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NOVEMBER 1994 VOL. 78, NO. 11

11111111THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITY

departmentsFAST FORE -WORD Eugene Pitts III

WHAT'S NEWAUDIO ETC Edward Tatnall CanbyMONDO AUDIO Ken KesslerCURRENTS Julm Eargle

SIGNALS & NOISE

AUDIOCLINIC Joseph GiovanelliPLAYBACK

recordingsCLASSICAL

ROCK/POP

JAZZ & BLUES

68

1016202432

128

162108112

The Cover Photographer, Robert LewisThe Cover Equipment: Sony MDS-501 MiniDiscrecorder and MZ-E2 portable MiniDisc player

Audio Publishing, Editorial, and Advertising Offices,1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019

Subscription Inquiries, (303) 447-9330 45nKBureau

J

eaturesTHE AUDIO INTERVIEW: TOM STOCKHAM Daniel Levitin 38PLANNING A HOME THEATER SYSTEM:

WHERE DO YOU BEGIN? William K. Hoffman 46

Home Theater,page 46

equipment profilesSONY MDS-501 MINIDISC DECK Edward J. Foster 56SONY MZ-E2 PORTABLE MINIDISC PLAYER

Edward J. Foster 64ALPINE 7982 CAR CD CHANGER AND TUNER

Leonard Feldman and Ivan Berger

SOUNDSTREAM DA -2 AMPLIFIER Edward J. Foster

STAX DAC-TALENT BD D/A CONVERTER Bascom H. King

auriclesADCOM GFA-5800 AMPLIFIER Anthony H. CordesmanTHIEL CS1.5 SPEAKER Anthony H. Cordesman

Thiel,page 98

687684

9298

Stockham,page 38

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Cuervo Goldformal f_

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PRIMO TEQUILA.

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°O.

FAST

otpourri time. Let me call yourattention to a new column,"PlayBack," which will always belocated just under the back cover ofthe magazine. We intend to havethree to five short equipment

reports on each "PlayBack" page. Eventhough "PlayBack" may look like .a newproducts column, it is the result ofhands-on reviewing from hard-nosedreviewers. Let us know how you like it.

An updated edition of New Ears: TheAudio Career & Education Handbook wasreleased by Mark Drews, the compiler andeditor, about a year ago. This is the bestsingle source I know of for information oncourses in sound engineering, musicrecording, and music technology. KenPohlmann reviewed the original edition inour January 1992 issue, saying that it couldsave hours of personal research. More than100 programs are covered in detail,including university, trade school, andhome study plans, while a master directorylists over 400 audio programs worldwide.Aside from updating the basic information,this edition includes profiles of severalaudio -related careers. One section listsnames and addresses of magazines andjournals, broken down into pro, trade, andconsumer titles. New Ears is available for$24.95, postage paid, from New EarsPublishing, 1033 Euclid Ave., Syracuse,N.Y. 13210-2661; phone, (315) 425-0048.

I'm not usually much interested indictionaries, though I'm glad to have in myworking library well -used copies of theIEEE Standard Dictionary from Wiley and

FORE -WORD

Glenn White's The Audio Dictionary fromthe University of Washington Press.

Cheaper and more appropriate for "theman in the hi-fi store" is the ConsumerElectronics Product Terminology Dictionary

from the Consumer Electronics Group ofthe Electronic Industries Association. Thedefinitions are arranged by topic, coveringaccessories, home audio, camcorders,computers, FAX, mobile electronics,

telecommunications, television, andvideocassette recorders with LaserDiscplayers. My basic quibbles are some wrongdefinitions and too many too -technicalterms lumped in with the ones no oneneeds to have defined. I think both couldhave been solved with some more back-and-forths between the editor(s) and thepeople who actually generated the wordsand definitions. The book doesn't pretendto be exhaustive, with only a few dozenwords covered in each section, but the$4.50 price is right. It's also available oncomputer diskette. The CEG/EIA islocated at 2001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20006-1813; phone,(202) 457-8700; FAX, (202) 457-4901.

Hotcake bills itself as the "Handbook of

a Thousand Common Acronyms to Knowin Electronics" and covers communications,IC design, signal processing, computerarchitecture, video, graphics, networking,and software. Also included are acronymsfor worldwide standards, standardsorganizations, industry societies,consortiums, and many governmentagencies and programs, as well as someterms from electronic engineering andbusiness. Costing $9.75 an issue or $29 forfour issues, this 24 -page soft-cover

pamphlet is published twice a year byRothschild & Associates, 175 Knibloe HillRd., Sharon, Conn. 06069-2215; phone,(203) 364-1915; FAX, (203) 364-1917.

AUDIOMC=V.P./EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Eugene Pitts III

ART DIRECTORCathy Cacchione

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORLinda Zerella

TECHNICAL EDITORIvan Berger

MANAGING EDITORKay Blumenthal

ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITORSTeresa Monge, Douglas Hyde

DIRECTORY EDITORKen Richardson

ASSISTANT EDITOR/MUSICMichael Bieber

ASSISTANT EDITORGerald F. McCarthy

ASSOCIATE EDITOREdward Tatnall Canby

SENIOR EDITORSD. B. Keele, Jr., David Lander

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS/ARTISTMichael Aldred, David L Clark, Anthony H. Cordesman,

Ted Costa, John Diliberto, Frank Driggs, John Eargle,Edward J. Foster, Joseph Giovanelli, Ken Kessler,

Bascom H. King, Edward M. Long, Robert D. Long,Paul Moor, Jon W. Poses, Jon R. Sank, John Sunier,

Michael Tearson, Jon & Sally Tiven, Michael Wright

V.P./GROUP PUBLISHERTony Catalano (212) 767-6061

V.P./ADVERTISING DIRECTORR. Scott Constantine (212) 767-6346

GENERAL MANAGER Greg RopertiBUSINESS MANAGER Christine Z. MailletPRODUCTION DIRECTOR Silvia CoppolaPRODUCTION MANAGER Kerry Tonning

PROMOTION COORDINATOR Elizabeth P. O'KeefeRESEARCH MANAGER Dru Ann Love -

OFFICE MANAGER Aline J. PulleyOPERATIONS MANAGER Sylvia CorreaAD COORDINATOR Linda Neuweiler

ADVERTISINGREGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, EAST COAST

Charles L. P. Watson (212) 767-6038REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Christine B. Forhez (212) 767-6025REGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, WEST COAST

Bob Meth (213) 954-4831WESTERN MANAGER

Paula Mayeri (213) 954-4830NATIONAL RECORD LABEL SALES

MAG Inc. Mitch Herskowitz (212) 490-1715Steve Gross (212) 490-1895

rchettecchi

CHAIRMAN Daniel FilipacchiPRESIDENT, CEO, AND COO David I. Pecker

EXEC. V.P. AND EDITORIAL DIRECTORJean-Louis Ginibre

SR. V.P./GLOBAL ADV. Paul DuCharmeSR. V.P./DIR., CORP. SALES Nicholas MatarazzoSR. V.P./CFO & NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Paul DeBenedictisV.P., GENERAL COUNSEL Catherine FlickingerV.P., MFG. & DISTRIBUTION Anthony Romano

V.P., CIRCULATION David W. LeckeyV.P., RESEARCH & MKTG. SERVICES Susan Smollens

V.P., COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIALPROJECTS Keith Estabrook

V.P., MAGAZINE DEVELOPMENT Marcia SacharV.P., DIR., CREATIVE SERVICES., CORP. SALES

Lynn Chaiken

AUDIO/NOVEMBER 19946

The infinitely recordable,totally portable, virtuallyunshockable, all digital

Sony MiniDisc.

Buy a MiniDisc player-earnMiniMoney - get tree MiniDiscs.

Got it? Lip to 19 discs treewith selected players.

Go get it.

Call 1-800-921-7669or see store for details.

Offer good through 12/31/1994.©1994 Sony Electronics Inc. Reproduction in whole

or in part without permission is prohibited. All tights reservedSony and MiniDisc logos are trademarks of Sony.

r_Piatech Speaker IKnown for its large speakers,

Duntech now has a compactmodel, the PCL25, which is justover 2 feet tall and a foot square.Like all Duntechs, the PCL25 usesa vertically symmetrical driverarray, here using twin 6.3 -inch

NAT'SSpica Speaker

The "TC" in the Spica TC-60stands for "Time -Coherent,"a property the company saysis derived from the speaker'sdistinctive sloping baffle, anacoustical blanket that helpscontrol dispersion in the lowertreble and reduce cabinetresonances, careful drivermatching, and a crossover said toeliminate time -delay errors.The speaker is available in oak,black lacquer, and dark cherry.The optional Gravity Standsshown weigh 30 pounds apieceand can be sand -filled; they havetilt and height adjustments.Prices: TC-60, $795 to $895 perpair, depending on finish;Gravity Stands, $250 per pair.For literature, circle No. 100

JensenCenter -Channel Speaker

Jensen's CS225 center -channel speaker combinestwo 5 -inch woofers with a2 -inch tweeter, producinga frequency response of70 Hz to 20 kHz. Ratedsensitivity is 94 dB,allowing use withlow -powered amplifiers.The system is shieldec,and the cabinetis finished inblack ash. Price:$99 each.For literature,circle No. 102

FIN

ParasoundPowered Subwoofer

The model designationof the GMAS-18 stands for"Great Mother of AllSubwoofers" and for its18 -inch driver, which has

.a 21/2 -inch excursion. Itsspecifications include103 dB maximum SPL(with 3% THD) at 10 Hzand 131 dB maximum SPLat 40 Hz; THD at moretypical levels is rated at

0.05% or less from 20 to80 Hz. A modified, bridged -mono version of Parasound'sTHX-certified HCA-1200"amplifier, designed by JohnCurl, is included; the ampdelivers more than650 watts continuous, witha 75 -ampere peak. Thesubwoofer cabinet isfinished in gloss black withrosewood accents. Price:$3,850 each.For literature, circle No. 103

woofers flanking a 1 -inch dometweeter. Array dimensions arecalculated to produce coincidentsound at a 12 -foot listeningdistance. Frequency response is55 Hz to 20 kHz, ±3 dB, with lessthan ±30° phase variationbetween 150 Hz and 15 kHz.Sensitivity is 89 dB, andimpedance is 4 ohms. Rosewoodas well as several other exoticwood finishes are available.Prices: $1,995 per pair; stands,$295 per pair.For literature, circle No. 101

Boston AcousticsCenter -Channel Speaker

Stacking the tweeter abovethe midrange in the BostonAcoustics Lynnfield VR12promotes the wide horizontaland limited vertical dispersiona center -channel speaker should

have. Its three-way design, withdual 61/2 -inch woofers, brings thebass cutoff point (±3 dB) downto 58 Hz. The vertical bar infront of the tweeter is Boston'sAmplitude Modification device,to counteract resonant peaks.Price: $400 each.For literature, circle No. 104


Newpoint Surge Protector

Designed to protect audio andvideo equipment against line -voltage surges, the AV100C, fromNewpoint, has seven outlets plusa surge -protected TV -cablepassthrough. The company saysit will repair or replace any A/V

Pioneer CD/LaserDisc Player

convenientPor CD play,

Pioneer's CLD-D503 combiplayer has a separate sub -drawerset into its LaserDisc drawer; forconvenient LaserDisc play, itautomatically reverses from sideA to side B, within 8 seconds.

Polyfusion Amplifier

The Polyfusion Model 860 israted at 100 continuous watts perchannel, at less than 0.01% THD,

H AT'S NEW

products damaged bysurges while pluggedinto the unit, to a valueof $10,000. The AV100Ccan handle a 15 -ampereload and is rated at

330 V and 360 joules. Otherfeatures include a recessed powerswitch to prevent accidentalturn-off, a right-angle plug thatdoes not protrude far from thewall, and an audible alarm thatwarns of lapses in protection.Price: $49.99.For literature, circle No. 105

el111111 IND

nal ON MINIM

A one -bit D/A converter isused. Digital video processingboosts picture S/N to 50 dB,and a digital time -base correctorreduces picture jitter. A systemremote control is included.Price: $650.For literature, circle No. 106

into 8 ohms. Bothbalanced andunbalanced inputsare provided. The

design uses MOS-FETtechnology, d.c. coupling,

servo control, and a fault -protection system that mutesboth input and output iftemperature, output d.c., supplycurrent, or line voltage gets toohigh. A manual muting switch isalso provided. Price: $2,850.For literature, circle No. 107

SOTA TurntableA 24 -pole, synchronous

motor and belt drive spinthe SOTA Moonbeam'shigh -density polymerplatter. A medium -mass,straight -tube tonearmwith fixed headshell isincluded, as is a tension -hinged dust cover.Price: $379.For literature, circleNo. 108

Enlightened Audio DesignsD/A and Surround Decoder

The TheaterMaster, byEnlightened Audio Designs,combines a D/A converterwith a surround decoder-and can even double as apreamp, thanks to its remotevolume control, six sets ofanalog line and digital inputs,analog and digital tape inputsand outputs, and front -panelmicrophone input. A Zoran

38001 decoding computer isalso built in, making thisperhaps the first homecomponent that can decode5.1 -channel Dolby AC -3signals; a plug-in decoder forDigital Theater Systems'Zeta -Digital 5.1 -channelaudio format is planned.The TheaterMaster alsoprovides HDCD audiodecoding, Price: $5,950.For literature, circle No. 109


AUDIO ETCEDWARD TATNALL CANBY

TAPELESSRECORDING

he Age of Magnetic Tape,1950 to 1995: Are we at theend of an era? It most cer-tainly looks that way.

Recently I attended a clas-sical recording session in

New York, the first I'd been to forquite some time, a whole evening onlocation in a large Catholic church.It turned out to be state of the artand much, much more-and, atleast for me, full of astonishing sur-prises. How things are changing! Inthe "remote" control room, an officein this big, opulent church, I lookedat thousands of dollars of recordingand monitoring equipment, all of itthe very latest, ready for a longevening of recording. But there wasno tape.

NO TAPE?? Almost none. To thebest of my knowledge, one smallsmidgeon of the stuff, enough for, at

a guess, a few minutes or so of theold-style recording, was inside amodest DAT unit, two-thirds racksize, not even the primary mediumout of no fewer than three systemsrecording si-multaneously.This in con-trast to thegreat cartonsof tape reels,10 inches andup, at past ses-sions, the hun-dreds of miles

tiny compared to many a giant. Asfar as I could figure, it boasted ahuge catalog, at the time of my visit,of exactly one available CD, and sev-

eral more listed but as yet unre-leased including the music beingrecorded that very evening. Normaladvance publicity. Yet don't our au-dio innovations often begin withtechnically super outfits, which aresmall in terms of production andsales? In this day and age of over-weening bigness, yes! It's obvious,no matter how the biggies maychurn and toss to keep up. Smallnessis innovative. Bigness bogs.

The absence of recording tape wasjust the beginning. There were also,for me, fascinating musical connota-tions in this session and the same fornumerous earlier audio innovationsand procedures out of the past, sud-denly updated. Start with the music.

Epiphany is the brainchild of twomen named Kipnis, the second andthird generations in a distinguishedmusical family that many will knowfrom the recent and more remotepast; I have been familiar with thework of all three. Kipnis I, Alexan-der Kipnis, was one of the finest bas-so singers in the early part of thiscentury, born in the Ukraine, edu-cated mainly in the German areasbefore World War I, picked up at arelatively late age (like KirstenFlagstad from Norway) by the ever -zealous Metropolitan Opera in New

York, wherehe became ahouseholdname. Kipnis Iwould now be103, though Iremember hismarvelouslyresonant voice

well enough; he was not at ourrecording session.

Kipnis II, Igor Kipnis, has longbeen well known in the musicalworld as a harpsichordist andfortepianist, very much alive today,the son of Alexander and an equallypure musician, though both can beheard on records. Igor made his

THE BIGGIES MAY CHURN

AND TOSS TO KEEP UP,

BUT BIGNESS BOGS;

SMALLNESS IS INNOVATIVE.

of obscenely wideribbon running at obscenely fastspeeds -15 ips, 30 ips-which fedthe big, old recording machines ofumpteen million sessions in thepast! No tape. How soon will this bethe standard setup? Any day.

Paradoxically, the new recordcompany, Epiphany Recordings, is


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debut and reputation as a harpsichordist,somewhat to my amusement at the time,because until he came along, all extantharpsichordists were little people, begin-ning with the minuscule but dramaticWanda Landowska, the Mother Superior ofthe harpsichord movement, who was per-haps 41/2 feet tall. The succeeding well-known players weren't much bigger, in-cluding a number I knew: RalphKirkpatrick, Putnam Aldrich in Boston,Edith Weiss -Mann of Hamburg and NewYork. All were mousy. Igor Kipnis was a gi-

ant in comparison. He made the harpsi-chord (or fortepiano) look small and prob-ably feel small as well. Kipnis II, like hisfather, was a pure musician and artist (he isEpiphany's Artist & Repertoire man andprime performer as well). Kipnis H evensports the Jeffersonian side curls in his hairthat are now a musician's trademark. Igather he is not the least interested in au-dio engineering except for practical pur-poses. Throughout our recording sessionhe stayed mainly in the "live" musical area,down in the church nave, with some musi-cal friends, paying occasional brief visits toEngineering headquarters. Entirely pleas-ant to all on hand, including me, but dis-tant from all that equipment. Without Kip-nis III, where would he be? Lucky he, tohave, in turn, a Kipnis son who lives in ourworld and with obvious pleasure.

Kipnis III, son of Igor, grandson ofAlexander, is Jeremy Kipnis. Not a namethat comes from the Ukraine. When I firstheard about this joining of Ks and foundthat it was Igor, not Jeremy, who ap-proached Audio with a request to sendsomeone to the recording session, Ithought it sounded all too much like adominating papa financing a doting, butmaybe not so talented, son for his ownrecording company. Two minutes with Je-remy Kipnis, and that idea flew out thewindow in a hurry. Kipnis III is a born au-dio man well on his way to genius (my per-sonal opinion). Whatever papa, Kipnis II,might do to help Jeremy would be just fine,but Kipnis III is clearly able not only to as-semble fabulous audio equipment on hisown but also to modify it, even in coopera-tion with top equipment company engi-neers and other audio men of his genera-tion. So with Igor and Jeremy, we have areal symbiosis, a pure musician and an

equally pure audio man, and all in the fam-ily. Interesting.

Jeremy has an engineering partner,Karim Ibish, who is at the company offices

in Amherst, Massachusetts, but was at therecording session. Kipnis II and III cur-rently live in Connecticut, with bothrecording and editing at that location, aswell as in New York. A decidedly peripatet-ic outfit (see Gilbert & Sullivan).

To make a beginning on the equipment,the primary medium used by Epiphany,

WITH IGOR AND JEREMY

KIPNIS, WE HAVE A REAL

SYMBIOSIS, A PURE

MUSICIAN AND ANEQUALLY PURE AUDIO MAN.

the ultimate master, is not DAT but a sys-tem I had yet to hear about (though ourengineering people surely know it): Glassoptical discs, ODMs. Each disc, about thesize of a CD, holds some 30 minutes ofrecording-there were quick changes ofdisc every so often, with a spoken ID putdown on each. I have all the specs (muchtoo much to pass on to you), but clearlythe quality of this optical digital system isremarkable -24 bit, lowest jitter of anydigital medium, and so on. Also note this:"Professional archive performance." Aha-glass lasts and lasts, assuming you don'tbreak it. Glass is good for hundreds ofyears, right? Even Roman glass, which ismostly darkened by now, still might beread into viable audio after 2,000 -odd yearsif we had a few Roman recordings on hand.

So, can you imagine a recorder that notonly uses no tape but is also, at least inpart, removed from electronics, tied tolight circuitry, made on glass? The othertwo systems were far more conventional,

though the latest thing on the market. DATand, if you will believe it, MD, the Sonydigital disc with lots of controversial com-pression, generally distrusted by bothpurist engineers and far-out consumers.All of these were operated, the whole triplerecording chain, via battery power. Eventhe mikes. Not a plug in the wall anywhere.How many recording sessions do you knowthat were all -battery?

Well, I know of two, both my own andboth a long time ago. For once, I anticipat-ed Kipnis III, and by some 19 years. Withthe help of the Swiss, my Canby Singersand I borrowed the very first portablestereo Nagra and, in a New Jersey woodenchurch, did an entire recording session onbatteries, even the rewind. The Nagra hasbeen largely a film -biz machine, but itsSwiss makers nevertheless contrived toswitch their marvelous foot -square baby(running 15 ips with professional quality)to the stereo mode. Not exactly as small astoday's handful of stereo DAT, but verysmall for the day. I even carried it home inthe New York subway. The little beast, ofcourse, ate D -cells like crazy. I forget howmany at a time. But we used batteries forprecisely the same reason then as JeremyKipnis does now. The next year we did itagain, with add-on arms to take 10 -inchreels. Unlike the earlier Magnecord exten-sions (which I tried), these actuallyworked, giving us double the recordingtime....

And so it went, something unusual atevery turn. Special cabling-Cardas Litz,Golden Five, Hexlink Five (I'm just readingthe specs)-even the a.c. was super -special,for the monitor playback-a big battery -

powered d.c. inverter for a "pure a.c. 117-

volt sine wave." Wow! Con Edison, dipyour head in shame.

I end, before I am editorially amputated,with what struck me as a lovely controver-sy -generator. Jeremy Kipnis says he prefers(and so do friends, musical and otherwise)the Sony MD much -compressed system tothe professional DAT, also Sony. There theywere, together, as second and third simul-taneous recording media. Like ice cream,MD is smoother, richer, more inviting inmusical reproduction, says Jeremy. Orwords to that effect. Than DAT? Swallowthis thought if you can, friends, and comeback for more in another installment. A


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The Science of Loudspeakers

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Enter No 20 on Reader Service Card

Linn's

ultramodern

factory is fullof highlyautomated

equipment,

much of it builtby or for Linn.

AUDIOKEN KESSLER

LINN'SIVOR TIEFENBRUN

and

or more than two decades,Linn Products Ltd. of Scotlandhas dominated the audio scenein the United Kingdom. Thefirm's success is due in nosmall part to the enthusiasmnotoriety of founder Ivor

Tiefenbrun. Truly the P. T. Barnumof hi-fi, Tiefenbrun has badgered,seduced, cajoled, finessed, and in-timidated his way across hundredsof column inches in magazinesaround the world. [It won't hurt forus to add a few more.-E.P.]

During the course of Linn's histo-ry, Tiefenbrun has championeddealer installations, home demon-strations, single -speaker demorooms, and other practices which, in

Ivor Tiefenbrun,

the man who

speaks for Linn,

with a Linn

speaker.

the U.K. at least, transformed theway hi-fi is purchased. More contro-versially, Tiefenbrun and Linn alsohelped to alter the way hi-fi is used,having called attention to the in-tegrity of speaker stands, spikes, ca-ble quality, and other aspects ofwhat is now regarded by many asnormal hi-fi "housekeeping."

Linn has moved from being aturntable -only manufacturer to theproducer of entire hi-fi systems, in arobotized factory judged to be oneof the most modern and sophisticat-ed in Europe, let alone Scotland. Butthe change from specialist to broad-

based manufacturer means thatLinn can no longer be regarded as afringe operation able to indulge in

the sort of infantile pursuits thatmade high -end audio both fun andfrustrating a decade ago. Additional-ly, Linn has produced products andembraced technologies that wouldhave been regarded as heretical inthe heyday of their LP12 turntable:Full remote -control preamps, multi-

room installations, a range of CDplayers and D/A converters.

Synchronicity and irony playedtheir parts when I called to make anappointment with Tiefenbrun forthis interview. The mutually agreedsite was London, after an event thatshows just how respectable Linn hasbecome. Now one of the productlines carried by Harrods, the mostupscale department store in theknown galaxy, Linn was chosen bythat company and Warner Bros.(U.K.) to supply the sound systemfor the press launch of the digitallyremastered Led Zeppelin catalog.Was I the only guest present to notethe incongruity of Linn-once thelast bastion of analog-helping topromote the digitizing of analogmasterpieces? ...

What do you see as the differencesbetween Linn circa 1994 and Linnat the height of its notoriety in thelate 1970s? I would describe the oldLinn as targeting products purely athobbyists. . . .

[Laughs.] I got into hi-fi as an engi-neer who was interested in music.My goal, my aim, was to build a fullrange of quality hi-fi equipment.And it took us a long time to dothat. Our notoriety came from theproposition that what we offeredwas outrageous, was unbelievable-basically a turntable that could in-fluence the sound. So the initial re-action to that was incredulity. Thatmade us notorious (A) because theclaim seemed outrageous, and (B)because we had to be very vociferousto convince people. People oftenwouldn't listen. They said that turn-tables just went 'round and 'round.I used to say, "And loudspeakers justgo in and out." [Laughs.] But youremember those days.


From the beginning, to me the thing wasaccess to the music. So there was this kindof threshold, and if you got above it, a sys-tem could seduce you into listening to iteven if you didn't know the music. It's thatability to learn, to discover, and to explorethat excites my interest in hi-fi. It's not thejoy of tinkering. I got over that as a kid,with my "boy racer" days, with my motor-cars that I used to take apart. That was mymain outlet. One of the things about Linnis that the people who started it at the be-ginning are still there, and we're still tryingto achieve what we set out to achieve.So a full system was always part of thegame plan?Always. The first product that we made wasthe LP12 [turntable]. And at the bottom ofthe leaflet it said, "Sondek Division." Peo-ple laughed; they said, "But you only makeone product." And I said, "Yes, but wewant to make a complete system." Wewanted to be specialists in music systems,rather than a turntable specialist, an armspecialist, and so on.

That was considered an awfully ambi-tious goal. But if you don't have a goal, adream, you have no future. So within ayear, we had another leaflet with "IsobarikDivision" on it. It was less than a year afterthe LP12. And over the years we ended upwith three loudspeakers-we had the Kan,the Sara, and the Isobarik. Then we wentinto tonearms and cartridges. And the laststage was when we did our own preampand power amp.At what point do you think that Linngraduated, in the perception of the public,from specialist status-when all your cus-tomers seemed to be hi-fi magazine read-ers-to broad -based?Well, the way people find out about Linnnow might be slightly different. I think thatthe public perception of us probably hasn'tchanged because people either know aboutus or they don't.Despite of all your efforts to reach a wideraudience?In spite of all our efforts. We might be oneof the best-known specialist hi-fi compa-nies but we're still not ...... a Sony?Of course not. Those companies are thou-sands and thousands of times bigger thanus, enormously successful, global compa-nies. But in our small part of the market,

we have a great deal of brand recognitionand probably a lot of respect. It might seemfunny to you to use the word "respect," butI think the perception of us changed whenwe led the way to being the first specialistfull -range kind of company. Because thatwas another Linn "first."

Whenever we've made these moves, wewere far from being welcomed. There's akind of natural reluctance to welcome newkinds of competition or a change. Peoplehave a natural inertia. It mitigates againstchange. So people saw our developmentinto a full -range hi-fi company as a threatto the notion of the component business.We still make components; all of our prod-ucts can be used independently, in a broadcontext, with open standard interfaces. We

THERE'S NO POINT IN

MAKING BETTER HI-FI

IF NO ONE HEARS IT'S

BETTER OR IF IT DOESN'T

PERFORM BETTER.

are part of the big industry; we welcome[such use]. There's no fun dancing alone atthe discotheque even if you own the dis-cotheque.

But I think that the industry's percep-tion of us changed. And I don't really thinkthat reflects the public's perception. In asense, we've also been seen to have startedout as tweaky and way-out-though thetwo aren't necessarily synonymous-toosuccessful and therefore a target. If you'rein the pole position, everybody's trying topass you and knock you off. Rolls-Royceand Ferrari will get reviews that tear theirproducts to shreds; it'll never happen toSkoda or Isuzu. So there's a price for beingan innovator or a leader.Do you think that it's possible for anycompany that had its roots in the special-ist or audiophile sector to make the transi-tion to a broad -based market, to appeal tonon -enthusiasts, so to speak? To put it an-other way, is it possible to be more com-mercial and still be tweaky?We don't want to be tweaky, and we've al-ways had to be commercially viable. Other-wise the company wouldn't be here. Andwe couldn't support our existing customer

base or do justice to the people who havebuilt our business: The distributors, the re-tailers, the rest of it. So we've always had tobe serious. And the LP12 was always a seri-

ous product.But there was always a tweaky element toit. Maybe "tweaky" is a bad word, but itwas Linn who pioneered the whole notionof a progressive series of upgrade stepsbased not just around upgrading wholecomponents but around fine-tuning. Itwas Linn who talked about things thathad nothing to do with buying new equip-ment: Tightening up the screws that holdyour drivers to the baffle, polishing a sty-lus with a matchbook striker, and cables.What Linn did was act like a manufactur-er voicing the same sentiments that hadless respect or less credibility when theycame from an audio writer. The samething only in a different context.:Laughs.] The irony is, we spawned a vastindustry in cables and clamps and connec-tors and so on. We said these things wereimportant and no one believed us, butprobably it produced this sub -industry.You didn't cash in at all, aside from a fewcables and stands?No, we didn't. We've never managed tobenefit from all that. You know that pio-neers get scalped, and settlers take the prof-its. That's the way it works. The reason forbeing a leader, a pioneer, is that you wantto be. At Linn we've got people who are en-thusiastic about engineering, about quality,about music, and we don't see it as an en-thusiasm for hi-fi; we see it as a way of get-ting at music. It's a key.But if we were true to ourselves as musiclovers, we wouldn't give a damn about theequipment we played it on. Sure, we'drather hear music on a good hi-fi systemthan a boombox, but if music is all we'reafter, we could be happy with less.No, because you're not going to broadenyour taste in music unless you get a systemthat's good enough to take you in thereand allow that music to communicate withyou. And that, to me, is the rationale forhi-fi. It's not just to have better quality perse. It's because the advantage is that youcan start to appreciate things you neverthought you would. Your taste develops,broadens, deepens. And then you can bringyour family up with music. That, to me, isthe justification for the hi-fi industry. And


that's why the quest is endless. One dayyou will enjoy opera, with our help.Never!

It is possible. We're famous for demon-strating the differences. We're famous forinitiating spikes to keep speakers fromwobbling. People see that as tweaky. On theother hand, when the market discoveredthat, the retailers found a way they couldcontribute to the sound the customer hadin the home. And we emphasized that. Butthere was always an element that perhaps,without fully understanding everything-and no one does-made more of the ad-justments than of the fundamentals.

The retailer's main way of contributingbecame mixing and matching components,telling the customer what to do. And thatdisenfranchised the customer and emascu-lated the retailer. Then, when CD camealong, people felt, well, there's nothing youcan do here. The fun's gone out of thebusiness. You're not going to be able tomake a sound that will astonish people.And maybe the retailers and the manufac-turers felt that we can no longer surpriseand astonish the customers in the way thatan LP12 could.

What we're saying is that you still can.You just need a higher level of expertise.You can do it with the quality of your in-stallation. And when you're talking aboutan in -wall, multiroom system, you onlyhave one chance to pick the point whereyou're going to put the speakers in the wall.You can't go knocking holes all over theguy's walls. So the paradox is that you needa higher level of expertise.

Is that what led you to the global restruc-turing of the Linn dealer network?There are two things which caused that.One was the imperative of 1992 [the liftingof trade restrictions between members ofthe European Economic Community],which made it clear to us that companiesthat didn't have a strategy for quality dis-tribution would not be able to make aquality product. The choice in this world isto be the cheapest or the best. We wantedto be the best. That meant we needed re-tailers who were committed to a qualityapproach. Otherwise, what could they dothat a mail-order catalog couldn't do?

They might understand their town. Theyknow how to make good sound in thehome; they know where the music is, the

record shops, the universities-they knowthe community. They can demonstrate,they can communicate with their cus-tomers, they can service and install. Wsthat which our retailers can do and addressthat the mail-order house can't do.

We said, "Look, guys, we can only main-tain the quality if we have a contract thatembeds these standards. These are thestandards that we think we should be ap-plying. You tell us." And we asked on ourquestionnaire, "How good do you want tobe?" and we'll abide by the majority view.And they pitched it at a certain level.

But it wasn't above the level at which westarted. It wasn't below it either. The ironyis that the people who talked the mostabout quality and standards didn't want to

IF I COULD MAKE

PEOPLE LISTEN TO MUSIC

ALL DAY, I THOUGHT, IT

WOULD BE A GREAT WAY

TO MAKE A LIVING.

do it, and the people who were most con-cerned did. Because the people who took itseriously had their doubts. Would they beable to compete against discount competi-tion selling product in boxes? Well, weknow the answer: The people with the ballsto remember why they got into the busi-ness in the first place went for it. The oth-ers bad-mouthed us, rubbished us, hopedwe would fail-in the mistaken belief thatthat would make them more successful.That produced the controversy.What is the downside of having a restrict-ed dealership?

The downside is that people think it's re-strictive. It isn't. It's open; it's competitive.And anyone who meets the standard canparticipate. There's no point in makingbetter hi-fi equipment if no one hears it'sbetter or if it doesn't perform better in thecustomer's home.

The two things I wanted to do when Istarted the business were to treat otherpeople the way I'd like to be treated and tomake stuff that was better than what Icould buy. It seemed pointless to me tomake something if I could walk down thestreet and buy a better one. I thought if I

could do this, make people happy and lis-ten to music all day, what a great way tomake a living.

And I think that's what got a lot of peo-ple into the business in the first place.How do you now see Linn's initial resis-tance to and final acceptance of CD?[Laughs.]

Because you did say . . .

. . . there was blood coming out of therecord player.

Aside from the legendary-possibly apoc-ryphal-remarks, you did say, when youbrought out your first CD player, thatyou'd always maintained Linn wouldn'tbring out a CD player until the sound wasof a standard with the turntable.With CD, we felt that the claims made were

exaggerated. We felt that it didn't do theindustry a service. We felt that it was coun-terproductive. And events proved that whatwe said was correct. In retrospect, I waswrong. I probably should have been morepositive about it. The perception was thatwe were negative about it. People whoknow the company know that we wereworking on it from the beginning, that wehad digital recording systems years andyears before.

And then our customers were terrifiedthat we would walk away and abandontheir precious record collections. The ques-tion I'm asked most often, though, is, "Areyou going to keep on improving theLP12?" Now, in the last few years, the rateof product enhancement and improvementto the LP12 has exceeded anything we'vedone prior to launching our own CD play-ers, yet people are still nervous and neurot-ic. That's because we all know that therewill come a time when it will be very diffi-cult, if not impossible, to access the musicthat exists in vinyl.

But no one is more interested in thatmusic than we are or values it more highlythan we do. But we do know it's conceiv-able, probably inevitable, that although wewill make record -playing equipment for aslong as people want to buy it, in the future,vinyl will be the preserve of people whoknow and understand what is uniquelyavailable on vinyl and who are prepared toinvest at the LP12/Ekos/Arkiv level. Thebottom of that market is going. The days ofbeing able to get reasonable quality, cheapaccess to vinyl ... it's just not there. A


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41i

CURRENTSJOHN EARGLE

VIDEODATA REDUCTION

1

ust a few months ago, I attendeda day -long seminar jointly spon-sored by the University ofSouthern California and the So-ciety of Motion Picture andTelevision Engineers on the sub-ject of data reduction in video

transmission. Video data reductionis important as we look forward todigital transmission of video and thecoming of the Compact Disc as avideo carrier. The small -dish satel-lite transmission systems that arenow available to consumers alreadymake use of video data -reductiontechniques.

Readers of Audio have been ex-posed to data reduction as it appliesto audio signals through articles onthe PASC and ATRAC algorithmsthat are used in the Digital CompactCassette and MiniDisc. You will re-call that these systems make use pri-marily of masking effects in which aloud signal in one frequency bandmasks softer signals in adjacentbands, making it possible to encodethem with fewer bits-or in somecases to ignore them altogether. Thenet result in DCC and MD is a 4- or5 -to -1 data -reduction ratio.

Video has itsand opportunities for data reduc-tion, and these are driven by thehigh rate of signal redundancy innormal video transmission. As ex-plained by Charles Poynton, of SunMicrosystems, there are techniquesfor reducing the data required totransmit a single frame (spatial tech-niques) as well as techniques for re-ducing the data that is common toseveral consecutive frames (tempo-ral techniques). Let us first considerthe temporal aspect.

Video is transmitted in the U.S. at30 frames per second, and on theaverage, thedifference be-tween consec-utive frames isquite small. Sohere is the firstopportunityfor data reduc-tion: Transmitonly the ac-tual differences between the frames,not each new frame.

This technique can be expandedto allow for relatively slow panningof the scene. Here, motion vectors

own requirements

can be determined by analyzingconsecutive frames, and only thenew data entering the scene at theleading edges of the picture needs tobe encoded.

In a fast-moving program, thetechnique is modified so that every15 frames, for example, the com-plete frame is updated. And everytime a scene changes, the entireframe must be updated as well.

