Final vinyl?

N E W
Z E A L A N D ’ S
H I G H
F I D E L I T Y
M A G A Z I N E
Dolby Digital
home theatre
March 1997
Final
vinyl?
VINYL
–
A
NEW
ZEALAND
PERSPECTIVE
amplify
your
records
with
the
plinius
jarrah
Max is back! – and looking
at Dolby Digital
For nearly half a century Acoustic
Research has been innovating
breakthrough technologies that
have become standards in the
audio industry. Home Theatre and
Dolby Digital® 5.1 channel sound
systems are now replacing
traditional two channel stereo.
AR’s new digital-ready High
Output series was designed for
these revolutionary new formats.
For the first time, high efficiency
and audiophile sound quality have
been combined in beautifully
hand-crafted furniture to deliver
both the delicacy and
dynamics of multi-channel sound.
With exclusive technologies such
as Energy Control Contour Baffle,
Multi Slot Loading and Voice
Balanced Tonal Matching,
Acoustic Research is leading the
way into the digital future with its
new High Output Series
loudspeakers.
There’s a dedicated Denco Audio
retailer near you. Phone toll free
0508 800 555 for details
MIKE ON THE PODIUM
by M i k e Jo n e s
Consumer speaks out
BUT DOESN’T INFORM THE READER
I
’m a bit of a magazine junkie – i buy
t h em , I borrow them – and wh en I go
around to a friend’s house, I’m likely
to be antisocial and stick my nose into one
of their magazines.
So it’s no surprise that, when I travel
down country to see my mum, that I delve
into her pile of Consumer magazines.
So it was that I can ac ross Co n sumer’s
guide to buying hi-fi speakers in the
January/February 1997 issue.
HIGH HOPES
I started reading with high hopes. After
all, Co n sumer magazine had done a good
job with CD players a couple of years back.
They had used the servi ces of the
Well i n g ton Audio Club and shown, probably to the surprise of Consumer’s staff,
that CD players that measu red identi c a lly
could be consistently differentiated and
ranked by sound quality in a blind listening test.
So when it came to spe a kers , which no
one argues all sound the same, you’d
expect Co n sumer to report on how these
speakers sound different. Wouldn’t you?
I sure did. But Consumer surprised and
disappointed me.
WHAT COU LD HAVE BEEN
Buying, using and enjoying hi-fi is all
about the sou n d of the com pon ents, a ll in
aid of enjoying music.
So a con su m er test on speakers , which
“will do more to improve the sound quality of a stereo than any other component”,
to quote Co n sumer’s introduction to the
article, should focus on the sound of the
speakers.
But in the main article, the sound of the
AudioEnz is published by
AudioVideo Publications Limited,
PO Box 100-554, North Shore
Mail Centre, Auckland 10.
Ph 0-9-479 7843. Fax 0-9-478 6303.
e-mail [email protected].
Editor is Mike Jones
All contents are © copyright to
AudioVideo Publications Limited 1997.
eleven spe a kers under test is not even
mentioned!
So why, Consumer, didn’t you take your
own advice and actually provide some useful information to your readers?
WHAT TH EY DI D
Co n sumer magazine’s two-page article
supplied some useful, and mainly acc ura te , basics on loudspe a kers, including
de s c riptions of what a speaker is and the
parts that make up some speakers.
Consumer applied two tests to the
group of eleven loudspeakers.
The first test was for frequency
response of the speakers, tested in an anech oic chamber. This tests for the flatness
of f requ ency response – ide a lly a speaker
should reproduce the same level of sound
over the audible range of frequencies.
While a trad i ti onal frequency re s pon s e
measurement is an important test, as
speaker designers know this only tells part
of the story as to how a speaker will sound
in a domestic situation.
One of the speakers in the test is specifically designed to reflect sound off walls.
Testing this spe a ker in an anech oic ch a mber would give a measured re s ponse for
that model.
The second test was for distortion, How
this was undert a ken was unspecified, so
re aders are left with no idea if the measured distortion is important, or even if it
is audible.
LISTEN HEAR?
One could argue that the points I am
making are only of relevance to the audiophile – that “real peop l e” would on ly care
about how the speakers sound.
And such an argument would be correct – sound is the important factor. So
why does Co n sumer magazine ignore the
whole point of buying speakers?
Finally, under the “We Recommend”
section, Consumer begins to make sense.
“Speakers with the same degree of technical accuracy can sound different,” this
secti on state s . That’s right, and this acc ura te statement makes the rest of the
Consumer speaker test redundant.
“Before buying, listen to a range of
speakers” Consumer correctly advise. “Take
along vocal and instrumental recordings
you know well and spend some time comparing the sound of different models.”
M AY I I N T R O D U C E T O YO U …
When I started AudioEnz last May, I
didn’t see it as a mass-market magazine.
Instead I saw it as a magazine for enthusiasts.
Tod ay in the audio scene there are two
types of enthusiasts – the traditional audio
enthusiast and the newer home theatre
fans. Talking to home theatre en t hu s i a s t s ,
I became aware that they are like audio
enthusiasts were 15 years ago, at the height
of interest in audio.
From this issue, AudioEnz remains an
en t husiasts magazine. We will con ti nue to
extensively cover the audio market, and
add covera ge for the home theatre en t husiast.
Re aders of my previous publication,
AudioVideo, will be familiar with the name
Max Christoffersen. Max is an articulate
enthusiast of home theatre, and I’m proud
to welcome him back – this time into the
pages of AudioEnz.
Max’s columns will deal with the growing su bj ect of h ome theatre, beginning in
this issue with an article examining Dolby
Digital AC-3.
We can look forward to many more
thought-provoking co lumns from Max in
future issues.
H E L P W A N T E D – A P P LY W I T H I N
As any magazine editor will tell you, the
s e a rch for good writers is a never-ending
journey. AudioEnz is looking for good
writers with an interest in audio.
I’m looking for people with an interest
in audio or home theatre (or both!). I ’m
looking for passion, for ideas, for opinions. But most of all I’m looking for the
ability to communicate that passion in the
written word.
I don’t care who or what you are , as
long as you can write and supply your
copy on floppy disk or via email.
Interested? Write to me (address details
at bottom left of this page – don’t send
email) with why you think you’ll fit in with
what we’re doing at AudioEnz. And send
me a sample of your writing.
3
NEWS
All the news…
A L L T H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G I N T H E W O R L D O F H I - F I
KEF’S NEW Q-SERIES
One bookshelf spe a ker, four floor-standers and a
centre channel speaker make up Kef ’s new Q-Series.
All models feature the new fourth-generation
165mm clear Uni-Q con e , which has the tweeter positioned in the acoustic centre of the woofer cone. This
enables the speakers to act as a virtual point source.
The top two models, the Q65 and Q75, i n clude the
racetrack-shaped B169 woofer, for low frequency extension.
All models are shielded for use close to television sets.
Avalon Audio 0-9-638 9000.
CELESTION
TAKES THE A
TRAIN
I N VA S I O N O F T H E CI R C L E
SPEAKERS!
Yes, they do look strange. But
there are very good acoustical
reasons why the Gallo loudspeakers utilise a spherical
shape.
The spherical aluminium
shape helps deal with internal
standing waves, plus a sphere is
the ideal shape to minimise
baffle diffraction.
Three models are available. The Nucleus Minor
($2495) is a dual concentric
design.
The Nucleus Solo ($4199)
utilises Gallo’s CDT (cylindrical
diaphragm transducer) tweeter.
The Nucleus Reference (pictured, $6699) is similar to the
Solo, except for an extra
“Bassball” woofer per speaker.
Wired readers can check
out Gallo’s website at
www.treebranch.com/
gallo
Frontline Audio 0-9-520 4434
4
Celestion’s
premier range of
speakers are said
to combine
“exceptional sensitivity with high
power handling
capabilities to give
an unusually
broad dynamic
range.” The three
models all incorporate a 25mm
aluminium dome
tweeter and an
injection-moulded 175mm
midrange/woofer.
Pictured is the A2.
Hi-Fi Marketing
0-9-415 9099
ROTEL SURROUNDS WITH SOUND
Rotel have release two new components to interest home theatre enthusiasts. The RTC970 (pictu red , $1299) incorpora tes Do l by Pro Logic decoding with an AM/FM tuner and dual-zone pre am p lif ier. A “cinema” mode
compensates for the excessive high frequencies in some movie soundtracks.
The RSP970 ($999) is a similar model, l e aving out the tuner section.
International Dynamics 0-9-524 8488.
INFINITY’S
REFERENCE
The Reference
2000 series from
Infinity comprises six new
speakers with
stylish looks. All
models include
co-injected
polypropylene
woofers and
elliptical waveguide tweeters.
Hi-Fi Marketing
Ltd 0-9-415 9099
SHORTS
Pl in ius have released a new high - end preamplifier to com p l em ent thei r
Class-A power amplifiers. The M16 is the first Plinius to inclu de a remote
control. Much of the circuitry is based on the acclaimed SA series of power
a m p l i fiers . The M16 is available with balanced inputs for CD, and full balanced outputs. Audible Technologies 0-6-358 8583.
John Middleton from Sound Group Holdings has been appointed to the
boa rd of CEDIA (Custom Electronic De s i gn and In s t a ll a ti on As s oc i a ti on )
Australia. Congratulations John!
Polk Audio have rel e a s ed five new model s . The RT20P “powered tower ”
($3999) is a three - w ay sys tem with 100 watt active su bwoofers.The 100w
PSW50 ($999) and PSW150 ($1499) are two new active su bwoofers. Polk
has three new sub/satellite systems available. Pacific Audio 0-9-524 8032.
Velodyne are now distributed by Audio Video Designs of Auckland. Nine
active su bwoofers are available from $895 thro u gh to $4295. Audio Vi deo
Designs 0-9-486 0666.
Audio Electronics, the affordable bra n ch of US manufacturer Cary
Au d i o, is now distributed in NZ. The range includes single-ended va lve
amplifiers and a CD player with SE output stage. Frontline 0-9-520 4434
Theta Digital and Muse Electron i c s have a new distri butor in Fron t l i n e
Audio. Theta have their first single-box CD player, the Miles ($3650, balanced: $4092) with 18-bit D/A proce s s ors. The Pearl Transport (($2433) is
based around the Pion eer stable table transport, and incorpora tes Theta’s
anti-jitter circuitry. Frontline Audio 0-9-520 4434
A&V Holdings h ave become the New Zealand agents for Definitive
Technology Loudspeakers, Threshold, PS Audio and Mc Cormack Audio.
A&V Holdings 0-9-358 4100.
E n ergy’s Take 5 is a five-piece home theatre system comprises four iden tical small spe a kers plus one
cen tre channel for $999. The 100w ES-8 powered subwoofer can be added for $699. SGH 0-9-415 6680.
LUXMAN RETURNS TO NEW ZEALAND
After a gap of several years, Luxman is again available in New Zealand. Lu x m a n’s new distributor is
Phaze Electronics of Auckland.
Phaze have announced three series of Lu x m a n
components. The 200 Series includes AM/FM tuners
from $395; integrated amplifiers from $695; and CD
players from $595. A complete 200 Series system can
be purchased from $1685.
With the 300 Series, s ome models are available in
gold, as well as the ubiquitous black.
The 300 Series inclu des home theatre five - channel receivers from $1295; tuners from $595; integrated amplifiers from $695 and CD players from $695.
One notable model in the 300 Series is the A-384
integra ted amplifier. A hybrid model, the A-384
($1695) includes a vacuum tube preamplifier stage.
The final Luxman Series ava i l a ble is the Ul ti m a te
Series. In cluded in this series is the luxuri o u s ly bu i l t
D-700s compact disc player (pictured at top). The
D-700s incorporates 20-bit D/A convertors and an
HDCD decoder.
The SQ-38 Si gnature integra ted valve amplifier
(pictured below) retails for $8195. It outputs 30 watts
per channel from the EL34 tubes.
Phaze Electronics 0800-LUXMAN.
A CONCERTO FRO M S ONUS FABER
Italian loudspeaker manufacturer Sonus Fa ber have
introduced two new models. The Concertino ($1999,
pictu red) and the Concerto ($3499) featu re leather
covered fron t , top and back, with solid walnut sides.
International Dynamics 0-9-524 8488.
5
THE SAGACIOUS AUDIOPHILE
by Ch a rl e s T h o m s o n
Final vinyl?
VINYL – A NEW ZEALAND PERSPECTIVE
F
or most lovers of recorded
music, the analogue vinyl LP, is dead!
