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- FEATURES DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED ... Dan Sweeney 38 THE AUDIO INTERVIEW: AVERY FISHER David Lander 48 EQUIPMENT PROFILES SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE Edward M. Long 58 SME 309 TONEARM & SIGNET OC9 CARTRIDGE Edward M. Long 59 LAZARUS H -1A AMPLIFIER Bascom H. King 88 PRECISE MONITOR 10 SPEAKER .. Edward M. Long 98 MUSIC REVIEWS CLASSICAL RECORDINGS 112 JAZZ & BLUES 118 Hearing Aids, ROCK/POP RECORDINGS 124 page 38 DEPARTMENTS SIGNALS & NOISE 4 AUDIOCLINIC Joseph Giovanelli 8 TAPE GUIDE Herman Burstein 12 AUDIO ETC Edward Tatnall Canby 16 CURRENTS John Eargle 25 BEHIND THE SCENES Bert Whyte 33

The Cover Equipment: SOTA Cosmos turntable, SME 309 tonearm, and Signet 0C9 cartridge. The Cover Photographer: Michael Groen

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Mark Levinson® products are designed and manufactured by MADRIIGAL AUDIO LABORATORIES PO. Box 781, Middletown, CT 06457 FAX (20 3) 346-1540 Table courtesy of Fautaver Woodworks SIGNALS & NOISE Editor: Eugene Pitts III

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Associate Managing Editor: Teresa A. Camero ' Associate Managing Editor: Douglas Hyoe Assistant Editor: Joe Wiesenfelder Congrats on Stats tests ranged from 16 to 160, with an Editorial Assistant: Michael Bieber Dear Editor: average of 77. The tests that Dan Associate Editors: Bert B. V. Pisha I am writing in response to Herman Shanefield ran for High Fidelity each Edward Tatnall Canby, Whyte, Burstein's article, "Statistics in A/B had 40 trials. Senior Editors: Leonard Feldman, Howard A. Roberson Testing: By the Numbers," which ap- One could come to the conclusion Senior Editor/Loudspeakers: D B. Keele, Jr. peared in the February 1990 issue. from reading Mr. Burstein's article that Editor-At -Large: David Lander I am a college student majoring in A/B/X tests are or have been limited to Contributing Editora'Artist: business and am currently enrolled in 16 trials. Certainly not so. Most contain Michael Aldred, Herman Burstein, David L Clark, a business statistics course. This arit- multiple listeners or multiple sessions Anthony H. Cordesman, Ted Costa, John Dilibelo, Frank M. cle opened my eyes to the actual use- and have both excellent scientific va- Driggs, John Eargle, Susan Elliott, Joseph Giovanelli, Bascom H. King, fulness of statistics, which I began to lidity and statistical reliability. As in any Hector G. La Torre, Edward M. Long, doubt after a month's worth of boring other experiment, sample size is at the Frank Lovece, Jon W. Poses, Jon R. Sank, lectures. discretion of the experimenter. There is Susan Borey Sherman, Donald Spoto, Michael Tearson, Jon & Sally Tiven, At I age 20, am quite the stereo no evidence to support the notion that Michael Wright enthusiast, considering I have already A/B/X tests have had limited sample Business Services Director: Greg Roperti I found high upgraded my entire system. sizes and probability of Type 2 Circulation Director: Leon Rosenfield your article extremely helpful in show- error. Production Director: Patti Burns ing me that numbers don't necessarily Tom Nousaine Production Manager: Nancy Potts Research Director: Vicki Bimblich mean anything, you can be as- Ill. unless Chicago, Office Manager: Phyllis K. Brady sured that they are reliable and valid. Ad Coordinator: Sylvia Correa Thanks for the lesson. Author's Reply: It was not my intention Sales Secretary: Liz Dedivanovic William S. Stranberg to imply that A/B/X tests are or should V.P./Publisher: Stephen Goldberg Milwaukee, Wisc. be limited to 16 trials. It should have been made clearer that larger sample ADVERTISING Advertising Director: R. Scott Constantine On Trials sizes than 16 are desirable and gener- (212) 767-6346 Dear Editor: ally used. I had in mind that A/B/X tests Account Managers: Barry Singer (212) 767-6291 I enjoyed Herman Burstein's treatise are sometimes multiples of 16, such as A. in 16 Carol Berman on statistics immensely ("Statistics the same subject tested times on (212) 767-6292 A/B Testing: By the Numbers," Febru- each of two occasions, or several sub- Western Manager: Bob Meth ary 1990). Thanks to you and to him for jects each tested 16 times. Also, it Regional Manager: Paula Mayeri the article. His discussion of the differ- seemed best to deal with a small sam- (213) 739-5130 Automotive Manager: James Main ences between a scientifically valid ple for purposes of illustration. On the (313) 643-8800 and a statistically reliable experiment other hand, in the section on sample DCI EXECUTIVE STAFF has missing from nearly I been every size, did point out the desirability of President and CEO: Peter G. Diamandis other discussion on audible differ- larger samples, such as 50 or 32, in Executive V.P.: Robert F. Spillane Sr. V.P., Finance, and CFO: Arthur Sukel ences and test analysis. However, in examples I gave.-Herman Burstein V.P.. Mfg. & Distribution: Murray M. Romer Mr. Burstein Sr. discussing sample size, Sr. V.P., Operations: Robert J. Granata implies that the classic A/B/X test is Gifts with Ribbons V.P., Controller: David Pecker limited to 16 trials and states the pro- Dear Editor: V.P.. General Counsel: Catherine Flickinger

was not well studied from an I purchased a pair of Bob Carver's cedure AUDIO, September 1990, Volume 74, Number 9. analysis standpoint. That observation Amazing Loudspeakers, a rather diffi- AUDIO (ISSN 0004-752X, Dewey Decimal Number does not actually describe the A/B/X cult achievement considering that top - 621.381 or 778.5) is published monthly by DCI, e wholly owned subsidiary of Hachette Publications, Inc.. method very well. of -the -line audio equipment does not at 1633 Broadway. New York, N.Y. 10019. Printed in While 16 trials is suggested as the come cheap. After approximately six U.S A. at Dyersburg, Tenn. Distributed by Warne' Publisher Services Inc. Second class postage paid at minimum needed to reduce the proba- months of enjoying these excellent New York, N.Y. 10001 and additional mailing offices. bility of Type 1 error to reasonable lev- speakers, the ribbons began malfunc- Subscriptions in the U.S., $21.94 for one year, $39.94 -es. in practice, the magic 16 tioning in the extreme high frequen- for two years. $53.94 for three years; other count els, actual add $6.00 per year. AUDIO+ is a registered trademark has been a suggested "session cies. I am sure the loudspeakers could of DCI. 5;1990, Diamandis Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial contributions should length" and not a "sample size." I have been repaired, but Bob Carver include return postage. Submissions will be handled compiled a summary of every pub- offered to replace them with brand new with reasonable care, but the Editor assumes no lished double-blind amplifier test, in- loudspeakers. Not only did he re- responsibility for safety or return of manuscripts, photographs, or artwork. The Publisher, In his so e cluding 16 which employed the A/B/X place them, he upgraded them to discretion, reserves the right to reject any ad copy he method (eight from the SMWTMS Carver Platinum Edition Amazing Loud- deems Inappropriate. Subscription Service: Forms which have many improve- 3579 and all subscription correspondence must De Newsletter, six in Audio, compliments speakers, addressed to AUDIO, P.O. Box 52548, Boulder, Colo. of David Clark, and two from High Fi- ments and carry a much higher price. 80321-2548. Please allow at least eight weeks for the delity conducted by Dan Shanefield). "Proudly made in the U.S.A." really change of address to become effective. Include both your old and your new address and enclose, if Only one contained as few as 16 trials means something to Bob Carver and his possible, an address label from a recent issue. If you (Audio, April 1985). The SMWTMS company. have a subscription problem, please write to the above address or call (800) 274-8808; in Canada or other tests ranged from 49 to 253 trials, with R. Van Etten foreign countries, (303) 447-9330. an average of 109. The Audio A/B/X Topeka, Kans. 4 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Introducing the Sony D-35 Discman® Portable Compact I Disc Player. Mozart at the tender age of

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®(op,+qn MO So, fopoom ol Lmnn. Y rgAM1enneed ;one how Neo lows odh looter n pool Luda oe uodavlc o' ím, How Often In The History Discman o Of Music Do We Find Something P Dr Small, Yet Incredibly Gifted? earn o y ac

CD Menu CD Magazi

1 Program Magazine Ma9 Tit) 2 Ti t l e Magazine 46 CHOPIN 3 Record CD to Tape 47 BACH 4 Disc Sequence 48 HANDEL 5 Random Play 49 STRAUIW 6 Intro Scan Time Set 50 BARTOK Use ADJUST Us Press number to select Then press Eh Press MENU to exit menu Press MENU fm

IIINTSUtlISNI

-ATIIRT~ - It may have taken a musical genius to front of you, in the form of menus that lead write the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, but you through every function, step by step. it shouldn't take a technical genius to play it. And confirm what you're doing while youre Or at least, that's the thinking behind doing it.There are menus that cover all the the Mitsubishi M -C6010, the world's first CD usual functions, like programming discs and changer with on-screen commands. recording them to tape. The way we see it, you shouldn't have to And then there are menus for things that spend the best years of your life figuring out aren't usual at all. For instance, imagine being how to work your audio equipment. So we've able to customize your CD library according put the directions right on the TVscreen in

De CI> TOIE DEFEfIT CN

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The M -C6010 CD changer. The M -R8010 Home Theater receiver.

,, á ne List e CD PLAY All discs

KY Disc3 Trk:07 select Time: 1m23s TER r next - AMIlSUN151N to category. You name each magazine, and the high frequencies sometimes present on CDs. next time you insert it into the changer, your Of course, the best way to get the most title -"Sixties Classics"or "Elevator Greats"- out of all this technology is to make it part will appear on the screen. Or if you feel like of a Mitsubishi Home Theater System, so browsing, you can call up the names of every your audio and video components can work magazine in your library with a quick flick of together as a cohesive unit. Everything in the the remote control. system-from our big screen TVs and VCRs As a piece of video equipment, our CD to our CD changer and Home Theater changer is pretty impressive. But we could receiver-operates the same way and can be hardly expect you to buy it on looks alone, so controlled by a single learning remote. we gave it all the technology any right-minded With all of this in mind, picking out audiophile would insist on. Dual 18 -bit linear your next CD changer should be as easy as D/A converters. 8-times oversampling during playing"Chopsticks'.' the filtering process. And digital de -emphasis, .MITSUBISHI a special circuit for accurate playback of the TECHNICALLY, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® Enter No. 25 on Reader Service Card AUDIOCLINIC JOSEPH GIOVANELLI

Duplicating Edison Cylinders "negative" cylinder. When the wax though the audio levels on the VCRs Q. 1 am in the business of giving cooled, it could be separated from the are set high and are registering high talks on the history of recorded music. negative. The result was a cylinder while the programs are being record- One question which keeps cropping which was a "positive"-with grooves ed. I have no such problems when I up is one that I cannot answer: How on the outside wall, ready for playback. play prerecorded VHS Hi -Fi tapes did the early recording engineers How the master was released from the through my TV set.-G. Lipton, North make copies of Edison cylinders? 1 mold and how the negative was re- Woodmere, N.Y. cannot see where the electroplating leased are steps not known to me; I A. The fact that prerecorded tapes process that is used to make modern also have no idea as to how many play back fine tells me a couple of disc copies could be applied to copy- copies could be made from a single things. First, you probably have your ing cylinders. Those early pioneers negative or whether the master could VCRs switched to feed the output from didn't even have electronic amplifica- be reused. Perhaps some reader the linear audio track, rather than the tion to do this with magnetic cutters. would care to shed more light on this. Hi -Fi tracks, to your sound system. If -Bill Pollock, Oak Ridge, Tenn. so, listening to the Hi -Fi output will A. I can shed at least some light as Digital Outputs probably give you more, as well as to the manner by which Edison cylin- Q. My CD player has a digital out- better, sound. ders were copied; there were four put. What do I use it for? I now use the On most Hi -Fi VCRs, the audio level methods that come to mind. The first left and right analog outputs, and the indicators and the manual level control method was for the artist to record ev- player sounds great.-M. Olson, River- pertain only to the Hi -Fi tracks; an auto- ery cylinder, one by one. This ap- side, Cal. matic level control circuit sets levels for proach surely didn't guarantee unifor- A. A Compact Disc carries digital linear -track recording. The linear mity of performance from one cylinder pulses that represent the music sig- tracks of many prerecorded video- to the next. nal's numerical value at various points tapes are recorded at much higher au- The second approach involved plac- in time. The digital signal must be con- dio levels than you could get on a ing a recording horn in front of the verted to a continuous analog wave- home recorder. If your deck does allow playback horn. While playing the mas- form before it can be amplified and manual level control for the linear ter, a second machine was set to replayed through your speakers. Your tracks, try recording with your meters cord. This is analogous to placing the player's digital output carries the un- "in the red" and see what happens. microphone of a tape recorder in front converted signal, while your left and It's also possible that the recording of the loudspeaker as a recording is right outputs carry the output from your level meters on both VCRs are giving played. The results of such a tech- player's digital -to -analog (D/A) conver- false indications. But with two ma- nique are poor, even with flat systems. sion circuitry. chines (unless they came from the Can you imagine the problems caused It appears that you have no use for same batch), that's not terribly likely. by peaks in the reproducing and re- your player's digital output at this time, cording horns? but you may at some time own compo- FM Background Noise The third approach was to use a nents having matching digital inputs O. I have a two -year -old receiver pantograph: The cylinder was played that will accept this signal. Such com- which has developed .a background and the motion of the playback stylus ponents include stand-alone D/A con- noise problem in the last few months. was transferred via leverage to a cut- verters, and preamplifiers and receiv- This occurs only on FM. The amount of ting stylus, which made a copy of the ers that include their own D/A conver- background noise increases the long- cylinder being played. This system sion circuitry. The makers feel that they er the receiver is turned on. The noise was limited to the number of times the can produce better converters than is not really loud; in fact, it is only master cylinder could be played, per- are found in most players. noticeable on "easy listening" or clas- haps not more than about 25 times. Professional DAT recorders, and the sical music stations, mostly during si- You can imagine the tremendous loss newer home units with SCMS copy - lences between selections. The noise of highs caused by the mass of the limiting circuits, also have digital inputs sounds like a low -frequency "bub- pantograph. to allow direct digital copying from dig- bling" or "rumbling." Service techni- The fourth method by which these ital sources such as CD. This should cians have not solved the problem, cylinders were reproduced was known provide cleaner sound than first pass- and some won't admit it's there. Do as the "gold molding" process. The ing the digital signal through a CD you have any thoughts regarding master cylinder was made as usual. player's D/A converter and then pass- this?-Orvis L. Beal, Dallas, Tex. Through the use of special molds, the ing the analog output of that converter A. There is no way for me to give . master cylinder was placed within a to the recorder's ND circuit to convert you a definite answer as to the source vessel, and relatively hot wax was it back to digital form. poured into a suitable channel. The result was a cylinder which was a copy Low VCR Audio Output If you have a problem or question about audio, write to Mr. Joseph Giovanelli at AUDIO Maga- of the master but with the grooves on Q. When 1 record a program on ei- zine, Broadway, New N.Y. 10019. its inside wall. The master was then ther of my VCRs and play that record- 1633 York, All letters are answered. Please enclose a removed. Again, a by using suitable ing back through my TV set, the play- stamped, self-addressed envelope. mold, hot wax was poured into this back level is extremely low, even 8 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 DISCS, 'DISCS, DISCS, DISCS! PICK ANY 8 CDs FOR A PENNY PLUS A CHANCE TO GET ONE MORE CD -FREE! Com3lete details on other side

L 1,1 .\

11 ERICCLAPfÓZTOURNEYMAEL-.

1 o 1 Í y I

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N I t A 1/ Alannah Myles -Black Velvet Robert Plant -Manic Nirvana. Eric Clacton -Journeyman. Billy Joel -Storm Front Sinew. O'Connor -I Do Not Bonnie Raitt-Nick Of Still Got This Thing; Love Is Hurting Kind,' Tie Dye On The Bad Love Pretending; Love; We Old Didn't Start The Fire; Want What I Haven't Go . Time. have A Heart, Love more (Atlantic) 404.475 Highway; etc. (Es Parana) 405.019 etc. (War ter Bros.) 400.457 rrore (CO&a ibi$ 387.902 (Chrysalis) 405.001 Letter, etc. (Capitol) 381.087 Teenage Mutant Nina Paula Abdul -Shut Up Bangles -Greatest Hits Technotronic-Pump Up Kaoma-World Beat (Epic) Bobby Turtles Brown -Dance ... -Original And Dance (The Dance (Columbia) 405-977 The Jam(SBK) 405.209 402600 Ya Know II (MCA) 402.602 Soundtrack (SBK) 406.900 Mixes)(Virgin) 406.264 Ven Morrison -Saint A Decade Of Steely Dan Dion And The Belmont. Heart-Dreamboat Annie Jack DeJohn.tt.- Slaughter-Stick it lb Ya Dominic's Preview (MCA) 341.073 -The Wanderer -18 (Capitol) 405.936 Parallel Realities (MCA) (Chrysalis) 404.830 (Warner Bros.) 364.927 Best Of Kansas. Original Hit Recordings Paul 407.270 405.548 Anka-30th Smokey Robinson - Elvis Costello-Armed (CBS Assoc.) 327.742 (Laurie) Anniversary Collection Louie Louie -The State Love, Smokey (Motown) Forces (Columbia) 363.622 Joe Cocker -Greatest (Rhino) 405.761 I'm In (WTG) 407.023 404.566 The Best Of The Dregs - Little Feat -Feats Don't Hits (A&M) 320.911 Divided We Stand (Arista) Wilson Philips (SBK) Dianne Reeves-Never Fall Me Now (Warner Bros.) The Band -To Kingdom Motown's 25 N1 Hlts 386.979 406.793 Too Far (EMI) 404.517 363.523 Come...The Definitive (Motown) 319.996/399.998 Bo Diddby is A Corey Hart -Bang) Michelle Collection (Capitol) (Ruthless) Best Of The Doors Elton John -Greatest Hits Gunslinger (Chess) 388.181(398.180 (EMI America) 406.470 404.483 (Elektra) 357.816/397.612 (MCA) 319.541 379.677 Crosby, Stills, Nash And Kid Creole 8 The Kyll. Mlnogu.-En oy Traffic -The Low Spark Of Cr..dence Clearwater Roy Orbbon-The All - Young -Deja Vu (Atlantic) Coconuts -Private Yourself (Geffen) 403.857 High Heeled Boys (Island) Revival -20 Greatest Hits Time Hits, Vols. 1 8 2 404.202 Waters In The Great Divide Maze 351.924 (Columbia Prod.) Featuring Frank's (Fantasy) 308.049 Special Jim (Columbia) 406.389 Beverly Greatest 377.945 Croce-Jim Croce -The Rolling Stones -Exile On The Best Of Emerson, Live: The Final Tour (Saja) Randy Brecker-Toe To Hits/Lifsllnes Volume I Main Street (Rolling Lake 8 Palmer (Atlantic) The Who -Who's Better, 403.154 Toe (MCA) 406.355 (Capitol) 403.642 Stones Rec.) 350.652 Who's Best 306.969 (MCA) 376.657 Jimi Lee Rltenour-Stolen Eddie Best Hendrix -Early Money -Greatest Of Procol Harum Best Of The Grateful The Wry Best of Poco Classics (Special Moments (GRP) 406.280 Hits Sound Of Money (A&M) 344.457 Dead (Warner Bros.) (Epic) 367.623 Music Co.) 402-677 The (Columbia) 403.428 RipppQingtons- The Byrds-Greatest Hits 633 Marvin Gay. Eagles Moonlighting (GRP) Canadian Brass -Greatest -Live (Elektra) -English (Columbia) 342.501 Best Of The Dooble Bros. Hits (Motown) 367.565 400.713/390.716 406.272 Renaissance Music Bad Company -10 From 6 (Warner Bros.) 291.278 Joe -Mad Little Feat (CBS Master.) 403.402 Joni Mitchell -Court and Cocker Dogs -Representing (Atlantic) 341.313 And Englishmen (A&M) The Mambo (Warner Bros.) The The Notting Hillbillies Spark (Asylum) 367.102 Kinks -UK Jive - 389.783/399.782 406.058 (MCA) 403.303 Isaac Stem -Humoresque Missing... Presumed -Favorite Violin Encores Having A Time Film 8 The B.B.'s-New Louis Armstrong -The Good Soul II Soul-Keep On Kenny G Live (Arista) (CBS Master.) 405.720 (Warner Bros.) 405.381 Movin' (\Arpin) 386.037 401.505 Pants (Warner Bros.) Best 01 The Dacca Years - 406.017 The Singer (Dacca) Patti Austin -Love is 402.941 r Gonna Getcha (GRP) Oren "Juice" Jones -To 405.951 Be Immortal (OBCL) 402.784 NO POSTAGE Gipsy Kings-Mosaique NECESSARY (Elektra'Musician) 402.727 IF MAILED Stacy Lattlsaw-What You Need (Motown) IN THE 405.385 UNITED STATES Nick Lowe -Party Of One (Reprise) 405.076 Seduction -Nothing Matters Without Love (A&M) 404.954 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL Jane Child (Warner Bros ) 406.579 FIRST QASS PERMIT NO. 660 TERRE HAUTE, IN Of Suzanne Vega-Days { fl(N(i;I17.Tsi Open Hand (A&M)405.944 POSTAGE Will BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE John Scofield -Time On My Hands (Blue Note) 405.928 U Niles -Tokyo Blue (EMI America) 405.910 Columbia House Damn Yankees (Warner Bros.) 405.886 Vladimir Horowitz -The Heart -Brigade (Capitol) Last Recording 1400 NORTH FRUITRIDGE AVENUE 405.555 (Sony Classical) 405.985 TERRE HAUTE, IN 47812-9202 Pretty Woman -Original Born On The Fourth Of Soundtrack(EMI) 405.407 July -Original Sound Tommy P.9. -Paintings Track (MCA) 404.947 In My Mind (Sire( Sheens Warner Bros.) Eaton-The 405.399 Collection (EMI America) 404.883 Public Enemy-Fear 01A I11111111'111111111111111111111/111111111111I111I1I1I Black Planet (Columbia) Laura Brenlgan (Atlantic) 406.710 406.009 \ ;T ; -- ' 1.' '`

MM/ rpSüj _ .-/ r'ÑiTIN Ae I. r, .1 no 1 ' Fl., . 1- -.1...1 t.- tt ti i 1 »~4111 , Atr_ The 8 -52's mic Thing. Love Sack; Carly Simon -My Romance. Time-After Time; Jañet Jackson -Rhythm Nation 1814. Aeroemith-Pump. Love In An Elevator; -Cos Roam; plus many more. (Reprise) 383.877 Something Wonderful; etc. (Arista) 404.533 Miss You Much; plus more (A&M) 388.918 Janie's Got A Gun; etc. (Geffen) 388.009 AND A CHANCE TO GET ONE MORE CD -FREE! CDs FOR A PEN complete details below 8 Tom Petty -Full Moon k.d. fang And The Barbra Streisand-A Brahma: Violin Concerto; Torch Greatest Hits Bruch: Concerto No.1. Fever (MCA) 382.184 Reclines -Absolute Collection: 8 Twang (Sire) 381.624 (Columbia) 401.141 Nadia Salerno -Sonnen- On The Cutting Edge Dave Edmunds -Closer Flame Fan- R. Strauss & Britten: berg; De Waart, Minnesota To The Berlioz: Symphonic 400.135 Depeche Mode -Violator Ian McCulloch- Norrington, Sonatas for Cello & Plano. Orch.(Angei) (Capitol) 387.126 tastique. (Reprise) 405.423 Candleland (Sire/Reprise) Classical Players Yo -Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax Ricky Van Shelton-RVS Tina Turns -Foreign London 389.593 382.747 (CBS Master.) 402.180 Ill (Columbia) 402.040 The Rave -Ups -Chance Affair (Capitol) 387.118 (Angel) (Epic) 405.318 The Jesus And Mary Steve Reich: Different Liszt: Plano Sonata; David Benoit -Waiting Joe Cocker -One Night Chain -Automatic Trains - Kronos Quartet / 3 Petrarca Sonnets; more. (GRP) 401.901 World Party -Goodbye Sin (Capitol) 387.084 For Spring Bros) 389.551 Of - Pat Vladimir Feltsman Jumbo (Chrysalis) 405.027 (Warner Electric Counterpoint Lenny Kravitz -Let Love David Byrne -Ref Momo Ziggy Marley & The Metheny(Nonesuch) 380.071 (CBS Master.) 388.538 401.893 The Blue Nile -Hats Makers Rule (Virgin) (Sire) 389.494 Melody -One (A&M) 404.525 Bright Day (Virgin) 386.987 cries CefOP ELgf1MC 59d0 Duren Dunn -Decade The Mighty Lemon Drops (Capitol) 401.869 Unite Tikarem-The Harry Connick,Jr. Keeper -Laughter (Reprise) Dionne Warwick Sweet 389.478 When Harry Met Sally - - (Warner Bros.) 403.832 Music From The Motion Greatest Hits (1979-1990) The Smithereens II é 401.8 The Church -Gold Picture (Columbia) 386.821 (Arista) 9 (Capitol) 389.387 Afternoon Fix (Arista) No.41 Pat Bendier -Best Shots Mozart: Symphony e 403.162 Big Audio Dynamite- (Chrysalis) 401.646 (Jupiter); Divertimento Sky Megatop Phoenix No.1,K136. Mull, Berlin Hits Midnight Oil -Blue 388.215 Chicago -Greatest Mining (Columbia) 402.636 (Columbia) Phil.(Angel) 386.466 1982.1989 (Reprise) Camper Van Beethoven 401.168 Nine Inch Nails -Pretty Babyface-Tender Lover Chick Corea Elektric Michael Bolton -Soul -Key Lime Pie (Virgin) (Solar/Epic) 388.177 Provider (Columbia) Robert Palmer- Hate Machine (TVT) 388.074 Band -Inside Out (GRP) Addictions, Volume One 402.438 Eric Marlenthal-Round 404.574 383.083 Squeeze -Frank (A&M) George Harrison -Best (Island) 400.937 Kate Bush -The Sensual Trip (GRP) 385.914 Rachmaninoff: Piano 388.058 No. Rhapsody Of Dark Horse 1976-1989 Billy Ocean -Greatest World (Columbia) 401.232 R. Strauss: Metamor- Concerto 3; Paganini. (Dark Horse) 402.594 Hits (Jive/RCA) 400.879 Bryan Ferry / Rosy Music phosen; Duet Concertino; On Theme Of The Psychedelic Furs- Feltsman; Mehta, Israel Brahma: Piano -Street Life (Reprise) etc. Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sonata Belinda Carlisle - Book Of Days (Columbia) 384.230 Phil.(CBS Master.) 383.315 No. 3/Scherzo. Horses 400.689 New Stockholm Chamber Runaway (MCA) Paula Abdul -Forever B ronf ma n(M usicmaster s) 400.788 Peter Gabriel -Passion Or.(CBS Master.) 385.195 Laurie Anderson - Your Girl (Virgin) 374.637 402.263 Strange Angels (Geffen) 383.810 Youssou N' Dour -The Goodman Paul Simon -Negotiations Skid Row (Atlantic) Benny - And Love Songs (Warner Bros) 389.940 Lion (Virgin) 384.362 Private Collection/ Adrian Belew-young 379.602 (Warner Bros.) 400.721 407.577 Benson Beethoven, Brahms, etc. Indigo Girls (Epic)381.269 Lions (Atlantic) George - Fine Young Cannibals- (Warner Bros.) The (Muslcmasters) Joe Satrlani-Flying In A R.E.M.-Eponymous Lloyd Cole (Capitol) Tenderly The Raw And Cooked 384.214 (I R.S.) 379.214 402.214/392.217 Blue Dream (Relativity) (I R.S) 374.777 406.405 400.655 Cher -Heart Of Stone (Geffen) 383.893 Puccini -Tosca. Linda Ronstadt-Cry Like Son Of "Movies Go To Various Artists; Pretre, Fleetwood Mac - A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Opera" -Various Greatest Hits Paris Conservatoire Orch. The Wind (Elektra) 389.874 Artists (Angel) 404.665 (Angel) 400.168/390.161 (Warner Bros.) 375.782 -Rock Island Rickle Lee Jones -Flying Jethro Tull Don Henley -The End Of Dave Grusin -Migration (Chrysalis) 388.157 Cowboys (Geffen) 388.199 (GRP) 400.044 Fight The innocence (Geffen) Neil Young -Freedom Taylor Dayne-Can't 383.802 Fate (Arista) 388.017 Mldori-Paganini Caprices (Reprise) 388.132 Guns N' Roses-GN'R Master.) 389.791 Elton John -Sleeping (CBS Melissa Etheridge - Lies (Geffen) 376.087 Terence Trent D'Arby- With The Past (MCA) Brave And Crazy (Island) 387.993 Mozart: Flute Concer- Basta Warsaw Lisa Stanstield-Arrection Neither Fish Nor Flesh 388.090 -London Tracy Chapman tos; Adante; Rondo. New York (Epic) 401.752 (Arista) 404.905 (Columbia) 389.726 - Rampal And Grateful Dead -Built To Crossroads (Elektra) Jean-Pierre Wilburys- Watley -You Wanna Last (Arista) 388.025 Zubin Mehta, Israel Phil. The Traveling Jody Mlles Davis -Aura 387.951 Volume One (Wilbury) Dance With Mel (MCA) (Columbia) 389.312 Rolling Madonna -Like A Prayer (CBS Master.) 383.364 402.610 Stones -Steel 375.089 Bob Dylan Mercy Wheels (Rolling (Sire) 379.594 Haydn: Piano Sonatas Jeff Beck -Guitar Shop Jett Hit -Oh Joan -The (Columbia) 389.262 Stones Rec) 387.738 Motley 33, 38, 58, 60. Emanuel Ax With Terry Bozzio And List (CBS Asso.I Crue-Dr. Feelgood(Elektra)387.944 (CBS Master.) 383.331 Tony Hymas (Epic)380.303 Blackheart) 402.628 Tony Bennett -Astoria Roy Orbison-Mystery (Columbia) 389.254 Girl (Virgin) 377.101 Stanley Turrentine-La Roxette-Look Sharp! Richard Marx -Repeat The Best Of Luther Place (Blue Note) 387.159 (Parlophone) 381.939 Offender (EMI) 380.915 Vandross-The Best Of Young MC -Stone Cold Quincy Jones -Back On Love (Epic) Rhymin' (Delicious Vinyl) The Block (Owes! Gloria Estefan-Cuts Selections with two numbers contain 2 CDs and count as 2 - 400.473/390.476 400.085 Warner Bros.) 389.577 Both Ways (Epic) 382.341 so write in both numbers

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of the background noise. I believe, noise should decrease as this compo- build up. To overcome this, place the however, that by answering a couple of nent is cooled. cover loosely on the chassis and let questions, you will help find the answer You may find that the background heat build up to a point where the to your problem. noise does not become noticeable with noise is obvious. Remove the cover What happens to the background the cover of the receiver removed to and quickly spray the components, noise if you switch to mono? If there is expose the electronic components. hoping that the noise will continue long no way to do this, tune to a station that This is because the comporents are enough for the spray, not the fresh air, does not transmit stereophonically. If exposed to the air, and heat doesn't to silence it. A the monophonic signal also contains the background noise, you will know that the stereo decoder is not the cul- Discover Superb Performance ! prit. If the noise is heard in mono, does the signal strength appear to decrease the longer the system runs? If it does, you will know to examine the front-end VA\DERSTEEN AUDIO or the i.f. system. The background noise could be caused by oscillations in either of these. Defective r.f. bypass capacitors could be responsible for this, but poorly soldered connections can't be ruled out. I suppose that the tuner output section could also be defective. "The 2Ci is one heck of a line If the background noise does disap- speaker at its price ... Always pear when listening monophonically, musical ... Enthusiastically we can know with reasonable certainty recommended as an affordable that the problem lies in the stereo de- loudspeader for Everyman." coding portion of the receiver. It is pos- ICi Stneophile. Mar 1Ár9 sible that the tuner is not in step with John Munson the 19 -kHz pilot frequency. This would mean an incorrect 38 -kHz signal, needed to reconstruct the stereo sig- "The Vandersteens nal. This could cause the background made the noise. If the frequency error increases Beethoven sound more like as the receiver operates, the back- Beethoven. The 2Ci's Hake ground noise will both change in char- music and they make sense." acter and increase in intensity. ICi Hi.Fi Answers, Apri11990 It could be that all that is needed is A/eln Gold to slightly retune the appropriate inductor in the stereo decoder. Caution! Do not turn the inductors in the decoder indiscriminately; obtain a service manual so you can locate where to make the adjustments correctly. Nor should you turn the correct inductor any great amount. Whether or not the noise problem is resolved, you may compromise stereo separation. Inasmuch as the background sound VANDERSTEEN AUDIO increases the longer the equipment is 116 West Fourth St, Hanford. CA 932.0 turned on, perhaps the value of a resis- (209) 582 0324 tor is changing as it warms up or the performance of a transistor or IC is deteriorating as it heats up. You may DIME\SIO\AL PURITY be able to isolate the defective component using sprays designed to cool The Vandeesteen Model ?series has been the leader it. loudspeaker value and performance individual components. After the set since 1977. The Model 2Ci uses new materials and tec'nelogy to establish a new reference has been on for a time, carefully spray individual components. If you spray for affordable speaker performance. The Mode.2Ci is aow available at select audio dealers the defective part, the background carefully chosen for their ability :o assemble a nusicady -atisfying system.

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A- To order or obtain further information, please call: 1-800-444-BOSE Enter 10 Better sound through research. Between 8:30AM and 9PM(ET) No. on Reader Service Card TAPE GUIDE Precision HERMAN BURSTEIN In Motion Front Tourneau. one of the world's most recognized makers Parts and Repairs for Old Decks pear; probably pressure on the buttons of fine t itnepicces. comes these I've recently received two queries is causing the circuit board to flex. The prccittion waichesdirect to our from readers who have old tape decks tapes sound fine when played on other readers. in need of parts or repair, so perhaps it decks. I haven't taken either of my cas- is time to repeat some recommenda- sette decks to a repair shop because tions I've given in the past: the problem is intermittent and be- For drive belts and pinch rollers, cause I have had a few bad experi- try Projector -Recorder Belt Corp., Box ences with the repair shops in my 176, Route 3, Highway 59, Whitewater, town.-Chris Pillar, Anchorage, Alaska Wisc. 53190. A. Apparently, the long arm of coin- For decks or other old equipment cidence has reached you. My best requiring other parts or service, help guess is that there is poor soldering may be available from Acoustatronic somewhere in the playback circuit or a Laboratories, which specializes in ren- hairline break in a circuit -board con- ovating and modifying old, high -quality nection. If you are up to this kind of audio components. Their address is thing, you might visually check the 140-11A Cherry Ave., Flushing, N.Y. playback circuit board for poor solder Swiss Sports Watch 11355. joints, which are usually dull and gray- A true classic in appearance. de- ish instead of bright and shiny, and tail Swiss and performance. This Playing Old Tapes resolder them. If you see nothing, you quartz features professional Q. I have a considerable number of might carefully go over all the solder two-tone stain less si eel case and recorded cassettes that have not been connections in the hope that they are bracelet. water resistant (tO ATNI). touched for years and am wondering causing the problem. A magnifying rotating bezel with rachet. lumi- about their condition. Would the tape glass might help you find hairline nous dial anc mineral crvstrti. layers bond together? Would the oxide breaks. Full guaranty and servicing chip off? Can you recommend any from Tourneau. steps for preservation of my collection? Binaural Miking #65 w'rNo 1 *250.00 (81.00) -Tyler Roberge, Prince Edward Is- Q. In the March 1986 issue of Au- land, Canada dio, an article on the history of binaural A. If your long -stored cassettes recording suggests putting two omni have not been subjected to extremes mikes on stands 7 inches apart with a of heat or cold or humidity, chances quarter-inch -thick, 4 x 6 -inch board are that they will perform satisfactorily. between them. Wouldn't you get just It is unlikely that the tape layers have mono sound with the mikes so close bonded or that the oxide has flaked. together? As one mike disappears be- However, the tapes may have ac- hind the board when the sound source quired a physical set as well as devel- moves left or right, wouldn't the board oped print -through. Therefore, it is ad- chop some frequencies more than oth- visable that prior to using them again ers?-Ken Thorberg, Duluth, Minn. you put them through fast -wind and A. The spacing between the two Moon Tour rewind or, better yet, operate them in mikes and the board between them are both directions at normal operating intended to simulate a human head A stunning watch that capt tires For proper protection of a col- and ears. This will not result in mono the contemporary design of to- speed. lection, cassettes should be stored on sound; it will result in binaural sound, day and the qual it> precision of end, kept away from extremes of tem- intended to be heard through ear- yesterday. It features a double humidity, wound and phones, with (approximately and calendar (day and date). 60 sec- perature and and rewound at least once a year. hopefully) the same perception of ond market clial. 5 micron gold width, location as gold plated case. stainless steel depth, and of sound Double Trouble human hearing provides. Yes, the back. water resistant mineral Q. In the past five years, I have ex- board will "chop" some frequencies as crystal and a padded fine with two the sound comes well from the left or leather strap. Full guarant} perienced the same problem included. cassette decks made by different man- right. But this is the same effect as ufacturers. When recording, all ap- caused by the human head. Q #65'tVTNO2 8195.00 (8-1.00) pears normal. During playback, there To order, call our TOLL FREE is static, and the deck's meter display If you have a problem or question on tape lines. We accept VISA. M(: is erratic; sometimes, one channel and recording, write to Mr. Herman Burstein at AU- AE or send a check (plus drops out completely and then pops in again. In the case of one of the decks, DIO, 1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019. All shipping and handling) to letters are answered. Please enclose a pressing hard on some of the buttons AUDIO. P.O. Lox 765. Holmes. PA stamped, self-addressed envelope. 19043. ORDER TOLL, FREE causes the static to start and to disap- $00-3--I5-$I 12. 12 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 The Spirit Captured

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Enter No. 33 on Reader Service Card AUDIO ETC EDWARD TATNALL CANBY HANDS-ON HISTORY

H See "Enduring Instruments: Treasures from the Yale Collection," written by u David Lander and photographed by Robert Lewis, in the February 1989 is-

sue.) I have a feeling that the harpsi- was in 1935 chordist Ralph Kirkpatrick charge of much of the long process of restoration that made this museum "work" in the musical sense. That 1920s jangling jumble of junk would be unthinkable today in any public presentation.

Yet in 1956, 30 -odd years later, I paid a visit to the British Museum to pass away a rainy day in London. No doubt that worthy institution is still a scholars' mecca-it dates from the beginning of all museums as such, far

back in the 19th century. But what I saw that day in 1956 was even more shocking than the music collection at Yale: Row after row, room after room of dingy, waist -high glass cases filled with what seemed a total mess-hundreds, thousands of bits and pieces of this and that, broken crockery, metal, who knows what. Unbelievable! No

And I quote: "Imagine a museum ground. The modern type of museum presentation whatsoever. Just collec- in which almost everything is much more interesting. That's why I tion. Yet it was open to the public. In

works!" (This is from the June am promoting, as well as I can, a real comparison, the famous Louvre in Par- 1989 article by Peter Hammer in the national Audio Museum and Hall of is, also a vast repository of a million Journal of the Audio Engineering Soci- Fame. Or the same by any other name, works of art, with paintings jammed ety concerning the John T. Mullin Col- if you wish. It's bound to happen, soon- together from floor to ceiling, still man- lection of historical audio, as men- er or later, and you may be sure that aged to convey a certain realness. The

tioned last month.) That is the very soul everything in it will work, as far as inge- French touch. I enjoyed the Louvre! Or of the museum as it is conceived to- nuity and expertise will allow. some of it-maybe 5%. After a few day-even including the art museum. In my time (as we say when we get dozen rooms, if you have any sense, By "work" we mean that the object in to a certain age), I have seen all too you quit. And go again another day. question gives us a real and vivid idea much of the opposite. In the early Believe it or not, the idea of a "work-

of its own state of existence in its time. 1920s, when I was a child, I was taken ing" museum, a presentation, is rela- Often this requires restoration. If the to the Steinert Collection of ancient mu- tively new. New in terms of history. In

original involved motion-the phono- sical instruments at Yale. It was a typi- 1929, I visited Munich, Germany-be- graph record, for instance-then the cal 19th -century museum, a dingy, fore Hitler had made himself more than museum's job is to give just that sense, musty hodgepodge of all sorts of a local phenomenon-and instantly re- one way or another. Today, the thing priceless old machines shown exactly paired to the Deutsches Museum, an must "work," whether it is a painting, a as they had become, over centuries of absolutely incredible place where

locomotive, or a piece of audio equip- neglect in assorted attics and cellars everything, everything, worked. If I am ment. You must have heard of the and back closets. There were harpsi- right, it was the first of its kind in the enormous flap over the recent restora- chords, clavichords, and virginals, world. It covered just about everything

tion of the Sistine Chapel. Problems- blackened and decayed, with the re- German, from mining to music. I re- there are always problems. But if you mains of the strings hanging out loose- member a whole segment of a working look at National Geographic, which ly. The same for the rest. Just a musi- coal mine, through which you could

showed the magnificent and brilliant cal dump, as I remember it. Even at walk or crawl. There were countless results, you will understand that the that age, I was shocked-I already had exhibits where you could press buttons "preservation" of older art exactly as discovered that I liked the sound of and make things go, or have a try your- is, until the stuff is barely intelligible keyboard instruments even if I couldn't self at, say, a spinning wheel. For a kid

due to time's destructive forces, is an play them, and I was saddened to see this was heaven! My brother and I' idea that is over and done with. Al- these instruments in such disrepair. spent days in that place, detaching most. There will always be sticklers. Needless to say, that situation has ourselves from our father, who had Luckily for all of us, they are losing since been remedied! (Editor's Note: business elsewhere. I remember noth- 16 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 COMPACT DISCS OR CASSETTES . FOR THE PRICE OF with nothing more to buy...ever!

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Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl Bonnie Raltt: Nick Of Time Janet Jacksor's Rhythm Nation Alannah Myles (Atlantic) 30045 (Virgin) 00933 (Capitol) 54410 (A&M) 72386 Guns N' Roses: Appetite For Depeche Mode: Violator Clint Black: Klein' Time Bette Midler: Beaches/Soundtra:k Destruction (Geffen) 70348 (Sire) 73408 (RCA) 01112 (Atlantic) 00793 Great Love Songs 01 The '50s Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever (MCA) Carly Simon: My Romance Soltl: Tchalkovsky, 1812 Overture & '60s, Vol. 1 (Laurie) 20768 33911 (Arista) 24824 (London) 25179 The Judds: River 01 Time George Harrison: Best Of Dark Michael Penn: March (RCA) 63738 Johnny Cash: Boom Chicka Boom (RCA) 01027 Horse, 1976-89 (Dark Horse) 80307 (Mercury) 44574 Jane Child (Warner Bros.) 60204 Rod Stewart's Greatest Hits Roy Orbison : A Black And White Wilson Phillips 00726 The Stotler Brothers: Live And Said (SBK) (Warner Bros.) 33779 Night (Virgin) 64495 Out (Mercury) 70440 Glenn Miller Orch.: In The Digital Dion & The Belmonts: The Wanderer The Traveling Wilburys: Vol. One Mood The Black Crowes: Shake Your (GRP) 43293 (18 Greatest Hits) (Laurie) 00999 (Wilbury) 00711 Moneymaker (Def American) 52142 Bobby Brown: Dance...Ya Know It! Tommy James & The Shondells: Randy Travis: No Back Holdin' Aerosmith: Pump (Geffen) (MCA) 73660 Anthology (Rhino) 44185 (Warner Bros.) 34766 63673 Peter Murphy: Deep (RCA) 44628 Best Of The Dooble Brothers Don Henley: The End 01 The Na)ee: Tokyo Blue (EMI) 44482 (Warner Bros.) 43738 Innocence (Geffen) 01064 Keith Whitley: I Wonder Do You M.C. Hammer: Please Hammer, Kitaro: Kollki (Geffen) 43758 Eagles: Their Think Of Me (RCA) 33768 Greatest Hits 1971-75 Don't Hurt 'Em (Capitol) 34791 (Asylum) 23481 The Fabulous Baker BoysJ Taylor Dayne: Can't Fight Fate Lorrle Morgan: Leave The Light On Soundtrack (GRP) 44637 (Arista) 01114 Yes: Fragile (Atlantic) 53807 (RCA) 01111 Lionel Richie: The Composer (Motown) 24700 Slaughter: Stick It To Ya START SAVING NOW-MAIL TODAY! (Chrysalis) 42308 They Might Be Giants: Flood YES, please accept my membership in the BMG Music Service and send my first four selections as I (Elektra) 14772 have indicated hare, under the terms of this offer. I need buy just one more hit at regular Club prices Elvis Presley: 18 Number One Hits (RCA) 72190 during the next yaar-after which I can choose another album -REEI In addition, as a member in good The Moody Blues: Greatest Hits standing, I can get 2 more selections FREE after completing my first year of membership. That's 8 for the (Threshold) 34284 price of one... with nothing more to buy, eier! (A shipping,hand)ing charge is added to each shipment.) Del Leppard: Hysteria (Mercury) 00927 SEND MY SELECTIONS I am most interested in the following type of music- 1 0 EASY LISTENING (Instrumentals/Vocal Moods) Tanya Tucker: Tennessee Woman ON (check one ony): but I am always free to (Capitol) 54399 COMPACT DISCS'' 2 COUNTRY 3 HARD ROCK choose from any category ] CASSETTES (check peg only): 4 FOP/SOFT ROCK 5 CLASSICAL TWIN Double the music RUSH ME count as one! I MR. SETS THESE HITS NCW MRS. (indicate by number): MISS First Name nitral Last Name (PLEASE PRINT) The Who: Who's Better, Who's Best (MCA) 00790 Address Apt. Kenny G: Live (Arista) 64505 Reba McEntire: Reba Live City State Zip (MCA) 44602

Barry Manllow: Live On Broadway Telephone (Ansta) 24805 U2: Rattle And Hum Area Code (Island) 00596 Signature The Beach Boys: Made in U.S.A. (Capitol) 64143 Have you bought anything else by mail in ast 6 months 0 year never

Nifty Gritty Dirt Band: Will The Circle 41Ge. ' Members who select CDs will be serviced by the BMG Compact Disc Club. Current BMG CD Club 2 M Be Unbroken, Vol. members not eligible. Full membership details wit follow, with the same 10 -day, no -obligation privilege. (Universal) 93648 gum maul mop IAY4iIIII We reserve the right to request additional inlornation or reject any application. L mited to new members, Contieental USA only. TDE ZJTDE ESERVICEE9 membership family. if will be SEE OTHER SIDE FOR One per Local taxes, any, added. MORE HITS! COMPACT DISCS The B -52's: Cosm lc Thing Alabama: Pass It On Down OR CASSETTES (Reprise) 14742 (RCA) 00531 M.C. Hammer: Please Hammer, Don't The Church: Gold Afternoon Fix Hurt 'Em (Capitol 34791 (Arista) 71667 FOR THE Phil Collins: No Jacket Required Linda Ronstadt: Cry Like A (Atlantic) 20771 Rainstorm... (Elektra) 52221 Dirty Dancing/Soundtrack Fine Young Cannibals: The Raw And PRICE OF (RCA) 82522 The Cooked (MCA) 01068 Richard Marx: Re)eat Offender D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince: (EMI) 01118 ...And In This Corner (Jive) 01020 Best Of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Bell Blv Devoe: Poison with nothing more Wheels: Rev Up 'Rhino) 64188 (MCA) 00547 Kathy Mattes: Willow In The Wind Scorpions: Beet Of Rockers And to buy...ever! (Mercury) 60075 Ballads (Mercury) 63492 EIllliington: Orchestral Works Warrior Soul: Last Decade, Dead Duke(MCA) Century (DGC) 53554 Start with 4 compact discs or cassettes. plus shipping & handling with membership.

Oono711n nnon Buy just 1 smash hit in one year's time.

Then get album of your choice FREE.* 1 Ort Plus choose more FREE* after completing 2 your 1st year of membership. Enjoy 8 great hits for the price of one. ' Nothing more to buy...EVER! Technotionic: Pump Billy Idol: Suz.,nne Vein: Up 11u J.unThe ' Charmed Life Days 01 Opon Il.md Alb 34781 62264 00540

Litz Ford: Stlleno (RCA) 63893 Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles/ Milli Vanllll: Girl Yeu Know It's True Madonna: Like A Prayer Soundtrack (SBK) 00725 (Arista) 01048 (Sire) 01029 Hank Williams, Jr.: Lone Wolf (Warner/Curb) 64311 Little Feat: Representing The Bruce Hornsby 8 The Range: A Dolly Parton, Linda Ronsladt, Mambo (Warner Bros.) 43785 Night On The Town (RCA) 63689 Emmylou Harris: Trio Mdtley Cite: Dr. Feelgood (Warner. Bros.) 14804 (Elektra) 33928 Eddie Rabbit': Jersey Boy The Jett Healey Band: Hell To Pay (Capitol) 24350 (Arista) 00544 Restless Heart : Fast Movin' Train (RCA) 10832 Gun: Taking On The World Enutt Z' Nutt (ATCO) 64257 (Mkt) 82473 Cher: Heart Of Stone Horowitz At Home (DG) 25211 HERE'S HOW YOU SAVE! (Geffen) 42874 James Galway: Greatest Hlts Chicago: Greatest Hits 1982-89 (RCA) 73233 Start With 4 Hits Nowl Yes, start with any Stanley Jordan: Cornucopia (Reprise) 63363 4 compact discs or cassettes shown here! (Blue Note) 73847 Big Band Bash (21 Swing Classics) Whitesnake: Slip Of The Tongue (Compose) 10458 You agree to buy just 1 more hit at regular Kentucky Headhunters: Pickin' On (Geffen) 01147 Club prices (usually S8.98-59.98 for Nashville (Mercury) 24740 Bon Jovi: New Jersey Eric Clapton: Journeyman (Mercury) 00516 tapes, 514.98-$15.98 for CDs)and take Led Zeppelin IV (Atlantic) 12014 (Warner Bros.) 53940 Quincy Jones: Back On The Block up to one full year to do it. Then get The Return (Owest) 00530 Skid Row (Atlantic) 01036 Winans: (Owest) 64116 another album free. In addition, as a mem- Jude Cole: A View From 3rd Street The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds ber in good standing, you can get 2 more Winger (Atlantic) 00830 (Capitol) 00513 (Reprise) 00562 selections Free after completing your first Earl Thomas Conley: Greatest Hits, year of membership. That's 8 smash hits Vol.2 (RCA) 53713 for the price of 1 with nothing more to Norrington: Beethoven, Symphony buy...ever! (A shipping and handling PLUS 50%-OFF You get 50%a-oft bonus savings with every No.9 (Choral) (Angel) 00467 charge is added to each shipment.) Alice Cooper: Greatest Hits BONUS PLAN FOR CO you buy at regular Club prices...right (Warner Bros.) 70296 No Further Obligation Whatsoever! You buy what you want...when you want to. It's MEMBERS WHO with your very first purchase...unlike other k.d. tang: Absolute Torch And all up to you! CHOOSE CDs' clubs that first make you buy 4, 6 or more. Twang (Sire) 602E7 Exciting -Members-Only' Benefits! You'll receive the Club's exclusive magazine about every three weeks. It will feature the Main Selection in your favorite music category, plus hundreds of other hits - many at prices. you'll have 19 NO POSTAGE special bargain In all, convenient, shop -at-home opportunities a NECESSARY year. And as a member in good standing, IF MAILED you need not send money when you order...we'll bill you later. IN THE UNITED STATES It's Easy To Get Your Favorite Hits! If you want the Main Selection, do nothing. It will be sent to you automatically. If you want BUSINESS REPLY MAIL other hits, or none at all, just say so on the card always provided...and mail it back to FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 5071 INDIANAPOLIS, IN us by the date specified. You'll always have at least 10 days to decide. But if you don't, POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE you may return your Main Selection at our expense. Cancel your membership by writing to us whenever you wish upon completing your enrollment agreement. Or, remain a member and take advantage of BMG MUSIC SERVICE future money-saving bargains. P.O. BOX 91001 Free 10 -Day Trial! Listen to your 4 intro- INDIANAPOLIS IN 46209-9637 ductory hits for a full 10 days. If not satisfied, return them with no further obligation. You risk nothing! So don't delay. Pick your hits, write their numbers on the postpaid reply card, and mail it today.