The spatial aspects of data reduc-tion have much to do with psycho-logical aspects of vision: What weare most likely to be unaware of andwhat we are most likely to see. Stud-ies have been conducted to deter-mine the number of levels, orshades, of a given color that are nec-essary to provide the eye with a con-tinuum of response. In most cases, anonlinear representation of these,levels will offer a better overall ef-fect, enabling fewer bits to be usedto encode the entire range. It is use-less to provide more informationthan this.

Studies have also been made ofjust how much sharpness in the pic-ture is necessary. At the seminar, thework of William Glenn was cited toshow that the eye is most sensitive tocontrast in the range of 2 to 5 cycles(or lines) per degree; above and be-low this range, the number of bitsassigned to luminance transmissioncan be reduced accordingly.

As Poynton stated, the best part ofdata reduction is "representing theimage in the most efficient way tobegin with." We normally think

of video as atime -varyingsignal. Howev-er, if we thinkof it as a fre-quency -basedsignal-andanalyze it thatway-we canmore easily

carry out some of the visually opti-mized data -reduction tricks.

The key here is to represent thevideo signal by means of the discretecosine transform. In applying this, a

VIDEO DATA REDUCTION

IS IMPORTANT AS WE

LOOK FORWARD TO

DIGITAL TRANSMISSION

OF VIDEO.


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frame is broken down into many regions,or blocks, each made up of an eight -by -eight set of pixels (a pixel, or picture ele-ment, is the smallest element that can beaddressed). The transform then makes useof "spatial redundancy, which is the statis-tical similarity of neighboring samples."Typically, a small number of transform co-efficients can be used to describe the blocksufficiently.

I hope you've by now seen that videodata reduction is a collection of techniquesoperating on different levels and in differ-ent domains. In fact, some of the standardsystems in use today are open-ended andcan operate at several basic levels of datareduction, depending on application. Re-duction ratios can run anywhere from 10to 1 upwards to over 100 to 1.

Surprisingly, these systems do very well,and it is rare to see an artifact that is reallybad. At the SMPTE/USC seminar, I saw anumber of different systems, all operatingat different data rates. In rapidly changingscenes at low data rates, there was some ev-idence of "blocking," the tendency of indi-vidual data blocks in the scene to becomeobvious as such, due to the fact that thesystem was simply being taxed beyond itslimits. This does not happen often, and itdoes not happen for long.

As a fitting close to the seminar, a groupof producers and engineers who work inthe creative sides of film and video dis-cussed the pros and cons of data reduction.As we have seen in the audio arts, there is agood bit of reluctance to throw out pastgains in old technology simply becausethere is something new. As with analog au-dio, the art and technology of film andvideo have co -evolved over many years,and technical limitations were more thanonce shaped into aesthetic advantages.Digital processing and perceptual encodingare still rather uncomfortable topics formany creative people, primarily becausethere is a history of standards hastily ar-rived at and not easily undone. There is also

the analog -based conviction that there issomething inherently substantial abouttheir medium (film, tape, or vinyl) thatshapes the message.

All of this is about to change as the eco-nomic demands of information and videotransmission double or quadruple in thenear future. A



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SIGNALS

DMX: Info, Pros, ConsDear Editor:

In one of his last "Behind the Scenes"columns for Audio, entitled "Classical De-railed" (May), the late Bert Whyte sang thepraises of a listening source for classicalmusic called Digital Music Express(DMX), owned by International Cablecast-ing Technologies (ICT). Could you pleasegive me a mailing address or phone num-ber for ICT so that I can learn more aboutthis system and its availability in my area?

Rossney E. Smyth

Chester, N.J.

The Editor -in -Chief's Reply: Contact ICT at

11400 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 1100, LosAngeles, Cal. 90064. You can call ICT at(310) 444-1744.-E.P.

Dear Editor:I read Bert Whyte's "Classical Derailed"

with great interest. Readers may be inter-ested to know that DMX is offering a newservice this year. The problem with thestandard DMX system is that it is tied tocable. The new service is available via DBSas well as cable. DMX for Business, as itsname implies, is initially being offered tobusinesses needing background music, butit is my understanding that it will eventual-ly be available to audio buffs.

The system broadcasts 61 stereo pairs ofaudio channels (90 by early 1995, and 120by year's end) via a single transponder onthe new Telstar 402 satellite, on its Ku -

Band side. Required to receive the DBSbroadcasts are a satellite dish (2 to 3 feet indiameter), an LNB, and a satellite receiver(made by ComStream). The method usedfor encoding the broadcasts is the two -

channel version of Dolby AC -3. The re-ceiver uses a "smart card" for system secu-rity. Telstar 402 was a good choice for thesatellite, as customers may use the samedish and LNB (with a standard receiver) toreceive all four PBS networks.

The prospect is an exciting one for au-diophiles, but I would miss hearing theadded fare that only an excellent radio sta-

& NOISE

tion can offer (news, interviews withartists, etc.). I hope, as systems like DMXand its descendants mature, programmersfor the same will add the human elementagain-minus the commercials.

Bard -Alan Finlan

San Marcos, Cal.

Dear Editor:

I enjoyed Bert Whyte's column aboutthe joys of DMX, as well as John Gatski'sarticle on "Digital Radio" (September).I'm one of the lucky ones who has DMXavailable through a cable system. However,in spite of its superb quality, freedom fromcommercials, and very reasonable price, Ihave elected to pass over DMX and contin-ue to listen to the local classical music sta-tion. KING -FM has a big advantage thatDMX lacks-a schedule.

With DMX, you have no idea of what'scoming up (or, for that matter, what youjust missed), and the company has no in-tention of ever telling you. What you getfrom DMX, for all practical purposes, issonic wallpaper. Although it would beduck soup, technically, to allow you toscroll through coming attractions, thecompany has assured me that this will nev-er happen.

Do you think I'm being overly critical?Ask yourself how much television wouldbe worth if you had no way of knowingwhat was to be broadcast or when, if allyou knew was that the program would be adrama, a sports event, whatever. Howmuch would you pay for a concert ticket ifyou knew only that it would be for cham-ber music? The concert could start at anytime, there would be no program, and thegroup would not be known in advance.

I think I know why DMX has this policy.The company doesn't want anyone record-ing the broadcast. Unfortunately, thisdoesn't help the listeners. I have to choosehow I will spend my time; listening to un-known music is not going to be one ofthe ways.

Norm Strong

Seattle, Wash.


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The Editor -in -Chief's Reply: I agree withyou to some extent, though I find my ownmusic listening via radio to be of the back-ground music type. However, it seems tome that the concert is constantly going, asopposed to one that starts at a certain time,a time that always seems to be inconve-nient to me. While I don't have a printedprogram, there is one, being played by afirst-rate pick-up group, as it were. As faras I can see, the "no -recording" policy isn'treally DMX's but rather that of the recordindustry, which might well have crushedthe fledgling effort otherwise. In the end,then, isn't the quality of this serviceenough reason to buy it? While you mustmake your own decision, it appears to methat the service will be commerciallyviable.-E.P.

Pesky Power LinesDear Editor:

I sincerely enjoyed Edward M. Long's ar-ticle "That Mysterious Source: The A.C.Power Line" (June). It was very informa-tive and did spur my interest in how poweraffects the quality of my audio system.

r

However, I was wondering if you areconsidering a follow-up article giving spe-cific suggestions for those who wish to im-prove the power supplied to their audiosystem. Or if you are considering a "round-up" article, similar to the home/car direc-tories, itemizing the various types andpieces of equipment available to handle thea.c. power problem (with specifications,manufacturers' addresses, etc.) and explor-ing the differences between power -line"conditioners" (equipment that maintainsan a.c. voltage) and power -line "filters"(equipment that merely filters r.f.i./e.m.i.).Are home computer conditioners goodenough for high -end audio equipment?

I do have one specific question. I havereceived information from one manufac-turer of power -line filters, and test resultsshow that their filters begin to attenuater.f.i./e.m.i. at 10 kHz at 15 dB, whereas oth-er power -line filters begin to attenuate at60 kHz at 3 dB. Can you elaborate on therelationship between frequency and theamount of attenuation?

Bryan X. Sherrod

Pleasant Hill, Cal.

Author's Reply: Thanks for your kind words

about my article. I appreciate it greatlywhen readers write and tell me that I havestimulated their interest.

I'll answer your specific question first: Itwould appear that the manufacturer youmention is serious enough about suppress-ing r.f.i./e.m.i. that they use more expen-sive, larger value components (chokesand/or capacitors) to do a better -than -

average job. If their power -line filter atten-uates 15 dB at 10 kHz, then it certainly willdo a good job at higher frequencies. A filter

that attenuates only 3 dB at 60 kHz willhave a very steep slope to suppress r.f. ener-gy one octave higher at 600 kHz, which isnear the low end of the AM radio band. Myguess would be that a power -line filter willnot have this kind of steep slope filter.

It would be interesting to look at thewide range of a.c. power -line interface de-vices that are available and list their attrib-utes. There are many such devices, fromsimple, inexpensive surge suppressors tocomplex, expensive a.c. line conditioners.The simplest device does offer some ad-vantage over just plugging your system into

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an a.c. wall outlet. An a.c. power -line con-ditioner that offers a truly isolated inter-face, large power capability, and uninter-rupted power can be very expensive. For alife-support system, this is an absolute ne-cessity; for an audio system, it might befun to play soothing music during a localdisaster that knocks out everyone's a.c.power. A good compromise, for audio sys-tems that don't need uninterrupted a.c.power, is a device like the Panamax Max1000 surge protector and line conditioner,which I reported on in the June 1993 issue.

If there seems to be enough interest, Iam sure that our esteemed editor will con-sider a round -up article.-E.M.L.

Dear Editor:

I read with much interest Edward M.Long's article in which he discussed the ef-fect of a.c. power lines on audio equipmentperformance.

I would greatly appreciate it if he wouldrecommend to me any articles that dealwith methods to insure proper PC quality,beyond what he mentioned in his article. I

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Praise for Sony's Portable DATDear Editor:

I have owned a Sony TCD-D7 portableDAT recorder ("Equipment Profile," June)for about three months now, and I am veryimpressed with its performance. The unitis tough! I connected it to my old truck'sstereo system via a cassette adaptor (sametype as used for portable CD players), andit sits on the seat beside me. Several timeswhen I made fast stops, the TCD-D7 slidoff the seat and bounced on the floor, with-out stopping or even muting! One time Imade a fast left turn; the unit fell on thefloor, skidded across, and slammed intothe right door-and didn't skip a note!

Another extremely useful feature is theswitchable "AVLS." Sony touts it as keepingvolume at safe levels when listening withearphones, but its real use is to reduce dy-namic range for listening in a car or noisytruck. I have found, to my dismay, that Iusually can't listen to uncompressed musicin the truck with the windows down; themusic is either too soft or blasting me out!This happens with pop hits from 45 -rpmrecords! I'd hate to think what classicalmusic would do if not compressed. TheTCD-D7 has output volumes from 1 to 20;the compressor kicks in at about level 6.The higher you set the volume, the morecompression there is. By the time you getup to 14, the music has no dynamic rangeat all. Any higher, and the bass tends tomodulate the treble. At about 9, the musicsounds like that from a typical FM station.


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The unit has a switchable auto level con-trol for recording music and for recordingfrom the mike input. I don't use the fea-ture, since I want to get full dynamic rangeon the tape, but I guess it would be usefulfor recording conferences (if you wanted touse such a good recorder for that).

Another useful feature is the removablebattery holder. It's possible to take theholder out, change the batteries, and re-place it while driving on country roads, al-though you do have to slow down some.

The only gripe I have is that the unitdoes not have a standard optical or digitalinput. [Special cables, at $60 to $80, are re-

quired.-I.B.]Finally, I don't see why anyone would

buy a digital recording medium that usesdata compression. Any failure in therecording medium over time could causethe loss of too much data for reconstruc-tion by the logic system. DAT uses the mostdata to record the music and thus shouldbe most able to compensate for dropoutsor other problems. I once creased andcrumpled the tape in a DAT cassette (bymistake), and the machine still played it! I

would recommend the Sony unit to anyonewho wants digital quality sound on theroad. The tapes are cheap, and they play fora long time.

P. V Brown

Woodbine, Md.

Equipment Help WantedDear Editor:

I've owned an FME open -reel taperecorder, Model 47A (see illustration),since 1969. I'm trying to find parts and/oranother unit, whether it's working or not. Iwould appreciate hearing from any indi-vidual or organization that collects these1950s recorders.

Kevin Wheeler

3907 Sunbeam Ave.

Chattanooga, Tenn. 37411

Dear Editor:My SAE amplifier, Model 2400L, only

functions on one channel. Local repairshops have tested the amp but are unableto repair it because I no longer have aschematic, nor a parts list. Since SAE is outof business, the shops are unable to get any

further information. Also, my SAE tuner,the Mark VIII, has non -operational LEDs,making it very difficult to determine thestations.

This is excellent equipment that I haveenjoyed for many years. I am disappointedthat I have not been able to repair the unitsand would appreciate any suggestions

Bruce Raiffe

P.O. Box 821

Edison, N.J. 08818

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AUDIO CLINICJOSEPH GIOVANELLI

Recording Bells SuccessfullyQI have had little success in makingclean recordings of certain bells and

gongs that accompany our monastic choir. Ihave used high -quality cassette decks. WhenI used Dolby B or C NR, the recordings were

even worse than without noise reduction. Itried a Hi-Fi VCR and still could not makeacceptable recordings.

I was successful with a DAT recorder andwould like to get a second digital recorder sothat I can edit. I am hesitant to do this be-cause, given all the problems I have had withother formats, I'm not convinced that theMiniDisc or the DCC system will be usable.What should I do?-Richard Young, Mt.Shasta, Cal.

AI have had no experience withrecording bells on either DCC or

MD, so I cannot comment as to how wellthey will work for you. I have successfullyrecorded bells on open -reel tape, VHS Hi-Fi, cassette, and even phonograph discs.

Bells are very rich in high -frequencyharmonics, not to mention the transientproduced as the clapper strikes the bell.Even without asking, I am sure that mostof your troubles result from your recordingat too high a signal level. Never mind thatthe recording level meters don't indicateovermodulation. When you consider thehuge amount of treble boost requiredwhen making cassette recordings, what ap-pears to be a good recording level will sure-ly saturate the tape when recording bells. Ihad problems recording bells on a VHS Hi-Fi machine at first; reducing the recordinglevel cured the problems.

You may have also closely miked thebells. The mike preamplifier, or perhapsthe mike itself, may have been overdriven.(Yes, this is possible with capacitor mikes!)

I have found that, in most circum-stances, a good sonic balance between thebells and voices and other instruments willbe achieved when the level of the bells iswell below that of other instruments orvoices. In terms of absolute sound level,bells are perceived as quite loud even whenthey are really not.

Although a DAT recorder will work well,you will still overload it if you push yourlevels. Because these machines work sowell, use a second DAT machine for youredits if your budget allows it.

If your recordings are to be sold, keep inmind that the vast majority of buyers willlikely not own DAT machines. Thus, youmust come to terms with copying ontoanalog cassettes. By keeping the signal levelproduced by the bells relatively low, youwill be able to make usable cassettes, evenwhen noise reduction is used.

Apportioning Surround AmpsQI use two stereo power amplifiers inmy surround setup, one to drive the

satellite speakers while the other drivesthe center -channel speaker and subwoofer.Would I be better off using one amplifierin its bridged mode to feed more power tothe subwoofer, or should I use that stereoamp to drive a pair of subwoofers, one perchannel? Of course, these subwoofers won'thave the power that can be supplied to onesubwoofer if I use the bridged mode. Whatwould you suggest that I do?-Wes Sterling,Omaha, Nebr.

AI would definitely opt for the twosubwoofers. Depending on your

amp, you could get more power with thebridged amp feeding one subwoofer, but Ithink that the acoustical efficiency and bet-ter bass support from the dual subwooferswould offset this. (Either way, of course,you'll need an additional power amp foryour center channel.)

If you have a sufficient power reserve,you could keep the amplifiers wired as younow have them but drive two subwoofersfrom the appropriate amplifier, assumingthat their combined impedance would notbe too low for the amp. This would im-prove acoustical efficiency and increasesome amplifiers' power output. If the twosubwoofers' paralleled impedance was toolow, you could connect them in series, butyou would gain no power and would losesome damping. The bass will be less con-trolled as damping is reduced.

Trouble in Treble CityQI have three tape decks. I've tried toset proper azimuth on all of them,

and have checked their frequency responseand found it excellent. Nevertheless, tapesmade on one machine either lack highs orare too bright when played on the otherdecks. What can I do about it?-Dia-ChanTran, Aurora, Ill.

ADid you check azimuth with acalibrated test tape? It would enable

you to adjust azimuth and set up the play-back frequency response in accordancewith the standards used in modern cassetterecorders. You may need two such tapes,one to match Type I tape EQ to the re-sponse of ferric oxide tapes and the otherto do the same for chrome (Type II) andmetal (Type IV) tapes.

Even if you aligned your three deckswith a misaligned tape, they should then bealigned (or, rather, misaligned) alike, soalignment would not be the cause of yourproblem. Let us assume for this piece thatyour test tape is flawless. If your machinesemploy separate play and record heads, usethe tape to align the playback heads, andthen align the record heads to get maxi-mum high -frequency output through theplayback heads as you record. The nextstep is to adjust the record equalization ofeach machine for the flattest response withthe brand and type of tape you plan to use.

Now see if recordings made on each ofyour decks will play back properly on theother decks. Make the first tests using nonoise reduction. When there are few or noproblems of high -frequency compatibilityamong your decks, make similar tests witheach deck's noise -reduction circuitryturned on. If you achieved compatibilitywithout noise reduction but continue tohave problems with it, you must look intothe calibration of your decks' NR systems.This will require the aid of your decks' ser-vice manuals.

When you have adjusted each machine,try the compatibility tests again. All shouldbe well.

If you have a problem or question about audio,write to Mr. Joseph Giovanelli at AUDIO Maga-zine, 1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019. Allletters are answered. In the event that your let-ter is chosen by Mr. Giovanelli to appear in Au-dioclinic, please indicate if your name and/oraddress should be withheld. Please enclose astamped, self-addressed envelope.


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C A M BR I DGESot IN MOH KS

154 California Street, Suite 104N01, Newton MA 021581-800-367-4434 Fax: 617-332-9229

Canada: 1-800-525-4434 Outside U.S. or Canada: 617-332-5936e1994 Cambridge SoundWorks.

Tape Deck OscillationQMy cassette deck operates normally in

play mode. However, when I press therecord button, the VU meter's left- and right-channel needles swing over to the extremeright and oscillate in that area. The soundsystem (connected to the deck) emits a re-peating, rapid-fire sound that resembles anoperating machine gun. What is causing thisproblem, and how can I fix it?-Alex F.Soave, Plainview, N.Y.

AThe problem may be in your deck orin the way you have it hooked up to

your system. If your system connectionsand switch settings are feeding the tapedeck's output signal back to its input, you'llget exactly these results. Otherwise, severalcircuit defects in your deck can cause theoscillation you described. The most com-mon one is defective bypass capacitors, es-pecially (but not exclusively) those capaci-tors only active in the record circuitry. (Ifyou plan to attempt your own repairs, get aservice manual for your machine to helpyou identify circuit components and theirpurposes.) My first suggestion is to obtain alarge capacitor, perhaps 2,000 µF, with a 50-V or higher rating. Place the machine in"record." Jump this capacitor across theconnections to various bypass capacitors; ifthe oscillation ceases, you've just bypassedthe defective capacitor.

Other things can also account for this os-cillation. Be sure that all the screws thathold the circuit board in place are tight;sometimes these mounting screws alsoground some components. Where such aground is missing, the signal may still findits way to ground, but through a high -im-pedance path; this can lead to commoncoupling and a tendency toward oscillation.Dirty switch contacts, poorly soldered con-nections, a cracked circuit foil, etc. can alsocause oscillation.

Making an OmniIndoor FM Antenna

QI understand that the "T -type"antennas supplied with most receivers

have an uneven dipole pickup pattern. Wouldit be possible to obtain more of an omnidirec-

tional pattern by arranging two of these anten-

nas so that they meet in the middle and areperpendicular to each other? Will this increase

multipath interference or cause other draw-backs?-Steve Hirsch, Windsor Locks, Conn.

Yes, more omnidirectional receptioncan be obtained by arranging two

folded dipole antennas as you have de-scribed. But although it's a simple matter tomount one such antenna on a wall, mount-ing the crossed dipoles is another matter. Ifyou were to mount them on a wall in such away that one dipole ran horizontally andthe other vertically, you would only addmultipath problems and not obtain quitethe omnidirectional results you would like.You will have to mount your two dipoles ona wooden frame and find a way to suspendit in the clear.

The antennas will combine into one feedline. This arrangement will cause a slightmismatch of impedance between the anten-na and the tuner, but it should be of noconsequence.

If space is a problem, you might trymounting one of these antennas vertically.Because FM stations are both vertically andhorizontally polarized, this mountingarrangement should permit the antenna tooperate with a more or less omnidirectionalpickup pattern.

However, if multipath is a problem, anomnidirectional antenna will just make itworse. The best way to deal with multipathis to use as directional an antenna as possi-ble, aiming it at the clearest signal of themany bouncing around in the air. The sig-nal you want may not be the strongest sig-nal; sometimes the direct signal from atransmitter will be accompanied by manymultipath reflections from the same direc-tion, while a single, clean reflection can befound by aiming the antenna more or lessaway from the station.

Maintaining Head AzimuthQHow can I keep my tape heads fromgoing out of alignment? I have a three -

head cassette deck whose record and playheads are in a single block-Danny Tse, SanLorenzo, Cal.

This is most often a problem infrit decks whose head assemblies moveand stop rapidly. The only remedy that Iknow of is to put a small dot of glue, nailpolish, or Loctite on the azimuth adjustingscrew, to hold it in place. Be sure to usesomething that you can remove when nec-essary. Nothing is really permanent, andwhen your heads wear down and need re-placement, applying a tiny dot of "glue"



How Do You Imgove On`: TheBest Value InTieWorld"?

Cambridge SoundWorksIntroduces

New Ensemble,New Ensemble H-and a new member

of the family,Ensemble III.

Audio magazine once said our Ensemblespeaker system may be "the best value in the world."Since then, numerous critics have applauded ourEnsemble and Ensemble ll systems. Designed byHenry Kloss (founder of AR, KLI-I and Advent),they became best sellers by offering qualityconstruction and accurate, wide -rangemusic reproduction - at factory -direct prices.

We're pleased to introduce newversions of our Ensemble andEnsemble II systems, as well as ournew, ultra -compact Ensemble III.

The New EnsembleNew Ensemble is an improved

version of our original dual-subwoofer/satellite speaker system.New Ensemble maintains the dualsubwoofer design, which allows formaximum room placement flexibility.Placement of bass and high -frequency speakers ina room (and how those speakers interact with theroom) has more influence on the sound quality of amusic system than just about anything. NewEnsembles ultra -slim (41/2") subwoofers give youmore placement flexibility than any system weknow of.

So What's New?New Ensemble maintains the tonal balance,

frequency range and quality of construction of theoriginal. There are two basic differences.

1. New Ensemble uses a new 8" woofer with avery long "throw" for linear cone excursion andmore accurate bass. An integral heat sink providesimproved power handling.

2. New Ensemble's satellitespeakers use the samespeaker drivers andcrossover as the original, butwith new midrange and highfrequency balance controls.

The midrange control lets youchoose the same output in the key 800-1600 Hz octave as in the original, or youcan emphasize that octave by 2 dB. Ensemblesatellites have relatively less output in this range toavoid the "boxy" sound typical of many speakers.This results in an "open" sound on large-scalesymphonic works. For small -scaled music, thehigher output position proves a "warmer" sound.

A high frequency control has three positions:A) The same balance as original Ensemble.B) A 2 dB high frequency increase. C) A 2 dB highfrequency decrease. The switch can subtly increasethe system's "airiness" (Increase) or it can reduce

any tendency towards"ecginess" (Decrease).

In terms of "real life"performance, we believeour New Ensemblesystem competes head-on

with speakers sellingfor hundredsmore. Availablewith black -laminatesubwoofers for$629, or withvinyl -cladsubwoofers for

$549.

The New Ensemble 11New Ensemble 11 is an improved version of our

best-selling speaker system. It's more affordablethan New Ensemble because it uses one cabinetto house both subwoofer speakers. NewEnsemble II maintains the tonal balance,frequency range, power handling and construc-tion quality of the original Ensemble Il. But itssatellite speakers use the same tonal balancecontrols as New Ensemble's.

New Ensemble II also uses a new flaredsubwoofer port. The subwoofer cabinet enclosestwo 61/2" long throw woofers mounted in a sealed"acoustic suspension" chamber. They project into asecond chamber fitted with the flarec. port, whichprovides smoother air flow, eliminating extraneousnoise on strong bass notes.

Stereo Review said the original Ensemble II"perfomis so far beyond its price and size it can becompared only with much larger speakers atsubstantially higher prices." New Ensemble IIcarries on this tradition, outperforming otherspeakers in its category, including well-knownmodels for about twice the price. Factory -directprice, $439.

The Ensemble IIINow you can bring the clear, balanced wide -

range sound of Ensemble speakers to a small,crowded room. Our new Ensemble N's satellite

speakers are only 4 1/2" x 61/2" x 3"and its subwoofer is 8" x 8" x 15".

Compared to New EnsembleEnsemble III gives up a little in

power handling, low bass range, andefficiency. Unlike the "cube" satellite

speakers you'll find in most similarly pricedsystems, Ensemble N's satellites are two-way

speakers. Ensemble N's 61/2" woofer uses twovoice coils in acabinet with aflared loft forsm000 air flow.

With mostrecordingsEnsemble III willsound virtuallyidentical to NewEnsemble II. Itsimply won'tplay as loud.Its construc-tion quality isnormallyfound only inmuch moreexpensive speakers.Factory -direct price, including connecting wire,cutter/stripper and Hook -Up Guide, is only $329.

30 Day Home Audition.All Cambridge SoundWorks speakers are backed

by a 30 -Day Total Satisfaction Guarantee. So youcan audition your speaker the right way - in yourhome, with no salesman hovering nearby. If within30 days you're not happy, return your system for afull refund.

Due acoustic_-suspension,ealed cavity.

cavity actsas acousticband-passfilter

For A Free Catalog, Call

Flared port.

1-800-FOR-HIFIWe Know How

To Make Loudspeakers!

CAMBRIDGESOUNDWORKS

154 California Street, Suite 104NOV , Newton, MA 021581-800-367-4434 Fax: 617-332-9229

Canada: 1-800-525-4434Outside U.S. or Canada: 617-332-5936

© 1599 Cambridge SoundWorks. ® Ensemble is a registered trademark ofCambridge Sound Works, Inc. KLH is a trademark of KLH, Inc. AR and

Advent are trademarks of International Jensen Inc. Cambridge SoundWorksis not affiliated with KLH, Advent or AR.

1=1.110111111011E1

Model 88"The Black Pearl"$15,000 per 8' pair

PBJ Interconnect$62 per Meter pair

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will let you turn that azimuth screw to setup the new heads.

Playing MonoPhonograph Records

QNow do I obtain a mono signal froma stereo turntable? I plan to record

some noisy discs and understand that settingmy player to mono will help in this regard.Do I wire the phono outputs in series, withthis series combination connected to thephono inputs on my receiver?-John Comer,Cincinnati. Ohio

AI have found that, in most instances,rewiring a turntable for mono has lit-

tle audible effect on background noise even

though theory says otherwise. You will,however, notice a slight decrease in tracingdistortion on some highly modulated discs,and the huge output pulses caused bywarped discs will be reduced. This is espe-cially true of 78s. (Editor's Note: Switching

your preamp to mono will give you mostof the noise improvement but will help lesswith the tracing distortion and outputpulses.-I.B.)

You actually want to wire your outputsin parallel, not series, but it's simple. Plugboth phono outputs into an ordinary Y -connector, and feed its third terminal toone of your phono inputs. If you wish tofeed both, you need a second Y to fan outfrom the first.

If you'll often switch between stereo andmono, you can mount four phono jacksand a single -pole, single -throw switch in ametal project box. One pair of jacks willaccept the cables from your turntable; theother will accept a cable to your preamp'sphono input. Wire each pair of jacks to theopposite pair, and wire the switch's twocontacts to the "hot" terminals of eitherjack pair, so that closing the switch ties thetwo channels together. This will give youmonophonic playback, even with stereodiscs.

You will discover that there is very littlechange in frequency response between themono and stereo arrangements.

Old House WiringQI am putting a new stereo systemtogether-just a straightforward sys-

tem, with no home theater use in mind. ButI'm concerned that the only available listen-ing room in my small apartment has just one


electrical outlet, which accepts two two -prong, ungrounded plugs. The wiring is veryold; it is covered in fabric rather than plastic.

Will this outlet suffice for my setup? Also, is

there a potential hazard to stereo compo-nents when they are connected to an un-grounded electrical outlet?-Gregory Smith,Toronto, Ont., Canada

AMost stereo systems require moreplugs than the two in your listening

room. But many devices include conve-nience outlets that can be used to supple-ment the two that are available.

I'm not nearly as concerned about thelack of grounding as I am about the oldwiring. Old wiring implies that the circuitsare poorly segregated. This means that sev-eral other outlets will share the same fuseor circuit breaker. This, plus the fact thatthe wire gauge is probably lighter thanwould be used in modern house wiring,will lead to voltage variations, dependingon how many appliances are operating atany given time. When the operating voltagefalls, the maximum available power outputfrom your amplifier will decrease, possiblywith an increase in distortion; this may ormay not be audible. Most other compo-nents have regulated power supplies and soare less likely to be affected.

As you know, many audio componentsemploy three -wire line cords whose plugshave a third terminal that automaticallygrounds them. These grounds often causemore audio problems than they solve; theycan lead to ground loops, which cause humand noise. Common adaptors let you plugthree -prong cords into two -prong outlets.To restore grounding, place the adaptor'sgrounding lug or pigtail under the screwthat holds the cover to the outlet. If the boxwas properly wired, this screw will serve toground the equipment. This setup also letsyou disconnect grounds if you have humproblems: Disconnect all but one, then re-store the grounds, one at a time, skippingany components whose grounding causeshum.

If you should discover that the outletbox is not grounded, ground one piece ofyour equipment to the nearest radiator orwater pipe. Because of the arrangement ofinterconnecting cables, this will ground allother equipment. Choose the preamplifieror integrated amplifier as that one piece tobe grounded. A


Denon's lifelong philosophy of "Design Integrity" has led us to constantly improve audio quality in all phases

of the reproduction chain-including circuitry for Home Theater. As a result, off -the -shelf IC components like those

used by our competitors, are no longer good enough for Denon's AVR-2500 AudioNideo Receiver. The new Denon

AVR-2500 features Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuitry, DftSC which employs discrete surround circuitry

plus an 18 -bit digital converter in the DSP stage. (Most competitors use lower bit converters.)

DENON PRECISION AUDIO COMPONEN71 AV SURROUND SECENEI AVR. 2500

Just as discrete components allow an audio system to be optimized for better sound, Denon's DDSC

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Signal -to -Noise and minimizing DSP quantization noise.

Naturally, the Denon AVR-2500 also features the latest audio and FM circuitry,AVR-1500

such as multi -zone capability for playing different programs in different parts of your home and personal memory

fields for one -button recall of your favorite, custom tailored surround sound stages. The AVR-2500 and AVR-1500

also feature the RDS Smart Radio System, which lets broadcasters offer you additional, invaluable information,

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Denon AV Receivers: DSP surround sound, advanced features and uncompromised High Fidelity.RDS"SMART RADIO" DENON

Denon Electronics Division of Denon Corporation (USA), 222 New Road. Parsippany, NJ 07054 (201)575-7810 The First Name in Digital Audio

0 ur lives as audio enthusiasts wouldhave been very different withoutTom Stockham. Audio buffs andelectrical engineers know Stockhamas the man who introduced digitalrecording and tapeless editing to

the world, as well as for his associations withSoundstream Technologies. Then there was hispatent on the homomorphic compander, aforerunner to dbx and Dolby noise -reductionsystems.

Stockham received his bachelor's, master's,and doctoral degrees from M.I.T. He has re-ceived numerous awards for his contributionsto audio technology: The Poniatoff GoldMedal from SMPTE, a Gold Medal from the

AES, an Emmy, and many others. Most recent-ly, NARAS awarded him the first -ever Techni-cal Grammy Award in 1993 for his "pioneeringrole in the development and advancement ofdigital recording."

Currently a professor of electrical engineer-ing at the University of Utah, Stockham alsoruns his own consulting firm, Stockham Tech-nologies, the focus of which is applications invision and genetics. In this interview, reprint-ed from the Winter/Spring 1994 issue ofNARAS Journal, published by The NationalAcademy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Dr.Stockham discusses the development of digitalrecording, his views on the digital/analog de-bate, and other audio matters. D.L.

PHOTOGRAPH: BUSATH PHOTOGRAPHY

THE AUDIO INTERVIEW

What was your rolein the developmentof the technology wenow know as digitalaudio?Let me go back a lit-tle ways. The first

time I ever saw digital audio actually work-ing was in 1962. I'd been a student atM.I.T. in the '50s, and then I went into theAir Force. When I came back to M.I.T., as anew assistant professor, I went around vis-

Daniel Levitin holds degrees from Stanford University andthe University of Oregon in Cognitive Science. He has writ-

ten extensively on professional audio applications, taughtmusic technology at Stanford University, and worked as astaff engineer/producer for 415/Columbia Records. He cur-rently performs research in visual and auditory psy-chophysics at the University of Oregon.

Daniel Levitiniting the labs and I found people doing in-teresting work. Some of the students wereusing a computer called the TX -0, and theyhad connected a tape drive to the machineand a microphone and speaker to an A/Dand D/A converter. What you could do wastalk into the microphone, and the tapewould record all of that in binary. It wasprobably using 6 to 11 bits, with a sam-pling rate around 10,000 samples per sec-ond. After you had finished recording, thething would rewind and play it back.

We're talking about a ma-chine that took up the betterpart of a large room, right?Right. Then the TX -2 wasdeveloped, which was aneven larger computer. It had65K memory with 36 -bitwords. This was the first real-

ly large magnetic core memory computer.It was back in the days before the byte,with seven -track tape and all of that.Where did the converters come from atthat time?A company named EPSCO created anA/D-D/A converter you could buy. It wascapable of 11 bits, I think, and was prettyhigh up there in sampling rate, maybe 22k.It's possible I saw some demonstrations ofthese in the late '50s, around 1959. BernieGordon, who was the CEO at EPSCO, wasplaying with digital audio back then.What did you do next?Well, we used the TX -2 and digital audioquite a bit. I worked on a project withAmar Bose, who was at M.I.T., and we usedit to design the first Bose speakers.Were the first Bose speakers built aroundthe same principles as his later ones?


Yes, it was his idea thatthe loudspeakers werelimited by the roomacoustics, not so muchwhat was put in a well -designed loudspeaker;

that the problem was mostly outside, notinside the speaker. Of course, one couldbuild a terrible loudspeaker to claim other-wise. But his idea was that if you built aloudspeaker properly, most of the distor-tion was put forth by the room.Why would room acoustics be so singular-ly important in a home listening environ-ment? If I have musicians actually play inmy living room, it sounds great. Why doroom acoustics play such a critical role if Imerely put speakers-point sources, essen-tially-in the room at the same locationswhere the live musicians were?Because your living room then becomes asecond venue. If musicians are recorded ina concert hall and you try to play back thesound of that hall in your living room, thesecond -venue problem is created.So you've got one set of acoustics stackedon top of another, competing.Yes, that's right. That's why live perfor-mances sound so much better than any-thing you have ever heard. And the second-

venue problem hasn't been solved, eventoday.It seems like one solution would be whatcontemporary recording engineers havedone, at least for popular music. If yourecord everything in a controlled studioenvironment, close-miked, you wouldavoid this competition of acoustics.That is a partial solution to the second -

venue problem, but it's not a total solution.Because of the inherent artificiality of stu-dio recordings?Suppose we let the listening venue be theone that we want. Let's try to change theoriginal venue somehow, such that whenyou combine a typical listening roomvenue with the changed original venue, thewhole thing turns out more like a singlevenue when it's played back. As far as Iknow, nobody's ever shown conclusivelythat such trials work well, or even better.It's somewhat better, but it's not the solu-tion we really want.

Bose found a living room that he felt wasreasonable, and he puta loudspeaker in thecorner. It was a proto-type of the first one hiscompany sold, the2201. You may remem-

ber that it was an eighth of a sphere and fitin a corner. We set up a microphone andrecorded some music produced by thespeaker in this "ideal" listening room.

The next step was to find the impulse re-sponse of the room. By setting off a sparkin the corner where the speaker had been,and recording it over and over again, thespark permitted us to determine the noise-

free impulse response of the room. In thisway, we had the impulse response of theideal speaker as a reference.

Next we took the music we had usedearlier and convolved it with the sparkrecordings we had made. The whole ideawas to see how much poorer the loud-speaker was than the spark (the idealspeaker). We found that by using a filter,properly designed, the two were very close.

