ICD MAY 1969 60¢ LAB TEST REPORTS HICH Heathkit's First Compact Ampex 1450 Tape Recorder FIDELITY' KLH 27 Receiver How to Determine Component Compatibility My Favorite Which Sibelius Records Symphony A NEW SERIES Recordings This Month Should You Leontyne Price Z+7; ! s ; N H7S j. ;° NV-1,11)7'. ZO 6ilOT110004-9704$1,-'0-1v , . _G4 www.americanradiohistory.com 7;,Nt O M.r/C S O U D S I A i E F M A M S T E R E O R E C E I V E R 101 108 88 90 92 94 961 98 100 102 104 106 - , ,. , . ...._._... r" IIO 120 140 ,I60 The 53 55 60 ,00 90 loo - ff.' Fisher .. 250-T I11 E''KOR SOLD 5,7I E M A M STEREO RECEIVE I 88 90 92 921 96 98 100 102 104 106 101 co.) - The 53 55 60 6` 1.0 00 90 100 IMI 120 140 .160 - Fisher 400 -T i ek 1 The Fisher ffliadr 500 -TX SOIP 31,4,1 The Fisher RK -30. iii AIa An optional accessory that provides remote -control tuning of the Fisher 500 -TX. $9.95. -SERVICE CARD NUM,. 3290993. P.ICES SE.HTE HIGHC iN 791 9 WE51. CIRCLE 30 ON READER WAENuT C.8iNET.S19.95. w.ENUT C..INE.522.95. fu.S.PATENT www.americanradiohistory.com For $299.95 this receiver offers all these Fisher features: Tune- O -Matic pushbutton memory tuning, Stereo Beacont automatic stereo /mono switching, Baxandall tone controls, Fisher AM circuitry, FM sensitivity of 2.0 microvolts (IHF), and it delivers 100 clean watts into 8 ohms -enough power to drive any speakers at normal listening levels. For an extra $50 this receiver has all the features of the 250 -T, plus an extra fifty watts of power. That extra power will come in handy if you're going to drive very low efficiency speaker systems at very high levels. This is the most powerful, most versatile receiver we've ever made. 190 watts music power into 8 ohms. Dual -gate MOSFET RF and mixer stages in the FM -tuner section. (Usable sensitivity 1.7 microvolts, IHF.) A 4 -pole crystal FM filter provides an unusually high degree of selectivity. And there is a total of four ways to tune the 500 -TX. In addition to standard flywheel tuning and Tune -O- Matic, there's also AutoScanTM. Touch one of two buttons and the next FM station up or down the dial is automatically tuned in. Hold down either button and every FM station up or down the dial comes in, Free one by one. Remote control AutoScan is an optional accessory. r "7 You want power? We've So AM broadcasts will sound stations, then tune to them Mail this coupon got power. More clean power almost as good as FM -mono. electronically at the touch for your free for your money than anybody The FM- stereo section of a button. copy of The Fisher Hand book,1969 else, as a matter of fact. of a Fisher will pull in They all have Baxandall edition. This 72- Fisher receivers deliver stations other, comparably tone controls. So you can page full-color 1 regulate the upper highs and reference guide their rated output (± dB) priced receivers can't. (Fisher receivers extra - the lower lows without to hi -fi and stereo also includes detailed into 8 ohms, the impedance are information on all Fisher components. of practically all of today's selective as well as touching the mid -range. Fisher Radio Corporation speaker systems. sensitive.) Count stations. Of course, they all use 11 -35 45th Road (Receivers rated at Prove it to yourself. the very latest electronics, Long Island City, N.Y. 11101 4 ohms actually deliver less All these Fisher receivers including FET's and IC's. Name than their rated power into include the convenience of And all have facilities 8 ohm speaker systems.) Tune- O- MaticTM pushbutton for connecting and memory tuning. So in controlling two pairs of Address But power isn't every- thing. These Fisher receivers addition to being able to speaker systems. have a host of other features. tune across the dial in the (These Fisher receivers City State Zip All three, for example, regular way, you can preset are quite powerful. L include special AM circuitry. several of your favorite FM Remember ?) www.americanradiohistory.com pace power' www.americanradiohistory.com 100 rintottA ohms 150 into 8 ohms 1f%watts.9%, into 8 ohms' www.americanradiohistory.com ..-. 