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No. 79
$6.49
ISSN 0847-1851
Canadian Publication Sales
Product Agreement
No. 40065638
TWO PHONO PREAMPLIFIERS: One with
tubes, the other with a modern touch:
a USB connection for your computer
WE ALSO REVIEW: The polished JAS Oscar
speakers, Creek’s EVO CD player, Simaudio’s
Moon Calypso movie machine
PLUS: We fit our Squeezebox with a much,
much larger power supply, Paul Bergman
looks at all you wanted to know about
absorbing sound, and we bring back the
news from Vegas
RETURN LABELS ONLY
OF UNDELIVERED COPIES TO:
Box 65085, Place Longueuil,
Longueuil, Qué., Canada J4K 5J4
Printed in Canada
ASW Speakers
Atlas
Audioprism
Sonneteer
BardOne
QED
Goldring GR2
“Hard to fault in any area.
This has to be the budget turntable of the year.”
Hi-Fi World, April 2005
JUSTI
Justice Audio
111 Zenway Blvd., Unit 9
WOODBRIDGE, ON L4H 3H9
Tel. : (905) 265-8675 • Fax : (905) 265-8595
www.justiceaudio.com
[email protected]
CE
AU
DIO
ASW Genius
400
“It has all the volume you could ever want,
its bottom end goes down to bedrock, and
its top end is delightfully smooth.”
UHF No. 73
IN ONTARIO
Audio Excellence, Toronto
(905) 881-7109
Audio Two, Windsor
(519) 979-7101
Arcadia Audio, Brampton
(416) 994-5571
Oakville Audio, Oakville
(905) 338-6609
Waroc Information, Bolton
(416) 937-9276
AY
JUST M
AUD
IO
Just May Audio
111 Zenway Blvd., Unit 9
WOODBRIDGE, ON L4H 3H9
Tel. : (905) 265-8675 • Fax : (905) 265-8595
www.justiceaudio.com • [email protected]
Target
Vandersteen
McCormack
Harmonix
WBT
Reimyo
Apollo
GutWire
FIM Accessories
Goldring
Milty
Perfect Sound
Nitty Gritty
Gradient Speakers
LAST record care
WATTGate
Audiophile CDs
Audiophile LPs
DVD and SACD
Cinema
What’s next in Home Theatre?
Can we get a clue from this year’s CES?
36
The Listening Room
The JAS Oscar Loudspeaker
36
A slicker finish than you’d expect for the price, and
what else?
Issue No. 79
Marchand LN112 Tube Phono Stage
Not only does this four-tube phono stage look
great, but you can even build one yourself if you
want
44
The Creek EVO CD
The integrated amplifier of the same series turned
out to be a bargain. How good a player can Creek
turn out for the same money?
48
The Simaudio Moon Calypso
It looks rather like our Moon Stellar reference
player, only at half the price
52
Squeezebox on Steroids
The Squeezebox does a great job of pulling music
from your computer and into your DAC, but how
much better does it sound if you give it a lot more
electrical power?
55
The Harmonica 65
by Reine Lessard
The lowly mouth organ turns out to be not all that
lowly
Acoustics
20
Software Reviews
by Reine Lessard and Gerard Rejskind
72
Departments
Feature
The Vegas Extravaganza
by Gerard Rejskind
A marathon tour, in words and pictures, of CES
and T.H.E. Show in Las Vegas
41
Software
Cover story: The Marchand LN112 tube phono
preamplifier, sitting atop the Creek EVO CD player,
both of which are reviewed in this issue. Behind them:
The centre of our Milky Way, seen at infrared frequencies by the Spitzer space telescope.
Absorbing Reflections
by Paul Bergman
The series continues, with an evaluation of what
materials can absorb unwanted sound
Sonneteer Sedley USB Phono Stage
From the UK, this slick phono preamp does not
only what you expect it to, but it also connects to
your computer for recording or playback
28
Editorial
Feedback
Free Advice
Gossip & News
State of the Art
4
7
8
78
82
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine UHF Magazine No. 79 was published in March, 2007. All
contents are copyright 2007 by Broadcast Canada. They
may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publisher.
EDITORIAL & SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE:
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Tel.: (450) 651-5720 FAX: (450) 651-3383
E-mail: [email protected]
World Wide Web: www.uhfmag.com
PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Gerard Rejskind
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Reine Lessard
EDITORIAL: Paul Bergman, Reine Lessard, Albert Simon
PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY: Albert Simon
ADVERTISING SALES:
Alberta & BC: Derek Coates (604) 522-6168
Other: Gerard Rejskind (450) 651-5720
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ISSN 0847-1851
Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product No. 0611387
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ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
Editorial
Happy birthday to us…
Yes, UHF Magazine turns 25 this year. When its first issue was published
in September of 1982, the world of high fidelity was vastly different.
Back then the vinyl disc ruled. Indeed, it wasn’t necessary to specify “vinyl,”
because what other kind of disc was there? The Compact Disc had just been
developed, but it was not yet a commercial product, and our inaugural issue
made no mention of it. Portable audio meant not the iPod but the Walkman.
If you bought a Chinese product, it was more likely to be a pair of slippers or
an incense holder than loudspeakers or an amplifier. Japanese products were
actually made in Japan. Prices of high end audio gear, high as they seemed at
the time, would make us smile nostalgically today.
Paper and printing were also a lot more affordable than today, of course,
and in any case there were no alternatives to the printing press and the newsstand, because the invention of Mosaic, the very first Web browser, was still
a decade away.
There were then a lot more audio magazines than there are today, which
made the launch of ours seem a little foolhardy. Think of Audioscene, with
its decidedly 60’s title. Or Audio. Or High Fidelity. Or Stereo Review. It was
widely agreed that there wasn’t room for all those magazines on audio, and
they began dying off not long after. Of course we weren’t one of them.
On the other hand there were no home theatre magazines, because the
term “home theatre” didn’t yet exist. It was on the horizon, however. In 1984,
when we were only two years old, our (then) French-language counterpart, Son
Hi-Fi Magazine, changed its name, at my suggestion, to Son Hi-Fi Vidéo.
The record industry was not yet claiming to be losing billions because its
music was winding up on the Internet. It was, however, claiming to be losing
billions because its music was bzeing copied on cassettes.
In this, our Silver Jubilee year, we will be looking back in what I hope
are interesting ways, but we will also be looking forward. If you think there
has been a lot of change over the past 25 years, well…you ain’t seen nothin’
yet!
Another upgrade to the Omega system
It’s barely news, actually. After our enthusiastic review of the Moon P-8
preamplifier in UHF No. 77, Simaudio offered to lend it to us for a bit to see
whether we wanted to buy it. We have now spent a few months with it, and
it certainly gets along well with its brandmate, the W-8 power amplifier.
Well, there goes the budget…again. The P-8 is now an official part of the
Omega system.
DOG-EARS? BAH!
Perhaps you already know this, but then again perhaps
you hadn’t noticed!
You can pay a lot for a magazine, or you can get it
cheaper, but here’s the surprise: it’s the expensive copy
that’s likely to be tattered, torn, and… yes, dog-eared. Did
you expect the opposite?
We mean the newsstand copy. After all, where do copies
sit around unprotected? At the newsstand. Where do other
people leaf through them before you arrive, with remains
of lunch on their fingers? At the newsstand. Where do
they stick on little labels you can’t even peel off? We’ve always
wondered why newsstands do that, but they sure do.
Our subscribers, on the other hand, get pristine copies, protected in plastic,
with the label on the plastic itself, not the cover.
We know you want a perfect copy, and it occurs to us that perhaps you’d rather
pay a little less for the privilege of receiving it in perfect condition.
As if that weren’t enough, there’s the fact that with a subscription you qualify
for a discount on one or all three of our original books on hi-fi (see the offer on
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Feedback
Longueuil, Québec, Canada J4K 5J4
[email protected]
Many thanks for reviewing literally
every release from our label. We are
most grateful, in these times of major
cutbacks of music coverage in audiophile
mags.
One correction: In the review of The
Bach Gamut by Virgil Fox, the review
says, “…it was not originally recorded
by ‘Professor’ Johnson…”, but in fact
it was. I don’t know why the confusion
exists. Keith Johnson was invited to
record the live Bach concerts with his
famous three-track analogue machine,
but permission to place microphones
was severely restricted because of the
overflow crowds in St. Mary’s Cathedral,
San Francisco. In preparation for the
release, Mr. Johnson took a great deal
of time and trouble to restore the tapes
(which had deteriorated) and make an
acceptable two-channel mix from the
masters and to transfer them to digital
with HDCD technology.
Tam Henderson, president
Reference Recordings
San Francisco, CA
Quite right. The booklet type is small, the
light was dim, and Gerard misread it.
Just a little request for information
to settle a holiday-time discussion.
Which member of the UHF Magazine
team purchased Totem loudspeakers,
and which model? I seem to recall reading something about that in a previous
issue.
André Moreau
ROCK FOREST, QC
None, André. Albert did borrow a pair
of Totem Mani-2’s some years back with the
idea of purchasing them, but his listening
space has a cathedral ceiling, and it was more
than even the Mani-2’s could handle. He
purchased a pair of Oskar Kitharas.
When we were looking for rear speakers
for our new Kappa (home theatre) system,
the Totem Model One was short-listed.
Instead we adopted the Elipson 1200. Why?
Because we already had a pair.
How is it that your article on the
Totem Forest in Issue 56 of UHF states
that it has a Dynaudio woofer, when
the Forest I purchased just over a year
ago clearly has Hi-Vi Research stamped
right on the driver (which is apparently
made in China as a “Swan speaker”)?
Peter Callahan
Need we mention, Peter, that your question would better be directed to Totem? We
would point out, however, that our review
of the Totem Forest dates back to the last
century (specifically June 1999), and that
since then plenty of manufacturers have
searched for new suppliers.
I understand the gentleman's reaction. Other people have made similar
comments to me. It has certainly given
me pleasure to see my letters published
in UHF. Thank you for that, and an even
bigger thank you for not publishing the
worst ones.
Why do I write so often?
I suppose it's because I have my
opinions about things audio, and questions — like every other hobbyist. But
I want to give credit where it is due. For
years I read audio articles with mixed
excitement and exasperation, hoping
to glean useful information, and wishing they would say it straight. When I
found UHF, the exasperation diminished
astonishingly. Simply, UHF is the bestwritten audio magazine I have ever
found, and frankly on a journalistic level
I consider it has much to say beyond its
chosen field. Reading it has taught me a
lot about writing, and to write back is to
acknowledge and participate in that.
Toby Earp
MONTRÉAL, QC
After trying many many different
FM dipoles, nothing works quite as well
as your previously-listed Super Antenna.
I see it is no longer listed in your product
directory. I would like to order two
more.
I have ordered several over the
years and given your Web site to many
of my customers. If you no longer
sell it, may I inquire if it is still being
manufactured?
Bob Gross
Speaker Art
Morro Bay, CA
We have had difficulty finding a key part
for the Super Antenna, Bob. We hope to have
the antenna back in production by the time
you read this. Since you’re wondering, it is
an original design by UHF, manufactured
in-house.
Embarrassment and pleasure sometimes combine. They certainly did when
I read John Chaulk, Jr.'s letter in Free
Advice (see page 16 — ed.). Thanks to you
and to him for a really good moment.
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine Free Advice
Longueuil, Québec, Canada J4K 5J4
[email protected]
Paul, we would stay away from the
Ultech even if its price weren’t outlandish (and unfortunately it is). The Micromega is lower in price and is probably a
better deal.
Or it would be if it had a remote. As
far as we know nobody has ever built a
CD player that wasn’t remote-controlled,
and there’s a good reason for that. If you
do buy it, and if you’re not prepared to
consider getting up to change tracks a
worthwhile aerobic exercise, we would
suggest adding a Harmonic remote
(reviewed in UHF No. 74), which start
around $120 if you shop carefully. These
universal remotes are programmed by
connecting them to a computer and
going to the Harmonic Web site, which
has a library of commands for what
must be every electronic product on the
planet.
I have been a subscriber to your ger-lived, but may at some point throw
magazine for about 20 years. Based off symptoms too: crackling, low volpartly on your review of the Copland ume, high distortion. Or, if it wants to
CTA-305 preamp and mostly my ears, make things easy for us, simply going
I took the plunge last year and pur- dead.
chased one. Since you folks have two There’s a lot of discussion on the
in your various systems I was hoping Internet concerning the sound of diffor some insight into your experience ferent tubes, both modern and what
with them, particularly with regards to is known as “new old stock.” There’s
replacing tubes.
considerable enthusiasm for old Sie
How do you know when it’s time mens tubes, which however bring aweto replace them? Does this preamp ex- some prices. Indeed, they’re so expenhibit any particular behavior when the sive that some unscrupulous parties are After I got in touch with you a couple
tubes are becoming “long of tooth?” rebranding inferior tubes with the Sie- of months ago and asked for your advice,
Do you replace them with stock tubes? mens name. We consider the price out- I bought a 2003 model YBA1 (normal
If so, where do you source them? If not, landish, ourselves. In the first couple current) amplifier. It drives a pair of
Mani-2’s from a Musical Fidelity
do you have any advice in terms of what of years we owned a Copland, we were Totem
. It got
ice sect ion308
Aadv
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preamp
and an Enlightened Audio
re
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what’s up with m
that? Do you know I am writing today because I need I still have the Simaudio 4150 that
which tubes drive the phono stage?
some advice. I have just purchased a I replaced with the YBA, but I don’t
Mark Day used Shanling SLM-A40MKII inte- really want to go back, as the 4150 is
DARTMOUTH, NS grated 50 watt class A amp with built- probably about 14 years old, though it
in DAC. I am planning to use the amp’s is 150 W. Presently the volume control
Yes we do, Mark. The 12AX7’s internal DAC. I need a CD player or is at about 12 o’clock and more for some
are the tubes belonging to the phono transport as a source. Canuck Audio recordings.
David Ebertt
circuit. Early Copland preamps did use listings currently have a couple of
DRAYTON, ON
12AX7 twin triodes all around, but lat- units with digital coax output. There
er ones use a different dual triode, the is an Ultech UCD 100 HDCD player
6922, also known as the 6DJ8. The two (asking price $450, with manual and David, the first thing we would sugremote) and a Micromega Stage 1 (as- gest is not to give any weight to how
are not interchangeable.
Our experience with the CTA- king price $280, no manual or remote). high you need to turn the volume knob
305 preamplifier is that the tubes most I prefer to buy local, just to support our in order to get satisfactory volume. That
likely to need changing are the ones in local audiophile community. Would setting reflects the gain of the system,
the phono preamp. About once a year you recommend either of these units? I not its power.
(if you run your gear all the time, as we would like to keep the cost under $500 Imagine for a moment that you were
to hook up your CD player to the line
do), one or both tubes become increas- if possible.
ingly noisy, hissing or even crackling
Paul Kelly input of a transistor radio (some radios
loudly. The other tubes are much lonTORONTO, ON do have such things), and let’s imagine
l ine…
n
o
e
c
i
v
d
Free A
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
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I recently bought one of your 3prong AC connectors and installed it
on my Antique Sound Labs amp. The
AC had three colors: white, black and
green. After some fiddling (and ground
hum), I discovered the green wire was
the ground (Right? If there’s no hum,
it’s good?). My question: if I connected
the other two wires incorrectly, would
the music still play? If so, how would I
know? Thank you in advance for your
help.
Robert Schryer
BROSSARD, QC
Well, the fact that you have lived to
write this letter means you didn’t connect the green wire to the brass-colored
screw! Other errors are less dangerous,
and — depending on the equipment —
may actually be fairly harmless. There
is, however, a correct way to do things
if you intend to keep within sight of the
electrical code. The green (ground) wire
goes to the green screw, as (fortunately)
you know. The white (neutral) wire goes
to the silver-colored screw. The black
(live, live, live!) wire goes to the brasscolored screw. We don’t recommend
improvising.
I have a simple but important ques-
tion: Shoud I keep my receiver(s) turned
on all the time or not?
I have heard answers from experts
and “experts” on both sides of this
issue. I heard that tubes and transistors
actually work hardest when there is no
signal going through them (turn it off!),
and that capacitors like to stay charged
(keep it on!). I need the definitive answer
to this, so I am asking UHF.
I should clarify that I have a number
of receivers, all about 30 years old (would
the answer be different for older vs
newer equipment?), and cycle through
them, playing one exclusively for a few
weeks, then the next and so on. I can
see that the current in-rush of turning
equipment on every day would be harder
than just keeping it on (is it, though?),
but how about turning it on once every
few weeks? What about once every few
days for equipment I don’t listen to every
day?
David Heylen
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA
We’re living at a time of greater
sensitivity to the growing size of man’s
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine Advice
Feedback
Free
that as soon as you cracked open the
volume control the sound was deafeningly loud. Would that mean that the
radio’s amplifier was powerful? In fact
it would probably top out at a tenth of a
watt, and not at low distortion either.
The original YBA1 is quite capable of
driving even the notorious Totem Mani2’s, but then you know that already. We
once took our own YBA1 and a pair
of Mani-2 speakers to a show, where
“normal” volumes tend to seem inaudible, and you are pretty much forced to
give the knob a mighty clockwise twist.
No problem.
We no longer have our YBA1, but
when we got it upgraded to the High
Current version it was because it was
old and a lot of parts needed replacing
anyway. Did it sound better afterwards?
None of us thought so. Your YBA1 is a
lot newer than ours was. If we were you
we wouldn’t spend the money.
Get UHF on your desktop
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footprint on the planet, David, and thus
the idea of leaving equipment always
switched on is increasingly controversial.
In some countries there is even talk of
banning equipment that draws current
when supposedly turned off. Anything
that can be turned on with a remote
control is in that category. And an amplifier that operates in class A draws a lot of
energy even in the absence of a signal. It
also dissipates that energy as heat, and if
your home is air conditioned…
But that wasn’t really the focus of
your question. Vacuum tubes certainly
do suffer from an inrush of voltage on
both the filament and the plate, just as
light bulbs do (you’ve probably noticed
that light bulbs almost always blow as
you turn them on). That is much less
of a problem with transistors. Keeping capacitors charged may maintain
them at peak performance, but in older
gear it will be the capacitors that will
probably go first, through chemical
decomposition. Heat accelerates the
decomposition.
One more factor to consider: most
10 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
equipment sounds best when it is fully
warmed up. That may take as little as 20
minutes, or it may take more, but two
minutes is not optimum. We would suggest a balanced approach. If you know a
piece of gear won’t be used for a few days,
by all means switch it off. Something
that is used twice a day may best be left
on.
After reading your article on the
Edirol UA-25 (UHF No. 78) I went
out and purchased one. My question
is in regards to the length of the USB
cable from the UA-25 to my computer.
I was wondering if the distance between
them (in my case it’s about 20 ft.) would
degrade the digital signal coming from
the UA-25, or do I need to move the
computer closer to my stereo?
Frank Giannone
ETOBICOKE, ON
Frank, the maximum recommended
length for a USB cable (it says here) is 5
metres. As an audiophile, you won’t be
too surprised to hear that the actual limit
will depend on the quality of the cable,
but we wouldn’t count on stretching it
any farther.
Since your 20’ needed length corresponds to just over 6 m, you’ll need
an active USB hub, which will then give
you another 5 m. CAT5 cable, the one
used for Ethernet, can extend the range
considerably, but powered USB hubs
aren’t expensive. The downside is that
the hub needs to be plugged into AC
power, so you’ll need to position it close
to an outlet.
I have been reading your magazine
for many years and have had a subscription for two years now. I was wondering
if you could be of assistance to me.
I know that you have used an Audiomeca J-1 turntable with SL-5 arm as your
reference for a number of years. I have
the opportunity to purchase such a unit.
I have a few questions regarding it.
Is there anything I should look for
in the unit that wears or needs to be
replaced? (I know the tables are over 10
years old now). I do not know if the J-1
is still supported by Audiomeca, so I am
concerned that if a part failed, such as
motor, belts, bearings, etc., whether it
could be repaired/replaced. Possibly you
could direct me to someone who repairs
these tables.
I have heard nightmares about the
temperamental Goldmund T5/ T-3-F
arms, which are suppose to be the same
as the SL-5Can you comment on the ease
of set-up and use as well as pros and cons
of the unit? Have you found any tweaks
that elevated the audio quality of the
unit? Can I do better with an equally
priced modern unit
I have read that the Audiomeca J-1
plus SL-5 is suppose to ressemble, visually and sonically, the Golmund Studio
plus T-3F . I can’t confirm the validity of
the sonic equivalency aspect, but maybe
you can.
Dr. S. C. Polcz
LONDON, ON
The Audiomeca J-1 is indeed related
to the Goldmund Studietto (not the
Studio), but not in an obvious way.
Physicist and audiophile Pierre Lurné,
founder of Audiomeca, designed a
linear-tracking tone arm for Goldmund,
in a turntable of this complexity. The
arm is similarly complex to set up, but it
gets easier once you understand how it
works. Its reputation for being difficult
results from the fact that a misadjusted
SL-5 may not work at all. The belt is
another matter. Audiomeca was actually
supplying a second belt with the J-1,
preferring to do that rather than stock
replacements. The company no longer
offers the belts, though we note that
several firms on the Internet claim to
have compatible belts.
Can you do better with an equallypriced modern unit? If by modern you
mean new, then no. The J-1 remains
a masterpiece, both on technical and
æsthetic grounds.
I’ve got a very old Bryston 3B amplifier, and I’m wondering if it’s worth
having it modified. I’ve been wringing
every bit of life out of my old Sugden A25
as possible (new connectors, bypassed
headphone out), but it’s still the weakest
link in my system. Would any modifications to the 3B be a worthy upgrade
(of course I’d need a pre-amp as well),
or would my money be better spent
elsewhere?
Who could do such an upgrade? Does
Bryston still offer this service?
Chris Williams
TORONTO, ON
Bryston themselves can answer that
question better than we can, Chris, and
the second question you’ll want to ask
them is what the upgrade will cost. As
time goes by, an upgrade means replacing more and more parts. At some point
it will become more economical to sell
and buy again.
But before you pick up the phone,
take a look at your amplifier’s front
panel. The first-generation Bryston 3B’s
had an odd logo, in which the “3” and the
“B” morphed into a single character. If
that’s what you have, we don’t recommend an upgrade. If the two characters
are discrete, as they are on models since
about 1983, call Bryston with your
amplifier’s serial number at hand.
Further to your response to a recent
letter, I borrowed a pair of Totem
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 11 Advice
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the T-5. The Audiomeca version of the
arm is called the SL-5, but is otherwise
identical.
But now the plot thickens. Lurné
was working on a future version of the
Studietto, shifting it from direct drive to
belt drive, with heavy use of metacrylate
for the platter and the structure (the
whole story is in UHF No. 23). However
Goldmund’s Michel Reverchon was
of the opinion that if something ain’t
broke you don’t fix it. For that and other
reasons, Lurné left Goldmund, and
produced the Studietto that never was
under his own name, for about half the
price of the Studietto itself.
The J-1 is a massive yet delicate turntable. It requires precision alignment,
especially if it is used with the SL-5 arm
(as ours is). When we acquired it we were
warned that the platter must never be
placed upside down on a hard surface,
because the sheer mass of the platter
can distort the shaft and permanently
damage performance. As far as we know,
there are no other weak points.
Adjustments are certainly finicky, but
they are user-accessible, which is unusual
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Mani-2’s (not the Signatures) and the
Reference 3A MM De Capo-i’s from
local dealers.
The De Capo-i’s were very fast and
detailed but there was something not
quite right at the top end — cymbals
did not shimmer like they should. This
may have something to do with the new
tweeter change, or possibly because they
were not broken in. The dealer said the
speakers were upgraded with new tweeters three months ago. Any comments?.
The Mani-2’s sounded terrific with
the Audiomat Opéra amplifier, with
incredible detail, separation of instru12 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
ments and depth of soundstage. With
quality recordings it sounded as though
individual instruments were playing
right there in front of me.
My only concern with the Mani-2’s
is the power required to drive them,
considering the Opéra delivers only 30
watts/channel. I found that on audiophile recordings which I purchased
from UHF Magazine (such as Jazz at the
Pawnshop and Doug MacLeod’s You Can’t
Take My Blues), I had to turn the volume
up quite high (50-60%) for comfortable
listening as compared to other recordings. Is this a common observation for
good quality recordings — are they
recorded at lower levels to improve the
quality? At this volume level will the
Opéra have sufficient dynamic headroom to handle loud passages without
distorting? During the limited time
I had these speakers, I did not notice
any distortion, but I was reluctant to
turn the volume up further for fear of
smoking something in my amp (should
I be concerned about this?). Also, I had
the Mani-2’s connected to the 4 ohm
outputs of the Opéra. What would
have happened if I had tried the 8 ohm
outputs?
Have you ever reviewed or listened to
or had any comments or feedback on the
Wharfedale Opus 2 or 3 speakers? A
local dealer is bringing in a pair of the
2’s and I’m waiting for a listen before
deciding. There are very few reviews on
this product that I can find and I’m not
sure why. The specs from the web site
are rather intriguing.
Julia (my SO) wants to know if linen
and silk would do well for drapes in our
music room to help dampen reverberation? In your books on high fidelity you
mention that natural fibres like wool and
cotton are best. How would linen and
silk compare?
Blair and Julia McKenzie
SHERWOOD PARK, AB
Well, linen and silk are both natural
fibres, Blair. The absorption power of
silk is probably not as good as that of
somewhat coarser fibres. Julia, if you’re
I have some questions about power
cables. I admit to being skeptical about
the audible effects of power cables, but
I’ve found your magazine to be trustworthy in the past, and your recent review
claims a substantial variation among
cables (particularly between low and
high quality power cables). My questions
are:
1) Why is the wire from the wall to
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the equipment more important than
the wire inside the wall? Why not just
use the same grade of wire that’s inside
the wall? How can using a much higher
grade wire between the wall and the
device compensate for the quality of the
wire in the wall?
2) In engineering in general, integral
solutions perform better than modular
ones (other things being equal). Why
don’t we eliminate the electrical jack and
solder the wires inside and outside the
wall together? (Perhaps have an electri-
cian do this, and adjust the strategy to
your local building and fire codes.)
Following this strategy, would one
get better performance throughout the
system by soldering over all modular
connectors? Ok, solder may not be the
best integration solution. The point is
to pursue performance with an integral
strategy instead of the modular one, we
are all presently using. Would such a
strategy produce better performance in
absolute terms, and would it produce a
better price/performance curve? Less
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fine with linen, and particularly its tendency to look as though it’s been slept
on, it will probably work well. What’s
important is the draping. Typically, you
would use material that is one and half
times the width of the window, but twice
is much better for both looks and sound.
What is also useful is to hang the drapes
so that they are some distance from the
window, perhaps 30 cm or so.
The Wharfedales no doubt have
some nice qualities, but it would be a
stretch and then some to compare them
to either the Reference 3a or the Totem
Mani-2. We haven’t heard the new
tweeter on the MM de Capo, but if the
speakers you heard were not broken in
that would account for the anomalies you
heard. The dealer you borrowed them
from should have warned you about
that.
The fact that you had to turn the
volume quite high with the Mani-2’s is
normal, because the Mani-2’s have lower
efficiency than the Reference 3a’s and
indeed most modern speakers. What
is important in determining whether
the Opéra is right for the Mani-2’s is
whether it can reproduce all recordings
at a level you find satisfying without
distorting, compressing the dynamics,
or worse. You are unlikely to damage the
amplifier by listening louder, and in fact
it is the speakers that are more vulnerable. They will warn you of problems,
however, by sounding harsh when either
they or the amplifier are no longer at ease
together.
The 4 ohm output on the Opéra
amplifier will deliver maximum power
to the Mani-2’s, which is of course
important with an amplifier of just 30
watts per channel. The 8 ohm output
will sound better, however (we’ve tried
it), if you can use it without getting into
overload.
radically, does the quality of the modular
connectors matter more than the quality
of the wire?
Derek Rayside
CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA
PS: I’ve been enjoying your FM antenna
for a number of years, and recently had
occasion to compare it to other antennas
in the same price range: it’s remarkable
how much better yours is. Keep up the
good work.
PPS: Nice to see that Paul Bergman’s
column is back.
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Your questions are interesting ones,
Derek, and we’ll try to answer as best we
can.
It is of course true that an integral
solution (for instance, hard-wiring the
gear from the AC panel all the way to
its power supply) would give the best
results. That has obvious drawbacks,
reducing your flexibility more than a
little, and violating every known electrical code. In real life we’re pretty much
stuck with modular solutions, alas.
The reason the wire in the AC cord
is so much more important than the
wiring in the wall is that it is physically
much closer to the equipment. That’s
the reason it’s important for power cords
to be shielded, so that they won’t either
transmit or pick up noise, including
digital noise. We were recently surprised
to discover that when we installed a
shielded power cord for secondary
components (the computer charger and
a cassette deck we never use), there was
an audible improvement in the system
itself.
In a typical off-the-shelf power cord,
the molded connectors are truly dreadful, losing voltage and producing noise.
The differences among brands of upscale
connectors (Wattgate versus Maringo
versus Schurter versus Hubbell versus
Furutech) are less important than the
quality of the cable, and particularly of
its shielding. Once you have a quality
wire, however, the improvement should
be such that you are likely to hear differences among connectors.
I have an Inouye SPLC power line
filter. When the electric fireplace goes
on and off I hear the electrical noise
going into the system even though the
SPLC is used. How do I stop this noise?
A dedicated line is not an option. I tried
all the plugs in the room and there is no
change. I put aluminum foil around the
fan motors in the fireplace and no change
occurred.
Second problem: I need more plugs
for source components. Is there a cheap
way to get more plugs, such as a power
bar run through an isolation transformer
then plugged into one bank on the
SPLC?
