INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS: Highly musical sounds from Sugden

Transcription

No. 85 CAN $6.49 / US $7.69
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS: Highly musical
sounds from Sugden and Vecteur amps
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: We (finally) settle on a
new HDTV monitor for our Kappa system,
and it changes our mind about DVD players.
PLUS: We try Keith Eichmann’s new
Quiessence cables, and we discover that
changing connectors can make a speaker
cable sound way superior! And a guide to
putting your music on hard disc without
compromise.
RETURN LABELS ONLY
OF UNDELIVERED COPIES TO:
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ISSN 0847-1851
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No. 40065638
ASW Speakers
Atlas
Audioprism
Sonneteer
Bard Audio
QED
WBT-0610
angled nextgen banana
available in pure copper
or silver
WBT-0681
nextgen spade
in pure copper
or silver
Target
Vandersteen
McCormack
Harmonix
Operetta
WBT
AY
JUST M
AUD
IO
Just May Audio
111 Zenway Blvd., Unit 9
WOODBRIDGE, ON L4H 3H9
Tel. : (905) 265-8675 • Fax : (905) 265-8595
www.justiceaudio.com • [email protected]
Reimyo
Apollo
GutWire
FIM Accessories
Goldring
Milty
Discwasher
Perfect Sound
Nitty Gritty
LAST record care
WATTGate
Audiophile CDs
Audiophile LPs
DVD and SACD
Rendezvous
Keith Eichmann
A wide-ranging conversation with the man who
brought us connectors with almost no metal.
34
Nuts&Bolts
Issue No. 85
Music From Your Computer Is a hard disc the right place for your music? How
to get started. How to continue.
38
The Listening Room
The Sugden A21SE
We reviewed the company’s second-generation
class A amplifier and loved it. So what can Sugden
do for a lot more money?
44
Vecteur Ai4 integrated amplifier
The French company that once wowed us is back.
So what can Vecteur do for a lot less money?
47
Hearing Eye-to-Eye
50
The i2i Stream is a handy gadget for getting music
from here to over there. But does it arrive intact?
ETI Quiessence Cables
The “E” in ETI stands for Eichmann, and these
upscale cables are Keith Eichmann’s latest. We try
the interconnect and the speaker cable.
Do Connectors Matter?
54
The contenders are the Atlas Z Plug, traditional
WBT bananas and spades, the WBT nextgen, and
ETI (Eichmann) Bayonet Bananas. Do connectors
change the sound of a cable. Wow and wow again!
Cover story: The eminently affordable Vecteur Ai4
amplifier, sitting atop the pure class A Sugden
A21SE. Both are reviewed in this issue.
Behind them, the gathering clouds of advancing
Autumn.
Software
Acoustics
Summing It All Up…
by Paul Bergman
A quick refresher on the principles of acoustics, a
guide to everything that had gone before.
18
Cole Porter by Reine Lessard
What would movie musicals have been without
him?
65
Software Reviews
by Reine Lessard, Gerard Rejskind and Albert Simon
71
Departments
Cinema
UHF Chooses an HDTV Monitor
After six years, we were ready for the next step.
Here’s how we chose, and what you can take away
from our experience.
52
28
Editorial
Feedback
Free Advice
Gossip & News
State of the Art
4
7
9
77
82
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine    3    
UHF Magazine No. 85 was published in October, 2008. All
contents are copyright 2008 by Broadcast Canada. They
may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publisher.
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PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Gerard Rejskind
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Reine Lessard
EDITORIAL: Paul Bergman, Reine Lessard, Albert Simon
PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY: Albert Simon
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4   ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
Editorial
High end audio in a tough economy
Well, UHF is now 26 years old, and we’ve seen a couple of tough times
before. There was 1991, billed at the time as the worst economic meltdown
since 1929. Then there was the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001. Now
the excesses of an unregulated financial sector have done it to us again. Does
it mean that people will stop spending on audio and high end video?
Some will for sure. If you’ve just lost your job or had your house repossessed, it’s probably the wrong time to pick up a big-screen TV or new speakers
(well, aside from the fact that you may be spending more time at home for
a while). But what we noticed in the last two recessions is that people didn’t
stop buying high end products, they merely bought more carefully.
Of course conventional wisdom says that people will go for cheaper
products, but in previous hard times the opposite happened. The low-cost
commoditized products seemed to be nailed to the shelves. People shopped
for value, and that meant superior products, whatever their budget.
Our role in all this? It’s probably obvious — we’re in the business of advising you on the most effective way of building the system you would really
like to own, with the smallest possible number of expensive mistakes. I think
that’s precious whatever the state of your retirement savings.
Music, music everywhere
Of course this magazine covers high end audio and video, but we read ’em
all. And a lot of the hot new technology being announced and marketed has
to do with music, but not in the way we (or you, probably) use music.
Some of this is driven by the mere availability of new wireless technologies that make multiroom installations so much easier even in rented digs. I
call it “because we can” technology, but like all new developments it shapes
what we do and how we do it. I am bombarded by press releases announcing a
great new age in which you can wander from the kitchen to the dining room
to the laundry room to the garage, and still hear the same music.
Wonderful! It’s like living in a shopping mall.
And it’s much the same with video. Centralize your video sources on
your server, broadcast it wirelessly (with devastating lossy compression, but
it’s not as though you’ll be watching too closely) over your network, and you
can “watch” the same film whether you are preparing lunch or reconciling
your bank accounts at your desk. You can then tell people that you “saw” No
Country for Old Men, even though you experienced none of it, or you can say
you “listened to” the new Coldplay album, even though you just let it wash
over you.
To be sure, the world has changed since the day people would buy an
album and memorize every note before getting the next one, and since the
day one would actually look at the loudspeakers while listening. What has
not changed is this. Hearing is not the same as listening. Being in the same
room as a movie is not the same as watching it.
I know you understand this. I just wish there wasn’t all this marketing
push saying the exact opposite.
“I JUST DON’T WANT IT DOG-EARED!”
We can’t say we blame you. We hate those folded-down corners on the magazine
we just received, and we know you do too.
But we have the solution.
The way to avoid dog-eared pages is not what most people
think. Oddly enough, it’s the expensive copy that’s likely
to be tattered, torn, and… yes, dog-eared. We mean the
newsstand copy.
Where do copies sit around unprotected? At the
newsstand. Where do other people leaf through them
before you arrive, with remains of lunch on their fingers?
At the newsstand. Where do they stick on little labels
you can’t even peel off? Why do they do that?
Our subscribers, on the other hand, get pristine
copies, protected in plastic, with the label on the plastic itself, not the cover.
We know what you really want is a perfect copy, and if that means paying a little
less, then so be it.
As if that weren’t enough, there’s the fact that with a subscription you qualify
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Feedback
Longueuil, Québec, Canada J4K 5J4
[email protected]
Just wanted to commend you on publishing the article, Is Hi-Fi Too Expensive?
(UHF No. 84). I’ve thought those same
thoughts for years. In the past, I was
always searching for an “upgrade,” and
probably wasted lots of dollars moving
sideways. But your advice has always
been very helpful.
Keep up the great work. You guys
aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions,
and your reply to Rick Meyers’ article
was very thoughtful and honest. Alan Podsadowski
COQUITLAM, BC
all of it is a lateral move and not a big
improvement.
Why are more people not using the
strategy of looking at a whole system?
Forget about the cost, since you are
not buying the whole system outright.
Once you find a system, look at which
component will work with your present
ones. In this strategy, you have at least
a long-term goal instead of a short term
goal of fixing something but not really
dramatically improving it.
Renante Barroga
BROSSARD, QC
It was good to see the letter from Rick
Meyers printed in UHF No. 84, complete with a title in the Feature section.
I must say that I have shared similar
feelings over the many years that I have
been involved in this great hobby. To
build and maintain an audio system
requires disposable income which we
all know varies tremendously from one
end of the food chain to the other. I have
looked through other high end publications, but seldom purchased, that review
components that are far more expensive
than the majority of your reviews. UHF
has in my opinion always been helpful
in recommending equipment for a given
budget and help us from making an
expensive mistake.
Life is short, music can lift you up and
stir your soul! If you can afford it and it
makes enough of an improvement, it’s
not too expensive.
Dan Nourse
CALGARY, AB
I’m shopping around for an audiophile-quality music server to add to my
Linn stereo system. I had the chance
to audition the Linn Sneaky DS, which
really impressed me but this music server
requires a computer and network setup,
since it only streams music.
Would you have a recommendation
for an easy to use, all-in-one music server
for about $2000-$3000? Research on the
Net has pointed me to the Olive OPUS
No4, but I have no idea how good this
product really is.
Antonio G.
MONTRÉAL, QC
I have been a long time subscriber
and have noticed that when people want
to upgrade they think of what works
best with their present component
now. Then, a year later, they replace
another component and they want to
make it work with their present gear.
All this upgrading and money spent and
We have a major article on this topic in
this very issue. The executive summary: it’s
to your advantage to get a computer, even if
you don’t otherwise need one, and you choose
to use it only for audio.
We consider music servers to be yesterday’s technology. Hard discs are cheap and
disposable today, and you don’t want one
that comes from a high end company that
has sealed one into its box.
First, an absolutely first rate magazine. I make UHF my only regular “must
read” audiophile magazine. I appreciate
your reviews, as well as the forwardness
with which you present them.
As I was re-reading issue No. 83, I re-
stumbled across the Atlas cable review,
in which there was talk of why its new
cables are named Mavros. You mentioned Mavros being a fairly common
Greek name. It is, but more importantly,
the word in Greek means black.
I believe the manufact urer was
perhaps referring to the darker, blacker
background the cable might offer?
By the way, I would absolutely love
to see a new review of Linar gear, in
particular the newer MOSFET 250i. Frank Kottos
TSAWWASSEN, BC
After being a loyal reader for many,
many years I was actually surprised by
the State of the Art article in No. 84. I
had come to expect UHF to know, or at
least convince me you know, about every
aspect of every subject.
I may have misunderstood the tone of
the article, but I couldn’t help thinking
that you may have missed an important
opportunity when it comes to experiencing hi-def audio source material . I may
be totally wrong here, and you may find
these sources lacking, but I would be
very interested in your opinion of the
products the following sites have to
offer.
First up is A I X Records: w w w.
aixrecords.com. I have several of these
and I can see and hear the effort Mark
Waldrep has put into these products. I
would love to read your review of one of
his efforts. Second is iTrax, www.itrax.
com. I have not tried this as of yet but
hope to have something in place soon.
As you read through their “Learn More”
section you’ll see that… “Once you experience REAL HD Audio in surround
sound you will understand why iTrax is
committed to elevating the world of digital downloading beyond that of MP3s,
“CD-Quality” files and even so-called
“HD Music downloads.”
I think their hearts are in the right
place. I would like to know if UHF thinks
their products are.
Scott R. Kuchma
ROCKWOOD, ON
Both of the companies you mention record
in high resolution, which is to say in 24 bits
with a sampling rate of at least 96 kHz.
That means a resolution matching the base
heeding your advice, mostly) for many
It’s well known that we’ve established,
years now. I have never written to any in blind tests, that digital cables have a
publication anywhere, anytime, but I huge influence on the quality of sound. But
feel compelled to do so now.
Ethernet cables deliver data packets, not
I got back into vinyl about a year and a bitstream, so we don’t understand what
a half ago. I really love the vinyl sound can make one Ethernet cable better than
and I do not regret the shift back into another.
vinyl, even after buying back many of
The exception is reliability. As Ethernet
the LPs I had sold in the late 1980s. cables get cheaper, the quality of copper and
Here’s my rant: where is the quality connector diminish. Bandwidth goes down,
control in vinyl LP production? In the and corrosion goes up. But do you need a
past year I have purchased about 150 $500 cable to keep your connection going?
brand new sealed (not used) LPs. Of Unfortunately, things like this give an
these, I had 16 with significant defects, undeserved black eye to the whole high end
even on the “high quality” 200 gram industry.
releases.
Incidentally, the Ethernet cable we used
This is a defect rate of 10.7%, which in our review of the Linn Klimax DS in
is totally unacceptable, scandalous I our last issue was 8 metres long, and cost us
W hile reading your last issue, I would venture to say, especially since $3.99.
thought it would be interesting for you most stores and/or record companies will
to know about copyrights laws in most not replace a defective LP. I can’t think
I was in the process of recommendEuropean countries. They are valid for of any other product with such a high ing the VisionQuest DVD-4808 to my
the copy of any media (LP, CD, DVD). I defect rate (except for those $25 DVD brother based on your review in the
have checked this with the official Société players and related ilk). last issue. Unfortunately, I was unable
pour la Protection des Droits d’Auteurs in
I have purchased some 1200 CDs in to locate it on the company’s Web site,
Belgium.
my lifetime, and I recall only three with www.visionquestce.com. They do have
What the law says is that, as long as defects. Don’t get me wrong. I prefer a 6808 which does not have HDCD (not
you have paid for the copyright (either the sound of vinyl over CDs, at least on a serious issue for my brother), however
latter
We don’t
this version,
because
you already
knowno
how
it works. It’s a PDF,
buying, or renting — in the
case mean
my system
(Pro-Ject
RPM-10
turntable
DVD-4808.
and
you
open
it
with
Adobe
reader,
etc.
the cost includes copyright fees), you are with a Sumiko Blackbird cartridge). But a
Would you be able to provide an
we in
also 10.6%
have a defect
paid electronic
version,
which is complete,
without
banners
like this model
allowed as many copies as youBut
want,
rate is totally
unacceptable.
outlet where
we could
obtain
this
one,
or
articles
in
fluent
gibberish.
any form, as long as it is for your personal Have you guys experienced anything or do you know if it was discontinued? I
That
a credit
open
use (hi-fi, iPod, your car etc.).
You one,
are because
similar?it is complete, has to be ordered with
have
readcard.
yourTo
magazine
enough to
it,
you
also
have
to
download
a
plugin
for
your
copy
of
Adobe
Reader
or
Acrobat.
not allowed to give or sell a copy, to a
Robert know that the 6808 may be as good or
to allow you
to download
your
full
friend for instance. If you You’ll
haven’treceive
paid a user name and password
OTTAWA,
ON
even better
than
thecopy
4808ofand then again
the
magazine.
You’ll
need
the
same
user
name
and
password
the
first
time
you
open
the copyright fees (in case you borrowed
it may not.
the
magazine
on
your
computer,
but
only
the
first
time.
After
that,
it
works
like
any
You are not alone, Robert. There always
a DVD from a friend), you may not make
It was a pleasure to
read a review
other
PDF.
were defective LPs, but today there are far of what I would have totally ignored
a copy.
For
details, visit
Electronic
page.sources
To buy an
or subscribe,
fewerour
pressing
plants Edition
and far fewer
I do think that is a more
sensible
as aissue
viable
player and visit
an oasis from the
MagZee.
method, and that it makes more sense, for audio-grade vinyl. At the same time the kilobuck models and the usual laws for
than the US law, which instead of pro- sharply rising popularity of the LP is strain- diminishing returns.
tecting our liberties, mainly protects the ing the sources. We know of two audiophile
Brian Salter
liberties of the big companies to make labels which had planned to release LPs once
PIERREFONDS, QC
again, but could not find a facility that could
profits.
Brian, we have never received as strong
Philippe Martiat provide acceptable quality.
a response from a review as we did for
BRUSSELS, Belgium
Would you care to comment on the the inexpensive DVD/CD player from
Incidentally, the proposed new Canadian price Denon charges for an Ethernet VisionQuest. Like you, most of our readers
copyright law we wrote about in our last cable? couldn’t find it.
issue died on the order paper when ParliaJimmy Gauvin
Companies like VisionQuest change
ment was dissolved and a new election was
SAINTE-FOY, QC models often, and so the player we reviewed
called. If the Conservatives are re-elected, as
has now had at least two successors. Visioncurrent polls predict, we can expect the bill
That would be the AKDL1 cable, which Quest says its dealer is Tiger Direct.
to be tabled once again.
costs $499 retail, though Amazon’s US site Unfortunately both Tiger Direct sites have
has it for a lot less. We recommend reading hidden these players in the sub-basement of
You guys have put together a great the reader reviews on the Amazon site, their pages, and finding one requires shovel
magazine — I have been reading it (and because they’re a hoot.
work. They do exist, however.
specs of the largely defunct DVD-Audio,
and roughly equal to SACD. Both companies
feature artists you may not have heard of,
but that is of course true of many audiophile
labels.
There are other sources of high-resolution
downloadable files as well. Linn Music is
one. Chesky’s HDTracks now offers highdefinition downloads too, though only for the
USA. Reference Recordings, which has joined
HDTracks, will, separately, offer highdefinition copies of their master recordings.
Expect more and more such offers. The
download times are rather long, however,
and the antiquated regional copyrights will
make international distribution of name
artists difficult.
Feedback
How the electronic version works
that’s despite the fact that it has more
of a power supply than the original 2B,
which had to work hard to control even a
conventional woofer. It’s not just that the
Mani-2 is difficult to drive, but that if it
isn’t driven properly damage can ensue.
And that’s not much fun to ponder.
Longueuil, Québec, Canada J4K 5J4
Of course your 2B is driving the
tweeters,
not the challenging push-pull
[email protected]
woofers, and tweeters are not so tough
I recently bought a dCS Puccini
First of all, congratulations on a a load. However the Mani-2’s tweeter is
player that completed my quest for splendid magazine. I subscribe to four padded down so that its volume matches
genuine high-fidelity (except for the or five different publications (on vari- the woofers, so you need reasonable
room acoustics that still needs a bit of ous subjects) and yours is the only one I power there too. Our guess is that even
work). It has a superb DAC, and also has regularly read cover to cover.
your older 3B can drive the Mani-2
two coaxial digital inputs. I connected
I’m getting a little ahead of myself, woofers, but it will probably work hard
one from my Blu-ray player to bypass but I’m already thinking about my to do it. The 4BSST is the better choice.
its low-end DAC, and I would like to do next purchase before fully realizing my If you decide to go with it, you can then
the same with my Apple TV, on which current upgrade. I’ve ordered a pair of match it up with your existing 2B, and
I store high-definition downloaded Totem Mani-2 Signatures that have yet see whether the highs are the way you
records (from Linn for example).
to be received, but am already thinking want them at your preferred listening
Unfortunately, the Apple TV has about replacing my current amplifiers. level.
only an optical digital output and the I am currently using a Bryston BP-20
You can also, as you suggest, chuck it
Unlikepreamp
with a physical
magazine,
which
forces you
turn
Puccini only a coaxial input. Are there
with Bryston
2B and
3B ampliall to
and
go pages,
with a the
good integrated amp.
on-line
version
of
UHF
Magazine
helps
you
along
with
technology.
For probably do the
any adapter (from TOSLINK-t ype fiers to power a pair of MartinLogan The Mimetism would
instance,
on electrostatics.
any title in the The
table 2B
of contents
the previous
page), also mention that
output to digital coaxial cables) that
will click
Aerius
is well (on
trick,
and we would
and
you’ll
be
whisked
right
to
the
article
itself.
not degrade the signal? Since the Apple known for its wonderful top end, so is the Mani-2’s get along well with tube
Turn to
the table of
onthe
page
81 (and that,
by theThat
way, opens
is a up some interestTV is composed only of a hard drive
well-suited
to advertisers
the panels of
electroamplifiers.
link),
and
click
on
the
name
of
a
product
or
company,
and
an
an
instant
(synchronised from my computer using statics, and I’ve been happy enough with ing possibilities.
you’ll
ad around
itself. the woofer, but
Airport) and a cheap DAC, I do not
needbe looking
the 3B’sattothe
push
And
then
try
clicking
on
a sophisticated solution, only to be able expect the Totems an
willad…
make better use
I’m about to purchase my f irst
If
you
are
connected
to
the
Internet,
be taken
right to stereo
the adverto connect the optical output to a digital of an upgrade. The 3B
is the you’ll
original
audiophile
system, which will
tiser’s
Web
site
in
your
default
Web
browser.
coaxial input.
3B, not the NRB, ST or SST, so it’s well consist of a Benchmark DAC1 USB,
Thoseoverdue
interactive
were
designed for the Simaudio
paid electronic
Philippe Martiat
for features
an upgrade
anyway.
Moonversion
W-5.3 power amplifier,
of
UHF,
but
they
work
every
bit
as
well
on
the
free
PDF
version
BRUSSELS, Belgium
The simplest upgrade would be and Referenceyou’re
3a Veenas (or maybe the
looking at.to replace
We hopethe
you3Benjoy
withit.
a more recent 3B, new Episodes if I find they are worth
That’s awkward, isn’t it?
or something else entirely, but I haven’t the extra $$$). The “transport” will
The on-line marketplace is full of fully committed to biamplification: the be my MacBook/iTunes (all my music
these devices, for as little as $13. We interconnects to, and speaker cables is encoded with the Apple Lossless
found a whole lot of them at nextag. from, the 3B are barely adequate and codec).
com, but lots of other vendors have would also require upgrading.
Now I have a puzzle to solve: I only
them, including Amazon. We can’t
So I’ve been thinking of replacing have one room where I can install this
promise that any of these things will be both amps with a single one, or possibly system, and in that room is my home
transparent. For one thing you’ll still both amps plus the BP-20 with an inte- theatre, where I already have a 5.1 surneed an optical cable from the player grated. I’ve read your recent review of round system (Denon A/V receiver with
to the device, and our experience with the 2BSST and understand it has a much Energy speakers). I would like to use the
plastic TOSLINKs has been uniformly better bottom end than the original 2B. Veenas with both systems and get rid
awful (glass ones are much better, but But is it enough for the Mani-2s?
of my front L/R Energy speakers, and
are difficult to find). For another, these
What about a 4BSST? The inte- I’m trying to figure out the best way to
devices don’t even have brand names, grated I’ve been thinking about is the achieve this. I came up with two options
which augurs poorly. We note that some Mimetism 15.2, which received a warm so far:
users actually buy three different models review in UHF.
a) Keep the two systems separate and
in order to choose which (if any) is better.
Ken Hicknell manually connect the speakers to the
That might be a good plan, but you
KITCHENER, ON appropriate system every time I want to
will also need two good-quality digital
listen to one or the other.
interconnects, one optical and the other
The 2BSST would be way, way out
b) Merge the two systems by plugging
coaxial.
of its depth with the Mani-2’s, Ken. And both the Benchmark and the front left/
Free Advice
UHF on line is interactive!
Feedback
really doesn’t fly. Your power amplifier
has a high input impedance (probably
around 30,000 ohms), but the receiver
and the Benchmark have a much lower
impedance, perhaps 500 ohms or less.
The impedance mismatch is deliberate:
each of the outputs is designed to “look”
into what appears to it to be an infinitely
high impedance load. But if you connect them together, they will “see” each
other’s loads, and the distortion level will
soar.
Manual reconnection will of course
work, but there is a simpler solution. Your
Benchmark USB has an analog input.
Run the left and right front outputs of
your AV receiver through that input, and
calibrate the receiver so that the level is
correct when the Benchmark’s volume
is all the way up.
There’s just one downside. When
you’re switching from home theatre to
music, be sure to turn the volume down
to a normal level, because forgetting can
be expensive!
right preamp outputs of my A/V receiver
into the W-5.3 using “Y” RCA adapters. Would such a setup be safe? What
would happen if the two systems were
to accidentally play at the same time?
I’m also thinking it’s probably not sonically transparent, but maybe the extra
convenience versus option A would be
worth the tradeoffs?
Dominique Simard
ÎLE-BIZARD, QC
Well, Dominique, your last option
I have had a continuous problem with
my CEC 3300R integrated amplifier. It
doesn’t play the left and right channels
at equal volume As a result, the stereo
image is not balanced. This imbalance
is most audible when I play music at low
volume.
At first, it was the right channel that
played much louder, and the imbalance was so pronounced that at low
volume it seemed as if only the right
speaker was playing. When I switched
the speakers, or changed cables, there
was no change, and it was still the right
channel that played louder. I had the
amplifier replaced, and the manufacturer promised to thoroughly check the
new replacement unit before delivery,
to make sure everything worked as it
should. After I received the new amplifier, I found that the new unit also suffers
from channel imbalance, but this time it
is the left channel that plays louder. The
channel imbalance is not as strong as it
was with the first amplifier; nevertheless,
the imbalance is clearly audible, ruining
the proper stereo image.
The fact that with the first amplifier
the right channel played louder, and now
with the replacement unit the left channel plays louder, convinces me that the
problem is indeed with the amplifier and
not with any other part of the system or
room acoustics. Yet, on their web site the
manufacturer describes the amplifier as
having “extremely pure, and load effect
free, single-ended circuit which avoids
various sources of nonlinearities” and
as having a design in which “the left and
right signals are processed in circuits
divided to two different layers to insure
channel separation and a high-level
stereo image.”
Could you please tell me if you have
come across such a problem with an
amplifier, and if such a problem might
be characteristic of a specific amplifier
design.
Ivan Blascak
FUKUOKA, Japan
It seems evident that your replacement amplifier is not working right, Ivan,
and you need to see your dealer about
that.
Like most high end amplifiers the
CEC has no balance control. There’s
a reason why CEC has chosen to do it
that way: even a well-designed volume
control is not quite sonically transparent,
and a balance control is a second volume
control. Of course omitting the balance
control means that the manufacturer
must be careful to balance the gain of
each channel carefully.
What complicates things in the case
of the CEC is that it doesn’t use the usual
potentiometer or even a resistor array.
Rather than throwing away unneeded
gain, it simply modulates the amount of
amplification so that the gain will be that
desired. It’s a clever technique, but it is
of course more complex than a simple
potentiometer, and nothing is immune
from Murphy’s Law.
If you have access to a test recording
with a steady-state 1 kHz tone, play it
with no speakers connected, and use a
multimeter to measure the AC voltage
at each output. A small difference is to
be expected. To translate that difference into decibels, use the following
formula:
10 log (higher voltage/lower voltage) =
difference in dB
If the result is greater than 1 dB,
write up the results and show them to
your dealer or CEC.
Diamond 9.1, Mordaunt-Short Carnival
2, PSB Alpha B1, and B&W 686. I look
forward to your suggestions about these
or other options in my price range.
John Tracz
OTTAWA, ON
We would look at the PSB or the
W harfedales, John. B&W speakers
do have a family sound (consistency
is a virtue, to be sure), and for some
years now that family sound has been
somewhat forward, bringing the music
closer to you. Not everyone likes that,
and you already know that you don’t.
Because your budget is (in the usual
high end terms) severely limited, you
might also have a look at what’s available
used.
We would add two pieces of advice.
First, remember that no small speaker
will yield its best performance without
adequate stands. Stands inevitably add
to the cost, but you lose a lot if you take
the term “bookshelf speaker” too literally. Second, placing the speakers on the
long wall of a room can add interesting
acoustical challenges. Working on the
acoustics to limit early reflections in
the highs and midrange will pay major
dividends.
Will I be able to see an improved picture quality with a Blu-ray player playing
Blu-ray discs on my 1080i LCD versus
the same movie on a regular DVD? In
short, is it worth getting Blu-ray for a
1080i TV?
Nick Lakoumentas
MONTRÉAL, QC
Yes, oh goodness yes, Nick! Notwithstanding some of the brain-dead
industry people who claim that blind
tests (!) show most people can’t see much
difference, there is no substitute for
pixels, and those pixels have to be right
on the disc.
Our answer would have been the
same if you had said you had a 720p
HDTV, as in fact many people do. We’re
talking about the difference between 480
vertical lines and 720. That’s a lot more
information.
As you’ll see from the Cinema article
in this issue, the stakes get bigger yet if
Advice
Feedback
Free
Thank you for publishing such an
informative and engaging publication.
Keep up the good work.
My current system consists of a
Creek Evo integrated amplifier, Pioneer
PD-D6-J CD/SACD player, Pro-Ject
RPM-5 turntable (soon to be added) with
Benz Micro MC-20E2 (high-output version), Graham Slee Gram Amp 1 phono
preamp, and B&W DM 600i speakers.
I’m using Nordost Super Flatline MkII,
biwire speaker cables and Nordost Blue
Heaven interconnects.
I will be changing the speakers.
I’ve never been entirely pleased with
the somewhat forward (not sure I’d say
bright) presentation of the B&W’s and
their limited low-frequency extension
(they are small and sealed after all), to
say nothing of the fact that one of them
now seems to have a very small tear in
the rubber driver surround.
My room is approximately 12 x 18 feet
(3.6 x 5.4 metres) with the speakers on the
long wall — the placement is unavoidable. My budget for speakers tops out at
about $500. I have been considering a
number of options including Wharfedale
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you can connect the player digitally via
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I am looking for a power amp to
replace my Linn PowerTek — something
with more power but a refined improvement — especially in the soundstage
department. I listen to jazz in a small
room with a pair of Meadowlark speakers
and an Audiolab 8000c preamp, both
pieces I like a lot. It seems I need to spend
from $600 to $1200, and am stumped at
what would be the best pieces to start
hearing. All items are used, in the $800 to
$1000 range: YBA 3 DT , Linn LK85,
BelCanto Evo 2, McCormack Powerdrive DNA-1 Deluxe.
Doug Barnard
OAKVILLE, ON
We would go with either the YBA
or the McCormack, Doug. The YBA
DT (the letters stand for “double transformer,”) is essentially the famous
YBA Intégré without its preamplifier
section. It would have less punch than
the McCormack, but it has a pleasingly
refined sound.
Since we mention the Intégré, if you
could find one of those at a reasonable
price it might be worth your while. It has
a very good preamp section which would
outperform your Audiolab.
For the past 15 years I have owned an
Alchemist Forseti APD15A integrated
amp and have derived many hours of
listening pleasure from it.
One day last week the right speaker
was not working. When after switching
speaker cables, the left speaker was not
working, I deduced that the problem
was with the amp. I proceeded to open
up the cover, and noticed immediately
that a fuse on the right side was blown.
I replaced the fuse, turned on the amp,
and as soon as it kicked in a loud drone
came out of the speaker and within two
seconds the new fuse also blew. At that
point I knew that this was beyond my
modest ability to deal with electronic
equipment problems (which is more or
less limited to unscrewing covers and
replacing fuses).
There is no electronics repair service
within 500 km of Terrace, so I checked
the Internet for potential repair services
in British Columbia (or Canada for that
matter), but was not very successful in
finding any.
I did find out, however, that replacing
the amp would cost me $2895 (plus tax),
which prompted me into putting some
further efforts into investigating repair
options. A friend, who is a subscriber to
your magazine, recommended that I use
your Free Advice service to try and get an
answer.
Dieter Marder
TERRACE, BC
Dieter, you might contact Divergent
Technologies (www.divertech.com),
which was the last distributor of Alchemist products. They may at least have
repair manuals for what we believe to
have been an unusual circuit configuration, and they can probably steer you to
an appropriate repair shop.
From the symptoms it is difficult to
be sure what has gone wrong. A shorted
output transistor is a real possibility,
and that could be complex to fix. On the
other hand a blown rectifier in the power
supply could cause the same symptoms,
and replacing that would be relatively
trivial.
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I’m searching for my first hi-fi
system. I have heard several systems
now, and many hours later the best
match for my ears was a Cambridge
540a, Cambridge 540c, and Rega R3. Is
that still a pretty good system and how
is the built quality?
Jean-Philippe Morin
SHERBROOKE, QC
That, Jean-Philippe, is what we
call an open-ended question. However
you’ve already found products that
sounded good to you, and that’s an
important clue. We consider that both
Cambridge, in its Azur series, and Rega
offer very good value for money. And
their products can deliver music, without
which the word “value” would have no
meaning.
Of course you indicate that you’ve
listened many hours, and the apparent
superiority of that system may indicate
above all that the dealer who offered the
demonstration took good care to set it up
so that it was at its best. But then, that’s
the sort of dealer you want.
Advanced Audio and Video Systems
Very unique
Very Cyrus
seven feet from the mid-point of the
speakers.
I am playing a mix of rock and jazz at
low to moderate volume. The Compact
Hemps have had their drivers upgraded
to the latest 8” hemp and have been
broken in for several months now.
Matt Ward
SUDBURY, ON
Matt, a suggestion occurs to us. Do
you have a friend or relation who has a
reasonably good system in, perhaps, a
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less troublesome room? Can you arrange
to trundle your speakers and stands over,
and get a listen in that room? That will
tell you a lot about how much your room
is contributing to your aching ears and
how much the rest of your system may
be doing.
We have had reservations concerning
hemp-cone drivers before, though we
haven’t heard the Omegas specifically.
But we do suspect that you are right
in pointing the finger at the acoustics.
The glass wall, which we presume is
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I’m looking for help with the twochannel setup I have in my dining room.
The room is small, about 9’ wide and 14’
long (2.8 by 4.3 metres). With all the
doors in this room I ended up placing my
speakers on the long wall. Even worse,
they are pointed at a two-thirds glass
wall. Oh, hardwood floor too…a wool
carpet helps some.
Understandably, the music is very
bright. In fact it hurts my ears after a
while. I was hoping for some ideas to
soften things up (a lot).
I am using Apple Lossless through an
Airport Express and TOSLINK plastic
to a Bel Canto DAC3, and by RCA cables
to Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2 driving Omega Compact Hemp (through 10
gauge lampcord) sitting on top of Skylan
stands.
The Omegas might be the weak link
here. I have tried toeing them in, but the
dimensions of the room are difficult.
My favoured listening position is only
Cyrus products are handcrafted in
England
CD168
The Fusion of Sound and Style
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Tel: +1 416 318 6038
www.raysonicaudio.com
behind you, is of secondary importance,
but you may want to take measures to
absorb early reflections, especially those
from the rear of the speaker. If you can,
bringing them out into the room a little
might help too. The Omegas are rearported, and if they’re too close to a rear
wall their response could easily be a little
strange.
Though placing a speaker close to
a room boundary emphasizes the bass,
letting the rear wall load the port will
truncate the bass, allowing the top end
to seem all the louder.
You may want to replace the lamp
cord too.
At the moment I am struggling over
buying a Denon DVD 3930 for use as
an SACD player. I’ve been away from
the hobby for awhile, and it seems like
SACD and DVD-Audio, are both pretty
much DOA. Although it seems like the
audiophile disc makers are still producing the SACDs. Will they become the
“new vinyl,” with better sound than
CDs, but hard to get? Will the upgrade
from CD to SACD be that much better,
in two channel (not into buying more
speakers), and will the Denon player
adequately replace my Rotel for regular
CDs? I’m not into replacing my collection of CD’s (1000+) with SACDs, just
those “albums to die for.”