One could be exc u s ed for thinking
this correct. After all when did you last see
a turntable on display at any off your local
hi fi shops – let alone hear one playing?
Perhaps it is understandable that CD is
n ow the largest medium for storing
recorded music – silent surface s , convenien ce of operation, longer playing time
per side, near instant track access, less storage space, and so on. Indeed a modern
product for the late 20th cen tu ry. I mean,
could you seriously consider a product
designed 100+ years ago worth listening
to today, let alone dragging these pieces of
plastic into the new millennium in a few
years time.
Unfortunately many people have forgotten what our hobby is all about – music
and sound quality. While over half my
musical listening time is provided by CD,
I must admit to a preference for the sound
of LP. I must also admit to the pleasure of
6
demonstrating the superiority of LP to any Saturd ay night, played on any old
i n tere s ted vi s i tors to our hom e . I am sad- turntable (including record changer’s),
dened when I learn that some of these vis- washed in beer if cleaned at all and usualitors have thrown
ly stored in a carton
aw ay hu n d reds, in
with dozens of o t h er
While over half my
one case over 1800,
LPs without a record
LPs in their rush to
cover in sight, let
musical listening time is a l one an inner proembrace the newer
technology.
tective sleeve . While
provided by CD, I must
re ading song titles
rom the labels may
FIRST UP – A
admit to a preference for fprodu
CHALLENGE
ce a nostalgic
For anyone who
“bu z z ,” sound qu a l ithe sound of LP
hasn’t played an LP
ty is going to be a
in years and thinks
right turn off.
their turntable works, go dig out an LP or
As long as your stylus is in re a s onable
t wo from that hidden collection in the condition you are likely to be pleasantly
garage, a t ti c , b a s em ent or wh ere ever yo u surprised at what you hear. If su ch is the
hide such things at your place.
case be prepared to spend hours, weekends
At this point, be fair. Don’t select an LP even, renewing old acquaintances.
f rom the bo t tom of the pile which hasn’t
Now some who take up this challenge
been in a cover since circa 1970. You are going to be disappointed. Clicks, pops,
remem ber the “Top 20 Hi t s” of that peri- scra tches and surface noise etc. Yuk!!!
od which were carted to parties every Unbearable!!! All those reasons you gave
KEEPING IT CLEAN
SECOND-HAND NEWS
As Ch a rles points out , gaining and keeping the best from both records and record
playing equipment requires some hands-on maintenance. Dust and dirt are the enemies of both analog hardware and software.
There have been many lotions and potions available for cleaning LPs over the
ye a rs , s ome of wh i ch did more harm than good. Perhaps the safest and easiest way
to clean records is with a record cleaning machine. In New Zealand the Nitty Gritty
brand is imported by PQ Imports.
Both Ch a rles and I have put mon ey wh ere our mouths are and purch a s ed Nitty
Gritty record cleaners. I’m happy with the perform a n ce of my Ni t ty Gritty, and
would recommend one to any serious record collector. (But do note that particularly grubby records need several treatments or some initial “external” cleaning first).
If you can’t justify the pri ce of a Ni t ty Gritty, you could try the “Andrew Fox
Record Cleaning Method.” Andrew was a significant purchaser of second hand vinyl
and a long-time contributor to AudioVideo magazine.
Andrew’s method invo lved a cut-down shaving brush, dishwashing detergent
( An d rew recom m ends Down to Earth), a plastic spray bottle, a dish rack and lintfree tissue.
First, create a mixture of around one part dishwashing liquid to ten–twenty parts
water (adjust to suit the condition of the record) in the sprayer bottle. Rinse the
record under the tap (don’t worry abo ut the label – it will su rvive ) . S pray the mixtu re on to the record. With the record lying flat, gen t ly fo llow the grooves with the
cut-down shaving brush. Rinse again and repeat for the other side.
When finished, mop up the water remaining on the record with lint-free tissues,
and leave to dry overnight in the dish rack. Andrew also recommends a new record
sleeve for the newly cleaned record.
I’ve used this method on many record s , and have been amazed at the positive
results, particularly with very dirty records. Try it – you’ll like it— Mike Jones
The great news for record collectors is
that you can buy a superb turntable
these days for very little money. How?
Buy second-hand.
You can buy a great second hand
Thorens, Rega or Linn turntable for
very modest amounts of money. For
those with larger vi nyl co llections, a
second-hand Linn Sondek LP12 is a
stunning buy, with excellent conditi on models with good tonearms
being available for $1200–$1400
—Mike Jones
Affordable high-end
(brought to you by Interdyn)
ROTEL
RSP 960AX Dolby Processor
RRP $999
“This one was a dream. Once again, Rotel has come up with an
intelligently designed, cost-effective audiophile component. Hats
off to their engineering team”
High Performance Review
RC 970BX mk2/RB 970BX mk2 pre/power
Amplifiers
RRP $449/$649
“Uncomplicated styling, good sounds and the ability to grow with
your system—Rotel’s affordable pre- power combination gives a
true five star show”
What Hi-Fi
RCD 970BX Compact Disc Player
RRP $999
“…should certainly be on the auditioning list of anyone with this
kind of money to spend”
What Hi-Fi
RA 980BX Integrated Amplifier
RRP $1099
“We have tested a number of Rotel components over the years,
and they have all been excellent performers offering very good
value. The RA 980BX integrated amplifier upholds that tradition,
both sonically and technically”
Sound & Vision
RA 920AX Integrated Amplifier
RRP $449
“The bottom line is that the Rotel RA 920AX has its ri vals thoroughly beaten if you just want to enjoy listening to music”
What Hi-Fi
TDL
NFM Bookshelf Speakers
RRP $399
“Quite frankly the best sub-£100 speakers you can buy… we
wish we had a six-star score, for the NFMs are just phenomenal”
What Hi-Fi
RTL 2 Floor-Standing Speakers
RRP $1099
“…a very attractive and listenable speaker at a most attractive
price. It is well worth hearing if you are in the market for a compact, top-notch speaker system that won’t bankrupt you or dominate your home decor”
Stereo Review
RTL 3 Floor-Standing Speakers
Concertino
An appreciation of music and a love
of violin making gave rise to the birth
of Sonus Faber. Franco Serblin
devised the idea to create a speaker
cabinet as an instrument which
amplifies sound, not merely a
container for it. His inherited
knowledge and study of violin
construction suggested the use of
precious woods. Each batch of Italian
walnut is scrupulously chosen, dried
naturally for two years and stabilised
in a kiln. Once the wood is perfectly
seasoned, each plank is cut into
staves. The tongue and groove staves
are then joined, sealed and the final
structure shaped, smoothed and
varnished. Every Sonus Faber
speaker is in essence a hand-made
one-of-a-kind. To own such a speaker
is a reflection of impeccable taste.
RRP $1599
“Their twin bass/midrange drive units and reflex transmission
line design, capable of handling 120W, ensure that bass is
retrieved from 20,000 fathoms deep. And it’s tight and controlled. Regardless of how complex the music becomes, the
TDL’s agility and fast response means they always keep abreast
of event”
What Hi-Fi
PRO-JECT
Pro-Ject 1.2 Turntable (includes Ortofon OM10
cartridge)
RRP $499
“Able to suppress surface noise to almost inaudible levels…will
get you re-exploring your record collection, then reward you by
letting you hear plenty you never noticed before”
What Hi-Fi
Pro-Ject 2 Turntable (includes Ortofon OM10
cartridge)
RRP $699
“This deck’s strongest point is its musical coherence and the
sense of sheer rightness about the sound”
Hi-Fi World
Pro-Ject 6.1e Turntable (includes Pro-Ject 4
cartridge)
RRP $999
“…a sparkling performer, digging deep into a records grooves
and bringing out truckloads of detail”
What Hi-Fi Awards
For more information please contact
I n t e rnational Dynamics
PO Box 109-317, Newmarket, Auckland. Ph 0-9-524 8488. Fax 0-9-524 8674. Mobile 025-798 260
Concerto
For an information pack please contact
I n t e rnational Dynamics
PO Box 109-317, Newmarket, Auckland.
Ph 09-524 8488. Fax 09-524 8674.
Mobile 025-798 260
up vi nyl in the first place. Be patient –
please!
Firs t ly take your stylus to a hi fi de a l er
who still has a microscope and can look it
at about 50X magnification to check for
wear. Don’t be surprised if what appears
in the eye piece resembles a blunt chisel
which has cut though nails instead of a
be a utifully ro u n ded tip. Hell, t h ere might
not even be a piece of diamond of a ny
shape stuck to the end of the cantilever.
And you were blaming the medium for
poor sound quality.
GET INTERACTIVE!
Ro utine mainten a n ce of the turn t a bl e
is next in line. If you can remember how
to do it yourself, great. Here’s where LP has
it over CD – you can get inter-active,
hands on, become part of the proce s s ,
receive personal satisfaction, oh joy !
Otherwise find an en t hu si astic hi fi shop commercial versions of these machines
who will check out such things as align- which do the job quickly for between 50
ment, VTA, tracking weight, a n ti skating, cents and $1 each.
speed
accuracy,
clean the drive belt
S O WHAT’S
The great thing about
AVA I L A B L E I N
and lubricate the
bearing.
NZ
Having done all 2nd hand vinyl is the price
Obviously any
the above, maybe
new found interest
– $2 to $10 being a
even “bitten the bulin LPs, or continulet” and purch a s ed a
ing intere s t , for that
representative range
new styli, your LPs
matter, will depend
should be starting to
on availability of
sound pretty good. If what you are hear- music. By far the greatest quantity of vinyl
ing is starting to to u ch the “soul” and today is to be found in second hand record
interest is being re-kindl ed , t h en a serious s tore s . “ Bu gger that,” I hear you say, “our
s e s s i on of record cleaning could improve own records click, pop and hiss enough
things even more. My preference is for the without buying someone else’s rejects.”
wet clean, vacuum dry process from su ch
Well now, just hold on a minute. Major
manufacturers as Ni t ty Gritty and VPI. second hand record dealers are music
Some second hand record stores have lovers – they are enthusiasts – and their
PLINIUS PHONO STAGES
Many new amplifiers are line stage on ly, that is they they can
on ly be used with relatively high outp ut com pon ents su ch as
CD players , tape deck s , vi deo recorders and Laserdisc players .
An ex tra circuit boa rd is requ i red to amplify the tiny voltage
produced by a cartridge plus do technical things like attend to
the RIAA equ a l i s a tion curve . Some of tod ays new amplifiers
don’t even offer such a circuit board as an opti on . However
the ded i c a ted ph ono fanatics at Plinius Audio in Palmerston
North have come to the rescue with not one but two options.
First up the Ja rrah, whose name comes from the timber
used to handcraft its outer case. I just love the look of this component–so completely non hi fi. The beautiful soft glow of burnished timber with won derful ex po s ed dove tail joints and a
brass name plate on the front. It looks more like something
associated with railways than audio, but what a terrific talking
point. Marvellous.
The Jarrah is based on the phono stage as found in the more
recent version of the Plinius M12 preamplifier. It caters for
both low and high output cartridges plus various loading
opti ons at the flick of a swi tch or two. Two screws have to be
removed from the rear of the Jarrah and its internals slid from
the case before you can get at these switches, but following the
instruction manual makes this an easy task. As with big brother M14, both units plug into a spare line input , and away you
go with superb quality analogue reproduction, all for $595.
Now the M14 is a different beastie altoget h er. A real co s t no-object affair. Built like a tank, sized the same as a Plinius
M12 preamplifier, all necessary switches on the front panel
and costing a mere $3000. How the hell can you justify spending three grand on a ph ono stage? Quite easily actually, on ce
you’ve listened to it.
Imagine if you would listening to an LP on your current
s ys tem . Sounds gre a t . Th en some spoil sport installs a Ja rrah
phono preamp between turntable and a line stage input. All of
a sudden the musical performance is transformed. There’s clarity, detail like you’ve never heard before and if you are using a
low outp ut moving coi l , an absen ce of any el ectronic noise or
8
Plinius Jarrah phono preamplifier
sense of s train from a preamp trying to provi de en o u gh gain.
Here is a must have, $595 upgrade.
Right, $595 is one thing, but $3000 for a similar component? Well let me assure you the M14 is similar only in brandname and that it is a phono preamplifier.
Build quality and choi ce of components are exceptional.
Ease of use and facilities are fantastic. So it looks and feels
value for money. Still not convinced? Well have a listen.