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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII1111 III IIIIII1IsII ing else whatsoever about Munich. My most of it, and there is only a crawl Jack Mullin has the Old Original-in greatest thrill, in those many hours, space, ill lighted, as you inch around a more modern reproduction. I mean, came when I casually entered the mu- the open chasm abruptly leading to the the tinfoil phonograph of 1877. Could sic collection, and there were dozens floor below. Back in the far corners, this be the spanking new phono that and dozens of beautiful ancient instru- under the sloping roof, are "priceless" we sported on our cover for that cele- ments, meticulously restored and play- piles of expensive and once -state-of- brated 100th anniversary? Ask the Edi- able. Better still, you, the passerby, the-art tonearms, unworkable turnta- tor-he did it. (Editor's Note: Actually, were allowed to try them out. That was the Editor didn't "do it." The unit pic- the first time I ever heard the sound of tured on that cover was a beautiful a harpsichord, so common today. A reproduction, made by Peter Hillman few years later, I heard the first public from a set of plans he purchased at the recital on Harvard University's newly Edison Monument in West Orange, restored instruments. The "working" N.J. Hillman wrote a "review" of his idea was I spreading fast. have not yet unit, which appeared in December gotten over my youthful passion for the 1977, and when I talked with him a few sound of these old instruments and months ago, he said he still had the each new advance. The fortepiano, the model.-E.P.) In 1977, I visited the last piano of Mozart and Beethoven's day, Edison factory, now a kind of museum, still has me enthralled. and looked upon another spanking All this, you is I see, why was en- new exact replica, not the original. To thused by the very idea of the Mullin my shock (as recounted here at the Collection. It is indeed the prototype of time). I then discovered the actual orig- what any larger, more public, and inal, musty and covered with dirt, more permanently managed audio mu- placed haphazardly in an inconspicu- seum venture should be. Mr. Mullin has ous corner, very much unrestored. done it entirely on his own, as both the There you have the old museum versus owner and the expert engineer and bles, half -eviscerated amps, and dingy the new! I sincerely hope that the Edi- restorer. It's a sort of Murphy's Law in speakers with notes stuck on here and son people have done something reverse-everything that can work, there: ONE CHANNEL DEAD or about that by now, 13 years later. does. With the addition of a lot of large- TWEETER BUSTED. This entire heap of Do I have memories of the Victor scale exhibits, such as the broadcast relics, someday, should be evaluated, Orthophonic Victrola! It was totally studio scene I suggested last month, pruned, and restored for that envi- acoustic, 1926, but was designed with this is indeed our prototype for an up- sioned audio museum. extraordinary expertise to accommo- to-date historical audio display-au- Actually, my real "museum" is in my date the new electrical recordings then thoritative, operating impeccably, head, sheer memory. I have been "re- being quietly introduced (not to disturb open to the public, and intended for storing" a great deal of it in these col- the market too quickly). Everything you the public as well as private scholars umns over the years, and there's a new hear about that machine was true. For and researchers. gleam in my eye as I look at the list of the time, its sound was unbelievable As for my own audio collection, cov- exhibits in the portion of the John T. and indeed the very best on the com- ering approximately 60 years at this Mullin Show (pardon me, Collection) mercial market. The earliest electronic point, it is no better than the British which was bodily transported by the phonographs were opposites of the

Museum. I Or, shall say, the town AES to New York back in 1988 for older acoustic machines-all tubby dump near my Connecticut home. In- display at Convention time. bass and dismally lacking in treble.

deed, the dump has I long been a favor- Hey, played around with some of The Orthophonic still had the treble, as ite visiting place for our resident popu- those myself! Imagine it. Maybe I can good as it came, and thanks to an lation, and not merely to leave more add some informal and unmuseumlike astonishing, folded exponential horn junk. Those immense piles of flotsam bits of lore? Nothing like having your built inside the case, it had a range of and jetsam (whatever that is), those hands on a "working" piece of equip- bass that was startling after the tinny, zany cookstoves sticking their legs out ment, whether you are amateur, critic, older acoustic models, even the fanci- at 45° angles on top of heaps of old or professional. est. (I can still hear that shrill little voice lawn mowers, broken shovels, hair Indeed I've already described one coming out of my uncle's big expen- curlers-you know the picture-are far item, the unthinkable Webcor (Web- sive console Victrola of an earlier year.) more interesting and dramatic than ster -Chicago) Wire Recorder, and I As previously recounted, we had sev- was the British Museum in 1956. (Let doubt if any other living person can eral of these machines at the prep us hope it is improved for 1990.) Also match my account of that frus- I utterly school attended, and on them I more visible, out in the daylight. trating machine (January 1988). Jack learned the César Franck Symphony, My own collection is awful, though I Mullin has one. It works, we can as- the Brahms Third, and plenty more, am not ashamed. I am no restoration sume, though it's worth hardly the trou- playing them over and over again. I engineer. You must climb up a rickety ble. If you read my account, you'll I then think still hear them Orthophonically. I folding ladder into the attic to get near see why. missed hearing Mullin's restored Orth- AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 17 4 All tubby bass and dismally lacking treble, most early electronic phonographs seemed opposites of their acoustic predecessors.

ophonic and would give my wisdom than a year later, in January 1927. It ever see (and one of the best), who

teeth, if I had some, for a good, leisure- was held in a small improvised theater played the icky old potboiler "Humor- ly listen. I'll bet it "works." space at the New Haven Century of esque" for Vitaphone. Whoever he

Jack has a Vitaphone recording Progress Exposition of that year. I was, it was a fat, leering figure that I lathe, same year, 1926, used with 16 - seem to disagree with some accounts saw on that screen, showing off like inch discs at 331/3 rpm for the first of that pioneer film-to the best of my crazy as we looked at him and simulta-

electrical talking pictures. I heard a knowledge and memory it was old Fritz neously heard him. The whole thing very early demo of the Vitaphone less Kreisler, the hammiest violinist you'll lasted only a few moments-maybe

there was more that I forget. So, you

see, I heard the very first public talking picture, not yet commercial, in prototype demo. Good start toward today. Following on that, Mullin has a 1929 Western Electric Radio Transcription Recorder, reorienting the Vitaphone system toward "long play" radio material. Fifteen minutes a side. The speed and size were the same as Vitaphone, and we still have that speed today in the LP, though the ETs (Electrical Tran- scriptions) are now only in libraries. Or museums. My great exploration of ear- REFINING THE ART ly FM (in 1943 to 1946) found me in the middle of a huge rental collection of those ETs, both laterally and vertically ,u cut, pressed on plastic, some of them OF EXPRELSING on clear red vinyl. Far ahead of the 78 shellac! With the WE 9A reproducer head, wide -range vertical or lateral. THE MUSI4 The ET reigned supreme in radio until tape came along. Indeed, there was even a brief spate of 16 -inch, 33Y3 -rpm consumer long -play discs just before the LP appeared. Few remember this-the LP system was so much more suitable for home use and so ingen- iously engineered that the big home

discs vanished instantly. I might have one in the back of my attic. I'll postpone a later miracle, the Cook "binaural" (i.e., stereo) disc-

boy, did I try that system! It too van- MONITOR AUDI ished instantly in the face of the far more ingenious 45/45 stereo LP. Fun to Making music is an art; making loudspeakers is a science. play with, and Mullin has a working Nowhere will you find leading -edge technology put to finer I have Must have effect than with Monitor Audio. system; one disc. sent the double arm back to the fac- Monitor tweeters and coated metal Audio's gold -dome ceramic tory. Earlier, there was the fabulous cone woofers work as one, producing staggering detail and Capehart console for 78s, automatic dynamics within a coherent sound stage. play. Everybody who was anybody C1 Beautifully hand finished to the finest furniture standards using (i.e., had cash) owned a Capehart be- only premium matched, real -wood veneers, that's Monitor Audio cause it was expensive, with rare - - where art and science meet! woods, etc. It actually flipped the frag- (Studio 10). . . "I found listening to this design to be art ile 78s and only broke a MADE exhilarating experience bordering on intoxicating al mechanically IN times, and one that didn't pall." few, in spite of many a legend. Rolls- ENGLAND Hi -Fi Review (Feb. 901 Royce? Infiniti? I saw, but never For information on the complete line of award winning loudspeakers contact: owned. Amen. Jack Mullin has a Capehart, and it IN U.S.A. IN CANADA P.O. Box 1355 1755 Plummer St.. Unit 20 still works. Want some albums for it to Buflato. New York 14205 Pickering. Onlano L 1 W 3S1 TERNATIONAL INC. Telephone (416) 831-4741 Telephone: (416) 831-4741 chew up, Jack? I have plenty. A o Fax:(416)831.6933 Fax: (416)831-6933 18 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Enter No. 27 on Reader Service Card .for, the L o e of usic

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Performance like this did not develop by accident. Years of painstaking measuring and listening, the ultimate form of measuring, combine to produce these design results.

In each driver design, there are many variables that the loudspeaker scientist must satisfy. The size, mass, stiffness XR 240 Walnut and shape of the radiation surface as well as the suspension linearity and magnetic field flux must all be optimiz- McIntosh Loudspeakers are designed to meet the demands ed to work together. of digital recording. The freedom from the distraction of background hiss, noise, clicks and the purity of the loudest It is the correct combination of these and many other fac- crescendos on the compact disc focuses attention to the pure tors that give drivers the lowest possible intermodulation acoustical events in music. When listening to a compact distortion. Absence of intermodulation translates directly disc, the slightest non-musical imperfections stand out. Now, into clarity. Without this foundation, the correct reproduced truly, the burden of balance, accuracy and clarity rests musical information that achieves unparralleled ease of almost entirely on the loudspeaker. From the softest whisper listening would not be possible. The absence of "loudspeaker to the loudest passage, the sound field must be extremely sound" frees you from the distraction of a "loudspeaker accurate. These Loudspeakers have been designed to meet presence" and takes you right through to the recorded this need. The systems take up very little floor space and musical origin. are attractively styled. The XR 240 and XR 230 are three-way systems that have The sound field is smooth, not only in front of the system, excellent dispersion. Each has a high power handling but also as it radiates both horizontally and ver- woofer, (ten inch in the XR 230, twelve inch in the tically. This, and the proper XR 240), a carefully match- arrival time, enables a stereo ed midrange driver and a pair to track the original one -inch tweeter. A complex sound field created by the and extensive crossover ac- music producing artist with curately blends the drivers all the depth, spaciousness together. and imaging of the original. Even some older stereo Each driver is designed to recordings can reveal a work best in its frequency spaciousness and clarity not range. At low frequencies a heard before on lesser woofer with large cone area loudspeakers. The sound and long linear excursion is stage of these speaker pairs is required. The cone must re- simply unsurpassed for main rigid and not "break up" accuracy. into independent modes of vibration. The mass of the Crossover network for the XR 240

Handcrafted with pride in the United States The McIntosh XR 240 and XR 230 Two New Speaker e Designs e

moving parts must be as low as possible, yet constructed in a way that will not allow these independent vibration modes to appear. The magnetic gap must supply the required force at 20Hz, the lowest operating frequency. The upper woofer's limiting frequency is where the woofer's radiation becomes directional. XR 230 Walnut Above the woofer's operating range, the dividing network transfers the driving power from the amplifier to the 5 -inch midrange. The smaller diameter and lower moving mass allow this driver to move effectively without breakup.

Above the midrange the crossover network again transfers

the energy; this time to the 1 -inch dome tweeter. Its very small relative diameter and extremely small moving mass permits it to efficiently radiate high frequencies up to 20,000Hz. The cabinets for the XR 240 and XR 230 are constructed The three loudspeakers, woofer, midrange and tweeter are of veneer covered, high density (45 pounds per cubic foot) all connected by the crossover network. The McIntosh non -resonant particle board. The exterior is available in crossover network has these additional tasks to perform: three different veneers: walnut, oak, or black lacquered ash. smooth the response in the active pass band of sound for The wood finishes are of an exceptional quality that creates each speaker, minimize the interference between speakers, an outstanding blend of sheen, color and depth of grain. and present a uniform sound arrival time to the listener. A loudspeaker that can deliver ideal depth, spaciousness and three-dimensional sound space requires a crossover network that is very exacting and meticulous. These measurements are possible only in a FULL SIZE ANECHOIC CHAMBER to assure the ex- actness of the circuit and component selection. McIn- tosh Laboratory, in its own acoustical research laboratory, built a chamber in 1979. Crossover network for the XR 230 Oak Walnut Black by dedicated, highly trained craftspeople. 1Fnkrst{ n BRUTE FORCE POWER Th 600 Watts Per Channel of Pure Power

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A New Amplifier Designed For A New 2200 wattskchannel stereo or 4400 Age of Home Entertainment and Com- watts mono dynamic power outout mercial Sound. into low impedance loads (loads of 20% of the rated to d impedance)- The MC 2600 sterec power ampl.fier is the greatest pow(- margin ever the finest amplifier offerei by Mar tosit. Pbtained. It is the product of more than 4C yel.-s of technology and design experie,ce at Dyer 100 amperes4-.annel stereo or 200 amperes mono output current (in - building the best audiP aitplifi2r . 3one of the features which ent-le it :o Le call- :0 0.4 ohm load stereo c r 0.2 ohm load ed McIntosh's finest. nono using dynaniz power test WATTS -method).

- 600 wattslchannel ;term or 12(0 wa _ts The McIntosh pa _;r ted exclusive mono continuos aierag+e fo' r POWER GUARD output circuit output-the most aovPrful an plif er Prevents amplifier c ipping with its ever built by M,Inbsh for :Zone .indesirable distortion. entertainment. Huge gold plated outout terminals will Less than 0.005% total aarnor is accept speaker cables ip to 0.25 inches distortion at any p: -.we- level f- n 250 n diameter. milliwatts to rate e power ft-Dm 20Hz FIER to 20,000Hz-the lo --rest di;tc rl ion The distortion free, brute force power of rating McIntosh 'us 5uarane br the McIntosh MC 2600 wakes it truly the any power amplifer. finest amplifier produc_d by McIntosh.

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The McIntosh MR 7083 is a high quality IR remote con- SPATIAL provides reduced noise and retains a broad stereo - trol AM/FM Tuner whose design has been governed by in- like sound. sistence on high performance with long life, great flexibility and sensitivity. The most useful and flexible AM antenna system will suit your particular installation. A low -impedance loopstick will, McIntosh has earned world renown for its technological in most local areas, provide AM signals while rejecting noise contributions for improved sound. When you buy McIn- and interference. In noisy AM locations, an external noise tosh, you buy not only high technology, you buy reducing, noise canceling, shielded loop will provide an ideal technological integrity proven by time. The McIntosh input signal. In a remote location, a conventional long wire' MR 7083 Tuner is continuing evidence of McIntosh antenna can be used. technological superiority and integrity. Music reproducing instruments that carry the McIntosh The McIntosh MR 7083, above all others, will deliver the name have always been designed for technological leader- best sound and the greatest ease of use with a high degree ship and to maintain the McIntosh reputation for durabili- of flexibility. ty, long life, and best sound. McIntosh has had to earn the foremost reputation for quality performance. McIntosh has Some of the features that set the MR 7083 apart from the provided user -oriented facilities and appearance, and ordinary are: McIntosh design provides for ease of maintenance or repair. These fundamental elements are incorporated in the The advanced AM/FM tuner design of the MR 7083 McIntosh MR 7083 AM/FM Tuner, the easiest to operate displays the station frequencies digitally. Stations are yet with extensive useful features. selected easily in any one of these ways: the manual tuning knob, the SCAN up or down touchbut tons, the preset For information on N clntosh products station touchbuttons or, SEARCH which will preview the and product reviews, please send your preset stations for 5 seconds each. name, address and phone number to:

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Handcrafted with pride in the United States by dedicatec, highly trained craftspeople. Enter No. 23 on Reader Service Card CURRENTS JOHN EARGLE AN 'EARING 'EARING

The "Sound of Audio" was the subject of the eighth Internation- al Conference presented by the Audio Engineering Society this past May in Washington, D.C. Subtitled Per- ception and Measurement, Recording . 1 and Reproduction, the conference 4 d covered virtually all aspects of audio r , t r # e , technology that bear on our understanding of current and future developments in the field. The chairman of the conference was Skip Pizzi, of National Public Radio, and the papers chairman was Floyd Toole, of the National Research Coun- cil of Canada. Special thanks go to these men for organizing the conference and pulling together facilities, demonstrations, and appropriate distinguished chairmen for the various informative sessions. One of the ground rules was that each speaker was expected to submit a paper suitable for preprinting. These were duplicated, and a bound set was presented to each of the nearly 200 attendees. The complete manuscripts, with any changes or additions, will be drum and the inner ear. Viemeister's tions, there are always reflections tha published by the AES later this year discussion continued with the temporal both enhance our appreciation of the and will be available for general sale. aspects of hearing, pointing out the environment around us and interfere Audio readers should keep their eyes ears' remarkable ability to sort out tim- with our localization efforts. For exam- for this open valuable collection of con- ing differences between them on the ple, it is difficult to localize the source vention proceedings. order of a few microseconds. Viemeis- of a sine wave, since small amounts of In addition to the seven major ses- ter's presentation continued with dis- reflected sound can profoundly alter sions, various audio demonstrations il- cussions focusing on loudness and the phase relationships of that signal at lustrated many of the effects and tech- pitch perception. the two ears. On the other hand, the niques that were discussed during the Frederic Wightman, of the University source of a complex signal such as actual sessions. Some of these point of Wisconsin, discussed aspects of pink noise can usually be accurately clearly to possible new developments hearing in three dimensions. The clas- localized, primarily by timing informa- in consumer electronics, while others sical aspects of lateral localization with tion coming from the many microtran- represent variations on currently avail- emphasis on arrival time and intensity sients that the signal contains. A good able technology. differences at the ears were reviewed bit of the time, we are only marginally The first session, chaired by Louis as a prerequisite to a discussion of sure of our localization judgments, but Fielder of Dolby Laboratories, was ti- recent experiments that emphasize the this suffices in many listening situa- tled "Perceiving the Sound of Audio." importance of the pinna (the outer tions where our attention may be Neil Viemeister of the University of Min- structure of the ear) in providing cues drawn to other aspects of audition. In nesota began the conference with an for fore/aft and up/down localization of that sense, our localization techniques overview of psychoacoustics and audi- sound sources. Essentially, the convo- are adaptive, providing us an impor- tory perception. Viemeister described lutions of the pinnae provide significant tant ability to relearn quickly in difficult the nature of hearing sensitivity, and it spectral shaping of sounds as a func- environments. may surprise readers of Audio to learn tion of both lateral and vertical angles. Don Keele, Senior Editor of Audio, that the ear responds, at its lowest Also, the specific frequency shaping is was the chairman for the second ses- threshold, to eardrum displacement virtually unique to each person, provid- sion, "Measuring the Sound of Audio." about 1//0o the diameter of a hydrogen ing a consistent frame of reference by The first speaker, Richard Cabot, of molecule! The upper limit is some 120 which each person learns to assign Audio Precision, discussed audible ef- dB greater, representing an intensity directions. fects versus objective measurements ratio of 1012 to 1. This is all the more William Hartmann, of Michigan State in the electrical signal path. In a paper astounding when we remember that University, closed the first session with noted for its detail and extensive bibli- the "front-end" of the ear relies on me- a paper on localization of sound ography, Cabot discussed the many chanical leverage between the ear - sources in a room. In real -world situa- forms of both linear and nonlinear dis- AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 25 In his slide tour of concert hall design, David Klepper emphasized the various acoustical and commercial trade-offs involved.

tortion that can intrude on the audio Len Feldman, John Atkinson, Peter Ac- ing the recording engineer and pro- signal. The audibility of various types zel, David Clark, and David Ranada. In ducer in analytical evaluations of the of distortion is dependent on certain lively interplay with the audience, the playback process. thresholds, and of course the annoy- reviewers provided insight into their Daniel Queen, of Daniel Queen As- ance of a given type of distortion de- methods of and criteria for equipment sociates, was chairman of the third pends as well on conditioning and evaluation. session, which was titled "Subjective learning. Both audibility and annoy- At the same time, the demonstration Evaluations of the Sound of Audio." ance are subject to a variety of mask- rooms were up and running. Some of Floyd Toole presented a paper on ing effects by the program itself. the interesting exhibits there included identifying and controlling the vari- David Klepper, of KMK Associates, Dolby Surround decoding, Ambison- ables in loudspeaker subjective test- then discussed the basic relationships ics, various artificial -head recording ing. The following physical variables between live music and architectural methods, synthesizing images over are significant: The listening room it- acoustics. Klepper presented a slide headphones with variable height as self, loudspeaker position, the listener tour of modern concert hall design, well as left -right positioning, and a position, relative loudness, absolute with emphasis on the many acoustical number of loudspeaker crosstalk can- loudness, program material, electronic and commercial trade-offs involved. celling schemes that produced very imperfections, electroacoustical imper- The balance between reverberation clear out-of-bounds (to the side) local- fections, and whether the music is pre- time, early reflections, and ratios of di- ization for listeners seated on the medi- sented in stereo or mono (both are rect to reflected sound are the objec- an plane. important). He further cited the follow- tive measurements leading to subjec- David Clark demonstrated an auto- ing psychological and physiological tive descriptions such as intimacy, motive stereo system which had a de- variables: Knowledge of the products, warmth, clarity, etc. As halls become layed center loudspeaker for keeping familiarity with the program material, larger, and as they are called on to the phantom center image from col- familiarity with the room, familiarity with fulfill other purposes, music require- lapsing to the nearest loudspeaker. the task at hand, judgment ability or ments per se run the risk of being Additional delays from a set of four aptitude, experience, and listener in- shortchanged. The skillful acoustical side and back loudspeakers filled in teraction and group pressure. Obvi- consultant is one who can minimize the early reflections one might hear in a ously, the experimental setup must maximum risk. typical living room. take all these variables into effect and John Bradley, of the National Re- The second day got underway with a somehow neutralize them so that they search Council of Canada, discussed paper by Floyd Toole on loudspeakers do not significantly bias the tests. methods of quantifying auditorium and rooms for stereophonic sound re- Continuing in the same vein, Soren acoustics. Such terms as deutlichkeit production. His paper, which was ac- Bech, of the Technical University of (clarity), running liveness, and center tually a continuation of the first after- Denmark, outlined in great detail the time are measurements of clarity and noon's session, dealt with the many statistical methods used in structuring definition of music. All are relatively effects of room boundary conditions on loudspeaker listening tests so that all simple measurements and represent loudspeaker performance. In addition undesired variables were equalized single -number descriptors of the effec- to affecting the low -frequency loading out of the tests. tiveness of a given hall for the perfor- on the loudspeakers, the boundary At the conclusion of this session, mance of music. Such terms as clarity characteristics determine reverbera- consultant Tom Nousaine and Stanley index, articulation index, and speech tion time and may provide significant Lipshitz, of the University of Waterloo in transmission index are all objective discrete reflections. The relative posi- Canada, gave the audience their re- measures of the effectiveness of tions of the loudspeakers and the lis- flections on the "Great Debate" of the speech communication in an auditori- tener can also bring into play profound past decade-the presumed audibility um. Again, these are all relatively sim- response aberrations due to the nor- of differences between electronics and ple measurements whose accuracy mal, or preferred, low -frequency the inaudibility of the same differences can be borne out in actual syllable modes of the room. By way of practical when subjected to double-blind tests. articulation tests. Bradley stated that advice, Toole outlined methods for an- Double-blind testing is a procedure there is a relatively small number of alyzing the mode structure of the room in which neither the listener nor the measurements necessary to explain and repositioning the loudspeakers to person administering the test knows the bulk of subjective assessment of alleviate the modal problems. which of two amplifiers is which. In the auditorium acoustics. These in turn Recordings themselves are a major normal testing setup, the two amplifiers have led to new parameters which can problem in attaining the ultimate listen- appear as A and B on a switchbox. only lead to more predictable halls for ing experience, since there is such The listener can hear A and B as often music and speech. variation between them in terms of as necessary to form a judgment. As you can see, the first day was a spatial relationships and integration of Then, at the moment of truth, the listen- busy one. But it wasn't quite over. That hall (studio) sound with direct sound. A er presses a button marked X. X is evening, Floyd Toole moderated a recurring theme throughout Toole's either A or B, and the task for the panel discussion on the reviewing of presentation was "to close the loop" listener is to identify which it is. If there audio products. Panelists included between the recording (input) and truly is an audible difference btween A Don Keele, Ed Foster, Julian Hirsch, playback (output) processes by involv- and B, then the task of identifying X 26 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Join Philips Classics in a once -in -a -lifetime recording event.

A BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

4 The myth, mystery and magic of Mozart MOZART'S LIFE'S WORK... are but pale shadows of the drama that was '.9 A Lifetime of Listening Pleasure. the man. When Mozart died, at he left 35, THE COMPLETE MOZART EDITION com- behind a monumental legacy. As the child prises 180 CDs of some of the most glorious genius of a family of geniuses he became _f.11,4 ° music ever written. There will be many the toast of Europe, "the little wizard" as he .. witurtril Mozart sets issued during the Bicentennial was dubbed in Vienna. His exploits would year, but this is the only COMPLETE MOZART become the stuff of legends. But when he EDITION-and best of all, you will receive died, he died a pauper and was laid to rest these volumes immediately upon release, in an unmarked grave. culminating with the final volumes in Decem- A MONUMENTAL RECORDING ber 1991. THE COMPLETE MOZART EDITION PROJECT. features the finest artists of our time: The _ 'r Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, Sir In 1991 the world commemorates the death, - st v . Neville Marrine , Alfred Brendel, Mitsuko 200 years ago, of Wolfgang Amadeus w;° -,. Uchida, The Beaux Arts Trio, Kiri to Kanawa, Mozart. As we prepare to honor his great- Jessye Norman, Sir Colin Davls and many ness, Philips Classics will celebrate him with more. This is the Complete Mozart Edition, THE COMPLETE MOZART EDITION. Start- The Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields in 44 volumes, sent to you in 15 monthly ing in October 1990, the COMPLETE under Sir Neville Marrine, you will receive - releases from October 1990 to December MOZART EDITION will assemble all the "The Jupiter", "The in fact, the 1991. Each release includes between ten and works Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed, Haffner", all glorious symphonic works Mozart wrote fifteen CDs at the special price of $7.95 collected together for the first time in any per (1-41). Each month thereafter, and continu- disc delivered to your home. recorded medium and issued on CD in spe- ing as long as you maintain your series sub- cially designed packaging. This is a series THE MOZART GAZETTE scription, we will ship additional volumes, unlike any other, monumental in scope and Your Bonus Guide to the Bicentennial. each for your Free 15 day audition. You may comprising all known authentic, original In addition, you will also receive the quar- and cancel your subscription at any time. complete works plus as many fragments terly MOZART GAZETTE, your official guide or movements as be As your series subscription continues could possibly per- to the Mozart anniversary celebration featur- formed. TIIE (monthly through December '91), future COMPLETE MOZART EDITION ing forthcoming releases in the series, news will contain full recordings, releases will include the Serenades & -digital many of of tare artists and orchestras and an interna- which will Divertimenti, including the famous "Eine appear on CD for the first time. tional preview of events in the Mozart And many recorded kleine Nachtmusik"; the Dances, the Piano newly works, varying Bicentennial Celebration. THE MOZART from a complete opera to a 17 second Concertos -27 glorious works, including GAZETTE Is yours, Free, as long as you Andante, the early Concertos after J.C. Bach; Music including some music never remain a subscriber to THE COMPLETE heard before. is br Violin & Orchestra, including the This the most monumental MOZART EDITION. recording project ever attempted. THE Concerto for Piano & Violin; the Wind COMPLETE MOZART EDITION is a connois- Concertos; the Chamber Music, including seur's library of the best of Symphonies, 10 unfinished fragments; the Piano Music Operas and Chamber Music. plus Mozart's very first composition written when he was five; the Masses & Sacred EVERY NOTE HE EVER WROTE. Works; the Organ Sonatas; the Oratorios; Op, In October, we will send you the 12 CD set Concert Arias & Vocal Music; Theatre of The 41 Symphonies to audition in & Ballet Music; the Operas; Diversa your home Free for 15 days. Performed by & Rarities. Reserve your subscription to TIIE COMPLETE MOZART EDITION at the special price of $7.9i per disc plus tax (we pay shipping). Write to: THE COt/PLETEMOZART EDITION c/o 'he Inter,rational Preview Society P.O. Jar 91/79, Dept. 25 Indianapolis, IN 46291-0179 Char;e your subscription to your American Expr_ss and Optima, VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club or Discover Card. Your card will he charged monthly for each shipment. For Ivstest Serk ice, have your credit card ready . and use our toll -free number:

should be quite easy. But when two ing the Sound of Audio." Sean Olive, of monitor loudspeakers. Taking into ac- amplifiers are carefully adjusted to pre- the National Research Council of Can- count the characteristics of sound cisely the same gain, and both operat- ada, spoke on the preservation of tim- sources and the recording space itself, ed within their power limits, it is amaz- bre, microphones, loudspeakers, a not so pretty picture of the total trans- ing how little real difference there is. sound sources, and acoustical fer process emerges. The ear/brain Ron Streicher, of Pacific Audio -Visu- spaces. Olive described the range of combination is mercifully forgiving of al Enterprises, chaired the next ses- aberrations that are to be found in many things gone wrong, and we sion, titled "Recording and Reproduc- even the best studio microphones and should be thankful for that. When you consider that your grandfather listened to acoustical recordings in severely band -limited and distorted mono, we IT'S TIME YOU EXPERIENCED have made great strides. But there is room for improvement still.

I chaired the next session, titled "Re- SURROUND cording and Reproducing the Space of SOUNDTM Audio: 'Conventional' Stereophony." The aim of this session was to present "TM descriptions of current two -channel re- . ff /MS 4 1 r cording practice as applied to the :SU.:: ::.. v : mass media: Compact Disc, the cas-

ersu.auve¡coe[e sette, and FM radio. DYNAYICLoam enTeel suC cf 90Ue The first paper was jointly given by : v Ron Streicher and me, and it dealt with a ».... rr 1,01... MOVE current practice in commercial classi- .r cal recording. Essentially, classical re- SYSTEM 400011 cording employs fundamental stereo microphone arrays to preserve essential spatial cues. To this are added PRO various accent microphones to correct LOGIC imbalances and certain acoustical and musical problems. Contrary to what many people believe, both conductors and artists heartily endorse these hy- SYSTEM 3ÓO0 brid techniques, when used with good taste and judgment. David Moulton, of the Berklee Col- SSI, innovators of surround sound technology in the 80's are committed lege of Music, described the many to providing the Ultimate Home Theater Experience in the 90's. Whether techniques that are used in the pop/ you choose the System 3000 with Dolby' Pro Logic or the rock studio to produce music intended

System 4000 II with SSI's proprietary Dynamic LogicTM you are for presentation over loudspeakers. guaranteed to always be in the center of the action of your favorite Here, there is no acoustical frame of movies. reference, and the studio recording represents the initial creative act. Augspurger, DEALER LISTING George of Perception Inc., discussed the many problems of Rogersound Labs -Canoga Park, CA.; FEDCO-Los Angeles, CA.; Listen Up -Denver, CO.; monitoring the recording process in normal work Union Premiums -Las Vegas, NV.; Alltech Electronics -Boise, ID.; Barr Digital -Redmond, the spaces used by engineers and producers, relating them to WA.; Alamo Electronics -Cincinnati, OH.; Stereo Visions -Columbus, OH.; typical problems in the consumers' lis- Jemstone-E.Lansing, MI.; Advanced Audio Design -Sarasota, FL.; Sensuous Sound - tening environments. He discussed the Tampa, FL.; The Sound Source -Fairfield, CT.; Square Deal Radio-Patchoque, NY.; differences between high -end cone Audio King -New York, NY.; Good Vibes -Champagne, IL.; Hawkeye Audio -Iowa City, 10.; and dome systems and the usual compression driver and horn combinations Royal Jeweler -Lawrence, MA.; Carolina Alarm -Winston Salem, N.C.; Sound Audio - used in most control rooms. The phan- PA.; Charlotte, NC.; Audio Junction -Pittsburg, PA.; Sunrise Electronics-Chambersburg, tom center image was discussed and Hi -Fi Connection -Marlton, NJ.; Sound Advice -Columbia, SC.; compared to the sound that would be 411~ Audio Dimensions-Oklahoma, OK produced by a discrete center loud- SSI Products, Inc. 400 South Date Avenue, 1~11,G speaker. Depending on the precise lis- Alhambra, California 91803 Tel: (818) 282-9419 Fax: (818) 282-9358 tening angle, a phantom center will ex- . ' SURROUND SOUND and DYNAMIC LOGIC are tradmarks of SSI Products, Inc. hibit a pronounced null in response at Dolby® is a registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. 28 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990

Enter No. 35 on Reader Service Card o

Throughout the audio world, M&K Sound is synonymous MILLER .. KREISEL with high performance Satellite and Powered Subwoofer speaker systems. And inrile other manufacturers are SOUND CORPORATION discovering the substan-ial advantages of this concept, we are applying fifteen-pl.is years of loudspeaker design and audiophile recording experience to create a new, fifth generation of innovative products. Think of these as corroonent speakers-speakers with the flexibility to adapt to any listening environment, especially that of the mild -channel Surround Sound system. Although compact in size, M&K Satellites actually outperform large conventional speakers-and M&K Powered Subwoofers give you the universally recognized superiority of a separate subwoofer for the ultimate in bass performance. With mid and high frequency drivers mounted in opti- mally shaped enclosures, M&K Satellites deliver sharp detail and clarity with pirpoint imaging-going far beyond the "boxy" and "canned" sound of conventional speakers. Our precise driver alignment and unique crossover design insure tat sounds reproduced by both drivers reach you simultaneously-giving M&K Satellites the rare ability to produce the sharp transients and presence of live musical instruments. Close your eyes and the speakers seem to disappear-the sound is live! M&K's component speaker concept perfectly meets the sonic and aesthetic needs of the '90s. And our newest innovations are advancing audio/video system performance with pedestal subwoofers, high-performance center channel and other speakers optimized for Dolby Surround Sound. No other company has over fifteen years of experience in the design and manufacture of Satellites and Subwoofers. This experience, combiríed with the audio industry's only six Satelli, eight Subwoofer line makes M&K "the only choice." 10391 lefferson Boulevard. Cul' City. CA 90230 USA 213.204-2854 Enter No. 21 or Reader Service Card The highlight was the discussion on binaural presentation made over speakers and the impact that DSP will have on it.

the ears somewhere in the range of 2 Audio: 'Surround' Sound." Roger Fur- rate reproduction of spatial informa- kHz! This is inherent in the slightly dif- ness, of Minim Electronics, described tion. He cited many currently available fering delay paths from each loud- the Ambisonic system of recording stereo recordings that have been so speaker to both ears. A discrete center and playback, in which the four out- encoded. speaker does not have this problem. puts of a Soundfield microphone can Tomlinson Holman, of Lucasfilm, David Griesinger, of Lexicon Inc., be encoded in two, three, or four chan- presented details of the Dolby Stereo chaired the next session, titled "Re- nels and decoded into a variety of and Dolby Surround systems as cur- cording and Reproducing the Space of loudspeaker configurations for accu- rently used in motión picture theaters and in home theater systems. 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Team Electron a OeKalb: Classic Hi Fi NV Elko: Elko Mao Las Vegas: Upper Ear IRON Tacoma: Magnolia con's efforts to solve the basic prob- Fox Valley/Aurora: Un led Audio Highland Reno: Goat Guys WI Appleton: Sound World Fond Du Lac: Aufio Part: Columba Joliet: Stereo System Kanka- NY Albany: Clark Music Amherst: Speaker Plus Green Bay: Sound World Lacrosse: lems of binaural presentation over kee: Barrels Entertainment Lansing: UniTek Shop Batavia: Unicorn Aud o Bedford Hills: Sound World Madison: Happy Medium Mil- loudspeakers it will Electronics Naperville: Stereo Systems Niles: The Sound Concept Buffalo: Speaker Slap Cor- waukee: Audio Emporium Oshkosh: Audio Ns so that be effective United Audio Normal: Sundown One North- ning: Chemup Elmira: Cherirug Forest Ripon: Audio Plus Sheboygan: Genes Sound á for a significant fraction of listeners. brook/Oakbrook Unded Audio Peoria: Team Hills: Cbnbnenal Sound Fredonia: Studio One Camera Wausau: Sound World Electronics Rockford: Columba Schaumburg: Glens Falls: Audio Genesis Goshen: Long - WV Barboursville, Beckley, Charleston: Pied Gary Kendall and Martin Wilde, of United Audio Springfield: Sundown One player s Stereo Harriman: The Sound Concept Piper Clarksburg: Audio Visual Concepts Hunt- Spring Valley: Audio Labs Sterling: Sterling Ithaca: Chernnrp, Sound Image Jamestown: ington: Pied Piper Parkersburg: Video Ware- Auris Perceptual Engineering, Inc., Electronics Vernon Hills: United Audio Studio One Masten': Hr F: Shop Nanuet: The house Piedmont: Sound Gallery Wheeling: IN Bloomington: Campus Audio Blultton: Sound Concept Newburgh: Audio Expression Look "N" Listen then described their work in develop - Ely IV & Appliance Evansville: Risley's Ft. New Hartford: Adieu dark Music New York WY Cheyenne: Electronics Unlimited Gillette Wayne: Letvnans Indianapolis: Ovation Jas- City: Electronic Workshop Harvey Electronics Sheridan: Star Video Library 30 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 per: Risley s Lafayette: Good Vibes Michigan APeference Standard Forllie 19905, Wit A 13th- Cethuy Refinement.

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Call I-6001-421-14)4 Eca the Elite sealer nearc.vt you. 01990Piarwr_ Electronics (USA) Inc., Lung Beach, CA Involving , engineers and producers in playback AKG's:'K28Ó evaluations could "close ',Headphones the loop" between recording and playback processes. fior,the. ' ;'Digitál Erá ing a spatial sound processor that Now that you've upgraded takes monophonic sound sources and your system to include CD processes them for three-dimensional technology, your headphones presentation over stereo loudspeakers must meet a higher standard. r' or headphones. Their That's why you need system is de- AKG's high output parabolic signed for use in music, video, and film stereo headphones. production. The K280 features a The final session of the conference computer -positioned pair was titled "Frontiers in Sound Repro- of matched transducers duction" and was chaired by Marshall in each ear cup to provide Buck, of Cerwin Vega Corp. The first transparent, interference- paper, by Wulf Pompetzki and free sound at the center Jens Blauert of Ruhr of your ear. r University, discussed AKG headphones are 111 further the ideas of binaural recording world-renowned in the Iv ;ICI for both headphone and loudspeaker professional digital record- \ presentation. Details were given for Ing industry, as backed by a K,,z, 1 signal processing of multiple micro- recent Billboard survey,' .y,,, phone inputs for binaural presentation. rating AKG headphones the most ' r " Jeffrey Borish, of EuPhonics, dis- widely used in'U.S. professional`y11p\aG recording studios. cussed methods of enhancing normal stereo recordings through simulation AKG's K280 headphones. The Lde& standard of quality for the digital era. AKGsr: of the reflection patterns naturally occurring in concert halls. The character- Focusing on new technology. '84boerd's 1990 International Recording Egwpment & Studio Diss,.wry. Oct 1989 1525 Alvaedo St , Ssi Lesdo. CA 94577 istics of a hall can be measured, or © AKG 1990® Akustche and Kro{,erate GmbH, Austria (4151351-3500 they can be modeled via an image modeling program. The advantages of the image modeling approach are that the model can be easily changed, or Introducing the r41tT)' else the listener can "change seats" in the hall. A lultiCapTM David Clark, of DLC Design, then discussed in detail the evolution of the High Performance Capacitor autostereo system that had been on demonstration during the conference. The final paper of the conference Few people know capacitors as well as Richard Marsh. He has now was given by consultant Ronald Gen- patented a new design uniquely suited to the demands of high ereaux on adaptive equalization of definition audio and produced it with the help of Music Interface loudspeaker systems. The method he Technologies. described measures the transfer char- The MIT MultiCap eliminates the need for additional bypass acteristic between a loudspeaker and capacitors, and, as the following graphs show, has considerably less a given listening position. An inverse oscillation than conventional designs. filter is then calculated and inserted in the audio path so that many of the adverse effects of the room are can- celled. The technique has wide application in both consumer and profes- 1 sional applications. Uncontrolled Controlled impulse impulse The highlight of the conference was response of response of the broad subject of binaural presenta- typical film the MIT tion loudspeakers impact capacitor. MultiCap. over and the that digital signal processing (DSP) will The result is more focused sound throughout the critical midrange have on it. The big problem with that and fewer compression effects at frequency extremes. technology is the restriction on listener location. For that reason, the technol- Music Interface Technologies [MÍ1 ogy will probably find its first broad application in TV stereo, where close For more information, including a detailed white paper, please contact: stereo loudspeaker placement will TRANSPARENT AUDIO MARKETING work to its advantage. Other applica- Rt. 202, Box 117, Hollis, Maine 04042 (207) 596-7151 tions include the automobile, where speaker and listener are fixed. A

Enter No. 29 on Reader Service Card 32 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 BEHIND THE SCENES BERT WHYTE MEETING MY YOUTH

Afew months ago, I had one of those milestone birthdays-you know the kind I mean-and I

realized I was getting a bit long in the

tooth. I don't think I am superannuated, but looking back over the years, I am

aware that I have led a pretty fantastic

life. In remembering things past, what I found particularly fascinating were the twists and turns of fate that interrelate and entwine one's life with events and experiences in other peoples lives. Music has always been an important

part of my life. By the age of 12, I was fairly well grounded in classical music. Our next-door neighbor, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was Thelma Votipka. A Czech mezzo-soprano of imposing stature, she sang supporting roles in Metropolitan Opera productions, especially Wagnerian operas. Madame Vo- tipka taught me a great deal about music, and on Good Fridays at our neighborhood church, this boy soprano joined her in singing Sir John Stain- er's "Crucifixion." My father was a fine tor as he led the Houston Symphony required a huge orchestra including baritone and used to sing recitals on Orchestra in most of this very reper- seven clarinets, 10 horns, and a vast WJZ, New York, back in the B battery toire! As a youth I was also fond of big percussion battery which contained a days of radio reception. band music and attended concerts by set of large iron chains! These artists, My very musically oriented family the likes of Benny Goodman and along with choruses and soloists, add-

owned one of those big Victor Ortho- Woody Herman. I certainly never ed up to 554 musicians! I first heard phonic phonographs, and I was imme- dreamed that I would make the first this work in 1934, and needless to say, diately enamored of the clunky, fragile, stereo recordings of these bands in a work on this grand scale is rarely monophonic 78 in -rpm records. Even Chicago's Blue Note in 1951 and 1952. recorded. The next time I heard it was those primitive days (electrical tran- These are but two examples of the in 1953, and therein lies a tale.

scriptions had been on the market for numerous interrelations in my life in- I have been an ardent devotee of the just about six years), I was very con- volving music, musicians, composers, music of Gustav Mahler ever since

cerned with the sound quality of the and conductors. 1935, when I heard his Second Sym- recordings. What I deemed the best Stokowski and the Philadelphia Or- phony, "Resurrection," as recorded by sounding were the Victor recordings of chestra were certainly one of the fa- Eugene Ormandy and the Minneapolis the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted bled synergies of conductor and or- Symphony Orchestra on 22 sides of

by Leopold Stokowski. Not only did I chestra in American musical history. 78 -rpm records. I also fondly remem- like the sound, but I loved the reper- The Philadelphia under Stokowski was ber Mahler's Fifth Symphony conduct- toire chosen by Maestro Stokowski and held in awe as much for the richness of ed by Bruno Walter, and Mahler's First the great playing he got from the or- their orchestral color as for the opu- Symphony recorded by Dimitri Mitro- chestra. Thus I revelled in such listen- lence and beauty of their string tone. poulos and the Minneapolis Symphony ing experiences as Rachmaninoff's Although Stokowski encouraged free - Orchestra. This recording was trans-

"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" bowing instead of unison playing on ferred to LP, and I believe it was the with the composer as soloist, Brahms' the strings, he employed a little psy- only Mahler on LP for quite a while. It Third Symphony, Scriabin's "Poem of choacoustic trickery: In a diminuendo must be remembered that even in his Ecstasy," and the Symphonic Synthe- passage that would ultimately fade into own time, Mahler's music was consid- sis of Act Ill and "Good Friday Music" nothingness, he would have the play- ered quite controversial and received from Wagner's Parsifal. No doubt ers continue to draw their bows across a lot of negative criticism. During the about it, I was as much a fan and the strings, even though they were not period from 1930 to 1958, his music disciple of Leopold Stokowski as any producing actual sound. The effect was little known and seldom played in wild-eyed is rock fan of The Rolling was magical! the United States. In 1952, I was at the Stones. Nowhere in my wildest youthful A friend of mine had the 14 -record Chicago premiere of Mahler's Ninth imagination did I ever fantasize that 25 set of Schoenberg's monumental "Gur- Symphony with Rafael Kubelík con- years after hearing these records I relieder," with Stokowski ccnducting ducting the work in Orchestra Hall. The would be recording this great conduc- the Philadelphia Orchestra. This work First Movement of this profound work

AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 33 Not in my youth's wildest :3 dreams did I ever fantasize L aUOUoLI one day I would record U.S. DEALER LIST that Leopold Stokowski.

AUDITION CLASSIC STEREO

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CAMPBELL'S CLASSIC STEREO Huntsville, AL Grand Rapids, MI runs up to 29 minutes, depending on older than Alma Schindler, the beauti-

tempos. I well remember several peo- ful music student, when he married her AUDIBLE DIFFERENCE AUDIO PERFECTION ple walking out of the hall before the in Vienna in 1902. At that time, Mahler Palo Alto, CA Minneapolis, MN end of the First Movement and Kubelík was director of the Court Opera House turning around and giving them a con- and already well known for his music. AUDIO EXCELLENCE SOUNDING BOARD temptuous glare! Alma travelled with Mahler on conduct- San Francisco, CA Ridgewood, NJ Mahler was acutely aware of all the ing tours in Europe and the United criticism of his music and was said to States. He became the conductor of CHRISTOPHER HANSEN LTD. WOODBRIDGE STEREO have stated, "My time will yet come." the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles, CA Woodbridge, NJ 07095 This motto was used on the gold Medal but in 1911, his second controversial of Honor for Mahler, struck by the season, had to cut his work short to KEITH YATES AUDIO WOODBRIDGE STEREO Bruckner Society of America. I used a return to Vienna, where he died of a Sacramento, CA W. Long Branch, NJ reproduction of this medal on the front heart attack. cover of my Everest recording of Mah- Alma married architect Walter Gropi- LISTEN UP AUDIO WOODBRIDGE STEREO ler's Ninth Symphony with Leopold us in 1915 and divorced him in 1918. Denver, CO Princeton, NJ Ludwig conducting the London Sym- (In later years, Gropius designed the phony Orchestra. Pan -Am Building in New York City.) LISTEN UP AUDIO AUDIO VISIONS Getting back to the "Gurrelieder," in While still married to Gropius, Alma Boulder, CO West Babylon, NY 1953 I received an invitation from the met writer Franz Werfel and had a son Haydn Society to attend a reception at him. in with Werfel LISTEN UP AUDIO LYRIC HI FI by She moved and the New York City apartment of Stella married him in 1929. Talk about your Colorado Springs, CO New York, NY Adler, the well-known acting teacher soap operas! Werfel and Alma fled

TAKE FIVE AUDIO LYRIC HI FI and drama coach. The occasion was Nazi Germany in 1939 and settled in

New Haven, CT New York, NY to celebrate the Haydn Society's LP California in 1940. These experiences release of "Gurrelieder" conducted by resulted in Werfel writing his well-

SOUND COMPONENTS LYRIC HI FI René Leibowitz. The usual crowd of known book, Song of Bernadette. Wer-

Coral Gables, FL White Plains, NY voluble critics wandered about, liba- fel died in 1945, and Alma moved to tions in hand, when someone grabbed New York City in 1952. Alma Mahler- LEE KRAMER'S HI FI SSS AUDIO ADVICE my arm and steered me to an attractive Werfel freely admitted she was attract- Atlanta, GA Raleigh, NC older woman and said, "Bert, I'm sure ed to geniuses and had love affairs

you want to meet Alma Mahler." I was with many who fit that description. One AUDIO CONSULTANTS HOFFMAN'S STEREO stunned, to say the least! It really was was the famous Russian pianist Ossip Evanston, IL Warrensville Hts, OH the widow of the legendary Gustav Gabrilowitsch, who later became the

Mahler! She was in her mid -70s, and I conductor of the Detroit Symphony Or- AUDIO CONSULTANTS AUDIBLE ELEGANCE could still see the fairness and grace of chestra and ultimately married Mark Libertyville, IL Cincinnati, OH the woman who was once known as Twain's daughter. the most beautiful girl in Vienna. She It has been said that Alma Mahler- AUDIO CONSULTANTS AUDIO ENCOUNTERS was very poised and self-assured, al- Werfel was a brilliant and creative Hinsdale, IL Dublin, OH most to the point of feistiness. She still composer whose talents were sup- retained a charming Viennese accent. pressed by Gustav Mahler. Listed in PAUL HEATH AUDIO DAVID MANN AUDIO I was damn near speechless, but of the CD catalog, under Alma Mahler-' Chicago, IL Philadelphia, PA course I told her how passionately I Werfel, is Complete Piano Songs, a

admired her husband's music. I men- program for soprano with piano ac- SOUND PRO SUMMIT AUDIO/VIDEO tioned the Chicago concert of the Ninth companiment. It is on the CPO label Carmel, Ind. Kingston, PA Symphony, and she knew all about it. I (distributed by Koch International). told her a prime ambition of mine was A harrowing story concerns the SOUND PRO ON TOP AUDIO to record all of her late husband's sym- aforementioned Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Iowa City, IA Rio Pedras, PR phonies. She asked me which one was Leopold Stokowski, and Stokowski's

favorite, I replied that I liked WILSON AUDIO SOUNDINGS my and wife, pianist Olga Samaroff. The Sto- them all but that I found the Ninth very kowskis were in New Orleans, LA Middletown, RI guests Gabrilowitsch's special, along with the First, Second, Munich home in 1914 when the First A HI FI EXCHANGE AUDIO INSIGHT and Fifth. little more diverting small World War broke out. German troops

Falmouth, ME Dallas, TX talk, and she was gone. Little did I arrested Gabrilowitsch, but Stokowski,

know that five years hence, I would his wife, and two friends were able to

GOODWIN'S SOUND DIRECTIONS indeed make the first stereo record- flee the country. Stokowski had tucked

Boston, MA Rutland, VT ings of the Mahler First, Fifth, and Ninth a copy of the score of Mahler's Eighth Symphonies. Symphony, "Symphony of a Thou- MUSIC BOX DEFINITIVE AUDIO As for Alma Mahler, this remarkable sand," in his suitcase. It's quite a tale, Wellesley, MA Seattle, WA lady died in New York City in 1964 at but you'll have to wait until the next the age of 85. Mahler was 20 years issue to read about it! A WALTHAM STEREO SPECIALIZED SOUND

Waltham, MA Madison, WI 34 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 ONNOUNCING THE BRYSTON TWENTY YEAR WARRANTY

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For over a quarter -century Bryston has been committed to designing and producing audio products with musical accuracy, reliability and value as our primary focus. It is widely known Bryston 12B pre-emplifier that Bryslon's policy on the warranty of our products has always been extremely generous if We discovered that some parameters of ever required. To further enhance our long term transistors must be controlled as much as 100 commitment Bryston is instituting a 20 year times more closely before their contribution to warranty program as of January 1st, 1990. This, audible distortion is rendered negligible. as far as we know, is a first in our industry and Each of the steps or stages in every Bryston as such will further demonstrate our continuing amplifier, from the input section to the output dedication to our products and customers. section, without exception, are designed to Musical accuracy is reflected throughout all optimize the musical experience. Bryston takes Bryston power amplifiers. This includes the very seriously the correct functioning and long necessity for wide -band transient accuracy, open term reliability of its products. loop linearity ahead of closed loop This new twenty year warranty is also retroactive. It includes all audio products previously manufactured and sold under the Bryston name. This warranty is also fully transferable from first owner to any subsequent owners.

Bryston has always been dedicated to designing and producing audio power amplifiers, crossovers, and pre -amplifiers that Bryston 108 electronic crossover deliver uncom prom ised performance, outstanding reliability and exceptional value. specifications, and power supply design as an We believe our new 20 year warranty is one integral part of the overall sonic and electrical more example of our continuing commitment to performance of a power amplifier. this ideal.

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Enter No. 11 on Reader Service Card Call 1-800-553-4355 IF GOD EVER SP A . S

TO YOU,THIS IS THE T n ' E RECORD IT ON.