I have a better ear for sound quality
than for the sophistication and knowledge of which orchestra’s rendition of
which composer is superior. That’s why
I’m considering the “upgrade” (?) to
an SACD player. I can get the Denon
3930 for $850; is there a unit that will
give me the same high level of audio for
less money? My present system: the CD player
is the Rotel RCD1072, with a Musical Fidelity X-10V 3 Tube Buffer, and
the Musical Fidelity A3.2 Dual mono
integrated amp. I’m selling my Monitor
Audio Silver RS-8 speakers, (as they are
way too bright in my very large room
with 16’ ceilings and hardwood floors),
and getting the Totem Hawks.
I just put the Totem Dreamcatchers
in the office, and they blew me away —
can’t get a damn thing done in there
anymore!
Alan Podsadowski
COQUITLAM, BC
You probably won’t get a quality
SACD player for substantially less, Alan.
A downscale player, like the Oppo, that
is everyone’s budget favorite, will deliver
the increased dynamics of SACD, but
a better player will also deliver the
refinement that comes with more accurate low-level detail. Will the Denon
outperform the Rotel with conventional
CDs? Perhaps, but the best plan is to
compare for yourself, so you can then
decide whether to keep it or sell it.
A possible advantage to keeping your
Rotel is that it includes HDCD decoding. HDCD doesn’t hold a candle to
SACD, but it still gets something extra
from the legacy CD format.
It’s no secret that Sony has pretty
much lost interest in the SACD audio
format that it engendered, but the
audiophile labels are keeping it alive,
and the variety of music available keeps
growing. Even Reference Recordings has
now released its first SACD.
Of course we’re aware of where the
world is going. In the US the number one
music retailer is now iTunes. Music is
moving out of the record store and onto
the Internet. Things are moving fast.
I have to buy an integrated, with a
slightly inflatable $4k to spend. I saw
a Mimetism 15.2 on the used market.
It was very interesting to me because I
need some power in order to fill a 20’x50’
split level with music. Do you think the
Mimetism components have good longterm reliability and will be easy to find
and replace?
My speakers are P.E. Leon M4 dual
cabinets (specs unavailable , 87 to 90 dB
sensitivity I would guess). What would
be a reasonable lower end power cutoff
for an integrated to feed them? Would
the 70 wpc Ayre or the 90 Majik do the
job? Do you have suggestions about nonused products?
Since I already have a little Sonic
Frontiers SFL-1 preamp, should I keep
it and buy an amp instead?
Pierre Poulin
SAINT-LAMBERT, QC
Do accept my compliments on running an unbiased review magazine.
My query is regarding advice on a
good CD transport. I have a stereo setup
consisting of Merlin TSM speakers with
a Sugden A21 amp (soon to be replaced
with a Leben CS 600), a Reimyo DAP
777 DAC and a Classé CDT-1 transport,
all in a dedicated 11’ x 14’ room. The
combination has been excellent, but
recently the transport is behaving very
unpredictably and I believe is on its last
legs.
I am planning a replacement, and
from what I know I have two options in
the less than US$1500 category. I found
the CEC TL51 and an assembled Phillips CDM Pro2-based transport from
Japan.
From what I could learn, the Phillips
CDMPro2-based transports are among
the best, but the CEC belt-driven transport are also very highly rated due to
their belt-driven mechanism. Based on
your experience what would be an ideal
transport for my budget?
I hope my question is not too open
ended!
Arjun Nair
BANGALORE, India
The transports using “Pro” series
mechanisms from Philips are found in a
lot of different quality ranges, and indeed
the number of companies using them is
huge. There are reasons for this, not
all having to do with quality. It is actually possible to get these mechanisms
in reasonable quantity, whereas some
competitors don’t want to be bothered
with small accounts and require large
minimum orders, perhaps 50,000 units.
Imagine the poor high end designer
who was hoping to get just a hundred of
them!
And before one of them writes to
us, we should add that we’ve heard that
Philips is sometimes not so helpful either.
Sometimes we’re glad we’re writing about
high end audio instead of designing it!
And so the conclusion is that a transport
with a Philips Pro mechanism may be
very good, or not so good.
The CEC belt-driven transport is
unique to the brand, though it was for a
time used by Parasound as well. We own
a CEC, and we can recommend it.
I have a pair of Linn Katan bookshelf
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Pierre, the Sonic Frontiers hasn’t
been made for many years, but we
recall it was a pretty decent preamp. It
was made with good quality parts, too,
something that Sonic Frontiers’ successor company hasn’t followed up on. But
don’t get us started.
However we would be tempted to
hang on to it and find it a good power
amplifier. We’re not sure what the sensitivity of your M4 speakers is, but since
they are good-sized reflex speakers they
should be able to perform well even with
a smaller amplifier, such as a tube amp
for instance. You don’t want one that’s
too small, though, because you really do
have a lot of space to fill.
That said, the Mimetism would
surely be up to the job, and its build quality appears to be very good. However,
as with some other small companies,
Mimetism’s production is quite small,
and so in the long term parts may be
difficult to find. In the shorter term there
is probably no problem.
speakers sitting on Katan stands, and a
Linn Sizmik 10.25 powered subwoofer.
My living room is 12’ x 14’ and the
speakers are along the 12’ wall. The
room is configured in a way that the
left speaker is roughly 2’ from the back
wall and 3’ from the side wall. Between
the left speaker and the side wall, is my
sub in the corner. The right speaker is
also roughly 2’ from the back wall but
has no side wall, since that part of the
room opens to the hallway. I do not have
the option of moving my speakers to a
different area of the room.
When I listen to music, I get the
impression that I’m hearing the left
speaker more than the right speaker. Any
recommendations? Please keep in mind
that my wife is picky about “the look.”
Antonio G.
MONTRÉAL, QC
using a human voice as a source. We are
all keenly aware of how a voice should
sound, and any departure from the
natural will jump out at us.
I have a unique problem when it
comes to soundproofing, and was hoping
to get some advice from you guys.
I am opening a theatre in a 3,600
sq ft commercial space here in Atlanta,
which also happens to be directly under
a bar that has bands play every night of
the week. The building (including our
ceiling) is made of concrete and steel, so
I didn’t think that it would be much of a
problem.
Turns out, it is. We have received
many suggestions from people about
how to “soundproof” the ceiling, including one that suggests that we use spray
foam insulation 6’’ thick on the ceiling
to buffer the noise (most homes that use
spray foam use 3’’). It’s really expensive,
but I am just wondering (especially after
reading one of your articles) whether you
think it’ll work. I’ve included a picture
of our ceiling.
As are most of us, Antonio, unless
we have the luxury of a special listening
room where other family members dare
not go, and there are bears roaming
around loose.
We’re not surprised that you’re hearing more from the left speaker than the
right. The open doorway to the right
acts just like a really good broadband
acoustic absorber, since sound energy
enters it and (ideally) never returns.
On the left side it’s totally different.
Side energy is gathered up by the walls
and floor and fired back at you, albeit
with a slight delay. We would guess
Any advice you could give would
this phenomenon is made worse by the
presence of the subwoofer on the same mean the world to us.
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We suggest making the adjustments and other soundproofing materials were
Advice
Feedback
Free
Why a free version?
My Audio Ref inement preampprocessor has a 5.1 input. Does anyone
make a Blu-ray player with Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD built in decoding that
is accessible through the analog outputs?
I know lots of Blu-ray players have 5.1
or 7.1 analog outputs, but I am unsure
if I connect to these if I will be hearing
Dolby True-HD or the Dolby Digital
core.
Jon Fawcett
OAKVILLE, ON
Yes, if the player supports those
formats, though some don’t, or else they
don’t decode it in analog.
It’s difficult for most people to
use them, because, unlike your Audio
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Refinement, most amplifiers, preamps
and receivers don’t have an analog input
with six or eight channels. We know that
Copland also has such a preamp.
So for the moment you can already
get uncompressed sound. There is, however, better on its way. Some preamp/
processors and receivers, just coming to
market, connect to Blu-ray players via
HDMI 1.3 and can decode the uncompressed True-HD and dts-HD information that is on most recent Blu-ray discs.
The best of these are not really in stores
yet, but they should be soon.
We plan a major review as soon as
they’re available.
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the topic of Paul Bergman’s in-depth
article on soundproofing in UHF No.
82. We think you’ll find the techniques
described helpful.
That said, we can see a couple of
problems that are evident from the
picture you sent us.
One is the presence of those concrete
pillars, which are attached directly to
the ceiling, which we presume is also
the floor of the bar. No matter what
materials you add to the ceiling, the pillars will short-circuit them and act as a
direct conduit for low-frequency energy.
You can muffle it, but you can’t silence it.
Or at least you can’t unless the pillars are
not load-bearing and you can take them
out, and we’re pretty sure that’s not the
case.
The other problem is that large
horizontal HVAC pipe. Unless it services
only your floor, it will allow broadband
energy to flow from one floor to the next.
The only bright side to this is that it will
provide some treble to accompany the
bass coming down the pillars!
A possible plan of attack, aside from
soundproofing the ceiling and the pillars, is to act at the source. This means
being on good terms with the people
upstairs, which might be a problem if
it’s a Hell’s Angels bar. If you can isolate
the stage (we presume there is one) from
the concrete floor, you can minimize the
energy flowing down into the building
structure. A floating stage would make
your dream possible, if not simple.
We wish you good success.
Acoustics
Part IX
Summing It All Up
T
here is growing awareness
of the importance of acoustics, and that is not true
exclusively of audiophiles or
owners of recording studios. After some
decades in which new concert halls were
designed with hideous acoustics, new,
smarter architects were called in to
repair the damage. As for restaurants,
which are typically designed with no
attention to acoustics, some food critics
are rating them not only for culinary
excellence, friendliness to vegetarians
and wheelchair access, but also for acoustics. Noisy restaurants get bad marks,
and so they should.
I am not an architect, and I don’t
pretend to have the expertise that a
truly competent acoustician can offer.
Nor are you, as a homeowner, able to
do everything that the designer of a
recording studio, say, might wish to do.
In all but the largest homes, rooms are
multi-purpose, and cannot be modified
entirely to optimize sound. Then too,
major structural modifications have an
impact on the home’s resale value. Ask
anyone who, in the 60’s, built a nuclear
bunker in the basement and then put the
house up for sale.
Improving room acoustics can make
your audio system sound better, certainly, and it can make listening to music
more enjoyable. There are, however,
other advantages which can be evident
even to non audiophiles. Let me recount
an anecdote illustrating this.
I was once consulted by a psychiatrist
(this is, rather evidently, the reverse of
what you might expect), who wanted to
find a way to soundproof his office. He
told me his patients would be nervous
about being overheard by those in the
waiting room. Would adding padding
material to his office door help?
No it would not, as you will know
if you have followed this series on
acoustics. Indeed, padding may actu-
by Paul Bergman
ally slightly increase the transmission
of sound, though that increase might
be more theoretical than real. Actual
soundproofing is difficult and always
expensive, but in fact that was not the
doctor’s problem at all.
I visited his office and quickly saw,
or rather heard, what the problem was.
I clapped my hands and heard several
flutter echoes. There was a tubby and
bass-heavy character to the room. It was,
in short, not a very pleasant room to be
in, or to talk in.
The result was evident. So strong was
the reverberation that it was necessary
to speak up in order to be understood.
If you feel compelled to speak loud,
you will naturally worry about being
overheard. The problem was not actual
sound transmission, but the perception
of sound transmission by patients. The
solution was acoustical treatment, not
soundproofing.
Of course the calculations could be
approximate, something I would not
advise for someone designing a concert
hall. I suggested replacing the thin polyester carpeting with a larger and thicker
one made from natural fibres. The light
curtains over the large window was
changed for heavy draperies hung a short
distance out (the visual effect would also
add confidence to patients). I also suggested that he move his bookcases, filled
with medical books, from next door into
his main office.
The difference was huge. Conversations could be quieter, and the tone more
intimate. Indeed, you could whisper
and still be heard. The psychiatrist’s
patients were much more relaxed, and
better prepared to share their innermost
thoughts.
This is, I am tempted to add, the
reason that living rooms with carpets
and books are described by visitors as
“warm.” The visual aspect is important,
to be sure, but the role of certain elements in absorbing reverberation is to
make the room sound better.
Since I have already mentioned
recording studios, I would add that any
radio announcer will tell you that some
studios and sound booths are more tiring
to work in that others. In some rooms
you have to work hard to be heard, as
though the walls were trying to push
the words back into your mouth. In
others, the words seem to tumble out
naturally. The result is more pleasant
for the listener, and much less fatiguing
for the announcer as well.
Now to this final wrapup.
I don’t wish to discourage you from
going through the series in detail, but
my editor thought it might be useful to
do a comprehensive wrapup of the topics
discussed in the previous eight articles
on acoustics. I shall, therefore, take it
topic by topic.
Room size and acoustics (UHF 77)
This was the first in the series, and
it dealt principally with a topic that I
suspect most of my readers have heard
of, namely standing waves. But standing
waves, it turns out, are closely related to
room dimensions, and room size.
To understand this, it is necessary
to understand how sound waves travel
across a room.
You no doubt know that an audio
signal, if it is a pure tone, can be represented graphically as a sine wave, like
this.
This is of course a geometric symbol,
but what does it mean concretely? Despite
the talk about waves “travelling,” the air
in a room does not actually travel. Rather
it is the vibrations that travel through the
air. Those vibrations, which are a form
of acoustic energy, are variations in air
pressure. If we show low air pressure in
yellow and high air pressure in brown,
we can see the relationship between that
geometric sine wave and the vibrations
in the air.
It is easy to imagine what will happen.
As the wave travels back and forth
between the walls, the areas of high and
low density will occur at exactly the same
place. To an observer, it will appear that
the wave is stationary. This is not at all
a good thing.
But nor can it be totally avoided.
Reverberation in a room is a good thing,
not a bad thing. An orchestra playing in a
corn field or an anechoic chamber would
not be pretty to hear. Even indoors, a
room whose boundaries are excessively
absorbent will be perceived as “dry,” and
dead. This rarely happens, and indeed
the opposite is more common, but there
are studios and concert halls with excessive absorption. Critics like to point to
RCA’s old Studio H, where many of
the recordings of the NBC Symphony
Orchestra were made.
If, then, we reject the idea of choking
off reverberation completely, we must
accept that there will be standing waves.
If there is a decent amount of absorption
they will at least be short-lived. It is best
to avoid a room whose dimensions are
either exactly the same (a cube would be
acoustically hideous), or exact multiples
of one another. Finally, small rooms
are much worse than larger ones, all
else being equal. That is because the
smaller the room, the more the standing
waves will tend to bunch up at adjacent
frequencies.
In the original article (UHF No. 77),
I included a chart which allows you to
plug in the measurements of your own
room and see all the room modes, which
are the frequencies at which there will
be standing waves. If you have access to
a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel, or
one which can open Excel spreadsheets
(Open Office, Neo Office, Numbers,
etc.), you can download the spreadsheet
at:
www.uhfmag.com/Tech/roommodes.xls
Note that the address is case-sensitive: Tech does take a capital T.
When you look at the chart, you’ll
see that some of them are emphasized in
yellow. Those are the axial modes, which
are caused by bouncing between parallel
surfaces, such as opposite walls, or floor
and ceiling. The other modes are based
on waves making several bounces, and
they have of course less intensity. This is
an example, showing a wave that bounces
off all four walls.
This is known as a tangential mode. I
don’t mean to downplay its importance,
but it is the axial modes you most need
to watch out for. The original article
showed other room modes which can
possibly cause problems.
If you download the spreadsheet, you
can easily do “what if” calculations. Try a
small room, and you’ll see how the room
modes — even the axial modes — pile
one atop the other. It is difficult to make
a small room sound good unless you use
heroic absorption methods, to keep the
bounces short. That, of course, brings
its own share of problems.
It is important to recall the speed of
sound. If our room is 4 metres (a little
over 13 feet) long, then at the speed of
Acoustics
The width of the wave of course
depends on its frequency. A low-frequency wave has a longer wavelength, the
wavelength being the distance between
two waves travelling through the air.
Those waves travel at a speed that
is called, with great obviousness, the
speed of sound. The actual speed depends
on air density, which will vary both
with altitude above sea level and with
day-to-day barometric variations. At
sea level it is approximately 345 metres/
second, which sounds fast, though of
course some aircraft can fly faster than
that. Wavelength is usually represented
by l (the Greek letter lambda), and the
formula for determining wavelength is:
l = s/f
where s is the speed of sound in metres
per second (345), and f is the frequency
of the sound. The wavelength will of
course be in metres. If you prefer to work
in feet, the speed of sound is about 1130
feet/second, and the wavelength will
then be in feet (divide by 12 to get it into
inches). Note that in the original article
the equation was inverted during typesetting. It is shown correctly above.
Wavelength has a lot to do with
standing waves. Imagine that one of the
room’s dimensions is an exact multiple of
the wavelength of a sound. The room,
seen in cross-section, would then look
like this.
345 metres/second, sound will cross it
some 43 times in a mere half second. It
will, to be sure, lose energy with each
bounce, but if it is a standing wave, it will
have messy effects.
The article in UHF No. 77 dealt
with room aspects. For instance, not
all rooms are rectangular. What about
L-shaped rooms? What about cathedral
ceilings? Well, they certainly complicate
the calculations.
Acoustics
Taming reverberation (UHF 78)
I have just mentioned that, with each
bounce, an acoustic wave loses some of its
energy. This is inherent in the fact that
bounces are lossy processes. To optimize
our room, however, we will wish to
accelerate the energy loss somewhat. A
loudspeaker radiates sound that is — at
most frequencies — omnidirectional.
As soon as it hits a room boundary it
bounces back.
In fact it bounces back from all of
the room boundaries, at least in the
case of lower frequencies (high frequencies have more of a tendency to beam
forward, like light rays). The Third
Law of Thermodynamics (“energy can
neither be created nor destroyed”) tells
us that, unless the acoustic energy can
be transformed into something else, like
heat, it will continue to bounce around
forever.
Fortunately that doesn’t happen,
because in every bounce, and indeed
in movement through the air, there is
energy loss. That doesn’t violate the
Third Law, because what will happen
is that the energy will be transformed,
usually into heat. Some of it will be
transmitted through the boundaries
(to help entertain your neighbors, for
example), and will not return.
Even so, the sound can bounce
around for a while, dozens of time
in each second, muddying the sound
source to the point where it is no longer
recognizable.
Can we, then, accelerate the absorption process, so that the reverberation
dies away sooner? Can we do this not
only in the higher frequencies, which
is rather easy to accomplish, but right
across the audible band?
Most people who are invited to
consider sound absorption will instantly
think of soft materials, such as carpets,
drapes, or even so-called acoustic tiles.
And indeed at higher frequencies this
works well. Consider what happens
when a high frequency signal strikes a
carpet.
In this diagram the radial bands
represent one wavelength. Since the frequency is high, the wavelength is quite
short (a 10 kHz wave has a wavelength
of 3.45 cm, a little over an inch). The
leading wave will almost completely
penetrate the carpet, and at least some of
the wave will be absorbed. The friction
of the vibrating air against the carpet
fibres will produce heat, drawing off
energy from the wave. It would be good
if this worked at all frequencies, but it
does not.
Let us now suppose that we are
dealing with a low frequency wave. Our
diagram now looks like this.
The situation is totally different.
Hardly any of the leading wave enters
the carpet, whose thickness is but a
small percentage of the wavelength.
If the carpet is sitting on the concrete
floor of a high rise building, there will
be little transmission loss, and the
wave will bounce back into the room
unattenuated.
This has worrisome implications.
H igh f requencies are quite easily
absorbed, but low frequencies are not,
and nor is the midrange. The conventional methods, therefore, can actually
make a bad situation even worse. Put
in enough carpeting, drapes and tiles,
and you will wind up with what may
be a very short reverberation time at
high frequencies. At the same time, the
reverberation time at low frequencies
may be very high. This might be a typical reverberation versus frequency plot
for a typical room.
Reverberation time, by the way, is
measured by acousticians as RT60, which
is the time in seconds for a sound wave
to die away until it is 60 decibels below
the level of the original sound. In a large
concert hall or church the RT60 can be
very long, perhaps two seconds or more.
This is fine, because the hall size means
that it takes longer for a sound wave to
travel from one side to the other. Such a
reverberation time in a home would be
disastrous.
What to do? Is there some sort of
magical acoustic material that can absorb
sound at all frequencies equally? I only
wish there were, because it would make
life so much easier.
Yet such materials do exist, after
a fashion: resonators. Such devices
(for they are devices more than mere
surfaces) do exist, and indeed many
homes already have them, though they
are not generally optimized for acoustic
control.
Let us suppose that you have a wall
made of gypsum board, over an empty
space. Now imagine what happens when
a sound wave strikes it.
original article. You can get more
effective absorption by using denser
filler, and that can help turn the space
into a broadband resonator. That is to
say, it will be less effective at its centre
frequency (as determined by its dimensions), but it will gain in effectiveness
over a wider frequency band. That may
be exactly what you want, though using it
accurately requires complex mathematical calculations.
It is widely believed that traditional
materials have better acoustical properties than newer synthetic ones. If you are
building a concert hall, plaster is better
than gypsum board, wood is better than
steel, and wool is better than polyester.
Absorbing reflections (UHF 79)
There are many materials, either in
simple form or prepared specially, that
can absorb sound, and can therefore be
useful in taming reverberation and getting that dratted RT60 under control.
Let me talk first about units for
measuring absorption.
The coefficient of absorption expresses
the proportion of acoustic energy that
a given surface or device is capable of
absorbing. Thus a surface with a coefficient of 0.5 will absorb half of the energy
that strikes it. That is not as much as it
sounds, since we hear logarithmically,
not linearly, and that corresponds to a
mere 3 dB. A perfect absorber, if one
could be made, would have a coefficient
of one.
The graph shows the curve for socalled acoustic tiles glued to the wall
or ceiling surface, as some misguided
remodellers are wont to do. This is far
from what we would really like. At high
frequency the tile absorbs the vast majority of the energy striking it, but it drops
sharply in the midrange. Below 1 kHz it
will be of little value. This is especially
problematic because tiles like this tend
to be applied to large surfaces, not small
ones. The result will be a room that is
quite dead in the higher frequencies, but
will ring endlessly, or nearly so, in the
lows.
Now consider this curve.
At one time offices were tiled in
this fashion, but today large tile panels
are suspended on a grid, with air space
behind them. That gives us the green
curve. We now have at least an octave
Acoustics
The wave penetrates the gypsum
board, which is not truly soundproof, and
enters the enclosed space behind it. That
space will have a resonant frequency, or
more likely several resonant frequencies, determined by its dimensions. If
the wave’s frequency corresponds to a
resonant frequency, or is a multiple of
it, a resonance will be set up. The air in
the space will continue to vibrate until
it is somehow dissipated.
An empty air space is however not
very effective at dissipating energy. But
let us fill the space with a material such
as mineral wool insulation, and watch
what happens. Now the vibrating air
has plenty of fibres to rub against, and
the friction will turn acoustic energy
into heat. What we have is a Helmholtz
resonator, one of the most effective
devices in acoustic control.
From here things get complicated,
and I would suggest returning to the
A different unit is used for total room
design, because there you will want to
know the total amount of acoustic energy
that a given surface can drain away, and
that depends on its area. The Sabin
is a measure of total energy absorbed
at a given frequency. However if you
read books on acoustics you may find
yourself confused, because the Sabin
is often taken to mean two different
things. That’s because there is one
for metric countries, and a different
one for countries working with square
feet. Unfortunately they have the same
name.
As I have suggested, the coefficient
of absorption of a material is not a single
figure, but a curve.
Acoustics
more absorption, and we will have a little
less of the hollow sound that we would
have with the glued tiles. Note that we
now have a coefficient of 0.5 at 250 Hz,
which is not far from Middle C on the
musical scale. That is still just 3 dB or
absorption, as I have explained, but it is
an improvement, provided we don’t stop
there.
What about curtains?
You will readily guess that the filmy
translucent drapes that let the light filter
in will have limited absorption. In fact
they will absorb sound, but they favor
the highs, and that can unbalance the
room.
It is common, fortunately, to hang
not only those filmy drapes, but also
heavier opaque curtains that can be
closed at night, and of course when you
wish to listen to music. Such curtains can
be very effective absorbers, but that will
depend on several factors: the density
of the material, the amount of draping,
and their distance from the window and
wall.
Consider this curve.
This shows the absorption coefficient
for two velvet drapes, which are identical, except that one is twice as dense as
the other.
The red curve, for the less dense one,
is so poor that we can easily see that its
impact on the sound of the room will be
negligible. The green curve is better, but
if you compare it to what is attainable
with suspended tiles, you will see that it
is not the ultimate solution.
But hold on a second. We are not
through.
The two curves are for curtains
on which we have attempted to pinch
pennies by economizing on expensive
material. In short, we have used insufficient draping.
If your window is 3 metres wide,
you will purchase more than 3 metres
of material. You will want the curtains
to hang down with pleasing folds, and
so you will use additional material. It
is common to drape to 3/4 of the area,
which means that you will use 4 metres
of material for your 3 metre window.
However for a richer look, and incidentally for dramatically superior acoustics,
splurge for a full 6 metres of velvet, and
let’s see what happens to our curve.
given frequency, absorption will be at its
maximum. When the space is half the
wavelength of the frequency, absorption
will be at a minimum.
This is of course of limited value if
you shun calculations, but heavy drapes
are a particularly useful acoustic device
because of one overwhelming advantage.
They won’t make your living room
ugly!
In the original article I dealt with
other common absorbers, including
carpets, sofas, and the air itself.
Absorbing lows (UHF 80)
There is an unexpected reversal in
the curve, and it reflects the fact there
are two phenomena at work. First there
is the absorption by the curtain material
itself, and as we are reminded by the red
curve, it is not impressive. Second, there
is absorption due to the trapped air space
behind the heavily draped curtain. This
is much like the effect of the air space
behind the suspended tiles.
Should we be worried about that dip
and that peak? I confess I don’t like it
much, because rapid changes in absorption cause ringing. I have seen rooms in
which, on certain notes, you can hear
a bell-like resonance. This is generally
due to a rapid drop in the absorption
coefficient. It points to the fact that,
ideally, we would like our absorbers to
have more gradual effect over a broader
band. As we will see shortly, there are
methods for accomplishing this.
In the meantime, is there something
we can do to make our (now) heavy
velvet drapes more effective? Indeed
there is. You can see the salutary effect
from the air space behind the drapes. If
you increase the depth of that space, by
hanging the drapes a little further out
into the room, you can move the curve
considerably toward the left, and therefore begin taming the lower midrange.
Since this is the range in which music’s
fundamental notes are mostly found, the
effect is all to the good.
How far out can you place them?
Here is a rule of thumb. When the
average air space behind the drapes
equals a quarter of the wavelength of a
We have managed to arrange tiles
and drapes to absorb not only the highs
but also the midrange, but that leaves
low frequencies. What can we do about
them?
I should warn you that absorbing
the lowest lows is not easy, and indeed
it was once conventional wisdom that a
recording studio should be very live at
low frequencies, because that would give
it “body” and “richness.” I believe that
this truism was developed principally to
justify the sad fact that, in many studios,
there was neither the space nor the
money (nor, sometimes, the knowledge)
to absorb low frequencies anyway.
However there is a class of absorber
which can operate in the lower midrange, and potentially lower, and that is
the resonator.
I touched on resonators when I discussed the potentially salutary effect of
gypsum board over an empty air space,
as found in many homes. The space will
resonate at frequencies that are determined by its dimensions, and a portion
of the energy so trapped will dissipate.
We can in fact optimize the process, and
use it to our advantage.
Let us build a box, which can be part
of the room structure, but can also be a
purpose-built box.
that will not add to the attractiveness of
the acoustics.
We want to dissipate this energy, and
there is a simple way to do it.
but the absorption peak will be broadened, reducing the risk of ringing.
If you use a large surface of resonant
boxes, you may want to use them to
absorb some highs too. Just make the
membrane perforated over part of its
surface.
Perforated Masonite is commonly
available, but it doesn’t have enough
holes. Doubling the number of holes
is tedious but useful. Then paint the
panel flat black, and face it with opaque
cloth.
You possibly know that corners can
be a blight on the acoustics, because, like
megaphones, they will “focus” reflected
sound back into the room. The corners
nearest the loudspeakers are especially
problematic. It’s possible to build or
place a wedge-shaped resonator into the
corner.
Get the complete version
Acoustics
We have filled the space with wool
fibre. The material is permeable to
sound, but the rubbing of the vibrating
air molecules against the fibres will
result in heat, which drains away the
energy of the resonating air. Now we’re
getting somewhere.
The larger and deeper the boxes, the
The box has walls that are heavy and more they can be made to resonate at
presumably impermeable to sound, and low frequencies. The boxes can be built
one wall that is a membrane, thinner and into the wall structure, which has both
more permeable than gypsum board can advantages and disadvantages, or they
be.
can be freestanding structures that can
The membrane can be Masonite, be hung on the wall. Facing the memwood panelling, or any other suitable brane with attractive cloth can make
material. Sound striking the box will them quite decorative.
not be attenuated,
it will
up is not
Youcomplete,
will no doubt
and
No, this
freeset
version
thoughhave
you understood
could spend a couple
resonances in the box.
The reading
air spaceit.will
if you
do build such boxes, they
of hours
Wantthat,
the full
version?
resonate at frequencies
should
allversion,
be the same
If they
Commercial versions of this device
Youwhose
can, ofquarter
course, order
thenot
print
whichsize.
we have
published
wavelengths are equal
to (or a of
multiple
are,
you
will
have
too much
absorption
at exist, though many are not designed
for a quarter
a century.
You
can
get
it from
our back
issues page.
of) any one of the
three
some
frequencies,
notwhich
enough
others.
The expensive corner pillows
box’s
But we
alsodimenhave a paid
electronic
version,
is at
just
like thiscorrectly.
one,
You
may alsobanners
set up the
of and
ring-it doesn’t
sions. Those dimensions,
needitIdoesn’t
explain,have
sold by some high end manufacturers
except that
annoying
likeproblem
this one,
ing faux
that ILatin.
have already
should not be equal,
should
not be
haveisvirtually
no effect.
haveand
articles
tailing
off into
Gettingmentioned.
the electronic version
of
Just as the
material
for drapes
can anywhere
multiples of each other.
Indeed, commercial absorbers, concourse faster, and it is also cheaper.
It costs
just $4.30
(Canadian)
have
dramatic effect
on acoustics, so venient though they certainly are, presWhat happensin to
energy
that
thethe
world.
Taxes,
if they
area applicable,
are included.
the material chosen for the inside of ent a problem that home-built units do
is now temporarily
in the from
formMagZee.com.
stored
It’s available
of air resonance? Energy cannot be the box can change its characteristics. not. Because they come from a factory,
destroyed, we know, and now we have Mineral wool is cheapest, but real wool they are the same size, or they come in
only a thin membrane between that air is generally more effective. What’s more, a narrow range of sizes. That sets up
space and the room. The stored energy using dense panels can be useful. They the likelihood of ragged response and
can and will return, only with a delay will reduce the coefficient of absorption, ringing.
In this case, randomness is your
friend.
Acoustics
Diffusing sound (UHF 81)
Yes, we know, this article is not complete, though about half the magazine
is complete. The incomplete ones are
like this one…they go from English to
imitation Latin.
Re facin henis nisl iustrud enim aute
duis dignisc iliscipissi.
Tum veliquat ulpute dolore volore
facipsum esequat. Ut lan veliquat praese
facilit lutpat nibh euguero ea feuguer
suscing enismod dolorero odiamco
rtiscil lamconsequat wismod modion vel
ulputat. Utpation utpat augait am, core
tisi.
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magniam consequat adipis adiam, consed
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dolesto eu feu feu feuipsu scipit ad molorem ex ero odolobore dolobortie digna
conullaor si bla consecte et exerit lum
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ciliquiscil dignis am quis niamet nisse
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utatuer ostinit nos eugiam nos adionsed
euisi ex eril ilismod te te mod et adionse
quissent aliquisi te doluptat ing enit
ea alis accumsan velessectem dolorpe
rostrud dipis nonsenisi.
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mincilit acing er accum v ulput in
utat, quat ad eril doloreet lan euismol
ortinim digna autpat lobor sectetum
quamconulla commy niation sequatie el
ip ea augait, consequam adionsectet alis
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eros dit alit num del ullutpat, sisisl et et
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bla facip et autatis autem dolenim nit,
velisl ing el er suscill utpatin henibh ese
duis alit, suscil dolesto coreet et vel et
nummy nulla adit lorpero odo doluptatie
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luptat, venibh erat.
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essi tat, quis num ipit utem dolor sit aci
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augait
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ut iusto dit nos accum nummodiam,
quamet, sequiscipit accum adiat volorem
nos aliquatuerit iusto con velenit ilit
luptat.
tisi.
Soundproofing (UHF 82)
Acoustics
tisi.
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lore facilis sequat. Duis ad dolor adiam
quatiscidunt praestie er ametummod
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ex et enisit prat vulputat iure dunt verit
lutpat nullam velesto commolortie
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velendre er ing euis nonulla faccumm
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dipisim zzrillutetue corpera esendit
Acoustics
ipisi blandrer susci te magna feugait
vel ut iniam, velis amcore facilisl erit
venit augait lute tem ing ercilit, velisci
liquatuer il utatue consequat.
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iure do ero dignit ullaortion ute feugiat.
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facipsusto ea faccums andignis dit illaore
do odit ilis dipit do euis eui te feugait niamcom modolor perilluptat. To commy
nim iustio duipis num nostrud magna
facip euis exerosto dolor sequipit augait
lor se commodo lobore dolore conse
conumsandit aliquisci tet lore tio eugait
ad magnit utpat la feum nisl exercil
lutatio consed tatem zzrilit aliquam quat
utpat wisit praestie feuisim num do od
exer augait duisse et lumsan etuercilisit
nonsectet wissi blamcon utpat verostio et
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nullamet adip esto delis dignisl dolorpe
rcilis eum eu feu feugiam zzrit utat, con
elenisi.
luptat.