Sunil Sharma
WHISTLER, BC
As a point of interest, Sunil, the
aluminum foil could be effective only
if it were grounded. That’s an aside,
however, because a shield like that would
protect only against an electromagnetic
field, which has very short range. Your
problem is caused by the inductance of
the fan motor producing a pulse that is
virtually a square wave, with harmonics
right up into radio frequencies. At those
frequencies the house wiring acts like a
giant transmitting antenna. Nothing can
protect against the results.
Pretty much the only solution is to
keep the pulse from being produced in
the first place. The switch or relay that
controls the fan motor should have a
capacitor across it, to absorb the shock
of the current rushing into the immobilized motor. Washing machines and
refrigerators also need a capacitor across
the relay for the same reason. Perhaps
your fireplace unit was built without
a capacitor, whch is a major blunder,
or — more likely — the capacitor has
blown. Unless you’re comfortable soldering to AC gear, you’ll want an electrician
to handle the job.
If you need to increase the number of
plugs from your SPLC, you’ll need some
sort of power bar. We use the GutWire
StingRay on two of our systems, and
we recommend it. A cheaper alternative
is the Eichmann Power Strip plus a
shielded IEC cord. We wouldn’t consider
an isolation transformer unless we could
budget for one that is very good and,
incidentally, very large. And of course
unless we could figure out where to put
it.
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We should start by mentioning that
the iPod’s mini-plug is not the best solution for getting sound out of it, Nathan.
It’s meant for headphones, and the signal
from it is appropriately amplified. The
dock connector at the bottom of the
iPod includes a line output, which will
sound better because it bypasses the
amplifier circuitry. What you’ll need is
either Apple’s own dock (once included
free, but now an expensive accessory),
or one of the docks available from other
manufacturers.
You will still need that adapter, of
course, and most of them seem to come
from the same manufacturer, differing
only by price and color. The exception
is the one from Monster, which looks
better made, but we haven’t tried it.
I am putting together an entry level
system based principally on your reviews
in UHF Magazine. Thus far I have
decided on the Creek EVO integrated
amplifier, the CEC 3300R CD player,
the Goldring GR1.2 Turntable, and the
Goldring PA-100 phono preamp.
But, when it comes to speakers I
am stumped. I was considering the
Reference 3A MM De Capo-i speakers
until I saw that dreaded word “shrill”
in your review. In fact, your review of
the Reference 3A Dulcet speakers made
them sound like better speakers than
the MM De Capo-i’s. Is that possible,
considering the price difference? Would
you please recommend suitable speakers
for this entry level system up to about
US$2500?.
Billy Carter
ATHENS, AL
Reference Recordings Façade album.
In fact, however, virtually no speakers
using conventional dome tweeters ever
get that piccolo quite right. The MM’s
did do a little worse than our reference
speakers on that particular instrument,
but that is not to say that our reference
gets it right.
The Dulcet is an impressive speaker,
but it’s not possible to say that it is
“better” than its larger brandmate. Its
overall tonal balance was particularly
good, and you might prefer it for that
reason. However it has neither the
dynamic headroom nor the bass extension of the MM de Capo-i. In other
respects the two Reference 3a models
do share aspects of the family sound:
low intermodulation distortion (which
causes blurring of tones), and a wide,
stable stereo image. Not a bad list.
We should qualify that word “shrill,”
Billy. The MM de Capo-i we reviewed
in UHF No. 67 did have a slightly
elevated upper midrange, and that did
cause problems with some instruments,
such as the infamous piccolo in the
First off I must thank you for your
wonderful advice concerning the Benchmark Media DAC1. I’ve ordered one and
it’s on its way!
My question concerns digital connections and transports. Since my Rega
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I have been reading through some
of my old UHF’s, trying to find where
you recommend a mini-plug-to-RCA
adapter (or cable) for the iPod, but have
been unable to do so. Do you recommend a particular adapter?
Nathan Pullar
WHITEHORSE, YK
I have the opportunity to purchase
a YBA CD-1A with the smaller power
supply for C$2200. Since the machine
incorporates older technology, would it
be better for me to pass and purchase,
say, a Shanling CD-200a? Or should I
look for a second-hand Ikemi? A lso, I have seen a second hand
YBA3 power amp for C$700. Would that
be a good buy as well?
Nick Lakoumentas
MONTRÉAL, QC
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The two YBA products do incorporate
older technology, Nick, but good “older”
technology is better than newer technology that was conceived entirely around
the bottom line. That said, we’d take an
Ikemi — if you can find one — ahead of
the older YBA (we presume it’s the one
before the blue LED).
The YBA3 power amp is essentially a
YBA Intégré without its control section,
but the price is right.
Planet CD player only has an RCA digital output, I was thinking of buying your
very own Atlas Compass digital cable. In
your review of the DAC1 (UHF No. 75)
you used the better Atlas Opus digital
cable with a very good CEC transport.
At the time of review did you then use
Benchmark Media’s own BNC-to-RCA
adapter with the Opus? Would this
adapter degrade the sound quality? Out
of all the digital connection types, BNC,
XLR, and TOSLINK, which do you find
to have the best sonic advantage?
In my case would you recommend
that I upgrade my transport, and if so
are there any low cost solutions that
you could recommend? Also, what are
your thoughts on using a late-generation DVD player via either RCA or
TOSLINK as a transport?
Frank Marchesan
CALGARY, AB
We did use the adapter supplied with
the Benchmark, Frank. It’s virtually
identical to the BNC-RCA adapter we
have on our Counterpoint DAC, which is
commonly available from The Source (in
Canada) and Radio Shack (in the US).
We did have the chance to make
some comparisons between coaxial and
optical cables, though not balanced ones.
The best optical link we found was a
glass one, which was from Wireworld
if we recall. It was a near match for the
1 m length Atlas Opus, though not for
the 1.5 m Opus (perhaps a 1.5 m glass
TOSLINK would have done better).
We have also tried conventional plastic
TOSLINKs, and we didn’t like what
we heard. We do think the Rega Planet
is solidly enough built to perform well
with the Benchmark, though the CEC
TL51X could be a nice upgrade. You
might consider a DVD player instead
if you plan to use the system for movies
as well. Mass-market DVD players are
mostly mediocre as transports, but the
best ones can do very well. Our own
two players, a Moon Stellar an a Linn
Unidisk 1.1, are great CD transports
as well, but neither is anywhere close
to what normal people think of as
affordable.
One of my reasons for writing is
something I read in an older edition of
UHF. You were discussing recordable
CDs and you made the comment that
data CDs can be formatted to record
on standalone CD recorders. Could
you please elaborate? I own such a CD
recorder, and I am concerned that the
supply of blank CDs will eventually dry
up, since these machines are not very
popular.
I am an audio professional who currently works in a high-end audio shop. I
recently acquired several older issues of
UHF (back as far as issue 19) and I am
thoroughly enjoying them, even to the
point of pick them up to read instead
of the current issues of the other audio
magazines I subscribe to. It is interesting
to see in these old issues the names of
several readers in the Free Advice column
who are also our clients.
Speaking of Free Advice, how many
times has Toby Earp written to UHF?
Just before writing this email I checked
your web site and, lo and behold, another
correspondence from Toby Earp.
John Chaulk, Jr
TORONTO, ON
Yes, there are names that pop up
regularly in our letters sections, John,
both Feedback and Free Advice. Toby Earp
is certainly a regular, but he isn’t alone
in his fidelity (no pun intended).
But now to your main question.
We have never used a standalone CD
recorder, and as you probably realize the
capabilities of modern computers have
made them pretty much obsolete. We
do recall a method, but we have never
tested it, nor can we now. Perhaps you
can try it and let us know.
The method requires a computer
program, such as Easy Media Creator
or Nero (for Windows), or Toast (for the
Mac). The trick is to set the software to
record a session, and not a complete disc.
Insert a clip consisting of two seconds of
silence. From what we have been told,
the disc can then be used to record.
Of course we are telling you this only
because you are in Canada, where circumventing anti-copy measures cannot
(yet) land you in jail.
We note, however, that even Costco,
which deals in mass-market merchandise
and not niche products, still has Music
CDs, and your standalone recorder won’t
last forever.
Back to your first question…over to
you, Toby!
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able if I want to listen for enjoyment? Or
would such a speaker actually be a happy
choice if I wanted something better than
Logitech can offer?
Toby Earp,
MONTREAL, QC
We would also look for a used amplifier, Toby, and in fact it doesn’t need
to be a receiver or an integrated amp.
Most computers have their own volume
controls, so a power amp may in fact do
very well. And the compact speakers you
mention will almost certainly be a few
leagues beyond even the better powered
computer speakers.
Small studio speakers usually are
“revealing,” as you say, but in part it’s
because they’re intended for near-field
listening. In most studios they’ll be positioned right on the back of the mixing
console, and with the very short distance
from the listener there is little dispersion
of the highs, as there are in the more
usual room placement. Of course, you
may use them the same way.
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 17 Feedback
Advice
Free
I am being asked (okay, I’m butting
in to other people’s conversations) about
speakers for people who listen to music at
their computer, whether desktop or portable. Seems this is the coming thing...
(Sorry, I tried to teach my grandmother
to suck eggs once too!)
Personally I would opt for a vintage
amp or receiver (and some small speakers) if I had the desktop space, or small
powered speakers if I didn’t. What do
you think about the possibilities involving small powered speakers?
I would not look at the kind of thing
they sell in computer stores (although
names like Klipsch, HK and JBL are
available there). Instead I would be
curious about monitors for desktop
studio setups, like the Samson Resolv
40a, others from M-Audio, or the NHT
M-00, which appears to compete with
Mackie at the higher end.
Is this kind of speaker designed, as
studio types sometimes claim, to be
ruthlessly revealing (which I interpret
to mean bright), and therefore unsuit-
Up to *320% more conductivity
than the RCA or Banana plug
you presently use.
You can have it all
in Edmonton
BeyerDynamic
Creek
Cyrus
DNM
Eichmann
Epos
The Funk Firm
Ringmat
Soundcare
Visonik
but only at
Advice
Feedback
Free
8205 Argyll Road
Edmonton, Alberta
780-485-9770
www.sarahaudio.com
I’ve been a subscriber to UHF for
many years and would appreciate some
advice.
My dedicated sound system, which
was purchased in 1999, is composed of a
Bryston BP25 preamp, 3B ST power amp
and Arcam 8se CD player and Denon
560 multidisc player (for parties/Christmas). The speakers are Linn Keilidhs.
Everything is wired and connected with
good Kimber Kable products.
The Arcam player has stopped working and is being evaluated for repair,
which brings up my question. I would
like to take this opportunity to upgrade
my source. I have read that Bryston has
a DAC they can install in preamps, so
that I could use the Arcam or Denon as
a transport. Is this a good option?
If not, and if the Arcam cannot be
repaired, what options can you recommend in CD players ?
Shaun Wight
KINGSTON,ON
Shaun, if it turns out the Arcam can’t
be repaired, or if the repair cost is prohibitive, that pretty much makes up your
mind for you. Even so, we have doubts
about the 8se’s suitability as a high end
transport. As for the Denon, its present
role as a party machine is pretty much
what it’s suited for.
Bryston does indeed offer the option
of a DAC in its preamplifiers, but the
BP25 is no longer a current model,
and you would need to find out from
Bryston whether the DAC meant for
the current BP26 can be retrofitted to
yours. If it can, you will then need to
find a transport, and they are no longer
as common as they once were. Our CEC
TL51X is one of the surviving ones, and
we can recommend it warmly. Having an
external DAC offers an extra advantage:
you can later connect a computer, or a
device such as the Squeezebox, to it for
very high quality sound without using
a CD transport. That sort of suggests
that your Denon’s next stop will be the
attic.
If those options are too expensive,
there are plenty of decent one-box players now: from Rega, Creek, Rotel and
others. Our guess, for what it’s worth,
is that in the next few years all but true
high end CD players will be pushed off
the market by the newer option: music
from your computer.
I have a wonderful time reading your
magazine! Thank you for the good work
you do.
After reading issue No. 78, I’ve
bought the Audio Space As-3i that you
reviewed recently. It is a major step from
my Linn Majik! I’m very pleased with the
sound.
To complement my system (AudioSpace AS-3i, Linn Genki, Oppo digital
universal reader, Squeezebox, homemade speakers from a kit from Solen,
upgraded power cable), I’d like to get
a DAC to use with my Squeezebox and
the Oppo multi reader (can it be better
than the Genki as a transport with a
good DAC?). You reviewed recently the
DAC1 from Benchmark (that you liked)
and the CEC DA53 (that you liked too).
In your opinion, which would be a better
choice? I wouldn’t really bother with the
USB input of the CEC, since I use my
Squeezebox for the music I have on my
computer.
Or do you have any other choice to
suggest? (I may have an opportunity for
an Ack! dAck 2.0.) Philippe Chouinard
SAINT-BRUNO, QC
You’re right that you don’t need a
USB input on your DAC, since your
Squeezebox has two conventional digital
outputs. Both the CEC and the Benchmark would work very well, but we
consider the Benchmark to be especially
interesting. We have never heard the
Ack! dAck!, though we love the name.
I was inspired by your article HighRes Discs? Roll Your Own in issue No. 77.
I still have my LP collection from the
60’s and later, and have been buying
new vinyl and analog equipment in the
past four years. I purchased a PreSonus
Firebox and have been making 96k x
24-bit DVD-V discs with Audio DVD
Creator on a PC (the only authoring
software I could find, but it works fine
using Nero to burn).
I have a Panasonic S52 now that plays
DVD-A and DVD-V and am researching if a better player might improve the
sound and be worth the extra money. Do
I look for SACD playback also in a new
player? Do you consider it significant
for the future of SACD that Blu-Ray
players (e.g. Panasonic BMP-BD10) have
backward compatibility for DVD-A and
DVD-V but not SACD?
David Elm
COCHRANE AB
Frankly it puzzles us, David. SACD is
Sony’s own system, and indeed Sony has
been touting DSD (the encoding system
behind SACD) as the ideal archival
format for recording. But Sony is no
longer its old self. The company appears
to have lost its way, which is why, despite
initial triumphs of Blu-Ray over HD
DVD and of SACD over DVD-Audio,
it is still seeking to snatch defeat from
the jaws of victory.
But hey, we’re not here to do corporate psychoanalysis, especially for no
pay. Your hunch is correct that not all
DVD players sound alike, any more than
all CD players or turntables sound alike.
A superior DVD player will certainly
give better results from your own 24/96
recordings, and also from commercial
For a while now I have had hi-fi ambitions, yet a decidedly low/mid-fi system.
When my old bookshelf speakers bit the
dust last fall, it gave me a great excuse
to convince my wife it was time for an
upgrade. We settled on a pair of B&W
DM603s.
They are my first floor-standers, and
they definitely reveal much more of…
well, everything, including how nasty
the upper midrange sounds on average
rock/pop CDs (even after the break-in
period, which itself was brutal). Some
of my better sounding CDs (e.g. Buena
Vista Social Club, Ana Caram, etc) fare
better yet do not inspire. I guess that’s
what you get for hooking up the B&W’s
to a Sony CDP-400 carousel and a
Harman Kardon HK3350 receiver.
This brings me to my point. I was
thinking about the Benchmark DAC as
way to upgrade my source, particularly
since I am also a bit of a headphone
fan too. Would this be a worthwhile
upgrade? Or would I be better off investing in a better single-unit CD player
for about the same price? I guess I was
wondering how much the transport
matters to overall sound quality?
Brian Foster
BALTIMORE, MD
It matters a lot, Brian, as does the
cable between the transport and the
DAC. That isn’t to say adding a Benchmark won’t improve the sound, because
it will, but we don’t suggest doing it
unless you have plans to save a little more
money and eventually relegate the Sony
carousel to where it belongs. Which is
not in a music system that will be used
for serious listening. But if you want an
eventual quality two-box player, the
Benchmark is a good first step. Expect
a much smoother top end, though little
in the way of coherence and understandable musical structure. When you add a
quality transport and cable, that’s where
the real fire begins.
GET FREE ADVICE
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24/96 recordings. It should also work
much better as a movie player.
Whether you should give a player
extra points if it plays SACD depends on
your own musical taste. Sony itself seems
to have little interest in turning out
SACD titles, but a number of audiophile
recording companies have embraced the
format and continue to feed the catalog.
For instance, such companies as Opus 3
and Chesky now make their new releases
available only in SACD form. Of course
those small labels tend to record classical
music, jazz and blues, not mainstream
popular music. Some music lovers are
therefore in a position to build up quite
substantial SACD libraries, while others
are not.
Check your current library and see
which category you’re in.
Acoustics
I
Part III
ABSORBING REFLECTIONS
began this new series on acoustics
by explaining the workings of an
anechoic chamber, a room that,
were it perfect, would absorb all
sound that didn’t reach your ear directly.
Though such a room is useful for testing, it is not where you would choose to
listen to music, either live or reproduced.
Reverberation, then, is our friend.
Excessive reverberation, nonetheless,
is too much of a good thing. It is fortunate that there is inevitable energy loss
in even the simplest room, for otherwise
the reverberation of a single note would
continue forever. We have the law of
conservation of energy to thank for
that.
If you recall touring an empty house
or apartment, you probably noticed how
hollow a room can sound. That will
be especially true of an apartment in a
modern tower, built into a rigid concrete
shell. You could clap your hands, and
you would hear a plethora of echoes that
seemed to go on and on.
Fortunately it is not as bad as that
once you move in. Even with a few basic
furnishings, such as rug, drapes, some
chairs, a sofa and perhaps a bookcase,
the worst of the reverberation will have
been tamed, and you will no longer have
difficulty carrying on a conversation.
Whether that is good enough for listening to music is another matter.
The unfortunate fact is that many
household materials and furnishings
absorb higher frequencies more efficiently that low frequencies, or even
what we perceive as midrange frequencies. This is unavoidable if your room is
to resemble a normal living space and
not a recording studio or a laboratory.
However, in choosing your decor, it can
be useful to understand what sort of
materials can absorb what frequencies.
The coefficient of absorption
We are always happier when we can
measure things, and to do so means
having a scale of measurement. The
absorption coefficient is a unitless measure
of a material’s efficiency in absorbing
sound. A material which absorbs all
sound, the audio equivalent of a perfectly
black surface, would have an absorption
coefficient of one. If it absorbs half the
energy, it has a coefficient of 0.5. You
will already be aware that this coefficient
is not a fixed value, but a curve. Any
material other than our idealized perfect
absorber will have a different coefficient
at different frequencies.
I shall use the coefficient of absorption in discussing specific materials,
showing approximate curves. In designing or evaluating a room, however,
knowing that coefficient is not enough.
The more surface the material covers,
the more energy it will absorb. That is
why, in room design, we use another unit,
the Sabin (named for Wallace Clement
Sabine, the architect of Boston’s Symphony Hall, among other performance
spaces). The Sabin is a unit of total
energy absorbed at any given frequency.
Unfortunately there are two units with
the same name, one for metric surface
measures used in nearly all of the world,
and square feet, still used in the US and
Britain, notably, where many textbooks
are published.
Acoustic tiles
This industrial product is made of
compressed fibre, and it is widely used
in office spaces to reduce reverberation
and therefore to quieten working areas.
Since these tiles do seem to work, some
audiophiles have adopted them for their
listening rooms, covering their ceilings
and even parts of walls with these tiles.
They are likely to be disappointed,
for reasons we shall see in a moment.
As I explained in an earlier installment of this series, the ability of a material to absorb lower frequencies depends,
by Paul Bergman
in part, on its thickness. That is because
the longer wavelength of low-frequency
sound enables it to travel through thin
materials and bounce from whatever is
on the other side. Thus, an absorption
curve for the glued tile might look like
this.
This is not encouraging. At higher
frequencies absorption is certainly high,
not far from 90% efficiency. At lower
frequencies, however, it has little effect.
Since there are all too many household
materials with similar absorption profiles, we may have made our acoustics
worse, with too little reverberation in the
highs, and far too much in the lows.
In actual fact that is not the way these
tiles are used in offices. The ceiling is
typically a suspended grid, with the tiles
dropped into the grid. We might now
have a curve that looks like this.
The green cur ve is t hat of t he
suspended tiles. One can see that it is
much more effective than the glued tile.
Around 250 Hz, not far from middle C
on the musical scale, it absorbs about
half the acoustic energy. This is by no
means perfect, but we may be on the
right track.
The curve can only be approximative,
I hasten to add, for a great deal depends
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Acoustics
on the characteristics of the space above
the tiles. Its depth is a factor, but so is its
breadth. I have drawn the green curve
to approximate absorption of tiles with
about 8 cm of empty space above (or
behind) them. Filling that space with
appropriate material would have a most
interesting effect, but I shall touch on
that in the next installment, when I
discuss resonators.
The effect provided by the space
behind acoustic tiles may give you a clue
to the effect that can be expected from other materials.
Drapes and curtains
It is generally assumed that mounting drapes on a window, and especially
a large window, will help with absorption of sound. Conversely, anyone who
has sent the living room drapes out to
be cleaned has noticed how much the
character of the room changed. Glass
has a very low coefficient of absorption.
Drapes certainly have a higher one, but
it can vary considerably.
The rest of the article is available in
our print issue, and on the paid on-line
issue as well. What follows is nearly, but
not entirely, unlike Latin.
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Acoustics
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ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 23 Acoustics
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Feature
right to the Las Vegas Strip, at the
Venetian. These are upscale digs and
no mistake, but I talked to a number of
decidedly unhappy exhibitors.
The smaller rooms were in the hotel
tower, and finding them required exploration skills, though CES had placed a
number of guides in strategic places to
point visitors the right way. Even so,
the rooms were oddly distributed, with
some exhibitors (Simaudio and Sumiko
for example) way off by themselves.
Even less happy were the well-heeled
companies that had reserved ballrooms
in the Venetian convention area. In fact
they wound up with sections of ballrooms,
divided up with acoustically porous curtains. Once again, the exhibits were scattered, and the signs need rethinking.
So does the press centre at the Sands,
just behind the Venetian. The old Alexis
Park press centre had become the best of
the three, with friendly staff, by far the
best snacks, and WiFi that was available
24 hours a day. The Sands press centre,
by contrast, featured stale bagels and
toxic coffee…and no WiFi! On the press
day I cancelled two meetings so that I
by Gerard Rejskind
could work with WiFi at the Apple Store
was featuring Tony Orlando. Yes, Tony at a nearby shopping mall, but not before
filing a written protest. The next day
Orlando.
Vegas is a town of perpetual conven- WiFi had been installed, though with
tions, though no other gets as many bandwidth that felt like dialup.
visitors as CES (probably over 50,000, There was one more problem at the
though the official figure won’t be out Venetian: parking. On Day One I parked
until April). Most of the visitors were on the 11th floor of what was supposed
concentrated at the LVCC (“the zoo” to to be a ten-floor parking structure — I
CES regulars), but that’s not where most took to referring to the Venetian as the
high end audio exhibits are. And therein “Spinal Tap hotel.” The problem came
once the show closed, when it took some
lies a tale.
For some years the high end com- three hours to file out.
panies were hived into the Alexis Park Now the good side: this really is a big
complex, today billed as a “villa,” though show, and seeing even a fraction of it as
it’s more like a motel. well as the rebel show in four days and
One obvious draw- a bit is more than a challenge. You have
back from the view- to pick carefully what you’re going to do,
point of CES is that and you need good shoes.
the “rebel” high end And also a well-planned itinerary.
event, T.H.E.Show, There were two after-hours exhibitions,
had set up shop right an independent one called Showstoppers,
next door at the St. and a similar competing one titled CES
Tropez. This year Unveiled, the latter a full two days before
the high end moved the show opened. Then there was the
Vegas Fiesta
N
o other city in the world
is likely to challenge Las
Vegas for the Consumer
Electronics Show. Four
years ago the Las Vegas Convention
Center actually doubled in size just to
accommodate CES. As for hotel capacity…well, tourist storage is one of the
major industries of this desert oasis.
Of course there’s plenty of entertainment for those who don’t spend all their
time at CES. Some of it is surprising.
The sign at my hotel, shown below,
stopped me in my tracks. You mean
Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell are
still alive? The week before the hotel
press day, centred around the Sands convention complex. Of the four days of the show itself, I spent a day
at the Venetian tower, one in the Venetian ballrooms,
one at the zoo, and one at T.H.E.Show. The products
you see here are from a mix of them all.
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 27 Feature
Feedback
Speakers and more speakers
I have a love-hate relationship with loudspeakers
at shows. On one hand they are the most radically different of all products, matched only by an odd mutant
tube amplifier. On the other hand anyone can build a
loudspeaker that works, and it shows. “Anybody” does.
There are, however, speakers from major manufacturers, which are noteworthy for that reason alone. Then
there are speakers that sound particularly excellent,
and there are others that are…interesting.
The tall speaker to the left looks like a lot of
narrow arrays I’ve seen (and, alas, heard) over the
years. It is, however, from a major manufacturer,
Anthony Gallo. Called the Reference 5 LS, it features
a dozen woofers, which you can’t see in the picture
because they face backward (this isn’t a speaker you
want to pin against the wall). On the front are eight
small midrange speakers, and seven CDT piezo film
tweeters. That tweeter was actually developed 17 years
ago, by the way. Arrays like this are usually deficient
in one or more ways, though this one is clearly an
exception. The spectrum of frequencies was at
once broad and balanced. As you would expect
from the narrow profile and the wide-angled
tweeters, the stereo image is particularly good.
Interestingly enough, the source for the
demonstration was neither a CD player nor
a turntable, but a Macintosh computer.
At last year’s CES Thiel had a
teaser: its new CS3.7 flagship speaker,
complete down to the…well, except for
the crossover network. That was no
mere detail, because Jim Thiel builds
crossovers with parts counts rivalling
those of amplifiers. A year later it’s all
done. That’s it at left, and it is quite
unlike the competition. The special
drivers use aluminum membranes, and
the big cap atop the enclosure is also
aluminum. Anyone who has followed
Thiel all these years — it is 30 years
old this year — will realize that this
new speaker is way smaller than its
one-time flagship, the sarcophaguslike CS5. On the evidence of what I
heard (at the Thiel room and also at
the Simaudio room), it’s way better
than that speaker ever was. A pair of
CS3.7’s will cost $9900.
But hey, a box is a box, right?
Where are the radical loudspeaker
designs? Well, from Russia comes an
unusual set of home theatre speakers
from Bolzano Villetri, at right. The
bigger of the two is called the Torre
and the smaller one is the Piazetta
(all of them have
Italianate names).
As you can guess,
the radiation pattern is not limited
to a narrow stream.
I must say that the
room was a little too
small to do justice
to these speakers,
but as you would
expect from a 360°
speaker, the image
was solid even if I
wandered well out of
the sweet spot. The
price of these large
speakers is $11,400,
rather less than the
size and finish (and,
yes, the sound) would
suggest. But remember
these are for home
theatre, so you won’t
want to stop at just
two speakers.
Much more expensive were the Naim DBL speakers, at
$27,150. The formula is the usual: a wide
speaker with a very large woofer right
up against the wall. The demo could
have used work, but I was surprised by
the precision of the stereo image. Wide
speakers are usually really bad at this.
At right is the Focus Audio 2.5 (the
picture is from their site, because these
speakers are difficult to photograph). I
thought it looked rather like a Master 3
speaker that had been chopped in half
(or, looking at it another way, the Master
3 looks like two of these stacked vertically). It sounded superb on a recording
with an especially chunky double bass.
Indeed, it sounded much more natural
than the larger speakers, with their
tendency to overpower the typical cardboard-walled hotel room. The Focus
Audio speakers were driven by a pair of
gigantic VA monoblocks.
I still hate walking to a room with
a speaker I don’t know, because there
are so many. But some have a way of
grabbing attention. Read on.
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Spot the Italian speaker
We know that Italian manufacturers have a certain “look,”
and that is especially true of speakers. So you should be able
to tell at a glance which of the three speakers shown above
are from Italy.
We now switch to Latin, or something like it. Of course
the print issue and the electronic issue at magzee.com are
complete, down to the last word.
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ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 35 Y
ou won’t be surprised to learn
that home theatre is a big deal
at any Consumer Electronics Show. The 2007 edition
Room
Feedback
Listening
carried on the tradition.
There was the usual battle of the
really big screens, including some screens
Cinema
that can be installed only in unfinished
houses, because they are bigger than you
could fit into any door or window (but
what do you do with them when they
die, take a chain
saw to them?). An
example: Sharp’s
2 75 c m (t h a t ’s
10 8 i nch) LCD.
Yes, it’s an LCD,
which as we know
are difficult to build
large (what are the
o d d s of h a v i n g
dead pi xels on a
screen that large?).
The company
swears that the new
monster is not just
a mine-is-biggerthan-yours exercise,
but is actually headed
for market this year. Who needs
a 108" set? “They used to ask us the
same thing about 65-inch sets,” a Sharp
executive told us.
There’s more than size involved.
The new Sharp sets supposedly have
a contrast ratio of 15,000:1,
which puts them into plasma
territor y. More startling
is a claim of future panels
with 1,000,000:1 contrast.
Since this would be ten times
greater than a CRT, we suspect some decimal places got
mislaid.
Philips wasn’t participating in the size competition,
preferring instead to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of its first plasma TV (the
first one ever, according to
Philips). To mark the event,
it was showing a diamondbedecked monitor (shown
above left), produced in conjunction with De Beers. No,
you can’t order one.