Before digitalsystems for

home could bebuilt, professionalequipment

needed to createthe recordings.

It seemed to us that all but a very few of thespeaker problems had been removed. Now,I'm going from memory here; if Bose wassitting here he might be yelling that thatisn't the major point. As exciting as theseresults were, the point is we used digitalaudio for this experiment back in 1963 and1964.

What was your next encounter with digi-tal recording?We knew how expensive digital audio wasback then, and I just didn't pursue it muchmore for a while. Starting in 1966, I spent21/2 years at M.I.T.'s Lincoln Labs, workingon digital signal processing.What got you interested again?One day, two very well-known M.I.T. pro-fessors came into my office because I hadbeen asked to write a problem for the doc-torate exam that year. They said, "We wantto ask you a question about this problemyou put in here on the exam: What is this

about?" Now, I had created a digital ver-sion of an RC circuit in the problem, and Itold them that. I figured, since digital sig-nal processing was going to be an impor-tant part of the future, that the studentswere being taught all about this. And thesetwo professors just said, "Oh. Okay," andthey walked away. But this told me that thepeople who were really in the know didn'tunderstand this; they weren't aware ofwhat it meant.You left M.I.T. in 1968 and joined theComputer Science faculty at the Universi-ty of Utah. What prompted your forma-tion of Soundstream in 1975?Malcolm Low (the L in KLH) was here atUtah and helped set up Evans and Suther-land Computer Corporation; they pio-neered "3-D" computer graphics. One day

in 1974, Malcolm came over to my houseand said, "You know, it's time to start adigital audio company." I told him he wascrazy, but one thing led to another, and wewere in business a year later.

Our purpose in starting Soundstreamwas to develop a system for the home thatwould play back digital recordings. Weknew there was a chicken -and -egg prob-lem, so we started out by creating the pro-fessional equipment that would be neededto create the recordings themselves.

We developed some 16 -bit, A/D-D/Asystems, and we put together a machinethat could record and play back. It had aninstrumentation tape recorder-a recorderthat's used for technical experiments andsuch-and a large box of electronics thatwent with it.And storage was all on magnetic tape?Right. As far as I know there was no oneusing anything but magnetic tape in this


arena. However, the Japanese had built anumber of different digital audio recordersand playback systems in their labs andthey'd bring them around occasionally atAES Conventions. But that was growingvery slowly and very internally there. Idon't think they thought there was a mar-ket for it! I think they thought they neededto be up to date with the technology, butthey weren't really anxious about commer-cializing it; you couldn't find anybody atJapanese companies who was talking aboutselling it. It was more for demonstration-"Here, have a look at the future." Denonwas doing the most; they were going out inthe field with 14 -bit recorders and makingLPs with them. Then they would use theirdigital recordings to show how good theiranalog audio equipment was. They werenot trying to interest the recording compa-nies in any way I could detect. However, Iwas. We worked for three years before wemade a paid commercial recording.You are credited with making the firstcommercial digital recording. . . .

Right. We took our machine and did a dig-ital recording in Santa Fe of an opera in1976. Of course, by then we'd made a lot ofdigital recordings, and so had many others,but only in laboratories. Santa Fe was thefirst real -world recording we made. Every-thing worked perfectly. Then we demon-strated the recordings at the AES Conven-tion in the fall of 1976.Did you then try to get record companiesand recording engineers interested?Doug Sax was doing a lot of direct -to -discrecordings, but he wasn't interested in ourdigital machine. So we went to CrystalClear records and did a recording of VirgilFox, and those recordings were stunning-very, very interesting. That started our cashflow going. We also recorded ArthurFiedler and the Boston Pops. These weren'treleased right away, though. The first com-mercially released digital recording was forTelarc, of Frederick Fennell and the Cleve-land Symphonic Winds, recorded in spring1978. The thing became afire then; peoplewho had never talked to me before startedcalling me on the phone and saying,"Whydidn't you tell us it could be this good?"That was when people really understoodwhat we were doing and what it meant. By1981, we had at least 500 digital masters inour vaults that came from various sources.

Telarc and Soundstream brought digitalrecording to the world. Other people hadit, but they were just using it internally.Then, in 1982, Jack Renner [CEO and chief

'g1=4;'rt,'W-XV,:IWOVCROMIIXWelt:VWPTAIWO.W.O.WIRIPNIS-14;',f,IMOMPAW411

engineer of Telarc] put out the first CD.The role I played, along with my people,of course, was to commercialize digitalaudio and to have it used by the record-ing companies, not just by the technicalpeople. There's been a lot of talk aboutwho made digital audio first. We had thefirst commercial digital recorders; 3M wassecond in developing theirs.You also were a pioneer in digital editing.Yes. The funny thing is, even todaypeople are using editing systems thatare very primitive, and our editingsystem was up and running backwhen we were in Santa Fe. We hada totally computerized editing sys-tem. This meant you didn't have tohave tape swishing back and forth;you could start at the back of therecording and do your editingbackwards if you wanted. We in-vented hard -disk editing, and wewere using it back in 1975.

In a sense, we not only pio-neered tapeless editing, but wewere the only people who werein it. My involvement withSoundstream stopped in 1980,but the technology found itsway to other companies. 1

What was the sampling rateof these first digital recorders?At different times we hadthree different samplingrates. When we first put theconverters together, wethought that our marketwould be radio, that peo-ple at radio stationswould want this. So wewere working with a 15 -kHz bandwidth then,because FM has a 15kbandwidth. We madesome recordingswith that band-width, but notmany, not morethan three or four.I'm pretty surethat the one atSanta Fe usedthat.So, you aretalking abouta samplingrate of 32kor so?It would have to have been larger than 32k;that's cutting it a little close. We used


ENRICO CARUSO

37,500. After that wehad a converter thatwas something like 47kHz-I don't knowwhere that came from,it was some fraction ofsomething-but it was

above 44.1. Then all the rest were 50 kHz,and anybody that's got one of our ma-chines right now is at 50.How many Soundstream machines weresold?

Between 15 and 20. I have no idea howmany are still in use. My guess is essentiallynone. We sold most of our inventory toBertelsmann. They loved our editor, andworked one of them constantly for eightyears. They just put it away in April of thisyear. I think that editor worked on thou-sands of CD masters.Did all of the machines use the originalHoneywell transport?Yes.

Did you have to modify it?Yes. Basically, what we did was put in ahead for 16 -track work plus two side chan-nels for SMPTE. We usually didn't use that;we didn't have too many jobs where wehad to sync with anybody.How did you handle error correction?We recorded a given track on two tapetracks and separated them as far as possiblefrom each other. So, for example, we mightrecord on tape track numbers 1 and 8, andthe signals were identical. This correctionand detection system was very, very good.The only one I can think of that was betterwas the one that comes with CD. We hadno problems with this scheme of writingeverything twice. The logic of determiningif there was an error was very simple andvery reliable.So the way it worked is that you just com-pared one track to the other?Yes, we'd see if the two codes were identi-cal. If they weren't identical, we knewwhich one was bad, because if there was adropout, the energy on the tape was toolow. Incidentally, none of our clients everfound a digital error in any of the tapes wemade. And I'm sure there was a terabit ofstuff by the time we quit.What did early digital sound like?It sounded great to me, but don't ask me.

You know what a gold-en ear is. Well, I have alead ear. Jack Renneralways tells me I have agood ear, but I neverwould say that's the

case. I enjoyed the music, and it was defi-nitely superior to anything I had heard be-fore. Our tape recorders were made notjust by listening, of course, but by a groupof people listening and a very, very carefulstudy of whether the thing was theoretical-ly correct.Did Soundstream ever get around to look-ing at digital audio for the home? Some-thing like CDs?That was the idea from the beginning.Malcolm Low brought the idea up in ourvery first discussions in 1974. In 1980, wemerged with Digital Recording Corpora-tion, and the name became DRC/Sound-stream, a public company. I did not play aheavy role in the development of the digitalplayer they were trying to put together, but

Amar Boseand I used

digital audio forexperiments on

the second -venueproblems backin 1963 and

1964.

we were trying to develop something likethe CD.When you say it was like the CD, do youmean it was optically based?Yes, it was. I was running the recordingpart, so I wasn't in charge of the designthere. They wanted to create a "record"that would be the size of a 3 x 5 card thatyou could put in your shirt pocket and car-ry around with you. In this mode, itwouldn't be the card that moved, it wouldbe the reader that moved. A unit was built,and it did work. But it was abandonedwhen the CD emerged, and the design racewas over.There are still a great many people whosay that analog sounds better than digital.The battle has been playing out in some ofthe high -end audio journals as well as inpro audio and musician magazines. . . .

Are the people who are saying this in con-trol of a company or a business? Because,of course, companies have to make money

or they die. And you know, just before peo-ple are going to be killed or murdered, theywill say anything.Well, there are musicians and artists, re-spected recording engineers . . .

Well, that could be, but that's not the ques-tion. The question is, does the digitalrecording sound like the original source?Now, because it sounds different from theanalog recording, it might be more pleas-ing to some listeners and less pleasing toothers. As far as I can tell, there isn't anydefect hanging around in digital.

Have you seen that book about record-ing by Gaisberg? It's an old book from the'40s. [The Music Goes Round, by FrederickWilliam Gaisberg, Macmillan, 1942.] Herecorded Caruso way back, and he talks

AMAR BOSE

about the transformation between acousticand electric recording as it occurred in1925. He points out that most of therecording engineers had to give up theirtrade when that happened because theydidn't know what to do with the newrecording technology. Now, I can imaginethat more than a few people were upsetabout that-they lost their jobs. I wouldn'tbe a bit surprised if some of them said,"Gee, this electric recording doesn't soundas good, does it?"Well, I always figured that when peoplesay they like analog recordings, what theylike is actually the harmonic distortion.The terms they use-like "warmer," "soft-er," and "less harsh"-suggest that this iswhat they like about analog. Distortioncan sound warm because it muddies upthings. Digital has no distortion, so theydon't like it; they're not accustomed tohearing recorded music that way. Do youthink this is part of it?


Oh, absolutely. In fact, I think that's almostthe whole thing. It is that smearing thatthey like. After I restored the Carusorecordings, we played them back for somecollectors and compared it with the origi-nals. [In the '70s, Stockham processed oldCaruso recordings; his restorations werelater issued by RCA.] Now, the originalshad lots of surface noise, lots of energyabove 8k or so, and the restorations didn't,because there was no [music] energy inthat part of the spectrum in the originalrecording. And you know what? Many ofthe collectors liked the sound of the [unre-stored] originals better, and the only rea-sonable explanation is because their earsneeded to hear energy in this range. I findthis very interesting. I should think youwould know something about this fromyour own laboratory work.Just to exhaust all the possibilities in thisdigital/analog debate, is it possible peopleare hearing artifacts in digital? Bad anti-aliasing, dithering, and so on?I don't think so. If things have been doneright by the people who build the equip-ment, that's not going to happen. Unbe-lievable amounts of diligence have beenput in to make sure that's not a problem.Some of the really cheap converters thatare built into budget equipment do soundawful, though. . . .

Well, that's a different issue. Obviously,you can make something bad if you wantto-and if you want to make it cheaper. Ifeel kind of funny about all this, because,like you, I want to find "the answer." Butevery time I went to find the answer, Ihaven't gotten cooperation, or had the fa-cilities, and so on.

Do you know Stan Lipshitz's work? Hehas done more than anyone to put this outin the open. He writes in the AES journal.He's tried to make the role of dithering un-derstood by people who haven't under-stood it. He was president of the AES acouple of years ago. As an academic, Ithink he is the one person in the worldwho most knows what can go wrong, theunbelievable things that can go wrong inresearch studies when people try to dothem honestly-and dishonestly. Lipshitztalks about the whole notion of tellingwhether things are different, whether youcan hear the difference between A and B.He points out that if you wanted to try anddetermine if two things are identical or notwith 99% confidence, you have to getthings right every time in seven consecu-tive trials.

You're talking about the statistics of cer-tainty; the binomial probabilities.Right. So for example, if you listen to threerecordings and start pontificating on thedifferences, and someone comes along whoknows whether this is accident or talent,you're not even on first base with this sam-ple of three. If someone is going to come inand listen and A/B some recordings, youcan't believe they know what they're talk-ing about-or that the difference exists-unless they are able to get it right seventimes in a row.You were part of the expert panel that ex-amined the Watergate tapes. What wasthe assignment of the Watergate panel?It was just a few days before RosemaryWoods came up with the existence of the181/2 -minute gap. And so any plans thatwere being made at that time were clearedup quite quickly, right then and there. Ourteam then spent essentially six monthswriting a report about the gap.Did you get hold of the tape and try to re-cover the portion that was erased?Oh, yes. We did a very thorough job tryingto recover it. Unfortunately, it was erasedby a stenographer's recorder that had adouble erase head, and absolutely no

Do you see something replacing the CDsoon, as new technological breakthroughsare made?I haven't been following this, but the con-cept that some people have had-namelythat you could have a "CD" on a chip-isstill pretty far off. You have to take into ac-count the "25 -year syndrome." The syn-drome is that you cannot change recordingmedia faster than once every 25 years. Inparticular, there was the Edison [cylinder]era, which was about 1877 to 1900. Thenthe disc reigned as a primary medium, and,of course, it wasn't electric for 25 years.Then the electrically recorded 78 surviveduntil 1947, when the LP came out. (I'm go-ing to put the medium of tape aside here.)It was a longer stretch that time, before theCD came out in 1982, maybe because ofthe two media being around, the cassetteand the LP. And, of course, another retar-dant [for the 25 -year rule] was the adventof stereo in the middle there. But the in-dustry isn't going to put up with anothermajor change for another 15 years or so.You have to realize that everything beforethe CD was needle and groove, so it mighteven be more robust this time because thetechnology is so different now. But I'm

sure there will be a change, count-ing when it started in 1982 andthen adding 30 years.That long? What if technology al-lows for a dramatic change in for-mat or type? What if you could getthe playing time up to 10 hours, orthe size down to 2 inches, or if theindexing gets better?I don't think that size or any ofthose other things is going to havethe weight that a new change insound quality would. The thingsyou mention are just conveniences,in my world. I don't think theywould have the thrust to create amajor change.You think that change is driven bysound quality?

A HONEYCOMB SPEAKERENGINEERED WITH AMAR BOSE.

human voice sounds were there except in acouple of places where the instrument usedwas stopped and then started again. But itwas obvious, in the final analysis, that thegaps were created by the pushing of a man-ual button on the recorder. Also obviouswas the way in which it was done; withouta doubt, it had to have been done by a fin-ger pushing this manual button.

I do, I really do. When you lookback historically, it was soundquality that drove the changes; the

first records were so much quieter than theEdison cylinders, which were very, verynoisy. And the advent of vinyl was a hugequality improvement.You were first author on a famous IEEEpaper in 1975, "Blind DeconvolutionThrough Digital Signal Processing." Thearticle describes your work in restoringthose old Caruso recordings, but it also


talks about workyou've done in en-hancing blurred visu-al images. What is theconnection betweenyour work in audio

and in vision? Have they cross-pollinated?Yes, because, in fact, the whole technologyis blind deconvolution. In both modalities[sound and vision], our work was based onthe ideas put out in an earlier paper, "Non-linear Filtering of Multiplied and Con-volved Signals" [Oppenheim, Schafer, andStockham, published in the IEEE journalin 1968]. That was a very large bomb onthe EE plateaus. The notion that you coulddo linear filtering for nonlinear systemswasn't universally well received. The wholething stood on Al Oppenheim's doctoralthesis-and you see, it is really very simple.Mathematicians have known for years thatyou could make a transformation frommultiplication to addition; even childrenlearn this in school: It's just the logarithm.There's a theorem in modern algebra thatsays that if you have a vector space (andthis is a modern algebraic vector space, notwhat you would talk about if you were do-ing electrical engineering with electricityand things like that), then if the rule forcombining vectors is not type A, you canmake it be type A by a unique one-to-onetransformation, creating another vectorspace with a different rule for combiningthings. What that says, of course, is that ifyou have something that doesn't combineusing addition, but using some othertransform, you can force it to use addition.That's the key to the deconvolution prob-lem, then. In the particular case of theCaruso recordings, you have two con-volved signals; the signal from Caruso isconvolved with the response characteris-tics of the old mechanical -horn recordingmechanism.

If I understand you now, you're sayingthat you can take this convolution, applyan FFT to create a multiplicative function,and turn it into an additive function.Once you have the latter, it is trivial toseparate the two functions, allowing youto restore the sound of Caruso's voice.That's right. As you know, if you apply an

FFT to a convolution,the convolved signalsare then no longerconvolved-they aremultiplied. Becauseyou've gone from thetime domain to the

frequency domain. And when you do that,as everyone knows, you go from convolu-tion to a product. Then you just take thelog and you've got a sum, and you can youapply regular linear theory.

There are two arenas for making an in-teresting practice for using these things.One is taking multiplied things and mak-ing them additive; the other is taking con-volved things and making them additive.In the paper you talk about deblurringphotographs as being the same problemconceptually as the dereverberation youdid in sound. Ideally, you would have

The engineeringbreakthroughthat allowedRay Dolby

to make hiscompander is

his brain,I think.

several recordings of Caruso with thesame horn impulse response, and analyz-ing these would allow you to extract outthe horn response-because it would becommon to all of the recordings. But inthis case, you only have one example, soyou sliced up the image into a bunch ofsmaller frames, assuming that whatever itis that created the blur will exist common-ly in each frame. Is this how NASA deblursMars pictures?Well, I haven't had much contact withthem, so I don't really know how they doit. But, yeah, I imagine that it must be verysimilar.

Presumably, NASA has thousands of pic-tures of Mars all taken with the same cam-era from a similar angle, so the problemshould be easier for them.Yes, you're right. And this is fundamentallya deconvolution problem of the type we'vebeen talking about. But they don't need tochop up the individual image, so they canget much better resolution than if theyonly had one picture.In audio, is surface noise an example of anadditive function?

Yes. And there are analogies in vision aswell. In black -and -white photography withfilm, how much silver do you have to putin the film so that when you examine it ona light table it appears to be the same as theoriginal scene? The answer is, the log of theexposure. So photography is multiplicative.But you can transform it into being addi-tive by taking the log.

In audio, an automatic gain control ismultiplicative. The 1968 paper discussesthis and describes four of our experiments.The first one was an automatic gain con-trol where you'd take the log of the signal,

process it linearly, and come back out againand exponentiate the result. That gives youan automatic gain control.This sounds like a compander.Right, that's indeed what I did; I made acompander.Well, in fact, didn't you make the firstcompander?Yes, I did, but only the first homomorphiccompander. Other companders were devel-oped, starting in the early part of the cen-tury. The telephone company used them,for instance, to reduce line noise.How did the commercial companders, thedbx units, for instance, differ from yours?I think the dbx units had a great similarityto the original compander I built.Maybe you could describe, for the readerswho don't know, what a compander doesand how it works.If you have a dynamic range of X dB, youcan make it have a dynamic range of X/2dB, or any other dynamic range you wantto have. I patented a way to make a corn -pander that would do that kind of thing. Ittakes the complex log of the signal, andthen it puts the real part of that through


either a linear or nonlinear filter. Next itexponentiates the filtered signal, and thenrestores the sign by multiplying the expo-nentiated filtered signal by the imaginarypart of the complex log.

The filter is designed to be a low -fre-quency attenuator if the compander is inthe compression mode, and a low -frequen-cy amplifier if the compander is in the ex-pansion mode. It makes a very nice com-pander. But not good enough for ultrahi-fi. That's what made me do what I didin developing digital recording.How is this different from compressorsand expanders, such as those recordingstudios use?Well, those are designed to alter the signalfor particular purposes. A compandershould allow you to take a signal, compressit [in recording], expand it [in playback],and have it be intact so that it's just like theoriginal.You said it was clear to you it would beimpossible to make one with high enoughfidelity, but then Ray Dolby did make one.The compander that Dolby made was very,very good work. You know how that works:When you have tape noise, you make thedynamic range of the signal less, so every-thing's louder-the loudest things are nowjust as loud as they were, but the softestthings are 50 dB louder. That means thatwhen you go and expand, the noise hasbeen pushed through a floor that youdidn't have before. Unfortunately, becausethe signal is bipolar, it's very hard to con-trol. Because the signal is positive, thennegative, and so on, you have to have a veryquiet switch. I'll tell you, making digitalrecording work is a lot easier than makingthis work. Dolby made this work, becausehis things aren't that decontrolling. Hedoesn't try to do too much compression.What was the engineering breakthroughthat allowed him to make this?His brain, I think. He's a very creative guy,very creative. He was a star, you know, inthe TV era. He was one of the people whoput together TV recording in the '50s, sothat you could have delayed televisionbroadcasts; he was part of the Ampexgroup that did that.Have you heard Dolby SR?It's not bad. But it won't do what digitalwill do.Some people say that Dolby SR is betterthan digital, that it's "smoother," "silkier,""warmer".. .Well, we're back to what we were talkingabout and the dichotomy between fidelity

and what you like. Also, I haven't had achance to look very deeply inside the ma-chines it's competing against, the Sony andMitsubishi digital recorders. I don't knowwhat's in them; I haven't had a chance tosee for myself whether they work right orwrong, so I can't comment.Do you think this is a case similar to theCaruso restorations, where your collectorsliked the noisier recordings better?There is definitely a relation. When we firstwere using the dbx, we did some experi-ments where we recorded one tape withdbx and the other without. We had it setup so you could switch between them forplayback. When you turned on the normalone, everyone would be happy. But whenyou got rid of all that noise and the hisswent away, it was dull and uninteresting.

Then, when I said, "Let's compare thecompanded one with the original," and Ithrew the switch, they couldn't tell thedifference!

This is a matter of "fidelity" versus"what you like." I want to be sure that youunderstand I have no feelings of any typethat people shouldn't like what they like.But I do get upset when people don't un-derstand that what you like might not beexactly like the original you were trying toput back together in the recording process.There's nothing wrong with not putting itback together the same as it was; it mighteven be a lot more fun. But if you're talkingabout fidelity, you shouldn't say that youdon't have it when you do. It is importantto distinguish between whether whatyou're talking about is coherent or not. A

Stockbam receivingthe first NARASTechnical GrammyAward from NARASPresident and CEOMike Greene atthe 95th AESConvention, 1993.

Stockham acceptingGold Medal fromBart Locanthi asAlbert B. Grundylooks on at the 83rdAES Convention,1987.


illustration: david rolfe

WHERE DO YOU BFGIN?

HOME R

S I I ..01116.

wi Ham r. Koffman

ome theater is the fastest growing segmentof the home entertainment industry, asvideo rental/sale shops are as plentiful aspizza parlors. Movies with surround sound-

tracks on tape and LaserDisc are as common as hot,

buttered popcorn. The variety of entertainment andspectacular sounds previously found only at the local

Bijou can now be brought home for a few dollars in

rental fees. Indeed, the theater's quality of sound can

often be bettered.

For those new to this entertainment experience, here

are some guidelines on video equipment, screen sizes,

seating arrangements, and (naturally) sound-plussome tips on avoiding the more common problems.


THE VIDEO SIDEA well-equipped home theater might look like the one in Fig. 1,

with its large video screen, multiple speaker systems, and a cabinetto house the many electronic components involved.

The video receiver may be either the direct -view (picture -tube)type, television's mainstay since the 1940s, or a pro-jection system. Direct -view screens are at a dis-advantage for home theater use,however, because they're usuallylimited to a maximum screen sizeof about 35 inches (measured diag-onally, as TV screens always are). A35 -inch set will be very large andheavy, and require a well-built cab-inet to contain it.

Screen sizes larger than 35 inches

generally require projection sys-tems. These usually use three smallpicture tubes, similar to those inthe direct -view receiver but withmuch greater light output. Eachtube-through a system of filters,lens, and (often) mirrors-reproducesone primary color (red, green, or blue),which is focused on a large screen wherethe three images are combined into a sin-gle, full -color picture. Both front- andrear -projection systems are available.

The rear -projection system is a singleunit containing the projection tubes, op-tics, and screen. In this system, the pic-ture is focused on the back side of atranslucent screen, and viewed from thescreen's front. Most rear -projection setshave screens in the 40- to 50 -inch range,though sets as large as 73 inches are avail-

able. While many have the 4:3 (width -to -height) screen propor-tion long familiar to TV viewers, a growing number have widerproportions, such as 16:9, to accommodate "letterboxed" wide-screen movie tapes or discs.

But what if we want a true theater -size screen? The front -projec-tion system, with separate projector and screen like the arrange-ment in a real movie theater, is our answer. These systems typicallyprovide images 10 feet or more in diagonal measure.

The images on projection systems' larger screens tend to be lesssharp and less bright, and also tend to be lower in contrast thanthose on direct -view sets. These problems usually increase asscreen size does, in part because larger screens make it easier to seedefects in the original picture. High -end video systems often in-clude add-on devices, such as line doublers, to enhance the pro-

jected picture, and most critics feel they are well worth their highprice. Maintaining a sharp, well -focused picture usually takesmore frequent adjustment with projection systems than with di-rect -view sets, especially with front -projection systems havingfloor -mounted projectors or screens that can be knocked out ofposition.

Systems with bigger screens take up more floor space too. Thisis most noticeable with a rear -projection set, whose single cabinet

must be high enough to positionthe screen properly, wider than thescreen itself, and deep enough tohold all the optics. With a front -projection system, the projectorcabinet tends to take up severalsquare feet of floor space but canoften be mounted on or in the ceil-ing, if there's enough headroom.And while the screen is oftenmounted in a cabinet for aestheticreasons, you can save space by wall -mounting it, letting it stand free onshort legs, or even making it elec-trically retract into the ceiling.

The bigger the screen, the more impor-tant it is to have good sources for yourvideo pictures. LaserVision discs are thebest source medium for home video, fol-lowed by high -band videotape (Super-

VHS and Hi8), then by broadcast or cableTV (depending on the station, reception,and your local cable company), and then,dead last, regular VHS or 8 -mm video-tape. However, availability is also a factor:LaserVision discs, which are not as widelysold as movie tapes, are even less widelyavailable for rent. In addition, high -bandtape recordings are virtually impossible to

buy or rent, which limits their home theater use mainly to show-ing movies recorded off the air or cable.

THE BIGGER YOUR HOME

THEATER'S SCREEN, THE

MORE IMPORTANT GOOD

VIDEO SOURCES WILL BE.

THE AUDIO SIDEWhile Fig. 1 shows a total of nine speaker systems in our home

theater (commercial movie theaters usually have more), thisdoesn't mean that the typical movie soundtrack has nine channelsencoded in it. It also doesn't mean that you'll necessarily have ninespeakers in your installation. Most current movie soundtrackshave four channels-two main front stereo channels (screen leftand screen right), a front center channel (the dialog track), and a

single surround channel. Prints produced for major first -runtheaters may have discrete tracks for these channels; prints made


for neighborhood theaters (and home video releases) cur-rently have only two discrete channels of audio information.A matrix decoder (such as Dolby Surround, Dolby Pro Log-ic, Ultra Stereo, or THX) must be used to extract the addi-tional channels' content. In addition, most decoders alsoprovide a bass -only signal, which may be in stereo (the bassfrom each of the incoming channels' signals) or a summedmono signal (the bass from both incoming channelssummed together).

We can start our home theater with just the two frontmain speakers and add other channels later. Even after webuild up to a complete surround system, most of each film'ssound will often be coming from them, so they, more thananything else in our system, will determine the ultimatequality of the sound we hear.

This means that the first step toward good home theateris usually to stop using the speakers built into the video re-ceiver. These speakers usually use small, inexpensive driverswhose frequency response, distortion, and output levelsdon't qualify as high fidelity. In addition, the width of thereceiver cabinet limits how far apart the speakers can be,which means that the channel separation they offer is oftenmarginal for movies and inadequate for stereo music listen-ing. If your video receiver has external speaker outputsand reasonably powerful amplifiers (5 or 10 watts a chan-nel), as a first step you can add decent external speakers,add a more powerful amplifier later, and later still expand to

full surround.For video, unlike stereo music, the center speaker is very

important: It reproduces the sound accompanying the ac-tion at the center of the screen. Usually this is an actorspeaking, so the center speaker is sometimes called the dia-log system. The larger the screen and the more spread thereis in the seating area, the more important this speaker is.Without it, people sitting off to the side will tend to hear avoice come from the location of the nearest speaker insteadof from the actor's location on the screen, which can be veryannoying. Nonetheless, most surround decoders have"phantom" settings that deliver center -channel signals to theleft and right speakers for home theater systems that don'thave a center speaker.

Ideally, all three front speakers would deliver the samesound to you and everyone else in your home theater. Thisideal is hard for engineers to realize, because the centerspeaker, usually placed just above or below the screen, has adifferent design and size than the other two speakers. Manysurround decoders therefore also have a choice of "normal"surround for systems with limited center -channel bass and"wide" surround for systems with better matched speakers.

For home theater, all three front speakers, and especiallythe center one, should have horizontal dispersion broad

SURROUNDLEFTFRONT

SURROUND

FIG. 1- it

C ENTERRIGHTFRONT

SUBWOOFER

SURROUND

SURROUND

1111

EQUIPMENT'CABINET

HOME THEATER LAYOUT AND COMPONENTS; SEE TEXT.

FIG. 2-

VIEWING

DISTANCES

IN A HOME

TH EATER.

FIG. 3-

CURVE FOR

DETERMINING

POWER

RATIO.

FIG. 4-

CURVES FOR

DETERMINING

POWER

MULTIPLIER

FOR ROOM

VOLUME AND

ACOUSTICS.


NEAR VIEWING DISTANCE

MEDIUM VIEWING DISTANCE

25

2017 -

cc 15

cc

`g 10

5

FAR VIEWING DISTANCE

080

4

3

2

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

85 90 95 100 105

SPEAKER SENSITIVITY - dB SPL

00 1,000 2,000 3P00 4,000 5,000 6,000

ROOM VOLUME - CU. FT.

7,000 8,000

180

150

120

90U

0a-

60

30

0

125

100

75

50

25

0

M-4 zM-2

MCI

1111 11.110 5 10

POWER RATIO

15

M. 2

0 5 10 15

POWER RATIO

M=I

M.I.5

M= 0.5

20 25

F16. 5-

CURVES FOR

DETERMINING

AMPLIFIER

POWER

REQUIREMENTS.

F16. 6-

CURVES FOR

DETERMINING

BASS POWER

REQUIREMENTS.

enough to cover the whole audience. This, too, is hard to accom-plish in a center -channel speaker because it usually must be widebut not tall, to fit near the screen-exactly the wrong shape forwide dispersion.

The left and right surround speakers bring the viewer into theaction. Distant gunfire, planes flying overhead, and other verydramatic effects come to life through them. But since the main ac-tion is up front, on the screen, surround speakers should not callattention to themselves. To ensure this, surround speakers are bestmounted above the viewers' heads-on or in the wall, or hung bybrackets from the ceiling. Speakers designed for surround are alsousually designed to diffuse the sound image and make it hard tolocalize, so the listener will be conscious of the surround soundfield but not of the surround speakers' locations. Some speakersuse cross -firing drivers; others use bipolar radiation (firing fromfront and rear with the same polarity) or dipolar radiation (firingfrom front and rear in opposite polarity).

Dipole surrounds are almost always placed at the room's sides,with their drivers aimed along the room's walls and their dead

sides toward the listener (THX Standards specifically callfor this); this makes them very difficult to localize. Othersurround speaker types, however, can be placed either atthe sides or at the rear of the room. While Fig. 1 showssurround speakers in both locations, home systems al-most always have just a single pair of surround speakers,in one location or the other.

Surround speakers are generally smaller than the frontspeakers, to be inconspicuous and because today's sur-round signals typically include little or no sound below 50or 100 Hz (or above 7 kHz or so).

Bass is an important part of today's movie soundtracks;commercial theaters require flat response down to about50 Hz or so, with usable output below 30 Hz. But speakersdesigned for a home theater's front channels are often rel-atively small, so subwoofers are, sooner or later, a part ofmost good home theater systems. (Even if your left andright front speakers have adequate bass for music, youmight find subwoofers worth adding for their extrapunch.) Subwoofers take over where the front mainspeakers and surround systems fall off, in the lowest bass.This is where you get the sense of power and energy in themore spectacular film sound effects. Although it's com-mon to use only one subwoofer, for reasons of cost andspace, the effect of two, with their added power and en-hanced sense of surrounding the audience, is generallyworthwhile. (A pair is shown in Fig. 1.)

HOUSING THE ELECTRONICSThe electronics of a home theater system can be as sim

ple as a VCR or LaserDisc player and an audio/video re-ceiver with built-in surround decoding circuitry. But an A/V sys-tem can also be complex. An elaborate system typically includes aVCR, a LaserDisc combi player (which can also play audio CDs),a preamplifier that permits both audio and video source selec-tion, a stand-alone surround decoder, and at least six channels ofamplification (left, right, center, two surrounds, and subwoofer).This equipment can sit out on shelves or other furniture or beplaced in a cabinet or cupboard.

Reaching the cable jacks at the rear of your components can bedifficult. If you use open shelves, they should be deep enough tolet you turn the components sideways for cable access. Cabinetsshould also leave room for turning the equipment or have accessslots in back through which you can reach it. If the cabinet is tooheavy to move out when you need to reach through the back, setit out a few inches from the wall before you load it up. And con-sider a cabinet with casters.

Since you will probably want to use a remote control evenwhen the cabinet doors are shut, make certain that the doors areof glass or fabric that will pass an infrared beam. Also, make sure


that the components (especially the A/V receiver or the ampli-fiers) get enough cooling air; if you need to add fans to your cabi-net for forced -air cooling, make sure the fans are quiet.

SCREEN SIZE AND SEATINGAnother thing we will want to do in planning our home theater

is to establish the maximum screen size that can be comfortablyviewed and housed in our room.Maximum screen size and ourroom size determine how manypeople can comfortably watch thesystem, how far away they can sit,where furniture can be, wherespeakers will be placed, andhow much amplifier powerwill be needed.

For screen size, the bigger thebetter-up to a point. You don'twant a screen so large that youcannot back far enough away fromit to merge the video raster linesinto a coherent picture. At thesame time, you don't want to sit too farback, or you'll lose the impact of the pic-ture. These distances depend on the typeof screen you have, but there are estab-lished industry guidelines to help you de-termine them. The easy way, however, issimply to use your eyes and think aboutthese two ideas.

Video screen sizes are defined by theirdiagonal measurements. Standard TVscreens are four units wide by three unitshigh (4:3 aspect ratio), and their height isabout 3/5 of their diagonal size. For thesescreens, the optimum viewing distance many industry experts rec-ommend is at least four times to a maximum of six times the pic-ture's height, a range of 2.4 to 3.6 times the diagonal.

For newer, wide-screen sets with a 16:9 aspect ratio, things aremore complex. A 16:9 screen's height is a little under half its diag-onal size, which would make a viewing distance of four times theheight work out to about twice the diagonal. However, most wide-screen sets now use line doublers to smooth the effect of rasterlines. This theoretically allows you to sit twice as close as youcould otherwise-in other words, between 40 and 60 inches froma 40 -inch screen.

Let's define three seating distances from the screen: "Near,""Medium," and "Far" (Fig. 2). Admittedly, these are highly sub-jective terms, but they can give us at least some idea of what oursystem space requirements are.

Let's also further define each of these seating distances by whomight find them most comfortable. The person who might findthe "Near" position best is likely to be someone young; children oreven teenagers are generally the ones who like to get the most im-pact from the presentation. A typical adult might find the "Medi-um" distance about right. And finally, the "Far" position is forsomeone who usually prefers sitting toward the back of a realmovie theater or perhaps up in a balcony seat.

Table I gives "Near," "Medium,"

YOU CAN START YOUR

HOME THEATER WITH JUST

TWO GOOD SPEAKERS AND

BUILD UP FROM THERE.

and "Far" viewing distances for allcommon sizes of 4:3 screens. (Ifyour exact screen size is not listedhere, you can simply estimate thevalue from those given or from the

ratios given above.) Com-paring these distances to

your room's dimensions and lay-out will tell you how big a videoscreen would be too large for thatroom.

Home theater audiences aretypically small, often one to threepeople. But if your home theater

is to be a family affair or you have a greatmary friends who regularly come to visit,you will probably find Tables II and IIIhelrful in determining your seating ca-pacity. The data is based on the assump-tion that it is comfortable to sit as muchas 13° off the screen's axis. This will cer-tainly be the case with direct -viewscreens, which provide a very even screenillumination from almost any viewableang e. However, many projection systemsdo lot. Their translucent or reflectivescreens tend to concentrate the light di-

rectly forward, making it important that we sit nearly on axis. Fi-nal seating arrangements should therefore be based on the videosystem you already have or plan to buy.

Table I-Viewing distances, in feet, versus screen diagonalsizes for conventional 4:? aspect -ratio screens.

