L, KLIPSCH CARYC7Z7_777LELL L, AUDIO ALCHEMY RECC-47140.:

THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITYJULY 199

PREAMPLIFIERS

DIGITAL

1)AC3

P112

After 25 -fears you learn to docertain things very well. Like

how to reine the resolution ofrecorded information without

sacrificing the musicality thatbinds the listener to the music. Or

how to expertly wield differenttechnologies to. meet the widely dif-ferent system needs (and budgets)of music lovers around the world.The Audio Research product lineshows how maay startling answersthere can be to the question of how

to best render life to recordedmusic played back in the home.

From the flagship vacuum--4,-,

tube LS5 MarkII linestage andVT150SE mono -black ampli-fiers to our most affordableLS7 and VT60 all -tube corribi-nation, the bloodline remainspure Audio Research! Thereare even sophisticates newsolid-state components tocarry the experience of mu.z.i-channel music and soundugackreproduction to unheard-ofheights of resolution.Yet what sets Audio Reseatchapart is more than a veisatlearray of products. It is a philoso-phy committed to continuingparts and service mailability forevery model we've ?.ver sold,reaching back a quarter-cer_:ury.So you can have continuing prideof ownership, and peace of mind.You'll be glad to knaw, :oo thatwe still hand-asseir_blrane listento each and every model before itgoes out the door. (We can 7. helpourselves.)If all this sounds like a :efr:_-shingapproach t.) audio. ust waituntil you arrange an auditicn

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c) PIONEERThe Art of Entertainment

Wandered out into the road.Heard music pounding.Figured I had time to cross.Didn't.

PIONEER SU BWOOF E RS. Nothing says"move it or lose it, varmint" like rawbass pounding out 'Jour window. Our subwoofers are designed with specially blendedmaterials to handle up to 450 watts of pure power. -hey also come in a variety ofcar -friendly shapes and sizes. So, go ahead and put a ton of bass in your system. Andgive nature a chance to dig that crazy beat. Call I -800 -PIONEER for a dealer near you

JULY 1995 VOL. 79, NO. 7

AUBI

r

THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITY

Pioneer,Klipsch, andCary ekudio Design

departmentsFAST FORE -WORD Eugene Pitts III 6WHAT'S NEW 8AUDIO ETC Edward Tatnall Canby 12CURRENTS John Eargle 16SPECTRUM Ivan Berger 20CODA: WILLIAM H. THOMAS 20SIGNALS & NOISE/ERRATUM 23ROADSIGNS Ivan Berger 26MONDO AUDIO Ken Kessler

ree6rdings30

CLASSICAL 80JAZZ & BLUES 84

The Cover Photographer: Bill Kouirinis StudioThe Cover Equipment: Pioneer DEH-P815 car stereo,Klipsch CF 3 speakers, and Cary Audio DesignCAD -805 mono amp. Paul Barry speaker standscourtesy of Park Avenue Audio.

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

Subscription Inquiries: nauPhone, 303/604-1464; fax, 303/604-7455 Bureau

Subwoofers,page 34

eaturesROLL YOUR OWN SUBWOOFER:

FOUNDATIONS FOR SOUND John Sehring 34SURROUND SPEAKERS: CONFUSION, DIFFUSION,

AND RESOLUTION Tomlinson Holman 40

equipment profilesPIONEER DEH-P815 CAR STEREO

Edward J. Foster and Ivan Berger 48CARY AUDIO DESIGN CAD -805 MONO AMP Bascom H. King 54KLIPSCH CF 3 SPEAKER D. B. Keele, Jr. 62CARVER RESEARCH UGHTSTAR REFERENCE AMP Bascom H. King 68

(///riCietiPOLK AUDIO M5, CS250S, M3II, AND PSW200

A/V SPEAKERS Anthony H. Cordesman 72LISTENING WITH SAM: LINAEUM LFX SPEAKER Sam Tellig . . 75ROOMTUNE DELUXE ROOM -TREATMENT PANELS

Anthony H. Cordesman 78

pla1-backRECOTON W500 WIRELESS HEADPHONE SYSTEM

RADIO SHACK DIGITAL SOUND LEVEL METER

AUDIO ALCHEMY VAC -IN -THE -BOX PHONO PREAMP 96

Radio Shack,page 96

We couldn't havesaidit better o elves.

- excerpts from Audio Magazine, by Alitli'my H. Cordesman

"...this is a product thatdeserves attention. yy

"You may besurprised to findout how goodyour speakers arewhen you first tryan amplifier ofthis quality. yy

"It does everythingexceptionally well forits price, and its uppermidrange and treble andoverall musicality arehard to find in any ampli-fier not costing at leasttwice its price range. yy

"This is the kind ofproduct that showsthe best of the highend can be madetruly affordable. 11

"The imcging, soundstage,dynamics, and transparency ofthe Adcom GFA-5800 had thekind of reagism and integrationI only expect to find in far moreexpensive products. )1

')A) ltIn short, theAdcom GFA-5800stands out even in aworld where almostall amplifiers nowsound good. yy

It is also a little difficult tobelieve that this amplifier is inthe $1500 price range. yy

"Just as Adcom oncechanged the standards of thepower amplifier market withthe 555, it has introduced anew product that may similarlychange the market again. yy

The Adcom GFA-5800 amplifier is quite possibly the best amplifier you may ever hear.We know it sounds better than others selling for more than twice its price. Delivering 250watts continuous per channel into 8 ohms between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, its circuit design andcomponent specifications are in a class by itself.

But you don't have to take our word for it. Send us your name and address and we willsend you a reprint of Audio's review as well as detailed literature. Or better yet, simply ask tolisten to the GFA-5800. Your ears will tell youall you need to know.

ADCOM®details you can hear

1:1I Send me Audio's review and detailed literature on theAdcom GFA-5800.

2

0

d City

Name

Address

State Zip

11 Elkins Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 U.S.A. (908) 390-1130.Distributed in Canada by PRO ACOUSTICS INC. Montreal, Quebec (514) 344-1226

CIRCLE NO. 1 ON READER SERVICE CARD

X Mail to: Adcom, 1 i Elkins Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 U.S.A.

FAST

Red House Records is very proudof a recent release that I rememberwith great fondness from a periodof my life when I still had dreamsof making my living by playingthe guitar. Since I couldn't sing,

and still can't, Leo Kottke was the model,though I wanted to play only countryblues, rather than become proficient inthe breadth of styles and genres Kottke'smastered.

The CD is Blues, Rags & Hollers by

"Spider" John Koerner, Dave "Snaker"Ray, and Tony "Little Sun" Glover. The

nicknames still seem counterfeit to me,as these guys were white, college -educated(or at least oriented), and in their earlytwenties-just like me, except I didn'thave the guitar chops. The Elektra LP wasstartling to a whole generation of youngpeople. It is wonderful to have that specialsound available again, but one thing thatmakes the Red House reissue truly specialis the addition of four tracks not includedon the original LP. Because of the widerfrequency and dynamic ranges possible inthe CD format, this disc sounds better thanthe original LP ever did.

Another thing that makes this rereleaseso special is the new liner notes by TonyGlover. Now, follow this. Originally, the

LP wasn't on Elektra but E. D. Nunn'sAudiophile Records. Nunn and theAudiophile label can easily be described asaudiophile; that name wasn't counterfeit.One of the first alternative, quality -oriented recordists, Nunn had done somePing-Pong stereo effects recordings, and,

FORE -WORD

says Glover, "His best seller was a whole

side of a thunderstorm, with a passingdistant train in the night." Nunn alsorecorded Big Joe Williams and Sleepy JohnEstes for Bob Koester's Delmark Records.The Koerner, Ray & Glover recordingscame about because Nunn had writtenPaul Nelson of The Little Sandy Review

asking for "a real authentic folk song

group" to record. Says Glover, "He didn'tknow quite what to make of us, but hetrusted Paul's judgment." And a good thinghe did, too.

At a lunch break during the albumsessions, Nunn and the musicians starteddiscussing album packaging. Glover writes,"Nunn wanted to do some kind of fancyembossed script type cover. Paul [Nelson]replied that he didn't think that was reallyappropriate to the music. Nunn's facedarkened, he began to stab fitfully at thisnapkin with his knife, almost knockinghis plate off the table. We looked at eachother,pretty tight."

One of only two promotional copies,bought from Nunn at a discount (nopromo freebies!), was sent to Elektra'sJac Holzman, who "was knocked out."(Billboard ignored the other promo copy.)However, Elektra thought there weretechnical problems-namely, the widestereo spread needed release in mono,and four tunes needed to be dropped tomake mastering less difficult.