HDMI was a hot topic,
with a number of companies
claiming to have HDM I
systems that work…in the
pipeline. Or else promising firmware
updates real soon now. Meanwhile, Philips was promising what it calls wireless
HDMI, which will carry high definition
video and uncompressed(?) multichannel audio as far as 10 metres, from your
DVD player over here all the way to
your monitor and your audio processor
over there. We don’t know how well it
will work, or even if it will work at all,
but at least it doesn’t share the 2.4 GHz
band with WiFi, wireless phones and
microwave ovens.
Netgear was also previewing a sort
of wireless HDMI, but the company
was living dangerously. Its system is
compatible not with HDMI v1.3 but with
v1.1, which doesn’t work correctly. And
it puts out its signal on the overcrowded
2.4 GHz band, but using 802.11n, which
is an unfinished draft standard.
Not present, alas, was SED, the joint
venture of Canon and Toshiba, which
last year wowed the crowds with possibly
the best TV display technology ever.
The first sets (“at competitive prices,”
they then said) were promised for 2007.
They’re now pushed back to 2008, and
there’s doubt about that too, because the
partnership has fallen apart, and Canon
is buying out Toshiba’s share. But it was
the Toshiba people who were pushing
for an early launch.
twirls the disc
t hrough its
gap (there
is also a
manual
model) and
shaves a very fine layer off the
play i ng su r face to remove
scratches and strawberry jam.
We wondered what it would do
to a Blu-Ray disc, whose playing side is six times thinner
than that of a conventional
DVD. Somewhat slicker
(and also a lot bigger) is
the Skip-Away, the red
device styled like a cafe
booth jukebox terminal. Both
take up counter space, and it
was hard not to think of some old
slogans: It slices, it dices…
We’re very fond of Harmony remote
controls, and indeed we own two. The
new Harmony 1000 (prominent ly
labelled with the logo of Harmony’s
parent company, Logitech), shown
here. It has physical buttons only for
the most basic functions, with the rest
relegated to a touch screen. Programming, as usual, will be done by plugging
the remote into a computer USB port
and going to the Harmony Web site.
We’re used to remotes like this costing
thousands, which is why we think the
projected US$500 price is less than
startling…except in the good sense.
What can we expect to see in home
theatre in the next couple of years?
On the basis of this year’s CES, we’re
not sure. Higher definition is definitely
on the radar. A number of companies
were showing displays capable (they
said) of 1080p, which means 1080
lines of progressive content, not
interlaced. And that’s despite the fact
that there are no 1080p sources at the
moment, not HD DVD, not Blu-Ray,
and certainly not your local HD
television channel. At the same time, a tremendous amount of R&D and marketing
money is being spent on putting video
onto ridiculously small screens, such as
iPods and portable phones. The fact that
some of these sources are billed as “high
definition” compounds the absurdity.
While CES was going on, Steve
Jobs was at Macworld in San Francisco,
launching the Apple TV, a small box
that can stream music (from iTunes) and
video content to your television set.
In uncompressed form? Dream on. In
a world where MP3 is billed as “near 3-D
quality,” don’t assume that new means
better.
Feedback
Listening
For years there have been prototypes
of 3-D television systems — the first
one we ever saw was demonstrated at a
National Film Board conference in 1989!
The one with the most success so far
is that of Sensio, a Canadian company
whose system uses expensive LCD
glasses. At CES we spotted the booth of
Zalman (shown on the previous page), a
Korean company with a less expensive
alternative. It has found a way to polarize
the light from its two images so that the
spectator can use lower-priced polarized
glasses. It was even showing a recording
of a live soccer match. Interesting.
Many people had predicted that, by
now, either HD DVD or Blu-Ray would
have passed into history, leaving the way
for the (presumably bruised) winner to
actually get working products to market.
No such luck.
The “solution” was proposed by LG,
which splashed a gigantic poster all over
a tall building, as you can see on the
previous page. A good idea? We don’t
think so. You’ll be buying both Blu-Ray
and HD DVDs plus this player. Then
one day this player will stop working,
only one of the formats will still be alive,
and half your disc investment will be
orphaned. By the way, do you still have
your old LaserDiscs?
CES was top-heavy (and bottomheavy too when it comes to that) with
media players, which fit in the hand and
can play music and video. Somewhat
in its own category was the SanDisk
V-Mate, which you see at bottom right.
Think of it as a very small VCR which
uses SanDisk’s own memor y cards
instead of tapes. You then insert the card
into your computer, phone or PDA. In
fact you can use it with anything but a
large-screen TV, because there is a lot of
compression going down here.
Do you have problems keeping your
DVDs (or your CDs even) scratch-free
and clean? We’ve always found that a
clean microfibre cloth does wonders,
but then we aren’t like Sony, which is to
say we don’t have a dog that runs around
with discs in its jaws. Is there a market
for machines that make bad discs like
new?
Perhaps, and two of them are shown
at the top of this page. The beige one
is the Skip Doctor Automax, which
Listening Room
JAS Oscar Speakers
T
here’s Chinese, and then
there’s Chinese. Hong Kong
left the British Empire for
China a decade ago, but
its industrial culture remains distinct
from that of the mainland even today.
Take the case of hi-fi. There are lots
of great-looking Chinese loudspeakers
today, but these are…very clearly New
Territories.
Particular care has been taken with
the enclosures. Notice the sculpted
sides, which hint at their thickness and
at the mass of internal bracing. What
you might not notice is that the speakers are not rectangular. They are wider
at the rear than at the front, broader at
the bottom than at the top. The solid
aluminum supports, anodized in flawless black, would be the envy of many
a competitor with upscale ambitions.
Are those WBT binding posts at the
rear? No, though they are a convincing
knockoff. There are just two of them, not
four, which suggests a series crossover,
which cannot be biwired.
As for that lacquered finish… Well,
China needs no lessons from the rest of
the world on that.
JAS refers to the Oscar as a “two and a
half-way” system, which we take to mean
that the two woofer-midrange drivers
are not simply connected in parallel but
play an overlapping role. The tweeter,
shown in closeup on the next page, is
a double aluminum ribbon, covering
the range from 2.5 kHz to a claimed
60 kHz.
We gave the Oscars several days of
break-in time, even though we were told
they were not brand new, and then set
them up in Our Omega room. Initially
we placed them exactly the way our
Reference 3a Suprema reference speakers
are placed. We put on the first of half a
dozen LPs, Walton’s tone poem Façade
(Reference Recordings RR-16) and had
an initial listen.
They didn’t sound right, with a little
too much top end and not really enough
bottom. Worse, they seemed lifeless,
with all of the good humor sucked out
of the performance. The tone was dry
and overly analytical, which is of course
not the way real music sounds.
Perhaps backing the Oscars up closer
to the wall would help. We did and then
we tried the same recording again. At
this point they were alarmingly close to
the rear wall, and they didn’t seem happy
being there.
At Albert’s suggestion we pulled
them forward again, several centimetres
closer than our reference speakers had
been. At the same time we pulled them
farther apart. Because of the angled
placement in our room, that had the
effect of positioning them even farther
from the rear wall. We were clearly on
Summing it up…
Brand/model: JAS Oscar
Price: C$3,899 (equiv. US$3,355)
Size (HWD): 102 x 22 x 33 cm
Sensitivity: 90 dB
Impedance: 4 ohms
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wisi tetueros nos autat lutat prat, commy
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elenisi.
luptat.
Feedback
Listening
the right track, and after some
adjustment of the angling of
the speakers — we toed them
in a little but not much — we
declared ourselves satisfied.
A s we u sua l ly do, we
adjusted the volume until all
three of us were happy with
it. We noted that we were
then running them 1.5 dB
louder than our own speakers…which seemed plausible,
since our speakers are rated at
a sensitivity of 92 dB and the
Oscars at 90 dB.
There’s a really…well, we’d
love to give away everything
we do, but staying in business
has always appealed to us (and,
judging by the letters we get, a
lot of other people want us to stay around
too). That's why the rest of this review
will be in faux Latin. You can of course
get the full version in the print issue, or
from our on-line electronic edition at
magzee.com.
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commod ea aut essequate ming ea facin
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augiamcore commy nisi.
bla facip et autatis autem.
Room
Feedback
Listening
CROSSTALK
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I
Sonneteer Sedley USB
Fortunately, the Sedley will handle
pretty much any cartridge. A series of
tiny DIP switches at the rear allow you
to select the gain (MM or MC), the input
resistance, and even the capacitance. To
match our Goldring Excel cartridge, we
selected the MC position and a 100 ohm
load. The “correct” capacitance depends
on how much capacitance the cable from
your turntable already has. Since ours
has a two-metre cable, we figured we
didn’t need to dial in more capacitance.
The typical phono preamp is halfsized, about 25 cm wide, the better to
tuck it away where it won’t be noticed.
The Sedley USB is a full-width component, the size of the typical integrated
amplifier. It is in fact the same size as
our Audiomat Phono-1.5 phono preamp,
though it is a good deal heavier. There’s
a reason for the extra size, and it has
everything to do with the “USB” designation. The Sedley actually contains
both a digital-to-analog converter and
an analog-to-digital converter.
You can probably guess what they are
for. The ADC converts your turntable’s
signal to digital data, which can then
f low into your computer via a USB
connection, and be recorded digitally.
You can then burn a CD of the music,
and you can also import the music into
A phono preamp, yes,
but one with a nod to
the computer age
iTunes for transfer to an iPod. As for the
DAC, it can grab music from your computer hard disc and turn it into analog
for your music system, with quality that
is undoubtedly much better than the
usual sound card can manage. Changing
from one function to the other requires
nothing more than flipping a switch,
hidden under the unit but easy to find
nonetheless.
We had initial misgivings about this
arrangement, worrying that putting
what is essentially a computer board into
the same chassis as very sensitive analog
circuitry might not be a good plan. Sonneteer has figured a clever workaround.
The two digital USB circuits are powered by your computer, not the Sedley’s
own power supply. Pull the USB plug,
as you can when you’re enjoying the
joys of analog, and they shut down. Of
course that means you need to use one
of the computer’s own USB ports, not an
unpowered hub. (See the sidebar Hooking
it All Up on the next page).
The included CD contains t wo
programs that allow recording on a
Windows PC. One is a trial version of
LP Recorder, and it will let you record
only four minutes unless you pay US$35.
The other is the open source Audacity.
We like Audacity, as we have mentioned
before, and if you use it we recommend
downloading the latest version. There
are versions for Mac OS X and for
Linux as well as Windows. Of course if
you have some other favorite recording
software, you can use it.
Feedback
Listening
s it our imagination, or are there
more and more phono preamplifiers on the market? Certainly there
are more and more turntables. LP
sales, once considered a phenomenon of
a bygone era, are soaring (sort of). What
do you get when you plug a turntable
into most amplifiers? Nothing. That
just won’t do.
Sonneteer is a British company
that makes, among other products, the
BardOne, those twin modules that use
radio waves to get sound from here to
over there (they were reviewed in UHF
No. 73). It was also one of the first to
offer digital power amps, which have
since become a fad. The Sedley is totally
different from what we’ve seen before
from the company.
To be fair, this is the second Sonneteer phono stage bearing the Sedley
name (Sir Charles Sedley was a 17th
Century dramatist, and Sedley is also a
very small town in Saskatchewan — we
leave it to you to figure out the likely
inspiration). The original Sedley is still
made, but this one has an extra feature
that is right in tune with the times. We'll
get to it in a moment.
It’s a mystery to us why so many of
those new phono preamps, even those
with plump price tags, can accommodate
only high output cartridges, those with
a nominal output voltage of well over a
millivolt. Any customer for an expensive phono preamp is also a potential
customer for a low-output moving coil
cartridge, and may have one already.
Hooking It All Up
Room
Feedback
Listening
The basic setup is obvious. Plug the turntable’s cable into the input, and run
an interconnect from the output to an input on your preamp or integrated amp. If
the turntable also has a ground wire, connect it to the black post at the rear of the
Sedley (if it causes hum instead of reducing it, disconnect it).
Then set the little white-on-blue DIP
switches at the rear according to the
instructions.
For an MM cartridge the load resistance needs to be 47 kΩ. For an MC
cartridge a resistance of 100 Ω is probably right, unless the cartridge manufacturer says differently. The load capacitance
is something you may have to set by ear, but don’t be too surprised if you have
trouble telling the difference.
Then connect the included USB cable from the square plug
at the rear to a USB port on your computer.
You should see the Sedley showing up on your desktop
under the name “USB Audio Codec. ”Fire up some recording software (two of them are included with the Sedley, and
select the Sedley as both the input and the output. You can
then record your LPs as they play. By flipping a switch which
is located on the bottom but easily locatable from the front
with a fingertip, you can listen to your recording through
it.
In our Alpha room, where we did the
listening, we had difficulty getting the
Sedley as quiet as we would have liked,
but that is common in that room, which
was soundproofed with (unfortunately
ungrounded) sheet lead. Still, careful
dressing of the cables gave us quite
reasonable results. The Sedley was much
quieter in our Omega room.
We began with an especially dynamic
wind band selection, the March from
Gustav Holst’s Suite in F (Reference
Recordings RR-39). This recording
is full of energy, and that was the way
it emerged from the Sonneteer. The
impact — and Holst knew all about
impact if anyone did — was phenomenal. The plentiful transient attacks,
which can be downright deadly on too
many phono preamps, were just right,
neither artificially enhanced nor too
dull. The multitude of details in the
complex woodwind passages was clear
and attractive. All of the instrumental
timbres were gorgeous.
Was the bottom end diminished by
comparison with our Audiomat reference phono preamp? Gerard thought it
might be, though certainly the sound
could not possibly be described as thin.
There was nothing noticeably missing,
though our own preamp added a bit
of body, of richness, that is difficult to
define. “You know,” said Albert after we
had discussed this for a bit, “if you had
a muddy-sounding system this could be
just what it takes to clean it right up.”
We had a second wind band piece,
with the same orchestra, the Dallas
Wind Band, with Frederick Fennell
on the podium this time. The album
is Beachcomber (Reference Recordings
RR-62), and the selection was the suite
from the musical A Chorus Line.
Though there was an inevitable
similarity to the first recording (same
orchestra, same recording engineer) we
found hardly anything to complain about
this time. Once again the impact was
flawless, with both energy and accuracy.
There was an attractive spaciousness,
and a galaxy of fine detail, with clean
timbres. The percussion, which varied
from a large drum to tiny high-pitched
instruments, was gorgeous.
“I don’t think the big drum is quite
as powerful as with our reference,” said
Gerard, “but there’s a nice dry snap to
the sound of the mallet on the drum
surface, and that’s great.”
The Sedley did wonderfully well with
Take the ‘A’ Train from the LP version of
the Ray Brown Trio’s prodigious Soular
Energy album. Brown’s thundering bass
had plenty of bottom end energy, but at
the same time it was transparent enough
that it never hid softer sounds, such as
the gentle brushing of the snare drum, or
the subtle shimmer of the cymbal. The
piano, like the other instruments, had a
realistic timbre even when Gene Harris
reached for the keys at the extreme
right of the keyboard. The rhythm was
communicative, the image rock solid.
“There’s a good balance,” said Albert,
“and the musicians don’t wander around,
they’re rooted to the soil.”
We know that a test like this has
to include a female vocalist, and we
pulled out an old classic that went out of
production years ago. It’s Ain’t No Cure
For Love from Jennifer Warnes’ superb
album of Leonard Cohen songs, Famous
Blue Raincoat.
It was close to perfect, with Warnes’
expressive voice clear, with subtle
inflections and modulations. Was she
hardening up when she sang louder?
Reine thought she might be, though she
wasn’t certain. Once again the instruments and her voice didn’t run together,
and we could hear every syllable with
pleasure. The words were especially easy
to follow.
The Sedley is, then, a very good
phono preamp, but of course it is
designed to be more than that. Could
the USB connection be used to make
superior digital recordings?
To determine the answer, we chose
two particularly good LP selections.
The first was Eric Bibb’s Good Stuff
from the Opus 3 album of the same
title (LP19603). Not only is this a very
good recording, but the LP was cut at
45 rpm, and the pressing is nothing less
than flawless. The second was also from
Opus 3, though one that today exists
only as a CD, Thérèse Juel’s haunting
song Restgarnskoftan from her album
Levande.
We recorded each twice. The first
version was done with our Audiomat
reference phono stage and our Moon
P-8 preamplifier, feeding an Edirol UA-
25 digitizer box. The box was plugged
into the USB connector of a MacBook
Pro running the open source recording software Audacity (http://audacity.
sourceforge.net). The recordings were
exported as AIFF files, the Macintosh
format for uncompressed PCM audio.
For the second recording, we used
the Sedley phono stage and ran its USB
output directly into the MacBook Pro,
using the same software.
Once we had the four files we burned
them onto a Maxell CD-R with Toast
Titanium 7. To avoid any unlikely
glitches, we recorded at 1X, even though
our CD burner is capable of 48X recording. We then compared the recordings
on our Linn Unidisk 1.1 player through
our Alpha system.
Reine and Albert both found the
Sedley’s version superior. Bibb’s voice
was clearer, his singing more expressive.
The distinctive sounds of the two guitars, one of which is a bottleneck, were
well rendered, and they were impossible
to confuse. “The image is strange with
the reference,” said Reine, “but with the
Sedley it’s right.”
Gerard hesitated. “It’s very good,”
he said, “but they’re more alike than I
expected them to be. The digitization
process hides the differences between
the two analog phono stages.”
The Sedley also did well with the
Levande selection. Though Juel seemed
closer to us than she had with our reference version, her voice remained warm
and attractive. Once again the sound was
particularly richly detailed, and we could
Summing it up…
Brand/model: Sonneteer Sedley USB
Price: C$1900/US$1650
Dimensions: 44 x 29 x 6.5 cm
Most liked: Outstanding phono performance, good digital circuitry
Least liked: Add a high level input,
and it would only get better
Verdict: For both analog and digital
fanatics, a serious choice
follow every note. The plucked bass was
solid, rich and rhythmic.
“The highs are still a bit accentuated,” said Albert, “not only in her
voice, but also in the cymbal.” We were,
nonetheless, impressed.
The Sonneteer Sedley USB is an
excellent phono preamp, and its flexibility will allow it to adapt to any cartridge
you own or may buy. Is the price a little
higher than you want to pay for a phono
preamp? If that’s the case, the standard
Sedley is nearly $400 cheaper, and we
can expect that its analog performance
should be comparable to that of the one
reviewed.
If we were you, though, we wouldn’t
cut corners in this way. The hard barrier
between the analog and digital worlds
has been porous for a long time, and
what’s left of it is dissolving entirely.
Whatever you may be doing now with
your audio gear, you will be doing more
in the years ahead. That USB connection
is a link to your computer, but it is also
a link to the future.
CROSSTALK
—Albert Simon
the petty annoyances of life, in favor of a
good feeling.
This listening sessions seemed all too
brief. That was because the music was present, and it was some music! All my expectations were fulfilled.
Thanks to the remarkably clean sound
and t he excellent image, not hing was
hidden, not the lyrics, not the inflections,
not the modulations, and definitely not
the emotion. I was especially struck by the
brass, which was downright luminous, by
the piano, which sounded as it should right
across the spectrum, by percussion that was
always effective whether it was powerful or
vanishingly soft, by the human voice, which
was natural and pleasing, by the bite of the
attacks and the quick stops, by a rhythm that
was communicative whatever the tempo, and
by a very broad dynamic range.
And I haven’t even mentioned the free
bonus that comes with it.
The Sedley is a magnificent vehicle
for musicians and singers. It pleased me
immensely, allowing me to put behind me
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this
upscale phono stage. Previous products from
Sonneteer struck me as works in progress,
and for the most part they were. This one is
fully baked. Not only does it sound outstandingly good, but its configuration is destined
to be copied by any competitors who plan to
be around for the long haul.
You mustn’t think that the USB feature
is a gimmick dreamt up to give cachet to a
product that sounds so-so. Take away the
USB circuit, and what you have is an exceptionally fine phono preamp that is worth
every penny of its price. That is of course
its main role, and it scores big points.
But the USB output (and input, don’t
forget) is no mere cherry on the sundae. Even
die-hard analog fans have cars with CD players, not to mention iPods. The Sedley USB
is the valuable link between the analog and
digital worlds.
—Gerard Rejskind
thing but you don't have this, it is.
—Reine Lessard
Feedback
Listening
Say you’re the proverbial person who has
everything.
You've upgraded your system more than
once — each time wondering how you could
possibly have been content with what you
started with. Your friends, who teased you at
first, have now grown silent when they listen
to music with you.
But something still nags you about your
LPs, though you don't quite know what it is.
They used to sound so much better than your
CDs, and now they don't even get a chance to
be played anymore. Know anyone like that?
Is that you? Do I have great news for you!
Go give this phono preamp a try, and
you'll find yourself scrambling through
your LP collection looking for the finest
recordings. Remember that piece, remember
that performance you once liked so much?
Nobody plays it like that, you used to say,
and then you settled for a CD version that
was…you know, okay, I guess.
Fire that turntable up, let it play through
the Sonneteer, have a seat and enjoy it as you
probably never did before.
Is it worth it? Well, if you have every-
Marchand LN112
Room
Feedback
Listening
T
he Internet is full of companies whose owners have
at some point said to themselves, “To heck with dickering with greedy middlemen, I’ll sell
my products on line.” Can it work? Of
course it can, though too many of these
would-be entrepreneurs don’t sweat the
details of their business plans, and they
wind up disappointed at best, penniless
at worst.
Marchand Electronics is one that has
managed to sustain itself by catering to
a carefully-chosen niche market: the
do-it-yourself crowd. All of Marchand’s
products are available as kits. Many of
them, indeed, are not “products” the
way they understand the word at Best
Buy. Want a power amplifier module to
mount in your own powered speaker?
Marchand’s your company. Need one for
the subwoofer you’ve just built? Ditto,
Want an electronic crossover so you can
experiment with active triamplification?
Just tell ’em what crossover frequencies
you need..
Though Marchand Electronic’s Web
site (marchandelec.com) does list dealers
in the US, plus one each in Canada,
Germany and Costa Rica, it is first and
foremost a catalog company.
In UHF No. 73 we reviewed two
of Marchand’s phono stages. Both got
pretty good marks, and we especially
liked the LN108, a tube unit whose
lively sound delighted us (it’s shown on
the next page). We were less enthusiastic
about its industrial design: the LN108
was jammed into a little experimenter’s
box with no ventilation. It’s the sort of
thing you would build at home, which
is of course exactly the point. This new
unit looks like a high end product, as you
can see.
You won’t be surprised to hear that it
costs quite a lot more, US$995. You can,
however, get it as one of two kits. One of
them, the “EZ kit,” is for the relatively
inexperienced, whereas the full kit, at
$595, is for people who don’t tremble
at the thought of populating a circuit
board.
The LN112 is in a gorgeous wood
box with brass accents, available in dif-
How’s this for retro:
analog, vacuum
tubes…and you can
even build it yourself
ferent finishes. It includes four 12AX7
tubes, fed from an outboard module:
it contains a transformer, but the main
part of the switching power supply is
in the wood box, to provide the higher
voltages required to run the tubes. The
jacks are of good quality. There is no
power switch. There is also no switch
for cartridge type, since its sensitivity
is fixed for moving magnet cartridges
or high-output MC cartridges (see the
MM or MC sidebar on page 46).
The outboard power module, by the
way, comes with the usual IEC power
cord. As we do in all our reviews, we used
one of our quality power cords instead.
We still had the LN108 on hand, and
we warmed it up, thinking it would be
interesting to do a comparison.
Both of our turntables use low-output
moving coil cartridges that are not suitable for this preamplifier. In such tests,
therefore, we use a Bryston TF-1 step-up
transformer between the turntable and
the phono preamp. We connected it to
the LN112, and we heard…
Not much!
The level was extremely low, and when
we boosted the volume to compensate,
what came out was flat and lifeless. Was
this preamp defective? We tried it without the transformer to see what would
happen. Once again we had to boost the
volume, but the sound was of the quality
we had a right to expect. What was going
on?
Our conclusion, after we had checked
and rechecked every connection, was
that for some reason the LN112 is not
compatible with step-up transformers,
the first time in the many years we
have owned the TF-1 that we have had
this problem. We have no idea why this
could be. This won’t matter to most
audiophiles, because very few step-up
transformers are still made (the TF-1 is
long discontinued, though Bryston uses
it in its own preamp). But it certainly
mattered to us, so what should we do?
We could still evaluate the sound
of the LN112 by running our turntable straight into it. We had to run the
volume higher and put up with a higher
noise floor, but luckily it wasn’t an obtrusive noise floor, with little hum and only
the slight rushing sound of the tubes. We
knew that our Goldring Excel cartridge
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Summing it up…
Brand/model: Marchand LN112
Price: US$995, kits from $595
Size (WDH): 12 x 22 x 12.5 cm plus
power supply
Most liked: Lively, musical performance
Least liked: No MC option, incompatible with stepup transformers
Verdict: Takes the LN108’s ability to
render music realistically a couple of
steps further.
tat.
Feedback
Listening
would have its top end tipped up very
slightly, because it would be “looking” at
a load resistance of 47,000 ohms rather
than the 100 ohms it was designed for.
We decided to proceed in that fashion.
We began the session with the March
from Gustav Holst’s Suite in F (from Reference Recordings RR-39), which blazes
with brass, woodwinds and percussion.
The sheer energy of the music heard
through the Marchand pleased us. “It’s
like fireworks,” said Albert approvingly.
Yet all that energy was accompanied by
a pleasing smoothness to the horns and
the woodwinds. The impact was at times
heart-stopping. Reine expressed surprise
at the fullness of the bottom end, which
gets a major workout in this music.
Was it a match for our reference? Not
quite. For one thing we could hear the
predicted shine at the top end, the result
of the unloaded cartridge. For another,
our reference phono preamp was able
to dig out more detail in the complex
passages.
We continued with a second wind
band passage, with the same band
and the same recording engineer: A
Chorus Line from Beachcomber (Reference
Recordings RR-62). This is a superb
recording, and a flawless pressing.
“Of course it’s not the reference,”
said Albert, but he added that only as an
afterthought after we had showered the
LN112 with praise. The considerable
impact contained in the grooves of this
recording came through remarkably
well. The balance was close to perfect,
with lots of music in every part of the
frequency band. Attacks were quick,
stops just as quick. Even in the very
busy passages, we could hear through
the larger instruments to the minor
percussion (“minor” in volume, not in
its capacity to delight). As for the largest
percussion instruments, which get an
amazing solo in this medley, they had
weight and power.
We did like this phono preamp. But
to read everything about it, not to mention how it compared to the lower-priced
unit shown at top right…well, the print
issue is the place to go. Or else magzee.
com, where the electronic issue is available, worldwide, for C$4.30, taxes (if any)
included.
MM or MC?
A magnetic phono cartridge (and nearly all cartridges are of this type) generates a voltage by moving a magnet in proximity to a coil, or conversely by moving
a coil in proximity to a magnet.
The first type, dubbed “MM” for “moving magnet,” is the most common type,
because it is simpler to make. A coil has generally more mass than a magnet, and it
is not a good idea to add more mass, and therefore inertia, to the cantilever. Since
the magnet size is kept down, the (fixed) coil is made large to compensate. An MM
cartridge generally has high voltage output, perhaps 2 to 3 millivolts. The large
coil will, however, have enough inductance to roll off the higher frequencies. This
is usually compensated by making the stylus-cantilever assembly resonate at high
frequency, thus accentuating the top end.
Over the past number of years the development of more powerful magnets has
made it possible to reduce coil size enough to yield reasonable highs without the
introduction of a resonance in the audible range.
The second type of cartridge, called “MC” for “moving coil,” reverses the relationship. The magnet, being fixed, can be huge, and the coil, wound about the end
of the cantilever, can consist of only a few turns of wire. The very low inductance
of this minimalist coil can allow the cartridge to have response that easily extends
to 60 kHz or more. Its mass is also very low.
The voltage produced by an MC cartridge is typically much lower, 0.4 mV or
less. For that reason, an MC cartridge will commonly be called “low output,” though
in fact “low impedance” would be a better term. An MC cartridge may put out the
same energy as an MM cartridge, but at lower voltage. Since preamplifiers deal
with voltage, not current, an extra stage of amplification is needed. Alternatively,
a transformer can be used to raise the impedance to that of an MM cartridge.
Some MC cartridges have larger coils and can therefore be used with the MM
input of a phono preamp.
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Room
Feedback
Listening
CROSSTALK
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Back Issues
THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION:
Issues No.7-19 (except 11, 15, 17 and 18, out of
print): nine issues available for the price of five
(see below). A piece of audio history. Available
separately at the regular price.
No.78: Integrated amplifiers: the affordable
Creek EVO, and the (also affordable) Audio
Space AS-3i. Loudspeaker cables: six of them
from Atlas and Actinote, in a blind test. Plus:
the astonishing Aurum Acoustics Integris
300B complete system, and its optional CD
player/preamplifier. Whew! Also: Bergman on
taming reverberation, how to put seven hours of
uncompressed music on just one disc, and the
one opera that even non-opera people know.
No.77: Electronics: The Simaudio Moon P-8
preamplifier, the successor to the legendary
Bryston 2B power amp, the Antique Sound Lab
Lux DT phono stage. Plus: the Reimyo DAP-777
converter, an affordable CD player/integrated
amp pair from CEC, and five power cords. Also:
Paul Bergman on room size and acoustics, how
to dezone foreign DVDs, and how to make your
own 24/96 high resolution discs at home.
No.76: Loudspeakers: we take a new look at the
modern version of the well-loved Totem Mani-2,
we try an affordable ELAC speaker with a Heil
tweeter, and we are surprised by the even more
affordable Castle Richmond 3i. Plus headphone
amps from Lehmann, CEC and Benchmark, a
charger that can do all your portable goodies,
and the Squeezebox 3, which gets true hi-fi
music over the air from your computer to your
stereo system. And: Paul Bergman on speaker
impedance and how to measure it.