Sareen Diagonal

25" 27" 30" 32' 35" 40" 45"

dewing Distance

50" 5' 6' 8' 10'

Near 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 8 11 14

Medium 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 11 16 22

Far 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 13 18 24 30


MATCHING. THE THEATER EXPERIENCE

If our goal is to match (or surpass) the theater experience whenviewing films at home, we must pay careful attention to sound,especially to sound levels. To beginwith, how loud should our systembe able to play? A target goal ofmany commercial theaters is 107dB sound pressure level at anyseating location (105 dB is speci-fied as part of the THX require-ments for home theater systems).Fortunately, most home loud-speakers and amplifiers can quitereadily' attain this level in typicaldomestic surroundings. But howmuch power will it take to achieveit? This depends on our speakers'sensitivity and our room's size andacoustics.

Loudspeaker sensitivity is almost uni-versally expressed in terms of sound pres-sure level (dB SPL) produced at a distanceof 1 meter with a 2.83-V input signalfrom the amplifier (2.83 V is equal to 1

watt across 8 ohms). To determine thesensitivity figure for your main frontspeakers, check the specifications in theowner's manual, look up the figure in Au-dio's Annual Equipment Directory (Octo-ber issue), or ask the dealer or manufac-turer. (If you can't find out the information or haven't pickedyour speaker systems yet, use a value of 88 dB; it's a common val-ue, and on the low side of average for cone -type bookshelf orfloor -standing speakers.)

Find your speaker's sensitivity figure on the horizontal scale ofFig. 3, move up from there to the curve, and then go directly tothe left-hand scale of the graph. This will give us our speakerpower ratio (PR). Make a note of this value.

The bigger the room, the more power we need to fill it withsound, so we need the interior volume of our room (height xwidth x length, in feet). If you don't know the exact dimensionsof your home theater room, this is no problem as long as you canestimate them within about 20%.

Our power requirements also depend on the room's acoustics.Whether our theater room is very "live" (acoustically very reflec-tive, with few furnishings or acoustical treatment), "dead"(stuffed with bookcases and upholstered furniture, carpeted, withan acoustic ceiling, etc.), or average will determine how hard ourspeaker systems will have to work, for a given room size, to get thesound level we want.

Figure 4 has curves for "Dead," "Average," and "Live" rooms.Read up from your calculated room volume to the appropriatecurve, and then read across to the left to get the figure that I callthe power multiplier (M). Make a note of it. (The "Bass" curve

will be discussed shortly.)

THE USUAL FIRST STEP

TOWARD GOOD HOMEow

THEATER IS TO STOP USING

YOUR TV SET'S SPEAKERS.

Now, using Fig. 5, read up fromthe power ratio obtained in Fig. 3to the curve for your room's pow-er multiplier, and then read acrossto the left to find recommendedamplifier power per channel forthe main stereo speaker systems.A "crest factor" is included in thispower figure, to account for shortpeaks. The factor is +5 dB (in oth-er words, a multiplier of x3), andbrings the system's output up toabout 112 dB.

If your center speaker repro-duces roughly as much bass as yourmain front speakers, it should receive asmuch power as they do, adjusted for anydifferences in sensitivity between them.(You can use Figs. 3 through 5 for this.)If you use your surround decoder innormal mode, which feeds center -chan-

you can get by with about half the cal-culated wattage, but not less; this chan-nel may carry quite a bit of information.

The requirements for the surroundchannels' output levels are usually much lower than those for thefront main speakers, since they reproduce mostly incidental

Table II-Seating width, in feet.

Screen Diagonal25" 27" 30" 32" 35" 40" 45" 50" 5' 6' 8' 10'

Seating Width

Near 5 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 10 12 16 20

Medium 8 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 14 20 27Far 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 13 15 20 27 34

Table HI-Seating capacity.

Row 5-6 6-7 7-9 10-12 13-15 16-20 21-25 26-35Width, Ft.

Seat1-4 4-3 5-6 6-8 8-10 10-13 13-16 16-25

Capacity


sounds. While there is no fixed relationship here, their output isusually at least 10 dB less, requiring about 10% as much power asthe main speakers if sensitivity levels are equal. (If they differ, useFigs. 3 through 5 again,) However, I'd recommend giving the sur-round speakers at least 20% to 30% of the power fed to the mainspeakers-and some authorities favor 100%.

The method of determining the required power for subwoofersis a little different than for the other system speakers. In the lowbass, most rooms are very reflective, or "live," because most of thethings we think of as being sound absorbers (such as carpetingand furniture) actually absorb very little sound at frequenciesmuch below about 100 Hz. (However, some things can have a verydramatic effect. For example, large expanses of window glass freelypass low frequencies right through to the outside, as if the roomhad no walls! Under such circumstances, the following does notapply. See a professional for advice.)

Now, to calculate requirements for bass power, once again as-certain the power ratio (PR) from Fig. 3 and the power multiplier(M) from Fig. 4, this time using the "Bass" curve. Figure 6 willgive us the power per channel, based on these PR and M factors.

If you're considering a subwoofer with its own amplifier, youcan determine its suitability to your room by using its amp powerand sensitivity rating (if both are given, which is rare) or its specfor maximum output level.

ARE WE DONE?A home theater system is, unlike most other entertainment de-

vices, extremely complex. What we have just done is some basicplanning, in that it only offered us a quick look at what we will beneeding in terms of the equipment and the room. A true hometheater involves not only sight, but sound, and both must be com-bined in a way that will be pleasing to the audience. Putting to-gether such an expensive and necessarily complex system is some-times best done by someone who has a good technical backgroundas well as generous experience. And no book or article could possi-bly hope to offer both these qualities in any complete sense. Sim-ply, there is no substitute for someone with knowledge and experi-ence to guide us. With that said, I hope I have started you on yourway to many years of fine home entertainment. A

ReferencesFor those with a technical background, and who are also inter-

ested in further informatiot on this subject, the following books

are strongly recommended:

Davis, Don and Carolyn, Sound System Engineering, HowardW. Sams, 1975, 1987.

Everest, F. Alton, The A/ aster Handbook of Acoustics, ThirdEdkion, TAB Boo,cs, 1994.

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EQUIPMENT

SONY MDS-501MINIDISC DECK

guess it's a matter of marketing-awitches' brew of guesswork and self-deception when last I studied it.Philips initially launched DCC in thehome market and touted its CD -quali-ty sound. Sony launched MD in the

portable market and pushed convenienceover sound, which was simply described as"approaching" CD quality. Well, thePhilips camp now has portable DCC play-ers and, with the MDS-501 deck, Sony cat-apults MD into the "high-fidelity homemarket."

Having lived with the MDS-501 for awhile now, I must say that I'm impressedwith how simple and intuitive it is to oper-ate and by the seemingly amazing things itcan do. When you get right down to it,some of these features are not really thatamazing to computer buffs, who have been"erasing" entire files (read, "programs")with a single command for years. It is nov-el, however, to have this facility right at

your fingertips in a music recorder. Untilrecently, not even professionals could in-stantly wipe a bad take, move tracksaround, or combine tracks at the press of abutton! As a storage medium, MiniDisc re-ally does bridge the gap between the com-puter and audio worlds.

Control Layout and Editing FunctionsAs the first Sony home product of a new

format, the MDS-501 follows what appearsto be Sony's standard philosophy, i.e., loadthe first product with features and func-tions and see which ones consumers actu-ally use. For example, the MDS-501 has abuilt-in clock that automatically time- anddate -stamps each recording as it is made.(However, setting the MDS-501 for unat-tended recording or playback requires anaccessory timer.) For private listening,there's a headphone jack at the lower left ofthe panel and, next to it, a level controldedicated solely to headphone operation.

Headphone output power is generous, theimpedance should match most headsetsreasonably well, and the independent levelcontrol makes the headphone jack usefulrather than a mere afterthought.

The MDS-501 has both analog and digi-tal inputs and outputs, the former via con-ventional gold-plated pin ("RCA") jacks,the latter exclusively via optical Toslinkconnectors. And needless to say, the MDS-501 includes SCMS to prevent more thanone generation of digital -to -digital dub-bing. (One might question the degree towhich SCMS is needed on an MD deck,since multiple passes through the percep-tual encoder/decoder will eventually "un-mask" hidden noise components.) TheMDS-501 accommodates only digitalsources that use a 44.1 -kHz sampling rate,i.e., CDs and prerecorded DATs. Digitalbroadcasts (which operate at 32 kHz) andDATs recorded at 32 or 48 kHz (the defaultrate) cannot be digitally dubbed onto theMDS-501; you must therefore use the ana-log inputs.

Control operation is intuitive. The discslips into a slot, its presence indicated byan orange lamp. An "Eject" button lies be-

right of the slot. To its right, underthe display, are play, pause, stop, andrecord buttons. Pressing "Rec" puts the

SPECSFrequency Response: 5 Hz to 20

kHz, ±0.5 dB.

Playback S/N: Greater than 98 dB.Wow & Flutter: Below measurable

limits.

Line Input Level: Nominal, 500mV rms; minimum, 158 mV rms.

Line Input Impedance: More than47 kilohms.

Rated Output: Line, 2 V rms into50-kilohm load; headphone, 28mW into 32 -ohm load.

Dimensions: 17 in. W x 33/8 in. H x14 in. D (43 cm x 8.5 cm x 35.5cm).

Weight: 11 lbs., 7 oz. (5.2 kg).Price: $999.95.

Company Address: Sony Dr., ParkRidge, N.J. 07656.

For literature, circle No. 90


AS A STORAGE MEDIUM,

MINIDISC REALLY DOES

BRIDGE THE GAP

BETWEEN THE COMPUTER

AND AUDIO WORLDS.

deck into record/pause mode; pressing theplay or pause control then starts therecording. The track number goes up, withthe new track number stored in a tempo-rary table of contents (TOC), each time"Rec" is pressed. If you forget to hit "Rec"when you want to change track numbers,don't worry; the MDS-501 has extensiveediting facilities, which I'll get to presently.

Analog recording level is set with a tight-ly clutched, dual -concentric control thatlies at the upper far right, behind a hingeddoor. Recording level is displayed by a bet-ter -than -average LED meter whose range is

-40 to 0 dB. An "Over" indicator warnswhen you've pushed matters too far. Whendubbing a digital source, the original levelis duplicated automatically, with no needfor manual level adjustment.

The "Display" button, adjacent to the re-mote sensor, toggles the display betweenthe title of the current track and the re-maining playing time of the disc. Abovethese buttons is a multifunction "AMS"dial that's used to cue to the beginning ofspecific tracks, set the clock, specify theplaying order of programmed tracks, entertext data, and control the editing functions.

The MDS-501's editing facilities areboth extensive, as I said above, and unfa-miliar. All editing is accomplished withcontrols behind the front -panel door. Themost important of these are two editingbuttons, "Edit/No" and "Yes," which-of-ten in conjunction with the other editingcontrols-are involved in virtually all editoperations.

Pressing the "Edit/No" pad cyclesthrough all currently available options;

when you get to the one you want,you press "Yes." Some of the op-tions are "toggles," i.e., if you have

Level Sync on and you want toturn it off, you press "Edit/No"until "Level Sync ON" appears inthe display and then press "Yes" totoggle it off. Whether Level Sync is

on or off, pressing the "Rec" but-ton will raise the track number.

If you press "Edit/No" while inthe record/pause mode, "LevelSync ?" will appear in the display.If you then press "Yes" twice, thedisplay indicates "Level Sync ON,"

and a new track number is record-ed each time the input level dropsbelow a specific level (-80 dBwhen digitally dubbing a CD) for2 seconds or more. (Duringrecording, pressing "Edit/No" dis-plays "Name in ?"; a second tap isneeded to advance to the "LevelSync ?" option.)

You can erase, divide, combine,and move tracks after they've beenrecorded. To erase a track, advanceto it with the "AMS" knob, press"Edit/No" consecutively until"Erase?" appears in the display,and then press "Yes." When thetrack has been deleted and the TOC updat-ed, the display indicates "Complete." Youcan erase an entire disc by tapping"Edit/No" until "All Erase ?" appears andthen pressing "Yes" twice. You can evenerase portions of a track by dividing thetrack into segments (each of which will beindividually numbered), erasing the seg-ment you want to remove, and combiningthe remainder. (Just like a 31/2 -inch floppy,an MD can be protected from erasure bysliding a tab on its shell.)

To divide a track, pause the disc at theappropriate point, press "Edit/No" until"Divide ?" appears in the display, and thenpress "Yes." "Rehearsal" flashes in the dis-play, and the starting point of the newtrack plays back repeatedly with a "Positionok?" legend. If it's okay, press "Yes"; thedisplay will show "Complete." If the divid-ing point is inappropriate, press "Edit/No"and adjust the "AMS" dial to get to the de-sired point. In this mode, "AMS" has 256steps, covering the range from -7.68 to+7.62 seconds in 60-mS increments.

Sony NOS -501 Recoro/Pla, Pesoonse WO, vs Freq...., N. OSL

0.2I I 1111111 - LEFT -

JW 0---- RIGHT

4.

-0.2ANALOG INPUT

1 1 11111

10 100 1k

Fig. 1-Record/playfrequency response.

finv MOS-501 -

01

0.010

C.001JO 100 lk

FREQUENCY- Hz

10k 20k

AOCOr /Ploy THOMIX1 vs Froquoncv1H11 at 0 de - OSL

=====iiiiMEEElliTMEEEiiiE323I iliIIIIIIINIMIIIIIIIMM111111.1=IMEZNII /Zit!,

111111111111111=MMIIIIIIMIIMMIlli111/=ANALOG INPUT

INEMME 11111111MMENNIIImem... 7 GI TAL NUT=NumnimmmimilimmInnimilMIIIIIIIIIIMM1111111111111111111111M

FREQUENCY- Hz

Fig. 2-Record/play THD + Nvs. frequency.

84

es

92

RocOr0/Plav THO.M1dBlvs Level WW1 at 1 kHz

10k 20k

- LEFT----RIGHT ANALOG INPUT

-100 -80I I

-60 -40

RECORD LEVEL - dB

Fig. 3-Record/play THD + Nvs. record level.

-20 0

Combining tracks is similar to dividingthem. Turn the "AMS" knob until the trackyou wish to append is shown in the display,press "Edit/No" until "Combine ?" ap-pears, press "Yes" to enter the "Rehearsal"mode, and-if all is as desired-press "Yes"in response to "Track ok?" Although onlyconsecutive tracks can be combined, youcan move tracks so that the ones you wishto combine become consecutive. Select thetrack you wish to move with the "AMS"knob, press "Edit/No" until "Move ?" isdisplayed, press "Yes," adjust the "AMS"knob to specify the new track position, andpress "Yes" (or the "AMS" knob).

Once you get the hang of the "Edit/No"and "Yes" buttons, the display guides youthrough each procedure; the system is easyto use and remarkably flexible. The flexibil-ity comes from MD's random-accessrecording, essentially similar to that of acomputer hard or floppy disk. When you"erase," "move," or "combine" tracks, nodata is actually erased, moved, or com-bined. Instead, the table of contents is


Sony NOS -501 -

+0.5

0

0.5

-100

Rocord/oloy LLLLLLL ty Error MO, vs Lero1 MEG,

DIGITAL INPUT

L ANALOG INPUT

-80 -60 -40

RECORD LEVEL-dB

Fig. 4-Deviation fromrecord/play linearity.

Sony NOS -501 -

60

80

-100

120

20

-20

recording or playback), and "In-put" (to choose between the ana-

0log inputs and the digital inputsfor recording).

The remote control provides di-rect access to any track via 25 nu-meric keys and a ">25" buttonthat permits access to higher num-bered tracks. (Press ">25" fol-lowed by number -by -number en-try of the track you wish.)"Date/Recorded" and "Date/Pre-sent" buttons display the recordingdate of the selection or the currenttime and date. "Repeat" replicatesthe function of the correspondingpanel button. With the remote's"A -B" button, you can also markthe start and end points of a seg-ment you wish to repeat. A buttonfor auto spacing inserts 3 -secondblank spaces between tracks dur-ing play (helpful when making atape dub of an MD for use in atape player that searches for blankspaces) and, when pressed twice,automatically pauses after eachtrack. A music scan feature playsthe beginning of each track, insuccession.

All operating -mode controls(play, pause, stop, record, andsearch) are available on the re-mote; a pair of buttons with thestandard skip marking duplicatesthe action of the front panel's"AMS" knob. The remote also has"CD -Sync." and "CD Player" but-tons, which work with Sony CDplayers. The three "CD -Sync." but-

tons ("Standby," "Start," and "Stop") facil-itate dubbing from the player. The "CDPlayer" pause and skip buttons temporarilystop and start playback and find desiredtracks.

The MiniDisc format supports alphanu-meric titling of the disc and each program.With prerecorded MDs, the album titlepops up when the disc is loaded, and titleschange with each track. A "Scroll" buttonon the remote moves the display throughtitles longer than the display's 12 -charactermaximum and then redisplays the initial12 characters.

You can label your own recordings, butthe procedure is not very convenient. You

ANALOG INPUT

TAL IN PUT

100

Fig. 5-Record/playchannel separation.

lk

FREQUENCY- Hz

So, 1409-501 - F001E-to-No lo oltn 01 tiler -Error 1051 r, Lvel Marl

a

O +4

0

10k 20k

Sr

-120 -110 -100 -90 -80

RECORD LEVEL - d8

-70

Fig. 6-Fade-to-noise test (dither applied).

SonE NOS -501

60

-80

-100

-120

-140

Soon, .1yl cs y t incl

-60

Ap

TEST TONE

Nr"." NO SIGNAL

30 100 lk 10k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 7-Spectrum analysisof test -tone and "no -signal" tracks.

100k 200k

changed to indicate where the data lies onthe disc and which portions of the disc areavailable for overwriting because they havebeen "erased." Bear in mind, however, thatall edits exist only in a temporary TOC un-til you stop the deck and eject the disc.That action records the TOC on the disc. Ifyou switch off power before doing so, theedits are lost. You're limited to 255 trackmarks on any one disc, but it should beenough to keep you busy!

The remaining controls behind thefront -panel door are "Play Mode" (whichselects among normal, "Shuffle," and "Pro-gram" play), forward and reverse search,"Repeat" play, "Timer" (for unattended

enter the data during playback, letter byletter, using either the "AMS" dial on thefront panel or buttons on the remote. Aslong as you don't care to use certain specialcharacters available only via "AMS," thelatter approach is definitely preferable. Onthe remote, the three "Play Mode" buttons,the two "Date" buttons, the "Repeat" and"A -B" buttons, the 25 numeric keys, andthe ">25" pad individually access each let-ter of the alphabet and a few commonpunctuation marks.

If you do use the "AMS" dial to label atrack, access the "Name in ?" function with"Edit/Nc," press "Yes," and start punchingin letters. By using the search buttons, youcan move a flashing cursor under any in-correct character and then either enter thecorrect one or press "Edit/No" to erase it.When you've finished (which you must dobefore the end of the track), press "Yes."Again, you must stop and eject the MD torecord any titling on the disc. (Whenever

THE EXTENSIVE EDITING

FACILITIES LET YOU

DIVIDE, COMBINE, AND

EVEN MOVE TRACKS

AFTER RECORDING.

you've made a temporary change in thetable of contents, a "TOC" indication ap-pears in the display to remind you not toturn off power until you've stopped andejected the disc.)

You have two setup options beforerecording. These determine whether newrecordings will be appended to those al-ready on the disc or whether the disc willbe erased entirely and recorded from thebeginning. Here's the only place where Ifound Sony's nomenclature slightly con-fusing. The "append" mode is designated"All REC OFF" and is the factory -defaultsetting. The "erasing" mode is designated"All REC ON" and must be selected beforeinserting the MiniDisc using (you guessedit) the "Edit/No" and "Yes" buttons.

For dubbing from a digital source, theMDS-501 has a non-defeatable "Auto Cut"feature that stops recording if the leveldrops below -80 dB for 20 seconds. Whenthis occurs, the display flashes "Auto Cut,"


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and the last 18 seconds of "silence" are au-tomatically "erased." This is probably agood feature in the real world, since youcan copy a CD unattended and not wastespace recording silence even if the CD runsout before the MiniDisc does. However, ifyou want to record "silence" (as I did forcertain lab tests), the MDS-501 thwartsyour attempts. You can get around this bypausing the recording before the 20 sec-onds are up, restarting it, and "combining"the tracks afterward. I got lots of practiceat that!

MeasurementsThe only test MiniDisc that I know of is

Sony's MD Audio Test I for Signal Perfor-mance (TGYS 1). This disc was made byconverting the master tape of Sony's TestCD Type 3 (YEDS-7) to MiniDisc, with theinput levels reduced by 0.05 dB. While agood disc in its day, the YEDS-7 has beenpretty much supplanted by the CBS CD -1,which is the EIA-recommended test CDand has a number of useful tests that areavailable on no other disc. I ran the MDS-501 through its paces using the TGYS 1and then made a digital copy of the CBSCD -1 onto MD. I used this disc for my dig-ital record/play data. Finally, I maderecordings from the analog inputs to an-other MD for my analog record/play data.

Frankly, I flipped out when I found that,within the limits of experimental error, thedigital dub of the CD -1 matched the per-formance data of the professionally encod-ed TGYS 1 in frequency response, distor-tion, and A -weighted signal-to-noise ratio!Even in quantization noise and dynamicrange, the digitally dubbed disc was nomore than 1 dB worse than the profession-ally encoded TGYS 1.

To be specific: The A -weighted S/N was98.3 dB at 0 -dB recording level for eitherplayback of the TGYS 1 or record/playfrom the CD -1, the record/play dynamicrange was 93.9 dB from the CD -1 versus94.9 dB from the TGYS 1, and the figuresfor quantization noise were even closer(88.3 dB for record/play versus 89.1 dB forplayback of the Sony test MD). Responseand distortion data taken from the TGYS 1were identical with those from the CD -1dub, so I have not presented them.

You may ask, "What's so surprisingabout a perfect dub? Aren't digital dubs

supposed to be perfect?" Well, perhaps sowhen recording from one 16 -bit linear sys-tem to another, e.g., from CD to DAT. Butthat's not the case with MD. When digitaldata enters the MDS-501, it is ATRAC-en-coded using Sony's perceptual algorithmbefore recording. It's not at all apparentthat the encoder in a consumer MiniDiscrecorder would match the professional sys-tem used to make the TGYS 1. I find itquite impressive that the MDS-501 en-coder is as close to professional standardsas it is!

Equally impressive, if not more so, is therecording performance from the analog in-puts. Frequency response (Fig. 1) is within±0.05 dB from 21 Hz to 19.4 kHz for

ON MOST MATERIAL,

YOU'LL DISCERN

NO DIFFERENCE

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recording via the analog inputs comparedwith ±0.03 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz onthe digital dub. I'm not sure what causedthe rise to +0.18 dB at 20 Hz in the record-ing made from the analog inputs, but thedroop to -0.64 dB at 20 kHz is undoubted-ly due to the anti-aliasing filter.

Record/play THD + N at 0 dB versusfrequency (Fig. 2) is negligibly worse fromthe analog inputs than from the digital.(Here and in other plots where the curvesfor the left and right channels were close toidentical, I have omitted the right -channelcurve for clarity.) It's interesting to notethat the peaks in the analog distortioncurve occur at frequencies where there wasno digital data on the CD -1 I dubbedfrom. (The digital data points on the CD -1disc occur at rather widely spaced inter-vals, and my test gear smooths the re-sponse curve between them; I make theanalog sweep in much finer increments.)And THD + N versus level (Fig. 3) again isonly a few dB worse on recordings madefrom the analog inputs than on those fromthe digital.

Linearity error (Fig. 4) is virtually iden-tical (and negligible) whether the analog or

digital inputs are used. (In the case of theanalog inputs, the results include linearityerror of the A/D converter.) Only in chan-nel separation (Fig. 5) is the digital optionmeasurably superior. And since we'respeaking of separation in excess of 70 dB,even when using the analog inputs, it'shard to believe that the difference will beaudible.

Only the CBS CD -1 disc provides afade -to -noise track. The results (Fig. 6) tes-

tify to excellent low-level linearity in theMDS-501's D/A converter. The spectrumanalyses (Fig. 7), which I measured usingthe Sony TGYS 1 disc (results were thesame for the CD -1 copy), exhibit remark-ably low hum contamination and goodnoise shaping.

Just to round out my tests: Record/playchannel balance was perfect when record-ing from the digital inputs and was within±0.045 dB with the analog inputs. Analog -input sensitivity for 0 -dB recording levelwas 0.594 V rms, and output at 0 dB was2.1 V rms.

Use and Listening TestsFailure to deliver adequate performance

on the type of bench tests described abovewill preclude the possibility of good sound.But getting high marks on these tests(which the MDS-501 certainly did!) doesnot guarantee good sound, especially whenwe're dealing with a system that uses per-ceptual encoding to economize on datarate. Ultimately, sound quality is estab-lished in the listening room.

So, the $64,000 question: Does theMDS-501 deliver CD -quality sound? Letme answer it this way: If you did not have aCD version of the same program to com-pare with, and you did not know you werelistening to a MiniDisc, I'm quite confidentthat you'd believe you were listening to aCD. The sound of this second -generationSony MiniDisc recorder is that close towhat we now consider the standard, i.e.,the CD. Furthermore, I've heard manyCDs that sound far worse than the com-mercial MD software I auditioned on theMDS-501. On most material, even if youdid have a CD version of the same pro-gram for comparison, I doubt very muchwhether you'd discern a difference.

But is the sound identical on all materialunder all circumstances? Not quite. I've


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accumulated a number of discs that areparticularly hard on perceptual encoders.Some of the signals were used by the Mo-tion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) inevaluating audio compression systems, toseparate the men from the boys. When Idigitally transferred certain tracks to MDand made A/B comparisons, I could hear adifference. Although the test was not dou-ble-blind and thus is suspect, I convincedmyself I could reliably tell the original fromthe copy-just barely, but differentnonetheless.

The differences occurred in three areas:A slight suppression of low-level high -fre-quency content when the algorithm needed

most of the available bitstream to handlestrong bass and midrange content, a slightdulling of the attack of percussion instru-ments (piano, harpsichord, glockenspiel,etc.) probably caused by imperfect maskingof "pre -echo," and a slight "post -echo"(noise puff) at the cessation of a sharpsound (such as claves struck in an acousti-cally dead environment). The second andthird of these anomalies were most readilydiscernible on single instruments playedone note at a time in a quiet environment,and were taken from a recording specifical-ly made to evaluate perceptual encoders.With regular music recordings, pre- andpost -echoes seem to be reasonably well

masked by the natural reverberance of therecording, although a slight thickeningcould be noted when listening to digitaldubs of harpsichord and, less frequently,piano recordings.

I realized long ago not to trust my sonicmemory, but it's difficult not to make somecomparison with the past. I've heard Mini-Disc in prototype form; I've heard first -

generation players. They were adequate butsonically no match for CD. Obviously,things have changed with the Sony MDS-501. Call it second -generation, call it whatyou will, the MDS-501 sets a new standardfor MD sound quality and is an absolutedelight to use. Edward J. Foster

Sony sent an early sampleof its second -generationportable player, the MZ-E2($549.95). Even with its rechargeablelithium -ion battery, it's amazinglysmall (3 inches deep, 3/4 inch thick,and 41/4 inches wide) and light (7.2ounces). The lithium battery pro-vides two-hour operation; itrecharges in five hours (three hoursfor 80% charge) through the sup-plied a.c. adaptor. It's also possible tooperate the MZ-E2 from the adaptorand charge the battery simultaneous-ly. The cell is removable, so you canswitch to a fresh spare. A battery case(supplied), holding three AA cells,attaches to the back of the player; itscable plugs into the external power jack.This battery case about doubles thethickness of the player. Alkaline batteriesprovide four-hour operation when usedalone and 71/2 -hour operation when usedwith the lithium cell.

Slide switches on the back of the play-er activate the Automatic Volume Lim-iter System (AVLS), to limit output tosafe levels and choose either of two levelsof bass boost (or none). A spring -loadedslide opens the disc slot. Nearby is astereo mini -jack and a four -pin connec-tor for the headset and remote con-troller. This controller, a small roundpack with clothing clip, lies partway upthe headphone cable.

You can control the MZ-E2 frombuilt-in pads or from controls on the re-mote. "Hold" controls on both playerand remote lock the current operating

Portable Companion: Sony's MZ-E2

mode. The buttons on the remote aresmall, but adequate if you're not thick -

fingered. The controller carries two ad-ditional buttons not on the main unit.One selects the play mode (normal,track or disc repeat, and random); theother cycles the LCD panel from indicat-ing elapsed time on the current track, toa scrolling display of the track name, andto a scrolling display of the disc title. Thetrack number appears in the first twocases; the total number of tracks on thedisc comes up in the last case. The discname and total number of tracks appearwhen a new disc is loaded. A battery -

condition indicator and play -mode sym-bols also appear in the display, as do in-dicators for volume changes. The displayis reasonably legible for its size.

In the U.S., the MZ-E2 comes with anover -ear headset that I find infinitely

more comfortable (andbetter sounding!) than the

"button" earpieces supplied in Japan.It also comes with a soft carryingpouch. The most interesting optionalaccessory is the CPM-MZE2K carmount kit, which (if I correctly inter-pret the manual) includes an umbili-cal cord, to power the unit from thecigarette lighter, and a connectingpack that couples the output of theMZ-E2 to the cassette heads of a carhead unit. An external a.c. poweradaptor and battery charger (ACP-MZ60A) and additional lithium -ionbatteries (LIP -10) also are available.

I didn't run bench tests on theMZ-E2, but I did give it a go around

the block. Pretty impressive. Even inrough use, the deck didn't skip a beat.(Presumably, the laser head mistrackedon occasion but recovered before the 4 -second buffer ran dry.) Sound qualitywas easily up to the best Walkman stan-dard and was far and away superior togarden-variety portables. I didn't findthe headset particularly comfortable(but neither was it uncomfortable), andI wasn't blown away by its deep bass re-sponse. There was enough upper bass togive the impression of a solid low end,however, and headphone comfort is in-herently personal. I heartily approve ofthe AVLS concept, but I think Sony hasbeen overly cautious. The sound levelwith AVLS on is just louder than goodbackground -music level, and peoplewho need AVLS protection the most arelikely to turn it off! E.J.F.


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EQUIPMENT PROFILE

ALPINE 7982CAR CD CHANGER

AND TUNER

repeat of the current track or disc. The7982 has lost the 7980's six -track program-ming, but it's gained direct keypad accessto any desired disc in the built-in changer(or the trunk -mounted changer, if one isconnected); on the earlier model, youcould only cycle one way through the discs.

On both the old and new versions, a fea-ture called Source Tone Memory automati-cally memorizes the bass and treble control

re MODELCVD

ZAISINE

111

/i"LPINE3:020 IMUI11:111D COMPACT DISC CHANGER

co >< SW Control

TUNER /COMPACT DISC CHANGER 7,111132

FUNC

1 11 1 211 311m. 01I-A.ME MONO D.A. P

DMP

I Al 1 1

cum, KIX , 9CANsirThe Alpine 7982 is an update of theAlpine 7980, a head unit with athree -disc changer built right intoits DIN -sized, dashboard -mountchassis (see February 1993). Bothmodels use a handy, three -disc mag-

azine that loads as easily as a cassette.Instead of the earlier model's pull-out

chassis, the 7982 has a detachable faceplate.When the car's ignition is turned off (andduring disc changes), a warning LEDblinks, and if the unit is stolen, it will beunusable to anyone who doesn't know itssecret code.

The earlier model's tuner section was ina separate chassis that could be hidden un-der the dashboard. Alpine's second -gener-ation three -disc changer, the Model 7982,actually manages to cram all the electronicsinto the same chassis as the CD changermechanism, for a simpler, one -box instal-lation. The Model 7982 can also control anAlpine six -CD changer mounted in thetrunk of your car, if three -CD capacity isn'tenough for you.

Most of the 7982's convenience featureswere carried over from the older model.The tuner section has Intelligent AutoMemory, which automatically stores thefrequencies of the six strongest stations onthe current band into preset memory. In

addition to the usual one AM and two FMbands, a Direct Access Preset ("D.A.P.")band stores any desired mix of AM and FMstations. Intelligent Preset Scan stops onlyat those presets whose signals are strongenough for reasonable listening. There isseek tuning in either direction, with ad-justable local/distant sensitivity.

The CD player allows random play oftracks on the current disc ("M.I.X.") and

settings separately for each programsource. And connections are provided toautomatically mute the audio when anAlpine cellular phone is in use. The currentmodel does not have a wireless remotecontrol, as the old one did, but it hasgained a digital clock and the ability to se-lect green or amber illumination.

The CD circuit features include Alpine'sI-DAC, a 20 -bit hybrid interpolative D/A

SPECSCD SECTION

Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 20kHz, +0, -1 dB.

THD: 0.01% at 1 kHz.Dynamic Range: 95 dB.S/N: 100 dB, A -weighted.

Channel Separation: 90 dB at 1 kHz.

AM/FM TUNER SECTIONFM Mono Usable Sensitivity: 9.3

dBf.

FM 50 -dB Quieting Sensitivity: 13.5dBf.

FM S/N: 65 dB.

Channel Separation: 35 dB.Alternate -Channel Selectivity: 80 dB.Capture Ratio: 2.0 dB.AM Sensitivity: 22.51.N.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Bass Control Range: ±18 dB at 30Hz.

Treble Control Range: ±12 dB at 10kHz.

Power Requirements: 14.4 V d.c. (11to 16 V allowable).

Output Voltage: 2.1 V, unclipped.

Dimensions: Chassis, 7 in. W x 2 in. Hx 61/2 in. D (17.8 cm x 5.0 cm x 15.8

cm); nose -piece, 67/8 in. W x 21/2 in.H x 11/2 in. D (17.2 cm x 5.2 cm x2.7 cm).

Weight: 43/4 lbs. (2.15 kg).

Price: $780.Company Address: 19145 Gramercy

Pl., Torrance, Cal. 90501.For literature, circle No. 91


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FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 1-FM frequencyresponse.

fM DDIETImo ammAcTERSTICS. FM VIER SECTION ALPINE 7962

0

- 20

- 40

60

- 80

AUDIO OUTPUT

10k 20k

Ap

tiSTEREO NOISE

MONO NOISE_ I

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

SIGNAL LEVEL - dBf

Fig. 2-FM quietingcharacteristics.

DISTORTION NOISE VERSUS FREDUE/CC

3

0.1

FM SECTION ALPINE 798e

IIJI"-,STEREO

MONO

Ap

50

AVFLITUTIE 1881 VERSUS FIROUENCY DUI. FM TONER SECTION ALPINE 7982

+4

0

-4

8

Ap

RIGHT

LEFT

20 100

I k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 3-THD + N vs.frequency, FM tuner section

100 10k 20k

DISTORTION VS. HPUT SISIL41 STRENGTH, FM SECTION. ALPINE 7982 MEAD DO

3

0.1

MONO

Ap

STEREO

0 20 40 60

SIGNAL LEVEL - dBfFig. 4-THD + N vs.FM signal strength.

imptin/DE 1081 VERSUS FREOLENC INTL AN SLIER SECTION AMIE 7982

+2

0

4

-8

AP

20 1001 k

FREQUENCY - HzFig. 5-AM frequency response.

80

10k

converter combined with one -bit D/Aconversion technology for excellentlow-level linearity. Eight -times over -sampling is employed in the unit'sdigital filter. Besides normal CD play-ing (complete playback of each of thethree discs mounted in the disc maga-zine), you may select a specific discand track, or you can have the unitplay the first 10 seconds of each trackuntil you hear a track you like. Fastforward and fast backward scanningwork while in the play mode, shouldyou want to reach a specific portion ofa track.

Control LayoutThe 7982 can be turned on by

pressing the "Pwr" button at the topleft of the panel or by pressing anybutton. The first time the unit is pow-ered up, the factory four -digit codemust be entered before the 7982 willoperate. After that, you need not re-enter the code (which you can changeto one of your own choosing) unlessthe unit is disconnected from the bat-tery. A CD eject button and the clockdisplay/adjust button are also situatedin the top left corner of the panel. Justbelow are "Dn" and "Up" buttonsused for radio tuning,fast CD scanning, andtrack advance or re-tard. The rest of thepanel's upper sectionhouses the magazineloading slot.

A bulging panel sec-tion at the lower leftcontains audio up anddown buttons flanking a "Mode" but-ton, plus three buttons used forsource selection. Normally, the audiobuttons control volume, but pressingthe "Mode" switch repeatedly cyclestheir functions through treble, bass,balance, and fader adjustment. Thethree source selectors also performdual functions: The "Tuner/Band"button cycles through the AM andtwo FM bands, while the "3Disc"and "6Disc" buttons double as pauseand play controls for the internalthree -disc and optional six -disc chang-ers, respectively.

The lower right corner of the front pan-el contains six numbered buttons that areused to set and access tuner presets, and toselect discs. When the "Func" button justto their left is pressed, they perform suchadditional functions as FM mono/stereoswitching, distant/local switching, automemory station preset, preset and CDscanning, CD repeat, and accessing the"D.A.P." band. A small button nearby,labelled "DSP ILLUM," switches the dis-play's color.