"Looking back now," Glover sums up,"it's interesting to see that what we'd donewas essentially make a CD album. We had20 songs, almost 52 minutes running time,big dynamic variances, and liner notes in6 -point type. It's fitting that at long last thisalbum is once again available in its originallength and in stereo. Who'd have thoughtwe were 30 years ahead of our time?"

AUDIO/JULY 19956

AUDIOV.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, Edward M. Long

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

Ted Costa, John Diliberto, Frank Driggs, John Eargle,Edward J. Foster, Joseph Giovanelli, Dawn Joniec,

Ken Kessler, Bascom H. Kin L Robert Long, Paul Moor,Jon W. Poses, Jon R. Sank, John Sunier, Michael Tearson,

Sam Tellig, Jon & Sally Tiven, Michael Wright

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

V.P./ADVERTISING DIRECTORScott Constantine 212/767-6346

GENERAL MANAGER Greg RopertiBUSINESS MANAGER Christine Z. Maillet

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Patti BurnsPRODUCTION MANAGER Dana L. Rubin

MARKETING DIRECTOR Luanne RaoRESEARCH MANAGER Dru Ann Love

OFFICE MANAGER Aline J. PulleyOPERATIONS MANAGER Sylvia Correa

AD COORDINATOR Linda Neuweiler

ADVERTISINGREGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, EAST COAST

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

Christine B. Forhez 212/767-6025ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Penry Price 212/767-6077MIDWEST ADVERTISING MANAGER

Jerry Stoeckigt 312/923-4804REGIONAL 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

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

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

SR. V.P./GLOBAL ADV. Paul DuCharmeSR. V.P./DIR., CORP. SALES Nicholas Matarazzo

SR. V.P./CFO & NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTPaul DeBenedictis

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

V.P., CIRCULATION David W. LeckeyV.P., RESEARCH & MKTG. SERVICES Susan SmollensV.P., COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS

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

Lynn ChaikenCREATIVE PRODUCTION DIR., GLOBAL MKTG.

Jean Pierre Labatut

Introducing ionably spaciou .Oniquely accurate. Musicallytransparent. The scnic advantagesof Bipolar loudspeaker designzre by now quite clear.

We know becaLse we designedthe original Bipolar loudspeakereight years ago, establishing theperformance standard that othersare attempting to copy today.

- is ourmerridirg objective and it can bedifficult -o improve upon so lofty astandard. But we have.

Introducing the new 90i Series ofM rage Bipolar Loudspeakers. Newthresholds. New standards. Newvalue. Far sound so natural you'llwonder is it real... or is it aftrage? The original Bipolare)ploreri.

THE ORIGINAL BIPOLAR LOUDSPEAKERTM 3641 McNicoll Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada MIX IG5 (416)321-1800 Fax (416)321-1500

CIRCLE NO 14 ON READER SERVICE CARD

WHAT'S NEW

McIntosh LaserDisc PlayerObviously a McIntosh,

thanks to its front -panelstyling (and sizing to matchlarger McIntosh A/V preampsand amps), the MLD7020 playsboth sides of 12 -inch CLV or

...kaimfatztAs

NAD A/V Receiver

NAD's first audio/videoreceiver, the AV716, has threeaudio/video and four audio -only inputs, including phono.Record/monitor switchingpermits taping one sourcewhile listening to or watchinganother. Used as a straighttwo -channel stereo receiver,the AV716 is rated at 80 wattsper channel into 8 ohms. Forhome theater use it can supply55 watts apiece to left, center,and right, plus 20 watts apieceto two surround channels. Thesurround channels can also beused to drive a remote speakerpair. Price: $749, includingremote control.For literature, circle No. 101

A ser iscsautomatically.eparate one -bit/A converters withouble-step noiseaping are used inch channel, for CDd for LaserDiscs

aving digitalsoundtracks. SeFaratetransformers andupplies power tee

video and audiocircuits. The player remembersits place on the disc whenpowered off during playbeck,and images are enhanced byadvanced digital videoprocessing and noisereduction. Price: $3,500.For literature, circle No. 100

Lamm Mono AmplifierPure Class -A operation is the

crucial feature of Lamm AudioLaboratory's M1.1 mono amp.Its hybrid circuitry employsa single 6992 triode tubein conjunction with MOS-FET

Autotek Car EqualizerRecently- updated to include

a two-way crossover and dualinputs, the Autotek 7004Aprovides fcur equalizationbands, centered on LA Hz,350 Hz, 2.5 kHz, and 15 kHz.High- and _ow -pass crossover

transistors in the outputstage. To optimize the latter forthe load, Lamm providesswitchable bias settings for 4- or8 -ohm loads, to maintain outputat 100 watts into eitherimpedance. Price: $6,090 each.For literature, circle No. 102

points can be set separately,permitting overlap or notching.The front -panel input switch letsyou use another source, such asa CD changer, in addition toyour car's standard head unit.Price: $199.95.For literature, circle No. 103

Boulder Preamplifiera

among the latestadditions to

Boulder Amplifiers'M -series components isthe L5M line preamp.The circuitry featuresBoulder's d.c.-coupled"990" circuitry andbalanced inputs as well asoutputs. This new M (formetal) version matchesthe styling of the 102Mand 500M stereo amps.Price: $4,000.For literature, circle No. 104

AUDIO/JULY 19958

At one timeyou understood how

this worked.FIVE BLOCKS MADE A COTTAGE, ten acastle, and a hundred your own privateempire. With Linn components, it's just

that simple. You can start out with the system that'sright for you today and, using our building-blockapproach, improve and ex-pand your system over timein affordable steps. Somesteps will improve the per-formance of your system,others will expand your sys-tem throughout your home, but each and every stephas one thing in common. It delivers more music.PEOPLE NEED MUSIC. Music is important. Explor-ing the world of music in the comfort of your ownhome is therapeutic. It will help you relax, stimulateyour imagination, change your mood, and provideentertainment and pleasure for your whole family.

&vA4IV

1-800-LINN FBI-FImusic for life'

A SOUND INVESTMENT. At our innovative fac-tory in Scotland, we produce the most advanced andbest sounding hi-fi. Skilled and dedicated peopleand our unique single -station -build philosophyensure a standard of construction and reliabil-

ity simply not possibleon a production line.And, with your Linn re-tailer on hand to provideassistance long afteryour initial purchase,

you can expect your hi-fi to last a lifetime. Peoplewho love music have built our business, so we lookafter them. MUSIC FOR YOUR LIFE. To learnmore about Linn Hi-Fi and the many ways inwhich Linn can make music a more importantpart of your life, phone Audiophile Systems,Ltd., our U.S. distributor, at 1-800-546-6443.

CAT'S

11

A:1:11a AMW/a

System Analysis AAcoustic Panels

Three products from SystemAnalysis are designed to helpoptimize the acoustics oflistening rooms. The QuadraticTheory Residue Diffusor (QTRD,center) uses a series of troughs ofvarying depth, with their depthbased on Manfred Schroeder'squadratic number theory, tospread the sound it reflects in

Discwasher Media CaseHolding 28 boxed CDs,

24 boxed cassettes, or acombination of both, theDiscwasher 7410 -series caseshave padded shoulder strapsfor comfortable carrying anddual -zipper openings for easyaccess. The cases are availablein black or in combinations ofblack and teal, turquoise, orpurple. Price: $19.95.For literature, circle No. 105

a ala aa aaMMLL

a claimed 180° diffusionpattern. This helps toinhibit standing waves andbroaden the soundstage.The Wavelength AbsorbingLinear Structure panels (WALS,flanking the Diffusor) absorbsound by a rated 20 dB at certainfrequencies to help control earlyreflections from behind thespeakers. The WavelengthAbsorbing Panels (WAP, farsides) absorb reflections in theband between 125 Hz and 8 kHzto further control earlyreflections. Standard height of allunits is 5 feet. Prices: QTRD,from $950; WALS, from $1,025each; WAP, from $675 each(depending on size and finish).For literature, circle No. 106.

Origin Component RackUnusual styling. excellent

component ventilation, and

easy user assem* are among

the features claimed by Origin

Design Engineering for its

Model AR -1 equipment rack.

The rigid, all -metal tower is

available in black or white. It

stands just over 5 feet tall, an

aid in stoop -free loading of

CDs, LPs, or cassettes. The

shelves measure 221/4 inches

wide and 18 inches deep.

Price: $595.