The M14 is not about clarity, detail, top end, bo t tom end,
soundstage or any other hi-fi term. It has them all, no qu e sti on . What is important is how everything is bo u ght toget h er.
There is a sense of correctness, a naturalness, that I have never
heard from any recorded medium before. You play record after
record trying to pin-point strengths in what you are hearing,
trying to decide why it sounds so good. In the end you give up
and just accept this is a great music making component. As
you tod dle of f to bed thinking of any inheritance which may
be on the horizon or that lucky Lotto ticket – ah, sweet dreams!
Highly recommended – in fact I rate this as one of the two
best products I experienced during ’96.
Flawless $1299 AE floorstander
Acoustic Energy AE109
Loudspeaker $1299
For Deep deep bass;
good value
Against Nothing
Verdict …a refined yet
powerful sound that sweeps
all music before it
…and equally
superb monitor and
centre speakers
Acoustic Energy AE100
Loudspeaker $599
For Superb mini-monitors;
outclass speakers costing 50
per cent more
Verdict OK, we give up – how
has Acoustic Energy done it
for the money? Superbly built
and with a seriously gorgeous
sound, the AE100s are very
important speakers
Acoustic Energy AE107C
Centre speaker $499
For A fine centre with weight
and clarity beyond its price
Against Needs a fairly big TV
to hold it
Verdict Matching the
acclaimed AE100s and the
AE109 floorstanders, this
centre speaker will work well
with a wide range of front
speakers
Call 0800 ACENERGY
(0800 223637)
for more details
stock is prob a bly in bet ter con d i ti on than
most of your collection at home. Secondly,
some of the newer elliptical, fineline,
micro reach, etc., styli reduce surface noise
to such an extent you would think you are
playing a mint condition record. The
Su m i ko Blue Point Special’ ( s ee side bar)
is such a one.
The great thing about 2nd hand vi nyl
is the price – $2 to $10 being a representative ra n ge . Some coll ectors items can cost
much more of course. I believe an original
t wo - record set of The Royal Ballet Gala
con du cted by Ernest Ansermet on RCA the great perform a n ce s / recordings as
Living Stereo wi ll set
stocked by Jim’s
you back aro u n d
Music Room in
My wish then, is for
$US1500.
Tauranga (phone
Sadly for classical
0800-367 4434 for
lovers, second hand anyone in this situation to details). These are
shops seldom cater
new
records,
to your taste [Re a l take up the challenge and proce s s ed to the
Groovy Records in
highest stanre-visit the world of vinyl very
Auckland has a large
d a rd and stamped
s el ecti on — E d i tor ] .
from 180 plus
You, my dear friends, are restricted mainly grams of virgin vi nyl. Not cheap – but
to garage sales or to re - i s sues of some of what fabulous sound qu a l i ty. An intere s ting selection of jazz and blues is also listed
in Jim’s catalogue.
SUMIKO BLUE POINT SPECIAL
New vinyl featuring latest releases from
How does something as ugly as this cartridge get rave reviews every time? The
the
pop charts, jazz, alternative, dance,
Sumiko Blue Point Special is a nude cartridge, ie, its innards are there for all to see –
funk
etc., are available from specialist
just hanging from a brass mounting plate. No this isn’t a cost saving measure, taking
s
h
ops
such as Off The Record in
off the plastic box which usually hides the workings – it actually improves the sound
Wellington and Ma rbecks in Auckland.
over the original Blue Point. Removing this outer cover is not the whole story
Prices on a par with CD.
though. There are reported to be some 20 differen ces (improvem ents) bet ween the
t wo models, some obvious like the
sturdy top, brass mounting plate.
The Su m i ko BPS is a high output
m oving coil cartridge producing 2.5
mv. Ma ny of us have experienced
other brands of m oving coils with
outputs as low as 0.2mv, which has
meant the vo lume control being set
high to obtain a reasonable sound
level. At this point electronic noise
f rom the amplifiers circuits often
became audible and sound took on a
s om ewhat grainy, co u rse tex tu re. Th e
only option here was to invest in a
suitable step up device. No such problems with the Sumiko BPS, any self respecting moving coil phono stage and almost
all moving magnet stages will find handling its output a breeze.
So we now have adequ a te sound levels and dynamic range galore, but there’s
more. It soon dawns on you that this is a very quiet cartridge. The styli seems to be
tracking in parts of the record groove not previ o u s ly to u ch ed . If you do hear loud
clicks and pops, the scratch or blemish is probably very deep. But it has to be severe,
because to my amazement, some of my early 70’s party LPs sounded great.
The Sumiko Blue Point Special gives one a taste of the “high en d ”. You sti ll need
convincing? Arrange to have iden tical record i n gs ava i l a ble in both LP and CD versions. Relax, compare and judge.
One intere s ting aspect of the BPS’s performance is that this stylus is not a gre a t
little dust digger. You know those times when in the middle of a magical recording,
you are lost to the world, when – shock, horror – distorti on and funny sounds
emanate from the speakers. Sure enough when you look at the stylus, there’s a little
ball of fluff preventing proper contact between the stylus and record. Never was
there any sign of loose material having been dug from the depths of the grooves.
For me the Sumiko BPS stands for tonal hon e s ty, a rare quality in a com pon ent
at this price level. High praise perhaps, but its true. And after all isn’t this the end
re sult we are trying to achieve? I could carry on abo ut foc u s , det a i l , clean ex ten ded
highs etc, but why bother. Just listen to the music and be grateful that sound of this
quality is available for $659.
By the way, the Blue Point Special was the other “Best Component” I experienced
during ’97. Just in case you were wondering.
10
HARDWARE
Despite little being on display in hi fi
stores a su rprising amount of equ i pment
is ava i l a ble in New Zealand: four models
of turntable from Pro-Ject ranging in price
from $499–$999, including cartridge;
t h ree from an old favourite, Rega, i n clu ding the justly famous Planar 2 and 3, along
with the new Planar 9 from $799–$4650;
two from Well Tempered $4000-6995; and
Linn supplying the ubiquitous Sondek
LP12 from $5595 (LP12, Akito, K9) to
$13,300 (LP12, Lingo, Ekos, Arkiv).
Cartridges from Audio Technica,
Dy n avector, Linn, Ortofon, Garrett Bro s .
and Rega are readily available. Sadly some
great performers su ch as Audio Tech n i c a’s
OC9 have been discontinued in recent
times. Still if you have a mind such lofty
names as Koetsu, Benz, van den Hul, Linn
Arkiv,and Transfiguration Temper, these
are not too difficult to source. Prices range
from budget models at around $100 to,
well the sky’s the limit.
No ph ono stage? Budget models from
QED and Ro tel are available, the two
Plinius models featured on page eight, and
a model from Audiolab are re adily available in New Zealand.
MY WISH
The equipment is available, LPs are
available (if a little harder to find). Many
who read this arti cle will have both at
home already. My wish then, is for anyone
in this situation to take up the challenge
and re - visit the world of vi nyl. It might
just become your prefered music source.
INCREDIBLE SOUND,
AFFORDABLE PRICE…
FOR MUSIC AND MOVIES!
INTRODUCING THE
SENSATIONAL NEW
POLK AUDIO RT20P
Now there’s a Polk Audio
speaker for everybody!
Over 30 models available
– there’s one here for you!
5 year
parts and labour
warranty
Matthew Polk
Chairman, Polk Audio
The Polk Audio RT20P “Powered Tower” combines reference quality high and midrange
detail, with the drama of powered stereo subwoofers. Each cabinet has a 25mm trilaminate
dome tweeter and 160mm mid/bass speaker. In a separate sub-enclosure are two 200mm subwoofer drivers, powered by a built-in 100 watt amplifier. The result – a high quality, full range
speaker with deep, controlled stereo bass. And all this taking up no more floor space than your
average speaker. Said Julian Hirsch of Stereo Review magazine “I cannot recall experiencing
such a deep bass response in the same room, under similar measurement conditions, from
another full-range speaker system comparable in size and price to the [Polk Audio] RT20P.”
Polk Audio RT20P – just one of a superb range that includes…
Mini Monitor
$399 LS50 Floorstanding
$1999
RT3 Bookshelf
$499 LS70 Floorstanding
$2999
RT5 Bookshelf
$699 LS90 Floorstanding
$3999
RT7 Bookshelf
$899 LSfx Surround Sound $1199
RT8 Floorstanding
$999 AB410 In-Wall
$399
RT10 Floorstanding
$1299 AB610 In-Wall
$599
RT12 Floorstanding
$1699 AB505 In-Wall
$699
RT16 Floorstanding
$1999 AB705 In-Wall
$899
RT20P Floorstanding $3999 AB805 In-Wall
$1399
RTfx Surround Sound
$999 AWM3 All Weather
$699
M3 Surround Sound
$599 RM2000 Satellite
$999
RM3300 Sat/Subwoofer
RM5300 Sat/Subwoofer
RM7300 Home Theatre
CS150 Centre Speaker
CS200 Centre Speaker
CS250 Centre Speaker
CS350 Centre Speaker
PSW50 Subwoofer
PSW150 Subwoofer
PSW300 Subwoofer
AWM5 Commercial
SRT Home Theatre sys.
$1999
$2699
$3999
$399
$499
$599
$899
$999
$1499
$1999
$999
$19000
Polk Loudspeakers are available from:
Whangarei – Hubands Retravision • Auckland – Eastern Hi-Fi, Link Drive and Newmarket • Hamilton –
Lakeland TV and Stereo • Tauranga – Simister Retravision • Whakatane – The Electricity Centre • Rotorua
– Eastern Hi-Fi • New Plymouth – Masons Appliances • Palmerston North – Manawatu TV and Sound •
Wellington – Absolute Audio and Vision •Christchurch – The Top Hi-Fi Shop • Dunedin – Good Hi-Fi •
Cromwell – Gary Anderson Appliances
Polk Audio was founded in 1972 by
Matthew Polk and George Klopfer.
Their dream was to make speakers with
the performance of the world’s best and
costliest speakers, but at a reasonable
price.
They did so by applying scientific
principles to speaker design and by
concentrating solely on the speaker
business.That’s why Polk is still known
as “The Speaker Specialists”.
Today Polk are one of the world’s
largest manufacturers of Home and Car
loudspeakers and their research and
development has yielded over 20
patents for advances in loudspeaker
performance and value.
Polk speakers have earned high
praise from the worlds Hi-Fi press as
well as dozens of awards for innovative,
high quality design.
If you are considering investing in a
new pair of speakers or are looking at
Home Theatre you really should audition a Polk Audio speaker system. From
$399 right up to the $19,000 SRT Home
Theatre systems, you won’t find a better
speaker for your money.
Distributed by
Pacific Audio
PO Box 9174,Auckland.
Phone 0-9-524 8032. Fax 0-9-524 8037
…AND NOW TO THE LEFT
b y Ll o yd M a co mb e r
What’s in a Naim?
A LONG-TIME OWNER REFLECTS ON NAIM
F
or me, the world of naim started
some eight years ago when, finding
mys el f bet ween amplifiers , I courted
every con ceiva ble make and model under
a grand. I found what I was looking for too
and it only cost a mere $600!
The answer to my quest was a second
hand (very secondhand) Naim pre - power
combinati on called the NAC22/NAP120
(Naim Audio Control amplifier and Naim
Audio Power amplifier). Short of carbon
datin g, I would guess this pair’s manufacturing date to be late 70s.
The 22 was, in fact, Naim’s second production pre amp and, like the 12 before it,
the internal structure of main mother cir-
cuit board and plug-in daughter phono
boa rds cre a ted a platform from wh i ch all
subsequent Naim control pre-amplifiers
would follow. Ra ted at 60 watts/channel
i n to four ohms, the 120 power amplifier
s h a red the same arch i tectural con cept as
its partner, the 12 preamp.
In the psychedelic aftermath of the
seventies the answer, according to Naim,
was simplicity of design, straight line
wiring and an overall no-nonsense
approach to amplifier building.
I felt som eh ow saved, for I had discovered products with a combination of oddball styling, minimal gad getry and keen ly
a t h l etic sound. What else would a studen t
FOCUS ON THE NEWCOMERS
Recen t ly I brought home the new NAC102 pre-amplifier and CD2 CD player for a
long-weekend play. The results were, as I expected, impressive.