The display, below the magazine loadingslot, offers complete status information,such as band indication, preset channel ordisc indication, digital frequency display,distant/local indication, stereo/mono indi-cation, loudness level (calibrated from 0 to35), CD repeat status, and activation of"M.I.X." or "D.A.P."

Tuner MeasurementsFigure 1 shows the frequency response

of the Alpine 7982 in the FM tuner mode.Although a slight rise in response, about2.0 dB, is observed at 10 kHz, response isdown some 5.0 dB at 13 kHz.

Figure 2 shows the mono and stereo FMquieting characteristics. Mono 50 -dB qui-eting requires adBf. There's no

signal input of only 12.5comparable stereo figure,

as S/N ratioreaches 60 dBby the timesignal strengthis sufficientto switch thetuner into ste-reo mode. Max-

imum S/N with

strong signalsmeasures 68.5 dB for mono and 64.8 dBfor stereo. These figures are all quite simi-lar to those for the prior model.

Figure 3 is a plot of THD + N versusmodulating frequency. At 1 kHz, THD + Nmeasures 0.69% for mono and 0.65% forstereo. (I suspect that the sample I testedwas slightly out of alignment, since themodel I tested last year exhibited far lowerFM distortion, and I don't think the FMcircuitry has changed much.) Figure 4shows how THD + N varies with input sig-nal level for mono and stereo. From thisplot, I determined that mono usable sensi-tivity was approximately 11.5 dBf.

IF THREE CD5 IN THE DASH

ARE NOT ENOUGH,

THE 7982 CAN CONTROL

ANOTHER SIX

IN YOUR CAR'S TRUNK.


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ANPLITI.VE RAI VS. FlIEGUENCY WTI CO CHANGER SECTION. ALPINE 7982

+IAP

LEFT

RIGHT

I I

10 100 1 k

FREQUENCY-Hz

Fig. 6-Frequency response,CD section.

10k 20k

ND I NOISE ISI VS. FREOUEICY (Nil AT 0 III LEVEL. CO SECT/ON, ALPINE 7982

0.1

z

0 01I-

I I

RIGHT -Ap

20

LM -1.

100 lk

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 7-THD + N vs. frequency,CD section.

THO . NOISE 1091 VS. AIVLITURE KM. D3 SECTION. ALPINE 7962

-70

-80

- 90

-100-100 -80 -60 -40 -20

RECORDED LEVEL - dB

10k 20k

LEFT

Ap

RIGHT

Fig. 8-THD + N vs.recorded level.

DEVIATION FROR PERFECT LINEARITY. CO PLAYER SECT ON ALPINE 7992

+4

0- 100 -80 -60 -40 -20

0

DITHERED I

UNDITHEREDAp

RECORDED LEVEL - dB

Fig. 9-Deviation fromperfect linearity.

FACE -TO -NOISE TEST. CO PLAYER SECTION

+8

+4

0

-4- 120 -110 -100 -90 -80 -70 -60

ALPINE 7902 HEAD ETC

AP

SIGNAL LEVEL - dB

Fig. 10-Fade-to-noise test.

Notice, in Fig. 4, that as signal lev-els drop below 60 dBf, stereo THD+ N tends to rise until, at somepoint between 20 and 30 dBf, themono/stereo switching threshold isreached. Below this threshold level,THD + N in the stereo mode is sub-stantially the same as for mono, sincethe 7982's circuitry then operates inthe mono mode for both stereo andmono signals.

Stereo separation measured 34 dBat 1 kHz, dropping to 30 dB at 100Hz and 27.6 dB at 1 kHz. Suppressionof the 19 -kHz pilot tone and 38 -kHzsubcarrier wasabout 50 to 60 dB,noticeably betterthan the 20 -dBfigures for lastyear's model. Theresidual 38 -kHzsubcarrier wassuppressed by animpressive 73 dB.Alternate -channel selectivity was 82dB, and capture ratio was 2.0 dB, asclaimed.

As for the AM tuner section of thisunit, its frequency response (Fig. 5)was actually poorer than that of theearlier model, extending from 47 Hzto around 3.5 kHz before reaching anattenuation of 6 dB. Usable sensitivitymeasured 23 µV, close to the 22.5 µVclaimed.

about 10 dB below maximum setting. Ifthis was not done, the voltage amplifica-tion stages that follow the D/A converterwent into overload. I can appreciate thatthe CD player section produces far higheroutput levels (more than 2.0 V) than theAM or FM tuner sections, but it seems tome that the designers of a combinationsuch as this should have made it possiblefor the preamp voltage stages to handle CDoutput signals at any setting of the volumecontrol. (Incidentally, this same problemwas evident in the 7980.)

The tendency of the preamp stages tooverload was also evident when I plotted

THD + N (re-ferred to 0 -dB

recorded level)versus signal level.

The results areshown in Fig. 8.While THD + Nremains very low(around -90 dB,or 0.003%) at lev-

els below -20 dB, even with the volumesetting reduced somewhat below its maxi-mum, THD rises to around -75 dB(around 0.018%) for signals recorded atmaximum digital level. Had I increased thevolume setting to maximum, reproducedsignals would have been severely clipped.The primary harmonic components wereat 2 and 3 kHz (the second and third har-monics of the recorded signal), with higherharmonics evident at lesser amplitudes.

On the other hand, A -weighted S/N forthe 7982's CD player section measured animpressively high 99.5 dB for the left chan-nel and 98.9 dB for the right channel-un-usually good for a car audio CD player.

Separation at 1 kHz measured 93.5 dBfor the left -to -right crosstalk and 94.2 dBfor crosstalk from right to left. Separationdecreased substantially at higher frequen-cies, but at 16 kHz it was still a more thanadequate 78 dB for the left -to -right mea-surement and 72.5 dB for right to left.

Figure 9 shows deviation from perfectlinearity. For undithered signals at -90 dB,deviation approaches 3 dB for the leftchannel and is less than 2 dB for the rightchannel. With dithered signals, deviation at-100 dB amounts to no more than 2 dB.The fade -to -noise test results (Fig. 10) con-firm the low-level linearity deviation and

THIS NEWER ALPINE HAS

A REMOVABLE PANEL,

FASTER DISC CHANGES,

AND BETTER AM TUNING.

CD MeasurementsFigure 6 shows the frequency re-

sponse of the CD player section, with0 tone controls at their "flat" settings.

Response is down 0.4 dB at 10 Hzand about 0.47 dB at 20 kHz. Withthe volume control set a few dB be-low maximum (for reasons I will dis-cuss shortly), approximately 0.3 dB ofmistracking between channels wasevident.

Figure 7 shows how THD + Nvaries as a function of frequency forsignals recorded at maximum level.Over most of the audio range, THD+ N ranges between 0.02% and0.03%. To maintain this low level ofdistortion, however, I had to operatethe 7982 with its volume control at


With Cinema DSP, you'll be amazedat what comes out of the woodwork.

Bats screech overhead. Wolves howl in the distance. Andfootsteps crunch across your living room floor.

No, it's not your imagination. You're hearing sounds placed

around the room, just as the director intended. Only Yamaha

All courtesy of Yamaha Cinema DSP. The home theater t PCinema DSPcreates phantom

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Only Yamaha Cinema DSP creates phantom speakers that muEtt ects

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fully replicate the experience you get in multi -speaker movieplaces you don'teven

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in places you don't even have speakers.As you might imagine, a breakthrough like this is no small feat It's accompished by multiplying the

effects of Digital Sound Field Processing and Dolby Pro Logic.®Digital Sound Field Processing is Yamaha's unique technology that electronically recreates some of

the finest performance spaces in the world. And Dolby Pro Logic is the technology responsible forplacing sound around the room, matching the dialogue and sound effects with the action on the screen.

Together, these two technologies allow Yamaha to offer a complete line of home theater components

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also reveal that the EIA dynamic range ofthis player was approximately 111 dB. Themore stringent EIAJ dynamic -range mea-surement yielded a reading of 94.6 dB forthe left channel and 95.8 dB for the rightchannel. Frequency accuracy of the playersection was very good, with a measuredmaster -clock error of 0.0117%.

Finally, I assessed the ability of the CDplayer section to correct for disc defectssuch as scratches, missing data, or opaquesurfaces caused by dust or dirt. The playersuccessfully corrected or interpolated for

missing data measuring 1.5 millimeters inlength. That's well beyond the minimumrequirements called for in the CD Stan-dard, but some home CD players will trackperfectly through missing data that is 2.0mm or more in length. On the other hand,this player was very resistant to external vi-bration and shock-an extremely impor-tant characteristic for a CD player intendedfor mobile use.

As for sound quality and ease of use,there would be little point in my address-ing those issues from my test bench or even

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The technology that makes this level of

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from my reference listening room. Only atest drive can properly reveal the merits (ordemerits) of any car audio system. So, Ileave it to Technical Editor Ivan Berger to de-

tail his experiences while putting thistuner/CD changer through its paces.

From my own point of view, I mustcommend Alpine for coming up with aDIN -sized, single -chassis unit that canhandle three CDs at a time. While discchanging took longer than it does with sep-arate, trunk -mounted, car CD changers(around 12 to 15 seconds), as I stated in myreport on the first -generation version, thisis a rather small price to pay for the conve-nience of having three hours or more ofcontinuous music available in your dash-board. Leonard Feldman

Behind the WheelI said last year that I might make the

then -current Alpine three -CD changer mynew reference unit, if Tony Igel of StratfordSound could shoehorn its two chassis intomy dash. He could, and I did. Will I do thesame with the new 7982? I'm less sure.

On the positive side, the newer Alpinehas the convenience of a removable frontpanel, faster disc changing (13 seconds in-stead of a yawning 20 seconds or so), farbetter AM reception, and a more readabledisplay (especially the amber mode, in day-light). On the other hand, although the7982 sounds very good, the older versionsounds a little better, just a hair more openand natural on every source.

The 7982's basic control layout is an im-provement, with two exceptions. TheD.A.P. band, which I use for AM and FMtraffic reports on those few days I take the carto work, is less accessible now-you have topress "Func," then a preset button, instead of

calling it directly. Instead of a broadup/down tuning rocker that can be separate-ly set for manual or seek tuning, the 7982 hasa sharper, less comfortable bar, whose actiondepends on how long you hold it down.

For now, I think the prior model, withits marginally superior sound, will stay onhand as my reference while I continue withthe 7982 for daily use. Considering its mixof noticeable advances and minor flaws, Ithink many people would be overjoyedwith it. Even I am impressed by the 7982 inmany ways-but not as many ways as withthe earlier version. Ivan Berger

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EQUIPMENT

SOUNDSTREAMDA -2 AMPLIFIER

Aany THX-certified power ampssell at a premium over ampsthat would otherwise seemcomparable based on conven-tional specs. Is the premiumbased on what the market will

bear? Is it due to Lucasfilm licensing fees?Or does it cost more to make a THX am-plifier? Perhaps it's a combination of allthree. I'll leave it to you to decide, but, inpoint of fact, Lucasfilm does impose strin-gent requirements for THX certification ofpower amps, of which the most serious re-lates to power rating.

To meet Lucasfilm requirements, a pow-er amp must put out a minimum of 28.28V rms. With 8 -ohm loads, that's 100 wattsper channel. Although this would seem tobe a relatively modest power rating nowa-days, Lucasfilm insists that the same outputvoltage be delivered into lower impedances as

well. For example, a two -channel THXpower amp like the Soundstream DA -2must put out a minimum of 28.28 V into3.2 -ohm loads. That's 250 watts per chan-nel! Three- and six -channel THX amps getoff a little easier as far as minimum load isconcerned, but the bottom line remains the

same: A THX power amplifier usually has alarger power supply than the average stereoamp.

Consider a two -channel power amplifierrated at 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms.In theory, a non-THX amp could get bywith a power supply capable of deliveringjust 200 watts for the loads plus perhaps50% more for circuit inefficiency. But aTHX-certified amplifier of the same ratingmust have a supply capa-ble of delivering 500 watts(with 3.2 -ohm loads) plusan even wider safety mar-gin for the greater loss inthe output stage incurredwhen operating into a lowimpedance. I'm not say-ing here that well -de-signed, non-THX ampli-fiers shave things so closely; most delivermore power into lower impedances thanthey do into 8 ohms, which implies a sup-ply capable of delivering that power. Butmost stereo amplifiers do not carry mattersquite so far as Lucasfilm requires.

Beefy power supplies are costly, especial-ly when designed in the conventional man-

ner, i.e., a line -operated power transformer,

rectifiers, and filters. To handle high powerat the 60 -Hz line frequency requires a mas-sive power transformer to prevent core sat-uration and huge filter capacitors to main-tain the supply voltage between successivecharge cycles. Soundstream sidesteps theproblem in the DA -2 by using a high -fre-quency switching power supply.

The DA -2's supply operates at approxi-mately 60 kHz, so it recharges the filter ca-pacitors about a thousand times more of-ten than a line -operated, 60 -Hz supply.Microfarad for microfarad, the effective-ness of the filter bank is multiplied accord-ingly, although the capacitors must be spe-cially designed to handle high-level,high -frequency ripple currents. Further-more, at 60 kHz a relatively small ferrite -core toroid can handle the flux required tosupply adequate power without saturating.

Thanks to this switching -mode supply,Soundstream manages to cram a 200 -watt -per -channel THX-certified stereo poweramp into a package only PA inches high.Three DA -2s would stack up at about 6inches and power a six -channel THXhome -theater system at 200 watts perchannel into 8 ohms, 350 watts per channelinto 4 ohms, and a whopping 500 watts perchannel into 2 -ohm loads. Further, eachDA -2 can be bridged for mono operationat double the per -channel power into twicethe impedance (400 watts with 16 -ohmloads, 700 watts with 8 -ohm loads, and1,000 watts with 4 -ohm loads).

Switching supplies have another advan-tage when used in high -power amplifiers:

A relatively lowturn -on surge.When a conven-tionally poweredamp is turned on,there's a huge in-rush of current asthe magnetic fieldbuilds up in thetransformer and

capacitors take an initial

THE SOUNDSTREAM DA -2

PACKS A MIGHTY WALLOP

INTO A MINUSCULE AND

EFFICIENT PACKAGE.

the large filtercharge. The actual surge depends on theprecise point in the line voltage cycle at gwhich the power switch makes contact but 'can be so large that it trips the circuit,.breaker. That's especially likely if multiplehigh -power amplifiers are plugged into thesame line and turned on simultaneously. ct.


electrostatic

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10k 20k

Switching -mode supplies can bedesigned to ramp up slowly to avoidthe turn -on surge, as Soundstreamhas done. This is not to say that youcan have three DA -2s plugged intothe same house line, all delivering500 watts per channel simultane-ously; that's almost certain to flipany home breaker. But if you're us-ing a 20 -ampere line, you should beable to turn on three at once(they're rated for a 6 -ampere turn -on surge), and once the amps areon, it's unlikely that you will requireall channels to operate flat-out si-multaneously over any appreciabletime period.

Control LayoutThe DA -2 features both balanced

and unbalanced inputs via XLR andgold-plated RCA jacks, respectively,at each end of the rear panel. Be-tween each set of inputs is a push-button that selects between them("Bal/Unbal"); a second pushbut-ton, on the "Channel 2" input at theleft of the back panel, selects be-tween "Mono" (bridged) and"Stereo" operation.

Centered on the back panel is acircuit breaker, with an IEC three -wire jack for a removable line cordto its left and output connectors toits right. The latter are gold-plated,heavy-duty five -way binding postsspaced to accommodate "GR" typedual plugs. What's noteworthyabout them, however, is that theirthrough -holes will accommodate 6 -

gauge wire. Between the circuitbreaker and the output connectorsis an "Accessory Link" hookup,which permits the SoundstreamC.2THX preamplifier (or any otherpreamplifier using a 5-V remotetrigger signal) to turn on one ormore DA -2 amplifiers.

The front panel has only a re-cessed power indicator and a "Pow-er" switch that overrides the remoteturn -on. (The switch is left in theout position when you are using theremote hookup.) When firstplugged in (or when power is re-stored), the Soundstream DA -2

goes through an initialization sequencethat can take up to a minute. If the amp isleft on standby, the turn -on delay is muchshorter.

Except for a pattern of small ventilationslots at the far left and right, the top andbottom plates are solid-presumably tohelp contain the powerful 60 -kHz signalgenerated by the supply. Heat from theoutput stage is dissipated by finned extru-sions that extend to the left and right ofthe main chassis. Thermal sensors,mounted on each sink, shut the amplifierdown in case of overheating. The switch-ing power transistors appear to use theamplifier's bottom plate as a heat -sink.The output transistors are clamped to theheat -sinks with a mounting bar rather

SPECSPower Output: 200 watts/channel,

20 Hz to 20 kHz, into 8 -ohmloads, at less than 0.1% THD withboth channels driven; at 1 kHz,350 watts/channel into 4 ohms,

111p500 watts/channel into 2 ohms;maximum single -channel outputat 1% THD and 1 kHz, 240 watts

lir into 8 ohms, 400 watts into 4ohms, and 500 watts into 2 ohms;bridged mono, 400 watts into 16ohms, 700 watts into 8 ohms, and1,000 watts into 4 ohms.

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20kHz, +0, -0.3 dB; 10 Hz to 45kHz, +0, -3.0 dB.

S/N: 110 dB, A -weighted, re: 200watts into 8 ohms.

THD: Less than 0.1%, 20 Hz to 20kHz, from output of 1 to 200watts into 8 -ohm loads.

Input Impedance: 11.5 kilohms.Slew Rate: Greater than 30 V/µS.Damping Factor: Greater than 500.Average Power Requirements: 120

V a.c., 400 VA.

Dimensions: 171/2 in. W x 13/4in. H x 15 in. D (44.5 cm x 4.5cm x 38.1 cm).

Weight: 11 lbs. (5 kg).

loice:

$1,195.

ompany Address: 120 BlueRavine Rd., Folsom, Cal. 95630.r literature, circle No. 92


CIS

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CON-IPOL

CENTER

Nx

McIntosh TH Components.

To call them "Home Theater"

would be false advertising.

When McIntosh set out to design a Home Theater

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Dolby® and Lucasfilmrrequirements as well as our own

44 year tradition of the most exacting standards for

high fidelity music reproduction.

The resulting components

startle everyone who hears them:

Not only are movie soundtracks '

pH/AU

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McIntosh Laboratory Inc , ?Chambers Si . Nahanni, NY, USA 139113,2691

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100

than being individually mounted withscrews through the transistor tabs. Thisarrangement helps ensure better contactbetween the junction area of the device andthe heat -sink.

CircuitryThe layout is neat, and component qual-

ity appears good. The power supply occu-pies its own board, which is centrally locat-ed within the case and shielded from theaudio boards that flank it. Printed -circuittraces are wide where that's needed for cur-rent handling, with point-to-point wiringused only where necessary. Four 1,200-uF,180-V electrolytics serve as the main pow-er -supply filter. Soundstream claims thatbecause of the high frequency at which thepower supply operates, these filters havethe equivalent storage capacitance of a220,000-µF bank at 60 Hz. The,maintoroidal switching transformer appears tobe hand -wound with a multifilar winding.The power line has r.f. filters to reduce 60-

kHz energy flow into the housewiring.

No schematic was available forreference during my testing, but itseems apparent that the DA -2 em -

500ploys output coils for protectionagainst wayward loads. Sound -stream claims, however, not to usecurrent limiting in the output stage,relying instead on a circuit thatsenses the load and shuts down thesystem if the load impedance dropsbelow 0.5 ohm.

The output stage operates in800 what is now known as Class H. For

low to medium signal levels, theoutput devices are powered fromrelatively low -voltage rails; as thesignal level rises and approaches thelow -voltage rails, the voltage is in-creased to stay above the signal un-til, ultimately, full supply voltage is

500 reached and the amplifier clips.This technique provides greater ef-ficiency in the output stage duringnormal operation, reducing heatgeneration.

Soundstream prefers to keep thedetails of its Harmonic Phase Cor-rection circuit close to its chest, butI was able to gather that the systemis intended to keep distortion -gen-

erated harmonics in phase with the funda-mental over a wider portion of the audioband than is typical with other designs.This is said to mimic the phase relation-ships that occur in the harmonic structureof musical instruments and thereby renderdistortion less audible.

MeasurementsSwitching supplies are two-edged

swords; they eliminate the need for a largetransformer and filter bank, but they po-tentially generate huge amounts of high -

frequency noise, which must be kept fromcontaminating the music directly or via in-termodulation. The DA -2 employs inputfilters in each channel to reduce these ef-fects. The filters have an initial slope of 18dB per octave and a cutoff frequency of 46kHz. In the audio band, response is +0.0,-0.2 dB from about 18 Hz to 20 kHz,which meets THX requirements. Actual re-sponse is shown in Fig. 1 for both stereoand bridged operation. These curves were

taken on the left channel, using the unbal-anced input, but the response from the bal-anced input was the same, and the resultfor the right channel was so close to theleft's that there was no point plotting it.

A small amount of 55 -kHz switchingnoise can be seen in Fig. 2, but it's morethan 85 dB below 1 watt (except in bridgedmode) and, in my opinion, negligible.However, I did find it impossible to listento weak FM stations on my lab tuner whenoperating the DA -2 near it. In fairness, theproblem was mainly on weak stations, andI was using an indoor dipole. If you're in astronger reception area and/or use a goodoutdoor antenna and a shielded downlead,you'll undoubtedly be in better shape.

Figure 3 shows THD + N versus fre-quency. Figure 3A depicts stereo operationwith 8 -ohm loads at output levels of 1, 10,and 200 watts per channel. At low levels,right -channel THD + N (dashed curve) isbelow left -channel distortion (solid curve).But the roles reverse at rated power, whereleft -channel distortion reaches a maximumof 0.03% at 8.5 kHz, while right -channeldistortion continues to rise to 0.05% at 20kHz-still only half that allowed by Sound-

stream's specification. At clipping, the DA-

2 delivered 235 watts per channel (23.7dBW) into 8 ohms and, with the IHF toneburst, managed 290 watts (24.6 dBW) ofdynamic power a side into 8 ohms, for adynamic headroom of 1.6 dB. Comparableresults for 4 -ohm loads were 455 watts perchannel and 1.1 dB, respectively, and forbridged mono operation were 925 wattsand 1.2 dB. However, the line voltage mayhave dipped during the 20-mS tone burstwithout registering on my slow -respondinglive -voltage meter, in which case this datamay understate the DA -2's capability.

Bridged for mono with an 8 -ohm load(Fig. 3B), THD + N just tops 0.15% at 500watts, the maximum output at which I wasable to maintain a 120-V line. The jaggednature of the 600 -watt curve reflects theonset of clipping as the Audio Precisiontest gear attempted to maintain 600 wattswith a line voltage that had sagged belowthe reference. I calculate that, had it beenpossible to maintain a 120-V power source,output at clipping for these conditionswould have been 820 watts (29.1 dBW).

Similarly, it was impossible to maintainthe correct line voltage with stereo operation


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10k 20k

into 4 -ohm loads at Soundstream's ratedpower of 350 watts per channel. Figure3C therefore shows the results in stereoat 1, 10, and 300 watts per channel, wherethe line voltage could be maintained(again, with solid curves for the left chan-nel and dashed curves for the right), butthe 350 -watt results are in mono, to main-tain the proper line voltage. I expect themono curve would be representative oftwo -channel operation for those whosepower company is more generous thanmine. The THD + N, which remains under0.08% under all conditions, easily bettersSoundstream's claim, and maximum out-put level (450 watts, or 26.5 dBW) exceedsspec by a decent margin.

The distortion curves of Figs. 4A, 4B,and 4C depict THD + N versus output us-ing test frequencies of 20 Hz, 1 kHz, and 20kHz. Because of the difficulty in maintain-ing proper line voltage at the power levelsthat this amplifier is capable of producing,I ran the 4 -ohm curves with one channeldriven and repeated the 1 -kHz measure-ment with both channels operating.

The anomalies in the shape of thesecurves around 45 watts (stereo operationinto 8 ohms), 150 watts (mono operation

into 8 ohms), and 75 watts (stereooperation into 4 ohms) probablycorrespond to the point at which theoutput stage switches from the low -voltage rails to the high -voltage rails.Needless to say, the transition couldbe more seamless and may accountfor some of the characteristics I not-ed during my listening tests, but thedistortion through the transitionpoint is still relatively modest.

I also noticed what appears to bepower -supply switching noise ridingon the positive -going portion of thesignal at particular output levels,which also may correspond to theanomalous region. Soundstream isconvinced that these anomalies arean artifact of the measurementprocess, caused by switching noiseentering the ground lines when onedevice (the Audio Precision testequipment) is connected to both in-put and output. I take extreme pre-cautions to prevent ground loops inmy test setup, but I cannot guaranteethat there isn't enough stray capaci-

tance between the Audio Precision's inputand output that some high -frequencyswitching noise wouldn't leak through. IfSoundstream is correct and the problem isone of leakage, it should not occur whendriving loudspeakers.

The final set of curves, Figs. 5A and 5B,shows crosstalk versus frequency. The data

THE DA -2'S CLARITY

AND IMAGE DEPTH

THROUGH THE MIDRANGE

WERE OUTSTANDING.

is quite good from the balanced input butrather odd from the unbalanced input,where left -to -right crosstalk is substantially

greater than right -to -left crosstalk and, fur-

thermore, varies with signal level.Sensitivity (100 mV for 0 dBW from the

unbalanced or balanced input) is right onthe THX spec; sensitivity for bridged monois 51 mV. Output impedance is, at 0.22ohm or less across the audio band, within agnat's whisker (and experimental error) of

THX requirements; the resultant dampingfactor is 310. Channel balance is near perfect

(0.04 dB); input impedance (10.7 kilohms,balanced or unbalanced) is fine. The A -

weighted noise was -90.6 dBW for the un-balanced input, -91.2 dBW for the bal-anced input, and -82.2 dBW for bridgedoperation with the unbalanced input; froma technical standpoint, better A -weightednoise figures than these could be expected.

Use and Listening Tests

Despite my demurral about measurednoise, the Soundstream DA -2 was certainlynot noisy in the listening room. At normallistening distance, no trace of electronicnoise could be heard, and, even with myear close to the speaker, electronic noisewas barely discernible.

The immediate characteristic that struckme when listening to the DA -2 amplifierwas its remarkably solid and powerful bass.Although its response is no flatter or moreextended than that of other good poweramps, it seemed as if it were plumbingdepths yet unfathomed; the results werevery gratifying.

The second quality to which I reactedwas the DA -2's outstanding clarity and im-age depth through the midrange. This wasparticularly noticeable at low and moderatelistening levels, both on solo classical in-struments (harpsichord, piano, and violin)and on voice. On louder passages, however,the sound thickened perceptibly on choralpassages and became more strident whenreproducing stringed instruments, whetherstruck, plucked, or bowed. Interestingly,the low bass remained solid and clean at alllevels, and, when really pumping out thewatts, the amplifier seemed to regain itsaplomb and sound better over the entirefrequency range than it did at the middlinglevel.

The Soundstream DA -2 packs a mightywallop into a minuscule package. Underlab -test conditions, it gets warm and drawssubstantial current from the power line,but in normal use, it's efficient and runscool as a cucumber. I really do believe youcould stack three of these amps, powerthem from a single house line, and providea few kilowatts of on -demand, short-termpower to your home theater setup as con-ditions demand. That's a lot to say for thismighty mini. Edward J. Foster


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EQUIPMENT PROFILE

STAX DAC-TALENT BDD/A CONVERTER

S

tax can generally be depended onfor excellent gear with out -of -the -ordinary performance and features.I have greatly enjoyed a number ofits products over the years-electro-static headphones, for example. A

few years ago, the Stax DAC-X1T D/A con-

verter was considered state of the art, so itwas with some interest that I reviewed thenewer, less expensive D/A converter.

What sets the DAC-Talent BD apartfrom other converters is that it uses batterypower, for total isolation from the a.c. line.The unit runs off one set of batteries, iso-lated by relays from the charging system,while another set charges; when the batterycharge falls to a preset point, the systemswitches over to the newly charged batteryset, and the first set starts recharging. Oth-er performance -enhancing attributes in-clude the use of two Burr -Brown 1702multibit D/A converter chips, doublephase -lock circuitry to minimize the effects

of incoming signal jitter on the regeneratedclock signals, and an analog output sectionbased on a plug-in, upgradable, current -to -voltage converter of the current -feed-back type.

The system consists of three separatepieces: The ACD-1 a.c. line power supply,the BPS -Talent BD battery power -supplysystem, and the DAC-Talent BD D/A con-verter itself. The D/A converter's rear panelcarries three selectable digital inputs: RCA-phono coax, BNC coax, and EIAJ optical(Toslink). The unbalanced analog outputjacks use the same high -quality jacks as theRCA digital input. A seven -pin connectorreceives power from the battery power sup-ply's captive output cable; a similar cableon the line power supply feeds the batterysupply. On the front panel of the D/A con-verter are two unmarked, horizontally ori-ented toggle switches under a seven -LEDdisplay. The left switch selects between thethree digital inputs, with the LED indica-tors above showing the current choice("Opt," "RCA," or "BNC"). Three moreLEDs show which incoming sampling fre-quency is being decoded; the last LEDshows when the analog output has beenmuted by pushing the second toggle switchto the right.

The interior area of the D/A converter istaken up by a double -sided p.c. board,which carries input -selection circuitry at

its rear -panel end and most of the remain-ing circuitry up near the front panel. Be-tween these two circuit areas is a largespace containing only a small plug-indaughterboard near the front of the boardthat holds the current -to -voltage analogoutput circuit. Another set of sockets nearthe rear of the board suggested that a muchbigger daughterboard might be plugged in

to accommodate a future upgrade. As itturns out, a large daughterboard, contain-ing a different current -to -voltage section,

SPECSD/A Conversion: Fixed, 20 -bit.

Digital Filtration: 20 -bit, witheight -times oversampling.

Sampling Frequencies, ±0.1%: 32,44.1, and 48 kHz.

Frequency Response: 0 Hz to 20kHz, ±0.5 dB.

THD + N at 1 kHz: 0.0015% at0 -dB signal level, 0.015% at-20 dB, and 1.5% at -60 dB.

S/N: 118 dB.

Dynamic Range: 104 dB.Channel Separation: 120 dB.Dimensions: 13/4 in. H x 53/8 in. W x

141/4 in. D (4.5 cm x 13.5 cm x36.2 cm).

Weight: 2 lbs. (0.9 kg).Price: $4,500.

Company Address: 16920 HalldaleAve., Gardena, Cal. 90247.

For literature, circle. No. 93


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BM LOS LEUZIA di* vs (Hs)

+1

0

-I

-2

LEFT

: 71"'

RIGHT

DE -EMPHASIS ERROR

II 11

,

100 1 k

FREQUENCY-Hz

Fig. 1-Frequency responseand de -emphasis error. Thelatter is displaced 1 dB forclarity.

BMA LABS 7111,11, re (Ha)

0.1

Z+ 0.01

0.00120 100 1 k

FREQUENCY - Hz

Fig. 2-THD + N vs.frequency. The rising curvefor the 80 -kHz filter is notdistortion; see text.

BMX LABS

-80MDMIdlle vs I din

10k 20k

10k 20k

- 100-100 -80 -60 -40 -20

RECORDED LEVEL - dB

Fig. 3-THD + N vs. level.

MN LABS BielePASS d Br .+6

+4

+2

0

-2- 120 -110 -100 -90 -80

RECORDED LEVEL - c18

Fig. 4-Deviation fromlinearity.

BMX LAB BIVIDPBSS(dBr ) Les BPDli (Hz I

- 100

-110

-120300 I k

FREQUENCY- Hz

Fig. 5-Noise-modulationtest; see text.

-70

10k

-60

20k

was available, so I obtained one inorder to try it out.

As might be imagined, the battery

supply box is largely (60%) filledwith batteries-six 6-V, sealed lead -acid units, rated at 1.2 ampere -hours

apiece. A motherboard in the re-maining space mounts three plug-in

boards that manage the charging and

discharging (through powering theDAC) of the two sets of three batter-

ies. A small piezoelectric devicesounds when the battery charge gets

low.

Of the three chassis pieces, the line

power supply is the simplest and the

least elegant in construction, havingno front trim panel. Inside is an EI-core power transformer whose pri-mary and secondary windings are onseparate halves of a split bobbin. Asmall p.c. board holds the a.c. linefuse, rectifier diodes, and the mainfilter capacitor (a 3,300-µF, 16-Velectrolytic).

CircuitryEach incoming coax signal is iso-

lated by a transformer. Inverter logic

gates amplify and square up thetransformer -secondary signals thatare applied to a signal -selector IC, as

are similarly squared -up signals from

the Toslink optical receiver. The se-lected output is routed to a surface -

mount Yamaha YM3436C input dig-ital receiver. The secondaryphase -locked loop is contained on a

small, potted daughterboard carry-ing surface -mount parts. (Because I

had no schematic, this discussion is

based on my examination of theunits and is necessarily less complete

than I would like.) A separate volt-age -controlled oscillator for each in-

coming sampling frequency is indi-cated on the block diagram in theowner's manual.

Of interest here is the followingdigital low-pass filter, which is thenew NPC SM5842AP. The DAC-Talent BD is one of the first compo-nents I've seen to use this filter. It has

a wider, 32 -bit accumulator, as op-posed to the 25 -bit accumulators inthe somewhat more commonly used

SM5803AP and SM5813AP digital filters.The effect of having more accumulator bits

is greater low-level accuracy in the filteringoperation. In addition, the digital interfaceof this new filter allows data -word lengthsof up to 24 bits. Output of the digital filtergoes into the two Burr -Brown 1702 multi -

bit DAC chips. Final analog output, in thecase of the current -to -voltage (I -V) board

originally supplied with the system, is via

THE STAX IS ISOLATED

FROM THE A.C. LINE

BY BATTERY POWER

AND FROM JITTER BY DUAL

PHASE -LOCK CIRCUITS.

Analog Devices AD846 current -feedbackop -amps used in the stage where the DAC's

output current is converted to final audiooutput voltage. There does not appear tobe a final anti -imaging low-pass filter inthis design. The alternate I -V board is alldiscrete (no IC op -amps), in a circuitarrangement that I have no informationabout.

Measurements

Most of the measurements were donewith the originally supplied, op -amp I -Vboard. Differences between the perfor-mance of this board and the alternate, dis-

crete I -V board will be reported where they

are significant.

Frequency response is shown in Fig. 1for both channels without de -emphasis; re-

sponse with the discrete I -V board wasquite similar. Also shown (offset to -1 dBfor clarity) is the right channel's deviationfrom perfect de -emphasis response (in oth-

er words, the de -emphasis error); left -channel de -emphasis error was essentially

identical. Square -wave response (notshown) indicated the usual linear phase be-

havior and clipping of the ringing at digital

full-scale when playing track 16 of the CBSCD -1 test disc; apparently, the newSM5842 digital low-pass filter is like its ear-lier relatives in this regard.

Figure 2 shows THD + N as a functionof frequency at digital full-scale for 22- and80 -kHz settings of my measurement set-up's low-pass filter. Usually, I display


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mode), yet without the extraneous gimmicksthat undermine aural integrity.

When matched with a Carver amplifier(models from basic stereo to multi -channel),the CT -27v lets you direct power to any array ofspeaker combinations -a task for which a merereceiver is woefully undermanned. So you'llachieve wider frequency response and have thedynamic headroom necessary for those explo-sive moments in great movie soundtracks.

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Name

Address Apt. #

City

State 7ip

CRUTCHFIELD

MI LAOS

-90

-1300

BANDPASSCUr) tutu

20 100 I k 10k

FREQUENCY - Hz

1001, 200#

Fig. 6 -Third -octave noiseanalysis; see text.

distortion versus frequency only for the 22 -kHz measurement bandwidth. This time,however, I'm showing the 80 -kHz results aswell, to illustrate a phenomenon whose sig-

nificance has just jelled for me. This phe-nomenon is common in D/A convertersthat use eight-times-oversampling digitalfilters without a low-pass filter followingD/A conversion. What looks like increasingdistortion at higher audio frequencies forthe 80 -kHz bandwidth is actually an in-creasing amount of the 352.8 -kHz over -sampling frequency and its harmonics, inthe D/A process' stair -step approximationof reconstructed samples. As the signal fre-quency increases, the magnitude of thesteps increases because there are fewer ofthem per period of the signal frequency.(With measurement bandwidth opened upto 500 kHz, there is even more of this out -of -band energy.) It is not audio -frequencysignal distortion per se, but its presencecould possibly cause some distortion in the

rest of the audio system due toslew -rate limiting, frequency beat-ing, etc. in following equipment.Who knows -this may be partiallyresponsible for some of the unde-sirable qualities often attributed todigital sound. The phenomenon isnot unique to this converter, I amcertain, and I will be reporting onit in subsequent reviews of D/Aconverters.

Figure 3 shows THD + N as a functionof digital level at 1 kHz. The results arequite good here.