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Vertex virtually BIAS NOISE Level ldb to 2db higher than our MX tape 6 8 10 12 14 16 FREQUENCY (6Hz) eliminates tape 4 (depending on frequency) . That, in turn, fluctuation. Plus our proprietary Techno- allows for a substantial improvement in Silver backcoating reduces friction and sensitivity and an astonishing 40% reduc- further improves tape -running stability. tion in distortion. All of which makes for a tape with the If you're surprised by all these incred- lowest modulation noise level available. ible specs, don't be. Remember, Maxell has Anywhere. always been at the forefront of creating magnetic tape A REVOLUTIONARY Nletal Wrtex UT.:v0 for the world's most sophis- NEW CASSETTE SHELL. a)r A r. ticated equipment. So if what To better absorb outside you're recording demands su- vibrations, our new three- maxen. 90 perior reproduction, piece shell is made of a highly look to Metal visco -elastic, super composite material Vertex from Maxell. 11r - with almost twice the specific gravity of Anything less and you that found in most cassettes. Yet what don't have a prayer. rii a xIIe

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Enter No. 22 on Reader Service Card n 1977, when consumer aware- production usually forget. As a ness of digital audio was still al- DAN SWEENEY group we tend to pride ourselves on most nil, a seminar on the sub- our hearing acuity, and the phe- ject aroused widespread interest in nomenon of hearing impairment in- another part of the sound industry- volves the unthinkable, the loss of that relatively small segment con- our ability to make extremely fine cerned with meeting the needs of aural discriminations. And yet the the hearing impaired. The seminar, very large majority of us will suffer held in West Berlin, was part of an noticeable hearing impairment in annual international meeting of in- time, not because it is the human dustry people known as the Con- condition to suffer loss of hearing- gress for Hearing Professionals, for surely it is not-but simply be- where a number of papers were cause we live in environments read concerning the application of where our ears are continually in- digital audio technology to hearing sulted. And, of course, those of us aids. The topic has more recently who make our living in some area of begun to excite those involved in the music business are doubly at consumer audio namely digital risk, since we are frequently ex- signal processing (DSP). posed to high intensity sounds in DSP, it was assumed at the time, the normal course of practicing our would provide the key to precise professions, very often by our own and independent calibration of all hands. performance parameters relating to Hearing aid technology-audio compensating amplification of prosthetics if you will-offers those sounds in the environment. Gain, of us afflicted with the unthinkable frequency response, and output at least a partial solution. It also level in hearing aids could be ma- offers us food for thought, because nipulated within the digital do- audiologists have often been far in main-presumably-with no noise advance of consumer audio manu- penalty, and with none of the arti- facturers in conducting meaningful facts that inevitably accompany an- psychoacoustic research. Hearing alog signal processing. With so aid researchers were discussing much power and flexibility at his transient distortion in the early disposal, the dispensing audiologist 1950s and the effect of outer ear could provide each patient with the structure on localization back in the very best fit, and could apply truly '70s. For the hearing aid specialist, selective amplification, thus elimi- such matters were literally health is- nating the problems of unnaturally sues, and the insights these re- loud background noise and uncom- . t! searchers gained on human hear- fortably intense transient reproducing, both normal and impaired, tion which have plagued hearing should be of interest to anyone in- aid wearers since the dawn of elec- volved in audio. Moreover, the cur- tronically amplified aids more than rent and future involvement of the 60 years ago. o hearing aid industry with DSP will In 1977, such discussions were surely have ramifications touching purely academic. The electronic on every area of the audio industry. devices available then were far too bulky and inefficient to permit the Why Digital? construction of a digital hearing aid The appeal of digital audio to the of reasonable size, and, in any manufacturers of hearing aids is case, the techniques of digital en- quite different from that which digi- coding in use at the time were still, NIVER tal exerts on the three other seg- in some measure, experimental. But ments of the audio industry where it the promise was there, and the has become established, namely need was certainly there also. consumer audio, recording, and In the past two years, the promise telecommunications. In both music has begun to be fulfilled as the first reproduction and telephony, digital digital aids have appeared on the encoding is attractive chiefly be- market. Today digital audio circuitry cause it protects the signal against seems likely to effect as big a revo- losses during transmission. In the lution in the hearing aid field as it hearing aid field, on the other hand, has in consumer audio, though the electrical signal losses are not es- course and the impact of the digital pecially significant. A hearing aid is, revolution in hearing aids is and will in essence, nothing more than a be very different from what oc- miniature P.A. system with micro- curred in the music industry. phone, amplifier, and speaker (see The hearing aid field is one seg- hardware sidebar). The amplifiers in ment of audio electronics that most use today in hearing aids are of PHOTOCRAP/ IS: DA l 7D HAMSLEY of us who are involved in music re - high-fidelity standards in regard to

38 noise and distortion. Digitizing the posure to traumatic noise levels signal at the amplifier stage would (see sidebar on hearing loss and have little effect in lowering the re- hearing aids.) The trauma -inducing sidual noise floor of the circuitry. stimulus could be a few gunshots at The real reason behind the push for the practice range, years of working digitization is the hope that by pow- in a noisy factory, or playing music erful digital analysis and signal pro- it a band. But whatever the cause, cessing, hearing aids can be made a common cluster of symptoms to do a better job in compensating tends to manifest itself. for hearing loss. This statement im- First, the losses tend to be fre- plies that analog aids have serious DSPfOB 1NE quency dependent, with the more limitations in performance, and in- severe losses generally occurring in deed they do. Simply stated, the the upper frequencies. Second, the conventional analog aids of today dynamic range of sounds tolerable do not produce a good approxima- to the individual is compressed. For tion of normal hearing in even mildly I t, example, the person may have a 20 hearing -impaired persons. dB loss at 4 kHz which entails a 20 The hearing -aid industry agrees dB higher threshold of audibility at that hearing aids, by and large, do that frequency, yet the maximum in- not restore hearing losses nearly as tensity level the person can tolerate successfully as, for example, con- remains the same as before-let's tact lenses compensate for simple say 105 dB. All told, the individual's myopia. Indeed, the analogy of cor- effective range of perception has rective lenses is so unflattering to been cut by 20 dB in that frequency the hearing -aid industry that a more range-a phenomenon known as proper comparison would be to arti- recruitment or "accelerated growth ficial limbs-both better than noth- of loudness" as Edgar Villchur de- ing, but not truly equivalent to the scribes it. A third common symptom normally functioning natural organ. is an inability to follow a conversa-

Here, I am describing the typical o tion in the presence of background nondigital, nonprogrammable hear- noise when a hearing aid is being ing aids generally in use today, not used. Finally, most of the sensori- the handful of digital or hybrid aids neurally impaired have problems in just now appearing on the market, localizing sounds, particularly when which may be seen as challenging they are using their aids. and superior to the conventional It is easy to conclude from the aid. I would stress that current ana- briefest examination of the prob- log aids, for all their limitations, are lems of the hearing impaired that highly sophisticated devices and the design model of the hearing aid are the culmination of nearly 70 as a miniature P.A. system is wholly 5 years of continuous research and inadequate. A P.A. system ideally is engineering. The analog micro- linear in both frequency and gain. phones, amplifiers, and earphone All frequencies get the same boost, transducers available today in hear- and loud input signals are amplified ing aids are superbly linear but just as much as soft ones. Such aren't likely to become significantly linearity does not meet the needs of better. Indeed, an audiologist from the individual with mild to moderate the 1940s would feel that most of sensorineural losses. He hears all the long-term design goals of the load sounds and most soft sounds pioneering hearing -aid engineers perfectly well. He only has prob- have been met by current designs. lems in a certain frequency range, Yet a high proportion of hearing - though it happens that that range is impaired persons cannot adapt to generally where the voiced conso- conventional hearing aids, while nant sounds occur, and conse- most successful wearers complain quently he tends to have problems of poor speech intelligibility at times understanding speech. A linear fre- and difficulty in localizing sounds. quency response restores the high To understand why conventional frequencies for consonants, but at aids fail, it is necessary to under- the price of overwhelming bass and stand something about the prob- midrange, while a linear gain ampli- lems they aim to correct. The major- fies quieter sounds but makes ordi- ity of persons seeking relief through narily loud sounds into excruciat- electronic hearing aids suffer from ingly loud ones. simple sensorineural losses, the Historically, hearing -aid manufac- same liability that afflicts nearly all tuers were slow to address these of us to some small degree. The problems with appropriate signal cause of the hearing loss is the de- processing, but almost all hearing struction of some of the cilia in the aids made today use at least some middle ear through progressive ex- form of signal processing, broad- AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 39 band equalization and single -band Forest invented the triode amplify- compression at the most basic lev- ing tube, ushering in the electronic el. Even with this technology, most age. In less than a decade the tri- hearing -aid wearers still experience ode would be widely used in radio problems-problems that appear to transmission, and engineers in oth- be beyond the solution of simple er areas of communications tech- tone controls and wideband com- nology were beginning to explore pression, thus the interest in DSP its potential as well. Hearing aids and extensive individual program- DIGITIZED AUDIO CIRCUITRY SEEMS LIKELY represent one of the very first con- ming options. sumer applications of the triode am- TO EFFECT AS BIG A REVOLUTION IN THE plifying tube, and the earliest vacu- Self -Contained Amplification and HEARING AID FIELD AS IN CONSUMER um tube hearing aid was developed

Signal Processing AUDIO. in 1921 by Earl Hanson. Several If digitization is relatively new to .1 others were available by the end of the hearing -aid field, sophisticated the decade. circuit design and penetrating in- Early electronic aids were really vestigations into psychoacoustics not portable, and were limited to are not. Hearing aids have always desktop use. The amplifying circuit- presented extraordinary design ry alone occupied a box the size of challenges to their manufacturers, f a table radio. The pressure for min- and throughout the history of the iaturization in other areas of elec- device, engineers and audiologists I tronics eventually led to smaller have responded by employing the tubes and batteries and the intro- most advanced audio technology . duction of truly portable electronic available at the time. aids in the late -'20s. The first wear- Electric hearing aids, themselves, able electronic aids were still quite are just about as old as the century. bulky by present standards, requir- But before 1900, the hearing im- ing two separate cabinets one for paired might resort to hearing trum- the batteries and another for the mi- pets-large, clumsy horns that crophone and amplifier. The cabi- could provide only marginally better nets were not concealable but were acoustical coupling of the eardrum worn externally like camera equip- to the atmosphere, but no practical ment. A single earpiece took the prosthesis existed. output of the amp. Such hearing Early electrical hearing aids were aids were known as "body aids" essentially adaptations of the tele- because the housings containing phone. A carbon microphone mod- the guts of the systems were gener- ulated an electrical current within a ally worn on the upper body, or al- battery -powered circuit, and the ternately carried in a coat pocket. At current in turn activated an ear- the very end of the decade, a few Utgainly acoustic horns, phone that used an electromagnet- aids appeared with battery and ic transducer. No amplification oc- in a variety of shapes and sies, amp in one housing-the form al- curred within the electrical circuit, provided to to 20 dB of gain - most all hearing aids would retain so the transduction process result- and required no batteries. until the 1960s. ed in a net loss of energy. Further- more, the carbon transducer was highly nonlinear, and overall frequency response was extremely peaky. And yet, the tightly fitting earpiece did transfer acoustical energy very efficiently to the eardrum, and carbon hearing aids provided up to a 50 -dB increase in acoustical pressure at the eardrum in the midrange. This carbon aid was, by modern standards, a cumbersome device, with separate external microphone, battery pack, and earphone, but it did provide some slight relief to mildly hearing -impaired persons, and its superiority to the hearing trumpet was undeniable. It was also relatively cheap, a factor that kept it on the market until the late 1940s, long after more advanced technology was widely available. Shortly after the carbon aid appeared-in 1906, in fact-Lee De - 40 that bilateral aids provided no performance advantage over monau- ral. Current studies have come up with sharply different results in both areas, and a couple of reasons may be given for the discrepancies. The cues by which persons localize are better understood today than in the '40s so more appropriate tests can be devised. Also, modern researchers are able to evaluate an aid's real response at the eardrum-not just its acoustic output in free air. At any rate, during the '40s and '50s, most audiologists accepted as valid the fincings of the Harvard and government research. The general acceptance of the findings of the Harvard and Veter- ans Administration researchers can certainly be explained by the pres- tige of the bodies sponsoring the research. But the lack of any vigor- ous dissent is still somewhat puz- Prewar electronic aids were ex- Even without tubes or transistors, zling because by this time hearing pensive, and in the depression -rid- the amplification of carbon - aid manufacturers, as well as dis- den '30s they did not sell in large pensing audiologists, were well microphone aids, and their tight numbers. Indeed, prior to World aware that hearing loss is nearly coupling to the ear, War II most electronic hearing aids always frequency dependent and produced were essentially experi- effectively increased average sound that recruitment poses a serious mental and appeared in small pilot pressure at the ear by anywhere problem for a good portion of the in runs. But the aftermath of World from to to 50 dB. hearing impaired. In fact, both com- War II, the electronic hearing -aid pression and equalization were of- industry exploded. fered in a few hearing aids of the During the war years, the U.S. early '50s in spite of a lack of solid military-perhaps inevitably- research to support such mea- evinced little concern for protecting sures, and in spite of the extreme the hearing of its troops, and thou- difficulty in executing the signal pro- sands of young men returned from cessing circuitry with vacuum tubes the war with premature hearing contained in a cabinet the size of a losses from the effects of explo- deck of cards. sions and aircraft engine noise. Vet- The fullest development of signal erans' benefits provided these men PARALLEL processing lay in the future, how- with the means of paying for the still ever, and before hearing aids could expensive electronic aids, and the ,,., incorporate the hundreds of electri- Veterans Administration undertook VI cal components necessary to exe- an extensive research program on cute sophisticated signal process- hearing loss and the means of treat- ing. the transition from vacuum ing it. The tube -amplified body aid tubes to transistors would have to came into its own. occur. Interestingly, this transition World War II itself had given tre- O would take place within the hearing mendous stimulus to vaccum tube aid industry almost as soon as pro- technology, and a number of ultra - duction transistors were available. miniature tubes had been devel- Indeed it occurred before transis- oped that proved godsends to the tors were used to any extent in com- hearing -aid industry. (It is no acci- puters, and also long before they dent that in the aftermath of the war appeared in consumer audio corn- both high fidelity and musical instru- porents. The first hybrid transistor ment amplifiers developed rapidly hearing aid appeared in 1952, and as well.) But the effects of war -relat- the first fully transistorized unit fol- ed hearing research were equally 1 lowed a year later. By the mid -'50s important to the development of the tubes were passé. The heat, size, hearing aid, and they were to some and inefficiency of tubes were sim- extent detrimental. ply unacceptable in the hearing aid Early research studies published field. The attraction of transistors by the Veterans Administration and UUVERS was irresistable, not only by virtue of Harvard University stated that linear their greater efficiency, but be- amplification was preferable to cause they were much smaller and compensatory equalization, and were much less conspicuous.

AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 41 For a period of about 20 years may in fact approach 80% efficien- from the early '50s, when transistors cy.) Electret transducers are gener- first appeared, to the early '70s, the ally conceded to offer slightly better hearing aid manufacturers concen- fidelity, but their low efficiency has trated their energies on reducing ruled out their use in practical con- the size of the physical plant, and sumer products. secondarily on improving transduc- Microphones in modern high per- ers. Signal processing was general- formance hearing aids are almost ly given short shrift. invariably of the electret type and The very first transistors were rel- have been since the late -'60s. In atively bulky components with pins some cases, the capsules are of the and sockets like miniature vacuum same type used in music recording. tubes, and their primary appeal was Most authorities on hearing aid de- on the basis of their higher efficien- sign feel that current microphones cy, not their size. But by the late are very highly developed, and that '50s, when the first integrated solid- HEARING IMPAIRMENT IS ONE SEGMENT OF extreme improvements in perfor- state circuits were developed, hear- AUDIO THAT MOST OF US INVOLVED IN mance are unlikely in the foresee- ing aid manufacturers could begin able future. MUSIC REPRODUCTION FORGET ABOUT. FOR to contemplate an inconspicuous Hearing aid amplifiers, for the substitute for the traditional body US IT IS UNTHINKABLE. most part, are of the same general aid. design as those used in high-fidelity The miniaturization of hearing air applications. Several stages of volt- circuitry was a gradual process, age amplification are used, fol- and the first ICs did not permit the lowed by a power -output stage that production of hearing aids that runs in AB mode. Class A hearing - could be concealed in the ear canal aid amplifiers have been made, but as has been achieved in some pre- low efficiency has militated against sent-day designs. The first nonbody their general adoption. Experiments aids instead took the form of eye- have also been conducted with glass hearing aids with the circuitry floating power -supply rails and and microphone concealed in the Class D operation, both proven frame of a pair of false eyeglasses techniques for improving efficiency and an earphone extending from over AB operation. Etymotic Re- one of the arms. Later, behind -the - search's new K -Amp chip, manu- ear aids appeared with the circuitry factured by Knowles, uses a Class contained within a molded enclo- D power amplifier. sure that fit directly in back of the external ear. Still later, in -the -ear Signal Processing: The Focus of aids were developed that put every- Current Research thing within an earmold fitting into Hearing aids, like high-fidelity the opening of the ear canal. In -the - systems for the home, are ultimately ear -canal aids, the last to appear, assemblages of components. represent the ultimate in miniatur- Transducers are bought from one ization and concealment. manufacturer, amplifiers from an- As a matter of interest, in -the -ear other, signal processing circuits aids are the dominant type at pre- from still another. The parts are then sent. The more recent in -the -canal assembled by the company whose aids push miniaturization to the lim- brand name the final product bears. its of present technology and suffer A few companies supply the raw from a tendency to feedback which components used in hearing aids, miniaturization alone cannot solve. but many companies compete in the In the meantime, as transistors market. Not surprisingly, a similar lev- and ICs got smaller, transducers el of performance tends to be en- and amplifiers improved at a steady countered at specific price points. pace. Nevertheless, the hearing aid As we have seen, early hearing field is competitive, and most of the aids used carbon transducers, but competition and innovative re- these were later replaced by elec- search among manufacturers tends tromagnetic devices. By the early - to center on signal processing cir- '50s, the balanced armature type cuits. This, as we have seen, is earphone had become the industry where digitization comes into play. standard and remains so to this Generally, high-performance day. Modern balanced armature hearing aids, however complex transducers have a frequency their circuitry may be, use only five range of roughly 50 Hz to 10 kHz, kinds of signal processing-vari- while greatly exceeding the efficien- able gain, equalization, compres- cy of the moving -coil transducers sion, limiting, and steady-state used in consumer headphones. noise reduction. Since only the last (Balanced armature driver elements involves what might be termed intel- 42 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 The Basics of Hearing Aid Hardware

At the most fundamental level, modern hearing aids patients with deformities of the outer ear or severe ear may be regarded as miniaturized public address sys- canal drainage problems. tems (perhaps "private address system" would be an apt Cochlear implants are surgically implanted devices term). With the singular exception of the cochlear implant that do not amplify sound at the eardrum but function aid, all hearing aids consist of the following: A micro- almost as surrogate ears. Electrical impulses generated phone to pick up the sounds in the listener's environment in the device stimulate the auditory nerves directly, by- and convert them into electrical impulses, an electronic passing the organs of the middle and inner ear. Cochlear amplifier, and a loudspeaker. An internal battery is in- implants are only recommended for patients with pro- cluded to power the unit. found hearing loss verging on total deafness and must Except in the case of the bone conduction type (see be regarded as palliatives at best. The device itself was below), a custom-made earpiece seats the loudspeaker developed by 3M, which still controls the market for in the ear canal. In most modern aids, the earpiece holds cochlear implants. the amplifier and microphone in addition to the loud- Most present-day hearing aids are compact units with all speaker. If the earpiece (containing all of the hearing aid components contained within the earpiece. Less common components) extends into the external structure of the are behind -the -ear aids wnere the electrical circuitry is ear, the aid is called an in -the -ear aid, while if the ear- placed in a curved module ocated directly behind the ear, piece is contained entirely within the ear canal, it is an in - while the microphone and receiver reside in the earpiece. the -ear -canal aid. A variant on this approach is the eyeglass aid where the In hearing aid nomenclature, the loudspeaker is re- electronics are placed in the frame of a pair of false ferred to as a receiver, or, more rarely, as an earphone. A eyeglasses (this type has practically disappeared from the couple of types of hearing aids do not use receivers in market). The oldest and least popular form of hearing aid the usual sense. Bone conduction hearing aids use a today is the body aid where electronics occupy a small box special type of transducer to excite vibrations in the skull worn against the body. Prcgress in chip design has ren- behind the ear. Bone conduction aids exhibit poor fre- dered the body aid almost obsolete with the one significant quency response and fidelity, and are only used with exception discussed in the text.

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OUTER EAR MIDDLE EAR INNER EAR ligent circuitry, the question arises can be changed with a few key as to why digitization would be strokes. deemed necessary or desirable, especially inasmuch as DSP circuit- Signal Processing Strategies ry requires more power to operate Compensatory equalization, a than analog signal processing elec- component of every digitally pro- tronics. grammable system in use today, In fact, to have only one hearing aid on EARLY ELECTRONIC AIDS WERE NOT appears been the first sig- the market, the Nicolet Phoenix, ac- nal processing technique applied to tually converts the main signal into a REALLY PORTABLE. THE AMPLIFYING hearing aids. Shelving filters limiting digital code. Several other high-per- CIRCUITRY ALONE OCCUPIED A BOX THE gain in the lowest frequencies have formance aids are of the hybrid been available since the late '40s. OF A TABLE RADIO. type, however, using digital circuits SIZE Later, simple, broadband tone con- to exercise control functions on the trols appeared, and these still char- analog signal. These include the acterize most aids today. But the Audiotone/Miracle Ear Dolphin Sys- manufacturers of programmable, tem, the Ensoniq Sound Selector, digitally controlled aids generally the Maico/Bernaphon PHOX (Pro- offer considerably more flexibility. grammable Hearing Operating Sys- The most sophisticated hearing tem), the Resound Personal Hear- aid equalizer in the industry is curing System, the 3M Memory Mate, rently offered by Ensoniq, a compa- and the Widex Quattro. The filters ny until now active chiefly in the that perform the signal processing musical instrument field. Ensoniq's in these devices are purely analog, equalizer allows remote calibrations but the circuits that vary the filter from a diagnostic computer. The parameters are digital. equalizer has thirteen bands, with There are several reasons behind third -octave equalization in all but the move toward digital control cir- the two lowest bands where whole - cuits. The first is a matter of sheer octave equalization is provided. physical space. The chief benefit in The equalizer developed by En- offering a hearing aid with highly soniq is the product of an extensive flexible signal processing is the research program and reflects the achievement of better individual company's position that precise physical fitting. Such flexibility in equalization is the key to restoring turn entails a multitude of controls. hearing losses prosthetically. Ac- There's simply nowhere to put a cording to Christine Christy, an au- multitude of controls on a modern diologist employed by the compa- hearing aid, and so the program- The tube -amplified aids of the ny, Ensoniq's own research has of the hearing aid necessarily demonstrated that with ming 19405 (left) quickly gave way in correct has to be done remotely, and al- equalization little further signal pro- most certainly by digital means. the 'Sos to more compact, cessing such as compression and A second reason for digitizing transistorized models (right). noise reduction is necessary, al - control functions is to tie them in with the diagnostic process. Most hearing aid manufacturers touting sophisticated signal processing ad- vocate the use of combined testing and fitting programs run on a personal computer. The program inter- prets patient response and pre- scribes compensatory adjustments on the aid itself. Digital control circuitry within the aid can interface easily with the diagnostic computer. Futhermore, digital control circuits commonly exceed the precision of analog trimmers, enabling the dispenser and the patient to calibrate the aid very accurately. Finally, the programmable aid makes refitting very easy. Most analog aids have a very limited range of tone controls, and the basic equalization curve is set at the factory per the dispenser's recommendations. If the setting proves problematic, the aid must be sent back to the factory. On the other hand, a programmable's equalization setting

44 though the Ensoniq aid does in- with vacuum tubes, an integrated clude single -band 2:1 compression. circuit is an altogether more practi- Ensoniq further claims that its hear- cal proposition. High dynamic ing aids can be made virtually range compressors with 2:1 com- transparent to persons with normal pression ratios were introduced to hearing, a claim also put forth by the hearing aid industry in the late Etymotic Research, a company with Hearing Loss '60s by an engineer named Hyman a very different philosophy of signal Goldberg. Such compressors, processing. and Hearing Aids termed AGCs (automatic gain con- No manufacturer of programma- trols) in industry parlance, began to bles places total reliance on equal- Hearing impairment arises from a multi- become commonplace in hearing ization, nevertheless all program- tude of causes, but generally impairments aids in the '70s. mables currently on the market do can be placed within two broad groupings- The ubiquity of AGC in modern afford the user some degree of fre- conductive losses and sensorineural losses. hearing aids is testimony to its ef- quency shaping. Typically, only The former are mechanical in nature and fectiveness, but many users com- broadband equalization is used, include deformities of the outer ear and the plain of unnatural effects from the but corner frequency of the bands ear canal, traumas to the eardrum, tissue circuit's operation. Automatic gain is generally adjustable, and, in growth between the inner and outer ear, ab- control circuits are typically broad- some cases, slope. Most of the pro- normalities of the bones of the ear, and fluid band in their operation, and thus grammables also have a single nar- and wax in the ear. Many types of conductive they compress dynamic range in row preset filter to cope with the ear loss are treatable and are at least partially the lower frequencies where the aid canal's natural resonance which oc- reversible. may provide little or no gain. Ac- at roughly 3 kHz. curs Sensorineural losses, on the other hand, cording to Edgar Villchur, another Compression and limiting are are usually permanent and irreversible. problem with single band compres- also very commonly used signal is These most commonly involve breakages in sors that they're prone to locking processing techniques among the the cilia, the tuned hair cells of the inner ear up in the presence of a high -intensi- programmables. These processes that trigger nerve impulses in response to ty level at a single frequency. Keith allow compensatory amplification Wilson notes further sound -induced movements in the fluid of the of 3M a defect: while not a abso- exceeding certain inner ear. Such breakages are generally the Vowels tend to be compressed lute sound pressure level, thus tai- result of progressive noise trauma, and over more than consonants, and due to loring the signal to the dynamic limi- release a lifetime the loss in hearing acuity can be the slow characteristics of tations of the recruitment sufferer. considerable. the compressor the vowels can Recall that recruitment a rise entails Generally, victims of sensorineural losses swamp the voiced consonant in the individual's threshold for intel- are considered to be better candidates for sounds. Compressions also tend to ligibility with no corresponding rise hearing aids than those persons suffering do little to improve speech intelligi- in the threshold of discomfort. Com- from conductive losses, because the malfor- bility or to mitigate the effects of pressing the sound to fit within the mations or lesions in the outer ear, often background noise. narrow window of comfort and intel- present in conductive losses, preclude the Recently, two companies, both of ligibility is the obvious answer. programma- fitting of an earpiece. In contrast, sensorineu- them manufacturers of The need for compression was ral losses are beyond the scope of even the ble aids, have introduced aids with seen as as the early '30s, but the most advanced microsurgery, but they do dual band compression in an effort circuitry for accomplishing it in a not in themselves involve any abnormalities to overcome some of the limitations relatively unobtrusive manner was of outer ear that would preclude aids. of wideband compression. Dual extremely bulky. Very few of the Diagnosing hearing disorders and fitting band compression provides for two vacuum tube aids of the early '50s the hearing impaired with selective amplifi- separate compressor circuits, the used true compression. Most relied cation are extremely involved and cannot be more powerful of which is intended instead on the crude limiting provid- for described in even the sketchiest fashion the upper frequencies where reed by the amplifier to designing here, however one rather common miscon- cruitment is ordinarily manifested have no headroom. A true compres- ception can be dispelled. Correctly fitted more strongly. sor reduces gain above a certain The two hearing aids do not match every decibel of companies currently of- threshold level and does so only hearing loss with one of gain. For slight to fering dual band compression are when the threshold is exceeded for moderate losses the general rule is to Resound and 3M. (3M combines a predetermined certain duration. counter the losses with one-third gain, while dual band compression with highly To avoid unnatural pumping and for the most severe losses, the gain ratio may flexible equalization.) A third com- breathing effects, most compres- pany, Etymotic Research, has de- be increased to two thirds. -D. S. sors are provided with release times signed a chip that combines single that are considerably longer than band compression with level -de- the attack times. The distinction be- pendent high -frequency boost, tween compressors and limiters has which is said to provide the same become rather hazy, but according benefits as true dual band com- to Mead Killion, president of Etymo- pression. tic Research, any device with more The idea of dual band compres- than a 4:1 ratio should be consid- sion itself is not new. Bell Labs and ered a limiter rather than a com- Edgar Villchur, the holder of numer- pressor-at least in the context of ous patents relating to high fidelity, the hearing aid industry. did basic research on multi -band A compressor is a rather sophisti- compression in the '70s, but the cir- cated device, and while the circuitry cuitry of the period did not permit can be, and has been, executed practical implementations. Modern

AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 45 chip technology does. Both Villchur, noise threshold, the audio signal is who has consulted for Resound, not processed. and Killion feel strongly that appro- Because it identifies noise by priate compression rather than flexi- means of relatively long-term fluctu- ble equalization is the key to effect- ations in signal level, the Zeta Noise ing broad -gauge improvements in Blocker is ineffective in suppressing hearing aid performance. Villchur (in impulsive noise. On the other hand, a phone interview with the author) it can separate direct speech from opined that dual band compression background conversation because also ameliorated the "cafeteria ef- PARALLEL the latter tends to exhibit less ampli- fect" where the hearing impaired tude variation, though because the have difficulty following a single two occupy the same frequency conversation in the presence of bands, the Beta Noise Blocker can- background noise. not remove background speech.en- "People with hearing loss simply tirely without interfering with direct receive fewer cues than the rest of speech. us for distinguishing conversation The Zeta Noise Blocker, while from background noise," says Vill- unique in its approach, is not the chur. "Multi -band compression only digital noise suppression sys- helps restore those missing cues." V tem. The Nicolet Phoenix, the But not all researchers agree. In- world's only fully digital aid, also tellitech attacks the background includes a circuit for suppressing noise problem more directly with a background noise. circuit known as the Zeta Noise Blocker. Intellitech is not a hearing o 11 The Environmental. Approach aid manufacturer per se but a small The primary purpose of program- engineering and research company mability is to improve individual fit- that sells .the Zeta Noise Blocker ting, but digitization brings another chip to other manufacturers. The significant benefit as well, namely Zeta Noise Blocker is a hybrid de- the ability to store in memory more vice. It utilizes analog circuitry ex- than one tuning. Several of the pro- clusively in the signal path, but the UNIVERSES grammables, including the Re- monitoring and control circuits are sound Personal Hearing System, digital and the processes per- the Widex Quattro, the 3M Memory formed by them may be rightly Mate, and the Nicolet Phoenix, have termed digital pattern analysis. this capability. The Nicolet Phoenix Although the Zeta Noise Blocker goes furthest in this regard in that it is probably the most sophisticated is provided with three memories signal processor used in a hearing storing diagnostically determined aid to date, its actual mode of oper- With. ICs, entire aids could be equalization, noise reduction, and ation is fairly straightforward. The built into eyeglass frames or hooked gain settings for different environ- a device consists of group of inter- behind the ear. This placed the ments. The user, by taking advan- related circuits. In aggregate these tage of the body -worn control mod- microphones near the user's ears, circuits distinguish background ule, can change settings at the where head diffraction head noise from conversation and re- and push of a button. move noise from the audio signal. motion could provide binaural Such flexibility is impressive, but In its first stage the Zeta Noise listening cues. hearing aid engineers are looking Blocker divides the signal into a number of frequency bands and then scans the signal content within each band for abrupt changes of amplitude. Typically, speech direct- ed at the listener will exhibit rapid variations in amplitude whereas background noise, including background conversation, will show a more gradual variation in level, and will tend to approach a steady-state condition. The Zeta Noise Blocker identifies the signal content whose envelope appears to represent noise and attenuates the signal level in the frequency bands where noise is apparent. A variable corner frequency is provided for each band to tailor response more effectively. The Blocker monitors the in- coming signal continuously, and in the absence of a predetermined 46 high costs of the diagnostic equipment that must be used with them and because of the lack of compatibility between brands. The dispenser who sells a programmable must purchase the unique computerized test equipment and interfaces required for each brand. This effectively restricts him to a single programmable model which puts him at considerable risk if the manufacturer decides to abandon the programmable market. Some solutions to the last problem may be at hand, however. In Europe, a number of hearing aid manufacturers including Siemens, Philips, Hansaton, Phonak, and Rexton have formed a consortium to beyond predetermined to develop a mutually settings The latest chip technologies allow compatible pro- an adaptive digital hearing aid with gramming system to be known as microphones and be enough on -board software to be electronics to the PMC (programmable multi- able to analyze the environmental mounted in the ear, so spectral - channel system). The PMC is not noise characteristics and recalibrate directional cuts from the wearer's intended to be truly universal but the aid from moment to moment to pinna and concha are included in will only operate with systems de- maximize speech intelligibility. veloped according to PMC stan- Con- the amplified sound. siderable progress in both chip de- dards by participating companies. sign and psychoacoustics will have Gennum, a Canadian company to take place before hearing aids of which is a leading supplier of hear- such sophistication can even be ing aid ICs, is currently at work on a made in prototype but the benefits universal "learning" external proof such technology, if it can be per- grammer that can be used with any fected, could be inestimable. digital aid, and this promises to provide the ultimate solution to the Programmable Prospects compatibility problem. Some industry analysts, such as The gradual implementation of in- William J. Mahon, Editor of The dustry standards in programmabili- Hearing Journal, suggest that pro- ty will undoubtedly give more dis- grammable aids will become the WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, RAPID pensers the confidence to offer norm sometime in the early '90s, but such aids to their patients. At that ADVANCES IN HEARING AID RESEARCH AS so far market acceptance has been point the competing theories as to limited. WELL AS ENGINEERING SHOULD BE optimal equalization, compression, Part of the problem is high price. ACHIEVED. and gain characteristics will be test- The programmables represent new ed in the marketplace. Academic technology and embody a great studies will begin to supplement deal of proprietary research. The 111111"7,.. - proprietary research, and eventual- companies who have developed ly one theory will prevail leaving one programmables obviously have to or two companies to dominate the charge more to recoup initial devel- digital aid market. Undoubtedly the opment costs. hearing -impaired consumer will Another problem has been size. benefit, because the programmable All of the first generation instru- airs do indeed offer a level of signal ments excepting the PHOX were processing and individual tailoring behind -the -ear only. The Phoenix, that isn't possible with the estab- the only fully digital unit, also uti- lished all -analog technology. lized a body -worn cable -connected Unfortunately, as in other areas of control module. Most of the newer audio, electronics engineering out- programmable aids will be in -the - runs understanding of the way that ear types while Starkey, a leading human beings process signals with hearing aid manufacturer, is devel- the ear/brain, and the execution of oping a programmable in -the -canal solutions is often clearer than the hearing aid. identification of the problems. The But customer resistance to size next five years should signal very and pricing aren't the only factors in rapid advances in the hearing re- limiting programmable acceptance, search as well as engineering, and nor do they appear to be the most perhaps by the mid -'90s the "high- important. Dispensers themselves fidelity hearing aid" presumptuously are in many cases reluctant to stock advertised by a number of current programmables because of the manufacturers will actually exist. Gl AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 47 THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

Avery Fisher The Gift Of Music

Do we credit coincidence or some of achievements had lengthened considera- the music world. Music, he has stated, is the celestial casting agent with the bly. wellspring, the sine qua non of high-fidelity fact that Avery Fisher could play In 1973, Fisher donated more than a third hardware; without music, Avery Fisher once himself on stage? The urbane, handsome hi- of the pretax proceeds from that sale to New remarked to me, everything he had manufac- fi patriarch and patron of the arts is the very York City's Lincoln Center for the Per- tured over the years would be piled up in image of distinction. forming Arts, which in return renamed its basements. In the October 1946 Fortune magazine, a major concert hall in his honor. The grant, Avery Robert Fisher was born in Manhat- lengthy article explored the hobbyist phe- about $12 million, was unusually sophisticat- tan, New York, on March 4, 906, just three nomenon called high fidelity in great detail. years after his parents had emigrated from It was the first time many Americans so the Russian city of Kiev. Educated at the much as heard the term, and the piece thrust city's public schools and New York Univer- Fisher, the only manufacturer to earn rave sity, he grew up in a musical household only reviews, into the spotlight. Products from Fisher justifies his grant blocks from the upper East Side apartment the era's major console makers comprised a where he now resides. His father, Charles, in the comparatively tuneless chorus, but the two to Lincoln Center collected early cylinder recordings, and all radio -phonographs built by Fisher R dio simplest of terms: He was six Fisher children were given the chance to were virtuoso performers. "Best of the post- learn instruments. Young Avery's choice was war radio combinations in price and perfor- merely giving something the violin, and the boy was instilled with a writer unequivo- profound love of chamber music that has mance," the Fortune stated back to the music world. cally. remained an important part of his life to this The idea of incorporating high-perfor- day. mance components in a commercially avail- The conversation that follows took place able console was just the first of many in the apartment the Fishers have occupied remarkably astute moves from this grounded: A portion was set aside for housekeep- for more than 3o years, in the living room breaking manufacturer. Combining preamp, ing, necessary if mundane, and other monies where equipment destined to carry his name amp, and tuner on a single chassis to create are held in trust for the benefit of deserving once underwent listening tests. With a 7'4" the first hi-fi receiver (an innovation as young performers, 48 of whom have since Bbsendorfer grand piano standing near one important in our field as the sandwich been award recipients. wall and a library of string quartet literature proved to food) ranks as another. By the Fisher justifies that extremely generous shelved against another, it was an ideal set- time Fisher sold his company to Emerson grant in the simplest of terms; he was, he has ting to discuss a hi -ti legend's long and

Electric Co. for $3 i million in 1969, the list explained, merely giving something back to passionate involvement with music. D.L.

DAVID LANDER

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PHOTOGRAPH: KEVIN KNIGHT Winners of Avery Fisher But you loan it out to performers?

I loan it out for special occasions. Not Artist Awards celebrate for long term because it becomes a the loth anniversary of cruelty. They fall in love with it, and the program as well as then at some point you have to take it not going to Fisher's Both birthday back because you're make them a gift of it. in March '82. Mr. Fisher No. An instrument like that is incredibly is seated with Richard 'I \ valuable today. Stoltzman; also present I bought it at an auction in London 12 years ago for $60,000, and it was re- were, from left, Emanuel cently reappraised for $500,000. Ax, Lynn Harrell, That's what's happened, and that, in a Horacio Gutiérrez, sense, tells you the tragedy of being a string instrument player on his way up Richard Goode, Murray who hasn't got the funds to get the Perahia, Elmar Oliveira best possible instrument to pursue his and Yo -Yo Ma. profession. It's a terrible situation. These youngsters sign away their income for the next 15 or 20 years just to be able to own a good instrument. You've helped a number of young performers, and I want to get back to that subject. First, I'd like to ask you about What did your father do for a living? outstanding professional musicians the early days of hi-fi. One of the origi- My father was in the clothing business. are very good friends of ours, and they nal breeding grounds for the species He had a store-not too far from here, love to play in this room. We don't have was the collection of radio parts stores as a matter of fact-for many years. It a mob scene. We just have the musi- on Cortlandt Street in downtown Man- became very well known. He was a cians and a few friends-their friends, hattan. You have a favorite Cortlandt linguist-he could speak German, ours-and a nice meal afterwards. Street story about a radio you bought

Russian, English, and French, so new Anything they want to play, I can pull it there for your parents. Do you recall arrivals who had difficulty with the En- off the shelves if we have it here. We how old you were at that time? glish language enjoyed coming there. have a very fine piano here. So that's a Oh, I guess I was in my late 20s. Cort- They could always make themselves very enriching experience for me. landt Street was known as Swindle understood. Do you still play? Street, as you know. I went down to

You've mentioned his avid interest in No, I don't play anymore. My wife will Cortlandt Street, and they had two d.c. music and record collecting. Was he tell you, if you ask her, that I stopped models, six tube and eight tube, and I also a musician? playing in response to popular de- erroneously thought the extra tubes

He didn't play an instrument himself, mand. [laughter] A string instrument is meant extra quality of some sort. So I but he saw to it that every one of his something you've got to keep at every bought the one with the eight tubes children-there were six of us-was day, at least a half-hour of exercises, and gave it to mom and dad. They given an opportunity to learn to play. scales or whatever, or you lose it fast. were living in an apartment with direct

All the rest were pianists; I was the only No, I haven't played for some years. current; they didn't have a.c. Several one who studied violin, which in later I'm the librarian now. years later, that neighborhood was re- years I realized was a very nice thing I remember running into you at Lincoln wired for a.c., and I took their radio because that gave me access to string Center-perhaps 10 years ago-after down to the service department of La- quartet playing. For many years my [violinist] Ani Kavafian gave her Fisher - fayette Radio, which had those facili- wife and I had chamber music in our award -winning performance. I went to ties, to be rewired for a.c. The man at home every Friday night. That, I would the Green Room with a few friends to the counter took the thing apart and say, is the single most significant musi- say hello to her, and you were stand- took a look and then said, "I'd like to cal experience for me, that exposure to ing outside holding a violin case in show you something." Those two extra chamber music. I have a pretty com- your hand. tubes were not even in a circuit; all prehensive chamber music library It may have been the Strad that I they did was light up. My other favorite right up on those shelves. At the time I loaned her. comment on Cortlandt Street: There started playing it in my apartment, if You own a Stradivarius. Do you own was a place that sold used tubes, and you'd mention the phrase "chamber other instruments as well? a slogan in the window said, "Our music" people would ask, "What is No, just that one. It's enough for me. tubes are guaranteed for life." In other that?" It was a foreign language to How old is the violin? What's its prove- words, the minute they failed, that was them, but for me it's a gold mine. nance? the end of the guarantee. [laughter] There's no bottom to this mine. You It's from 1692. It was owned by one of You never studied engineering, though keep digging for as many years as you the prominent female violinists in En- I believe your brothers did. Like so want to, and there's always something gland. It was in her family for 75 years, many of those instrumental in making new or the rediscovery of something. which means it wasn't knocked arourd hi-fi a business, you started out as a We're very fortunate that a number of on tour and is in excellent condition. hobbyist.

50 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Avery Fisher

Yes, my two oldest brothers were engi- cy used to charge them $100 to design this is out of 40,000 titles-and Ed a neers, mechanical engineer and a [promotional] brochure. I used to turn Dodd never let me put my name in a chemical engineer. They were in no out two or three of those a week, and I book for credit as the designer. Now way an influence on my activity. I rep- still was getting only $18 or S20. this is a long answer to your simple resented the meticulous hobbyist who In 1937, I noticed that the advertis- question, what got me into hi-fi. It was wanted to get the best possible results. ing department of Dodd, Mead was an act of desperation-and also of I started delving into [audio] when buying their photo engravings from loye, because I really enjoyed hearing sound movies came along. Theaters in one source and their book manufac- good equipment. the early days of sound movies were turing department was buying from Where was Philharmonic Radio playing the sound off a 16 -inch disc another. If they combined both those based? synchronized with the film in the pro- purchases and bought from one 54 West 21st Street. I shared a loft that jection booth. Of course, the movie source, their quantity discount would had an area of about 750 square feet. theaters had terrible problems with lip save them just under $10,000 a year. I Half was a showroom and the other synchronization. Then along came went to my superior, Ed Dodd, and told half was the production area. In those Western Electric with their system, him about it. He said, "That's a great days we were assembling a tuned ra- called Mirraphonic, which recorded idea, Fisher." He never called me by dio -frequency receiver, and the object the sound track on one edge of the my first name-always by my last, you was to get the best possible reproduc- film. [The theaters] went into the West- know, like a deckhand. He said, "I tion of the local stations and best pos- ern Electric systems, and they got rid think I'll do something about it." And sible reproduction of recordings. We of their amplifiers, which were called they did. And I said, "By the way, I'd were not interested in short wave, was Photophones-that the RCA sys- be very grateful if I could have a five which was a sort of national craze at tem. I used to pick those up for a song dollar raise." He could have said, the time. Consumer's Union ran a re- from the theaters. To them it was junk, "Well, not right now." But instead he port on what we were doing, and that but they were very good amplifiers. I said, "Well, no. We probably could get was the first big boost we had in be- think they had a type 50 audio tube some young Yale boy in here to do coming known. that was the size of a pint milk bottle. I your work for less than we're paying What did Philharmonic Radio do dur-

used those to build up phonographs, you." That day, I said to myself, "I've ing the war? and they were pretty good. I started got to get out of here one way or anoth- During the war, we were working on

really as a hobbyist. When I had to get er," and I started putting [radio-phono- subcontracts for the Navy. We were

design work done, I had it done by

electronic engineers, but I was the guy who stated the features that were want- Í ed by the public I thought was out there-the convenience features and the performance features. When and why did you decide to make There's no greater pleasure hi-fi your profession? Prior to starting than hearing chamber music your first company, Philharmonic Ra- dio, you had been a book designer. in your own living room. That's how I started to make a living when I got out of college. I worked with There's an intimacy about a publishing house, Dodd, Mead and

Company-to whom I owe everything it that can't be matched. when you get right down to it. I worked at Dodd, Mead and Company for the single most cruel person I have ever met in my lifetime-and I'm not exag- 77. gerating. This man was only a year older than I. He the was boss's son, graph] sets together for friends. I was turning out IFF equipment, which is

I and think he sensed my apprehen- moonlighting, and I did that for a num- Identification, Friend or Foe. It was a sion about having a job at all. I went to ber of years before I was in a position transponder, so you could tell whether work there in 1933, having been in the to get out and really spend full time on an aircraft was one of ours or one of advertising agency that handled their this. By 1943, I'd built up my company, theirs. You'd send out a beam, and you account before that. That agency Philharmonic Radio, to the point where had to get a signal reply back. We also closed when the banks closed in 1933, I could draw enough money from it to designed the first instrument landing and I was work out of for about six earn a living. By that time I had a wife system used at LaGuardia Airport for

In I months. the fall of that year, went to and child. So I owe them [Dodd, the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Mead if Dodd, asking they could use Mead] everything. Because I really Washington. In 1943, we didn't have my services, and they hired me for $18 loved my work as a book designer, enough money to finance the contract a After week. about six months, per- and I turned out some very fine stuff, work we were able to get, so the com- haps out of guilt or something, they which won prizes. One of the books I pany was sold to American Typefound- gave me a two dollar raise. I was doing turned out was called Grassroot Jun- ers, who needed an electronic division. the same work that I was there doing gles, which became one of the 50 best I stayed on 'til the end of the war, at for them at the agency, and the agen- books of the year for graphic design- which time [1945] I resigned and start -

AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 51 Avery Fisher

ed Fisher Radio. After the war, a lot of Didn't you in fact take calls from con- Oh, yes. My favorite, of course, was GIs came back with some electronic sumers up until the time you sold your Jack Kennedy. We not only set up hi-fi exposure, and they were part of our company? equipment in the private quarters of clientele. We also got a writeup in For- Oh, sure. As long as I was in my com- the President in the White House,

tune magazine in October, 1946. That pany, I was accessible to anybody. which he used all the time, but we put article was the watershed for our com- You also had a retail store for a while. together a radio -phonograph in seg- pany internationally. We started getting We had a little store at 41 East 47th ments that fit into aluminum cases that orders-it was amazing who was buy- Street [opened in] September of 1945. accompanied the President on Air ing from us; it was literally a Who's Who We kept it there for a few years. At that Force One. We made a special set for of American industry, education, and time, we had no dealer distribution. If him with multi -voltage facilities so, no government, top people. And as a re- you wanted Fisher equipment, that's matter where he was, he could enjoy

sult of that, I met some really wonderful where you went. his equipment. And President Tru- people who happened to be interested When you decided to sell through oth- man-when he wanted to give a gift to in music but who also wanted very er dealers, who were they? some potentate, he would give him a good equipment to reproduce it in their Well, most of them were Capehart Fisher radio -phonograph. When the homes. Some of them became very dealers. That's where we got our basic King of Siam [now Thailand], Phumi- good friends. These are the wonderful start with dealers. Capehart was un- phol Adundet, got married, President things that happened as offshoots of able to produce a trouble -free set that Truman had the State Department my basic business, making hi-fi equip- could handle LP records. The heavy come to my little shop on 47th Street

ment. I met some marvelous human shellac records gave the machine and order a radio -phonograph to be beings. something to get a grip on, but even shipped to Thailand. They brought with Well, you were always very attentive to those [players] used to break. Then them [an inscribed] silver plate, and your customers. they had trouble with their cabinets; we were instructed to nail that to the

That's true, absolutely true. I felt that sheets of veneer would fall off. That left top of the set with silver nails so the anybody who bought something from it open for somebody to come in with a King would never forget where it came me deserved my attention-if it came high-priced radio -phonograph. The from. [laughter]

to that. I used to go to work on Satur- dealers turned to us. We were the only What did the postwar Fisher line con- days at my Long Island facility. The ones who could produce what they sist of?

place was closed, but I had the first were looking for. We had two basic models as far as receivers were concerned. We had a variety of loudspeaker arrangements- that's where we had our variety. And also tonearms. Some people wanted to go into the very expensive stuff, and we used to supply them with Western One of Fisher's customers Electric tonearms-the Model 9A- which was what the broadcast stations was Jack Kennedy. Another used. And also Western Electric turnta- was Truman, who gave a bles. That was the top of the line. There were customers for whom price was no Fisher radio -phonograph object, and we supplied them. You didn't build your own speakers in to the King of Siam. those days. No. We didn't get into making speakers until later years. For the top of the line, we used Western Electric, two of

which I have in this room. I used to enjoy impressing people by having a , line plugged into my office so I an- You once told me that a number of little table radio, which probably had a swered the phone. It was not atypical customers at your 47th Street store one or two watt output, and switching it for a customer to call up and say he paid you in cash. into these speakers. They couldn't be-

needed some service. I asked what the My favorite cash customer was a den- lieve that much sound was being gen- trouble was and wrote it down and tist who came in on a Saturday after- erated by this $10 piece of junk. said, "Somebody will call you on Mon- noon to pay for his set, and he paid me Weren't your prices so high that, in

day to set up an appointment because in cash. I didn't want to leave that cash effect, you were competing with the

there's nobody here." [And the cus- in the store over the weekend so I took television manufacturers of the day? tomer would say] "By the way, who is it home. My wife said, "What's that fun- In a sense, I guess we were. People

this? I said, "This is Mr. Fisher." And he ny smell?" I said, "From what?" She would come in, learn the price and would say, "You're kidding!" And any- said, "Coming from your drawer." It say, "Well, wait a minute. For that kind

body who called during the week and seemed the smell was camphor. The of money I can get a radio -phonograph

had a complaint got me. I never doctor had camphor balls in his cash and television." I had to point out to

ducked anybody. I felt, if they had to make sure the mice didn't eat it. them that the audio side of that com- been disappointed by somebody low- I believe your customer list also includ- prised a six-inch speaker instead of a er down, they deserved my attention. ed a couple of U.S. Presidents. 15 -inch [woofer] and high frequency

52 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 speaker, and a very small amplifier, Guitarist David Starobin perhaps three or four watts, because I, and Fisher. Starobin we were selling them 50 -watt amplifi- is ers. I had to educate the public be- the only guitarist cause of that price differential. to be honored with How did you see yourself in relation to I I a Fisher Career Grant. the major audio companies? The big companies, in my specialized I market, were at a great disadvantage. Their decisions on what models to bring out were usually created in com- mittees, and the bottom line was that division had to produce a profit. Their decisions were understandably based on what would generate the most volume, not essentially what a few hi-fi bugs would like. So that left that field

for me. And conversely, I was not in the position to turn out volume radio-pho°

nographs at a low price. I was just not set up for it. So we were both specialists in a way, they in mass-produced,

moderate -priced equipment and I in limited production and high quality. ceivers, center -of -channel and signal - high fidelity. They were important to

Did you ever consider moving down- strength meters. I took my chief engi- you and your colleagues in other ways market-lowering the quality and neer over with me. Now as far as the as well, weren't they?

cranking up the volume? speakers were concerned, I was Sure. We wanted to be in touch with It never even entered my mind be- shown through these assembly line our clientele. We learned a great deal cause I had no personal interest in it. [areas]. The first thing that struck me from them. We didn't have to send out

No model we ever turned out was even was that, here I was, a strange person a bunch of college boys with question- brought anywhere near production be- in this environment, a lot of young peo- naires to find out what we should be

fore prototypes were brought into this ple on an assembly line, and I never making. I was able to speak to the home, this room as a matter of fact, once caught them looking at me. I'm actual consumers, or potential con- and lived with for a while. That was true sure they saw me. They were all busy sumers, to find out what they liked also of loudspeakers; I always with whatever it was they were doing. about our present products and what matched prospective speaker systems One of the companies we visited was a they would like to see in our future against my Western Electrics, which meter manufacturer. My chief engineer products. And conversely, for them to were my standard. gave them samples of what we were be able to come into our rooms and A distinction I often make between art looking for-we were buying perhaps talk to the man whose name was on the and business is that the former is driv- five or ten thousand at a time-and he product meant a great deal to them. en by love and the latter money. Were gave them to the manager, who was They felt they were talking to head-

your contemporaries in the early days taking us on a tour of that facility. I quarters, and they were. I enjoyed of hi-fi more interested in the art of don't think we were there more than an meeting these people. They were not music reproduction than they were in hour and a quarter, maybe an hour only helping me make a living, but they making a lot of money? and 20 minutes. When we were saying were great people. They were interest- They were dedicated people. I'm sure goodbye, his aide came over. They ed in music, and I've found over the they wanted to make money, but their had already fabricated samples of the years that people who love music are primary motivation was to turn out a meters that we were interested in. special somehow. They're usually very quality product. There's no question That's the Japanese. decent people. I'm not saying there about it-and, where possible, I used Did you participate in the first public aren't some devils among them but, that quality product. hi-fi shows, the ones run by Harry generally speaking, the nicest people You had some Fisher products built in Reizes? I've met in my lifetime are music lovers Japan. Yes, we were in every one of them. As and musicians. They are very special.