No.75: Amplifiers: The new Simaudio Moon W-8
flagship, and integrated amps from Copland (the
CTA-405) and CEC. Speakers: the Reference 3a
Veena and the Energy Reference Connoisseur
reborn. Plus the Benchmark DAC converter. And
also: Bergman on the changing concept of hi-fi
and stereo, a chat with FIM’s Winston Ma, and
the rediscovery of a great Baroque composer,
Christoph Graupner.
No.74: Amplifiers: Mimetism 15.2, Qinpu A-8000,
Raysonic SP-100, Cyrus 8vs and Rogue Stereo
90. More reviews: Atlantis Argentera speaker,
Cyrus CD8X player, GutWire MaxCon Squared
line filter, Harmony remote, Music Studio 10
recording software. Cables: Atlas, Stager, BIS
and DNM, including a look at how length affects
digital cables. Plus: the (hi-fi) digital jukebox,
why HDTV doesn’t always mean what you think,
and Reine Lessard on The Man Who Invented
Rock’n’Roll.
No.73: Integrated amplifiers: Audiomat Récital
and the affordable Exposure 2010S. Analog:
Turntables from Roksan (the Radius 5) and
Goldring (the Rega-designed GR2), plus two
cartridges, and four phono stages from CEC,
Marchand and Goldring. More: The Harmonix
Reimyo CD player, the Audiomat Maestro
DAC, the ASW Genius 400 speakers, and the
Sonneteer BardOne wireless system. Plus:
Paul Bergman on the making of an LP and why
they don’t all sound the same, the many ways of
compressing video so it looks (almost) like film,
and the story of the accordion.
No.72: Music from data: We look at ways you
can make your own audiophile CDs with equipment you already have, and we test a DAC that
yields hi-fi from your computer. We review the
new Audio Reference speakers, the updated
Connoisseur single-ended tube amp, upscale
Actinote cables, and Gershman’s Acoustic Art
panels. How to tune up your system for an inexpensive performance boost. And much more.
No.71: Three small speaker: Reference 3a
Dulcet, Totem Rainmaker, and a low cost speaker
from France. We do a complex blind cable test:
five cables from Atlas, and one Wireworld cable
with different connectors (Eichmann, WBT nextgen, and Wireworld). The McCormack UDP-1
universal player, muRata super tweeters, the
Simaudio I-3 amp and Equinox CD player. Paul
Bergman reveals the philosophical differences
behind two-channel stereo and multichannel.
No.70: How SACD won the war…or how DVD-A
blew it. Reviews: Linn Unidisk 1.1 universal
player and Shanling SCD-T200 player. Speakers:
Reference 3a Royal Virtuoso, Equation 25,
Wilson Benesch Curve, preview of muRata
super tweeters. Other reviews: Simaudio W-5LE
amp, the iPod as an audiophile source. Plus:
future video screens, and the eternal music of
George Gershwin
No.69: Tube Electronics: Audiomat Opéra ,
Connoisseur SE-2 and Copland CSA29 integrated amps, and Shanling SP-80 monoblocks.
Also: Audiomat's Phono-1.5, Creek CD50, as
well as a great new remote control, GutWire's
NotePad antivibration device, and a musicrelated computer game that had us laughing out
loud. Paul Bergman on the return of the vacuum
tube, and how music critics did their best to kill
the world’s greatest music.
No.68: Loudspeakers: Thiel CS2.4, Focus
Audio FS688, Iliad B1. Electronics:Vecteur
I-6.2 and Audiomat Arpège integrated amplifiers, Copland 306 multichannel tube preamp,
Rega Fono MC. Also: Audio Note and Copland
CD players, GutWire MaxCon power filter. And
there’s more: all about power supplies, what’s
coming beyond DVD, and a chat with YBA’s
Yves-Bernard André.
No.67: Loudspeakers: A new, improved
Reference 3a MM de Capo, and the awesome
Living Voice Avatar OBX-R. Centre speakers
for surround from Castle, JMLab, ProAc, Thiel,
Totem and Vandersteen. One of them joins our
Kappa system. Two multichannel amps from
Copland and Vecteur. Plus: plans for a DIY
platform for placing a centre speaker atop any TV
set, Paul Bergman on the elements of acoustics,
and women in country music.
No.66: Reviews: the Jadis DA-30 amplifier, the
Copland 305 tube preamp and 520 solid state
amp. Plus: the amazing Shanling CD player,
Castle Stirling speakers, and a remote control
that tells you what to watch. Also: Bergman on
biwiring and biamplification, singer Janis Ian’s
alternative take on music downloading, and a
chat with Opus 3’s Jan-Eric Persson.
No.65: Back to Vinyl: setting up an analog
system, reviews of Rega P9 turntable, and
phono preamps from Rega, Musical Fidelity
and Lehmann. The Kappa reference system for
home theatre: choosingour HDTV monitor, plus
a review of the Moon Stellar DVD player. Antivibration: Atacama, Symposium, Golden Sound,
Solid-Tech, Audioprism, Tenderfeet. Plus an
interview with Rega’s turntable designer, and a
look back at what UHF was like 20 years ago.
No.64: Speakers: Totem M1 Signature and
Hawk, Visonik E352. YBA Passion Intégré amp,
Cambridge IsoMagic (followup), better batteries
for audio-to-go. Plus: the truth about upsampling,
an improvement to our LP cleaning machine, an
interview with Ray Kimber.
.
No.63: Tube amps: ASL Leyla & Passion
A11. Vecteur Espace speakers, 2 interconnects (Harmonic Technology Eichmann),
5 speaker cables (Pierre Gabriel, vdH ,
Harmonic Technology, Eichmann), 4 power
cords (Wireworld, Harmonic Technology,
Eichmann, ESP). Plus: Paul Bergman on
soundproofing, how to compare components
in the store, big-screen TV’s to stay away
from, a look back at the Beatles revolution.
No.62: Amplifiers: Vecteur I-4, Musical Fidelity
Nu-Vista M3, Antique Sound Lab MG-S11DT.
Passive preamps: Creek and Antique Sound
Lab. Vecteur L-4 CD player. Interconnects: VdH
Integration, Wireworld Soltice. Plus: the right to
copy music, for now. Choosing a DVD player by
features. And all about music for the movies.
No.61: Digital: Audiomat Tempo and Cambridge
Isomagic DACs, Vecteur D-2 transport. Speakers:
Osborn Mini Tower and Mirage OM-9. Soundcare
Superspikes. And: new surround formats, dezoning DVD players.
No.60: Speakers: Monitor Audio Silver 9,
Reference 3a MM De Capo, Klipsch RB-5,
Coincident Triumph Signature. Plus: a Mirage
subwoofer and the Audiomat Solfège amp. Paul
Bergman on reproducing extreme lows.
No.59: CD players: Moon Eclipse, Linn Ikemi and
Genki, Rega Jupiter/Io, Cambridge D500. Plus:
Oskar Kithara speaker, with Heil tweeter. And:
transferring LP to CD, the truth on digital radio,
digital cinema vs MaxiVision 48.
No.58: Amplifiers: ASL AQ1003, Passion I10
& I11, Rogue 88, Jadis Orchestra Reference,
Linar 250. Headphone amps: Creek, Antique
Sound Lab, NVA, Audio Valve. Plus: Foundation
Research LC-2 line filter, Gutwire power cord,
Pierre Gabriel ML-1 2000 cable. And: building
your own machine to clean LP’s.
No.57: Speakers: Dynaudio Contour 1.3,
Gershman X-1/SW-1, Coincident Super Triumph
Signature, Castle Inversion 15, Oskar Aulos.
PLUS: KR 18 tube amp. Music Revolution: the
next 5 years. Give your Hi-Fi a Fall Tune-Up.
No.56: Integrated amps: Simaudio I-5, Roksan
Caspian, Myryad MI120, Vecteur Club 10, NVA
AP10 Also: Cambridge T500 tuner, Totem Forest.
Phono stages: Creek, Lehmann, Audiomat.
Interconnects: Actinote, Van den Hul, Pierre
Gabriel. Plus: Paul Bergman on power and current…why you need both
No.55: CD players: Linn CD12, Copland CDA289, Roksan Caspian, AMC CD8a. Other
reviews: Enigma Oremus speaker, Magenta
ADE-24 black box. Plus: the DSD challenge for
the next audio disc, pirate music on the Net, the
explosion of off-air video choices.
No.54: Electronics: Creek A52se, Simaudio
W-3 and W-5 amps. Copland CSA-303, Sima
P-400 and F.T. Audio preamps (the latter two
passive). Musical Fidelity X-DAC revisited, Ergo
AMT phones, 4 line filters, 2 interconnects. Plus:
Making your own CD’s.
No.53: Loudspeakers:Reference 3a Intégrale,
Energy Veritas v2.8, Epos ES30, Totem Shaman,
Mirage 390is, Castle Eden. Plus: Paul Bergman
on understanding biamping, biwiring, balanced
lines, and more.
No.52: CD players: Alchemist Nexus, Cambridge
CD6, YBA Intégré, Musical Fidelity X-DAC,
Assemblage DAC-2. Subwoofers: Energy ES-8
and NHT PS-8. Plus: Paul Bergman on reproducing deep bass, and behind digital television.
No.51: Integrated amps: YBA Intégré DT,
Alchemist Forseti, Primare A-20, NVA AP50
Cambridge A1. CD players: Adcom GCD-750,
Rega Planet. An economy system to recommend
to friends, ATI 1505 5-channel amp, Bergman on
impedance, why connectors matter, making your
own power bars.
No.50: CD: Cambridge DiscMagic/DACMagic,
Primare D-20, Dynaco CDV Pro. Analog: Rega
Planar 9, Linn LP12 after 25 years. Also: Moon
preamp, Linn Linto phono stage, Ergo and Grado
headphones. Speaker cables: Linn K-400,
Sheffield, MIT 750 Also: 15 years of UHF.
No.49: Power amps: Simaudio Moon, Bryston 3B
ST, N.E.W. DCA-33, plus the Alchemist Forseti
amp and preamp, and McCormack Micro components. Our new Reference 3a Suprema II reference speakers, and a followup on the Copland
277 player. Plus: how HDCD really works.
No.48: Loudspeakers: JMLabs Daline 3.1,
Vandersteen 3a, Totem Tabù, Royd Minstrel.
CD: Cambridge CD4, Copland CDA-277. Also:
An interview with the founder of a Canadian
audiophile record label.
No.47: FM tuners: Magnum Dynalab MD-108,
Audiolab 8000T, Fanfare FT-1. Speaker cables:
QED Qudos, Wireworld Equinox and Eclipse,
MIT MH-750. Parasound C/BD-2000 transport
and D/AC-2000 converter. And: Upgrading your
system for next to nothing.
No.46: Electronics: Simaudio 4070SE amp &
P-4002 preamp, Copland CTA-301 & CTA-505,
N.E.W. P-3 preamp. Digital cables: Wireworld,
Audiostream, MIT, XLO, Audioprism, and
Wireworld’s box for comparing interconnects.
Also: YBA CD-1 and Spécial CD players. YvesBernard André talks about about his blue diode
CD improvement.
No.45: Integrated amps: Copland CTA-401,
Simaudio 4070i, Sugden Optima 140. CD:
Adcom GDA-700 HDCD DAC, Sonic Frontiers
SFD-1 MkII. Interconnects: Straight Wire
Maestro, 3 versions of Wireworld Equinox.
Plus: Yamamura Q15 CD oil, and “Hi-Fi for the
Financially Challenged”.
No.44: Digital: Rotel RCD970BX, Counterpoint
DA-10A DAC. Speakers: Apogee Ribbon Monitor,
Totem Mite, more on the Gershman Avant Garde.
Also: Laser-Link cable, “The Solution” CD treatment, AudioQuest sorbothane feet, Tenderfeet,
Isobearings. Plus: Inside Subwoofers, and castrati, the singers who gave their all for music.
No.43: The first HDCD converter: the EAD
DSP-1000 MkII. Speakers: Gershman Avant
Garde, Totem Mani-2 and Rokk, Quad ESL-63
with Gradient sub. Plus: Keith O. Johnson on the
road to HDCD, and our editor joins those of other
magazines to discuss what’s hot in audio.
No.42: Electronics: Spectral DMC-12 and Celeste
P-4001 preamplifiers, amps and preamps from
Duson. Also: Sonic Frontiers SFD-1 converter,
power line filters from Audioprism, Chang, and
YBA. Plus: Inside the preamplifier, and how the
tango became the first “dirty” dance.
No.41: Digital: Roksan DA-2, EAD DSP-7000,
McCormack DAC-1, QED Ref. Digit. Cables:
Straight Wire LSI Encore & Virtuoso, Wireworld
Equinox, van den Hul The 2nd & Revelation,
Cardas Cross & Hexlink Golden, Transparent
Music-Link Super & Music-Wave Super. Plus:
Bergman on recording stereo.
No.40: Integrated amps: YBA Intégré, Rotel 960,
Sugden A-25B, Sima PW-3000, Linn Majik, Naim
NAIT 3, AMC CVT3030, Duson PA-75. Stereo:
what it is, how it works, why it’s disappearing
from records.
To see older issues:
http://www.uhfmag.com/IndividualIssue.html
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com. Recent back issues are available electronically at www.magzee.com, for C$4.30 each, all taxes included.
Creek EVO CD player
Room
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I
n the last issue of UHF we reviewed
a new and affordable integrated
amplifier from Creek, the EVO
(the model name stands for “evolution,” which we realize is a touchy
subject in some quarters). Unlike all
previous Creek products, the EVO was
assembled in China, though the design
and the making of the innards remained
British, as it proudly states right on the
front panel.
The amplifier had surprised us,
entirely in the right way. It sounded
musical, which is to say that it didn’t
ruin any of the many elements that
makes music one of life’s great pleasures.
Indeed, it was a wonderfully balanced
amplifier, avoiding a number of flaws
any one of which would have soured us
on it.
That was especially surprising considering its price, just C$1150. That’s not
quite entry level, but then it didn’t offer
mere entry-level performance. It was
called to our attention that Creek had a
matching CD player, selling for exactly
the same price. Were we interested in
lending it an ear? Were we ever!
The EVO is a classic player, with
the usual features. The transport is a
Philips, as in many (most?) players, but
it is a DVD drive, not the usual CD
deck. The EVO won’t play movies,
however. Though the chipset provides
for 24/96 performance, because…well,
that’s what chipsets do nowadays, Mike
Creek believes (and on the basis of our
own experience we have no argument
with him) that upsampling is actually
harmful unless it is done right (read:
expensively).
The power supply has a C-core
transformer rather than the popular
toroid, and both the fuse and the line
voltage switch are accessible from the
rear. There are numerous voltage regulators throughout the player. The analog
circuitry is built around bipolar transistors rather than the MOSFETs favored
by Mike Creek in the past.
The operational functions, including the blue-green fluorescent display,
are run by Creek’s custom firmware. It
is perhaps thanks to the economies of
Chinese assembly that it hasn’t been necessary to cut corners on the hardware.
With the 12 mm thick solid aluminum
panel and the substantial steel chassis,
there is nothing cheap about the EVO,
as there is not in the amplifier either.
Even the front-panel buttons look and
feel like those on a luxury product.
The EVO player comes wit h a
complete remote control (shown on the
next page), which also has buttons for
the amplifier: if you buy the pair you
get two of them. It allows playing selections in random order (not high on our
list of must-have functions), repeating a
recording, and dimming the display. The
one oddity is that the remote is rounded
at the top instead of the bottom, as is the
usual practice, and we kept grabbing it
upside down.
We began our listening session with
the wonderfully-recorded wind band
piece Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn
from the Klavier album Norman Dello
Joio (K11138) It begins with a devastating percussion display, and it contains
complex passages for woodwinds and
brass. A player with a thin bottom
end, rather common in the lower price
ranges, would make the opening passage
meaningless, and a bright top could drive
you out of the room.
Well, the bottom end isn’t thin, and
that’s for sure! The tympani was solid to
the point of being startling. The huge
energy of the recording was not blunted.
We were more than satisfied…surprised,
even.
The top end wasn’t bright either,
and that was a relief, though it couldn’t
come close to matching the naturalness
of our Linn reference player. The wind
instruments had a little too much bite
to them, a tone that was a bit too cool.
“They’re not as luminous,” said Albert.
Of course we hadn’t expected them to be,
and we agreed that what we had heard
was pretty good.
The EVO would do even better on
the next selection, an art song performed
by Isabel Bayrakdarian. It’s Pauline Viardot Garcia’s Plainte d’amour on music
by her friend Chopin. We found the
piano accompaniment altered somewhat,
seeming more reverberant, as though
pianist Serouj Kradjian were using too
much pedal (he wasn’t, though).
The Death of the CD?
Go into a high end audio store, and you’ll have no trouble finding CD players,
such as this one. Go into a big box store and ask for a CD player, and you’ll be
waved over to the display with portable players, most of them on clearance. Is the
CD doomed?
A number of analysts think so, though the evidence doesn’t (yet) support their
pessimism. The iTunes store has a little more than 6% of the music market, and
all the stores put together reach 10%, if that. Add a much tinier amount for LPs,
and CDs continue to have some 90% of the market.
So why no CD players? Well, DVD players can play CDs too, as you no doubt
know. So do computers, which can play through stereo systems, or which have
their own powered loudspeakers. And of course they can then be transferred to
portable players.
On the horizon is the huge Web bandwidth that may allow full-resolution music
downloads, but it’s a fairly distant horizon.
Besides, if LPs haven’t really disappeared, why would CDs?
voice, and one of our favorite female
singers is Margie Gibson (Say It
With Music, Sheffield CD-36). We
put on one of our favorites — we
have several — Soft Lights and
Sweet Music.
The Creek did well on the
song, more than just well in fact.
Gerard found the sibilance ever so
slightly more prominent, and —
as in the Viardot song, the piano
seemed more reverberant. But
oh — the voice! Margie’s dramatic
power was intact, the clarity of
the words effective. The plucked
bass was solid and reassuring, the
cello lyrical. “It was only when it
ended,” said Albert, looking at his
blank page, “that I realized I had
a pen in my hand.”
By this time we knew enough
to come to a preliminary conclusion: the player is a good match
for the EVO amplifier. Or is it?
Why not try them together?
We connected the EVO amp, replacing our Copland CTA-305 preamplifier
Summing it up…
Brand/model: Creek EVO
Price: C$1150
Size (WDH): 43 x 33 x 7 cm
Most liked: Great music for cheap
Least liked: Some low-level noise
Verdict: The CD at twilight is still
looking (and sounding) good
and Moon W-5LE power amplifier (not to mention the cable
between them, which cost more
than the whole EVO), and listened again. This would be what
someone would hear buying this
combination.
It didn’t take long to conclude
that they wouldn’t exactly be
suffering. On the Dello Joio
wind band piece, the impact
was still powerful, losing much
less energy than we had feared.
The sound of the mallet on the
tympani was a little blurred and
less distinct, but the sound of
the drum itself was ample. Some
details we know should be there
were de-emphasized. However the
brass was bright and brash but not
at all harsh, and the sly humor of
the piece was well rendered. “All
this for $2300?” asked Gerard,
rhetorically.
On the Margie Gibson song we
reached for something to criticize, but
didn’t find it. The lyrics were clear, and
the meaning behind the lyrics of this
Irving Berlin love song was moving.
Even the stereo image seemed just right.
The piano was attractive right down to
the lowest part of its register.
We knew that whatever the instruments turned up wouldn’t alter our conclusions, but we fired them up anyway
and ran our usual battery of tests.
It was akward to read the jitter
because of some residual noise, but we
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Listening
However there was no arguing with
the quality of Bayrakdarian’s voice, which
was nothing less than magnificent. Her
tone was warm but her diction was never
blurred, and we could follow not only
each word of Viardot’s text but also each
nuance of the singer’s interpretation.
Every breath was audible, even though
the recording was done in a large church
with the microphones at a respectable
distance. There was a lightness to the
sound, not in the sense of a paucity of
bass, but in the lack of excess weight.
The overall effect was arresting.
We turned next to a guitar duo by
two musicians whose earlier recording
we had used in our equipment reviews
years ago, Strunz and Farah (they’ve
been playing together since 1979).
Jorge Strunz is from Costa Rica and
Ardeshir Farah from Iran. Drawing on
the inspiration of their respective parts
of the world, they have made numerous
recordings of original music for their
two guitars plus bass and appropriate
percussion. Their famous recording of
years ago was on the now defunct Water
Lily label, but they have since launched
their own label.
We played a very lively and challenging two-guitar piece titled De Luna
(from the album Zona Torrida, Selva
LV-CD 1011). It was virtually flawless.
“This player sidesteps the usual flaws of
players in its category,” said Albert.
Indeed. The rhythm was impeccable,
with great clarity despite the speed at
which these demon guitarists play. As
two melodies intertwined themselves
in a counterpoint, we followed them
both without effort. The sound was
smooth, yet well-defined. The image
and spaciousness were excellent. “The
plucked bass is present and effective,”
said Reine, “but it doesn’t overdo it. And
the bongos…wow!”
Of course there were differences
from what we had heard with our reference. “With our own player you can
hear the tonal differences not only of the
individual instruments,” said Gerard,
“but also of the individual guitar strings.
You can tell which are metal and which
are nylon. You can’t quite do that with
the EVO, but the music sure is catchy,
and it just sweeps you up.”
Of course we would need a female
determined that it was quite low. The
Creek did well playing our test disc with
graduated laser cuts across the tracks.
Even with a 0.75 mm slice there was
hardly any increase in jitter, and no other
detectable artifacts. With a 1.0 mm cut
we could see the effects of error concealment (more audible than error correction,
since it involves guessing at the missing
data). A 1.5 mm cut caused uncorrected
errors and noise bursts. With a 2.5 mm
cut, the Creek mistracked. This is very
good performance.
The 100 Hz square wave is shown
above. There is considerable overshoot,
but it is very quickly damped. There is
only a mild tilt to the top of the square
wave, indicating a very slight rolloff at
the top end.
When we ran a low-level 1 kHz sine
wave, recorded 60 dB below full level,
we got the trace above right. Its general
shape is fine, which is good, but it is
contaminated by noise, the same noise
that we had noted when looking at jitter.
That of course is not noise you are likely
to hear even in a very quiet room.
This may be the twilight of the
dedicated CD player, as some analysts
claim, but they keep on getting better
and better. That’s true at the very top
end, and happily it is true further down
the food chain too. With the EVO player
and amplifier, Mike Creek has pulled
off an impressive one-two punch. Add
a couple of decent speakers to this duo,
and you’ve got the perfect answer the
next time someone tells you high end
stereo is too expensive.
Room
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CROSSTALK
Everything this player does well, it does
it very well. And everything it misses out
on, it makes sure you don't notice it for very
long.
Since every component ends up as a
compromise, this one decided (or its creators
obviously did) to lean on the musical side of
things. Maybe you won't hear everything as
clearly or magically as with those players that
cost more than a small car, but you'll spend
hours and hours listening to your favorite
music while the other guys work overtime
to pay for theirs.
And you'll be able to afford many more
CDs too. And better speakers. This source
needs them. Think about the high quality
cables you'll also be able to get, and how
they'll guide all that superb music swiftly
through — mostly untouched.
Since all systems are compromises too,
this player actually allows for fewer compromises in the rest of your system as you build
it carefully on a solid musical foundation.
—Albert Simon
I emerged from this listening session won
over by the excellent image, which makes
for great transparence. You can pick out
each piano note, and its timbre is superb. In
a guitar duo, you can pick out who’s playing
what. A thousand subtleties, much impact,
gentle or frenetic rhythms, moods that can
be humorous or downright lascivious, and
sometimes an air of celebration.
I was moved by the voices of two female
singers, quite different one from the other,
but both expressive and magnificent. Lowpitched instruments — tympani, drums, bass
and cellos — have plenty of weight. Like the
gluten in a perfect pastry, it binds all the
sounds into a delicious whole.
True, here and there I found some
instruments that were a little astringent, but
the player’s qualities outweighs its shortcomings, with the result that the virtuosity of the
musicians is a pleasure to hear.
As always, we punctuate every piece
we listen to with our comments, but there
are times we would rather not speak, and
prolong the pleasure once the music ends. I
am consoled when I have only good things
to say about what I hear. And that is the case
with the EVO.
—Reine Lessard
This player really hits the sweet spot.
Go lower, and you have players all made
from the same chipsets, and which inevitably
sound pretty much alike. Go higher, and you
start to wonder whether you’re dropping a
bundle on soon-to-obsolete technology (if
you doubt this, go into a big-box electronics
store and ask the 19-year old “associate” for
“a CD player”). The Creek EVO delivers
wonderful musicality at a price less likely to
trigger panic.
Does it sound like our reference? No, of
course not, but it has no one area of weakness, and the result is that there is probably
no music that it cannot do justice to. How
many other products in this price range
could we say that about?
—Gerard Rejskind
Moon Calypso DVD Player
W
Moon Stellar with three selected DVD
film clips.
The Calypso as movie player
We began with an old favorite, the
widescreen version of the musical Guys
and Dolls, specifically the song Sue Me
(chapter 29), with Frank Sinatra and
Vivian Blaine. So here is Sinatra coming
down the stairs nattily dressed in a navy
blue suit, and…
Wait a minute, navy blue? Didn’t it
have pin stripes when we viewed it with
our reference player? There were other
problems too. Sinatra’s hat was a black
blob, and there was no detail in his hair
either. Contrast was high, too high in
fact. Colors were saturated and even
punchy, yet there was no dynamic punch
to the image.
In the print issue of UHF, and in
the electronic issue at magzee.com, we
will score the Calypso on its talent for
movies, and also as a CD player (since it
is that too.
But back to Latin for a moment.
tisi.
Feedback
Listening
e have long regretted
that Simaudio saw fit to
discontinue its Stellar
DVD player, because
we own one and we think it’s terrific.
At the same time, we know its price was
perhaps more than most of the market
would bear. That was especially true
if you ordered up the optional Videon
processor board, with its Faroudja DCDi
(Diagonal Correlation Deinterlacing)
technology, which brought the player’s
Canadian price tag perilously close to
five digits.
At considerably lower cost, but
not loose change by any means, is
the Calypso (Simaudio also offers the
Orbiter, a universal player). Just lift
it and you know there’s less in it than
in the Stellar, but its spec sheet is not
without interest. In particular, it too
uses a Faroudja DCDi, though in a less
costly version. It has a RS232 connection
for home automation. Simaudio claims it
can play PAL DVDs as well as NTSC,
though we couldn’t get it to do so (the
same is true of our Moon Stellar). And it
has what is billed as an audiophile-grade
24/96 converter for playing music.
There’s also a long list of features that
are missing, but we’ll get to them a little
later. First let’s move the Calypso to the
Kappa room, where it could take on our
Room
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Listening
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Summing it up…
Brand/model: Simaudio Moon
Calypso
Price as tested: C$4600/US$3600
Size (WDH): 48 x 32.5 x 14.5 cm
Most liked: Cil et veraessisl utat, sed
tio dionsendipit nit aliquisi
Least liked: Ut aci bla facip et autatis autem dolenim nit, velisl ing el er
suscill utpatin henibh
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nostio commy nim deliqui sciduis nonsequatue euip ea aut ad eugait, conse ex
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eros dolorperat, volor sum atumsandre magna aut nos at praestie velisl et
augait.
tisi.
tat.
ex et enisit prat vulputat.
CROSSTALK
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et enisit prat vulputat iure dunt verit lutpat
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ipisi blandrer susci te magna feugait vel ut
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consequat.
Cil et veraessisl utat, sed tio dionsendipit
nit aliquisi eu facincidunt lobor iure do ero
dignit ullaortion ute feugiat. Lorem eum
iurer iure tatue modigna feugait eros nisl
utatum ip el ex eu feui.
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Listening
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lutpat nibh euguero ea feuguer suscing enismod dolorero odiamco rtiscil lamconsequat
wismod modion vel ulputat. Utpation utpat
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consequat adipis adiam, consed te ming
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feuipsu scipit ad molorem ex ero odolobore
dolobortie digna conullaor si bla consecte
et exerit lum alismolore ming esent vullamc
nissequam ero eraestrud dolore ese dolore
dolutat, volobore diat praestismod te facilla
facil inci blan et aliquis ciliquiscil dignis am
quis niamet nisse eniamet, sis nibh eraesen
dionum zzrilla feuipis modolut adip euis
Squeezebox on Steroids
Room
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Listening
R
emember the Squeezebox? It
was reviewed in UHF No. 76,
and it caught the attention of
a lot of our readers. And for
good reason.
Perhaps a summary is in order. This
US$300 device, made by Slim Devices,
is a small box that can pull in music from
your computer, either through an Ethernet connection or by logging in to your
WiFi network. It can work hand in hand
with its own software or such software
as iTunes (our favorite). It can handle
streams that are uncompressed (WAV or
AIFF) as well as Apple Lossless, FLAC,
Ogg Vorbis and most other codecs. It has
twin phono jacks to feed the music to
your stereo system, and it doesn’t sound
at all bad that way. It sounds even better,
however, if you have your own digital-toanalog converter, or a CD player with a
digital input. Run that way, indeed, the
Squeezebox can rival many a dedicated
player.
Indeed, so good is the device that
there is a cottage industry in improving
and tweaking it. The first target of these
tweaks is the power supply.
The power supply included with the
Squeezebox is a tiny “wall wart” rated at
5 volts and 2 amperes. Considering its
size and weight, the
latter figure is frankly suspect. Might
swapping it out be the first station on
the road to a better Squeezebox?