Input/output linearity at 1 kHz, plottedin Fig. 4 as a deviation from perfect lineari-ty, is excellent. Figure 5 shows another testof low-level linearity, the noise -modulation

I GOT AN EXCELLENT

SENSE OF SPACE,

DETAIL, PUNCH, AND

BASS EXTENSION WITH

THIS STAX SYSTEM.

test, devised by Richard Cabot of AudioPrecision. A 40 -Hz signal is set at ampli-tudes ranging, in 10 -dB steps, from -60 to-100 dB relative to digital full-scale. Theanalyzer scans the range above 300 to 400Hz with a swept third -octave filter. The

curves should overlap,with any deviationindicating low-levelnonlinearity. The re-sults of the Stax forthis test are excellent,as good as I've seen.

Interchannelcrosstalk for both ofthe I -V boards wasbetter than 110 dBdown over most of thefrequency range, evenapproaching that levelat 20 kHz.

Test results for S/N,dynamic range, andquantization noise forboth I -V boards arelisted in Table I. Ascan be seen, the new,discrete I -V board has

TABLE I-S/N ratio, quantization noise, and dynamicrange, in dB, with IC op -amp and discrete current -to -volt-age boards; see text.

OP -AMP BOARD DISCRETE BOARD

S/N Ratio, -120 dB SignalBandwidth LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHTWideband 91.4 91.1 92.2 91.622 Hz to 22 kHz 93.6 93.8 93.8 93.8400 Hz to 22 kHz 93.8 93.8 94.0 93.9A -Weighted 95.7 95.7 95.8 95.8

S/N Ratio, 0 -dB SignalWideband 96.4 95.9 97.8 96.022 Hz to 22 kHz 106.4 106.3 112.1 112.1

400 Hz to 22 kHz 106.6 107.0 112.7 112.5A -Weighted 109.8 109.6 114.9 114.6

Other MeasurementsQuantization Noise -92.6 -93.2 -92.4 -92.3Dynamic Range 96.7 96.0 96.1 96.2


I Crutchfield Park, Dept. AU, Charlottesville. VA 22906


The ultimate way toremain true to

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The new AR 303, 302, 338, 228, 208v & 218v loudspeakers. 1-800-969-AR4U.

slightly better ultimate noise levels. In mytest with an undithered, 1 -kHz, -90 dBtone (not shown), the S/N of this converterwith either I -V board was good enough toeasily see the three -state (+1 LSB, 0, and -1LSB) waveform. Figure 6 is a plot of noisein a third -octave bandwidth (with adithered, -90 dB, 1 -kHz signal). Resultswere the same whether the a.c. line cordwas plugged in or not. Overall absolute po-larity was correct, with a positive -going im-pulse resulting for a known positive -goingdigital input signal.

Use and Listening Tests

Digital signal sources on hand during thereview period included Krell MD -10 and PSAudio Lambda CD transports, which fedthe Stax system under review as well as aSonic Frontiers SFD-2 and other, experi-mental, D/A converters. Analog sourceequipment (used for sonic reality checking)

included an Oracle turntable fitted with aWell Tempered Arm and Spectral MCR-1Select moving -coil pickup feeding aVendetta Research SCP-2C phono preamp,Nakamichi's ST -7 FM tuner and 250 cas-

DISCOVERTHE

WITH THE WORLD'S MOST MUSICALTUBE COMPONENTS

sette recorder, and a Technics open -reelrecorder. Preamps used were a First SoundReference II, a Forssell tube line driver, and aQuicksilver Audio unit. Power amps usedwere a Crown Macro Reference, Quicksilver

M -135s, and Arnoux MB300A and 7B digi-

tal switching units. Speakers were B & W801 Matrix Series 3s, augmented by an ex-perimental subwoofer using two JBL1400Nd drivers.

Initial listening to the Stax D/A convertersystem was done by switching it throughmy Quicksilver preamp and out to whateverpower amplifier I was using at the time.The resultant sound was smooth and listen -

able. However, resolution, spatial replica-tion, and overall musical believability werenot of the order obtained with my presentreference setup using the Sonic FrontiersSFD-2 with balanced outputs feeding aForssell tube line driver modified for bal-anced input, and unbalanced output feed-ing the power amplifier.

I then decided to connect the Stax D/Aconverter's output directly into the CrownMacro Reference or into an Arnoux 7Bswitching amp, both of which have inputlevel controls that allowed me to do with-out a preamp. First up was the new I -Vboard: "Wow!" my listening notes say, "thisreally sounds quite good! Excellent sense ofspace and good definition and detail." Bassextension, punch, and tunefulness were ex-ceedingly good-as good as or better thanmy reference setup. With the original ICop -amp I -V board reinstalled, sound wasvery similar to that with the discrete I -Vboard-but if I had to make a choice, Iwould opt for the discrete I -V board. As tooverall sense of space and realism, though,the nod still goes to my reference setup by anarrow margin.

No operational glitches occurred in theuse of the Stax D/A converter system. Oneevening, I had left it powered on withoutfeeding a.c. to the charger, and my wifeheard a weird sound emanating from thelab the next morning-the "battery -low"warning beep. In my system, with the a.c.cord plugged in and batteries charging, Ileft it on for long periods of time and hadno problems doing so.

In conclusion, I think the Stax DAC-Tal-ent BD D/A converter is a good piece, and Idefinitely enjoyed listening through it.

Bascom H. King

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AURICLE

ADCOM GFA-5800AMPLIFIER

IIam reluctant to call any poweramplifier a "best buy" or a

"breakthrough." There are a

number of excellent high -quali-ty power amplifiers on the mar-ket, and some are quite afford-

able; Aragon, Bryston, Hafler,McCormack Audio, and PS Audioall have very good products at goodprices. I suspect, however, that theAdcom GFA-5800 may still be a"classic." Just as Adcom oncechanged the standards of the poweramplifier market with the 555, it hasintroduced a new product that maysimilarly change the market again.

Company Address: 11 ElkinsRd., East Brunswick, N.J. 08816.


The Adcom GFA-5800 providesmost of the detail and sweetness ofhigh -end tubeamps with thepower delivery,

control, extend-ed bass, and flatupper treble ofhigh -end tran-sistor amplifiers.It is a very dif-ferent and far

better -sounding amplifier than anyAdcom product I have heard todate-and Adcom's past productswere pretty good. It is also a littledifficult to believe that this amplifieris in the $1,500 price range. In fact, Ihad two high -end loudspeaker man-ufacturers refuse to believe it untilthey saw for themselves that it really

was driving my reference ApogeeStudio Grands. I can't think of abetter compliment for an amplifieror one that does more to indicatethat this is a product that deservesattention.

Part of the reason this amplifiersounds so good may be that much ofits design was conceived by NelsonPass, whose new Pass Laboratories'Aleph line has emerged as one of thebest -sounding products in the neplus ultra price range of high -endproducts. At the same time, Adcomhas also used its long productionruns to take advantage of economiesof scale and to put a great deal intothe product.

The GFA-5800's circuitry is verydifferent from that of previous Ad-com amplifiers. The power supplyhas limiting to prevent a rush ofpower to the transformer and capac-itors at turn -on. It has completelyseparate main power supplies foreach channel, which take powerfrom a large toroid transformer butdo not even share the same groundconnection. Itergy storage for each channel, andthe power -supply ripple voltage isnormally less than 1%.

The front-end circuitry for eachchannel has its own regulated high -voltage supply, which eliminates in-teraction between the early gainstages and the output stages and

also helps toreduce noise.This ampli-fier's front-end operatesat a highervoltage level

than its out-put stages do,to reduce dis-

the front-end todrive the output stages to their sup-ply rails, thus putting all availablepower to the load.

All audio elements

FOR ONCE, AN AMP THAT

CLAIMS TO COMBINE

SWEETNESS WITH MUSCLE

ACTUALLY DOES.

tortion and allow

use MOS-FETs, and even the input transistors 24are power devices capable of deliver-ing 2 amperes of current. Adcom be- ;2:lieves that the high input impedance


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v.1.1?.

These hs, our,

of MOS-FETs allows a very simple pass -through, and provides high thermal stabili-ty, high output -stage bias, low offset volt-ages, and reliable operation with very highoutput currents and voltages. Adcom alsoclaims that the "characteristics of theMOS-FET is sonically superior to the bipo-lar transistor, delivering all of the muscle ofbipolar circuitry with the sweeter qualitiesfound in tube equipment." I have heardthis kind of claim countless times for dif-ferent devices and circuits, and I wouldleave it buried in the manufacturer litera-ture-except that it is not a bad descrip-tion of the GFA-5800's sound.

The inputs offer balanced operation,which is tied directly into the front-end,without the use of active circuitry or op -amps, and common -mode rejection is inexcess of 40 dB. The gain path of the GFA-5800 is very simple; it only uses three stagesversus five or more in many competing

THIS IS THE KIND OF

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amplifiers. The front-end circuitry is sin-gle -ended Class A, and each of the chan-nels is biased to about 100 watts of idlecurrent to provide near -Class -A operation.

The current sources in the circuit aredoubly regulated for stability. Very little useis made of feedback. The input devices arematched to within 0.25%, and the outputstage uses MOS-FETs that are matched towithin 2.5%. Each output -stage channeluses 16 very high -capacity devices (20 am-

peres of output current each), and eachchannel is capable of withstanding tran-sients of about 3 kW. The GFA-5800 candeliver complete power into 2 -ohm loadsand is stable driving 1 ohm or less. Distor-tion is only slightly higher at 2 ohms thanat 8 ohms.

Modular construction puts the activecircuitry for each channel on a single me-chanical block formed by the heat -sinks,and it assures short signal paths. Eachchannel also has its own cooling tunnel


backed up by a thermostatically controlledd.c. fan. In practice, the GFA-5800 did notexhibit any noticeable mechanical or elec-trical hum, and I did not even hearwhether the fans were running. The unit,incidentally, runs cool even after prolongedlistening to loud musical passages.

The GFA-5800 is rated at 250 watts perchannel into 8 ohms and 400 watts into 4ohms. IM distortion at full power is ratedat less than 0.05%, and THD into 8 ohmsis rated at 0.02% at 1 kHz and only 0.16%at 20 kHz. Power bandwidth is 3 Hz to 130kHz, dynamic headroom is 2.1 dB, damp-ing factor is greater than 1,100, and rise -

time is 2.2 µS. There are both balanced andunbalanced inputs with gains of 29 and 26dB, respectively. The input impedance is30 kilohms. The rated S/N is less than 100dB, and the Adcom sounds-well, maybedoesn't sound-like it!

All of this is packed into a relativelysmall chassis (8 x 17 x 131 inches), al-though the amplifier weighs a fairly hefty57 pounds without its optional rackmount. The front panel has no featuressave for an off/on switch and five LEDs toindicate whether power is on and to warnof overdriving or overheating. The rearpanel has a.c. and power -supply fuses, bal-

anced and unbalanced inputs with a switchto choose between them, and two sets ofuniversal binding -post terminals per chan-nel to make bi-wiring easier.

The Adcom GFA-5800 did an excellentjob of driving my Apogee Studio Grand,B & W 801 Matrix Series 3, and Thiel. CS5speakers. It had no problems with QuadESL -63s or difficult loads like Spendor BC -

Is, and it seemed extraordinarily insensi-tive to differences between interconnectsand speaker cables.

With all of the speakers I could find, theGFA-5800 delivered excellent, deep basspower and control-to the limit the speak-er permitted. Bass was live and dynamicwithout the unattractive loss of controlthat becomes a bother. The sound wascloser to what I expect from Krell or JeffRowland Design amps than from ampli-fiers anywhere near this price range. Youmay be surprised to find out how goodyour speakers are when you first try an am-plifier of this quality.

The real factor that makes this amp out-standing, however, is its ability to deliver


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midrange and upper midrange informationin such a way that it seems to expand theamount of information available as well asreduce any edge or harshness. "Sweet" and"liquid" are overworked words that havelittle direct meaning in terms of soundquality, and yet they still seem to apply tothe Adcom GFA-5800. This is very definite-ly not one of those transistor amplifierswhose middle and upper octaves seem togive extra detail at the expense of alsoadding upper octave energy and a touch ofharshness.

The GFA-5800 was particularly goodwith demanding solo piano, violin, andharpsichord recordings. These are instru-ments that a number of otherwise goodamplifiers often make more "interesting"than musically natural, particularly withclose-miked LP and CD recordings. TheGFA-5800 makes them musical withoutany of the loss of upper octave detail youfind in some warm transistor or tube am-plifiers. The bite of brass and the reedsound of the clarinet were reproduced asyou'd expect to hear them in a live perfor-

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mance, without the slight electronic sound"roughening" I expect from most transistoramplifiers.

Early in my reviewing, I spent most ofmy time concentrating on musical instru-ments and was only struck by how well thisamplifier did with voice when I realized

that I had also gone through some pro-longed listening sessions with solo andmixed male and female voices and had nev-er been bothered by anything. I don't ex-pect an amplifier to change the timbre anddynamics of voice unless there is somethingseriously wrong with it, but I do expect tohear slight changes in air and vocal charac-ter of a kind that I do not hear in live mu-sic. The Adcom GFA-5800 kept them to aminimum.

The imaging, soundstage, dynamics, andtransparency of the Adcom GFA-5800 hadthe kind of realism and integration I onlyexpect to find in far more expensive prod-ucts. I was surprised that the Adcom im-posed no coloration in these areas. I nor-mally expect transistor amplifiers anywherenear the GFA-5800's price to make thesoundstage seem a bit forward, to place in-struments a bit too precisely from left toright, and to deprive them of naturaldepth. The Adcom had as deep a sound -stage as the input material permitted, andinstruments were imaged with natural size,definition, and depth. At the same time,the soundstage was wide and open, withoutexaggeration.

In short, the Adcom GFA-5800 standsout even in a world where almost all ampli-fiers now sound good. It does everythingexceptionally well for its price, and its up-per midrange and treble and overall musi-cality are hard to find in any amplifier notcosting at least twice its price. Getting thebest of tube and transistor sound from oneamplifier has become an audio cliché, butthe GFA-5800 comes very close. This is thekind of product that shows the best of thehigh end can be made truly affordable.While it may have competition, it is a prod-uct I would be certain to audition if Iplanned to spend more than $1,000 for myamplifier. I leave it to the marketplace todecide whether the GFA-5800 will be a"best buy," but its sound quality is of suchhigh caliber, I am certain that this amp willget a lot of high -end audiophile attention.

Anthony H. Cordesman


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AURICLE

THIEL CS1.5SPEAKER

The current trend in loud-speakers is to make them assmall as possible, hide them inwalls, or have a system thatconsists of small left and rightsatellites with a separate

woofer or subwoofer. There are,however, practical limits to howsmall you can make a really goodspeaker and to how well you canhide one. Trying to get full -rangeperformance from a small speakeralways means a sacrifice in bass ca-pability. Building a speaker into awall virtually always means a majorsacrifice in soundstage performanceand often in frequency response aswell. Using a separate woofer or sub -woofer almost always means audible

problems in the crossover region-unless the crossover frequency iswell below 100 Hz.

Thiel takes a different approach inthe CS1.5, a full -range floor -stand-ing loudspeaker clearly designed tobe kept several feet away from theside and rear walls. At the sametime, it is relatively compact, mea-suring 81/2 inches wide, 11 inchesdeep, and 33 inches high. Its low vi-sual profile and sloping front, to-gether with the fact that it is deeperthan it is wide, make it seem smallerthan it is.

I'd much rather live with the visu-al image of a small floor -standingloudspeaker like this Thiel than withthe more obtrusive look of a box

speaker placed on many of thestands I've seen recently. And whilethe Thiel CS1.5 is, at $1,990 per pair,not inexpensive, a true price com-parison with small shoebox-sizedspeakers must include the cost ofstands. You will never get top per-formance by locating any loud-speaker worthy of the name on apiece of furniture or in a bookshelf.

The Thiel's cabinet is very wellfinished, with an attractive grillethat does not have to be removed forbest performance. The cabinet wallsare an inch thick and have extensiveinternal bracing to reduce vibration.The baffle is sloped to provide prop-er phase alignment and transient in-formation and, like that of mostother high -quality speakers, hassmooth, round edges to reduce en-ergy diffraction and provide a moreopen sound.

The tweeter is a 1 -inch metaldome with a large magnet, ventedpole piece, and reinforced rearchamber for low resonant frequencyand wide bandwidth. The 61/2 -inchwoofer uses a rigid aluminum di-aphragm to eliminate cone break-upand energy storage; a short -coil,long -gap magnet to reduce distor-tion, and a copper pole piece tomaintain a stable magnetic field.The woofer has two magnets with atotal weight of more than 2.4

pounds; the second magnet has re-versed polarity to reduce the straymagnetic field of the loudspeakerand allows the CS1.5 to be posi-tioned nearer the TV in anaudio/video system. There is a pas-sive bass radiator to lower bass reso-nance and eliminate possible ventnoise. The 18 -element, first -ordercrossover is phase -accurate and usespolypropylene capacitors and low -oxygen, air -core inductors.

Frequency response is ±3 dB from42 Hz to 22 kHz. Thiel's detailedfrequency response curves exhibit

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exceptionally smooth performance from 50Hz to 2 kHz and only minor irregularitiesup to beyond 20 kHz. The 30° off -axis re-sponse is very close to the main -axis re-sponse and is only about 5 dB down at 20kHz. Time and step responses are also verygood, revealing exceptionally fast, clean re-sponse, with excellent phase coherence.

The only caution I would give about thespecs is that the speaker's rated 4 -ohm im-pedance drops to as low as 3 ohms. I didnot find that the CS1.5 posed any problemsfor well -designed power amplifiers, and itdid not seem to be a difficult load. Thereare, however, a number of receivers and afew power amps that don't perform wellwith low -impedance speakers.

THE CS1.5s GIVE YOU

WHAT IS ON YOUR

RECORDINGS, WITHOUT

COLORING OR

ROMANTICIZING.

The first things that struck me about thesound of the Thiel were its smoothness andspeed. The term "monitor" is much over-worked, but it is perhaps the best term toapply to the CS1.5. There is very little col-oration in the midrange and no roll -off orexaggeration in the treble. While there doseem to be some small irregularities in theresponse somewhere around 4 kHz, I didnot hear any that significantly coloredvoice, piano, or guitar.

Furthermore, the Thiel has a great dealof transient detail and resolving power. Itmay not match the best ribbon speakers inthis regard, but it is the equal of many elec-trostatics and is much better in reproduc-ing subtle, low-level musical and sound -stage detail than most of the small tomoderate -sized monitors that I have audi-tioned. The CS1.5 also is as fast and de-tailed in the upper bass and lower

midrange as it is in the upper midrangeand treble-outstanding performance inthis price range.

The Thiel CS1.5 does not seem to favorone kind of music or recording over anoth-er. These speakers simply give you what ison your recordings, without coloring orromanticizing-a naturalness that is par-ticularly welcome on voice and strings but


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also comes through quite clearly on solopiano and percussion sounds such as cym-bal and snare drum.

This accuracy in frequency and detail ismatched by good soundstage performance.The CS1.5 does not dramatize the sound-

stage or produce a large and open sound -stage with every recording. Depth andwidth are natural rather than "exciting." Ifanything, the soundstage is just a bit small-er than normal. The apparent listening po-sition is a bit forward, and there is a feelingof being slightly above the soundstage.

The CS1.5 does a very good job of mak-ing naturally recorded stereo music soundnatural. Many smaller monitors impose afixed soundstage on the music they repro-duce; for good or bad, they become theconcert hall and alter the music according-ly. The soundstage of the Thiel may initial-ly seem understated by comparison, butwhat you hear is the recording and not thespeaker. Imaging is equally natural. Somesmall stand -mounted monitors almost"etch" the imaging, providing a more de-fined image for each instrument than is ac-

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tually on the recording. The CS1.5s do notartificially fix the image in place, and theydo not alter its size.

The Thiel's bass, however, is not deep orpowerful by high -end standards. This maypresent problems in large rooms or wherebass power is a key consideration. TheCS1.5 certainly has as much or more bassthan most speakers its size, and it does pro-duce considerable power to below 50 Hz, ifnot much below 45 Hz. It has exceptionalbass detail within its range, and its bass re-sponse rolls off very smoothly, without theboost or hump that many small and medi-um-sized monitors exhibit just above theirbass cutoff frequency.

Coupled to the speaker's flat and extend-ed treble, this lack of added bass warmth or

BASS DETAIL IS

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RESPONSE ROLLS OFF

SMOOTHLY, WITHOUT

A BOOST OR HUMP.

boost can make the CS1.5 seem a bit leanand lacking in bass energy. This is likely ifyou place the cabinet 3 feet from a rear walland 5 feet from a side wall, as called for inThiel's instructions. Try the CS1.5s in amedium-sized room, and place them closerto the rear wall for a touch of room re-inforcement. Also, use the spiked feet andavoid an amplifier that is dry or lean.

The CS1.5 is capable of excellent dynam-ics and a surprising amount of output, bet-tering many speakers in these respects. Finefor classical, jazz, and most rock, it's aspeaker for those who enjoy music and ac-curacy more than sheer power.

The Thiel CS1.5 is an excellent exampleof how far medium-sized monitors havecome in the last few years. It may not havethe deep bass or dynamic range of its moreexpensive siblings-and if I had the mon-ey, I would prefer the Thiel CS3.6. Thatspeaker, though, costs almost twice as

much. What the CS1.5 does provide is anexcellent soundstage and upper bass, mid-range, and treble I'd associate with speak-ers costing a great deal more. With theright placement, the CS1.5 is an outstand-ing buy, one that makes true high -endsound affordable. Anthony H. Cordesman


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cla

R E C

SSICALOR DINGS

The Seville ConcertJohn Williams, guitar;

Orquesta Sinfonica de Sevilla,Jose Buenagu

SONY CLASSICAL SK 53 359

CD; DDD; 58:19Sound: A, Performance: A+

J. S. BachJulian Bream, guitar

EMI CLASSICS CDC 5 55123 2

CD; DDD; 69:56Sound: A-, Performance: A

ith Andres Segovia's death,the "guitar godfather" man-tle naturally fell to the next

generation of virtuosi, who reallycame of age in the '60s, landing onthat oddest of couples, JohnWilliams and Julian Bream, two gui-tarists whose approaches are almostnight and day. Unlike the Maestro,who kept the limelight on himself tothe end, Williams and Bream havemaintained low profiles for years.Thus, it's serendipitous that theyshould simultaneously release newprograms to give us a sort of aes-thetic "Clash of the Titans."

For the Australian whiz -kidWilliams, the effects of a long careerhave been salutary indeed. Aftertoying with rock in his 1970s bandSky and big -band pop in the '80s,

Williams has returned to the reper-toire that sustained him in his earli-er days with this "greatest hits" ret-rospective, The Seville Concert.Recorded in 1992 at Spain's RoyalAlcazar Palace using the resonantarticulation of Super Bit Mapping,Williams is dazzling on solo chest-nuts like Isaac Albeniz's blistering"Asturias" and dancing "Sevilla"; inensemble with the Orquesta Sin-fonica de Sevilla, he is inspired onVivaldi's buoyant Concerto for Luteand the grandly serene, if overex-posed, Adagio from Joaquin Rodri-go's "Concierto de Aranjuez." Lessfamiliar selections include YuquijiroYocoh's "Sakura Variations," its lushminor mode evoking Japaneseflower gardens; Agustin BarriosMangore's shimmering tremoloetude "Similo en la Floresta," andNikita Koshkin's schizophrenic tonepoem "Usher Waltz," a demandingguitarristic tour de force and tributeto Edgar Allan Poe. Williams' strength

has always been his technique, and 2F7

C5

..o

eq

Villa -Lobos: Discovery of BrazilSuites Nos. 1 to 4

Slovak Philharmonic Choir andSlovak Radio Symphony Orchestra,

Roberto DuarteMARCO POLO 8.223551, CD; 79:03

As one of the most original com-posers of this century, Heitor Villa -Lo-bos expressed his Brazilian nationalismby using folk song mate-rials of his country asthe source of inspirationin his colorful music.l'he complete "Discov-ery of Brazil" is clearlyan epic in music. Itsmusic was originally written for a 1937film that used an idealized story andcharacters to tell of the crossing of theAtlantic to Brazil in 1500 by Portugueseexplorers.

Some section titles give an idea of the Imassive score: Moorish Impression, TheRattlesnake, Celebration in the Forest,Vision of the Navigators. Suite No. 4

ds a baritone soloist and chorus to de -";'`t the first Mass in Brazil, with Latin

ns mingling with the wild melodiesthe Indians. It brings together diversements for a lyrical and spiritual'theosis in sound. John Sunier


it has never been more powerful. However,with the years has come a deeper insightinto dynamics and interpretation thatmakes this record simply brilliant. It's sogood, in fact, that the most hardened mu-sical curmudgeon will not mind the occa-sional programmatic cliché.

If Williams' reputation rests on technicalprowess, Julian Bream has always beenknown for his romantic readings-and, if

anything, his J. S. Bachtakes him further intothe realms of personalstyle. Just as Williams re-visits previously record-ed works, Bream casts

his gaze back on one of his primary preoc-cupations. Recorded at the Forde Abbeyin Dorset, England, also in 1992, Breamexplores standards such as the exquisitePrelude, Fugue, and Allegro, BWV 998,taking his time as he slowly unveils itsspine -tingling mysteries, and the lighter,more sprawling Suite in E Minor, BWV996, whose bouncing movements are oftenexcerpted but here receive a thoughtful andsatisfyingly complete performance. Per-haps most challenging-and telling-isBream's assault on the grandiose Chaconnefrom the Partita BWV 1004. This themeand variations, because of its nearly 16 -minute length, is difficult to maintain withthe limited range of the guitar. Clearly inhis maturity, Bream has learned the secretof pacing. Rather than race ahead, he letsthe music breathe, emphasizing the emo-tional dissonance here, expanding andrelaxing there. In his hands, the Chaconnebecomes a meditation, progressing fromserious beauty to something almost whim-sical, its final briskly punctuated chordsanticlimactic but ever so breathtakinglybeautiful.

The contrast between Williams andBream can be perfectly heard in their perfor-mances of the Prelude to the so-called Fourth

Lute Suite in E Major, also known as thePartita BWV 1006a. Williams does just thePrelude, whereas Bream performs the entiresuite. For Williams, this transcendent har-monic drama moves flawlessly and inexorably

toward the final ornamental turnaround at amidtempo trot that carries you along withouttime for anything other than sweet emotion.For Bream, the evolution is more in the ten-sion of the statements, pausing at the ends

If you own stereo headphones...

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of phrases, lingering over big round notes, set-

tling almost anticlimactically on a final tone-more as a prelude, which, of course, in this con-

text it is. Both interpretations are laden withfeeling, but Williams goes for the visceral impact

while Bream prefers the more cerebral route.This is the wonderful thing about music: It can

serve such divergent masters equally well.

The joy of having two godfathers is the an-

ticipation of more chiaroscuro like The Seville

Concert and J. S. Bach to come. Let's hopetheir appearance marks the beginning of new-

found energy rather than just a reflection onsuccessful careers. Michael Wright

Kevin Volans: Kneeling Dance;David Lang: Face So Pale;Steve Reich: Four Organs;

Robert Moran: Three DancesPiano Circus

ARGO 440 294-2, CD; DDD; 53:45

Quite a leap from ensembles of yore suchas The First Piano Quartet, this mixed sextetof Steinway -ticklers, Piano Circus, has spe-cialized for about five years in British andAmerican composers of a broad minimalistpersuasion.

David Lang's "Face So Pale" dissects a bal-

lad by Guillaume Dufay, dividing its original

three parts among the six pianos. Lang want-ed to create a "nervous vocal tradition," andhe succeeded well. It may even make you ner-

vous-though not nearly so nervous as SteveReich's tedium study, in which four ensemble

members switch to thepseudonymous fourelectronic organs. It'ssaid to be the only com-

position existing inwhich the sole activity,

during its entire 16 -minute length, is thegradual lengthening of individual notes injust one chord.

Kevin Volans' "Kneeling Dance" gives you

23 more chords than the Reich work, andthey will surely be appreciated. It's an enjoy-

able little dance piece. Robert Moran's "Three

Dances" are even more relishable. They origi-

nally were created for actual dancers, andthere is also a version for full orchestra; herethey are transcribed for six synthesizers. Allthree dances are quirky, witty, and not sominimal that their 19 -minute duration be-comes at all tedious. John Sunier

Of ficiumJan Garbarek, saxophones;

The Hilliard EnsembleECM 445 369-2, CD; 77:41

With the saturation of Gregorian chant al-ready reaching the level of parody (note theBenzedrine Monks of Santo Domingo), itseems ECM may be late to church with thiscombination of 13th- through 16th -centurypolyphonic hymns and chants underpinningthe saxophone improvisations of Jan Gar-barek. But this is home ground for TheHilliard Ensemble, and Garbarek has been ex-

ploring links between medieval and contem-porary music for the last six years or so.

Garbarek's keening saxophone brings anuncharacteristic yearning to these sacredtexts. While the Hilliards intone the serenesounds of contempla-tion, Garbarek seemsfraught with anguish.As often happens on his

recordings, the moresubtle the backing, themore strident he becomes, making his sopra-no sax sound an obliterating whine ratherthan a celestial plea. It's like a warning that all

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e-mail: [email protected] No 44 on Reader Service Card

is not serene in the monastery, but I don'tthink that is the intent.

The Hilliard Ensemble, as ever, is sublime,

and when Garbarek catches the spirit, his im-

provisations are graceful embroideries.John Diliberto

Ave MariaVinson Cole, tenor;

Ascension Music Chorus, Dennis KeeneDELOS DE 3138, CD; 64:44

There is a change going on in the sound ofthe American professional chorus, and it is for

the good. The smoother, thinner, and moreblended sound is an immense assist to thewilling listener. Time was (the day before yes-

terday) when our professional choruses wereall too often aggregations of would-be operasingers, each striving to outdo his or, especial-

ly, her neighbors; this sort of massed vocalpower is appropriate, if not historically accu-

rate, for any 19th -century grand opera andfor big celebration musicof numerous sorts, but itis out of place in the restof the choral literature.

Looking at the cover of

this CD, directed by aEl

strict professional, you will instantly "hear"that sound! Such a profusion of buxomnessand bulk, dressed to the nines (and 10s), low-

cut gowns, ample flesh, white tie and tails-the works. But just listen! To my astonish-ment, this chorus sings lean. It has power, allright, but also blend. The wave of the future? I

hope and predict. Not surprising, perhaps,since it is a close descendant of familiar U.S.groups conducted by those indomitableAmericans Gregg Smith and Roger Wagner.

The program is not on the conventionalside either, though it does range from the sub-

lime to the corny (that unspeakable Bach-Gounod "Ave"). There are other "Ave Maria"

programs by the hundreds, year after year (Imyself must have conducted three or four),and many hundreds of settings of the familiar"Hail Mary" text, but mostly the same famil-iar works reappear (as might be expected).Here they are too, but only a few of them,from Schubert (out of Sir Walter Scott's Ladyof the Lake!) to Victoria. Mostly this program

goes off on interesting sidelines-Faure,Hoist, Mendelssohn, Pablo Casals, Durufle,and two Bruckners. Some of this is nothingvery profound as music, but all of it doeslisten well.

Moreover, the usual obligatory pair of16th -century items, Palestrina and Victoria,wonder of wonders, is sung by a half-sizesemi -chorus sounding for all the world like an

authentic little -boys choir! Look again at that

cover and be amazed!

There are assisting artists-notably organand tenor solo, also harp and piano. Thetenor Vinson Cole is sincere and dedicated,but his excellent voice has developed a big wa-

ver and he slides upward into many of hisnotes. Okay if you like it. He is not really anasset to this recording in spite of profusequoted praises. Edward Tatnall Canby

Sebastian de Albero:Sonatas Para Clavicordio

Joseph Payne, harpsichordBIS CD -629, CD; 68:31

Let's first deal with the incorrect terminol-ogy here: The Spanish called harpsichords"clavichords"! (What they called clavichords

is not a detail I am privy to.)

The many recent releases of obscure earlyharpsichord compositions fill holes in therecorded keyboard repertory-and are inex-pensive to produce, to boot. Unfortunately,many of these works sound like the sort ofpieces that would be more enjoyable to playyourself, providing you had a harpsichordhandy, than to listen to. That's not so withthis exciting collection-though I'm anxiousto get my hands on the published music.

Albero worked for the Spanish royalty atthe same time as Domenico Scarlatti (Alberowas organist of the Royal Chapel). Many simi-

larities exist between the two composers'styles: A binary form that predates the key-board sonata as we know it, extravagant leaps,rapidly repeated notes, trills in one or bothhands at once, parallel scales, glissandos, hand

crossings, and horn- andtrumpet -cat' effects. The

influence of Spanish gyp-

sy music on both com-posers is heard in harpsi-

chordal special effectsthat try to capture the driving excitement ofthe zapateado and fandango rhythms.

The 17 short sonatas here are as varied asthe 550 -odd Scarlatti sonatas. As with all oth-

er harpsichord recordings, this should beplayed back at a lower level than that for most

CDs, for proper and realistic tone. This excit-ing music doesn't depend on loudness for its

effect! John Sunier


PART ONE -MULTIPLE CHOICE1. The Linn Majik control amplifier is

aln)

A. Integrated Amplifier

C. Power Amplifier

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2. Using special Linn "Sneaky" Modules the Majik

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Itve OlvTiotIsChoice

See Part II of the exam on page 109

and Part Ill on page 111.For additional information call

1-800-LINN HI-FI

ROCKR E C O R DINGS

curie nderson

Photograph: Annie Leibovitz Bright RedLaurie Anderson

WARNER BROS. 9 45534-2, 52:19

Sound: B, Performance: B

curie Anderson is writingthe code that connectssynapses between percep-tion, reality, and possibility.Since her 1982 debut, BigScience, she's been the droll

commentator and realitycheck on this thing we calllife. On her 1989 album,Strange Angels, perceptionsbecame more personal, anda bit of that remains onBright Red, which finds her return-ing to the sparse electroshock ar-rangements characteristic of hermusic a decade ago.

While her art and metaphors arebased on technology, Anderson hasnever glorified high-tech so much aswarned against it. She sings a virtuallament about people lost in the In-ternet on "The Puppet Motel," and

on "Night in Baghdad" she exploresthe contradictions in the beautifulfireworks over Iraq during the GulfWar, beamed back like an MTVvideo on CNN. "Baghdad" and afew other songs are survivors fromAnderson's performance w3rk Sto-ries from the Nerve Bible, which shetoured in 1993.

But Anderson is also looking be-yond the world, and judging from

songs like "Freefall," shehasn't yet found any an-swers. "There is anotherworld/Spinning inside ofthis one," she intones, of-fering the suggestion that

the surface is just the slipcover foranother surface.

Producer Brian Eno returns An-derson to her D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself)electronic sound and is probably re-sponsible for the oblique angles ofsome lyrics. Yet this album is not asmusically compelling as her pastworks, with its reliance on sparserhythm grooves to hold up skeletal

melodies. Despite col-laborations with gui-tarist Adrian Belewand accordionist GuyKlucevsek and a duetbetween Anderson aidanother master of thetall.-sin3 style, LonReei sae's ulti-natelvstancing alone. OnA:DS dirge "LoveAmping the Sashe says, "There is nopt.re land now/No safeplace " Ever the cyn c.even Anderson -s thinilliehns have s ippecawa'. John 'Athena,

Thirty Years ofMaximum R&B

lie Who\ACA MC, C1.-1 1020Four ':D;, 3 02:13

an absolute textbook exarniob of what a boxed.:

' set r rosoective shouhlbe. All the beet ;Of is incluaed pkssorre areviousl! ur releasec sorEs("Ecrly Morning C)ld Taxi' is hebests, ,ive versiors, snippets of orstage pctter, aid some ocd a isThee would lase been more losongs here, but +e Odds and Sof.Who's Missing, and Two's Misswgalbums, together with Pete Tawr-shend'e. two SCCYJD collections, pre-ty much drainer the wells Ch -isCha-lesworth, tie Who chronic erwho compiled this eet,jia. afabulcJe jobof condensingall things Whyinto four CDSound cuaty is bxillianthanks to t

remixinc aremos'erinby Andy Maphe-scn aJon Astia>, arthe accurpanyirc 72 -page bookgorgeous-loaded with plotmemorabiia, and essays by Tosherd, Who ins cer Keith Athaand journolist Dave Marsh. Ana .

solutely essential collection.Michael Tearsor


PART TWO -TRUE OR FALSE

Tarry Conitick, .Jr.COLUMBIA CK 64376, 63:00

oyish crooner gets down withsome funk and does a crediblejob of it. Skeptics may havebeen expecting some watered-

down, sanitized pap from Harry Connick,Jr., something along the lines of PatBoone's take on Little Richard's"Tutti Frutti." But to my ears,Harry sounds more comfortablein this loose, laid-back NewOrleans -Memphis R&B bagthan in his regular role as Amer-ica's No. 1 big band crooner.