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wisisim zzrit nonsequatie magnit nos
nonsed delenim dolenis adiatem zzrilisit
ad doluptat. Quat ip eugait wissenis
adipissecte do eu feugait praessit ute
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exerat, sequat nosto do euisciliqui etum
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euis am euipsum molobore cor at. Duiscilla adigna feugiam vent aliquam alit eu
feu facip eu feugait ulputat, volortisisi.
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dio dolortin euis am il dolenibh eummy
nonullam il et, quipit in ea faccum nos
atue dolorerat la feumsandit enisim velis
aut velit veros adipsusto odiamet augait
iriliquisim velesse quatet alisi exero
odolestrud mincipiscing endre doluptat
prat, sit adignisl utet accum volor at, quis
adit luptat. Ud dolor incipis modigniat
acinibh erilla adignim num nim am,
commod ea aut essequate ming ea facin
velis dolore magna con ulla feugait
augiamcore commy nisi.
augait.
augait
nostio commy nim deliqui sciduis nonsequatue euip ea aut ad eugait
Acoustics and speakers (UHF 83)
augait
augait.
augait.
augait
Signals for measurement (UHF 84)
tat.
elenisi.
quamet.
Acoustics
augait
augait
tisi.
Cinema
UHF Chooses an HDTV
Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading
the block. Enough, already!
W
e’ve written extensively
on our long search for a
new TV. Every time we
thought we had found
the perfect one, our hopes were dashed.
Yet it was time to choose. We might be
buying obsolescence, but that’s how it is
with high-tech.
Choosing a technology
Each time a new technology has been
announced, we’ve rushed to get a look at
it, and a number of developments made
us hopeful. They also made us hesitate,
because at each step we figured there was
something better around the corner.
But that corner is still way, way down
Choosing a brand
And so it would be a plasma, but
which one?
Several companies have de-emphasized plasma, and that caused us to write
them off. For example Toshiba, which
at one time made the best plasma sets
available, have gone entirely to LCD
panels. Sharp, which has impressed us
with both LCD and plasma, seems to be
putting most of its eggs into the LCD
basket.
If money is no object — and we are
not quite in a position to say that, if only
because we have other upgrades coming
up — Pioneer’s Kuro plasmas seem like
a particularly excellent choice. “Kuro” is
Japanese for “black,” and Pioneer boasts
that its panels have the blackest blacks of
any set, giving lots of punch to images.
Anyone who has seen good HD material
on a Kuro might be tempted to agree.
Pioneer was on our short list, then,
but we had some concerns, even aside
from the fact that Kuros cost perhaps
two and a half times as much as the competition. In March Pioneer announced
it would cease making plasma panels,
and would instead buy them from
Panasonic. Is “Kuro” then nothing more
than a brand name, like Sony’s Bravia or
Toshiba’s Regza? The company says its
proprietary drivers and filters will still
be used, but that outsourcing the panels
will save it money. Will that saving be
passed on to the consumer? We don’t
want to seem cynical, but we weren’t
born yesterday either.
So what else is there? Well, there’s
Panasonic itself, of course, and its plasma
panels have pretty good blacks too. For
half the price of a Kuro, we could get
an image with lots of snap as well. And
Samsung was an interesting possibility.
The newest Samsung plasmas boast a
“dynamic contrast” of a million-to-one,
The other drawback is image retention. Modern LCDs don’t have this
problem, which is why your computer
doesn’t really need a screen-saver, but
a plasma has a memory and will retain
what it “sees” for a while. That shows
up when you view a 4:3 movie, and then
go full screen. That’s temporary, fortunately, but leave a static image on the
screen for long periods — for instance
if you use the Samsung’s PC connection
for a video game — and the panel, like
an elephant, will never forget.
Installation and alignment
We were initially worried about
placement of our Thiel centre speaker.
We had designed and constructed a
platform, using Soundcare Superspikes,
to allow it to sit atop our Hitachi set, but
of course that can’t be done with the
much thinner plasma display. Ultimately
we found a solution. We positioned the
Samsung TV as high on the stand as it
would go, and that left just enough room
for the Thiel to slide underneath. In fact
we had a couple of centimeters to spare,
and we placed three small Superspikes
underneath it to decouple it acoustically
from the glass shelf.
One shelf down, our Sony player rests
on flat Tenderfeet. At left next to it is a
DVD recorder. On the bottom shelf,
which is wood, not glass, is the Moon
W-3 amplifier which drives the front left
and right speakers, and our VCR. The
preamp/processor and the other power
amplifiers are on a different rack.
We were pleased to see that the
Samsung has a standard IEC power jack,
and not the usual skinny captive power
cord. We left the included molded cord
in the box, and substituted a properly
shielded cord. Plasma screens take lots of
electricity, as noted, and you don’t want
to starve it for current at the source.
The Samsung has a demo mode,
whose goal is to make it seem brighter
than any other set on a big store floor, but
out of the box it is set to “movie” mode,
with a color space called Warm2. That,
it turns out, is the best mode available.
Like pretty much all large TV sets, the
Samsung comes with a host of features
to “enhance” the image, and thereby
crush all hope of making it resemble real
life: flesh tone setup, edge enhancement,
etc. It is to Samsung’s credit that these
settings are set to “off” right out of the
box.
The result was that, with no adjustments whatever, the first images we saw
were impressive indeed. Those images
were of HD television. We were pleased
to find that, with our own Super Antenna
attached, the Samsung pulled in a very
strong signal from the three Montreal
stations already broadcasting digitally.
Were the colors perfect? Not quite. If
traditional TV sets favor blues (a popular on-line blog titles its TV column
Blue Glow), the Samsung pushes red.
It doesn’t contaminate yellows with a
carrot orange, as many sets do, but
when it sees a red scene it really goes to
work. The ads for the Beijing Olympics,
with their rich crimsons, were certainly
impressive, but less stylistic material
was over the top. We spent some hours
making adjustments, shifting the color
Cinema
Feedback
ten times the gold standard of the cathode ray tube. Wow!
But we needed no research to figure
out that “dynamic” is a cheater word.
Samsung displays do have a “dynamic”
setting, and that setting does produce
deep blacks, if not quite on a par with
the Kuros. However this setting, which
involves turning off dark pixels as
needed, causes such major damage to
every other aspect of the picture that we
consider it to be a PR trick.
S o wou ld it b e Pa n a s on ic or
Samsung?
We spent some time looking at both.
We liked the richness and the snap of
the Panasonics, but we have yet to see
one adjusted for plausible colors, even
by Panasonic’s own people. There was
a liveliness to the Samsung that made
it more engaging. We selected the
PN50A550.
The screen size is 50 inches (127 cm),
considerably larger than the 42” (107 cm)
of our outgoing Hitachi TV, but there
was little choice but to go bigger. Small
plasmas are difficult to find, and almost
universally they offer inferior performance. Indeed, not long ago a set that
size would inevitably have only 720-line
resolution, on the (false) theory that with
that size panel no one could tell the difference anyway. A quick survey of available panels of 46” or less confirmed what
we had observed before: these smaller
sets are made to a lesser standard. Even
the smallest Kuros don’t look anything
like their larger brandmates.
The new TV would need a stand.
We wanted to avoid the current fashion
of tempered glass shelves, but they are
so common that we actually considered
custom-building our own. Finally we did
purchase a glass model of the same width
as our TV. It is massive, able to support
our 50 kg set on its heavy steel backbone.
We fitted it with industrial-grade casters
so that we could move it if we needed
to.
Plasmas have a couple of downsides,
and of course we knew about them.
One of them is heat. Get your face
near the panel surface, and you’ll feel
the blazing heat radiation. Naturally,
this excess heat is also accompanied by
excess use of electricity. Plasma is the
Hummer of television.
balance away from red, and also reduc- brain-dead DVD producers figured that
ing the color saturation. More touchups the black bar at the bottom would be a
would be made once we got down to our terrific place to put the subtitles.
group evaluation.
We missed one of our Hitachi set’s
features. It had several color presets,
arbitrarily labelled Movie, Sports, News,
etc., which could be adjusted separately.
An input could then be associated with
a given preset. The Samsung doesn’t
permit that. Analog TV channels were
rather too brilliant, but we opted to align
It was a good thing we had bought
the set for higher quality HD material.
a bigger set, but even so these images
You may recall that, in UHF No. 82,
look rather small, and with the greater
we reviewed our then new Sony BDPresolution of the set, you can also see that
S300 Blu-ray player, and compared it
That worked more or less fine on they’re not sharp.
to our Moon Stellar player. Though we old TV sets, but on newer sets, those
What to do? We wished the Samsung
considered the Moon to be possibly the with 16:9 widescreens, what you saw was had a true zoom mode, but in fact it
best DVD player ever made, we were this.
doesn’t. We could enlarge the image very
We
don’t well
meanthe
this Sony
version,
PDF, by switching from “Just Scan”
surprised
by how
didbecause you already know how it works. It’s a slightly
and
you
open
it
with
Adobe
reader,
etc.
even with conventional DVDs. Still, the
(which shows every pixel) to 16:9, but
But
we in
also
haveway.
a paid electronic version, which is complete, without banners
like
Moon was
better
every
that damaged
sharpness. When we used
this
one,
or
articles
in
fluent
gibberish.
But that was with a conventional
what is supposed to be a zoom mode,
That one,using
because
it is complete, has to be ordered with a credit card. To open
analog connection,
a three-cable
the image proportions were altered,
it,
you
also
have
to
download
a plugin for your copy of Adobe Reader or Acrobat.
component cable from the Moon’s
making objects slightly elongated along
You’ll
receive
a user right
name to
andthe
password to allow you to download your full copy
of
Faroudja
DCDi
processor
the horizontal
axis.
the
magazine.
You’ll
need
the
same
user
name
and
password
the
first
time
you
open
TV. The Samsung can of course be
The good side is that at least you’ll
the that
magazine
on but
your
computer,
first that’s
time. After
that, it works
any be able to see the subtitles.
connected
way too,
like
modern but only
Of the
course
intolerable,
but like
always
other
PDF.
video components it has all-digital there’s a problem even if you don’t need
(In case you’re wondering, the charFor details,
visit our
Edition
page. Since
To buy
an issue
or are
subscribe,
visit in our images are Marlon Brando
subtitles.
some
pixels
set acters
HDMI inputs.
Connecting
theElectronic
Sony to the
MagZee.
it digitally
resulted in a stunning per- aside for subtitles, they are not available and Jean Simmons in a scene from Guys
formance enhancement we simply had for the image itself. And so the image, and Dolls. The film has since been renot expected. With HDMI, the Blu-ray instead of using the 480 vertical lines released in anamorphic format, and we
player is far superior, offering a larger available in NTSC, are perhaps 350 have our fingers crossed for Blu-ray.)
range of both tones and colors. Clearly, lines high, with a severe reduction in
resolution. That was bad enough on an Taking it for a test run
it was time to retire the Stellar.
We hope you’ll want to read the
Which was just as well, because its analog set, but it rather jumps out at you
transport was beginning to act up, not on a modern digital TV. With a typical entire review of this TV display, availfor the first time, frequently freezing up. widescreen movie you should see it filling able in our print issue, and also in our
paid electronic issue.
It wouldn’t play even audio CDs reliably, the screen, like this.
frequently skipping tracks. As we write
this the player is back at Simaudio, but its
Philips transport has been long disconfacipsum esequat. Ut lan veliquat praese
tinued, and for that reason the Stellar’s
future remains uncertain.
Using the Sony player for convenrtiscil lamconsequat wismod modion vel
tional DVDs revealed a problem, caused
not by the player itself but by the alltisi.
digital combination of player and TV.
The subtitles are clipped once again
An hendreet nonsenim dit, ver susA lot of DVDs were not designed for
modern TV sets. We’ve known this for in this 16:9 view, but not to worry, trud dunt utet autem quam, sis augue
years, but now the problem shows up a because this is not what you’ll see on a magniam consequat adipis adiam, consed
16:9 set with a digital connection. The te ming esent loborper iure commodio
little differently.
The problem involves subtitles. set maps the source pixels to its own commodit lum zzriure vullumsan henim
When a widescreen movie is shown on pixels, and therefore what you see is the iustin utatum vel ilis aut loborperilla
a plain vanilla 4:3 set, there are black view below. Room is left for subtitles, feum do odolore commodolore dolore
dolesto eu feu feu feuipsu scipit ad molbars above and below the picture. Some even if they aren’t turned on.
Cinema
Feedback
Cinema
Feedback
orem ex ero odolobore dolobortie digna
tat.
do odit ilis dipit do euis eui te feugait nia-
mcom modolor perilluptat. To commy
Cinema
Feedback
elenisi.
luptat.
ismodoloreet at.
augait.
tisi.
tat.
ex et enisit.
Back Issues
THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION:
Issues No.7-19 (except 11, 15, 17 and 18, out of
print): nine issues available for the price of five
(see below). A piece of audio history. Available
separately at the regular price.
No.84: Digital streaming: the awesome Linn
Klimax DS and the Off-Ramp Turbo 2 interface.
Also: the classic Harbeth HL5 speaker, the
affordable Moon CD-1 and i-1 amplifier, and
a great phono stage from Aurum. Plus: UHF
chats with Linn’s Gilad Tiefenbrun and Harbeth’s
Alan Shaw, Paul Bergman discusses signals for
acoustic measurement, and we look at the prospects for 3-D…at home and in the cinema.
No.83: Digital: The dramatically-styled Raysonic
CD128 and an absurdly low-cost player from
VisionQuest. Other reviews: The Moon LP5.3
phono stage, the Castle Richmond 7i speaker,
the upscale Mavros cables from Atlas, and a
retest of the Power Foundation III line filter, with
a better power cord this time. Plus: The acoustics
of speaker placement, the two meanings of video
image contrast, and a portrait of super tenor
Placido Domingo.
No.82: Amplifiers: A large sweet tube amplifier
from Audio Space, the Reference 3.1, and the
reincarnation of an old favorite, the Sugden A21.
Digital: Bryston's first CD player, and the Blue
Circle "Thingee," with USB at one end and lots of
outputs at the other end. Plus: the BC Acoustique
A3 speaker, a small subwoofer, two more London
phono cartridges, line filters from AudioPrism
and BIS, a blind test of three interconnects, Paul
Bergman on soundproofing, and a thorough test
of Sony's new-generation Blu-ray player
No.81: Digital: The newest two-box CD player
from Reimyo, and the magical Linn Majik
player. Headphones a new version of our long
time reference headphones, from the Koss pro
division, and the affordable SR-125 headphones
from Grado. Plus: The astonishing Sonogram
loudspeakers from Gershman, a small but lovely
tube integrated amplifier from CEC, and the
London Reference phono cartridge.
No.79: Digital players: Simaudio’s flagship
DVD (and CD) player, the Calypso, and Creek’s
surprising economy EVO player. Phono stages:
A slick tube unit from Marchand, and the superb
Sonneteer Sedley, with USB input and output.
Plus: the talented JAS Oscar loudspeakers, the
Squeezebox plus our own monster power supply.
Also: Bergman on what absorbs sound and what
doesn’t, what’s next in home theatre, Vegas
2007, and the secrets of the harmonica.
No.78: Integrated amplifiers: the affordable
Creek EVO, and the (also affordable) Audio
Space AS-3i. Loudspeaker cables: six of them
from Atlas and Actinote, in a blind test. Plus:
the astonishing Aurum Acoustics Integris 300B
complete system, and its optional CD player/
preamplifier. Whew! Also: Bergman on taming
reverberation, how to put seven hours of uncompressed music on just one disc, and the one
opera that even non-opera people know.
No.77: Electronics: The Simaudio Moon P-8
preamplifier, the successor to the legendary
Bryston 2B power amp, the Antique Sound Lab
Lux DT phono stage. Plus: the Reimyo DAP-777
converter, an affordable CD player/integrated
No.76: Loudspeakers: a new look at the modern
version of the Totem Mani-2, an affordable ELAC
speaker with a Heil tweeter, and the even more
affordable Castle Richmond 3i. Plus headphone
amps from Lehmann, CEC and Benchmark, a
charger that can do all your portables, and the
Squeezebox 3, which gets true hi-fi music from
your computer to your stereo system. Bergman
on speaker impedance and how to measure it.
No.75: Amplifiers: The new Simaudio Moon W-8
flagship, and integrated amps from Copland (the
CTA-405) and CEC. Speakers: the Reference 3a
Veena and the Energy Reference Connoisseur
reborn. Plus the Benchmark DAC converter. And
also: Bergman on the changing concept of hi-fi
and stereo, a chat with FIM’s Winston Ma, and
the rediscovery of a great Baroque composer,
Christoph Graupner.
No.74: Amplifiers: Mimetism 15.2, Qinpu A-8000,
Raysonic SP-100, Cyrus 8vs and Rogue Stereo
90. More reviews: Atlantis Argentera speaker,
Cyrus CD8X player, GutWire MaxCon 2 line
filter, Harmony remote, Music Studio 10 recording software. Cables: Atlas, Stager, BIS and
DNM, including a look at how length affects
digital cables. Plus: the (hi-fi) digital jukebox,
why HDTV doesn’t always mean what you think,
and Reine Lessard on The Man Who Invented
Rock’n’Roll.
No.73: Integrated amplifiers: Audiomat Récital
and Exposure 2010S. Analog: Turntables
from Roksan (Radius 5) and Goldring (the
Rega-designed GR2), plus two cartridges, and
four phono stages from CEC, Marchand and
Goldring. The Harmonix Reimyo CD player,
Audiomat Maestro DAC, ASW Genius 400
speakers, and the Sonneteer BardOne wireless
system. Plus: Paul Bergman on the making of an
LP and why they don’t all sound the same, and
compressing video so it looks (almost) like film.
No.72: Music from data: We look at ways you
can make your own audiophile CDs with equipment you already have, and we test a DAC that
yields hi-fi from your computer. We review the
new Audio Reference speakers, the updated
Connoisseur single-ended tube amp, upscale
Actinote cables, and Gershman’s Acoustic Art
panels. How to tune up your system for an inexpensive performance boost. And much more.
No.71: Three small speaker: Reference 3a
Dulcet, Totem Rainmaker, and a low cost speaker
from France. We do a complex blind cable test:
five cables from Atlas, and one Wireworld cable
with different connectors (Eichmann, WBT nextgen, and Wireworld). The McCormack UDP-1
universal player, muRata super tweeters, the
Simaudio I-3 amp and Equinox CD player. Paul
Bergman reveals the philosophical differences
behind two-channel stereo and multichannel.
No.70: How SACD won the war…or how DVD-A
blew it. Reviews: Linn Unidisk 1.1 universal
player and Shanling SCD-T200 player. Speakers:
Reference 3a Royal Virtuoso, Equation 25,
Wilson Benesch Curve. Other reviews: Simaudio
W-5LE amp, the iPod as an audiophile source.
Plus: future video screens, and the eternal music
of George Gershwin
No.69: Tube Electronics: Audiomat Opéra ,
Connoisseur SE-2 and Copland CSA29 integrated amps, and Shanling SP-80 monoblocks.
Audiomat's Phono-1.5, Creek CD50, a great new
remote control, GutWire's NotePad antivibration
device, and a music-related computer game that
made us laugh out loud. Paul Bergman on the
return of the tube, and how music critics did their
best to kill the world’s greatest music.
No.68: Loudspeakers: Thiel CS2.4, Focus
Audio FS688, Iliad B1. Electronics:Vecteur
I-6.2 and Audiomat Arpège integrated amplifiers, Copland 306 multichannel tube preamp,
Rega Fono MC. Also: Audio Note and Copland
CD players, GutWire MaxCon power filter. And
there’s more: all about power supplies, what’s
coming beyond DVD, and a chat with YBA’s
Yves-Bernard André.
No.67: Loudspeakers: An improved Reference
3a MM de Capo, and the Living Voice Avatar
OBX-R. Centre speakers from Castle, JMLab,
ProAc, Thiel, Totem and Vandersteen. One of
them joins our Kappa system. Two multichannel
amps from Copland and Vecteur. Plus: plans for
a DIY platform for placing a centre speaker atop
any TV set, Paul Bergman on the elements of
acoustics, and women in country music.
No.66: Reviews: the Jadis DA-30 amplifier, the
Copland 305 tube preamp and 520 solid state
amp. Plus: the amazing Shanling CD player,
Castle Stirling speakers, and a remote control
that tells you what to watch. Also: Bergman on
biwiring and biamplification, singer Janis Ian’s
alternative take on music downloading, and a
chat with Opus 3’s Jan-Eric Persson.
No.65: Back to Vinyl: setting up an analog
system, reviews of Rega P9 turntable, and
phono preamps from Rega, Musical Fidelity
and Lehmann. The Kappa reference system for
home theatre: choosing our HDTV monitor, plus
a review of the Moon Stellar DVD player. Antivibration: Atacama, Symposium, Golden Sound,
Solid-Tech, Audioprism, Tenderfeet. Plus an
interview with Rega’s turntable designer, and a
look back at what UHF was like 20 years ago.
No.64: Speakers: Totem M1 Signature and
Hawk, Visonik E352. YBA Passion Intégré amp,
Cambridge IsoMagic (followup), better batteries
for audio-to-go. Plus: the truth about upsampling,
an improvement to our LP cleaning machine, an
interview with Ray Kimber.
No.63: Tube amps: ASL Leyla & Passion
A11. Vecteur Espace speakers, 2 interconnects (Harmonic Technology Eichmann),
5 speaker cables (Pierre Gabriel, vdH ,
Harmonic Technology, Eichmann), 4 power
cords (Wireworld, Harmonic Technology,
Eichmann, ESP). Plus: Paul Bergman on
soundproofing, how to compare components
in the store, big-screen TV’s to stay away
from, a look back at the Beatles revolution.
No.62: Amplifiers: Vecteur I-4, Musical Fidelity
Nu-Vista M3, Antique Sound Lab MG-S11DT.
Passive preamps: Creek and Antique Sound
Lab. Vecteur L-4 CD player. Interconnects: VdH
Integration, Wireworld Soltice. Plus: the right to
copy music, for now. Choosing a DVD player by
features. And all about music for the movies.
transferring LP to CD, the truth on digital radio,
digital cinema vs MaxiVision 48.
No.58: Amplifiers: ASL AQ1003, Passion I10
& I11, Rogue 88, Jadis Orchestra Reference,
Linar 250. Headphone amps: Creek, Antique
Sound Lab, NVA, Audio Valve. Plus: Foundation
Research LC-2 line filter, Gutwire power cord,
Pierre Gabriel ML-1 2000 cable. And: building
your own machine to clean LP’s.
No.57: Speakers: Dynaudio Contour 1.3,
Gershman X-1/SW-1, Coincident Super Triumph
Signature, Castle Inversion 15, Oskar Aulos.
PLUS: KR 18 tube amp. Music Revolution: the
next 5 years. Give your Hi-Fi a Fall Tune-Up.
No.56: Integrated amps: Simaudio I-5, Roksan
Caspian, Myryad MI120, Vecteur Club 10, NVA
AP10 Also: Cambridge T500 tuner, Totem Forest.
Phono stages: Creek, Lehmann, Audiomat.
Interconnects: Actinote, Van den Hul, Pierre
Gabriel. Plus: Paul Bergman on power and current…why you need both
No.55: CD players: Linn CD12, Copland
CDA-289, Roksan Caspian, AMC CD8a. Other
reviews: Enigma Oremus speaker, Magenta
ADE-24 black box. Plus: the DSD challenge for
the next audio disc, pirate music on the Net, the
explosion of off-air video choices.
No.54: Electronics: Creek A52se, Simaudio W-3
and W-5 amps. Copland CSA-303, Sima P-400
and F.T. Audio preamps (two of them passive).
Musical Fidelity X-DAC revisited, Ergo AMT
phones, 4 line filters, 2 interconnects..
No.53: Loudspeakers:Reference 3a Intégrale,
Energy Veritas v2.8, Epos ES30, Totem Shaman,
Mirage 390is, Castle Eden. Paul Bergman on
biamping, biwiring, balanced lines, and more.
No.52: CD players: Alchemist Nexus, Cambridge
CD6, YBA Intégré, Musical Fidelity X-DAC,
Assemblage DAC-2. Subwoofers: Energy ES-8
and NHT PS-8. Plus: Paul Bergman on reproducing deep bass, and behind digital television.
No.51: Integrated amps: YBA Intégré DT,
Alchemist Forseti, Primare A-20, NVA AP50
Cambridge A1. CD players: Adcom GCD-750,
Rega Planet. An economy system to recommend
to friends, ATI 1505 5-channel amp, Bergman on
impedance, why connectors matter, making your
own power bars.
Room
Listening
Feedback
No.80: Equipment reviews: From Linn, the
Artikulat 350A active speakers, the updated
LP12 turntable, the Klimax Kontrol preamplifier,
and the Linto phono stage; ASW Genius 300
speakers, ModWright preamp and phono stage.
Also: Bergman on absorbing low frequencies,
emerging technologies for home theatre, and
coverage of the Montreal Festival.
amp pair from CEC, and five power cords. Also:
Paul Bergman on room size and acoustics, how
to dezone foreign DVDs, and how to make your
own 24/96 high resolution discs at home.
No.50: CD: Cambridge DiscMagic/DACMagic,
Primare D-20, Dynaco CDV Pro. Analog: Rega
Planar 9, Linn LP12 after 25 years. Also: Moon
preamp, Linn Linto phono stage, Ergo and Grado
headphones. Speaker cables: Linn K-400,
Sheffield, MIT 750 Also: 15 years of UHF.
No.49: Power amps: Simaudio Moon, Bryston 3B
ST, N.E.W. DCA-33, plus the Alchemist Forseti
amp and preamp, and McCormack Micro components. Our new Reference 3a Suprema II reference speakers, and a followup on the Copland
277 player. Plus: how HDCD really works.
No.61: Digital: Audiomat Tempo and Cambridge
Isomagic DACs, Vecteur D-2 transport. Speakers:
Osborn Mini Tower and Mirage OM-9. Soundcare
Superspikes. And: new surround formats, dezoning DVD players.
No.48: Loudspeakers: JMLabs Daline 3.1,
Vandersteen 3a, Totem Tabù, Royd Minstrel.
CD: Cambridge CD4, Copland CDA-277. A
interview with the founder of a Canadian audiophile record label.
No.60: Speakers: Monitor Audio Silver 9,
Reference 3a MM De Capo, Klipsch RB-5,
Coincident Triumph Signature. Plus: a Mirage
subwoofer and the Audiomat Solfège amp. Paul
Bergman on reproducing extreme lows.
No.47: FM tuners: Magnum Dynalab MD-108,
Audiolab 8000T, Fanfare FT-1. Speaker cables:
QED Qudos, Wireworld Equinox and Eclipse,
MIT MH-750. Parasound C/BD-2000 transport
and D/AC-2000 converter. Upgrading your
system for next to nothing.
No.59: CD players: Moon Eclipse, Linn Ikemi and
Genki, Rega Jupiter/Io, Cambridge D500. Plus:
Oskar Kithara speaker, with Heil tweeter. And:
To see older issues:
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Rendezvous
Keith Eichmann on Cables
travel to the 2008 edition of CES in Vegas,
which is where UHF caught up with him.
K
eith Eichmann is the mind
behind Eichmann Technologies
International, which markets
the products he designs worldwide. From his home base in Australia, Keith
has come up with a number of controversial
concepts, which have led to actual products.
One such concept is that audio connectors have far too much metal in them, and
that it is better to keep the metal to a strict
minimum, choosing instead to use better
materials, notably pure copper. The result
are the ETI Bullet Plug and the Bayonet
Banana, which are mostly plastic. Keith’s
theory appears to be correct, because cables
terminated with these connectors sound
demonstrably superior to those made with
conventional connectors. Read about one
relevant comparison in this very issue.
Keith Eichmann has developed other
hypotheses concerning vibration, resonance
and grounding, which have led to such
products as the new ETI Quiessence cables,
reviewed in this issue.
Keith Eichmann is mostly content to
work in his own lab in Australia, but he did
UHF: How did you become an audiophile?
Eichmann: That’s a good question. It
seemed to be a passion I always had,
going back to more than 30 years ago.
I really liked music. I still remember
my first set of speakers, DCM Time
Windows. Then I had some professional
Bose-style speakers, with nine drivers.
UHF: With most of them facing the other
way?
Eichmann: Yes, except that it didn’t have
the compensation box…
UHF: The equalizer.
Eichmann: The equalizer, yes. My first
amplifier was the NAD 3020, but modified by Alan Wright. That was when I
met Wright. This would have been in
the early 80’s.
UHF: Did you have a musical childhood?
Eichmann: Not really. At that time,
to have a stereo system was accessible
only to adults. It all happened in my
late teens.
UHF: Did you anticipate that your passion
for music might turn into a career?
Eichmann: No, not at all. For many
years I was reading technical magazines,
trying to develop my electronics skills, to
understand electronics. My background
is in mathematics. I would try to understand the intricacies of circuit design.
UHF: But at that point it was still a
hobby.
Eichmann: Yes, absolutely.
UHF: What were you then doing to pay for
hi-fi gear and put bread on the table?
Eichmann: Well, one has the usual sort
of job. Mine was in banking and computing. I’m a systems analyst by profession.
I guess I have an analytical mind, which
is part of my math background.
UHF: At least part of what you have said,
and what your company makes, cuts across
the generally held beliefs of audio. When did
you begin to deviate from those mainstream
beliefs?
Yo u r
System
Belongs on the Wall
Target One and Two-Shelf
Wall Stands
at
The Audiophile Store
then inserted and glued in the metal
pins. That was to test the hypothesis.
UHF: You tested it by listening?
Eichmann: Yes, absolutely, you must
always listen. But you must always be
careful with the quality control of the
product you are prototyping.
UHF: Otherwise you are introducing
variables you don’t want.
Eichmann: We try to minimize those.
Quality control is always important.
The listening test indicated that the
hypothesis was correct, and the results
speak for themselves.
UHF: It must have been a natural step to go
from the Bullet Plug to the Bayonet Banana,
which also contains the strict minimum of
metal.
Eichmann: Yes, the principle was the
same. If you control the flow of electrons
down the river, they will flow easily
toward their destination. Of course there
are many other considerations that must
be taken into account. The plug must
be able to handle the current. But the
principle is to keep the mass to a minimum, because the more mass you have
the greater the chaos, and the harder it
is to control that river.
UHF: Materials are important?
Eichmann: Materials are important
up to a point. You can have the best
materials, but if you have impedance
bottlenecks they will be no better than
the worst materials. Good material
used in a good design will sound better
than the very best materials in a lesser
design.
UHF: You’ve experimented with different
materials?
Eichmann: Yes I have. I can say that
the connectors for the Quiessence
Rendezvous
Feedback
Eichmann: I never actually deviated.
They were there. I got pictures of something else. I did have visions of designs.
The fact they happened to be different
from the usual…it was just one of those
things. Perhaps that’s why most of my
designs are not “in the box.” They seem
to be outside of the box, and I guess that’s
what makes them unique.
UHF: Such as the Bullet Plug.
Eichmann: Yes, people have written
that, in 50 years of the existence of
phono plugs, this is the first one that has
revolutionized it.
UHF: You brought something new to wires
too. One of the phenomena associated with
your name is the Eichmann ratio, which
prescribes that one conductor of a pair must
be larger than the other by a particular
amount. How did you come up with that?
Eichmann: That came after the Bullet
Plug. I think in terms of electron flow.
I can actually visualize the electronics
flowing, and looking at the main conductor and the return, that just made
complete sense. The conclusion seemed
natural, and the proof of the pudding is
that it works.
UHF: But conventional wisdom was always
that the correct ratio between conductors
was 1:1.
Eichmann: Was it? You see, I didn’t
know that. Perhaps that was why my
thinking was outside the box.
UHF: How did you come up with the Bullet
plug, and the fact that having a lot of metal
in a plug was not the great idea that everyone
thought?
Eichmann: In physics, you are actually
looking inside of things. Electrons flow
inside the plug, and it seemed completely
natural that this was the best way to do
it. I was looking at the problem from an
electron-flow point of view. If you have
many rivers running into one point, you
get confusion at the point where they
come together. If you keep it to one
single river, you have a proper flow. If you
have many drains going into one pipe,
the pipe can get saturated, get congested
and overflow. There’s chaos. Does that
make sense?
UHF: That’s theory of course. We presume
you actually built such a connector and tested
it to see whether you were right.
Eichmann: Yes. We built a simple connector from plastic with two holes, and
Feedback
Rendezvous
range of cables have
been optimized in
design and materials, for ma x imu m
performance.
UHF: There’s a big
step between having
an idea, or even an
invention, and starting
a company. How did the
company come about?
Eichmann: Initially
I was doing everything by myself, and
that’s not really the
appropriate way to
do it. You really need
people who can be
with you, who have
st reng t hs — for
instance in marketing — and have the
b a n k a c c o u nt t o
make things happen.
There’s a certain cost
to starting up, and to
surviving at least for
the first year.
U H F: How do you
go about finding those
people, and persuading
them that you know
something about connectors that other people
don’t?
Eichmann: I believe
I’ve been fortunate to
have met people who also had a passion.
They could see that, yes, I knew what I
was talking about. I was fortunate, and
I should be very thankful. Those are
the people I’m with now, the Eichmann
Technologies International team.
UHF: It’s also a big leap from a connector to
a cable. You made that leap quite early on.
Eichmann: Oh yes, that was the Eichmann ratio. I used to call it the Eichmann formula, because to me it was
a mathematical formula. Just as you
derive a formula for the cross-sectional
area of a wire, so I derived a formula
for the ratio. Once again, you come up
a hypothesis, develop the formula from
the hypothesis, and apply it.
The Eichmann ratio works, and many
others are using it in various forms.
UHF: Not always with acknowledgement.
Eichmann: That’s correct, but we
have now moved on from that in the
new Quiessence range. It’s a dramatic
enhancement on that formula. We
now go into the heart of the physics
of electronics. We apply Ohm’s Law,
because everything is resistance, or at
least resistance at a given frequency. If
it is supplied wisely, you have the desired
result.
UHF: Why Quiessence?
Eichmann: Quiessence is a calm state,
or in electronics terms a zero-volt state.