The CD2 replaced the CDI as Naim’s secon d - i n - command CD player fo ll owing
the two box CDS. Rather than the clear perspex lift up lid sys tem adopted by the
CDI, the CD2 takes on the similar
swinging drawer affair of the entry
level CD3. Replacing the CD3 from
my system, the CD2 treated all music
played with the added expression,
detail and depth I expected from
such a player of this calibre. Still,
with a pri ce difference of a ro u n d
$2,500 between the two players you’d
expect to be impressed.
Joining the CD2 as a star replacement in my system was the brand
Naim CD2 preamplifier
new remote-controlled NAC102 preamplifier. I confess that as soon as I heard of this amp I had to get it home not only
because it of fered improvements in sound over my NAC72 but because it was fully
remote contro llable. Naim rega rd the new amplifier as the replacement to the 72
and judging from the bri ef yet favo u ra ble spell I had with it, the 102 will do Naim
proud as a great sounding, good looking and convenien t - to-use control
amp replacement to the smaller-cased
NAC72.
Unfortunately, the time to return
the new products came all too soon.
Certainly, both the CD2 and NAC102
Naim NAC102 preamplifier
proved their worth in my system as
explicitly clearer and sonically superior products when compared with my CD3 and
NAC72. On its own merits, I am confident that the CD2 would prove stiff competition for any rivals in a similar price range.
Equ a lly, that the NAC102 has the abi l i ty to divulge and tra n s form informati on
i n to su ch openhanded music must hold it in good ste ad as one of tod ay ’s leading
$3000 control amplifiers, when partnered with a Naim power amp such as the
NAP180.
12
of design ever wish for!
T H O S E E A R LY D A Y S
Before the first Naim Audio amplifier
back in 1971, founder and Ma n a ging
Director Julian Vereker had tried his hand
at a myriad of ventures. These ventures
were to include everything from car
design, to Mini racing, to making films
and recording live performances of mu s ician fri ends at home. It was this last dabble which led Vere ker down the path of
design and building of recording studio
mixer desks and spe a kers, financed with
by his success on the race track with his
Minis. Vere ker, for some time, had been
dissatisfied with the quality of commercially produced hi-fi, particularly amplifiers. Given his track record, you can guess
what happened next.
The years 1973 and ’74 saw the Naim
enterprise start to grow. 1974 was also the
year that Vere ker met a fellow music
enthusiast and turntable maker. This
meeting led to worldwide touring by the
pair of hi-fi visionaries who were both
i n tere s ted in spreading their ph i l o s oph i e s
based around the system hierarchy. Of
course, the turntable maker so closely
allied to Vere ker was no less than
Scotsman Ivor Ti efenbrun, founder of
Linn Products.
The combination of Naim amplifiers
and Linn turntables was indeed regarded
by many as unbeatable and Naim’s business growth reflected this. The com p a ny’s
high quality equipment became world
renowned.
T H E N A I M W AY
Naim ardently believe that the choice
of components for a hi-fi system should
be governed by the basic rule that no component can improve the quality of its
incoming signal. The very best that any
individual component can do is deal faithfully with its input without loss of musical
information. And so a simple and logical
hiera rchy is established. So u rce components of a system, such as the turntable,
CD player, tuner or tape deck come first as
they define the absolute signal quality
retrieved from the storage or carrier medium. The preamplifier and power amplifier
King
of
Hollywood
Onkyo’s
TX-DS939
features
Dolby
Digital
AC-3,
THX
5.1,
Dolby
Pro
Logic
Surround
and
dual
24-bit
Motorola
processors
Onkyo’s
latest
AV
Receiver
is
set
to
rock
the
Home
Theatre
world
on
its
ear.
The
TX-DS939
Receiver
includes
not
only
THX
and
Dolby
Pro
Logic,
but
incorporates
Dolby
Digital
AC-3.
One
can
certainly
Five
discrete
digital
channels,
plus
one
low-frequency
effects
channel,
makes
Dolby
Digital
the
state-of-the-art
in
movie
sound
understand
Onkyo’s
new
slogan
“Get
real…
get
Onkyo
home
theatre”
This
monster
weighs
in
at
nearly
21kg
with
no
expense
spared.
That’s
why
you’ll
only
find
the
best
throughout.
From
heavy
duty
AC
cord,
to
the
anti-resonant
feet
and
chassis
to
the
five
discrete
amplifiers.
Offering
more
of
everything:
more
power,
more
features,
more
home
theatre
flexibility
and
most
of
all
more
fun!
So
for
an
unforgettable
experience
talk
to
your
local
Onkyo
dealer:
Home
THX
is
a
series
of
electronic
processes
designed
to
correct
anomalies
caused
by
the
playback
of
soundtracks
designed
for
large
theatres
in
the
smaller
home
environment
For
full
compatibility
with
the
existing
library
of
thousands
of
Dolby
Surround
soundtracks
Whangarei Hubands
Retravision
•
Auckland Soundline
•
Auckland Mt
Albert
TV
•
Hamilton
Lakeland
TV
•
Tauranga Jim’s
Music
Room
•
Wanganui DA Morrisons
•
Palmerston
North
Manawatu
TV & Sound
•
W ellington Soundline
•
B lenheim Herkt
Retravision
•
Nelson
Feedback
Audio
•
West
Coast Ellery’s
Home
Appliance
Centres
•
Christchurch Soundline
•
Ashburton Smith
&
Church
•
Dunedin Selectrix
Distributed
in
New
Zealand
by
B&W
Loudspeakers
(NZ) Ltd
PO Box
22-049,
Christchurch
Ph
0-3-365
5677.
Fax
0-3-365
7219
come next, in that order. Naim believe that
if the preamp is inadequate it will make
nonsense of the demands of a good
source, but neither pre nor power amp can
improve the quality of their incoming signal. In fact, the better they are, the more
cl e a rly they will expose, i n s te ad of masking, any faults or weaknesses in the system.
It follows then that the loudspeakers are
the last in the hi-fi system chain in terms
of importance. As the slave of the amplifier, even moderate speakers properly driven by a very good amplifier wi ll out perform speakers that are potentially the best
possible, but are less well driven. L i ke an
amplifier, a loudspe a ker cannot improve
the quality of its incoming signal.
With their system hierarchy, Naim
argue that a system made up of well balanced modera te com pon ents will provi de
an overall better performance, rather than
a system comprising badly balanced superior products. The better the system, in
b a l a n ce and com pon ent quality, the more
the intentions of the composer or performer will be reve a l ed thro u gh the skill
and feeling of the players and the precise
quality of the instruments. Naim go on to
suggest that a less well balanced system
will ob s c u re the music by minute alterations of pitch and amplitude.
L i ke other hi-fi component manufacturers, Naim Audio communicate in terms
of the music, the performer and perform a n ce and how well the musical message
is conveyed to the listener. However, unlike
many of its rivals, Naim extend their belief
beyond just hearing all the notes played,
but also being able to hear whether the
musicians were enjoying them s elves. This
intonation, which is so much part of the
spo ken word , is also vital to the understanding of a piece of music. This aspect
of Naim philosophy has often been regarded by many as a fundamental re a s on why
Naim sys tems centre on the “attitude” of
the perform a n ces rather than nece s s a rily
bringing out the scale, depth or weight of
the music.
MAKING A CONNECTION
An off-shoot of Naim’s sys tem hiera rchy is the import a n ce of the transmission
of the audio signal and complete depen-
dence on the use of properly designed and
specified cables and connectors. Naim recommend their own multi-stranded
NACA5 loudspe a ker cable and amplifier
signal leads as standard cables for all of
their systems. Interestingly, u n l i ke other
cable manu f actu rers Naim choose not to
l avishly dress cables on the out s i de, their
interest lying within the sheathing not the
sheathing itself.
Naim are idiosyncratic in using DIN
connectors for all high level line connections, and the BNC connector for
turntable connections to the preamplifier.
TOUCHING ON NAIM
The little that I have touched on is a
merely an insight into the world of Naim
Audio. Sure, this odd-ball looking range of
hi-fi gear wi ll not be all things to all people, but you’d be hard pressed to find altern a tive system s , or indeed indivi dual components, which can turn your CDs, LPs
and radio waves into such en j oyable,
enlightening and engaging music.
Here’s looking forward to the next 25
years from Salisbury, England.
Technical Knockout!
True low bass from
America’s famous
subwoofer manufacturer!
Active, powered
subwoofers from only
$895 to $4295.
CERTIFIED
CABLES
For your
nearest dealer, contact
Audio Video Designs
4 models of THX speaker cable from $9.95/m
THX video interconnect from $39.95/m + connectors
THX audio interconnect from $49.95/m + connectors
PO Box 31-552, Milford, Auckland
Phone 0-9-486 0666. Fax 0-9-486 0660
Mobile 025-769 890 or 025-993 288
14
WireWorld
A
world
of
difference
in
cables
An
interconnect
comparator
that
allows
direct
comparison
to
another
interconnect
and
a
pure
copper
“no
cable”
bypass…
proving
that
many
“top”
cables
are
just
hype?
This
is
what
WireWorld
have
done.
As
Ken
Kessler,
writing
in
Hi-Fi
News
& Record
Review,
said
“WireWorld
has
fashioned
the
ultimate
hot
air
filter!”
WireWorld
uses
a
patented
“symmetrical
coaxial”
design
of
cables
including
digital
and
video
interconnect
cables
and
speaker
cables.
The
result
is
a
purity
and
neutrality
that
is
not
just
a
matter
of
opinion…
it’s
scientifically
provable!
HEAR
WHAT
THE
REVIEWERS
HEARD
In
a
test
of
over
60
models
of
video
cables
and
AV
leads:
“WireWorld
was
one
of
the
few,
if
not
the
only,
company
that
sells
a
number
of
video
cables
that
performed
well.
Overall
these
cables
had
a
75
ohm
impedance
and
an
excellent
frequency
response.
The
delay,
0.5nS
was
good,
as
was
the
gain,
which
was
no
less
than
97.1%”
Joe
Kane
Widescreen
Review,
USA,
June
1996
Oasis (one
of
the
lower
cost
models)
“The
excellence
of
these
products
is
becoming
well
known…
the
sound
is
unshakable,
with
transparency,
neutrality
and
liquidity…
the
delineation
of
complex
timbres
is
very
distinct.
Don’t
forget
that
Oasis
is
less
expensive
than
the
others
here;
therefore
it
merits
a
very
strong
recommendation.”
4
stars
Haute
Fidelite,
France,
September
1995
Solstice
II
“WireWorld
has
produced
a
new
speaker
cable
that
is
magnificently
constructed,
elegant,
neutral
and
particularly
musical.
The
reproduction
is
very
linear,
with
profound
extension
and
articulation.
It
is
a
model
of
versatility
that
provides
an
admirable
match
to
the
Solstice
II interconnect”
Pros:
a
great
neutrality.
Cons:
nothing.
5
stars
What
Hi-Fi?,
UK,
April
1996\
Horizon
“Very
good
results
for
the
WireWorld
line.
The
openness
and
transparency
of
its
sound
are
not
to
be
criticised,
and
one
appreciates
equally
excellent
dynamics.
WireWorld
Horizon
constitutes
an
excellent
alternative
to
the
QED,
absolutely
recommendable.”
5
stars
What
Hi-Fi?,
UK,
June
1996
Orbit
“Orbit
received
a
very
enthusiastic
designation
from
our
listening
panel.
Actually,
in
virtually
every
tally
we
did
on
either
of
the
two
systems,
WireWorld
Orbit
came
out
on
top.
Flattering
comments
heaped
upon
it
took
note
of
its
excellent
focus,
impressive
neutrality
and
top-to-bottom
coherence.
Highs
were
detailed
and
airy,
and
the
ever-important
bass
came
through
with
solid,
satisfying
impact.”
Home
Theater
Magazine,
USA,
June
1996
There
is
a
WireWorld
cable
for
every
system
and
in
all
price
ranges
Available
from
discerning
hi-fi
dealers
– Dealer
enquiries
welcome
Proudly
imported
and
distributed
by:
PQ Imports,
Box
607
Tokoroa.
Ph
0800
33
44
34.
Fax
07
886
6851
EUPHONIC EUPHORIA
by Jo hn Pa u l
Efficiency and deficiency
A R ’ S H I G H O U T P U T S P E A K E R S A N D N O TA B L E E X T R A S
M
any of the newest toys are touted
as being bigger, brighter, smaller,
tighter, more powerful, more
econ omical, and practi c a lly anything yo u
may deem important. Cl ever de s i gns with
clever compromises have every marketp l ace stocked at many levels with a bewildering assortment of product options and
claims. And on top of all this cl ever confusion, Home Theatre just won’t go away!
