba ugh, Steve Simels

BASIA: London Warsaw New York. Basia(vocals);Danny White (keyboards, drum programming); other musicians.Cruising for Bruising;Best Friends; Brave New Hope; Baby You're Mine; Ordinary People; and five others. EPICE 45472, © ET 45472, EK 45472 (42 min). Performance: Superb Recording: Excellent If Poland can be credited with igniting the movement toward democracy in Eastern Europe, Basia Trzetrzelewska should be cited for helping to revitalize popular music. Born in the remote industrial town of Jaworno, she won a talent contest in her teens and toured behind the Iron Curtain. In 1981 she moved to London, where she dropped her last name and joined forces with the MARTI JONES gifted keyboardist and arranger Danny White. Together they produced her commercially and artistically successful debut album, "Time and Tide," re- ARTI JONES first Came to OUT of Lie" is written in a kind of hybrid leasedin1987. The release of her attention as a sort of post -style nobody's thought of a name for superb new album, "London Warsaw New Wave Linda Ronstadt.yet. It's pop, of an arty variety, but it's New York," should solidify her posi- _A. She hung out with her pro- hard to pin down; tracks like Living tion as a major international artist. ducer, Don Dixon, himself the post - Inside the Wind and the title tune have As before, Basia and White have col- New Wave Peter Asher. She was as cutevague soulinfluences,Sixtiesstruc- laborated as writers and arrangers, com- as a bug's ear, had incredible pipes (a tures, and eccentric, mostly acoustic ar- ing up with a delightful group of origi- honeyed alto capable of genuine sub-rangements. If you want to call it Nine- nal compositions. Basia performs the urban soul), and sang intelligently chos-ties folk rock, that's as apt a handle as vocals in styles ranging from the pen- en pop/rock tunes written by writers she any. Whatever you call it, however, it's sive to the teasing, but she is always admired, from the dB's to David Bowie. unflaggingly tuneful and accessible, and irresistible, and White handles the in- She was, in short, a delight, and herJones sings the proverbial pants off all strumentalswithunobtrusivebril- three previous albums, on A&M, con-of it, including the two cover tunes- liance. The songs themselves have the tain some of the most seductively ro- Any Trouble's Second Choice and Lou- same kind of immediate appeal as those mantic music anybody made in thedon Wainwright's Old Friend. of Stevie Wonder, who is one of Basia Eighties. But I keep coming back to "Any Kind and White's idols. The melodies flow Someone must have told Jones, how- of Lie," finally, because of That Voice. naturally yet evolve into all sorts of ever, that you don't get no respectMarti Jones isthe most hauntingly unexpected shapes, beckoning you to unless you write your own material. Soexpressive "girl singer" since Chrissie take flight along with them. Frequently for her new RCA album, "Any Kind ofHynde, and listening to her is uncom- they are underscored by a propulsive Lie," which will be her commercial fortablylikefallinginlove. Higher Latin beat, as in the scintillating Bruis- breakthroughif there's anything re- praise than that I can't imagine, and I ing for Cruising. When the rhythms motely like justice in this world, she can't imagine your wanting to be with- grow hot and saucy, as in Not an Angel, kept the outside tunes to a minimumout this album, either. Steve Simels they defy you not to dance. and wrote most of the thing herself, Most of the songs deal with romantic along with producer Dixon. When the MARTI JONES: Any Kind of Lie. themes, though there is a longing for songs work, which is most of the time, Marti Jones (vocals, guitar); Don Dixon the effect is something like seeing Sam (guitar); other musicians. Living Inside Shepherd acting the lead in one of histhe Wind; I've Got Second Sight; Any EXPLANA I ION OF SYNIROLS: plays-a near -perfect match of actor Kind of Lie; Second Choice; Cliché; My and script. And even when they don't, Tears Are Poison; Read My Heart; Is = DRAIALILS RECORDEDLP you almost don't care, because there's This the Game?: One Shade Darker; It's = TAPE CASSEITE That Voice. a Crime; Old Friend. RCA 2040-1-R, C) = COMPACTDisc(TIMINGS ARE By and large, the music in "Any Kind 2040-4-R, 2040-2-R (39 min). TO NF.ARFST MINUTE)

STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 91 lost roots inRewardand the agitated as "The Trinity Session" (although this ly Margo Timmins-have an other- folklike melody ofOrdinary Peopleac- time in a studio instead of a church), worldly quality that is, in its way, quite companies lyrics that address the feel- "The Caution Horses" utilizes an Am- spellbinding, a certain "freak appeal" ing of being a stranger in a strange land. bisonic microphone in a live, off -the - that will keep most listeners tuned in. The only selection that is not an original floor taping completed in one day. And, Much of this would be easier to get a is Wonder'sUntil You Come Back to like its predecessor, it focuses on a sin- handle on if Margo's vocals were more Me,which is offered up in such an gle theme-this time, the rite of passage intelligible.But- with the Ambisonic imaginative arrangement that it takes from innocence to experience. mike, she is often overshadowed even on a new life. Overall, popular music Eight of the ten songs are originals, by a lone acoustic guitar, and her whis- doesn't get much better than this.P.G. written by band member Michael Tim- pery -softsingingandquestionable mins (the two covers are by fellow enunciation receive little definition in LUKA BLOOM: Riverside(seeBest of Canadians Neil Young and Mary Mar- the final mix: It's a strain to hear much the Month, page 84) garet O'Hara), and, understandably, of what comes out of her mouth. they are written from a man's perspec- In the end, therefore, "The Caution COWBOY JUNKIES: The Caution tive. Interpreted by Timmins's sister, Horses" is both haunting and frustrat- Horses.Cowboy Junkies (vocals and Margo, however, they emerge from a ing-what isreally going on in this instrumentals).Sun Comes Up.It's woman's point of view. band's head? The Timmins siblings of- Tuesday Morning;'Cause Cheap Is And therein lies the crux of the Junk- fer no clear-cut answers. A.N. How I Feel; Thirty Summers; Mariner's ies' schizoid nature. Michael's lyrics Song; PowderFinger;and five others. suggest a nonromantic acceptance of EARTH, WIND & FIRE: Heritage. RCA 2058-1-R, C:) 2058-4-R, © 2058-2- life'sinvariable setbacks and heart- Earth, Wind & Fire (vocals and instru- R (45 min). aches. But Margo's dreamy vocals in- mentals); vocal accompaniment.Takin' fuse even the bleakest lyric with opti- Performance:Haunting Chances; Heritage; Good Time; Any- mism and hope, holding out a lingering Recording:Okay thing You Want; Wanna Be the Man; possibility of the renewal of love. Some- Daydreamin;and nine others. COLUM- When RCA released Cowboy Junkies' how the protagonist inWhere Are You BIA C 45268, © CT 45268, OCK 45268 "The Trinity Session" in 1988, critics Tonight?disassociatesherself from real- (51 min). and record buyers alike responded to ity long enough to end up eventually the album with fervent, if divided, pas- with a man she recognizes as "not the Performance:Uneasy mix sion: They either embraced its slow- prince to grant all my wishes/Just an- Recording:Very good paced, "ethereal nature" as an intellec- other lonely cowboy grown weary of the After twenty years of brilliant innova- tual alternative to the beer -bellied va- night." tion, Maurice White and his trend -set- pidity and four -chordsimplicity of This basic conflict of vision also helps ting Earth, Wind & Fire have decided to much of contemporary country music, to account for the Junkies' monotony of follow rather than lead. In "Heritage" or they declared that its instrumental tone. Except forWhere Are You To- they have come down from their ethere- sparseness and sameness of mood and night?, Rock and Bird,and Young's al perch and tried to mix it up in the tone-"a kind of shyness and inno- PowderFinger,the entire program hov- street. To long-time fans, the recording cence," as lead singer Margo Timmins ers on one very long and low-key mood will come as a shock, for the group's described it-was as exciting as watch- note, so that it's sometimes difficult to delicate kalimba solos give way to rap ing water boil. tell where one song ends and another and street funk. While this obviously Now comes "The Caution Horses," starts up. The plants in your window represents an attempt to reach a young- which should reaffirm both camps' con- would wither from such low-level nour- er audience, the mix of the new with the victions. Recorded in the same manner ishment, but the Junkies-and especial - sophisticated stylings of old generally does not work; it's like wearing unlaced sneakers with a tuxedo. The disparate styles do manage to fuse somewhat in the title track, a high- minded tune with contributions from the rap group the Boys, and in the off- beatGood Time,a sassy play on words and music featuringthe distinctive growl of Sly Stone. But the album is at its best when White and his gang stop trying to be lowbrow and go back to making the sort of richlytextured, memorable music that originally won them popularity, as inDaydreamin', I'm in Love,andWelcome.Aside from such moments, however, "Heritage" is likely to disappoint the group's old fans without winning many new ones.P.G. EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL: The Language of Life.Tracey Thorn (vocals); Ben Watt (vocals, guitar, piano); other musicians.Driving; Get Back To- gether; Meet Me in the Morning; Me and Bobby D; The Language of Life; and five others. ATLANTIC 82057-1, C) 82057-4, 82057-2 (42 min). Performance:Reserved Recording:Glossy There's a thin line between compelling, Cowboy Junkies: ritesofpassage gossamer pop -jazz and homogenized

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Copyrtght 1990 Bcse Corporation The Mountain. Frarntngharn. MA 01701 9168 USA 1501) 879 7330 (51318) 872 6541 Bose products are dtstrOuted worldwde Covered by patentnghts issued and or 0* background music, and Everything But come the country angel extraordinaire, ERNIE ISLEY:High Wire.Ernie Isley the Girl has fallen on the wrong side of she received a magnificent piece of (guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, per- that line with "The Language of Life." advice: "If you want to be the best, you cussion, vocals); instrumental accom- Working with a slick American produc- need to playwiththe best." paniment.Song for the Muses; High er and sessionmen wasn't such a hot That bit of wisdom was certainly nev- Wire; Love Situation; Diamond in the idea afterall,because the duo has erlost on singer/songwriter/guitarist Rough; Deal with It; In Deep;and six wound up with a purely superficial coat Vince Gill, an acolyte of the entire others. ELEKTRA 60902-I, C)60902-4, of polish and little substance. Granted, school of progressive country music as 60902-2 (51 min). the album's pleasant and even appeal- practiced by Harris, Rodney Crowell, ingly breezy in places, but most of the Rosanne Cash, and producers Tony Performance:First-rate funk time Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt are so Brown and Emory Gordy, Jr., all of Recording:Very good wrapped up in finessing nuance -perfect whom have welcomed Gill into the fold Ernie Isley was the youngest of the Isley arrangements that the music sounds and attempted, in varying degrees, to Brothers, the powerhouse soul group for bloodless and vacuum-packed. Thorn's foster his solo career. which he played guitaranddrums. mannered delivery, for instance, is for- Where Gill appeared to go wrong, With Jimi Hendrix, a one-time Isleys mally precise but emotionally dessi- even though his albums have yielded sideman, as his tutor from the age of cated. some Top 10 singles, was in failing to twelve, Isley absorbed a lot in the way In the midst of this 40 -minute pro- forgo imitation (of Crowell, especially) of inspiration, if not technique, from gram of buffed -up dinner music for and stake out some musical ground of the master. Those lessons have evident- swank yuppie couples comes a real lyri- his own. When he finally attempted to ly stayed with him. Isley'sfirst solo cal anomaly calledMe and Bobby D.If do that, in his 1988 singleEverybody's album, "High Wire," erupts with force- I'm reading it correctly, the song ac- Sweetheart,atongue-in-cheek com- ful, clearly focused songs and fiery, im- cuses Bob Dylan of being a wife -beat- plaint about the success of his wife, Jan- passioned playing. His solo voice on the ing,booze -loving womanizer whose is, who is one-half of Sweethearts of the guitar is his most distinctive signature, feckless bohemianism led a generation Rodeo, he began to establish his own consisting of skittering,trebly notes astray. There's also a similarly disap- personality. flowing frictionlessly toward a transcen- proving verse about Jack Kerouac. The Unfortunately, that streakfailsto dent peak and then massaged back moral of the story is, "Sure, I'd love a continue in "When I Call Your Name." down to earth. wild life, but every wild man needs a While producer Brown pulls out all the Mixed in among the aspirational gui- mother or wife."Sheesh.I think I'll put stops-inviting such big -name pals as tar playing, reminiscent of Hendrix, on a Motley Criie album just to clear Harris,PattyLoveless,andReba Carlos Santana, and John McLaughlin, the air. P.P. McEntire to drop by for vocal and mor- is a generous slab of uncut funk, which al support, and taking pains to show- keeps "High Wire" grounded in hard, VINCE GILL:When I CallYour case all of the soloist's vocal and instru- danceable grooves. The songwriting is Name.Vince Gill (vocals, guitars, man- mental talents-Gill's songwriting sim- impressively varied. Witness the stun- dolin); Emmylou Harris, Patty Love- ply cannot thrust him into equal status ning one -two -three ofSong for the less,KathyBaillie,Herb Pedersen with his heroes. Tuneful but shallow, Muses, ahigh -flying,pop -flavored (background vocals); vocal and instru- his songs are greeting -card sentiments groove thang;High Wire,sly, sassy soul mental accompaniment.Never Alone; without substance, presenting no clues in the style of the Isleys' best Seventies Sight for Sore Eyes; Oh Girl (You Know about the man behind the music or the dance singles; andLove Situation, asil- Where to Find Me); Oklahoma Swing; complexities that fuel his creative life. ky love ballad without a hint of artificial When I Call Your Name; Ridin' the Even when performing the album's few sweetener. The song quality doesn't ta- Rodeo; Never Knew;and three others. cover tunes, which point up his own per off, either-and neither do the blis- MCA MCA -42321, 0 MCAC-4232 I , songwritingdeficiencies,hecomes tering solos. A hot one. P.P. MCAD-4232I (36 min). across as anice man singing nice, Performance:Still not there friendly, unthreatening music. In the HUGH MASEKELA: Uptownship. Recording:Very good end, Gill, a good -headed and good- Hugh Masekela (flugelhorn, cornet, per- hearted musician, appears to be a sec- cussion, background vocals); other mu- When Emmylou Harris was building a ond -string talent, a sideman in every- sicians.Uptownship; If You Don't Know band and launching her quest to be- thing but ambition. A.N. Me by Now; Now or Never; Hold On; Ooo, Baby. Baby; Egoli;and five others. Novus 3070-1-N, © 3070-4-N, 3070- 2-N (62 min). Performance:Superb Recording:Excellent In "Uptownship," Hugh Masekela has tapped the rich mine of musical influences that have shaped his style, fromthespirited and distinctively rhythmic township jive of his native South Africa to the more familiar ca- dences of American rhythm-and-blues and jazz. The result is a consistently engaging and musically exciting auto- biography in sound. Although Masekela became the first South African instrumentalist to gain a broad international following, back in the Seventies, he is enjoying a greater popularity than ever today because of the current focus on political events in his homeland and the success of the musical showSarafina,for which he Hugh Masekela: musical ambassador was co -composer andlyricist.The 94STEREO RFAIEWjUNE1990 .0FAD ,OL art IFSwer mom co rumen arromoullipi-olliPLA