This is the state that all electronic
engineers would like their ground to be
at. That’s the principle applied to these
cables — if we can keep the reactance to
a minimum in every instance of signal
transfer from one end to the other,
with minimum interaction between
ground and signal, we
have somet hing close
to a transmission line.
“I’m leaving now…please
receive me at the other
end, and amplify me.”
UHF: You’ve also given
a lot of impor tance to
the phenomenon of cable
vibration.
Eichmann: Absolutely,
because we’re dealing
with an electrical environment, but it is also a
mechanical environment.
A resonance can become
part of t he elect rical
change, with a result that
is quite noticeable in the
sound. So we have devices
such as the Topper, which
goes atop equipment, or
the current AC-enhancing cable. The cable also
controls electrical resonance, which we can call
noise. In a speaker, a
standing-wave resonance
is like the ringing of a
bell. You don’t want that
in audio.
UHF: So you use resonators
to drain them off.
Eichmann: Not so much
to drain them off as to
keep them controlled,
to prevent them from
becoming standing waves at a particular
frequency, and contaminating the sound.
In the AC cable, resonance control helps
prevent the power transformer from
becoming saturated to the point where
hysteresis occurs. You want the circuits
to be able to work as they were designed
to work, without outside interference.
UHF: Not long ago your company was a
small one in Australia, which is a long way
from the centre of gravity of high end audio.
Are you surprised that your ideas have been
picked up and even imitated by some of the
best-known companies in the world?
Eichmann: It’s very interesting, isn’t
it? What that really means is that some
of the leading minds in the audio world
agree with these processes, otherwise
they wouldn’t be doing it. I suppose we
should be flattered.
Class, eh!
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Nuts&Bolts
Music From Your Computer
N
o, that’s not an LP being
played by a strange tone
arm. It is the inside of
a computer hard drive.
And it may be, after the LP and the
Compact Disc, your next format for
music. Perhaps it already is.
Using a computer as a music source
has a bad reputation, for understandable reasons. First, putting music on
a computer generally means listening
to compressed music. Second, getting
music out of the computer and into
a good stereo system is difficult to do
without it suffering grievous damage.
We need hardly repeat what we have
always maintained: there’s nothing in an
audio system more important than the
source. If the source is contaminated, or
if it is missing information, none of that
will get fixed downstream.
However, as Bob Dylan once sang
in a slightly different context, the times
they are a-changin’, and even for many
demanding audiophiles the computer
is where their music will live, not a
bookshelf. There are several reasons for
this, and it appears to be an irreversible
trend.
It is tempting to suppose that the
stampede toward music on hard drive
began with the runaway success of the
iPod. The advantage was perhaps less
obvious with the original iPod, which
had just 5 Gigabytes of space on its
bulky hard drive. As it grew in capacity,
however (the maximum available is now
120 GB, down from 160 GB), those who
adopted it were astonished by the experience of having dozens and even hundreds
of complete albums no more than a turn
of the click wheel away.
The iPod is not, and never has been,
the only portable player, and it was not
the first one either, but it dominates the
market. The newest ones have added a
visual interface which mimics convincingly what you see when you actually
look for music on a shelf. This is the
can be hundreds of times greater than
that of a portable player. It is, indeed,
virtually unlimited.
image of a music collection on an iPod
touch: a set of album covers that you can
peruse by simply flicking them with a
finger.
If you haven’t tried this, the effect is
more than a little surprising. It lets you
experience how Aladdin must have felt
with the genie of the lamp at his command. You have but to do little more
than think of a piece of music you want
to hear, and it is there.
That said, though the iPod has
become astonishingly good — especially
the ones with solid state memory, which
is to say nearly all of them — it is not a
state of the art music source, nor can it
be at the price. Some companies, such
as MSB and Wadia have worked hard,
not without success, to modify the iPod
or to find some other way to get a relatively pristine digital signal from it, but
this has turned into a largely pointless
exercise. You can obtain better results
using your computer as a repository for
your music, and the computer’s capacity
But do you have a computer?
They still speak of the one-time
prophecy, by an IBM executive, Cuthbert Hurd, that the maximum market
size for computers in the United States
would eventually be…thirty! Today,
most people who are able to afford
some sort of music system also have a
computer, for the Internet has made it
as necessary as the telephone. To be sure,
there are those who use the computer at
the library or Internet café, just as there
are people who rely on the vanishing
public phone booth.
Though high quality computers can
be expensive, others can be obtained for
as little as $400. True, they are shoddy,
frustrating to use and disposable, but
they may do. Add an Internet connection, and perhaps a wireless router,
though the latter can come later.
And then what you need is some hard
drive space. Lots and lots of hard drive
space.
How will you get the music off?
Once you have a huge amount of your
music on your drive, how will you play
it? You won’t want to use the computer’s
own sound card unless you’re a glutton
for punishment. But what other methods
are there?
In fact it doesn’t matter.
There are today all kinds of ways.
You could use the sound card, or the
computer’s built-in sound chip, despite
our warning just now. You could use
your home network plus a device such
as the Logitech Squeezebox or the Apple
Airport Express. You could use a USB
device such as the Blue Circle Thingee,
with or without your own high-quality
converter. You could use one of Linn’s
digital streaming devices. The list goes
on, but you shouldn’t make assumptions
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Devices such as the Linn DS devices
don’t recognize it. FLAC works with all
present-day computers but not with the
iPod. Nor does WMA. What’s recognized now may not be later.
That leaves the uncompressed standards, and hard drive space is now so
cheap that we recommend you store
music uncompressed.
Even so, there are two possible
standards, AIFF (Apple Interchange file
Format) and WAV (Waveform Audio
Format). They are nearly identical, with
changes only in byte order. Windows
PCs and Macs can read both versions,
and so both are suitable.
At one time, incidentally, it was difficult to transfer a CD track to a computer;
if you dragged it to your desktop you got
only a pointer to the original, which had
nothing to point to once you ejected the
CD. Modern operating systems “know”
you want to have the track itself rather
than a pointer, and so if you drag a track,
it will turn it into either a WAV or an
AIFF file, depending on which computer
you have.
How much hard drive space?
We know that a blank CD-R has 700
megabytes of free space on it. Not all of
that space is actually needed for music,
and so we can suppose that a typical CD
will contain 600 MB of music (we are
assuming, here, that you will be storing
albums, not individual songs, but if that’s
not the case the math is easy to do). It
would be half that with lossless compression, but we’ll return to that later.
Very large hard drives, with capacities of 500 GB or even a terabyte
(1000 GB), are available at low cost, at
last by high end audio standards. One
of our favorite sources in the US currently offers a 500 MB drive for $115. A
terabyte is enough to hold nearly 1670
complete CDs, a good collection. Some
audiophiles are going further, buying
boxes that can contain several plug-in
hard drives. In some units they are
actually hot swappable. The possibility
of having many thousands of albums
literally at your fingertips is no longer a
pipe dream.
You will, however, need more space
than just what your music collection will
take up.
What you will be entering into is a
long process of transferring music from
your CDs to your hard drive, though this
can be done while you’re doing something else, like sipping your coffee. You
won’t want to envisage doing it twice.
Trouble is, hard drives are mortal. What
if yours dies, taking all your music with
it?
And it will die. The fact that drives
keep getting bigger but cheaper is an
Nuts&Bolts
Feedback
Using compression
Think of audio compression and
you’ll probably think of MP3, the ubiquitous compression system that the online
pirates made famous, but which remains
the most common means of compressing music for efficient storage and
fast transmission. There are of course
others. Apple’s iTunes store favors AAC
(Advanced Audio Codec), which is part
of the MPEG 4 standard. Microsoft has
its own WMA (Windows Media Audio)
standard, and there are others, such as
the open source Ogg Vorbis. Need we
add that no genuine audiophile will
select lossy compression of any sort.
How bad is the damage? The bit rate
from a standard CD without compression
is 14,100 x 16 x 2, for a total of just over
1,411 kilobits/second. A typical MP3 has
a bit rate of 128 kbps, and even iTunes’
supposed high-quality downloads have
a rate of 256 kbps.
This is clearly unacceptable, but
lossless compression systems do exist,
and they work very well. Apple Lossless, supported by iTunes and the iPod,
is almost completely transparent. The
open-source FLAC (Free Lossless Audio
Codec) is excellent, and is available for
nearly all computer platforms. There is
also a lossless version of WMA. Which
should you select?
We suggest shunning them all,
because you are bound to regret your
choice someday.
There is no lossless compression
system that is compatible with everything.
Apple Lossless of course works on the
iPod and on Macintosh computers,
and it works on Windows computers
only through the free iTunes program.
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about how you will play this music three
years from now.
Why? Look back three years, and
see what technology was then available.
People were still doing their best to
make the iPod sound almost acceptable
through big speakers. What you don’t
know — and we don’t either — is what
will be available to you even in the near
future. What you want to do is begin
the work of transferring your music, and
doing it in a way that is both convenient
and future-proof.
We’re here to help.
Feedback
Nuts&Bolts
indication of quantit y, not qualit y.
Manufacturers quote an MTBF (mean
time before failure) of around 250,000
hours, but that’s 28 years! You know the
drive you’re buying hasn’t been tested
over three decades, and it isn’t going to
last that long either. You need a copy.
Cartridges and optical discs have
neither the reliability nor the capacity
to hold a large music library, and so the
only possibility is another hard drive
(good thing they’re cheap). Use backup
software as soon as there has been substantial change in your collection. For
the ultimate in security, keep a copy
off-site: at work, your mother’s place, or
even a safety deposit box. At that point
you are protected even against fire or
burglary, which is more than you can
say for your CD or vinyl collection.
Hard drive space will only expand
in the future of course. 5 TB isn’t that
far away…enough to hold over 8300
albums.
Ripping your albums
You don’t really need to know why
getting music off a CD is called ripping,
or do you?
The rest of this article can be found in
the complete print or electronic version
of UHF No. 84. Order the print issue
from www.uhfmag.com/IndividualIssue.html (it’s case sensitive). Or subscribe
at www.uhfmag.com/Subscription.html.
The electronic issue is available from
www.magzee.com.
We now cont inue in im itat ion
Latin.
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euguero ea feuguer suscing
enismod dolorero odiamco rtiscil lamconsequat wismod modion
vel ulputat. Utpation utpat augait am,
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Feedback
Nuts&Bolts
Cil et veraessisl utat, sed tio dionsendipit nit aliquisi eu facincidunt
lobor iure do ero dignit ullaortion
ute feugiat. Lorem eum iurer
iure tatue modigna feugait
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feugait niamcom modolor perilluptat. To commy
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sequipit augait lor se commodo lobore
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CDs
LPs
Accessories
Just for you
Feedback
Nuts&Bolts
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Listening Room
Sugden A21SE
S
ay, didn’t
we just do
t h is a mpl ifier? Not quite.
In UHF No. 82, didn’t we
review the A21a, the new version of this
classic amplifier? And wasn’t the original
A21 on the cover of UHF No. 28?
All true, but this is yet another
incarnation of the classic British manufacturer’s long running series. The “a”
on the previous one indicates a second
version, coming long after the original (if
it were a computer product it would have
been called “2.0”). The “SE” designation
is commonly used to indicate a “special
edition,” usually one with fancier parts
and a few extra tweaks. Fair enough,
except that this new A21 is $1750 more
expensive than the one we reviewed (and
which remains on the market). What’s
up with that?
Very simply, this is not merely a
tweaked version of the A21a. First of all,
it has somewhat more power, 30 watts per
channel into 8 ohms, compared to 25 for
the A21a. The heat sinks are therefore
heftier, and the power supply needs to be
as well. And then its bandwidth has been
broadened to three-and-half octaves
beyond
audibility, in order to
accommodate transients and avoid
slew-rate distortion. All of this adds to
the cost.
We have often mentioned the reasons
behind class A operation, but they may
possibly bear repeating. In a class A
amplifier, the complementary amplifying devices (transistors or tubes), which
operate in push-pull, work flat out during
the entire positive and negative cycle,
throwing away unneeded energy as heat.
This is not exactly a “green” choice, but
it eliminates a possible discontinuity
when a device amplifying the positive
half of the wave hands off to the one
amplifying the negative half. The other
advantage — or disadvantage depending on your point of view — is that the
amplifier always draws the same current
from its power supply no matter the
signal level, and so you don’t get the
signal modulated by variations in power
supply voltage, as you may with some
conventional (class AB) amplifiers.
The tradeoff? There’s heat, and lots
of it, more than this amplifier’s heat sinks
alone can handle. The front panel is
not disconnected
from t he heat dissipat ion
system, and so it too gets hot. And so, by
the way, do the knobs. We were happy
that the amplifier comes with a remote
control.
We did wish the remote were a nicer
one, befitting a luxury product. It looks
like the ones with $30 DVD players, and
it even comes with leak-prone “super
heavy duty” batteries that should be
banned. We would teach its commands
to a good universal remote.
The build quality of the amp itself,
is gorgeous. We did wish Sugden had
used better jacks. Don’t they believe that
matters? The output posts, on the other
hand, are in keeping with an amplifier
of this price. There is a “tape output,”
which of course bypasses the volume
control, and a “pre output,” which
doesn’t. This is all to the good.
Unlike the A21a this amp doesn’t
have the option of a phono stage. It does,
however, have an LTVS low-voltage
output, which can run Sugden’s own
outboard phono stage.
We did the listening test in our Alpha
room, figuring that our Living Voice
Avatar speakers could be happy with the
relatively modest power output of this
amplifier. Of course we began by listen-
the church, with sound seeming to come
from all about us. “With this amplifier
we’re standing in the doorway of the
church,” said Albert.
The next recording was the opposite,
a very soft solo harp. Well, it’s soft part of
the time, but harpist Susann McDonald
(Caprice, Klavier K11133) sometimes
shows off the impressive dynamic power
of her superb instrument. We played
Tournier’s Vers la source dans le bois, which
alternates between gossamer notes at
the threshold of audibility, and strong
swooping chords which remind us that
this is a very large instrument.
Both ends of the dynamic envelope
came through convincingly. Oh, the
harp wasn’t quite as touching as with
our reference, but the big chords had
plenty of energy, and the tiny notes
meant to evoke a gently flowing brook
were clear and delightful, with none of
the fogginess we have often heard on
this recording. “I can’t really say there’s
anything missing,” said Reine. “If I
hadn’t just heard our own reference, I
would have been perfectly content.”
But we had a bigger challenge in
mind, one of classic rock’s most iconic
recordings: the SACD version of Pink
Summing it up…
Brand/model: Sugden A21SE
Price: C$4999
Size (WDH): 43 x 31 x 12 cm
Rated power: 30 watts/channel into 8
ohms, 40 watts into 4 ohms
High-level inputs: 5, no tape loop
Most liked: Finesse and grace
Least liked: Hot front panel, cheap
remote, crosstalk between inputs
Verdict: For those with the system to
take advantage of it, this is it.
Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. We listened to On the Run, followed by Time.
We’re familiar with this justly famous
electroacoustic suite from the LP (which
we keep preciously), but the new digital
remix of the original multitrack tape has
emphasized some details that were in the
background in the original.
We were stunned by how well this
amplifier did on this challenging rock
recording, and that was despite the fact
that we didn’t go easy on the horsepower.
There was tremendous energ y and
detail. The rhythm, which is the key to
both the pieces, was strong. “You can
follow the runner and hear him breathe,”
said Reine. “This is the sound of life
beating.”
There were some alterations in
timbre, notably in the complex alarm
clock introduction of Time, but it
was hard to be sure which version
was intended by the producers, and it
remained startlingly clear and lifelike.
We had no reservations, however, and
we were surprised to conclude that this
Sugden is a rock’n’roll amplifier after
all.
But of course we wanted to hear a
female voice through this amplifier,
because that’s a challenge many amplifiers (and speakers, and CD players…) fail
to take up. Over to Margie Gibson and
You Keep Coming Back Like a Song from
her Say It With Music album (Sheffield
CD-36). You’d think it would be impossible to muck up a recording so touchingly beautiful, but of course our long
experience has taught us otherwise.
As with the Pink Floyd, this final
recording left us with not a single reservation. The piano introduction was
perfect, and Margie was there in our
room, with a three-dimensional presence. Her lyrics were clear, but without
exaggeration. At the bottom end, the
Room
Feedback
Listening
ing to our selected recordings with our
reference electronics: a Moon W-5LE
power amplifier driven by a Copland
CTA-305 tube preamp.
The first recording in the set was our
constant favorite, Now the Green Blade
Riseth (PRSACD-9093) in its Super
Audio version.
We selected the volume as we usually
do, by adjusting it until all three of us
were happy with what we heard. Once we
had listened to the recording, however,
we were less happy. Did the amplifier
need more volume to wake it up?
Now we should mention that, at one
time, 30 watts were enough to make a
muscle amp, and 50 watts were the audio
equivalent of a V-8 engine. But we are
more demanding today, aren’t we? We
hunted around for the “right” volume.
Too much and we could feel the amplifier
working hard. Too little and we were left
cold. There had to be a happy medium,
and there was, though it took a little
experimentation to find it.
And then it all worked pretty well.
There still wasn’t the wraparound sound
of our far more powerful Moon amplifier, and there was some foreshortening
of the depth, with the singers seeming
more forward. What we concentrated
on, though, was the beauty of the voices,
which were clear but without undue
emphasis. Subtler instruments, like the
flute, and the organ which comes in at
the very end, were well served, though
Reine was surprised by the sound of the
flute.
Well, how about a larger, harder-tomiss organ? We put on the Opus 3 disc
Organ Treasures (Opus 3 CD22031), and
specifically the famous Bach Toccata and
Fugue in D Minor. This SACD is a challenge for any amplifier, and for speakers
too.
The huge low-pitched chords came
through wonderfully well, with no sign
that the amplifier needed to work hard.
Oddly, it was with the smaller pipes that
there was the slightest sign of strain.
The reverberation and the fine details
all came through. “The bass is there,”
said Reine, “so is the majesty, and so is
the pomp.”
Of course the Sugden wasn’t about
to put our reference electronics in the
shade. Our reference had put us right in
cello and the bass were gorgeous. Yet
independently of these separate aspects,
the song just worked. We were delighted
to be ending on such a high note.
We took the Sugden into the lab for
a look at what the instruments would tell
us.
Would the A21SE meet its rated
power? It might have, had it been aligned
correctly, but the negative half of the
wave clipped before the positive half did.
That limited the useful power at 1 kHz
to 24.9 watts. It actually did marginally
better at 20 kHz, where it delivered
25.2 watts. At 20 Hz it produced considerable distortion at any level beyond
22 watts.
A class A amplifier should do well at
very low level, and this one does. At a
level barely above the noise, at 0.005 milliwatts, the signal wave looked perfect.
We figured that crosstalk between
adjacent inputs would be very low, since
switching is done with relays. We were
wrong. From 20 Hz to 1 kHz the leakage was at -51 dB, an unexpectedly poor
figure. At 10 kHz the crosstalk dropped
to a more acceptable -64 dB. That was
only slightly better than we had measured on the A21a. You won’t want to
allow one input to be fed, by a tuner or
digital player, while you’re listening to
another.
If you listen to this amplifier alongside the much more affordable A21a, you
may be left wondering what in the world
Sugden was thinking of. This amplifier
was designed for those who don’t need
to move the walls, but want to be moved
by the music. If you’re the right sort of
music lover, and if you have a system that
is appropriate, you may conclude that
Sugden had you in mind.
Room
Listening
Feedback
CROSSTALK
If you’re looking for tons of power, this is
obviously the wrong amplifier to buy, because
its game is quality, not quantity. Still, it has
adequate power for most purposes, and
considerably more power than some far more
expensive amps I could name.
Sugden’s biggest problem with this amp is
that the A21a costs much less but is so good.
Indeed, I suspect that, in many systems, the
extra finesse of the SE version would not be
apparent. For most systems, therefore, the
other amp is the one to get. Re-read our
review in UHF No. 82, and compare.
Sugden was long underestimated, perhaps because it became famous for small
amplifiers for modest systems. But here’s
a reminder: Sugden also once produced a
preamp that, for several years, was our reference. On the evidence, the Sugden engineers
haven’t forgotten what they’ve learned.
If the A21SE is for you, you’ll know it.
—Gerard Rejskind
This amplifier is excellent. Yes, our refer-
ence components outperform it, depending
on the instrumental complement and the
volume selected.
The volume is in fact very important. It’s
worth taking the time to choose the setting
that will do justice both to this magnificent
amplifier and to the artists on the recording.
Do that, and I think you’ll be more than
satisfied.
You’ll find a large pipe organ that is most
impressive, though its highest notes could be
smoother. Strings will soothe your ear. You’ll
appreciate the quality of the image, and the
clarity that lets through even the subtlest
details and effects. As for the dynamic range
exploited by the musicians, it is magnificently
reproduced by the Sugden.
I must admit that I’m not one to seek out
the loudest possible music, but I do at times
listen to recordings that feature incisive
percussion, impact that borders on the surrealistic, and a thousand dynamic effects. All
of this, reproduced by this amplifier, far from
displeasing me, had an irresistible effect. It
was, for me, the most pleasant of surprises.
—Reine Lessard
This amplifier kind of grew on me and
by the end of the listening session, I loved
it.
In case you wish to upgrade and find a
level of accuracy and finesse that is lacking in
your system, my suggestion to you is to take
the time to discover what it can really do.
Don’t expect anything, just listen — though
not too critically at first — to a wide variety
of music, and let this amplifier do what it does
best. You may notice a slightly less forward
presence than you might be accustomed to.
Let it be, don’t wish it were otherwise, and
listen some more. You may then notice…
Well, nothing. Just simple, clean sound;
music the way it was intended, not meant to
impress anyone but to enjoy, no extremes to
get your knitted socks to unravel but pure,
lively performances, having shed layers of
unnecessary stuff.
—Albert Simon
Vecteur Ai4
R
power. It is common for amplifiers to
operate in class A (which is to say, with
both of the complementary push-pull
output transistors operating full time)
over a part of their dynamic range, but
sliding into class AB beyond a certain
power level. Vecteur does not explain its
system in detail, though it sounds like
what used to be called “dynamic class A.”
Such systems were used in the past by
Sansui and Technics.
The Ai4’s front panel is both clean
and functional. The power button is
larger than the input selector buttons,
which is as it should be (buttons that
don’t do the same thing shouldn’t look
alike). The only other control is the
large volume knob. It is motorized and
can be controlled remotely. The remote
itself, shown on the next page, is also
clean and functional, though its button
legends can be read only when the light
is right. It uses AAA cells, since it is too
slim for AA’s, and we were pleased to see
that it worked well even when we weren’t
directly on line with the front panel.
The one other feature on the front
of the Vecteur is a headphone output. It
won’t rival the quality available from the
best standalone headphone amps, but it’s
a welcome bonus.
Like most modern amps the Vecteur
has no tape loop, though we were glad
to see it has a record output, which we
consider essential. There is no preamplifier output however. The coaxial input
jacks at the rear are made from sheet
metal, which betrays the amplifier’s
Room
Feedback
Listening
ememb er Vec teu r? T h is
French firm turned out some
maverick gear a few years
back, including some rather
large integrated amplifiers. One of
them, the Club 10, was on the cover
of UHF No. 56. There was lots to like
in these amps, and we’ve said so more
than once. Its designers would adopt
techniques no one else would touch,
such as making circuit boards of Teflon.
But then the company was bought up
by a larger one, and the brand vanished
from North America. Now Vecteur is
back. This new integrated amplifier is no
lightweight, but it doesn’t have the same
high end pretensions as its ancestors. Oh
yes, it is also built in China.
The upside to this, as you might
guess, is the price. It’s in four digits, but
only just, which can give it a potential
role in an economy system. At least
it can if the music that comes out is
satisfactory.
Amplifiers that aim at economy usually have one thing in common: they’re
light. This one, at 12 kg, has the heft of
a more expensive product. The weight
comes in part from a chassis cover
designed to resist vibration, something
that Vecteur was known for a few years
back. It also comes from the power
supply, because the Vecteur’s somewhat
unusual design requires a large source
of current.
Vecteur calls the system XDrive A,
which — it says — allows the amplifier
to operate in pure class A even at high
low cost. The binding posts look like
WBT’s but aren’t. They are, however,
self-tightening, to the point where we
actually needed pliers to loosen them
at one point. This is a happy contrast
to some anonymous knockoffs, with
threads that are machined wrong, and
are actually self-loosening.
The rear panel also has a voltage
switch, allowing it to be used in 220 volt
countries, which is of course most of the
world.
We did the listening in our Alpha
room, whose Liv ing Voice Avatar
speakers are well suited to integrated
amplifiers. We began by listening to our
selected recordings with our reference
components — a Copland CTA-305 tube
preamplifier driving a Moon W-5LE
power amplifier — and then substituted
the Vecteur and listened again.
We began with an old favorite, the
SACD version of the choral recording
Now the Green Blade Riseth (Proprius
PRSACD9093). This superb recording
can easily turn to mush in the wrong
hands, but we were amazed how well it
came through this relatively inexpensive
amplifier. The solo flute introduction
was just gorgeous, and we could still
follow its complex variations once the
singers came in, something we have
learned not to take for granted. The
voices themselves were attractive, and
we admired both the fullness of the male
voices and the smoothness of the sopranos. The counterpoints were a delight.
The stereo image was broad and stable.
Was anything missing?
The rest of this article can be found in
the complete print or electronic version
of UHF No. 84. Order the print issue
from www.uhfmag.com/IndividualIssue.html (it’s case sensitive). Or subscribe
at www.uhfmag.com/Subscription.html.
The electronic issue is available from
www.magzee.com.
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Summing it up…
Brand/model: Vecteur Ai4
Price: $1190
Size (WDH): 43.4 x 36 x 10.5 cm
High-level inputs: 4
Rated power: 100 watts/channel at
1 kHz into 8 ohms 150 watts at 4 ohm
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dionsendipit nit
augait.
CROSSTALK
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Hearing i2i
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W
h at are t hese l it t le
devices? More accessories than “equipment”
in the sense that we
usually use the word, the Aerielle i2i
Stream boxes grabbed our imagination
from the first time we saw them. Might
they be of some use to an audiophile, and
if so for what?
First of all, what are they?
They are wireless audio streamers.
You plug an audio source (an iPod, a CD
player, a computer, a radio — you tell us)
into one of the boxes, and you plug your
headphones or your whole stereo system
into the other. Voilà. Through the magic
of low-powered broadcasting, what goes
in here comes out there.
It could have a thousand uses, no?
Those little things sticking out of
their tops are not wires, nor are they
antennas. They are thin straps that can
snap onto either a lanyard (included) or
a belt clip, since it seems intuitive that
you may want at least one of the devices
to follow you around. Let’s have a closer
look at its other characteristics.
It is in fact fairly amazing what
Aerielle has managed to cram into what
is a very tiny box, even by current portable gadget standards. The two units
are identical, which means either one can
be the “broadcaster” or the “listener” (it
goes pretty much without saying they
can’t do both at the same time). There is
both an input and an output (of course),
and a digital volume control. The big
button in the middle lets you select
one of six channels, identified by color
rather than number. The button will
then remain lit, which can’t be good for
battery life (claimed to be five to seven
hours), and the one on the i2i that is
transmitting blinks annoyingly. Push
one or the other of the two other buttons depending on whether you want to
broadcast or listen.
Aerielle says you can use a lot of
i2i’s at the same time, including up to
three “broadcasters,” or two if the band
is crowded. We had visions of setting
up our own tiny “radio station,” with
everyone in the house having a receiver.
And we could have up to three channels
besides. Whee!
Is there a battery? Well, of course
there is. It’s rechargeable, using either
the USB connection of your computer
or the supplied charger. The i2i Stream
has exactly the same charger plug as a
Motorola portable phone, in case that’s
what you own and you want to recharge
both at the same time. A charger, according to the instructions, will charge the
units a lot faster than a simple connection to your computer’s USB connection
with one of the supplied cables.
What’s interesting about the i2i
Stream is that, unlike what you might
have expected, it does not use lossy
compression. Sure, a pair of these won’t
be totally transparent, since nothing is,
and especially not the thread-thin cables
that connect to the little devices, but it’s
refreshing to come across a small gadget
that doesn’t actually set out to kneecap
the music.
We charged them both up, plugged in
whatever was on hand, and experimented
to see how much range we could get. It
wasn’t as good as we have scored with
some other wireless devices, at least one
of which could broadcast flawlessly from
the main floor of Château Hi-Fi, where
our Omega system is, to the room where
the Alpha system is located, two floors up.
We did manage to get a usable signal on
the third floor, but only when we stood in
one corner and avoided making sudden
moves. Even when we were on the same
floor as the broadcasting i2i, we would
hear burps and occasional muting. When
we were within line of sight, though,
everything was perfect.
We weren’t altogether surprised by
the limited range, because the i2i is very
small, it doesn’t seem to have any sort
of antenna, and its battery is surely too
small to pump out much power. However
the presence of a lanyard might make
you assume that it is just made to be a
portable device. So it might be, if it had
a little more reach.
There’s another highly disappointing
problem too. The headphone jack on top
is the standard 3.5 mm stereo jack, and
will fit standard headphones. However
the jack on the bottom, the one that
connects to the source to be broadcast,
is smaller, and it is not standard (the two
are shown side by side on the next page).
Among the cords packed with the two
units is one that has the small plug at one
end and a 3.5 mm plug at the other, but
how do you connect an i2i to a pair of
phono jacks…for instance to the output
of a CD player or an amplifier? It would
have been more useful to have a cord
going from that micro plug to a 3.5 mm
jack rather than a plug. Yes, you could
make some sort of adapter, but it would
be nice to keep the signal path as short
and simple as possible.
Putting that conundrum aside for a
bit, we began by keeping things simple.
We connected one of the units to an iPod
touch loaded with Apple Lossless music, discs, and this time we played them on
Alas, the designers didn’t think of
and plugged a pair of Sennheiser PMX40 the Linn and listened with what must this potentially useful application. If an
headphones into the other i2i Stream. be about $40,000 of electronics and i2i doesn’t sense audio for seven minutes
We should explain that the PMX40’s speakers.
(or even five minutes by our count), it
sound better than most phones of its
The flaws were all too obvious, as shuts down to conserve the battery. It
category, they are designed to be easier we were certain they would be, but does this even if it is connected to a
to drive than full-sized headphones, so considering the poor connection we charger! Well, it seemed like a good idea,
that they won’t overload a portable player expected no less. Still, there were none but this is a portable device.
for which they are intended. Even so, an of the egregious horrors we hear with a
The other bummer is the frequency
iPod looks huge alongside one of these lot of gear we test, and what we did hear that the i2i Stream broadcasts on: it’s in
little devices.
could be explained simply by the use of the 2.4 GHz band. If the number sounds
It worked well, though. We listened two truly terrible cables plus our wonky familiar, it’s because the odds are that
know how
audio magazines
do their
reviews:
a number
to several selections weYou
commonly
usemost
adapter.
How to describe
it? There
was
a yourofwireless phones and your home
reviewers,
some
with
doubtful
“reference”
systems,
are
assigned
reviews
of
in equipment reviews, including Bïa’s certain reduction in dynamics, in what WiFi
network
are on the same band. So
individual
components.
album Sources, Dick Hyman’s From the we might call body. The impact was are those of your neighbors. Even your
course)
UHF, on
the the
otherreduced.
hand, maintains
systems,microwave
on which oven splatters energy into
Age of Swing, and (of
Now
Still, theactual
highsreference
were smooth,
all
reviews
are
done.
All
our
reviewers
participate
in
each
review.
Thealready overcrowded part of the
Green Blade Riseth. For comparison, we smoother than even some interconnect that
main
article
is
based
on
the
concensus,
if
there
is
one,
but
sometimes
on Let’s see, now…we have two
listened by plugging the Sennheisers cables can make them, and there was no spectrum.
divergence.
directly into the iPod. The two versions accentuation of sibilance in the voices of three wireless phones that operate
Andthough
then each
getsBïa
to write
“Crosstalk,”
a personal
sounded amazingly similar,
therereviewer
of either
or thea choral
singers.
Not oncomthe 2.4 GHz band (the third one is
ment,
which
may
even
disagree
with
the
others.
may have been just a little more body bad.
a more modern 5.8 GHz phone). And
There
no pressure toThe
confirm.
What
you read
really
whatwhere
we we are we can “see” not only our
with the direct connection.
It isisdifficult
i2i Stream
might
even is
have
hi-fi
think.
And
that
is
what
makes
UHF
unique.
to be certain, because these phones are uses, assuming one could root out useful own office WiFi network, but also two
particularly good in their ability to connectors which could be used — with other networks, three on a good day. Of
render accurate timbres and present a microsurgery — to make a qualit y course your mileage may vary.
wide spatial perspective, but they are adapter. We quickly came up with a use.
The i2i Stream has a list price of $130
“street style” back-of-head phones, and For example, if one assumes that the rear for a pair (or $70 for just one, which
they don’t fit tightly enough on the speakers in a movie surround system would be of limited use), with a street
ears to maintain the very deepest bass are mostly used for ambience, might we price well below that.
available.
accept a very small drop in quality in
That price is way, way less than that
Still, we wanted to hear the devices order to avoid running long, long cables of an all too similar British device we
with a better source, even if it meant to the rear of the room? Could it be that, reviewed a few years back. What we
jury-rigging a cockamamie adapter, so in fact, the i2i Streams would do no more can say in the British device’s defense is
that we would get the output of our Linn damage to the signal than those long that it had better range, and, having no
Unidisk player into the micro jack of the cables would?
battery to protect it didn’t try to shut off
i2i Stream. If we couldn’t find a proper
It’s obvious that you would want to every time we looked away.
adapter (and we tried, oh we tried) we run them from chargers, not their own
Did we say that the i2i Stream would
would fake one. It wouldn’t be the first batteries, but remember that any charger have a thousand uses? It’s your call
time.
that will charge a Motorola phone will whether any of the thousand is someOnce we had a more or less steady run these devices too, and you can pick thing you need done. Within its design
signal, which wasn’t difficult at close those up for a song. Well, maybe not a limits, this product works very well. Just
range, we pulled out the same three song.
find it a vocation.
Another unique feature!