So if the DVD (digital vers a tile disc) is
really coming along to replace CD and
VHS as major sources for music and
m ovies, is this the end of t wo channel
stereo as we know it? Will we need four or
five match ed speakers and should they be
precision audiophile grade or home
theatre thumping rugged? Planning or just
dreaming and scheming about how yo u
will select, then use all your home en tert a i n m ent toys is actually becoming damn
tricky work. “New product consumer
reluctance”, indeed!
FIRST LAW
Today with loudspeakers , t h ere is large
n on s ense by the tru ck l oad abo ut wh et h er
a particular design is best for serious
music or home theatre . It’s that same old
regurgitated dog’s breakfast about whether
a particular spe a ker is best designed for
pop / rock or classical mu s i c . Th ere’s re a lly
no arguing around this because com m on
sense simply confirms: A loudspe a ker
should provide an accura te facsimile of
any presented sound, beauty and warts all.
Any de s i gn is ultimately a com prom i s e
of many varied performance versus pri ce
factors and these should be balanced in
favour of that accura te facsimile of a ny
presented sound. Favo u ring bottoms,
mids or tops may provi de atten ti on gra bbing retail identification, but it’s caref u lly
balanced, even ly com prom i s ed all around
good performance that satisfies the varied
programme menu which nourishes our
spirit.
Thoughts along this menu line brings
to mind recent movies Dearly Beloved,
starring Gary Oldman as Lu dwig Von
Beet h oven with Sir George Solti impre ssively caring for the music. The David
Helfgott Shine phenomena, often featuring DH’s own sparkling piano playing
16
t h ro u ghout. And the action blast-up
Lethal Weapon III that has a nice Sting and
Eric Clapton theme called It’s Probably Me.
All three have excell en t ly recorded sound
tracks for the musical parts, p lus big loud
storm and noisy crowd scenes and so
forth. And all three had occ a s i onally very
difficult to understand “natural” dialogue
accents from the principal actors.
The loudspe a kers presenting these
movies, or their music CDs, cannot favour
one part of the audible spectrum to the
detriment of others. Nor can clarity be
s ac rificed for power handling because the
messages in the music and the dialogue
just won’t get thro u gh. There simply
a lw ays must be meaningful reproduction
integrity, as in “fidelity”.
E F F I C I E N C Y PAY S
Aware of current and future home
fidelity scenarios, the Acoustic Re s e a rch
folks have reportedly developed a new
line of spe a kers that offer smooth
wi de bandwidth and low distorti on
with appreciably greater sound output for a given power input than
comparable brands.
To suss this out, I got my hot little hands on the top of the range
AR 312HO (Hi gh Output) floor
standing 30cm side mounted
woofer, four driver, three-way big
boxes for ex ten ded home listening session s . These speakers are
specified as having a 97dB per
watt sensitivity. So my lovely,
trusty Plinius SA-50 (50/50
stereo) easily had more than
enough muscle to push (and
pull) these AR’s cleanly to any
loudness keen listeners, the
tolerant family, or the hostile
neighbours could endure.
An interesting fact here is
that hard physics con cepts
i n d i c a te that using a very
typical 87 dB per watt efficient spe a ker wo u l d
require 500 watts drive
per side for equ ivalent
comparable
punchy,
crisp, clean dynamics.
Another notion is the
significantly broader definition of efficiency where sums are considered for cost efficient amplification. Rocket scientists
everywhere can figure out that high quality 50 to 100 watt per channel amplificati on will be apprec i a bly easier on the wallet than the many kilobucks needed for big
power wallops with less than frisky similar
boxes.
With the fort h coming multiple channel AC-3 format del ivering better movie
sound and multiple channel music formats currently being discussed for DV D,
perform a n ce and dollar efficiency
becomes a greater factor if you want to
have any money left for flash new software.
THE MESSAGE UN-BOUNCED
The two midrange drivers with tweeter
between design provides wide hori zontal
and narrow vertical mids and highs as
found in many THX specified models.
AR 312HO
The only Home Theatre amplifier with Tri-Field Cinema DSP
Yamaha presents a Home Theatre amplifier that will completely change
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The secret is a remarkable technological achievement called Tri-Field
Cinema DSP, that’s compatible with Dolby Digital (AC-3). And that’s not all.
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There are 30 DSP settings for both audio and video, as well as a wide range
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The DSP-A3090 – there’s simply nothing else quite like it.
YES
Name
I’d like to know more about home theatre – and how easy and affordable it is to experience
the magic of the movies in my own home. Please send me the “your ticket to total home
theatre” information kit and invitation to a live home theatre demonstration.
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Dr
First Name
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MAIL TO: HOME THEATRE INFORMATION KIT, SOUND GROUP HOLDINGS LTD, PO BOX 33-791 TAKAPUNA, AUCKLAND
Wh et h er early ceiling reflecti ons are good
for music “air” or “s p ace” but bad for
speech intelligibility is a major issue in the
stupid verbal bar brawl about whether a
spe a ker design is optimised for music or
movies. But I personally find that first getting the dom e s tic back ground noise floor
down, t h en finding the opti mum vo lu m e
level in my room within the specific progra m m e’s dynamics at the “a ll tweeters
equidistant and direct to the sweet spot” is
more important than off-axis dispersion
patterns.
Serious auditioning used off-air TV
sound and direct dub hi-fi VHS movies
t h ro u gh an Akai-715 Nicam VCR.
Precious vinyl was on my Oracle
Alexandria II/Audio Technica OC-9
t h ro u gh the new Plinius Ja rrah phonostage outboard pre - a m p, and CD via my
recently upgraded CAL Audio Icon II.
Having very revealing new source
devices complicated the task of k n owing
ex act ly what the AR spe a ker was doing in
my system. Frequent switching back to my
old Tannoy Golds and extended sessions
with my trusty Stax Lambda Signature
electrostatic “cans” kept me pretty focused
about what was doing what. Although I
must confess I kept dropping out of
“tough” analytical mode into happily
grooving with the music quite a bit. But
that says something about the components
in itself too.
DEFI CIENT S IGNATURE
These big AR’s surprised me because
they basically lack any re a lly out s t a n d i n g
sonic signature. No matter how hard I
tried to pick a strong or weak point with
all kinds of source material nothing particularly stood out, or was missing. Not
analytical or revealing, and not very transp a rent, but just nicely and comfortably
JARRAH WOOD AND CHIPS
The beautifully made, dovetail jointed, red colour, jarrah wood boxed Plinius phono
pre-amp stage and the upgraded HDCD and Bu rr Brown 20 bit DAC’d Ca l i fornia
Audio Labs Icon II are both su perb detail retrievers . Each also maintains an overa ll
musical cohesiveness and smoothness that often keeps me wringing the old Tannoys
o ut , or up all hours listening over my Stax electrostatic head ph ones in finding new
delights within well-used black and often played silver discs.
Nothing jumps out unless it su pposed to, but there is a wealth of instru m en t a l
colour and tex tu re , parti c u l a rly thro u gh the Jarrah that is fra n k ly astounding. Th e
Jarrah ($595) also has a very low noise floor used with the Audio-Technica OC-9
and this seem i n gly enhances this pairings exten ded dynamic capabi l i ty. Com p a red
to my clean and simple, trusty old Su pex step-up transformer, the Ja rrah handles
complex passages mu ch more openly and aut h oritatively. Bass is also tigh ter and
m ore defin ed while upper treble regions are less coloured than with the Supex , my
Bryston, or my NAD 1700 in moving coil setting.
I’m spoiled forever now. The Jarrah is a really an absolute God-send for anybody
wanting superb quality phono replay through their line stage control (pre-) amp.
Conven i ently similar perform a n ce was noticed with the CAL Icon II Power Bo s s
upgrade, which turned my old Icon II into the new $2895 Icon II HDCD Power
Boss. The HDCD filter set chip app a ren t ly improves ambi en ce and detail retrieva l
with normal as well as my few HDCD encoded discs. It also opens up the top octave.
The improved power supply with four Farads (yes, whole Farads. Not typical 60,000
micro-Farad s , but big fat Farad wall ops of ju i ce!) for the 20 bit Burr- Brown DACs
provides excepti onal attack and dynamics, and also tremendously tightens and
cleans up the overly warm bass end of the original model . This upgrade kit makes
for a completely different creature that really sings a sweet lively song, and is a wonderful bargain to boot. This is a very com p l i c a ted mod only to be done by CAL
Audio dealers or importers Oceania Audio. I found out the hard way. Don’t ask.
18
there with whatever I threw at them.
Proce s s ed pop FM, C D’s and VHS or TV
movie tracks sounded fine, highest quality
minimalist recordings sounded enjoyable.
Frankly I thought there would be much
m ore cabi n et co l o u rati on in what is basically a very large mid-pri ce ($2500)
design. Only when pushed beyond all reason, to near pain, did the chest high tall
cabinet (109cm) begin tainting the sound.
At healthy realistic aco u s tic jazz vo lume
levels which are determined by banging on
my Steinweg Nachf (Dark Steinway) brand
piano that is almost oppo s i te the speakers
for convenient room referen ce level setting, my opinion, and the general consensus of several visiting keen and dull ears,
all agreed that the AR’s sounded like a
good qu a l i ty small spe a ker box having
exceptionally deep bass response.
All apprec i a ted their impressive
dynamics, non-intrusive smooth clear
tweeters, and natural, yet slightly dry midra n ge performance. Cro s s over points and
i n d ivi dual drivers co u l d n’t be establ i s h ed
until within one metre distance , wh i ch is
a hell of lot better than I can say for many
expen s ive floor standing and “s pecial
design” audiophile systems.
FIXING IMPERFECTION
If faults could be found or imagined,
they are small in the areas of absolute clarity, detail retrieval and precise sonic definition. An agreeable case of light omissions
rather than nasty additions to the signal
pre s entati on wh i ch dear ed i tor rem i n ded
me, “these finer points are only realised at
the $6,000 and upwards per pair level if
you want comparable bass ex tension and
mid-range power. And a large amp is necessary too”.
Bi gger driver magn ets and more exo ti c
build materials with more box bracing
could possibly improve some areas of performance, but at a significant cost penalty.
And this could easily mess up a well bala n ced fin ely com prom i s ed design with its
tolerably slight faults.
But if you must tweak, they are bi-wire
re ady with decent terminals, and they are
ready socketed for decent spiking. Good
wire and floor anchoring always improves
mid-ra n ge definition. You can also have a
back breaking (35kg each) picnic ju ggling
the side firing woofers to face each other,
or else fire to the outsides of the pair. Your
room will decide what works.
But try, as always, to have fun tweaking
and enjoy the music.
CD UPGRADE
Why go out and buy a new CD player at great expense for
only minimal improvement in performance?
Trichord’s highly renown “Clock 2” and dedicated “Clock
2 Power Supply” modifications will dramatically improve
the sound quality of your existing CD player or transport.
The treatment your existing CD deserves – hear the
potential it has to offer.
• superb timing and rhythmic coherence
• greater transparency and focus
• extended dynamic range
• improves sampling accuracy and therefore jitter
• reduction of hash and midrange glare
• powerful and extended bass clarity
• extra resolution in the mid and treble
Some of the brands successfully upgraded include:
Arcam, Marantz, Meridian, Micromega, Mission, Pioneer,
Quad, Rotel, Sony and Yamaha.
Clock 2 kits available from $295, fitting charge extra.
Available from:
Axent Audio, 25 Portage Road, New Lynn Auckland.
Ph 0-9-827 1220. Fax 0-9-826 0302.
The Listening Post, 151 High Street, Christchurch.
Ph 0-3-377 7299.
Distributed by Transline Audio Ph/Fax 0-7-5785211
Intro and Credo loudspeakers
Distributors of US premium audio and home theatre
components direct to the customer
Product lines include:
Theta Digital - Miles: A New One-Box CD Player
Muse - Preamps, Amps, DAC/Transport+I2S bus, Subs
Pass Labs - Single-ended Class A Mosfet Amps
Cary Audio - The Signature of Vacuum Tube Audio
Audio Electronics - Single-ended Tube Amps
Cardas - Cables of Golden Section Stranding
Magnan - Type Vi and Signature Cables
Gallo Acoustics - Nucleus Speaker Range
All customer enquires ph. Peter on (09) 520-HIFI (09 520-4434)
or e-mail [email protected]
North Hi-Fi, Whangarei 0-9-434 6810 • Shore Hi-Fi, Auckland 0-9-486 4494 •
The Audio Consultant, Hamilton 0-7-843 8436 • Sound Advice, Hastings
0-6-877 8875 • The Real Music Co, Wellington 0-4-385 8353 • Living Sound,
Nelson 0-3-546 8363 • The Top Hi-Fi Shop, Christchurch 0-3-365 2041 •
Express Sounds, Timaru 0-3-686 0262 • Sight & Sound, Dunedin 0-3-474 0443
19
TO THE MAX
b y M a x C hri s to f fe rs e n
To AC3 or not to AC3?