Later on, yes. But we were not one of a matter of fact, I was one of the insti- Well, in the light of your exceptionally the first to rush over. gators of the Institute of High Fidelity generous donation to Lincoln Center, When did you first come into contact Manufacturers [a trade association la- your feelings about musicians are a with the Japanese? ter renamed Institute of High Fidelity; it matter of record. Let's talk a bit about

When I first took notice of what was has since been absorbed by the Elec- that. Why did you decide to make the

going on, I decided to go over and see tronic Industries Association]. We felt grant to that particular organization?

for myself. In the early '60s, I went to that the industry was important enough I wanted an organization that could Japan. That first trip was an eye-open- in and of itself to be able to run its own also administer the Avery Fisher Artist er for me. I was going over to buy shows. Program, and Lincoln Center had the

material-loudspeakers. We were also The early shows introduced a lot of personnel to do exactly that. I don't interested in tuning meters for our re - people to the phenomenon known as know where else I could have gone to AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 53 Avery Fisher

have that set up on a permanent basis, been told by a number of them that, Hall and Avery Fisher Hall-where the with the right people running it. That's although the money is very good and people involved are still around. It's not been one of the most enriching experi- they appreciate it, what meant even unusual for me to go to a department ences of my life, that program. more to them was the fact of being store and want to charge something; How are the monies allocated? At the chosen for this program. Now mind I'll put down my name, Avery Fisher, time you made the grant, the press you, the way it works is we have about and the clerk will look at me and say, noted that the program you set up was 120 members of a recommendation "Are you the hall?" very sophisticated in that it helps cover board that includes educators, musi- I see some LPs on your shelves. Do such unglamorous but essential things cians, managers-people in a position you have a very extensive collection of as housekeeping. to spot the talent. They send in their records? The basic endowment goes to the op- nominations to Lincoln Center, where The major part of my record collection eration and maintenance of Avery Fish- we have an executive committee, and is not here, but up in [a weekend resi-

er Hall -20 percent of that goes to the that executive committee makes the dence in] Connecticut, where I have support of the Avery Fisher Artist Pro- final choice. These musicians have facilities that are really something to

gram. That additional income means told us that the imprimatur of that corn- see. In Connecticut, I have a bass that they don't have to raise ticket mittee meant more to them by way of speaker cabinet with two 15 -inch woof- prices as much as they would have to bookings than anything we could pos- ers. These are horn -loaded, Lansing. if they didn't have the income from that sibly have done for them. Their careers And on top of that, I have two 594A endowment. That helps the New York usually took off at that point. So it's Western Electric drivers with four -inch Philharmonic, Which pays part of the become a very important endorse- voice coils. The voice coil assembly operation and maintenance of the hall. ment. Now each year, we award only and magnet weighs something like 31 And, of course, some of the money one prize, if there is somebody suitable pounds, so you can be sure there's was used to redo the hall acoustically for it. But we also award up to five plenty of gauss in there. These feed in the mid -'70s. But explain the Avery Career Grants of $10,000 each, de- into a model 26A Western Electric Fisher Artist Program. pending on eligibility of musicians. multi -cellular horn, the kind used in It operates on two levels. One is the Now they can use that $10,000 for any theaters. It's 37 inches wide and 26 Avery Fisher Prize, which carries with it purpose that furthers their careers; it inches high and has 15 cells. That's a $25,000 stipend. It goes to an estab- could be for a recital, it could be to put mounted on top of these two 15 -inch lished musician who has made an im- a deposit down on an instrument. woofers. The whole assembly stands 7 feet tall, and it fits right into a closet in

our hall, which is just ideal. I like to tell

my friends that, when I brought this

monster into the building, I first arranged with one of the local doctors to The Avery Fisher Prize of give my wife general anesthesia so she wouldn't throw me out of the house $25,000 has gone to such with the speakers. It really is amazing how far the art of musicians as Murray Perahia, music reproduction has advanced in your lifetime. Richard Goode, Lynn Harrell, Don't forget I started my career in hi-fi Emanual Ax, and Yo -Yo Ma. by being the youngest member of my family. We had a hand -crank phono-

graph. It was spring wound, and I was the one who had to crank it up after every record. You know, it only ran four minutes. If you had it all to do over again, what portant contribution to music. To give At the time your donation was an- would you change?

you an idea of who the recipients of the nounced, Lincoln Center's major con- Well, I wouldn't go to work for Ed prize have been: In 1975, [cellist] Lynn cert hall was renamed ' Avery Fisher Dodd, but that would be the only thing

Harrell and [pianist] Murray Perahia, in Hall. You've always maintained that I would change. For me it's been a very 1978, Yo -Yo Ma, cellist, 1979, Emanuel was not your idea. enriching life, not only in the area of Ax, pianist, in 1980 [pianist] Richard It was not my idea-it was mind -bog- fine reproduction equipment, which Goode, 1982, Horacio Gutiérrez, pia- gling when it happened. It was uncom- brought happiness to a lot of people,

nist, and in 1983, Elmar Oliveira, violin- fortable in the beginning. I try to think bút being able to listen to great music ist. These are the established people. of myself as a low-key person. But they by fine musicians-some of whom are

In addition to that, on another level, felt I had done enough for them to very dear friends who have honored we have the Avery Fisher Career warrant that sort of thank you. It's been this house by coming here to play. No Grant, which has a $10,000 stipend. a very amusing experience in ways, matter how great the concert, there's There have been over 40 beneficiaries you know. People who have their no greater pleasure than hearing of that. These are talented musicians names on concert halls are supposed chamber music in your own living who are ready for a major career and to be dead. But today there are two room. There's an intimacy about it that who need a break of some sort. I've concert halls in New York-Alice Tully can't be matched in a concert hall. A

54 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 - , . JL - . re i C". ' J .7 , n c 1

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applied a further refined version of this system to the Cosmos turntable. The purpose of this uncommon feature is to increase the transfer of mechanical energy from within the plastic record material to the platter surface, where it can be dissipated harmlessly and not re-enter the playback system as delayed energy. This energy, which is generated by the interaction between the stylus and the record groove, can smear and obscure subtle details in the recording. The Cosmos is a completed design. In most turntables, there is still something that can be improved; sometimes, these improvements appear in later designs. The Cosmos is different in that, given SOTA's design philosophy over the years, it seems that noth-. ing can be significantly improved. For e example, when trying to adjust the vertical tracking angle of the cartridge sty- Manufacturer's Specifications lus, the record should be down flat Speeds: 331/2 and 45 rpm. against the turntable platter. The fact is Speed Stability: 0.1%. that without the vacuum system oper- Wow and Flutter: 0.1%, DIN wtd. ating to pull it down against the platter, Rumble: Unweighted, -60 dB; the record would be sitting up on the weighted, - 75 dB. soft rubber vacuum -sealing lip around ff Dimensions: 201/4 in. W x 16 in. D the periphery of the turntable platter. x 71/2 in. H (51.4 cm x 40.6 cm x But if you turn on the power so that the . f 19.1 cm). vacuum system will operate, the turnta- f:. Weight: Turntable, approximately 60 ble will rotate, making the VTA adjust- lbs. (27.2 kg); vacuum pump, 15 lbs. ment very difficult. SOTA has the an- (6.8 kg). swer to the problem: The power cord Price: $4,000 in black matrix finish; from the power-supply/vacuum-pump $4,500 in high -gloss acrylic. box is unplugged from the turntable Company Address: 954 86th Ave., and terminated in a female DIN plug Oakland Cal. 94621 (supplied). This fools the system into For literature, circle No. 90 supplying vacuum even though the r / turntable is not rotating. These little de- "The turntable is not dead! Long live tails add up to a well thought-out total the turntable!" This seems to be what design. It is almost embarrassing to SOTA is saying with their introduction see a product like this because one of of the Cosmos turntable. In fact, the the reasons for this type of report is to Cosmos is not just a statement in favor point out failings as well as good of the turntable as a viable source of points. Here, failings were hard to find. pleasure to those of us who enjoy lis- From the standpoint of engineering tening to our record collections; it and construction the Cosmos is im- , seems to be SOTA's way of saying, pressive; the smooth, glossy, salt -and - . i "There are subtle nuances and details pepper finish, the rounded surfaces, , '. :fi on your favorite records that you the black record mat with its integral . haven't yet enjoyed; we want you to be soft rubber lip that seals the record to l a1°q'e

' , ..'.., . a able to hear them." How well they have the platter, and the small half -round , 7 is o i succeeded the subject of this report. a.c. power and speed change buttons ,,' *,', ..7e. In the June 1986 issue of Audio, I re- are unlike any I have ever seen before. --.- i ported on the SOTA Star Sapphire They are unmarked, as on previous 'l'. turntable, which featured a vacuum SOTA turntables, and have the same *.III system to hold the record firmly salt -and -pepper finish as the turntable against the turntable platter; SOTA has Continued on page 60 58 SME 309 ARM & SIGNET OC9

I 1 CARTRIDGE s w - -

Manufacturer's Specifications Tonearm Type: Tapered aluminum tube with detachable, clamped headshell. Pivot -to -Stylus Distance: 232.32 mm (9.15 in.). : Pivot -to -Spindle Distance: 215.35 . , , ,-r- Jp, mm (8.48 in.). ', Offset Angle: 23.204°. ,. /' 1. f hi Overhang: 16.98 mm. (0.67 in.). ------''- Linear Offset: 91.54 mm (3.6 in.).

I Tracking Error: 0.013°/mm max.; 0° at 63.62 mm and 119.46 mm from record center. Vertical Tracking Force: 0 to 2.5 grams, at minimum cartridge weight. Cartridge Weight Range: 6 to 17 g rams. Effective Rilass: 9.5 grams. Wiring Characteristics: Internal wiring, 15 pF/channel, 0.54 ohms/ conductor; external audio lead, 140 pFichannel, 0.15 ohms/ conductor. `i(' Weight: 717 grams (1 lb., 9.3 oz.). Price: $995. ." Company Address: c/o Sumiko, P.O. Box 5046, Berkeley, Cal. - 94705. w For literature, circle No. 91 1 Cartridge 1 Type: Moving coil. Stylus Assembly: Elliptically polished, nude, miniature diamond on I gold-plated beryllium cantilever. Tip Dimensions: 0.2 x 0.7 mil. The range of SME tonearms has ex- become the most popular and versatile Frequency Response: 15 Hz to 50 panded once again. In the June 1986 universal tonearm of all time. It was kHz.

Audio, I reported on the SME V tone - universal in that it was designed to Tracking Force: 1.25 to 1.75 grams. arm, which remains the flagship of its accept an extremely wide range of Charnel Balance: Within 1.0 dB. maker's range of tonearms. After the high -compliance, low -mass cartridges Output Level: 0.4 mV at 1 kHz. Model V reestablished SME as the pre- and bring out their best performance Recommended Load Imped- eminent maker of precision tonearms capabilities. The 309 tonearm has ance: 20 ohms. in the world, and a subsequent, cost - many features that result from the ex- Mounting: 1/ -inch centers. reduced version (the Model IV) was perience gained during the design of Weight: 7.8 grams. introduced, SME turned its attention to the Models V and IV. The 309 tonearm Price: $395. the redesign of the famous 3009 Ill is designed to appeal to a greater Company Address: 4701 Hudson tonearm. This arm had been refined range of users and to be more afford - Dr., Stow, Ohio 44224. over the years to a point where it had Continued on page 70 For literature, circle No. 92 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 59 I try hard not to be swayed by the looks of the products I test, but the SOTA Cosmos turntable makes it hard to keep one's head.

Continued from page 58

base. So, while the Cosmos is obviously related to the MEASURED previous SOTA offerings-the Sapphire and the Star Sap- DATA phire turntables-it differs in significant ways. I try very hard

not to be swayed by appearances when I evaluate prod- PARAMETER CLAIMED MEASURED COMMENT ucts, but I must admit that products that look as good as the Speed Stability 0.1%. ±0.20% Excellent SOTA Cosmos turntable make keeping one's head a bit Wow, DIN Unwtd. 0.18% Very Good difficult. Wow, DIN Wtd. 0.09% Very Good The Cosmos has a vacuum system like the Star Sap- Flutter, DIN phire's but with some added refinements. The Star Sapphire Unwtd. 0.10% Excellent vacuum system relies on a timing circuit to apply two levels Flutter, DIN Wtd. 0.04% Excellent of vacuum to the turntable platter and record interface. The W & F, Unwtd. 0.23% Very Good first is applied to purge the air line and to achieve a good W & F, DIN Wtd. 0.1% 0.13% Very Good seal between the record and the turntable platter; the sec- Long -Term Drift ±0.02% ± 0.10% Excellent ond is at a lower level, just enough to maintain the vacuum Rumble, Unwtd. -60 dB -67.6 dB Excellent seal. This allows the motor of the vacuum pump to operate Rumble, Wtd. -75 dB -87.8 dB Excellent at a much reduced level of vibration, thus lowering the noise Suspension level. Resonance 2.9 Hz Well Damped The Cosmos' vacuum system is more refined than that of the Star Sapphire turntable. It incorporates a sensor that monitors the vacuum in the line to the CURSOR 009=10CM/SEC amount of connected 1Hz 10Hz 100Hz turntable this provides a to an 009 platter; sensor signal electronic circuit which, in turn, controls the vacuum pump. The _E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES -10 first level of vacuum is high enough to cause a good seal SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE between the record and the turntable platter. As soon as the WOW AND FLUTTER SPECTRUM TO 100 Hz OdB=10CM/SEC sensor determines that a good seal has been made, the vacuum is reduced to about 2 inches of mercury. If for any 30 reason the vacuum is reduced, the sensor causes the vacuum pump to increase the vacuum and try to pull the record tightly against the platter surface. The vacuum hose and the fittings are also much better on the Cosmos turntable; the ends of the hose have solid, twist -lock connectors that mate with the fittings on the turntable and auxiliary control box. If your listening environment is extremely quiet, it is possible that you might hear the vacuum pump running, even though it produces very little vibration in its normal operating mode. Fig. 1-Wow and flutter Just in case, SOTA supplies a generous amount of vacuum hose, you to locate the box the spectrum, from 0 to 100 Hz. allowing auxiliary containing vacuum from listening Most of the output is pump away your environment. at 9.5 Hz, the tonearm/ The Cosmos is supplied with the SOTA Reflex Clamp, cartridge resonance, and which also holds the record down against the platter at the is not due directly to the center and helps to maintain the integrity of the vacuum turntable itself. seal. The Electronic Flywheel power supply, which stabilizes the rotational speed of the turntable during a.c. power -line .10% voltage fluctuations, is no longer an option as it was with the Star Sapphire but has been upgraded and combined with 0B E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE the Cosmos vacuum system in one auxiliary box. The Elec- DRIFT IN SPEED OVER 42 SECONDS .0.6 tronic Flywheel power supply for the turntable motor and the .OA power supply for the vacuum pump have separate power transformers, so the different functions are well isolated from 0z each other.

0.0 i I 'Í 1 1 Í l As mentioned previously, there are two buttons on the left, forward portion of the turntable base-one for power, the other for speed change. (The Cosmos can operate at AA either 33V3 or 45 rpm.) A knob on the rear of the turntable 0.6 allows the speed to be adjusted to obtain exact pitch for

.0.8 records that might be slightly off. The exact speed can be reset at any time by adjusting this knob while looking at the appropriate pattern on the strobe disc that comes with the Fig. 2-Speed drift over turntable. This speed -adjusting pot is a high quality Mil - 42-S period. Spec type.

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Mvi

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This is especially true in the audio field where Uni-Q: the first coincident -source drivers. everyone, from studio engineers to manufacturers and KEF Uni-Q is an engineering breakthrough: the reviewers, needs a solid benchmark for accurate sound. first truly coincident -source driver. For twenty years, the KEF Many audiophiles know that an ideal speaker Reference Series has been a standard would be a point source; unfortunately, multiple - by which all other loudspeakers driver systems often fall far short of this ideal. With have been judged. The latest bench- Neodymium -Iron -Boron, the most powerful of all mark for loudspeakers is the KEF magnetic materials, KEF has created a tweeter so Reference Series Model 105/3. small that it can be placed inside the woofers voice tji Only the KEF Uni.O driver The 105/3's draw upon coil. In effect, every Uni-Q driver is a point source. places the tweeter inside KEF's ground -breaking the woofer's voice coll. Moreover, the woofer cone acts as a wave guide for research into the interaction the tweeter and controls its dispersion. The entire of speakers and room acoustics: coupled -cavity bass frequency range arrives at the listener's ears at exactly loading for deep bass from the smallest possible the same time, producing seamless sound no matter enclosures; conjugate load matching, which uses where the listener sits. Unwanted reflections within amplifier power to its full advantage and KUBE, the room are actually reduced, and the music you KEF's proprietary bass equalizer, which produces the hear is less colored. bass of cabinets eight times as large. The four-way If you appreciate music 1O5/3's are the first Reference Series speakers to use audition the Reference 105/3's. Uni-O technology. For any audiophile system, they are "standard" equipment.

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Enter No. 19 on Reader Service Card The tonearm mounting board is a sandwich construction that dissipates unwanted energy that would otherwise blur sonic details.

-30.8 dBR the system. The heaviest combination of tonearm and tone - 3155.400 HZ CURSOR 0dB.10CM/SEC arm mounting board is the SME V and the Cosmos laminat- -40 -32 -24 -16 -8 0 HZ +8 +16 +24 +32 +40

I I I 080 4 I I I I I ed tonearm board. If you order the Cosmos with this combi- E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES nation, you will not need any additional weight because the SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE 10 SPEED STABILITY AT 33.3 RPM Cosmos tonearm board is designed to be balanced with this OdB=10CM/SEC 20 combination installed.

I tested the Cosmos turntable with the SME tonearm and 30 the Cosmos tonearm board, which is constructed as a six - layer lamination. The top layer is 0.1 inch of polished black m acrylic, followed by a1/B-inch layer of clear acrylic, a'/B-inch layer of black acrylic, a '/16-inch layer of lead, another '/B 50 inch of black acrylic, and finally, at the bottom, '/6 inch of 1 -60 aluminum. This sandwich of different materials dissipates a. great -70 deal of unwanted mechanical energy that might otherwise be reflected back to the phono stylus and blur musical 4.111 I I I -80 detail. Such blurring is a result of the delay caused by the Fig. 3-Speed stability, 3,155.4 Hz, the center of transit time of the energy from the stylus down the tonearm referenced to 3,150 -Hz the speed variation; see tube to the base and back up the tube and to the stylus. tone on B & K 2010 test text. The bottom of the tonearm board is machined out and it record. The cursor is at can be ordered for the SME type base and the Eminent Technology linear tracking tonearm. SOTA "Composite" -23.7 dBR arm boards are available for all other tonearms, many of 8.75000 112 CURSOR Od8-10CM/SEC 50 Hz 500 Hz 5 kHz which are pre -drilled. The Cosmos tonearm board has three F- Od8 countersunk mounting holes and the aluminum subchassis E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE -10 of the turntable is threaded to accept the screws that are RUMBLE SPECTRUM TO 500 Hz provided. These screws are 2'/2 inches long, which gives OdB = 1 OCM/SEC 20 some indication of the thickness of the tonearm board and subassembly. 30 The turntable base is an integral part of the system, not an afterthought. It measures 201/4 inches wide, 161/4 inches -40 deep, and 4 inches high including the three adjustable feet.

50 These feet allow you to balance the turntable while using the bubble level supplied. The bottoms of the feet are recessed -60 to allow special conical isolators, also supplied, to be inserted if you want to use them. 70 The subchassis, which is suspended by four counter - wound is a -fiber honeycomb. The rear of -80 springs, carbon the turntable base has an elongated opening (35/6 x 1'/8 Fig. 4-Rumble spectrum. inch) for a plate on which are mounted the five -pin DIN Most of the output is at power connector, the vacuum connection, the speed ad- the tonearm/cartridge justment knob, and a knurled grounding post. This ground is resonance; the rumble is connected to the main subchassis and although I did not very low above and below need to connect it to my system ground to reduce hum, I this frequency. found that it was necessary for draining the static charge that builds up when playing vinyl records. The turntable platter is not removable and is locked by The motor is a Pabst servo type specially modified by two transit screws to protect the main bearing during ship- SOTA for the Cosmos. The control electronics supplies 400 ping. These screws must be removed before you can oper- mA of current to bring the motor up to speed quickly, then

ate the turntable, but I suggest that you tape them to the switches to 30 mA for normal running. This lowers the underside of the turntable base because you should rein- vibration and allows the motor to be mounted directly to the stall them if you need to move or ship the turntable any subchassis. Because of this arrangement, the main bearing appreciable distance. and the drive motor are at a constant fixed distance from The Cosmos turntable, like previous SOTA turntables, each other and are unaffected by any motion of the sub - uses four springs to suspend the main platform. The weight chassis caused by vibration of the springs. This means that is equally distributed, with the tonearm being part of this the belt is always under a constant tension and remains weight -distribution system. When you order the Cosmos, unaffected by outside vibration, making the speed very you should decide which tonearm you will be using so the stable even during earthquakes (very important here in dealer can set it up for you and add the proper amount of California where we like to hear exciting music during our extra weight. SOTA provides a bag of lead shot to balance movies and earthquakes).

64 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 4e- ./

ENERGY loudspeakers have become the way of direct radiated personal favorites of discriminating audiophiles sound. r! iffraction is the world over. ur Dual Hyperdome" tweeter eliminated for superior is the key reason why ENERGY recreates the soundstage and posi- original performance with uncompromised tional imaging. Simply put, the ENERGY accuracy. tjith more than $1 million in develop- 22 -Series defines a new standard in sonic ment, it exhibits better dispersion than any precision. `l ake a test drive today. other tweeter on the market today. hat's also j our ears will thank you. why our new ENERGY 22 -Series incorporates the revolutionary SPHEREXTM baffle. Lts smooth, sculpted surface angles gracefully out of the rJCe2C1" Enter No. 15 on Reader Service Card 01990 ENERGY 3641 McINIcor Are. Scarborough, Ontaro, Canada M1X 1G5 (416)321-1800 The listening panel rated the Cosmos very highly on piano reproduction, one of the most revealing tests for wow and flutter.

the rear of the base to accept its hinges. The one-piece, E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES with SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE thermo-formed, smokey brown cover provided the Star MECHANICAL IMPULSE TO EDGE OF RECORD Sapphire was exceptionally good at reducing and absorb- 2.05 SECONDS TOTAL PERIOD ing airborne vibrations, but apparently dealers and customers are enamored by the solid, clear -acrylic, multi -piece covers of other turntables, and SOTA has followed suit. .,.-..-. Measurements and Listening Tests

I used the SME V tonearm and Talisman Virtuoso Boron cartridge for the technical measurements and listening eval-

uations. I made all of the setup adjustments and technical

measurements before the listening evaluations so that I could be certain that everything was functioning correctly. The absolute polarities of the reference system and the

1 I , , I 1 I SOTA Cosmos system were determined and all of the re- Fig. 5-Output vs. time corded selections were marked for correct absolute polari- for a mechanical shock ty. Some people might think that worrying about the abso- applied to edge of a lute polarity of a system and the program material is carry- stationary record, with ing things a bit far but, believe me, when you are evaluating stylus resting in groove such high -quality systems, capable of revealing every tiny

near the middle of the and subtle detail, then I assure you that absolute polarity is disc. a definite factor in determining how you will perceive the system's reproducing qualities. Each of the listening panel -25.8 dBR members was given a form allowing them to rate the refer- 50.00000 H2 CURSOR 0dB.10CM/SEC 50 Hz 500 Hz 5 kHz ence system and the SOTA Cosmos turntable from 0 to -5 0013 it E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES for each musical selection. If a system were perfect, would SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE -10 receive a 0 rating, while a really poor system would receive SPECTRUM TO 5000 Hz FOR MECHANICAL IMPULSE a rating of -5. Without being told which system was which, TO EDGE OF RECORD - 0dB = 10CM/SEC -20 the panel members are asked to judge system "A" versus system "B" and rate them; written comments about the 30 perceived quality of the sound were encouraged but panelists were asked not to talk or make any outward sign during -40 the playing of any selection. If a panel member asked to

50 hear something again (which can happen when the two systems being tested are very close in reproducing quality) -50 I replayed the selection. Since the quality of sustained tones is affected by the 70 speed stability of a turntable, a very low amount of wow and

is 1 wow -80 flutter quite important. Figure shows the and flutter

spectrum of the SOTA Cosmos. I have always felt that this Fig. 6-Spectrum to 5 kHz in groove. The spectrum reveals much more about wow and flutter than a of output from a series of smoothness of the simple number does. Since the resonance of the tonearm 16 mechanical impulses spectrum indicates that and cartridge can have a great influence on that number, (averaged) applied to the platter's energy seeing its contribution is very enlightening. If this resonance edge of a stationary absorption is uniform and is great, it can give a higher wow and flutter value than the record, with stylus resting will not color the sound. turntable deserves. The output of the SME Series V tonearm and Talisman Virtuoso Boron combination is very low at their combined resonant frequency of 9.5 Hz. It therefore contrib- utes very little to the wow and flutter meter readings in my The Cosmos turntable mat is also unusual; it is a multi - "Measured Data" chart. When reproducing piano (one of layered casting that takes 10 days to make because of the the most revealing instruments with respect to wow and curing times involved in its fabrication. The top layer is a flutter), both the reference system and the Cosmos were proprietary material chosen because its mechanical imped- given very high ratings by the panel members. ance is close to that of the type of vinyl used to make Figure 2 shows the drift in speed of the turntable over a records; this allows a much greater transfer of mechanical 42-S period. This excellent performance shows that the energy from the record into the mat than if the impedance Cosmos is capable of sustaining the musical pitch of a were different. The next layer is a damping layer in which piece of music over a long period. The speed stability is the energy is dissipated; the last layer is chosen to interface presented another way in Fig. 3, which is a graph of the with the turntable platter and act as a barrier. An optional variation in the frequency of the 3,150 -Hz wow and flutter dust cover is available, and threaded inserts are already at test tone of the B & K 2010 record averaged over sixteen

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RESHAPING THE FUTURE OF CASSE TES 1993 Ma-cus Avenue Suite 201, Lake Success, New York 11342 Tel. E16-326.11_2 (That's Anerica Inc., Subsidiary 2f Talyo Yuae^ C.D., Ud. -Tokyo, Japan) For your nearest THATS deale. call 1-803-553-43E5 and enter the code 26643 when asked- Erter No. 38 Dn R3acer Service r,arc Vibration control is a major theme of the Cosmos design, including its vacuum system, suspension, arm mounts, and drive.

E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES samples. The deviation is ±8 Hz, representing a variation of SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE only ±0.254%, which is excellent. No adverse comments MECHANICAL SHOCK TO PLATFORM were made by any panel members that would correlate to speed variation in either the Cosmos or the reference sys-

tem. I did find a correlation between the peaks of the variation curve and the tonearm resonances. Although it WITH NORMAL FEET isn't shown in Fig. 3, when I changed to another tonearm 2.05 SECONDS TOTAL PERIOD and cartridge combination, which has a higher O at reso- WITH POINTED FEET ATTACHED nance, the plus and minus points, rather than being flat as shown in Fig. 3, actually peaked up in a very pronounced

manner. When I listened to this other tonearm and cartridge combination, the variation in pitch for a steady test tone was more obvious than with the SME V and Talisman Virtuoso Boron. This tells me that when testing or listening to a really high -quality turntable, the choice of tonearm and cartridge Fig. 7-Output vs. time has a much greater effect on the wow and flutter than one for a mechanical shock might assume. applied to the platform on The spectrum of the rumble for the SOTA turntable is in which the turntable base Fig. 4. The rumble is most pronounced at the tonearm and rested, with the stylus cartridge resonance; this shows that the choice of tonearm resting in a stationary and cartridge also plays a major role in the measured and groove. Note the perceived rumble of a turntable like the Cosmos. Some difference between output panel members commented that the rumble from the Cos- with the standard feet mos was slightly less than that from the reference system. (top trace) and with the Figure 5 shows the output versus time for a mechanical pointed feet added impulse applied to the edge of a stationary record with the (bottom trace). stylus of the cartridge resting in a groove near the middle of the record. The mechanical energy is well damped and dissipates quickly. The spectrum produced by a series of 16 mechanical impulses, applied to the edge of the record and averaged, is in -33.8 dBR shown Fig. 6. The importance of this 162.5000 H2 CURSOR 0dB -10CM/SEC graph is not in the absolute level of the output, but in the 50 Hz 500 Hz 5 kHz shape of the spectrum: It is very smooth, without any peaks . I OdB E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES or dips. The presence of peaks and dips would tend to color SOTA COSMOS TURNTABLE 10 the perceived sound. The turntable's three -layer, laminated SPECTRUM TO 5000 Hz FOR MECHANICAL SHOCK TO PLATFORM mat is not only very effective in removing mechanical energy OdB=10CM/SEC -20 from the record but it does it in a very uniform way without favoring any particular band of frequencies. This is not a

trivial engineering task, as anyone who read the report I did

Fs on turntable mats in the April 1988 Audio should realize. I FREouEFaES *HERE FCNrtER WITH NORMAL FEET commend SOTA for solving the problem. But how does this FEET CAUSE MORE OUIfi - (THEY ME BETTER EISEWNERET 50 relate to the perceived sound? Well, the acid test is how well HF NORMAL POINTED a rapid FEE FEET series of musical notes, particularly a piano arpeg- ~62.5 .96w 5 -60 gio, is delineated. Can each note be distinguished clearly, 1626 33533 .235 WITH POINTED FEET ATTACHED 2375 J22 .344 or does one note tend to blur into the next? When such a 3125 396 365 70 musical selectior was presented to the listening panel, their rating of the SOTA Cosmos was the highest they had ever S.OR S.OR R,a LGHd SK given to a turntable exceeding the reference system, which has always been given high marks in this regard. If Fig. 8-Averaged you are looking for clarity of detail, you will find it in the spectrum to 5 kHz of SOTA Cosmos. vibrations caused by The graph of the output from the Talisman Virtuoso Boron 16 mechanical impulses cartridge with its stylus resting in a stationary groove near applied to turntable the middle of the record, when a mechanical shock was platform with stylus applied to the solid platform upon which the turntable was resting in a stationary resting, is in Fig. 7. I conducted this test both with and groove. Again, note the without the pointed insert feet which come with the SOTA difference made by Cosmos. The top trace shows the output without the pointed addition of the pointed feet and the bottom trace is with them inserted between the feet. normal turntable and the platform upon which the turntable

68 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 i s

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, , ration and soundstage. . NAVCOMTM Audio Isolators rJ/\ reduce the transmission of unwanted vibration in sensitive ENLACEMENT = ' P.O. Box 23 \\ audio components for unsur- Bellingham, WA 98227 U.S.A. passed clarity and greater (206) 734-9090 1-800-426-4303 \/ overall sound FAX: (206) 734-9858 quality. ©1990 Allsop Inc. Enter No. 3 on Reader Service Card There are more expensive turntables, but I think that the SOTA Cosmos is as good as they get.

rested. As I mentioned before, the normal flat turntable feet acoustically transparent drapes, which allows panel mem- have recesses which accept the pointed inserts, and it bers to concentrate on the stereo presentation without being appears from this test that these pointed feet are very distracted by the physical location of the loudspeakers.) effective in reducing the amount of mechanical energy that can reach the turntable. The spectrum of this output, for 16 Conclusions shocks, applied and averaged, is shown in Fig. 8. There is a Here we are at the point of this report to which everyone, decrease in energy transfer across most of the range ex- including me, looks first! As anyone who has ever written a cept for a few frequencies, particularly 162.5 Hz. The SOTA report of any kind knows, the opening and the closing are Cosmos is immune to outside mechanical vibration with or always the hardest. In the case of the SOTA Cosmos turnta-

without the pointed inserts. Electing to use them may be ble it is particularly hard because I am tempted to use a more dependent on whether you want to risk scratching the "boiler plate" ending-you know, the kind that says, "This is surface where you would place the turntable. a wonderful (type of product). The (name of product) is the

The panel members rated the Cosmos slightly better than best I have ever heard. You owe it to yourself to rush out and the reference system for voice, strings, acoustic guitar, hear it." The trouble with cliché endings is that they don't double bass, drums, and piano. The sound of violin was really tell you anything, and the SOTA Cosmos doesn't

perceived to be a bit smoother and more detailed with the deserve that. It is really a super turntable and I admire all the

Cosmos, and the sounds of the strings being plucked on an work that must have gone into its development. I might acoustic guitar were more precise. The sound of the double however, question the sanity of David Fletcher and Robert bass was full and yet very tight and well defined. The drums Becker, who obviously have placed a quest for phono-

were reproduced with just a bit more realism. The Cosmos graphic perfection above economic reality. I don't mean that and the reference were rated equal for brass, full orchestra, the Cosmos isn't worth its price, because it certainly is to and the ability to reproduce a sense of openness and anyone who is looking for the best turntable he can find.

space. Both systems were rated equal in presenting a There are turntables that are more expensive but I think that

stereo image that allowed panel members to point at the the SOTA Cosmos is as good as they get. I only wish that location of specific instruments. (I should mention that the more people could enjoy the pleasure of hearing their favor- loudspeakers are hidden from view behind light colored, ite records with a turntable like this. Edward M. Long Continued from page 59 able than the Models V and IV. (If you want to see how the research. The first of the new generation of high-perfor- 309 compares with the original 3009 III, my test report on mance cartridges was the direct result of the requirement that arm appeared in the May 1981 Audio.) If you would like that they be able to trace high frequencies well above the a little more background on SME, there is also a videotape normal 20 -kHz limit of the audio band. We are still enjoying featuring Alastair Robertson-Aikman, the managing director the benefits of the extended -bandwidth techniques applied of SME, which was made by Sumiko, Inc., the importers of to the cartridge designs and the elliptical and fine line - this British -made tonearm. If you are interested in seeing the contact stylus shapes that were developed in this era. tape, you can contact Sumiko and they will let you know Although Audio-Technica of Japan is a very diversified more about it. company that makes laser pickups, bar-code readers, mi- Signet was started about 12 years ago, offering high - crophones, and headphones, it is interesting that they not quality cartridges through specialist audio dealers. It is a only continue to produce phono cartridges but are still

completely separate division of Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. I engaged in advanced research on cartridges and styli. mention this affiliation because although the 0C9 moving - The tapered tonearm tube of the 309 is a single piece of coil cartridge is a Signet product, it is made for them by drawn aluminum similar in appearance to the magnesium Audio-Technica in Japan and has Audio-Technica mark- tonearm tube of the Model V; aluminum is less expensive ings. At this point in time, Signet has decided to make the and easier to work than magnesium, which helps to reduce 0C9 available in limited quantities and with the Audio- the cost while still providing excellent characteristics. When

Technica markings and packaging, as this will allow them to I performed the tap test on the tonearm tube, which features keep the price reasonable. The original price for this car- the same internal, constrained -mode damping as the model

tridge was to be $700, but since its introduction it has sold V, I found that it had very little sound of its own and that the well enough around the world that the increased production character of this sound was very difficult to describe. Near has allowed economies of scale; this has allowed Signet to the headshell the sound was like "tuck;" in the middle it offer the 0C9 at a more reasonable $395. sounded like "tick," and near the tonearm pillar the sound Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. was begun in 1972 by Jon R. was like "tug." The sound was difficult to characterize be- Kelly, who had been the phono-cartridge and microphone cause there seemed to be more sound coming from the

product manager for Electro -Voice, Inc. in Buchanan, Mich. metal tapping tool I use than from the tonearm tube. What all At that time, the Japanese Audio-Technica company had this means is that any resonances in the tonearm tube are been working with JVC on the CD -4 discrete four -channel very well dampec and should contribute very little coloration phono system. This system used a very high frequency to the reproduced'sound.

carrier (about 50 kHz), which was modulated with the rear - When I grasped the tonearm tube in one hand while channel information. The requirements of this now -defunct holding the arm pillar firmly in the other hand, and tried to system had a great effect on phono cartridge and stylus push, pull, and twist the tonearm tube, I found absolutely no

70 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 1

a S

CEOs at 30 of America's If you feel it's time your top 50 companies have accompany faced up to its drug knowledged that they have drug problem, expert guidance is problems within their available to help you compare organizations. model drug programs, discuss They have good reason for legal questions, and educate concern. Research shows that your employees. drug abuse severely cuts the Please call the National In- productivity of more than one - stitute on Drug Abuse Work- sixth of the nation's workforce. place Helpline for CEOs and So these executives have managers: 1-800-843-4971. taken two important steps. From 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. First, they've made it corporate eastern time Monday through policy not to tolerate drug use, Friday. by anyone at any level of the You'll be in good company. company. Second, they're offering help to drug users by establishing employee education, assistance, and drug PARTNERSHIP FOR A treatment referral programs. DRUG -FREE AMERICA I If you ask five different audiophiles which is the best high bias audio cassette to record music on, you're likely to get five different opinions. But if you ask the Audio Preci- sion Analyzer you'll get a definitive answer, right there in living color: TDK SA -X. The Audio Precision Analyzer is one of the most sophisticated pieces of laboratory equipment of its kind. It's used by audio engineers to evaluate an audio cassette's performance in a variety of areas. Two of the most critical of these areas are MOL (Max- TDK SA-X's DYNAMIC RANGE, THE WIDEST OF ANY HIGH BIAS imum Output Level) and the analyzer's monitor; measure of an audio cas- bias noise, which together bias noise is indicated by sette's dynamic range at are used to measure what the curve at the bottom. that particular frequency.* is known as dynamic range. The vertical distance The greater the distance, MOL is indicated by between any two points the greater the dynamic the curve at the top of on these curves is the range. And the greater fll n *

IDX 11-X: MIMIC RANGE What the analyzer told 'pup Audio-in no uncertain ~11111._ terms-was TDK SA -X's =: dynamic range was the widest of all Type II audio cassettes tested. Which makes it the best tape you rm. can use to capture the for- LI tissimos, pianissimos, and transients of today's music sources. .-4 So if you want the most faithful sound reproduction you can get from a high bias tape, look at what the Audio Precision I Analyzer is telling you. And listen to TDK.

I SA -X TAPE, IS SHOWN HERE ON AN AUDIO PRECISION ANALYZER:

the dynamic range, the cassettes (the results of time miG111«$0,1.1190NIRES011.11101d FITREVEMEN7 FLEW, DK more sound the cassette which were published in C aaaaa kgcner.rn SA-X VOM .41.1.011rosnt. 90 .111111 can faithfully reproduce. the March 1990 issue), it When Audio magazine utilized an Audio Preci- conducted an exhaustive sion Analyzer to evaluate AsSerious test of 88 blank audio dynamic range. ou CanG et Enter No. 37 on Reader Service Card Removable headshells can ordinarily reflect energy that colors the sound. But the SME's shell is firmly locked by a nut and bolt. 1 w

The SME booklet suggests using a mirror to set the stylus azimuth. r---i'- The SME booklet, a model for all other product set-up booklets, contains step-by-step instructions with 40 close- up photos detailing every aspect of installing and adjusting the 309 tonearm. It begins with specific information on the use of the supplied templates for drilling and creating the slot in the mounting board. If you are interested in buying an SME 309 tonearm, this booklet might persuade you that the people at SME really know what they are doing; ask the dealer to let you see it. The SME tonearms provide a unique way to adjust the stylus overhang. Overhang is necessary to compensate for the tracking error introduced by playing records made by a straight-line cutting lathe with a pivoted tonearm. The over -

looseness or play in the bearings, which is a good sign; loose bearings can cause much coloration in the sound. MEASURED The SME 309 is finished in matte black and satin alumi- DATA num and appears to be designed and manufactured with great care and attention to detail. The base mounting re- SME 309 Tonearm quires the famous SME elongated slot, which allows the Pivot-to -Stylus Distance: 9.14 in. (232 mm). necessary stylus overhang to be adjusted very precisely Pivot -to -Rear -of -Arm Distance: 2.375 in. (60.3 mm). using a rack-and-pinion system in the base. Tracking -Force Adjustment: 0 to 2.5 grams. I looked for a serial number on the body of the Signet 009 Tracking -Force Calibration: None (use calibrated tool provided). cartridge but I couldn't find any. The sample I received that Cartridge Weight Range: 6 to 17 grams. for evaluation did not have an amplitude -frequency re- Counterweights: One (154.2 grams). sponse graph, although the listing for the in the 009 Octo- Counterweight Mounting: Locked to rear of tonearm after ber 1989 Audio magazine directory indicates that one is adjustment. normally supplied. The stylus is not user -replaceable so the Sidethrust Correction: Knob on extension from arm pillar. must be returned cartridge to Signet should the stylus need Pivot Damping: None. to be replaced. I am not certain what this costs but, since Lifting Device: Damped lever near pillar. the cartridge is reasonably priced, I assume it will that be of Headshell Offset: 23.5°. commensurately low cost. A snug -fitting stylus may guard Overhang Adjustment: Sliding base. seem like a minor thing, but I it fall appreciated that did not Bearing Alignment: Excellent. off easily. Many of the more expensive to cartridges seem Bearing Friction: Less than 40 mg, vertical and lateral. lack this little refinement and offer loose -fitting stylus guards Bearing Type: Ball and race, vertical and horizontal. that seem more like afterthoughts than planned designs. Lead Torque: Very low. Arm -Lead Capacity: 10 pF, each Features channel. Arm -Lead Resistance: 0.12 ohms, each channel. As a replacement for the venerable 3009 tonearm, the External -Lead Length: 3.9 feet (1.2 meters). 309 is more than an improved version; it is a complete External -Lead Resistance: 0.9 ohms, each channel. redesign. One of the main features of is its the 309 remov- External -Lead Capacity: 90 pF, each channel. able headshell. Most modern tonearm designs have es- Mounting: SME rack and pinion. chewed removable headshells because they tend to cause sonic coloration due to the poor mechanical connections to Signet 0C9 Cartridge the armtube. Such connections can cause reflect energy to Coil Inductance: Less than 100 H. back to the stylus, where the delayed energy is reproduced Coil Resistance: Left, 11.6 ohms; right, 11.7 ohms. as a blurring to the sound. The SME firmly 309's headshell is Output Voltage: Left, 0.10 mV/cm; right, 0.093 mV/cm. locked to the armtube by a bolt nut and captive which Tracking Force: 1.75 grams. seems to be very effective in solving this problem. Changing Cartridge Mass: 8.0 grams. cartridges mounted in is different headshells not a quick Microphony: Very Low. process, as you'll see from the following description. The Hum Rejection: Excellent. armtube has a slot that with lines up the bolt, which must be High -Frequency Resonance: 28.5 kHz. removed from the headshell and then reinserted when the Rise -Time: 11 S. headshell is the -loaded pushed against spring gold pins at Low -Frequency Resonance: 7.0 Hz. the end of the armtube. This assures that the headshell is Low -Frequency Q: 2.6. firmly in place and that is good contact made both electri- Recommended Load Resistance: 20 ohms or greater. cally and mechanically. There is a slight amount of rotation Recommended Load Capacitance: Unaffected by up to 500 pF. available so that the exact stylus azimuth can be adjusted.

74 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 VDAT IS HERE

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Introducting the First VDAT Audiophile Sound We put the AD 44.1 in its own chassis with fully - Digital Audio Recorder ... Upon playback, the video signal from your VCR regulated power supplies, thus providing full passes back through the PCM 44.1. The PCM isolation for lowest distortion. The AD 44.1 will Just grab any VCR, a $3 blank video tape, and 44.1 adheres to the VDAT standard for error allow any digital audio recorder to make faith- the PCM 44.1. Then make a perfect digital -to- correction, which provides full data recovery ful recordings at 44.1 or 48KHz. digital copy of over 8 hours of CD's by touching even if there are dropouts on the tape. Correct two buttons and walking away. data is fed to the best Philips 4x oversampling Made In The USA D/A conversion chip set available. The PCM Isosonics is a Cambridge, MA based company, 441's ouput stage contains only the highest founded by a team of audiophile engineers ES quality analog components and regulated power from the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- 1.1 PA- K7r/ n+t/C supplies. ogy. We are committed to producing innova- !tu on try./f) tive audio technology that maintains the high- v° S/s 'c est quality and truest sound possible. J aí11 7,A 14773 (ONl sí105 2 Satisfaction Guaranteed Since the PCM 44.1 just copies numbers, there is Oc> If you're not completely satisfied with any Isos- no need to set recording levels, bias, equaliza- onics product, return it within 30 days for a full tion or Dolby. refund. t' yea ,' You can preserve your 5-Year, 5 -Day Warranty priceless LP collection 1 10,11517 t 44.1 Every Isosonics product is unconditionally with inexpensive video The l' CM features the Philips linearity -selected t----* TDA-1541 A -SI - the world's lowest distortion audio warranted for five years. What's more, if we tape, converter. It is the same chip found in Philips' make live recordings, D/A fix it 5 working days, -f can't within we'll send FM broadcasts, $4000 LH I 1000 Reference Series CD Player. time -shift you a replacement unit immediately. or make ten-hour party tapes on the new 1200 VHS The sound is so good that you will probably end cassettes. Video tape is up using the PCM 44.1 as an outboard D/A !You can own a PCM 44.1 for $1495 when the lowest cost, highest re- converter even you aren't recording. liability data storage me- You can own an AD 44.1 for $495. dium, better even than Won't Steal Your VCR optical disks. The PCM 44.1 only needs your VCR when you Special offer: Buy both units to- want to listen to music. When you're not using gether for $1750. the PCM 44.1, your VCR records and plays back How VDAT Works movies as usual. (All prices include shipping. MA residents VDAT works the same way as professional please add 5% sales tax.) digital master tape recorders: by transforming the digital from your player into a =, signal CD o To order your PCM 44.1 or AD 44.1 video signal that your VCR can record. VDAT has more powerful error correction than tradi- (with our 30 -day money -back guarantee) tional studio recorders, enabling the use of in- 64X Oversampling A/D expensive VHS units at the EP (8 -hour) speed. Isosonics' AD44.1 outboard A/D converter uses 64 -times oversampling to eliminate phase dis- CALL TOLL FREE Just connect either the coaxial or optical digital tortion, aliasing and non -linearity. Over 99% of (800) output from your CD player to the PCM 44.1, all CD's on the shelves today were mastered 969-3700 and the PCM 44.1 to your VCR. With the touch with non-oversampling A/D converters. The Overseas & Canada: of a button, make a flawless digital recording of brickwall anti-aliasing filter in these old ma- Voice (617) 354-8100 FAX (617) 864-5722 8 CDs (or more) onto a single video cassette! chines adds phase distortion and aliasing to Or send a check to: your music, distortions often worse than those On playback, use your VCR's address or index of the analog recorders they replaced. And these search system to go straight to any spot on the old converters aren't linear, especially at low IfOfONICf tape. The PCM 44.1 automatically lays down a levels, so quiet passages are distorted. Over - 142 Rogers Street control track while recording so that you can sampling and linearity mean that your first re- Cambridge, MA 02142 access any of hundreds of songs using your cording with an AD 44.1 will probably sound VCR's remote control. better than your best CD. Master Card/Visa/Amex Accepted Jj Enter No. 18 on Reader Service Card

Dolby and Philips are registered trademarks. VDAT is a trademark of the Video Data Storage Institute Instead of just slotting the cartridge mounting holes, SME uses a unique rack-and-pinion base for overhang adjustment.

50 DI41 R..ra.rrr.P ay.e.r,. %5 10.11Yfr.._ 0 _ I

Om ed with all SME tonearms so you can make this adjustment smr,121.--- easily. When the correct position has been found, the tone - It m 210zo 2002 10102 A» .00 .,. .á.4=d 2° <,.m,a1 arm pillar can be locked securely by tightening two clamp bolts on either side of the tracks. A fingerlift can be installed

Fig. 1-Frequency increase at low on the headshell, but I opted to rely on the damped lever, response and frequencies is an artifact located near the tonearm pillar, to raise and lower the arm. interchannel crosstalk of of the B & K 2010 test A swivel -mounted output socket at the bottom of the pillar the SME arm and Signet record. accepts the five -pin DIN mating plug on the output leads cartridge. The crosstalk that are terminated, at the other end, with gold-plated phono plugs. Three separate grounding wires are provided; one is attached to the body of the tonearm while the other two are

50 RYS bi~ pn..-mmqop aqor- r connected to the separate cable shields. The shell of the phono plug is not connected to the ground wire, thus pro- SIGNET 0C -72.a FARTF 10 1- viding a balanced output for the signal. The internal tonearm T.2r mq LEFT wiring and the external cable use oxygen -free copper.

nNm 15 A special, calibrated tool is provided to set the tracking

Mil IV RIGHT force. It has a ball -shaped hexagonal end that can be inserted into a screw on which the counterweight is mount- 421 A Trtn'1,0 H ed; turning this screw moves the counterweight and allows ^p: 1.0 the tracking force to be set. After the desired tracking force 51-1[ iU 20H1 is set, the counterweight should be locked firmly to the rear of the armtube by tightening another screw. A sidethrust or ":irs9 "anti -skating" adjustment is provided by a calibrated knob C RI >o I. m 100 m 3S0 r..a21..-., a. 1.. mounted on the same assembly supporting the damped tonearm-lifting system. Fig. 2-Low-frequency It seems that the relatively low cost of the Signet 009 arm -cartridge resonance moving -coil cartridge is the result of applying some of the is at 7.0 Hz with mass production techniques commonly used during the a 2.6. O of manufacturing of moving -magnet cartridges. While I realize that the assembly of moving -coil cartridges is a bit more complicated than the assembly of moving -magnet car-

tridges, I have often wondered why they couldn't be pro- º.r.M . n.y 'L aa.ar- ,.K .,.,r`.v. duced at a more reasonable cost than we are used to NIIDmTprt,[. a seeing. I also know that smaller quantities usually cause IARi`1 r VERTIC greater manufacturing costs, but I have often wished that 4V ano e- the benefits of wide -band design could be enjoyed by a roc rTC-lu0 title P. greater number of people. Since the requirements of mov- ana, r 2.0

12p ing -coil cartridge design result in a relatively low coil induc- T21f N. tance and source impedance, this type of cartridge seems 1 TO 100112 ideal for wide -band design. This doesn't mean that moving - 100/011/ magnet cartridges cannot provide wide -band response, but -a- since they do not require small, light coils, they are usually designed to provide high output. This means that the coil inductance, which limits the high -frequency response, is po Hi >o IC. higher because the coils have more turns of wire. The coils of the Signet 009 MC cartridge have very low inductance Fig. 3-Response to a and resistance. Their inductance is so low that I found it slow sweep from 2 to impossible to make a measurement that I considered reli- 100 Hz to check for lateral able; this was partly due to the very low resistance of the vertical and modulation. coils, which lowered the Q and swamped the inductance.

76 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 "BBETM5 the most hearable advance in audio technology since high-fidelity itself." - Music Connection Magazine

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a cassette recording sounds when separation... brighten almost any input Card # processed through the BBE." source and move the soundstage forward." Exp. Date -Hector G. La Torre, Audio Magazine - Stereophile Magazine Signature For your car's sound system, the All BBE products are backed by a Name (print) BBE 3012 will provide the same dra- full year's warranty on all parts and 16 112" x 9" x 1 3/4", BBE fits matic improvement. Available at labor. Measuring Address Rockford Fosgate Perfect Interface perfectly into your audio rack. Then just plug it into your wall socket and a standard tape loop. & Hailer dealers across the US and City / State / Zip Canada. For the dealer near you Area Code / Phone No. call: (800) 366-2349 L ^-J Enter No. 9 on Reader Service Card By applying techniques used in making moving -magnet cartridges, Signet reduced the moving -coil 0C9 from $700 to $395.

wa wre.rrtg a.w-Par Fig. 4- Normally, coil resistance as low as the 009's would mean A'J0 1r E°CGYlO'i.® ---t= $1'fiET Slow sweep from the cartridge's output would be very low because there fAAiCILF 1 41F 20 Hz to kHz to were few turns on the generating coil. If ordinary magnets IwrlrtN check for system had been used, this would be true; however, since the 009 pSK 2011 resonances; uses samarium -cobalt magnets, whch produce a very see text. strong magnetic field, its output is relatively high. Still, the output of the 009 is lower than that of some high -output moving -coil cartridges, and Signet therefore recommends the use of a step-up transformer or pre-preamp between the

cartridge and the phono input of a preamplifier or receiver. I found the output acceptably high without the use of either device; all of the technical measurements and the listening q 20 Ms 50 92 m 101:0 0,52.1 ,..,R;a. try evaluations were conducted with no step-up device.

I t I I I I E.MlONG ASSOCIATES SME 309 & SIGNET 0C-9 Measurements and Listening Tests OUTPUT FOR MECHANICAL IMPULSE TO ARMTUBE 25.6 MSEC TOTAL PERIOD The measurements were made before the listening panel members were assembled to audition the SME 309 tonearm LEFT CHANNEL and Signet 009 cartridge. I always make the technical measurements and calibrate the system before the listening sessions because too many things can cause problems in a phono playback system if it isn't set up and adjusted correctly. The listening evaluations were conducted by comparing the sound of the Signet 009 cartridge with the sound of a reference system most of the panel members have listened to in past evaluations. While it is of exceptionally high quality, this system is used merely as a reference, to which panel members may compare the sound of the device being evaluated. Sometimes, as you will see later, a panel member will make a written comment that although the sound of "A" may be in some respects superior to "B," Fig. 5-Output vs. time of he or she still would prefer the sound of "B" for certain types arm/cartridge when of program material. By the way, all comments are written mechanical impulse was and no discussion is allowed during the listening evalua- applied to armtube. tions. Discussiors take place after the listening sessions Ringing is apparent, but have been concluded. the higher frequencies are Figure 1 shows the amplitude versus frequency response damped quickly. and the interchannel crosstalk for the Signet 009 cartridge mounted in an SME 309 tonearm. The response holds up -55.1 dBR ULG well above 20 kHz, and the slope is mainly that inherent in 1000.000 HE CURSOR -54.9 dBR 0dB.T10CM/SEC the B & K 200 Hz 2 kHz 20 kHz 2010 test record. There is a definite indication that 0dB E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES the high -frequency resonance is at 28.5 kHz, which I veri- SME 309 & SIGNET OC-9 fied by using another measurement technique. One of the - SPECTRUM FOR MECHANICAL IMPULSES TO ARMTUBE 20 _0 dB- 10 CM/SEC characteristics that made moving -coil cartridges so well LEFT CHANNEL 40 liked by audiophiles was their lack of the swaybacked response, in the range from about 2 to 5 kHz, which many -60 moving -magnet cartridges exhibited; this smoother response made the sound more forward and realistic. The 0dB better moving -magnet cartridges of the present era have also eliminated this response 20 swayback and are very smooth through this range, but I think that the acceptance of RIGHT CHANNEL -40 the moving -coil cartridge had much to do with making this a design goal for moving -magnet cartridge designers. If any- -60 thing, the SME/Signet combination has a more pronounced output in this range than the reference system, which also 80 features a moving -coil cartridge. Comments as Fig. 6-Spectral such "more output up front" and "sharper images" made by listening panel (average) of arm/cartridge members correlate well with the response characteristic due to 16 mechanical shown in Fig 1. The crosstalk of the impulses applied SME/Signet combination to is excellent; the rise in the lower armtube. frequency range is an artifact of the B & K test record. (By the way, for those who 78 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 [

4, _ O r7i -

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KRELL DIGITAL INC. 20 No. Plains Industrial Rd.. Suite 12 a Wallingford. CT 03492 áPLL :St L¡ Phone: 203-874-3139 Fax: 203-878-3373 á DIGITAL INC. See the Krell Industries advertisement in this issue. `` You may not need step-up transformers or pre-preamps with the 0C9. Its output is relatively high because of its powerful magnets.

Fig. 9-Tracking of arm E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES and cartridge with 1 -kHz test tones at 19.2 cm/S 192 (top) and at 25 cm/S CM/SEC (highest level on B & K 2010, bottom). Signs of mistracking are apparent at the higher signal level; SIGNET OC-9 IN SME 309 1 KHZ TRACKING TEST OUTPUT see text.

25 CM/SEC

Fig. 7-Interchannel phase difference, using pink noise from B & K 2011, band 7.

-72.6 +6.1 dBR 20000. 00 HZ CURSOR 1000.000 92 CURSOR 9.1 098 OdB=10CM/SEC 500Hz 5kHz 50kHz 200 Hz 2 kHz 20 kHz + 180 +10 1 OS OB E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES dB SIGNET OC-9 IN SME 309 SIGNET OC-9 IN SME 309 aa1 0 its -10 INTERCHANNEL PHASE TRANSFER FUNCTION 1 KHZ TRACKING TEST SPECTRUM 459 .0.3 45-1 - Q0 0 dB= 10 CM/SEC s 01.1 410 ; .s.] .11J + 90 -ss.s -30 111 53.3 19.2 CM/SEC .'_,-j 50 = ..lAllwnw!!i:rWM II 0 DG t 70dB s .5121 .310 A1 0 310 0 +a1 45 1 .51.1 41.0 -10

-90 1 M. A -30 III` ,_1-II.I,I,w r ..nw... i, ...n,' 50

180 .70

Fig. 8-Interchannel Fig. 10-Spectrum of -22.3 dB (7.7%) for 25-cm/S. phase difference vs. cartridge output when Note the increase in the frequency for same track reproducing the 19.2-cm/S even harmonics at the as Fig. 7. Phase and 25-cm/S signals of higher signal level. difference at 20 kHz is Fig. 9. The third harmonic -72.6° (10.1 µS). is -39.8 dB (1.0%) for the 19.2-cm/S signal and

might wonder, crosstalk means leakage of signal from one SME 309 are fairly evenly distributed between the vertical channel into the other, not that the channels are mad at and lateral modes; they make an excellent combination from each other.) this perspective. The low -frequency resonance due to the compliance of The combination of the SME 309 tonearm and Signet 009 the Signet 009 cartridge and the effective mass of the SME exhibits a very smooth response for the slow sweep of 309 tonearm is in It shown Fig. 2. occurs at 7.0 Hz but the frequencies between 20 Hz and 1 kHz (Fig. 4). There are no relatively low rise in response at this frequency is due to the glitches that would indicate structural discontinuities. This is desirably low O of 2.6. Comments by some of the panel exceptional for a tonearm with a detachable headshell. members about the sound of double bass and kick drum The output of the SME/Signet combination for a mechani- rated the 0C9 as being "slightly less rounded" and "less cal impulse applied to the armtube is shown in Fig. 5. The full" than the reference system, while other comments were gain of my digital storage oscilloscope had to be set quite "very close" and "hard to choose between A and B." high to obtain this graph as the actual output is really very Figure 3 shows the low -frequency resonance in the verti- low. The fact that the constrained mode -damping within the cal and lateral planes for the Signet 009 cartridge mounted SME 309 tonearm does an excellent job is apparent from in the SME 309 tonearm. They are very similar, which indi- the low output as well as the rapidity of the decay in energy, cates that the compliance of the 009 and the mass of the especially at the higher frequencies.