Connick demonstrates somenaturally soulful phrasing and sly vocalnuance on tunes like the jaunty "(I CouldOnly) Whisper Your Name," the punchytitle track, and the grooving Al Green -fla-vored ballad "Between Us." And hedoesn't have to ask permission to getdown on the ebullient Mardi Gras number"Here Comes the Big Parade"; Harry's

Full CircleDixie Dregs

CAPRICORN 2-42021, 40:03

been to enough Mardi Gras parades toknow just what to do.

The presence of New Orleans iconslike bassist George Porter, Jr., guitarist Leo

Nocentelli, and drummer Joseph "Ziga-boo" Modeliste (charter members of TheMeters) keeps this one solidly rooted inthe pocket. And Harry adds some charac-teristic N'awlins piano flair on the giddy

"funky Dunky," the rackin' "To

Love the Language," and"Booker," a somber tribute tothe late, great New Orleans pi-ano stylist James Booker.

I'm not sure what fans ofConnick are going to make ofinstrumental funkathons like

"Joe Slam and the Spaceship," experi-mental interludes like "Follow the Music,"or the wailing heavy-metal guitar on "Hon-estly Now (Safety's Just Danger . . . Outof Place)." Given his well -carved niche inthe marketplace, this whole thing comesoff as incredibly daring. And for me, itworks. Bill Milkowski

4..

The Dixie Dregs were often called "TheMahavishnu Orchestra of Rock." So perhapsit's only fitting that for their first studio al-bum together in 12 years, they have enlistedthe services of former Mahavishnu violinistJerry Goodman, who replaces Allen Sloan.

The brain behind this fiery fusion outfitremains Steve Morse, a virtuoso guitarist whoproduced the session and wrote all the mater-ial (with the exception of The Yardbirds'"Shapes of Things," which gets a vigorous re-working). The question remains, what exactly

is it that these boys arefusing here? We knowthey have one foot firm-ly planted in the rockcamp, as drummer RodMorgenstein (recentlywith pop/metal band

Winger) reminds us on hard-hitting numberslike "Aftershock" and "Ionized." But theDregs aren't really incorporating much im-provisation into the formula, and they don'treally swing, so the other foot is definitely notlanding in the jazz camp. Morse, being an im-peccably precise player as well as an intenseperfectionist in the studio, probably has morein common with the exacting science ofchamber music. This aesthetic comes to thefore on baroque -inspired tunes like "Calcut-ta," "Yeolde," and the tongue-in-cheek

"Pompous Circumstances" and "Sleeveless inSeattle." But the guys do let their hair downand jam on the electric bluegrass breakdown"Goin' to Town."

Morse is an astounding player and an in-telligent composer. His Dixie Dregs are thethinking man's Van Halen. Bill Milkowski

Eileen IversGREEN LINNET GLCD 1139, 45:13

This is Eileen Ivers' solo debut. She's anIrish fiddler from the Bronx, but hers is noordinary Irish fiddle album: She employsAfrican percussionist Kimati Dinizulu to ex-cellent effect, and guitarist/pianist GabrielDonohue adds the exotic sounds of bouzou-ki, zither, and harmonium to the mix. Still,Ivers' fiddling is the star attraction, and shehas lots of style and presence, plus a fabuloustone. With her superb improvisational skills,she often leads a tune into uncharted territo-ry, especially on theopening "Flowing Tide"medley and on "Pachel-bel's Frolics," which isbuilt on the theme of thefamous canon andmoves gradually from astately beginning to something like an Irishbreakdown. With a resume that lists Hot-house Flowers, Hall & Oates, Fields of Ameri-ca, and Cherish the Ladies, Ivers is a talent towatch, one with the potential to transcendher genre. Michael Tearson


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See Part I of the exam on page 107 and

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I C.

The Dark Ridelain Matthews

WATERMELON CD1025, 46:23

lain Matthews has been almost too prolificsince relocating to Austin, Texas, but his workhas been at an astonishingly high level. Thelatest album, The Dark Ride, may be his bestyet. Beautifully produced by Mark Hallman,it's the document of a man confronting olddemons. Here, Matthews shares with us per-sonal sentiments such as rapprochement withhis daughter ("Tigers Will Survive [Part II]")or resisting the pernicious effect of passive ag-

gression ("I Drove") or turn-ing 40 and feeling miserable("The Dark Ride"). Twostrong covers are Michael Fra-casso's "Save Her Love" andTim Buckley's "Morning Glo-ry," the latter sung as a duet

with Sara Hickman. Robert McEntee and hisDobro guitar are vital contributions. TheDark Ride, another honest and strong set byMatthews, is an album of sweet listening andsongs that will leave you thinking.

Michael Tearson

:WoodstockJimi Hendrix

MCA MCAD-11063, 57:00

In the wake of CD reissues that are sonical-ly inferior to album masters, and what weconsider to be a dissapointing assemblage ofJimi waxing the blues (:blues, which was re-viewed in Audio's September issue), our an-ticipation was decidedly not great for MCA's

latest mining of its newly ac-quired Hendrix catalog. ButHendrix's performance atWoodstock was in some waysthe same high water mark that

j Ihis Monterey appearance was..0.1 This is Hendrix minus the vi-

sual gymnastics-definitely a low -energy vibebut with some guitar virtuosity that, even to-day, sounds futuristic.

:Woodstock presents only half of his Wood-stock set; still, despite the presence of extraband members that day (a second guitaristand two percussionists) and some tuningproblems that may tax the listener, Hendrix'slegendary performance rings through. Ver-sions of familiar songs such as "Red House"and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" are trulyinspired, and new instrumental jams are evenbetter. But the tour de force is "WoodstockImprovisation," a five-minute stream -of -gui-tar -consciousness that reveals a side of Hen-drix wholly mesmerizing and amazing. As aguitar hero, he's never been bettered.

Jon & Sally Tiven

Amplified HeartEverything But The Girl

ATLANTIC 82605-2, 36:38

On the album cover, Tracey Thorn and BenWatt stand looking away from each other, hewith his shirt and pants unbuttoned, she withher belt unlatched and shirt pulled halfwayup. Are they getting up from bed? Going tobed? Do they regret the decision? These arethe questions examined on Amplified Heart,an album of mature music with complexthemes that go beyond the usual love -angst.

Thorn has one of the most natural voicesin pop. It's an expressive instrument, but shenevertheless conveys the intimacy of someonesitting right next to you. The music, com-posed by Thorn and Watt, tends towardbreezy lite-jazz a la Sade at times, but withveteran folkie sessioneers including drum-mer Dave Mattacks andmaster bassist DannyThompson, and someguitar playing by RichardThompson, even thosemoments have an emotional resonance thatreflects the album's romantic ambivalence.

John Diliberto

Adios Amigo:A Tribute to Arthur Alexander

Various ArtistsRAZOR & TIE RT 2814, 53:36

As far as the very overplayed phenomenonof the tribute album goes, Adios Amigo differsbecause it's an absolute necessity. ArthurAlexander died in 1993, just after the releaseof his triumphant comeback, Lonely Just LikeMe (Elektra/Nonesuch/American Explorer61475-2). That album marked the end of a15 -year hiatus during which the songwriterexiled himself from music, depriving fans ofthe incredible talent that left its mark on TheBeatles (especially John Lennon) and so manyothers, some of whom appear on AdiosAmigo. They include Roger McGuinn, ElvisCostello, Robert Plant, Felix Cavaliere, GaryU.S. Bonds, Chuck Jackson, John Prine,Arthur's old friends Dan Penn and DonnieFritts, and others, who do up 17 of his songswith affection and relish. The excellent houseband for the project includes Penn, Fritts,Spooner Oldham, Mickey Curry, and long-time Audio writer Jon Tiven. (Tiven coordi-nated and produced this entire project, withsuperb results.) Razor & Tie has also releaseda terrific retrospective, The Ultimate ArthurAlexander (RE 2014), if you want to hear thevintage stuff, and Warner Bros. has reissuedhis 1972 sessions under the title RainbowRoad (45581-2). Michael Tearson

PART THREE -EXTRA CREDIT

If you can correctly answer the following three

questions we will send you a Linn Majik

information packet, the name of your local Linn

dealer, and a gift certificate redeemable for a free

Linn CD when you audition the Linn Majik control

amplifier.

1. Who are you?

2. Where are you?

3. What's your phone number?

Call us with your answers at 1-800-546-6443,

flax to 317-841-4107, or mail to:

Final Exam

c/o Linn Hi-Fi

8709 Castle Park Drive

Indianapolis, Indiana 46256

1-S00VISSVIVO-

niusicfor life

AUDIO/NOVEMBER 19941 1 1

See Part I of the exam on page107 andPart II on pagelo9.

JAZZ -BLUESREC OR DINGS

marcia b

Blue HouseMarcia Ball

ROUNDER CD 3131, 53:52Sound: B, Performance: B+

lto call Marcia Ball a walk-

ing jukebox of New Or-leans R&B doesn't giveher nearly enough credit.Sure, she can play Profes-sor Longhair's knuckle -busting piano runs as if

she were his spiritual heir. Granted,she's equally at home crooning oldIrma Thomas hits. And when she'spounding the daylights out of herpiano toward night's end, you can'tforget that the music labelled rock'n' roll was once Crescent City R&Bin the hands of such local favoritesas Little Richard and Fats Domino.

Over the years, Ball has learned tosing with more power and confi-dence. Yet she hasn't sacrificed theaching vulnerability in her voice, alegacy of her days as a country act.No less a talent scout than JerryWexler, the Atlantic Records impre-sario who produced Ray Charles,Aretha Franklin, and other legends,once picked Ball as a major talent.Regrettably, the sides he producedfor her early in her career were neverreleased.

While commercial success haseluded her, Ball remains a top clubdraw and a Gulf Coast heroine. BlueHouse, her fourth CD for Rounder,features her touring band perform-ing largely original material. Eventhe covers are well chosen; the JoeEly rave-up "Fingernails" ("I keep

my fingernails long/So they'll clickwhen I play the piano") could havebeen written for her.

Ball has always seen the romanticside of life on the road. She recallsher childhood on the Texas/Louis-iana border-dreaming of bustingout of her hometown-in "Downthe Road." "Sparkle Paradise" paystribute to a Texas club. Live, Ball'sshows prove her enthusiasm hasn'twaned. They aren't as muchperformances as private parties; ona given night, halfway through thesecond set, it's not clear if Ball orthe audience is having more fun.Only the crowd's shouts of apprecia-tion can stop her when she's eggedon by the ghosts of New OrleansR&B greats.

Blue House is the next best thingto seeing this road warrior in a club.In fact, the album so closely tracksMarcia Ball's live performances,sans lengthy solos, that you can'thelp but wonder why Rounderdidn't just cut her live. Maybe nexttime. Blue House will do nicely untilthen. Roy Greenberg

Allison Wonderland:The Mose Allison Anthology

RHINO/ATLANTIC R2 71689Two CDs, 2:18:50

There's never been anybody likeMose Allison. A consummate pianoman whose sharp sense of irony ishis best friend, he's represented hereby 47 selections dating from 1957 to1989, including all the key pieces-like "Young Man'sBlues" and "Parch -man Farm," forstarters. Some findMose's peculiarsinging tough totake, but his grace, humor, great jazzsensibility, and Mississippi accent allmake him valuable. With Rhino'stypically excellent remastering andannotation, this is a superb antholo-gy. Simultaneously, Sony Legacy hasreissued Allison's three CBS record-ings as a set called High links! TheMose Allison Trilogy (J3K 64275);


Marcus Rcberts-Gershonn For Love sFor his first trio reconing, acclaimecpianist Mar:us Roberts presents arcmantic collection of George Gershwn'smost popular songs.

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SEND MONEY ORDER,CERTIFIED OR CASHIER'S CHECK, MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS or DISCOVER CARDOnclude Interbank No expiration date and signature) To: J&R Music World, Dept AU1194, 59-50 Queens Midtown Expwy, Maspeth,Oilueens, New York 11378. Personal and business checks must clear our Authorization Center before processing. Shipping,handling and Insurance Charge (Continental US) is 5% of the total order with a $4.95 minimum for orders up to $500. 4% fororders over $500 to $1000; and 3% for orders over $1000. For heavyweight/over-sized items, shipment by air, or to Canada,Hawaii, Alaska, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico please call for information. DO NOT SEND CASH. Sorry, no C.O.D's. N.Y. residentsplease add sales tax. ORDERS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION AND ACCEPTANCE. NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ORPICTORIAL ERRORS. ALL MERCHANDISE SHIPPED BRAND NEW, FACTORY FRESH AND 100% GUARANTEED.Copyright 1994 J&R Music World. City of N.Y. MalDept. of Consumer Affairs License Numbers 0900310/0900615/0900616/0900617 IiIW

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4

each album has bonus tracks added. Goodstuff but really for completists and hard-corefans. Michael Tearson

Big Band TheoryCarla Bley

WATT/ECM 78118-23125-2, 49:21

If she employs one at all, Carla Bley's "bigband theory" is one of impressionistic form,of a small ensemble grown bigger and richerbut no less intimate-one that, surely, owesmore to Charles Mingus than to Stan Kenton.Indeed, Bley's sly but, for the most part,straightforward arrangement of Mingus'

"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is adirect nod to this inspira-tion. Still, as always, Bley'soriginal pieces follow consis-tent themes through ever-changing moods, anchoredby Bley's piano, Steve Swal-

low's bass, and Gary Valente's powerful trom-bone. "Birds of Paradise" is a suite -like trackthat moves ably from the symphonic to a GilEvans -style cool without missing a beat;"Fresh Impression" lifts that same theme yetswings like mad. Throughout, Big Band Theo-ry is far from academic, containing some ofBley's loosest, most spontaneous work todate. Larry Blumenfeld

CARLA BLEY

4.014,1144 if61G taANUTNEORY

Hop Wilson

BULLSEYE BLUES BB 9538, 49:31

No amount of digital processing willever remove the grit from Chase sides.With Houston Ghetto Blues, recordedin Houston in the early 1960s, wehave an outstanding exarr -ple of music as medicine forthe soul, instead of music as.

product.Hop Wilson has long been

a rarity in the blues world.His urban music was builtaround ais steel guitar, typicclly playedon his lap with a slide; imagine ElmoreJames playing Delta blues on aHawaiicn steel guitar. Wilson was littlenoticed outside of Texas, cnd rarely

recorded. Few musicians have carriedon his legacy (Sonny Rhodes comes tomind). After one listening however,

Wilson's riveting honesty cnd brood-ing intensity rival that of better knownpee -s. Among the backing musicianshere, Elmore Nixon deserves specialmention for his two-:istecl piano work.

Be forwarned gat the pro-duction is slapdash, Wilsonturns the vocal chores over toan unidentified s nger on ahandful of tracks, and theCD contains alternate takesof several performances.

Nonetheless, this is a very welcome re-lease, with some rare anc genuinelymowing music. "Merry CI-- stmas Dar

ling" is as blue as this music shouldeve he. Roy Greenberg

The Water Is WideJane Bunnett

EVIDENCE ECD 22091-2, 65:58

Jane Bunnett doesn't draw from theColtrane -Shorter axis of soprano saxophone.Her sound veers closer to Steve Lacy's acerbic

tone and squirrelly abstractions. Those ab-stractions, however, are muted on The WaterIs Wide, where Bunnett plays a mix of origi-nals and standards.

The Water Is Wide is a varied affair, shiftingfrom a perky reading of Rahsaan RolandKirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo" to trumpeter

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ANI Ikt,NmfIT Larry Cramer's "Burn-ing Tear," a long modalbuild, with Bunnettwrapping her sopranoaround the groove withserpentine lines. An ex-pedition called "Influ-

ence Peddling" features some particularlyfiery interplay between Bunnett and pianistDon Pullen.

For this album, Bunnett has also recruitedsingers Sheila Jordan and Jeanne Lee, twowomen from opposite ends of the jazz spec-trum. They essay their different styles, word-less vocalese, and interpretive singing on apair of tunes but come together on the tradi-tional hymn "The Water Is Wide." Their voic-es intertwine like smoked ice, Lee's huskydrawl contrasting with Jordan's more urbanestylishness.

With drummer Billy Hart and some stun-ning trumpet work from Cramer, The WaterIs Wide is a strong album that perhaps lacks adefinitive focus but reveals some interestingconnections. John Diliberto

No WordsTim Hagans

BLUE NOTE CDP 7 89680 2 3, 66:31

Tim Hagans is no stranger to his fellowmusicians. At the ripe young age of 40, he hasa resume sporting extensive sideman workwith lots of heavies. Oddly, his debut albumas a leader is marketed under Blue Note's"Young Artist" product line.

Co -produced by Hagans with the seeming-ly ubiquitous Joe Lovano-who plays bothtenor and soprano saxophones here-NoWords is a sextet date that sheds light on

Hagans' compositionalabilities and musician-ship. An adept trum-peter, he plays convinc-ingly and compellinglywhether he's blowinghard or offering an in-

trospective look at his music. Guitarist JohnAbercrombie continues to impress as a think-ing man's player, demonstrating immensesensitivity that is typified by his work on thewaltzy ballad "For the Music" as well as dur-ing the groove tune "Noogaloo," where heand the bandleader play well off each other.The rhythm section-pianist Marc Copland,bassist Scott Lee, and drummer Bill Stewart-shows equal care interpreting these nine Ha-gans compositions, although I fail to see theneed for the Fender Rhodes electric pianowhich surfaces during "Immediate Left," atrack reminiscent of Bitches Brew, and amidstthe funkified "Housewife from New Jersey."

Jon W. Poses

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For The MusicalAuthorized Dealer For:

NAD GRADO PROAC APATURE VELODYNE CWD STAX SANUS M & K KEF ONKYO SONY ES ADCOM THORENS TARGET

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2808 Cahill Road , P.O. Box 224Marinette, WI 54143

1-800-826-0520 (7151735-9002

PLEASE NOTE: It is impossible for us toverify all of the claims of advertisers,including product availability and exis-tence of warranties. To confirm that anadvertiser is authorized to sell a product,we suggest you contact the manufacturerdirectly. Please review our Tips for MailOrder Purchasers in this section.

AUTHORIZED

AUDIOPHILE & SCHOLARUNIVERSITY AUDIO SHOP, MADISON, WI

SPECIAL: Spica SC30-$299. AUDIO RESEARCH, Van-dersteen, KEF, NHT, Snell, Totem, Epos, JMLabs, Paradigm,SYMDEX, Spica, NEAR, B&K, AMC, Creek, Aragon, YBA,Boulder, Michael Yee Audio, California Audio Labs, Micro -mega, Audio Alchemy, Rega, Stax, Magnum Dynalab, Fos -gate, Soundstream, Runco, JVC, Grado, Tara & TaraLabs.(608) 284-0001.

WESCOTT AUDIO has the finest selection of high endcomponents. Anywhere. Call Scott in State College, PA(800)669-7574.

SELL FOR CASH OR TRADE AUDIO & VIDEO EQUIP-MENT. AUTHORIZED: DENON, MARANTZ, ACU-RUS, ARCAM, NAKAMICHI, ROTEL, SUMO, CELESTION,DAHLOUIST, ENERGY, ROGERS, SIGNET, AUDIO AL-CHEMY, AUDIOQUEST, GRADO, ET.AL. STEREO CLAS-SICS, 75 CHURCH ST, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901.(908) 220-1144, FAX: (908) 220-1284.

AUDIO UNLIMITEDFrom Colorado we offer novice and serious audiophilesan altemative to mass market high end equipment. Werepresent only musical products that offer the highestperformance to dollar value. In keeping with this philos-ophy, we present a careful selection of components fromaround the world of interest to audiophiles who listen tomusic and appreciate what it adds to the quality of life.Authorized dealer for : Accuphase, Acoustic Energy,Acrotec, AirTight, Airtangent, Audio Meca by PierreLurne, Audio Note, Basis, Benz -Micro, Bitwise,Chang, Chord, Chario, CODA, dpa Deltec, Day-Sequera, Dynavector, Ensemble, Graham, Harbeth,Ikeda, JM Labs, Kuzma, Magnum Dynalab, Micro -mega, Mission -Cyrus, Morch, Musical Design, MusicMetre, Muse, NBS, NSM, Onix, Oracle, RoomTunes,Solid Steel, Sound Anchor, SOTA, Spendor, Tice, UnityAudio, Vimak, Wheaton Triplanar, YBA, andmore...Call, write, or fax John Barnes at 303-691-3407for more information. Audio Unlimited, 2341 W. YaleAve., Englewood, CO 80110. VISA and Mastercardaccepted.

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OFMUSIC. AUDIO DREAMSCAPES PRESENTS AUDIBLEILLUSIONS, CREEK, FRIED, MACH 1, R.E. DESIGNS,MUSIC REFERENCE, RESOLUTION, TIMBRE, APOGEE& MANY MORE. WILLIAMSBURG, VA. (800) 718-2719 OR(804) 989-5842.

FOR SALE

STOP! LOOK!! SAVE$$!!NHT, DENON, POLK, CARVER, NAKAMICHI, KEF,PARASOUND, SNELL, B&K, PSB, NAD, VELODYNE,M&K, ONKYO, ACURUS, FOSGATE, PS AUDIO,AUDIO ALCHEMY, SOUND SHOP 206-692-8201.

HI Fl EXCHANGE. Large selection of quality USED highendcomponents at huge discounts. We buy, sell & trade. Call forinventory list. (718) 423-0400 or visit our showrooms at251-11 Northern Blvd, Little Neck, NY 11363.

STOP LISTENING IN DARKNESS!!! NOW'S YOURCHANCE TO HAVE TRUE "HIGH -END" DIGITAL COMPO-NENTS AT PRICES ANYONE CAN AFFORD DURING OURSPECTACULAR AUDIO ALCHEMY SALE! UNBELIEVABLESAVINGS ON CD TRANSPORTS, D/A PROCESSORS,"JITTER -BUGS", CABLES, ACCESSORIES. DON'T BEFOOLED BY THE LOW PRICE! AUDIO ALCHEMY CDTRANSPORTS AND PROCESSORS COMPARE TO ANY-THING COSTING UP TO FIVE TIMES MORE! PLUS SPE-CIAL CLOSEOUT ON "DDS" TOP -LOAD TRANSPORT:LIST $900.00. cLOSEOUT ONLY $299.95! WE ALSO CAR-RY OTHER EQUIPMENT FOR AUDIOPHILES WITHMORE SENSE THAN MONEY. CALL NOE FOR COM-PLETE "SPECIALS" LISTING HCM AUDIO (800)222-3465. (916) 345-1341, FAX (916) 345-7269.

FOR SALEABARGAIN: STAX SIGN/LAMBDA $1 , 1 50; SIGN/SRM 1-11$799, PRO IAMBDA(#1) $459, SIGN/LAMBDA SRD/7$599; ED -1 $550; ALL UNUSED (212) 966-1355.

BIG DISCOUNTS!!SAVE$$!

NAKAMICHI, PSB, CARVER, POLK, NHT, NAD, DENON,SNELL, VELODYNE, KEF, M&K, B&K, PARASOUND, ON-KYO, PS AUDIO, FOSGATE, ACURUS, SPICA, SOUNDSHOP 206-692-8201.

XXX-TREME DISCOUNTS!!ONKYO-DENON-CARVER-ACURUS-NAKAMICHI-

NAD-PARASOUND-GRADO-APATURE-SUMIKO-

KEF-SNELL-POLK-M &K-NHT-SPICA-VELODYNE-PSB-CHICAGO STANDS. U.S. products. NO

GREY! Many closeout deals! STEREO TECH. 414-836-2942.

AMPEX PR -10-2 TAPE RECORDER INCLUDES SA -10AMPLIFIER. IN MINT CONDITION WITH MANUALS:$1000. CALL (708) 966-4741.

AUDIO INTERFACING ACCESSORIES (over 300) forbroadcasting, recording, sound reinforcement and live enter-tainment. Free catalog. SESCOM, INC. 1-800-634-3457.

AUDIO RESEARCH SEVERAL USED UNITS AVAILABLE.MCP -33, SP8, CL 60, D 115, ETC. CROWN MACRO REF-ERENCE AMPS AT HUGE SAVINGS. ALL THE LATESTAUDIO RESEARCH UNITS ON DISPLAY. NAKAMICHI1000, DUNTECH AND B&W. CALL FOR USTINGS ANDPRICES ON USED EQUIPMENT. IDEAL ACCOUSTICS,STARKVILLE, MS. 601-324-1020.

AUDIO POWER AMPLIFIERS. 100-500 WRMS/CH. Com-pletely assembled and tested from only $188.00 to $223.00each. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Call Electronics Hospital(407)952-3838.

CABLE T.V. CONVERTERS, DESCRAMBLERS. Scien-tific Atlanta, Zenith, Jerrold, Pioneer, Oak. Replace-ments for most models. Quality, Price & Service. Amex/DlscNisa/MC. Dealer inquiries invited. EAGLE Electron-ics Inc., 1-800-259-1187, #1, 1301 Railhead Blvd.,Naples, FL 33963.

AUDIO CABLES & MORE

DON'T PAY EXORBITANT PRICES! FOR TOP QUALITY !

We have years of experience in the wire manufacturingand we have equaled the high priced brands.Equivalent as low as .74/foot. We demystify wiretechnology. Send for explanation literature and catalogthat includes all our audio products or call our catalogrequest # 800 321 2108, 24 hrs/day.

DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME

L A T INTERNATIONALDept A 317 Provincetovm Road

Cherry Hill NJ 08034

DJ & NightclubSound & Lighting CATALOGFREE 68 -Page Catalog

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RACK AND CHASSIS BOXES for construction of electronicprojects. Low cost; quick delivery. Call for free catalog.SESCOM, INC. 1-800-634-3457.

FOR SALE

SAVE 40% ON HIGH -END home speak-ers, subwoofers, amplifiers. FREE CAT-ALOG, 3021 Sangamon Avenue, Spring-field, IL 62702. 1-800-283-4644.

FOR TWENTY YEARS WE HAVE BEEN THE SOURCEFOR ALL OF YOUR BLANK AUDIO/VIDEO TAPES ANDACCESSORIES, EVEN REEL-TO-REEL TAPES FOR STU-DIOS, AT DISCOUNTED PRICES. CATALOG AVAILABLE.SOUND INVESTMENT CORPORATION, 3586 PIERCEDRIVE, CHAMBLEE, GA 30341. (800) 659 -TAPE (8273),IN GA (404) 458-1679. FAX: (404) 458-0276.

CABLE T.V. CONVERTERS. Jerrold*, Zenith, Pioneer,Oak, Sclantific Atlanta, And Many More! 12 Years Expe-rience Gives Us The ADVANTAGE. Visa/MC, Amex, COD.ADVANTAGE ELECTRONICS INC.; 1-800-952-3916; 1125RIVERWOOD DR., BURNSVILLE, MN 55337. Void whereprohibited.

AUDIO BY VAN ALSTINE INTRODUCES OMEGA III buff-ered active feedback power amplifiers and buffered hybridpreamplifiers, high powered Fet-Valve hybrid vacuum tubeamplifiers, and affordable straight-line tube and hybrid pre-amplifiers for ultimate faithfulness to the spirit of the music.Now ready - beautiful new 17" wide ultra -dynamic pre-amplifier featuring switchable tone controls, gold switchcontacts, and gold jacks handling 9 sources and 5 loads. AVAruggedly efficient amplifiers feature striated heatsinks andcareful engineering -no output failures in two years! Com-plete line -only preamplifiers, headphone amplifiers, phaseinverters, and more (wired and kits) starting under $200.Hand crafted in the USA. ATTENTION VINTAGE DYNACOAND HAFLER OWNERS. Economically recycle your equip-ment for better than new performance. Eliminate old prob-lems with our durable, rugged, musically convincing originaldesigns. Complete PAS, PAT -4, PAT -5, and ST -70 rebuilds(kit or wired) from $195 include new circuit cards and preci-sion controls. AVA 300V/uS active feedback amplifier circuitsfor Dyna and Hater chassis set new standards for transpar-ency, definition, dynamic range, and liquidity. Write, call, orFAX for free illustrated catalog. Audio by Van Alstine, 2202River Hills Drive, Burnsville, MN 55337. (612) 890-3517,FAX: (612) 894-3675.

High -end audio components. All brandsavailable. The lowest prices. Friendlyservice and advice. Call today. AUDIOAMERICA (Virginia). 1-703-745-2223.

WE BEAT PRICES!!NAKAMICHI, CARVER, POLK, PSB, DENON, NHT, NAD,B&K, SNELL, PARASOUND, KEF, VELODYNE, M&K, ON-KYO, ACURUS, FOSGATE, PS AUDIO, SPICA, SOUNDSHOP 206-692-8201

$$SAVE!!$$AUDIO SOLUTIONS is Atlanta's Hi -Endsource for Audio Research, Theta, McCor-mack, Wire World, Cary Audio, Vanders-teen, CODA, Straightwire, Acurus, Snell,Sumilko, SOTA, NHT, Kimber Kahle, Mag-num Dynalab, Audible Illusions, Rotel,VPI, Paradigm, Dunlavy, Sony ES, SonyVideo. 5576 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd.(404)804-8977.

MICRO IDENTIFICATIONfor your audio & videoequipment.

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Call for brochure

USE THE TRACE MARK ® TO PROTECT ALL YOURVALUABLES. Microstamp Corporation: 2770 E. Walnut St.,Pasadena, CA 91107. (818) 793-9489. (800) 243-3543.


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FOR SALE

PUT SOME MAGIC BACK IN YOURMUSIC LISTENING

THERE IS A WORLD OF WONDERFULLY RICH MUSICAL DETAIL IN YOUROLD RECORDS. ALL THAT YOU NEED TO UNLOCK THESE TREASURERS IS A

-GREAT TURNTABLE" - THE HW-19 MK.4.

ILSTEREOPHILE MAGAZINE - 1992 ANALOG PRODUCT OF THE YEAR2}

V.P.I. IND. INC. CLIFFWOOD AVE.. 3B. CLIFFWOOD. NEW JERSEY 07721 908.946-8606 FAX 908.946.8578

THE FIRST JITTER -FREE TRANSPORT IS AVAILABLENOW! AT $649, THE REFERENCE ONE TRANSPORTREPRESENTS A BREAKTHROUGH IN TECHNOLOGYAND PRICE. ISOLATED STABLE CLOCK MODULE ANDOTL TRANSPORT DRIVER BOARD ALSO AVAILABLE.TURN YOUR CDS INTO MUSIC. G & D TRANSFORMS,(602) 650-1155.

AUDIO CONNECTION'SRECOMMENDEDCOMPONENTS

AUDIBLE ILLUSIONS, VANDERSTEEN, QUICK-SILVER, SONIC FRONTIERS, OCM, PSE, MICRO -MEGA, B&W, PROAC, KIMBER KABLE, ROTEL, B&K,VPI, MUSIC REFERENCE, PSB, NAIM, VAC, DPA,VERDIER, KLIMO, SPICA, EPOS, GRADO, SUMIKO,MAGNAN, OCOS, CARDAS, XLO, AUDIOQUEST,TARA LABS, AUDIOLAB, APOGEE, SPENDOR, EAR -MAX, MORE! TRADE-INS AND USED. AUDIO CON-NECTION, 615 BLOOMFIELD AVENUE, VERONA,NJ 07044. (201) 239-1799. FAX: (201) 239-1725.

REMOVE VOCALS from music- Tanco Voice Decoder-$79.95. Fully guaranteed. Call (813)847-9319 for pmrecorded demo/ordering information.

MCINTOSH MPI-4 MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE INDICA-TOR. ALL TECHNICAL MANUALS. COLLECTOR'SITEM. JUST SERVICED BY CUSTOM AUDIO, LITTLEROCK (MCINTOSH AUTHORIZED). $1200. (501)362-2871.

P.A.U.L. purveyors of fine American and British compo-nents: Apature, Arcici, AudioSource, Bear Labs, Billy Bags.Celestion, Linaeum, Maplenoll, McCormack, MSB Technol-ogy, Music Reference, Virtual Image. THE SOUND SOLU-TION (908)432-0954.

STEVE'S CONSIGNMENTSHOPHi Fi Farm and Steve's Audio advice now offersconsignment opportunities for the used Audio market. TopDollar Offered. Call for Information. New Equipment also.Call 1-800-752-4018.

SINGERS REMOVEVOCALS

Unlimited Backgrounds"'From Standard Tapes, Records, & CDs with

the Thone-iiimiVocal Eliminator" Call Nowfor Free Catalog & Demo Tape.Phone (404)482-4189-Ext 51LT Sound , Dept AU.I5,

7988 LT ParkwayLithonia, CIA 30058

20 Hour Damo/Info RequestLine (400)082-2485 -2051

The Vocal Elenleator'" Better Than Karaoke:

FREE SHIPPING! PLUS:EXPERIENCED, FRIENDLY ADVICE! MIRAGE, PS,CWD, KEF, KINERGETICS, PHILIPS, AUDIOQUEST,FRIED, MONSTER, KIMBER KABLE, SPICA, CARY,STRAIGHTWIRE, QUAD, MORE! READ BROTHERS,593 KING, CHARLESTON, SC 29403. (803) 723-7276.

AUDIO NEXUS=QUALITY Featuring legendaryVANDERSTEEN loudspeakers & ROTEL Components.

AMC Apogee Audio Alchemy Audioquest Audio -Static B&K Cardas Cary CWD Dynalab EAD Exposure Fanfare Forte Fried Grado JM Lab Kimber Kinergetics Magnum McCormack Melos Nakamichi Power Wedge PSB Rotel Jeff Rowland Sony ES Vandersteen VPI SUMMIT, NJ(908)277-0333

DBX & ADC HARD -TO -FIND PARTS & SERVICE. CALL/WRITE RES, 5462 BUCHANAN PLACE, FREMONT, CA94538. (510) 490-1622, FAX (510) 656-8878.

HYPE! HYPEI HYPE!You get enough elsewhere! We've delivered somethingdifferent for 15 years-natural, musical results! "Musi-cally exciting" Adcom, B&KandHafler modifications.Dual -Mono Adcom GFA-555 mods. Smooth, delicateB&K mods. PA -1 driver boards for Hafler amps-budget bliss! Don't be high -end pretenders, be con-tenders, call us today! MUSICAL CONCEPTS, 5749WESTWOOD DR., ST. CHARLES, MO 63304. (314)447-0040.

f444.4,ze, HaltPerformance Audio CablesSILVER INTERCONNECTS

$400 /1 Meter

SILVER SPEAKER CABLES$60.00 / foot

99.99% Pure Silver forthe Finest Musical Experience

FIDELUS DIGITAL CABLE$250 / 1 Meter

Information and reviews available1147 E. Broadway, Suite 40, Glendale, CA 91205

818/242-4535 Fax 818/242-4415

TIPS FOR MAIL ORDERPURCHASERS

It is impossible for us to verify allof the claims of advertisers, includ-ing product availability and exis-tence of warranties. Therefore, thefollowing information is providedfor your protection.

1. Confirm price and merchan-dise information with the seller,including brand, model, color or fin-ish, accessories and rebates includ-ed in the price.2. Understand the seller's returnand refund -policy, including theallowable return period, who paysthe postage for returned merchan-dise, and whether there is any"restocking" charge.3. Understand the product's war-ranty. Is there a manufacturer'swarranty, and if so, is it from a U.S.or foreign manufacturer? Note thatmany manufacturers assert that,even if the product comes with aU.S. manufacturers warrantycard, if you purchase from anunauthorized dealer, you are notcovered by the manufacturer'swarranty. If in doubt, contact themanufacturer directly. In additionto, or instead of, the manufacturer'swarranty, the seller may offer itsown warranty. In either case, whatis covered by warranty, how long isthe warranty period, where will theproduct be serviced, what do youhave to do, and will the product berepaired or replaced? You maywant to receive a copy of the writtenwarranty before placing your order.4. Keep a copy of all transac-tions, including cancelled checks,receipts and correspondance. Forphone orders, make a note of theorder including merchandiseordered, price, order date, expecteddelivery date and salesperson'sname.5. If the merchandise is notshipped within the promised timeor if no time was promised, 30 daysof receipt of the order, you generallyhave the right to cancel the orderand get a refund.6. Merchandise substitution with-out your express prior consent isnot allowed.7. If you have a problem withyour order or the merchandise,write a letter to the seller with all thepertinent information and keep acopy.8. If you are unable to obtain sat-isfaction from the seller, contactthe consumer protection agency inthe seller's state or your local PostOffice.

If, after following the above guide-lines, you experience a problemwith a mail order advertiser that youare unable to resolve, please let usknow. Write to the AssociatePublisher of AUDIO Magazine, TonyCatalano. Be sure to include copiesof all correspondence.


FOR SALE

MUSICAL CONCEPTS =CD MUSICALITY

Blissful satisfaction with CD sound is possible! ENIG-MA, "$10,000 smoothness" for $695, EPOCH, "Seduc-tive, Sweet, Natural!" $995, CDT -4 Transport $695. Allhave "Stable Platter"! ENTRE CD player and CDT -5Transport "Simply incredible values", $495/each. AudioAlchemy mods and power supplies, from $149. Wemodify Philips -based, Pioneer CD/Laserdisc. We add"COAX" to CD/Laserdisc with "OPTICAL". MUSICALCONCEPTS, 5749 WESTWOOD DR., ST. CHARLES,MO 63304. 1-314-447-0040.