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COUStie . a sound investment 4260 Charter Street Vernon, CA 90058-2596 1-213-582-2832 CIRCLE NO 188 ON READER SERVICE CARD source of his appeal has always been his HIGHWAYMAN 2 ability to adapt the infectious beat and captivating melodies of his own land to suit Western ears. The new album's title is a play on the SEQUELS, as anyone who goes to original "Highwayman"), what comes words "township," whichrefersto the movies knows, are usually across here with moving clarity is what South Africa's black ghettoes, and "up- best left undone. The reason, as finemusical actorsthesefourare. town," a term commonly applied to Andy Rooney might put it, has Whether they're trading verses in the New York City's Harlem. Both places to do with the watering down of story story -songs or simply singing together, have been sources for Masekela's mu- lines and intelligence-theRocky-fica- there's a believability to their read- sical magic. Several of the selections, tion of a good thing gone squishy -soft. ings-particularly Nelson's and Jen- most notably the ebullient title song and That genetic pattern often holds true nings's-that doesn't quite happen in several of those bearing African titles, with recorded music as well. There are their solo recordings: It's as if they're have the irrepressible dancing quality exceptions, of course: "Will the Circle playing ensemble in a western movie, we have come to associate with the Be Unbroken, Volume II" was probably andeachone'sgoodperformance Masekela sound. Some of the best mo- country music's premier album of 1989. sparks the other players to find the best ments are in familiar numbers.If You And now Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, within themselves. Don't Know Me by Now,a ballad by the Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristoffer- There is also something grand and Philadelphia team of Gamble and Huff, son have rendered a dandy follow-up to noble about this record, and part of that is carried to new heights by the extraor- their million -selling collaboration of stems from the singers' realization that dinary vocal solo of Branice McKenzie. 1985, "Highwayman." they are quickly moving into the roles Also outstanding are Smokey Robin - Like the original record, "Highway- of country music's elder statesmen. As son'severgreen Ooo,Baby,Baby, man 2" pays tribute to the spirit of the such, they are full of folk wisdom and served up as an instrumental with vocal American hero throughout history, as advice, both to the rootless young trou- backing, and Bob Marley'sNo Woman, well as to the codes of brotherhood that badours who have followed their paths No Cry,a reggae favorite that seems to bound the fraternities of the nineteenth- (We're All in Your Corner)and to their blend naturally into Masekela's overall century settlers and vagabonds. own contemporaries. Looking back a scheme. But "Uptownship" isfull of Like much of.its predecessor, "High- decade or two, when Joni Mitchell, Roy musical delights that confirm his stand- wayman 2" also captures a Ghost Rid- Orbison, and Mickey Newbury were at ing as an ambassador of freedom who ers in the Sky quality, as if the four sing- their peaks, Cash and Company see that does much to serve the cause of good ers were mythic horsemen somehow they all sangSongs That Make a Differ- music. P.G. riding throughtime.American Re- ence-andthey know that they can do it mains,reminiscent of the title cut on again somehow. "Highwayman 2," it DELBERT McCLINTON: I'm with the first album (although without the would seem, is a lovely place to start. You.Delbert McClinton (vocals, har- reincarnationtheme),presentsfour Alanna Nash monica); vocal and instrumental ac- quintessential American characters-a companiment.That's the Way I Feel; stagecoach shotgun rider, a riverboat WILLIE NELSON, JOHNNY CASH, My Baby's Lovin; Go On; Got You on gambler, a Midwest farmer, and a Cher- WAYLON JENNINGS, AND KRIS My Mind; Crazy 'Bout You: I'm with okee Indian-and promises that they KRISTOFFERSON: Highwayman 2. You;and four others. CURB/CAPITOL "live in many faces and answer many Silver Stallion; Born and Raised in D1-77252, © D4-77252, © D2-77252 names," a testament to the grit and Black and White; Two Stories Wide; (34 min). strength of their modern counterparts. We're All in Your Corner; American Aside from the joy of an unusually Remains; Anthem '84: Angels Love Bad Performance:Punchy solid program (very few fillers) and the Men; Songs That Make a Difference; Recording:Very good first-rateinstrumentalperformances Living Legend; Texas.COLUMBIA C Bonnie Raitt isn't the only blues -based (the album employs the same producer, 45240, C:) CT 45240, © CK 45240 (33 rocker who returned from the dead last Chips Moman, and musicians as the min). year. Delbert McClinton made one of the sweetest albums of his career, "Live Together again: Jennings, Cash. Nelson. Kristeerson from Austin," a rough-and-ready set that overcame his tendency to lay back a little too much in his studio recordings. Happily, he's captured that full - throttle, roadhouse style in "I'm with You," a studio album that holds nothing back. His lean, ripsaw vocals cut a powerfulr -&-b swath through these earthy tunes. InMy Baby's Lovin',he moans and groans his way through an amorous rundown of his lady, who's "gonna get me with a heart attack," then he boasts that he'll be "smilin' all the while I'm dyin'." The band is with McClinton every twitch of the way. He pants, and the horn section loses control. He wails, and the guitar takes off for glory. He burns, and the piano pumps for all it's worth. On the last song, McClinton complains, "I'm about to EX-plode." It's a wonder it takes him that long. R.G.

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: Beauty. Ryuichi Sakamoto (vocals, keyboards); vocal and instrumentalaccompani- 96STEREO REVIEWJUNE 1990 Simple Impression. Ergonomically simple, technologically impressive.

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CIRCLE NO 113 ON READER SERVICE CARD Answer Me, Scottish Rain, and Walk with the Night reveal the band's more luminescent and meditative side, each song gradually taking shape as it accrues an exultant, subtly anthemic power. The group rocks a little harder in the spirited, upbeat The Real McCoy, the ironically titled Razor Blades of Love, MOM and the bulleting, r-&-b-flavored Sacred 111111111111 Child, which boasts great harmonica 111111111111111 playing and a stunning a cappella intro. 111111111111 Poised somewhere between earthly con- 1111111111/11i cern and heavenly transcendence, the M11111111111111 Silencers have managed to communi- 11.111/11111111/11110 cate their yearning well in "A Blues for ommusai Buddha." P.P. 111111111111111111111 JO -EL SONNIER: Have a Little Faith. 11111111111111118 Jo -elSonnier (vocals, French accor- R1111111111111t dion, harmonica); vocal and instrumental accompaniment. The Scene of the Crime; If Your Heart Should Ever Roll This Way Again; Ooh, Ooh, Ooh; Have a Little Faith in Me: Ill Never Get Over You; Hurt in My Heart; and three others. RCA 9718 -I -R, 9718-4-R, © 97I8 -2-R (31 min). Performance: Hitting his stride Recording: Very good After a major -label debut album that proved to be too much of a sampler- and made too little use of his Cajun Ricky Van Shelton: believable sincerity with a personal spin roots-Jo-el Sonnier returns with one that comes closer to defining the sound ment. You Do Me; Calling from Tokyo; THE SILENCERS: A Blues for Bud- and the image he hopes to present now. Rose; Asadoya Yunta (My Wife Is as a dha. The Silencers (vocals and instru- Sonnier, long a respected sideman and Flower); Futique; Amore; We Love You; mentals); vocal and instrumental ac- songwriter (recorded by Johnny Cash, and four others. VIRGIN 91294-1, © companiment. Answer Me; Scottish George Strait, and others), got his RCA 91294-4, 0 91294-2 (56 min). Rain; The Real McCoy; A Blues for contract largely on the strength of the Performance: Global Buddha: Walk with the Night; and six Cajun mania that swept the country Recording: Very good others. RCA 9960-1-R, 9960-4-R, © (well, maybe only its kitchens) several 9960-2-R (54 min). years ago. But while RCA was quick to In the bridge of one song, Calling from play up his heritage in its promotion, Tokyo, from his new album, Ryuichi Performance: Brooding Celtic soul Recording: Very good Sonnier'sfirstrecordfor thelabel, Sakamoto calls upon a United Nations 1988's "Come On Joe," used the French of pop. A Senegalese man, Youssou The world has been waiting for another influence more as a condiment than as N'Dour, sings a melodious counter- "Joshua Tree" since U2 planted the the base for a major feast. Perhaps the point to a chorus of high, piping Japa- first one four years ago. U2 itself has company felt that too much of an ethnic nese women while a Jamaican drum- avoided the issue of a follow-up by re- accent would doom the album commer- mer and an Indian tabla player combine leasing a mostly live album and then cially. for a jackhammer backbeat with em- taking time off. The closest anyone's In "Have a Little Faith," only one broideredpercolations.In moments come to that idiosyncratic mixture of song, Evangeline Special, gets the full like this, "Beauty" lives up to its name. Celtic soul and ethereal rockis the Cajun treatment, with Sonnier's French Sakamoto is a keyboardist who likes to Silencers' "A Blues for Buddha," their accordion pumping away like crazy, but create set pieces through unusual juxta- second album. It's a haunting collection he is more successful overall here than positions. As a composer, he's a colorist with moments of transcendence bal- in "Come On Joe" at weaving both the who stops at nothing. It's not surprising anced by songs with a darker, more for- accordion and a Cajun sensibility into a that he's successfully written music for lorn and bluesy cast. personal sound that relies mainly on films, sharing an Academy Award for Refreshingly, the Scottish Silencers blues, rockabilly, Fifties rock-and-roll, scoring The Last Emperor. The weakest are a few platitudes less pretentious and soul. The tunes, too, are jumpier songs here are the ones that attempt to than the Dublin messiahs have become this time out, from John Hiatt's Have a make "poetic" use of lyrics in English, a in their hour of fame. That's not to say Little Faith in Me, reminiscent of Sam lingual barrier Sakamoto has perhaps that the Silencers are simply U2 Lite, Cooke athis smoothest, to Delbert yetto overcome. But whether he's just that their songs and personas are a McClinton's jaunty Solid Gold Plated merging Eastern and Western styles- bit more modestly scaled. A case in Fool and Sonnier's own Ooh. Ooh, Ooh, Japanese string instruments and Ameri- point is the title tune, a quiet acoustic a sizzling sample of roadhouse rock. can funk rhythms-in a wondrous dia- blues that effectively makes its point- Sonnier will never win any vocal con- lectic or drawing upon musical ele- "The dollar is our king"-with terse tests, but his expressive voice carries ments from all over the globe, Sakamo- images of fear, violence, and exploita- this material with integrity and spark- to says much more when he doesn't use tion in the world. Elsewhere, vocalist ling grace. A winner. A.N. words. R.G. and guitarist Jimme O'Neill disdains racism in the edgy Skin Game and RICKY VAN SHELTON: RVS SHOES: Stolen Wishes (see Best of the moans the solitary blues in Wayfaring Ricky Van Shelton (vocals); vocal and Month, page 83) Stranger, a folk -gospel traditional. instrumental accompaniment. Love Is 98STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 Impressyoursystem. Andyour systemwill impress you!

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CIRCLE NO 98 ON READER SERVICE CARD Burnin; I've Cried My Last Tear for You: Statue of a Fool; You Would Do A little Venturi makes the Same for Me; Life's Little Ups and a sizeable impression. Downs; I'm Starting Over;and four others. COLUMBIA C 45250, OCT 45250, 0 Introducing remarkable room filling CK 45250 (35 min). sound and &tun high efficiency in bookshelf size. Performance:Right on target The V62 packs a powerful, Recording:Excellent front -firing "venturi" venting system for greatly enhanced sound pres- Ricky Van Shelton, whose very name sure and bass must make Randy Travis's blood pres- output. With the sure rise, won more awards in 1989 very same quality than any other country artist. In his components and 1987 debut album, Van Shelton was a design integrity of Itnturi mini young performer still groping to find towers. himself, but he has demonstrated re- All of which markable growth since then, not only delivers sound maturing into afirst-rateinterpreter performance that and crooner but putting the stamp of his clearly rises above in comparisons. own personality and musical taste on To judge the size of its value the material, rather than that of his pro- yourself, just listen to a little Itnturi. ducer, Steve Buckingham. Call us or write: "RVS III," Van Shelton's third solo B -1C America album (not counting a Christmas al- 895-E, Hampshire Road bum), is by far his most successful artis- Stow, Ohio 44224 tically. He marries a sterling program- Phone: (216)928-2011 consisting of overlooked oldies and newer songs written in the older honky- tonk and ballad tradition-with a vocal style that finds him developing a sound of his own. Reworking older songs has become a specialty of Van Shelton's, but with the exception of Roy Orbison's *eaker..51stenzr by 0010Amera Oh, Pretty Woman,he never fails to put a personal spin on them or to find a cer- CIRCLE NO. 186 ON READER SERVICE CARD tain beauty and energy somehow buried in the original versions. Certainly that's true here in his robust renditions of Jack Greene'sStatue of a Fool,Cindy Walker'sNot That I Care,and Margaret and Charlie Rich'sLife's Little Ups and Downs(where he demonstrates a talent for r -&-b phrasing). Van Shelton's real long suits, howev- Transport er, are his believable sincerity and his projection of a big, masculine kind of pain-the sort endured only by men of Yourself. character who work out their disap- pointments in more internal ways than The IRS 690 cordless drunken carousing. Whether moving headphone system. swiftly through a shuffle such asI've Cried My Last Tear for Youor in the Escape to a deeply personal very Elvis -like rockabilly ofLove Is world of sonic pleasure. The Burnin'or languishing over his own Beyerdynamic IRS 690 system. impassioned balladI Still Love You, With the warmth and intimacy Van Shelton's hearty baritone seems that is distinctively BeyeE Advanced guided by a true heart: When he sings, inLife's Little Ups and Downs,"She infrared technology for cordless, 360 -degree wears a gold ring on her finger/And I'm movement without static or interference. And so glad it's mine," he trembles at the the same diffuse -field design as the DT 990's- idea that it might not be there forever. the world's most critically -acclaimed dynamic Increasingly, Van Shelton is present- headphones-for superior imaging and ing himself as a throwback to Conway Twitty and Ray Price-as someone startling accuracy. who understands what women really Let the IRS 690 system transport want in a man and concerns himself you. Experience them at your more with building a loving and lasting local Beyer headphone dealer. relationship than in flexing his machis- mo. It's no wonder, then, that his first two albums have been certified Plati- num. "RVS III," a record superior to Ecstacy in Audio beyerdynamicE those in every way, will doubtless rein- force the fact that Van Shelton is country music's man of the hour. And, as it Beyer -dynamic 5-05 Burns Avenue. Hicksville. NY 11801'Id. (516)935-S000. Fax(516)935-8018 turns out, for all the right reasons.A.N. CIRCLE NO. 46 ON READER SERVICE CARD TOPOF THE LAME