For literature, circle No. 107

Coast CD Case MI

Up to 96 CDs or CD-ROMscan fit in the pages of CoastManufacturing's CDR -Album,and a refill kit can add capacityfor 48 additional discs. TheAlbum's sleeves are made of anonwoven fabric that's said to

help prevent scratches orabrasion to the disc. Prices:

Album, $24.95; refill,$9.95.For literature,circle No. 108

SONY WIRELEony's VIP -1000 Orbitheadphones use digital

signal processing to achievethree effects. Like most DSPunits, the external processoradds ambience (with a choiceof three sound -field settingsand three reverb levels). It alsosimulates a binaural effect thatkeeps the sound field outsideyour head. And it works withan inertial sensor in theheadset to keep the sonicimage fixed in space even

SS HEADPH ONES WITH DSPwhen you move your head;when you're watching video,this keeps dialog tied to thescreen. Signals can be sentto the processor box (whichdoubles as a stand for theheadset) by a suppliedwireless infrared link orthrough a pair of input jacks.The headset's design holdsthe earpieces about an inchfrom the wearer's head.Price: $649.99For literature, circle No. 109

AUDIO/JULY 199510

Four Weddings And AFuneral

The Pelican BriefTop Gun

Blown Away

Ace Ventura:Pet DetectiveThe African Queen(Remastered)

BeetiejuicePink Floyd: The Wall

'1302900

'1251305

0426908

'1291301

'1242908

1335801

0633008

'1293802

The ClientPhiladelphiaBladerunner: The

Director's Cut '1097906Terminator 2:

Judgment Day '0233205Cliffhanger '1149301Demolition Man '1199306Unforglven (1992) '1084003

Maverick *1297209

The Fugitive *1197706Close Encounters

of the Third Kind(Special Edition) '1273002

Natural Born Killers '1327709Wolf '1314905

Total Recall '1286103

CLUB FAVORITES*1300409

'1251404

Aliens 0360909Allen 0000208Allen 3 '1042506The Exorcist 0600304Monty Python And TheHoly Grail '0192005

The Paper '1285501Rambo: First Blood '0650309The Sound Of Music '0003905Unforglven (1992) '1084003Hard Target '1179605Dragon:TheBruce Lee Story '1150705The Wizard Of Oz 0001404The Firm '1154400Ghost '0826008Carlito's Way '1229301A Few Good Men '1106301The Abyss '0881102

DISCS EA.DI US 1 MORE AT GREAT s Alf INcrk

SEE DETAILS BELOW

CLEAR AND PRESENTDANGER

1326305'

TRUE LIES1327105'

THE SPECIALIST

1341700'

1297407*

ffit,TARGATK

STNIGIATE1334903*

JURASSIC PARK1264001*

Beverly Hills Cop 3 '1300201

Sleepless In Seattle '1154905

Citizen Kane (Remastered/50th Anniversary) 0911107

Age Of innocence '1207307Jaws '0844605

Under Siege '1077908

The Prince Of Tides '0847103

Guarding Tess '1299700

48 Hours (Remastered) '1315308Rising Sun '1174804

The Last Action Hero '1154806The Flintstones '1297308Chinatown '0202507Grumpy Old Men '1251503

2001: A Space Odyssey '0844308

The Naked Gun 33 1/3 -The Final Insult '1286707

NEW RELEASESBig '1336601

The Shadow '1297001

A Clockwork Orange '1356005Ladyhawke '1356302The Mosquito Coast '1356401Richie-Rich '1353705

Predator '0364901 E.T.:The Extra -Terrestrial '0681106 Priscilla Queen of the DesertPredator 2 '0104307 In The Line Of Fire '1190107 Academy Award® Nomination:The Silence Of The Lambs 0805309 The Bodyguard '1105907 Best Costume Design '1345206

Indecent Proposal '1142009 Basic instinct '1033208 The Pagemaster '1338409

Robin Hood: On Deadly Ground '1251909 32 Short Films AboutPrince Of Thieves -0976803 Glenn Gould 1337005Star Trek:Batman (1989) '0642504 The Motion Picture '0203505 The River Wild '1336304

Batman Returns '1029909 Star Itek II: Timecop '1332204

Goodfellas '0969808 The Wrath Of Khan '0201301 It Could Happen To You *1332006

Back To The Future '0211409 Star Trek III:

Back To The Future The Search For Spock '0201608 In the Name Of TheStar Trek IV:The Voyage Home '0430603

Part II '0921304 Father '1247709Back To The FuturePart III '0497008 Star Trek VI: The

The Running Man '1316108

Witness (Remastered) '1315407Undiscovered Country '1001007Scent Of A Woman '1121300My Cousin Vinny 1033109 Hook '0854307 Silvered° '0181008

Conan The Barbarian '0220509 Mad Max -The Road Time Bandits (Remastered) '1330109

Home Alone 2:Warrior '1261109 Bridge On The RiverHighlander 0382309Lost In NewYork '1104900 Kwai (Restored) '1143809

Patriot Games '1051309 The Hunt For Red October '0825000 The Piano '1237809

Backdraft '0559005 Die Hard '0367607 Outland '1328103The Last Of The Die Hard 2: Die Harder '0041806 City Slickers II: The LegendMohicans (1992) '1071406 Bram Stokers Dracula "1102904 Of Curly's Gold '1296805

Here's a great way to build a collectionof your favorite movies - on laserdisclJust write in the numbers of the 3laserdiscs you want for $1.00 each, plusshipping and handling. In exchange, yousimply agree to buy four more laserdiscsin the next two years, at regular Clubprices (currently as low as $29.95, plusshipping/handling) - and you may cancelmembership at any time after doing so.What's more, you can get still one moremovie for the low price of $19.95 andhave less to buy later (see completedetails in coupon).

Free Magazine sent every four weeks(up to 13 times a year) reviewing ourDirector's Selection - plus scores ofalternate choices, including many lower -priced laserdiscs. And you may alsoreceive Special Selection mailings up tofour times a year. (That's up to 17 buyingopportunities a year.)

Buy only what you want! If you wantthe Director's Selection, do nothing - itwill be sent automatically. If you prefer analternate selection, or none at all, just

mail the response card always providedby the date specified. And you'll alwayshave 14 days to decide; if not, you mayreturn the selection at our expense.

Money -Saving Bonus Plan. If youcontinue your membership after fulfillingyour obligation, you'll be eligible for ourgenerous bonus plan. It enables you toenjoy great savings on the movies youwant - for as long as you decide toremain a member!

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For fastest service, use your credit cardand call us toll -free 24 hours a day:

1-800-538-2233 MIEntertaining

America...

One Person

at a Time.

LASERDISC CLUB

Columbia House Laserdisc ClubDept. MGE, P.O. Box 1 1 12, Terre Haute, Indiana 4781 1-1 1 12Yes, please enroll me under the terms outlined in this advertisement. As a member, I need buyonly 4 more selections, at regular Club prices, in the next 2 years.

Send me these 3 !asterism for $1.00 each -plus $1.50 each shipping and handling (total $750).

BUY YOUR FIRST SELECTION NOW-AND HAVE LESS TO BUY LATER!0 Also, send me my first selection for $19.95, plus $1.50 shipping/handling,

which I'm adding to my $7.50 payment (total $28.15). I then need buy only 3

more (instead of 41 in the next 2 years.

Please Check How Paying: 0 My check is enclosed A35/A37O Charge my introductory laserdiscs and future Club purchases to: A36/A38El MasterCard 0 Diners Club 0 AMEX 0 VISA 0 Discover

Acct. No. Exp. Date

Signature

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Address

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Do any of the following apply to you? (41)D I own a Personal Computer (1) 0 I own a PC with a CD-ROM (2) 0 I plan to buy a PC with a CD-ROM (3)

Note: The offer a lies to firstitime Laserdisc Club members only. Limit one per household. Columbia House reserves theright to request atonal information, reject any oppication or cancel any membership. Offer limited to the continental U.S.(excluding Alaska). Applicable sales tax added to allarders. ©1995, The Columbia House Company 02-06/95

L .J

Apt.

State

AUDIOEDWARD TATNALL CANBY

TIRELESS WIRELESS

have just read two books re-markably similar in their tech-nique though wildly differentin content. One was passed onto me by the Boss Editor, whoknew I would be interested.

The other was tossed in my directionby a Literary Lady Friend who knows

absolutely noth-ing about audio(though she hasa modest "hi-fi"with cute babyspeakers).

Boss Editor'sbook: In Mar-coni's Footsteps,1894-1920: EarlyRadio by PeterR. Jensen (VK2,

r

rj

A Marconioperator atGlace bag,

Nova Scotia

(above) in the

early years,

and (left)

Marconi

himself in 1923

aboard theElettra.

AQJ, and G 4 GZT), published byKangaroo Press (Australia). LiteraryLady Friend's book: Balkan Ghosts: A

Journey Through History by RobertD. Kaplan, published by VintageBooks (Ran-dom House).Two worlds,worlds apart? Itwould seem so.Yet I discussthem both forgood reason.