M A X TA C K L E S T H E N E W E S T A G E - O L D Q U E S T I O N
T
here i was unpacking Yamaha’s
new 3090 AC-3 integra ted amplifier, in stark disbelief that I was actually unpacking a Dolby Digital decoder.
I can’t believe it’s happened so fast.
It had been almost ten years since the
first Do l by Su rround decoder was added
onto my system and much time spent
enjoying videos and TV with surro u n d
effects ever since.
The rumours had been around since
the early 90s about the next stage of development of domestic home theatre and I’d
searched the Internet for information and
spoken with enthusiasts who thought
Do l by ’s digital format AC-3, would be
available for domestic users by the year
2000 – yet, here it was in my house with
three years still to go to the millennium.
Unbelievable!
I wouldn’t say it was a religious event –
but it felt like a special occasion to
wel come the latest near relative of my
aging Yamaha DSR1000 Pro into the home
in what seemed like years ahead of its time.
“I just don’t believe AC-3 is here – its
seems like yesterday that I had the Yamaha
2070 home for review…” – and what an
impact that had on my home listening!
In re a l i ty three ye a rs had gone by and
while the rest of the world – including
Noel Leeming, Mi t subishi, Bond and
Bond and even Linn (!) – had leapt into
home theatre market, frankly I had got a
little bored.
Blame it on the fact that nothing after
the 2070 was ever the same and my aging
set-up was showing the signs of age and
performance of early Dolby Surround
equ i pment. But mortgages do funny
things to people and the 2070 has
rem a i n ed on the wish list long en o u gh to
be surpassed by the 3090’s development
and release.
But it’s also ten years since I got the bug
and travelled through the earlier Dolby
Su rround and Dolby Pro Logic formats,
rented and bought films for the soundtrack and not the story, and generally
i n du l ged in Dolby Surround to the detriment of all else.
Yep, I’d been there and come out the
o t h er en d , wh ere music ret a i n ed its righ tful place at the head of my priority list and
home theatre was fun – but was fading.
I was in need of a tonic – something to
make me feel en t hu s ed again – and it was
sitting in my rack ready to go.
AC-3 IN ACTION
Despite the glowing reviews for AC-3 –
my first experience was disappointing, but
prototypes can do that to you!
Thankfully recent ex perien ce has confirmed that AC 3 is the greatest advance in
home entertainment since CD – period.
For home theatre enthusiasts, Dolby
Digital AC 3 unleashes the true potential
of the marri a ge of audio and video – the
only problem being that the Dolby Digital
format is only available on NTSC
LaserDisc – and the forthcoming DV D
DOLBY DIGITAL? AC-3? 5.1? WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Developers must rue for the days when new products and technologies could be
developed in secret. Tod ay, one was on ce private is public and can be ex ten s ively
written about in consumer-orien ted magazines. This can cre a te confusion in the
minds of the public.
Ta ke Dolby Digital, for example. Often, while a project is in development, an
internal name is used, different from the (devised later) marketing name. When the
technicians at Dolby Labs were working on what was to be christened Dolby Digital,
it’s internal name was AC-3, short for Audio Coding 3. (Yes, there was an AC-1 and
AC-2).
A phrase of ten seen in the audio and vi deo press has been “5.1”. This refers to a
surround sound format of five full-range audio channels, plus one bass effects channel. This is the format used by Dolby Digital.
So, we take these names – 5.1, AC-3 and Do l by Di gital, and of ten see them used
interchangably – as Max has throughout his column.
That’s because they are the same thing. Dolby Digital (Dolby’s marketing name)
is AC-3 (Dolby’s internal name) which uses a 5.1 format—Mike Jones
20
(Digital Versatile Disc) format, should it
ever arrive.
But that aside, it is undeniable that
Dolby Digital is spectacular in the way it
extends the perform a n ce enveloped of
home theatre. This is not about ‘removing
a veil’, or thinking maybe you can hear a
differen ce – this is about the difference
between driving an old VW and a Ferrari!
In recent years, there can be no other
a rea of home audio where su ch a significant leap in perform a n ce has been
attained, cost effectively.
In other areas of home audio, small
perform a n ce increases are heralded as
major breakthroughs – many at con s i derable expense to the consumer-enthusiast.
And while Dolby Digital is still an
expen s ive fix, it is nonetheless on the
afford a ble side of high - end perform a n ce ,
with some AC-3 equipped decoders coming in well under the $2000 mark. But like
a ny high performance product, the
increased performance puts increased
strain in other areas.
As with Do l by Pro Logic, I had long
supported the view that said that significant improvements in Do l by Su rround
perform a n ce were more likely to be
achieved through changes in amplifier
output, spe a ker consistency and placement and room size than the actual differences between decoders.
But the perform a n ce of Dolby Digital
is such that Pro Logic even at its best with
dedicated decoders, amplifiers and purpose-built rooms can’t match AC-3’s
dynamics, channel separation and pure
fidelity.
For those like me who have been happy
and content with the at times extraordinary performance of Pro Logic in the
home (particularly after starting with passive Dolby Surround in the late 80s) Dolby
Digital is simply a revelation.
Dolby Digital promises five full range
independent channels and a dedicated
bass channel, g ut smacking dynamics and
the potential to truly match the best the
cinema has to offer.
But AC-3 is not Pro Logic with stereo
surro u n d s . While it is an attraction and
much has been written about it, this is not
the main drawcard.
JIM’S PAGE
Jim’s Music Room, 49 Grey Street Tauranga, Freephone 0800-FOR HIFI (0800 367 4434)
NEWS
LINE
WE can never say enough
about Plinius amplifiers,
which give audiophilequality sound at a truly excellent price, right through
the product range. It starts
with the superb Plinius
2100i at just $1599 and
goes up Class A amps like
the SA50 ($2995), the SA
100 ($3995) and the
SA250 which retails for
$6995. You can see the
whole range in our store,
or phone or fax for details.
STILL on the subject of
Plinius (ye s, we do stock
heaps of other great hi-fi
equipment too!), the new
M16 remote controlled
pre-amp is now available.
The line version costs
$3795, while the phono
stage model is $3995.
Featuring a “learner”
remote that will also control your TV and video etc,
the M16 makes a huge difference to the sound yo u
get from your system.
AND on that subject, getting a better sound can
sometimes be simply a
matter of changing cables.
At Jim’s Music Room, we
recommend Siltech cables
which consistently outperform the competition in
terms of neutrality, resolution, warmth and overall
musicality. Siltech’s new
mains cable now comes in
custom lengths.
STILL prefer vinyl to CDs?
We have an amazing
range of reissued music —
too much to detail. Call
now for our catalogue.
The world’s best speaker
now available in NZ!
Prestigious US magazine Stereophile has voted the
Aerial Acoustic 10T speaker best loudspeaker for
1996 — along with another loudspeaker costing
nearly five times as much.
The magazine’s tough critics voted the speakers first
equal with the Dunleavy Audiolab Signal SC-V1s, which
cost an incredible $US19,500 MORE than the Aerials, sold
in NZ by agents Jims Music Room for just $NZ11,500.
We quote: “The Aerial 10T offers neutrality, dynamics
and a rare fine ability to reproduce the musical event, but at
one fifth the price of the Dunleavy.
“Bang for the buck,’ figured prominently among the
writers’ comments — most of them adding that designer
Michael Kelly’s canny compromises had produced a speaker with many strengths and darn few weaknesses.
“The 10T may indeed lack some of the refinement of the
no-holds-barred megabuck speakers, but it must also be
said that it doesn’t miss by much.
“The Stereophile writers are a tough bunch to impress,
and no speaker could share Speaker of the Year honours by
The Aerial 10T Series: Voted equal
dint of price alone.
to a pair of speakers weighing in
“The 10T gets the all-important midrange right, without
at an incredible $US24,995.
neglecting bass extension or a liquid top end.
“Add to that an ability to ‘kick the tar out of any dynamic
challenge thrown at them,’ and you have a speaker that has
Contacting Jim’s Music Room
earned its way to the top of this — or any year’s heap.”
has never been easier. For the
Jim’s Music Room recommends pairing these stunning
speakers with either two Plinius SA100s (see below) or an
lowdown on any of our products,
SA250 power amplifier — a stunning, world-beating comPhone 0800 FOR HIFI (0800 367
bination that must be heard to be believed.
4434) or write to Freepost PO Box
Contact us for more information — or call at our
13119 Tauranga. Our fax nu m b e r
Tauranga store for an audition. Like Stereophile magazine’s
is 07 578 1236, and our e-mail
critics, we know you’ll be impressed by the simply superb
address is [email protected]
sound of the Aerial Acoustic 10Ts.
US magazine praises
Plinius SA100 amp
Stereophile magazine has fallen in love
with “Kiwi power.”
The Plinius SA 100 Class A power amp
(pictured), designed and made in New Zealand, has won an outstanding rev i ew in the
April edition of the publication, which is
widely regarded as one of the most authoritative in the world. While we can’t reveal too
m a ny details before the magazine is published, Plinius sources say the review is one
of the best they’ve ever read about anything.
Sonically, Stereophile’s experts declared
the SA100 in the same league as a
$US35,000 mono amp — pretty amazing
when you consider that the Plinius costs just
$US3995 in North America. The magazine
now rates this beautifully made amplifier as
a recommended Class A product and in the
understatement of the year, also rates it as
being particularly good value for money.
It’s great value for money in New Zealand
too — this outstanding piece of hi-fi equipment can be yours for just $3995.
The Dolby Di gital soundfield is differ- watts into each of f ive channels) and the
ent and the overall effect is simply stagger- pedigree of 80 years of Denon expertise
ing – the real benefit is a centre channel behind it, you could expect some serious
that works, but more about that later.
sonic wallop for your $4999 investment.
After trying out an early AC-3 unit, I
Rep uted to be the most powerful of a ll
found the format to be disappointing – all
integrated AC-3 amplifiers/processors, the
the separation was there but something Denon is still equipped with RCA outputs
wasn’t working right
for the die-hard
– it didn’t gel and I
enthusiast who still
It astounds me that
dismissed AC-3 as
wants more power
being more hype
hrough
external
more isn’t written about tamps
than actual perforand a “futu re mance.
proof ” feature to
the importance of
But after the
allow the hook-up of
experience of the
processors.
intelligibility. It’s the first external
new Yamaha 3090
As a THX comand the Denon
priority, with everything pon en t , it also of fers
AVC-A1, I can
Tom Homlinson’s
report that my first
tweaks to Pro Logic
else coming after the
ex peri en ces of AC-3
decoding through
were so wrong that
THX en h a n cements
importance of the
I’m gra teful that I
to the Pro Logic and
didn’t write anyAC-3
formats,
effectiveness of
thing about it!
i n cluding decorrel athe centre channel
The Denon has
ti on and other THX
an appearance to die
tweaks.
for – it is simply a beautiful work of art
It was to u gh to iden tify specific differthat should be placed in full view of all en ces with the THX en h a n cem ents in the
who enter the sound room. It’s champagne few days I had with the Denon, but the
finish is blessed relief to the conti nu ed effects may differ from film to film. But
dominance of the ‘you can have it any that doesn’t take aw ay from the Denon’s
colour you like so long as its bl ack’ and it AVC-A1’s state of the art status.
oozes sophistication and class.
But without declaring a bias here, (I
The Denon is the heaviest and sleekest h ave owned Yamaha for almost eight
looking unit you could ask for – and it years), all I can say is that the 3090 stays
requ i res some serious rack space – this
put – primarily because the perform a n ce
baby demands careful placement.
could be twe a ked to the way I prefer it. I
But biggest count against the Denon
would never have believed that AC-3 with
are its over- busy remote and onscreen
Yamaha’s Cinema DSP en h a n cement
menu format. And read the manual, for could be en j oyable, much less the preyou won’t be able to drive this unit with- ferred format on some AC-3 encoded
out it.
films.