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CHET BAKER:The Best Thing for KEVIN EUBANKS:Promise of To- as exhibitionistic as he used to be, and You.Chet Baker (trumpet); Paul Des- morrow.Kevin Eubanks (guitars, key- that's all to the good; in fact, "Big Bop mond (alto saxophone); Kenny Barron boards); instrumental accompaniment. Nouveau" is a lot warmer than the (piano); Ron Carter (bass); Tony Wil- Angel with the Blues; Promise of Tomor- machine -likedrill teams he used to liams (drums); other musicians.The row; This Place in Time; Eyes of a Lost front, and even the arrangements are Best Thing for You; I'm Getting Senti- Child: Cullerton Street;and five others. less showy. Ferguson himself contrib- mental over You/You've Changed: Oh, GRP © GRC-9604, GRD-9604 (48 utes some good solos, but the album's You Crazy Moon;and three others. min). musical highlight has to be alto saxo- A&M CD 0832 (41 min). Performance:Bland phonist Christopher Hollyday's break- Cherokee. Performance:Superb Recording:Souped -up neck reading of Ray Noble's Recording:Quite good Ferguson's older fans will welcome his Once a promising jazz guitarist, Kevin return to an acoustic band and take par- Reissues of recordings by the American Eubankshas,on recordsatleast, ticular delight in the 12 -minute medley trumpeter Chet Baker, who died over- crossed over to pop, playing pure yup- of the leader's past hits, comprising seas in May 1988, seem to be coming to pie fodder and producing sounds that Chameleon, MacArthur Park, Frame market at an accelerated pace. This may are not unlike what's programmed into for the Blues, Maria,and Joe Zawinul's be coincidental-Baker was a formida- ROMchips on myMIDIkeyboard. Many Birdland. C.A. ble player whose work ought to be avail- popular, highly marketable guitarists able atall times-but some releases are simply incapable of generating the EARL KLUGH:Whispers and Prom- have undoubtedly been inspired by last musical excitement that distinguishes ises.Earl Klugh (acoustic and electric year's much talked -about documentary jazz from elevator fare, but Eubanks is guitars); instrumental accompaniment. film on Baker's life,Let's Get Lost. not among them; his considerable talent What Love Can Do; Master of Suspense; Whatever the motivation, we can only would indeed allow him to rise above Water Song; Strawberry Avenue;and six rejoice that some excellent music is re- the sort of thing he plays here. But while others.WARNER BROS.25902-1, © entering the catalog. there are flashes of substance, his mu- 25902-4, 25902-2 (43 min). The material in A&M's Baker release, sicmaking here is as predictable as a Performance:Like a fresh breeze "The Best Thing for You," dates back sunset. C.A. to 1977. Seventeen of its forty-one min- Recording:Very good utes are devoted toEl Morro,a typical MAYNARD FERGUSON:Big Bop There is something charmingly unneu- Don Sebesky composition and arrange- Nouveau.Maynard Ferguson (trumpet, rotic about Earl Klugh's music, begin- ment of the period, complete with bull- flugelhorn); orchestra.Blue Birdland; ning with the quaintness of his fascina- ring atmosphere, Hubert Laws on flute, Cherokee; Caught in the Current: But tion with the acoustic guitar in this era and Michael Brecker on tenor saxo- Beautiful; Cruisin' for a Bluesin'; The of electronic overkill. We can count on phone-a bit stagy but rather pleasant. M. F. Hit Medley. INTIMA/ENIGMA him to write buoyantly upbeat instru- The other five selections feature Baker 73390-1, © 73390-4, © 73390-2 (40 mentals with singable melodic lines, in an excellent quintet that also boasts min). even if the guitars do the singing. He alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, pianist does not let us down this time, for Kenny Barron,andthepersuasive Performance:Rompy Recording:Very good "Whispers and Promises" is consist- rhythm of Ron Carter and Tony Wil- ently tasteful and tuneful, featuring ten liams. This is a fine example of Baker's Maynard Ferguson's bands have always new Klugh originals. He works in a fresh -as -spring -water tone and crisp, come on like Gangbusters, and this one variety of settings, from the crystalline sprightly style. C.A. is no exception. Ferguson, though, is not clarity ofWater Song,which he plays alone, toStrawberry Avenue,which is Maynard Ferguson:a welcome return powered by a big band arranged and conducted by Dave Matthews. Klugh offers an appealing oddity at the end, a classic tango with Dominic Cortese on accordion and Michael Urbaniak on violin. It is representative, however, of the kinder, gentler music Klugh always gives us. P.G.

BARBARA LEA:You're the Cats.Bar- bara Lea (vocals); Yank Lawson (trumpet); Bob Haggart (bass); John Bunch (piano); Jake Hanna (drums); Bucky Pizzarelli(guitar);othermusicians. You're the Cats; Do What You Do; True Blue Lou; Moonshine Lullaby; Waiting at the End of the Road;and eight others. AUDIOPHILE ACD-252 (52 min). Performance:Her best yet Recording:Close and bright As she enters her fourth recording decade, Barbara Lea is in better voice than ever-and that's saying a lot about a singer who has long been a not -so -secret favoriteofsomanyotherjazz - influenced singers. What's more, she now has few equals singing the ballads

102 STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 THE IRA

INTRODUCING THE CONTEMPORARY J1111MASTERSSERIES. In keeping with our commitment to preserve essential most influential works of contemporary jazz with state-of- works of jazz, our new line continues in the spirit of our the-art digitally-remastered sound. In addition, original highly -acclaimed Columbia Jazz Masterpieces Series. packaging has been enhanced with insightful, new liner Contemporary Jazz Masters is dedicated to revitalizing the notes by the country's top Jazz Writers.

21 landmark jazz recordings, sup- iHIU never before released in the U.S. Clas- ported by extensive advertising and sic albums by John McLaughlin, Al publicity campaigns, mark the launch of D Meola, Return To Forever, Maynard the Contemporary Jazz Masters Series. Ferguson, Lee Ritenour, Tom Scott, Included are Weather Reports' ground- plus "Best Of" collections from Hubert breaking work "I Sing The Body Electric" Laws, Freddie Hubbard, and others, and Miles Davis'"Pangaea"-a 2 -CD Set wit} many more to follow.

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Lynam(pa00.119 uS Pa 6Im at oyal6.1.111,VIL Write us for a complete listing of all our classic Jazz collections including the Columbia Jazz Masterpieces Series and The Best Of The Big Bands. CBS RECORDS "CJMA," P.O. BOX 5000, CRANBURY, N.J. 08512 CIRCLE NO. 5 ON READER SERVICE CARD of our classic pop songwriters, as this new album proves. It especially displays MORE THAN A CLEANER... her right -on knack for capturing both the exact meaning and feeling of a Finyl'sScientific Formula Utilizes Optical Impedance Matching song's lyrics without having to play For Enhanced Laser -Read Playback around with (and mess up) the melodic line. Maximum playback fidelity If a CD isn't FINYLIZED "You're the Cats," which Chip Def- begins at the CD's surface! you haven't really heard it! faa's exceptionally good liner notes tell Improves dynamics and Improves low-level detail Improves timbral accuracy us was recorded in Atlanta in one 5 - transient response Improves image specificity Decreases harshness hour session with plenty of single takes Improves bass articulation and depth and noise (not surprising with Lea),is divided Science in the Service of Music Easy Process Treats Over 200 CD's about equally between sultrily mellow ballads and jauntily swinging uptempo tunes. Lea's gift for digging up long -for- $2995 gotten but A-1 songs is much in evi- If your dealer does not yet have FINYL, call 1-800-24 FINYL dence-includingtherarelyheard (In Maine 929-4553) Rodgers and Hart gem that gives the Dealer inquiries invited. album its title (it comes from their first Distributed by Transparent Audio Marketing, Inc., Box 117, Hollis, ME 04042(207) 929-4553 original movie score, 1931's Hot Heir- Manufactured by Digital Systems and Solutions, Inc., Box 3640, San Diego, CA 92103 ess), Fats Waller's There's a Man in My Life and DixieCinderella, Johnny Mercer's Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood and I'm Building Up to an Awful Let- down (the latter co -written with Fred Astaire, still much too underrated as a FINYL songwriter),and twobafflinglyne- THE DIGITAL SOLUTION glectedIrvingBerlinmoviesongs, Waiting at the End of the Road and CIRCLE NO. 111 ON READER SERVICE CARD (Hand Me Down) My Walking Stick. The great Lawson-Haggart Jazz Band serves up just -about -perfect backings, never intrusive in the ballads and with the right blend of drive, bite, bounce, and sparkle elsewhere. R.H. A DIFFERENT KIND STEREO REVIEW PRESENTS FREEOF MUSIC CLUB COURTNEY PINE: The Vision's Tale. New for 1990 Courtney Pine (soprano and tenor saxo- phones); Ellis Marsalis (piano); other TREMENDOUS SAVINGS THE BASIC REPERTORY INCLUDING COMPACT DISCS ... musicians. In a Mellow Tone; Just You. on every record, tape and CD in print- ON COMPACT DISC Just Me; A Raggamuffin's Stance; There no "agree -to -purchase- obligation of any kind. Is No Greater Love; Skylark; I'm an Old DISCOUNTS OF 20% TO 73% A Critical Discography off mgt. suggested list ... special DMC catalog Cowhand from the Rio Grande; and lists thousands of titles and hundreds three others (five others onCD). AN- of artists in all musical interests . TILLES91334-1, © 91334-4, 91334-2 Super Sale Specials! (69 min). 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Not surprisingly, the album so why not fill out and mail the coupon below cash, please) to The Basic Reperto- was produced by Wynton's brother, for immediate information ry, Stereo Review, P.O. Box 1125, Delfeayo Marsalis, with rhythm accompaniments led by their father, pianist dais DISCOUNT MUSIC CLUB INC 009-0690 New York, NY 10101-1125. Out- 481 Main Street. New Rochelle. N Y. 10801 side the United States, where you Ellis Marsalis. The production could Nan, cannot buy Americanstamps, have been a bit tighter; Delfeayo likes to Address include extraneous bits of chatter and send the self-addressed envelope false starts (and to write wordy, pontifi- City and $4 (payable in U.S. funds) to cating liner notes). That sort of thing State Zip the same address. soon wears thin, but don't let it get in CIRCLE NO. 71 ON READER SERVICE CARD the way of your enjoyment of this album. It's a fine one. C.A.