80 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Mahe your next move to Velodyne. IPs guaranteed to put new life into your system!

e dnp.g~t ttatia wr,uena O ° .,;U11 cmM.4y/7

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-,1,... For sound performance, a Velodyne subwoofer is the .y. - single most dramatic addition you can make to any For More Informaticn system. -Experience the true power of bass without harmonic distortion. Experience all the music. Experience Velodyne. VéIódynQ Call 1-800-553-4355 En er No. 40 on Reader Service Card 1746 Junction Ave., San Joie, CA 95112 408/436:0688 800/VELODYNE In Canadá: 416/671.8990 The SME's constrained -mode damping does an excellent job, as shown by the low output and rapid decay of impulses to the arm.

111111111 Fig. 13-Output from E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES SIGNET OG-9 IN SME 309 E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES SIGNET OC-9 IN SME 309 SHURE TTR-103 10.8 KHZ TONE BURST 1 -kHz square wave, using 1 KHZ SOUARE WAVE OUTPUT CBS STR-112 CBS STR-112 test record. 15 L CM/SEC The ringing is at 28.5 kHz. LEFT

30 cM/SEC

RIGHTy

Fig. 11-Output from 15- and 30-cm/S, 10.8 -kHz pulse test, Shure TTR-103 test record.

-12.7 dBR -5.8 dBR 10800.00 HE CURSOR -6.1 dBR 0dB=10CM/SEC 1000.000 HE CURSOR -6.8 d8R OdB=10CM/SEC 20Hz 200Hz 20k Hz 200 Hz 2 kHz 83 -kHz OdB OdB -E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES 10.8 KHZ TRACKING DATA 1 E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES SIGNET OC-9 IN SME 309 1 SIGNET OC-9 IN SME 309 LEFT IscSysEc aocusEc 20 -10.8 KHZ TONE BURST SPECTRUM -r,,,.aza ºº 1 KHZ SQUARE WAVE SPECTRUM 20 -0dB- 10 CM/SEC SSo 553 514 -0 dB= 10 CM/SEC !00 45I .5,.1 -- - á06 IW5 -40 -40 usOo s 45a U.555 .55,

15 CM/SEC r -60 -60

0dB OdB

RIGHT 20 20

40 .40

3CM/SEC \ .1,--", '- \-7'-' \ / - --.M111....Viiii1/44444 -60 MIL -60 -80 -80 Fig. 12-Spectral analysis Fig. 14-Spectral analysis of distortion products of the 1 -kHz square from signals shown in waves shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 11. This is excellent The response to a performance. complex signal is excellent.

Figure 6 shows the spectral components due to a series image stability and the sound of bells and cymbals. They of mechanical impulses applied to the arm tube. While there were "slightly less precise images" and "cymbal sounded are peaks at 1,750, 2,850, and 6,650 Hz, they are at a very bigger." low level. It is possible that these frequency components Figure 9 indicates that the 0C9 has very good and con- could add a slight brightness and enhance the forward sistent tracking capability. It shows signs of mistracking at quality of the sound. the 25-cm/S velocity but showed no signs of groove -jump- Figure 7 is the output of the left versus the right channel ing at this extremely high level. The 009 cartridge was for wide -band pink noise. If the channels were perfectly rated as being "slightly more gritty" during high-level drum identical, the result would be a straight line at a 45° angle. and cymbal passages than the reference, but "more mel- Figure 8 is a graph of the interchannel phase -transfer func- low" and "more refined" on moderate -level passages of tion, which indicates a slight phase difference between the string, brass, and acoustic guitars. In fact, for the brass left and right channels. The time difference between the ensemble passages one panel member commented, "B channels is 10.1 p.S at 20 kHz. The panel member com- [SME/Signet] was a bit muffled compared with A [reference ments that might correlate with this phenomenon concerned system] but B was more pleasing to me." Figure 10, the

82 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 - -L1'

Unfortunately, most CD changers change more than the discs.

Typically, a CD changer's changer with a vibration -free The CDC -805 is also the Instead of your typical complex transport mechanism transport system. only changer with a built-in belt drive, Yamaha's CDC - doesn't isolate the playing disc A remarkable accomplish- ._ L equalizer. 805 uses long-lasting gears enough to prevent vibration ment which isolates and Five for added reliability. A small, intererence. clamps the playing disc, just ó®u digital yet significant reason why Something that can turn like a single -disc player, so The CDC-805. The presets Yamaha can confidently a perfectly good performance your music won't suffer from only CD chamer with designed back every CDC -805 with a into a one. any vibes of the bad variety. a five -mode digital to give two-year limited warranty. rather shaky equalizer. Fortunately there's a CD But there's much more every Stop by your Yamaha to it than merely a superior type of music even more dealers showroom for an changing mechanism. musical presence - even a earful of Yamaha's remark- Due to Yamaha's Single - flat setting so you can bypass able new CDC -805. Bit Technology, the the EQ altogether The first CD changer CDC -805 sounds far better The CDC -805 is the only capable of changing even than most single -disc CD five -disc changer that can the most ardent audio- players on the market. provide 10 -disc relay play mind about buying There's also something by patching two CDC -805s phile'sCD we call PlayXchange. together-something defi- changer. YAMAHAR changer that won't add any A creature comfort that nitely worth considering additional shake, rattle or roll provides uninterrupted for custom installations. to your music. music, permitting you to Here's yet The new CDC -805 from load up to four CDs without another point well gm a .. Yamaha. The first CD interrupting the disc playing. worth considering. .*~ar. _ -sell=t.

1990 Yamaha Electronics Corporation, (SA. P.O. Box 6660. Burn Park. C \ 90622 Tim Scott's newest release. Then, Changes. is availahre on GNP Records at your local rcttrcc store. The SME 309 is a good value and the Signet 309 can introduce you to the wonders of MC cartridges without breaking the bank.

spectrum of the output of the 009 for the 19.2- and 25-cm/S the reference system the listening panel was comparing it to j levels of the B & K 2010 test record, also indicates that the is excellent in this regard. distortion increases rapidly at the higher level but that the increase is greater for the even harmonics. An increase in Conclusions even -order harmonics like this usually causes a perception The SME 309 is a good value and provides many of the of mellowness and body in the sound. One panel member's features of the more expensive SME tonearms. It is an comments were right on target for the louder guitar pas- especially good choice for anyone who has more than one sages; this listener found the passages to be "full-bodied" phono cartridge, because it has interchangeable head -

and "mellow." shells. I think that the Signet 009 cartridge is an excellent Figure 11 shows the output of Signet OC9 cartridge for value. Both the 309 and the 009 have their strong points the 10.8 -kHz shaped tone burst of the Shure TTR-103 test and their weak points as this report has shown. record. The symmetry is excellent and Fig. 12, which shows If you went out right now and bought the SME 309 tone -

the spectrum due to the output shown in Fig. 11, reveals arm and the Signet 009 moving -coil cartridge, I don't think little change between the 15- and 30-cm/S bands of the test you would be disappointed; each is offered by a company record. This can be correlated to comments by various that has been specializing in its particular products for many panel members, such as "the bells and triangle sound very years and each has earned its excellent reputation by pro- real." The performance of the Signet 009 in this area is ducing excellent products. Make certain, however, that your excellent. preamplifier or receiver phono input has enough gain, or The square -wave output of the Signet OC9 is shown in you will have to buy a step-up transformer or pre-preamp. Fig. 13, while the spectrum of this output is shown in Fig. 14. All of my testing and the listening evaluations were done

The overshoot and slight ringing indicate that some phase without a step-up device, because I think that "less is shift is occurring at higher frequencies. Panel -member com- better" and the normal 47-kilohm phono input worked just ments such as "less spaciousness" and "less depth" may fine with the Signet 009. If you have been using a run-of- be related to this because the reference system has less the-mill moving -magnet cartridge, the Signet 009 will intro-

phase delay in this range; I would still rate the 009 car- duce you to the wonderful world of moving -coil cartridges tridge very highly, regardless of these comments, because without breaking the bank. Edward M. Long

"The M-200 power amplifier is a smashing success by any standard, and an absolute steal at the price." Kent Bransford Hi -Fi Heretic, Autumn 1989

Highlights of the review: storage capacitance. The input and driver cir- ability to draw cuits are carried on a single glassfibre hoard me further and Over the years. B & K Components, Ltd. that sits atop the power supply caps. A gold- further into the . has become one of America's leading manu- plated premium input jack is included, with music. rather n facturers of affordable. high -quality audio gold-plated 5 -way binding posts handling than hurling it in electronics. B & K has done an admirable I i speaker cable connection. my face. Equal- 'gil job of providing musical. reliable preamplifi- ly impressive ers and power amplifiers within the budget "I was bowled over by its combi- was the M -200's of virtually any music lover. soundstage width and depth. The M -2(X) can drive virtually any loud- nation of smoothness (a B & K While offering the tonal naturalness that speaker load in existence. Rated at 200 hallmark) and detail." characterizes all B & K products, the M-200 watts into 8 ohms and 400 watts into 4 too powerful goes far beyond previous B & K amps in its ohms, the N -2(X) can drive loads as low as All often extremely amps ex- on bombastic symphony works, outstanding bass quickness and definition, .75 ohms and still pump out its rated 2(X) cel but fall as well as its excellent retrieval of low-level watts! Rated peak current output of the down when it comes to conveying the subtlety detail and recording acoustic. M-200 is an incredible 150 amperes. and nuance of "smaller" music. The M-200 proved to be a glorious exception. Yes, the The M-200 power amplifier is a smashing success by any standard, and an absolute "I was floored by the M -200's massed brass and great whomping bass drum shots in "Uranus, the Magician" were steal at the price. sense of pace and drive." appropriately startling, but equally satisfying Reprinted by permission of Hi -Fi Heretic. Annual (four is- were the quiet flute and violin passages. Deli- sue) subscriptions are $15 ($18 outside U.S.), available Internal construction is most impressive- from: Hi -Fi Heretic, P.O. Box 2019, Yorba Linda, CA 92686. cate instrumental shadings and nuances that a massive, shielded toroidal transformer cen- are so important in communicating the emo- trally sited within the steel chassis. Four fil- tion of the music were never glossed over or ter capacitors offer nearly 70.000 mfd of homogenized. The M-200 had that essential ) iSonata Series B & K COMPONENTS, LTD., 1971 Abbott Rd., Lackawanna, NY 14218 1-800-543-5252 (NY: 716-822-8488) (FAX: 716-822-8306) Enter No. 8 on Reader Service Card r4.4,>/v

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H A Harman International Company "Model Eleven. . .Exquisite Sound...Dwarfs Any Portable Stereo. . .A High 1ch Wonder. . .Thumbs Up' Doug Simmons-The Village Voice MODEL ELEVEN

BY HENRY KLOSS Fits under airline sears -23 lbs. &tsseaseSubssWkr Can be checked as luggage. works on all electrical systems. Cambridge SoundWorks' Delivers the full range of music. Model Eleven is the world's first Is backed by a unique transportable full-range, high per- 5 -year warranty. formance component system. It Perfect for boating, camping consists of a powerful 3 -channel Satellite Speakers & vacations anywhere in amplifier and two "satellite" mid/high-frequencyspeakers-all I ... The Ideal the world. , "Second Stereo" packed in a rugged "BassCase"" N'. . Use It 52 Weeks that, when empty, serves as the sys- ' U- A Year sound virtually identical tem's subwoofer. Model Eleven's 3{'h.uurtlMplificr ' Storage fix Wit 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- o ",r: anywhere in the world -115- or 230 -volt, tems. because we market it And directly .3,-- 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 Made In U.S.A. just about anywhere. But Model Eleven's sound is so good, so "big; you may want to - j r1ttdrirrsusedrh,tlodcl work with a room's acoustics for optimum keep it home. It's an r"7"- f&srnStuo-naysatelh'tc performance. Remove the satellite speakers, si spra.hersamnc* ideal second (or first) hgh amplifier and your portable CD player from music system fora r; ` or»mncc BassCase. Place the satellites where they study, bedroom or 3 . components -just the create a musical "stage" near ear level. Put kitchen. At $749t we the BassCase where it reinforces low fre- EMI r don't know of any systcros. quency output-on the floor, even behind combination of furniture. The result is musically accurate components near its Performance that rivals the price (transportable or not) that approaches best home component systems . its sound quality. Until now portable music systems were, `... at best, a compromise. Even the most Henry !Clay armed the dominant speaker mcrlcLsoftlx '50s (AR), expensive ones lack the deep bass necessary '60s(Ki/i) anti '70s(Adsenuj-as milasauh' hlyacclaimcd : f3rscmblc and Ambkttxt"sprwkrs. for full, natural sound. But Model Eleven Whikpacgastcnrosystcm iruoa suitcase bcforra location. hc wakedthat ananrpf'rfxr. aCD delivers the all-out performance previously playrraixitHoamtiLgrakastatrup the sanespacempuire/ ar found only in high quality home component anacouuicsuspensiancuwfertonynrfuccreally deep bass. That ssasthe tinpiratkmforRnsa^nse,model flnrn5hassspraker systems. Its three are speakers designed to exkzvar c i inch (babies as the entire.rysrnn 5 ear pv{e tuse.

"We Know Of No Small Speaker That Surpasses The Overall Sound Of Ambiance' -sr,. 40Hz region than any "mini speaker" we've Ambiance encountered. Stereo Review magazine described Ambiance as BY HENRY KLOSS "...beautifully balanced, delivering a full-size sound image Ambiance is an ultra -compact speaker with not a hint of its origin in two small that proves high performance, small size and boxes...very few small speakers we have low cost need not be mutually exclusive. heard can match the overall sound of S Ambiance is ideal for bedrooms, dens, dorm Ambiance, and we know of none that rooms...or for use as extension - an speaker surpass it" Available in Nextel or primed Made m U.S.A. or in surround sound systems. While no for painting for $109 each t, or in solid oak speaker of its size can provide the same low for $129 eacht -backed by our 30 -day Ambiance isanulna-conyaact speak(r that prows hIghperformance, bass as our Ensemble and Model Eleven money -back guarantee-direct from smallsize and knvcost need not bemutuallyorlusive. 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 obvious as our two subwoofers. er Ensemble isa speaker system that can Unlike seemingly similar systems, provide the sound once reserved for the best Ensemble uses prenuum quality components for maximum power handling, individual speakers under laboratory conditions. It allow several wiring options virtually disappears in your room. And crossovers that and cabinets ruggedly constructed for because we market it directly, it costs hun- proper acoustic performance. V1e even dreds less than it would in stores. Ensemble consists of four speaker units. gold-plate all the connectors to prevent corrosion. compact low -frequency speakers re p ro - i while satellite Unlike satellite systems++Hchusra single duce the deep bass two small fagrsub++enfe. Drsembleferrtroesscpruate units reproduce the rest of the music, making compact bszcsunitsfa each stereo chanmd. it possible to reproduce 71rcvfitmorcgracefullyuuo}arvGiv{Q , errt7ionment. and help rnúdnrizc the eertsof just the right i the listcnbrg mom 5 standing ++et+es. amount energ money in each part of the -._ 30 -day -back musical range satisfaction guarantee. without turning ttz At only $499f -complete with your listening all hardware and 100' of speaker room into a stereo New Ensemble cable,-Ensemble is the value on to- showroom. System With Utility I -- day's speaker market. Esquire maga- Woofer Cabinets. , - $499t zine describes them by saying, "You get with Made In U.S.A. a month to play the speakers before you either return them or keep Your listening aire. 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 that no mini speakers can. 1-800-AKA-HIFI. at home the listening room takes over. If you put a conventional speaker where the room can help the low bass, it may hinder the upper ranges, or vice-versa. Ensemble, on the other hand, takes advantage ofyour room's acoustics. The ear can't tell where bass comes from, which is why Ensemble's can be bass units tucked out of the way-on 16u canput Durnrbk5lofrequency units meth, where thrysl:vuldgoforsuperb bras. l bu catit do this with cnmrntional the floor, atop bookshelves, or under fumi- sprakasbecause,you haw tobe concerned about the upperfmgrancirscomit{fronr the same enclosures asrlre low ones.

Our toll -free number connects you to CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS Slue +04 SEP 154 California St.. Newton. Massadnesetts 02158 Model Eleven... Cambridge SoundWprks expert. He a audio Send more information and test reports. or she will answer all your questions, send Send Ensemble (black -laminate woofers) $599.t Or Ensemble .. . literature and reviews-or take your order Send Ensemble (vinyl -lad woofers) $4994 (you can use Visa, MasterCard or American Send Model Eleven risk -free for 30 days, $749.t Send- (qty) Ambiance (Nextel), for $109 ea.t Or Ambiance... Express) and arrange shipment via UPS. o Send (qty) Ambiance (Primed), for $109 ea. t - (qty) Ambiance (Oak), for $129 ea.t Your Cambridge SoundWorks audio expert o Send- Risk Free For 30 Days. will continue as your personal contact with us. I'm paying by Check MC Visa AmEx * 9AM to midnight (ET), seven days a Acct Number Exp * Call 1 -800 -AKA FIIFI week. In Canada, call 1-800-525-4434 . signature Fax: 617-332-9229. Outside theU.S. or Name (800-252-4434) Canada, 617-332-5936. Address All Cambridge SoundWorks products City State- Zip © 1990 Cambridge SoundWorks. 'Ensemble isa regis- are sold only factory direct. This allows you tered trademark of Cambridge SoundW rks.'"Rassrase, Phone (Area Code) Number to save hundreds of dollars and audition our Ambiance, Model Eleven and Cambridge SoundWorks are FOR IMMEDIATE SERVICE: 1-800-AKA-Hffl. products the nhhtway-in your home trademarks of Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc. Ensemble MA residents add 5% sales tax. review quote reprinted with permission of Audio Magazine. iC sr black-lamuate bass cabirxt +tram 5599. AO prices pis freight Eleven Denny tune for 30 days, with no risk, no sales person © 1989 Diamandis Communications. Itise[7ble 58-527. Model 56-516. Ambiance$4-6121. Lus at 2-7 days. Me ship oddwk1e. mdca ing APO & FPO. hovering nearby. "CD player no: included in Model Eleven system. Enter No. 12 on Reader Service Card EQUIPMENT PROFILE

Manufacturer's Specifications Power Requirements: 117 V a.c., Power Output: Stereo, 50 watts per 250 watts (idle) to 1,500 watts peak. channel into 8 ohms (Class A), 100 Dimensions: Front panel, 19 in. W x watts per channel into 4 ohms, 200 3V2 in. H (48.3 cm x 8.9 cm); chas- watts per channel into 2 ohms; sis, 17 in. W x 31/2 in. H x 15 in. D mono, 200 watts into 8 ohms, 400 (43.2 cm x 8.9 cm x 38.1 cm). watts into 4 ohms, 400 watts into 1 Weight: 35 lbs. (15.9 kg). ohm. Price: $1,920. THD at Rated Output: 0.2%. Company Address: 8130 Coldwater Full -Power Bandwidth: 5 Hz to 80 Canyon, North Hollywood, Cal. kHz. 91605. Input Impedance: 47.5 kilohms. For literature, circle No. 93 Polarity: Stereo, inverting; mono, inverting or non - inverting at 1 `I 11 IIfÍ1.1. _ . LAZARUS user's option. I H -1A órr' . teál* AMPLIFIER a'_ -;, , -- ,- -' + :o-

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88 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Lazarus Electronics of North Hollywood, California, pro- There is a bias -spreading network made up of two duces a number of all -tube and hybrid preamplifiers along N -channel J-FETs wired in series. The lower device is wired with several hybrid power amplifiers. The Model H-1 A is a as a constant -current source for the upper device, which is two -channel hybrid power amplifier rated at 50 watts per connected as a source follower. A variable resistor is con- channel into 8 ohms and is said to operate in Class A into nected between the lower device's drain and the upper this load. Rated power into 4 ohms is 100 -watts per channel. device's source. These respective ends of the bias -adjust The unit can be bridged to produce 200 and 350 watts into rheostat are connected to the P- and N -channel driver gates 8- and 4 -ohm loads, respectively. Additionally-and this is through 1-megohm resistors. An inverting servo compares really unusual for a solid-state output stage-the amplifier's the amplifier's output d.c. potential to ground (or 0 V d.c.) channels can be paralleled for operation into loads below 2 and applies the greatly amplified error to the gate of the ohms! upper J-FET device; this causes the amplifier's d.c. offset to Physically, the unit is of reasonable size for its Class -A approach 0 V d.c. The J-FETs are operated from the same rated output power. Front -panel dimensions are 3V2 inches zener-regulated supplies that power the servo op -amp. This by rack width (19 inches). Depth is about 16 inches. Locat- servo and its connection with the J-FETs make up a neat

ed on the front panel are two pushbuttons (one to switch design that I haven't seen before. No overall feedback loop between "Standby" and full operation, while the other is the is used in the Lazarus H -1A. main "Power" on/off switch) and two LEDs (a green one for Another clever aspect of this design is the way it switches "Bias" and a red one for "Power"). Most of the rear surface between stereo and bridged -mono modes. As previously is taken up by heat sinks. An area between the heat sinks, mentioned, the cathodes of the input stage's lower tubes some 31/2 inches square, holds the two Tiffany input phono are connected to ground through their respective cathode jacks, a female XLR connector for balanced input in bridged resistors. These resistors are tied together, and.are ground- mode, two sets of five -way binding posts for load connec- ed through one pole of the mono/stereo switch when it is in tion, a power cord, and a line fuse. A hole just under the the stereo position. Also connected to the junction between output binding posts allows the insertion of a nonmetallic the two cathode resistors is an additional resistor, on the tool to operate the stereo/mono switch. Space is tight but, order of 10 kilohms, whose other end is connected to a - 90 with reasonable dexterity, large speaker wires can be con- V d.c. supply. When the H -1A is switched to bridged mono nected. The hot terminals of the output are at the outside mode, the junction of the three resistors is ungrounded and ends of the line of four five -way output binding posts. This voila! we have a differential amplifier formed from the two makes the use of dual banana plugs impossible for speaker input stages. Whether either signal input is fed alone, or connection in the mono mode. This is just as well, as these both are fed a balanced push-pull signal, the two hot termi-

plugs do degrade the sound, I believe. nals of the outputs will now be out of phase with each other Within the amplifier, the front half is taken up by power and the mono load is to be connected between the hot supply components; the rear part of the space holds the output terminals. amplifier circuitry, mounted on a large p.c. board. There are In stereo mode, the H-1A's two channels both invert actually a number of power supplies in the H-1A-one for signal polarity. In mono mode, the signal will be inverted in the output stages and several for the tube front ends. The whichever channel is fed a signal but will be uninverted at large toroidal transformer at left front and the filter capaci- the output of the other channel. The amp will therefore tors in the middle front are for the output stages, while the

OUTPUT STAGE smaller transformer and the p.c. board with lots of smaller I Vcc capacitors are for the front-end circuitry. The six MOS-FET output devices per channel are mounted to 1/4 -inch alumi- r num L brackets; the device leads are soldered to the p.c. board under these brackets. The other leg of each L bracket LEFT is coupled to the inside of the rear panel. Heat is transferred OUTPUT to the heat sinks through the rear panel metal.

Circuit Description As hybrid power amplifiers go, the H -1A has about the

simplest signal circuit I've seen (Fig. 1). The input stage is a Vu cascode-connected 6DJ8 dual triode with a plate load resistor of 39 kilohms and an unbypassed cathode resistor of 475 ohms. In the stereo mode, each channel's cathode resistor is grounded. All of the circuit's voltage gain comes TO RIGHT CHANNEL DRIVER AND OUTPUT STAGE from this tube stage. Output from the tube front-ehd is via coupled two separate capacitors to the gates of a pair of R. 2 complementary MOS-FET drivers which, in turn, drive the MOS-FET output devices. Both driver and output devices Fig. 1-Simplified are connected as source followers. The output stage is schematic, showing left composed of three N -channel and three P -channel MOS-FETs channel and input stage wired in parallel in two groups. of right channel; see text AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 89 THE TIME TO LEARN ALL ABOUT DAT IS AT HAND!

50 'PpNG ,\.

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P. cooperative effort of SONY 1uko THE LEADER IN DIGITAL AUDIO`M © 1990 Sony Corporation of America. Sony and The Leader in Digital Audio are trademarks of Sony. Your Scotch and Soda is only as good as your Scotch and soda.

1 1.- _AL II E. NE__

rr What are you saving the Chivas

for?I It Instead of using a single rectifier bridge to provide both positive and negative voltages, the H -1A gives you separate bridges for each.

*7-7 - appropriate to the unit's output power. Filter capacitance is ¡_ - - - quite high for an amp of this size and power output. Two 53,000-µF, 50-V units are used. Instead of the usual single full -wave bridge rectifier for both positive and negative d.c., the H -1A uses separate full -wave bridges with each of the p WATTS ,GWAs two secondary windings to produce separate, full -wave - rectified d.c. supplies-an interesting twist. These two d.c. supplies are connected in series via the usual common f O WATTS connection for the output stage. The designer feels that this

W.TT helps to reduce unbalanced flux in the power transformer core for high power outputs at frequencies below 60 Hz. ------= man The smaller transformer powers the tube front-end circuit- , 2.1 r ry only. A time-delay/muting circuit is powered from the positive rail of the output -stage supply. Both the front-end i_ and output -stage power supplies come up when the main fpEGl,4.:T -Mt "Power" switch is turned on. After the turn -on delay time has elapsed, pushing the "Standby" button (assuming it has not Fig. 2-THD + N as a been pushed already) energizes a pair of two -pole relays. function of frequency and These relays' contacts are normally closed, shorting both power output for 8 -ohm MOS-FET driver gates to ground, which ensures that turn -on loads (solid curves) and surges from the front-end circuitry won't get through to the 4 -ohm loads (dashed speaker output and keeps the curves). output stage biased off. Energizing the relays opens their contacts, biasing the output stage and enabling the unit to pass signal. If the "Stand- by" switch is pushed in at the same time that the main power switch is engaged, the amp will start playing immediately after the turn -on delay. For best sound, one should keep the "Power" switch on at all times and switch to "Standby" when the amp is not being used. Returning to the front-end supply arrangement, we see that a full -wave bridge connected to the high -voltage winding of the small power transformer feeds two separate RC 1 filter networks that provide the B+ for each tube input / stage. Each of these B+ outputs feeds current through separate resistors to a zener regulator diode that supplies about +63 V to the upper front-end tubes' control grids. The output from another secondary winding goes through a full - wave rectifier and RC filter to supply the -90 V for the front- end cathode resistor that is common when the unit is operated in the mono mode. Another pole of the stereo/mono switch ties the two separate front-end tube supplies together in the mono mode. Fig. 3-SMPTE IM and This interesting twist tends to cancel any signal voltage at THD + N vs. power for a these points, as the B+ ends of the plate load resistors are 1 -kHz signal into 8- and out of phase in the mono mode. The output of the last 4 -ohm loads. secondary winding goes through a full -wave rectifier and a capacitor input filter before being applied to the two front- provide push-pull outputs from the input differential amplifi- end tube heaters, which are wired in series. er regardless of which input receives the signal. The intend- No protection circuitry seems in evidence in the H -1A ed mode for mono operation, however, is for a balanced other than the line fuse. How's that for confidence! signal to be fed through the XLR jack. When this is done, the situation remains the same as when one phono jack is fed: Measurements The positive -going input still produces a negative -going The standard FTC preconditioning tests at one-third pow- signal at that channel's output. The way to connect one's er are interesting with a real Class -A amplifier, in that the speakers for overall noninverting operation in mono mode is output stage's current dissipation under those conditions is to wire the speaker's positive terminal to the output of the less than at idle. Incidentally, this unit's heat -sink tempera- channel that received the negative -going input signal. tures get quite high at idle, when the power dissipation is on The power supply for the H -1A, as already mentioned, the order of 100 watts per channel. The unit had no trouble uses two power transformers. The output -stage power with one-third power into 8 -ohm loads, and its heat -sinks

transformer is a relatively large toroidal unit that seems were definitely cooler than they were at idle. When I tested 92 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 How to make an Onkyo tape deck as good as its competition.

Eliminate large filter capacitors

j `r o t . i 4,'1/1 -' . l V Unbolt -v Y r ,r isolated high capacity %. transformer i/r oA 'Ih7lf J r t r ¡{ 't.i f - - 3.` 1 I ,/ ,,,, \ i ' 1 . - r , ! r.. `. 1 1 o.' P. ..I.. :'. +!.

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Remove microprocessor control center Replace metal faceplate with cheap plastic

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If we wanted to make an Onkyo cassette deck as Of course, the custom designed microprocessor good as our competition, it wouldn't be too hard. would have to go, taking the Real Time Counter First, we'd remove our specially isolated trans- with it. After all, isn't it more exciting to watch the race which finishes first? former, bolting a cheaper replacement directly to song and tape to see the chassis. This would result in vibrations that As a final touch, the front panel would be plastic. mask some of the musical detail. Nothing impor- Hey, when you're not all that concerned about tant, just little things like instruments and vocals. performance, why bother with structural integrity. Gone would be the three independent power Now, we could do all these things to an Onkyo supplies, and we'd throw out our audio -grade cassette deck. But then we wouldn't have one as capacitors, too. Competition between the meter exceptional as our new TA -R500 that combines the circuitry and recording electronics for current could convenience of auto reverse with the sound quality then allow noise to creep into and precision design of our the audio signal while premiere Integra® products. recording. So all the 'mom- III O. singers seem to have sinus © At Onkyo, all of our cas- infections. And the sette decks are built to be instruments sound more 0.lá better. That's a difference surgical than musical. you can hear-and see. For More Information 41244 WI/ UMW ONKYO. Call 1-800-553-4355 200 Williams Drive, Ramsey, N.J. 07446 201-825-7950 At most output power levels, THD rises only moderately as the frequency goes up, and treble distortion doesn't rise at all for 1 watt out.

Fig. 4- tion, as functions of power output for 8- and 4 -ohm loads. As Distortion shown, distortion at 100 watts per channel into 4 -ohm loads residues and is rather high. Visual onset of clipping into 4 -ohm loads was 1 -kHz signal. about 88 watts per channel. Into 2 -ohm loads, visual onset For 10 watts into of clipping was at some 132 watts/channel, quite a distance 8 ohms (upper from the claimed power output of 200 watts per channel. residue trace), Figure 4 shows typical harmonic distortion residue for a THD measured 1 -kHz signal for 10 watts into 8 ohms and 20 watts into 4 0.062%; for ohms. The figure shows results for the left channel where, as 20 watts into can be seen, the dominant distortion is a combination of 4 ohms (lower second and third harmonics. With 4 -ohm loading, the right residue trace), channel's THD residue was mostly odd -order.

it was 0.095%. To look at distortion characteristics in the mono mode, I constructed a low -distortion phase inverter that would allow me to drive both channels in push-pull with one channel direct from my Soundtech oscillator and the other driven from the phase inverter. Since the distortion in stereo mode at low power levels was mostly lower -order even harmonics,

I expected to find less overall distortion at equivalent power and loadings in the mono mode, due to push-pull cancellation of even harmonics. (In mono mode, the equivalent to 8 -ohm loading in stereo is 16 ohms between the hot output Table I-THD + N for 1 -kHz signal, in stereo and bridged terminals. Also, the equivalent power is twice as high; this is mono modes. Stereo figures are with 8 -ohm loads; mono because the voltage is doubled and the power is then equal figures are with 16 ohms, an equivalent load (see text). to the square of this voltage divided by the doubled load impedance.)

Stereo Mono Table I shows some selected power and distortion figures Watts/ THD + N, % for stereo and mono operation. As expected, distortion at Channel LEFT RIGHT Watts THD + N, % low power levels was lower in bridged mono mode with the 1 0.07 0.1 2 0.024 16 -ohm load because the even -order distortion products 3 0.12 0.17 6 0.038 cancel out. At higher power levels, however, as the third 10 0.2 0.285 20 0.115 harmonic starts to dominate, the distortion amounts are 40 0.53 0.6 80 0.54 similar in both stereo and mono modes. There was little or no distortion with an 8 -ohm load in mono, less than there was with 4 -ohm loads in stereo because the distortion with these loads was mostly odd -order, and odd -order distortion Table II-Output noise. The IHF S/N ratio was 83.5 dB for doesn't cancel in push-pull topologies. the left channel and 94.0 dB for the right. We have a winner here in the contest for flattest output impedance versus frequency. It can't get much flatter than Output Noise, µV this: Damping factor was 25 for the left channel and 24.2 for Bandwidth LEFT RIGHT the right channel, from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The output imped- Wideband 520 850 ance is rather high, though, approaching that of many tube 20 Hz to 20 kHz 330 740 amplifiers. This means that the delivered frequency re- 400 Hz to 20 kHz 195 200 sponse to speakers whose impedance curves show wide A -Weighted 190 192 variations will vary more than it would with amplifiers having lower output impedances. the H-1 A at a third of the rated power (i.e., 33.33 watts) into Interchannel crosstalk as a function of frequency was also 4 -ohm loads, the heat -sinks got hotter than they did at idle, measured. The output level for the driven channel was 10 V

but otherwise the hour passed uneventfully. rms, and the undriven input was terminated in 1 kilohm. Voltage gain for the H -1A measured 29.7 dB. The IHF Results were within a dB or so of being symmetrical, and input sensitivity was 93.5 mV. were around -80 dB between 20 and 300 Hz, increasing to Total harmonic distortion plus noise is shown in Fig. 2 as a - 76 dB at 1 kHz, -66 dB at 5 kHz, and to about -55 dB at function of power, load, and frequency for 8- and 4 -ohm 20 kHz. These numbers are for the slightly worse, right -to- loads. The two channels behaved similarly; the results left direction, with the driven channel loaded by 8 ohms. As

shown are for the left channel. As can be seen in the figure, with many amplifiers I have measured, this one had some- distortion rises only moderately at the high -frequency end of what less crosstalk when the driven channel was unloaded, the audio range. (The reviewed unit carried no channel on the order of 6 to 10 dB, which means that the crosstalk identification, so I applied my usual convention of identifying level is somewha: load -dependent. Output noise for differ- the channels as seen from the front of the unit.) Figure 3 ent bandwidths and IHF signal-to-noise ratios are given in shows THD + N for a 1 -kHz signal, and SMPTE-IM distor- Table II. 94 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 MIR&GE M-1. RAVES FROM THE CRITICS.

WE'RE HAPPY TO

) REPORT IT RUMS IN THE FAMILY.

Y - Y

. , . 1

The Mirage M-1 s have garnered their fair share of raves from The mark that Mirage has made on the audiophile world is the industry. They've invoked such comments as "...1'm com- substantial. From the flagship M -I s to the wide range offered by pletely bonkers over this product..:' and "...The M- 1 is and will he the Mirage 60 -Series, you simply can't do better. for many people their absolute reference." Just give them a listen. You'll hear what we mean. Upon first listen, most people are astonished by their sonic transparency. The speakers virtually seem to disappear. In our For a free booklet of M- I reviews from seven leading view, that's the mark of a good loudspeaker. audio publications, write us or see your Mirage dealer. We've extended that philosophy to the Mirage 60 -Series loudspeakers as well. Each reflects an overall concern for naturalness, genuine musicality and transparency. Like the M-1 s, they're designed for optimum dispersion. The mirage perceived sound stage is dramatically extended without compro- mising center imaging. The specially -designed woofers repro- AUDIO PRODUCTS INTERNATIONALCORP. duce low frequencies with undaunted accuracy. 3641 McN icolI Ave. Scarborough, Ontario, Canada MIX 105 (416) 321.1800 The Lazarus H-1A's space, air, and dimension are quite good, and its bass extension and power are downright impressive.

however, the H -1A is pretty close to being Class A all the way up to clipping: The a.c. line draw rose only slightly, from 2.0 amperes at idle to about 2.5 amperes at 50 watts per channel. 111111 Summarizing the measured behavior of the H -1A, on the plus side of the ledger are its low -order harmonic distortion, flat output impedance with frequency, and its lack of slew- 111 ing distortion. Or the not -so -hot side are the relatively high - distortion at high power levels and the fact that the amp M does not really make its power spec into low -impedance -1111 L_i loads with sufficiently low distortion. Use and Listening Tests F'g. 5-Square-wave Equipment used to evaluate the H-1 A power amplifier response. Top trace is included, as signal sources, an Oracle turntable fitted with a 10 kHz, with 8 -ohm load; Well Tempered arm and Spectral Audio MCR Select car- middle is trace same tridge, a Magnavox CDB-560 CD player feeding a Wadia signal, with 2-µF 2000 decoding computer, a Nakamichi 250 cassette deck, capacitance across the and a Technics 1500 open -reel recorder. Preamps used 8-ohm load; bottom trace were my Cook -King reference unit (which combines a pho- is 40 Hz into 8 ohms. no preamp with a passive selector switch and stepped (Scales: Vertical, 5 V/div.; attenuator) and an Illusion No. 8 tube preamp. Other power horizontal, 20 µS/div. for amps used were my reference EAR 519 tube units and VTL 10 kHz, 5 mS/div. for Compact 100s and de Luxe 120s. Speakers used were 40 Hz.) Siefert Research Magnum Ills.

(An aside on the Wadia 2000. I have been using one of Dynamic headroom in stereo mode with 8 -ohm loading these wonderful devices for 2 to 3 months courtesy of a loan

worked out to about 0.22 dB. With 4 -ohm loading, the by Wadia to Audio for evaluation purposes. I have to agree attainable power was less than the rated 100 watts (with no with all the accolades it has received in various reviews. My distortion spec) and the headroom number comes out at own experience is that it drastically opens up the space and -0.4 dB. Clipping headroom was +0.17 dB with 8 -ohm depth in CD reproduction and generally reduces irritation loads, but was -0.56 dB with 4 -ohm loading. With only one levels in the high -frequency region. Also, the bass quality is channel driven, output was about ±20 amperes into a killer.)

1 -ohm load. Before receiving this updated sample for review, I had an Frequency responses, for 1 -watt output with 8 -ohm load- earlier H -1A which, judging by the newer sample, may not

ing and for 2 watts into 4 ohms, were flat down to my low - have been representative of Lazarus's actual production. I frequency measuring limit of 10 Hz, and were about 2 to 3 did not like the earlier unit's sound, which was harsh, closed dB down at 100 kHz. The two channels had slightly different in, and generally irritating.

roll -off curves, with the right channel being down more than Ah, but the unit I reviewed! Much to my surprise and

the left. The difference between 8- and 4 -ohm loading was delight, I now have another amplifier in residence that I slight. Rise- and fall -times at ±5 V into 8 ohms were 2.8 and enjoy listening through. Spectrally, the sound of this amp 3.2 for the left and right channels respectively. 'Scope seems to be tilted down over the audio range, with the bass photos of square -wave performance are displayed in Fig. 5 elevated and the treble reduced. The resultant sound is where the top trace is for 10 kHz with 8 -ohm loading, the highly listenable and non -irritating. Bass extension and middle trace is for 8 ohms with an added 2µF of capaci- power are downright impressive. Space, air, and dimen-

tance, and the bottom trace is for 40 Hz into 8 ohms. The sions are quite good. (However, when I go back to my unit has a small amount of ringing with the added 2µF; the reference EAR 519s, the overall sound is more open and small amount of tilt in the 40 -Hz waveform indicates extend- believable.) As with other Class -A designs, the H-1 A sounds ed response below the audio band. louder than its rated power might indicate and plays plenty The regulation of bias, or quiescent current, with tempera- loud for me. ture is overstable, meaning that as the unit heats up the Operationally, the H -1A worked flawlessly. The delay/

current decreases. This is most likely due to the negative mute circuitry worked with nary a click or pop. I left the main

temperature characteristic that the Hitachi MOS-FETs exhib- power switch on all the time I was using the amp and flipped it at the currents used. The a.c. line draw was about 2.5 the "Standby" switch to listen to it. When operated this way, amperes when the amp was cold and about 2.0 amperes optimum sound occurs in about 15 minutes. From a cold when warmed up. How perfectly Class A is the amplifier into turn -on, optimum sound takes much longer.

8 -ohm loads? I couldn't easily measure output -stage cur- Summing up, I think the H -1A is a very good sounding

rent, as there were no source feedback resistors in the power amplifier and I certainly recommend giving it an

output stage, and I don't have a current probe. Judging by audition. I certainly enjoyed its stay at my house. a.c. line draw as a function of output power into 8 ohms, Bascom H. King 96 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 GOVERNMENT SCIENTIST PROGRAMS BLACK BOX TO CONTROL HUMAN EMOTIONS, BODY MOVEMENTS, FOR NINE HOURS.

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PRECISE n ,4, MONITOR 10 I' 1'30°f pliyl,111clI!f/ll(l II '.j ;f ' SPEAKER !all'

Manufacturer's Specifications Type: Three-way, bass reflex. Drivers: 10 -in. (25 -cm) cone woofer; 61/2 -in. (16 -cm), polymer -laminated cone midrange, and 1 -in. (2.5 -cm) dome tweeter. Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 35 kHz.

Sensitivity: 90 dB SPL at 1 meter for 1 watt input. Crossover Frequencies: 200 Hz and 2.5 kHz. Impedance: 4 ohms. Rated Input Power (DIN): 100 watts. Dimensions: 441/4 in. H x 159/16 in. Company Address: Precise Acous- Maximum Input Power (EIAJ): W x 13% in. D (112.4 cm x 39.6 tic Laboratories, 200 Williams Drive, 250 watts. cm x 34 cm), including grille. Suite B, Ramsey, N.J. 07446. Recommended Amplifier Power: Weight: 70.5 lbs. (32 kg). For literature, circle No. 94 50 to 250 watts. Price: $1,500 per pair.

The Monitor 10 is the top model in a line of five loudspeak- netic tape, rather than near the surface, which is the con- ers made by Precise Acoustics, a division of Onkyo U.S.A. ventional way: he called this "focus gap recording." The created to design, build, and market high -quality loud- technique called for the use of a special recording head speakers in the United States. While the Model 10 is current- and the use of a very high bias signal, in the megahertz ly built in Japan, it will soon be made in the U.S., as the other range. It is still used today for high-speed cassette duplicat- four models already are, and all five were designed in the ing systems. U.S.A. The principal design work was done by Keith O. More recently, Johnson has come up with another innova- Johnson, who is probably more widely known for his work tion, this time one that applies to loudspeaker design. The for Reference Recordings, where he has been responsible technique, called Differential Mode Stress Analysis (DMSA), for some very impressive audiophile recordings. Years ago, is used to investigate the modal behavior of loudspeaker Johnson built his own tape deck and invented a method of diaphragms. This may sound very complicated but it really recording the highest audio frequencies deep into the mag- isn't. Loudspeaker diaphragms, whether they are flat, coni- 98 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 cal, domed, etc., all tend to have complex vibration patterns larger box. For those readers who like to rap their knuckles that can be set into motion by the music they are trying to on enclosures and tap cones, the "knuckle test" indicates reproduce. These modes of vibration must be controlled, that the enclosure is solidly constructed, with no peculiar otherwise they will add their own output to the total sound sounds, and the "cone tap" test elicits nothing unusual in and cause it to differ from the original. the way of strange sounds. Finding these modes, or vibration patterns, on a loud- The bass cabinet is 125/8 in. deep x 151/2 in. wide x 29'/ speaker diaphragm is not an easy task. In the past, two in. high. The cabinet appears to use inch -thick panels ex- methods have been used. The first utilizes a fine powder, cept for the baffle, which is 11/4 inch thick. The volume of the which is sprinkled on the diaphragm; when certain frequen- bass enclosure is about 3,945 cubic inches, which is 2.28 cies are applied to the loudspeaker from a signal generator, cu. ft. The input plate features large, gold-plated terminals the powder will migrate to the areas of the diaphragm that with holes suitable for thick loudspeaker connecting cables; are not vibrating. The second method also requires the use these terminals are mounted at an angle to make them of a signal generator, but this time a stroboscopic light is easier to use. Inside the bass enclosure, the input terminals used to illuminate the diaphragm. (The strobe light is similar are connected by heavy wires to a crossover board that is to the kind used by auto mechanics to set the timing of an mounted by plastic fasteners to a diagonal brace at the automobile engine.) The frequency of the strobe light's bottom of the enclosure. This board carries two chokes, flashes is adjusted to match the various vibration patterns of three capacitors, and three resistors. The output from this the diaphragm, allowing them to be seen. The DMSA tech- network feeds a separate bass -control circuit. nique can be used with music signals; this sets it apart from The bass -control circuit does not use a p.c. board; its the other techniques, which always require a pure sine - parts are mounted on a piece of particle board that is wave tone as the input signal to the loudspeaker. The key fastened to the right side of the cabinet. This circuit includes ingredient in DMSA is a tiny differential microphone that one large choke, two back-to-back electrolytics, and two Johnson designed and built. The mike is placed close to the large resistors. These parts are connected to the bass diaphragm and moved across it while the diaphragm is switch, which is mounted on the input plate on the back of reproducing sound. The output from the microphone can be the bass cabinet and allows the bass to be increased or connected to instrumentation and perhaps to a pair of decreased 2 dB from its normal setting. headphones. The two elements of the differential mike pick up the sounds from separate but adjacent points of the diaphragm. When the two adjacent areas of the diaphragm MEASURED DATA are moving together, as they should be, there is no output from the microphone. If, however, the diaphragm is break- Type: Three-way bass reflex with separate mid/high ing up into modal patterns, there will be output from the enclosure. microphone because each element in the microphone picks Frequency Response: 40 Hz to 20 kHz, ±4 dB. a .output from the diaphragm. The material and up different Sensitivity: 76 dB SPL at 1 meter for 1 V input. treatment of the diaphragms used in the Precise Monitor 10, Efficiency: 85 dB SPL at 1 meter for 1 watt input. as well as the other models in the Precise line, were de- Amplifier Power: Recommended, 50 to 250 watts per signed and developed using Johnson's ingenious tech- channel; maximum, 300 watts. nique. Harmonic Distortion: At 90 dB SPL, less than 1.0% sec- The first thing that I noticed about the Precise Model 10 ond or third harmonic above 100 Hz; less than 6.3% was that it was very well constructed and beautifully fin- second or third harmonic below 100 Hz.; at 100 dB ished. The system consists of two cabinets, one on top of SPL, less than 2.0% second or third harmonic above the other. The bottom enclosure is finished in oak and is a 100 Hz, less than 7.1% second or third harmonic front ported bass system, with a 10 -inch bass driver on the below 100 Hz. A baffle and the port opening on the rear of the enclosure. Minimum Impedance: 2.4 ohms. smaller enclosure, which has the 6V2 -inch midrange driver Absolute Polarity: See text. and the 1 -inch treble driver, sits on top of the bass cabinet; Low -frequency Resonances: 27 and 40 Hz. it is finished in matte black with smoothly rounded corners. Crossover Frequencies: 120 Hz and 3 kHz. The treble driver is mounted on a front panel, which is set Controls and Switches: Three -position toggle switches back from the midrange driver. This mid/high enclosure is for bass and treble. detachable but cannot be used separately from the bass Input Connections: Bass five -way binding posts, gold- system, as I found out during my technical measurements. plated, with large holes; mid/high, four banana sock- from A socket on its bottom fits into a pin that sticks up the ets, gold plated. top of the bass this locates it on top of the bass cabinet; Enclosure Material and Finish: Bass, 1 -inch medium - it right or left about 30°. A enclosure and allows to be turned density fiberboard, oak finish; mid/high, 3/4 -inch medi- fits detachable hood, covered with black grille cloth, over um -density fiberboard, black finish. four which mate the smaller box; it is held in place by pins Enclosure Dimensions: Bass, 291/2 in. H x 151/2 in. W x The input to with sockets in the top of the bass enclosure. 12% in. D; mid/high, 133/8 in. H x 91/4 in. W x 7% in. D. the system is on the back panel of the bass enclosure; the Weight: Total, 75 lbs.; bass, 57 lbs.; mid/high, 14 lbs.; enclo- smaller, mid/high enclosure is connected to the bass hood, 4 lbs. sure by two pairs of wires that come from the top of the AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 99 The magnet for the treble driver is the same size as that used for the woofer; this is quite exceptional.

Two pairs of wires, with gold-plated banana plugs at their voice -coil former, which is 11/2 inches in diameter, has a ends, exit the bass enclosure from the top near the rear, and series of vent holes around the top to release air that would plug into gold-plated banana jacks on the small mid/high otherwise be trapped under the 2 -inch diameter plastic dust enclosure. (These jacks appear to be five -way binding dome; this trapped air could cause the dust dome to deform posts, but actually are designed to accept only banana and cause noise. plugs.) One pair wires feeds the of tweeter crossover net- The treble driver's 1 -inch dome is of woven material which work, which is inside the small enclosure; the other feeds is impregnated and sealed. Its magnet is the same size as the 61/2 -inch driver directly from the crossover inside the the bass driver's; this is quite exceptional. The steel top bass enclosure; this is why the small cabinet cannot be plate, which provides the outside part of the magnet gap, is used separately. thinner than that used for the bass driver. A large plastic The crossover for the 61/2 -inch driver carries three chokes, mounting plate is fastened to this top plate by four screws. seven capacitors, and seven resistors and is securely The treble driver is set into the front of the enclosure so that mounted inside the back of the bass cabinet by five thread- it is flush with the baffle. Its top part of the front baffle is set ed five nuts. stand-offs and The treble crossover, inside the back from the bass driver baffle by a step about 1 inch small enclosure, is also mounted on a p.c. board and deep. This step delays the signal from treble driver by about carries two inductors, three capacitors, and five resistors. 74 µS for a listener seated in front of the system. The The crossovers in the two enclosures therefore consist of 8 resulting 1 -inch ledge below the treble driver is covered by inductors, 15 capacitors, 18 resistors, and 2 switches-a an inch -thick piece of felt to absorb any reflections and total of 43 parts. reduce diffraction effects. The treble switch, which is mounted on the input plate of All of the drivers (which are made by Onkyo in Japan) and the mid/high enclosure, has its own p.c. board for easier the input plates are sealed to the enclosures by foam connection of the Monitor 10's large -diameter internal wires. gaskets. The drivers are mounted by screws and tee nuts. Soldering these large wires directly to the small switch The mounting hole cut in the inch -thick baffle for the 61/2 - terminals would be too difficult. The treble switch allows the inch driver is not circular, but irregular in shape, to break up high -frequency range from 3 to 20 kHz to be boosted or cut reflections from the rear of the cone. The proper polarity of by 2 dB from the normal setting. the connections to each driver is assured by the fact that A thin felt rectangle, 12'/2 inches wide and 161/2 inches they each have a small and a large terminal and the two high; is fastened to the front of the bass cabinet and sur- wires that supply the signal to them each have a large and a rounds the bass driver. A separate, detachable grille panel small connector. The wire to the large connector has a red covers this felt rectangle and is mounted by four plastic pins stripe to assure that the right connector is attached to it that lock into the plastic inserts on the front of the cabinet. during assembly of the wiring harnesses. To me, this kind of The 10 -inch bass driver has a slightly curved cone of thing indicates the thoroughness of the Precise Monitor 10 rather soft material, with a diameter of 75/e inches. This type design. of material can provide good dissipation of unwanted vibra- The grille hood is solidly constructed and is covered by a tional energy that would color the sound. Eight holes, each seamless sock of quite acoustically transparent cloth. An 3/16 inch in diameter, surround the cone near the apex. insert board, covered by the same grille material, is held to These holes relieve the pressure under the 3% -inch -diame- the top of the hood by Velcro. The hood measures 153/e in. ter solid paper dust cap and reduce the possibility of noise wide x 14' in. high x 111/2 in. deep at its bottom; because that would occur if the dust cap were allowed to vibrate. A its upper portion slopes back, the hood is 81/2 inches deep half -roll annulus of synthetic rubber is attached to the pe- at the top. I measured a slight difference in response with riphery of the cone, allowing the cone to move back and the grille in place, so I left it off during the listening sessions. forth at least 3/4 inch. The bass driver's magnet is a ferrite The Precise Monitor 10 is covered by a limited warranty type, 41/4 inches in diameter and 11/16 inch thick. that extends for five years on parts and labor, and a list of As I mentioned before, the bass system is a ported service stations is included with the instruction manual. design and the port tube is 41/2 inches in diameter; a plastic elbow connection allows the initial, short section of the port Measurements and Listening Tests tube to make a 90° turn where it joins with another section The results of my technical measurements of the charac- about 18 inches long, which is braced to the inside of the teristics of the Precise Monitor 10 loudspeakers are present- enclosure. Pads of thick felt material are placed strategically ed along with comments made by listening panel members

inside the bass enclosure and fastened by large staples. when appropriate. In this way I hope to correlate the mea- The mid/high enclosure also uses the same felt material to surements with the subjectively perceived attributes of the absorb energy and damp resonances. The bottom of the Monitor 10 systems. The panel members listened to various mid/high enclosure has four rubber feet to protect the finish classical and contemporary musical selections that includ- of the bass enclosure and hold it in place. The 61/2 inch mid/ ed both small and large vocal and instrumental ensembles high driver has a slightly curved cone, 45/e inches in diame- as well as many different types of instruments. The panel ter, whose rear surface is treated to control resonances. The members were also asked to complete forms rating the annulus is a synthetic rubber half roll which absorbs un- reproduction quality of the Monitor 10 systems, from 0 to wanted energy and allows quite a bit of cone excursion. The - 5. They were also encouraged to write comments about midrange -driver has a very large magnet that measures the speakers' characteristics but were asked not to make approximately 3'/4 inches in diameter by "/16 inch thick. The any audible comments while auditioning the systems. 100 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 W. o V 1f 1,y,pQ A.