Before we even begin, our lawyers
would like a word with you. There’s a
clause in the Slim Devices warranty that
warns you about connecting any power
supply other than the one included, and
it’s there a for a reason. A mistake in hooking up an alternative power supply will blow
your Squeezebox. Slim Devices will not fly
to your aid. Neither will we. In case of
doubt, please re-read this slowly.
Now let’s examine the possibilities.
Our initial impulse was to design a slick
power system using a large transformer,
a ton of capacitors and a voltage regulator chip, and perhaps even a meter, all
in a nice box. Then we thought better
of it. UHF isn’t really a do-it-yourself
magazine, and although many of our
readers can wield a mean soldering iron,
not many are up to drilling aluminum or
populating a circuit board. No, we had a
more suitable idea.
You could, certainly, shop for a larger
wall wart. They’re easy enough to find,
either at electronics surplus shops (which
sell them typically for $5 to $10), or
stores like The Source and Radio Shack
(in Canada and the US respectively).
You may need to take your Squeezebox
with you when you go shopping, though.
Not all wall wart cables have the same
diameter collar, and the Squeezebox
takes a narrow one. Most won’t fit.
Then there’s the little matter of
polarit y. Slim Devices’ own power
supply has the centre collar positive. If
yours is the other way, you’ll need to
chop the cord and reverse its polarity.
We recommend checking the voltage with a
voltmeter, because we have seen outright
lies on some units. Oh yes…make sure
the device puts our DC, not AC!
But can’t we do better than a larger
wall wart? We have a more costly solution, though it looks downright cheap
alongside most audiophile tweaks.
The solution is shown on page 56. But
to begin, pick up the print issue of UHF
79, or the electronic edition at magzee.
com. We'll tell you all about it! We'll also
give you all the warnings about details
you need to be careful of if you would
rather not blow your Squeezebox.
tisi.
Margie’s
back!
And she’s at
The
Audiophile
Store
The Ultimate iPod
and
Computer Accessory
GINI iTube
and iConec 2.1
Audio System
This is the sound system that was the hit of the current audio shows. It is imported by Charisma Audio and marketed by
Magic Zoo Audio in Canada. GINI iTube combines vacuum tube and solid-state audio technology to deliver the type of
music that will put a smile on your face. The system instantly converts digital tunes into music with tube warmth that
audiophiles have come to know and enjoy! The system includes a full-functioned hybrid integrated amplifier with built-in
sub-woofer, a pair of satellite speakers, remote control, and accessories. It's more than just an iPod speaker system. It
supports other music sources such as CD and MP3 players via the RCA input
Gini iTube vacuum tube 2.1 sound system (iConec not included) MSRP $399.00
The Best iPod Docking Station on the market !
iConec is easily the industry’s best full-function iPod docking station with remote control. Besides the usual volume
control, with just backward and forward, the remote control includes functions such as mute, backlight, repeat, shuffle,
playlist and album up/down, pause, etc. iConec also has a built-in charger that allows direct recharging of your iPod
without needing to connect to a PC. Gini iConec full function docking station with remote - MSRP $79.00
Available at select dealers, or Magic Zoo Audio where there is no local dealer.
For purchase information and pricing, please contact:
[email protected] www.magiczooaudio.com
Good enough
UHF uses them!
AuDIYo Inc
Audio Parts/Components Distributor
10520 Yonge Street, Unit 35B, Suite # 267
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 3C7
Phone: (647) 294-7786
[email protected] • www.audiyo.com
Visit us at
Salon B/Level B
Acoustic System • DACT • Furutech • Mundorf • Techflex
Get UHF on your desktop anywhere in the world!
M A G Zee
www.uhfmag.com/ElectronicEdition.html
Room
Feedback
Listening
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THE AUDIOPHILE STORE
INTERCONNECTS
ATLAS NAVIGATOR
Oxygen-free continuous
cast (OCC) cable: each
strand is a single copper
crystal. Two separate
internal conductors,
plus double shielding
(“semi-balanced,” though we prefer “pseudo-balanced”). The
double shielding is copper mylar plus close-lapped 99.997% pure
OCC copper multi-stranded screen providing 100% RFI protection.
The premium “All-Cu” version (shown here) uses solid copper
connectors that are also continuous cast. The copper is then silverplated and double-shielded.We use two in our reference systems.
Special-order lengths from the factory.
ORDER: AN-1 pair, 1m, $265, AN-2 pair, 2m, $330
ORDER: ANA-1 All-Cu, 1m, $390, ANA-2 All-Cu, 2m, $450
ORDER: ANAB-1 All-Cu balanced, single crystal XLR, 1m, $699
TWO CABLES INTO ONE JACK
Need to feed two preamps into two
amps? This solid Y-adapter (two
jacks into one phono plug) is gold
over brass, with Teflon dielectric.
ORDER: FYA, one pair Y adapters, $20
SPEAKER CABLES
ATLAS HYPER SPEAKER CABLES
A big winner in one of UHF’s blind tests of speaker cables is
Hyper 2, an oxygen free stranded wire in Teflon dielectric.
Inexpensive too. (Sorry, no picture yet). Plus connectors (we
recommend Eichmann Bayonet Bananas, $57.95/set.
ORDER: AH2, Hyper 2 cable, $29.95/metre
Want to biwire? Hyper Biwire is a great way to go
ORDER: AHB, Hyper Biwire cable, $49.95/metre
ATLAS QUESTOR
This could be the world’s lowest-cost
interconnect with single-crystal copper. It has
the same connectors as the Equator (below),
and we thought it sounded like a much more
expensive cable.
ORDER: AQ-1, 1 m pair Atlas Questor, $125
ORDER: AQ-2, 2 m pair Atlas Questor, $155
ATLAS EQUATOR
We figured it was perhaps the
best $150 interconnect cable
you could buy. Only it costs
just $90. And yes, that’s in
Canadian funds. Other lengths
on order.
ORDER: AE-1, 1 m pair Atlas Equator, $85
ORDER: AE-2, 2 m pair Atlas Equator, $115
ACTINOTE MB INTERCONNECTS
PRISMAL DUAL INTERCONNECT
This Swiss-made cable is back, at a big discount The connectors
are especially good, with Teflon dielectric. 174 strands of oxygenfree copper, braided shield. Toss out your “free” interconnects!
ORDER: PD-1, 1 meter pair Prisma Dual Interconnect, $39.95
ORDER: PD-05, 0.5 meter pair Dual Interconnect, $29.95
EICHMANN BAYONET BANANAS
The Eichmann Bayonet
Banana uses a minimum of
metal, and tellurium copper
at that, but clicks tightly
into any binding post with
spring action. For soldering or
crimping, or both.
ORDER: EBB kit 4 bayonet
bananas, $57.95
FURUTECH CONNECTORS
Rhodium-plated banana tightens under pressure.
Installs like WBT-0645 banana. The spade's great too!.
ORDER: FTB-R, set of four bananas, $70
ORDER: FTS-R, set of four spades, $70
Continuous-cast single-crystal cable, ready for biwiring. It costs
just $235 per meter of double cable (a 2 m pair has 4 meters of
wire). We suggest adding the Eichmann Bayonet bananas, $57.95
per set of 4, or Furutech connectors (at right).
ACTINOTE LBD SPEAKER CABLE
We bought Actinote for our Alpha system! With gold bananas.
ORDER: LBD-317, Actinote 3m pair, $1590
ORDER: LBD-530, Actinote 5m pair, $1990
SINGLE CRYSTAL JUMPERS
Not biwiring? Dump the free
jumpers that came with your
speakers. Atlas jumpers are
made from single-crystal
copper, gold-plated spades.
ORDER: ACJ, four single
crystal jumpers, $99.95
DIGITAL CABLES
EICHMANN BULLET PLUGS
The first phono plug to maintain
the impedance of the cable itself, by
using metal only as an extension
of the wire. Hollow tube centre pin
and tiny spring contact for ground.
Two easily accessible contacts for
soldering, two-screw strain relief. Gold over pure copper. Got silver
cable? Get the unique Silver Bullets!
ORDER: EBP kit 4 Bullet Plugs, $54.95
ORDER: EBPA kit 4 Silver Bullets, $139.95
EICHMANN CABLE PODS
Minimum metal, gold over tellurium
copper. Unique clamp system: the back
button turns but the clamp doesn’t.
Solder to it, or plug an Eichmann
banana into it, even from inside!
ORDER: ECP, set of four posts, $54.95
MICHELL BINDING POSTS
ATLAS COMPASS DIGITAL
Excellent performance at an affordable price. Single crystal pure
copper. The 1.5m version sounds way better than a 1m.
ORDER: ACD-1.5 digital cable, 1m, $120
ATLAS OPUS DIGITAL
These cables use WBT NextGen locking connectors, and they are a
virtual match for our own reference cables.
ORDER: MB-130, 1.3 meter pair Actinote MB, $740
CONNECTORS
ATLAS ICHOR SPEAKER CABLE
ATLAS VOYAGER
A cable with superior performance at an
economical price. Oxygen-free copper,
continuously cast, double-shielded with conductive
PVC plus close lapped 99.9997% pure OCC copper
multi-stranded screen, for 100% coverage against
RFI. Direct gold-plated, non compressing, doublescreened, self cleaning RCA plugs. Also available
with the All-Cu connectors like those of the
Navigator (above).
ORDER: AV-1, Voyager 1m pair, $235, AV-2, 2m pair, $285
ORDER: AVA-1, All-Cu 1m pair, $375, AVA-2 2m pair, $420
57
We dumped our reference cable for this one! And to be at its very
best, it has to be this length.
ORDER: AOD-1.5 digital cable, 1.5m, $360
CONNECTOR TREATMENT
ProGold cleans
connections
and promotes
conductivity as well.
Small wipes for
cleaning accessible contacts, or a squirt bottle for connections you
can’t reach. We use both regularly.
ORDER: PGW box ProGold wipes, $35
ORDER: PGS, can ProGold fluid (now called DeoxIT), $35
ORDER: PGB, both when ordered at the same time, $56
www.uhfmag.com/AudiophileStore.html
Michell’s Big Mother posts are machined to stay tight. Gold-plated.
Long, long shank for mounting in speaker cabinets. Limited stock.
ORDER: Big Mother, 4 gold posts for speakers $55
POSTMAN WRENCH
Think you can tighten
your speaker and amp
binding posts with your
fingers? Try the Dynaclear
Postman wrench (for 1/2”
or 7/16” hexagonal posts)
and find that yours weren’t tight after all. Retighten often.
ORDER: Dynaclear Postman, $13
ORDER ON LINE
www.uhfmag.com
58
WBT CONNECTORS
The unique WBT phono plugs have a collar which you turn so
that the plug tightens around and into the jack! The cable would
tear before the plug would come out.
The Topline series (heaviest construction, 5-layered gold
plating), includes the 0108 (above), which uses reliable crimping
technology, not soldering. Slip a gold-plated sleeve over the
bared wire, and crimp it on with the special WBT crimping tool.
The crimped end is held in the plug with a Torx screw. Buy the
tool at the same time as the connectors, and we’ll buy it back at
the price you paid when you’re through.
ORDER: WBT-0403 crimping tool (refundable), $125.
The sleeves are shown here, actual size.
WBT-0431 0.75 mm sleeve $0.50
WBT-0432 1 mm sleeve
$0.50
WBT-0433 1.5 mm sleeve $0.50
WBT-0434 2.5 mm sleeve $0.50
$0.60
$0.70
WBT-0437 10 mm sleeve $0.85
WBT-0438 15 mm sleeve $0.95
ORDER: WBT-0108, kit 4 Topline crimp plugs, $190
ORDER: WBT-0101, kit 4 Topline solder plugs, $190
ANALOG PRODUCTS
REGA FONO
We can’t
get over
how good it
is…and how
affordable.
The Rega
Fono is a
superb way
to add vinyl to your system. MM version and high sensitivity MC
version for cartridges with low output. While stocks last.
ORDER: RF-MM Phono preamp, NOW SOLD OUT
ORDER: RF-MC high sensitivity phono preamp, $565
GOLDRING
PHONO
Basic MM phono,
amazingly good, and
especially not shrill.
Besides, it’s very affordable.
ORDER: PA-100, $225
LP RECORD CLEANER
NEW! The high-tech minimum metal “nextgen” phono plugs.
Easy to solder, with locking collar. Silver version available.
Concentrated cleaner for LP vacuum cleaning machines.
Much safer than some formulas we’ve seen! Half litre, mix with
demineralized or distilled water to make 4 litres.
ORDER: LPC, $19.95
the Goldring
Super eXstatic. It
includes a hard
velvet pad to get
into the grooves,
plus two sets of
carbon fibre tufts. We’ve worn one out already, because we use it
every time!
ORDER: GSX record brush, $36
J. A. MICHELL RECORD CLAMP
ORDER: WBT-0110, kit 4 nextgen copper plugs, $170
ORDER: WBT-0110Au, kit 4 nextgen silver plugs, $280
WBT makes banana plugs for speaker cables, all of which lock
tightly into any post. All use crimping technology.
ELECTRONIC STYLUS GAUGE
When we got our
sample of this
new gauge, we
discovered that
our (discontinued)
plastic pressure
gauge had been
lying to us. Glad
we checked!
ORDER: ALM, electronic stylus gauge, $185
ZEROSTAT ANTISTATIC PISTOL
A classic
adjunct to
the brush is
the Zerostat
anti-static
gun. Squeeze
the trigger
and release: it
ionizes the air,
which becomes
conductive and drains off the static charge. By the way, it works
for a lot more than LP’s. No batteries needed.
ORDER: Z-1 Zerostat antistatic pistol, $94..95
LP SLEEVES
EXSTATIC RECORD BRUSH
The 0144 Midline version has “only” three layers of gold plating,
smaller and lighter, with the same locking action.
ORDER: WBT-0144, kit 4 Topline solder plugs, $90
MORE ANALOG…
Clamp your LP to the
turntable platter.
We use the J. A.
Michell clamp,
machined from
nearly weightless
aluminum. Drop
it on, press down,
tighten the knob.
ORDER: MRC Michell
record clamp, $75
Keep your records clean and
scratch free. Replace dirty,
torn or missing inner sleeves
with soft-plastic-in-paper Nitty
Gritty sleeves.
ORDER: PDI, package of 30
sleeves, $30
TURNTABLE BELT TREATMENT
What this is not
is a sticky goo for
belts on their last
legs. Rubber Renue
removes oxidation
from rubber belts,
giving them a new
lease on life. But what astonished us is what it does to even a brand
new belt. Wipe down your belt every 3 months, and make analog
sound better than ever.
ORDER: RRU-100 drive belt treatment, $14.95
VINYL ESSENTIALS TEST LP
This precision-made German test record lets you check out channel
identification, correct phase, crosstalk, the tracking ability of your
cartridge (it’s a tougher test than the old Shure disc was, and the
resonance of your tone arm and cartridge. When we need to test a
turntable, this is the one we reach for.
ORDER: LP 003, Image Hifi Test LP, $48.95
TITAN STYLUS LUBRICANT
ORDER: WBT-0644 Kit 4 Topline straight bananas, $90
ORDER: WBT-0645 Kit 4 angled bananas, $110
ORDER: WBT-0600 Kit 4 Topline bananas, $180
ALSO AVAILABLE: a full line of quality binding posts, phono
jacks, etc. Plus a spade lug that connectors under pressure.
Amazing, but true: dabbing
a bit of this stuff on your
stylus every 2 or 3 LPs makes
it glide through the groove
instead of scraping. Fine artist’s brush not included, but readily
available in many stores.
ORDER: TSO-1 Titan stylus oil, $39.95
IF WE DON’T LIKE IT
YOU WON’T SEE IT HERE
CLEANER POWER
MAXCON POWER FILTER
GUTWIRE G CLEF POWER CABLE
2
Looks great,
and does a
wonderful
job. Made
from milled
aircraft-grade
aluminum,
with Furutech and Hubbell connectors. Parallel filtering, so it can
be used even with very large power amplifiers. List $1299, but…
ORDER: GMC, MaxCon2 power line filter, $995
Needs IEC power cord: order one at the same time at 20% off!
Multiple shielding, including external electrostatic shield connected
to a clip… you may get get best performance with or without. Used
by UHF. Now in an upgraded version, with performance “squared.”
Length 1.7 m, longer cords on order. G Clef 2 has 195 conductors,
with 3 shields providing 98% shielding. Can be ordered with a 20A
IEC plug (for amplifiers requiring this special plug)
ORDER: GGC G Clef, Square 1.7m, $385
GUTWIRE/UHF B12
59
HOSPITAL GRADE CONNECTION
When we put a quality
AC plug on our kettle,
boiling time dropped by
90 seconds! The best AC
plug we have ever seen is
the Hubbell 8215 hospital
grade plug. It connects to wires under high pressure, and it
should last forever.
ORDER: AC-P2 Hubbell cord plug, $25.95
Gutwire’s B12 is a fat pipe, well-shielded, to which we’ve added
Amazingly good at a much lower price are these two cord plugs
from Eagle. No hospital rating, but a rather good mechanical
connection. Male and female versions.
a Hubbell 8215 hospital grade wall plug and the Furutech IEC
copper connector. We use one ourselves, and we love it! Optionally
available as an easy-to-assemble kit, with the blue jacket prestripped and shrink-wrapped at one end.
ORDER: GWB12, 1.5 m B12 power cord, $285
ORDER: GWB12K, 1.5 m B12 power cord kit, $240
Need it longer? Add $95 per metre extra
ORDER: AC-P1 Eagle male cord plug, $5.95
ORDER: AC-PF Eagle female cord plug, $5.95
Making your own power cords for your equipment? You’ll need
the hard-to-get IEC 320 connector to fit the gear. We have two
sizes.
ENACOM LINE FILTER
Economy price, but astonishingly effective, we wouldn’t run our
system with less. It actually shorts out the hash on the power line.
ORDER: EAC Enacom line filter, $105
STINGRAY POWER BAR
Most power bars knock
voltage to your equipment
way down, and generate more
noise than a kindergarten
class. The Gutwire Stingray
Squared doesn’t. 12 gauge
double-shielded cable,
Hubbell hospital grade connectors at both ends. Indispensable!
ORDER: GSR-2 Stingray Squared power bar, $285
EICHMANN POWER STRIP
We dumped our
cheap power
strip, added a
GutWire 16 power
cord, and made
our system sound better, even though no major component was
plugged into it. ORDER: EPS power strip, $61.95
Take $10 off any one of our IEC power cords or cord kits with
an EPS purchase
MORE POWER TO YOU
Better access to
electrical power.
Change your 77-cent
duplex outlets for
these Hubbell hospital
grade outlets. Insert a
plug and it just snaps
in. A tighter internal
connection as well.
Possibly the cheapest improvement you can make to your system.
ORDER: AC-DA Hubbell duplex outlet, $23.95
ORDER: AC-DB (more than one outlet), $21.95
ORDER: AC-D20 20A duplex, red color, $28.95
INSTANT CIRCUIT CHECKER
Plug it into an AC outlet, and the three lights can
indicate a missing ground, incorrect polarity,
switched wires — five problems in all. Some of these
problems can be fatal, but none of them is good for
feeding your music or home theatre system. The
first thing we did after getting ours was phone the
electrician.
ORDER: ACA-1, Instant Circuit Checker, $21
GUTWIRE 16
No budget for the cable you’d like? Make your own!
Double-shielded, to
avoid picking up or
transmitting noise.
GutWire 16, assembled
or as a kit. (If you are
not comfortable around
electricity, we suggest
the assembled one.) Both
versions include the
Hubbell 8215 hospital
grade plug and the
Schurter 15 A IEC 320 connector.
ORDER: GW16-1.5K, GutWire 16 gauge power cable kit, $79.95
ORDER: GW16-1.5 GutWire 16 cable, assembled, $119.95
Need it longer? Add $28 per metre extra
IEC ON YOUR DVD PLAYER
Why do big name DVD
players come with those
tiny plugs for their cords? A
good shielded power cable
will do wonders! Take $18
off if you order it at the
same time as a G Clef or
B12 cable, or $8 off if you order one with a GutWire 16.
ORDER: DVD-A, GutWire adapter, $39
SUPER ANTENNA
Unlike a whip, a dipole is bidirectional, so you can orient it. Ours
has no switch to muck
things up, and with a
1.8m low-loss 75 ohm
cable and gold-plated
push-on F connector, it
has low internal loss. Its
broadband design covers
the channels 2-69 TV
bands as well as FM.
ORDER: FM-S Super
Antenna, MkII, $55
ORDER: AC-P3 10 ampere IEC 320 plug, $9.95
ORDER: AC-P4 15 ampere Schurter IEC 320 plug, $18.95
SILVER SOLDER
This is a lovely solder, from the
company that makes Enacom
line filters (which we also like).
Wakø-Tech solder contains 4%
silver, no lead.
ORDER: SR-4N, 100 g solder
roll, $59.95
BETTER DIGITAL
IMPROVED CD WITH FINYL
This is the most famous of all the treatments for
Compact Discs. The maker of Finyl claims it reduces
surface reflections and provides a higher contrast
image for the laser cell of your player. Use it just
once. We get a lot of repeat orders on it. One kit can
treat over 200 discs. Or order the refill.
ORDER: F-1 Finyl kit, $40.00
ORDER: F-1R Finyl refill, $35.00
CLEAN YOUR PLAYER
After as little as three
months, your new
player will have more
trouble reading your
CD’s. Why? Dust on
the lens. We’re happy
to have found the
new Milty CD lens
cleaner. Unlike some
commonly-available
discs, the Milty is nonabrasive, so we use it and rest easy. Can be used wet or dry.
ORDER: 2021 Milty CD lens cleaner, $35
60
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
THE SUPERSPIKE
TENDERFEET
Machined cones are wonderful
things to put under speakers or
other audio equipment. They
anchor it mechanically and
decouple it acoustically at the
same time. Tenderfeet come in
various versions: tall (as shown)
or flattened, in either anodized
silver or black. Tall Tenderfeet
have threaded holes for a machine screw, or for the optional
hanger bolt, which lets you screw it into wood. If you have a
fragile hardwood floor, add the optional Tendercup (shown
above) to protect it.
ORDER: TFG, tall silver Tenderfoot, $15
ORDER: TFGN, tall black Tenderfoot, $16.50
ORDER: TFP, flat silver Tenderfoot, $10
ORDER: TCP, silver Tendercup, $10
ORDER: THB, hanger bolt for Tenderfeet, each $0.80
This is unique: a sealed unit containing a spike and a cup to
receive it. It won’t scratch even hardwood floors. For speakers
or equipment stands, on bare floors only. Four sizes of threaded
shanks are available.
ORDER: SSKQ, 4 Superspikes, 1/4” shank, $75
ORDER: SSKT, 4 Superspikes, 5/16” shank, $75
ORDER: SSKS, 4 Superspikes, 6 mm shank, $75
ORDER: SSKH, 4 Superspikes, 8 mm shank, $75
WHAT SIZE SUPERSPIKE?
Do you prefer spikes for your speakers? Target spikes and sockets
mount in wood. Available with or without tools.
ORDER: S4W kit, 8 spikes, sockets and tools, $39
ORDER: S4WS kit, 8 spikes and sockets, $30
AUDIO-TAK
It’s blue, and it’s a sort of modelling
clay that never dries. Anchor
speakers to stands, cones to speakers,
and damp out vibration. Leaflet with
suggested uses.
ORDER: AT-2, Audio-Tak pack, $10
A good ruler will let you figure it out. The stated size is the outer
diameter of the threaded shank. Then count the threads:
1/4” shank: 20 threads/inch
5/16” shank: 18 threads/inch
M6 (6mm) shank: 10 threads/cm
M8 (8mm) shank: 8 threads/cm
We have also have a Superspike foot
(at right) that replaces those useless
feet on CD players, amps, etc., using
the same screws to fasten them. And
there’s a stick-on version (not shown)
for other components.
ORDER: SSKF, 4 Superspike replacement feet, $80
ORDER: SSKA, 3 stick-on Superspike feet, $50
AN ON-THE-WALL IDEA
Need to fasten a speaker
securely to the wall? Nothing
beats the Smarter Speaker
Support for ease of installation
or for sheer strength. And
it holds the speaker off the
wall, so it can be used even
with rear-ported speakers.
Easily adjustable with two
hands, not three, tested to an
incredible 23 kg! Glass-filled
polycarbonate is unbreakable.
Screws and anchors included,
available in two colors.
ORDER: SSPS, pair of black speaker supports, $29.95
ORDER: SSPS-W, pair of white speaker supports, $29.95
FOUNDATION STANDS
Absolutely the
best speaker
stand known to
us. They’re filled
with a proprietary
material that
deadens the stand
completely. Matte
black, with spikes
adjustable from the
top. Height 61 cm
(24”).
ORDER: FFA, one
pair Foundation
stands, $1295
SEE EVEN MORE PRODUCTS
IN OUR ON-LINE CATALOG
www,uhfmag.com/AudiophileStore.html
AUDIOPHILE RECORDINGS, RECOMMENDED BY UHF STAFF
REFERENCE RECORDINGS
30th Anniversary Sampler (HDCD)
A collection of excerpts from recent Reference albums.
Fennell Favorites (LP)
The Dallas Wind Symphony: Bach, Brahms, Prokofiev and more.
Fireworks on this rare Reference LP.
World Keys (HDCD)
Astonishing young pianist Joel Fan amazes with music from all the
world, including that of Prokofiev and Liszt
Yerba Buena Bounce (HDCD)
The (terrific) Hot Club of San Francisco is back, with great music,
well-played, wonderfully recorded by “Profesor” Johnson!
The Oxnard Sessions, vol. 1 (LP) �
Pianist Michael Garson, of Serendipity fame, takes on familiar standards, backed by five fine musicians. Inventive and beautiful.
Ikon of Eros (HDCD)
Huge suite for orchestra and chorus, by John Tavener. Inspired by
Greek Orthodox tradition. Overwhelming HDCD sound.
Nojima Plays Liszt (HDCD)
The famous 1986 recording of Minoru Nojima playing the B Minor
Sonata and other works is back…in HDCD this time!
Serendipity (LP) �
The original Micharl Garson recording, in which he gets upstaged by
saxophonist Gary Herbig! Exceptional!
Dick Hyman - Fats Waller (LP)
Analog version of this famous recording, cut to CD during the performance. Keith Johnson simultaneously recorded the performance on
his own hand-built analog recorder.
PLUS THESE HDCD RECORDINGS:
Pomp&Pipes (HDCD) �
Requiem (HDCD) �
From the Age of Swing (HDCD) �
Swing is Here (HDCD) �
Copland Symphony No. 3 (HDCD) �
Medinah Sessions, two CDs for one (HDCD)
Ports of Call (HDCD)
Tutti (HDCD)
Bruckner Symphony No. 9 (HDCD) �
Ein Heldenleben (HDCD) �
Garden of Dreams (HDCD)
David Maslanka’s evocative music for wind band.
Beachcomber (LP/HDCD) �
Fennell and the Dallas Wind Ensemble.Includes Tico Tico, A Chorus
line, and a version of 76 Trombones you’ll remember for a long time.
Blazing Redheads (LP)
Not all redheads, this all-female salsa-flavored big band adds a lot of
red pepper to its music.
Holst (LP) �
From the composer of The Planets, 3 suites for wind band, plus the
Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo. Fine power playing by the Dallas
Wind Symphony.
Felix Hell (HDCD)
The young organ prodigy turns in mature versions of organ music of
Liszt, Vierne, Rheinberger and Guilmant. Huge bottom end!
Trittico (HDCD) �
Large helping of wind band leader Frederick Fennell doing powerhouse music by Grieg, Albeniz, Nelhybel, etc. Complex and energetic.
American Requiem (HDCD)
Richard Danielpour's awesome Requiem mass is all about war, and
about the hope for peace too, with a dedication tied to 9/11.
SHEFFIELD
Say It With Music (CD) �
Margie Gibson sings Irving Berlin in what may be one the greatest
jazz vocal recordings of all time. And Sheffield put her there in your
living room!
Growing Up in Hollywood Town (XRCD) �
FIM's XRCD version of the original Amanda McBroom LP.
Drum/Track Record (XRCD2) �
OPUS 3
Unique Classical Guitar Collection (SACD)
An SACD, mastered from analog, of some of Opus 3’s long-discontinued classical guitar LPs. Terrific!
Showcase 2005 (SACD)
The latest Opus 3 sampler, with Eric Bibb, Mattias Wager, the Erik
Westberg Vocal Ensemble and lots more, in glorious SACD.
Peder af Ugglas (SACD/LP)
Ugglas plays a number of different guitars, and borrows from jazz,
Blues, and (yes!) country. Piano, organ, trombone, bowed saw, etc.
Organ Treasures (SACD) �
All those showpieces for big organ you remember hearing through
huge systems…only with all of the power and the clarity of Super
Audio. 4.1 channels, plus 2-channel CD.
Just Like Love (SACD/LP) �
The newest from Eric Bibb, less oriented to Gospel and more to Blues.
Bibb’s group, Needed Time, is not here, but he’s surrounded by half a
dozen fine musicians. A nice recording. Hybrid SACD.
Comes Love (HDCD) �
Another disc by the terrific Swedish Jazz Kings, led by saxophonist
Tomas Ornberg, proving again Sweden understands jazz. The sound
is luminous, sometimes dazzling.
It’s Right Here For You (HDCD) �
Is there, anywhere, a better swing band than The Swedish Jazz Kings
(formerly Tömas Ormberg’s Blue Five)? Closer to Kansas City than to
Stockholm, they are captivating.
Test CD 4 (SACD)
A sampler of Opus 3 performers, clearer than you’ve ever heard them
before. Hybrid disc.
Test CD 5 (HDCD) �
Another of Opus 3’s wonderful samplers, including blues, jazz, and
classical music. A number of fine artists, captured with the usual pure
Blumlein stereo setup. A treat.