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by Christie Barter First womaneverto be nomi- nated for a Grammy Award & Maryann Saltser in the Best Jazz Fusion Per- formance category. The nom- Michael Stipe of R.E.M. ination was for her debut solo took center stagere- recording, "Real Life Story," cently at the Anthology Film released last year by Verve/ Archives in New York City to Forecast.Guestartistsin- announce his latest project: cluded Gerald Albright, "Direct Effect," a series of Dianne Reeves, Patrice Rush - Tv public-service announce- en, Carlos Santana, Wayne ments about such controver- Shorter, and Grover Wash- sial issues as abortion, rac- ington, Jr. ism, andAIDSeducation. But Carrington's résuméisa don't look for Stipe in the pretty long one for a twenty- spotlight when the announce- four -year -old. At the age of ments air. You will find him, ten she was sitting in and instead,behindthe cameras, jamming with such greats as directing. Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, The brainchild of Stipe and and Oscar Peterson. She went filmmaker Jim McKay, the on to graduate from Boston's "Direct Effect" series departs prestigious Berklee School of from the typical public-ser- Music and last year became vice spots seen on network the new house drummer on television. Stipe and McKay the Arsenio Hall Show. hope to shake things up a bit, Watch for her second album, and they've enlisted a host of due in stores sometime this

other talented people, includ- summer. ingNatalieMerchantof Kid Creole ("I Love Girls") and the Coconuts 10,000 Maniacs and rapper One of the hardest -working Contrastsfor clarinet, violin, bands in the business, Kid and piano, first performed by Creole and the Coconuts were Goodmanfiftyyearsago. featured in the filmAgainst Richard Stoltzman, one of to- All Oddsand contributed to day's leading clarinetists, has the soundtrack for Francis observed that anniversary by Ford Coppola's segment of recording the piece for BMG New York Stories.Recently Classics, with violinist Lucy z the band could be seen on the Stoltzman, his wife, and pi- big screen doing their own anist Richard Goode. 0 version of the lambada inThe Forbidden Dance.But you OF particularinterest can catch them live on their among the first ten titles U.S. tour this summer. 0 in the release that officially KRS-1, Stipe, McKay, launched the Sony Classical and Merchant ACLARINETIST embarking label last month was "Horo- on a solo career is faced witz: The Last Recording." Vladimir Horowitz KRS-1 of Boogie Down Pro- with a pretty limited reperto- Taped just before Vladimir (1904-1989) ductions, to help direct the ry, but that never stopped the Horowitz died in New York spots. Each guest director will legendary Benny Goodman, last November at the age of RITISH-BORN guitar hero choose which issue to take who commissioned a number eighty-five, the album con- OP' John McLaughlin, who on, and the results, according of works specifically to ex- tains a Haydn sonata, works established his American rep- to Stipe, will be "direct mes- pand that repertory. One of by Chopin and Liszt, and one utation as a core member of sages from a concerned com- thoseworks wasBartok's ofthepianist'ssignature Miles Davis's jazz team and munity seeking involvement pieces, Liszt's transcription of subsequently went on to form

and action." Stoltzman and friend Isoldes Liebestod fromWag- the Mahavishnu Orchestra, is ner'sTristan and Isolde. making his debut as a classi- EFINITELY inthe spot - Also included in the Sony cal artist in a Sony Classical LO light these days are Kid Classical release was a new recording of his own First CreoleandtheCoconuts. recording of Mahler'sSongs GuitarConcerto,subtitled Their latest album, "Private ofa Wayfarersung by veteran The Mediterranean.He's ac- Waters in the Great Divide," baritoneDietrichFischer- companied by the London marks the band's Columbia Dieskau with the Berlin Phil- Symphony Orchestra under Records debut. In addition to harmonic under Daniel Bar- Michael Tilson Thomas. the song /Love Girls,featured enboim. 0 The concerto was commis- in the 1989 Miss Teen USA sioned by the Los Angeles pageant, the new album in- DRUMMER, vocalist,and Philharmonic, which gave the cludesThe Sex of It,written songwriter Terri Lyne work its first performance in exclusively for August "Kid Carrington has updated her 1985. The orchestra had ini- Creole" Darnell by Prince. résumé-again. Please add: tially asked McLaughlin toz

106 STEREOREVIEWjUNE1990 CO R play Rodrigo's popular Con- wantit known that theLP cierto de Aranjuez ina Holly- jacketand inner sleeve, as wood Bowl concert, but he well as theCDouter box, for politely declined, saying, the group's album "Blue Sky "I'm not a classical artist.I Mining" are made from 100 don't think I could do [the percent recycled paper. . .. Rodrigo] justice. If I were go- Riccardo Muti's concert per- ing to do something like that, formances of Puccini'sTosca maybeIwould justwrite next season, with the Phila- something." And that's what delphia Orchestra and with he did. Carol Vaness singing the title Word is that McLaughlin role, will be recorded by Phil- has just finished his Second ips Classics.... Andre Previn Guitar Concerto and will be has just completed his second performing it in Germany in jazz album for Telarc. His the not too distant future. 0 firstforthelabel,"After Hours," was still among the AFTER years of touring as Top 10 onBillboard'sjazz the rhythm section for chart at press time. . .. The various other bands, Scots- second annual International men James Locke (drums Rock Awards ceremony is be- and keyboards) and Mike ing telecast from New York Peden (bass) were ready to on June 6 by ABC. Winners form one of their own. When of the awards receive an "El- early auditions failed to yield vis." . . .Ray Charles has a lead singer, the two were been signed to an exclusive, naturally discouraged. Then worldwide contract by War- friends put them in touch nerBros. . . . President withLondon -basedsinger George Bush and the Friends Pauline Henry, and Chimes of the Capital Children's Mu- was born. seum in Chevy Chase, Mary- Now critics everywhere are land,havecitedMichael "ringing" their praises, call- Jackson as Entertainer of the ing ChimestheBritish soul Decade for his philanthropic discovery of the year, and the activities on behalf of chil- first single from the group's dren. ... Janet Jackson has CBS debut album,1-2-3,pro- underwritten a Rhythm Na- duced by Jazzie B. and Nellee McLaughlin: crossing over tion Scholarship for the Unit- Hooper of SoulIISoul, ed Negro College Fund. 0 climbed to No. I onBill- COLUMBIA HOUSE, the subscription basis, beginning board'sdance chart. At press mail-orderdivisionof with a compilation of songs Chimes: let it rip time the second single,Heav- CBS Records, has come up by Cole Porter sung by such en,was heading north in the with a new series devoted to artists as Doris Day, Rose- Top 10. As for live perform- "The Great American Com- mary Clooney, Johnny Math- ance, Henry said, "I wanna posers," meaning the great is, and Dinah Shore. Other get on stage and sweat and popularsongwriters. The albums in the series feature scream. I intend to tear it up double albums, in all three the songs of Irving Berlin, the and let rip." formats, are available on a Gershwins,FrankLoesser,

and Harold Arlen. Carrington:jamming GRACENOTES.The music of Cole Porter also turns up in an ambitiousAIDSbene- fit album involving a number of leading rock artists, includ- ingFine Young Cannibals (singingLove for Sale),U2 (Night and Day),and Lou Reed(1 Get a Kick out of You).The two -disc set, "Red - Hot and Blue," will be issued in conjunction with a BBC - produced television show being broadcast worldwide on DecemberI. . . . Leonard Bernstein has signed a new, long-term, exclusive contract with DeutscheGrammo- phon. ... Columbia Records and rockers Midnight Oil

STEREO REVIEW JUNE1990 107 Makeyour next move to Velodyne. It's guaranteed to putnew life into your system!

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Discs and tapes reviewed by Robert Acka rt, Richard Freed, David Hall, Stoddard Lincoln, Eric Salzman, and David Patrick Stearns

BERLIOZ: Les Nuits d'ete, Op.7. MAHLER:Five Ruckert Songs; Five Songs from "Des Knaben Wunder - horn."Jan DeGaetani (mezzo-soprano); Eastman Chamber Ensemble, Da- vid Effron cond.BRIDGE © BCD9017 (65 min). Performance: Committed Recording: First-rate The death of Jan DeGaetani last Sep- tember, at the age of fifty-six, seriously RuiNero Raimondi as Boris depleted America's, and the world's, never overabundant supply of great vocal artists-the sort of musician who "makes a difference." Since then nu- BORIS GODUNOV merous tributes and appreciations of the great singer have been published, To say that a particular recorded expressively sung. Vyacheslav Polozov but the most significant memorials- performance of Boris Godunovsings Grigori/Dimitri with fervor and a the most durable and the most poign- is "the best" makes no morecontrolled abandon thatilluminates ant-are those she left in the form of sense than to say that such and this character, Kenneth Riegel's Shuis- recordings. Not that she intended them such a version of Hamlet is the finestky is properly insidious and cunning, as "memorials"; this last one, taped at possible. But you can say that a particu- and Romuald Tesarowicz provides a the Eastman School a year ago and lar performance is the most satisfyingkind of black -comic relief to the austere issued now on the Bridge label, is, like you have seen or heard, and that isand portentous plot with his amiably all its predecessors, more in the nature where I stand in regard to the new Borisdrunken Varlaam. Last, but far from of a celebration of life. conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich least, is Nicolai Gedda's prophetic Sim- Between 1983 and 1988, DeGaetani's for Erato. pleton. Now retired from the operatic husband, Philip West, arranged the or- The opera has long been a battle- stage, Gedda sings here with the ease, chestral accompaniments in Berlioz's ground for editors and orchestrators. technical sureness, and sensitivity we cycle Les Nuits (rete and ten of Mahler's Rimsky-Korsakov,Ippolitov-Ivanov,have come to expect from him. The songs-theRuckert-Lieder andfive Shostakovich, and others have had a choral work is exciting, and the Nation- from Des Knaben Wunderhorn-for crack at it, "correcting" the presumedal Symphony plays with passion and chamber orchestra as presents for his faults in Mussorgsky's original score sweep. wife, who introduced them, at various and completing the orchestration he left Ultimately, itis Rostropovich who times, at the Aspen Festival. While she unfinished.Thepresentrecording, deserves most credit for the recording's was justly celebrated as a champion of though, is based on the 1975 edition by success. His palpable involvement with the music of her own time and her own David Lloyd -Jones, which is widelythe music isfully communicated to country, she was no less intimately considered to come the closest to thesoloists, choruses, and orchestra alike. associated with this material, which composer's intent, and the internationalAnd although the excellent recording quite aptly forms the contents of this cast headed by the Italian baritone Rug- was made in part to serve as the sound- valedictory disc. The accompaniments gero Raimondi delivers a Boris that is track for what turned out to be a severe- are performed by the Eastman Chamber tightly knit and musically gripping. Rai- ly truncated film version of the opera, Ensemble under the very sympathetic mondi, in fact, makes perhaps the most Erato has released it complete on three direction of David Effron. West himself startling contribution, for he seems to compact discs. Robert Ackart took part as a member of the ensemble, understate the part. He replaces the playing the oboe, English horn, and usual stentorian utterance with an in- MUSSORGSKY:Boris Godunov.Rug- oboe d'amore. ward, reflective delineation of the char- gero Raimondi (baritone), Boris; Galina Here and there DeGaetani's voice acter as power -driven, alone, afraid, Vishnevskaya (soprano), Marina/Inn- may seem a little smaller than some of and guilt -ridden, but it is no less vital or keeper; Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Simple- us remember, but there is no mistaking effective for all that. ton; Paul Plishka (bass), Pimen; Vya- It is a pleasure to hear soprano Galina cheslav Polozov (tenor), Grigori/Dimi- Vishnevskaya, as both Marina and the tri; Kenneth Riegel (tenor), Shuisky; EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS: Innkeeper, in a tessitura she easily com-Romuald Tesarowicz (bass), Varlaam; mands and in a dramatic context she others. Choruses; National Symphony ao =DIGITALLY RECORDED LP most surely enlivens. Paul Plishka's Pi - Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich © = TAPE CASSETTE men, familiar to Metropolitan Opera cond.ERATO ©2292-45418-2 three CD's = COMPACT DISC (TIMINGS ARE audiences, is vocally full-bodied and (212 min). TO NEAREST MINUTE)

STF.RF.0 REVIEW JUNE1990 109 its soundness, its purity, its genuine- distance and acoustic localization so es- tional Philharmonic Orchestra, John ness. The special pathos in the last song sential to the realization of the compos- McGlinn cond. EMI/ANGEL 4DS- on the disc, Mahler's Ich bin der Welt er's sound images. For once the word- 49630, © CDC 49630 (66 min). abhanden gekommen, derives simply less voices of Sirenes are truly offstage and irresistibly from the total commit- yet clearly audible, as are the trumpets Performance: Authentic ment of a great interpretive artist to the that usher in the processional episode in Recording: Very good material she chose to sing. It is not real- Fetes. Nuages is hypnotically magical John McGlinn continues his monu- ly surprising, then, that the disc is not so from beginning to end, and the Faun, mentally valuable project of reviving much a "goodbye" as a living reminder which follows, is done with great sensi- and recording the original versions of of the uniquely live character of music tivity and restraint yet no loss of sen- important musical -theater works that among all the arts. The sound quality is suous quality. have long been presumed lost, or in first-rate, and the booklet has a superb The balance of this well -filled disc is a some cases, just ignored. While this new essay by David Hamilton as well as full letdown on two counts:First,Prin- Jerome Kern album is less even in qual- texts and translations. R.F. temps-originally for wordless chorus, ity than his recent Gershwin set, it gives piano four -hands, and orchestra but us, in up-to-date sound, a generous, au- DEBUSSY:Three Nocturnes (Nuages, first performed, in 1913, in an orches- thentic sampling of the medleys that Fetes, Sirenes); Prelude a l'apres-midi tration by Henri Biisser from a surviv- audiences heard before the curtain went d'un faun; Printemps; La Mer.Wom- ing piano score-is simply not very up on Kern shows in New York and en's Voices from the Choeurs de Tou- interesting as music. And second, for ail London between 1914 and 1939-both louse Midi-Pyrenees; Orchestre du Cap- the interpretive excellences of Plasson's before and after the historic Show Boat itole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson cond. reading of La Mer, in this work the (recorded, complete, by McGlinn last EMI/ANGEL © CDC -49472 (74 min). Toulouse players are simply outgunned year). Performance: Good to outstanding in terms of sonority and virtuosity by There are a few surprises-most nota- Recording: Splendidly spacious the co versions of at least half a dozen bly that the overture to Kern's last world -class orchestras and conductors, Broadway musical, Very Warm for May I was particularly taken here by the per- starting with the Berlin Philharmonic (1939), omits the now -classic song by formances of the Nocturnes and the under Herbert von Karajan. D.H. which that show (a flop) is best known Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, not today: All the Things You Are. And, only because Michel Plasson is an un- GLAZUNOV:Violin Concerto in A curiously, the overture to Sweet Adeline usually sensitive interpreter of Debussy Minor(see SHOSTAKOVICH) (1929) comprises a batch of non -Kern but also because the open space of the songs from the turn -of -the -century era Halle-aux-Grains at Toulouse turns out KERN: Overtures; Swing Time, Suite of the show's story rather than such to be ideal for capturing the effects of (arr. Bennett).Ambrosian Chorus; Na- great Kern songs introduced in that

lAn Alpine Symphony) Andre Previn Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

. ?lir

r.-elan transports you to the mg- rificent heights of rs -16. tichard Strauss' Alpine symphony. Andre Previn and

tie Vienna Philharmonic unleash

tie grandeur of this monumental tone

poem to the Alps. The music lifts you to a day's climb through "Sunrise," "The Ascent" and on to "Night."