It strikes meas obvious thata volume of "literature"-whetherfiction, journalism, or drama-should be well organized and shapedin the telling. Isn't that what writingis all about, the professional use of

language? Yet in this case it is thenonliterary book that has thesmoother organization. It comprisessix or seven major threads, flawlessly,

effortlessly integrated, and all in amere 176 pages.

The technique used in both thesebooks is familiar enough today. Bothinvolve history, directly compared tothe present, and both jump back andforth from just yesterday to the exot-ic past-a thousand -plus years in theinfamous Balkans, and a mere 40 orso (but oh, how long!) in radio. Theclincher in this popular style ofbook, though, is the author himself,who travels in person to the placesdescribed, no matter how hair-rais-ing. Both of these authors plungeright in-you might say recklessly,often painfully.

Dozens of authors-mostly, butnot always, young and vigorous-goin for this kind of joyful torture.That includes my nephew, PeterCanby (plug), who plunged into theMaya country of "middle America"and wrote about the Mayan people,past and present, village by village.He also managed to get lost in atrackless, unmapped jungle for days(end of plug). Jensen merely got lostin Rome at 4:00 in the morning withhis entire family. They had no hotelreservation, and parked in, shall Isay, a house of ill fame for the rest ofthe night!

The pleasure for the reader de-pends on the literary expertise thatdepicts these joys and horrors. Ka -plan's Balkan Ghosts is almost too

dismal, if grip-ping. I think herevels in theBalkan awful-ness. Yet hissurvival abilityis prodigiousand his storyis very gory. (Itired of refer-

ences to certain English literati, how-ever-Dame Rebecca West, for in-stance.) If you want to avoid theblues, keep away from Balkan Ghosts.

(Plug II: My nephew Peter is ever

PETER JENSEN'S

IN MARCONI'S FOOTSTEPS

IS PLAIN CHARMING,

EVEN TO THE POINT OF

WHIMSICAL IRRELEVANCE.

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calm and cool; he wisely lets the reader dothe sweating. The gore threatens but is al-ways avoided.)

As for Peter R. Jensen, out of Australiabut English -connected, whatever he writesis plain charming, sometimes to the pointof whimsical irrelevance. Such disasters!Like the time he took an Italian bus in thewrong direction for dozens of miles, thenhad to backtrack. He is doggedly persistentin his various Marconi searches. Hissnatches of biographical and technical in-formation could have proved merelypedantic; instead, he fits them all togetherin a lighthearted and concise manner. I haveseldom seen a short book with such awealth of easily available information.

Jensen includes many different "books"in his study of Marconi. First, there is theTravelog-right from the beginning. Itcould stand by itself as a whimsical essay,"The Search for Marconi Leftovers." Thiscontinues on and off through the volume,zanily but effortlessly, aided by the secondbook in my list-"The Marconi PictureBook."

Talk about thorough! For every itemmentioned, large and small-vast oceanliners, units of Marconi wireless gear, andthe remains of dozens of Marconi installa-tion sites-there are profuse illustrations inmonochrome and color. Many of the pic-tures are startling, notably of every shipthat is brought into the text and a few moreas well. A photo of the Titanic in 1912shows her unbelievably huge hulk with fourgreat black stacks and tall masts at each end,strung with antenna wiring. Next to that, astark picture of another, almost identical,monster, the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, apeaceful comparison mere months beforeWorld War I. There are gorgeous sailingships: The British royal yacht and, ofcourse, Marconi's own steam yacht, theElettra, out of his days of fame. So-a pic-ture book for your coffee table and a goldmine for ship lovers.

The high point of the volume-let's callit the third book, "Radio Titanic"-is agripping account from inside the radioroom (with all the Marconi wireless equip-ment) of the Titanic's 1912 sinking afterhitting an iceberg. The story was also toldby the younger of the two radio men mo-ments after he landed at New York follow-ing his rescue (the senior officer was

drowned), and there is a fabulous collectionof documents on the radio actions of otherships and what their officials had to say atthe moment. It is a unique story.

I was most amused by the fourth book,"Marconi Archaeology," Jensen's persistentsearch for Marconi remains, particularlythe long -forgottensites of those greatradio towers andtheir associatedbuildings, scat-tered from Italyand France to Eng-land, and then toAmerica. In theprocess, Jensentramped miles andmiles, maps inhand, looking forsigns-and usual-ly found them. Heconscientiouslytook photographs,which border onthe absurd, oflovely green Eng-lish meadows andhills, pretty whiteclouds, blue sky,and in the foreground a shapeless lump, thebase of a Marconi tower! For one big tumu-lus, now crowned with trees-a sometimeMarconi installation-he says, "notice therooks." And there they are, black spots inthe treetops. Another handsome meadow isornamented with an ugly, rusted relic. Afaintly visible island site appears in the dis-tance of a vast and monotonous ocean-scape. "Who cares?" one could ask. Butsomehow these photographs convey a goodfeeling.

As you may infer, Peter Jensen is a radioham. Enter the fifth book, "A Radio Ham'sParadise of Historic Reference." Here againJensen displays his excellent, if modest,sense of organization. In the main body ofthe text is a thorough discussion of virtual-ly every type of equipment in Marconi'scontinuing, rapid development of wirelesstelegraphy, with enough illustrations of theactual working transmitters and receivers toinform any technically knowledgeable read-er. Also included are color close-ups of re-constructions made by the author.

So the man builds Marconi models! And

Jensen has included directions in minutedetail for model builders, but wisely placedin a separate section of Marconi's Footsteps.

Everything is there-enough parts lists andpictures to delight any hobbyist. The onlycaveat (a mild warning) is that this is allBritish -based. (Jensen writes of valves, not

tubes, although he ac-knowledges the American

usage!) So you will needto check on the availabili-ty of parts or on theirsubstitutions. Otherwise,this is the sixth book,"A Complete Modeler'sHandbook."

There is so much more.The span of this book,you will see, takes usspecifically to the adventof voice radio, which be-gan a totally new era.How different was theold-more so than youmay have known or imag-ined. I myself date backjust to the end of thatepoch, if you recall my ac-

count of a family friendlistening for signals from

Mars on a crystal set! I can just rememberthose tall radio towers, always in pairs withlong horizontal antennas strung high upbetween them, in contrast to our taller sin-gle TV towers. The long wires were requiredby the signal's nature: Ultra long -wave, notshort-wave, or even medium -wave (whatwe now call AM). This I vaguely knew, butsuddenly Jensen has put it in perspective.Of course! Those long antennas went withthe long waves.

The theory, it seems, was that the longerthe wavelength, the greater the distance thatcould be covered. It took much time beforethe capabilities of short-wave began to beunderstood and utilized. That explainsmuch of the "strangeness" of early radio forour minds today, conditioned as we are byour own technologies.

Even more striking, in the earliest days,was the total lack of selectivity: Just an in-termittent spark-a transient with no sus-tained tone, in audio terms-spelling outcode.

Oh, and did you know Marconi was halfEnglish? His Italian was lousy. A

SELDOM DO SHORT BOOKS

HAVE SUCH A WEALTH

OF EASILY AVAILBLE

INFORMATION AS

MARCONI'S FOOTSTEPS.

AUDIO/JULY 199514

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CURRENTSJOHN EARGLE

FULL DIMENSIONALREISSUES

others

f the three original Americanmajor labels-RCA Victor,Columbia, and Capitol-only Capitol was conceivedby its founders as a primarilypopular -music label. Thehad inherited vast classical

catalogs from their forebears andwere always active inrecording the repertory.

Early in the LP era,Capitol did branch intodistribution of foreignclassical recordings, mostnotably with its Capitol

leletunken series. And just a fewyears later, they decided to get intothe business of making their ownclassical recordings. Most of thesewere released under the banner ofFull Dimen-sional Soundor, later, FullDimensionalStereo, eachwith its famil-iar FDS me-dallion logo. The major artists wereWilliam Steinberg and the Pitts-burgh Symphony Orchestra, ErichLeinsdorf and the Los Angeles Phil-

harmonic Orchestra (of-ten, for these purposes,called the Concert ArtsSymphony Orchestra),and Leopold Stokowskias the roving conductorof the Los Angeles Phil-

harmonic, L'Orchestre National dela Radiodiffusion Francaise, theBerlin Philharmonic, and the Hous-ton Symphony Orchestra. Otherartists included violinist and con-ductor Felix Slatkin, violinist Na-than Milstein, organist Virgil Fox,Carmen Dragon and the Holly-

HDLSTThs flints

RAVEANALNIAAel limbos

PIALOOL SAN

STOKOWSKI

FILL AINFASIOSIII SOUND

IA ILL win.)rwu EMI

II SHOSTAKOt.

:-17:;"1" rl'elf JO.7, -

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wood Bowl Or-

chestra, andthe legendaryHollywoodString Quartet.