/ .i e --' f;.`;cK .p Yi fM- --Ill- .r¢`_Pyy:Rp -, C ír,-- L t w M1¡i CM-=l., 3-l --- +^ T"c -< LY- r"`` , . .°r --'ri -v 0---,.- g,,'+ ` ' T. Ll!- br+'e w1 F' a. :!,^'y-___N ' Y KSL High -Level Preamplifier Balanced and Single -Ended Inputs and Outputs; Total of 5 Inputs, 1 Record Output, 2 Main Outputs All High -Bias, Class A Circuitry Internal Power Supply Optional Phono Section Mounts within the KSL Switchable Gain for MC or MM Cartridges Switchable Impedance Loading KST-100 Stereo Power Amplifier 100 Watts per Channel into 8 ohms Capable of Driving Loads as low as 1 ohm Balanced and Single -Ended Inputs Direct Coupled Input to Output User -programmable to Mono Operation Easy Installation into most Audio Firniture Dimensions: 18" wide, 18" deep, 6.5" high Weight: 45 lbs For more information contact your nearest Krell Dealer. For More Information ....AP% Call 1.800-553-4355 KRELL INDUSTRIES 35 Higgins Drive Milford, CT 06460 Phone: 203-874-3139 Fax: 203-878-8373 See the Krell Digital advertisement in this issue. The thoroughness of the Precise Monitor 10's design is indicated by such things as the precautions taken to ensure correct wiring.

I >ow. ,a._ Lon I.., ºe_ be.» inn _ had previously determined, by measurements I made on 11---0-.11---

both loudspeakers, that they were almost identical. I did find IE lo+lRR 10 a difference in output at frequencies between 4.5 and 6.5 00 t *--- kHz, but only of about 2 dB; the systems tracked within 0.5 e,raennvcr [

dB elsewhere. Since their characteristics were so close, I made detailed measurements on only one system of the >oA MIM, pair. 10.5 OHMS 1, Figure 1 impedance magnitude 7.9 OHMS . - shows versus frequency, t 55 OHMS from 10 Hz to 20 kHz, for all three positions of the bass and f 0 800HMS- "- - _= treble switches; the solid curve represents impedance with --ii_i%c i 40 OHMS- -_: - e-3.3 OHMS - 1-j _-}}} =L _' 3.2 OHMS _ the switches in the "0 -dB," or normal, position. The listening 24 OHMS == i 1{ ---1 r i-",- -- j1

evaluations were made with both 1 i I l switches set to this posi- ='GS, -La- '° e .1 A qC ]m SOO WOO tllD i.00 tion. Precise specifies the Monitor 10's nominal impedance °a 1154 0.6.4, n sw 4 Zwo I.*q I192/A]I at 4 ohms, and this appears to be a good choice. The Fig. 1-Magnitude of minimum impedance occurs at about 80 Hz, where it drops impedance, with bass and to 2.4 ohms. Since most program material has a lot of treble switches set to the musical energy at or near this frequency, any amplifier normal, "0 dB" position chosen to drive the Monitor 10 should be able to supply (solid line), to "+2 dB" sufficient current without overloading. This should be no (dotted line) and to "-2 problem since most modern amplifiers and receivers have dB" (dashed line). this capability, at least at moderate levels. The undulations in the impedance versus frequency curve indicate the com- plexity of the crossover. The complex impedance is shown in Fig. 2. This is essen- Fig. 2- 25, r tially an X -Y plot, with the resistive component of the imped- Complex ance on the X-axis and the reactive component on the impedance, Y-axis. Notice that the Y-axis shows both positive and nega- showing h7. 200 tive values for the reactive component. This indicates that o 1k reactance and 500 1 the will i impedance have an inductive characteristic when it resistance vs. \ e 300 is in the upper half of the chart, a capacitive characteristic 100 1.5k frequency. The °r hoo when it is in the lower half, and appears to be merely vertical scale has ._ 70 y! T2k resistive when it is right on the zero line. The complex been expanded 20k / ca.1 505k impedance of the Monitor 10 is not unusual for a with system to show detail. %'3k the impedance variations of three drivers plus a complicat- ¡sl7k ed crossover having a total of eight inductors and 15 capac- '°4k/ itors. The vertical scale has been expanded to show more 25, 1 detail so, even where the impedance appears capacitive, its 0 25 75 magnitude is not as large as it might appear and should not RESISTANCE- OHMS cause problems for any reasonably good amp. Figure 3 shows the magnitude and phase of the acoustic output of the Monitor 10 measured with a microphone 1 treble energy arrives ahead of the energy from the mid- meter in front of the system and between the 6Y2 -inch and range. The bass driver was also operating during this test, 1 -inch drivers. The 10 -inch bass driver is also contributing but its output is insignificant since, as was the case for the output but, since the lower range of the measurement was measurement of Fig. 3, the lower range of energy is limited limited to 200 Hz, its contribution is not significant, especial- to that above 200 Hz. ly up in the midrange. The droop in the midrange is caused Figure 5 shows the 3 -meter room response of the Monitor by the fact that the 61/2 -inch and 1 -inch drivers are not in 10 measured with the microphone at a height of 42 inches, phase through this range, where both are contributing sig- about ear level for a seated listener. This also put the nificant output; the phase plot for each driver shows this microphone in the same plane as it was for the 1 -meter clearly. Since the Monitor 10 is designed to place a seated measurement of Fig. 3, which is directly in line with a point listener on the same plane as this measurement, this can between the two drivers on the mid/high enclosure. I mea- cause problems in the perceived sound, as will be seen sured the response of the Monitor 10 from 200 Hz to 20 kHz later. Since the 1 -inch driver is physically mounted behind at 0° and 30° off the axis, to simulate what a listener would the 61/2 -inch driver, on a separate baffle plane, it appears hear if seated directly in front of the system or off to the side that an attempt was made to cause the output from the two in a common stereo setup. The response changes very little drivers to be presented in phase to a listener in front of the for the different angles but does show a large dip in the system. Figure 3 indicates that such is not the case. midrange for either position. The panel members were seat- The energy/time measurement shown in Fig. 4 is another ed during the listening evaluations, so their comments, method of indicating how well the energy from the two which were sprinkled throughout the evaluation forms, verify upper drivers is synchronized; this also reveals that the this lack of midrange energy. For the sound of stringed 102 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Hafler SE 100 Wow taw tir a +- .1.

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/ A smooth and gentle roll -off of the bass in the Monitor 10's crossover results in better and more coherent blending between drivers.

instruments, such as violins, 100 the comments were: "Good highs but not much midrange" and "bright but lacks articu- J 90 TREBLE. lation." For guitar, comments were: "Lacks middle range" > 80 COMPOSITE and "nebulous sound." And for full orchestra, comments -J 70 were: "Muted sound", "lacks preciseness," and "no detail." > 60 BASS/MIDRANGE Figure 6 shows the same response range as Fig. 5, for á 50 J positions directly in front of the Monitor 10 at microphone 40 heights of 42 and 62 inches, to 0 lk 10k 20k simulate what a standing listener would hear FREQUENCY - Hz as compared to the sound heard by a A seated listener. The results indicate that a standing listener would probably make entirely different comments about the B sound quality, since the Monitor 10 radiates much more Ui W midrange energy upward. Since I knew about this differ- 180 cc ence from my measurements, I asked two L9 members of the panel ó 90 to briefly compare the sound from seated and standing positions for two selections; I did this at the end of the J 0 listening sessions. Their comments verified that the differ- C, ence was perceptible. á -90 easily The most interesting comment w for the standing position was that "the imaging and sense of á-180 depth is much better when I stand up." 200 I k 10k 20k a The manner in which the Monitor 10 produces output at FREQUENCY - Hz various angles around the system is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 3-On-axis frequency contribution from the In Fig. 7, comparing the output at 1.9 kHz to that at 900 Hz response (A) and phase bass driver. The phase shows that the 6'/2 -inch driver is becoming more directional response (B) for bass/ differences are sufficient at the higher frequency, which is quite normal. The treble midrange and treble to cause some driver is also becoming directional at '18 kHz, which is drivers, separately and cancellation of output in certainly normal. At 3.5 kHz, however, where the output in together. Although only the crossover region; see front of the system is reduced by the tendency of the response above 200 Hz is text. 61/2 -inch and 1 -inch drivers' outputs to cancel each other, shown, there is some there is actually an increase in output at 60° to each side. Remember that the actual output at 3.5 kHz is not as great as shown here, because the curve is "normalized" to the output at 0°. If you refer to Fig. 3 or Fig. 5, you will see that 90 the output at 3.5 kHz is down in level from that at 900 Hz, 1.9 85 kHz and 18 kHz. The main thing Fig. 7 indicates is that the Monitor TREBLE AND 10 does not radiate its midrange output uniformly in 80 COMPOSITE the horizontal plane around the system. Because I was

75 aware of this, I conducted multiple listening sessions, with m o only two listeners at each session, and made certain that 70 TREBLE. IV they were seated so that each speaker was facing directly 65 ! BASS/MIDRANGE toward them. The vertical polar radiation patterns for the same four frequencies in It is 60 are shown Fig. 8. clear that the on -axis position, directly between the two upper drivers is 55 not the best. At 3.5 kHz most of the output is radiated above and below 50 the zero -axis position. A standing listener will 2 3 4 45 receive an entirely different impression from that of a seated TIME - mS listener, with the standing listener hearing much more midrange energy. When you listen to a loudspeaker system, it is Fig. 4-One-meter a good idea to do it from various positions, especially the energy -time curve, seated position, which is how you will do most your with of grille off, showing listening once you take the speakers home. bass -midrange, treble, Figures 9 and 10 the and third and composite output. show second- -harmonic distortion for average sound pressure levels of 90 and 100 The treble output has two dB SPL respectively. The distortion is very low at the 90 -dB peaks, the first and larger level-which is higher than the average level maintained of which overlaps that of during the listening sessions I conduct, because it is too the composite output and loud for reliable results from extended evaluations. The arrives about 95 µS distortion the higher, 100 -dB SPL is very before that of the at average still bass/ reasonable, with the increasing the midrange. second harmonic and third harmonic remaining respectably low. The intermodula- 104 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 GET ON WITH IT.

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100 Fig. 7-Horizontal polar responses, with the 90 speaker facing the top of the graph. All curves have 80 been normalized to their 0° values, and hence 70 show relative directionality, not relative 60 output, at different frequencies; see text. 50

40 200 Ik 10k 20k FREQUENCY - Hz Fig. 5-Three-meter room response, measured on axis and 30° off axis, with the microphone 42 inches above the floor and the system on a 3 -inch base.

100 Fig. 6-Three-meter room response, on axis, at 90 microphone heights of 42 62" MIKE HEIGHT; and 62 inches, 80 approximating seated and standing listener 70 positions.

60 42" MIKE HEIGHT Fig. 50 8-Vertical polar responses, with the speaker facing right. The 40 200 Ik l0k 20k 3.5 -kHz curve shows the FREQUENCY - Hz cancellation in the 0° (forward) direction and the tendency to beam more energy above the speaker's axis.

tion distortion was also very low because the bass and quency overtones of complex sounds will precede the fun- midrange are handled by separate drivers. damental and lower harmonics; this can cause the sound of Figure 11 shows how the Monitor 10 reproduces square instruments like solo guitar to be heard as "lacking attack on

waves at 350 Hz and at 1, 4.5, and 7 kHz. I like to use the plucked strings" although this comment might also be square waves for testing because they are complex signals, caused by the lack of energy in the midrange. each consisting of a fundamental and its harmonics in a Figure 12 shows the output for the polarity test signal, definite relationship, much the same as musical sounds; the which is a positive -going pulse. While the initial energy is

only musical sounds I can think of that are close to pure sine negative, the output undulates from positive to negative waves are whistles and "sweet potatoes." The fact that the twice before finally returning to zero; this probably explains treble energy precedes the lower frequency energy is evi- why determining the correct absolute polarity for actual

dent from the small vertical spike in the 350 -Hz and 1 -kHz program material proved to be very difficult. There was a

square waves. Various checks that I made showed that, at a perceived change in brightness when the polarity was listening position in front of the Monitor 10, the treble energy switched, but neither position of the polarity switch provided

arrives about 95 µS before the lower frequency energy, a sound more realistic than the other. Because of this, I which represents about 1.3 inches of offset. The high -fre- could not list an absolute polarity in my Measured Data. 106 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 o o o o

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Enter No. 14 on Reader Servic3 Card The speaker systems performed so much alike that I needed to make detailed measurements on only one of them.

sa..., w...... - w.v 3D le.. 1,0 - w s +a 15 qtECPSE ' OUTPUT Mv11 TOO 10 r-. 59095I0069 '- ~10.11C DI510TtT(6! 7º- ?MD [ 3RD ^e ID i -__ __ SD Q0 SPL J.- -` -'--I' 1 9_::: ME FREE FIELD F II ! *! s- a s. - _ _, .- Y,0 VOLTS _. : 4 WATTS BI _ _mry. 3rd - 2nd- - - - - __ . -- - - i ` _.,. ber- t-If - EIR_ * -.1-1- -- -

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Fig. 9-Output (top) and range, rising to 3.2% second- and third - second harmonic at 74 Hz harmonic distortion for 90 and 6.3% third harmonic dB average SPL, at 47 Hz. Bass output Fig. 11-Square-wave measured in free -field would be greater in a response at 1 meter. (anechoic) environment at normal room. The input 1 meter. Distortion is less was 4 V (4 watts). than 1% over most of the

E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES PRECISE MONITOR 10 rtrci5["° 30 KHZ COSINE PULSE -- Y - OUTPUT WElSINITpt1a- ACOUSTIC OUTPUT AT 1 METER FREE FIELD 590851006 .-':';!' _ - 5.1i p- oemTz- Dnrta,nua 3ro c 3RD rr,JS,L7:i=rZZ ll"le@liliE$'ºi 100 DB BD' S=.-=~=E.uE=3sI9 1 METER OBOEFIFID 21Ei=:cáleIZ: 11.8 VOLTS == _F! , 40 MATTS _ 4 wl'evmFsg5i8a.slvllselii$awnlú?e5 444 = ABSOLUTE POLARITY TEST am 52r....=. ...1=Cr m Cab6iS1113111111 , S31EaiR`AmRW5o,R'i7williq.390Iniu=7 14.04 ..o..., 5.»

r i I Fig. 10-Same as Fig. 9, second harmonic at but for 100 dB average 74 Hz; the third harmonic Fig. 12-Absolute SPL. Distortion is still remains very low at.this polarity, measured at below 1% for most of the high SPL. Input was 1 meter in free field; see range, rising to 7.1% 12.7 V (40 watts). text.

Figure 13 shows two interesting things about the bass the output in the bass range is almost never found in system of the Monitor 10. The first is that the slope of the loudspeaker systems using passive crossovers. This can be low-pass crossover network is very gentle and allows the helpful in adjusting the bass output to the characteristics of bass system output to extend well into the midrange. Some different size rooms. The build -up -of output around 80 Hz is designers opt for steep roll -off of the upper frequencies, but also evident in these curves, as it was in Fig. 13.

I have found that a smooth and gentle roll -off characteristic, A comparison of the output versus frequency curves from

like that of the Monitor 10, yields a better, more coherent the bass driver and the port is shown in Fig. 15. I first placed blending of the sound from the bass and midrange drivers. the microphone close to.the cone of the 10 -inch bass driver

The second thing Fig. 13 shows is the bump in the output at and ran a curve of the output. Then I placed the microphone

about 80 to 100 Hz. Some panel members made comments at the mouth of the bass port and ran another curve. I

that can be directly correlated with this measured response changed the signal drive to the system when I made the characteristic-the sound of the double bass was "tubby" second curve, so that the output from the port was at about and the sound of a kick drum was "thumpy." the same level as that from the bass driver, to make it easier The effect of the bass output switch is shown in Fig. 14. to see how they blend together. This measurement was made with the microphone close to Figure 16 shows the acoustic output from the 10 -inch the cone of the 10 -inch bass driver. The bass output switch- bass driver and the port for a single positive -going, 100 -Hz ing scheme is certainly ingenious, and the ability to change pulse. The microphone was placed in the same positions 108 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 No Lines. No Hassles. Free Parking. Just call for the finest,audio gear. We're fast. Friendly. We make it so easy.

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Enter No. 5 on Reader Service Card The Monitor 10's bass output control, a very rare feature in speakers that have passive crossovers, helps adjust bass to suit the size of the room.

RES ,a.. L.. Twz._.20-__ wM 34..,- EMS VnR.o10- v.SP+_..rv _ . . . ., .1,._ . . _ . . . . - ..-.-_ GRECTSE L -I ----,--1--_,------,,rT -r raNITOR - FWITOR 10 <131 s Mk. I:.COMPOSITE -- 1 " W - ..11. r. - BASS DRIVER Es90Rs1o069 - -J tT t ..Tt 1590351 Q0114 - T L LJ 11 MSS ORIVER F 1 80.55 1 OUTPUT 4 S =-I -+, . Ali) PORT 1 1 METER . OUTPUT EIELDSABB BASS - -- TREE A ICRO fwd! 4.0 VOLTS === -S^ FROÑCdE / - AT 4 WATTS llll-7.. All) TORT-.--. 4 OPENING \...... { nTtS _ _ ` a. DR DIv. Hi ¡ ¡¡rrrr F ^`.- t- _ f- ..Iit- - 4 _t o_--. t ------`-_-:---_--. -- t- ! f - "t

- -o..i 3-1-90 - _ W - - _ o.. - s _ -._ _ __ - - s. L mm - 3, EMI- l WO >x OM Or EC IMO MO TEO E.q..q 0,24 .M ^4v 3.1. 4 2 I w... R.r I I.a 1+'L71121 Fig. 13-Output of bass Fig. 15-Output from bass driver and of complete driver and port, each system (including port measured at microphone and bass/midrange distance of 1 inch. The driver), measured at output levels have been 1 meter in free field. adjusted to blend the Note the gentle curves; see text. crossover slope in the bass -driver curve.

_ 50 n.n+._21i_ s* 75 P Fig. 16- - L . :. - - --ral==_ PREC150E4.. = Eal Response of :.oRe +zee ra o ode - m 11Is1o069 =ls3sIeMalE=.w.E'._L_= S bass and driver BASS DRIVER OUTPUT EFFECT DF ,..f, port to 100 -Hz MIC I` FROM CONE BASS SWITCN Et= G.'i-- ,ri. M:islE®, ai__ E?- ME positive cosine fore E,fin =1:=5a== iE EEiEiO"i =a_ pulse. The miCR0P.trF ._=...===.=. . . I' EROMCOEE pjLt= «i 7« polarities of the EZIlliiiErr_IE E.M.LONG ASSOCIATES 1 Iv. I=:_ driver and port PRECISE Delp MEMINEEM_ :_ISEE_=E=s =E MONITOR 10 - a are 180° apart, 100 HZ COSINE PULSE KINEEMINIEZEZERIZIEffi_l=s =l as they should IIIIIIIIIIME IIIII®1®1111911 ®11 be. The °' g@l9I1111111ME port 3 toE1111111p1111 takes longer to PORT OUTPUT .0 200 1COD 7,0D SOCO MIC AT PORT OPENING I..I... I.12/2/121 recover, since it Fig. 14-Effect of bass is tuned to a output switch at all three very low settings, measured with frequency; see microphone 1 inch from text. cone of bass driver.

that I used for the curves of Fig. 15. The initial response of structed and carefully built. The individual drivers making the bass driver is positive and the initial response of the port up the system are quite good-especially the treble driver, is negative, as they both should be. The bass driver shows which exhibits a very smooth response both on and off axis, considerable output in the negative direction after the input with very low distortion. If the midrange output on axis pulse has ended, and there is a considerable recovery time (which is in line with a seated listener) had been more

for both the port and the bass driver. The "tubby," "thumpy" uniform, I think the perceived quality of the system would quality of the bass is probably increased by the fact that the have been much higher. The quality of the bass is unexcep- bass driver and the port both continue to produce output tional for an enclosure of this size, consisting mostly of after the pulse has ended. The output from the bass driver is upper bass around 80 Hz. The listening panel members also at about 80 Hz, which is about the frequency of the found the overall sound of the Precise Monitor 10 to be very lowest note of a guitar. average; one comment, which says it all, was: "Not exceptional sound." If you have an opportunity to listen to the Conclusions Precise Monitor 10, please do so; after all, you might like the The Precise Monitor 10 is a complex system that includes sound. At least you will be better able to judge what we say a number of interesting design features. It is solidly con- about other systems. Edward M. Long 110 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Wisconsin Discount Stereo 1.800.3 4 M -F - 8 8 - VISA or COD CALL: 8 a.m. p.m. Sat. a.m. 5:30 p.m. Closed Sunday IND I -1 Some items closeouts. Some items limited quantities.

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POETRY INTO MUSIC

derstood only if you follow the story lines that give them shape and point. "The Hero's Song" has no story and is the least engaging of the five. At this late date, it should come as a shock to nobody that the Scottish Na- tional Orchestra is a world -class performance organization or that Járvi is an exceptional conductor who specializes to some extent in the music of central and northern Europe. Here, as recorded in Henry Wood Hall in Glas- gow in 1986 and 1987, they sound as remarkable as ever-except in loud tuttis, where the textures lose transparency. All in all, this is a valuable recording of unusual and intriguing rep- ertoire-and, as such, a typical Chan - dos product. Robert Long

The Sea Hawk. National Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Gerhardt. RCA Victor 7890-2-RG, CD; ADD; 70:05. Film scores have always been a very specialized form of music composition. rows and much of the other formalistic Composers of the eminence of William DvoFák: Complete Symphonic Po- Walton, Prokofiev, ems, Opp. 107-111; "My Home" baggage of abstract music. Serge and Dmitri This set contains all of the Shostakovich have made memorable Overture, Op. 62. Scottish National symphonic poems that Antonín contributions to this genre. Needless to Orchestra; Neeme Járvi, conductor. Dvoták based on the Czech folk -tale poems of Karel say, these composers are more noted Chandos CHAN 8798/9, two CDs; for their works in the mainstream DDD; 111:11. Jaromír Erben-"The Water Goblin," of "The Noon Witch," "The Golden Spin- classical music. Yet of the composers Even those of us who are old enough ning Wheel," and "The Wood Dove"- who concentrated on writing movie to know better tend to think of "good plus the relatively nonliterary "The He- music, none epitomizes this group bet- taste" as a timeless ideal. Yet what ro's Song," which was composed im- ter than Erich Wolfgang Korngold. On were rejected as execrable Victorian - mediately after the Erben pieces and this CD, you can enjoy some of Korn - isms 40 or 50 years ago are now af- was, in fact, Dvoták's last orchestral gold's most memorable scores from forded the same sort of respectful composition. The filler overture, "My such films as The Sea Hawk, Of Hu- study as the Parthenon or Rembrandt's Home," was composed as incidental man Bondage, Between Two Worlds, chiaroscurro. During my formative music to a biographical play about Jo- The Sea Wolf, The Constant Nymph, years, for instance, program music sef Kajetán Tyl. It is of particular inter- and Kings Row. was deemed fit only to introduce kid- est at this moment of new-found This music was transferred from an- dies to the sound of the symphony Czechoslovakian independence be- alog recordings made between 1972 orchestra. Even Beethoven's "Pasto- cause one of its themes is a tune (to and 1974 by RCA Victor. Charles Ger- ral" Symphony was viewed with mis- which Tyl wrote the words) that has hardt (who was a colleague of mine

givings by some musicologists. But the since been adopted as the Czech na- when I was Music Director for RCA tide, as King Canute astutely noted, tional anthem. Victor Red Seal) conducted the "Na- has turned. The folk tales themselves (and they tional Philharmonic Orchestra," which What once seemed fussy and over- are central to this set) are every bit as actually is a recording orchestra Ger- blown now passes for charmingly na- morbid as the stories most of us were hardt put together from the cream of ive in music that tells a story. The erst- brought up on: Aesop, Andersen, London's symphony orchestras. while pastiche of literal descriptors Grimm, and company. They are very Gerhardt wisely chose as his engi- speaks to us with a directness that is unpalatable if taken too literally. One neer the legendary Ken Wilkinson, who lost in much of the music of our own trusts that Erben's poetry kept them at made so many wonderful recordings time. We envy the childlike simplicity of a suitably stylized distance; Dvoták's for Decca Records. The music was re- that directness-however elaborately beguiling instrumentation certainly corded in the flattering, warm acous- achieved-and marvel at its freedom helps. The tone poems are, in fact. tics of Kingsway Hall in London. Wilkin- from the constraints of fugues and tone engrossing pieces that can be fully un- son has made countless recordings

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Not only does the record contain exciting music excitingly played, but it creates an exceptionally satisfying listen through the textural and stylistic contrasts and the pacing created by the sequencing of the pieces involved.

I do find the top end of the frequency range in this CD transfer slightly muffled on my equipment, but otherwise it is a triumph. Robert Long

Borodin: Quartet No. 2; Smetana: there (no longer usable because of first group, Sites auriculaires, com- Quartet No. 1, "From My Life." The traffic noises), and his mastery of it is prises the relatively familiar Habanera Cleveland Quartet. evident. The recording is very high in plus Entre cloches-early pieces that Telarc CD -80178, CD; DDD; 56:46. level, finely detailed, with great projec- foreshadowed genius. They are fol- America still has everything-includ- tion and presence. lowed on the disc by Frontispice, in ing performances of European music Korngold's imperial brass fanfares, which Teresa Sterne (for years, the en- both good and atrocious. Here we lush romantic strings, and all elements ergetic and inventive driving force be- have the really lovely and atmospheric of his epic scores are stunningly vivid hind Nonesuch Records) provides the playing of two highly European Ro- in this outstanding recording. Yes, all required fifth hand. A bit of Debussy mantic works, each redolent of that of the music is very much heart on the can be glimpsed here. So can a bit of eastern area of the European tradition, sleeve and highly programmatic, but if Milhaud and more than a bit of Satie. from Russia, from Czechoslovakia you liked those old movie classics, this But the best is yet to come: The (more properly Bohemia at the time). recording faithfully reproduces their sonata, marvelously played by Isidore They are remarkably similar in quality, stirring music. Bert Whyte Cohen and Timothy Eddy. It is an as- these two: The Borodin all fresh, lovely tonishing work, suggesting the Bartók melody, as always with him, and won- string quartets more than anything else derfully expressive harmonies; the Ravel: "Chansons madécasses;" that comes to mind. The exquisite co- Smetana of sterner stuff but forever "Sites auriculaires;" "Frontispice;" lorings of impressionism play no part in dissolving into dance tunes of the most Sonata for Violin and Cello. Jan De- its elemental writing which, in reexam- catchy sort. And the Cleveland Quar- Gaetani, mezzo-soprano; Paul Dunkel, ining the stuff that music is made of, tet, a longtime association of seasoned flute; Isidore Cohen, violin; Timothy piles one discovery on another in what performers from right smack in the Eddy, cello; Donald Anderson, cello; amounts almost to a frenzy of creation. middle of the Middle West, plays these Gilbert Kalish, piano; Paul Jacobs, pi- Fauve, perhaps, but certainly not Im- two works admirably. A model for a ano; Teresa Sterne, (fifth -hand) piano. pressionist. fine record and a true musical experi- Nonesuch H71355-2, CD; AAD; 4239 ence. Not a thing more need be said. If you think of Debussy and Ravel as Edward Tatnall Canby the Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee of musical impressionism, you owe it to Henry Litolff: Concerto Sympho- yourself to listen to this recording. nique No. 4 in D Minor; Trio in D No-to buy it; you won't be sorry. Major. Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra, The most its celebrated of contents Edouard Van Remoortel; Gerald Rob- probably is the madé- "Chansons bins, piano; The Mirecourt Trio. casses," (Madagascar songs) scored Genesis GCD-101, CD; ADD; 69:15, for mezzo-soprano (Jan DeGaetani), flute (Paul Dunkel), cello (Donald An- Franz Schreker: Vorspiel zu einer derson), and piano (Gilbert Kalish) in grossen Oper "Memnon"; "Roman- an ensemble (not soloist -accompani- tic" Suite. ment) relationship. The piece is chal- NOe. Tonkunstler Orchestra Vienna, lenging to players and auditors alike: Uwe Mund. Brutal and sensual by turns, slashing, Marco Polo 8.220469, CD; 49:05. petulant, earthy. It makes Mélisande Even before CD, our reactivated in- sound like "Little Bo -Peep." This is a terest in things Romantic began to fine performance and a treasurable flush all sorts of composers out of the memorial of the late and much -missed musical bushes where they had hid- Jan DeGaetani. den throughout the period of "modern" The two -piano pieces that follow are music, between the wars, and the con- played by Paul Jacobs and Kalish. The tinuing neoclassical era. Some were 114 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Maurice Ravel "...the ROTEL RCD 855 [CD Player] is the ff 1 OF THE

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Enter No. 36 on Reader Service Card John Eliot Gardiner gets a presentation from the English Baroque Soloists close to what Mozart might have heard.

older; their music went out of style. beration period of about 1.8 to 2.0 sec- Others were still composing, unable to onds. The period instruments afford get away from the big Romantic idiom these familiar works a musical texture they had taken up in the past; they, too different from the modern orchestral were out of style. Now, CD is bringing sound. It is probably fair to assume dozens of these Romantics, early and that this presentation is a reasonable late, to the fore-interestingly, if per- approximation of what Mozart heard in haps not always for very long. Few of his time. Bert Whyte them are Brahmses, Tchaikovskys, Griegs-whose music never left our concert stages or our recordings. Purcell: Sonnatas, Vol. 2. The Purcell Here are two such-one old, one Quartet. much later-both composing on the Chandos CHAN 8663, CD; DDD; most expansive level of Romantic big- ish musicians who flourished in Vienna 53:20 time virtuosity. Litolff, born in 1818, is as the Nazis appeared-all of whom The odd spelling, Sonnata, is in its the more popular -minded composer were forced out, escaped, or died. It is way suggestive of the musical situation and, oddly, the better of the two. a heart-rending story; the only trouble in Henry Purcell's England of the late Schreker, Jewish and stripped of his is that Schreker's music, vastly serious 17th century, a generation or so before important positions in Vienna by the and on a huge late -Romantic scale, is Handel. Hitler tide, is the tragic one, both in life just not as big as it sounds. Too many Purcell was surely England's great- and in his obstinately huge music com- rather crude borrowings from more flu- est wholly British genius composer, posed at the height of neoclassicism. ent and original composers, both in the though his music was immensely af- (The projected opera, "Memnon," got early "Romantic" Suite (turn of the cen- fected by happenings on the Conti- as far as its enormous overture in tury) and the very late and extremely nent, notably Italy and France. Like 1934, shortly before the composer ponderous "Prelude to an Opera." It's Mozart, like Schubert, Purcell burnt died of heart failure.) full of Wagner and Strauss and at times himself out young. He composed enor- Litolff-the name was only vaguely gets to be murderously long-winded. mously, but music was in enormous familiar to me-is astonishing. A re- Sorry-he was, in any case, a fine upheaval. Nothing settled down. There markably accomplished writer for or- teacher and influential of the sort. were no polished and familiar formats. chestra and piano in the top mid -19th - Edward Tatnall Canby Always a new fad, a new jolt from century bravura manner, his big "su- abroad to keep things unsteady. per concerto" is flashy, beautifully There was the Old (not that old, but Mozart: composed, and remarkably easy to lis- Symphonies Nos. 32, 35, stylistically out of date) and the New. and 36. ten to if a trace (only a trace) on the English Baroque Soloists; Purcell's greatest is in the queerly dis- superficial side. One segment you will John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. sonant and tortured Old language of instantly recognize as a popular and Philips 422 419-2PH, CD; DDD; 73:05. Monteverdi and the earliest baroque catchy "encore" -type movement that is In recent years, recordings of the composers. The New was the straight- often heard where an extra bit of time music of classical masters (Mozart, forward and predictable sound of Co- needs to be filled with a brilliant piece Beethoven, and Haydn among them) relli, and later, of Handel. Purcell's late for a super -pianist. As for the trio, it is performed on period or ancient instru- works show this trend, and to our ears considerably earlier and shows an ments have become increasingly pop- they are often less interesting than his equal mastery of the three -instrument ular. In fact, a number of orchestras strange earlier ones. technique. To me, the work reeks of specifically employ period instruments, The Purcell Quartet, four individuals Robert Schumann. Interestingly, it was and among the better known of these with a fifth assistant, plays largely trios composed while that famous man was are the Academy of Ancient Music and here, which tend to be duets, with con- still at work himself. the English Baroque Soloists. tinuo accompaniment-the indispens- The Genesis recordings were made John Eliot Gardiner is the scholarly able harmonic framework for the New in the 1970s and were first issued on conductor of the English Baroque So- music. Yet the Sonnatas are wildly di- LP (Van Remoortel died in 1977). You loists, and here he elicits from them verse in their size and shape, unlike need not worry, the sound is excellent. their usual highly disciplined playing the predictable later music of the big The then -young pianist, Gerald Rob- and richly resonant sound in well -craft- baroquers, where a concerto was sup- bins, has waves of hair on display and ed performances of Mozart's Sympho- posed to have three movements and a looks to be around 19 (he was older). nies Nos. 32, 35 ("Haffner"), and 36 sonata four, slow -fast -slow -fast, etc., He is generally fleet and brilliant and ("Linz"). These works were recorded in etc. This is thus wandering music, this also musical, though a few very tough Greenwich, England. The hall is not way, that way, full of Purcell's favorite passages get to be hard and specified, but it provides a lovely, natu- chaconne, variations on a ground bass. poundy-as well they might, consider- ral sound with exceptionally smooth Fine performance, on old, smoothly ing the difficulties. string tone and mellifluous woodwinds played instruments. If you like this, Franz Schreker is just one more of along with crisp, clean brass. The am- there is volume 1 before it. the great school of late -Romantic Jew - bience is warm and rich, with a rever- Edward Tatnall Canby 116 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 'oc arse e are Rock outside with Parasound All Weather Monitors. These extraordinary 9" tall sound machines easily become year-round residents of your garden. Powerful woofers with space-age polycarbon cones and huge magnets,. drive bass response down to 48Hz. Dome tweeters feature ferrofluid damping for smooth response and wide dispersion. 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off the stage or out of the studio. How- ever, I've never heard Soskin better than on the quintessential Rollins funk number "Sister," where he registers some percussive "Tyner -isms" on acoustic piano. Ditto for the date's most commercial effort, the CD -only Rollins composition "Amanda"-a smoker. I'm not enamored with Sos- kin's use of the Korg M1 synth, but Rollins riffs hard and stretches his solo out in just the right way; he more than compensates for any shortcomings. Anderson, who from time to time Rol- lins tends to overwhelm, is captured better here than on any other previous engagement. He's been with Rollins for close to a decade now. Ultimately, "Little Girl Blue" (a drum - less arrangement featuring Harris, Soskin, and Cranshaw) and "Falling in Love with Love" may stand as the best performances on Falling In Love With Jazz. Both Rogers and Hart composi- er, and breathier Ben Webster -Cole- tions, the first showcases a Rollins solo Falling in Love with Jazz: Sonny Rol- man Hawkins approach. Add to in the lins -like enveloped ballad form. The sec- this Tommy Flanagan, the most ele- ond serves as yet another tribute to Milestone MCD-9179-2, CD; DDD; pianists, who 47:00. gant of all last recorded Rollins, for he's never sounded more with Rollins some years back on Saxo- up to date-so much so that one won- Sound: A- Performance: A phone Colossus, multi -instrumentalist ders when the World Saxophone Quar- Anyone who's spent any time listen- Jerome Harris on bass guitar, and tet, in particular David Murray, will ining to Sonny Rollins knows, for all in- drummer Jeff Watts and it's quite a vite him along for a ride. tent, even his best studio albums fall delightful quintet. The two -tenor lineup For now, with Falling In Love With short of his best live performances. also makes whoopie on "I Should Jazz, Sonny Rollins remains king of the However, on Falling In Love With Jazz, Care," the Sammy Cahn co -written bal- tenors. Jon W. Poses with the aid of three varying casts, the lad arranged convincingly in layers Saxophone Colossus comes damn that, in some ways, rekindle Dexter Orleans Inspiration: Henry Butler close. There is so much music in any Gordon's spirit. The presentation ap- Windham Hill WH-0122, CD; DDD; one of the seven Disc cuts Compact pears relaxed and understated but 46:58. (one is a bonus track) that the 1989 thoroughly emotional. The entire group recording, his first studio effort in two fills in for each other but no one has Sound: B- Performance: B years, strikes quickly at the heart of the more success than Flanagan, who so- New Orleans has played home and matter. los after the horns have taken their host to a slew of keyboard wizards As Rollins turns 60, his playing has turns. With his Monk quote, Flanagan never sounded stronger or more full makes the keys ooze. His gem of an bodied. Stylistically, he's deceptively effort is further highlighted when the engaging with his subtle waves of in- entire ensemble returns for the finale. tervals. He's never snuck in more For much of the proceedings, Rollins choice notes per solo than he does on employs essentially his regular work- this aptly titled adventure. Mostly con- ing ensemble, which includes trom- tained within what we think of as com- bonist Clifton Anderson, who shares monplace compositions (tunes such the front line, Harris on electric guitar, as "Tennessee Waltz") virtually every long-time Rollins' associate Bob Cran- solo-in classic Sonny Rollins form- shaw on electric bass, and Mark Sos- commands attention. kin on piano and synthesizer. Jack De- "For All We Know" contains playful Johnette was the drummer for these call -and -response between the great dates although Rollins has lately one and one of his devotees, Branford worked with Al Foster. Marsalis, who counterbalances Rollins' Understandably, sometimes Rollins, slightly gruff tone with silkier, smooth- unintentionally, blows his colleagues

118 (Henry Butler INNERDAVID BENOITMOTION The unstoppable, Inner Motion emotions of the most popular contemporary jazz r pianist/composer in a triumphant new recording. r

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DIGITAL MASTER

COMP /X EnterNo. 16 on Reader Servt,E Card . . Epitaph is the essence j of Charles Mingus' gift, 1 combining gut -bucket emotion with cerebral, complex structures.

orchestral vision. It's resurrected here by scholar and composer Gunther Schuller, who has reconstructed the score and subsequent revisions, sometimes working from pages with numerous sections taped together in seemingly non sequitor fashion. Schuller's results are only occasonally as fragmentary as the sources. How- ever, he has skillfully arranged this opus for an all-star ensemble that includes Wynton Marsalis, John Hicks, Sir Roland Hanna, John Abercrombie, since the era of the sporting house and are made denser by virtue of Butler's and Mingus alumni Jack Walrath, John parlor pianist, which provides plenty of thunderous left hand and plentiful Handy, and George Adams. justification for Henry Butler's wide- cross -rhythms. Butler also dresses up This recording ties together many ranging homage, Orleans Inspiration. the drawling blues chestnut "Goin' strains of Mingus' music. His deep jazz There are certain logistical problems, Down Slow" like an oyster po' boy. roots are evident in Jelly Roll Morton's however, when trying to deliver musi- Butler's originals don't stray far from "Wolverine Blues," played in a ragged, cal impressions of a localized genre some obvious influences, such as almost free -form style. Mingus' music that encompasses everything from the Toussaint (on the everything-l-do-gon'- often breathed the urban chaos of New bawdy, ragtime wit of Jelly Roll Morton be-funky riff of "Orleans Inspiration"), York City like orchestrated traffic, and the lilting jump of Fats Domino to Booker (on "Dr. James"), and generic which is evident on "Moods In Mam- the sometimes psychedelic gris -gris of second line and voodoo (on "Mama bo," a through -composed piece that Dr. John. Roux" 'and the countryish trot, "Dixie sounds improvised. It's not that Butler endeavors to Walker"). Only thing is, Butler embew The shadow of Duke Ellington in- evoke the spirits of New Orleans piano, lishes the frivolity and sensuality out of fuses the whole composition, but is es- but a player of his stature doesn't over- most of the music on Inspiration. His pecially apparent on "Self Portrait/Chill look the rich legacy spawned by the playing is solid, as is Nocentelli's, but of Death" where he moves from likes of the bluesy second -liner Profes- there's a level of seriousness that marches to swing grooves, from free- sor Longhair, the elegant "Tuts" Wash- dampens what should be a carnival- form rambles to so-called "jungle mu- ington, the rambunctious James Book- time atmosphere. Worse yet, Butler sic," the percussive tribal stomps that er, the punctilious popmeister Allen dabbles in exercises in virtuosity that Ellington created. On "Monk, Bunk & Toussaint, or the quirky Huey "Piano" result in such maudlin, tortured efforts Vice Versa" he quotes from Thelonius Smith. And, there are those such as as "Somewhere" from West Side Story. Monk's "Well, You Needn't" then de-

Lloyd Price, Little Richard, and Ray Nonetheless, I still want to like Orleans constructs it, adding "Tea for Two" in Charles who used the Crescent City's Inspiration because Butler has the the baritone line. studios and musicians as a spring- tools and ingredients to make a great Mingus was an energy funnel, mar- board to national success. Unfortu- N'Awlins piano album. He just has to shalling his players into his disciplined nately, Butler, like an Art Tatum or Os- let his hair down and go for the soul, forms but also knowing when to let car Peterson, is such a facile pianist not the filigree. Don Palmer them rip. Brilliant, free -wheeling solos that his impressions re-create both the abound throughout Epitaph. Some brilliant mediocre. and the Epitaph: Charles Mingus highlights include George Adams Orleans Inspiration was recorded at Columbia C2K-45428, CD; DDD; disc charging through "Better Get It In Your Tipitina's, the New Orleans club one: 72:52, disc two: 54:30. Soul," a Mingus staple he honed named after a Professor Longhair com throughout the 1970s, and Wynton Sound: position of the same name. It is more B- Performance: A- Marsalis taking a vicious, growling grab bag than mixed bag. Butler is Epitaph is a monumental, if flawed, plunger solo on "Ballad (In Other

joined by former Meters guitarist Leo large-scale work for jazz orchestra that Words, I Am Three)." Nocentelli, drummer Herman Jackson, embodies the essence of Charles Min- Recorded live in 1989, Epitaph has bassist Chris Severin, and Michael gus' gift, combining gut -bucket emo- little sense of ambient space and flat Goods on synthesizer. The covers of tion with cerebral, complex structures. instrumental sound. Closer miking and N'Awlins standards are slashing, jazzy Classical composers talk of composi- some judicious processing might have interpretations. Butler's prelude to tion as frozen improvisation and jazz further illuminated Mingus' orchestral Chris Kenner's "Something You Got" composers talk of improvisation as colors. The performance is also rag- weaves through the old Negro national spontaneous composition, but only ged, with occasionally sluggish en- anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," Mingus blurred the distinctions. semble passages and slow move- before bouncing into the chunky Epitaph has its genesis in the Town ments, notably "Main Score Part 2," an rhythm of the original. Longhair's "Tipi- Hall concert of 1962, an abortive at- uncomfortable mix of classical atonal- tina" and "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" tempt to realize Mingus' large scale ity and jazz.

120 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDINGS,.

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For a complete free Original Master Recordings catalog, call toll free: 800 -423 -5759, -or write: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, 1260 Holm Road. Petaluma, CA 94954. Enter No. 26 on Reader Service Card Charles Lloyd takes you through an incredible variety of moods, feelings, fantasies, and remembrances.

i Schuller has clearly accomplished a Fish Out of Water: Charles Lloyd Herculean task, better understood with ECM 1398 841 088-2, CD; DDD; 57:48. the accompanying encyclopedic liner notes that trace the compositions' evo- Sound: A Performance: A r lution. Epitaph is not the definitive re- After an absence of several years, cording it might have been had Mingus Charles Lloyd has returned with Fish realized it himself, but it's a pinnacle Out of Water. His hiatus, however, few artists ever réach. John Diliberto served to bring him to a style with in-

. creased maturity and depth of feeling. Lloyd's recent compositions depend HPC not so much on contrasts, but rather on HELICAL PLANAR COPPEF shadings of tonal color, dynamics, and harmonies. If you have a system that CPC reproduces subtle sounds well, you'll enjoy listening to Fish Out of Water. It's CO -PLANAR COPPER the kind of recording that sounds wonderful on any reasonably good system and makes the outstanding ones really shine. You'll hear imaginative sonic touches throughout the recording. For instance, the opening notes of solo sax in the title track convey a plaintive, lonely feeling. The room acoustic seems reverberant while music is playing but the room is dead, too absor- bent, and the reverb dies away much too quickly, reinforcing the Fish Out of Water feeling. In "Haghia Sofia," Lloyd starts with a flute solo reminiscent of Paul Horn's recordings in large stone structures. Later he returns to his sax, creating a distinctly Middle Eastern feeling with melodic inflections along with Jon Christensen's quiet percussion color- ations. Even the bass uses some sliding tones to contribute to the effect. What you won't hear is the point where the room acoustic changes from the cathedral to a more typical room for a jazz ensemble. Only later do you realize that Lloyd and producer Manfred Eicher have electronically transported you to another place.

. Over two years ago the staff at Madrigal Audic laboratories "Mirror" puts you and the ensemble began accumulating convincing evidence that solid conductors into a rather live, reflective room as you of rectangular cross-section would do a better job of carrying might expect, but the effect is re- musical signals. Years of listening and engine ring tests making strained, playing on that shadowy area use of ribbons of specially processed, high -purity copper with of perception between reverberation

. teflon insulation and the highest quality terminations, have and discrete reflections in an impres- resulted in the new Madrigal HPC and CPC cables. sionistic way. Clearly, Lloyd had De- i bussy and Ravel in mind when he Visit your Madrigal dealer and hear,what these original designs can do to improve your music system. wrote this piece. Listen near the end, at about 9:03, for a HPC and CPC cables are designed by and manufactured exclusively for series of chords Madrigal Audio Laboratories, P.O. Box 781, Middletown, CT 06457 ITT TLX 4942158 moving up and down the whole tone 122 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 scale, dissolving the key feeling as the music ends. "Eyes of Love" starts with a long, slow, piano solo. The bass joins at about 1:45 and finally the sax enters as the music takes off in a faster tempo. But at 2:30, the piano takes over for another long solo, followed by an intriguing bass solo. Bobo Stenson's solo piano phrases come closer and closer to breaking down the key and pulse (especially around 3:25), but each phrase lands back on track just , vgóia -ow before that happens. At 4:21 Palle Danielsson takes over with a bass solo filled with surprisingly delicate figura- tions. Finally at 5:34, Lloyd returns with a concluding sax solo. Both times he makes you wait for his solo, which The absolute time -relationships between music fundamentals adds a subtle sensuous dimension to the piece. and their harmonics are what make music sound "live". In CD By the end of the disc, Lloyd has playback, WADIA's exclusive time -based D -to -A conversion is taken you through an incredible variety therefore the key to musicality. of moods, feelings, fantasies, and remembrances. The booklet, which of- Time -based D -to -A Listening Satisfaction fers thoughtful background information Conversion Ends Time and Time Again and nice color photos, neatly reinforces the musical experience. From "Digital Fatigue" Test the musicality of WADIA the perspectives of both the audio and The new DigiMaster'" X-32 time -based conversion today. musical qualities, I liked this recording features WADIA's patent - Ask your dealer for a demon- the first time I played it, and my admi- Bio- ration has grown with each listening. pending time -based stration of the affordable Steve Birchall Digital'M Algorithm and DigiMaster X-32 * D -to -A DigiMaster software-for CD Converter. To get the cleanest Nouveau Flamenco: Ottmar Liebert listening without harshness or signal, you'll want to use Higher Octave HOMCD 7026, CD; time-smeared harmonics. WADIA's new WT-3200 CD AAD; 50:30. Its mainframe computing Transport featuring exclusive Sound: B Performance: A- power and 18 -bit transversal Glass Fiber Optic modem and Straight out of left field comes this interconnect. delightful record of Ottmar Liebert's DACs produce 32x resampling modern flamenco -inspired music. Ger- for superior transient and With WADIA, you'll be a man by birth but now based in New impulse performance. Proprie- satisfied CD listener-time and inventions ring Mexico, Liebert's guitar tary RockLokTM input and time again. out with the feel and romantic rhythms of flamenco. There's a whole lot of Sledgehammer' output con- heart in his playing and that is what tribute to the musical realism

seduced me, by surprise I must admit, of converted CD signals.

the very first time I heard his album. Liebert is supported by electric bass, light percussion, rhythm guitar, and occasional atmospheric keyboard. The album sports an uncluttered sound with real eloquence. It is light WcOia DIGITAL listening to be sure, but this is not airy The Leader in Signal Conversion wallpaper music. There is sinew in the performance that demands attention. 511 Second Street, Hudson, WI 54016 Phone: (715) FAX: (715) 386-8116 Nouveau Flamenco is not traditional, 386-8100 but it is of the tradition, and it is a lot of Suggested Let e 51,995 WADIA, D,g Masar, RockLok and Sle 4a,orzmer are trademarks of WADIA D,grtal Coroorat on fun. Michael Tearson f:J 1990 WADIA D"ry1al Corporation AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 123 Enter No. 41 on Reader Service Card ROCK/POP RECORDINGS

SETTLING DOWN

;ry the album's themes and once again celebrates the joys of the family unit. .. h Hiatt's songwriting has never been sharper or more joyous than it is here. His songs make Stolen Moments a powerfully uplifting statement, but there is more to the album than that. There is great guitar playing with slide leads by Michael Henderson and Mac Gayden, and electric leads by Michael Landau, Ethan Johns, and Hiatt himself. Hiatt is a very underrated guitarist who, at the other end of the '80s, toured extensively, trading leads with Ry Cooder in Ry's hot band. Hiatt also i 'rpR does superb rhythm guitar parts, both acoustic and electric. Pat Donaldson's á bass work is exemplary throughout. Most of the percussion work is done by Ethan Johns and Little Feat's Ritchie Hayward, with David Kemper and Mi- chael Porter each playing for w #. drums one cut. As with Hiatt's previous A&M albums, Glyn Johns produced and has really done a swell job. The recording Stolen Moments: John Hiatt any justice. It is an irresistibly catchy is vibrant and lively with excellent dy- A&M 75021 5310 2, CD; AAD; 52:58. ode to a new daughter. namic range. "Back of My Mind" and "Stolen Mo- John Hiatt has been one of the very Sound: A Performance: A+ ments" both reflect on the thoughts of best songwriters for years. That's why It has always been a truism that to a reformed drinker who went through people like Rosanne Cash, Bonnie produce really great work, an artist hell to find clarity. "Back of My Mind" Raitt, Emmylou Harris, The Desert must suffer conflict and adversity. With flashes back from childhood through Rose Band, John Doe, and even Bob Stolen Moments, John Hiatt completely the darkness to the present, treasuring Dylan cover his songs. In over 15 puts this myth to rest with his cycle of these better times. The first verse in- years of recording for four labels, Hiatt songs about the joys of making kids cludes a delicious line: "These days has never made a better record than

and living the family life. These are the only bar I ever see/Has got lettuce Stolen Moments. It has brought me themes that Hiatt has been exploring and tomatoes." It goes on to reflect the and my new wife a whole lot of joy, and on his previous A&M albums, Bring the joys of living at home with the woman it keeps bringing more. Very highest Family and Slow Turning, both widely you love nearby. "Bring Back Your recommendation. Michael Tearson

regarded as critics' darlings. I liked Love to Me" is a doo-wop inflected those albums, although they didn't love that the sweet vo- song spotlights Days of Open Hand: Suzanne Vega knock me out. Stolen Moments, how- cal harmonies of Bobby King, Willie A&M 7502-15293-2, CD; ADD; 45:51. ever, is a triumph. Green, and Hiatt. From the first notes of "Real Fine "The Rest of the Dream" is yet an- Sound: A Performance: C - Love," and throughout the entire al- other catchy song, this time about Those of us long familiar with Su- bum, Hiatt's songs and performance making babies. "Thirty Years of Tears" zanne Vega from the Fast Folk record radiate confidence laced with a is a mostly acoustically played waltz; a series and the New York City folk mu- healthy dose of humility and grace that sadder -but -wiser catharsis of a lifetime sic circuit might be more critical of is apparent in the lines of the opener: of pain. "Rock Back Billy" is about the Days of Open Hand than others. Or

"A real fine love/One I am unworthy of" redemptive power of playing rock 'n' perhaps not. From any objective and "A little joy/A little peace/And a roll complete with encouragement for standpoint, Vega's third major -label al- whole lot of light." Next is "Seven Little the young ones: "In a room some- bum is as uninspired as salt. Indians," the strangest piece here. where/With a beat -up guitar/And some Part of the problem is one that af- This saga of a Native American family's funny looking hair." "Listening to Old flicts many follow-ups to albums con- forebearance through bad times and Voices" is a song of acceptance and taining hits: Expectations are high, and good, held together by the mother and hope. "Through Your Hands," a duet second-guessing by artists and (more "the big chief," is half spoken and half with Karen Peris of the excellent group to the point) their advisors is rampant. sung over a percolating throb. "Child The Innocence Mission, is about heal- On this album, Vega seems to want to of the Wild Blue Yonder" should be ing. The rocking "One Kiss" is a most move toward pop and away from her Hiatt's breakthrough single if there is appropriate closer, as it summarizes folk roots, a valid path that Joni Mitch - 124 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 OCK EPICS

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the music BOB MARLEY IC 1.14.111, ELECTRIC -LIGHT a t ,,.i ,. w & THE WAILERS ORCHESTRA

"THE BIRTH OF and . ... "AFTERGLOW" A LEGEND"

Twenty classics, including An electrifying 3 -disc box set, original versions of such the story important Morley tracks as containing 47 songs and over "Simmer Down" and "One the aLierc three hours of hit singles, Love." This revealing like

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best serves up acute observations and various forms of genuinely American the telling detail-again, as on "Fifty - music. Fifty Chance"-she exhibits her enor- On the snappy rocker "Let's. Be mous talent. But when she tries to write Mad," which opens the set, there is a Stevie Nicks pop lyrics, the kind that kaleidoscope of styles. "A Matter of don't necessarily mean anything but Degrees" sounds like it was routed via sound good and mellifluous and dulcet Thunder Road. There is country twang when sung, Vega is at a loss. And for in "Dyin' to Get Home" and "Take good reason: That's not her forte, and #52." "With Someone Like You" is a it makes her lyrics sound forced and straightforward love song and "By the false. There's some of the old Vega Light" is a folky little thing. "Touch me, here, like the woman in "Room off the Baby" is a bluesy shuffle and "My Of- Street" whose "... dress is so tight/ fering" is a tender closer. Meet John You can see every breath that she Doe does hit a lot of bases, but it 'r takes." But more often, we're given doesn't feel disjointed because of its ell, among others, has taken marvel diversity. To the contrary, there is a ously. Unfortunately, Days of Open real underlying sense of unity to the Hand has melded the worst aspects of project. both idioms. There are three covers among the 12 On "Those Whole Girls (Run in ., 1 selections: Hank Cochran's 1966 Grace)" and "Predictions," for in- weeper "It's Only Love," John Hiatt's stance, Vega doesn't sing but rather hopeful "The Real One," and Butch talks her way through the lyrics, Hornsby's "Knockin' Around." against bare musical accompaniment. The strength of Doe's band helps a This is fine when stark, powerful lyrics lot, and the guitarists are the key. Jon can gain added strength from a sub- Dee Graham, late of Austin's True Be- dued delivery, as on "Fifty -Fifty lievers, provides the muscle while for- Chance," about a friend's attempted mer Televisioner Richard Lloyd plays suicide. But otherwise, it sounds sim- more supple parts. They are the pillars ply as if Vega and co -producer and of the album. sometime -collaborator Anton Sanko In the end, Meet John Doe is a sur- couldn't think up an original melody- prisingly listener -friendly album-not an especial shame since the musician- off putting like X could be but instead ship-from ringing acoustic guitars to really warm and human. shadowy, exotic Middle Eastern Michael Tearson sounds-is so heartfelt and precise. ( The star of Vega's show is usually s Passion and Warfare: Steve Vai her lyrics, but here they are the major Relativity 88561-1037-2, CD; AAD disappointment. In Days of Open and ADD; 53:21 Hand, she seems to be weaving a theme about self-reliance and, pardon Sound: A Performance: A 15. the literalness, hands-on experience. John Doe '.. About every 20 years it seems, revo- In "Men in a War," she sings of some- lutionary things happen to guitar mu- thing "filled in by hand;" in "Book of such maddeningly vague generalities sic. In 1948, a brilliant guitarist and Dreams," she tells someone to "under- as "Between the pen and the paper- inventor named Les Paul gave us the line in Magic Marker"-by hand, nec- work/I know there's passion in the lan- visionary sounds of "Lover," the essarily. In "Institution Green," we guage/Between the muscle and the world's first truly multi -tracked and have to "Pull the level/Push the curtain brainwork/There must be feeling in the tape -manipulated instrumental. Two closed"-again, by hand-and in "Fif- pipeline." decades later Jimi Hendrix arrived. ty -Fifty Chance," the sense of touch is Would that there were more here. Fast -forward another 20 years and we an important motif. Yet these refer- Frank Lovece find several young musicians moving ences and allusions are so vague and us the next quantum leap forward, abstruse, there's just as much from chance Meet John Doe: John Doe most notably two friends Carle that all this is coincidence, and that the Place, New York, Joe Satriani and DGC 9 24291-D2, CD; AAD; 46:47. title and the self-consciously mystical/ Steve Vai. astrological hands pictured through Sound: B Performance: B+ Passion And Warfare is Vai's second

the lyric booklet and on the cover are I never could warm up to that early solo album, the first since leaving just for show. art punk band, X, but the first solo Frank Zappa's tutelege to conquer Indeed, there's a self-conscious po- project of its erstwhile leader, John hard rock through notable stints with esy throughout. Where Vega at her Doe, has caught my interest with its David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. It's a 126 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 /0 PETURI/N_G RIISS FIRE EMANr-

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WELCOME TO THE ST, JAMES' CLUB The Rippington "Cats" are back`? Composer/Arranger, Russ Freeman stretches the group's musical sensibilities to new heights. Special vocal back ng by Patti Austin and Carl Anderson, give an added iimension to this rousing t. "Welcome To The St. James' Club." - Available on Disc, Compact 1 " r HQ Cassette l o . o, r a a and Record. ©1990 CRP Records, loc.