Untorgeftahle. Soaring. A pinnacle of achievement from Telarc show asWhy Was I Born?, Don't Ever cond. TELDEC 244 184-2 three CD's every musical direction is clearly laid Leave Me, Here Am I,and'Twas Not So (172 min). out, but there seems to be littledramat- Long Ago.The gems of the set are the ic direction.Only the Donna Elvira, the Performance:Brilliant, but .. . weakest performance from avocal virtually unknown overtures toHave a Recording:Fine Heart (1917)andSitting Pretty (1924), standpoint, is created as a character- both filled with unmistakably elegant Don Giovanniby Nikolaus Harnon- the creation, no doubt, of the singer in and appealing Kern melodies. The ex- court ought to be the real thing. Given that role, Roberta Alexander. The result tended dance orchestrations (by long- the conductor's reputation, most of us is odd: curiously lacking in force or time Kern collaborator Robert Russell might be forgiven for expecting an character in many places where some Bennett) for the Astaire -Rogers film orchestra of period instruments, a me- such would seem to be demanded, but Swing Time(1936) should have been ticulous edition, and authentic perform- filled with life in many of the score's the highlight, but McGlinn and his Lon- ance practice. But that is not the case odd corners and cracks. Theopera buffa don musicians (and choristers) don't here. The orchestraisthe perfectly aspect of the work emerges as energy give them quite the snap and crackle modern Royal Concertgebouw, the edi- and vigor rather than humor; theopera that Nathaniel Shilkret got from his tion is the standard merge of the Prague seriaside seems to be more about RKO Radio forcesintheoriginal and Vienna versions effected in the annoyance and anger than anything soundtrack recording. R. H . nineteenth century, and eighteenth -cen- more truly serious. Where are the beau- tury performance practice seems to be tiful apoggiaturas and other embellish- MAHLER: Songs (see BERLIOZ and limited to the somewhat dubious idea ments that opera singers always put into Best of the Month, page 84) of restricting the harpsichord rolls in the their music? Are Mozart andDon Giov- recitatives to short, sharp chops. anni so sacredthat the holy text must MOZART: Don Giovanni. Thomas But this is overstating the negative. always be repeated verbatim-even by Hampson (baritone), Don Giovanni; The recording features a fine cast of Nikolaus Harnoncourt? Edita Gruberova (soprano),Donna youngish singers and a brilliantly ac- Nevertheless, this is a gorgeous per- Anna; Hans Peter Blochwitz (tenor), complished orchestra. The dynamic of formance-DonGiovannidone as if it Don Ottavio; Roberta Alexander (so- eighteenth -century musicisrealized were thePragueSymphony. Harnon- prano), Donna Elvira; Laszlo Polgar with brilliant tempos, elegant and most- court is most impressive with theopera (bass),Leporello; Anton Scharinger lyflawless fioratura, and an overall serianumbers, the big dramatic -sopra- (baritone), Masetto; Barbara Bonney energy that moves the opera along. Mu- no arias that still have a whiff of the (soprano), Zerlina; Robert Holl (bari- sically, that is. Rarely dramatically. Baroque about them. Here he is in his tone), Commendatore. Chorus of the The problem is a simple one. This is a element, and the singers are well cast for Netherlands Opera, Royal Concertge- brilliant concert reading, not a theatri- their roles. In a way, it's a performance bouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt cal one. There is a music director, and that suits the medium of high -quality,

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Ein Heldenleben Alsosprach Zarathusta rw-] Four Last Song d 4 Andre Nerl n Wiener Philler moniker

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TO ORDER BY MAIL SEND MONEY ORDER, CERTIFIED OR CASHIER'S CHECK, MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS or DISCOVER CARD (Include Interbank No, expiration date and signature ) TO' AIR MUSIC WORLD, DEPT. SR0690, 59-59 QUEENS -MIDTOWN EXPRESSWAY, MASPETH, QUEENS, NY 11378. Personal and business checks must clear our Authorization Center before processing. Shipping, Handling & Insurance Charge is 5% of Total Order with a $4.95 minimum (Canadian Orders Add 15% Shipping, with a $9.95 minimum charge) For shipments Dy air. please double these charges. $25 MINIMUM ORDER. DO NOT SEND CASH. SORRY, NO C.OD.'s. NEW YORK RESIDENTS PLEASE ADD SALES TAX. ALL MERCHANDISE SHIPPED BRAND NEW, FACTORY FRESH, AND 100% GUARANTEED. Copyright 1990 JAR Music World :goi,M-1.1 modern recording.It sparkles, and it MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhi- Oboe Sonata; Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, drives ahead. It bears casual listening bition (orch. Ravel); A Night on the and Piano. Pascal Roge (piano); Patrick extremely well. It holds up on rehear- Bare Mountain (arr.Rimsky-Korsa- Gallois (flute); Maurice Bourgue (oboe); ings. It only falls short as dramatic art, kov); Khovanshchina, Introduction (arr. Michel Portal (clarinet); Amaury Wal- and perhaps that is too much to ask- Rimsky-Korsakov). Oslo Philharmonic lez (bassoon); Andre Cazalet (horn). that every opera recording be a faithful Orchestra, Mariss Jansons cond. EMI/ LONDON @ 421 581-4, 0 421 581-2 (72 echo of a theatrical experience. ANGEL © CDC 49797 (49 min). min). Still, I miss dramatic continuity and coherence. This need not be dramatic Performance:Very good Performance:Seductive coherence of the Romantic or modern Recording: Amite cramped Recording:Excellent variety. On the contrary, someday I Mariss Jansons and the Oslo Philhar- It's easy to see why Francis Poulenc pre- hope to hearDon Giovanniperformed monic deserve the Red Badge of Cour- ferred winds to strings in his chamber and recorded by great singers who un- age just for putting themselves in com- works: Winds lent themselves particu- derstand the profoundly dramatic art of petition with the host of more cele- larly well to his playfully anarchistic the apoggiatura, of the expressive, im- brated orchestras and conductors that style but also accommodated the melt- provised ornament that once sparked have recorded these works, but they ing lyricism that was another important and personalized theater music as it also acquit themselves most creditably. part of his musical personality. It's not does the jazz and popular music of our Their taut yet fluent performance of so easy, though, to find his wind -instru- own day. E.S. ment sonatas collected together as they are here, probably because they adhere MOZART: Serenade in G Major (K. to somewhat predictable compositional 525, "Eine kleine Nachtmusik"); Diver- formulas. But any confirmed Poulenc timentos in D Major (K. 136), B -flat lover is perfectly happy with more of Major (K. 137), and F Major (K. 138). the same, and besides, the more atten- Moscow Virtuosi, Vladimir Spivakov tively you listen to these sonatas, the cond. RCA (3 60066 -4 -RC, © 60066 -2 - more apparent the differences between RC (64 min). them become. Pascal Roge's performances here are Performance:Highly polished just as winning as those in his superb Recording:Very good album of Poulenc's solo piano music on The three divertimentos composed by London released in1988. His piano the sixteen -year -old Mozart for a 1772 tone may be riper than the dry sound visit to Milan, on the occasion of the that Jacques Fevrier favored in his well- premiere of his operaLucio Silla,make known Poulenc recordings, but Roge for an album of wholly beguiling party never allows the music to become senti- music of the period, with the ever -pop- mental or overripe, and he flatters it ularEine kleine Nachtmusikserenade immensely with his wider coloristic pal- by way of appetizer. Vladimir Spivakov ette. Temperamentally, these perform- and his Moscow Virtuosi, recorded in ances by Roge and his colleagues are Paris, offer readings that are burnished hotter, tighter, and more incisive than to the last degree but are decidedly others on discs. Comparisons suggest wanting at times in genuine Classical that it helps to be French to show these style, what with cadential ritards and a works at their piquant best. D.P.S. flexibility of phrasing that borders peril- ously on the outright Romantic. The SHOSTAKOVICH:ViolinConcerto sound is lovely throughout, but those No. 1, in A Minor, Op. 99. GLAZU- who want a purer Mozartian style may Vladimir Spivakov: beguiling Mozart NOV: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. prefer Neville Marriner with the Acade- 82. Itzhak Perlman (violin); Israel Phil- my of St. Martin -in -the -Fields in the Pictures at an Exhibitionis notable harmonicOrchestra,ZubinMehta same program plus theSerenata nottur- throughout for the splendidly spirited cond. EMI/ANGEL. © 4DS-498 I 4, 0 naon Philips. D.H. yet precise playing of the orchestra's CDC -49814 (55 min). woodwinds. The "Old Castle" move- MOZART: Symphony No. 21, in A ment is imbued with a particularly Performance:Splendid Major (K. 134); Clarinet Concerto in A otherwordly atmosphere, and the por- Recording:Impressive Major (K. 622); Symphony No. 27, in G trait of the two Jews comes off with The Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. Major (K. 199). Michel Portal (clari- great vividness thanks to fine solo - 1, begun in the late 1940's but brought net); Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Phi- trumpet work. The same expert wind to performance by its dedicatee, David lippeEntremontcond. HA RMONIA playing is the most effective aspect here Oistrakh, only in 1955, after the death MUNDI 901304 (62 min). ofA Night on the Bare Mountain,and of Stalin, is one of the major works of Performance: Pleasant the alwayslovely and atmospheric the literature. The deeply intense open- Khovanshchinaprelude comes off to ex- ing nocturne is followed by an astrin- Recording:Excellent cellent advantage. What is lacking, how- gent scherzo of the utmost brilliance. Philippe Entremont has by now estab- ever, in the large-scale episodes is the Next is the capstone of the entire work, lished himself as an accomplished con- full-throated sonority that they need. A the noble passacaglia. A 4 -minute ca- ductor, but while these Mozart perform- comparison with the justly celebrated denza, replete with technical hurdles yet ances are by no means prosaic, they are Lorin Maazel-Cleveland Orchestra re- musically of a piece with the whole, fairly ordinary.In the concert hall, cording ofPicturesfor Telarc tells the paves the way for the fiery razzle-dazzle you'd be happy to encounter music - story, in terms of orchestral tone and finale. Because the work was written for making this tasteful and well tempered, untrammeled acoustic ambience. D.H. him, and he made three recordings of it but for home listening any number of (only thelate -1950's Leningrad per- other recorded performances win out. NIELSEN: Symphonies Nos. I and 6 formance has been transferred to CD), Moreover, Michel Portal's playing as (see Best of the Month, page 88) Oistrakh may be said to have "owned" clarinet soloist in the concerto is cer- this concerto. Itzhak Perlman, however, tainly pleasant and suave enough, but it POULENC: SextetforPiano and here offers what is by far the most for- is also pretty monochromatic. D.P.S. Winds; Clarinet Sonata; Flute Sonata; midable reading of the post-Oistrakh

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CIRCLE NO1 ON READER SERVICECARD era-a performance of blazing intensi- phon, it still stacks up as an excellent DMITRY PAPERNO. Russian Piano ty. He is supported with the utmost conversion, notably inits delineation of Music. Tchaikovsky: Meditation, Op. viction by Zubin Mehta and the Israel instrumental texture. The reading of 72, No. 5. The Seasons, Op. 37a: August Philharmonic, recorded in concert in Tod und Verklarungis well worked out (Harvest Song); September (The Hunt): Tel Aviv in 1988. and dramatically cogent, though the October (AutumnSong); November Stylistically, the mellifluous concerto violins seem somewhat recessed rela- (Troika). Liadov: Variations on a Polish by Glazunov is an incongruous coupler, tivetotheoverallsoundpicture. Theme, Op.51.Rachmaninoff: Pre- but it is historically justified in that Gla- Whether this effect is inherent in the ludes, Op. 23: No. 7, in C Minor: No. 10, zunov was mentor to the young Shosta- acoustics of Dresden'sLucaskirche, in G -flat Major. Preludes, Op. 32: No. 5, kovich in his student years at the Lenin- where the recording was made, I cannot in G Major; No. 10, in B Minor; No. 11, grad Conservatory. While Perlman's say, but I now realize that the same in B Major; No. 12, in G -sharp Minor. hot -toned approachisidealfor the thing bothered me in Blomstedt's re- Scriabin: Sonata No. 2, Op. 19 (Sonata - Shostakovich, in the Glazunov I prefer cording for Denon ofAlso sprach Zara- Fantasy). Medtner: Forgotten Motives, Heifetz's more "classic" treatment in thustra,which was otherwise a resplen- Vol. 1, Op. 38: No. 61 (Canzona serena- his late -1930's recording (included in dent interpretation. That minor reser- ta); No. 7 (Danza silvestra); No. 8 (Alla EMI's Heifetz-Barbirolli concerto an- vation aside, this sequel is an excellent reminiscenza).Dmitry Paperno (piano). thology).Nevertheless,onitsown production on all counts. D.H. CEDILLE/ALLEGRO IMPORTS CDR terms the Perlman reading is splendid. 90000 001 (71 min). The solo violin is balanced closely front WEILL: Der Zar hisst sich photogra- Performance:Affectionate and center in these live performances, phieren (The Tsar Has His Photograph Recording:First-rate but not intolerably so, and the orches- Taken).Barry McDaniel (baritone), the tral presence is impressive, in the Shos- Tsar; Carla Pohl (soprano), Angele; Dmitry Paperno, born in Kiev in 1929, takovich particularly. D.H. Marita Napier (soprano),theFalse was a pupil of the famous piano peda- Angele; Thomas Lehrberger (baritone), gogue Alexander Goldenweiser. He had R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegels lus- theAssistant;Ulla Tocha (mezzo- an active career in the U.S.S.R. until tige Streiche, Op. 28; Metamorphosen; soprano), the Boy; others. Cologne Ra- 1977, when he came to the United Tod und Verklirung, Op. 24.Staatska- dio Chorus and Orchestra, Jan Latham- States; since then he has been on the pelle Dresden, Herbert Blomstedt cond. KOnig cond. CAPRICCIO 60 007-I (46 faculty of De Paul University in Chica- DENON O CO -73801 (68 min). min). go and has toured this country and Western Europe. In Russia, he recorded Performance:Very good Performance:Fun Recording: several LP'S for Melodiya, and since Mostly excellent Recording:Excellent arriving here he has recorded some Herbert Blomstedt and the Dresden It's hard to imagine that such a fascinat- Scriabin works andThe Seasonsby Staatskapelle display their Straussian inglittle opera as this would have Tchaikovsky. Any collection of piano mettle to fine effecthere, beginning remained a mere footnoteinKurt music in which theTroika(November) witha Till Eulenspiegelthat's full of wit Weill's output for so long. First per- from that Tchaikovsky cycle is the most and fancy-a real fairy-tale treatment formed in Leipzig in 1928,The Tsar familiar piece has at least the attraction with superb first -chair horn and clarinet Has His Photograph Takenbears a cer- of novelty to recommend it. This one characterizations. tain similarity to the absurdist satires of has a good deal more, for the least - If the poignantly elegiacMetamor- Jean Cocteau, though there's a German- familiar items of all-Liadov'sPolish phosenhere lacks something of the sear- ic seriousness to the libretto by Georg VariationsandthethreeMedtner ing emotionality of Herbert von Kara- Kaiser. The plot concerns a fashionable pieces-are especiallyintriguing dis- jan's reading on Deutsche Grammo- Parisian photographer's studio that is coveries, and all the performances con- suddenly taken over by a band of convey the most affectionate conviction. spirators who plan to assassinate the Anatoly Liadov is a composer most of Tsar as he poses for his portrait. Weill us know only by a few orchestral minia- generates genuine suspense musically as tures in which he exploited that me- the Tsar flirts with the woman who is dium with notable imagination and trying to kill him, yet the piece never taste. The charming, Chopinesque vari- loses a certain flippant quality thanks to ations here show him to have been the series of highly rhythmic ostinatos every bit as idiomatic a writer for the the composer uses to move each scene piano and eminently capable of sustain- swiftly along. This must also be one of ing a more extended form. Nikolai the first works in musical theater to use Medtner may be remembered for hav- prerecorded music: Near the end, the ing recorded some Beethoven sonatas Tsar is seduced by a tango record played and some of his own music after he set- onstage, giving a languid air to the tled in England in 1936; his music is an opera's farcical crosscurrents. unknown quantity for most of today's Although a more stage -seasoned cast listeners, but the three warmhearted, might have made a more convincing substantial pieces offered here should case for this opera, there's much to make anyone eager for more. enjoyinthisperformance.Barry Paperno's pacing of the Tchaikovsky McDaniel gives a wonderfully mercu- Troikais a little more leisurely than rial interpretation of the title role, and what we are accustomed to, but it gains Marita Napier is a beguiling and vulner- a touch of poetry. That quality makes able would-be assassin. Conductor Jan itself felt throughout the program, in Latham-K6nig captures the urbane but fact, in the least aggressive way: You slightly seedy tone of this distinctive, feel the pianist is really finding it in the engaging work. D.P.S. music rather than imposing it from outside. It's a lovely program, lovingly presented. The sound quality, too, is first- COLLECTIONS rate. As far as I know, this is the first THOMAS HAMPSON: Songs from and so far only release on the Cedille "Des Knaben Wunderhorn"(see Best of label; given some radio play it could be- ltzhak Perlman: intense Shostakovich the Month, page 84) come one of this year's sleepers. R.F.