Along withRCA and Co-lumbia, Capitol Classics made up thebackbone of the first two -track tapereleases (soon to be supplemented byMercury and, later on, by Everest).

Capitol was ultimately bought byElectrical and Musical Industriesof England.So far-flungwere EMI'sworld hold-ings in theclassical mu-sic business

A=1/1 EMI

FULL DIMENSMNAL SOUND

that many of Capitol's efforts paledby comparison. Eventually, CapitolClassics became the U.S. arm of An-gel Records, and gradually, overmany decades, Capitol ceased mak-ing classical recordings.

Selected items in the Capitol line-up have held their own in the world-wide EMI catalog, most notably alandmark recording of Shostako-vich's Symphony No. 11, performedby the Houston Symphony and con-ducted by Stokowski. But for themost part, FDS's body of work hasbeen largely forgotten, remainingunknown to a new generation of au-diophiles and collectors.

Under the auspices of Angel, therebirth of the FDS series began inMarch 1994with the re-issue of fiverecordingsdigitallytransferredfrom the orig-

EMi I(11{41II .1 Il0GREAT MORNS Of

RICHARD WAGNER

WILLIAM STEINSAG

ERICH LEINSOORF

FULL DIMENSIONAL SOUND

inal two- or three -track master tapes.Some notable people were involvedin the reissueproject. DougSax, probablybest known for

his famous se-ries of direct -to -disc stereoLPs and one of the industry's bestmastering engineers, supervised thetransfers of three of the reissues,while Richard King did two others.Michael Gray, who must know morethan anyone else about the earlystereo era, was in charge of recordingresearch and provided more mikingand setup information than any ofthe other companies that have em-barked on reissue programs. Hereyou find dates, equipment, locations,personnel, and other pertinent ses-sion data, along with essays adaptedfrom the original LP liner notes.

When the next five FDS reissueswere released last November, it be-came apparent that Angel was intenton making this a significant pro-gram. Therefore, I contacted RobertE. LaPorta at Angel for more infor-mation about the project.

LaPorta, who joined Angel about ayear and a half ago, has co -producedmost of theFDS reissueswith AnthonyCaronia. La-Porta told methat the origi-nal idea forthe program came up about fiveyears ago, when Angel had com-pleted its move from Hollywood toNew York.

The 1994 Los Angeles earthquakedelayed production of the secondfive reissues. A decision was made toconsolidate all transfer and produc-tion efforts in one location, so allmaster tapes were sent to SquiresProductions in Elmsford, New York;this way, approval cycles would beeasier to meet.

An additional five CDs are sched-uled for release this fall: Two titleseach by Steinberg and Leinsdorf,

LEINSOORFSTEINBERG

ILL ]YENS' ORAL

PORTRAITS IN SOUND

141

AUDIO/JULY 199516

There's NoSubstituteFor SpeakerSize

As one critic has written, "...only planars getimage -size presentation right."

"Box speakers," he noted, "areinherently unable to develop theproper surface loudness or intensitytypical of large instruments such asthe piano. Characterized by a largeacoustical output spread over a large

sounding board, a piano's wavelaunch is obviously going to beall wrong when it's squeezedthrough an 8" woofer..."*

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plus Stokowski's famous Orchestral Land-marks album, in which each section ofthe orchestra is featured independently.Whether or not there will be more reissuesdown the road remains a question. Muchwill depend on Angel's marketing consider-ations-and, of course, the sales figures.

The following are thumbnail reviews ofthe first 10 FDS reissues. Off to a good start,

I would say.

Borodin, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Ravel,and Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Masterworks,Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Steinberg;EMI Classics CDM 65204 (recorded in1958 and 1959). Taped at Pittsburgh's SyriaMosque. Fine sound and playing.

Various composers: Portraits in Sound,Concert Arts Symphony Orchestra/Leins-dorf and Capitol Symphony Orchestra/Dragon; CDM 65205 (1958). The sound isthat of the typical Hollywood sound stagewhere this was recorded; it's on the dryside, but with ample early reflections. Excel-lent playing.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11, Hous-ton Symphony Orchestra/Stokowski; CDM65206 (1958). A famous recording that canmusically hold its own against anything inthe current catalog. Sonically, it bears upextremely well, reflecting the excellentacoustics of Houston's Jesse Jones Audi-torium and the sound of one of our under-rated orchestras.

Orth Carmina Burana, HSO/Stokowski(1958); Stravinsky: Firebird Suite, BerlinPhilharmonic/Stokowski (1957); CDM65207. An excellentstudy in mike tech-niques: The Houstonrecording was donewith spaced mikes,while the Berlin en-

eriment-

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STRAVINSKY

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WOO.

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ed with the famous EMI "Stereosonic"Blumlein-derived, crossed agure- eighttechnique.

Wagner: Great Works of Richard Wagner,PSO/Steinberg and Los Angeles Philhar-monic Orchestra & CASO/Leinsdorf; CDM65208 (1956 to 1961). The ambiences of theSyria Mosque and Stage Seven at SamuelGoldwyn Studios don't readily mix, but theplaying is what matters.

Debussy: "Iberia," Ibert: "Escales,"L'Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion

Francaise/Stokowski (1958); Debussy:Nocturnes, Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole, Lon-

don Symphony Or-chestra/Stokowski(1957); CDM 65422.

You can hear someof Stoky's unusualorchestral seating inthe London sessionsfor the Nocturnes and the Rapsodie. You can

also hear what a fine, large recording spaceAbbey Road's Studio One is.

Holst: "The Planets," LAPO/Stokowski(1956); Ravel: "Alborada del gracioso,"ONRF/Stokowski (1958); Stravinsky: Pe-trushka Suite, BP/Stokowski (1957); CDM65423. A mixture of room ambiences andmicrophone techniques can be heard onthis release. The Holst is outstanding, andthe dry quality of the Goldwyn sound stagemay even help with the musical delineation.The French and German recordings aremade with coincident (not spaced) mikes,and accordingly they provide a somewhatmore natural localization.

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, CASO/Leinsdorf (1960); Rimsky-Korsakov: LeCoq d'or Suite, Prokofiev: The Love forThree Oranges Suite (excerpts), PSO/Stein-berg (1957); CDM 65424. Leinsdorf andforces pull off the better part of thismixed collaboration, but they could sureuse some of the ambience of the SyriaMosque.

Debussy: "La Mer" (1957), Ravel: Daph-nis et Chloe Suite No. 2 (1957), R. Strauss:"Death and Transfiguration" (1961); LAPO/Leinsdorf; CDM 65425. All of these record-ings were made on Goldwyn sound stages,and all of them could use more ambience.On the plus side, the well -schooled LosAngeles Philharmonic handles the musicwith ease, and Leinsdorf knows what to dowith it.

Various composers: The Art of VirgilFox; CDM 65426 (1959 to 1962). On theAeolian -Skinner organ of Manhattan'sRiverside Church, Fox plays familiar clas-sics, most of them transcriptions of orches-tral works, as only he could. Good soundwith a real subterranean low end. The CDpackaging is first-rate, including the organ -specification listings (unheard of in mostreissues) and informative session notes byRobert Hebble, who assisted Fox at all ofthe sessions. A

CIRCLE NO. 5 ON READER SERVICE CARD

AUDIO/JULY 199518

In The Mid 70s We CreatedHome Theater. Now We've Created

A New Way To Buy ItThe people who work at Cambridge

SoundWorks - including our cofounder HenryKloss (who also founded AR, KLH and Advent)- have been involved with the concept of hometheater from the be 'lining. In 1969 (yearsbefore VCRs and cable TV), Henry Klossfounded Advent,the company thatintroduced thefirst home theateraudio/videosystems -complete with big -screen TVs anddigital surround sound. Wehave had an ongoing relationship with thepeople at Dolby Laboratories, creators of DolbySurround Sound, since Henry Kloss introducedthefirst consumer products with Dolby noisereduction over 20 years ago. And now atCambridge SoundWorks we believe we have seta new price -to -performance standard for hometheater components.

Because we sell carefully matched and testedhome theater speaker systems Factory -Direct,and through cost-efficient Best Buy stores, youcan save hundreds of dollars. We believethe products on these pages represent thecountry's best values in high performancehome theater components. Audio critics,and thousands of satisfied customers,agree. Stereo Review said, "CambridgeSoundWorks manufactures loudspeakersthat provide exceptional sound quality ataffordable prices." Audio suggested that wemay have "the best value in the world."

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1221:41101ECIRCLE NO. 6 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Sony's WM-EX1:Smaller, better,and 16 yearsnewer.

SPECTRUMIVAN BERGER

WALKMANNIVERSARY:SWEET SIXTEEN

o those of us who can re-member a world without theWalkman, it may come as asurprise that it's been adecade and a half since Sonyintroduced the first one -16

years, actually, since it first ap-peared, in 1979.