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ETI Quiessence Cables
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P
erhaps the name ETI is not
familiar. It stands for Eichmann
Technologies International, and
it’s the new appellation of the
company built around Keith Eichmann’s
maverick ideas.
This isn’t the first time Eichmann
has designed cables to be sure, though
he is better known for his connectors,
which have been a worldwide hit, and
have even stimulated imitators (see Do
Connectors Matter? in this issue).
What makes them special, as possibly
you know, is that they are made with the
strict minimum of conducting metal,
the rest being plastic. The metal parts
that are used are of good quality — pure
copper, plated with gold to avoid tarnishing — and their geometry is similar
to that of the cable itself. That this
approach is a fruitful one is something
we have verified for ourselves.
These new upscale cables are in line
with the ideas that led Keith Eichmann
to part with conventional wisdom. See
the Rendezvous with him in this issue.
ETI refers to both the cables and the
special version of the Bullet Plugs as
“hybrid.” Eichmann actually shuns the
symmetry many designers seek. The
central conductor of the Quiessence
cable is tellurium copper, but the ground
return, which is also the shield, is made
of pure silver. Similarly, the plug’s central tube is copper, but the pin which
contacts the jack’s ground collar is silver.
Madness? We shall see.
These Q100 interconnects are at the
lower end of the new Quiessence line,
which line soars well up into the sky. The
top interconnects are over $8000. These,
by comparison, are a bargain at $495.
The connectors may be familiar, since
ETI sells them to many manufacturers
and also to consumers who want to use
them on their own cables.
We performed the comparison in our
Alpha room, with the Q100’s swapped
for our reference cables between our
Linn Unidisk player and our Copland
tube preamplifier.
The Q100 interconnects
We selected three recordings we
considered to be especially revealing,
and of course listened to them twice.
The first was the Bach Toccata &
Fugue in D Minor (from the Opus 3
SACD Organ Treasures, CD22031). This
is a challenging recording, needless to
say, but the Quiessence cables didn’t hide
many of its virtues. The powerful organ
had plenty of body, yet at the same time
the complexities of the smaller pipes
remained clear. Those pipes seemed a
little more distant, though we weren’t
sure whether that was good or bad. All
the same, the sound was rich and sumptuous. Yet…
Yet there was a difference we really
noticed only once we had listened a
second time. The volume seemed a
bit lower, though we had not touched
the controls, but it wasn’t really lower.
“Where did all that natural reverberation go?” asked Reine. Albert wondered
that too. “The organ is less dazzling,”
he said, “and its sound doesn’t ‘bloom’
as much.”
Next we went to the opposite extreme,
an instrument that, at times, plays infinitely softly, namely the harp. There
aren’t many good solo harp recordings
in the world, but Susann McDonald’s
Caprice (Klavier K11133) is one of them.
We listened to Marcel Tournier’s Vers
une source dans le bois, in which cascades
of tiny notes evoke cascades of water
droplets from a stream in the woods.
Talk about fragile!
With the Quiessence cables the notes
came through with rhythm and delicacy,
which is precisely what we had hoped for.
It was easy to imagine the movement of
water in dappled shade. The rhythm was
excellent, the melody lines clear. The
counterpoints were exceptional too.
Was anything missing? Reine’s attention wasn’t drawn to any problems, but
both Albert and Gerard thought the
hypnotic power of Tournier’s music (and
McDonald’s playing) was a little less
magical. Neither thought the difference
was a major one.
We needed a female voice to complete the evaluation, and — as often
happens — we selected that of Margie
Gibson, in the immensely amusing The
Best Thing For You from Say It With Music
(Sheffield CD-36). Would the cables
deliver less than the full dose of magic
this song provides when it is reproduced
as it should be?
Indeed not, and this time we had no
reservations. The piano was gorgeous,
with presence and a natural tone. The
subtle percussion was wonderfully clear.
And Margie was…
Well, she was there, right in the room
with us. She was so real we could have
reached out and touched her. At the same
time, the depth was convincing, and the
stereo image was stable. That was true
with our reference cables too, but they
cost a lot more than the Q100’s do.
We were pleased with these cables,
and the session made us wonder how
much better Keith Eichmann could do
for $8K.
But the distributor had sent along
another cable in the series, this one for
our loudspeakers.
deserved pointing out. “It’s super,” said
Albert, “and there’s nothing more to be
said.”
We were prepared to give the two
Q100 cables very good marks. Of course
cables cannot “create” the sound of a
system, because their role is essentially
to pass the signal on with as little damage
as possible. Insofar as a cable changes
the sound of a system, it is doing its job
poorly (there are some exceptions to this
generalization, but it will mostly hold).
These two cables go well together, and
that can be a powerful argument for
buying them both.
And if you still think Keith Eichmann is a little crazy…well not so crazy
at all.
Margie’s
back!
Room
Listening
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The Q100 speaker cables
These too are at the bottom of the
new Quiessence line, at $720 for the
3 metre pair we received.
One of the cables is shown on the
next page. It has, as you can see, a “box”
close to the end, and we have seen that
before. MIT was the company most
closely associated with this sort of “passive termination,” using capacitive and
inductive components. Transparent
Audio cables also use this principle, and
it is not alone.
But Keith Eichmann says that’s not
what he’s doing at all, and that there are
no recognizable electronic parts in the
box. Rather it contains what Eichmann
calls a “Ground Nulling Circuit,” and
it is a wiring layout which, he claims,
optimizes signal flow. That sounds like
black magic, but we have learned not to
laugh at Keith Eichmann.
There is a basic difference between
the Q100’s and the Atlas Mavros cables
we use as a reference. The Mavros are
designed for biwiring, whereas the
Q100’s are not (well, you could always
buy two pairs, we suppose). To use the
ETI cables we needed to add jumpers,
and we installed a set of Atlas singlecrystal jumpers. They are very good, but
of course the ETI cables would be at a
slight disadvantage.
With cables and jumpers in place, we
ran the same three recordings again.
Cable manufacturers like to say that
their wires are meant to go together, and
that they will sound best when operating with others of the same brand. We
need hardly add that this is a self-serving
argument, but sometimes it can be true,
and it seemed to be in this case.
In the Bach organ piece, the depth
we had found too shallow had deepened,
and the huge sound field had opened up
to envelop us once more. Interesting!
However the volume still appeared
to have been reduced (though it hadn’t
been), and the overall effect wasn’t quite
as dazzling as it had been with our full set
of (very expensive) reference cables. Nor
were the highs quite as smooth. Still,
we praised the richness of tone and the
great clarity, which was acquired without
harshness.
At the other end of the dynamic spectrum, we also admired the sound of the
harp. “There might be a bit of mist on
those arpeggios,” said Gerard, “but the
tone of the instrument comes through
wonderfully in both the soft and loud
passages, and you can sense the genius
of McDonald’s playing.”
It was unanimous. “Sheer magic!” said
Reine. Added Albert, “Such beauty!”
We ended with the Margie Gibson
song, and once again there were few
reservations. Gerard thought the soft
percussion might have become a little
too subtle, but the difference barely
And she’s at
The
Audiophile
Store
Do Connectors Matter?
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Listening
I
s that a serious question? In high
fidelity everything matters, and the
better the system the more the tiny
“insignificant” details become…
significant.
The real question is how much connectors matter. Surely it’s the cable that
really counts. As long as the connector is
good enough to make connection under
pressure, that should be enough, right?
Wrong, as we would soon learn.
For our test cable we used a model
we know well, because it earned high
praise in a blind test of six cables in UHF
No. 78. It’s the Hyper 2 from the Scottish cable company, Atlas. Interestingly
enough, its slightly fatter sibling, the
Hyper 3, flunked that test, though we
don’t claim to understand the reason.
What we did determine was that this
was a gem of a speaker cable, with an
attractive price tag of $29.95 per metre,
not counting connectors.
But of course it did have connectors
when we evaluated it. We listened to it
as shown above, using what Atlas calls
the Z Plug. It’s a slim chunk of what we
presume is gold over brass, cold-welded
to the wire under high pressure. Incidentally, when we decided the Hyper 2
was good enough to be in our Audiophile
Store, we were offered, for free, the special machine that does the cold welding.
We demurred.
It wasn’t that there was anything
at all disturbing about the Z Plug. Its
diameter is that of the cable itself, which
is clearly a good thing. The materials
are the equal of those used by a number
of other companies. And the banana
end is a rolled-up tube that has a radial
spring action, for good connection under
pressure. It looked fine, but our intuition
told us to look elsewhere. We offered the
Hyper 2 with different connectors, but
we’ll get to that in a moment.
This comparison really didn’t lend
itself to a blind test, because we could
not switch connectors quickly. We would
listen to a 5 metre pair of Hyper 2 cables
with Z Plugs, comparing them to our
reference, the Mavros. Since the Hyper
2 is not biwire-ready (unlike the Hyper
Biwire, which we also like), it would
need to be accompanied by a set of Atlas
single-crystal jumpers. After that first
comparison, we would begin switching
connectors. We would use the same two
recordings for all of the comparisons,
one of them an orchestra on SACD, and
the other a female vocalist on XRCD.
Listening with the Z Plugs
We had of course already praised the
Hyper 2, and we didn’t expect to be disappointed. We weren’t, though of course
there was a gap between its performance
and that of our reference.
We began with the Scherzo from
Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9, a Reference
Recordings production available as RR81CD. In this case, however, we used the
version that is on Reference Recordings’
first SACD, a special version of the Tutti
classical sampler (RR-906SACD). The
Dallas Symphony does this exciting
piece perhaps better than we have heard
it done by anyone else.
A lot of the music survived, and
we were reminded why we had liked
this cable. The impact was solid, the
transients quick, and it very much
grabbed our attention. So did the flaws,
however.
Good though it sounded, the music
didn’t pull in as it had with our own
cable. The massed strings were less like
real strings, and the brass was a little
more strident. Though there was still
good depth, the overall sound was too
dry to communicate the sense of space
we had heard.
The rhythm was affected too, and
that’s a very important aspect of the
piece. It wasn’t confused or truly hard to
follow, but there wasn’t the same clarity
of pace. Of course, what do you expect
for $30 a metre?
The second piece was the Thelonious Monk song ’Round Midnight, sung
with striking emotion (and great voice)
by Carmen Lundy (Self Portrait, jvcxr0005-2).
It mostly survived, as we were pleased
to discover. The orchestral introduction remained majestic, even magical,
despite a veil of added granularity to the
violins. Lundy’s voice seemed to float in
space, and it remained expressive and
emotional. This is a great song, and it
came out that way.
But not everything was right. “Her
voice is certainly clear,” said Albert, “but
she loses some of her natural warmth,
and that’s a problem. She needs to be
intimate, and then to sing much louder,
and these cables make that difficult.”
However we maintained the admiration we had expressed for this moderately-priced cable. Would changing the
connectors make it sound significantly
different?
We would soon know.
Traditional WBT connectors
For many years we have recommended WBT’s locking connectors, and
we have used them ourselves. So successful has this German manufacturer been
The improved dynamics gave Lundy
more room to work in, making her seem
more intimate in the soft passages, but
not boxing her in when her voice rose
in amplitude. “Connectors sure make a
difference!” said Gerard.
Indeed, And that comment would be
made again and again before the session
was through.
The WBT nextgens
We know from other listening sessions that most connectors contain too
much metal for their own good…or at
least for our own good. As far as we know,
Australia’s Keith Eichmann was the first
not only to notice this but to turn his
hypothesis into a commercial product.
WBT has since followed with what it
calls (with an annoying lack of upper
case letters) the nextgen series. These
connectors have as much metal as they
need, and not a gram more.
They are much more expensive than
Eichmann’s ETI Bayonet Bananas,
because the plastics used are more
robust. You can bend an ETI banana
if you’re not careful, but you can’t do
that with a nextgen. Because there is
less metal, it can be of better quality.
The traditional WBT connectors are
brass plated with several layers of gold
(or pure silver). The nextgen’s metallic
parts are gold over pure copper, or else
pure silver.
We were sorry we hadn’t had the
traditional WBT-0645 angled bananas
on hand, because these W BT-0610
nextgens are patterned after them. They
work the same way. The wire end, with
a crimped sleeve over it, is held into the
connector barrel by Torx screws. You
tighten the button at the rear, and the
business end of the banana spreads out
to make contact under pressure. (In case
you’re wondering about that little plastic
projection parallel to the metal banana,
it’s there to keep European drunks from
plugging the speaker cable into a power
outlet — yes, it’s happened).
Room
Feedback
Listening
that their products have been widely
imitated, though mostly not very well.
We removed the Z Plugs from the
cables, of course destroying them in the
process. We then used the unique WBT
crimping tool to cold weld gold sleeves
onto the bare wire ends. The connectors
then slipped on and were held in by Torx
screws.
We used t wo different models,
because we don’t stock much of these
connectors anymore. The WBT-0644
(top, above) is a banana whose tip
expands when you tighten its black collar.
The WBT-0681 spade is a sandwich,
with a rubberlike material in the middle,
so that when it is inserted into a binding
post, it exerts outward pressure. We used
the spades at the amplifier end, and the
bananas at the loudspeaker end. These
connectors cost (in Canada) around $130
for a set of four. Of course the silver
version is far more expensive.
We then listened again to the Bruckner. The sound was improved, and much
more than we would have supposed. The
orchestra came in with seismic intensity
and increased impact. The dynamic
envelope was simply broader, perhaps
the result of the connection under pressure, and the lower resulting resistance
(but we’re guessing, here). The huge
dynamics helped maintain the emotional
tension which Bruckner sets up in his
Scherzo.
But of course the cable was still no
match for our reference. The rhythm
was improved, but still not quite right.
The strings? We weren’t sure.
We moved on to the Carmen Lundy
song. The strings didn’t have quite the
silkiness they had had with our reference
cable, but they were way better than with
the Z Plugs, and they had more body.
Room
Listening
Feedback
The nextgens are slightly more
expensive than the traditional version,
at $160 for a set of four. And of course
we needed two sets for our cable.
We needed only a Torx key to slip
off the all-metal WBT connectors from
our Hyper 2 cable and slip on the nextgens. And then, we were ready to listen
again.
From the first notes of the Bruckner
we were astonished by the difference.
The great depth, obscured with the
other connectors, was now evident again.
The large orchestra had more body,
and it just seemed bigger than before.
In those few seconds, we left behind
the concept that, as long as a connector
makes good contact, it will be fine.
We listened a second time, not certain that we had noted all of the gains.
Certainly the brass was cleaner and more
natural, if not quite as smooth as with
our reference. The varied instrumental
timbres — and there are lots of them in
this work — were remarkably lifelike.
“There is lots of detail,” said Reine,
“but there is melody in the midst of those
details.” Gerard also noted the insistent
rhythm, somewhat indistinct with the
other two connectors, more solid now.
We moved on to the Lundy song,
and once again we were amazed at the
differences. The string introduction was
breathtaking, the violins both rich and
resonant. After that introduction we
hung on Lundy’s every word, every syllable. There were no spatial or dynamic
constraints to rein in her expressivity:
the pain of lost love, the soaring optimism of hope for the future. “She has
subtle accents on certain syllables,” said
Reine, “and you can hear them.”
All in all we were stunned. Could it
be that connectors might actually trump
cable quality?
But we weren’t done. We had one
more connector to try.
ETI Bayonet Bananas
The deceptively simple connectors
designed by Keith Eichmann have
not changed since their introduction,
except for the color — the bright blue
of the barrels has been toned down
to a less showy blue-black. They are
relatively inexpensive, at about $60 per
set of four — and their construction is
not above criticism. They are made to
be crimped, but it is easy to break one
during the process (as we did in mounting them on our Hyper 2 test cable). We
like to add a dollop of silver solder to
stabilize them mechanically. Then too,
the plastic body can be bent by a large
and stiff cable. Fortunately that is not an
issue with the Hyper 2.
We played the Bruckner Scherzo,
and we were perplexed. The sound was
different from what we had heard with
the WBT nextgens, but which version
was “right”?
Certainly the music grabbed us from
the first notes, and we noticed, once
more, the excellent depth and spaciousness. The brass was superb, seeming to
spit fire. This is some of the most impressive orchestral music ever written, and
it came out that way. “This is very close
to the reference,” said Albert. “At every
volume level, the sound is both detailed
and accurate.” The rhythm was strong.
We didn’t exactly disagree on this,
but two of us had reservations. Gerard
thought the strings had lost a little of
the substance they had gained with the
nextgens, and Reine had preferred the
smoothness of the nextgens.
We listened to Carmen Lundy, and
once again we were split, though we all
agreed that the ETI’s were racking up
points. The introduction was downright
majestic, with plenty of body. Two of us
noted the solo oboe, which was smoother
and more attractive than it had been
since we had left behind our reference
cable.
Two of us also noted that the words
of the song, not exactly obscured with
the other connectors, had become even
clearer, the tiny nuances which Lundy
manipulates so well even more evident.
Did these advantages come at a price?
Reine and Gerard thought so. Lundy’s
voice was slightly more sibilant, and a few
notes in the high end were less smooth
and natural. Albert, we should add, had
no such reservations.
Notwithstanding a few points of disagreement, there was unanimous praise
for the ground-breaking ETI connector.
It offers very high performance, and it’s
a bargain besides.
Some conclusions
The winner of this shootout? Reine
favored the WBT nextgens by a significant margin, while Albert was categorical: he wanted ETI connectors on his
own cables, and nothing else. Gerard was
on the fence, finding both connectors
excellent, though not identical.
We drew some other conclusions,
having to do with our Audiophile
Store.
Effective immediately, we are dropping the traditional WBT all-metal connectors. Though they are vastly better
than the Atlas Z Plug, and probably most
of the world’s connectors, there is better
in the WBT catalog.
Second, we can no longer in good
conscience sell cables with the Z Plug.
As soon as the review session was over,
we offered the top Atlas cable — our
Mavros reference — with ETI connectors at no extra cost. We will offer them
with nextgen connectors as well.
A nd of course the conversation
turned to the reference cable themselves.
We listened with them again when it
was all over, and we confirmed that they
sounded better than the Hyper 2 did
with any of the connectors. But comes
the question: would they sound even
better with ETI or nextgens on them?
We have the feeling this will be the
subject of another review…
THE AUDIOPHILE STORE
57
MAVROS INTERCONNECTS
INTERCONNECTS
Truly terrific, a pair of these connects our phono preamp to the
preamp of our Omega system
ATLAS NAVIGATOR
Oxygen-free continuous
cast (OCC) cable: each
strand is a single copper
crystal. Two internal
conductors, plus double
shielding. The double shielding is copper mylar plus close-lapped
99.997% pure OCC copper multi-stranded screen providing 100%
RFI protection. The premium “All-Cu” version (shown here)
uses solid copper connectors that are also continuous cast. The
copper is then silver-plated and double-shielded.We use two in our
reference systems. Special-order lengths from the factory.
ORDER: AN-1 pair, 1m, $300, AN-2 pair, 2m, $350
ORDER: ANA-1 All-Cu, 1m, $405, ANA-2 All-Cu, 2m, $495
ORDER: ANAB-1 All-Cu balanced, single crystal XLR, 1m, $675
ATLAS VOYAGER
A cable with superior performance at an
economical price. Oxygen-free copper,
continuously cast, double-shielded with conductive
PVC plus close lapped 99.9997% pure OCC copper
multi-stranded screen, for 100% coverage against
RFI. Direct gold-plated, non compressing, doublescreened, self cleaning RCA plugs. Also available
with the All-Cu connectors like those of the
Navigator (above).
ORDER: AV-1, Voyager 1m pair, $285, AV-2, 2m pair, $325
ORDER: AVA-1, All-Cu 1m pair, $375, AVA-2 2m pair, $420
ORDER: AMI-1, 1 m Mavros interconnect pair, $1195
ORDER: AMI-2, 2 m Mavros interconnect pair, $1895
ATLAS OPUS DIGITAL
TWO CABLES INTO ONE JACK
Need to feed two preamps into two
amps? This solid Y-adapter (two
jacks into one phono plug) is gold
over brass, with Teflon dielectric.
ORDER: FYA, one pair Y adapters, $20
EICHMANN BAYONET BANANAS
We’ve adopted them for our Alpha system, which sounds better
than ever before. This is a four-wire monocrystal cable with
porous Teflon dielectric. We are not recommending them with
standard bananas or spaces, but we offer them either with ETI
Bayonet Bananas, at no extra cost, or WBT nextgen..
ATLAS QUESTOR
ORDER: AMBCu-3, 3 m pair, Bayonet bananas, $2150
ORDER: AMBCu-5, 5 m pair, Bayonet bananas, $3850
ORDER: AMSCu-3, 3 m pair, WBT nextgen bananas, $2390
ORDER: AMSCu-5, 5 m pair, WBT nextgen bananas, $4090
Perhaps the best $150
interconnect cable you could
buy. Only it costs just $90. And
yes, that’s in Canadian funds.
Other lengths on order.
ORDER: AE-1, 1 m pair Atlas Equator, $90
ORDER: AE-2, 2 m pair Atlas Equator, $125
ATLAS HYPER SPEAKER CABLES
PRISMAL DUAL INTERCONNECT
This Swiss-made cable has especially solid connectors. Teflon
dielectric. oxygen-free copper Toss your “free” interconnects!
ORDER: PD-1, 1 meter pair Prisma Dual Interconnect, $34.95
ATLAS QUADSTAR
Terrific in our blind test.
With Eichmann Bullet plugs,
or balanced with Neutrik
XLR's. Silver solder included with kit.
ORDER: AQS-1 pair Quadstar kit, 1m $95.95
ORDER: AQS-1A pair Quadstar assembled, 1m $169.95
ORDER: AQS-X pair Quadstar balanced kit, 1m $95.95
ORDER: AQS-XA pair Quadstar balanced, assembled, 1m $169.95
ORDER ON LINE
www.uhfmag.com
A big winner in one of UHF’s blind tests of speaker cables is
Hyper 2, an oxygen free stranded wire in Teflon dielectric.
Inexpensive too. Plus connectors (we recommend Eichmann
Bayonet Bananas, $57.95/set, two sets needed for AH2, three for
biwire).
ORDER: AH2, Hyper 2 cable, $29.95/metre
ORDER: AHB, Hyper Biwire cable, $49.95/metre
ATLAS ICHOR SPEAKER CABLE
Continuous-cast single-crystal cable, ready for biwiring. It costs
just $235 per meter of double cable (a 2 m pair has 4 meters of
wire). We suggest adding the Eichmann Bayonet bananas, $57.95
per set of 4, or Furutech connectors (at right).
SINGLE CRYSTAL JUMPERS
Not biwiring? Dump the free jumpers that
with your speakers. Atlas jumpers are
made from single-crystal copper,
goldplated spades.
ORDER: ACJ, four single crystal
jumpers,
$99.95
www.uhfmag.com/AudiophileStore.html
We dumped our reference cable for this one! And to be at its very
best, it has to be this length.
ORDER: AOD-1.5 digital cable, 1.5m, $399
CONNECTORS
ATLAS MAVROS CABLES
ATLAS EQUATOR
ATLAS COMPASS DIGITAL
Excellent performance at an affordable price. Single crystal pure
copper. The 1.5m version sounds way better than a 1m.
ORDER: ACD-1.5 digital cable, 1.5m, $160
SPEAKER CABLES
This could be the world’s lowest-cost
interconnect with single-crystal copper. It has
the same connectors as the Equator (below),
and we thought it sounded like a much more
expensive cable.
ORDER: AQ-1, 1 m pair Atlas Questor, $140
ORDER: AQ-2, 2 m pair Atlas Questor, $180
DIGITAL CABLES
came
The Eichmann Bayonet
Banana uses a minimum of
metal, and tellurium copper
at that, but clicks tightly into
any binding post with spring
action. For soldering or crimping, or both.
ORDER: EBB kit 4 bayonet bananas, $57.95
EICHMANN SPADES
Ready to solder, in
gold-plated copper, or
pure silver. Two sizes,
plus extra narrow for
barrier strips (McIntosh,
Vandersteen, etc.). Price for sets of four.
A. ORDER: EXB, set of 4, barrier strips, (now discontinued)
B. ORDER: EXQ, set of 4, 1/4" (6.3 mm), $28
C. ORDER: EXQA, set of 4, 1/4" (6.3 mm), silver, $47
D. ORDER: EXF, set of 4, 5/16" (8 mm), $37
E. ORDER: EXF,A set of 4, 5/16" (8 mm), silver, $57
EICHMANN BULLET PLUGS
The first phono plug to maintain
the impedance of the cable by using
metal only as an extension of the
wire. Hollow tube centre pin, tiny
spring for ground. Two contacts for
soldering, two-screw strain relief.
Gold over copper. Got silver cable? Get the unique Silver Bullets!
ORDER: EBP kit 4 Bullet Plugs, $54.95
ORDER: EBPA kit 4 Silver Bullets, $139.95
EICHMANN CABLE PODS
Minimum metal, gold over tellurium
copper. Unique clamp system: the back
button turns but the clamp doesn’t.
Solder to it, or plug an Eichmann
banana into it, even from inside!
ORDER: ECP, set of four posts, $54.95
CONNECTOR TREATMENT
DeOxit (formerly ProGold)
cleans connections and
promotes conductivity. Small
wipes for cleaning accessible
contacts, or a squirt bottle for connections you can’t reach.
ORDER: PGW box 25 DeOxit wipes, $35
ORDER: PGS, can DeOxit fluid, $35
ORDER: PGB, both when ordered at the same time, $56
58
MORE CONNECTORS
ANALOG PRODUCTS
For crimping connections to certain connectors from WBT or
Furutech, we recommend the gold crimping sleeves from WBT,
and the special crimping tool.
Buy the tool at the same time as appropriate WBT or Furutech
connectors, and we’ll buy it back at the price you paid when
you’re through.
ORDER: WBT-0403 crimping tool (refundable), $125.
The sleeves are shown here, actual size.
WBT-0431
WBT-0432
WBT-0433
WBT-0434
WBT-0435
WBT-0436
WBT-0437
WBT-0438
0.75 mm sleeve
1 mm sleeve
1.5 mm sleeve
2.5 mm sleeve
4 mm sleeve
6 mm sleeve
10 mm sleeve
15 mm sleeve
$0.50
$0.50
$0.50
$0.50
$0.60
$0.70
$0.85
$0.95
MORE ANALOG…
LONDON REFERENCE
ATLAS QUADSTAR PHONO BOX
Yes we can supply the awesome London
Reference phono cartridge that we have
adopted for ourselves. Other models on
special order. this unique cartridge has
a line contact stylus, and an output of
5 mV…right for an MM preamp.
ORDER: LRC cartridge, $4695
GOLDRING ELITE
If you have limited funds and
want an MC cartridge with
line contact stylus, this is a great
choice. It's a detuned version of the
very expensive (but discontinued)
Excel we still own.
ORDER: GEC cartridge, $745
you
a
REGA FONO
We can’t get
over how
good it is…
and how
affordable.
The Rega
Fono is a
superb way to
add vinyl to your system. For low sensitivity MC cartridges. While
stocks last.
ORDER: RF-MC high sensitivity phono preamp, $565 now $495
WBT NEXTGEN CONNECTORS
LP RECORD CLEANER
WBT makes banana plugs and spades for speaker cables, all of
which lock tightly into any post. All use crimping technology.
These nextgen connectors are far superior to previous versions
ORDER: WBT-0610 Kit 4 angled nextgen bananas, $130
ORDER: WBT-0610Ag Kit 4 nextgen silver bananas, $290
ORDER: WBT-0681 Kit 4 nextgen spaces, $120
ORDER: WBT-0681Ag Kit 4 nextgen silver spades, $220
The high-tech minimum metal “nextgen” phono plugs. Easy to
solder, with locking collar. Silver version available.
ORDER: WBT-0110, kit 4 nextgen copper plugs, $170
ORDER: WBT-0110Ag, kit 4 nextgen silver plugs, $280
Rhodium-plated banana tightens under pressure. Installs like
WBT-0645 banana. The spade’s great too!.
ORDER: FTB-R, set of four bananas, $70
ORDER: FTS-R, set of four spades, $70
TITAN STYLUS LUBRICANT
Amazing, but true: dabbing
a bit of this stuff on your
stylus every 2 or 3 LPs makes
it glide through the groove
instead of scraping. Fine artist’s brush not included, but readily
available in many stores.
ORDER: TSO-1 Titan stylus oil, $39.95
ZEROSTAT ANTISTATIC PISTOL
A classic
adjunct to
the brush is
the Zerostat
anti-static
gun. Squeeze
the trigger
and release: it
ionizes the air,
which becomes
conductive and drains off the static charge. By the way, it works
for a lot more than LP’s. No batteries needed.
ORDER: Z-1 Zerostat antistatic pistol, $94..95
LP SLEEVES
Concentrated cleaner for LP vacuum cleaning machines.
Much safer than some formulas we’ve seen! Half litre, mix with
demineralized or distilled water to make 4 litres.
ORDER: LPC, $19.95
EXSTATIC RECORD BRUSH
the Goldring
Super eXstatic. It
includes a hard
velvet pad to get
into the grooves,
plus two sets of
carbon fibre tufts. We’ve worn one out already, because we use it
every time!
ORDER: GSX record brush, $36
J. A. MICHELL RECORD CLAMP
FURUTECH CONNECTORS
Got a tone arm with a 5-pin DIN
plug. Substitute this Quadstar cable
and box, and add the interconnect
of your choice. straight DIN (shown)
needs 7 cm clearance. If you have
less, get the version with an angled
DIN plug.
ORDER: AQPS, Quadstar phono
box, $248
ORDER: AQPA, Quadstar phono box, angled DIN, $248
Clamp your LP to the turntable platter. We use the J. A. Michell
clamp, machined from
nearly weightless
aluminum. Drop it
on, press down,
tighten the knob.
ORDER: MRC
Michell record
clamp, $75
ORDER: MRC-R
clamp for Rega and
short spindles, $85
Keep your records clean and
scratch free. Replace dirty,
torn or missing inner sleeves
with soft-plastic-in-paper Nitty
Gritty sleeves.
ORDER: PDI, package of 30
sleeves, $30
TURNTABLE BELT TREATMENT
What this is not
is a sticky goo for
belts on their last
legs. Rubber Renue
removes oxidation
from rubber belts,
giving them a new
lease on life. But what astonished us is what it does to even a brand
new belt. Wipe down your belt every 3 months, and make analog
sound better than ever.
ORDER: RRU-100 drive belt treatment, $14.95
VINYL ESSENTIALS TEST LP
This precision-made German test record lets you check out channel
identification, correct phase, crosstalk, the tracking ability of your
cartridge (it’s a tougher test than the old Shure disc was, and the
resonance of your tone arm and cartridge. When we need to test a
turntable, this is the one we reach for.
ORDER: LP 003, Image Hifi Test LP, $48.95
IF WE DON’T LIKE IT YOU WON’T SEE IT HERE
SUPER ANTENNA
MkIII
INSTANT CIRCUIT CHECKER
Plug it into an AC outlet, and the three lights can
indicate a missing ground, incorrect polarity,
switched wires — five problems in all. Some of these
problems can be fatal, but none of them is good for
feeding your music or home theatre system. The
first thing we did after getting ours was phone the
electrician.
ORDER: ACA-1, Instant Circuit Checker, $21
Ours has no stupid rotary switch to muck
things up, and with a 1.8m low-loss 75
ohm cable and gold-plated push-on F
connector, it has low internal loss. Covers
analog and digital TV bands as well as FM.
ORDER: FM-S Super Antenna, MkIII, $55
GUTWIRE G CLEF POWER CABLE
CLEANER POWER
MAXCON2 POWER FILTER
Looks great,
and does a
wonderful
job. Made
from milled
aircraft-grade
aluminum,
with Furutech and Hubbell connectors. Parallel filtering, so it can
be used even with very large power amplifiers. List $1299, but…
ORDER: GMC, MaxCon2 power line filter, $995
Needs IEC power cord: order one at the same time at 20% off!
Multiple shielding, including external electrostatic shield
connected to a clip. Used by UHF. Now in an upgraded version,
with performance “squared.” Length 1.7 m, longer cords on order.
G Clef 2 has 195 conductors, 3 shields providing 98% shielding.
Available with 20A IEC plug (for amplifiers requiring special plug)
ORDER: GGC G Clef, Square 1.7m, $385
STINGRAY POWER BAR
Most power bars knock voltage to your equipment way down,
and generate more noise than
a kindergarten class. The
Gutwire Stingray Squared
doesn’t. 12 gauge doubleshielded cable, Hubbell
hospital grade connectors at
both ends. Indispensable!
ORDER: GSR-2 Stingray Squared power bar, $285
We dumped our
cheap power
strip, added a
GutWire 16 power
cord, and made
our system sound better, even though no major component was
plugged into it. ORDER: EPS power strip, $48
Take $10 off any one of our IEC power cords or cord kits with
an EPS purchase
MORE POWER TO YOU
Better access to
electrical power.
Change your 77-cent
duplex outlets for
these Hubbell hospital
grade outlets. Insert a
plug and it just snaps
in. A tighter internal
connection as well.
Possibly the cheapest improvement you can make to your system.
ORDER: AC-DA Hubbell duplex outlet, $23.95
ORDER: AC-DB (more than one outlet), $21.95
ORDER: AC-D20 20A duplex, red color, $28.95
When we put a quality
AC plug on our kettle,
boiling time dropped by
90 seconds! The best AC
plug we have ever seen is
the Hubbell 8215 hospital
grade plug. It connects to wires under high pressure, and it
should last forever.
ORDER: AC-P2 Hubbell cord plug, $25.95
Amazingly good at a much lower price are these two cord plugs
from Eagle. No hospital rating, but a rather good mechanical
connection. Male and female versions.
ORDER: AC-P1 Eagle male cord plug, $5.95
ORDER: AC-PF Eagle female cord plug, $5.95
Making your own power cords for your equipment? You’ll need
the hard-to-get IEC 320 connector to fit the gear. We have two
sizes.
Gutwire’s B12 is a fat pipe, well-shielded, to which we’ve added a
Hubbell 8215 hospital grade wall plug and the Furutech IEC copper
connector. We use a couple of these ourselves, and we love them!
Optionally available as an easy-to-assemble kit, with the blue jacket
pre-stripped and shrink-wrapped at one end.
