S1.50 NOVEMBER 1980 HIGH FIDELIT HIGH-TECH RECORDS Are they worth them ey? Double - blindtests reveal the truth I e cg 111. AUDIO AT HOME N oon? How good? ^ .c 40' ooi'9 --- -1 o.ISTENING REPORTS Vssexy cassette deck y's "robot" turntable F...rs top -value receiver 11 it 01 0839E IF ALL $200TURNTABLES HAVE THE SAME SPECS, HOWCOME THE PL -400 SOUNDS BETTER? Il MEN -WPC IWO AL 4 MilmiiiiM . 1111111.1111111.11.1.111111111101 .TE Alzr 'T % 'I iv'.,.r I 1 1 IPATING 0 et.N\ qZ, r3lczbrowecont (= NS 4.0 VI, A _,.. joimma, 7 0,0 ;a! 11.111,, " "'".11"1"' The best for both worlds The culmination of 30 years of Audio Engineer- A fresh new breakthrough in cartridge de- ing leadership-the new Stereohedron velopment designed specifically as an answer for the low impedance moving coil cartridge- XSV/5000 XLZ/7500S One of the most dramatic developments of car- tridge performance was the introduction of the The advantages of the XLZ/7500S are that it offers - ,. Pickering XSV /3000. It offered the con- characteristics exceeding even the best of moving 'lila coil cartridges. Features such as an openness of sound and extremely fast risetime, less than 10µ, to provide a new crispness in sound reproduction. At the same tine, the XLZ/7500S provides these features without any of the disadvantages of ringing, undesirable spurious harmonics which are often characterizations of moving coil pickups. The above advantages provide a new sound experience while utilizing the proven advantages of the Stereohedron stylus, a samarium sumer a first 'generation of cartridges, combining 1.\\_ both high tracking ability and superb frequency response. It utilized a new concept in stylus design -Stereohedron, coupled with an exotic samarium IMME ICKERING cobalt moving magnet. SOME - XLZ/7500S Now Pickering offers a top -of -the -line Stereohedron car- tridge, the XSV /5000, combining features of cobalt both the XSV/3000 assembly, and the XSV/4000. t2?ir a patented Pickering It allows a frequency iy Dustamatic brush, with replaceable stylus, along response out to with low dynamic tip mass with very high com- 50,000 Hz. The Exclusive Stereohedron Tip pliance for superb tracking. The new XSV samarium cobalt magnet accounts So, for those who prefer the sound characteristics for an extremely high output with the smallest attributed to moving coil cartridges, but insist on the effective tip mass. The Stereohedron tip design is reliability, stability and convenience of moving the result of long research in extended frequency magnet design, Pickering presents its XLZ /7500S. response for tracing of high frequency modula- tions. The patented Dustamatic® brush and stylus 9 PICKERING Two new sources work hand in hand with the rest of the cartridge _I of perfection! "for those who can Ihearj the difference" assembly to reproduce with superb fidelity all frequencies contained in today's recordings. For further information on the XSV/5000 and the XLZ/7500S write to Pickering Inc., Sunnyside Pickering is proud to offer the XSV/5000 as the best Blvd., Plainview, N.Y. 11803. effort yet in over 30 years of cartridge development. from Pickering Circle 38 on Reader -Service Card NOVEMBER 1980 VOLUME 30 NUMBER 11 HIGH FIDELITY = ' Audio/Video 98 Pop Records New Bonus SectioE Paul Simon - 7 High Fidelity News The Cars VIDEO Surveying the audio marketplace Ashford & Simpson begins after page 32 14 Equipment Reports 106 Spinoffs: B&O 8000 cassette deck Audiophile discs Leonard Marcus R. D. Darrell Sony PS -X75 turntable by Crispin Cioe Editor Harris Goldsmith David Hamilton Mitsubishi DA -R20 receiver Shirley Fleming Dale Harris NAD 7020 receiver 107 Jazz Records Editor, Musical America Paul Henry Lang Pickering XSV-4000 cartridge Tom Artin Irving Lowens John Klemmer James R. Oestreich Robert C. Marsh Classical Music Editor Fred Miller 36 CrossTalk Phil Woods Andrew Porter Susan Elliott Susan Thiemann Sommer 39 Editor, Backbeat Contributing Editors Digital vs. Analog vs. Direct -Cut Discs Et Cetera Robert Long Edward Greenfield Does one sound better? Audio -Video Editor European Editor by Leonard Marcus and 55Letters Peter Dobbin Robert S. Clark R. Derrick Henry Associate Editorial Director 81Reader -Service Cards Audio -Video Editor 47 Digital Audio: Kathleen Davis Sarina Bromberg Production Supervisor A Revolution Reconsidered 114 Advertising index Art Director Are analog's days really William Tynan numbered? Rebecca Abbott Director of Special Projects Associate Editor Susan M. Allyn Lynda Carlotta Circulation Director Music/Musicians Brenda Everett Subscription Sales Isabel Parker Assistant Editors Dominic Mustello 52 The Trouble with Orchestras, Circulation Director Part II Diane Albano Newsstand Sales Editorial Assistant by Leonard Bernstein William P. Johnson Edward J. Foster Circulation Service Manager 57 Is This Any Way to Consulting Audio Editor Conduct Puccini? Suzanne Hochman Leonard Levine Direct Mail Manager Levine and Karajan take Publisher firm command by Kenneth Furie HIGH FIDELITY is published monthly at The Publishing House, Great Barrington. Mass. 01230 by ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., a subsidiary of 61 Classical Records American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Copy- Rifkin's genteel Joplin right ' 1980 by ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc. The design and contents are fully protected by copy- Idiomatic Grieg and Janacek right and must not be reproduced in any manner. Nonesuch goes (half) digital Second-class postage paid at New York. New York, and at additional mailing offices. Authorized 62 Critics' Choice as second-class mail by the Post Office Depart- ment, Ottawa. and for payment of postage in cash. Yearly subscription in U.S.A. and Possessions 88 The Tape Deck S13.95; elsewhere S 18.95. Single copies $1.50. Subscribers: Send subscriptions, inquiries, and ad- by R. D. Darrell dress changes to High Fidelity,I Sound Ave., Mar- ion, Ohio 43302. Change of Address: Give old and new addresses, including ZIP Code. Enclose address label from last issue and allow five weeks Backbeat for change to become effective Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to High Fidelity, I Sound Ave.. Marlon, Ohio 43302. Postal Identi- 91 The Muscle Shoals fication Number 243820. Rhythm Section Still breaking records 4) by Crispin Cioe Saar. Ma Circulation 98 Van Morrison's Triumphant Rebirth Ey Sam Sutherland 4 HIGH FIDELITY Our secret ART CREDITS Page to tracking these 14 Photo by Bob Brody. 39 Photo by Peter Dobbin. 40 Photo by Peter Dobbin. fantastic grooves 46 Photo by John Macek 47 Photo courtesy North American Philips Corporation. makes every 48-49 Diagram by Michael Coleman. 57 Drawing by Warren Linn. 102 Photo of John Prine by Jim Shea. record you own Photo of Son Seals by Michael Weinstein. 103 108 Photo of John Klemmer by Randee sound better! St. Nicholas. SOLUTION TO HIFI-CROSTIC NO. 57 lmogen Hoist: Benjamin Britten Britten's generosity is possibly the chief danger to his work as a composer. So many young musicians write to him, not just once, but many times, sending their com- positions or asking his advice. But perhaps, after all, he can New AT155LC be trusted to organize his own Ffe. Vector -Aligned' Stereo Cartri ADVERTISING Main Office: The Publishing House, Great Bar- rington, Mass. 01230 Telephone: 413-528-1300. Robert Maddocks, Advertising Promotion Manager; Ruth Martin, Advertising Production Director; Rita Ganci, Advertising Assistant. New York: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 825 7th Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10019. Telephone: 212- 265-8360. Seymour Resnick, Advertising Director; George Dickey, Record Advertising Manager; Ruth Elliott, Eastern Advertising Manager; Janet Cermak, Administrative Assist- ant; Yetta Peltzman, Classified Advertising Department. Midwest: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 190 N. State St., Room 632, Chicago, III. 60601. Telephone: 3 I 2- 782-1173. William P. Gordon, Midwest Advertising Man- ager; Osbert Bruno, Advertising Representative. There are perhaps a dozen DIN 45 549 or AT6607 equivalent test Los Angeles: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 2020 reasons why the new AT155LCrecord at 1.6 grams. And the less - Avenue of the Stars, Suite 245, Century City, Calif. 90067. Telephone: 2 I 3-557-648 I; 213-557-6482. Andrew Span- does so well tracking even the most demanding 80 micron band at just 1.2 berger, National Advertising Manager; Janet Endrijonas, explosive new digital records. An grams. Western Advertising Manager. advanced new Line Contact stylus, Of course tracking is not the only Tokyo: Japan Advertising Communications, Inc., our exclusive Vector -Aligned'" virtue of the new AT155LC. Response New Ginza Bldg., 7-3-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104, Ja- pan. Telephone: 103) 571 -8748, Shigeru Kobayashi, Presi- magnetic system, and new high - is uniform from 5 to 35,000 Hz, dent. efficiency coil and core designs to separation is great, and efficiency is mention just a few. uncommonly high*. All But it's our sound, claims we back up with not the construction that specific tests any lab HIGH FIDELITY and NIGH FIDELITY/MUSICAL AMERICA are published monthly by ABC Leisure Maga- is important. And our can duplicate. zines, Inc., a subsidiary of American Broadcasting Com- capability to track even But the most panies, Inc. Robert G. Burton, President; Herbert Keppler, the tough records which important test is a visit Senior Vice President, Photographic Publishing Division; benefits you every time to your Audio-Technica Leonard Levine, Executive Vice President, High Fidelity Group; Ronald Stuart, Vice President, Finance. Member Au- you listen. Because dealer. Ask to hear dit Bureau of Circulation. Indexed in Reader's Guide to Peri- even slight mis-tracking the new AT155LC with odical Literature. Current and back copies of High Fidelity can quickly destroy any record, your favorite records and with the and High Fidelity/Musical America are available on micro- shortening both disc and stylus life new digital blockbusters. We promise film from University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Mich.