We almost didn't know it by thatname at all. The product was intro-duced to the U.S. press under thename of Soundabout, but Sony de-cided to use the now -familiar namethe product carried in Japan. The orig-

inal model, the TPS-L2, cost $199.95,

measured 53/s x 31/2 x 17/8 inches,weighed 13.8 ounces, and played foreight hours on a set of batteries.Some of the press saw it for the rev-olution it was. To others, it seemedlike an ordinary pocket tape recorderwith its record circuits removed. (Iteven had a microphone, thoughpressing the big orange button atopthe TPS-L2 sent the mike's signals tothe earphones, not the tape.)

Few companies have done asmuch by adding features as Sony didby removing a few. Since then, 120

million Sony units in 200 differentmodels have been sold-not tomention the millions of similar per-sonal portables available from othercompanies.

To celebrate the anniversary, Sonyhas introduced a commemorativemodel, the WM-EX1. Costing$249.95, it is considerably smallerthan the original Walkman, measur-ing 31/2 x 43/8 x % inches and weigh-

ing only 5.6 ounces. It also has farlonger battery life than the original,playing for 12 hours on each fullcharge of its nickel -metal -hydride(NiMH) battery, and is able to playfor two hours after a mere five-minute charge. An AA alkaline bat-tery lets it play for 24 hours, and thetwo types of battery can be teamedup to provide a total of 36 hours ofuninterrupted playback.

There are also, of course, new fea-tures on the WM-EX1. A slidingshutter keeps controls from beingaccidentally activated, and a basic -function remote control with LCDreadout is built into the headphone

mal or high -bias tapes is selected au-tomatically, and intro scan can beused to play the first 10 seconds ofeach track.

Coda: William H. Thomas

William H. Thomas, a founderand for many years the chief ex-ecutive officer of James B. Lans-ing Sound, died on February28th, at the age of 82. In 1946,he helped loudspeaker pioneerJim Lansing found JBL. Shortly-hereafter, when Lansing died,Thomas inherited the legacy that-le was to nurture for some 21/2decades.

Educated as a physicist andgroomed as a businessman inthe aeronautics industry, Thomaswas able to build upon Lansing'swork in sound propagation theo-ry. Among those who aided him

applying innovative technolo-gy to loudspeaker design washis friend, the late Bart Locanthi.

In 1969, Thomas arranged thesale of JBL to Harmon Internation-

al, headed by Sidney Harman, alongtime industry friend. Thomasthen retired and devoted himselfto his ranch in Ojai, California,where he died. Robert Long

AUDIO/JULY 199520

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Our new AV -600 Pre-amplifier/Tuner combines a superbHome THX Cinema and Dolby ProLogic decoder togetherwith a full function A/V system pre -amplifier andAM/FM stereo tuner, all in one unit that is surprisinglyaffordable. An ideal complement to the AV -600is the Marantz MA -500 THX-certified monoblockpower amplifier, which combines prodigious power,

exceptional clarity, and incredible flexibility-able to drive virtually any speaker system,regardless of impedance or efficiency.Simply choose the appropriate numberof amp channels to exactly match yoursystem power needs.

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Tape Rot

Although record companies do not pub-licize the fact, or even admit it, the newmasters for a CD reissue will sometimesnow be cut from a pressed CD saved fromthe first issue. This will happen more andmore often in the future.

Tapes, especially from specific produc-tion periods, are quite literally rotting instorage. No company has the time and.re-sources to keep checking every spool, everyyear, and copying any tapes that show earlysigns of degradation. By the time the rot isdiscovered, it may be too late to stop it.

Five years ago, the recording -industrygrapevine had it that engineers were takinganalog tapes from storage and hearing amechanical squealing noise as they ranthrough the machine. The recorder thenslowed down and eventually stopped,stripping the magnetic coating off the plas-tic backing. Many of the first "sticky" tapeshad been made by Ampex in the periodfrom 1972 through 1984.

Ampex warned that all tape companiesused similar chemicals, and very reason-ably pointed out that Ampex was in thespotlight only because most studios useAmpex tape. Record producer Gus Dud-geon hit the problem with some of EltonJohn's master tapes. Other engineers hadtrouble, one as early as 1983, with tapes ofvarious brands recorded by Bob Marley inJamaica. Nick Griffiths found master tapesof The Wall had gone sticky when he tookthem from the vaults to stage Roger Wa-ters' live show in Berlin.

Stickiness is caused by hydrolysis (waterreaction) of the polyurethane binder usedto bond the magnetic oxide coating to thepolyester base film. The water comes fromthe air in storage areas that are not air-con-ditioned. The polyurethane acts like asponge, and hydrolysis breaks long -chainplastics molec'iles down into viscous liq-uids. After 1984 Ampex insisted on morestable varieties from its chemical suppliers.

When the news of "sticky tape" broke,3M and Agfa also admitted similar prob-lems. BASF claimed its tapes were safer be-cause it did not use polyurethane binder.

The recording industry has no rights ofredress because tape manufacturers alwaysrecommend air-conditioned storage, andthe record industry routinely cuts corners.

Ampex discovered, in late 1987, thatbaking sticky tape (at 55° C and 10% to15% relative humidity for a day) temporar-ily reforms the binder. Engineers then havea month to make a safety copy onto a newtape. Ampex began baking sticky tape as afree service to past customers. Agfa (nowowned by BASF) developed a similar bak-ing system, and IDT of Riviera Beach,Florida now uses it to provide a transferservice, at commercial prices.

Five years ago Ampex made the reassur-ing announcement that videotapes, as usedto store digital masters, were less likely todegrade than analog open -reel tapes, be-cause their coating layers are thinner andthus act less like a sponge. But there arenow signs of similar problems with U-Mat-

ic videocassettes, as used to store digitalaudio master recordings. There is no pat-tern yet of which tape brands are affected.

The University of Minnesota's CharlesBabbage Institute (CBI) runs the Centerfor the History of Information Processing.In 1993 the CBI found that U-Matic

Brief NotesBrief NotesBrief Notes

This past season's National FootballConference games were transmitted inDolby Surround on the Fox network.Why surround, when all the action takesplace in front of the viewer? To envelopthe audience in cheers and other stadi-um sounds, increasing the "you arethere" effect.

Vending Intelligence, of UniversalCity, Cal., has developed a CD vendingmachine that lets you briefly auditionany of the 48 titles it holds. The machineholds 1,000 discs and accepts paymentby cash, credit card, or bank ATM card.The machines are now in use in someCalifornia grocery stores that also han-dle general merchandise.

Want to build your own speaker sys-tem from scratch? A book with plans forseven speaker systems of assorted com-plexity is available free from Audax ofAmerica. Written by Vance Dickason,author of the Loudspeaker Design Cook-book, the book includes response andimpedance curves for each design. Con-tact Polydax by calling 508/658-0700(fax: -0703), or write them at 10 UptonDr., Wilmington, Mass. 01887.

videocassettes recorded in 1981, which'were still playable in 1990, had suddenlydeteriorated to the point of refusing toplay. The tapes shed sticky gunge, whichclogs the heads within a few seconds. TheInstitute took advice from the Universityof Minnesota's Media Resources Centerand could find no published work onsticky videotape. The CBI then tried bak-ing the tapes, in an oven, but they stillwould not play.

The CBI solved its immediate problemby finding another copy of the same tape."The episode . . . is particularly disturbingbecause it indicates that videotape barely12 years old can become unplayable," saysthe CBI.

Since the CBI's discovery, the MedicalResearch Council (MRC) in the U.K. hasfound that 168 out of 200 data tapes fromthe 1980s were sticky. The MRC and otherusers have found that a drip feed of iso-propyl alcohol can make the tape playablefor copying.

A spot check through one professionalrecording engineer's store showed that of10 U-Matic CD master tapes made in theearly '80s, six would neither rewind norplay; they just stuck solid in the machine.Four more showed very high error -correc-tion rates. In such cases, remastering fromCD pressings is by far the safer, quicker,and cheaper option.

In this test case, storage conditions werenot ideal and certainly not within the tapemanufacturer's recommendations. Againthere would be no legal redress. But less -than -ideal conditions are typical of therecord industry.

The record companies must now hopethat their stock copies of pressed CDs donot degrade in storage. Barry Fox

AUDIO/JULY 199522

Klipsch ClippingDear Editor:

As someone very interested in audio his-tory, I enjoyed Edward Tatnall Canby's"Audio ETC" in the May issue. I would liketo, however, clarify some points raisedabout Paul Klipsch and his speakers.

The Klipschorn is a large speaker, but itprotrudes diagonally from its room corneronly about 30 inches (okay, only slightlyless than an "acre"). The first Klipschornand those built today are the same size.