ORDER: GWB12, 1.5 m B12 power cord, $285
ORDER: GWB12K, 1.5 m B12 power cord kit, $240
Need it longer? Add $95 per metre extra
ORDER: AC-P3 10 ampere IEC 320 plug, $9.95
ORDER: AC-P4 15 ampere Schurter IEC 320 plug, $18.95
GUTWIRE 16
EICHMANN POWER STRIP
HOSPITAL GRADE CONNECTION
GUTWIRE/UHF B12
ENACOM LINE FILTER
Economy price, but astonishingly effective, we wouldn’t run our
system with less. It actually shorts out the hash on the power line.
ORDER: EAC Enacom line filter, $105
59
No budget for a premium cable? Make your own! We use several
ourselves, and they even
make our computers run
better! Double-shielded,
to avoid picking up
or transmitting noise.
GutWire 16, assembled
or as a kit. (If you are
not comfortable around
electricity, we suggest
the assembled one.) With
the Hubbell 8215 hospital
grade plug and the
Schurter 15 A IEC 320 connector. Highly suitable for digital players,
preamplifiers, tuners, and even medium-powered amplifiers.
ORDER: GW16-1.5K, GutWire 16 gauge power cable kit, $79.95
ORDER: GW16-1.5 GutWire 16 cable, assembled, $119.95
Need it longer? Add $28 per metre extra
vailable
a
n
u
y
il
r
a
r
o
p
m
Te
IEC ON YOUR DVD PLAYER
Why do big name DVD players come with those tiny two-prong
plugs for their cords? A
good shielded power cable
will do wonders! Take $18
off if you order an adapter
at the same time as a G
Clef or B12 cable, or $8
off if you order one with a
GutWire 16.
ORDER: DVD-A, GutWire adapter, $39
SILVER SOLDER
This is a lovely solder, from the
company that makes Enacom
line filters (which we also like).
Wakø-Tech solder contains 4%
silver, no lead.
ORDER: SR-4N, 100 g solder
roll, $59.95
BETTER DIGITAL
IMPROVED CD WITH FINYL
This is the most famous of all the treatments for
Compact Discs. The maker of Finyl claims it reduces
surface reflections and provides a higher contrast
image for the laser cell of your player. Use it just
once. We get a lot of repeat orders on it. One kit can
treat over 200 discs. Or order the refill.
ORDER: F-1 Finyl kit, $40.00
ORDER: F-1R Finyl refill, $35.00
CLEAN YOUR PLAYER
After as little as three
months, your new
player will have more
trouble reading your
CD’s. Why? Dust on
the lens. We’re happy
to have found the
new Milty CD lens
cleaner. Unlike some
commonly-available
discs, the Milty is nonabrasive, so we use it and rest easy. Can be used wet or dry.
ORDER: 2021 Milty CD lens cleaner, $35
60
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
THE SUPERSPIKE
TENDERFEET
Machined cones are wonderful
things to put under speakers or
other audio equipment. They anchor
it mechanically and decouple it
acoustically at the same time.
Tenderfeet come in various versions:
tall (as shown) or flattened, in either
anodized silver or black. Tall Tenderfeet have threaded holes for
a machine screw, or for the optional hanger bolt, which lets you
screw it into wood. If you have a fragile hardwood floor, add the
optional Tendercup (shown above) to protect it.
ORDER: TFG, tall silver Tenderfoot, $15
ORDER: TFGN, tall black Tenderfoot, $16.50
ORDER: TFP, flat silver Tenderfoot, $10
ORDER: TCP, silver Tendercup, $10
ORDER: THB, hanger bolt for Tenderfeet, each $0.80
This is unique: a sealed unit containing a spike and a cup to
receive it. It won’t scratch even hardwood floors. For speakers
or equipment stands, on bare floors only. Four sizes of threaded
shanks are available to fit speakers or stands.
ORDER: SSKQ, 4 Superspikes, 1/4” shank, $75
ORDER: SSKT, 4 Superspikes, 5/16” shank, $75
ORDER: SSKS, 4 Superspikes, 6 mm shank, $75
ORDER: SSKH, 4 Superspikes, 8 mm shank, $75
WHAT SIZE SUPERSPIKE?
Do you prefer spikes for your speakers? Target spikes and sockets
mount in wood. Available with or without tools.
ORDER: S4W kit, 8 spikes, sockets and tools, $39
ORDER: S4WS kit, 8 spikes and sockets, $30
AUDIO-TAK
It’s blue, and it’s a sort of modelling
clay that never dries. Anchor
speakers to stands, cones to speakers,
and damp out vibration. Leaflet with
suggested uses.
ORDER: AT-2, Audio-Tak pack, $10
A good ruler will let you figure it out. The stated size is the outer
diameter of the threaded shank. Then count the threads:
1/4” shank: 20 threads/inch
5/16” shank: 18 threads/inch
M6 (6mm) shank: 10 threads/cm
M8 (8mm) shank: 8 threads/cm
OTHER
SUPERSPIKES
FOUNDATION STANDS
Absolutely the best speaker stand known to us. They’re filled with
a proprietary material that deadens the stand completely. Matte
black, with spikes adjustable from the top. Height 61 cm (24”).
ORDER: FFA, one pair Foundation stands, $1295
AN ON-THE-WALL IDEA
Need to fasten a speaker
securely to the wall? Nothing
beats the Smarter Speaker
Support for ease of installation
or for sheer strength. And
it holds the speaker off the
wall, so it can be used even
with rear-ported speakers.
Easily adjustable with two
hands, not three, tested to an
incredible 23 kg! Glass-filled
polycarbonate is unbreakable.
Screws and anchors included,
available in two colors.
ORDER: SSPS, pair of black speaker supports, $29.95
ORDER: SSPS-W, pair of white speaker supports, $29.95
TARGET WALL STANDS
We keep our turntables on these, secure from floor vibrations, but
they’re wonderful for CD players, amplifiers, and virtually all
components.
ORDER: VW-1 Target single-shelf wall stand, $199
We have also have a Superspike foot
(at right) that replaces those useless
feet on CD players, amps, etc., using
the same screws to fasten them. And
there’s a stick-on version (not shown) for other components.
ORDER: SSKF, 4 Superspike replacement feet, $80
ORDER: SSKA, 3 stick-on Superspike feet, $50
ORDER: VW-2 Target dual-shelf wall stand, $259
AUDIOPHILE RECORDINGS, RECOMMENDED BY UHF STAFF
REFERENCE RECORDINGS
Tutti (HDCD, SACD)
A terrific symphonic sampler from Reference, with dazzling music
by Bruckner, Stravinsky, etc. Also available as RR’s very first SACD
release. Wow!
30th Anniversary Sampler (HDCD)
A collection of excerpts from recent Reference albums.
Nojima Plays Liszt (HDCD)
The famous 1986 recording of Minoru Nojima playing the B Minor
Sonata and other works is back…in HDCD this time!
Jazz Hat (HDCD) �
Pianist Michael Garson, in re-releases of some of his famous recordings
Nojima Plays Ravel (HDCD)
Nojima’s other hit disc, now also in glorious HDCD.
Dick Hyman - Fats Waller (LP)
Analog version of this famous recording, cut to CD during the performance. Keith Johnson simultaneously recorded the performance on
his own hand-built analog recorder.
Garden of Dreams (HDCD)
David Maslanka’s evocative music for wind band.
Yerba Buena Bounce (HDCD)
The (terrific) Hot Club of San Francisco is back, with great music,
well-played, wonderfully recorded by “Profesor” Johnson!
Beachcomber (LP/HDCD) �
Fennell and the Dallas Wind Ensemble.Includes Tico Tico, A Chorus
line, and a version of 76 Trombones you’ll remember for a long time.
Crown Imperial (HDCD)
The second chapter of the famous Pomp&Pipes saga, with the Dallas
Wind Symphony, in a set of perfectly recorded pieces in glorious
HDCD.
Holst (LP) �
From the composer of The Planets, 3 suites for wind band, plus the
Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo.
Organ Odyssey (HDCD)
Mary Preston, the organist of Crown Imperial, in a dazzling program
of Widor, Mendelssohn, Vierne, and others.
Trittico (HDCD) �
Large helping of wind band leader Frederick Fennell doing powerhouse music by Grieg, Albeniz, Nelhybel, etc. Complex and energetic.
Serenade (HDCD)
A collection of choral pieces, wonderfully sung by the Turtle Creek
Chorale, with perhaps the best sound Keith has given them yet.
Fennell Favorites (LP)
The Dallas Wind Symphony: Bach, Brahms, Prokofiev and more.
Fireworks on this rare Reference LP.
Blazing Redheads (LP)
Not all redheads, this all-female salsa-flavored big band adds a lot of
red pepper to its music.
Felix Hell (HDCD)
The young organ prodigy turns in mature versions of organ music of
Liszt, Vierne, Rheinberger and Guilmant. Huge bottom end!
American Requiem (HDCD)
Richard Danielpour's awesome Requiem mass is all about war, and
about the hope for peace too, with a dedication tied to 9/11.
World Keys (HDCD)
Astonishing young pianist Joel Fan amazes with music from all the
world, including that of Prokofiev and Liszt
Ikon of Eros (HDCD)
Huge suite for orchestra and chorus, by John Tavener. Inspired by
Greek Orthodox tradition. Overwhelming HDCD sound.
PLUS THESE HDCD RECORDINGS:
Pomp&Pipes (HDCD) �
Requiem (HDCD) �
From the Age of Swing (HDCD) �
Swing is Here (HDCD) �
Copland Symphony No. 3 (HDCD) �
Medinah Sessions, two CDs for one (HDCD)
Ports of Call (HDCD)
Bruckner Symphony No. 9 (HDCD) �
Ein Heldenleben (HDCD) �
Organ Treasures (SACD) �
All those showpieces for big organ you remember hearing through
huge systems…only with all of the power and the clarity of Super
Audio. 4.1 channels, plus 2-channel CD.
Just Like Love (SACD/LP) �
The newest from Eric Bibb, less oriented to Gospel and more to Blues.
Bibb’s group, Needed Time, is not here, but he’s surrounded by half a
dozen fine musicians. A nice recording. Hybrid SACD.
Comes Love (HDCD) �
Another disc by the terrific Swedish Jazz Kings, led by saxophonist
Tomas Ornberg, proving again Sweden understands jazz. The sound
is luminous, sometimes dazzling.
SHEFFIELD
61
PROPRIUS
Antiphone Blues (CD) �
This famous disc offers an unusual mix: sax and organ! The disc
includes Ellington, Negro spirituals, and some folk music. Electrifying performance, and the recording quality is unequalled.
Antiphone Blues (SACD/HDCD) �
This is the Super Audio version, with a Red Book layer that is HDCDencoded. The best of both worlds!
Now the Green Blade Riseth (CD/SACD) �
Religious music done a new way: organ, chorus and modern orchestra. Stunning music, arranged and performed by masters, and the
effect is joyous. The sound is clear, and the sheer depth is unequalled
on CD. The new SACD version is the very best SACD we have yet heard!
It’s Right Here For You (HDCD) �
Is there, anywhere, a better swing band than The Swedish Jazz Kings
(formerly Tömas Ormberg’s Blue Five)? Closer to Kansas City than to
Stockholm, they are captivating.
Jazz at the Pawnshop Set (SACD) �
The entire set oin glorious SACD, plus a video DVD with interviews
with the set’s creators.
Test CD 4 (SACD)
A sampler of Opus 3 performers, clearer than you’ve ever heard them
before. Hybrid disc.
Jazz at the Pawnshop 2 (CD/SACD) �
From the original master, another disc of jazz from this Swedish pub,
with its lifelike 3-D sound. Now a classic in its own right.
I’ve Got the Music in Me (CD) �
This was originally Sheffield’s LAB-2 release. If you haven’t heard
Thelma Houston belt out a song, you’re in for a treat.
Test CD 5 (HDCD) �
Another of Opus 3’s wonderful samplers, including blues, jazz, and
classical music. A number of fine artists, captured with the usual pure
Blumlein stereo setup. A treat.
Good Vibes (CD)
The third volume of Jazz at the Pawnshop. And just as good!
Kodo (CD)
A Japanese neo-folk group plays astonishing music, including a 400pound drum that can take out a woofer. Or a wall!
Showcase (SACD/LP) �
Available as a hybrid SACD/CD disc, or a gorgeously-cut LP, with
selections from Opus 3 releases.
Harry James & His Big Band (Gold CD)
Harry said he would have done this recording for free, because he
sounded better than ever.
Good Stuff (DOUBLE 45 LP/HDCD/SACD) �
As soothing as a summer breeze, this disc features singer Eric Bibb
(son of Leon), singing and playing guitar along with his group. Subtle
weaving of instrumentation, vivid sound.
Say It With Music (CD) �
Margie Gibson sings Irving Berlin in what may be one the greatest
jazz vocal recordings of all time. And she’s right in your living room!
Growing Up in Hollywood Town (XRCD) �
The Amanda Albums (CD) �
How did they do it? The two complete McBroom recordings, Growing
Up in Hollywood Town and West of Oz, on one terrific CD
Cantate Domino (CD/SACD) �
This choral record is a classic of audiophile records. The title selection is stunningly beautiful. The second half is Christmas music, and
includes the most stunning version of O Holy Night we’ve ever heard.
Sketches of Standard (CD)
The King James Version (CD)
Harry James and his big band, live from the chapel!
Spirit and the Blues (DOUBLE 45 LP/CD/SACD) �
Like his father, Leon Bibb, Eric Bibb understands the blues. He and
the other musicians, all playing strictly acoustic instruments, have
done a fine recording, and Opus 3 has made it sound exceptional.
Drum/Track Record (XRCD2) �
OPUS 3
Test Records 1, 2 & 3 (SACD)
A blast from the past! Here are 14 cuts from the samplers that
launched Opus 3. They sound better than ever, too
Tiny Island (SACD)
If you like Eric Bibb and his group Good Stuff as much as we do, pick
this one up.
Swingcerely Yours (SACD)
An SACD re-re-release of tracks from superb vibraphonist Lars
Erstrand, from 1983 to 1995. Long overdue!
20th Anniversary Celebration Disc (HDCD) �
A great sampler from Opus 3. Includes some exceptional fine pieces,
jazz, folk and classical. The sound pickup is as good as it gets, and the
HDCD transfer is luminous.
Unique Classical Guitar Collection (SACD)
An SACD, mastered from analog, of some of Opus 3’s long-discontinued classical guitar LPs. Terrific!
Beyond (SACD)
The second recording by the versatile guitarist Peder af Ugglas (who
also did Autumn Shuffle, below), who plays every instrument there is:
jazz, rock, blues, country. From Sweden???
Autumn Shuffle (SACD/LP)
Ugglas plays a number of different guitars, and borrows from jazz,
Blues, and (yes!) country. Piano, organ, trombone, bowed saw, etc.
Showcase 2005 (SACD)
The latest Opus 3 sampler, with Eric Bibb, Mattias Wager, the Erik
Westberg Vocal Ensemble and lots more, in glorious SACD.
Levande (CD) �
The full recording from which “Tiden Bara Går” on Test Record No.1
is taken. Believe it or not, this great song isn’t even the best on the
album! A fine singer, doing folklike material…and who cares about
understanding the words?
Concertos for Double Bass (CD/SACD) �
This album of modern and 19th Century music is a favorite for its
deep, sensuous sound. And the music is worth discovering. It is sensuous and lyrical, a delight in every way.
Across the Bridge of Hope (SACD)
An astonishing choral recording by the Erik Westberg Ensemble,
famous for its Musica Sacra choral recording.
Musica Sacra (HDCD/SACD) �
Test Record No.4 (LP) �
ANALEKTA
Graupner: Vocal & Instr. Music vol.1 (CD)
Geneviève Soly and Les idées heureuses play music from a lost genius
whose reputation once outshon Bach’s.
Graupner: Partitas, vol.1 (CD)
Geneviève Soly plays some of Christoph Graupner’s incredibly rich
harpsichord music
Graupner: Vocal & Instr. Music vol.2 (CD)
Graupner: Partitas vol.3 (CD)
Graupner: Christmas in Darmstadt (CD)
SPECIAL PRICE ON ALL 8 CDs (see last page)
Violonchello Español (CD) �
I Musici de Montréal comes to Analekta, with a stunning album of
Spanish and Spanish-like pieces for cello and orchestra: Glazunov, de
Falla, Albéniz, Granados, and more.
Vivace (CD) �
Classical or rock? Claude Lamothe plays two cellos at the same time
in an amazing recording of modern compositions.
Pauline Viardot-Garcia (CD) �
Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian steps into the role of 19th Century
singer and composer Pauline Viardot so convincingly that listening
to her is like going back in time. One of the best classical recordings
of all time!
Romantic Pieces (CD) �
How does James Ehnes manage to get such a sweet sound from his
Stradivarius? Czech pieces from Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek. The
playing is as glorious as the tone, and the sound is sumptuous.
62
Cantabile (CD)
The Duo Similia is made up of striking blonde twins, who play flute
and guitar. Familiar airs from Mozart, Fauré, Elgar, Ravel, lots more.
Fine listening.
Nota del Sol (CD) �
The Labrie twins are back, with a delightful recording of flute and
guitar music by Piazzola, Pujol and Machado. Joyous works, wonderfully played and recorded
Styles (CD)
Is this ever a surprising disc! Violinist Marc Bélanger worked up these
string études for his music students, but they actually deserve to be
put out on a gold audiophile disc! The more strings he adds, the better
it gets.
Fable (CD)
Easygoing modern jazz by Rémi Bolduc and his quartet, on this gold
disc. Some exceptional guitar and bass solos.
Fantasia (CD)
A third, gorgeous, recording by the twins, on flute and guitar.
Fritz Kreisler (CD)
Possibly the best recording of Kreisler’s delightful violin music: James
Ehnes and his Strad bring a new magic to this fine disc.
French Showpieces (CD) �
Awesome violinist James Ehnes, with the Quebec City Symph. takes on
Saint-Saëns, Berlioz, Chausson, Massenet, and more.
Handel (CD) �
Superb soprano Karina Gauvin is joined by the Toronto chamber
ensemble Tafelmusik in a series of glowing excerpts from Handel’s
“Alcina” and “Agrippina.” The sound is smooth and lifelike, with an
acute sense of place.
Little Notebook of Anna Magdalana Bach (CD) �
Over 30 delightful pieces, most by Bach himself. Soprano Karina
Gauvin’s voice is mated to Luc Beauséjour’s harpsichord work. The
sound is deep, detailed and warm, truly of audiophile quality.
Vivaldi: Motets for Soprano (CD) �
The wonderful soprano Karina Gauvin tackles the gorgeous but very
difficult vocal music of Vivaldi: two motets and a psalm.
AUDIOQUEST
Mississipi Magic (CD/SACD)
The legendary Blues, Gospel, rock and world beat singer and musician Terry Evans, in an energetic recording we loved.
Come to Find (CD) �
The first by Bluesman Doug McLeod, as impressive as the second, and
no Blues fan should resist it.
You Can’t Take My Blues (CD) �
Singer/songwriter Doug MacLeod and colleagues present one of the
most satisfying Blues records ever made.
Unmarked Road (SACD)
The third disc from the great blues singer and guitarist Doug McLeod
is every bit as good as the first two.
Whose Truth, Whose Lies (SACD) �
The third disc from the great blues singer and guitarist Doug McLeod
is t as good as the first. These songs have powerful rhythm, and can
make you smile and cry at the same time.
Bluesquest sampler (CD)
SILENCE
Tres Americas (CD)
A gold audiophile disc of lively Latin fusion music. Irka Mateo and
Tadeo de Marco sing and play, drawing their influence from Africa as
well as their native Brazil. Clear, close-in sound.
Djembé Tigui (CD)
This gold disc features the voice and percussion of African artist
Sekou Camara, captured by the famous Soundfield microphone.
Camara died just before the disc was released. A long-time best-seller
worldwide
Musique Guy St-Onge (CD)
One-man band St-Onge plays dozens of instruments — scores for
fourteen films which never existed outside of his imagination. Fun
pretext, clever, attractive music that makes you wish you could see
the films!
HI-RES MUSIC (FOR DVD PLAYERS)
Brazilian Soul (24/96 DVD)
Guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd, plus percussion and
bass, in an intimate yet explosive recording of samba and bossa nova
music. Great!
Jazz/Concord (24/96 DVD)
It's 1972, and you have tickets to hear Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown
and Jake Hanna at the Concord Jazz Festival. You won’t ever forget it.
You can be there, with this high resolution disc that goes in your DVD.
Rhythm Willie (24/96DVD) �
Guitarists Herb Ellis and Freddie Green, With bassist Ray Brown and
others. This is an uncompressed 24 bit 96 kHz disc that can be played
on any video DVD player. Awesome!
Trio (24/96 DVD) �
Pianist Monty Alexander with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown. “Makes CD
sound seem as if it’s coming through a drinking straw.” Playable on
any DVD player, uncompressed.
Seven Come Eleven (24/96 DVD)
Herb Ellis and Ray Brown again, but this time with guitarist Joe
Pass (he and Ellis alternate playing lead and rhythm), and a third
guitarist, Jake Hanna. This is a live recording from the 1974 Concord
Jazz Festival.
Soular Energy (24-96 DVD/ 24-192 DVD-Audio) �
Perhaps the world’s greatest bassist, the late Ray Brown, playing with
pianist Gene Harris, whom Brown called one of the greats. The proof
is right on this 24/96 recording, made from the analog master. Side 2
has a 24/192 DVD-A version.
features Susann McDonald playing Fauré, Glinka and Liszt, is a
powerhouse! Engineered by Keith O. Johnson, with a great transfer by
Bruce Leek.
Sonatas for Flute and Harp
These same great artists with sonatas by Krumpholz and Damase, as
well as Spohr and Glinka. Oh yes, and a spectacular solo harp version
of Ibert’s hilarious Entr’acte .
Norman Dello Joio (CD) �
This contemporary composer delights in the tactile sound of the wind
band, and the Keystone Wind Ensemble does his music justice. So
does the sound, of astonishing quality!
Carmina Burana (CD)
The celebrated Carl Orff oratorio sends chills down your spine, thanks
to the huge orchestra, gigantic choir, and of course the clarity and
depth of the Klavier sound.
Obseción (CD)
The Trio Amadé plays Piazzola, Berstein, Copland, and Emilion
Cólon…who is the trio cellist. The Colón and Piazzola is definitely
worth the price of admission. Lifelike sound.
Misbehavin’ (CD)
The superb Denver Brass does Gershwin (Cuban Overture, Porgy and
Bess), plus On the Town, Sweet Georgia Brown, and of course Ain’t
Misbehavin’. Great sound.
Hemispheres (CD)
The North Texas Wind Symphony with new music by contemporary
composers who know how to thrill. Some of the best wind band sound
available.
Illuminations (CD)
Absolutely great chamber musicians take on music by Villa-Lobos,
Malcolm Arnold, and some composers you may not know but you’ll
wish you did. Sublime sound, nothing less.
Mozart Serenade and Divertimenti (CD)
Lowell Graham (of Center Stage fame, Wilson Audio) conducts a
glowing version of these pieces, including the famous “Grand Partita.”
The engineering, by Bruce Leek, is absolutely first-rate.
Kickin’ the Clouds Away (CD)
Gershwin died more than 60 years ago, but you can hear him playing
piano in glowing stereo. Nineteen of his pieces are on this fine CD,
including a solo piano version of the Rhapsody in Blue.
FIRST/LAST IMPRESSIONS
KLAVIER
La Fille Mal Gardée (XRCD)
A fine ballet with the Royal Ballet Company orchestra, from the
original 1962 Decca recording. Exceptional
Evolution (CD)
Lowell Graham and the USAF wind band, with two superb suites by
Holst, plus music by Nelhybel, Hanson, etc. Lively, tactile sound with
impact by Bruce Leek..
Film Spectacular II (XRCD)
The orchestra of Stanley Black plays some of the greatest film music
of bygone years. From the original Decca Phase 4 tape.
Poetics (CD) �
A superb wind band recording which includes a breathtaking
concerto for percussion.
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante (XRCD)
Igor and David Oistrakh with the Moscow Philharmonic, in a glorious
1963 recording, from the original master tape
Ghosts (CD) �
This haunting(!) wind band recording features a suite of music that
could be the soundtrack to a film that will keep you awake nights. A
recording of astonishing dynamics and depth
Artistry oi Linda Rosenthal (HDCD) �
The great violinist Rosenthal plays favorites: Hora Staccato, Perpetuum Mobile, Debussy’s Beau Soir, etc.
Caprice (CD) �
Can harp be spectacular? Believe it! This famous Klavier recording
Suite Española (XRCD) �
The Albéniz suite, gorgeously orchestrated by Rafael Frühbeck de
Burgos, who conducts the New Philharmonia. Beautifully remastered
from the original 1963 tape.
Audiophile Reference IV (SACD) �
A stunning sampler, with recognizable audiophile selections you have
never heard sound this good!
Songs My Dad Taught Me (HDCD)
Jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro and three other musicians, with a retro
collection of unforgettable tunes.
A Time for Us (HDCD)
Orchestral versions of music from great movies. Easy to love!.
Café Blue (HDCD/CD) �
Gold HDCD version of jazz singer Patricia Barber’s 1994 classic, an
audiophile underground favorite. Or get the original CD, at lower cost.
MISCELLANEOUS
Pipes Rhode Island �
John Marks recorded this tour of the organs of the tiny state, with
amazing tones, captured in astonishing sound
63
quality gold CDs, at under $4 per CD. Fine artists from Germany,
Austria, the UK, Eastern Europe. Listen to excerpts on line.
lives in France, recorded this terrific album (in 5 languages!) in
Montreal. Just her warm voice and guitar,
Audiophile (XRCD) �
A fine jazz recording, including Secret of the Andes. We never test a
speaker without it.
La mémoire du vent (CD)
The original recording by Bïa, in French, Portuguese and English. If
you love her second one, don’t hesitate.
Blues for the Saxophone Club (HDCD) �
Swing jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro, with guest artists, including
saxophonist Ernie Watts. The HDCD sound is explosive!
Carmin (CD) �
The third by Bïa. Different this time, with more money for production,
but it has been spent wisely. Superb songs, gloriously sung in Portuguese, French and the ancient Aymara language.
My Foolish Heart (CD)
A collection of live and atudio pieces by Monteiro and other musicians, notably saxophonist Eernie Watts
Coeur vagabond (CD)
Bïa sings French songs in Portuguese, Brazilian songs in French. A
delight, as usual from this astonishing singer
Neil Diamond: Serenade (CD)
Just eight songs on this European CBS disc, but what songs! I’ve Been
This Way Before, Lady Magdalene, Reggae Strut, The Gift of Song,
and more. Glowing sound too.
All We Need to Know �
Jazz singer Margie Gibson’s first album since Say It With Music, on
Sheffield. No one sings the way she does!
Harry Belafonte (CD)
We haven’t heard Belafonte sound like this except on analog. The 16
songs include Island in the Sun, Jamaica Farewell, Midnight Special,
Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Brown Skin Girl, etc.
Classica d’Oro (CD)
All of the classical world’s most important heritage, on 50 audiophile-
Sources (CD) �
A wonderful recording by Bïa (pronounced Bee-yah). She’s Brazilian,
Nocturno (CD)
Some are saying that this is Bïa’s best and most touching album since
Sources. See if you agree. You won’t be disappointed.
Nightclub (CD) �
Patricia Barber, doing nightclub standards rather than her own
songs. But can she do them!
Modern Cool (CD)
The previous release from Patricia Barber, including songs she does
live on the Companion live disc.
Payment by VISA or MasterCard, cheque or money order (in Canada). All merchandise is guaranteed unless explicitly sold “as is.” Certain
items (the Super Antenna, the EAC line filter, and most standard-length cables) may be returned within 21 days less shipping cost. Other
items may be subject to a restocking charge. Defective recordings will be exchanged for new copies.
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� = INDICATES RECORDINGS USED IN UHF EQUIPMENT REVIEWS
64
VINYL ALBUMS
Autumn Shuffle
Beachcomber
Blazing Redheads
Dick Hyman — Fats Waller
Fennell Favorites
Good Stuff (2 LP)
Holst
Jazz at the Pawnshop
Just like Love
Showcase
Spirit and the Blues (2 LP)
Test Record No.4
Trittico
Vinyl Essentials (test)
Beachcomber
RR-62CD
16.95
Best of Chesky & Test, vol.3 JD111
21.95
Best of the Red Army Chorus AN 2 8800
21.00
Beethoven Symph. 5 & 6
AN 2 9891
21.00
Blues for the Saxophone Club 26-1084-78-2 21.95
Bluesquest
AQCD1052 21.95
Bossa Nova
JD129
21.95
Bruckner: Symph. No.9
RR-81CD
16.95
Café Blue
21810
21.95
Café Blue (HDCD gold)
CD 010
39.95
Cantabile
AN 2 9810
21.00
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Software
Cole Porter
B
egin the Beguine, In
the Still of the Night,
Night and Day,
So in Love, C’est
Magnifique, Don’t Fence Me
In…the list of Cole Porter’s
songs includes literally
thousands of titles. His
repertoire spans sparkling
tempos that suit often
absurd lyrics, the nostalgia
of country music, and the
tenderness of declarations
of love and blue notes,
across the century without
picking up a wrinkle.
Legions of singers, among
them the greatest, have
picked up his standards and
added their own styles, still
respecting the spirit of their
unforgettable creator.
Cole Porter was France’s
favorite American, just as
Michel Legrand (my subject in our last
issue) was America’s favorite Frenchman.
Two destinies, two superstars, two lives.
That of Cole Porter is a life that was
abundant, excessive and sophisticated in
its most fulfilling and essential aspect,
namely music.
Born with a silver spoon
Cole’s mother is Kate Cole, born in
1862. She is the daughter of a coal and
timber merchant who is also a skilled
speculator. His talents make him the
richest man in the state of Indiana.
Young Kate therefore receives a
first class education, with access to
the best teachers of dance and music.
Her wardrobe is in keeping with her
paternal means and her whims, and her
father imagines her marrying an up and
coming businessman with a commanding
by Reine Lessard
personality and a promising future.
In fact she falls in love with a young
man who is quite the opposite of all
that, a pharmacist named Sam Fenwick
Porter, from the same village, Peru,
Indiana.
Kate Cole and Sam Porter wed
without the formal approval of her dad,
but he loves his daughter enough to
pay for the wedding and he leaves her
a generous lifetime annuity. The money
is of great help both to her new husband
and her children to come.
A boy and a girl, Louis and Rachel,
die young. As for the lad who will
become known as the celebrated
composer Cole Porter, (he will borrow
his mother’s maiden name as his first
name), he sees the light of day in Peru
on June 9, 1891.
The young years
Everything is done to
assure the young child a life
of ease and success. At the
age of six he is registered
in a riding school, where
he will show promise in
the handling of horses. At
the same time he begins
piano and violin studies,
showing aptitude for both
instruments.
After a while, however,
the strident tone of the
violin irritates him, and
he throws his performance
to the piano, which he
practices two hours a day.
To lighten up these practice
sessions,
his
mother
joins him to play fourhand parodies of popular
tunes of the day. She is
ambitious for her son, and
habitually claims he is younger than he
is in reality, to make him seem like more
of a prodigy. Made bold by the family
fortune and her husband’s influence,
she tampers with her son’s school
records, finances student orchestras on
the promise her son will play a solo,
and exerts influence on music journals
covering his concerts.
She also pays for the publication of
his first compositions, with the print run
of some hundred copies going mainly to
family members.
At the age of 14, Cole attends a
Massachusetts private school of great
reputation, the Worcester Academy.
There he meets a Dr. Abercrombie,
who — like Nadia Boulanger in
Europe — places great emphasis on the
importance of melody. In particular, he
teaches his students the tight integration
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that is necessary between the words and
music of a song. Cole learns the lesson
well, and will later say that “Words and
music must be so inseparably wedded to
each other that they are like one.”
He has, of course, exceptional native
talent, but I believe we need look no
further for the source of his excellent
reputation as a melodist.
A budding career
His grandfather offers Cole a
sumptuous high school graduation
gift, a tour of Europe. On his return he
registers at Yale, and becomes a member
of the secret society Scroll and Key.
There he makes numerous friendships,
which will last his whole life through.
This period is also fertile in
adventures. His homosexuality becomes
evident just as his career as a composer
begins to take off. He composes music
for six major shows, and over a hundred
songs for various student fraternities and
other organizations, including “fight”
songs for the football team. His taste for
well-built men led, according to some of
his biographers, to particularly energetic
melodies. Some of them became classics
and are still sung at Yale.
He also sings, performing solo in
the Yale Glee Club, and becomes its
president in his final year of study.
Early on, he reveals his bulimia
for activities of all sorts. Busy with his
academic workload, he nonetheless
finds time for his show tunes and other
songs. Though he is not always the
lyricist, he nonetheless has considerable
influence on the stories. His first stage
works are notable for their dynamism,
their spiritual subtlety, and the air of
prodigious fantasy that colors them.
On numerous occasions he goes on
tour with his colleagues, and he is the
subject of admiration. Invitations to
join other productions quickly follow,
and he receives offers for the creation
of musical comedies even years after his
graduation.
With a Yale BA in his pocket, he
registers at Harvard Law School, quickly
moving over to Harvard’s school of
music in New York. His natural charm,
his finesse and his joviality make him a
favorite of his entourage, and make him
the toast of Manhattan.
By 1916 he has authored his first
Broadway musical, a patriotic comic
opera titled See America First. It is a
flop, and fame on the Great White Way
remains some years away.
Paris - New York
He leaves for Paris in the midst of
the First World War, and now there
are countless stories that are difficult,
if not impossible, to confirm. He is
said to have joined the French Foreign
Legion and served in North Africa.
It is said that, in 1917, he distributes
food and other necessities to war-torn
villagers. In April 1918 he is spotted in
the 32nd Field Artillery Regiment. At
the Officers’ School in Fontainebleau,
is that him teaching field artillery to
American soldiers, whose ranks he
hopes to join?
There must be at least a grain of truth
in these tales, for he does find himself
named to the office of the military
attaché of the US, and he subsequently
receives the Croix de Guerre. One thing
we do know is that this loveable ham
loves to dress up in varied costumes:
a grenadier, a hussar, and — yes — a
legionnaire. His entourage is much
amused, and may have gotten a little
confused.