Performance wise, it was a curious mix
The in-built parametric EQ, centre
of contemporary (read confusing) on- channel EQ and DSP parameters provides
screen menus and flexible inputs and out- considerable flexibility and the match to
puts – but with high output power (210 my external amps was perfect. The
Denon AVC-A1 – an appearance which oozes sophistication and class
22
dynamics were staggering – the intro to
B roken Arrow with Travolta landing som e
h e avy punches to Ch ri s tian Sl a ter is stuff
you feel and want to invite your friends
round to demonstrate the visceral thrill of
s o u n dw aves impacting your body at considerable speed and with considerable
weight.
Ad d i tionally, the Yamaha is simple to
use – and it does its stuff with the same
simplicity of the DSP-A1000 and 2070
before it – amazing considering the
i n c re a s ed soph i s tication of the new unit’s
digital decoding. And at its price of $3999,
you get a lot for your money.
WHICH SURROUND IS RIGHT?
On paper before the arrival of Dolby
Digital, there was considerable debate
among enthusiasts about the choice
bet ween rear su rround spe a kers as dipole
or point source – the problem being most
Pro Logic enthusiasts had generally found
superi or perform a n ce with dipoles wh i ch
created a diffuse rear surround field, while
AC-3 indicated a point source spe a ker for
the discrete information sent to each rear
channel.
To compound the matter further, THX
recommend that dipoles be used with AC3 to mimic the true movie theatre perform a n ce – a diffuse rear su rround field was
preferred whether you had a discrete signal or not.
In use I had the luxury of trying both –
and found that I sided with Mr THX – the
effect of dipoles allows for the smooth
and seamless integration between rear
surrounds and other spe a kers creating a
sense of space – but when directionality is
needed – they do it anyway!
Try them yourself – my preference may
not be yours – but there is some flexibility
in the choice. Using the spe a ker a and b
selector on a dedicated rear channel external amp is the best method providing the
flexibility to all ow swi tching in or out of
the speakers of your choice. This is a great
tool for those aggre s s ive soundtracks that
don’t require the extra fill.
But as with Pro Logic some basics of set
up apply – and variables such as room
positioning, amplifier power, room equalisation and seating position will have a
profound effect on the performance.
And while there have been claims that
AC-3 levels the playing field with little differen ces in performance between
decoders, there does appear to be variances between the different units – not just
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23
with the addition of en h a n cement fields
but in the way that the decoders “grab”
you. It is also true that not all soundtracks
a re cre a ted equal as with Pro Logic there
are good and bad examples of AC-3.
AC-3 EVERYWHERE… BUT NOT A
DROP…
The only limitation to AC-3 is the software – and as the now dead VHS versus
Beta deb a te demonstrated (or DAT and
DCC) hardware purchase follows software
availability.
Cu rrently only NTSC LaserDisc provides AC-3 soundtracks. While most Laser
fans have an NTSC capable player –
although possibly without an AC-3 digital
output – it is nonetheless a format of
choi ce that is restricted to the audio
enthusiast. This is such a tragedy – I’m
su re that even the most casual of l i s teners
would find AC-3 -stimulating.
[Dolby Di gital will not appear on VHS
videotape at all. The digital format cannot
fit on the tape. Older LaserDisc players can
be modified to provide an AC-3 output—
Editor]
THE LAST WORD
The most en during experien ces I have
had with Dolby Su rround in the home
have been when I have en j oyed the film
and the soundtrack has created mood and
atmosphere and not peripheral sound
effects.
With AC-3 I noticed minute amounts
of detail – points of dialogue or effect
which previously went unnoti ced, but
were cl e a rly there at the Director ’s discreti on . Detail wh i ch not on ly en h a n ced the
film but went to the heart of the Director’s
artistic intent and the story line.
De s p i te all this, AC-3 introdu ces som e
problems. To get the most from a Ferrari
you don’t just drive it round town…With
AC-3, the perform a n ce envel ope opens so
much, that small screen and small room
viewing is bound to be an “intense” if also
fatiguing experience.
Some revi ewers have cl a i m ed that AC3 is “too bu s y ” – there’s simply too mu ch
happening in the soundfield – and to some
it prob a bly is a ch ore – but that is indicative of near-field listening and viewing
with sound and image out of scale and
“out of synch”.
An earlier experience was noticing that
with Pro Logic, if I ch a n ged the su rround
speakers or ch a n ges its vo lu m e , positi oning or character, I didn’t just effect the rear
surround field. The entire sound field
altered.
With Do l by Digital the ch a n ge is even
more dramatic – this is a completely different soundfield to that experienced with
Pro Logic.
But ulti m a tely, the test of a good
decoder is not in the way it handles the
effects ch a n n els or su bwoofer but how it
enhances the story line!
Dolby Su rround works best not when
everything is whizzing around the room
but when the story line is more intelligible
and the film works – without effects actually drawing attention to themselves.
One of the greatest featu res of AC-3 is
gre a ter intelligi bi l i ty. It astounds me that
more isn’t written about the import a n ce
of i n tell i gi bi lity. It’s the first pri ority, with
everything else coming after the import a n ce of the effectiveness of the centre
channel.
For get the ded i c a ted (contro lled) bass
o utput, the full range surround channels
or the kick-in-your stomach dynamics –
all of that is for nought if the dialogue
channel is muddy and smeared.
For me the centre channel’s intelligibility is more important than any other fe ature of AC-3.
Yamaha DSP-A3090 – a lot for your money
24
With Dolby Digital there is a sense of
air around the speech and there is an
u n c a n ny direct link to the on - s c reen
action which Pro Logic has never been
able to achieve with such precision. Dolby
Digital in short, rectifies the two largest
problem areas of Pro Logic – centre channel synergy and the su bwoofer bloat – if
i t’s there it’s meant to be, if i t’s not don’t
go looking for it.
But there are some lessons to learn:
Do l by Digital demands that audio-video
synch ronicity be achieved – the audio
Ferrari that AC-3 is, requires that everything works together. Anything else is
going to be a pretty fast ride but with no
suspension, which can be exhilarating, but
a pretty tiring ride.
Dolby Digital is a ro ller- coaster ride
and you must be prepared to live with the
speed, separation and dynamic swings that
come with the game park.
The Dolby Digital experience demands
big screen, big room and plenty of space
between viewer and spe a kers – if we are
trying to emulate a true cinema, then AC3 brings cinema perform a n ce into the
home. And the potential is enormous.
If I’m excited about AC-3 it’s because it
represents to many the end of a long journey. I’ve been living with Dolby Surround
in the home for almost 10 ye a rs and each
of the three formats Dolby Surround,
Do l by Pro Logic and Do l by Digital AC-3
have been successive improvements on
what came before.
But Dolby Digital is the high end of
perform a n ce and you don’t need fancy
badges or elite designs to bring it all home.
And the downside? After living with
Do l by Digital, Pro Logic appears somewhat lifeless and lethargic.
Which probably means that for many
en t husiasts – it’s time to make the ch oi ce
about being serious about home theatre or
merely dabbling in it.
Don’t try Do l by Digital unless you
mean it – because the effect is seductive
and downright scary.
Oh, and for those who (like me)
thought Do l by Digital was the end of the
journey? I have a suspicion it’s just the
beginning.
Thanks to Team Lakeland of Hamilton
for their help, tips and Laserdiscs.
Dolby Digital LaserDiscs auditioned
included
True
Lies, Generations,
Independence Day, Twister, Red Arrow, The
Mask and Strange Days.
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S R - 6 6 AV R E C E I V E R
Well-balanced power output delivers equal power to front stereo and
centre speakers (50 watts per channel) and 25 watts to rear surround
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S R 8 7 0 AV R E C E I V E R
High power output, delivers 110 watts per channel (left, centre, right) and
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S R - 9 6 AV R E C E I V E R
High power output, delivers 110 watts per channel (left, centre, right) and
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Built-in THX and Dolby Pro Logic processing. Future-proof with AC-3
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O U R FAV O U R I T E T H I N G S
by M i k e Jo n e s
Mini-system bashers!
T R U E H I - F I A LT E R N AT I V E S T O B U Y I N G A M I N I / M I D I
F
or the march 1997 issue, we tem was not supplied.
looking for a mini-sys tem wanders into a
thought we’d do something a little
hi-fi store?
JUST HOW GOOD ARE MINIS?
different with “Our Favo u rite
“Q u i te a few” do, says The Real Music
Things.” In s te ad of pontificating on and
I’ve undert a ken a bit of listening to Com p a ny ’s Stephen Ching. Down south,
on about the hi-fi the Au d i o En z writers
mini and midi-sys tems (midi-sys tems are Kevin Moylan from Strawberry Sound
l i ke , we asked several hi-fi retailers how around 300mm wide – the width of an LP said “because of the large student numbers
they cope with the mini/midi-system
– while mini-systems tend to be around in Dunedin,” the mini versus separa te s
threat.
200mm wide. Mi c ro-systems are even question “is asked every day.”
What do they say to people who think smaller!) and spoken to several mini retailThe hi-fi retailers often find that perthey want a mini-sys tem, but really want ers about what sells and why.
ceptions of separates systems are coloured
the performance you
The impression by misinform a ti on . According to The Top
can only get from
I ’ve been left with is Hi-Fi Shop’s Bruce Ki rkby, m a ny people
Listen to a typical
buying a wellthat many people believe that separates are very expen s ive ,
matched separates
buying mini-sys- and that separa te components take up
mini-system. They sound tems don’t know of mush more room.
system? What systems do these retailthe alternative s . To
Both misconceptions probably date
thin, they sound tinny,
ers show customers
them, mini-systems from many years ago. In the 1970s sepaas alternatives to
are the modern ra te components could be very big –
they sound harsh, they
mini/midi-systems?
equivalent to the sometimes more than 150mm high each,
For this article, I
AWA Series 9 of the and did take up large amounts of room.
sound hashy. No number 1970s, or the Akai Tod ay, separa te components tend to be
approached three
stores. I spoke to
of the 1980s much slimmer.
of “super-bass” buttons Pro-Lab
Steph en Ching from
– a good, e a s y - to Back in the bad old days of import
The Real Music
buy stereo.
l i censing, hi-fi s ep a ra tes were very ex pencan fix this
Com p a ny
in
But with one dif- s ive – as were most imported good s . Over
Wellington,
Phil
ference. L i s ten to an the past decade, hi-fi separa tes have
McIsaac from Auckland’s Sm i t h’s Sound old Series 9 tod ay, and it can still sound reduced in price to where they are cheaper
and Kevin Moylan from Dunedin’s
good . These sys tems en couraged the play- in both dollar terms and real (inflationStrawberry Sound. Bruce Kirkby from
ing of music.
adjusted) terms than
Chri s tchurch’s The Top Hi-Fi Shop also
Listen to a typical
ever before.
Perceptions of seperates
con tri buted some thoughts, although du e m i n i - s ys tem. They
That a hi-fi sep ato time constraints, a recommended sys- sound thin, they
ra tes system can be
systems are coloured by purchased for very
sound tinny, they
STRAWBERRY SOUND ’S SYSTEM
sound harsh, they
little money is
misinformation
Kevin Moylan from Dunedin’s
sound hashy. No
shown in the sideStrawberry Sound came up with two
number of “superbars to this article.
systems – one for maximum sound
bass” buttons can fix this. It’s difficult to Three retailers have put together four hi-fi
quality at an affordable price; the seclisten to most mini-systems for any systems for under $1500 that will beat any
ond for good sound and convenience.
ex ten ded period of time. Is it any won der
The “conven i en ce” s ys tem is based
that listening to music has become less
REAL MUSIC CO’S SYSTEM
a round two Yamaha components –
important for many people?
“We’re not a hard-sell store,” says Real
the CDX-390 single CD player and
Around 130,000 mini and midi-sysMusic Company’s Stephen Ching.
the rem o te controlled AX-390
tems were sold in New Zealand last year –
In s te ad the store is pitch ed on a parremote-controlled amplifier. Kevin
a large nu m ber, but down from the heady
ticular philosophy which seems to
matched these up with a pair of
d ays wh en Pion eer virtually inven ted the
work well for the Wellington-based
Mordaunt-Short 0.5i spe a kers for a
concept in New Zealand.
store.
total of $1195.
Of all these mini and midi-systems
Stephen’s system was based around
The “s o u n d ” system is based
sold, there is only one model that I’ve been
trad
i ti onal bu d get - a u d i ophile manua round NAD com pon en t s . The NAD
h a ppy to recom m end for sound qu a l i ty –
facturer
Rotel.
513 is a three-disc multi-CD player.
and that costs $2400 without speakers!