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Prices and availability subject to Belt driven Semi PANASONIC CQE-850 Automatic Floating 11 CD Player AMIFM Steno radio change Removeable din 24 presets 4x over subchassis OPS tonearrn sampling Requires separate amp NOTE: This is just a partial listing of our extensive CALL FOR PRICE 1.1 List $70000SALE: $375.00 inventory, please call for quotes on additional items or to request a free price list. atkiem.a. ows.w.p.i.:4m,wwww:up:oommiw mo,9:449 .1.1:1=141.11a1.4.11111111:=1:11111:Miaill.=1:41.1.0:1MMI.IMM:=1:11M:=1 GOING ON RECORD

ing older recordings. The whole pro- "Even though the Beethoven sym- THE TOSCANINI ject has the cooperation of the Tos- phonies have been recorded many, LEGACY canini family, including the conduc- many times by later conductors, -111.111111111111111111111M tor's daughter Wanda, the widow of Toscanini's interpretations hold up the pianist Vladimir Horowitz. well today. His name is still synony- by William Livingstone Announced with great fanfare at mous with conducting. He was one press conferences in New York, of the most influential musicians of WHENcompact discs Rome, and Tokyo, the Toscanini the twentieth century, and not to were introducedin Collection has gotten a lot of public- keep his work available in the best the United States in ity. As the initial sound of trumpets possible form would be a crime." 1983,someaudio and drums dies away, a number of The documentaryimplications journalists and music critics who questions come to mind concerning are obviously immense. I welcome welcomed the advance in technolo- the value of a project like this. Why thereissuesbecausetheywill gy also lamented that many great bother with these analog mono re- demonstrateclearlyhow much performances of thepast would cordings and black -and -white vid- styles change in the interpretation ceasetocirculatebecausethey eos? Will people buy them even at of classical music. They should help would never be transferred toCD. mid -line prices? Who cares about us to understand that what is im- "Exactly the opposite has been Toscanini today? portant is not adherence to any par- the case. Almost everything ever re- ticular trend in performance prac- corded is now being reissued," said tices but the artistic abilities of a Guenter Hensler, president of BMG given performer. It will be interest- Classics, when we chatted recently ing to compare Toscanini's Bee- inhis New York office. BMG, thoven symphony recordings with which owns RCA Records, is taking those of, say, Roger Norrington. a leading role in those reissues. Re- In addition to his tyrannical per- ferring to the RCA archives, Hens- sonality and the intensity of his per- ler added, "We have the most fan- formances, Toscanini was famous tastic catalog in the world, and it is for his belief in the sanctity of the very satisfying to go back to those printed text as the expression of the treasures and make them available composer's intentions. In this he again in optimal form." has had a tremendous influence on BMG Classics has just begun the subsequent musicians, particularly mostimpressivereissueproject those who search for authentic per- thus far in the compact disc era, the formance practices of the Baroque Toscanini Collection, which will in- and Classical periods. clude all of the official recordings Musicians will also care about made for RCA by the great Italian these reissues. Andre Previn, who conductor Arturo Toscanini (1867- made a videotaped celebrity en- 1957). Hensler sees the Toscanini dorsement of the project, attended a Collection not just as a major reis- few Toscanini performances as a sue project, but as "one of the most child. He said it was shattering to important releases in the history of Arturo Toscanini see him conducting again in the recording." newly released videos. The first part of the collection was BMG cares, of course, because Although I never heard Toscanini issued in April, and when it is com- Toscanini was one of the most im- live, I think today's collectors will pleted early in 1992 (to observe the portant artists in building the pres- care about the reissues too. As I 125th anniversary of Toscanini's tige of RCA Red Seal records-like watched the video of a concert per- birth),it will include seventy-one the pianists Horowitz, Artur Rubin- formance of Aida and the ghostly titles released in various forms-the stein, and Van Cliburn and the sing- figure of Toscanini moved about on audio programs on eighty-one cas- ers Enrico Caruso, Rosa Ponselle, my Tv screen, it struck me that this settes or eighty-two compact discs and Leontyne Price. And Hensler man had played cello at the prem- and the video on nine VHS tapes or clearly has a strong sense of the his- ière of Otello. He conducted Falstaff ten laserdiscs. Then for the first tory of his company. One of his first in the presence of its composer and time all of Toscanini's recordings administrative acts as president of conducted such important prem- will be available simultaneously. BMG Classics was to restore to all ières as those of La Boheme and A uniform black -and -white look RCA releases the logo of Nipper, the Turandot. I was overwhelmed by a has been designed for the series, famous dog listening to the old sense of history and connection with historic photographs by Robert phonograph horn. with the distant past when I realized Hupka. The transfer from original Gratifying sales of other BMG that Toscanini's intense eyes had discs or tapes has been supervised historic reissues have made Hensler looked into the eyes of Verdi and by John Pfeiffer, BMG's resident optimisticabout thepublicre- Puccini, and that was truly awe expert on engineering and remaster- sponse to the Toscanini Collection. inspiring. 0

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LOW RSTR-165 NEW. 169.99 AX -300 .11.0 A19 - l' 9 129.99- SAR-47 7 I IILLY.--uLA - TECHNICS - 100 WATTS LOW XR350XRS22 w/SPKRS729.9 -429 9249.9 97/4D.6CwmAF.604 PRO sAvE LOw 4 #E . OW 45 KEY REMOTE IFP0 WI/ 1 TURNTAOLEP2000 119.9969.99 RSTR-355 DUAL BOTH A x.430 VAUTO -215C REV....DOLBY PRO69.00 - YAMAHA - - TFAC - LOW A X500 85 W SUV.660AX.700 90 WATTSLOW 16.2 KEYEE .;;_RMT....jiI,EE LOW- TECHNICS - .. LOW SA42 RKEY .377 RMT. 3 A R.2 7 7 6080 WATTS LOW 01E12ANTIWOUICKPULL THEFT WAS RELEASE, 34.99 CAIIMIET OUT SOX KT -456--4036-4029 6 AUTO3 BAND RE EQ.LOW1 YLOW DIGITAL - LOW .6 5 Icg.IDi sia33.) NEW ,cck I SLP.170LOAD NEW 5 DISC ROTARY om=as NEW FRONT139.99.7 KxR...30 (9.300.. LOW ilLc1-342,S) 279,9919.L;39., INTEGRATED AMPLOW WITH STEREOTECHNICS SLIM -21.0E11 majoibminvArrsLow TUNERSUPER BUY 1..a 4, 4, SUV-450 SLEID.20 BELT DRIvELOw - TEntacs - CTX.8000CTX.7000ONLY 22.9 LOW HST.210TAPEH5T.100KT.4529 AM/FM AUTO RE vLow I - AIWA - DIGITAL LOW' LOW 12x i 0 VI SLPC-30 . [AI; :,14.303 KX9/.202 LOW AmA SPEAKERDATAWAYE WIRELESS ,-, 1M SYSTEM CTSCTC-5500VC 4500-1100 W/SPKRS.LOW LOW HSTGHST.220 EQUALIZER -370 AUTO COMPACTLOW REV. UJ 0 021 2:c":1): RV. " 12LRORRW BATT. OR AC. COVERS illi LOW' 0 Up I0 gE2R2S2AA16PLWITG01 (S:1).,F,,E5R5E5Rmil5pipT . SLPC-20 5 DISC ROTARY ciwacc 4 RI 'ff.) KX,./.900 LOW F.NA,RE:w..T. TAPEN PIONEER _LOW LEX:1300000 129.99 XPA.1010 DIGITAL? 79.00 E w Fri."71T,Tt immiitV.I.1 POOLYOURSO.MORE BACKYARD THAN 70,000 OR FT. GOOD FOR 119.99 716071597156 - ALPINE - 269.99259.99 LOW W/MEC.MS1.360H11.900 DIGITAL HEADPHONES ,OW'LOW 0cc c.)Y29) 0 01 CHANGERRc W/RMT. LOW cm.9,0 LOW CTW.7i0 . LOW SHAV-40 - DOLBY TECHNICS ADD. SPURS - .1%/C - 59.99 351732107280 POWERGRAPHIC FOLOSV EDM.110 EXPANDED DIG. - MEMOREX - cc0 )111 OMS-3A - NAKAmiCHI - CTWOOOR LOW SURROUND SOUNDLOW SX-911 WC, . 419.99 EA. -YAMAHA - - 3530AMP POWER AMPLOW 729.00 EDM-330MONITOR EXPANDED DIG. 29 99. z8g dr Q 11,Ccg-.1400110(0.1400 DENON - DEMO 649.99 CIW.510-LU.. too399 PINNACLE -(NTEWC T t62/15 TD-V.110VICO - , 469.99..LOW DS-DILA.:: AMP P ?i.: ..;;.LOW ;PHIPN6PNS - IN STOCK LOW 5950 CD-RMT. BOOM BOXES LOW MONITORQUALITYEDM EXPANDED770 STUDIO DIG.. 46.991 crin8 F. I gccg:1420 1I 600 -NEW SUB WOOFER 2469Z rw-.901 269.99t:y99; IEU.1210°° 37Lest 200PH -MONITOR - LOW PCX-300 DDL. CASSETTE PCV.55WITH CD - NC - 349. LOWLO SYSTEMSOUNDvHS100 HEADPHONE. NV/VHS-100SURROUND. 69.99. .65 ill LOW Tcw.301 219.09-169.99 egifn...4.30rm.1.7,,8 - TECHNICS - ,P,Ta NEWTECHNICS SPEAKERS LOW Pcv.ise PCX200 LOW ADAPTERSURROUND SOUND 69.99 E gN 19.1 rcg:24 Dc.g-.:22g _ YAMAHA - 289-99 TDW-201 0 rao5s: 419.99149.99 ISia7a7dratam11). ° WOW IN STOCK PCW.100 - SONY - LOW .ICK.300 - KOSS - AP i, CD -3050 CDC -610-NO LOW TO701$.421 $cx.32, \/-621 TDV.Ill 339.99199.99 DRA-25159.99 DaA.825a 90 w,6A/;,,,n, LEGACY. - DEMON - 146.49/ PROD. TOWER MAESTRO - A. ENT - LOWLOW CFS-902 CFS.201CFS.202 SAVELOWEST S KORDLESSICK200 189.991 8 1' on ,,,,, . CD.4050 LOW AOF-1000- LOW MINI F LOW CFS-903CFSw.303 DM90 EXPANDED RANGE' - AZDEN - LOW' priAI CD -5050 LOW 219.99 Av11-55 - - LOW W LOW DUAL CASS. LOWEST DIGITAL MONITOR 56.99 . 1 cc0.., N dO . CDX.7,41ORGRAVOR. AMA -959.99BABY II, LOW CFSW-404 LOW II CD0-492 .OW ADwx.80,5LOWLOWAVR.35 ADwx.707 AAf,,..:.50 299.95 RX.500 Low AVR-75 569.99299R9 1,.._ .,,,_ CFS.1200CFSDW-30 3 PC.LOWEST LOW MONITORDM70 DIGITAL 48.991 * .:,cci.4... < 4 E"' 5 .,a. 4VI O 'I CDO-496 CDB.630CDB-670CD11-586 PIONEER - _LOW LOW.LOW ADWX.505ADF,800 .. 129.99199.95 90.900Low vSX-9500S VSX.5500S - PIONEER - LOW CH -140 - HA MA ,- DEMON - $249.90 3 PC. - CF0.68CFSW.350 w -CDDUAL SAVE 16999 S mDRCD6 V4 - SONY - 57.9977.99. -,..,,,,D.X 2 15/su,0 0In a6Zf. I ' La<2 * CC r,.05 us,r) $3,),..7,,-,, 0Ilizi -I 8°M-210 . LOW AXZ.1010 ENNE=mmi VSX.7500S - /VC - 799.99 V2X-2400 VSX-4500S LOW DCA-3500 DCA-5320 POWER - 5299-99 AmP LOW WIAUCS-WR66 DUAL CASSETTE - AIWA - REV 69 99 DISC - SONY - 149 99 ,, <:: C) :'.1 , v - a0. U)-< PD -7300 LOW PMA-720 LO'61"2LOW NEW RX-1070 - JVC - . 929.99 KE116070TOR 10146100 OR KEN10146,00 51D3 OA ON CADW-7 WIDISC WALL 7 LOW THE CAR SAVE SI z..0.0w0,>», 1 Z In c)s A z 'I; 3' a.zJ c; OM PD -6300 . - TECHNICS - . UJ > (N) CC nil IPD -4350PD . -4300 LOW PMA-920 LOW RX.701 349.99 KE 3600 Oft OR KE 15502600 OR DUALCADW-9 W/DISC W NEW SLXR2 169 Ous 00...!us < CC ,..-9-.- 0E LOW - YAMAHA - RX.77RX-999 7 469R9314.94 KE IKEN 9696 KEN 66661600 LOW .Z M 0 %LP 0 r'NEW" - XLZ.1010489.99 C81080JVC - . LOW RK.555 249.99 KEN 7676 KEN 5656 immlacalaii SLXPO - SONY - VIDEOLARGE CAMCORDERSSELECTION OF I O2 2 ....TA ,,, u 4 - I 1/1 O 159.99 CX-800 499.99 RX-222 15999 KEN 4646 MN 6020 wm701 179.99 2 -1 4 ,.L, pow. -II2 XLV-211ALL UNITS ARE SHIPPED NEW. IF RETURNED AFTERFORXLV-311 INFO.. 14 DAYS CUST. A 15%SERVICE RESTOCKING OR N.Y. ORDERS FEE WILL CALL APPLY. 1.718.436-4646 OPEN SUNDAY VISA. 10-6 MC. MONDAYAMEX 6 COD. I ACCEPTED. 14 DAY RETURN POLICY. 779.99 FOCUS ELECTRONICS 4523 13th AVENU . BROOKLYN. N.Y. 11219 9.800-223.3411 VACATIONIN STOCK FORMEMORIES YOUR 2* 20 2 0 5 al ,e, ,,, .-CVLn9- Y in 5 -- 1-rt g Z - OLIBMIIIM111).111MIILMJAVS/IIprilLoA THURSDAY 10.7 RIDAY 10-2. SUPER SAVINGS CLOSEOUT HOTLINE ,A1, (1113WIIWILWIIIALWILNL 1.718.1354.501kill A a ... _..1 uau-_,z....a.0--ccccc-aLucpaz,-aEto<