We are on much firmer ground
in narrating what happens next.
Considering the man’s eccentric and
adventurous nature, and his propensity
for the pleasures of hedonism, he soon
settles into a luxurious apartment in the
City of Light, with a coterie of servants
to insure his comfort and attend to his
slightest desire.
Wanting to enrich his musical
training, he takes, over a period of several
years, courses with the illustrious French
pedagogue and genius of orchestration
Vincent d’Indy.
He has a talent for surrounding
himself with people who share his tastes,
and his dinner parties are the delight of
the tout-Paris. There can be found the
new nobility of the very rich, as well as
the celebrities and the emerging talents
of the music, theatre and cinema world.
These evenings feature everything
that can inflame the senses and the
imaginations of young people who crave
pleasure above all.
In 1918 Porter meets Linda Lee
Thomas, a rich and gorgeous American
divorcee, who is seven years older than
he is. After a year he marries her. We can
say that theirs is a marriage of friendship,
for the new Mrs. Porter is well aware of
her husband’s sexual preferences (“You
like men better than I do,” she is made
to say in a later biopic). She will be for
him a delicious muse, and she will work
hard to promote his genius.
Bing Crosby singing True Love to an attentive Grace Kelly
Whatever the reasons for their
decision to wed, their common fortune
is all the greater, which suits perfectly
Cole’s lifelong taste for the finest things
in life. The couple settles for a time into
a luxurious hotel of the rue Monsieur in
Paris. Their reputation of bons vivants is
by no means exaggerated. Billionaires
(in terms of francs if not dollars), they
book the Ballet of Monte Carlo for an
evening’s entertainment, or they move
their reception to the Riviera…with,
of course, transportation paid for their
guests.
But New York is not forgotten.
During his years in France, Cole Porter
writes songs for the Hitchy-Koo review
on Broadway, and this time he has a
russe’s Boris Kochno, choreographer the Top. Hoagy Carmichael and Edward
success on his hands.
In 1923, Swedish Ballet founder Nelson Barclift (who inspires the Hayman supply rather staid songs to fill
Rolf de Maré commissions a ballet from song Night and Day), and Boston’s in for the censored ones.
him. Cole Porter writes him Within the Howard Sturges, Cole Porter lands The 1935 musical Jubilee, with
Quota, considered the world’s fist jazz in Hollywood, where he will cease to the song Begin the Beguine, is adapted
hide his homosexuality. His very public for the screen five years later. The
ballet.
The Porters move on to Venice where liaisons embarrass his wife, who leaves following year, Red, Hot and Blue, with
the song So in Love, brings back Ethel
they rent the Rezzonico Palace, famous him temporarily in 1930.
as the home of Elizabeth Barrett and The Thirties will nonetheless be a Merman, alongside Jimmy Durante
Robert Browning. There they build an prosperous one for Cole. His song, Love and Bob Hope. In 1936 Born to Dance
extravagant floating night club capable for Sale, sung by Kathryn Crawford in (with the song I’ve Got You Under My
of accommodating 100 guests. They The New Yorkers is a hit and will become Skin) stars James Stewart and a bubbly
organize treasure hunts on the canals, a standard, despite the fact that its story Eleanor Powell. Porter gets an Oscar
memorable balls…in short, the good line, that of a woman of “loose morals,” nomination for the song.
life. Yet the composer does not abandon gets it banned from radio in the US for
A forced pause
his work, and with the unfailing support years.
Innow,
1932
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and Ginger
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year
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and enlightened guidance of his wife,
he years
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we Fred
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on our Web
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Rogers
team up in the movie The Cole Porter. In October he is invited to
pursues composition with passion.version of
our magazine.
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Hello Hollywood
Of course Cole Porter’s lifestyle But the Hollywood production code is Cole Porter throws himself into his
choices may have been featured by tough in those days, and no fewer than work, and creates several musicals and
his biographers, but they are mere four of Porter’s songs get yanked. The individual songs. At the same time he
anecdotes, which I mention because… remaining songs include (of course) continues his sumptuous party life,
well, because they are there. After love Anything Goes, I Get a Kick Out of You, travelling in the orbit of such luminaries
affairs with such celebrities as the Ballet There’ll Always Be a Lady Fair and You’re as composers Igor Stravinsky.
Why a free version?
Software
Feedback
Feedback
Software
In 1940 a film titled Broadway Melody
is released with the dizzying talents of
Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. The
same year, on Broadway, he scores a hit
with Panama Hattie, with Ethel Merman
in the title role. It will become a film
two years later. In the meantime, in
1941, he has another film, You’ll Never
Get Rich, in which Astaire teams up with
Rita Hayworth.
Cole Porter has his share of flops too.
At about the same time Let’s Face It and
Something For the Boys are dismal failures.
But Porter is not one to be discouraged,
and he redoubles his efforts. The result
will be shows that are among the stars in
his crown.
In 1943, the MGM extravaganza
Dubarry Was a Lady is the film version,
with Gene Kelly, of a Broadway
musical. Less successful is the 1948 The
Pirate, with Kelly and Judy Garland,
and directed by Vincente Minelli, gets
poor notices, despite the quality of the
music.
At the same time, a great number
of Porter songs are hits in non-musical
films. In Hitchcock’s Stage Fright,
Marlene Dietrich sang Porter’s Laziest
Gal in Town. Much later, in 1984, Kate
Capshaw sang Anything Goes in Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom. In The
Rocketeer (1996) Melora Hardin, playing
a singer at the South Seas Club, sings
the Porter hit Begin the Beguine (she
is shown on the next page), while two
other songs, Night and Day and Easy to
Love are played by the club band.
Cole Porter’s signature show,
however, is Kiss Me Kate, first produced
on Broadway in 1948 in what everyone
considers Cole Porter’s declining years.
It features a show within a show, and
follows the love story of two actors
performing in a musical version of
Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
The show is a triumph, with some of
Porter’s best songs, mixing jazz, operetta
and Latin rhythms. The show-stopper
Wunderbar garners one of the show’s
five Tony awards.
In 1953, MGM brings out as a 3-D
film, starring Katherine Grayson and
Howard Keel, which gets an Oscar
nomination for best scoring. Particularly
interesting is that, in the film, actor Ron
Randell plays Cole Porter himself. It is
the only time Porter is introduced as a
film character other than in a biography.
The scene is shown at top, while the real
Cole porter is in the lower picture, with
Grayson and Keel.
The same year, Porter’s Can-Can
is a hit on Broadway, set in the mad
period at the end of the 19th Century in
Montmartre. A film version will follow
in 1960, with Frank Sinatra, Shirley
MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier and Louis
Jourdan. This is the most stunning of
all the films built around Cole Porter’s
music. The exuberant and magnificently
orchestrated overture sets the pace. Then
follows a long list of great Porter songs,
including I Love Paris, Montmart’, C’est
Magnifique, Live And Let Live, You Do
Something to Me and It’s All Right With
Me (at the top of the next page, Sinatra
sings it to Juliet Prowse). The script is
intelligent, the plot twists are joyous,
underused. Fortunately there’s Cole
Porter’s title song, as well as I Get a
Kick Out of You, There’ll Always Be a
Lady Fair, and You’re the Top. The film
was fleshed out with additional songs by
other composers, all of them mercifully
forgotten.
In 1957 MGM brought out Les
Girls. It was one of the last of the great
musicals of Hollywood’s Golden Age,
with Cole Porter’s last film score and
the next-to-last score of his career.
Gene Kelly and Mitzi Gaynor perform
in a highly original ballet, in this tale of
“he-said-she-said” contradictory tales
of three dancers and a director. The
story is rather thin, and the songs are
not Cole Porter’s best work either.
The difficult years
In 1952 Cole Porter’s mother, with
whom he was very close, dies of a stroke.
Two years later his wife Linda succumbs
to emphysema. He loses thereby his
muse, his faithful friend and a faithful
counsellor. Then too his leg pains are
getting worse, and he faces the horror of
possibly losing his legs. He finally agrees
in 1958 to amputation of his right leg.
Always so fastidious of his appearance,
he is crushed. He refuses a prothesis,
and — as his wife had foreseen — he
suffers from a depression that will never
lift.
He now lives as a virtual recluse,
surrounded by his servants in the chic
Waldorf-Astoria apartment he has
occupied since 1939. His composing
slows, then stops. finding solace in
alcohol and sleep. He is not present
for the Salute to Cole Porter at the Met
on May 15, 1960, nor does he show up
for his honorary degree from Yale. His
friends prepare a grand party for his 70th
birthday, but he declines the invitation.
And so this gracious bon vivant, this
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and there is humor, breathless pacing,
stupendous choreographies featuring
exceptional dancers, magnificent sets,
and bewitching music you recall long
after the final credits. This great film
deserved Cole Porter.
So did Silk Stockings, the 1955
remaking of the Garbo vehicle Ninotchka,
this time featuring Fred Astaire and
Cyd Charisse. The story is funny,
there are dance numbers that burst
like fireworks, and there is a incredibly
creative number titled The Ritz Rock and
Roll. Astaire’s performance is, I believe,
one of the most remarkable of any of his
films. Of course there are a number of
Cole Porter standards: All of You, Satin
and Silk, Silk Stockings, Red Blues and Too
Bad.
Alas, not all Cole Porter films are of
that caliber, for some producers merely
hope that the Porter name would bring
them success. High Society, the 1956
remake of the 1940 film The Philadelphia
Story, then starring Cary Grant and
Katharine Hepburn, stars Grace Kelly,
Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. It is
critically acclaimed and garners a couple
of Oscar nominations, but in hindsight
the reason is a mystery. Kelly and Crosby
have none of the presence of the earlier
stars, despite their interpretation of a
Cole Porter hit, True Love. Movie lovers
today blame Charles Walters’ direction
for the mediocrity of the film, though
I think some of the blame also belongs
to the pitifully dumbed-down script.
This was, by the way, Kelly’s last film
appearance before she became Princess
Grace of Monaco.
In a reversal of proceedings, this film
was later adapted for Broadway, in 1998,
with several Cole Porter songs lifted
from earlier shows.
Not much better is the 1956
remake of Anything Goes. The 1934
version, you will recall, starred Ethel
Merman and Bing Crosby, with only
four Porter songs. The remake, with an
older Crosby, Donald O’Connor, Zizi
Jeanmaire and Mitzi Gaynor, is nearly
unwatchable today, with its idiotic script
and mediocre plot development. Crosby
is not especially good, though his acting
is better than his attempts at dancing.
The much better dancers, O’Connor,
Jeanmaire and Gaynor are shamefully
Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings
Zizi Jeanmaire, Donald O’Connor and Bong Crosby in Anything Goes
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anti-conformist playboy, so proud of
his work and so conscious of his worth,
so prolific, so praised by film directors,
singers and musicians, one of the first
great American songwriters to know
worldwide triumph, a multi-millionaire
in the Golden Age of musicals, ends
his days in terrible solitude. He dies
in Hollywood on October 15, 1964 of
kidney failure. He is buried alongside
his wife and his mother at Mount Hope,
in his home town of Peru, Indiana.
Posthumous homage
In 1970 he is inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In London in the 90’s, three of his
musicals, Kiss Me Kate, High Society and
Anything Goes, get Laurence Olivier
awards or nominations for Outstanding
Performing Arts, and the London
Critics Circle Award (Drama) for Best
Musical.
In 1991 the centenary of his birth is
marked in the United States by a 29¢
Even some deservedly forgotten
shows have given us classic tunes that
have found new life in concerts or
homage compilations. Frank Sinatra,
Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and
Charlie Parker are names on a long list
of those who have sung or played the
songs of this great songwriter.
In 1990, major stars of pop and rock
music, come together for an album of
Cole Porter songs with proceeds going
to AIDS research. On the album are
U2, David Byrne, Annie Lennox, Iggy
Pop, Sinead O’Connor, Neneh Cherry,
Salif Keïta and Erasure.
There have been two film biopics.
In 1946 Michael Curtiz (of Casablanca
fame) directs Night and Day, with
Cary Grant and Alexis Smith playing
respectively Cole and Linda. The script
however strays so far from the real story
that it is not a success. Much better, 58
years later, is Irwin Winkler’s De-Lovely
(the title is that of one Porter’s songs),
on a script by Jay Cocks. Kevin Kline
plays Porter and Ashley Judd is Linda.
Among the singers are Sheryl Crowe,
Elvis Costello, Robbie Williams, Diana
Krall and Alanis Morissette. It gets
lukewarm reviews, and is criticized for
being too politically correct concerning
Porter’s homosexuality.
stamp bearing his likeness.
Of course a number of Porter’s
It should be noted that Cole Porter songs became monuments of the 20th
wrote not only the music but nearly Century. Reinvented a hundred times,
all of the lyrics for his songs, and it is interpreted by singers and orchestras,
generally considered that his lyrics were it has given listeners countless hours of
far superior to those of the swing hits pleasure, listening or humming along,
that then dominated the hit parade. He eyes closed, foot marking the rhythm,
was a master of humor and cleverness, letting the notes take flight. It still
very much a class act.
happens to me that I discover a “new”
As for his music, Cole Porter’s and delightful melody, only to discover
melodies have been adopted by the that it is from the pen of Cole Porter.
greatest crooners, singers and jazz Porter’s succession still earns millions
musicians.
What long-time
readers
tell usjoyous,
they most like about UHF is that it
His style,
at times
of dollars each year from royalties.
does
more
than
review
amplifiers
and
speakers.
lively, languorous or sensual, with rich
Cole and Linda had no children, and
textures
In every
issue,
we discuss
ideas. was a
and
inventive
rhythms,
so the earnings are portioned out to
favorite
We tryoftomajor
tell you
whatand
you the
needwider
to know, besides what CD player to
artists
the descendants of those who were
buy.
public.
important to them.
It’s
of the features that
that makes
UHF Magazine unlike any other
Heonedemonstrated
musicals,
In 1983 the James Omar Cole family
audio
swingmagazine.
and pop/rock could not only of Peru, Indiana, founded the Cole and
coexist but blend into a perfect cocktail. Kate Porter Memorial Fellowship, in
The success of new productions of Kiss honor of native Hoosier Cole Porter
Me Kate in London or on Broadway and his mother. Each year the fund
and Anything Goes in London are proof offers two graduate students a two-year
enough that the cocktail has lost none of scholarship to study performance or
its flavor.
composition.
Not just hardware…
Software Reviews
by Reine Lessard,
Gerard Rejskind and
Albert Simon
Gud är kärlek
Gunno Södersten
Proprius PRCD2003
Rejskind: The title means “God is
love,” and this is of course a recording of
church music, actually music for church
use, as composer Södersten puts it. He
became organist and choral director
of Stockholm’s Immanuel Church, and
over the years he has written countless
short works not only for his own church
but for Sweden’s other “free churches,”
which is to say churches outside the
mainstream denominations. The pieces
are sometimes instrumental, for piano
or organ, sometimes for tenor, soprano
or small choir. It is easy to imagine them
blending into a service. Most of them
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Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Nézet-Séguin/Orch. Métropolitain
Atma SACD2 2514
Rejskind: There’s something about
ninth symphonies. Beethoven wrote
nine symphonies, and his final one, with
its choral movement and its sweeping
narrative of the history of the universe,
was and is a monument of genius.
Schubert also wrote nine symphonies,
and by the time he got to his final one,
he was very conscious of the challenge
inherent in writing a ninth symphony.
He even quoted the Beethoven Ode to
Joy in his final movement. He didn’t do
too badly either, and his Ninth is justly
subtitled “The Great.”
Then there is Bruckner’s Ninth, also
a monument, and Bruckner was just as
aware as Schubert that a symphony with
that number must be able to measure
itself against the works of Beethoven.
Bruckner apparently even considered
writing a choral movement to end the
symphony, as Beethoven had.
Unfortunately he never did get
around to writing it. At the end of his
life he still clung to the idea of a choral
movement, and he suggested the role
could be filled by his Te Deum. It was
actually premiered that way in 1902,
w it h conductor Ferdinand Loewe
restructuring not only the Te Deum
but also the three movements of the
symphony. It wasn’t until 1932 that
the world heard the symphony the way
Bruckner wrote it, ending with the third
movement, the Adagio.
It takes its place, I think, with
the great unfinished musical works of
history, including Brahms’ Unfinished.
Notwithstanding the classical symphonic
structure of four movements, you don’t
come out of the Adagio feeling that
something else needs to come along.
There are several very good versions
of the Ninth. Yannick Nézet-Séguin
has been surprising observers since his
20’s, when unexpectedly he was named
permanent conductor of Montreal’s
second orchestra, L’orchestre métropolitain
du grand Montréal. He and his orchestra
have been applauded the world over,
and he was able to bring discipline to
an orchestra that was once more than a
little difficult to rein in. Nézet-Séguin
is now also principal conductor of
the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and he
records more often than the betterk nown Orchestre symphonique de
Montréal. The orchestra of the Montreal
Opera used to be either the OSM or an
unnamed orchestra made up principally
of OSM members. Today it is often
as not the Métropolitain, with NézetSéguin on the podium.
I a m ver y f a m i l ia r w it h t h i s
symphony, not only because I do think it
is one of the world’s greatest symphonic
masterpieces, but also because we
have used it so often in evaluation of
equipment. The version we use is by the
Dallas Symphony, Reference Recordings
RR-81CD, and both the playing and the
sound are glorious.
But the sound that Keith O. Johnson
lays down is not always what was exactly
heard in the concert hall. We forgive
him because he always gets the orchestra
or other ensemble to sound its best. In
the Dallas version, the brass is a little
forward, with tremendous brashness
and bite. On the Métropolitain version
it is farther back among the strings and
woodwinds. There is more hall sound,
that of a large Montreal church, possibly
a little too much. There is a good deal
of reverberation in the bass, and that
sometimes obscures woodwinds or brass
overtones that are more evident in the
Dallas recording. By the usual standards,
however, this is a competent recording,
with lots of dynamics thanks to SACD.
It is, indeed, better-sounding than other
versions of the Ninth I have access to.
The orchestra does justice to this
monumental, difficult work. The tempo
is quick but not overly so. However
the Scherzo is mostly quick but drags
unexpectedly in a couple of passages. But
of course I am making comparisons.
A very good version of a great work.
If you know only the other “Ninth”
symphonies, treat yourself to this one.
You’ll wonder why it is not as famous as
the other two.
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are of an accommodating length, from
under two minutes to just over four.
In the 1960’s there was a wave of
new church music drawing from folk
tradition and even popular music.
Another Proprius recording exemplifies
this movement, the magnificent Now the
Green Blade Riseth. Södersten’s music is
rather more traditional than that, with
what I am tempted to call a neo-Gothic
architecture. It is austere, without the
f lamboyance of the Renaissance, let
alone the modern age. I’m afraid the
individual pieces lend themselves poorly
to being played as a complete set, though
I am certain they are popular with the
churchgoers.
There are ot her work s on t he
recording, however. There is a set
of organ partitas, played by Roland
Forsberg. Especially noteworthy is
the Tre Solosånger, with tenor Anders
Andersson accompanied by piano. This
is a suite of three pieces that are simply
gorgeous. And there is a Symphonic
Psalm for baritone, organ, choir and
orchest ra, which is int rospect ive,
but with spectacular vocal passages,
especially those with Karl-Magnus
Fredriksson, the baritone.
The sound is variable, and it is clear
that these works were not all recorded
at the same time. Don’t expect the
engrossing depth and dynamics of the
best Proprius recordings, but it sounds
better than most.
Bach Métamorphoses
Talmi & Orch. Symph. de Québec
Atma ACD2 2570
Simon: If you know anyone who is
not familiar with Bach’s music, you
might want to suggest this album and
let them discover the treasures they
have stayed away from. Many people
react first to the textures of the music
they hear than to the actual music that
was originally written. The sound of a
modern orchestra provides a familiar
texture, and through it some of us can
better touch the music of Bach. Let them
hear a Cantata in its original form and
it may sound totally foreign to them,
but play for them the William Walton
transcription of Cantata BWV 208 on
track 6, and they’ll melt in their seat in
one big smile.
Yoav Ta l m i ma nages to get a
wonderfully sweet sound from the
Québec Symphony Orchestra and,
thanks to the recording skills of AnneMarie Sylvestre, that sound is carefully
preserved for us and we can almost see all
the musicians appear, clearly defined, on
a super-wide stage. Holst’s orchestration
of the Organ Fugue in G Major is a pure
delight, starting with a solo cello on
the right and building up across the
stage in a complex structure — a work
mainly organ music lovers would have
been familiar with. At about the same
time, in the 1920’s, Elgar orchestrated
another work originally written for
organ, The Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor.
He lavished on it all the richness of a full
orchestra, with no restraints, explaining
that “I wanted to show how gorgeous
and great and brilliant he (Bach) would
have made himself sound if he had our
means.”
Yoav Talmi was 11 when he first
planned to add an orchestra to the
popular Italian Concerto, originally
written for a solo harpsichord. He
finally did the transcription in 2007,
and it is featured here with Alexander
Weinmann on the harpsichord. My
impression was simply one of joy, as if
I was finally hearing it just the way it
should be. There is something authentic
about it in the writing for woodwinds
and strings, surely due to Talmi’s strict
use of instruments that existed in Bach’s
time.
Webern surprised me wit h his
unusual orchestration of the Ricercata
from The Musical Offering, a solemn
sounding fugue, full of dignity, featuring
a generous use of woodwinds contrasted
with a full use of the brass section.
Respighi’s orchestration of the
Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor is the
last and longest track. It was requested by
Toscanini in 1929, and Respighi called
the work “a cathedral built exclusively of
sound.” Not being too fond of pompoussounding music, I am sorry to say that I
didn’t share the enthusiasm of the crowds
at the premiere in Europe. If you like
megadoses of brass and tympani, you
might fall in love with it and ask for
more, but I prefer the original organ
version. And I certainly thought the
famous Stokowski version of another
grand organ piece, the ever popular
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on track 1,
is much more interesting and fascinating
and would be more readily approved by
Bach today.
Bartók
Zeitouni & Les Violons du Roy
Atma ACD2 2576
Simon: I first heard Jean-Marie Zeitouni
in a pre-concert interview during the
Lanaudière Festival, outside Montreal,
in 2007. His enthusiasm and passion set
the tone for the concert he conducted
that evening, featuring violinist James
Ehnes and other superb soloists. I
expected as much from this recording.
The Divertimento opens with a
vigorous, staccato rhythm played with
authority by the cellos and the double
basses (a passing wink, I suspect, to
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring), appearing
suddenly on the right of the stage.
Judging from the quality of the strings
sound in the first few seconds and the
solid image which took shape between
my speakers, I just knew I was going to
like the recording quality.
can’t decide which of the nine numbers
pleased me most.
I was mystified by the deathless
tango-f lavored Czardas of Vittorio
Monti on track 8. But what can I say
of the glissandos and trills that are so
well performed, and in which the two
instruments are so easy to identify by the
sound of their strings? The title piece is
dazzling for the ear, with its pulsating
Latin rhythm. Fascinating are the lively
dialogs between the instruments, for
our greater pleasure, from Birdland at
the start to the final piece, Snow. The
indispensable ingredient to pull this
No,
this free version is not complete,
though you could
spend a osmosis
couple
Acoustic
Mania
off successfully:
the perfect
of
hours
reading
it.
Want
the
full
version?
Talking Hands
between the artists.
You can, of course, order the print
which we was
have done
published
Naim CD020
version,
The recording
at The
for
a
quarter
of
a
century.
You
can
get
it
from
our
back
issues
page.
Lessard: The musicians who star on Town House in London in July 1997,
But—
weAntonio
also have Forcione
a paid electronic
version,
which
is just
like
one,
this album on and
launched
a year
later.
It this
is a bouquet
except
that
it
doesn’t
have
annoying
banners
like
this
one,
and
it
doesn’t
nylon string guitar and Neil Stacey on of notes that are gay or tender, with
have articles
tailing
intofire
faux
Getting
the electronic
version
is of
steel string
guitar —
reallyoff
catch
onLatin.
intriguing
sounds,
sometimes
augmented
course
faster,
and
it
is
also
cheaper.
It
costs
just
$4.30
(Canadian)
anywhere
their respective acoustic instruments. by the tapping of fingers on guitar
the world.
they are applicable,
included.
Theirinenerg
y andTaxes,
their ifcontagious
bodies,are
in bursts
of rhythm that are pure
It’s
available
from
MagZee.com.
expressiveness, their rich harmonies pleasure. I felt abandoned when, after
and their prodigious technique add to just 38 minutes…it all stopped!
the pleasure.
That’s my only reproach to Naim,
Stacey is a British composer and whose sound work here is a total success.
arranger, and one of today’s top acoustic The recording just doesn’t last long
g uitarists. He began st udy ing his enough.
instrument when he was seven, and at the Don’t even hesitate.
age of 16 he was writing arrangements
for his own rock group. Inspired like
so many others by the music of Django
Reinhardt, he established a gypsy jazz
ensemble patterned after Le Club Hot
de France, of which Reinhardt was one
of the stars. His group called itself The
Kimbara Brothers. He didn’t actually
have a brother called Kimbara, but he
had a guitar by that name.
In 1992 he joined Forcione to found
Acoustic Mania, which found some
fame the following year at the Edinburg
Festival and went on from there.
With diplomas in art, sculpture Nocturno
and mime, Forcione is an explorer of Bïa
all that is possible with the guitar, and Audiogram ADCD10227
that which is not. This unpredictable Rejskind: A new recording by this
musician sails ever further to touch the Brazilian-French singer is always an
shores of faraway musical lands that event. Ever since her second album Sources
(Audiogram AFCD10132) first came out
continue to surprise us.
This album was a hit when it was first and became a word-of-mouth success, we
released, with its jazz colored alternately haven’t missed an opportunity to see and
by Brazilian, Spanish, Argentinian, folk hear her. That is made all the easier by
and classical influences. The best tracks, the fact that she spends a fair amount of
well, let’s see. David? Karate? Dylan? I her time in and about Montreal.
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It has been said t hat t he f irst
movement reflects the relaxed mood
Bartok was enjoying during his brief
stay in the Swiss Alps in the summer
of ‘39, but I disagree. Bartok was deeply
troubled by the mounting tensions in
Europe, and even if some of the themes
seem lighthearted and folklike, they are
constantly challenged by contrasting
sombre episodes. The building of tension
is palpable in the Adagio, reaching
levels of intensity that only strings can
achieve, and Zeitouni proves it skillfully
here with Les Violons du Roy. The
Divertimento name is best reflected in the
last movement, in which the orchestra
sings and dances with enthusiasm in a
rich combination of musical textures and
rhythms.
But t her e i s s t i l l s ome t h i n g
troublesome and foreboding, as if a
smile appeared on Bartok’s face while
it remains dominated by his hauntingly
intense eyes.
Premiered also in Switzerland two
years earlier, the more complex Music
for Strings, Percussion and Celesta was
an immediate, yet brief, success. With
no hints of expressiveness or emotional
states, it is music for its own sake, a
celebration of a renewed language. Note
that the orchestra is divided into two
opposing groups facing each other, with
the other instruments in the middle,
between the strings. This interpretation
may not have the explosive effect found
in other versions I am familiar with, but
it offers a remarkably clear insight into
the percussion’s subtleties, no doubt due
to Zeitouni’s own skill as a percussionist.
Bartok’s love of Eastern European folk
music is apparent in the last movement,
a contrast of lively, foot-tapping rhythms
and solemn interludes. But my favorite
moments are in the calm stroll-in-theenchanted-forest Adagio, where soft
sounds fill the misty night air with
mysterious rustling.
And yet, the wonderful surprise is
the innovating orchestration written by
Zeitouni for the popular Romanian Folk
Dances. He uses the same orchestra and
soloists as in the previous piece and offers
us his own perfect blend of percussion,
harp, strings, piano and xylophone in a
richly varied succession of short dances.
A real treat.
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Most of the songs are by Bïa herself,
in collaboration with Erik West-Millette,
who is also the producer and arranger of
the album, as well as virtual one-man
band. The lyrics run heavily to her
native Portuguese, with an occasional
song that is partly or entirely in French.
The one English song, Coffee in Bed,
is instrumental. The orchestration is
dense and well thought out. It includes
the bass clarinet, whose astonishingly
chunky tones open Feio, the first song
on the album. All of the instruments
are acoustic, except for a Hammond B3
organ that comes in now and then.
For non-Portuguese speakers, much
of this album is somewhat abstract, but
like all really good singers, Bïa makes
us care anyway. Besides, translations in
both French and English are included on
the foldout lyrics sheet. And Bïa’s voice
is so mesmerizing and expressive that we
are drawn right in.
The high points? I very much like
the title song, which opens with Bïa
whispering in our ear.
Star, wind, silence so deep
And a nightly sky
That was you
Much more st ylized is Sombres,
in which the brief poem is backed by
rollicking rhythms from Bïa’s own
voice. Personne, a duet with Thomas
Hellman, is gorgeous. Revolta is a song
of despair, though Bïa doesn’t sound at
all despairing.
I’d like to get away but to where?
When the night is dark enough for
tigers to roam
When you know there’s no going back
When giving up feels like revolt
Madalena really is about the MaryMagdelana of the Bible, but with a light
satirical twist, and a pronounced Latin
lilt that runs counter to the theme of the
lyrics, to delightful effect.
Los hermanos is, in contrast, a truly
tragic plaint, in which Bïa is accompanied
by Lhasa de Sela, a Mexican-American
singer who has long lived in Montreal.
Like some of Bïa’s best songs, it’s
about liberty. The author is Atahualpa
Yupanqui, an A rgent inian singersongwriter who took on the name of the
last Inca emperor. It’s followed by Exil,
a mesmerizing song about a subject that
Bïa knows about first hand.
I thank you
For not having kept silent
For not having given up
For not having betrayed
For not leaving to drown, forgotten
The soul of your freedom
T he record i ng is mu lt it r ac k ,
therefore with a perspective that is
not quite focused and natural. It is,
however, wonderfully clean and detailed.
Bïa’s voice floats realistically, front and
centre, with the many instruments
accompanying her deployed all about.
There is a broad tonal palette that
does justice to the sometimes exotic
instruments.
By the time you read this I will have
spent an evening seeing and listening
to Bïa in concert, for the fourth time,
I believe. I expect that I will have had a
wonderful time, as I am certain you will
with this recording.
Blue Rose
Clooney/Ellington
Columbia/Pure Pleasure CL 872
Rejskind: This re-release of a Columbia
LP of the 1950’s by Pure Pleasure is a
treasure. Yes, it’s mono, and the quaint
period jacket is exactly as it was then,
even down to the warning that an
osmium stylus (which it calls a “needle”)
is good for only 20 hours.
Rosemary Clooney (who, in case
you’re wondering, was the aunt of
George) was famous in the early 50’s
with such Top 40 hits as Hey There and
C’mon to My House. She was, however,
strangely undervalued. For instance, she
starred in the 1954 film White Christmas
along with Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen and
Danny Kaye, but she got all too little
singing time. Her only solo (but it’s
worth looking up, and I wish that was
on disc) was a song Irving Berlin wrote
specially for her, Love, You Didn’t Do
Right By Me. Listen to her slide over the
notes on this song, and you know you are
hearing a singer without equal, then or
now.
So what happened? At some point
she lost her way, felled by ill health and
perhaps too many prescription drugs.
She would ultimately return as a jazz
singer, and she did turn out numerous
albums with jazz greats, perhaps two
dozen or so. Indeed, she kept at it perhaps
a little too long, even when her once
perfect pitch had begun to wander, and
her rock steady tone would tremble on
long notes.
But on this album is Clooney when
she was at her greatest. Listening to
this recording is nothing less than a
revelation. Clooney’s voice is a musical
instrument as perfect as anything that
ever came out of Cremona, and she
controlled it effortlessly. She used few
voice effects, because she didn’t need
them. Listen to the best aspects of any
modern singer you admire, and you’ll
find their antecedents in Rosemary
Clooney. She had a vocal range that
would match that of most of the great
jazz singers, though few could follow
her into the lower octaves and make the
notes sound so good.
And then there’s her accompaniment
on this record, the legendary Duke
E l l i n g t o n , b a c k e d b y t he l i k e s
of t r u mpet ist Cla rk Ter r y, w it h
arrangements by Billy Strayhorn, and of
course with Ellington’s own piano very
much present. Some of the Duke’s best
tunes are here, including Sophisticated
Lady, It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t
Got That Swing), and Mood Indigo. There
is also the title song the Duke wrote
especially for Clooney, and which she
sings without words. Every track is
memorable.
The pressing is perfection, with no
flaws that would not have been on the
master tape: a touch of tape saturation
here and there at worst. It is as quiet as
LPs can get. There is even a brief silence
on the opening grooves, to avoid damage
from the stylus dropping too close to the
track.
This is Rosie at her best, and with
the Duke besides. Discover her, or
rediscover her.
annoying that I nearly got up to blow have the bandwidth and/or the patience.
the dust ball off the LP. Only it wasn’t That’s the way I grabbed it. I then
an LP.
burned it onto a blank DVD (which is
Too bad, because some other pieces cheaper than a blank CD…do you know
were far more interesting, sometimes why?), and I was good to go.
troubling. Example: the unctuous and My associates wanted to k now
expressive violin solo in Song of the a) whether the extra resolution was,
Heart.
somehow audible, and b) whether it made
Yet the Tango on track 3, surely meant any difference if it was. I didn’t download
to evoke the spirit of the great Astor the 44/16 version, which is of course also
Piazzola, seemed oddly inappropriate. available, but certainly the dynamics
I should mention that, improvising on the high-res one are terrific, and I
aside, A ros draws on varied ethnic suspect it would be difficult to open up
music: Latin, African, American jazz, that sort of dynamic space on a standard
rock, classical and reggae, a mix that CD. So let’s see now, it’s loud and it’s
sometimes leads to bizarre crossroads.
free. Anything else?
As I have said before, much as one The Slip is a mixture of tracks that
may try to present in a neutral fashion I found fascinating, and others that
what one has heard, the critic’s work is drove me up the wall. There are two
subjective. The disc may please certain very evident influences in the work of
The
that follow are a Nine
catalog
forNails,
The Audiophile
Store.
listeners
whoeight
havepages
a predisposition
Inch
and they aren’t
equally
The
store
belongs
to
UHF,
and
it
is
stocked
with
accessories
and
recordtoward minimalist contemporary music. attractive.
ings that
we recommend?