From the beginning of regular produc-tion in 1948, the K -Horn has been an inte-grated driver/enclosure package. This ap-proach may have been rare in the days afterWorld War II, but not unknown. And theVoigt corner horns from England were inte-grated consumer products in the 1930s!

When stereo program material for theconsumer appeared, Paul Klipsch had al-ready been promoting it for several years.He had designed a "rebel" speaker (smallcorner horn) that would fit in the back seatof his airplane, so he could carry it to adealer having a "mono" K -horn and dem-onstrate stereo with his own recordings.

In 1957, Klipsch designed the Heresy as acenter channel for use with stereo K -Horns.This three -channel approach was a revivalof Bell Labs' practice of the 1930s. Hometheater, anyone?

Jim Hunter, Engineering Manager

Klipsch

Indianapolis, Ind.

Manuals Wanted, Data OfferedDear Editor:

I've been a subscriber to Audio since Igraduated from college in 1963, and I haveall the back issues to that time. I'm primari-ly interested in playing and enjoying "his-toric" recordings.

I have become interested in the variousnoise -reduction systems that were availablea few years ago. Specifically, I am lookingfor manuals on the dbx Model 3BX SeriesIII three -band dynamic range expander,with "impact restoration," and the dbxModel 007 "program route selector." Also,I'd like to correspond with anyone who hasexperience using the above items, as well asthe Teac AN -60 Dolby noise -reduction unitwith a reel-to-reel tape recorder, plus any-one with experience in copying 78 -rpmrecords using enhancement techniques.

SIGNALS

I have a library on radio and electronicsand can supply data from Day One to theearly '60s-maybe later. I can supply dataon not only old radios, but also tape andwire recorders, hi-fi, and test equipment.Please send an SASE with any requests.

Gary A. Micanek

226 Henry Ave.

Manchester, Mo. 63011

Sony Parts WantedDear Editor:

I've been looking for parts, accessories,reviews, and manuals for Sony and Sony Es-prit (ES) equipment, circa 1977 to 1982,such as the TA -N900 mono power amp, TA-

N88B stereo power amp (mentioned onpage 45 of your February issue, in BascomH. King's "Switched -on Amps: Power witha Pulse"), ST-J88B FM tuner, TA-E88B pre-amplifier, TC-K88B cassette deck, and PS -X75 turntable with Biotracer tonearm.

For the TA -N900 amp, I need a top cover,four rack mounts (23/4 inches high x 1 inchwide), a TAC-90 wooden cabinet, and anFW-90 sound base. For the TC-K88B cas-sette deck, I need a pinch roller (X3565-40400), a belt (356579800), a take-up clutchmotor (83500500), and remote controls(RM-50, RM -65, RM-80).

I'm also trying to find a Sony Esprit TA-D88B electronic crossover and a PS -X800turntable to complete my system.

Macgregor Small

8 Bellside Dr.

Markham, Ont., Canada L3P 7B8

Editor's Reply: By the time you read this,you should have received copies of reviewswe did on the TA -N900 amp (June 1983)and the PS -X800 turntable (December1981). As for the other items you desire,we're printing your letter and address in thehope that some of our readers will contactyou with more information.-K.R.

Erratum: Amp ProjectDear Editor:

Dr. Norman E. Thagard's "Build a 100 -Watt, Class -A Mono Amp" (January, Feb-

ruary, and March) is just in line for aproject I am considering, namely a self -powered subwoofer. In reviewing theschematics and the parts list, I seem to bemissing a section in the output stage area.The items are resistors R27, R35 to R38,R66 to R68, and R101 and R102; diodes DIand D6 to D9; capacitors C7 and C101 toC104; zener Z101; and Q22, Q23, and Q36to Q47. These all seem to be on one end ofthe circuit board. There are also two resis-tors labelled R33: One seems normal size,but the lower one is very large, as if it wasmislabelled.

I hope you can help. I'm not great atreading these things but felt that somethingwas missing.

Leonard Shedler

Folsom, Cal.

The Editor -in -Chief's Reply: Thank you for

your note. You are the first to point out theerror of the two resistors labelled R23 (notR33, as mentioned in your letter). The largeone, at the bottom of the front-end boardin Fig. 4A (March), is actually R27. It mir-rors the R28 at the top of the board and is a2 -watt resistor, as opposed to the 0.25 -wattresistors used elsewhere.

Insofar as the other items go, they arehand -wired in between the major boards(or elsewhere) for which we gave patterns.While you might use Vero -board, some ofthem you might just let "hang in space," solong as you've got them in the right part ofthe circuit. However, I think you are expect-ing that there is a board location for all ofthe parts, which isn't true. Refer to theschematics in Figs. IA (January) and 2 and3 (February) for the locations in the circuitof the other parts.

We hope to offer kits combining theboards and various groups of parts. Itseems this is one of your first projects, andif my inference is correct, then I suggest yoube very cautious about this, as it is easy togo astray. I think, too, that there may becommercial amps that are better for yoursubwoofer add-on, ones at least as cost-effective.-E.P.

AUDIO/JULY 199523

Sunfire

Power Sunni% Energy00 zoo :opt ,

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Imagine. A muscular 600 watt amp with the soul

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It's not a 9 watt triode of course, and we wouldn'twant it to be, but it does share a very importantcharacteristic with one. It incorporates the current -source (high output impedance) property of a triode-- the very property that is the dominant factor (per-haps ninety percent) of the sonic magic that makeslistening to classic vacuum tube amplifiers so muchfun. So when you choose our current -source outputconnections for your system, you'll have a sumptuoushigh end, and a midrange that positively glows.

Sunfire Corporation

sonic magic by Bob Carver.

At the same time, the new Sunfire amp, with itsuncanny tracking downconverter, has the ability toraise goose bumps with its awesome power. Using 12herculean International Rectifier Hexfets, it candrive any load to any rationally usable current orvoltage level.

A choice of outputs.

You can connect most speakers to the voltage -source

from the mind & soul of Bob Carver

O

Ooutput, with its near zero impedance, to experience

the powerful dynamics and tight bass you've alwayswanted more of.

Or let's say you own electrostatic, planar magneticor ribbon speakers, then connecting the higherimpedance current -source output can coax forth asensuous, delicately detailed musical voice associatedwith low -powered classic tube amplifiers.

Or if you're able to biwire, you may just arrive atthe best possible interface: voltage output to woofer

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for incredible bass whack, current output tomidrange and treble for a huge three-dimensionalsoundstage with detail retrieval so stunning thatyou will often hear musicians breathing.

Each choice will reveal the delicate musical soulthat complements this amp's astonishing muscle andcontrol. And each will lead to a multilayeredsoundstage so deep and wide it will take yourbreath away.

Performance that's difficultto believe.

The basis for all this is designer Bob Carver'sversatility. He's worked successfully for over twentyyears with both tube and solid state designs, and heunderstands the intrinsic subtleties of each.

For the new Sunfire, he insisted on an enormous138 ampere peak -to -peak output current capabilitywith 600 watts rms per channel continuously into 4ohms* and 2400 watts rms into 1 ohm on a time-limited basis. Courtesy of 24 massive Motorolatriple -diffused output devices, each capable of 20amperes without taxing current reserves.

Imagine all that in a single amp. Or better yet, visita Sunfire dealer. That's where you'll hear for yourselfhow it all comes together.

Dealer inquires invited. (206) 335-4748 Ask for Bob Carver.

For more information on the Sunfire, and especially the uncanny tracking downconverter, use the readerservice card or write to Sunfire Corporation, PO Box 1589, Snohomish, WA 98290

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mad,

AudioConttol'sSystem90Model 50 turns afactory head unitirto an amplifiedsystem.

Kenwood'sKRC-901 headsnit modestlyI- ides its facewhen you're notplaying it.

ROAD SIGNSIVAN BERGER

A FINE MES

-

Wbile not as well known asthe Consumer Electron-ics Show (CES), the Mo-bile Electronics Show(MES) gives me a greatopportunity to catch up

on car stereo gear I miss in the hurly-burly of the Winter CES (which ismore than 10 times as big), learn ofpost-CES introductions, and actuallylook at some of the manufacturers'sample installations.

This past April, MES was held inPhiladelphia's pleasant new Conven-tion Center. Appropriately for theShow's first year under the sole aus-pices of the Electronic Industries As-sociation (EIA), the big news camenot from exhibitors but from the EIAitself: The Association announced aplan that it hopes will triple thenumber of U.S. stations using theRadio Broadcast Data System byequipping them with RBDS en -

et

e.

coders. The othernews from the EIA was that ithas now taken over the Mobile Elec-tronics Certification Program(MECP). This program administersexaminations to mobile equipmentinstallers, certifying their expertise atseveral levels and in three specialtyareas (auto sound, cellular phones,and security).