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ENTERPRISES Holiday Gift 1608 53rd St Brooklyn, N.Y.11204 - Mon Fri 8-7, Sun 9.6 SINGERS! C.,LL (800) 451.5851 IN NYC (718) 438-1027 Certificates REMOVE VOCALS Available FROM RECORDS AND CDs! RADAR DETECTORS [SECurtirr SYSTEMS =1:11M1 CLIFFORD 96E Go 2102 64 3112 69vs. iP159. 944 ENdiss 3 170 3120 92 1120 119 Sys16, 3 1/9 997 VrIclOr Rrn1 154 3168 1211. 3170 120 080 3 199 942 0.103 199 5110 130. 3173 714 intobward 100 169. 990 119694 91 lowypirvjn7 06634441 300 219. 113 1n"'''''d W° =31==11 750 129.=0FITO Smart Rini Starter 2 269. 111Refe RDP 00902 124 425 9822s 69 Sman RrniSUMODi.379. DROLL 59. 6090101. 82064107 444 RD50 119 Speclmen 2 SE 169. 0"."'R' Card 11341161 1St Spectrum 2 Finii 164. ADS. 1817X JBL frktrocro AcousPcPyle SUNGLASSES Adm., Gorton Vega Call us at (213) 517-1700 RE0.4 41. RD 341. 8021 119. worm roma p.4 oco Auto ik Becooka SI R030 Rockford foss.. R@5 re RDA 109. Regula0 119. 0365 M. 80100 101Folding 121. 154. CALL 18214 Dolton Ave, Dept. 5, Gardena, CA 90248 CAR STEREOS Hours: M -F 9 to 6, Sat. 9 to 1 Pacific Time 0.47r PIONEER 0.,,...20:::: 00.1671 3faK CPO, 32$ K CORDS 2.40:41.7.4 01.70 319 CCA 900 IN SCRIM 1111. SING WITH THE WORLD'S BEST BANDS! x1:,260311. 03 239.00 C: : 00 " a'.2 C C R. ' ' ''' An Unlimited supply of. Backgrounds from standard : XRCO5 VA 0.3.383 210 ,,,,,,8, stereo records! Record with your voice or perform live with the backgrounds. Used in Professional Performance Nen 10fk SCOOB 599,,, 00% TA 2.: Audia X03 439 yet connects easily to a home component stereo. This Non Nuns S3009 519KE,,,,,, Aix. 6100 330 unique product is manufactured and sold Exclusively by Aodia 6E03 alMO CALL ,9399611OKStOKMO6 324a:KIK5656"7621; KEK4646 Iill 990 Fli934 gm P7310 LT Sound - Not sold through dealers. Call or write for a wioizon.go,SORO6sa., 4.09.6.67 .75.7 119.R.1.1147471.114 :74: :17:.:74; 6,1J7 Free Brochure and Demo Record. PholadEPO SCAJ9 NA g, woo, op NI. 97300 04 gm PP 7. L TUS LT Sound,Dept. SR -5, 7980 LT Parkway lerlingion SOR40 309. cox ,,7° WE WILL Lithonia, GA 30058 (404) 482-4724 Manufactured and Sold Exclusively by LT Sound ''L 7 'F'"'"' .4 $°"""8 2643ft'C*0 55 C 0"7:CCODRIXD4 II' y7977, 07'5" r7aIINI: 8::707: 797,1":"7 ...... N4.",,,S°K28,..0 !L, 0700349 C0600 Mt 563, CO 30 567c 431 24 HOUR PHONE DEMO UNE:14041482-2485 3-. 03,3- ',.'"'CX501 279 CX4OX 241307. R.352 3790 RI.291 '''' CX3OX 279 CX200 250...c.c BEAT ANY PRICE 204 Baton 00141 KENW000 Nebula 00929 IN. PRINTED IN THIS MAGAZINE ON FOR SALE PIX CNC. KX 9213 474 MCC 1170 121. 124 2100 MIIII'ilEMI,..,.. ,V2r, :: V,14 :-."CEC0 ',:' 79. AUDIO & CAR STEREO 4/7.407 3R293. IN.ryp, .,,,,,.... orcycoa ,. THE BEST RECORD RACK IN AMERICA. Stackable. porta- 040350 AN CA0730 114,,,,,,g, 33. 0,3. 3igg 359. ter) ble, oak units hold LP's, CD's and tapes. Free Mailorder Bro- 0..."1. 0.7%4 nt otc no 8. Krvoco 199".`ca'c at° The SOUND Approach chure. (please mention Stereo Review). Per Madsen Design: XL klA t205 419. P79 2* Fig) 391 IIMMMill M:111223M ''..11:2thir113:6111479 6067 Jericho Tpke , Commack, NY 11725 (415) 928-4509. P.O. Box 330101. San Francisco. CA 94133. XL I. ACM AK MC 311 1230 at 344. 7296 Ng 72143 471. FAST DELIVERY 299 (516) LOW PRICES -HIGH END EQUIPMENT: Carver. Nakamichi, tsK5sx'"t% 391.net noIVO 114 TC 7113 499-7680 KS RX NCO 201.. 9333.. 5952 la T7CcA4 2040 269 FULL WARRANTY Infinity, Haller. Luxman, ADS, B&K, Bose Onkyo, Proton. K.51,0710 209 Phillips and much more! (414) 725-4431. 4.,i.04.1 w4.144Not43 041,7 cF4K9 nanny crtAlrk m7611207, owed 0C0 wanM....0M1.02754 1110 50 Roo) 0 Li PS snixon9 CABLE TV DESCRAMBLERS FREE CATALOG! WE SELL SECOND HAND high quality audio -video with mon- 420 300644. wit NA1111119.6.1Or I y901.0A.won 944 1-800-648-7938. Jerrold, Oak, Hamlin, etc. Guaranteed Low- ey back guarantee! Send your name and address for FREE THE MINI AD WITH MAXI SAVINGS est Dealer and Retail Prices, Warranties. 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ADS., NAKAMICHI, CARVER, BANG Wholesale Connection Authorized dealer for ADS, ALPHASONIK, CARVER, DENON, DUAL. HAFLER. INFINITY, OLUFSEN, REVOX, B&W. KEF, HARMON/ To order -Call: KARDON, N.A.D., LUXMAN, HAFLER, TAND- 718 997-6644 KENWOOD. NHT, ONKYO. ORTOFON & BERG, ADCOM, DENON, KLIPSCH, YAMAHA, CD PLAYER TCWR620 229 YAMAHA. THE SOUND APPROACH, 6067 Jer- Technics SLP370 1159 TCWR720 269 SLPS50 239 AIWA A DF800 299 icho Tpke., Commack, NY 11725 (516) D.B.X., INFINITY, J.B.L. AND OTHER QUALI- SLPC45 269 A0940 159 JVC XL2611 299 A DWX888 309 TY COMPONENTS. BEST PRICES -LIVE PRO- XLZ431 269 ADWX777 259 499-7680 XL1.1403 259 HOME SPEAKER FESSIONAL CONSULTATION WEEKDAYS - XLG512 Call Per Pair SUPERIOR FIDELITY exclusively features JACKSON AU- Pioneer POM010 Can Advent Heritag 489 RALIGHT LOUDSPEAKERS. For more information call to AUTOMATED PRICING AND INFORMATION PIDIA510 Call Maestro Kenwood Call DP7020 299 Legacy 339 leave message at (914) 485-2890. 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DRA 1025 Call B&O Call Kicker 2 195 CALL FOR PRICES on Models and Brands Not Listed JVC Sony Super 2 Call HRS Mon -Sal 10 AM -5 PM EST Prices subject to change Prices WILBUR TANSTAAFL COMPANY, Box 308K, FIX 501 259 COP 970 349 Bazooka eaClude Shipping & handling Not responsible tor typographical Middlefield, CT 06455-0308. 8X801 389 0500 Call T16 149 errors MasterCard Visa and COD accepted Write To W(901 589 C8ESD Call 118 Call COMPACT DISC PRICES STARTING AT $5.99. SEND $1 Wholesale Connection63-48 108th St Forest Hills. NV 11375 Philipp Nakamichi Coustic FOR CATALOG, REFUNDABLE WITH ORDER. HARRIS FR780 Call CD. 2A. 399 FIX 728 Call HOUSE OF MUSIC. BOX 388759. DEPT. SR. CHICAGO, IL FR880 COC4A. Call RX 738 Call 495 60638. FR960 Call CP-1 Call CO -3 Call JVC SE PE RATES RADAR WE WILL BUY YOUR UNWANTED COMPACT DISCS. COM- XLZ 411 219 Uniden PETITIVE PRICES! FAST SERVICE. WRITE CDCS, 551 VAL- NAD XLM 401 289 RD 9XL 1240 179 XLM 701 399 124 LEY ROAD. 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Atlantic Buyers Club Authorized Denon dealers stock only UN -LINE GU NE I woHK. Buy Sell Used Cds, Great Deals. 18 Oak Hill Road. Toms River NJ 08753 All items are components designed for the U.S., and have the Great Selection, 8-N-1, Modem Access (4151 factory fresh with full warranty and a 10 day money back training to help you select the one right for you. 824.7603 Authorized dealers know Denon technology NEW PRODUCT!! Compact disc art; the music industry's inside and out and stock factory parts for your new wave. Display three of your favorite graphic C.D's in