But I must
confess,
alas, that its charms One obv ious inf luence is Pink
Do
we
have a conflict of interest?Floyd,
Actually
we don’t,
because
anything
escape me.
possibly
through
intermediaries,
we don’t like doesn’t make it to the store.
We’re
not
tempted
to
cheat,
beblurring the supposedly artificial division
cause the credibility we’ve built up over
the
years
is
worth
a
lot
more
than
between music and noise…or sound if
a few sales. If a competitor makes something
better,
it, and
even
you prefer.
You so
canbehear
thewe’ll
influence
say so in a review.
right in the first track. Generally, the
And the store actually protects usinfluence
from potential
conflicts.
is closer
to The Wall than it is
In the past, advertisers have attempted
to
shake
us
to Dark Side of thedown,
Moon. threatening
to cancel their ads if we published something
negative.track
It hasn’t
happened
The second
reveals
a more
for a while, but then everyone knowsrecent
it won’t
work.
The
Audiophile
Store
influence, that of hip hop.
The
puts eight pages of advertising in every
issue,
and
those
are
pages
no
onethe
great innovation of hip hop was
can cancel.
music loop, though I recognize that, like
Check out the store, ot its on-lineallcounterpart.
think
there’s
great
innovations,We
it had
earlier
antecedents.
stuff there. If we didn’t think so, it wouldn’t
be
there.
I have difficulty considering loops to be
anything but a substitute for learning
music. If you don’t want to repeat a lick
or a lyric endlessly, either because it’s too
much work or you’re not good enough
The Slip
to do it accurately, why then, you just
Nine Inch Nails
sample it, even if it’s someone else’s,
(From the Internet)
and your song is all but done. Trouble
Rejsk ind: Ever yone t hese days is is, there’s a big difference between loops
searching for an alternative to the big and repetitions. Very simply, loops drive
record companies, or at least to the way me right up the wall.
the big companies operate. It seems Loops aside, the musicianship is
evident that the current business model frankly uneven. The drumming, for
is broken, and suing teenagers and instance, is shaky except during loops,
grandmothers isn’t going to fix it. Nor is when it is, naturally, always exactly the
the ever more constrained monopoly.
same.
So is Nine Inch Nails going to This is the first NIN album in years,
discover the mother lode? Its latest and the fans will eat it up, especially
album may be in record stores, but it is considering the price. I think the band
also on the Net. For free.
is betting that, despite the downloadable
A nd — oh yes — it’s available version, fans will actually buy the CD or
optionally in 24/96 resolution if you the file. I’m guessing they’re right.
About the Audiophile Store
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Train Song
Aros
Songlines SA1546-2
Lessard: I do not mean to cast the
slightest doubt on the talent of the
musicians who contributed to this
record i ng. On tenor sa x t here is
Canadian composer Rob Armus. With
the brilliant pianist Marion von Tilzer,
he is cofounder of the group Aros, the
classical-jazz fusion band, which also
includes trumpet virtuoso and composer
John Korsrud, violinist Anne Wood,
bassist Sven Schuster and percussionist
Alan Purves.
Nor do I feel I can criticize the work
of the composers, but I can’t help saying
that certain pieces on this album bitterly
disappointed me. Yes, jazz is exploration,
the new, the avant-garde, and of course
the improvised, but even so, give me a
break!
Thus during the first piece, Zimbabwe,
and the 9th, titled 30, the obstinate
repetition of certain measures got so
we must believe that he is far down as a both got Oscar nominations, and both
human being can get.
deserved to win). There is little they
Newman convinces us. You can’t don’t know about Galvin himself, and
watch those pitiful early scenes without what they don’t know they will find out.
wincing. But then he casts his eyes on a While this crack team is preparing the
brief that he has been procrastinating on, Church case, Galvin is trying to find
and something within him stirs. Did he the right papers in his disorganized
ever, once, believe in the importance of and ramshackle office. He is trying to
justice?
find expert witnesses who can testify
The case is pretty much open and plausibly that a crime of negligence was
shut, and that is perhaps why it got committed by some of the country’s
handed to him. A young woman had most respected doctors, and that their
gone to a hospital for a relatively minor negligence has cost a young woman
surger y. She had eaten just before all but a semblance of life. He finds
arriving, but no one checked. She threw witnesses, but the attorneys opposite
up into her mask during anesthesia, him know who those witnesses are.
and she is now on life support, all but There has to be a love interest, of
her low level brain functions eternally course, and Galvin picks up a woman
extinguished.
named Laura (Charlotte Rampling) at a
The hospital belongs to the Catholic bar, without bothering to ask how come
diocese of Boston, and t he young she happens to be there. He does in fact
The Verdict
woman’s family is suing the Church. ask the question at one point, but doesn’t
Paul Newman
Since there is clearly negligence, a see how important the answer is.
20th Century Fox
settlement shouldn’t be out of reach. At Author David Mamet has stacked
Rejskind: The papers have just brought Galvin’s first meeting with the Church the odds about as high against Galvin
us news of the death of Paul Newman. lawyers he is presented with a large as they can get. He wants to nail the
It is a sad passing, and many of us had cheque, already filled out and signed. He anesthetist for negligence by asking
instant flashes of his face in his great has only to extend his hand and take it. him whether he has read the standard
roles, as Cool Hand Luke, Lew Harper He will of course get 40%.
textbook on anesthesia. Well, of course
or Butch Cassidy. For me I recalled his But he doesn’t take it, because visiting he has, because in fact he wrote that
presence in The Verdict. Less flamboyant the vegetative young woman at the textbook. Galvin does manage to get an
than some of his signature films, The hospital has profoundly moved him. expert witness to testify against him,
Verdict is evidence that Newman was Perhaps he even got a glimpse into the one the Church attorney haven’t gotten
not only a pretty face with piercing blue truth: that he too, for years, has been to, but trouble is… Actually there are
eyes, but was one of the best actors of his in a vegetative state. Unlike her, he can several troubles, but I don’t want to spoil
generation and beyond.
recover, and it is at that moment that any of the punches.
We
mean this
version,
already
know
It’s aroom
PDF, dramas like this
In The Verdict Newman
hasdon’t
the task
change
takesbecause
place, you
though
it will
be ahow it works.
In court
and
you
open
it
with
Adobe
reader,
etc.
of convincing us that, for all his promise long process that will occupy a good deal sometimes the good guys win (Erin
But
we also
haveofa the
paidfilm’s
electronic
version,
without banners
like
when he was an up and
coming
law
running
time.which is complete,
Brockovitch),
and sometimes
they lose
this
one,
or
articles
in
fluent
gibberish.
student, everything that made him tick Though this seemed to be an easy (A Civil Action). I shall let you discover
That
because
it isitcomplete,
to be ordered
with a credit
To open
has drained away, dissolved
in one,
alcohol.
case,
now getshas
complicated,
because
whichcard.
category
this film is in. As the
it,
you
also
have
to
download
a
plugin
for
your
copy
of
Adobe
Reader
or
Acrobat.
He is still a lawyer, though he can’t be Galvin doesn’t know what or who he is struggle continues, in and out of the
receive
a userup
name
and password
to woman’s
allow youfamily
to download
your full
copy
more than a few bad You’ll
days away
from
against.
The young
courtroom,
and
as of
Galvin realizes the
the
magazine.
You’ll
need
the
same
user
name
and
password
the
first
time
you
open
disbarment. He whiles away his days is horrified when it is revealed that a depth of the corruption and betrayal
the magazine
on your
computer,
but only
the first and
time.that
Afterthat
that,he
it works
like he
anystarts to become,
literally chasing ambulances.
He hands
large
settlement
was offered
is facing,
other
PDF.
his card to the bereaved at funeral homes this drunken attorney actually turned it once again, the sort of lawyer that he
father,
For details,
our Electronic
Edition
buy
an issue
or subscribe,
(“I was a friend of your
and visit
if down.
He reassures
thempage.
that To
they
have
thought
he wouldvisit
be when he entered
MagZee.
there’s anything I can do…”), until he a good case, and that they can win it, but law school.
is recognized and thrown out. Not that very quickly he is no longer so sure.
For Frank Galvin it is a voyage of
he could handle one of these personal Should we be surprised to learn that self discovery. For Paul Newman it is the
injury cases if he actually landed one, the Church has tons of money for the perfect vehicle. There is not an instant
because he’s not managing to handle the best attorneys? Not just attorneys, but when he lets us feel that what he is doing
rare cases that colleagues have sent him an entire cabinet full of attorneys and is due to the demands of the script, and
out of pity.
researchers, who prepare the case with not to what is happening inside him.
A great film must be about change, military precision. We sit in on a planning Farewell Paul Newman. Thanks
and before we can believe that Newman’s session, led by the senior partner, played for all the films we will see again and
character, Frank Galvin, can change by James Mason (Mason and Newman again.
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Software
Remy is a rat who, like his large over the black heart of Anton Ego,
extended family, lives in the gutters and France’s most feared restaurant critic,
sewers, and scavenges for food. He is who has been known to compare Chef
different, however, for he has discovered Gusteau to Chef Boyardee.
that not everything tastes the same, and The kitchen is staffed by a number
Ratatouille
that putting together two things that of other fascinating characters, including
Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano
taste good leads to culinary fireworks. the new chef of the restaurant, the
Disney/Pixar
He walks upright, because he doesn’t opportunistic Skinner (Ian Holm), and
Rejskind: If you have young children want to touch the ground with the paws a hard-bitten and desperately ambitious
you’ll have a copy of this gem about, but he uses to handle food. His father is Colette (voiced by the wonderful Janeane
you may possibly never have seen it all impressed only because Remy’s refined Garofalo). There is a lot said about
the way through. Do yourself a favor. nose can sniff out rat poison.
food, in this film, and the kitchen is
Once the children are in bed snaffle their He has other ambitions, however, wonderfully real. There isn’t so much
copy (or better yet, get your own Blu- and there is a stunning scene in which as a ladle that is not recognizable as a
ray copy), fire up the HDTV, and enjoy he clambers up a drainpipe and over commercial product, nor an ingredient
the next couple of hours. Ratatouille is a gabled roof to look out and discover that is not perfectly identifiable.
another of those animated films from that, all this time, he has been living in… I shall stop there, to avoid spoiling
Pixar (makers of Monsters, Cars, The Paris! The first time I saw that scene, I any of the surprises in case you haven’t
Incredibles, and numerous others), but was instantly convinced that this film yet run across them. Of course all will
it goes beyond anything ever done in was a masterpiece.
end well, for everyone but the tyrannical
the genre.
Nor did the scenes that follow chef Skinner, and even critic Anton Ego
The wizardry of course includes disillusion me. Mentored by Chef will have an epiphany, and will find
Pixar’s usual computer magic. The Gusteau, the author of a best-selling book pleasure in life from something other
convincing 3-D effects, leaving the on cooking (who is dead, but who lives than destroying reputations. Indeed, late
impression that we are not seeing mere on in Remy’s imagination), the rat winds in the film he writes a newspaper column
f lat artwork, are overwhelming. An up, through an astonishing coincidence, about the role of the critic versus that of
early scene with Remy the rat trying to in the kitchen of the very restaurant that the true creator that is about as gorgeous
steal spices from a kitchen whose elderly Gusteau once owned, but which is now a bit of writing as I have ever seen in a
resident is fumbling for shotgun shells moving in the direction of fast food (it
film. No one who works as a critic — and
?
pen
is hilarious, and it is also a showpiece actually markets a proprietary form of I include
myself
this —
should write
ill hapin
k now what w
u
yo
e
d
rs
u
an
co
e,
f
o
ag
for the technology. Much of the film corn dog). We know
that
something
bad
another
word
without
reading
Ego’s final
p
d
t
an
ex
n
e,
n
e
o
th
is
therereview
…if
n the ad on
site
ick oultimately
eb
takes place in the streets of Paris,
happen,
because
rats
and
of
Gusteau’s
restaurant.
W
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Just clwill
er
is
and
advert
oment. The transfer to Blu-ray of both
at mwe
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at thand
every nook and cranny seems perfectly
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beiskept
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if you aredon’t
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certify that not a single frame of the
borders on magic. If Pixar has given the
Try itforever.
it h the full
work s w
e ityoung
movie comes from a camera. The cars
man named Linguini, images a remarkable 3-D look, it has
Of co ursA
are
never generic, but are slightly caricatured who may or may not be Gusteau’s son, done no less for the sound, whose lively
makes and models of the 1950’s.
appears, and is hired as a garbage boy. multi-dimensional field immerses the
Beyond the computer magic there is, Linguini has no idea how to cook, viewer.
however, a level of poetry that you don’t but with the improbable guidance of This truly is a film for all, and there
expect from a film on the video store’s the “little chef,” Remy, he produces aren’t many films about which I would
“family” shelves.
wonderful recipes that may even win say that with a straight face.
r acti
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Yes,
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Gossip&News
News You Need
The Circuit City Blues
It’s not news that the big electronics
chain Circuit City is way behind the
leader, Best Buy. Truth is, it’s way behind
in Canada too.
Best Buy has a chain of its own
superstores across Canada, and for good
measure it also owns what was originally
a Canadian chain, Future Shop. The two
stores tend to be side by side, apparently
on the theory that, if you’re going to
lose a sale, you might as well lose it to
yourself.
And Circuit City? It has a large chain
of much smaller stores.
These stores belong (mostly) to
InterTan, which long held the Canadian
rights to the Radio Shack banner. But
since the mother ship is hurting, the
Canadian satellite might turn out to be
for sale.
Ironically, the stores are a lot spiffier
and have better gear and a better stocking system than the Radio Shack stores
in the US do. But the problem is that,
wherever you see The Source, Best Buy
and Future Shop are not far away, and
of course they have a lot more stuff.
The Source has just sold off its credit
card unit, too, to the US division of a
Canadian bank. Our guess is that it was
the credit card division that was in the
black.
If it didn’t work once…
Does Apple get a home run with
every product. Of course not. Remember
the Cube? Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
The iPod Hi-Fi was a boombox
meant for an iPod. When Steve Jobs
launched it he told the crowd they could
now “throw out” their high end stereos.
It didn’t quite work out like that.
over 10 lbs), which is a heft if you’re into
speed cubing. It is in fact a subwoofer,
from Germany’s ELAC, the 2010BT.
Why? Well, why not? It doesn’t
seem to be aimed squarely at the hi-fi
crowd, unlike many of other ELAC
products. It contains four amplifiers,
and is intended for use with “satellite”
speakers, for which it provides the bass.
It can also connect to your computer via
Bluetooth.
But of course ELAC is known for,
shall we say, more upscale products.
So is this the long-discontinued iPod
Hi-Fi? Can’t be, because that’s an iPhone
in its slot, and the iPhone didn’t exist
when…
In fact it’s a Boston Acoustics Horizon i-DS2, but it’s such a dead ringer
for the iPod Hi-Fi that Apple should
sue. The impossibly-named box features
“high performance full-range speakers, an acoustically tuned chamber for
maximum bass.”
Gee, not a word about wide stereo
separation!
Solve this one
Is this thing for real? The world’s
biggest Rubik’s cube?
Actually we don’t know how big it is,
though we know it weighs 4.7 kg (just
That speaker is called The Spirit of
Music, MkIII. No Bluetooth on this one,
but it does have a JET tweeter (the one at
the top), an offshoot of the justly famous
Heil tweeter.
Whither Blu-ray?
This has been Blu-ray’s year, as
the format triumphed over Toshiba’s
HD DVD, but is its victory significant?
Some critics claim not, that disc formats
are about to be overtaken by downloadable video files. Yes, including high
definition movies. The iTunes store
already offers HD versions of TV shows.
Can movies be far behind?
Toshiba still bitter?
The company put a lot of energy and
money into HD DVD, and it appears to
be still a little groggy.
Though Sony offered Toshiba a
Blu-ray license (“for a price, Ugarte,
for a price”), the company is biding its
time. Instead it is offering its XD series
of upconverting players, which it says
makes conventional DVDs look more
like Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Has this been thought out? Don’t
Blu-ray players do upsampling? Aren’t
there plenty of commodity players that
do it too?
Toshiba’s other hope was to join
Canon in making SED displays.
Columbia and RCA are now one
Well, they’re still keeping their own
names, but Sony Music, which has long
owned Columbia, has bought out the
half stake of its German partner BMG in
Sony BMG, which owns RCA Victor.
The two iconic record companies
were once fierce competitors. Columbia
invented the long-playing record, and
RCA tried to kill it off with the 45 rpm
mini-record. Ultimately both survived…
for a while.
The UHF Reference Systems
Equipment reviews are done on at least one of
UHF’s reference systems, selected as working
tools. They are changed infrequently.
The Alpha system
Our original reference is in a room with special
acoustics, originally a recording studio, letting
us hear what we can’t hear elsewhere.
Main digital player: Linn Unidisk 1.1
Additional CD player: CEC TL-51X
belt-driven transport, Counterpoint
DA-10A converter with HDCD card.
Digital cable: Atlas Opus 1.5m
Digital portable: Apple iPod 60 Gb
Turntable: Audiomeca J-1
Tone arm: Audiomeca SL-5
Pickup: Goldring Excel
Phono preamp: Audiomat Phono-1.5
Preamplifier: Copland CTA-305
Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon
W-5LE)
Loudspeakers: Living Voice Avatar
OBX-R
Interconnects: Pierre Gabriel ML-1,
Atlas Voyager All-Cu
Loudspeaker cables: Atlas Mavros
Power cords: Gutwire, Wireworld Aurora
AC filters: Foundation Research LC-2
(power amp), Inouye SPLC.
The Omega system
It serves for reviews of gear that cannot
easily fit into the Alpha system, with its small
room.
Digital players: shared with the Alpha
system
Turntable: Linn LP12/Lingo II
Tone arm: Alphason HR-100S MCS
Pickup: London Reference
Phono preamp: Audiomat Phono-1.5
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon P-8
Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon W-8
Loudspeakers: Reference 3a Suprema II
Interconnects: Pierre Gabriel ML-1,
Atlas Navigator All-Cu
Loudspeaker cables: Pierre Gabriel ML1 for most of the range, Wireworld Polaris
for the twin subwoofers.
Power cords: BIS Audio Maestro,
GutWire B-12, Wireworld
AC filters: GutWire MaxCon Squared,
Foundation Research LC-1
Acoustics: Gershman Acoustic Art panels
The Kappa system
This is our home theatre system. As with the
original Alpha system, we had limited space,
and that pretty much ruled out huge projectors and two-metre screens. We did, however,
finally come up with a system whose performance gladdens both eye and ear, with the
needed resolution for reviews.
HDTV monitor: Samsung PN50A550
plasma screen
DVD player (provisional): Sony BDPS300 Blu-Ray player
Preamplifier/processor: Simaudio Moon
Attraction, 5.1 channel version
Power amplifiers: Simaudio Moon W-3
(main speakers), bridged Celeste 4070se
(centre speaker), Robertson 4010 (rear)
Main speakers: Energy Reference
Connoisseur
Centre speaker: Thiel MCS1, on UHF’s
own TV-top platform
Rear speakers: Elipson 1400
Subwoofer: 3a Design Acoustics
Cables: Atlas, Van den Hul, MIT,
GutWire, Wireworld
Line filter: GutWire MaxCon Squared
All three systems have dedicated power lines,
with Hubbell hospital grade outlets. Extensions
and power bars are equipped with hospitalgrade connectors.
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But they don’t actually, because the
only way to deliver HD (720i through
1080p) material through the Internet
will be with severe lossy compression.
In fact iTunes doesn’t even offer music
without severe lossy compression. That
could be the reason why, according to
the consumer research organization, the
NPD Group, US consumers spend only
half of one percent of their movie budget
on downloadable films.
Our bet remains with Blu-ray. Player
prices continue to fall, with Memorex
offering its MVBD-2510 model for
US$269. That’s ten times the price of a
Wal-Mart DVD player, but many consumers will consider that acceptable.
Not yet dropping much, however, is
the price of the movies themselves. And
the repertoire is growing slowly. Because
a majority of early Blu-ray players were
the ones included in Sony PlayStations,
the first films released were ones that
most resembled video games. That is
changing a little: the Godfather trilogy is
coming out in Blu-ray, and even a couple
of operas have been released. Come
on, Sony, let’s have some production
capacity!
The shrinking plasma choice
How hard is it to build a good plasma
display? Hard enough, and expensive
enough, that some major companies are
outsourcing the task.
Hitachi has just announced that it will
cease making its own plasma displays,
buying them instead from Matsushita
(which, by the time you read this, will
be known as Panasonic). Interestingly
enough, Pioneer had announced the
same thing. Anyone else?
Still More News
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The good stuff is coming (slowly)
We’ve known about it for years now:
one of the advantages of high definition
video discs — which now means Bluray — is that we can finally leave behind
the highly compressed (over 80%) world
of DVD’s Dolby Digital. Oh, Dolby isn’t
out of the picture, and neither is dts. The
newest Blu-ray movies have several audio
options, including Dolby’s own Tru HD,
and, from the other people, DTS-HD.
Only what do you play it back with?
Well, some Blu-ray players still don’t
support the uncompressed audio formats
(our own Sony player doesn’t, which is
why its days are numbered). And even
if you have one that does, how do you
decode the stuff?
High end preamp processors with
the necessary chips are just arriving in
stores. Sort of.
That one is the Moon CP-8, which
we’ve had our eye on for a while, to
replace our aging preamp-processor, also
a Moon. Other preamp-processors are
awaited from such companies as Arcam
and Cambridge. Perhaps at CES?
But here’s Rotel and its RSX 1550,
which has all the right chips in it, and
it will sell, apparently, for one tenth the
price of the Moon. The only thing we
are left wondering is this. Yes, we have
seen the press release, but go on Rotel’s
Web site and all you can see are spec
sheets for older (read: obsolete) preampprocessors.
“Vaporware” is a terrible word. But
is it accurate?
Oh…one warning. If you don’t have
one of the new generation of preampprocessors, don’t set your Blu-ray player
for either of the uncompressed formats.
Oh, you’ll get sound, but you’ll think
you’ve travelled back to 1950.
A new speaker nears production
How many new loudspeakers can be
seen at any given show? Too many. Make
that far too many. So how can a poor
manufacturer get noticed?
Lafleur Audio, a new Quebec company, found a clever way to get our attention. The system using its speakers was
set up not in a regular exhibition room
at the Montreal show last April, but in
the press room. The small but luxurious
X-1 speakers were right across from the
coffee machine. And our cups had the
Lafleur logo on them besides.
One of the speaker companies born
just a couple of years ago is Gemme
Acoustique, whose eye-catching designs
are…well, eye-catching. They caught
our ears too, though some early demos
underwhelmed us. We were not disappointed, however, with the Gemme
Katana speakers (named for the Samurai’s curved sword), which we listened
to with considerable interest at the last
Montreal show, and which went into real
production over the Summer.
What Lafleur was showing was a
prototype, which is now just reaching the
actual production stage. The X-1 is made
from Russian cherrywood, sculpted into
exponential curves. Designer Emmanuel
Lafleur is aiming high, with a price
projected to be in five digits.
Yes, those are ceramic drivers (both
the woofer and the tweeter), not the
ubiquitous ones from the German Thiel
company, but from Accuton. The crossover uses Mundorf Supreme capacitors
and Goertz Copper Foil inductors.
The Katanas have been getting attention, and we can understand why. We’ll
be following up in the next short while.
And also down the road from us…
Why is Canada such a breeding
ground for loudspeakers, and in many
cases great loudspeakers? We can already
hear some non-Canadian competitors
grouse that it’s because of the development facility made available to them by
the Canadian government (that would be
the acoustic testing lab of the National
Research Council in Ottawa). In fact
not all speaker companies even use the
NRC lab, so there has to be some other
explanation.
Videos about acoustics
Though some audiophiles will have
the knowledge and, more importantly,
the steely self-confidence, to make and
install materials to improve the acoustics
of their listening rooms, countless others
will prefer to buy off-the-shelf acoustical
modules, such as bass traps, diffusers,
resonators and the like.
One of the makers of these devices is
Real Traps (www.realtraps.com), which
has had the good idea of making a series
of videos on using its devices, and placing
them on the company Web site.
At least it seems like a good idea.
The ones we sampled, which feature
company co-owner Ethan Winer, are
“talking head” monologues which tell
instead of showing, with an occasional
chart which purports to illustrate the
talk. Fortunately, some of the material
is also available in written form.
It’s worth a visit.
A cube with tubes
Esoteric is not quite as esoteric as
its name suggests, since it is the upscale
brand of a large Japanese manufacturer,
Teac. The Esoteric line has always
included some cheerfully offbeat products, of which this amplifier can be
considered an example.
B&W gets into the act
With the CD sinking in popularity
and with downloadable files getting the
upper hand, more and more companies,
large and small (but mostly small), are
joining the movement. Some are even
rejecting lossy compression, a choice we
can only applaud. The latest: Bower &
Wilkins.
Yes, yes, B&W, the big speaker
manufacturer, which has announced its
“Music Club.”
It’s called that because you subscribe,
you don’t buy individual tracks or
albums. For a “small fee” ($60 a year)
you’ll get a specially-commissioned
album each month, recorded live at
Real World Studios in Bath, England.
Albums will be available to download
for one month only and are provided
without DRM, and of course without
lossy compression.
In parallel, B&W has set up a “Society of Sound” Web site. As well as blogs
and feature articles, Society of Sound
will host podcasts from Martin Ware
(Heaven 17, Human League) and video
interviews with its Fellows, including
Peter Gabriel, James Newton Howard,
Cassandra Wilson, and Dave Stewart of
the Eurythmics. Singer Gwyneth Herbert is shown here recording a track.
ADVERTISERS
Arcadia Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
ASW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Audiophileboutique.com . . . . Cover 3
Audio Dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Audiophile Store. . . . . . . . . . . 57-64
Audio Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
BIS Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Blue Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Charisma Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Cyrus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Diamond Groove. . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Entre’acte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
ETI (Eichmann). . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Europroducts International . . 13, 17, 37
Harbeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Hifisupply.ca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Just May Audio. . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Leema Acoustics. . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
MagZee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Esoteric A-100 is a tube amplifier, and it’s bigger than it looks in photographs, It has to be, because it contains
four big KT-88 tubes, to yield 45 watts
per channel.
It is, by the way, intended to be a
power amplifier, but it does have an
optional volume control, so you can use
the A-100 as an integrated if you like.
The A-100 is part of Esoteric’s MSW
(Master Sound Works) series of luxury
components. Among the features are
self-adjusting bias (but which can be
tweaked by the user for “classical” or
other music…that’s what it says in the
brochure). The parts used look good too,
right down to the WBT nextgen binding
posts at the rear.
Luscious!
Moon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Nagaoka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Pathos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Planet of Sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
B&W is providing free studio time
and mixing sessions, and says it will
eventually return the rights to artists.
In the meantime, HDTracks, the
US-only (for the moment) music download service started by Chesky, has
moved into high gear with the arrival of
24/96 high-resolution music. They run
about $16 (versus 12 for CD resolution),
and you can either play them from your
computer, with the right gear, or burn
them onto DVD.
Simaudio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Signature Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Sugden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Totem Acoustic. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
UHF Back Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . 21
UHF Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
WBT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2
Feedback
Gossip&News
Marchand Electronics. . . . . . . . . 12
D
State of the Art
o all amplifiers sound alike? I
don’t mean poorly-designed
circuits by people who don’t
know what they’re doing, of
course, because we can reject those out of
hand. What I mean is this: if we take five
amplifiers designed by smart people, will
listeners be able to tell them apart?
Well, of course they will, I hear you
cry. How could it be otherwise?
But not so fast. You are part of a selfselected group, readers of a magazine
whose credo includes the belief that
well-designed amplifiers (and CD players
too, for that matter) can sound radically
different. Not everyone belongs to that
group (our accountant was deploring that
very fact just the other day). Nor do all
audio magazines share that belief.
In fact other magazines actually have
asked listeners to compare the sounds of
amplifiers, and you know what? Just as
expected they couldn’t tell the amplifiers
apart! Now understand, the comparisons
were made, in at least some cases, under
laboratory conditions, with double blind
sessions (that is, neither the listeners nor
the experimenter knew which amplifier
was which), with volume levels perfectly
matched.
What are we to conclude? Well,
the conclusion reached by a number of
high-profile audio journalists was that all
amplifiers sound just the same, and that
people who “think” they hear a difference are being influenced by the brand
name or the price. The differences are, in
short, a figment of your imagination.
Do you buy that?
I should add that there are now far
fewer such publications. The majority
of them have closed their doors because
of an obvious flaw in their business
model: if all amps really do sound the
same, why should anyone put out money
to read reviews of them in a magazine?
One champion of “they’re all the same”
now shills for a speaker manufacturer
(an amplifier maker probably wouldn’t
hire him for reasons I need not explain).
The oldest surviving publication of the
group, whose name I shall skip over if
it’s all right, is still around, albeit in a
by Gerard Rejskind
Web-only version.
I shall add only this anecdote. About a
decade ago at a show, I overheard one of
the principals of that magazine arranging to get a well-known manufacturer’s
amplifier for a review. Before leaving, he
asked, “Could you fax us a copy of the
schematic before you send it? We just
want to make sure there are no design
blunders.”
But why do some highly experienced
audio people, some of them with science
and engineering degrees, believe something that many others consider to be
absurd on the face of it?
Well, scientists and engineers are
only human. It is easy to fall in love with
one’s measuring equipment, and with
one’s elaborate experimental techniques.
The more one refines them, the more
one comes to believe that not only these
methods are useful, but that indeed they
are at the very heart of the judgement
process. One can come to believe, ultimately, that the purpose of an amplifier
is to measure as perfectly as possible in
a test lab. Who needs to do listening
comparisons at all.
STATE OF THE ART:
THE BOOK
Get the 258-page book
containing the State of the Art
columns from the first 60 issues
of UHF, with all-new introductions.
See page 6.
There are other problems as well.
For a comparison to have meaning, the
reference gear must be good enough (and
there has to be a reference, come to think
of it). Some blind tests are performed
under conditions in which nothing
sounds even pleasant. What is worse is
that sometimes there are flaws so severe
that they swamp the very differences
that the test was designed to look for. Of
course everything sounds the same it it’s
all bad.
There is another all too common
pitfall. How do you do a really good
double blind test with matched levels?
It’s especially difficult if you believe
comparisons must be instantaneous, and
that if they are not, listeners will forget
what they heard. A switching system is
often used to go back and forth.
And are even the best switches sonically transparent? Believing that is dangerous lunacy, in my view. It’s no wonder
some people believe all amplifiers sound
alike.
How do you decide among these
different points of view on the ways
of mak ing listening comparisons?
Here’s my take. What any worthwhile
audio publication, including UHF and
presumably including its competitors,
is trying to do is help its readers build
the best music system possible, which
is to say one that can bring home as
much as possible of the emotion and
visceral pleasure of live music. Which
approach — measuring only or measuring and listening — will lead to a more
satisfying system?
Once you know that, you’ll have
figured out who to trust.
Incidentally, the unnamed Webzine
I’ve mentioned also cites an extensive
double blind study “proving” that highresolution recording systems such as
SACD result in sound that is exactly the
same as that of a CD. I find that interesting. What I suggest is that the same
experimenters try the same double-blind
test between a CD and a cassette.
I know how that comparison would
come out. You see, we did such a double
blind test years ago, at UHF.
Luxury audio electronics of unique value and reference quality at unique
prices.
Some of the best-built high-end products ever made
The legendary Van den Hul amplifiers and preamps at less than half the original price
M-1 Monoblocks, US$7350 now $3350*
S-1 Stereo power amplifier, US$3795 now $1865*
A-1 Preamplifier, US$3895 now $1750*
See them at÷
www.audiophileboutique.com
New, with one-year North American warranty
Shipped from points in either Canada or
USA. Billed in Canadian dollars, equivalent to stated price in
US dollars.
Brand new Rega-designed Goldring turntables
The GR2 is an exceptional plug and play turntable, with Rega RB200 arm
and Goldring 1012 cartridge (which has a $300 price tag,
but it included with the GR2). C$899 now $720.*
Maximum economy: the GR1.2 turntable
This amazing entry-level turntable was a bargain at its original $499.95 price,
but now the price is even lower, just $399. This Rega-designed table includes
the RB150 tone arm and a Goldring Elektra pickup (which sells for $117 all
by itself). The GR1.2 comes pre-adjusted, except for stylus pressure. Then
plug it in, and it will play. C$499.95 now $399.*
audiophileboutique.com
a division of Broadcast Canada, publisher of UHF Magazine
[email protected]
(450) 651-5720
*Shipping charges apply on
items from The Audiophile Store.
Details on our Web site, or call
to inquire.
Why do
UHF readers
start reading
their magazines
at the back?
Countless readers have confirmed it over the
years: when they get their hands on the
latest issue of UHF, they open it to the last
page.
The reason all of them mention: Gerard
Rejskind’s last-page column, State of the Art. Since
the magazine’s founding, the column has grappled
with the major questions of high end audio. It has been
acclaimed by readers around the world.
Now, the columns from the first 60 issues of UHF are
brought together into one book. Each is exactly as it was originally
published, and each is accompanied by a new introduction.
Order your copy today: $18.95 in Canada or the US, C$32
elsewhere in the world, air mail included.
What do we know about
indoor FM and TV antennas
that they don’t?
A lot, it turns out. With the stampede to satellite and cable
over the past 20 years, the design of dipole antennas has been
left to the makers of junk.
It was years ago that UHF designed a high-quality antenna for its
own use. It was so good we offered it for sale as the Super Antenna,
and saw thousands of them sold. Why? Because it’s better.
In this, the Super Antenna’s third incarnation, we buy one of
those trashy antennas, rip everything out until we are left
with the rods and the case, and we rebuild it. We add our own
high-quality transformer (can you believe the junk antenna
didn’t even have one?), and a double-shielded cable with a 24K
gold plated F-connector.
The broadband design covers the range from analog channels 2 to 69, including the
entire FM band. And a number of our customers around the world tell us they’re
getting great results with over-the-air HDTV.
SEE THE SUPER ANTENNA MkIII at The Audiophile Store, page 59

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS: Highly musical sounds from Sugden

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