Showcase (SACD/LP) �
Available as a hybrid SACD/CD disc, or a gorgeously-cut LP, with
selections from Opus 3 releases.
Good Stuff (DOUBLE 45 LP/HDCD/SACD) �
As soothing as a summer breeze, this disc features singer Eric Bibb
(son of Leon), singing and playing guitar along with his group. Subtle
weaving of instrumentation, vivid sound.
Spirit and the Blues (DOUBLE 45 LP/CD/SACD) �
Like his father, Leon Bibb, Eric Bibb understands the blues. He and
the other musicians, all playing strictly acoustic instruments, have
done a fine recording, and Opus 3 has made it sound exceptional.
Tiny Island (HDCD/SACD)
If you like Eric Bibb and his group Good Stuff as much as we do, pick
this one up.
20th Anniversary Celebration Disc (HDCD) �
A great sampler from Opus 3. Includes some exceptional fine pieces,
jazz, folk and classical. The sound pickup is as good as it gets, and the
HDCD transfer is luminous.
Levande (LP/CD) �
The full recording from which “Tiden Bara Går” on Test Record No.1
is taken. Believe it or not, this great song isn’t even the best on the
album! A fine singer, doing folklike material…and who cares about
understanding the words?
Concertos for Double Bass (CD/SACD) �
This album of modern and 19th Century music is a favorite for its
deep, sensuous sound. And the music is worth discovering. It is sensuous and lyrical, a delight in every way.
Across the Bridge of Hope (SACD)
An astonishing choral recording by the Erik Westberg Ensemble,
famous for its Musica Sacra choral recording.
Musica Sacra (HDCD/SACD) �
Test Record No.4 (LP) �
PROPRIUS
Antiphone Blues (CD) �
This famous disc offers an unusual mix: sax and organ! The disc
includes Ellington, Negro spirituals, and some folk music. Electrifying performance, and the recording quality is unequalled.
Antiphone Blues (SACD/HDCD) �
This is the Super Audio version, with a Red Book layer that is HDCDencoded. The best of both worlds!
Now the Green Blade Riseth (CD/SACD) �
Religious music done a new way: organ, chorus and modern orchestra. Stunning music, arranged and performed by masters, and the
effect is joyous. The sound is clear, and the sheer depth is unequalled
on CD. The new SACD version is the very best SACD we have yet heard!
Jazz at the Pawnshop (LP/CD/SACD-HDCD) �
A double album of live jazz, with nearly perfect sound. It has been
famous among audiophiles for years. Also available as double SACD/
HDCD gold disc on FIM label, or single CD.
Jazz at the Pawnshop 2 (CD/SACD) �
From the original master, another disc of jazz from this Swedish pub,
with its lifelike 3-D sound. Now a classic in its own right.
Good Vibes (CD)
The third volume of Jazz at the Pawnshop. And just as good!
Cantate Domino (CD/SACD) �
This choral record is a classic of audiophile records. The title selection is stunningly beautiful. The second half is Christmas music, and
includes the most stunning version of O Holy Night we’ve ever heard.
Sketches of Standard (CD)
ANALEKTA
Eybler Quartets (CD)
Even Mozart said he was a genius. The Eybler Quartet rediscovers
some of the works of this forgotten master.
Graupner: Vocal & Instr. Music vol.1 (CD)
Geneviève Soly and Les idées heureuses play music from a lost genius
whose reputation once outshon Bach’s.
Graupner: Partitas, vol.1 (CD)
Geneviève Soly plays some of Christoph Graupner’s incredibly rich
harpsichord music
Graupner: Vocal & Instr. Music vol.2 (CD)
Graupner: Partitas vol.3 (CD)
Graupner: Christmas in Darmstadt (CD)
61
SPECIAL PRICE ON ALL 8 CDs (see last page)
Violonchello Español (CD) �
I Musici de Montréal comes to Analekta, with a stunning album of
Spanish and Spanish-like pieces for cello and orchestra: Glazunov, de
Falla, Albéniz, Granados, and more.
Vivace (CD) �
Classical or rock? Claude Lamothe plays two cellos at the same time
in an amazing recording of modern compositions.
Pauline Viardot-Garcia (CD) �
Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian steps into the role of 19th Century
singer and composer Pauline Viardot so convincingly that listening
to her is like going back in time. One of the best classical recordings
of all time!
Beethoven: Hammerklavier Sonatas (CD)
Anton Kuerti tackles the two impressive sonatas.
Brahms Lieder (CD)
Canadian mezzo-contralto reveals what she truly is: one of the truly
great voices.
Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 6 (CD)
Tafelmusik steps outside its usual repertoire of Baroque on period
instruments. Under Bruno Weil, this orchestra turns in a gorgeous
rendition of two of Beethoven’s most memorable symphonies.
Mozart: Auernhammer Sonatas (CD)
A double CD of sonatas for violin and piano. It’s Mozart, of course, but
it is also gorgeously played.
Bach Sonatas for violin & harpsichord, vol.1 (CD)
Two Analekta superstars come together: violinist James Ehnes and
harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour. Irresistible
Bach Suites, Airs & Dances (CD)
Keyboard music from J.S. and C.P.E. Bach, arranged for concert
accordion by Canadian virtuoso Joseph Petric. Incredibly gorgeous…it just had to be done!
Mendelssohn: Cello & Piano (CD)
The Duo Similia is made up of striking blonde twins, who play flute
and guitar. Familiar airs from Mozart, Fauré, Elgar, Ravel, lots more.
Fine listening.
Romantic Pieces (CD) �
How does James Ehnes manage to get such a sweet sound from his
Stradivarius? Czech pieces from Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek.
The playing is as glorious as the tone, and the sound is sumptuous.
Bonus: Analekta’s 10th sampler is included.
Once Upon a Time… (Video DVD)
Violinist Angèle Dubeau et her La Pietà string group with a spectacular video of music inspired by the Underworld…with the devil
himself in attendence. Includes other videos plus two CD’s worth of
uncompressed music. Superb!
Cantabile (CD)
The Duo Similia is made up of striking blonde twins, who play flute
and guitar. Familiar airs from Mozart, Fauré, Elgar, Ravel, lots more.
Fine listening.
Nota del Sol (CD) �
The Labrie twins are back, with a delightful recording of flute and
guitar music by Piazzola, Pujol and Machado. Joyous works, wonderfully played and recorded
62
Fantasia (CD)
A third, gorgeous, recording by the twins, on flute and guitar.
Fritz Kreisler (CD)
Possibly the best recording of Kreisler’s delightful violin music: James
Ehnes and his Strad bring a new magic to this fine disc.
French Showpieces (CD) �
Awesome violinist James Ehnes, with the Quebec City Symph. takes on
Saint-Saëns, Berlioz, Chausson, Massenet, and more.
A Los ancestros (CD)
Cuban-born Carolos Placeres, with influences of Africa and lots of
other places. Six musicians in all, and all acoustic.
Bach: Coffee Cantata (CD)
The celebrated Tafelmusik ensemble does two secular cantatas
(inluding Peasant Cantata). Fine singers, lifelike sound!
Mozart: Soprano Arias (CD)
Soprano Lyne Fortin, with the Orchestre Métropolitain, totally at ease
with all three soprano roles from The Marriage of Figaro (including a
duet with herself!).
Handel (CD) �
Superb soprano Karina Gauvin is joined by the Toronto chamber
ensemble Tafelmusik in a series of glowing excerpts from Handel’s
“Alcina” and “Agrippina.” The sound is smooth and lifelike, with an
acute sense of place.
Little Notebook of Anna Magdalana Bach (CD) �
Over 30 delightful pieces, most by Bach himself. Soprano Karina
Gauvin’s voice is mated to Luc Beauséjour’s harpsichord work. The
sound is deep, detailed and warm, truly of audiophile quality.
Vivaldi: Motets for Soprano (CD) �
In this disc by wonderful soprano Karina Gauvin, she tackles the
gorgeous but very difficult vocal music of Vivaldi: two motets and a
psalm. It is a moving interpretation, on this jewel of a recording.
Vivaldi: Per Archi (CD)
Telemann Sonatas for 2 Violins (CD)
Mendelssohn: 2 Violin Concertos (CD
Opera for Two (CD)
Villa-Lobos (CD)
AUDIOQUEST
Mississipi Magic (CD/SACD)
The legendary Blues, Gospel, rock and world beat singer and musician Terry Evans, in an energetic recording we loved.
Come to Find (CD) �
The first by Bluesman Doug McLeod, as impressive as the second, and
no Blues fan should resist it.
SILENCE
Tres Americas (CD)
A gold audiophile disc of lively Latin fusion music. Irka Mateo and
Tadeo de Marco sing and play, drawing their influence from Africa as
well as their native Brazil. Clear, close-in sound.
Djembé Tigui (CD)
This gold disc features the voice and percussion of African artist
Sekou Camara, captured by the famous Soundfield microphone.
Camara died just before the disc was released.
Styles (CD)
Is this ever a surprising disc! Violinist Marc Bélanger worked up these
string études for his music students, but they actually deserve to be
put out on a gold audiophile disc! The more strings he adds, the better
it gets.
Fable (CD)
Easygoing modern jazz by Rémi Bolduc and his quartet, on this gold
disc. Some exceptional guitar and bass solos.
Musique Guy St-Onge (CD)
One-man band St-Onge plays dozens of instruments — scores for
fourteen films which never existed outside of his imagination. Fun
pretext, clever, attractive music that makes you wish you could see
the films!
HI-RES MUSIC (FOR DVD PLAYERS)
Brazilian Soul (24/96 DVD)
Guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd, plus percussion and
bass, in an intimate yet explosive recording of samba and bossa nova
music. Great!
Jazz/Concord (24/96 DVD)
It's 1972, and you have tickets to hear Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown
and Jake Hanna at the Concord Jazz Festival. You won’t ever forget it.
You can be there, with this high resolution disc that goes in your DVD.
Rhythm Willie (24/96DVD) �
Guitarists Herb Ellis and Freddie Green, With bassist Ray Brown and
others. This is an uncompressed 24 bit 96 kHz disc that can be played
on any video DVD player. Awesome!
Trio (24/96 DVD) �
Pianist Monty Alexander with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown. “Makes CD
sound seem as if it’s coming through a drinking straw.” Playable on
any DVD player, uncompressed.
Seven Come Eleven (24/96 DVD)
Herb Ellis and Ray Brown again, but this time with guitarist Joe
Pass (he and Ellis alternate playing lead and rhythm), and a third
guitarist, Jake Hanna. This is a live recording from the 1974 Concord
Jazz Festival.
Caprice (CD) �
Can harp be spectacular? Believe it! This famous Klavier recording
features Susann McDonald playing Fauré, Glinka and Liszt, is a powerhouse! Engineered by Keith Johnson, a great transfer by Bruce Leek.
Sonatas for Flute and Harp
These same great artists with sonatas by Krumpholz and Damase, as
well as Spohr and Glinka. Oh yes, and a spectacular solo harp version
of Ibert’s hilarious Entr’acte .
Norman Dello Joio (CD) �
This contemporary composer delights in the tactile sound of the wind
band, and the Keystone Wind Ensemble does his music justice. So
does the sound, of astonishing quality!
Carmina Burana (CD)
The celebrated Carl Orff oratorio sends chills down your spine, thanks
to the huge orchestra, gigantic choir, and of course the clarity and
depth of the Klavier sound.
Obseción (CD)
The Trio Amadé plays Piazzola, Berstein, Copland, and Emilion
Cólon…who is the trio cellist. The Colón and Piazzola is definitely
worth the price of admission. Lifelike sound.
Misbehavin’ (CD)
The superb Denver Brass does Gershwin (Cuban Overture, Porgy and
Bess), plus On the Town, Sweet Georgia Brown, and of course Ain’t
Misbehavin’. Great sound.
Hemispheres (CD)
The North Texas Wind Symphony with new music by contemporary
composers who know how to thrill. Some of the best wind band sound
available.
Illuminations (CD)
Absolutely great chamber musicians take on music by Villa-Lobos,
Malcolm Arnold, and some composers you may not know but you’ll
wish you did. Sublime sound, nothing less.
Mozart Serenade and Divertimenti (CD)
Lowell Graham (of Center Stage fame, Wilson Audio) conducts a
glowing version of these pieces, including the famous “Grand Partita.”
The engineering, by Bruce Leek, is absolutely first-rate.
Kickin’ the Clouds Away (CD)
Gershwin died more than 60 years ago, but you can hear him playing
piano in glowing stereo. Nineteen of his pieces are on this fine CD,
including a solo piano version of the Rhapsody in Blue.
FIRST/LAST IMPRESSIONS
La Fille Mal Gardée (XRCD)
A fine ballet with the Royal Ballet Company orchestra, from the
original 1962 Decca recording. Exceptional
You Can’t Take My Blues (CD) �
Singer/songwriter Doug MacLeod and colleagues present one of the
most satisfying Blues records ever made.
Soular Energy (24-96 DVD/ 24-192 DVD-Audio) �
Perhaps the world’s greatest bassist, the late Ray Brown, playing with
pianist Gene Harris, whom Brown called one of the greats. The proof
is right on this 24/96 recording, made from the analog master. Side 2
has a 24/192 DVD-A version.
Film Spectacular II (XRCD)
The orchestra of Stanley Black plays some of the greatest film music
of bygone years. From the original Decca Phase 4 tape.
Unmarked Road (SACD)
The third disc from the great blues singer and guitarist Doug McLeod
is every bit as good as the first two.
KLAVIER
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante (XRCD)
Igor and David Oistrakh with the Moscow Philharmonic, in a glorious
1963 recording, from the original master tape
Whose Truth, Whose Lies (SACD) �
The third disc from the great blues singer and guitarist Doug McLeod
is t as good as the first. These songs have powerful rhythm, and can
make you smile and cry at the same time.
Bluesquest sampler (CD)
Poetics (CD) �
A superb wind band recording which includes a breathtaking
concerto for percussion.
Ghosts (CD) �
This haunting(!) wind band recording features a suite of music that
could be the soundtrack to a film that will keep you awake nights. A
recording of astonishing dynamics and depth
Artistry oi Linda Rosenthal (HDCD) �
The great violinist Rosenthal plays favorites: Hora Staccato, Perpetuum Mobile, Debussy’s Beau Soir, etc.
Suite Española (XRCD) �
The Albéniz suite, gorgeously orchestrated by Rafael Frühbeck de
Burgos, who conducts the New Philharmonia. Beautifully remastered
from the original 1963 tape.
Audiophile Reference IV (SACD) �
A stunning sampler, with recognizable audiophile selections you have
never heard sound this good!
Songs My Dad Taught Me (HDCD)
Jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro and three other musicians, with a retro
collection of unforgettable tunes.
A Time for Us (HDCD)
Orchestral versions of music from great movies. Easy to love!.
Café Blue (HDCD/CD) �
Gold HDCD version of jazz singer Patricia Barber’s 1994 classic, an
audiophile underground favorite. Or get the original CD, at lower cost.
MISCELLANEOUS
63
Blues for the Saxophone Club (HDCD) �
Swing jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro, with guest artists, including
saxophonist Ernie Watts. The HDCD sound is explosive!
Carmin (CD) �
The third by Bïa. Different this time, with more money for production,
but it has been spent wisely. Superb songs, gloriously sung in Portuguese, French and the ancient Aymara language.
Only Trust Your Heart (HDCD)
Intimate sax variations by Greg Fishman, wonderfully accompanied
by the excellent pianist Jeremy Monteiro.
Coeur vagabond (CD)
Bïa sings French songs in Portuguese, Brazilian songs in French. A
delight, as usual from this astonishing singer
Neil Diamond: Serenade (CD)
Just eight songs on this European CBS disc, but what songs! I’ve Been
This Way Before, Lady Magdalene, Reggae Strut, The Gift of Song,
and more. Glowing sound too.
Audiophile (CD) �
The CD release of Secret of the Andes, the Nautilus disc we wouldn’t
review a speaker without. Pianist Victor Feldman and a whole set of
jazz greats. Second LP, Soft Shoulder, also included
Harry Belafonte (CD)
We haven’t heard Belafonte sound like this except on analog. The 16
songs include Island in the Sun, Jamaica Farewell, Midnight Special,
Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Brown Skin Girl, etc.
All We Need to Know �
Jazz singer Margie Gibson’s first album since Say It With Music, on
Sheffield. No one sings the way she does!
Sources (CD) �
A wonderful recording by Bïa (pronounced Bee-yah). She’s Brazilian,
lives in France, recorded this terrific album (in 5 languages!) in
Montreal. Just her warm voice and guitar, plus a handful of other fine
musicians. Sound to match.
Classica d’Oro
All of the classical world’s most important heritage, on 50 audiophilequality gold CDs, at under $4 per CD. Fine artists from Germany,
Austria, the UK, Eastern Europe. Listen to excerpts on line.
La mémoire du vent (CD)
The original recording by Bïa, in French, Portuguese and English. If
you love her second one, don’t hesitate.
Nightclub (CD) �
Patricia Barber, doing nightclub standards rather than her own
songs. But can she do them!
Modern Cool (CD)
The previous release from Patricia Barber, including songs she does
live on the Companion live disc (see below).
Les matins habitables (CD)
Acadian singer Marie-Jo Thério sings (mostly) in French. Includes a
stunning version of Évangeline, about the deportation of the Acadians
two and a half centuries ago.
Payment by VISA or MasterCard, cheque or money order (in Canada). All merchandise is guaranteed unless explicitly sold “as is.” Certain
items (the Super Antenna, the EAC line filter, and most standard-length cables) may be returned within 21 days less shipping cost. Other
items may be subject to a restocking charge. Defective recordings will be exchanged for new copies.
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64
VINYL ALBUMS
Beachcomber
Blazing Redheads
Dick Hyman — Fats Waller
Fennell Favorites
Good Stuff (2 LP)
Holst
Jazz at the Pawnshop
Just like Love
Levande
Peder af Ugglas
Serendipity
Showcase
Spirit and the Blues (2 LP)
Test Record No.4
The Oxnard Sessions
Trittico
Vinyl Essentials
RR-62
RR-26
RR-33
RR-43
LP19603
RR-39
7778-79
LP20002
7917
LP22042
RR-20
LP20000
LP19401
OPLP9200
RR-53
RR-52
LP003
35.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
55.00
25.00
65.00
29.95
24.00
29.95
30.00
29.95
55.00
35.00
25.00
32.00
48.95
NEW MEDIA
Across the Bridge of Hope
CD22012
29.95
An American Requiem
RR-97CD
22.00
Antiphone Blues (SACD)
7744SACD 42.00
Audiophile Reference IV
SACD 029
40.00
Beethoven/Mendelssohn
5186 102
29.95
Brazilian Soul (DVD)
HRM2009
29.95
Cantate Domino (SACD)
PSACD7762 29.95
Conc. for Double Bass (SACD) CD8522
29.95
Good Stuff (SACD)
CD19623
29.95
Jazz at the Pawnshop (SACD) FIM-JZ
82.00
Jazz at the Pawnshop 2 (SACD)PRSACD7079 35.00
Jazz/Concord (DVD)
HRM2006
29.95
Just Like Love (SACD)
CD21002
29.95
Mississipi Magic (SACD)
AQSACD1057 29.95
Musica Sacra (SACD)
CD19516
29.95
Now the Green Blade Riseth PRSACD9093 29.95
Once Upon a Time… (DVD) ANDVD 9 8720 34.00
Organ Treasures (SACD)
CD22031
29.95
Peder af Ugglas (SACD)
CD22042
29.95
Rhythm Willie (Audio DVD)
HRM2010
29.95
Seven Come Eleven (DVD)
HRM2005
29.95
Showcase (SACD)
CD21000
29.95
Showcase 2005 (SACD)
CD22050
29.95
Soular Energy (DVD/DVD-A) HRM2011
29.95
Spirit & the Blues (SACD)
CD19411
29.95
Tchaikovsky: Symph. #6 (SACD) 5186 107
29.95
Test CD 4 (SACD)
CD19420
29.95
Tiny Island (SACD)
CD19824
29.95
Trio (Audio DVD)
HRM2008
29.95
Unique Classical Guitar (SACD).CD22062
29.95
Unmarked Road (SACD)
AQ1046SACD 29.95
Whose Truth, Whose Lies?
AQ1054SACD 29.95
COMPACT DISCS
20th Anniversary Celebration
30th Anniversary Sampler
A Los Ancestros
Alleluía
All We Need to Know
American Requiem
Antiphone Blues
Artistry of Linda Rosenthal
A Time for Us
CD19692
RR-908
AN 2 9807
AN 2 8810
GG-1
RR-97CD
7744CD
FIM022VD
FIM051
24.95
19.95
21.00
21.00
21.00
19.95
24.95
27.95
27.95
Audiophile
Bach: Coffee Cantata
Bach Sonatas, violin & harpsi.
Bach Suites, Airs & Dances
Beachcomber
Best of Chesky & Test, vol.3
Best of the Red Army Chorus
Beethoven: Hammerklavier
Beethoven Symph. 5 & 6
Blues for the Saxophone Club
Bluesquest
Bossa Nova
Brahms Lieder
Bruckner: Symph. No.9
Café Blue
Café Blue (HDCD gold)
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The Harmonica
by Reine Lessard
and those who created them, let us for a
moment become “harmoniphiles,” and seek
to discover more about this instrument whose
sound we have learned to love.
***
Strange is the story of a father who
gave birth to a celebrated music instrument, but of whom we have retained
the name and little more. Yet it was a
fine story. Remember? The organ? The
accordion? The time has come to lift the
veil from the end of the story, which is in
truth its beginning. Are you following
me?
The lowly mouth
organ, it turns out,
ain’t so lowly
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A
poignant music pierces the screen.
Sitting in darkness we are surprised, even stunned, by this
sudden intrusion on our consciousness. Be it tragic or luminous, this
musical segment which transcends the
dialogue will henceforth be associated with
this film. We will have but to hear the title,
and the haunting melody will be running
through our minds once again. We will
recall the names of prodigious composers
who have, through the harmonica, given
the Seventh Art another dimension: Ennio
Morricone (Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of
Dollars, John Williams (Steven Spielberg’s
Sugarland Express), Dimitri Tiomkin
(High Noon), Nino Rota (Coppola’s The
Godfather), not to mention the “Mozart of
the screening room,” Georges Delerue (Steel
Magnolias).
In memory of these unforgettable scores
It is once again to China that we owe
a revolutionary invention, this time in
the domain of musical instruments.
Thousands of years ago, in an attempt
to fashion a mechanism for a new wind
instrument, someone in China came
up with a vibrating blade which moved
when one blew on it. They used this free
reed as the heart of an instrument known
as the sheng.
Did you know that without this
invention a whole series of wind instruments wouldn’t exist? That’s the case of
the clarinet, the saxophone, the oboe,
the bassoon, the bagpipe, the accordion,
the concertina, the melodica, the harmonium, and even the classical organ,
some of whose pipes are fitted with
reeds. Much thanks to this ingenious
people who also gave us ink, porcelain,
the compass (the magnetic one and the
one that draws circles), and fireworks.
The tiny sheng traveled a long way
across the centuries before arriving in
St. Petersburg, where it is the object of
much curiosity. At a time when Europe is
searching for new musical instruments,
the free reed is studied with diligence,
as is the sheng itself.
Around 1820, a 16-year old clockmaker named Christ ian Friedrich
Ludwig Buschmann invents a wind
instrument he calls the aura. Had he
seen a sheng? No doubt, but the youth,
who has learned a great deal about
musical instruments by watching his
father Johan, is so delighted with the
sound of his instrument that he files for
a patent.
The aura amazes everyone by the
novelty of its concept. It is barely 10 cm
long. Though it produces a series of notes
arranged chromatically, it possesses a
good dynamic range. It also allows a
note to be sustained, which was then a
novelty. For the moment the young man
uses it to play melodies accompanied by
his father’s invention, the terpodion, a
sort of reed organ. His aura is quickly
imitated.
The news filters down, despite the
barriers of war zones and stagecoaches
bogged down on dirt roads, to a Bohemian instrument maker, who sets out to
improve the aura. By 1826 he has built a
new instrument with 10 openings and 20
reeds, mounted on either side of a cedar
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block called a comb. The comb serves as
a separation, so that one reed vibrates
when one blows, and another when
one draws in one’s breath. He calls his
instrument the mundharmonika, which
will become the harmonica. This model
is still called the Richter diatonic.
Richter subsequently discovers that
if he installs two reeds in the same hole,
he can reduce the instrument’s size to
a few centimeters, like the one on this
page. But the small dimensions of the
harmonica remove it from contention
as a serious musical instrument, and
unexpectedly it becomes, instead, an
item of jewelry hung about the necks
of fine ladies. Nobles all want one, the
well-to-do have them installed in their
canes, even the Pope receives one as a
gift, and the mania continues.
The enthusiasm convinces another
clockmaker, from the Black Forest,
Christian Messner, to buy auras from
Buschmann and go into limited production of the musical jewelry. To make
them truly attractive they need some
sort of cover. Messner gets ones made
by his neighbor, one Mattias Höhner,
which he then decorates.
Cherchez la femme…
While Mattias is busy making all
those harmonica covers for Messner to
decorate, his wife fires up her mental
calculator. On a fine morning in 1855,
she announces her conclusion. “Why,”
she says, “don’t you start manufacturing these instruments yourself?” He
does, but his instruments are less ornate
than Messner’s, and Höhner finds little
market for what is still considered to be
jewelry.
It is a time of great waves of immigration toward the United States: francoAcadians, anglo-Irish, Spaniards, Poles,
Italians and Germans, all bringing their
traditions and of course their music.
Nearly all have, in their baggage, one
of the first wave of diatonic harmonicas,
whose sound delights all who hear it.
Now it so happens that Höhner has
a cousin in America, and he reasons
that since Americans have never seen
Messner’s fancier handiwork, they will
not be apt to make unfavorable comparisons. He ships several instruments to his
cousin, and this time success awaits him.
He launches production of mass market
harmonicas. Six hundred Höhner harmonicas are sold the first year, and the
volume keeps growing. So productive is
he that he actually corners the market.
(By now the mundharmonika is called
simply the harmonica, and I shall use
that term from here on.)
The harmonica brings pleasure to
millions the world over. It becomes a
favorite of the traveler, the lumberjack,
the explorer and the fur trapper, for it is
more portable than a guitar yet it offers
diverse possibilities.
To compensate for the missing
“black” notes in the diatonic harmonica,
Höhner in 1920 invents a pushbutton
model, the chromatic harmonica. It has
two rows of holes, but the musician uses
only one at a time. Normally the instrument plays the D Major scale, but when
the button is pushed and the second row
of holes is uncovered, it plays sharps, and
thus the scale of D Sharp Major. It takes
but four holes to cover an octave in either
key.
There are also holes producing two
notes, called enharmonic. An example
would be D Sharp and E Flat, or F Sharp
and G Flat. To the ear the difference
is not audible, but the harmonica can
produce them.
All that is very well, but there is a
small problem: the instrument is not
airtight, and therefore air can escape
from it instead of flowing past the reed. A
valve of fine leather, or later of plastic, is
added to prevent the air from escaping.
A well deserved promotion
Whether we discuss a musical instrument or an artistic or literary work, it
seems that unless it is complex it won’t
get any respect. For that reason, the
simple instrument that is the harmonica
will long be considered a second rate
instrument. It is, after all, cheap, small
enough for a pocket, and easy to learn.
Are those good reasons to look down
on it? One day a philosopher I shall not
identify — yes, a philosopher! — stated
that he had consideration only for
“noble” instruments. And what instruments might those be? “Instruments you
don’t put in your mouth,” he replied.
So much for the clarinet, the bassoon
and the flute, then!
All joking aside, let us renounce
prejudices. If an instrument can place
you in the balance between smile and
tear, or it can lead you into a frightening
charge, or it can be a herald of turbulence
or tragedy, if it can set up unbearable suspense, then in the right hands it becomes
almost a full orchestra. The harmonica
has been the first instrument of many
a self-taught genius, it has inspired
passionate composers, it has been the
instrument of numerous virtuosos who
have dazzled and charmed us.
But who are they? Where are they?
Let us tear a few secrets from the vault
of history…
Credit where credit is due
The first “name” harmonica player,
from 1860, is none other than Abraham
Lincoln. According to his biographers
he loved to play the harmonica, as well
as the Jew’s harp (probably a corruption
of jaw harp). It is said that before one of
his many debates against his adversary,
Stephen Arnold Douglas, friends warned
him that Douglas would be accompanied
by a brass band. Unperturbed, Lincoln
reached into his pocket. “I have my
harmonica,” he said.
And in 1855, it is said the president
of Höhner in Germany received the following letter: “Two of my favorite things
are sitting on my front porch smoking a
pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Höhner
harmonica. (Signed) Abraham Lincoln.
In America in 1865 musical training is reserved for the well-off, but a
harmonica can be had for a penny, the
price soaring to a whole nickel by 1896.
It is the one instrument accessible to
all, and it is hardly surprising that it
becomes one of the symbols of the Far
West, along with the Colt revolver and
the Winchester rifle.
A f ter t he A merican Civ il War
country music aficionados promote the
harmonica and contribute to its development, but it is the recently liberated
an instruction manual in the local language. The strategy works, and Höhner
harmonicas can be heard around the
world.
The best known of these customized
instruments is of course the ever popular
Marine Band, which virtually every
child — me certainly, you too probably — has had in his or her hands. The
small diatonic instrument is launched in
1896 and is named for the US Marine
Band, which from 1880 to 1892 had
become known around the world under
the direction of “The March king,”
John Philip Sousa (inventor of the
sousaphone). In 1930 Sousa writes The
Harmonica Wizard for harmonica band,
which he conducts to the delight of other
composers and a wide public.