Rotel’s 930 CD player and 930 mk2
It’s matched with the NAD 701 receivFrom there we developed this article.
amplifier get the thumbs up from
er and a pair of Infinity RS225 speakStephen, when combined with the
ers. In cluded in the $1495 pri ce are
GO TO IT
TDL NFM2 loudspeakers.
cables from Monster Cable.
So does it often happen that a person
26
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1997 price list now available
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27
mini-system for sound quality.
separate components.
Smiths Sound’s Phil Mc Is a ac asks “do
A D VA N TAG E S
you need all the bits in the midi-sys tem,”
So what are the advantages of a hi-fi adding that many people today don’t want
separates system?
a tape deck. With a mini-system, what you
“Separa tes are designed around a spe- s ee is what you get – wh et h er you want it
cific job,” says Steph en Ching of The Real or not. A separa tes system allows you to
Music Company. “How can you expect t a i l or a stereo system to suit your specific
each and every part
needs.
of a midi-system to
Part of this flex iWith a mini-system,
do a good job?”
bility is a large
Bruce
Kirk by
degree of futurewhat you see is what
f rom The Top Hi - F i
proofing. You may
Shop points out the
not want a tape deck
you get – whether you
“higher grade of
today, but if you
compon ents that go
want to add one in
want it or not
into the manufactwo years time, you
turer of separa te s ,”
can easily. Or add a
giving both higher perform a n ce and Do l by Decoder to your ex i s ting amplifier
longer life.
to include home theatre.
Strawberry Sound’s Kevin Moylan
CONVINCING DEMONS TRATION
points to the separa te power supplies in
each com pon ent as being a large contribAnd how does a hi-fi de a l er show that
utor to their improved sound quality over a separa tes system is better than a mini?
a mini-system.
Simply by demonstrating.
Both Bru ce Ki rk by and Kevin Moylan
“Let them hear the difference” says Phil
point out the versatility and flex i bility of McIsaac.
SMITHS SOUND’S SYSTEM
“One makes music, the other make s
noise,” said Smiths Sound Phil
McIsaac on the com p a rison bet ween
a separates system and a mini-system.
Phil’s favourite mini-basher system
combines good sound with convenience. Built around Denon components, one remote control will work
the complete system, while a multidisc CD player can supply many
hours of music.
The Denon DCM-260 is a multidisc CD player. Phil has combined this
with a Denon DRA-275 receiver and
a pair of the Kef Coda 7 loudspeakers,
all for $1497.
S tephen Ching en co u rages people to
have a good listen to a mini-system if they
haven’t done so already, and then come in
and hear a separates system.
If the person is interested in music,
they’ll hear the superiority of a separates
system.
Which means that they will en j oy the
music more, now and for years to come.
Exceptional New Products
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Music Labs DP102 mkII
Professional Digital Processor
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Warranty
Parts and Labour
Available from…
Auckland Eastern Hi-Fi
Tauranga Simister Retravision
Rotorua Eastern Hi-Fi
New Plymouth Masons
Appliances
Palmerston North Manawatu
TV and Sound
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Dunedin Good Hi-Fi
Axent Advance Loudspeakers
Home Theatre Systems
Trichord CD Modifications
Loudspeaker system design and manufacture
Public address and background music systems
Loudspeaker repairs – all makes and models
DIY loudspeaker kits and accessories
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Speaker books and software
PO Box 9174, Auckland.
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Ph 0-9-827 1220. Fax 0-9-826 0302
29
T H E S O N I C G L A D I AT O R
by Da rre n K ni g ht
Bigmouth strikes again
O N C O L D L E A T H E R S E A T S , I T S U D D E N LY S T R U C K M E
W
, ’
,
and with summer well past it’s
zenith, our thoughts turn to fabulous hues of red and gold, autumn
evenings spent wiv Viv and the Four
Seasons, bidding a beery farewell to the
lazy days of sunshine and embracing the
solitude of winter as a time to reflect.
And as the giant turn t a ble of l i fe takes
off the 45 and pops on an LP, our musical
a ppeti tes become som eh ow less demanding, breathing a curious Zen like quality
into the delicious dribbling darts of dancing dec i bels drowning deligh tf u lly in our
dreary days of discontent.
Winter, a time for clipping that Havana
and choosing those little projects to while
aw ay the cold months ahead. This is the
ideal time for all us hi-fi buffs to take a
good hard listen to the old steamer and
decide if the faithful Fountain could do
with an ad d - on or two, or just a good old
fashioned session of mindless vandalism.
Let me share with you some of the
things I most like to do while the co u rt
case is still pending.
Po s s i bly, my mostest favouri te thing to
bleat about when in audiophile mode is
why the hell Pansy Fruit Puff is the mu s i c
category of choi ce amongst those with
enough disposable income to buy a flash
radio worth more than the GNP of Guam.
Are we not men? Sorry, PC punters, but
I’m willing to wager a bi f f on the snoz zer
that the planet supports more bl o ke s
creaming themselves over Perreaux’s latest
ch rome doughnuts than chicks. Am I
right? So, why the preten ce of raptures
over neo-quasi-pseudo-trad jazz, and stuff
written before God discovered his first
divine pube? Get off the grass mate.
Time to throw off the fishnets of
oppression lads. Rise up and burn the
Reichstag. No more ballet and poofy opera
for us. From now on it’s Wh i te Zombie
and Tool versus the girlies.
Sling up that geetar, pull the leather
pants up over the paunch, forget the shirt,
spre ad ’em and ROCK. Th a t’s it man,
yo u’re doing it. Ignore the stabbing back
pains, let’s see if that pelvis still works.
Lordy the big coney things in the speakers
do move, by hokey, just like the nice young
man in the shop said they would.
BBBBaby, you just ain’t seen nothing yet.
Hands up who really thinks Ja m e s
Taylor is giving the new subwoofer a run
for it’s money?
Now then. Perhaps the most indoor fun
comes from fine tuning the hi-fi, safe in
the knowl ed ge that the $400 intercon n ect
lets two or three more electrons pass, and
if the lounge were to be magically transformed into the Sydney Opera House, you
would definitely notice the difference. This
approach is the pop out and buy it from a
reputable manufacturer school of thought.
But I am rem i n ded of an earlier arti cl e
of John Paul’s, and I’m with him in the
“have a bit of a punt yourself even if it
costs six or seven times as much and never
really works properly” rationale.
Co-conspirators in Sonic’s latest scheme
30
For the past year, I have harboured a
cunning plan. And that plan is eggs (stay
with me on this one). Scrambled eggs.
Poached eggs. Omelettes. Eggs on toast.
Toast on eggs. Egg sandwiches. Bacon and
eggs, and those little bo t tom bl a s ters, c u rried eggs. Mum’s chuffed. She thinks I’ll
stop sitting on my arse listening to records
cos I told her I’m taking up body building
and need the pro tein. But that’s where
s h e’s wrong you see. With every egg the
dream has become just a little more re a l ,
and now I have stacked neatly in my
wardrobe, seven thousand six hu n d red
and three egg cartons! Yes, this wi n ter the
Sonic Gladiator gets his dream lounge!
For the Sonic Anti Nodal Dream
Aco u s tic Lounge, or SANDAL, you will
requ i re the following items: 1. Several
thousand egg cartons. The exact nu m ber
will depend on the size of your living
room and your ability to survive lethal
doses of cholestero l . 2. A huge bucket of
extra good glue. 3. A dead good glue
brush.
Follow these instructions carefully, and
your lounge will be miraculously transformed into a shrine of aural perfection.
1. Chuck all the furniture cos it just gets in
the way. 2. Move the hi-fi in case you get
glue on it. 3. Using the extra good glue and
the dead good bru s h , s ti ck egg cartons on
absolutely every surface (if you have carpet don’t stick them on the floor). 4. Put
the hi-fi back, pull up a bean bag and scoff
at the losers who are now lining up to be
your friend.
What better way to spend a rainy afternoon hmmmm? Cert a i n ly, I have a hard
time thinking of anything more rewarding
yet inexpensive, though I should point out
how much better your hi-fi will sound if
you take the time to whip up smart shag
pile jumpsuits for you and your new
friends. Don’t want som eon e’s washboa rd
abs reflecting off in all directions do we?
Any technical qu e s ti on s , don’t hesitate
to drop me a line here at AudioEnz HQ,
and I shall do my best to get back to each
and every one of you in that special Sonic
w ay. Until then, don’t buy shares in any
com p a ny that manu f actu res aco u s tic su rface s , cos things will never be the same
again.
AC-3 HOME THEATRE
IN ADDITION TO OUR HI-FI
LISTENING ROOM,
Auckland’s original home theatre
specialist now offers a new 400sq ft
home theatre lounge featuring a
multi-award winning $25,000 AC-3
Dolby Digital surround system
Picture: Toshiba 61” TV
Best TV (this size) USA 1996
Source: Pioneer CLD D925 AC-3 LD
Best LaserDisc UK 1996
Amp: Pioneer VSX D3S
AC-3, 100w x 5
Speakers: Infinity Kappa 7.2i main
Infinity Kappa Centre
Infinity Kappa 6.2i rear
Subwoofer: Miller & Kreisel V75
VSX D3S
Dolby Digital AC-3 amp/tuner
100 watts rms x 5
On-screen display
Intelligent remote
CASH
Originally $4999
$3000
Miller & Kreisel
The M&K subwoofer range is the result of 22
years experience in designing and
manufacturing high quality subwoofers. With
eight different models available M&K have a
high performance subwoofer to suit every
application and budget.
M&K subwoofers have built-in high
performance amplifiers ensuring a dynamic
powerful sound. M&K subwoofers are
extremely flexible with signals accepted by
either speaker or RCA input, and all M&K
subwoofers feature built-in variable crossover
and adjustable level allowing seamless
integration into your system.
CLD D925
Dolby Digital AC-3 LD player
Both sides play with quick turn
PAL/NTSC playback
$1868
BEST BUY
CASH
WHAT VIDEO & TV
M&K VX-7ii $999
8-inch long-throw driver, 50 watts RMS
10”H x 13 3/4”W x 10 1/2”D
CLD D390
Dolby Digital AC-3 LD player
Both sides play with quick turn
NTSC playback
“(The) VX-7ii produces an amazing
depth of bass from a modestly-sized
box”
Hi-Fi Choice May 1996
$1242
CASH
Kappa
Finished in real oak wood, the Infinity Kappa range
of speaker feature woofers with Injection Moulded
Graphite, Polydome midrange and EMIT-R tweeters.
Kappa 7.2i
3-way, 225 watts rms
were $4000
NOW
Kappa 6.2i
3-way, 150 watts rms
were $3400
Kappa Centre
2-way, 125 watts rms
NOW
$3500
$2700
OAK $1000
BLK $899
PAULOM
O
N
E
Y
HI
FI
PEN 7 DAYS
83 VIEW RD MT EDEN PH 638 8555
M&K V-75 $1299
12-inch long-throw driver, 75 watts RMS
“…it’s a subwoofer with attitude,
bass-heavy but speedy and musical
too” Highly recommended
What Hi-Fi? Oct1995
“There’s just one word to describe the
M&K V-75 performance – stunning.
The bass is plentiful, tight and
pronounced.”
Best Buy
What Home Video August 1995
PAUL MONEY HI FI
PH (09) 63 88 555
YOUR HOME THEATRE SPECIALISTS
T
H
E
N
E
W
Q
S
E
R
I
E
When one of the best loudspeaker
engineering teams in the world advances its
state-of-the-art technology, you’d expect the
result to outperform the competition.
It does.
KEF’s new Q Series, with its
distinctive clear cone Uni-Q®
drivers, delivers a more precise
stereo image, over a wider listening
area, than any conventional speaker
can. The latest advance in KEF’s
patented technology delivers
even smoother midrange
response and clarity that’s
simply stunning.
S
F
R
O
M
From bookshelf to 3-way floorstander, the
entire range is magnetically shielded for
Home Theatre use. And because aesthetics are
integral to good design, the two largest models
incorporate KEF’s new ‘racetrack’ bass
unit. With the performance of
an 8 inch driver in the space of
a 6 inch, it pre s e rves the
slim, elegant Q Series
design.
With the new Q
Series, the competition
have been decisively
outclassed.
The difference is clear.
Pro u d ly d is tribu te d b y Ava lo n Aud io Co rp o rat i o n
5 8 7 Mt Ed e n Roa d, Au c k l an d. P h 0 -9 -6 3 8 9 00 0 . Fa x 0- 9-6 3 8 8 88 8
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