Audio DenFor twenty years, We've offered thebest brands, peerless service and

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Home Theater and custom installationswith style and simplicity. Contact us for

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2021 Smith Haven Plaza Lake Grove NY 11755

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THX HOME THEATERAlon - B&W - VMPS - Bang & Olufsen -Adcom - KEF - Harman/Kardon - Mirage -Crown - Celestion - Eminent Technology -McCormick - VTL - Denon - Triad - Polk -Velodyne - Fosgate - Signet - Audible Illu-sions - Snell - NHT - Carver - B&K - Quad -Alchemy + 25 More Brands. Honest Ad-vice! TECH ELECTRONICS (904) 376-8080.Not affiliated with Amerisound or STI.Hardbound AUDIO, annual bound volume editions, justlike the ones in the Editor -in -Chiefs office. Various yearsavailable in limited quantities, $40.00 each. Also available:Hardbound October Annual Equipment Directories. Years1992, 1991, 1990, & 1987 $15.95 each, and hardbound MayCar Stereo Directories for years 1991, 1990,1989 and 1985,$8.00 each. All prices include postage and handling. Allorders postpaid. Check or money order only (no credit cardorders) payable to AUDIO MAGAZINE. Send orders to AU-DIO, 1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019. Attn: MichaelBieber, Or call 212/767-6301 for further information.

B&O B&W CARVER DENON FOSGATE H/K KEF LEXICON NAD NAKAMICHI ONKYO POLK VELODYNE 24 HOURAUTOMATED PRICING MANUFACTURERSWARRANTIES COURTEOUS ASSISTANCE AMERICAN THEATER SYSTEMS (904)321-0100.

FOR SALE

Wholesale ConnectionCall Toll Free 1-800-226-2800

Receivers C.D. Players Tape Decks MiniDisc Recorders DAT Recorders HomeSpeakers Mini Systems Laser Disc Players.JVC Technics Kenwood Pioneer HarmanKardon Bose Infinity Advent Pinnacle Aiwa & More.Wholesale Connection, 63-48 108th St.

Forrest Hills, NY 11375

AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD.Buys-Sells-Trades-Repairs-Modites.

(Al) = AS IS, (D) = Demo, (EX) = Excellent, (F) = Fair,(G) = Good, (M) = Mint, (N) = New. AMPLIFIERS: CarverTFM15CB(D) $396, Crown MACRO -REF (D) $3199; KrellKSA200S (EX) $4995, KSA300S (M) $6339; Levinson MLII(M) $1199; Manley STEREO -75/75 (D) $1799; Marantz250M (C1) $399; McIntosh MC40 (EX) $995; MC225 (EX)$899, MC240 (EX) $1899, MC2100 (Al) $299, MC2105$399-899, MC2120 (G) $799, MC2205 (EX) $1499, MI200(UNK) $2000; Motif MS2001 (N) $2099; Music ReferenceRM9 (EX) $1499; Parasound HCA2200 (D) $899; PS AudioDELTA -250 (D) $995; Sonograph SA150 (N) $499, YamahaM70 (Al) $299. CASSETTE DECKS: Carver TDRI 550 (D)$415; Denon RR680 (EX) $199. CD PLAYERS: Carver SD/A360 (D) $396; Denon DCD3520 (D) $1049. CD PRO-CESSORS: Krell SBP64X (M) $2669, STUDIO (M) $2169.PHONOGRAPHS: Victor CREDENZA (G) $4000. PRE-PREAMPS: Conrad -Johnson PR6 (D) $529; Threshold M1(EX) $299. PREAMPLIFIERS: Audio Research Corp. SP9-MKII (EX) $1295; Conrad -Johnson PF1L (M) $559, PV9(EX) $1695, PV11 (EX) $1199; Denon DAP2500 (EX) 9449:GAS THALIA (Al) $149; Krell KRC2 (M) $2295, PAM7 (EX)$999; Marantz 3600 (EX) $499; McIntosh C8 $2-400, Cl I(G) $1495, C20 (EX) $1399, C22 $1995, C28 $2-600, C31V(EX) $1249, C34V (EX) $1499; PS Audio PS4.6 (EX) $399,PS6.1 (D) $349; Sonograph SC22 (N) $349; SuperphonREVELATION -II (G) $349; PROCESSORS: Audio ControlPCA200 (D) $279; Carver DPL20 (EX) $231. SPEAKERS:Apogee DUETTA (EX) $1299, MINOR (M) $899, SLANT -6(EX) $1589, SLANT -8 (EX) $3995; Dahlquist DQ10 (G)$499; Genesis 1M8200 (N) $699; Linaeum LFX (D) $525,LS2 (D) $419; Magnepan MGIIIA (NOS) $1399; McIntoshMLIC (EX) $999; Synthesis LM260A (D) $839; YamahaNS500 (EX) $199. TEST EQUIPMENT: Audio Control R130(N) $649; McIntosh AA2 (EX) $749, MPI4 (EX) $1599;Sound Technology 1700B (G) $699. TUNER PREAMPS:McIntosh MX110 $399-499, MX113 (EX) $599. TUNERS:Carver TX11B (N) $739; Luxman T117 (Al) $249; MagnumDynalab FT101 (D) $799, ETUDE (D) $1269; McIntoshMR65B $399-799, MR67 $249-1200, MR78 (EX)$999-1799. TURNTABLES: Acoustic Research XA (EX)$199; Denon DP7F (N) $280, DP45F (G) $99; ThorensTD124/II (EX) $395. VIDEO DISC PLAYERS: DenonLA3000 (D) $599, LA3100 (D) $919. FREE Catalogue.8AM-5PM EST Mon. -Fri.

AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD.P03 176AAA, Walton, NY 13856

607-865-7200FAX: 607-865-7222

KEF, MIRAGE, B&W, HARMAN/KARDON,NAKAMICHI, CARVER, DEMON, ADCOM,ONKYO, KLIPSCH, LEXICON, NHT, ROCKSOLID & OTHERS-BEST PRICES & CLOSE-OUT & CLEARANCE SPECIALS. U.S. ASSO-CIATES: 1-800-380-5111.

THIEL 3.6, THRESHOLD FET 10e, 3.9e,INFINITY RS -B, B&K 5ch AMP, LUXMANTP-117. CHAMPAGNE AUDIO: (217)355-8828.

KEF, B&W, Thiel, and Legacy Owners -

Would you like to improve on the great sound you alreadyhave? Try a pair of "Golden Flutes" by JPS Labs, anecessity for proper bass extension. Please call or fax (716)822-0159 anytime to drastically improve your listening plea-sure.

MARANTZ GOLD, AX1000 16 BIT AUDIO COMPUTER,HOME OR PROFESSIONAL USE. NEVER USED -STILL INORIGINAL BOX. LIST $15,000 - SELL $8,000.417-831-9292.

FOR SALE

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CRu. Now (212) 229-1622143 West 261h Slmer, New York, NY 10001

All Major Credit Cards Accepted

LOUDSPEAKERS

SPEAKERCATALOG

Parts Express is a full -line dis-tributor o electronic parts andaccessorws geared toward theconsume, electronics industryand the -technical hobbyist.We stocl- an extensive line ofspeaker drivers and accesso--ies for terns and car. Sendor your FREE 188 page cata-og toda).

Parts Express340 E. First Street .

Daytor, Ohio 45402-1257 1-800-338-0531

ROTTEN FOAM EDGES?SIMPLY SPEAKERSdoes professional foam replace-ments any size/brand. 7 Year Warranty We sell DIYFoam Surround Kits for less! Speaker reconing. MC/VISA/DISCOVER: 1-800-767-4041

DARE TO BE DIGITAL!!Finally a DAC designed to do digital right! DAC's$695-$2295, Speakers $995-$24995, Room AcousticsHandbook $14.95. MACH 1 Acoustics, fax/phone (603)654-9826.

A & S SPEAKERS Imports the world's finest speakercomponents, crossovers, & kits: Dynaudio, Scan Speak,VIFA, Ceratec, Focal, Morel, MB Electronics, Peerless, Poly-dax, SEAS, LPG, Eton, Versa-Tronics, VMPS systems &kits.Fn3e literature. 3170 23rd Street, San Francisco, CA94110. (415) 641-4573; Fax (415) 648-5306.

VMPS factory assembled speakers. Low Prices, shippeddirect to you. Free Price sheet. Arthur Morgan, 886 EastCharing'Cross CR., Lake Mary, FL 32746.

LOUDSPEAKER COMPONENT - KITS. Audio Concepts,Dynaudio, Eclipse, Eton, LPG, Vifa, more! Crossover parts,design books & repairs. Catalog $2.00. MENISCUS, 257528th St., S.W., Dept. A, Wyoming, MI 49509. (616)534-9121.

LOUDSPEAKER SALE! Acoustat 1.14800; AcoustatSpectra 1100-$900; B&W 640-5900; DahlquistD0124700; DCM Time Window 3-5600; Klipsch For-te -51000; Linn Isobaric -$1700; Genesis Genre 1-$800;Genesk311142200; Infinity Ref. 1-5125/Ref. 6- $600; Infin-ity Kappa 8.1-51000; JBL LX55-$600; MB Quart 990MCS-51300; Martin Logan CLS1-$1300; MirageM5-$1200; McIntosh XRI 6 $1000; Merlin Sig 11141400;Near 50M-$1000; Polk Mon. 104450; Polk SDA-$1500;Polk LS50 $400; Pinacle PN5-$100; Proac Tablette114600, Unity Audio Sig 3-S1095. Call: (217) 544-5252.

RIBBON BASED LOUDSPEAKERS. Superb soundstaging& definition without the usual planar headaches. Full rangesystems, modules & kits. Ideal for integrating true hifi soundwith both surround standards. Call or fax (24 hrs) for informa-tion & reviews. Newform Research Inc. 705-835-9000.


LOUDSPEAKERSCUSTOM ACTIVE ELECTRONIC CROSSOVERS, 6 to 36dB/Oct. Also Snell, Magnepan versions. DB SYSTEMS,POB 460, RINDGE, NH 03461. (603) 899-5121.

FOAM ROT REPAIR! FACTORY REPLACEMENT PARTS!LOW PRICES! FAST SERVICE! FACTORY WARRANTY!DO IT YOURSELF REPAIR SURROUND KITS FROM$19.95/PR! FOAM, CLOTH & RUBBER SURROUNDS,PLUS CONES, COILS & TWEETER DIAPHRAGMS! ALLMAKES & SIZES INCLUDING: CERWIN VEGA, JBL, AR/ADVENT, MARANTZ, INFINITY, BOSE! CALL Total Recon-ing Service (419) 475-9387.

TRUE SURWOOFERWith phenomenaltrue deep bassextending below20Hz with lowdistortion at a veryaffordable price.

The new HRSW12Vwill extend the bassof your stereo orvideo system forthat "air shaking allaround you" effect.

HSU Research HRSW12V

Here's what the experts said of our 100W, 25Hzprototype shown at the Winter CES (productionunits are 150W, 20Hz):

"...all of the non-boomy, stomach -massaging bass energywas coning from a single 12 -inch powered subwoofer...

Peter Mitchell, Stereophile Vol. 17 No. 4, April 1994

"...delivered enough punch to shake the stun:fest shelf..."Brent Butterworth. Video Magazine, April 1994

"One of the most effective subwoofer demonstrations""Gary Reber, Widescreen Review Vol. 3 No. 1, March 1994

Send for complete information on the HRSW12Vand our famous HRSW10s.

Hsu)Write or call:HSU RESEARCH20013 Rainbow Way, Cerritos, CA 907011-800-554-0150 (Voice)1-310-924-7550 (Voice/Fax)

Sold fac ory direct with a 30 day trial - money backguarantee. 5 year manufacturers defect warranty

HIGH -END COMPUTER DESIGNED HOMETHEATER SPEAKERS. BEAUTIFUL WOODCABINETRY, FACTORY DIRECT. 30 -DAYTRIAL. FREE BROCHURE. CENTER STAGESPEAKERS. CALL/FAX (503) 654-7310.

REPAIR FOAM ROT To,

FOR YOURSELF!SAT will save you hundreds of dollars' Allsizes including AR, Advent. BOSE. JBL.Surrounds, adhesive & instructions527.95/pr. BOSE 901's $67.95/pr (incl.S/H, No COD's) Do it yourself with SAT!

STEPP AUDIO TECHNOLOGIES800-747-3692 MC/VISA

704-697-9001 24 HrPO Box 1088, Flat Flock, NC 28731 Intl make & model w/order

Upgrades and Drivers plus Systems from$200 to $7000 per pair. Ohm AcousticsCorp. 241 Taaffe Pl., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205

LOUDSPEAKERS

BETTERLOUDSPEAKERTECHNOLOGY

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The VMPS Tower II Special Edition, the deluxe ver-sion of an Audio Magazine "Best Buy" system, isnow available with exclusive handbuilt, phase -pluggedwoven carbon fiber 12" woofers, the finest dynamicdrivers extant.

These high-tech cones are also now standard in ourflagship FF-1 Focused Field Array ($6800-$7200pr), four of which made up the VMPS 1994WCES Surround Sound display. After auditioningevery multichannel/Home Theater display at theShow, the editor of Widescreen Review judged theVMPS room best, and by a wide margin. Call orwrite for copies of the full editorial, or for brochuresand test reports on all VMPS systems including ourfour Subwoofers ($289-$649ea), the 0S0626 andDipole Surround A/V monitors ($289-$349ea),OSO Series bookshelf systems, and more. Kit ver-sions of most systems are available, and prices in-clude free shipping in 4B states.

VMPS AUDIO PRODUCTSdiv. !tone Audio

3429 Morningside Dr.El Sobrante, CA 94803

(510) 222-4276 Fax: (510) 232-3837

Hear VMPS at: The Listening Studio, Boston: Sounds Incred-ible. Brookfield CT; Dynamic Sound, Washington DC; Hifi Farm.Roanoke VA; Home Theater Systems, Little Falls NJ; MarkCurry, Las Vegas, NV; AMUG, Phoenix AZ; Rama Audio, SunValley CA: American Audio. Greenville SC; Chattanooga ValleyAudio, Rossville GA: Tech Electronics, Gainesville FL. ArthurMorgan, Lake Mary FL. DNA Audio. Orange City FL. SoundsDeluxe, Clarendon Hills IL; Audio Exchange, Mishawaka IN;Audio Connection, Terre Haute IN; Ruth Industries. St. LouisMO; Shadow Creek Ltd, Minneapolis MN; Audio by GilMorrison, Detroit MI: Lookout Electronics. Longview WA;Affordable Audio. Fresno. CA; Exclusively Entertainment.Oceanside. CA; Hal Broda, Escondido CA; Christopher HansenLtd., Beverly Hills CA; Audio Haven, Brea CA: Sounds Unique.San Jose CA; Private Line Home Entertainment, StocktonCA; Golden Ear, Chico CA; Itone Audio, El Sobrante CA;James Romeyn, Petaluma CA; The Sound Room, VancouverBC Canada

Spectra DynamicsDeflex Acoustic Panels

Using computer assisted design andadvanced polymers, Spectra Dynamicshas developed the Deflex AcousticDamping Panel. This unusual materialhas a consistency of raw round steak.When used with speaker systems, Deflexreduces cabinet resonances and internalstanding waves. The result is clean andrefined midrange frequencies, improvedbass definition, and an overall sound thatis precise and realistic.

"...A marked improvement was obvious from thefirst few bars of REM's Automatic for the People

album...""...Vocals took on a air of presence that was

stunning compared to what had gone before...""...Rhythm was more definite and seemed to

'glue' the musical experience together..."Hi Fi News & Record Review - March 1994

"...The special surface pattern reduces standingwaves to cure boxiness and resonances without

killing the vitality of the sound...""...expect tighter cleaner bass, crisper articula-

tion, and an increase in liveliness without loss ofcontrol..."

"...The result was sharper imaging, wider dy-namics and a more natural sound..."

Hi -Fl Choice - January 1994

"...Deflex panels seemed to give greater tight-ness and control, improved internal clarity, andbetter pitch definition -- all without deadening

the sound in any way..."Audiophile - January 1994

The Deflex Panels are designed to beglued to the inside walls of the speakerenclosure. In a cabinet under 1/2 fr', onlyone panel should be needed, mountedright behind the woofer. Larger cabinetswill require more panels, applying themfirst to the back wall and then to the sidewalls. People who tend to listen to musicat louder volumes should consider cover-ing most of the walls with Deflex Panels.

Standard Deflex Panel $13.00(280 x 210 x lOmm)

Deflex Subwoofer Panel $22.00(330mm diameter x 12mm)

Deflex Panel Adhesive $8.00(200m1)

Trade inquires welcome!

Madisound Speaker Components(8608 University Green)

P.O. Box 44283Madison, WI 53711 U.S.A.

Tel: 608-831-3433Fax: 608-831-3771


LOUDSPEAKERS RECORDS WANTED TO BUY

STATE OF THE ART CROSSOVER NETWORKS. UP-GRADE ANY SPEAKER SYSTEM. FREE DESIGN GUIDE.ALLPASS TECHNOLOGIES, INC., P.O. BOX 453, AM-ITYVILLE, NY 11701. (516) 598-1320.

23 YEARS OF CRITICAL ACCLAIM

OhmFULL ROOM STEREO I M

3-D STEREO IMAGE LOUDSPEAKERS

FREE CATALOGUE! 800-231-3458. No matter where yousit you will hear balanced 3-D stereo image with Ohm FRS"speakers. All Ohm speakers are designed to deliver FULLROOM STEREO". American Records Inc., 409 PlandomeRd., Manhasset, NY 11030. FACTORY AUTHORIZEDSALES/SERVICE. DiscoverNisa/MC/AMEX.

SPEAKER GRILL CLOTH"ACOUSTICALLY TRANSPARENT" 6 COLORS AVAIL-ABLE HIGH GRADE. ALSO GRILL PEGS, GRILLFOAM, CUSTOM GRILLS MADE. SPEAKERWORLDINC. (813)544-3511. MC -VISA -AMEX.

SINCE 1947 HAL COX SELLS & BUYS CLASSIC JBLNEW & USED COMPONENTS. SPECIAL: 075 BULLETTWEETER ALNICO (NEW). VISA/MC. $10 CATALOG &SAMPLE SPEAKER PLANS. 164 TAMALPAIS AVENUE,MILL VALLEY, CA 94941. (415) 388-5711.

LOUDSPEAKER CABINETS Large selection of excellentquality loudspeaker cabinets for custom builders and deal-ers. Grenier Cabinets, 189 Jennings Road, Horseheads,N.Y. 14845 (607)594-3838.

SPEAKER GRILLES- Professional quality, custom sizegrilles made to order. Grenier Cabinets (607)594-3838 orFAX (607)594-4019.

"Seductive."

Everycomponentmatched forthe ultimatestereophonicreproduction.

NSM Loudspeakers®Box 326, Garden City, New York 11530-0326Phone: 516-486-8285, Fax: 516-538-0933

COMPACT DISCSDTR CDs, cassettes. Superb two mike recordings. Classi-cal, Christmas, other music. Write for free catalog or send$17.99 (VISA/MC) for CD (we'll choose). Direct -to -Tape Re-cordings, 14-R Station Ave., Haddon Heights, NJ08035-1456.609-547-6890.

RECORDSPRESERVE + MAINTAIN + RESTORE '"

LP-78RPM-4CH Pickering Stanton Shure Nitty Gritty Vacuum Record Cleaners from $99.95 Special Brushes& Fluids 3 -Speed Turntables Signal Processors Dis-counts Free Catalog! KAB Electro-Acoustics, P.O. Box2922, Plainfield, N.J. 07062-0922 (908)754-1479.

VisaMasterCard

LV/CD/RECORD COLLECTOR'S SUPPLIES. Jewel boxes,record jackets, sleeves, storage boxes, 78 sleeves, dividers,much more! Free brochure: CABCO PRODUCTS, ROOM663, POB 8212, COLUMBUS, OH 43201. (614) 267-8468.

CLEAN VINYL, graded and priced to sell. Write for list;please state music category. DAVE'S RECORDS, Box41750, Mesa, AZ 85274.

HALF MILE VINYL. Quality pre -owned LP's. F/Information,Catalog. SASE: Box 98, East Wareham, MA 02538. (508)295-2508.

AUDIOPHILE RECORDS

Analogue ProductionsMobile Fidelity - Wilson

Reference Recording - CheskySheffield Lab - harmonic Munch

Propnus - RCA L win Stereo - easierMercury Living Presence plus many more

in and out of pnnt recordings,

Catalog $3 In USA, $5 elsewhere - refundable

ACOUSTIC SOUNDS 1-800-525-1630P. 0. BOX 2043 SALINA, KS 67402.2043

1-913.825-8609 FAX- 1-913-825-0156

ANNOUNCEMENT!!Audiophile albums have returned!!! So has your favoritesupplier SOUND ADVICE!! Dennis'' urges at former patronsto call, verify aodress information, and receive our mailings.-Featuring the complete catalogs of: Mobile Fidelity, Refer-ence Recordings, Classic 'Living Stereo' reissues, Chesky,Sheffield, Wilson, Analogue, etc...SOUND ADVICE -8215Grand Ave, Kansas City, MO 64114. Information -81 6-361-2713. All accounts, old or new, may call1-800-361-8676 to order or verify mailing information.

FOR SALE: 78 SPEED RECORDS. LARGE VARIETYINCLUDING COUNTRY WESTERN, POFULAR VOCAL-ISTS, EUROPEAN MUSIC. FOR UST-(701) 252-5774(MACHINE) OR (701) 252-7370.

WANTED TO BUYTOP PAYING FOR MCINTOSH, MARANTZ TUBE AMPMcIntosh Solid state, Western, JBL, Altec, Tannoy, EV,Jensen, Speakers & Horn, EMT Tumtab'e. Ortofon Arm,Temma--(516) 942-1212, (516) 496-2973.

AAAALWAYS PAYING TOP $$ FOR CLEAN, COLLECT-ABLE McINTOSH TUBE AND SOLID STATE, MARANTZTUBE, WESTERN ELECTRIC, JBL-PARAGON, HART-SFIELDS, ETC. & ALNICO PARTS. EV PATRICIANS,GEORGIANS & MISC. PARTS. M. LEVINSON, KRELL,ARC, SPECTRAL ETC. CALL ME LAST ONLY WHENYOU'RE READY TO SELL! JOHN: 1-800-628-0266.

TOP DOLLAR PAID FOR YOUR USED AUDIO EQUIP-MENT. HI Fl EXCHANGE (718) 423-0400.

CASH for USED AUDIO & VIDEO EQUIP.BUYING and SELLING by PHONE. CALL forHIGHEST QUOTE. (215) 886-1650 Since1984. The Stereo Trading Outlet, 320 OldYork Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046.TUBE HIFI, COMMERCIAL AMPS, HORN SPEAKERS,McIntosh, Altec, RCA, Western Electric, Jensen, Marantz,Heath, Dynaco, Craftsman, Eico, Etc. Sonny 405-737-3312.

KLIPSCHORNS FACTORY BUILT 1948-1955. ESPE-CIALLY BLONDE ''PRIMAVERA". ALSO OLD HERESYAND CORNWALL SINGLES, BLONDE OR MAHOGANY(708)629-7638.

Since 1977 David Yo always buying: tube Marantz, McIn-tosh, ARC, Fisher, Dynaco, Quad, Leak. Western Electricequipments, others. Vintage speakers, raw units by WesternElectric, Tannoy, Jensen, JBL, Altec, EV(Patricians), RCA-LC1A. Audio tubes(KT66/77/88, 7591, 6550, etc.) by Tele-funken, Genalex, Mullard, RCA, Tungsol, etc. P.O. Box28082, Northridge, CA. 91328-0802. Tel: (818) 701-T+63310am-10pm PST

MARANTZ & VINTAGE ERA EQUIPMENT, HIGH -END. Noone pays MORE! (Esecially other brands.) N.Y.S.I. (718)377-7282, 2-6pm, WEEKDAYS.

COLLECTOR WILL TRAVEL, to pick-up, working or not,MONO/Stereo: tube MARANTZ, McIntosh, TANNOY Spkrs,B&W, B&O, SEOUERRA Tuner, KRELL, Levinson, etc.(718)387-7316 or (718)383-3205. NEW YORK.

WANT - JBL Hartsfield, EV Patrician, Singles OK, McIn-tosh, Marantz & other tube equipment. Larry Dupon, 2638 W.Albion, Chicago, IL 60645. (312) 338-1042, evenings.

WANTED: WESTERN ELECTRIC, JBL, MARANTZ OLDEQUIPMENT. SUNLIGHT ENGINEERING COMPANY:310-320-7020, 22130 SOUTH VERMONT AVENUE, #A,TORRANCE, CA 90502.

WANT: WESTERN ELECTRIC, JBL, JENSEN, EV,HEATH, MARANTZ, EMT, GARRARD 301, THORENS124, TANNOY OLD EQUIPMENT! HENRY CHANG, 115SOUTH NICHOLSON AVE., MONTEREY PARK, CA91755. (818) 307-7372. FAX: 818-288-1471.

AUDIO CLASSICS BUYS -SELLS -TRADES -REPAIRSHigh End Audio Components. CALL for a quote. See our adat the beginning of the classifieds. AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD.,POB 175W8, Walton, NY 13856. Phone: 607-865-7200.8AM-5PM EST Mon.-Fri..FAX 607-865-7222

CABLE TVCABLE T.V. CONVERTERS! JERROLD, OAK, ZENITH,SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA, PIONEER...EXCELLENTPRICES! PERSONABLE SERVICE! 30 DAY MONEYBACK GUARANTEE! INNOVATIVE ELECTRONICS INC.800-493.5474 VISA, MC/C.O.D. ASK FOR JOHN OR BILL!

CABLE TV DESCRAMBLERS. SAVE MONEY,DON'T RENT! NOBODY BEATS OUR PRICE!CALL US LAST FOR THE BEST PRICE!! ALLBRANDS 24 HOUR SHIPPING. VCI1-800-677-0321.

CAR STEREO

"STEREO WORLD" Is your discount sound sourcewith great deals on car and home stereo: JVC, Sony,Crunch, Orion ,Pioneer, Hi-Fonics, Blaupunkt, Polk,Kenwood, Scosche EFX, JBL, Denon, Infinity and manyothers. We Carry alarms and a full line of installationkits. Please call or write for current FREE sales flyer.FREE UPS in 48 states. Our 7th year. Visa/MC: CODaccepted. P.O. Box 596, Monroe, NY 10950 (914)782-6044.

SERVICES

ACCUPHASEAUTHORIZED SERVICE AND PARTS for all Accuphaseproducts. Contact: ACCUTECH, 206 E. Star of India Lane,Carson, CA 90746. TEL. (310) 324-7406, FAX (310)324-7422. Hours: 9am-4pm Pacific Time.

AudioEquipment Built, Repaired, Modified and Restoredby Richard Modafferi, independent consultant to Audio Clas-sics, Ud., inventor, and former Senior Engineer at McIntosh.AUDIO CLASSICS, LTD. POB 176RTM, Walton, NY 13856Phone: 607-865-7200 8AM-5PM EST Mon. -Fri., FAX:607-865-7222.

PUBLICATIONS

1BUILD YOUR OWNLOUDSPEAKERSSpeaker Builder the world's bestspeaker periodical shows you how.Send today for your first free copy

(PO BOX 494, PETERBOROUGH NH 03458,,,

Join THE AUDIO ADVENTURE, a monthly newsletter byTom Miller searching for GREAT equipment real peoplecan afford. For information, call: 1-800-566-6617.

Subscribe to the:

Am() TRADIN( "FINIESThe Smart Way To Buy & Sell

Pre -owned Equipment Nationwide!(Typcaily ,sue)

Call (715) 479-3103 for more info.

MOVIESOUND NEWSLETTER. The state of film audiotracks in theaters and at home. $8/year (4 -issues) Send$2 for two sample issues. P.O. Box 7304, Suite269A,1 No. Hollywood, CA 91603.


PUBLICATIONS

BOUM for SOMASOUND NOURISHMENT

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AD INDEX

Firm (Reader Service No.) Page

Acoustic Research 89Adcom (1) 62 & 63Apogee Acoustics (2) 74Audiophile Audition 103Audiophile Systems 107, 109, 1 1 1AudioQuest Cover IVBacardi 13

Bell'Ogetti (3) 101

BMG 16 a&bBoston Acoustics (4) 61

Brystonvermont (5) 97Cambridge SoundWorks (6, 7, 8).. 33, 34, 35Carver (9, 10) 85, 87Celestion (11) 81Chesky Records 23Columbia House 8 a -dconrad-johnson (12, 13) 65, 71Crutchfield (14) 88Definitive Technology (15) 24, 25Denon 37Digital Phase (16) 83Energy (17) 69GE/Sanyo (18) 115J & R Music World (19) 114Jack Daniels 99Jose Cuervo 5

KEF (20) 14Kimber Kable (21) 36Klipsch (22) 95Linaeum (23) 22Linn Hi-Fi 107, 109, 111Martin -Logan 77McCormack Audio (24) 31McIntosh (25) 79MCM Electronics (26) 22Mobile Fidelity (27, 44) 75, 106Monitor Audio (28) 96NEON (29) 66 & 67New West Electronics (30) 100Nobody Beats the Wiz 128 a -x*Now Hear This (31) Cover 3Paradigm (32) 11

Parasound 54 & 55Pioneer (33, 34) 26, 27, 29Pioneer (35) Cover 2 & 1Polyfusion Electronics (36) 59PSB Speakers (37) 28RCA Records (45) 94Reel to Real (38) 30Sennheiser (39) 53Sony 7Sony Music 105Sound City (40) 110Southern Comfort 21Technics (41) 19Touch Tunes 113U.S. Army 93USSB (42) 2 & 3van den Hul (24) 31Windham Hill 104XLO Electric 91Yakov Aronov (43) 90Yamaha 73

*Regional Ad

AUDIOSUBSCRIBE R SI RV I

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MOVING?Please give us 8 weeks advancenotice. Attach label with your oldaddress, and write in new addressbelow.

NAME

ADDRESS

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STATE

AUDIOP.O. Box 52548

BOULDER, CO 80322

L_AUDIO, November 1994, Volume 78, Num-ber 11. AUDIO (ISSN 0004-752X, DeweyDecimal Number 621.381 or 778.5) is pub-lished monthly by Hachette Filipacchi Mag-azines, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary ofHachette Filipacchi USA, Inc., at 1633Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019. Printed inU.S.A. at Dyersburg, Tenn. Distributed byWarner Publisher Services Inc. Second classpostage paid at New York, N.Y. 10019 andadditional mailing offices. Subscriptions inthe United States, $24.00 for one year,$42.00 for two years, $58.00 for three years;other countries except Canada, add $8.00per year; in Canada, $32.00 for one year (in-cludes 7% GST; Canadian GST registrationnumber 126018209).AUDIO® is a registered trademark of Ha-chette Filipacchi Magazines, Inc. ©1994,Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, Inc. Allrights reserved. The Editor assumes no re-sponsibility for manuscripts, photos, or art-work. The Publisher, at his sole discretion,reserves the right to reject any ad copy hedeems inappropriate.Subscription Service: Postmaster, pleasesend change of address to AUDIO, P.O. Box52548, Boulder, Colo. 80321-2548. Alloweight weeks for change of address. Includeboth old and new address and a recent ad-dress label. If you have a subscription prob-lem, please write to the above address or call(303) 447-9330.Back Issues: For information, write to P.O.Box 7085, Brick, N.J. 08723.


(Anon S-35 Speakers Grade: C

AUDIOPRISMIso-Bearing Vibration AbsorbersMost audio components have mount-

ing feet located at the four corners oftheir bottom plates; while these feetprotect against scratching the surfaceon which the component is placed,they are usually inadequate for

reducing vibrations. The Audio -Prism Iso-Bearings are designedto absorb vibrations that would

"Wide -Imaging Stereo Speakers" is what Canon calls theselittle speakers, which boast an unusual design. With a center -mono signal, the image is certainly "wide." Thedesign has two drivers, a dome and a polycone, arranged almost coaxially, as somecar speakers are. The interesting partis that this driver pair is aimeddown-at part of an inward -curved,truncated cone that Canon calls an"acoustic mirror." The result issomething over 120° of horizontaldispersion, which gives a very widesweet spot. That's great for akitchen system, where you might movearound a good deal relative to the S -35s.The best sound was with thespeakers at ear height. Anothergood application for this bigsweet spot is TV watching,particularly since the driversare magnetically shielded. Electricbass, piano, and vocals were okay,but cymbals and snare drums had a strange timbre. Overall, at $399/pair the S-35 isa mixed bag, but this may be the only system that works in some applications. E.P.


rade: k-harman Ikardon

Festival 500 Music System

With its sleek design and near -seamlessstack of four modules, the cinch -to -assembleFestival 500 appears as a modern, miniatureversion of the robot from the '50s cult movieKronos. It includes a full -featured CD player.a cassette deck with auto reverse and Dolby B/C/HX Pro NR, a programmable FM/AM tuner, andan amplifier rated at 60 watts/channel into 4 ohmsand capable of driving two sets of loudspeakers.I auditioned the Festival 500 with its optional $399two-way speakers; whether I placed them on the

floor or a shelf, the sound was impressive, especiallyon CD, han-

dling with equalauthority the acoustic

filigree of Rosanne Cash and the cavernousthrash of Nirvana. In our metal -frameoffice building, neither AM nor FM recep-tion was particularly good, what with aminimal antenna; many urban and mostsuburban locations should be better. Cassette recordings were decent if not spectacular. Myreview sample was a bit imprecise in its CD and cassette track skip, but otherwise the Festival500 deserves consideration if you're willing to part with $1,599 for a pretty but secondary,place -anywhere system.-K.R. For literature, circle No. 121

cause degradation in sound. They come in two sizes: The regular Iso-Bearings,which can support 4.4 pounds each, and the Iso-Bearing 3.3s, which can sup-port 17 pounds each. The smaller Iso-Bearings will support lighter compo-

nents such as CD players, cassette recorders, and tuners; they should beplaced between the bottom of the component and the mounting surface,and they are large enough to keep the mounting feet of most componentsfrom touching this surface. The larger Iso-Bearing 3.3 is designed for

heavier components such as amplifiers and even some loudspeakers.Both versions did a good job of absorbing vibration energy,including some severe impact shocks. They seemed best atisolating CD and record players from external shocks.I consider them a worthwhile investment (three regu-lars for $49.95, three 3.3s for $79.95). E.M.L.


"PlayBack" mini -reviews are the result of short,sweet, and sometimes deadly testing by our all -too -experienced editors and writers. These hands -and -ears -only write-ups may look like new productannouncements, but the grades and text reflectwhat the reviewer thought after less than an after-noon's "honeymoon."-E.P.

Grade: BV

Grade: A

GE SOPRANO III

Want to hear what a goodAM radio should sound like?

Just pick up aGE SuperadioIII wideband

AM/FM monoradio for$59.95, andyou'll hearAM pro-grammingthe way itwas onceheard inthe 1930s,'40s, and50s: Open,

full, and quitedynamic. The FM sounds pretty good, too.Don't let the '70s plastic look fool you. Thesound and the tuner sensitivity of the AMsection are amazing. Usable AM frequencyresponse is three times that of most AM ra-dios, and the Superadio III meets the Na-

tional Radio Systems Committee'sAMAX Standard for AM quality. Thebuilt-in, 8 -inch ferrite AM antennahelps pull in stations that you neverheard before. Other features includeswitchable wide/narrow bandwidth forAM to reduce noise at night, an exter-nal AM antenna connection, a tele-

scoping FM antenna, built-in speaker -matching equalization, and a 61/2 -inchwoofer and 2 -inch tweeter. John Gatski



How there s an 1111T loudspeaker in everybody s range.

There is no single perfect loudspeaker for every use- there are several. We know, because we make them.From NHT's highly acclaimed SuperZero two-way speaker,to the revolutionary new Model 3.3, the ultimateexpression of our Focused Image Geometry technology.

These two products represent merely the extremes ofNHT's innovative new product family. We now have the idealspeakers for every space, and every budget. Each is basedon our philosophy of making something great, or not makingit at all. And isn't that something everybody wants to hear?

USE YOU IMO.Now Hear This. Inc.. 535 Getty Court, Bldg. A. Benicia. CA 94510

For the NHT dealer nearest you: (U.S.) call 1-800-NHT-9993: (Canada) Artech Electronics Ltd.. (514) 631-6448Enter No. 31 on Reader Service Card

audioquest.EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE

' The purpose of audio and video equipment

is to reproduce a work of art. At AudioQuest

we strongly believe that it is not our place to

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We believe in the highest possible fidelity

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As the audio world moved from mono

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P.O. Box 3060 San Clemente, CA 92674

Tel: 714 498 2770 Fax: 714 498 5112

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