Classical music, jazz, musette, Blues,
mood music, sound effects — all can be
played with the harmonica. How often
the harmonica has been used to simulate
the sound of a train, or even a human
voice. In the late 19 th Century it was
noticed that the harmonica could imitate
the sound of what was then the latest in
transportation, the steam locomotive.
Drawing and blowing, holding a note,
cleverly using one’s jaw, tongue and
hands, one could evoke the rhythm, the
puffing and even the whistle of a steam
engine. That such a tiny and unprepossessing instrument is capable of all that
is astounding.
The earliest harmonica recordings
date back to the early 20’s, by which
time there are harmonica bands with as
many as 120 members. New York City
College is the first institution to offer
a degree program in music theory and
performance for harmonica players.
Because the harmonica can evoke so
many moods, filmmakers often call on
the very best composers to write for the
instrument, favoring, of course, those
who are at ease with it. The composers, in turn, requisition the services of
top harmonicists. Since harmonicists
number in the millions, forgive me if I
skim only a few off the top.
The great harmonicists of France
In France in the 1950’s, often considered the golden age of the harmonica,
Albert Raisner has a passion for the
instrument. He founds the Trio Raisner,
produces and hosts radio and TV broadcasts, and also composes music for film.
A champion in his country and in the
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Southern slaves who will select it as their
musical vehicle and give it its flamboyance. Here’s why. Their music is highly
rhythmic, their voices are emotional,
and they love improvisation. The notes
they sing, halfway between major and
minor modes, now called “blue” notes,
cannot be produced by instruments such
as the piano without special tuning.
But because one plays the harmonica
with the same muscles that are used
for singing, it is the dream instrument.
Better yet, the harmonica has a soul! It
is eminently expressive, since the sound
and tone of each note can be altered by
the performer. It is quickly adopted.
At the beginning these Afro-American musicians have only diatonic harmonicas with the 20 notes of the D scale.
They must therefore develop breath
techniques to yield the notes they want.
They come up first with a technique
called bending, in order to produce notes
that the instrument cannot play naturally. The technique lets the musician
drop the note by a tone and a half, which
means a single hole can produce four
different notes. This is done by shaping
the mouth so that the reed’s natural
note slides toward another note. Our
self-taught musicians observe the result
and they are astounded.
There are still notes missing, however, and they are added by another
technique, overblowing, invented by
the talented pianist Howard Lev y,
who is frustrated by the idea that notes
should be missing from an instrument.
Overblowing is the opposite of bending,
causing the pitch of the high-pitched
reed in a hole to rise higher yet. With the
addition of that technique the diatonic
harmonica is nearly comparable to the
chromatic, but of course not everyone
shares these special skills.
Afro-Americans will be the greatest proponents of the harmonica, and
thanks to the Blues it will be imposed
as an essential instrument.
But back to Höhner. His production
may be huge, but the severe economic
depression of the 1890’s hits him hard,
tipping his enterprise into the red. Is he
discouraged? His exceptional marketing skills rescue him, and he sets about
creating distinct models for a clientele
internationally, each accompanied by
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world of harmonica in general, he founds
the CHARM…which stands, perhaps
you’ve guessed, for Club de l’harmonica.
Also in France, the consummate
contemporary harmonicist Jean Labre
is a master of all harmonica types. He
is the winner of the Coupe de France de
l’harmonica and the Coupe Europe 1. He
is a producer, author and publisher as
well as a performer. It is he who told
us about a major concert in Bad Elster,
Germany, last February 3rd, in which
master harmonicist Howard Levy played
his Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and
Symphony Orchestra.
In 1952 Claude Garden plays, at the
age of 15, before the CHARM in Paris.
Imagine this youth, accompanied on
piano by his mother, playing Mozart’s
Turkish March with virtuosit y and
exceptional sensitivity, before a rapt
audience.
Claude quickly finds a place within
the musical elite. Radio broadcasts, concerts and records multiply at a frenetic
rhythm, slowed only by the ascendancy
of rock music and particularly the
Beatles. Even that is not the end of the
story, however. Fascinated by jazz, he
explores its many facets with the greatest singers and musicians of France and
the United States. His recordings and
his North American tour feature a new
format: a harmonica-guitar duet. He is
adulated everywhere, despite his rather
sullen demeanor.
With his advice, Suzuki creates in his
honor the “Magic Garden” harmonica.
Major composers write for him: Darius
Milhaud, Henri Sauguet (the Garden
Concerto), Astor Piazzola, and Canadian
composer François Dompierre (his
Harmonica Flash, with Dutoit and the
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal,
is available on a Deutsche Grammophon
CD).
In 1957 three high school students in
Dijon get together to play at a local celebration, and subsequently form the Trio
Frank. Within two years they become
champions in the France Harmonica
competition with a Chopin Waltz, and
the same year they represent France in
Innsbruck, where they play the obligatory Raisner Harmonica Concertino, and
then their chosen piece, the overture to
Boieldieu’s Calife of Baghdad. They win,
with congratulations of the jury.
The Americans
They are legion. Sonny Terry (19111986), born Saunders Terrell, is exposed
to music at a tender age, since his father
is a talented folk harmonicist. Two
accidents leave him nearly blind. It is
natural for him to turn his attention
to his father’s instrument. He becomes
popular in 1938 with his participation
in the concert From Spirituals to Swing
in Carnegie Hall. In the late 50’s he is
caught up in the folk music wave, and
forms a duet with guitarist Brownie
McGhee.
Together they tour and turn out a
number of LPs of acoustic music. His
joyous cries punctuating the hoarse
sound of his instrument capt ivate
audiences.
Jewish harmonicist Larry Adler is
born in Baltimore in 1914. Though he
studies music and piano at the Peabody
School of Music, he sets out to teach
himself the harmonica. His virtuosity
gets him noticed, and he turns pro by
the time he is 16. He undertakes a career
in the movies, under contract with Paramount. Performances at Carnegie Hall
and tours of Europe, the Middle East
and South Africa bring him fame. He
turns to composition, modeling himself
on his hero, George Gershwin. Moving
in the circles of Chaplin, Garbo, Astaire
and Dali, he is someone to be reckoned
with.
In 1949, however, finding himself
on Joseph McCarthy’s infamous blacklist, he leaves for England. There the
illustrious composer Ralph Vaughan
Williams writes for him the Romance
in D Flat Major, a remarkable piece for harmonica, piano and strings.
Along with classical and jazz pieces,
he also writes for film. Under the
name Muir Mathieson, because of the
blacklist, he writes the score for Henry
Cornelius’ Genevieve and is nominated
for an Oscar in 1955.
His swan song comes in 1998 with
a Mercury album of music by his hero,
Gershwin, for producer George Martin.
He dies in 2001 at the age of 87.
Born in 1914 in Tennessee John Lee
(Sonny Boy) Williamson loses his father
when he is but a baby. He is brought up by
his mother, who gives him a harmonica
for Christmas when he is 11. Though he
works hard on his mother’s farm, on his
free time he listens to records on a windup player and attempts to reproduce what
he hears on his harmonica. By the age of
16 he is jamming all around Tennessee
and Arkansas, and in 1934 he moves to
the Windy City, which is also the home
of the Blues.
He is an accompanist initially, but
dancing despite his pegleg in the film
Amélie From Montmartre, when Amélie
prepares a videotape for the artist who
is her downstairs neighbor.
complex harmony, the most
surprising notes.
Born in Brussels in 1922,
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor
Thielemans begins to play the
accordion when he is three,
before taking up the guitar and
then the harmonica. During the
German Occupation, he meets
jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, and from then on he will
live for jazz alone. A tour with
Benny Goodman in 1959 gives
him international prominence.
He moves to the US in 1952,
and in 1962 his piece Bluesette
is a worldwide hit.
Playing concerts, recording
with top artists on the most
prestigious labels, he also writes
for and performs in films whose
very titles call up the emotion
of his music: Midnight Cowboy,
and Sugarland Express notably.
In the two French films Jean de
Florette and Manon of the Spring,
he plays to poignant effect a
troubling arrangement of a
melody from Verdi’s opera La
Forza del Destino.
He receives many honors,
including the title of Baron bestowed by
the King of Belgium. In March of last
year there was a concert in his honor at
Carnegie Hall, The Magic of Toots.
I can’t ignore Toots Thielemans,
a harmonicist who, now at the age of
86, can still plunge his audience into
dreamy nostalgia. He is an immortal, a
self-taught musician recognized as the
world’s most accomplished jazz harmonicist. On his minuscule chromatic
instrument, he can produce the most
Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs is
a small child when he begins playing
waltzes and polkas on his harmonica.
Leaving school at 12 he goes through
a series of odd jobs and wanders the
streets and bars of New Orleans, where
he becomes popular. He arrives in Chicago at the age of 15 to earn his living
as a guitar accompanist, but it is already
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he is soon playing his own
compositions, some of which
are destined to become Blues
classics. His first recording,
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,
on the Bluebird label in 1937,
is greeted with enthusiasm
and launches his reputation,
especially because of special techniques that will be
widely imitated: squeezed
notes and a harmonica technique known as cross harp.
So frenetic is his rhythm that
he puts a cushion under his
feet so that their beating on
the stage won’t be heard. (As
we shall see, a later Canadian
harmonicist will choose to do
the exact opposite.)
He dies at the peak of
his career, at the age of 34,
murdered on his way home
from a gig.
A r t hu r “Pegleg” Sa m
Jackson is an original and
picturesque eccentric not
given to the least concession.
He is on the road by puberty,
working as a cook aboard a
ship or as a shoe shiner. He is
not afraid to travel by jumping freight
trains, a practice that costs him a leg and
earns him his nickname.
We know little about him, beyond
his date and place of birth (1922 in South
Carolina) and those of his death (1977 in
the same place). He is Afro-American,
with no known roots, of obscure origin,
self-taught. Social conventions mean
nothing to him. A singer, actor and
harmonicist, he sometimes plays two
harmonicas at once. They still speak of
his prowess as a performer, his numerous
variations, his skill at bending notes, his
imitations of locomotives and the sounds
of nature, as well as a vibrato that was
entirely his own.
Virt uoso of v irt uosos, Jack son
becomes one of the greatest harmonicists
in Blues history. He is in much demand
as an entertainer, touring with fairs, carnivals and medicine shows. You can see
him, at one of his last concerts in North
Carolina in 1972, in Tom Davenport’s
film Born for Hard Luck. It’s available on
DVD. You can also get a glimpse of him,
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clear that it is with the harmonica that
he is happy and will become known.
One day he discovers the music of
harmonicist Sonny Boy Williamson and
the recordings of Jump Blues saxophonist Louis Jordan. He learns Jordan’s solos
note by note and reproduces them on
his harmonica. He is stunning to hear,
developing a revolutionary technique
allowing performances beyond what is
then considered possible. He is the first
harmonicist to use a microphone not
only to amplify the sound of his instrument but to produce new sounds and
sonic effects. He is well ahead of his time
in using amplifier distortion as a musical
element.
Jacobs changes the vocabulary of
the harmonica in Blues and Blues rock.
In 1952, his recording of Juke is the
first harmonica instrumental to find its
way onto the R&B charts, where it will
remain eight weeks.
Alas, his addiction to the bottle takes
away his best chances. Along with his
violent temper, alcohol often gets him
into dangerous battles. It is after one
such fight that he dies, in 1968, at the age
of 38. His music is on the Chess label.
Born in 1944 in Mississippi, Charlie
Musselwhite grows up in Memphis,
where he is plunged very young into
that city’s diversified culture. He lives
on the streets, where he can run across
such rockabilly legends as Johnny
Burnett and Slim Rhodes. He leaves for
Chicago when he is 18 to look for work,
his harmonica in his pocket. There he
discovers Urban Blues and becomes a
much sought-after sessions player.
He too has a problem with the
bottle, but some years later he stops
drinking and his career is reborn, and
closed doors open for him once again.
He becomes one of the greatest white
Blues harmonicists. He his admired for
his music, and respected for his victory
over his addiction. Guitarist Big Joe
Williams called him the greatest living
Blues harmonicist, “…right up there
with Sonny Boy Williamson, and he’s
been my harp player ever since Sonny
Boy got killed.” Among his recordings
is Come to Find with Doug McLeod
(Audioquest AQCD1027).
Japan
The harmonica made an impressive
entry into the Land of the Rising Sun
in the last century with Hidero Satoh,
a double-reed diatonic player who
became the idol of millions, marrying
the tremolo harmonica with traditional
instruments.
As for Juko Saito, he actually invented
a new variation on the harmonica, the
pentatonic tremolo. Completely different
from other instruments, it offers a scale
of only five notes. The diatonic has seven
notes, the chromatic has 12.
Quebec
There is a painting of 1890 by Quebec
artist Ozias Leduc titled L’enfant au pain.
It shows a young boy seated at the dinner
table and…playing the harmonica.
Quebec saw a number of fabulous
harmonicists who became known across
Canada and abroad. Henri Lacroix
recorded a number of 78’s. Mary Travers,
better known, as La Bolduc, who was a
30’s recording star for her yodeling style
of singing, was also a fine harmonicist.
In our own day, Jim Zeller began playing the harmonica at 12 and became a
celebrated accompanist of the greatest
names in Blues.
Then there is Alain Lamontagne,
whose picture is found in these pages,
since he generously gave me of his time
to help me develop this article.
Lamontagne begins playing when he
is only seven. By the time he is 13 he is
listening to the recordings of the great
harmonicists, originators of many of the
techniques he wishes to learn: Sonny Boy
Williamson, Louis Blanchette, Aldor
Morin and others. Like them, he will be
self-taught, developing a fount of empirical knowledge, and adding techniques
of his own, such as the multiple trill. In
collaboration with another harmonica
fan, he develops a best-selling method
for beginners (L’harmonica sans professeur,
still in print at Les Éditions de l’Homme).
He is a modern troubadour. “Music
for the heart, rhythm for the belly,
joyous thoughts for the head.” So says
Lamontagne, who is also a composer and
a storyteller. Thus he has associated with
the harmonica the telling of tales, and
what he calls podorhythmie, beating time
with the feet, as was and is the fashion
in the rural music of Quebec. Indeed,
he invents a sort of electronic “floor”
for the purpose, thanks to grants from
the Canada Council and the Quebec
Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and with
the collaboration of McGill University’s
Erik Johnstone. The result is an “instrument” with a sound pickup (by the way,
Google “podorythmie” and check out
how popular Lamontagne’s neologism
is becoming). With this instrument, his
stories and his harmonicas, Lamontagne
tours Canada from sea to sea to sea, as
well as the US, Europe, Africa, Australia,
the Caribbean and Japan. His repertoire
spans Beethoven’s Ode to Joy to the most
popular traditional tunes. As composer
and musician he has recorded four CDs,
including Souffle and De Toute Beauté. He
also writes for the screen and the stage,
and records alone or with others.
Inside the harmonica
Alain Lamontagne underlines that
everyone thinks he knows the harmonica. Who hasn’t held one and attempted
to draw music from it? Who hasn’t sat
d this issue?
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around a campfire or on the water and
been moved by the sounds — gay or
melancholic — produced by a skilled
musician? It takes little imagination to
picture a lonesome traveler forgetting
his solitude with a little harmonica
music. Yet it takes much more to really
know the instrument.
The harmonica is a wind instrument using free reeds. It is, with the
saxophone, the most expressive of wind
instruments. It is the only wind instrument that works both ways: you can blow
air into it, or draw it out.
There are three types of harmonica,
the chromatic, the one played by Toots
Thielemans, the much older diatonic
favored by Lamontagne, and the chord
or polyphonia harmonica, which plays
chords. Lamontagne uses this last one
for accompaniment and for special
effects. In recording sessions he will also
play the chromatic, so that he can give
the exact note the composer wants. His
reputation, however, rests on his mastery of the diatonic. “No harmonicist is
equally good with all three instruments,”
he says. “I play all three, but I don’t play
them all well.”
Is t he har mon ica a complete
instrument?
The chromatic harmonica is certainly complete in and of itself, capable
of producing four different notes from
each hole thanks to its push-button slide.
Like the guitar or the violin, it can cover Before a concert Lamontagne pre- note. A musician who masters this techtwo, three or even four octaves, with key pares his instruments. “It’s like a piano nique can then play any harmonica.
changes. It is the one with the richest that has been sawn into little sections,” Unlike diamonds a harmonica is not
timbre and the most diverse possibilities. he says with a sly smile. In his arsenal he forever. An actively-played chromatic
Until a few decades ago it was considered has a sextet, six juxtaposed harmonicas harmonica has an active life of just one
the only harmonica that could play each in its own key, shown above.
year, and the diatonic even less. Fortuns so mu
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can find it quickly. Even so, he has two muscles in order to blow into just one have their lives enriched, like the lives of
hole at a time, in order to play a single those around them.
in each key, in case one fails.
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by Reine Lessard
and Gerard Rejskind
Joseph Leopold Eybler
Eybler Quartet
Analekta AN 2 9914
Lessard: Hardly a year goes by that
someone, somewhere, doesn’t discover
a forgotten composer. Even Bach was
once rediscovered, as was Vivaldi, and
more recently Christoph Graupner
(see UHF No. 75). To this long list we
had Joseph Leopold Eybler (1765-1846),
who perhaps never received the fame he
would have deserved.
Jewels among so many of the Classical era, his Quartets, Op. 1 are played by
the quartet bearing his name, with four
fine musicians who share a love of the
composer and his works. But who was
Joseph Eybler?
This Austrian composer was rated
by his professor of composition, Johann
Georg Albrechtsberger, as the greatest
genius (presumably of the age), after
Mozart. The assertion may raise doubts
among art historians, but there is no
doubt that He was a major composer.
He held several functions at the Imperial court of Vienna over a span of two
decades. Mozart held his talent in such
high esteem that he asked him to organize the vocal rehearsals of Cosi fan tutte,
which Eybler subsequently conducted
several times. Mozart wrote him the
following recommendation:
I, the undersigned, attest herewith
that I have found the bearer of this,
Herr Joseph Eybler, to be a worthy pupil
of his famous master Albrechtsberger, a
well-grounded composer, equally skilled
at chamber music and the church style,
fully experienced in the art of the song,
also an accomplished organ and clavier
player; in short a young musician such,
one can only regret, as so seldom has his
equal.
Eybler, for his part, was a faithful
friend of Mozart, who cared for him until
his death. It was to him that Constanza
Mozart first turned to finish his Requiem.
Eybler too left it unfinished. It was when
he was conducting the Requiem in 1833
that he suffered a stroke that ended his
court duties. He was subsequently made
a noble for his services.
From his impressive body of works —
an opera, his own requiem mass, symphonies, songs, sacred music and music
for strings — A nalekta has drawn
three quartets that you will hear with
delight.
Eybler’s Opus 1 was composed when
he was 22, and was dedicated to Joseph
Haydn, with whom he kept up a sustained correspondence. I was drawn in
by the boldness of the harmonies and
the melodic quality of the music. The
quartet is made up of two violinists, a
violist and a cellist, passionate about this
repertoire at the crossroads between the
Baroque and Classical periods, with an
enviable reputation as chamber players.
You will be won over by the vivacity of
their attacks, the impact, the luminous
and lively playing. The recording, done
at Humbercrest United Church in
Toronto, deserves a place in your record
library.
And perhaps in your iPod too, to add
some charm to your time on the road.
Rachmaninov Symph No. 2
Steinberg/Pittsburgh Symph.
HDTT unnumbered
Rejskind: This is another of those
re-releases from High Definition
Tape Transfers of recordings from
the 1950’s. The recording is mastered
from the stereo tapes that were made by
some labels before the 45-45 stereo disc
became a reality. They are old enough
that (according to HDTT) they are in
the public domain. They are digitized
in 24-bits at 96 kHz sampling rate, then
burned individually onto a DVD, playable on any DVD player.
This recording of the brooding,
anguished Rachmaninov symphony
was originally a four-track tape made
by the defunct company Command. I
remember them well, because they used
to send me supposedly master-quality
cassettes, copied onto expensive cassette
tapes. The cassettes sounded awful,
which was not really a surprise, but I am
sad to report that the same is true of this
disc.
As I recall the Command sound,
it was marked by a particularly gritty
string sound, which was not uncommon
in classical recording then (now too,
when it comes to that), and which is
faithfully reproduced here. I was never
much impressed with Steinberg as a conductor, but the string sound was enough
to finish me on him. HDTT says this is
a “long forgotten” recording. Requiescat
in pace.
Stravinsky: L’histoire du soldat
Robert Mandell/Ars Nova
HDTT unnumbered
Rejskind: Now that’s better! This highresolution DVD is from a Westminster
stereo recording of the early 50’s, and
is one of the first modern stereophonic
recordings. The Westminster label was
known for artists who were somewhat
underestimated at the time and were
rediscovered only later (conductor
Hermann Scherchen was one of its
regulars). Ars Nova (the name is taken
from a “modern” late medieval music
movement) was a French ensemble set up
by Robert Mandell, of some reputation
at the time.
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The reputation is not misplaced.
This is an exceptional version of the
Stravinsky tone poem by seven musicians, playing trombone, cornet, bassoon, clarinet, violin, double bass and
percussion. Originally this Russian folk
tale, featuring a soldier and the devil,
included dance and narration (thankfully
omitted here). It ran about an hour, but a
concert version, later reorchestrated by
Stravinsky himself, ran about half that
length, and that is the version done by
Ars Nova.
It is astonishing to think that the
original tape is 50 years old and still
sounds like this. And it is not a master
tape, remember, but a mass-produced
copy, probably recorded at quadruple
speed, and without the benefit of Dolby
noise reduction. It is lively, with a gorgeous and natural top end, and amazing
presence and dynamics. The acoustics
are that of a large salon rather than an
actual concert hall. The background is
silent.
It is believed that Ars Nova was
actually a pick-up orchestra, but if that’s
true Mandell got lucky. I’ve heard this
Stravinsky music done atrociously, and
certainly not as well as this group does
it.
The one down side: it’s too short.
La Fille Mal Gardée
Orch. Of Royal Opera House
LIM XR24 013
Lessard: Don’t ask me for an account
of the origins of this ballet by Jean
Dauberval. It is the oldest of French
ballets, dating back to 1789, when you
recall there was some unpleasantness at a
place called the Bastille. The anonymous
original score was stuffed with folk songs
and popular airs of the time. Over the
years there have been many revisions of
the libretto, changes of title, choreography and musical arrangements. Among
the contributors are Peter Ludwig Hertel
(1862), P. Feldt (1937), and — the most
important one — Ferdinand Hérold
(1791-1833). Winner of the Prix de
Rome in 1812, Hérold left a rich trove
of operas, ballets, quartets, concertos,
symphonies, etc.
I might begin by saying that the bestknown version of he ballet in Western
countries is that of Sir Frederick Ashton,
a celebrated British dancer and choreographer, on Ferdinand Hérold’s music.
In 1959, at Ashton’s request, celebrated
arranger John Lanchberry, drawing
principally on Hérold’s music, brought
his brilliant contribution to the revival of
the Royal Ballet company the following
year.
In 1962 Lanchberry recorded excerpts
from his adaptation, and that is what
you’ll find on his recording. He would
later (1983) record the entire ballet at
Covent Garden, a performance which
exists on CD and DVD.
For ballet music fans this re-release
is a gift. The story is banal, but then you
don’t look to ballet for depth and drama.
A young girl loves a young boy, but her
mother wants her to marry another. The
rest is predictable. It is Lanchberry’s
music that is superb, as well as his
brilliant and generous arrangement,
performed by the orchestra of the Royal
Opera House. He used an extraordinary
variety of instruments — strings and
brass that are by turns dazzling and mild,
smooth woodwinds, and percussion that
may be light or not so light. Cleverly
used as required by the story and the
ambience desired, with rhythms that
alternate between lively and gracious,
with melodies of irresistible beauty and
tenderness, it is so gorgeous that the
story becomes secondary, if that.
Not surprisingly, this adaptation has
become a favorite in the repertoire of
classical ballet.
The sound quality of the album
recalls the golden age of Decca’s ffrr
recordings of the 60’s and before. The
master tape underwent considerable
work, and the mastering was done in
xrcd24.
Whether you love ballet or you have
always resisted its tractions, run and get
this CD.
Nojima Plays Liszt
Minoru Nojima
Reference Recordings RR-25
Lessard: Twenty years have gone by
since the release of the first CD from the
analog master tape of these performances
by Japanese pianist Minoru Nojima. He
was quite young then, but these performances, on a Hamburg Steinway, earned him raves from the musical intelligentsia
of the time: rare virtuosity, remarkable
brio, and wonderful expressivity. Thanks
to Reference for having re-released it,
this time in HDCD.
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Minoru Nojima
in the air, or perhaps phosphorence, but
the phenomenon was long believed to
be the presence of souls in distress. Not
surprisingly the glow for a long time
was more frightening than fascinating.
It’s hard to know which interpretation
inspired Liszt. But whichever it was this
Étude is for our virtuoso a hire wire act.
He gets through it in 3:36, a very quick
time, without sacrificing its clarity.
The rest of the album is given over to
Liszt’s only piano sonata, the B Minor,
dedicated to Robert Schumann. A
number of performers rank it, along with
the 12 Études, among the most difficult
piano pieces ever written. Its Andante
Sostenuto is as lyrical as you could wish.
The powerful Allegro energico opens
with a fugue. In each movement there is
something unexpected, and a poignant
motif grabs you by the emotions.
Got these works already on LP or
CD? Pick up this super HDCD version.
You won’t be sorry.
It opens with Liszt’s Valse Mephisto
No. 1: 14 minutes in the company of
Mephistopheles, the devil’s rather affable
avatar, in a pyrotechnical performance.
That Franz Liszt, who had mystical tendencies, should have written such a piece
is surprising. It is true that Liszt was anything but ordinary. Himself a splendid
virtuoso and man of the world, whose
glamorous side charmed both friends
and audiences, he was a sort of dandy
whose celebrated romantic liaisons were
the subject of both admiration and scandal. He was the inventor of the recital
form, music’s first superstar, eternally
torn between the temptations of the flesh
and an affinity for the mystical. When
he was 54 he received minor orders in
preparation for the priesthood. He was
aa transcendental musician if ever there
was, with stupefying musical prowess.
This artist — who by his generosity,
refinement, romanticism, and contemplative poetry I am tempted to compare
to the French writer Lamartine — left
us imperishable music.
On the second track, La Campanella,
drawn from one of the Études of Paganini, is a demonstration of the power of
the piano’s top octaves, as the performer
plays at high speed, leaping from one
octave to the next. Nojima plays with the
nimbleness and the poetry needed, not to
mention the extraordinary technique.
Among the dozen demanding and
incomparable Études are Harmonie du soir
and Feux Follets. The first is pensive and
introspective, shimmering, touching
us within our deepest fibres. It opens
with several insistent low notes meant
to evoke the ringing of evening bells,
with fine broken chords for the left
hand against gentle harmonies played
by the right hand. A recurring motif of
almost unbearable beauty develops into
a flamboyant explosion, and during a few
measures the piano is transformed into
a harp.
Feux Follets evokes the glow, yellow,
blue or red, which can be seen on a
summer’s evening in swampy areas. The
cause is the combustion of methane gas
The Great Organ at St. Mary’s
Cathedral
John Balka, organist
Reference Recordings RR-98CD
Rejskind: The organ of this San Francisco cathedral dates from 1970, and was
built by Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua. It is an
imposing instrument, with four manuals
(keyboards), 70 stops and nearly 5000
pipes. Two of these pipes are capable
of producing a 16 Hz tone, which you
are not likely to hear from your system.
Despite its scale, it has a warmer, clearer tone than many organs in large Catholic
cathedrals, such as Saint-Sulpice in
Paris.
Though this CD is a fairly recent
release, it was actually recorded in 1986,
Garden of Dreams
Junkin/Dallas Wind Symph.
Lessard: Symphonic, modern, by turns
descriptive, majestic and rousing, this
music is a delight for the listener.
The albu m of music by Dav id
Maslanka begins with the suite A Child’s
Garden of Dreams, a musical interpretation of one of the case histories that
psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung included
in Man and His Symbols. The subject is
an eight-year old girl who has told her
parents about 12 troubling dreams she
has had, some of them closer to nightmares, which in turn the parents related
to Jung. Maslanka has selected five of
them for his suite.
It is neither usual nor essential to
know everything about an artistic work’s
creation and evolution. Studying them
may be interesting, but I am persuaded
that no one will react the same way either
to the story or to the music. For my part
none of this information will influence
me in my evaluation and my feelings,
for — need I say it — all criticism is
subjective.
Notwithstanding all that, in this case
some additional information can guide
the listener through passages that might
otherwise be obscure or surprising by
their novelty. Fortunately, there is quite
a lot of information in the booklet:
1. There is a desert on the Moon where the
dreamer sinks so deeply into the ground that
she reaches Hell.
2. A drunken woman falls into the water
and comes out renewed and sober.
3. A horde of small animals frightens the
dreamer. The animals increase to a tremendous size and one of them devours the little
girl.
4. A drop of water is seen as it appears when
looked at through a microscope. The girl sees
that the drop is full of tree branches. This
portrays the origin of the world.
5. An ascent into Heaven, where pagan
dances are being celebrated, and descent into
Hell, where angels are doing good deeds.
This last is a surprising inversion
of the traditional Church teachings on
the places one can find eternal bliss or
damnation.
Even if Maslanka’s music is evocative,
even descriptive, it contains passages of
great sensitivity.
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when John Balka (who died in 1999) was
music director at St. Mary’s. The program is varied, opening with Jeremiah
Clarke’s dramatic Trumpet Voluntary,
usually played by brass and organ, an
Andante Sostenuto from Widor’s seldomheard Symphonie gothique, a Scherzo by
Gigout, Henri Mulet’s Carillon-sortie,
Dale Wood’s wonderfully poetic Shall
We Gather at the River?, and a Louis
Vierne favorite, Carillon de Westminster.