Prowlingthe floor, I hada chance tolook not onlyat equipmentbut at installa-tions. Since theMES is attend-ed mostly bycar installers,the emphasis was on the practical in-stead of the spectacular. As RobbLimbaugh of Polk pointed out to me,"People who lease their cars need a`stealth' installation that will leave noholes when the time comes to returnthe car." The system in Limbaugh'sEagle Vision had Polk ES speakers inthe car's stock locations (though the31/2 -inch "full -range" drivers in thedash were replaced with tune-uptweeters to raise the image andsoundstage). The subwoofers were ina box wedged tightly behind the rearseat but removable for cargo. Thefactory stock head unit was replaced

with an Alpine ("which made a largedifference in the sound," Limbaughsaid). Its output fed two Linear Pow-er amps in the trunk, through wiressimply run under the car's carpet.The amps were mounted to a woodbase, which was secured to a cross -member by screws; the carpet willclose up over the screwholes whenthe amps are removed. Trim panels

were made of fiberboard("and cardboard," laughedLimbaugh), covered in fabricto match the trunk's liner. Theresult looked built-in but willreadily come out.

AudioControl also had astealth installation, in a Pontiac

Bonneville SSEI. The Pontiac'sstock head unit, with controls on thesteering wheel, was left intact. How-ever, its speaker outputs were fed to a

System90 four -channel amp/equaliz-er/crossover in the trunk; System90units can accept inputs of up to 5 V,allowing them to be driven fromspeaker outputs such as these. Withthe System90, there was sufficientpower to drive better sounding butless efficient speakers, again locat-

ed in the fac-tory positions.

Along thesesame lines, KEFhad an installa-tion in a HondaSRS, using KEFUni-Q speakersin the factorylocations, plus a

pair of its 10 -inch free -air sub -woofers mounted under the reardeck. While not quite a "no -hole" in-stallation, the only modifications re-quired were perforating the rear deckin a neat pattern for the subs and re-inforcing that deck with medium -density fiberboard (MDF). "If you'veleased the car, you could leave theMDF in place when you return it,"said KEF's Joel Rosenblatt. "And youdon't have to turn your trunk into aninth -order multibandpass enclo-sure or fill it with a box that takesaway your trunk space." The Uni-Qcar speakers (available in 51/4-, 61/2-,

PEOPLE WHO LEASE

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STEREO INSTALLATIONS.

AUDIO/JULY 199526

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System hookupfor augmented bass withBlaupunkt's new three-wayspeaker.

and 6 x 9 -inch sizes) allow both a mid -woofer and a tweeter to be mounted in acar's factory speaker cutout, without thetime -coherence problems that are known toafflict regular coaxials or systems that haveseparate tweeters. The sound is smootherwith the Uni-Q systems, according toRosenblatt, "though the factory locationsdon't let you get the kind of imaging you dowith separates."

Another Honda installation, this time ina Del Sol, was the subject of a multiple-choice guessing game at the Jensen booth.Listeners were asked what kind of equip-ment they thought was in the car; the ques-tionnaire (and the sound) implied the pres-ence of multiple large subwoofers, sub -basssynthesizers, equalizers, and the like. Thecorrect answer was . . . none of the above.The system used a Jensen in -dash CD play-er, two stereo amplifiers with built-incrossovers, upgraded speakers in the stocklocations, plus an 8 -inch Jensen woofer that

was housed in a fourth -order bandpass en-closure built for this car. By setting the gainof the amplifier's subwoofer channel high,Jensen ensured that the bass would have allthe whoomp it needed. Deep fundamentalsweren't there, but your ear fools you whenyou hear the harmonics-especially on theroad, where road noise would mask thosefundamentals anyway. The installation, byJensen engineer Phil White, included aHafler (L - R) connection to the rear speak-ers, for extra spaciousness and to help keepthe image up front.

Blaupunkt's contribution to stealth in-stallation at the MES was the VPD-693, a6 x 9 -inch three-way speaker whose wooferhas dual voice -coils. By feeding bass froma separate amp to the second voice -coil,an installer can extend and enrich the

Coil 1

Coil 2

Dual N/IlcurgitlThree -Way

Speaker

.47

speaker's bass output. If the second voice -coil is fed front -channel bass, then bass re-sponse will still be slightly augmented andwon't grow weak when the sound is fadedto the front channels, whose speakers arenormally smaller.

Kenwood applied the stealth concept an-other way. Its KRC-901 and KRC-801 cas-sette receivers have featureless covers thatautomatically hide the front panel when thesystem's not in use. A

RAVELLE RS° IDSAs mentioned in my story on the Mo-

bile Electronics Show (MES), the Elec-tronic Industries Association (EIA)plans to equip 500 FM stations, in the25 largest U.S. markets, with encodersfor the Radio Broadcast Data System(RBDS). The EIA will swap the en-coders for $5,000 worth of advertis-ing time per station, and will use thead time to inform listeners about RBDS.(But will they explain why radios de-signed to decode RBDS signals aremarked "RDS"?)

Denon, which hasbeen lavishing en-coders on Public Ra-dio stations, will helpfund the program, aswill Delco Electronics(the world's largestcar radio manufactur-er) and Pioneer. Theparticipation of Denon andsurprise, as they're the major purvey-ors of "RDS" radios in this country(though Grundig makes RDS porta-bles, Onkyo has RDS receivers, andPhilips Car Systems has RDS car ra-dios). But Pioneer, which does sell RDSradios in Europe, does not yet sellthem here. At the MES, Pioneer never-theless did exhibit a European modelwhose only noticeable difference fromthe DEH-P815 sold here (and tested inthis issue) is the use of RDS insteadof ID Logic.

Both RDS and ID Logic help you findstations by format, even while you'retravelling. An RDS radio identifies sta-tions by special subcarrier signals; anID Logic radio identifies them by check-

ing an internal database. Naturally,RDS can only identify stations that car-ry its subcarrier signals, and it can'tidentify AM stations at all. But it auto-matically corrects for changes in sta-tion call letters or formats, and can car-ry such real-time information as trafficor emergency announcements. The IDLogic system only works if you tell theradio your current (or initial) location.It can't update itself when stationnames or formats change, but it can

"1""' ---'"" 'rw'r--120"1 work with all FM,AM, and even short-wave stations. TheRDS Standard there-fore includes provi-sions for combiningboth systems in oneradio (with RDS set-ting the ID Logic sys-tem's location points

updating its database, while IDLogic handles AM). However, I knowof no manufacturer that actually hasdone this.

In Europe, RDS is very big. Car ra-dios with RDS are available from mostof the major OEM and independentmakers, all of whom can and will bringtheir RDS technology over here assoon as they feel the market's ripe.(About 300,000 RDS car radios arealready out on U.S. roads.) The systemis used by broadcasters in at least 16European countries, with about a halfdozen more due soon. And quite a fewcar makers (including Audi, BMW,Fiat, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes, Opel,Porsche, Saab, Volkswagen, and Vol-vo) offer factory -installed RDS radios.

Delco is no and

AUDIO/JULY 199528

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Originally released in Europe in 1993, SoundCheck is now considered an indispensible aidby sound engineers, record producers, hi-fi enthusi-asts, musicians, broadcasters, equipment installers,sound reinforcement personnel-the list goes on.

What's on the Sound Check disc? A total of 92essential tracks in all: Test tones-yes-but also dry,unprocessed instrumental and vocal recordings,sound effects (one or two of some repute-theChieftain Tank recording brought down the ceilingat one demonstration), some of the best -soundingfinished products to be found, along with utilitieslike time code and a musical tuning reference.

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A shop -linedstreet in Pan Yu,

the wholesale

audio districtof Canton.

MONDO AUDIOKEN KESSLER

CHINA'S AUDIOREVOLUTION

WChina was

itnessing a revolution-heavy-duty stuff for onewhose misspent youthinvolved being part ofone. A mere 10 days inthe People's Republic ofenough to convince me

that something's happening there,and what it is ain't exactly clear; I'mstill reeling. And however much fu-ture sociologists might want to con-clude that a strong communist (witha small "c") element featured heavilyin the "revolution" of the 1960s,they'll be hard pressed to ignore theutter rejection of it by the Chinese inthe 1990s. The Chinese want toys,and there's no stopping them.

My-what?-hundredth hi-fishow took place in Canton, admit-tedly one of the more liberal cities inmainland China. Still, nothing couldprepare me for the force with whichChina is poised to enter the 20th, ifnot quite the 21st, century. Nearly

P/2 billion possession -hungry citi-zens, more than adequate cash fromwho knows where, a lust for ThingsWestern: Levis, mobile phones,Swatches, and yes, even hi-fi. Drab isout, and China is going to be a mar-ket like