411/9w ..... +41tI I C1 Words are inherently limited in stimulating of every instrument. With no loss of power. the emotions aroused by music. This is especially so In the case of strings, this meant a cartridge in describing how high fidelity components perform. that could recreate the exact nuances that distinguish With cartridges, for example, we speak of a violin from a viola. A mandolin from a flat frequency response, high compliance, lute. A cello in its lower register from a double bass low mass, stereo separation. Words like these in its higher register. enlighten the technically minded. But they do We call this achievement "100% string power." little or nothing for those who seek only When you play your records with an XV -15, you won't be the sheer pleasure of listening. concerned with even that simple phrase. We kept both aspects in mind when developing Instead, you'll just feel and enjoy the renewed experience the XV -15 series of cartridges. We made the of what high fidelity is really all about. technical measurements. And we listened. We listened especially for the ability of PICKERING these cartridges to reproduce the entire range THE NEW PICKERING XV-151750E. PREMIER MODEL OF THE XV-15 SERIES.TRACKS AT eft TO 1 GRAM. DYNAMIC COUPLING FACTOR OF 750FOR USE IN FINEST TONEARMS. $60.00. OTHER XV15CARTRIDGES FROM $29.95. PICKERING & CO.,PLAINVIEW, L.I., N.Y. CIRCLE 49 ON READER -SERVICE CARD www.americanradiohistory.com HIGH FIDELITY VOL. 19 NO. 5 May 1969 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS REPORTS FROM LONDON AND TORONTO 20 SPEAKING OF RECORDS Leontyne Price 28 DRUNKENNESS, INCEST, MURDER, AND RAPE- FA -LA -LA LA O. B. Brummell Thoughts on a recent record release 48 DICK HYMAN AND THE STUDIO MEN John S. Wilson Portrait of the virtuoso as a free-lance musician 50 THE SEVEN SYMPHONIES OF SIBELIUS Harris Goldsmith An appraisal of the recordings 56 JOHN McCORMACK- MUSICAL RACONTEUR David Hamilton The Irish tenor's winning collection of opera and song 110 CREED TAYLOR: MUSIC -BUSINESS MAVERICK Gene Lees Can a perfectionist survive in today's record industry? 116 AUDIO AND VIDEO TOO HOT TO HANDLE HF answers your more incisive questions 30 VIDEO TOPICS The laser lights the way? 36 NEWS & VIEWS A Capital hi-fi show ... Choose your stylus 39 EQUIPMENT IN THE NEWS The latest in audio gear 40 ARE YOUR COMPONENTS COMPATIBLE? Robert Long 44 PUBLICITY PHOTO FILE A gallery of rare shots 54 EQUIPMENT REPORTS 65 Heathkit AD-27 First compact in kit form KLH -27 The company's first receiver Ampex 1450 Automatic reverse in a low -cost deck Altec Lansing 893A Speaker system, the baby of the family RECORDINGS FEATURE REVIEWS 75 Solomon and Theodora-Handelian oratorio at its grandest Two views of Prokofiev: Leinsdorf (logical), Karajan (lyrical) The "other" Bohème: does Puccini really outclass Leoncavallo? OTHER CLASSICAL REVIEWS The Berrys' satirical condiments . Istomin and Ormandy in Beethoven's Fourth 79 IN BRIEF 112 REPEAT PERFORMANCE Peter G. Davis The Gigli /Albanese (Puccini) Bohème ... Fritz Reiner's excellent Strauss 114 THE LIGHTER SIDE A close -up of Nina Simone ... The new Bobby Darin 118 125 JAZZ Fats Waller's African Ripples . Claire Fischer sizzles THE TAPE DECK R. D. Darrell New horizons for the classical tape collector 128 ETC. OUR NEW DEPARTMENT 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 6 PRODUCT INFORMATION 21, 131 ADVERTISING INDEX 130 and of High Fidelity Magazine are Stilly protected Published et Great Barrington, Mass. 01230 by Billboard Publications, Inc. Copyright to 1969 by Billboard Publications, Inc. The design contents and at additional Authorized as second-class mall by the Post Office by copyright and must not be reproduced in any manner. Second-class postage paid at Great Barrington mailing offices. in High Fidelity /Musical America Edition is published monthly. Subscription in the U.S.A. and Its Possessions, $12; elsewhere, $13. Subscription Department, Ottawa and for payment of postage cash. monthly. Artist Directory published in December, 517, in the U.S.A. and its Possessions; elsewhere, $18. Regular issues $1.00 a copy. National and other editions published including Concert el address wakes and Mellowed Subscription In the U.S.A. and its Possessions, $7; elsewhere, 58. Regular issues 60A a copy. Indexed In the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. Change Street, Cincinnati, 45214, Please state beeh old and new addresses when rebeesting a sbange. copies (P., 35m) Owed be addressed to Pleb Fidelity, Subscript¿en Department, 2140 Patterson O. MAY 1969 3 www.americanradiohistory.com LEONARD MARCUS Our New Department Editor DEAR READER: NORMAN EISENBERG This month we initiate a new department, "Speaking of Records." Audio -Video Editor It is intended to fill a vacancy which, by the very nature of a criti- cal journal like ours, often seems unavoidable. PETER G. DAVIS As you know, the vast majority of HIGH FIDELITY'S reviews are Music Editor i of new releases. While our classical critics generally refer to pre- vious versions of those works that have previous versions, for pur- SHIRLEY FLEMING poses of comparison, contrast, etc., "newness" is the peg to which Editor, Musical America Section any consideration for discussion must be attached.