This last piece was inspired by a church
carillon in England, later copied for
Big Ben, hence the title. It does not use
an actual carillon, though some large
organs, especially in Europe, do have
one.
It may seem odd that it took two
decades before this recording made
its way onto CD, and I rather wonder
whether Keith O. Johnson was fully
satisfied with it. It has a rather distant
sound, which might be fine if we got a
good sense of the church acoustics, but
we don’t. To be fair, the only way to
make an HDCD recording from a 1986
master is to use the analog tape (digital
recording then was 16-bit, and HDCD
remained in the future). Johnson has told
us about the pronounced deterioration
of some of his tapes over the years. Perhaps that’s the reason for the lackluster
sound.
The sonics are mirrored by the playing, it seems to me. The Clarke is taken
at a slow pace, without the usual brio
suggested by the title, and it is only in
the final Vierne piece that Balka draws
any sparks from the large instrument at
his fingertips. For all these reasons, this
recording left me cold.
And she’s at
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The album also includes an In Memoriam based on a Bach choral prelude, but
with low brass and bass drums replacing
the voices. The Symphony No. 4, which
closes the album in masterly fashion,
evokes Abe Lincoln’s ceaseless struggle
for justice, with powerful percussion,
piano and organ, as well as wind instruments, in melodies that include two Bach
chorales and hymn-like tunes.
I admit humly having been unfamiliar with this contemporary composer,
who is one of the best known of those
writing for wind band. Out of fairness,
then, I listened several times, and I
wasn’t sorry I had, for my curiosity was
quickly transformed into pleasure.
If you enjoy music that is off the
beaten path, if you like strong contrasts,
if you are fascinated by the mystery of
the human psyche, if musical adventure
is your thing, get this recording. You
will enjoy it or not, but you won’t have
turned your back on what is new.
So…a brilliant composer, seasoned
musicians, an exceptional conductor, and
an HDCD recording of unequalled quality, all the ingredients, I think to tempt
the music lover and the audiophile.
Yerba Buena Bounce
The Hot Club of San Francisco
Rejskind: Well, well! The Hot Club of
San Francisco is back. This terrific offshoot of the French jazz swing movement
brought out two recordings on the now
defunct Clarity label. Since Reference
Recordings is located in San Francisco,
it was the most natural thing in the world
for it to pick the group up. And you’ll be
glad it did.
Jazz is of course an American phenomenon, and more specifically an
Afro-American phenomenon, but it
was too good to remain some sort of
regional ethnic music, and it has spread
worldwide.
One of the places it spread to, in
the 1930’s, was Paris, where le jazz hot
remains as popular as the Left Bank
chansonniers. There a group known
as Le Quintette du Hot Club de France
popularized Swing jazz, and added
instruments not then associated with
jazz, namely the guitar and the violin.
Its founding members remain legendary.
Django Reinhardt was the lead guitarist
(indeed the concept of “lead guitarist”
may have been invented by the Hot
Club), and there was of course a second
guitar. Stéphane Grappelli was the
violinist, and Louis Viola was the bassist. The group broke up with the War,
though unrelated Hot Clubs continued
to exist. Despite its short existence, it
continues to influence jazz today.
Which brings us back to San Francisco, and its local offshoot of the
original. It was pretty much established
by the two Clarity recordings I’ve heard
(of 10 they’ve recorded) that the San
Francisco group is not some amateur
warmed-over version of the seminal
French quintet. Founder Paul Mehling
is the lead guitarist, and he is a delight
to hear, ably backed by the harmony
guitars of Jason Vanderford and Jeff
Magidson. Ari Munkres is the bassist
(he gets a great solo on Stardust) and
Evan Price plays the obligatory violin.
Together they reinterpret some of the
old Hot Club hits: Mystery Pacific, in
which the guitar and violin do a creditable imitation of a train, Black and White,
Rythme Future, Souvenir de Villingen, and
Django’s Improvisation No. 2. You can
hear why the Hot Club has maintained
such an influence. There are a couple of
standards, Sway and the already-mentioned Stardust, and even a Beatle song,
I’m So Happy Just to Dance With You.
Amid all that are some original pieces
by Mehling. And there are two “bonus”
tracks, in which Mehling sings Paolo
Conte’s Gong Oh, and the group jams to
Some of These Days.
The recording was done at Fantasy
Studios, which still has underground
echo chambers, consisting of speakers at
one end and a microphone at the other.
Keith Johnson used one, he says, “to
add phrase livening and flourish at the
ends of tracks.” Johnson, in any case,
has never been a Blumlein-stereo purist,
and he’ll use whatever will give him the
sound he wants. For instance, he used
accent microphones, though at least they
were stereo pairs, not the usual single
microphone. He placed powered speakers among the musicians, to which he fed
room sound. There’s a lot of volume on
this CD, with Johnson getting closer to
the hard digital ceiling than on most of
his other recordings.
But there’s no arguing with the
results, especially if you have access to
HDCD decoding. The impression that
the musicians are there in the room,
full-sized, is downright eerie. That and
the lively swing of these fine musicians
make this recording a must-have.
Love
The Beatles
Capitol 0946 3 79810 2 3
Rejskind: A new Beatles album? Well
no, there can never be one. What’s on
this recording is the “soundscape” for
the Cirque du Soleil’s Love, playing at
the Mirage in Vegas. Though I mean to
review the album, I can’t do so without
talking about the show.
I must confess that the idea of doing
a Cirque show around the music of the
Beatles didn’t seem initially like the idea
of the century. All Cirque shows include
music specially conceived for it, but the
relation between music and what is happening under the tent is rather tenuous.
Then again, the adjacent hotel features
singer Céline Dion, and her show was
put together by one of the Cirque people,
Franco Dragone, so why not?
The project could have failed, but
in fact everything has been done right.
Beatles producer George Martin and his
son Giles, who have access to the Fab
Four’s master tapes, were invited to put
the music together into a package. That
is what is on the album, presumably with
a couple of cuts, since the 90 minutes of
the show (without intermission) is slightly
longer than a CD can hold. The music
and sounds are seamless in the show as
they are on the CD. The Martins have
taken liberties with the original scores,
which is why buying this album — which
I heartily recommend — is no substitute
for owning the originals. Take the opening cut, Because, from Abbey Road, their
last album recorded, though not the
last one released. You hear the sounds
of birds chattering, and then from
that background emerges the familiar
harmonized voices of the Beatles. The
phrases have been separated by silence,
except for the bird background. I can’t
listen to it without getting chills. The
sequences are thematic, not chronological, and there are mashups of songs, with
the introduction of one serving as a
transition between two others. Spotting
the fragments is an interesting game.
But in the show the songs are no
mere background to the acrobatics.
What you see on stage, developed by the
brilliant director Dominic Champagne,
is directly related to the songs. The
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acrobatics.
Here’s an example. Fairly late in the
show, there is a recorded segment of the
Beatles talking in the minute before they
begin to play. During this sequence what
seem to be the Beatles themselves are
seen in silhouette on large orange drapes
high above the stage. There is a strange
irrational thrill: they’re here!
The song that follows is A Day in the
Life, from Sergeant Pepper.
He blew his mind out in a car,
He didn’t notice that the light had
changed,
A crowd of people stood and stared,
They’d seen his face before
As the song plays one of the acrobats
is in fact “struck” by a white Volkswagen
that has wandered through several times.
Before her lifeless body floats into the
air, the Volkswagen flies apart in an
electrifying instant. There’s no mystery
as to how it’s done, because you can see
the Cirque du Soleil members making it
Record
reviews and
catalog pages
Software
usual single disc, and a two-disc album.
The optional second disc is a DVD containing four versions of the same music,
three in surround sound. One is a DVDAudio, which requires a special player
(it also helps to have a video display,
because DVD-A doesn’t pay attention
to the number pad). The disc contains
the same music in 5.1-channel Dolby
Digital, DTS, and for good measure in
two-channel PCM. These three can of
course be played on any DVD player
with proper surround decoding.
The conventional CD sounds very
good, though there is definitely an
advantage to the DVD-Audio version,
that makes the CD sound a little thickened and lacking in finesse. The two
surround versions sound are absolutely
wonderful, with a big reverberant sound
very different from the original albums,
but fine on their own terms. It’s nice to
see that, after all this time, the tapes are
in good shape.
You should own the originals, of
course you should, if you care at all about
this music. But this “soundscape” is a
superb complement. If you can’t fly to
Vegas to see the show, or even if you can,
get it.
Gossip&News
News From the Front
Circuit City staying afloat?
In our last issue we made fun of poor
old Radio Shack, who in 2005 went from
950 stores across Canada to no stores, on
what its Web site still bills as “a great day
for Radio Shack.”
The reason for this disaster is that its
Canadian licensee, InterTan, had been
bought by Circuit City, one of Radio
Shack’s US competitors. In a display of
brilliant business acumen, Radio Shack
pulled InterTan’s license. The former
Radio Shack stores are now known as
“The Source by Circuit City,” and seem
better off than the former mother ship.
But perhaps they’re not. Circuit City
is bleeding cash, and has announced the
closing of seven US superstores and its
Kentucky distribution centre. Oh yes,
and 62 of its company-owned Canadian
stores.
From LP to iPod?
Perhaps it’s a sad sign of the times:
a company called Contexture Design is
offering iPod cases made from old vinyl
records!
Okay, they’re not actually LPs, but
45 rpm singles, as you can see, with
the large centre hole the right size for
the click wheel. They can offer you
the 45 single you most love, or perhaps
the one you’d most like to see out of
circulation.
The one shown here used to be Janet
Jackson’s You’ll Never Find.
They’re C$45 each, and needless to
say they’re one of a kind.
Standby no longer
Sure it’s convenient to power up your
amplifier, CD player or HDTV monitor by hitting a button on the remote,
but that convenience is contributing to
global warming.
The reason is obvious. If the product
is “watching” for a command from the
remote, it isn’t really off at all. Current
trickling to electronic devices that are
supposedly off can amount to 8 to 30%
of electrical consumption, depending on
whom you believe.
The British government plans to
introduce legislation to put a stop to this
waste. Suggested slogans: Off means off,
or possibly What part of “off” don’t you
understand?
Is HD radio growing?
You’d think “HD” stands for “high
definition,” as it does in HDTV. But
no. HD Radio is the US (only) standard
for digital broadcasting. Using radical
compression from Ibiquity, the digital
information takes so little space it can
actually piggyback on an analog AM or
FM signal.
A research firm called Bridge Ratings
gives the happy news: 72% of Americans
surveyed were aware of HD radio, up
from 62% in an earlier study.
Now the bad news: fewer people, just
15%, know what HD Radio is. One thing
a large number of respondents agreed on,
however: the proposed prices for HD
Radios were too high.
Canada’s own digital system, similar
to the European standard, is in full
operation. Only no one is listening.
More channels, fewer speakers
KEF, one of the icons of British
speakers, is getting in on the act: surround sound from fewer speakers.
Those are the models 7 and 11 from
KEF’s typographically awkward fivetwo
series, offering (you guessed it) a simulated five channels from just one pair of
speakers. No, not even a centre channel
is needed. There’s no trick electronics, either. You do use five amplifier or
receiver channels, but you connect them
to those two speakers.
That may make sense for a lot of
households, because…how do you get the
wires back there, past the doorway and
the fireplace? Will the landlord let you
make big holes in the walls and floor?
There’s a matching subwoofer, of
course. The fivetwo speakers (of which
there are several) use KEF’s patented
UniQ coaxial drivers.
KEF for hi-fi
Home theatre aside, KEF
is still very much in the twochannel business. The speaker
shown here is the new iQ7,
with a price of C$1100 a pair.
If you’re counting the drivers,
don’t forget the UniQ driver:
this is a three-way system.
Gemme gets distribution
The black speaker farther
right is the Gemme Concerti
108, a horn with a single driver.
It is one of a series of products
from this new Canadian speaker
maker.
Gemme’s mission seems to
be building single-driver highperformance speakers at prices that are
lower than those of…well, we could
name several. The company has also
launched two speakers using “VFlex”
technology, and promising 20 Hz output from a
single 10 cm (4-inch!) driver.
Unlike many competitors,
who favor Lowther drivers,
Gemme works with drivers
from Fostex.
It’s taking time for these
speakers to make their way
into Canadian stores, but
Gemme has signed distribution deals with companies in the US (Twin
Audio Video), France
(Phonomi) and Sweden
(It’s a Deal AB). The first
VFlex speakers will be shown at
the Montreal Festival in April.
And speaking of that…
March is the usual time for the very
large Montreal Festival Son & Image to
deploy its wings, but the organizers need
to be on their toes to avoid
collision with other shows
in the world. That is doubly
difficult as it strives to include
new categories of consumer
electronics, including video,
photography and games.
The 2007 edition will run
from Friday the 13th (hmm…)
through Sunday the 15th. As
last year, it’s at the Centre
Sheraton, right in downtown
Montreal.
This is the 20th edition
of the Festival (www.fsiexpo.
com), at least if you count the
original in 1984, and it is the first not
organized by Marie-Christine Prin.
The new board of directors is presided
by industry veteran Michel Plante, who
came aboard last year to help broaden
the focus of the Festival beyond high
end audio and video.
The UHF Reference Systems
Equipment reviews are done on at least one of
UHF’s reference systems, selected as working
tools. They are changed infrequently.
The Alpha system
Our original reference is in a room with special
acoustics, originally a recording studioletting us
hear what we can’t hear elsewhere.
The Omega system
It serves for reviews of gear that cannot
easily fit into the Alpha system, with its small
room.
Digital players: shared with the Alpha
system
Turntable: Linn LP12/Lingo II
Tone arm: Alphason HR-100S MCS
Pickup: Goldring Excel
Phono preamp: Audiomat Phono-1.5
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon P-8
Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon W-8
Loudspeakers: Reference 3a Suprema II
Interconnects: Pierre Gabriel ML-1,
Atlas Navigator All-Cu
Loudspeaker cables: Pierre Gabriel ML1 for most of the range, Wireworld Polaris
for the twin subwoofers.
Power cords: BIS Audio Maestro,
Wireworld
AC filters: GutWire MaxCon Squared,
Foundation Research LC-1
Acoustics: Gershman Acoustic Art panels
The Kappa system
This is our home theatre system. As with
the original Alpha system, we had limited
space, and that pretty much ruled out huge
projectors and two-metre screens. We did,
however, finally come up with a system whose
performance gladdens both eye and ear, with
the needed resolution for reviews.
HDTV monitor: Hitachi 43UWX10B
CRT-based rear projector
DVD player: Simaudio Moon Stellar with
Faroudja Stingray video processor
Preamplifier/processor: Simaudio Moon
Attraction, 5.1 channel version
Power amplifiers: Simaudio Moon W-3
(main speakers), bridged Celeste 4070se
(centre speaker), Robertson 4010 (rear)
Main speakers: Energy Reference
Connoisseur
Centre speaker: Thiel MCS1, on UHF’s
own TV-top platform
Rear speakers: Elipson 1400
Subwoofer: 3a Design Acoustics
Cables: Van den Hul, MIT, GutWire,
Wireworld
Line filter: GutWire MaxCon Squared
All three systems have dedicated power
lines, with Hubbell hospital grade outlets.
Extensions and power bars are equipped with
hospital-grade connectors.
Gossip&News
Main digital player: Linn Unidisk 1.1
Additional CD player: CEC TL-51X
belt-driven transport, Counterpoint DA10A converter with HDCD card.
Digital cable: Atlas Opus 1.5m
Digital portable: Apple iPod 60 Gb
Turntable: Audiomeca J-1
Tone arm: Audiomeca SL-5
Pickup: Goldring Excel
Phono preamp: Audiomat Phono-1.5
Preamplifier: Copland CTA-305
Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon
W-5LE)
Loudspeakers: Living Voice Avatar
OBX-R
Interconnects: Pierre Gabriel ML-1,
Atlas Voyager All-Cu
Loudspeaker cables: Actinote LB/Eclipse
III
Power cords: Gutwire, Wireworld Aurora
AC filters: Foundation Research LC-2
(power amp), Inouye SPLC.
The Third high-Def DVD?
Don’t know what next-generation
DVD to buy? Of course you don’t, and
neither do we. Blu-Ray? HD DVD? Both
are expensive and perhaps doomed. So is
there room for a third format?
In China they think so. Their new
EVD format (a picture from the official
launch is shown at right) has one thing
going for it: it’s cheap. That’s because it
doesn’t use a blue or blue-violet laser as
its competitors do, but the old familiar
red laser, like the key chain pointers you
can now buy in dollar stores.
Essentially the EVD (“enhanced
versatile disc”) is a DVD, and is every bit
as cheap to make, but its advanced (read:
radical) compression allows a high definition image to fit on a red-ray disc. The
Chinese EVD Industry Alliance boasts
20 companies, which are bringing out
54 red-ray models, like the EVD-298,
shown at right, for as little as US$89.
Nor is that all. Once production of
the players and the discs is up to speed,
all 20 of those companies will cease to
make conventional DVD players!
Why a new standard? The Alliance
lists several reasons. The Western highdef formats are too expensive. They are
too vulnerable to piracy (an odd claim,
from the centre of world DVD piracy).
Making DVD players and discs means
paying royalties to foreign companies.
There may be another reason not
mentioned. Chinese households equipped
with a red-ray EVD player will not be
able to view films from other countries.
It was for a similar reason that, at the
dawn of color TV, the USSR selected
France’s SECAM system rather than
the rest of Europe’s PAL. Soviet TVs
would not be able to receive Norwegian
and Polish broadcasts.
The Alliance’s motto is (and we
quote): “EVD Substituting DVD Basically in 2008.” It reads as though it
was translated by Babelfish. In fact the
Alliance could resurrect the People’s
Republic of China’s old motto: “The
East is Red.”
Feedback
Gossip&News
Got an iPod? That’ll be $75!
In February, Apple’s Steve Jobs urged The idea of taxing iPods and other be, as they say in the Bizarro comic strip,
the Big Four record companies to let his digital recorders and players is not new. Unclear on the Concept.
iTunes store sell music without adding In its early days it did in fact tax music After we pay $16 for a CD so we can
Digital Rights Management. His argu- players. The surcharge on an iPod was listen to a couple of cuts on our iPod,
ment: 90% of music is still sold on CD then $25. When the Federal Court of and after we pay the music industry a 21¢
without DRM, so how much protection Appeal quashed that, the CPCC had levy on every blank disc we use to archive
to reimburse the companies for some business files, we’re getting a free ride?
can you get from just the other 10%?
In Canada, unlike in the US, con- $4 million. Some companies, including
sumers doing private copying of records Apple, reimbursed the consumers.
and films can’t be sued. On the minus Now the CPCC is at it again.
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29¢ on a cassette say “please”). Got the big 80 Gb iPod? Windows PC it was played on?
See
In the US, the Federal Trade Com(anyone still use those?) and 21¢ on a Prepare to pay $75 extra!
blank CD. The money is supposed to CPCC board member David Basskin’s mission finally reached an agreement
go to rights holders, including record argument, if it can be so dignified, is: with the company. Sony/BMG must,
companies. We’re not sure how effective “When you go and buy an iPod the through the end of June, exchange any
the levy is, since we’ve seen blank discs retailer gets paid. So you can’t say that of the infected CDs for ones without the
the people who make the music should dim-witted software. And if consumers
selling for not much more than 21¢.
The non-profit organization would get a free ride.”
suffered damage, as many did, it owes
like to boost that next year, to 29¢ for Mr. Basskin is a little confused; we them $150. Each!
a blank disc, and 85¢ for a MiniDisc presume he meant that the people who But Sony/BMG was not obliged to
(anyone still use those?). And…oh yes. listen to the music shouldn’t get a free admit to having broken the law. Did it
Got an iPod?
ride. And in other regards he seems to get a free ride?
The UHF Blog
Sony Pays Up
Sirius, XM Tie the Knot
The two and only satellite radio
services have been competing heavily
since their founding, mainly to see which
could lose money faster. On that metric,
they’ve both been doing fabulously.
Between them they’re on the hook for
1.6 billion dollars.
The “merger of equals” is headlined
by some media as Sirius buying XM,
since XM shareholders will be given 4.6
shares of the new entity for every share
they hold.
Will the merger save any money?
The two companies use incompatible
technologies, and abandoning one of
the services would trigger a class action
suit that would put them in bankruptcy
court. Do they have enough bandwidth
to put all their content on both services:
Howard Stern, Oprah, Martha, Bob
Dylan? Probably not, seeing they’re
already compressing many of their “CDquality” feeds to the max, throwing away
as much as 93% of the information.
Car makers will be watching what
develops carefully. GM bet on XM, as
did Honda and Toyota. Ford, VW/Audi
and DaimlerChrysler went with Sirius.
US regulators may frown on the
merger of the only two satellite radio
services, and they could disallow it,
possibly triggering the closing of one or
both companies. In Canada the CRTC
will also be watching with interest,
though the real action is in the US.
An iPod, anyone?
Is Holywood Mad at Canada?
mean Canada is domestic; who knew?)
as claiming that camming siphons off 7
to 10% of film revenues.
So let us get this straight. A significant portion of the moviegoing public
(non-moviegoers don’t count) are willing to pay money to watch a blurry,
low-resolution image accompanied by
reverberant almost inaudible sound,
rather than either going to the movie
in a cinema or waiting for the official
DVD. And these people consider the
experiences to be equivalent. Really?
The really surreal aspect of this is
that Fox actually refers to the resulting
bootleg DVDs as “high quality copies.”
If the MPAA and the studios thought
about this a bit, they might conclude
that cammed movies should be treated
as free publicity, the same way that a new
song played on the radio is free publicity.
Anyone settling for a cammed movie,
whether from the Internet or from a
burned DVD, probably needs a seeingeye dog anyway. Oh, and a hearing aid.
Will the Canadian government take
the hint? The previous Liberal government planned to, but Canada now has a
minority Conservative government. And
government intervention is just not their
thing.
Acoustic System. . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Air Tight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Almarro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Applause Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
ASW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Atlas cables. . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 4
Audiophileboutique.com . . . . Cover 3
Audiophile Store. . . . . . . . . . . 57-64
Audio Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Audioville. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Audiyo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Aurum Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Bel Canto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
BIS Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Blue Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
CEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 3
Charisma Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Coherent Speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Cyrus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
DACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Diamond Groove. . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Eichmann. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Entre’acte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Europroducts International . . . . 13, 17
Everest Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Furutech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Goldring. . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Hifisupply.ca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Home Theater Cruise . . . . . . . . . 25
Isoclean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Justice Audio. . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Just May Audio. . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Lowther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MagZee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Marchand Electronics . . . . . . . . . . 7
Moon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Mundorf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
muRata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mutine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 3
Quinceton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Sarah Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Simaudio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Signature Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Techflex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Totem Acoustic. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
UHF Back Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . 47
UHF Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Gossip&News
The New York Times says it is, and
we presume the paper didn’t just make
it up. The Times says the big studios are
so angry with Canada that they might
stop screening their movies the same
week they are shown in the US.
What’s got a bee into their knickers? Hollywood says that, according to
its (always accurate) statistics, Canada,
and particularly Montreal, is the capital
of “camming.” When a new film is
screened, someone brings in a camcorder
with a hell of a big battery and shoots
the movie right off the screen. The
camcorder’s little microphone picks
up the soundtrack, the crunch of pop
corn, and an occasional portable phone
conversation.
The Motion Picture Association of
America says that “30 to 40 percent”
of camming goes on in Canada, Why?
Because in the US that can send you up
the river a lot longer than you’d get for a
mere armed holdup. In Canada camming
is illegal only if the intent is commercial
distribution. That’s difficult to prove.
Some cinema personnel is being issued
night vision goggles.
Is this a serious issue? The Times
quotes Bruce Snyder, president of
domestic distribution for Fox (you
ADVERTISERS
T
State of the Art
he current issue of The Absolute Sound has an interesting
quote from Meridian’s Bob
Stuart: “SACD and DVDAudio had a war, and the iPod won.” Is
he right? It looks that way. In the last
quarter of 2006 Apple sold 21 million
iPods (one of them to our own Reine
Lessard by the way).
The iPod’s impressive success has
resulted in a certain morosity in high
end audio circles. I’ve heard it said that
the ubiquitous little player is the end
of music, which will now cease to be
a source of pleasure in and of itself, to
become a mere disposable commodity,
something to fill the silence. I’ve heard
it said that the iPod is the young person’s
(presumably inferior) music source, and
that for the future of music it represents one of the four horsemen of the
apocalypse.
I don’t think so.
On the contrary, I think the emergence of the iPod as a major music source
is an encouraging sign of the power of
music in modern society. As audiophiles
we should be celebrating.
Consider this. The iPod is expensive
compared to other music players, and far
more expensive than alternatives, such as
the portable CD player (about $50) or the
antiquated Walkman knockoff (maybe
$25). Yet millions of people are willing
to pay the price, running to hundreds of
dollars, to have a higher quality music
player. I repeat: higher quality. Does that
sound as though it should spell the end
of the audiophile hobby?
What is the audiophile hobby? It is
a search for ways to reproduce music
in more realistic, more æsthetically
pleasing ways. Someone who buys
an iPod instead of one of those little
players they practically give away is
involved in the same search. And the
search doesn’t stop with the iPod itself.
There is a booming business in quality
headphones (often costing far more than
the iPod itself), which are the portable
equivalent of audiophile loudspeakers.
Like audiophile speakers, these phones
can have two or even three drivers. Then
by Gerard Rejskind
there’s the market for carrying cases,
Bluetooth adapters, FM transmitters,
docks, external amplifiers and speakers
and other devices. A complete iPod
system can wind up costing as much as
an entry-level home music system.
Sound good so far? Ah, but I also hear
other gloomy observations.
1) People with iPods are listening to
crappy MP3 files. Well, people with
competing players may not have much
choice about that, but iPod owners do.
Though the iPod can play MP3 and the
also-compressed AAC files made famous
by the iTunes music store, it has always
been able to store and play uncompressed
AIFF files, and for years it has been able
to play Apple Lossless files. The biggest
iPod, which now has an 80 Gb hard
disc, can store some 265 complete CDs in
lossless form. Check on-line forums, and
you’ll see a lot of talk about file formats,
including plenty of skepticism about
even such “benevolent” formats as Ogg
Vorbis. There are a lot of people wishing
the iTunes store would sell Apple Lossless music…something that will almost
certainly happen in the next year or so.
STATE OF THE ART:
THE BOOK
Get the 258-page book
containing the State of the Art
columns from the first 60 issues
of UHF, with all-new introductions.
See page 6.
Then there’s magnatune.com, which
actually gives away MP3 files (quite
properly considering them to be no
more than demo quality) but sells uncompressed files.
2) People with iPods don’t really listen to
music, they hear it while they’re concentrating on something else. Well, we didn’t wait
for the iPod to do multitasking, did we?
Notice how many FM music stations
base their marketing on snagging listeners at work. Think about how many years
(or decades) it has been since most homes
had a music system as the centre of a
room rather than a little device playing
in a corner, such as the kitchen.
But there is a difference with the
iPod, as there was with its spiritual
ancestor, the Walkman. With headphones the music goes right into your
head, and it forces itself into the foreground. That’s one reason they won’t
let you listen to music on headphones
while you’re driving, or even — in many
jurisdictions — cycling. It’s just you and
the music.
3) Okay, you can get pretty good sound
from an iPod, but most users are still listening to compressed dreck. Sure, but how
is that new? Even in the golden age of
hi-fi, when mass-market record players
imitated the styling cues of real hi-fi,
most people were listening to dreck. And
that was if they weren’t simply listening
to table radios.
Perhaps a decade ago the source
of worry among audiophiles was the
emergence of rap, which didn’t appear
to include enough music elements to
qualify as real music. Would people now
listen to that instead of music? Well,
rap musicians are still rapping, but in
cities large and small there are still live
concerts in all musical genres, and the
seats are not empty.
That’s the source of tomorrow’s
audiophiles, people who enjoy live music
and wish they could replicate the thrill
elsewhere. They’re the ones who will
notice that a properly pampered iPod
offers a bit of that experience. And some
of them will be open to audio systems
that can offer even more.
Broadcast Canada
publisher of UHF
invites you to its other online boutique
that offers luxury audio electronics of unique value at unique prices.
The legendary Van den Hul amplifiers and preamps at less than half the original price
The international version of an acclaimed tube headphone amplifier. Come and see!
www.audiophileboutique.com
audiophileboutique.com
a division of Broadcast Canada
Box 65085, Place Longueuil,
Longueuil, QC, Canada J4K 5J4
(450) 651-5720
[email protected]
Why do
UHF readers
start reading
their magazines
at the back?
Countless readers have confirmed it over the
years: when they get their hands on the
latest issue of UHF, they open it to the last
page.
The reason all of them mention: Gerard
Rejskind’s last-page column, State of the Art. Since
the magazine’s founding, the column has grappled
with the major questions of high end audio. It has been
acclaimed by readers around the world.
Now, the columns from the first 60 issues of UHF are
brought together into one book. Each is exactly as it was originally
published, and each is accompanied by a new introduction.
Order your copy today: $18.95 in Canada or the US, C$32
elsewhere in the world, air mail included.
Good enough UHF uses them!
This remarkable cable is from Atlas.
Unlike so many cable companies, this Scottish
company keeps markups reasonable.
Navigator All-Cu is made from strands of pure
copper, each drawn from a single crystal.
So are the connectors.
The Navigator All-Cu passed a blind test
in UHF No. 71.
Can it pass your test?
www.uhfmag.com/Cables.html

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