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For information, send a SASE to FAST FORWARD, PO Box 574354, Orando, FL 32857-4354. Prices subject to TIPS FOR MAIL ORDER change Prices exclude PURCHASERS shipping charges Not responsible for It is impossible for us to verify all typographical errors of the claims of advertisers. Therefore, the following informa- FOR FASTEST OR tion is provided for your protec- SERVICE CALL(212) 684-6363FAx(212) 684-8046 tion: HOURS: MONDAY -FRIDAY, 9AM-7PM EST SATURDAY 10AM-5PM or Write Direct: 2 PARK AVENUE, DEPT. 15, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10016 1. Confirm price and merchan- We sell authorized U.S. branded merchandise and parallel imports. All products covered by manufacturer's warranty or New York Wholesaler's exclusive limited warranty. Manufacturer's rebates may not apply. Ask for full details at the time of purchase. dise information with the seller, CD PLAYERS RECEIVERS CASSETTE DECKS CAR STEREOS CAR STEREOS including brand, model, color or fin- HARMON KARDON PHILIPS NAKAMICHI NAKAMICHI DENON CR1A 329 ish, accessories and rebates in- HD7300 229 FR780X 429 RD260 269 CR2A 419 DC94170 159 HD7400 259 FR1380X 47999 RD360 Call 669 DCR5170 199 HD7500 329 FR980X RD460 489 cluded in the price. RX202 669 DCR5370 329 HC17600 449 PIONEER CD760 999 JVC DC95470 389 YAMAHA VXS95005 649 CDC101 699 TDW203 149 DCC8970 449 2.Understand the seller's return CDC605 259 VSX7500S 569 TD560 699 TDW303 179 DCC1570 529 CDC610 469 VSX5500S 459 PA304 389 TDW503 209 DCA3180 159 and refund policy, including the VSX3300 279 CDX530 239 TOW901 349 PA301 389 VSX3300S 329 DCA3400 299 CDX730 299 TDV521 279 PA204 249 229 DCA3500 429 allowable return period and who CDX920 589 SX2700 TDR431 189 SP200 209 SX1700 DENON 169 TDX331 169 SP10 149 SOUNDSTREAM SP40 109 pays the postage for returned mer- DCD520 189 NAD TDV1010 489 MC140 349 119 DCD620 249 7000 449 NAD SP50 D6011 179 chandise. 7225 279 SP80 199 DCD820 329 632 1 D10011 279 SP1010 149ea DCM444 369 7240 429 63405 329 D20011 399 SP65 259 DCM777 649 7100 629 6100 419 TC301 269 3. Understand the product's war- EC200/EC200H 199ea DC01560 599 7600 1099 6300 759 TC303 339 7400 899 DCD3520 999 AIWA ALPINE TC306 Call ranty.Is there a manufacturer's ADWX999 399 SONY LOUDSPEAKERS 7168 199 A40 269 ADWX505 139 CDP190 159 ADVENT 7269 259 SS10 299PR warranty, and if so, is it from a U.S. ADWX808 299 7179 CDP470 189 HERITAGE 499 299 SS510 249 ADF800 299 7180 329 or foreign manufacturer? Does the CDP670 229 MAESTRO 469 ADS27 99 ADS CDP770 289 7280 359 LEGACY 349 ADWX707 1 6.2 149 COP970 369 7288 399 selleritself offer a warranty? In PRODIGY 249 ADWX888 309 642CSI 199 CDP500 269 7289 429 BABY 159 ADWX333 119 200i 229 CDP400 239 ADWX777 259 7380 289 either case, what is covered by war- MINI/SUB 139 ea PH12 269 CDP900 349 ADS37 129 7390 469 Outdoor 149 7903 4499 P010 389 PIONEER PIONEER ranty, how long is the warranty 5952 49 P08 189 CLD1070 449 AR CTSTS705605 2 33959 5953 189 PH15 519 CLD3070 889 PARTNERS 259 C period, where will the product be 1390 189 PS5 219 PDM710 439 ROCK PARTNERS 179 CTW510 219 338 109 P020 589 PDM610 329 CTW71OR 309 serviced, what do you have to do, BOSE 33201 219 SB7 299 PDM510 269 CTW91OR 449 101 159 3501 69 SB10 489 PDM410 239 Roomate II 259 and will the product be repaired or 3522 139 300iS 299 PDT503 219 1149 901 1112419313213523 199 419 CALL FOR NEW MODELS AUX700 New 549 3201S AM5 629 3525 249 replaced? You may want to receive AUX500 New 459 INFINITY PHILIPS AM3 449 3543 429 MX600 429 CD50XX 249 3552 309 RSA62K 149 a copy of the written warranty be- B&W MX800 679 CD60XX 349 3554 389 RSA63K 169 MATRTIX 311 1849 MX1000 949 CD80 Call 99 RSA42K 69 fore placing your order. MATRIX 211 1229 MX35 229 6205 CD875 399 6265 129 CS2K 289 MATRIX 111 999 AX900 549 NAD 6266 79 RSA52K 109 0M550 329 AX700 449 4. Keep a copy of all transac- 249 6256 79 RSA692K 149 5325 DM560 4391 cAxX60,630 369 5340 329 DM570 359 6392 Call RSA693K 189 tions, including cancelled checks, 5100 419 DM580 729 CX800 559 6394 179 CS1K 299 5170 589 V201 219 CX1000 949 SONY BOSTON 5300 759 299 TX530 269 receipts and correspondence. For V202 CDXA30 399 TX10(13 449 703 35 JVC CDX6020 299 CANTON DSR7OPRO New 199 704-705 55 phone orders, make a note of the XLZ1010 499 XR6180 199 GL260 349 E0630 379 707 39 XLZ611 339 XR7050 229 KARAT20 579 E0330 149 741 149 order including merchandise or- XLZ431 219 XR7400 399 KARAT30 699 DSR100RRO 449 751 179 XLV231 149 XR6380 249 KARAT40 1029 AVS700 New 249 757 89 dered, price, order date, expected XLM303 219 XR6150 199 KARAT60 1289 DSP700 New 929 797 159 XLM403 279 CDXR7580 Call CT80 1349 DSPE300 New 669 763 229 delivery date and salesperson's XL R202 219 XE8 249 PLUS S NAD 761 189 MAGNAVOX XE90 149 PLUS C 479 1700 679 99 name. CDB496 199 XR7180 329 767 FONUM 400 Call 2600A 599 CDB2000 139 XR7280 389 C700 159 CELESTION 2200PE 529 C793 259 CDB610 199 3225SPE 209 PIONEER 5.If SL1251 New 1179 the merchandise is not C0B630 299 3240PE 329 KICKER SL600 SI 1499 KE3737 139 3400 679 Kicker 199 shipped within the promised =MIMI=SIBS I 749 KE5757 189 Super Kicks 249 HARMON KARDON DL12 New 749 ADCOM KE1550 149 KE16000R 169 Kicker2 199 HK330 229 DL8 II 399 GTP400 309 time or if no time was promised, 30 KE26000R 189 HK440 309 DL6 II 329 GTP500 489 Super2 249 K0360009 209 HK550 369 DL4 II 249 GFP555 449 SAS -BAZOOKA days of receipt of the order, you KEH51000R 239 HK880 599 Model 3 GFA535 229 KEH6100OR 259 T52 139 HK990 829 GFA545555 429289 generally have the right to cancel DESIGN ACOUSTICS GFA 629 KEH81000R 339 T16 159 YAMAHA PS3 449 GCD575 489 KEHM50000R 429 T18 229 RX330 239 the order and get a refund. PS5 249GFP565 649 COX4 299 T62 159 RX530 329 PS10 369GFA565 699ea KEXM800 499 T82 229 RX730 399 PS6 189 CDXM70 Call T102 159 RX830 489 DENON 6. Merchandise substitution PS55 169 RX930 699 PMA920 499 KENWOOD RADAR DETECTORS PMA720 RX1130 949 INFINITY 38 KRC2003 without your express prior consent PMA520 2999 SNOOPER D4 RS2001 179 KRC555 299189 NAKAMICHI PMA1520 749 SNOOPER D6 CaI RS4001 399 KRC777 429 is not allowed. TA1A 299 P0A2400 549 COBRA3168 129 RS5001 549 KRC3003 229 TA2A 499 P0A6600 549 COBRA3120 99 KAPPA6 749 KRC676 369 TA3A 749 P0A800 249 KRC353 239COBRA3170 169 7.If you have a problem with TA4A 1099 CASSETTE DECKS PRA1500 389 KRC610 Call SPECTRUM II 175 DENON YAMAHA TU800 389 KRC510 279 SPECTRUM 3SE 249 your order or the merchandise, TU550 Call BEL 876 129 090325 279 KX1230 579 KFIG410 239 AVC2000 74 BEL-VECTOR 3 189 DRA425 359 KXR730 419 KRC310 209 write a letter to the seller with all the AVC700 469 KDC82 BEL EXPRESS 3 229 DRA625 439 KX630 389 New Call 649 KRC5003 289 UNIDEN RD9XL 159 DRA825 KX530 339 TURNTABLES pertinent information and keep a 0901025 749 KRC878 New 479 UNIDEN RD9 119 KXR430 279 DENON KDC92R New Call UNIDEN CARD 199 SONY KX330 249 DP59L 479 K.A.C52 79 copy. STRAV1010 519 KX230 219 DP47F 349 KAC721 169 FAX STRD2010 749 KXW900 549 DP7F 159 KAC821 259 Sharp STRAV910 369 Call 8.If you are unable to obtain KXW602 419 DUAL KAC941 339 Panasonic STRAV710 319 KXW232 279 CS431 139 Canon For STRAV310 229 BLAUPUNKT satisfaction from the seller, con- DENON CS450 1 Toshiba Latest STRAV210 159 DENVER 219 CS455 22999 PORTLAND 259 Murata Prices JVC CS505000 tact the consumer protection agen- DRM500 209 2 349 LEXINGTONANGELES 419 RX302 189 PORT. CD PLAYERS DRM600 269 CS549 LOS 369 CS7000 549 90403 239 DRM700 329 SAN FRANCISCO 319 SONY D180 219 cy in the seller's state or your local RX703 349 DRM800 399 TECHNICS DALLAS 289 SONY 09 219 RX803 439 DRM34HR 439 SL1200 II 369 NEWPORT 199 SONY D2 169 U.S. Postal Service. RX903 669 DRW750 329 THORENS BOSTON 239 SONY D25 279 RX1010 949 DRR680 329 CALL FOR PRICES PHOENIX 249 SONY 035 299 THE HIGH END by Ralph Hodges may not really be any in an average penetrate its plate -glass windows. day; we could be caught in a cumu- That thevisible waves and the lative din from numerous second- sound are always out of sync drives ary sources rather than a few prima- me crazy, but it doesn't seem to ry ones. Certainly some of the tradi- bother others. Some years agoI tional noise barrages have changed endured,butnotcomfortably, character. Some of the new (Japa- many visits to a physician whose nese -made) subway cars now in use waiting room had a mechanical hiss are a shining revelation of what can machine meanttosoothe. The be done-and a stinging commenta- acoustics firmBolt Beranek and ry on what was neglected in the past. Newman had already diagnosed my But sirens and air horns on emer- problem. Such hiss has to be in gency vehicles are getting louder as "stereo"-that is, derived from two they try to blast their way through entirely separate generators and re- gridlocked traffic with sheer wind produced by at least two speakers- power. And with many communi- in order to work. Human response ties recycling rubbish, the visits of to noise can be subtle. multiple sanitation trucks are a sad The perceived loudness of example of how one environmental noise-and of sound in general-is program can trip up another. a function of its duration, center fre- Noise has psychological and phys- quency, and bandwidth as well as of iological consequences that many simple intensity. A noise spanning experts consider profound. Pulse threeoctavesinthemidrange rates vary and the volume of blood sounds roughly twice as loud as a -morimemmemilnlimp- "minummismogil pumped per heartbeat decreases. noise spanning one octave, even Vasoconstriction hinders the blood though a sound -level meter declares NONMUSIC To in clearing poisons from the system the two equivalent. If the noises YOUR EARS and raises the blood pressure. Con- were identical in center frequency centration goes, task performance and bandwidth, twice as loud would suffers,cooperationdiminishes, correspond to about a 10-ds in- bad news from the tempers flare. And, of course, you crease, and since it is the decibels New York Times: The can go deaf. that do the damage when it comes country is getting noisier But noise needn't be loud to be to hearing loss, we have something rapidly,andnobody stressful. Think, but not too long, worth paying attention to. A noise seems in a position to do much about a fingernail on a blackboard. that is absolutely shattering, such as about it. Of some 1,100 state and (Interestingly, researchers I've quer- abuzz saw screamingitsway local noise -abatement programs ex- ied about this phenomenon have all through an oak plank, may actually isting in the past, a mere fifteen are expressed great interest, but no ex- be relatively innocuous, whereas a active today, and researchers have planation of the mechanism com- simpler noise, loud but not unpleas- quit the field in droves since federal pletelysatisfactoryto them has ant in character, might pose a grave fundsforproblem -noisestudies emerged.AttheUniversityof risk. Fortunately, the majority of were cut off by the Reagan adminis- Miami, Dr. Ernest Peterson believes loud noises in our civilization are tration. that improper processing of the dis- complex and grating, urging us to Recently something called a con- sonant overtones by the cochlea is quit their vicinity before damage is sensus conference, attended by rep- certainly at the root of it, but how done. resentatives from the U.S., Canada, this translates into shudders and Why have I chosen to string to- and Europe, was held in Washing- winces is not clear. Some day, when getherthesesomewhatdiscon- ton, D.C., and a twenty -page draft I'm feeling brave,I'llrecord the nected data on noise? Because noise report on the noise situation, not yet sound and see what must be filtered inevitably influences music. Jana- available as I write, resulted. Pre- out to ease the agony.) cek and Varese, to name only two, liminary indications suggest, how- Some noise is fashioned to calm quite literally composed music to ever, that it can be no more than a and relax instead of the opposite, the environmental noise of their list of recommendations of the sort and this seems to work for some worlds. That is the positive side. On that lawmakers like to line their people but hardly all. Surf -noise re- the negative side, many people, my- wastebaskets with. cordings are available to induce self included, have been enjoying Frustratingly, although there is a sleep, and background hiss ("sonic concertslessbecause we arrive general perception among experts of perfume") is generated to soften the stressed out and deafened by the a marked increase in our opportuni- clatter of business machines and the blare of the city en route. Someone ties to hear louder and longer -dura- babble of nearby conversation. A should do something about it-and tion noise every day, with research certain California beachfront res- that means you and me. It is proba- stalled, nobody seems sure how to taurant plays the surf recordings be- bly time for a little less Varese and a identify the major offenders. There cause the real ocean sound does not little more Jandeek.

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Sony introduces the world's first car CD Player with a built-in 4 -channel amplifier. So you can upgrade without reservations. Now you can get the expansive sound of Compact Disc in your das1 without getting an expensive add-on amplifier. Simply replace your old in -dash radio with the Sony CDX-7540-and you'll be travelling in luxury. This single, affordable package has everything you need: AM, FM, power for four speakers, and the first-class fidelity of Compact Disc. Of course, the CDX-7540 incorporates all the CD technology you'd expect from thecompany that invented Compact Disc. Sony's 8x oversampling digital filter and dual D/A converters play your music witha clarity that economy -class car stereo simply can't match. The CDX-7540 is also flexible enough to drive anything from simple two- or four -speaker setups to high -flying multi -amp systems. And to keep your sound safe and sound, there's even a slide -out version: the CDX-7580. So if concerns about price, security, or installation have kept you from upgrading your car's sound, experience the Sony CDX-7540 or 7580 CD Players. SONY: You may well forget your reservations. THE LEADER IN DIGITAL AUDIO"