Enter Mo. 16 on Reader Service Cand Steve Vai yields endless delight in audio detail, intelligent composition, and spirited, inspired musicianship.

mind -boggling encyclopedia of state- H3000 Harmonizer, which is able to of-the-art technique and technology. track lines in harmony while remaining From the overture ("Liberty") on you'll in the correct key. You want speed? hear an astonishing palette of sounds Try "Love Secrets." You want whammy obtained by sheer virtuosic finger con- bars and slippery fingers to the moon? trol enhanced by sampled sounds (in- Try "The Animal." Updated Les Paul - cluding a cat in heat on "Erotic Night- style effects? "Ballerina" and "Alien mares") and devices like an Eventide Water Kiss." Smooth melodies? "For

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(%V1IÍITJ ® PC -SQUARED® I, More Technology P. _- 11 More Performance the Love of God.' Sweet acoustic gui- More Value tar? "Sisters." All songs are instrumentals although occasional spoken words appear for philosophical effect. "The Audience is Listening," for instance, is an amusing, if slightly adolescent, look back at Vai's own past and a sendup of his primary ,iillhiVI school teacher who, while talking rR * ._- throughout the piece, vainly tries to control her class. Sterling accompaniment is provided by bass whiz Stu Hamm and drummer Chris Frazier. The album was recorded at Vai's 48 -track home studio where he recently installed an Otari 32 -track digital tape machine. (Success certainly brings its rewards!) It's interesting to note that Vai plays a seven -string (not six) guitar to achieve greater harmonic possibilities. Such an idea goes back at least to the Computer modeled interconnect late Renaissance when lutanists began adding courses to their lutes. More re- and speaker cable design. cent examples can be heard in jazz- men George Van Eps, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Ron Eschete, fingerstylists Design reduces delay distortion for more I electromagnetic Lenny Breau and Howard Morgan, and accurate performance in the frequency and time domains. classical player Narciso Yepes (who plays a ten -string). Passion And Warfare is a concept I Moderately priced for the value conscious music purist. album of sorts in that it charts a series of dream sequences based on Vai's personal experiences. At first pass you Flexible and for easy and attractive installation. compact may be tempted to approach it as a hard rock record but closer listening tio yields endless delight in audio detail, MF intelligent composition (you'll recog- Music Interface Technologies f MUTT O(711&()C nize Zappa's lessons), and spirited, in- O/Titir<'o MIT products are distribu ed by Transparent Audio Marketing spired musicianship. Imagine that / Rt. 202, Box 117 Hollis, ME 04042 TEL. I:07)929-4553 FAX (207) 929-4271 128 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990

Enter No. 29 on Reader Service Card SPECIAL $5.00 CD OFFER FROM WINDHAM HILL NEW VOICES. NEW VIEWS. NEW MUSIC.

from Windham Hill t WI flllxllDI / Mgfakr'f Sb+ l (Uf IBIINAADt I xoA.r. to to MIeüA 601111 Sgm el lile a BMW 11G111 / NSamg tnng © IOIM gABIL / Ar.en m dr Storm

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GM Eberhardt Barbara Higbee DICESJohn Goria Pierce Pettis from Windham Hill WD 9006

Individually, they are Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Barbara Windham Higbie and Pierce Pettis, four singers & songwriters w th Special $5.00 CD Offer... New Voices from Hil debut albums on Windham Hill. Send a check or money order for $5. ($3.75 + S1.25 shipping and handling) to 94309. NY residents Collectively, they appear on "New Voices" a specially Windham Hill Records, Box 9388, Stanford, CA CA, TX and add applicable sales tax. Allow four weeks for delivery. priced Compact Disc featuring selections from Cliff's "The

Long Road;' Barbara's "Signs of Life" John's "The Land Name Line" Pierce's of the Bottom and "While the Serpent Lies Address Sleeping" City New Voices. An eloquent introduction to four compelling, original new artists. State Zip

Daytime phone

O Please send complete catalog listing

01990 Windham Hill Productions Inc New Voices Compact Disc not available in sloes. Ore, expires 12/31/90. 1111111-1-"j IJJJJ JJJJJJJJ

t Foyer I ,JJJJJJJJ- E 11-! Patio -I,- E" CUSTOM INSTALLATION -PRODUCTS & SERVICES

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Turn Your Audio Components Sound Specialists .. . Into a Multi -Room audio Just as you're reading Audio System WESTCHESTER'S FOREMOST this ad, so are m : CUSTOM DESIGN AND SC -699 INSTALLATION SERVICES thousands of Adcom Grado Rotel Audio Access Lexicon Signet potential customers. Bang & Olufsen MB Quart Sonance MC -59 MC-59 & Volume Control B&W MKO Sony Projection The SC -699 Speaker Controller is the per- Carver Niles Soundstream For complete fect addition to any audio system. From the Dahlquist Ortofon Sumo central location you can turn on/off remote Denon Philips Target information on rooms. From remote room controls you can Energy Proton Triad t.Vt turn on the audio system, activate transport Wharfedale placing your functions, turn off the room or the entire Call us ... or come In, and find out home. The SC -699 retails for why "The experts choose the experts." ad, call only $699 and MC -59 Remote Room Controls are only $69. (914) 698-4444 Carol Berman at Ave., Audo Design Associates Inc., 602.610 Mamaroneck Ave. 875 Mamaroneck - White Plains,NY,10605, 914-946-9595,Fax 914-723-4642 Mamaroneck, NY 10543 - (212) 767-6292.

Breakfast tool c Bedroom B / ( Screened Kitchen Family Room c Room 13'4" Master Bedroom Porch 12' x 9'8" 6,1) L 19'4" x 13'4" x 18'8" x 13'4" 11'8" x 11'8" 1'1iiir n14'4" x 15'6 1:1'4" r Trr VIII/II t -"7\J l_,J_ ._JIJJJJJJJ; JJJJJJJJ _ The better you know the 4 Patio JJ _1 songs of Marti Jones, jF 7i1JJJJJJJ Deck 11J''JIIJ''JJJJ the harder they are to shake out of your mind. Sunroom Vaulted 13'6" x HARVEY ELECTRONICS some child is being born as this music hits the universe, and in another 20 THE TRI-STATES' LARGEST years or so, who knows where he or AUTHORIZED DEALER OF she w.11 take us. For now, don't miss PREMIUM AUDIO/VIDEO this. Michael Wright ELECTRONICS. eardrum Any Kind of Lie: Marti Jones ge audio + video Harvey Electronics' RCA 2040-2-R, CD; 39:37. 2' Custom designs and installations custom instal ation department Sound: B Performance: A - State-of-the-art audio & video is at ycur service. Marti Jones is a thrush. Through her Media rooms and home theatres Us for A&M, made a Surround sound systems Call Today. three albums she Remote -control multi -room systems smashing impression as a terrific inter- Outdoor and in -wall speakers New York, NY 212 575-5000 preter of song while participating in the :h White Plains, NY 914 948-5050 songwriting only sporadically. For her 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN AUDIO+ VIDEO Westbury, NY 516 334-3443 RCA debut, she and Don Dixon, her 148 East Route 59, (914)623-3983 Paramus, NJ 201 652-2882 - SI producer and writing and life partner, Nanuet, N.Y. 10954 AUDIO/VIDEO SPECIALISTS seem to have made a conscious deci- rM1' sion to write much more, and the re- B, sults are impressive. Eight of the 11 1 1-/r/-/vr1-11, 1 i l WORLD WIDE STEREO cuts are Dixon/Jones compositions, _ll LI 11\LI 1\ 1 1 .l Batt and they are bouncy, shimmering pop AUDIO/VIDEO CUSTOM songs with stories to tell. The better DESIGNS IN KIT SYSTEMS THAT FIT 1-OPI MAJOR BRAND you get to know them, the more sub- OR ASSEMBLED FORM ity custom prewising new and stantial they feel and the harder they * * * existing construction. 8'6' WOOFERS, TWEETERS, MIDRANGES, are to shake out of your mind-as with CROSSOVERS, IN -WALL BAFFLES complete surrpund sound media most good pop songs. CABINETS, AND ACCESSORIES rooms. Dixon's production goes directly to * * * remote operation from any room. the heart of a song, but he adds smart HOME, CAR, OR DJ SYSTEMS touches, such as the vibes he plays on * * * totally integrated home systems. the title song, the wonderful pedal steel WHOLESALE AND RETAIL aT / FREE IN -HOME CONSULTATION and button accordion contributions of Fats Kaplin to Call 215-368.8343 three songs, and Bruce )ini NEW YORK'S ORIGINAL Hornsby's signature piano on two cuts Roo SPEAKER DESIGNERS and accordion on a cover of Loudon '3" In PA 800-564-HIFI Wainwright Ill's bittersweet "Old 247-40 JERICHO TURNPIKE Friend." There's the slightly loopy reg- BELLEROSE, N.Y. 11001 `\\ (516) 354.7006 Montgomeryville, PA (Philadelphia Area) gae -cum -clarinet resetting of Clive Gregson's "Second Choice" followed by the sweet, slow waltz of Dixon's own Satellite Television "Cliché," which features Sonny Lan- Tel: (703)¡mar "- Over in Digital Audio & Video dreth on Dobro and E -Bow. Through- 241-1498 Ten out the set, the backing vocals perform HOME THEATER LERMA AUDIO Years n unusual and ear -catching contrapuntal In AV" tricks. The album's sequence of songs VIDEO SYSTEMS CLOSED CIRCUIT VIDEO II''J smartly emphasizes the musical vari- Custom Installations Charter Video Projectors (600 Lumens), Draper Member ety, which in turn helps to properly Gretag CEDIA 5 Diamondsaeen- (Brightest), Sonance Speakers, showcase Marti's singing. She dis- Soundcraftsmen, B.ES.T. outdoor speakers, BBE"' AER-WAVE SYSTEMS, INC. plays in her performance a real surge Sonic Maximizers, Satellite Systems Custom Electronic Desigr of confidence to go along with her writ- BRIGHTEST IN WALL VIDEO SYSTEM & Installatior ing surge. 84" Blackmatrix Diamondsaeen 58,100.00 7215 Green Bay Rd., Kenosha, WI 53142 Mari Jones has fallen through the _ GRETAG ESPRIT 1500 Projector 58,900.00 cracks for too long. She and Dixon TWINSCAN (Scan doubler) 53,000.00 1-800-829-2249 Typical Install & Hardware 41,200.00 deliver excellent work in albums that Total (Metro DC) + Appl. Sales Tax 521,200.00 Complete Audio Video Systems beg to be played over and over again. Sales 8 Installation Any Kind of Lie may be their best yet (it E. Features: Ultrabright, with all room lights ON! Wide viewing angle, VGA, EGA & MAC compat- is still growing, in my estimation). It is Serving S.E. Wisconsin and the ible. Including NTSC, PAL & SECAM. Future the kird of album that becomes a tried & N.W. HDTV compatible add 5800.00 North Chicago Suburbs and true friend, and it deserves serious F'" consideration. Michael Tearson m Breakfast > 1 Bedroom AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 131 Screenedorch / Family Room L Room Kitcren P 19'4"x13'4 12'x98" °L 11'8" x 11'8" t mr 14'4" x 15'6" 13'4 DEALER SHOWCASE

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PRICES" SQUADQ Krell Counterpoint Ortofon Philips A/V REASONABLE /1/i D P,LK ROTEL WHARFEDALE Rotel Krell Digital Anodyne Paradigm 802-863-4372 Apogee Straightwire Magnum Talisman 5 -YEAR WAORANrIE5 00 ALL NEW Equ,RMrNT -- CD nwyrgs, ANrAOLES, TLPE DECKS. _and merry more! T L. INCLUD,Nn IEV CNARoE FOR DELIVERY. The 7' Mon/Tues by appt. J- J Wei -Fn 12-8pm Saturday I04rpm ~11111. SCIENTIFpC 1 $OTERIC( Sunday II-4pm STEREO lee /MAIN Sr DRATrLEaORO VT 05301 13158 Veteran's Memorial Pkwy I louston, Tx 77014 ` - I . 1-800-456-NIFI 713-537-8108 Fax 713 537-4e18 207 College St Burlington, VT 05401 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 133 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

ANNOUNCEMENTS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CAI IYACTATIAu A D C LINE ADVERTISING CD CHANGER/RECEIVER Aaaannouncingggg!! Aaaannouncingggg!! CLASSIFIED LINE ADS ARE PAYABLE IN AD- 60 watts RMS per MOSCODE VANCE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY. channel (Sorry, we cannot accept credit cards or bill for line HYBRID HAFLER 4x oversampling POWER advertising.) ALL LINE ORDERS should be mailed to: AMPS-Enjoy the Benefits of Moscode" Tube 6 disc with track -w changer 32 Technology with a Moscode" Conversion for Hailers. Call/ AUDIO MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 9125 programmability for up to 7 hours of music Write: CLASSIC AUDIO, 238 Liberty Ave., New Rochelle, NY Dept. 346-01, Stamford, CT 06925 Random play 10805. (914) 633-3039. ORDERS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT 10 disc magazine memory A TRANSDUCER FOR THE PERFECTIONIST AUDIO- ACCOMPANYING PAYMENT FOR FULL AMOUNT. 24 radio presets PHILE ONLY. THIS STATE OF THE ART SPEAKER (PAT. Agency discounts do not apply to line advertising. Single disc (plus 1) drawer flexibility for PEND.) UTILITIES NO WOOFERS, MIDRANGES, TWEET- ERS, RIBBONS, ELECTROSTATICS CLOSING DATE-First of month two months preced- playing one disc only OR CONVENTIONAL PLANAR DRIVES. ABOUT THE ONLY THING HAS ing the cover date. If the first of the month falls on a Three tone controls (bass, mid, treble) OURS IN COMMON WITH OTHER HIGH -END TRANSDUCERS, weekend or holiday, the closing date is the last busi- Compact design perfect for home, office IS THAT IT A ness day preceding the first. ADS RECEIVED AFTER or dorm RECREATES NEAR PERFECT SOUND STAGE. FOR FREE INFORMATION ON OUR PRODUCT THE CLOSING DATE WILL BE HELD FOR THE $529 (Black) or $549 (White) LINE, WRITE TO: A.W.H., P.O. BOX NY NEXT ISSUE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. 591, BELLPORT, 11713. GENERAL INFORMATION-Ad copy must be type- iu_iu AOt_ written or printed legibly. The publisher in his sole . AUDIO CLASSICS discretion reserves the right to reject any ad copy he 3025 SPEAKER Precision Stereo Components Bought -Sold-Traded - deems Inappropriate. ALL ADVERTISERS MUST SYSTEM Repaired -Modified. Authorized Dealers for: Acoustat, Au- SUPPLY: Complete name, Company Name. Full dio Control. Counterpoint, Haller, Lexicon, Magnum street address (P.O. Box numbers are insufficient) and Dynalab, Philips, Stax, Velodyne. AMPLIFIERS: Hafler telephone number. System includes a pair of Model 3010 Classified ads do not carry Reader SE120 (5325) 5299, XL280 ($675) Krell KSA8OB loudspeakers and a Model 3015 subwoofer $575; Service Card Numbers. Frequency Discounts not ful- (53950) $2700, KSA2008 $4500: McIntosh MC225 $600, filled will be rated 45 Hz -24 kHz + short accordingly. / -3 dB MC240 $1000, MC502 $675, MC752 $675, MC2120 $600, Acoustically designed to provide big MC2250 $1560. MC2300 51400: threshold S300 (53250) DISPLAY ADVERTISING speaker sound in a compact size $1899. CD PLAYERS: Adcom GCD575 ($600) $399: Phi- DISPLAY ADVERTISERS should make space reser- Elegantly styled and matched to fit any lips, all models, CD80 ($799) $675, LHH1000 ($4000) vation on or before the closing date. Ad material (film decor $3500: Stax Quattro 11 ($3450) 51999. INTEGRATED AM- or velos) may follow by the tenth. DISPLAY ADVER- Optional wall -mount kit PLIFIERS: McIntosh MA230 $399; MA5100 $400, MA6100 TISERS MUST SUPPLY CAMERA READY ART. 150 watts peak power handling 5500-600, MA6200 $1200: Philips DFA980 ($749) $699. PRODUCTION CHARGES WILL BE ASSESSED ON PREAMPLIFIERS: Adcom SLC505 ($160) $125, GFP555 ANY AD REQUIRING ADDITIONAL PREPARATION. $350 ($500) $375: Counterpoint SA11 ($6995) $3995: Krell KSP7B (S2700)52250; McIntosh C11 $700, C20 $600, C24 ALL DISPLAY CORRESPONDENCE should be sent I .-"The Quick Connection" $300, C26 $400, C28 $450, C30 51100, C31 V $1200, C34V to: 51700, C504 $675: Philips DAC960 ($999) 5749: threshold Carol A. Berman, AUDIO MAGAZINE B.J. AUDIO ..- - .- FET Ten'HL ($3000) $1899. PROCESSORS: Carver C9 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 991 Beechmeadow $175; SAE 5000 $125, Sansui DS77 $199; Shure HTS5200 LZ- Cincinnati, OH 45238 $449. RECEIVERS: McIntosh MAC1700 $450, MAC1900 FOR RATES & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (513) 451.0112 DISPLAY ADS: Carol Berman (212) 767-6292 $500. MAC4200 $1200, MAC4300V 52200. SPEAKERS: CLASSIFIED LINE ADS: 800-445-6066 Acoustat Spectra 11 5899; B&W 808 $4000: Dahlquist 0010 $600; Infinity RS2.5 $999: Magnepan 1D $800; McIn- tosh XR19 53000; Theil CS3 $1299; Velodyne ULD12 $1095, ULD1511 $1669. TEST EQUIPMENT: Free Cata- logue. TUNERS: Adcom GFT555 ($300) $225: McIntosh MR65B $200-500, MR71 5600, MR78 $1200 MR500 $800, MR510 $900, MR7082 (51499) $1200. TUNER PREAMPS: McIntosh MX110 $250-500, MX113 $550, MX117 $1200. DIMENSIONAL PURITY VANDERSTEEN AUDIO Audio Repairs And Restorations by Clif Ramsey of Audio Classics, former Senior Service Technician at McIntosh. Vandersteen Audio was founded in 1977 Tuner Modifications by Richard Modafferi, independent consultant to Audio Classics, inventor, and former Senior with the commitment to offer always the Engineer at McIntosh. Over 55 years combined experience. finest in music reproduction for the dollar. FREE Catalogue. Layaway Program, Major Credit Cards accepted. 8AM-5PM EST Mon. -Fri.. AUDIO CLASSICS. Toward this goal there will always be a POB 176AAA Walton, NY. 13856. high degree of pride, love, and personal 607-865-7200 satisfaction involved in each piece before it -Audio Advertiser for over a Decade-

leaves our facilities. Your Vandersteen dealer AUDIO RESOURCE HAS MOVED to its new 4400 sq. ft. shares in this commitment, and has been store at 3t33 EDENBORN AVENUE, METAIRIE. carefully selected for his ability to deal with LOUISIANA 70002. We now have five private listening rooms where you can audition one of the LARGEST SELECTIONS the complex task of assembling a musically of HIGH END AUDIO EQUIPMENT in the country. AUDIO satisfying system. Although sometimes RESOURCE continues to offer precision -matched tubes. plus sales, service, and restoration of vintage components. hard to find, he is well worth seeking out. Call or write for information on our products and services AUDIO RESOURCE, 3133 EDENBORN AVE, METAIRIE, Write or call for a brochure and the LA 70002. (504) 885-6988. name of youf nearest dealer. VANDERSTEEN AUDIO Michigan Audiophiles! AUDIO ILLUSIONS of East Detroit, Michigan presents these fine products: 3A Loudspeakers. 116 WEST FOURTH STREET Audible Illusions, Aragon, Audioquest, British Built. Chicago HANFORD, CALIFORNIA 93230 USA Stands, Creek, Dahlquist, Edison -Price, Haller, Heybrook, (209) 582-0324 Maston Audio, Musical Concepts, Onix, Ryan, Revolver, Straightwire, Sumo, Wadia & much morel!! Call (313) 772-8822 for more information.

134 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SALE:

- SOUND CASH PAID FOR STEREO/VIDEO EQUIPMENT. BUY SUPERB SELL -TRADE & REPAIR. AMEX VISA MC. 75 CHURCH With The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook for home and Killer ST., NEW BRUNSWICK. NJ 08901 (201) 220-1144. FAX: Car Stereo for the road, there's no excise for less than the best (201) 220-1284. in loudspeaker sound! Fun to read, easy to understand and use. $19.95 each, $50 for both. Please add $1.75 S/H for one -end hard audio High and -to -find compo- book, $2 for two. MCNisa welcome. Dealer inquiries invited. un.1ti nents. New and used. Foreign and domestic. COLONY SOUND LAB Low, low prices! AUDIO AMERICA OLD z PO Box 243, Dept. A01, Peterborough, NH 03458 á.. . 1:7,":"15.':"15. ' f .. (Virginia). Call 1-703-745-2223. (603) 924-6371 /924-6526 FAX: (603) 924-9467 ' -

MOSCODES, FUTTERMANS, AUDIO RESEARCH SP3, 6 & 8'S MODIFIED & SERVICED BY GEORGE KAYE, Moscode Designer -Tremendous improvement. Protect your investment. CLASSIC AUDIO. 238 Liberty Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10805. (914) 633-3039. ACTIVE ELECTRONIC Old Colony Sound Lab offers a tree catalog for the asking. Twenty-four pages of amplifiers. preamps, cross- CROSSOVERS overs. audio accessories, parts. boards, resistors, capaci- MODEL 120 CABINET & NEW 120-R tors. etc. Everything you need for that do-it-yourself project to "RACK AND PANEL" DESIGNS improve the sound of your audio system. Write Old Colony Made to order in Butterworth bi-amp, Sound. PO Box 243A, Peterborough, NH 03458, or call (603) or quad -amp 924-6371. trlamp, configurations with optional level controls, subsonic filters, or summers. Filters, regulated THE STEREO TRADING power supplies, equalizers, are also OUTLET available. NEW AND USED AUDIO COMPONENTS BOUGHT - New catalog and price sheet. Free! SOLD -TRADED. AMPLIFIERS: Audio Res D100B (U) Your search for S559. Moscode 600 w G. Kay update (U) 51195, Nak Pal (U) refinement will end here. eoundey Eng. Lab. 5949, Threshold S200 (U) $1195 S500 (U) $2,200: Bel 1001 11828 Jefferson BI. Culver City, CA 90230 (U) 5779, Counterpoint SA20 (U) $1195 SA100 (D) $1090. PHONE (213) 397-9668 B&K ST140 (U) 5359, Bryston 4B (U) 51095 VTL90 90 (U) Brown Electronic Labs $1.225. Beard P100 (U) 51169, Levinson ML -11 (U) $1295. 2530 Berryei sa Rd., Suite 126, San Jose, CA 95132 Krell KSA80 (U) $2.279. Crown DC300A (U) 5399, PS Audio

2C : (U) $399. Parasound HCA50011 (N) $249 HCA800II (N) $339: Phillips Fa -50 (N) $319. Lux LV 105u (U) 5599. Pioneer VSA910 $419: PREAMPS: Mac C28(U) 5445C28 (U) $499, GAS Thoebe (U) $199, Alchemist (U) $449, Soundcraftman Pro3 (U) $279. Yamaha C80 (U) $259. Meitner Pa6i (U) $1195, Counterpoint 7.1 (N) 5395, Beard P500A (U) $499. Modsquad Modsquad DLX Line Drive (U) $719. Modsquad FREE! Phono Drive (U) $799. Berning TF10Ha (U) $995. Sony TAE77esd (U) $595. B&K Pro5 (U) S269: DISCPLAYERS: AKG Y Denon1520 (U) 5399. NakOms7 (U) 5595. YamahaCDX510 Audio Headphones (U) $189, AdcomGCD300 (U) 5179. MagnavoxCDB472 (C)

$175, CDB473 (C) 5199: RECEIVERS: DenonDRA95VR With System Purchase , (U) $395, LuxR117 (U) 5595. Phillips FR50 (N) $359, Phillips áfir FR80 (N) $359, Pioneer VSXD1s Prologic (N) $1095 PVC; x; VSX9700s Prologic (N) $849 VSX5700s Prologic (N) $590 - for those who thought excellence VSX5600 Prologic (N) $529 VSX3700 (N) 5399: SPEAK- Sand, e_ u-dE ?-e t- -dsou 01. could never be so affordable- ERS: B&W DM 1800 (U) $595 pr, Fried Studio IV Updated (U) $795 pr. Klipsch Forte (U) $769 pr. M&K Volkswoofer II (U) $695 system, Ryan MCL (U) $275 pr, Polk SDA-2 (U) 5749 pr, SYSTEM #1 Package SYSTEM #2 Package Polk 108 (U) $289 pr. Audiopro B145 (U) 5795. ADS 300cc (U) $189 pr. DCM TF500 (U) $349 pr. Celestion DL10 (C) COUNTERPOINT sA-220 AMP ACOUSTAT SPECTRA 11 s'f.ur& AIM $429, Infinity SM120 (N) 439 pr SM150 (N) $569 pr: AUDIO, VIDEO: Nec AV350e (U) $289, Teac AV500 (N) 5239. Teac MA2AN12 co -94 co REVOLVER REBEL TURNTABLE AV55OD (N) $269 Sony TAsr310 (U) 5169: LASERDISC PLAYERS: Sony MDP700 (U) 5595. Magnavox CDV305 (N) Listening to Dianne Shurr on OHM MAGNAVOX cos -630 co (N) Pioneer CLD2080 (N) 5775 WALSH 5 speakers, is a one of a kind 5465, CDV485 $559, THIS IS A HAIR CLD1080 (N) $559 LD870 (N) 199. Visit our two upper level listening experience. showrooms at 320 Old York RD. Jenkintown. Pa 19046. Call RAISING EXPERIENCE! A system like this for under Thir sonic and musical excellence at For FREE CATALOGUE. Layaway Program. Credit Cards $10,1100.00, is a true bargain for all Accepted. AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR: AR, B&K Sonato, a bargain price of under $2500.00 Counterpoint. Aiwa, Parasound, Celestion, Phillips, Infinity. 'SHEER MUSIC LOVERS" Straightwire. ((U) used (N) new (C) closeout) HIGHEST PRICES PAID FOR ALL TYPES OF USED AUDIO & VIDEO EOPT SYSTEM #3 Package SYSTEM #4 Package - 215-886-1650 AMP MISSION CYRUS ONE AMP ONIX OA -20 MAGNAVOX coB-610 co FOR SALE MISSION 763 SPEAKERS SPEAKERS MISSION CYRUS TUNER TANNOY E15 AAA -AUDIO ELITE IN WISCONSIN!!! HAFLER. PS AUDIO. B&K, JSE, NAKAMICHI, PROTON. MISSION CYRUS PCM a CD CARVER, ONKYO. ADS. VPI. DCM, SONOGRAPH, FRIED. This BUDGET SYSTEM NITTY GRITTY. SUMIKO. THORENS. SUPERPHON, SNELL, M&K. LUXMAN BOSE, PHILLIPS. VELODYNE and DYNAMITE can be bought for just any others you desire (414) 725-4431. CALL US WE CARE!!! SYSTEM! under $900.00 AAA -CALL US NOW! Luxman, Carver, ADS, Nakamichi, Denon, Boston Acoustics, NAD, Celestion, B&W, Ad - a145 W 26th St. NY, NY 10001:1: for corn, PS Audio, HK, Hatter, AR, B&K, Onkyo, KEF Pro- Gall a ton, Snell, DCM, Infinity, JBL, Counterpoint, JSE, Spica, personal NY: 212-691-8018! M&K, Bose, VPI, Sonograph, Sumiko, Thorens, Ve- 1-800-443-4249 Appointment lodyne. WHY CALL US NOW? 414-727-0071. WE HAVE THE LOWEST PRICES!!!

AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 135 ESOTERIC DEMO SALE We're bJnfp tf, because .. . SPEAKERS Apogee Diva We prefer to part from the mainstream to bring our customers components that reveal more Essence Amethyst 30 of the music naturally! "Product name value" does not guarantee musical accuracy: naruey Concertmaster therefore. we choose components designed and manufactured to ELECTRONICS: by people dedicated "high Bedini 303

fidelity" instead of "high profile-. Counterpoint SAI I HIGH END COMPONENTS FOR THE AUDIO PERFECTIONIST 1PI IIW 19 Custom incl. arm & cartridge. COVENTRY COMMONS RTE .147. AKG KI000 ALTEC LANSING APOGEE BARCLAY BEDINI STONY BROOK. NY !1790516-689-7444 COUNTERPOINT HAFLER HARTLEY LEXICON MARANTZ PRECISE ROTEL JEFF ROWLAND SHAIIINIAN TDL WADIA AND MORE ESOTERIC SOUND, CONVENTRY COMMONS RTE 347, STONY BROOK, N.Y. 11790 516-689-7444 i FOR SALE

AAA-LOW PRICES-HIGH END EQUIPMENT!!! ' In n PS AUDIO, HAFLER, B&K, CARVER, NAKAMICHI, SU- .}- PERPHON, LUXMAN, THORENS, M&K, SNELL, INFINITY, f ONKYO, PROTON, SONOGRAPH, FRIED, NITTY GRITTY. . n \}/ - I > ' SUMIKO, BOSE, PHILLIPS, DCM, VELODYNE, ADS, VPI, O JSE and any others you desire. AUDIO ELITE. (414) rTl (-Il `'} ' V - 725-4431. Menasha, Wisconsin. i j 4. en 1. OUR PRICES CAN'T BE BEAT!!! i t_ 1 . I 'I 6. AUDIO GALLERY . - 1! AAA! NAKAMICHI, LUXMAN, CARVER. BOSTON a v d= I:- V1 ACOUSTICS, DENON, NAD, CELESTION, B&W, AR, AD - i . I, W BEST PLACE p r Y is (^¡ AMERICA'S TO BUY COM, PS AUDIO, HAFLER, ADS, COUNTERPOINT, B&K,

' DIGITAL AUDIO TAPE RECORDERS ONKYO, KEF, PROTON, DCM, INFINITY, HK, ' f u vD .i' z JBL, SNELL, Lll ¡ VELODYNE, JSE, SPICA, M&K, PHILIPS, VPI, BOSE, T ?? [ - SONOGRAPH, (414) 727-0071. 5 !t Don't be deceived by imitators. We are 1,r. X `5`iyti `,yr 14.1 the original DAT stereo store in the USA! we tla We're the 1st and we're still the best. AA/SOUND ADVICE W6-'á,' -- ..'.,- i l.5 Q LOW PRICES FAST DELIVERY! DENON, NAD. CE- +' LESTION. B&W, HARMON KARDON, JBL, CARVER, ,101 BOSTON _ J ' i``1-- 'Jj AUDIO GALLERY AUDIO, HAFILER, ADS, M&K.OONK OSB&K. PROTON,

F'0 ( a/ SNELL, BOSE. VELODYNE, PHILIPS, SPICA, tijuz I. ¡ L Q (/(C /''/EKCI` S'/`ECo"DCM, COUNTERPOINT, AND MUCH MORE! 414-727-0071. MY I COST, PLUS ONE DOLLAR t ---I CALL US!! / 1'' !JUST SELL MY EXCESS INVENTORY OF : L% 213 829 3429 ACOUSTAT CELEST1ON DL CC ADCOM CONRAD-JOHNSON tLl 2716 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, Pia ACOUSTIC ENERGY, AUDIBLE ILLUSIONS, AUDIO AR DAHLOUIST M-900 I- 0 y 'L.1 01- QUEST, ARCICI, ASC TUBE TRAPS. ARISTON E s.e. t/1 CA 90403. FAX: 213 829 0304 r¢ 01- B&K SONATA, CE TEL ,,,,,,)y C, EPOS. SSW STANDS SONOGRAPnE Q Hours: Mon -Fri loam-6pm 9,,,,oOd KEF CUSTOM, KIMBER KABLEACELESTIONELEXICON, CALL NOW ! / TOLL -FREE - 800-438-6040 12pm--Spm Saturday PSG 6 ' ') MAGNUM DYNALAB, PSE, MISSION CYRUS, THE MOD I SQUAD, NILES, PHILIPS AUDIONIDEO, REGA PLANAR, SONRISE CABINETS, STAX. SONUS FABER, SOUND ANCHOR, TARGET STANDS, TERA LABS, TEMPORAL CONTINUUM, TERA VIDEO. VELODYNE, WBT, IAtr dUC An7 DYNAUDIO MONITORS, KRELL DIGITAL NEW SBP-32X & MD -2 CD TURNTABLE. FOR FREE LITERATURE CALL J. GORDON HOLT 301-890-323. JS AUDIO, ONE CHILDREAPPOCOURT, BUR - THE AUDIO GLOSSARY n 1 intriguing new TONSVILLE?MD 20866. AUDITION BY NTMENT, MONDAY THRU FRIDAY 10AM TO 7PM, SATURDAY 11 TO volume byJ. GORDON HOLT, found- 5. WE HONOR VISA, MC. AMEX, DISCOVER. FAX: ing editor of Stereophile 2 indispen- THE 301-890-3819. WE SHIP WORLDWIDE .... 220 VOLT 3 MODELS AVAILABLE! sable reference tool lasting conver- ADS., NAKAMICHI, CARVER, BANG OLUFSEN, REVOX, sation piece 4 complete with more B&W KEF. HARMON KARDON, N.A.D., LUXMAN, HAF- AUDIO LER, TANDBERG, ADCOM, DENON, KLIPSCH, YAMAHA, than 1,900 entries 5 available in soft- D.B.X.. INFINITY, J.B.L. AND OTHER QUALITY COMPO- bound, hardbound, and specially- GLOSSARY NENTS.BESTPRICES-LIVEPROFESSIONALCONSUL-CONSUL- Y J TATION WEEKDAYS-AUTOMATED PRICING AND IN - bound, autographed Limited Edition 6 FORMATION AVAILABLE 24 HOURS. ALL PRODUCTS COVERED BY MANUFACTURER'S U.S.A. WARRANTY. great gift idea! AMERISOUND SALES INC., EAST: (904) 262-4000 WEST: (818) 243-1168. ADS, JVC, LUXMAN, NAKAMICHI RD260-$137, YES! Please send me TOTAL RD360-5239. RD460.5299, TD540-$417, CD101-5537. US Softbound BKAA-7/S @ $9.95 $ WARR.816-252.9782. AFFORDABLE HIGH -END, NEW AND DEMO UNITS: BAK. Hardbound w/ dust jacket BKAA-7/H @ $17.95 $ _ Musical Corexpts, Angstrom. Merlin, Kinergetics, Straight Wire. Autographed Limited Edition BKAA-7/L @ $30 $ Musical Fidelity, Pro Ac & more. ARIEL. Carmel, IN 46032. Visa Please add $1.75 shipping for first book, 500 each add'!$ MC. (317)-846-9766x(317)841-7154,5-10 pm. CK/MO enclosed MC VISA TOTAL ORDER $ A TOLL-FREE CLEARANCE SALE! - COUNTERPOINT SA3000 preamp demo ($1895) $1195, SA1000 preamp demo MCNISA EXP. ($835) 5595. SA220 poweramp demo ($2795) 51795. PHILIPS FC566 autores cassette ($380) $249, FC567 double cassette NAME ($480) $359, CDV487 comb laser demo ($950) $599, FR780 receiver (5500)$349,CD8oCDplayer demo($800)$569,CD840 STREET & NO. bitstream CD ($650) $499, CD60 CDplayer ($430) $339, DFA980 CITY STATE ZIP amp demo ($750) $499, RV450pro Dolby Pro Logic" processor Santos demo ) OLD COLONY SOUND LAB $1999'SKapa5olak(58000ITY is99,RSk RS5001 demo ($738) 5499, ADCOM GTP500 tuner-preamp PO Box 243, Dept. A03, Peterborough, NH 03458-0243 USA demo (white) ($650) $399, HARMAN-KARDON 330Ví Receiver (603924 6371 / 924 6526 /FAX: (603)924-9467 (5300) 5199. TD212 cassette (5300) 5199, B& W Matnnl Senes2 Answering machine for credit card orders only: (603) 924-6371 before 9:00 a.m., after 4:00 p.m. and weekends. Oak demo ($1200) $799. DUAL CS7000 Golden'One- Table Have information plus MCNISA available. demo ($875) $499. The King's Stereo, 225 Highland, Springfield, IL 62704. 1-800 669-0656.

136 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 FOR SALE

ALEX BUYS -SELLS USED CELLO, ARC, LEVINSON, KRELL, II THRESHOLD, C.J. SPECTRAL, MIT, ETC. SHIP UPS/COD. - - o-" . C-HATEAURO JX (CA) (415) 769-7891 OR FAX (415) 5213080. POLYPROPYLENE ATTENTION AUDIO BUYERS!!! eex-osdbx CAPACITORS AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR.. ADS, ALPHASONIK. BOSTON We are pleased to announce that THE ULTIMATE DYNAMIC RANGE CONTROLLER ACOUSTICS. CARVER, DENON, DUAL. HAFLER, INFINITY. we have in stock CHATFA4lRQ41X KENWOOD, KICKER, MCNSTER CABLE, ORTOFON & 5 -BAND STEREO EXPANDER CPU MICROCOMPUTER CONTROL YAMAHA! THE SOUND APPROACH, 6067 JERICHO TPKE, 5 -BAND STEREO COMPRESSOR 5 MEMORY SETTINGS a BACKUP Metallized Polypropylene Capacitors of COMMACK, NY 11725 (516) 499-7680. 5. BAND TRANSIENT RECOVERY 106 dB PEAK -A -WEIGHTED NOISE exceptional quality and excellent INDIVIDUAL BAND PRESETS FULL -FUNCTION WIRELESS REMOTE price. This type has ATTENTION HAFLER, DYNA, MAGNAVOX OWNERS! LINEAR 8 NON-LINEAR MODES MULTI-VOLTAGE DOWER SUPPLY of dielectric Audio by Van Alstine builds complete new higher performance EXCLUSIVE DOWNWARD EXPANSION CIA RACK MOUNTING a MORE been characterized by Walter circuits for you. Not 'modifications," but original new engineering as Add Impact and crispness to any material Jung and Richard Marsh "out- designs that eliminate transient distortion, have no on or off ORIG. S1400.00 Reduce hiss from analog -mastered CDs standing" when compared with thumps, are durable and rugged, and sound Closer to live than NOW Restore lost dynamics on FM. TV. LPs, etc. $799,00 anything else al a rational price. Our all other dielectrics in the areas of: complete do-it-yourself Compress digital recordings with no side effects rebuild kits start at S200, including all new PC cards. Complete Ultra high -end specs wAatest dbx VCA technology wonderfully -musical factory wired amplifiers, preamplifiers, tun- Dissipation factor @ 20 ° C: <.01 %. Limited availability. Exclusive Audio Marketing ers, CD players, and a great 599 phono cartridge. Write or call for Distributor: P.O. Box 886, Culver City, CA 90232 (213) 839-2000 Dielectric absorption factor at our new illustrated catalog. Audio by Van Alstine, 2202 River Hills 20 °C: < .01%. fl Drive, Burnsville, MN 55337. (612) 890-3517. 24 -month factory warranty Free shipping on prepaid orders Good self healing characteristics of AUDIO BEST: LA, ORANGE, SAN BERNADINO, polypropylene dialectric CALIFORNIA. HOT COMPONENTS: CELESTION SL-3000, COUNTERPOINT, TARALAB, PS DIGITLINK; MIT: AUDIBLE FOR SALE High Current Capacity ILLUSIONS; MODSQUAD; ACOUSTAT SPECTRA 11 +; Excellent Overvoltage and Pulse SPICA ANGELA: KINERGETICS; MAGNUM; FOSGATE; B&K. ADS., NAKAMICHI, CARVER, BANG OLUFSEN, REVOX, handling capability SUPERPHON, MUSIC REFERENCE, RAUNA, SOUNDLAB, B&W, KEF, HARMOWKARDON, N.A.D.. LUXMAN. HAF- Low self inductance VPI, MAPLENOLL, SYSTEMDEK, GRADO. GARROTT, MON- LER. TANDBERG, ADCOM, DENON, KLIPSCH, YAMAHA, Excellent stability STER, STRAIGHTWIRE. MUSIC CONCEPTS. (714)861-5413, D.B.X., INFINITY J.B.L. AND OTHER QUALITY COMPO- APPOINTMENT. NENTS. BEST PRICES -LIVE PROFESSIONAL CONSUL- Leads: Tinned pure copper i TATION WEEKDAYS -AUTOMATED PRICING AND IN- multistrand insulated sleeves, AUDIO DEN Authorized Sales and Service. ADCOM, FORMATION AVAILABLE 24 HOURS. ALL PRODUCTS radial or axial as indicated. ARAGON, ARCAM. B&K CAL, CELESTION, CONRAD- COVERED BY MANUFACTURER'S U.S.A. WARRANTY. Superior high frequency JOHNSON, HAFLER, KLIPSCH, MAGNEPAN, MIRAGE, AMERISOUND SALES INC.. EAST: (904) 262-4000 WEST: characteristics MIT, MONSTER CABLE, NAD, NAKAMICHI, PARADIGM, (818) 243-1168. ROGERS, SHURE ULTRA, SONOGRAPHE, SOTA, Insulation resistance @ 20 ° C STAX, THETA DIGITAL. VELODYNE, VTL & YAMAHA. MUSICAL DESIGN >100K megohms/)ifd Audio Den. 2021 Smith Haven Plaza, Lake Grove, N.V. D-140 THE MUSICAL DESIGN 0-140 IS Temperature range: -25 ° C ío+85 ° C. 11755(516)360-1990. FINALLY AVAIL- ABLE: 140 W/CH MOSFET AMPLIFIER, LINEAR Working Voltage: 250 VDC or MOSFET DRIVERS DUAL -MONO POWER SUPPLY, higher. AUDIO NEXUS = QUALITY 100,000 MFD STORAGE ALL ALUMINUM CON- STRUCTION, HI -QUALITY GOLD CONNECTORS Test Voltage: 2.15 times rated Featuring legendary VANDERSTEEN loudspeakers & MUSICALITY voltage COUNTERPOINT electronics. THE OF A "CLASSIC" WITH "WORK- HORSE" RELIABILITY *DESIGNED BY MUSICAL Capacitance tolerance: +/- 5%: CONCEPTS. MUSICAL DESIGN PATTERSON 1% Apogee Ariston Audloguest Bel B8K British Fidelity ONE (grading of pairs to available) PLAZA ST. LOUIS, MO 63031 314-831.5802 Counterpoint Eminent Technology Forte Fried Jamo All axial lead caps are "Fast Caps", SEND FOR DETAILS DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED! JSE Kimber Kable Klyne Magnum Dynalab Melos MIT a newer version of the Monster Cable Musical Concepts Nifty Gritty Premier ELECTROSTATS, JanZen 2-40, stacks only, may have pow- CHATEATIRMIXwith lower PS Audio Precise Rotel Rowland Research SME er supplies. Never used. 5400 complete pair. Bob (800) disapat ion factor, improved Sonographe Sony ES Sala Stax Systemdek Talisman 523-5431 X253; 1404) 664.7456(MSG) transfer function and lowered Alchemist Vandersteen Vendetta SUMMIT, NJ. (201) parasitics. 277-0333. Dimensions in min: 50 aid: 42D, 65L AUDIO NOUVEAU 2 arc): 18D, 28L 70 pfd: 45D, 71L THE NEW WAVE IN VALUE FOR THE DOLLAR EQUIPMENT. 4 pfd: 18D, 33L 80 pfd: 50D, 71L FEATURING: B&K, MIRAGE. SONY ES, NAD. YAMAHA, MON- 8pfd: 22D, 47L 100 pfd: 54D, 71L STER, AUDIOQUEST & MORE. 71 SOUTH MAIN ST, CANAN- 12 pfd: 26D, 47L 120 pfd: 54D, 83L DAIGUA. NY 14424 (716) 394-6180 AMEX VISA MC. DENO 15 pfd: 28D, 47L 150 pfd: 60D, 83L 25 pfd: 32D. 53L 180 pfd: 58D, 108L AUDIO TEST EQUIPMENT by Brunt & Kiaer, GenRad, Hewlett THORI ZED 35 pfd: 35D, 65L 200 pfd: 60D, 108L Y Packard, Rockland, Sound Technology, Spectral Dynamics. Tek- tronix, Wavetek. and others. Used, guaranteed, low prices. Call for complete list. (401) 421-7430. Audiophile 20.0 6.80 25.0 7.55 BEST TRADES OFFERED. We buy sell, trade. consign most The mark of a true Denon. Prices 30.0' 9.00 high -end products. Audio Doctor, 1518 W. Commercial. Buffalo, This sticker tells you who is an authorized 1.0 pfd $2.00 MO 6Sú22. 417.345-7245. COD-VISA -MC. Newsletter. 1.5 2.10 35.0 10.50 Denon dealer and who isn't. 40.0 2.0 2.15 11.30 BUY/SELL/TRADE IN THE AUDIO/VIDEO TRADER! Some people who offer Denon products are 2.5 2.20 45.0 12.50 Published monthly. FREE ADS! 515eyr. sample 51.00-S.A.S.E. not authorized dealers. That can lead to problems. 3.0 2.30 50.0 14.00 330 SO. MAIN STREET, DEPT. A, WAKE FOREST, NC 27587. 60.0 First, only authorized dealers you 3.3 2.40 15.70 offer the 70.0 17.60 CABLE TV CONVERTERS AND DESCRAMBLERS BAR- 4.0 2.60 protection of a Denon warranty with your 80.0 20.50 GAIN HEADQUARTERS. JERROLD, ZENITH, TOCOM, HAM - 4.7 2.75 purchase: at other dealers, you may have no 100.0 UN, SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA. OAK M358 ONLY 560. FREE 5.0 2.80 25.50 120.0 31.25 CATALOG! GCN, 1032 IRVING #109, SF, CA 94122. ORDER warranty at all. 5.6 3.05 NOW. VISA MC COD (800) 327-8544. Authorized Denon dealers stock only 6.0 3.10 150.0 37.00 7.0 3.25 200.0 47.00 CABLE TV WIRELESS REMOTE CONVERTERS/ components designed for the U.S., and have the 8.0 3.70 DESCRAMBLERS. SALE/USE REGULATED BY FEDER- training to help you select the one right for you. Pairs matched to within 10.0 4.20 IX of each other, add AL LAW. T.J. SERVICES. (313) 979-8356. Authorized dealers know Denon technology 12.0' 4.60 10X. 10 or more pieces of CALL TOLL FREE! 1-800-826-0520 FOR: ACOUSTAT, inside and out and stock factory parts for your 15.0 5.30 same value; deduct IOX 'Radial leads Audio Control. Lexicon. JBL, Nifty Gritty, M&K, Oracle, Denon to preserve true Denon sound. Proac, Proton, Stax, Thorens, Dahlquist, Hatter, Monster So before you buy your Denon, look for this Cable, Belles, CWD, dbx, Fried, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Madisound Speaker Components Denon Authorized Dealer Sticker. Grado, Celestlon, DCM, Duntech, Niles, Citation, Kiner- 8608 University Green getics. Sound Seller, 1706 Main St., Marinette, WI 54143. It assures you of the authentic Denon tech- Box 4283 Madison WI 53711 (715) 735-9002. nology and support you expect. And nothing less. Phone: 608-831-3433 CASH FOR USED PWR/PREAMPS - ARC, Levinson, Krell, To find your nearest AUTHORIZED Fax: 608-831-3771 PS Audio, Threshold & Conrad -Johnson. Simply Ship in Denon Dealer call: UPS/COD. Call CA (209) 298-7931 or FAX (209) 297-0359 1-201-575-7810 Sennie. (9:00 am -5:00 pm EST) DENON IIM_1111111_111111111s11~11111111J AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 137 1 IT'S TIMECLEANED L UPP YOURIMAGE I Z_- / k. 1 AcoustatAdcom Apogee Aragon AudaOuestB&WCe es' en CWD Dahlgurst LOWER Without Missing Link'''. you're E, Der,oe Hatter Video Men MIT 'Dual' gfInfinity JVC Krell Dygta Lea can Magnum audibly missing a newly discovered I Mod Squad Monster HAD. NHT Onkyo Onion Proceed Proton Shure SME Snell Sony ES Sota Star Sum ko Ten Vandersteen Vetodyne VPI LOUDSPEAKER refinement vol available with any V electronic manufacturers original power ` ' cable. A refinement of sound being Sound F3 Music Saes 8 Sever 351 P Pasant St Northampton MA 01060. 4131584 9547 DISTORTION reproduced from component to com-

ponent. clearly audible as increased ¡ transparency of wider and deeper soundstage. spatial coherence around , 9-' FOR SALE instruments and voices. recovery of hidden nuances, increased clarity across the audio band, low frequencies ELECTRONIC CROSSOVERS, SUBSONIC FILTERS for subwoofers, bi-amp, tri-amp. Free flyer: ACE that are cleaner and have more AUDIO, 8532 5th STREET, EAST NORTHPORT, NY authority, a delicate intimacy of high, 11731-2399. seamless tonal balance and holo- `an graphic musical images. Hearing isar I FOR SALE McINTOSH, JBL (ALNICO) KRELL, M. LEVIN- beliesing what Missing -Link SON AND OTHER HIGH ENDAUDIO COMPONENTS. LET can recover and enhance in ' I ME FIND YOUR HARD TO GET ITEMS. JOHN WOLFF, your audio system. 177313-229-5191 24HR MACH. 6-11 PM EST BEST. E GAS EQUIPMENT OWNERS: From repairs to complete distributed by uqQ , 2 r.} rebuilds, we are the GAS specialists. Since 1977. Call or write: UNI VOCAL 1 GASWORKS, 8675 NORTHVIEW STREET. BOISE, CORPORATION yr' Cy I IDAHO 83704. (208) 323 0861. I GET WIRED UP 2016 FLINTBURY CT. SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA 95148 SPEAKER AUDIO VIDEO Cables 8 Interconnects. 408-270-6033 FAX 408-270-6039 Free Catalog -send address stamped envelope: N.A.A. IN INTERLINEAR. CANADA. 416-479-1893 Connection, P.O. box 12244. Oakland, CA. 94604 or Leave Message (415) 729-5978.

HIGH -END PERFORMANCE FOR MID -FI WALLETS! WE FOR SALE SPECIALIZE IN HIGH -VALUE COST-EFFECTIVE AUDIO COMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES. WE ALSO CARRY A LARGE INVENTORY OF HIGH QUALITY SPEAKER AND DYNACO ST70 UPGRADES. Gold EL34 Sockets. 1215 INTERCONNECT CABLES. IF YOU'RE AN AUDIOPHILE Microfarad on -board solid state B+, triode output, more. WHO KNOWS THAT FIRST-RATE MUSICAL REPRODUC Complete service. DoReTech Audio Services, Box 6054. TION NEED NOT COST A FORTUNE. YOU'LL LIKE OUR South Hackensack, NJ 07606-4354. (201) 843-0488. PROUDCTS, OUR APPROACH. AND OUR PRICES. WE The new Special Edition of the VMPS Tower II, one ARE AUTHORIZED DEALERS FOR: AR ES -1 ' AUDIO- of the most highly reviewed speakers of the decade HIFI-CLASSICS USED HI END - RETURNING FRCM QUEST' B & K' BOSE ' CELESTION FRIED ' GRADO (both a "Recommended Component" of Stereo- VACATION SEPTEMBER 2- WITH BETTER THAN EVER SIGNATURE' MONSTER CABLE ' MUSIC REFERENCE' phile magazine and a "Best Buy" in full Audio's PRICES! WE BUY HI 8 SELL LOW. A.R.C., KRELL, CON- MUSICAL CONCEPTS ' NELSON -REED' NITTY GRITTY review Jun 891, combines luxury features and RAD JOHNSON, C.M.. McINTOSH, APOGEE. MARTIN ' SME ' SONY ' SOTA ' STAX ' STRAIGHTWIRE MAE- updated cabinetry into a convenient, lowcost sys- LOGAN ETC. INVENTORY LIST AVAILABLE. SHIPPING STRO ' SUMIKO ' TADDEO' VMPS' STANDESIGN. CALL tem of outstanding musicality, lowbass extension, ARRANGED. (718) 318-9618: FAX: (718) 318-9623. OR WRITE FOR OUR FREE PRICE LIST AND NEWSLET- and dynamic range. TER. IN BUSINESS FOR 18 YEARS - WE SHIP WORLD- WIDE AND A flushmounted ribbon supertweeter, Focal "Super - ACCEPT MASTERCARD, VISA AND AMERI- dome" inverted harddome tweeter, and polycone CAN EXPRESS. FOR ADVICE AND PRODUCT ferrofluid midrange (like the three 12" woofers INFORMATION CALL 916-345-1341. FOR ORDERS, PRI- designed and built by VMPS in the 'USA) form a Music so real you want to touch it! CE QUOTES AND NEWSLETTER REQUESTS ONLY. vertical array in a stunninrriy finished, roundedge CALL 1-800-222-3465. HMC AUDIO 1015 MANGROVE cabinet treated with Soundcoat for 10-15dB `r` AVE. CHICO, CA 95926 broadband reduction in spr ious panel vibration. All r-1 Wondercap/polypropylene crossovers. silverplate V HAFLER, TEXAS BIGGEST DEALER, TOBY CORPORA- Teflon solidcore/ large gauge stranded internal wir- TION. Also ROTEL, TOBY HI -TECH HOME, CAR SPEAK- ing, biamp/biwiring capability, and user adjustable `t ERS, SATELLITE, SUBWOOFER SYSTEMS. bass damping guarantee maximum performance 817-732-6301. 2060 Montgomery: Fort Worth 76107. and flexibility in any environment and with a wide willlW variety of associated equipment. IMAGE REFERENCE TEFLON INTERCONNECT lets all Hear VMPS at the dealers listed below, or write for the music through. High quality flexible TEFLON insulated brochures and test reports on the floorstanding twlnax plus shield. Low capacitance. noise -free design is MiniTower Ila ($369ea kit, $479ea assem), the I riroutstanding for long lengths. One meter pair 580. Add $15 standard Tower II ($479ea kit, $649ea assem), per additional half-meter length. Add $16 pr for balanced the Super Tower/ R ($749ea kit, $998ea assem), XLR connectors. U.S. shipping included. Tom Tutay, Box the all-out Super Tower III ($3895/pr kit, 553, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32549 (904) 244-3041. $4795, pr assem), our three Subwoofers, two bA OSO Series bookshelf speakers, and John Curl's - II-..=- LINN NAIM GOLDRING BLOWOUT. Some new, some breakthrough SCP28 phono preamp ($24951. demo with new warranty. Many other items too numerous to "As for the performance of the Sap- mention. Write for details. MUSIC SYSTEMS, 3149 Shenan- VMPS AUDIO PRODUCTS doah, St. Louis, MO 63104 (314) 773-1222. div. (tone Audio phire, we would call it highly respect- able on counts and just about state- 3412 Eric Ct. El Sobrante Ca 94803 all MARANTZ 108W CASE 51200. OTHER MARANTZ TUBE (415) 222-4278 of -the -art in imaging." Peter Aczel, UNITS. MCINTOSH: C11 $600: MC60 51100PR: MC75 51300PR, OTHERS. FISHER 50A 60WPC TRIODE Hear VMPS at The Listening Studio. Boston: Par Troy The Audio Critic, Issue No. 14. $600PR. SCOTT LK150 $650. LUX MAN 3045 (ORIGINAL) Sound, Parsippany NJ. Dynamic Sound. Washington DC: TRIODE 60WPC 5775PR. QUICKSILVER 190 STEREO- Essential Audio. Winchester Va. American Audio. Greenville ForPexceptional sound at affordable AMP 120 WPC $1050 O'HAULED. OCTAVE RESEARCH SC. Sound Audio. Charlotte NC: Audio by Caruso, Miami FI. CUSTOM BLACK CLASS A $1800 (ORIG. $3000). CON- Arthur Morgan, Ft. Myers FI. Stereoland. Natrona Hts Pa. pricey call 1-800-346-9183 today to re- Shadow Creek Ltd. Minneapolis Mn. Audio Specialists. ceive our free catalo of the finest TRABOMBARD $600. OHM A (12" WALSH) $900. THETA South Bend In: Concert Sound. San Antonio Tx: Mike Parker, y g MONOAMPS 5750PR. TYMPANI 3A $950PR. BOSE 90111 Garland Tx. Stereoworks, Houston Tx: Encore Audio. Lees speakers & kits. Audition in your home at 5350PR. 901 VI NEW IN BOXES $750. N.Y.S.I. (718) Summit Mo: Hfi Farm. Beckley WV. Lookout Electronics. 377-7282 WEEKDAY AFTERNOONS. Longview Wa. Sound Room. Vancouver BC Can: Exclusively no risk. We look forward to'serving you! Entertainment. San Diego Ca. Audio Haven. Upland Ca: Sounds Unique. San Jose Ca: Private Line Home Entertain- AUDIO CONCEPTS, INC. McINTOSH Bought -Sold -Traded -Repaired. FREE Cata- ment. Stockton Ca: Ultimate Sound. San Francisco Ca: ltone logue. See our ad at the beginning of the classifieds. AUDIO Audio. El Sobrante Ca: 901 S. 4th St., La Crosse, WI 54601 CLASSICS, POB 176MB, Walton, NY 13856. (608) 784-4570 607-865-7200. 8AM-5PM EST Mon. -Fri. -Audio Advertiser for over a Decade -

138 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 AUDIO ANTHOLOGIES CALL US FOR QUALITY AUDIO from the '40s and '50s! In these volumes of Audio Engineering's best articles from 1947-55, the ex- AT THE LOWEST PRICES citing world of that golden era comes to life on every page. Vol. 1:38 articles; WITH FAST SERVICE, Vd. 2: 45; Vol. 3:43. Complete with many classic photos and diagrams.;16.95 each: set of 3, $42. Please add $1.75 S/H for one book, 504 each additional. EVEN ON ESOTERIC ITEMS MCNisa welcome. Dealer inquiries invited. OLD COLONY SOUND LAB SOUND ADVICE ... without the price PO Box 243, Dept. A02, Peterborough, NH 03458-0243 (603) 924-6371 / 924-6526 FAX: (603) 924-9467

UDIO (914) 666-0550 UTLET P.O. Box 673 Bedford Hills, New York 10507-0673 ' !I J FOR SALE '.

MIT, MAS MasterLink, OCOS, VdHul, Cardas cables, cus- ,.. . y' tom terminations, Camacs. XLR balanced, hi -flexibility tone - arm sets; Alma -Sphere OTL. Vendetta Research. custom rr _-, Lr. . v Shallcross volume controls; Wonder Caps -solder -wire; all rd types of audio connectors, tonearm and chassis wires; NAV- COM; Tone Cones, many accessories -mod parts, Si catalog ($3 overseas): Michael Percy, Box 526, Inverness. CA TO (415) MORE 94937; 669-7181. THERÉS

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! WHY TAKE A CHANCE? WE OFFER RECONDITIONED HI-FI PLUS A FULL 90 DAY MEAR AT LYRIC. WARRANTY FOR THE PRICE OF "USED.' BOUGHT- SOLD -TRADED -SERVICED. 100'S OF UNITS TO At Lyric, you'll find more great components to choose from. And along with all the brands CHOOSE FROM. INCLUDING: MCINTOSH MCD and models on display, more knowledge and experience. More service, too. Which explains 7000-5550, NAD CD 500-$175, RE VOX B225.5625, NAD 1300-$285, VANALSTINE ONE -$225, MARANTZ 33-$175, why more people around the world make Lyric their choice for high -quality audio. MARANTZ 32-5200, PRO AC MINI TOWERS-5700,PAIR, Let us help improve your system with state-of-the-art models from more than 50 man- K-HORNS-$1400/PAIR. NEW THIS MONTH: MERIDIAN AND QUAD DEMOS AT DISCOUNT PRICES WITH ONE ufacturers. We supply 220 volt equipment, and most speaker models are available for export. YEAR WARRANTY. MC/VISA PURCHASES SHIPPED Accuphase Ariuon Audio Research B & W Bryston Cal. tabs Carnegie Carver Celestion Clause SAME DAY. THE SOUND EXCHANGE ti HIGH TECH corrvad-Johnson Dynavector Enrec Goldmund Infinity (including IRS) JVC JSE Infinite Slope Koetsu SERVICES. (703) 534-1754. Magneplanar M & K Manley Mark Levinson Mirage Mn' Mod Squad Mondial Monster Cable Motif NAD Nakamichi Oracle Pioneer Proton Quad Rega Rrvox Rogers Shure SME Sonance MUSICAL CONCEPTS Sonographe Sony FS Sota Spectral Stax Mandersreen Velodyne VPI VTL Well Tempered and other tine brands Offers the finest sounding modifications for Adcom. 1221 Lexington Ave. 2005 Broadway 146 East Post Road BBK, Hafler(including CD). Philips Magnavox CD. With New York. NY 10028 New York, NY 10023 White Plains, NY 10601 11 years experience providing "classic" sound quality 15 Lyric 212-439-1900 212-769 4600 914-949-7500 i iFrbVJa and high reliability, we have the products to beat! Don't 800-845-4981 settle for unknowns! The best is affordable! NEW! PA -1

circuit boards for Haller amps, P-555 front-end. I O assembly for Adcom GFA-555. Epoch II. Era II and Enigma II CD players, untouched in their price classes! Send for brochure of outstanding Adcom. B&K, Hailer modifications, plus Teflon's MC -21, SuperConnect Ill. mods for your CD player. Musical Concepts+One Patter- Does your system sometimes sound son PlazaSt. Louis. Mo 63031.314-831-1822 different for no apparent reason? $1.000 OFF. DEMO SALE. JSE Model 4 Speakers (54.700 retail) $3,700, Fried G3A Speakers (52.660 retail) $1.660, The reason could be your power. A refrigerator Meitner PA 6 IR pre -amplifier and Str-55 power amplifier or air conditioner, even in another part of the ($4,290) Apogee house, may cause voltage to vary whenever they $3.290, Caliper Speakers (52,000/pr.) t!E fillla401l35r1X11 51,000, Paoli 60B Tube Mono Block Amplifiers ($2.000) kick on or off. Or you may be getting line noise- $1,000. All models are dealer floor demonstrators in mint electrical interference that your preamplifier and condition with full manufacturer's warranty. COMMUNITY amplifier amplify and send on to your speakers. AUDIO, 8020 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. PA 19118 Solution? Tripplite LC -1800. It regulates volt- (215) 242-4080. age so it's constant-not too low, not too high. Full voltage-eaen in brownouts. LEDs show you what Tripplite is doing! PARASOUND: The entire line of PARASOUND pre -amps, Tnpplite's patented ISOBAR circuits provide power amplifiers and tuners is available nationally three 'banks- of isolation, two receptacles per through A 8 S SPEAKERS, a leader In mail order sales bank. You can eliminate interference between criti- since 1980. 3170 23rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94110. It's like your (415) 641-4573; FAX: (415) 648-5306. cal components. putting CD player, preamp, and power amp all on separate lines. Sonic benefits may be subtle... but real. PS AUDIO -SUPERB! Protection, too FAST, FREE SHIPPING! KNOWLEDGEABLE, FRIENDLY And Tripplite prevents spikes and power from SERVICE! AUDIOOUEST. AUDIRE, CWD, FRIED, GRADO, damaging your equipment. This protection Is ab- KINERGETICS, LEXICON, MIRAGE, MONSTER, OUAD, solutely essential if you leave any of your gear on SOTA. SPICA. STAX. STRAIGHTWIRE. THORENS. VPI R! Amex Discover / MC/ Visa all of the time. Charge / AND MORE. READ BROTHERS -STEREO, 593 KING STREET, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 29403. (803) Take a Power Trippe-No Risk! 1-800-942-0220 723-7276. Try the Tripplite LC -1800 for 30 days. If not satisfied with the performance (and protection), io SAVE 40% ON HIGH -END home speakers, return it for a full refund of your purchase price. auo Made in USA by Trippe Manufacturing Co., Est. subwoofers, amplifiers. FREE CATALOG! 1922. Only $299.00 plus $9.95 shipping in the 0 acvisor, inc. 3021 Sangamon Ave., Springfield, II. US. If you want a clean musical signal, start with 225 Oakes SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503 clean, consistent power. Order now. 616-451-3868 FAX 616-451-0709 62702. 1-800-283-4644. li AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 139 FOR SALE

60 YEARS IN BUSINESS...WE MUST BE DOING A SOMETHING RIGHT! If it's a much -in -demand audi- DE ophile we're likely to have it for immediate IN AND product, shipment. Consult with one of our quiet experts or just order U.S.-warranteed components directly. VISA/ MC. Ask for Steve K. or Dan W. SQUARE DEAL, 456 T ' A DE UP Waverly Ave., Patchogue, N.Y. 11772. (516) 475-1857; (800) 332-5369. Convert your old AudioQuest cartridge to one of our current state-of-the-art models. Our very liberal trade in policy allows you from 35% to 125% of the value "SOUND YOU CAN TOUCH" of your cartridge towards a new AO cartridge. Any CLASSE PROAC SUPERPHON BARCLAY RYAN AudioQuest MC cartridge ever made qualifies! ACOUSTICS WELL TEMPERED KOETSU. AUDIO EX- CELLENCE. LIVERPOOL, NY (315) 451-2707. VISAMC AMEX. P O. Box 3060 San Clemente, CA 92672 USA TRANSCENDENCE THREE -Finally musical reality! a . Tel: 714.498.2770 Fax: 714.498. 5112 oudiacluest Announcing the stunning original new hybrid Fet-Valve designs from Audio by Van Alstine. The Fet-Valve Amplifiers. the Fet-Valve Preamplifiers, and the Fet-Valve CD Players. A perfect combination of tubes for voltage gain and power lets for current gain, each used ideally! The result Is musical reality -the closest approach to live music in your home \ .. ('(:Í mini -monitor short of bringing in the musicians. One listen and you will be r-" tad i:i I r with nothing ;:::: i satisfied less. Now ultimate musical enjoyment ú`,l;;I is much less expensive. Write or call for our illustrated ¡; and Laug bass catalog. Audio by Van Alstine, 2202 River Hills Drive, uáiri'd: Burnsville, MN 55337. (612) 890-3517. system in one AUTHORIZED DEALER USED AND DEMO EQUIPMENT: Audio Research CL -30, ADC FISHER Counterpoint SA -11, SA -20. SA-220 and SA -5000. Celes- ADS GE SAE sleek package. tion SL 700, Mark Levinson 20.5 and 20, B&W 801 Matrix & ADVENT HAFLER SANSUI Kimber Cable silver speaker cable and interconnects. Call AIWA HITACHI SANYO AKO NC SONANCE AUDITION AUDIO for pricing and details at (801) 467-5918. ALTEC LANSING KENWOOD SONY You deserve Mink! Visa, MC. Amex accepted. AUDIO SOURCE KICKER SOUNDCRAFTSMEN BAZOOKA LEXICON SOUNDSTREAM BBE MINOLTA STAR BELLTRONICS MITSUBISHI STIU.WATER LOUDSPEAKERS CAMBER MONSTER CABLE 'KICKER* CARVER MISSION SUNPACK Lantana CELESTION NILES AUDIO TECHNICS P.O. Box 1958 Garden Grove, CA 92642 CERWIN VEGA ONKYO TOSHIBA ASS SPEAKERS imports the world's finest speaker compo- CITIZEN ORION (CAR AMPS) TRIAD (800) 234 - TADS (8237) nents, crossovers, and kits: Dynaudio. Scan Speak, Focal. COBRA OLYMPUS YAMAHA Morel, MB Electronics, Peerless, Polydax, SEAS, LPG. COUSTIC PANASONIC AND MANY MORE CwD PARADIGM Eton. We also ship VMPS systems and kits and Parasound IA. PHIUPS Amplifiers. Free literature. 3170 23rd Street. San Francisco. DCM PINNACLE CALL FOR AUDIO CA 94110. (415) 641.4573: Fax (415) 648-5306. DENON PROTON ANY BRANDS FOR SALE ECUPSE ROYAL NOT USTEDI ABSOLUTE SATISFACTION. Save 50-75% on AUDIO Serious AudioNideophiles demand Tripp Lite protection. CONCEPTS, INC. speaker kits. Sixteen models from 5139. Meadtown Shopping -the only number Center you'll ever need- Tripp Lite Power Conditioners automatically adjust varying (also assembled). Thirty day money back guarantee if not Rt. input voltages to provide full voltage support. In addition. 100% satisfied. Free catalog 1-800-346-9183. Audio Kinnelo3n NJ, 07405 201-838-3444 Isobar spike and line noise suppression is built in. CABLE Concepts. Inc. 901 South 4th Street, La Crosse, WI 54601. CONCEPTS for the best in Audio Video cables and equip- ADS., NAKAMICHI, CARVER, BANG OLUFSEN, REVOX, ment protection. (614) 761-8933. Fax (614) 761-8955. B&W. KEF. HARMONIKARDON, N.A.D., LUXMAN, HAF- LER, TANDBERG, ADCOM, DENON, KLIPSCH. YAMAHA. D.B.X.; INFINITY, J.B.L. AND OTHER QUALITY COMPO- NENTS. BEST PRICES -LIVE PROFESSIONAL CONSUL- TATION WEEKDAYS -AUTOMATED PRICING AND IN- FORMATION AVAILABLE 24 HOURS. ALL PRODUCTS COVERED BY MANUFACTURERS U.S.A. WARRANTY. AMERISOUND SALES INC., EAST: (904) 262-4000 WEST: ONE OF THE TEN (818) 243-1168. BEST SELECTION -50 HOME. SUBWOOFER, CAR & PRO SPEAKERKITS. JBL, AUDAX. MOREL. SEAS, VIFA, ELECTRONIC CROSS -OVER, 64p CATALOG, 52. GOLD BEST BUIS IN AUDIO. SOUND, BOX 141A. ENGLEWOOD, CO 80151. ELECTROSTATIC SPEAKERS OUR SPECIALTY! Vacuum tube controlled. Latest technology and modular design. "Risk free" thirty day home trial. Uncompromised performance at factory direct pricing. DAVID LUCAS. INC.. DEPT. ..., A, 924 HULTON ROAD, OAKMONT, PA 15139. (412) 828-9049. ...., Nn. FRIED MJV/N NC Wv.uON SPEAKERS & KITS STATE-OF-THE-ART! AMAZING PERFORMANCE'PRICE! FREE KNOWLEDGEABLE, FRIENDLY SER- 1 NIMBI SHIPPING. VICEIAUDIRE, CWD, GRADO. KINERGETICS, LEXICON, Revelation II Preamp-$749.95 MIRAGE, MONSTER, PS, QUAD. SPICA. STAX, THO- RENS, VPI, MORE. READ BROTHERS STEREO 593 "With the Superphon equipment, the sound is smooth and detailed, and seemingly KING STREET. CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 29403. (803) 723-7276. effortless. Music has a sense of clarity and openness that is utterly believable, never sounding strident or harsh ... the Superphon dazzles ... with an unrelenting KITS, CABINETS & ASSEMBLED SPEAKER SYSTEMS. music rightness..." Fi Heretic, Issue #10, In Audio." 14" X 20" CATALOG OF HANDCRAFTED SPEAKERS, -Hi "The Best Buys $5.00 (REFUNDABLE WITH ANY SYSTEM ORDER). AD- Call or write: Superphon Products Inc. VANCED SOUND. DEPT. A. 711 E. MAGNOLIA AVENUE. KNOXVILLE, TN 37917. (615) 637-6694. W35 Conger #3, Eugene, OR 97402 SUPE 503-345-4226 FAX 503-345-0704 R PHON LOUDSPEAKER CABINETS - Large selection of high - Dealer Inquiries Invited quality Cabinets ready to finish in Oak and Walnut. Also available in gloss and matte laminate colors. Grenier Cabi- nets, 5901 Jennings Road, Horseheads. NY 14845. (607) 594-3838. 140 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 LOUDSPEAKERS 1 LEGACY SIGNATURE II -IMAGINE THE IDEAL DI- MINISHING LINE SOURCE LOUDSPEAKER. BEGIN AT THE TOP OF THE TOWER WITH A SAMARIUM COBALT RIBBON FOR THE ABSOLUTE IN TRACING SPEED AND "AIRINESS". HAND-OFF TO A METAL- LIZED DOME WITH NEARLY 5 LBS. OF MAGNET STRUCTURE TO DETAIL THE PRESENCE BAND. YOURSELF PROVIDE THE SWEETEST VOCALS POSSIBLE Sorbothane` has an incredible ability to absorb WITH TWIN SEAS 6.5" MIDBASS DRIVERS. PUNC- energy. This allows AudioQuest Sorbothane products TUATE THE SUBTERRANEAN WITH THREE to effectively damp and isolate all vibration sensitive CARBON/POLY SUBWOOFERS. INCLUDE CARDAS equipment CD/laser players and audio and LITZ, TIFFANY BIAMP INPUTS AND A TEN YEAR - WARRANTY. $2696 PR SHIPPED REFUNDABLE. video electronics. OAK, WALNUT, MAHOGANY, BLACK LACQUER. P O. Box 3060 HOME AUDITIONS. RTRD, 3021 SANGAMON AVE- San Clemente, CA 92672 USA NUE, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62702. 1 (800) 283-4644. acwdtogJes[ - Tel: 714.498.2770 Fax: 714.498- 5112

LOUDSPEAKER COMPONENTS -KITS. Dynaudio, Morel, Eclipse, Focal, Peerless, Eton, Vifa. more! Crossover parts -design books also. Catalog 51. Meniscus. 2442 28th ^I.'. !- t.( St. S.W. Wyoming, MI. 49509. (616) 534-9121. Your Next Loudspeaker > 1990 DYNAUDIO will be better ... » pa, ' ... if you understand what's impor- .ur relish good nrusiCkr SpeakerKits We believe SUPERIOR SOUND QUALITY promotes itself, tant. Speaker Builder offers the and invite you to DISCOVER for yourself. ADVANCED insider info you need to buy wisely Everyday Compact Disc Prices AKUSTIC. 4555 PERSHING, SUITE 33.184, STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA 95207. Catalog $1.00. 1-209-477-5045. ... or even to build your new system. From the world's only all TELARC & DMP 511.49/cd SOUND ANCHORS magazine Specialty Audio Stands all CHESKY 510.99/cd SOUND ANCHORS stands come PREFILLED with devoted to special SpeakerBuilderNE LOUDSPEAx E. JOURNAL materials to dampen resonances and add mass. you don't loudspeakers. all SHEFFIELD & REFERENCE 511.99/cd have to fool with sand or shot. SOUND ANCHORS stands are engineered to interface with your specific components Box 494, Dept. A95, Peterborough, NH 03458 and speakers so they sound their best...period. Special Only $35 lot two yrs. (12 Issues). 1 yr. for 020 (6). U.S. S only We've been in business more than 4 stands are available for these speakers. Vandersteen 2-C, Canada, add 54/yr. for postage. Other coantnes 035 1 yr. air mailed. B&W 801 Matrix, Spica TC-50, Sota Panorama and now $eo 2 yrs. years providing quality mail-order Magnepan models MG 2C/2.5 and MG 3A. For information service & /ow prices. Self-addressed and the name of your nearest dealer please call (407) 724-1237. stamped envelope gets you a catalog of above labels, or simply send your order THE FINEST HIGH-END SPEAKERS from Audio Ref- INVENTIONS WANTED erence. Compact speaker $395 per pair. Intensive lis- for speedy turnaround. VISA -MC - tening and computer designed. - Our satelite and sub Discover + S3 shipping. Only from.. . woofer speakers set a new horizon for sound INVENTIONS/NEW PRODUCTS/IDEAS WANTED: Call reproduction in its class. Call us for literature and discov- TLCI for free information 1-800-468-7200. 25 hoursiday- er the best value for these performance speakers. Audio The Acme Compact Disc Company USA/CANADA. Reference, 3301 Spring Mountain Road. Suite 11, Las P.O. Box IL Vegas, NV 89102. (702) 871-9088. 7004 Evanston, 60204

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PHILIPS CD PLAYER SALE! Your Records will sound better NEW REFERENCE LHH-500 BITSTREAM IN STOCK! 2 -UNIT LHH-1000. CD -80 EXCELLENT CD PLAYER OR and -last longer. CD TRANSPORT FOR D A CONVERTERS, CD -60 SALE. CD -50 SALE. CD -40 SALE. CALL FOR PRICE & FREE

LITERATURE: 1-301-890-3232. J S AUDIO. 1 CHILDRESS COURT. BURTONSVILLE, MARYLAND 20866. WE HON- OR VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX, DISCOVER. Audio Advisor's New "Record Doct3r" vacuum cleans records... spotless! Only $169.95 You don't have to spend 5300 or more to clean your records COMPACT DISCS right-liquid application and vacuum suck -up. New "Record Doctor" exclusively from Audio Advisor cleans records right for only 5169.95. CUSTOM ELECTRONIC CROSSOVERS, 6 to 36 dB/Oct. Also Snell, Magnepan versions. DB Systems. POB 460, Get serious Rindge, NH 03461. (603) 899-5121. Serious audiopriles ALWAYS vacuum -clean their records -for less surface noise and fewer ticks and pops. Sound is clearer, FREE CATALOG/NEWSLETTER. CD's, DAT, Cassettes, cleaner... the mi sic more natural. Your amplltiel doesn't have to Reel. Write to DIRECT -TO -TAPE RECORDINGS, 14-R Sta- amplify noise! tion Ave., Haddon Heights, NJ 08035. Longer record life The Recoil Doctor,. Records LAST LONGER because your stylus no longer pushes You vacuum machine, profes- 20 FREE records, tapes or CD's with mem- particles of dust into soft vinyl grooves. You protect irreplace- get the complete package: sional applicator brush, and cleaning fluid -all for only 5169.95 bership. No minimum. CD's $6.49-$10.98. able, priceless LPs for years to come. The "Record Doctor" pays for itself! (220v version $189.95) plus 58.95 shipping & handling In US. FREE details: Campus Electronics, 3 Golf Satisfaction guaranteed other machine near this price cleans Sucks up debris -no records better. Center, Hoffman Estates, IL 60195. Record Doctor's powerful vacuum sucks up fluid, safely removing dirt, dust, grease and fingerprints. Debris Is sucked up, NOT It! / / WHICH ONE GOT THE RAVES? Catalog of Award -Winning Charge Amex Discover MC/ Visa picked up from one pad of the record and left on another. Classical CDs. Your handiest guide to outstanding record- "I can't believe how good my records sound. Record Doctor ings 510.00. (Sample pages available) KEN'S KOMPEN- 1-800-669-4434 gets rid of the grunge that was getting between me and the DIUM, 2400 Hawthorne Dr., Atlanta, GA 30345. music,- says D.P.G., Brooklyn, NY. audio "You are right. Record Doctor does the job lust as well as an 0 _ _ _ INVENTIONS WANTED expensive machine," writes D.K. from LA. 'And I'd rather rotate caávisor, inc. the records myself anywayf" (Expensive machines have an extra 225 Oakes SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503 A NEW IDEA? Call NATIONAL IDEA CENTER of Washing- motor to rotate records. Rotate them yourself and save!) 616-451.3868 FAX 616 451-0709 ton D.C. FREE INFORMATION --1(800) 247-6600 EXT.155. Come see THE INVENTION STORE!!

AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 141 WANTED TO BUY audiotechnica ( WILL PAY RETAIL for all tube MARANTZ or used McIN- TOSH tube or solid state. Need not work. (504) 885-6988 AlbaV YOUR SEARCH IS OVER! days. tok IT'S WORTH IT CALLING ME! MCINTOSH, MARANTZ & W) CD LP TUBE AMP, MCINTOSH SOLID STATE, WESTERN, JBL 1ST RATE RECORDINGS li HARTSFIELD, EV PATRICIAN, JENSEN, TANNOY, ALTEC. WV» É TRUSONIC, SPEAKER & HORN. OLD EQUIPMENT. WILL PERFORMANCES PAY TOP CASH. HENRY CHANG, 115 S. NICHOLSON & P We specialize in hard to find - AVENUE, MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754. (818) 307-7372. phono cartridges and orig- FAX: (818) 288-1471 L.A. MUSIC OF OUR CENTURY inal replacement styli only!! MITSUBISHI LT -20 TURNTABLE IN PERFECT WORKING & TI /E PAST (800) 221-0906 Qe CONDITION. SEND INFO TO PAULO TERRA - CAIXA Q POSTAL 214 - SANTOS 11001 - SAO PAULO - BRASIL. CALL TOLLFREE FOR (~1 C FREE PRICE QUOTES _VISA1 "ñ' TOP PAYING FOR MCINTOSH, MARANTZ TUBE AMP SOMETI ZING DIFFERENT AND VISMMC ORDERS N.Y. STATE (S1a1 5311112 McIntosh Solid State, Western, JBL, Altec, Tannoy, EV, J Jensen, Speakers & Horn, EMT Turntable. Ortofon Arm. AND WORT/I LISTENING TO SEND SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE FOR Temma-(516) 935-2605, (516) 496-2973. E OUR FREE CATALOG. 11 RECORDED MAGIC WANTED: WESTERN ELECTRIC. JBL. MARANTZ OLD LYLE CARTRIDGES EQUIPMENT. SUNLIGHT ENGINEERING COMPANY: distributed by Dept. A, Box 158 E 213-320-7020, 22130 SOUTH VERMONT AVENUE, #A. UNI VOCAL Valley Stream, N.Y. 11582 TORRANCE, CA 90502. C O R P O R A T I O N Phones Open Mon -Sat 9 am 8 pm WANT - JBL Hartsfield, EV Patrician, Brociner Transcen- .TaNT1)ft dent, Singles OK, McIntosh, Marantz & other tube equip- 2016 FLINTBURY CT. SAN JOSE. CA 95148 orroton sNun ment. Larry Dupon, 2638 W. Albion, Chicago, IL 60645. (4081270.6037 FAX (41181 2711-6(139 (312) 338-1042 evenings. IN CANADA I\TERLI\EAR WILL BUY MCINTOSH, MARANTZ TUBE, AUDIO RE- 105 RIVIERA DR.. a3 MARKIIAM.ONT\RIO. 1.311517 SEARCH, KRELL, VTL, MARK LEVINSON. JBL. STUDER, (4161479-1893 WANTED TO BUY ETC. TRADE WELCOME. YANG (201) 935-4026, (201) 935-4751 (NJ). ALWAYS CALL ME FIRST, EVEN JUST FOR INQUIRY. WANTED: KRELL. LEVINSON AMPS, PRE -AMPS, RECORDS XOVERS. AUDIO RESEARCH, CONRAD-JOHNSON, AUDIOPHILE RECORDS BANG & OLUFSEN, MCINTOSH, TANNOY, VINTAGE MAR- ANTZ (ESPECIALLY MONO #9), ETC. (718) 387-7316 OR RECORD COLLECTORS SUPPLIES. REPLACEMENT (718) 384-4667 (NY). JACKETS, INNER SLEEVES, 78 RPM SLEEVES. OPERA BOXES. LASER DISK BOXES. ETC. FREE CATALOG. Always Paying Best For: Studer, CAL, CJ, Levinson, AUDIOPHILE LP'S CABCO PRODUCTS, BOX 8212, ROOM 662, COLUMBUS, McIntosh, Marantz, Audio Research, Quad, Leak. Sequetra. OHIO 43201. Vintage speakers, units, from Western Electric, Tannoy, JBL AND CD'S Altec, Jensen, EV. Tel: 818/701-5633 David Yo, P.O. Box IN PRINT 802, Northridge, Ca. 91328-0802. Mobile Fidelity, Reference Recording, Sheffield Labs, WANTED TO BUY Chesky, Wilson, M & K, American Gramophone, Pro- GET OFFERS FIRST, THEN CALL! MARANTZ. MCIN- prius, OPUS 3, Gemini, Super Analogue, Concord, ATR TOSH, ALL TUBE COMPONENTS, VINTAGE SPEAKERS, Mastercut, Harmonía Mundi, Linn Re -cut. EMI, Water - AAAAWAYS PAYING TOP SS FOR TUBE OR S.S. MCIN- HI -END. OUTBIDDING EVERYONE ON CERTAIN ITEMS. North Star, Odin, BIS, Hungaroton, Chandos, CMP, TOSH, TUBE MARANTZ AND FISHER, SEQUERRA, M. N.Y.S.I. (718) 377-7282 WEEKDAY AFTERNOONS. Hyperion, Japanese and British Imports (Ips). Many LEVINSON, KRELL, C.J., ARC, ALL JBL PRE -1975 PARTS TAS recommended LP's I AND SYSTEMS, EV PATRICIANS, GEORGIANS, EARLY OUT OF PRINTS ALTEC AND??? MFSL. NAUTALUS AND OTHER V2 SPD. HI-Fl SUPPLIES-PAYS CASH FOR LEVINSON, ARC, MASTERS, 24HR ANS. MACH. 1-800-628-0266, 6-11PM C.J., KRELL, SPECTRAL, ROWLAND & THRESHOLD. Nautilus, Super Disks, Nimbus, UHOR, Lyrita, MFSL, EST BEST. (212) 219-3352, 7 DAYS 10AM-6PM (NY). Stones, Sinatra Boxes, Direct to Disc by Crystal Clear, Umbrella, EMI, RCA LSC, Mercury SR, Casino Royal, CBS Mastersounds, Etc. AUDIOPHILE CD'S MFSL Gold "Ultra Disk", Bainbridge "Colossus, Elite We make good amps great. "Stereo play", Three Blind Mice, East Wind, DMP, Dor- ian. Delos, plus the above labels. At Professional Mod Service, we take ACCESSORIES BY: your Adcom, B&K, or Hafler amp REVAMP Nifty Gritty. LAST, Audio Quest and make the bass more powerful and For latest, most descriptive catalog send $3.00 for U.S. the mids and highs clearer. By the time or $5.00 for Canada/overseas. Includes $4.00 U.S. or we're through, your amp will sound as $6.00 Canadiarvoverseas DISCOUNT CERTIFICATE YOUR AMR on next purchase. good as amps costing twice as much. Call for catalog How do we do it? We make real Acoustic Sounds improvements, developed with factory P.O. Box 2043, Salina, Kansas 67402 engineers. We use nothing but premium 913-825-8609/FAX 913-825-0156 materials. And our technicians are real ORDER DESK: 1-800-525-1630 pros with years of experience.

Pickup service. AUDIOPHILE RECORD WAREHOUSE! Out -Of -Print II & Import Pressings. Call us and we'll pick up your amp. Or Direct-To -Disc, Halfspeed, Ouiex Great selection of In -Print Records & CD's. Quantity Dis- send it to us with 5199.95 plus 514.95 counts! Call for Free Catalog. Elusive Disc, 5346 N. Guilford shipping. We'll revamp your amp, spec Ave. Indianapolis, IN. 46220. (317) 255-3446. it out, and return it insured. BINAURAL microphone set, miniature electrets clip to your 1-800-334-0295 glasses' earpieces, excellent for recording concerts, very flat response: $100 p&h. Write for details. Core Sound. 839 Amex/Visa/MC/Discover River Road, Teaneck. NJ 07666. (201) 801-0812.

Professional Mod Service, Inc, THE BINAURAL SOURCE-Exclusive one -stop source 225 Oakes SW of true binaural recordings for startling headphone listening Grand Rapids, Ml 49503 (also speaker -compatible). Classical/jazz/drama/sound en- 616-451-3527 FAX 616-451-0709 vironment albums; 43 recordings, in all three formats, from U.S. & Germany. Free catalog: Box 1727A, Ross, CA 94957. (415) 457-9052

142 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 Í Say "G'day RETAIL MART BRANDS AND HIGH -END AUDIO IN SALT LAKE CITY: Audition Audio MODELS ON DISPLAY to Greencorp's features speaker systems by Magneplanar, Vandersteen, aaa KRELL MD -2 CO Martin Logan. Celestion. Spica, Infinity IRS. by Electronics TURNTABLE, SBP32X family of Audio Research (new Classic 30 & 60 in stock). Mark Levin- CONVERTOR.KSL son. Aragon. Counterpoint, NAD, Adcom, Luxman. Front LINE PREAMP 6 1104 Australian tapes. ends by Versa Dynamics, VPI, Well -Tempered, SME AR, KST-10O PONER AMP Accuphase Also MIT, Audioquest. APOGEE CD players. Sumiko, etc. % i - STAGE THE GOOD STUFF- our great XDS tape that Three hard -wired sound rooms including a new room built for SONY CDP-XT7ES the big recording companies (Philips, EMI, the Infinity IRS. 2144 Highland Dr., Suite 125, SLC, UT MIRAGE 11-1 & overseas divisions of RCA) buy from 84109. (801) 467-5918. Visa, MC. Amex accepted. WADIA DIGITAL

SME Greencorp for their music cassettes. WE HAVE THE FINEST SHOWROOM in our area with DUNTECH THE BETTER STUFF- Music -PLUS, the KNIGHT the best selection of audio video components available. BLACK best -sounding tape you ever heard, short of We represent Adcom. Infinity, Thorens, NAD. Polk, STAX genuine chrome. Its custom formulation Yamaha, Canton, Luxman, Klipsch. SONY ES, and 1911 S. WEBSTER more. CONTINENTAL SOUND, 98-77 Queens Blvd., 54301 produces a higher frequency response and HI-FI HEAVEN . Forest Hills, NY 11375. (718) 459-7507. GREEN(414) BAY, W1I lower noise level than the heavily advertised brands. THE BEST STUFF- genuine chrome tape CAR STEREO coated with Dupont's chromium dioxide BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES powder. CD -grade, delivering much quieter output than so-called "chrome -bias" ferric "STEREO WORLD" is your discount sound source with oxide products. super deals on the following car and home stereo lines: READ BOOKS for pay! Call 1-900-847-7700 (S0.991min)or G & S, Panasonic, JVC, Sony, Pyle, Pioneer. Sherwood, Hi- Write: PASE - RA5, 161 Lincolnway. Nor h Aurora, IL Greencorp tape is the right stuff at the right Fonics. Blaupunkt, Kenwood, Harman Kardon. Autotek and 60542. price... order your blanks today! many others. Also full line of installation kits. Please call or write for free catalog. Free UPS in 48 states. 10AM-6PM QUANTITY 25 100 QQ Mon -Fri. Visa/MC; COD accepted. "Our 4th year: P.O. Box XDS Music Grade C12 .39 .28 .26 596, Monroe. NY 10950 (914) 782-6044. BLANK TAPES The C32 .46 .35 .32 1800' OR 2400' AMPEX REELS USED ONCE -SAMPLE: Good C47 .51 .39 .35 W.E.D.-Super deals on Car Stereo. ADS' 53.00. NEW MAXELL REELS/CASSETTES. SPECIAL: Stuff! C62 .58 .45 .42 * ALPINE ' AUDIO CONTROL AUTOTEK ' TDK SA90: 51.79, AR100: 51.55. FREE FLYER. AUDIO C92 .68 .55 .52 TAPES, BOX 9584-A. ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22304. (703) BAZOOKA ' BLAUPUNKT ' BOSTON ' 370-5555. VISA/MC. Music -PLUS C12 .44 .32 .30 CARVER " COUSTIC ' EARTHQUAKE ' H/K The C32 .54 .42 .39 ' HIFONICS INFINITY JBL KENWOOD 4.95 SHIPPING ANY SIZE ORDER. UPS 1-500.245-6000 Better C47 .58 .45 .41 KICKER MB QUART' MPX NAKAMICHI eb TM DEMON OCtAVE FUJI.SONY YÁtÉR e3 Stuff! C62 .66 .52 .47 Pwifpapile 1.. 1.41 11.1 C92 .77 .64 .57 * WIC r1P úU4MG PCB ORION PHASE LINEAR PIONEER POLK 11.111,GB l PYLE PRECISION POWER ROCKFORD- el: LC Genuine Chrome C12 .53 .41 .39 GU VINO The C32 .63 .51 .48 FOSGATE SONY ' SOUNDSTREAM r IN * 140 Best C47 .68 SHERWOOD SANSUI ' TECHNICS .55 .51 P..>e.nR..u.un...d Stuff! C62 .75 .61 .57 YAMAHA. Monday -Friday 10AM-6PM (718) 14. 117 nl UV VISq MC C92 .98 .85 .80 11. MU.:.s.,.,uWoe.cm.....p., .d,, ., ,,,v a 1 8 30 5 00 370-1303, 43 Racal Court, Staten Island, NO EXTRA ,.....= : 11:i78Jxaz1 CHARGE r00/245 woo, C100 1.04 .88 .82 NY 10314. O TAPE WORLD ]]0 SPRING 5T. BUTLER. P/,1SO01 O 1,444..moc ON o1NON. 1,...T5 'NO OCT1n Norelco-type clear plastic boxes, sturdy commercial grade .18 .16 .15 DECALS/EMBLEMS PUBLICATIONS Self-adhesive, white cassette labels and blank Inserts $3.00 per 100 INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE CUSTOM EMBROIDERED EMBLEMS, PINS, DECALS. YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM, is the title of this informative guide- Free catalog quotes. Rush sketch. STADRI, 6tAU JANE books. To order, send 512.95 to Infosource, 7797 N. First VHS Video Cassettes: prices each in quantity YORK, STREET. NEW NY 10014. (212) 929-2293. Ste.68, Fresno, Ca 93710. QUANTITY 20 64 120 Premium T-015 1.70 1.55 1.45 SERVICES Grade by T-030 1.80 1.65 1.55 length T-060 2.10 2.00 1.90 T-120 2.80 2.70 2.60 AUDIO PULSE SERVICE. Factory trained technicians. We SINGERS! manufacture REMOVE VOCALS TELEPHONE ORDERS: and repair digital time -delay (ambience) sys- FROM RECORDS AND CDs! tems. White Labs. 10528 Lower Azusa Rd., Suite 192A. El 'TOLL FREE: 1(800) 972-0707 Monte. Ca 91731. (818) 446-5346. Local: (305) 429-9225 FAX ORDERS: (305) 429-9214 Audio Repairs and Restorations by Clif Ramsey of Audio ..11Kir~ F.O.B. Deerfield Beach, FL. Taxes (if any) plus Classics, former Senior Service Technician at McIntosh. shipping extra. CALL FOR SHIPPING CHARGES Modificatoins Tuner by Richard Modafferi, independent 8 LARGER QUANTITY PRICES. consultant to Audio Classics. inventor, and former Senior Minimum quantities are 25 per size (audio), and Engineer at McIntosh. Over 55 years combined experience. may be mixed to get larger quantity discounts. AUDIO CLASSICS, 8AM-5PM EST Mon. -Fri. POB Orders of shipped road at 176SAR, Walton, NY 13856 607-865-7200. 6,000+ freight cost. We accept company or personal checks, or -Audio Advertiser for over a Decade - -T ._. 'Q' 1't '.o' :C charges to VISA, MASTERCARD, and AMERICAN EXPRESS.(possible surcharge) SPEAKER REPAIR. 4" to 18' speakers reconed. Orban - Prices subject to Change without notice. Audio. 119 7th St. N.W.. North Canton, OH 44720. (216) SINO WITH THE WORLD'S BEST BANDS! SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! If not satisfied for 497-9932. Monday-Thursday. An Unlimited supply of Backgrounds from standard any reason, return the cassettes within 30 days for stereo records! Record with your voice or perform live a full refund of the unused portion. with the backgrDunds. Used in Professional Performance BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES yet connects easily to a home component stereo. This unique product is manufactured and sold Exclusively by GREENCORP USA I.. LT Sound - No: sold through dealers. Call or write for a EASY WORKI EXCELLENT PAY! ASSEMBLE PROD- Free Brochure and Demo Record. UCTS AT HOME. CALL FOR INFORMATION. 504- LT Sound, Dept. AU -3, 7980 LT Parkway 641-8003 EXT. 5737. Lithonia, GA 30058 (404) 382.4724 _ Manufactured and Sold Exclusively by LT Sound GET PAID for mailing letters! 5200.00 daily. Write: 24 HOUR PHONE DEMO LINE: 4041442-2485 PAASE-WY7. 161 Lincolnway. North Aurora, IL 60542 The Right Stuff_ from Down Under AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 143 Suite 105, 1015 W. Newport Center Drive, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442 / AD INDEX ADadvanced Component Soft Shoes m ping Feet

I ¡ The Mod Squad, manufacturer of Tiptoes, introduces a i new type of damping feet designed to lift the vibrational veil from your music. Soft Shoes' superior damping profile combines three important factors. Stiffness limits lateral Firm (Reader Service No.) Page Acoustic Research j - vibrations. Nonreactivity eliminates vibration amplification (1) 13 ,..."^ at their own resonant frequency. Self -damping prevents Adcom (2) 62 vibration propagation in both structural and environmental AKG Acoustics 32 , /, domains. This unique blend of low reactance and resistive Allsop (3) 69 loss replaces smearing and grundginess with lucidity Apogee Acoustics (4) 1 t and transparency. Audio Advisor (5) 109 So slip some Soft Shoes under your components AudioOuest Cover IV ir": I and enjoy cleaner, clearer music. A convenient center Audio Research (6) Cover II It / hole lets you attach them ;. Audiostream (7) Cover Ill A 1 " permanently. Audition them 'T.P B & K (8) 84 at your local Mod Squad BBE Sound, Inc. (9) 77 Dealer, or contact ..>''''' BMG 16 a&b, 27 542 N. Hwy. 101 Leucadia, CA 92024 (619)436-7666 Bose (10) 10 & 11 Brystonvermont (11) ... ® 35 Cambrige Soundworks (12). 86 & 87 CBS Records 125

PUBLICATIONS .. . MISCELLANEOUS Chivas Regal 91 Columbia House 8 a&b

SERIOUS RECORDING SCHOOLS. Comprehensive refer- TERMPAPER assistance. 15,278 papers available! 306- Counterpoint (14) 107 ence profiles 84, lists 324 audio programs. $11.95. NEW page catalog-rush $2.00. Research, 11322 Idaho Energy (15) 65 EARS, 1033 Euclid, Syracuse, NY 13210-0110. (315) #206AD. Los Angeles 90025. TOLL FREE HOTLINE: (800) GRP (16) 119, 127 425-0048. 351-0222 (California: (213) 477-8226). Hafler (17)... © 103 MAIL ORDER Isosonics (18) 75 KEF (19) 63 A BARGAIN: STAX SIGN/LAMBDA 51,395. Kinergetics Research 57 __-_ - s PROrLAMBDA (a3) $799, PRO/LAMBDA (a 1) $499, SIGN/ Koss (20) 61 4- c'sr' mra+ _ SRM1MK2 5998. SIGN SRD7 5675, 220V AVAILABLE: " - . - GRACE 747, F9E (Super) #109. F9ERUBY $175, DENON Krell Digital IWO 79 -"- 103D $149; FR1MK3F $235; ZEISS BINOCULARS; ALL Krell Industries ... © 101 UNUSED. (212) 966-1355. Levinson 3 ADS., NAKAMICHI, CARVER, BANG OLUFSEN, REVOX, M & K Sound (21) 29 :'S 'li,vii - BBW, KEF, HARMON/KARDON. N.A.D., LUXMAN, HAF- á LER, TANDBERG, ADCOM, DENON. KLIPSCH, YAMAHA, Madrigal 122 D.B.X.; INFINITY, J.B.L. AND OTHER QUALITY COMPO- Maxell (22) 36 & 37 -'. NENTS. BEST PRICES-LIVE PROFESSIONAL CONSUL- TATION WEEKDAYS-AUTOMATED PRICING AND IN- McIntosh (23) 19-24 FORMATION AVAILABLE 24 HOURS. ALL PRODUCTS Mirage (24) 95 COVERED BY MANUFACTURER'S U.S.A. WARRANTY. Mitsubishi (25) 6 & 7 AMERISOUND SALES INC.. EAST: (904) 262-4000 WEST: FREE (818) 243-1168. Mobile Fidelity (26) 121 THE BEST RECORD RACK IN AMERICA. Stackable. por- Monitor Audio (27)... r5WI 18 table. oak units hold LP, CD's and tapes. Free Mailorder MTX (28) 56 AUDIO Brochure, (please mention Audio). Per Madsen Design: 928-4509. P.O.Box 330101, San Francisco, CA 94133. Music Interface (415) Technology (29) 32, 128 CATALOG High -end and hard -to -find audio compo- Onkyo... © 93 nents. New and used. Foreign and domestic. Parasound (39) 117 Cambridge Soundworks speakers Low, low prices! AUDIO AMERICA Pioneer (31) 97 & music systems by Henry Kooss, (Virginia). Call 1-703-745-2223. Audio Hall of Fame member, and Pioneer (32) 31 founder of AR, KLH & Advent. Polk (33) 14 & 15 Special prices on Philips And Proceed 105 Cambridge Soundworks Smarter Audiophiles like yourself Pyle 85 component music systems. are getting inside the best in audio technology with Sony 5 Toll -free expert advice, service thousands of fellow Audio Amateur readers, the first Sound City (34) 113 & ordering 7 days a week. magazine to guide them, step-by-step, through design SSI Products Inc. (35) 28 modifications of preamps, amps, and CD players and Stereo Exchange (36) 115 the first to discuss wire, gold connectors, and capac- TDK (37) 72 & 73 1-800-AKA-HIFI itors. Treat yourself, four times a year, to an insider's That's America (38) 67 look at audio's issues. U.S. Army 55 Vandersteen (13) 9 AD.A90)boihlla (611924-9464 Velodyne (40) ... IrS1 81 SOUNDWORKSi PO Box 576 Wadia Digital (41) 123 Suite t041UL, IS4CallfomlaSt., Newton, MA02158 Peterborough, NH 03458 FAX (603) 924-9467 Windham Hill 129 9AM to midnight (ET), seven days a week. In 3201year 53512 years Wisconsin Discount Stereo 111 S add S4 per Canada. call 1 800-525-4434. Fax: 617-332- (US only, Outside US year postage) 9229. Outside the U.S.. Canada, 617-332 5936. (MCIVisa accepted for phone and FAX orders) Yamaha 83 Touch Tone Participant WI

144 AUDIO/SEPTEMBER 1990 sound . Speakers are the most important part of your stereo system. It is the speaker that turas amplifier signal into and so ultimately determines what you hear. If your speakers do not perform well, your stereo system will simply not sound like music

The search for musically satisfying speakers; however, can lead to some very expensive products. And if you have already bought those high priced speakers, then you better net listen to Paradigms. But if you haven't, better not miss them. Why" Because from the time they were first introduced, Paradigm's sheer musical ability utterly amazed listeners.... but what caused even more amazement was the r unprecedented low price. I So avoid the expense and the agony. Visit your authorized Paradigm dealer.... and listen to the clear choice.

The critics agree:

"... For once we wholeheartedly agree... the Paradigm is most definitely a no -compromise two-way design capable of outler'orming systems coating several times as much."

- Hi Fidelity Magazine

... the Paradigm is no more colored than speakers costing up to two or three times its price, and gave a consistently musical performance... Conclusion: the Paradigm offers excellent perhrnance..."

- Stereophile Magazine

r .zzAi Affle~ drc 1 m music ... above all.

In the U.S.: AudioStream, MPO Bo> 2410, Niagara Falls, Nevi York 14302 In Canada: Paradigm Electronics Inc., 457 Feamar Drive, Weston, Ontario M91. 2R6

Enter No. ,7 on Reader Service Card E" UPA /B.E REAK AudioQuest speaker cables will make you think you're hearing all your music for the first time.

AudioQuest F-14 uses four salid conductors In a practical and inexpensive configuration. O O 0 0 I Strand interaction is eliminated, skin -effect and resistance are kept to.reasonable AudioOuest.F-14

levels, the performance is

glorious and the price is practically free. . AudioQuest Blue uses two surface -only conductors. These novel conductors have a single layer spiral of strands around a non-conductive core. Every strand is always on the surface and every strand has the same electrical values. Skin -effect induced distortion is eliminated, current does not cross between strands and magnetic interaction is greatly reduced. AudioQuest Cobalt uses Hyperlitz conductors. This patent pending design virtually eliminates magnetic and electrical interaction between strands while allowing for a large cross sectional area (AWG) with no skin -effect induced distortion. Best of all, every strand has identical geometry and electrical characteristics so that no discontinuity is introduced to the music signal. These three blue cables and all the AudioQuest designs sound much more dynamic, dimensional and focused than the competition's. The midrange and

highs are sweeter, more extended and less "confused" sounding, while the bass _ is tighter and better defined. All the AudioQuest cables use very cost effective designs . which give you an absolutely incredible improvement at a minimal cost. -- The proof is in the listening - please listen for yourself. When you do you'll replace'your current 1 cables with AucioQuest cables and rediscover your entire music collection.

In addition to the complete line of AudioQuest speaker cables, AudioQuest also makes a complete line of interconnecting and video cable. AudioQuest Blue AudioQuest Cobalt Call today. for the AudioQuest dealer nearest you.

Tel: 714/498/2770 Fax: 714/498/5112 PO. Box 3060, San Clemente, CA 92672 USA cwcJioquest..