TURNTABLES AND MORE: Tables from Goldring and Roksan, plus a chat with the creator of one of them. And four phono preamps, including a tube unit you can build yourselfOTHER REVIEWS: Audiomat and Exposure amplifiers, the fabulous Reimyo CD player, ASW Genius 400 speakersPLUS: Why not all LPs are created equal, how video may go hi-res and low-res at the same time, all about the Montreal show, and much, much more!No. 73

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“Hard to fault in any area.This has to be the budget turntable of the year.”

Hi-Fi World, April 2005

ASW Speakers

QED

Target

Vandersteen

McCormack

Harmonix

WBT

Gamut

Apollo

GutWire

FIM Accessories

Goldring

Milty

Perfect Sound

Nitty Gritty

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Audiophile CDs

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Justice Audio9251-8 Yonge St., Suite 218Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9T3

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“It has all the volume you could ever want, its bottom end goes

down to bedrock, and its top end is delightfully smooth.”

UHF No. 73

NUTS&BOLTS

The Making of an LP 18by Paul BergmanSomevinylalbumssoundglorious,otherssoundgrittyanddull.Isitjustthequalityofvinylused?

Rendezvous

The Making of a Turntable 22UHFchatswithTourajMoghaddam,designeroftheRoksanturntablesandarms.

FEATURES Montreal 2005: Smaller, but Still Potent 26

by Gerard RejskindUHFtourswhatisstilloneofNorthAmerica’sbiggesthi-fishowsforconsumers.

Two Future Audiophiles 27by Albert SimonWhatbeginningaudiophilesthoughtoftheshow

The Listening RoomRoksan Radius 5 Turntable 31

Notexpensive,butwithaspectacularside.Didsomeonesay“transparency”?

Goldring GR2 Turntable 33Yes,ofcourseit’saRega,butwhichone?

Four Phono Stages 35PreampsfromCEC,GoldringandMarchand,includingatubeunityoucanbuildyourself.

Harmonix Reimyo CDP-777 Player 40Reimyomeans“miracle”inJapanese,andthenameisnotasoff-the-wallasyoumightthink.

Audiomat Récital Amplifier 43AndwethoughtAudiomatcouldn’teverdobetterthanitsOpéraintegratedamplifier!

Audiomat Maestro D-to-A converter 46TheperfectcomplementtotheRécital?

Exposure 2010S 47Mostintegratedamplifiersinthispricerange…well,youknow!

ASW Genius 400 Speakers 49Big,beautifulGermanspeakers,buttheydon’tsoundlikeit…orcostlikeiteither.

The Sonneteer BardOne 52Gettingsoundfromheretowayoverthere

CinemaThe Compression Blues 53

YouseevideocompressioneachtimeyouviewaDVD.Butyouain’tseennothin’yet!

SoftwareThe Accordion 57

by Reine LessardIt’saninstrumentthatgetsnorespect.Andyet…

Software Reviews 63by Reine Lessard, Albert Simon and Gerard Rejskind

DepartmentsEditorial 2Feedback 5FreeAdvice 7ClassifiedAds 56Gossip&News 70StateoftheArt 72

Cover story:SidebysidearetheReimyoCDP-77playerandtheAudiomatRécitalintegratedtubeamplifier,bothofwhichareamongtheproductsreviewedinthisissue.InthebackgroundarethewatersoftheLacdesDeux-Montagnes,offthewesterntipoftheislandofMontréal.

Issue No. 73

ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine �

UHF Magazine No. 73 was published in September, 2005. All contents are copyright 2005 by Broadcast Canada. They may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

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EDITORIAL: Paul Bergman, Reine Lessard, Albert Simon

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Ultra High Fidelity Magazine is completely independent of all companies in the electronics industry, as are all of its contributors, unless explcitly specified otherwise.

Manufacturers’ comments Somemagazinesoffermanufacturersspaceafteranequipmentreviewforacomment.Wedon’t,andsomereaderswonderwhy. Readthemanufacturers’commentsinothermagazines,andyou’llhaveyouranswer. Forinstance:“WeatAcmeAcousticswanttocongratulateyourentirestaffonitsbrillianceandperspicacityinrecognizingthatourHeffalumpspeakerisoneoftheverybestvaluesonthemarket…” Orpossibly:“WearehonoredthatyouhavechosentoincludetheAlfabetHexwhyzeefluid-coupledamplifierinthisissueofyouresteemedpublication.Wenotethatyoupraiseditforseveralqualities,thusgivingustheencourage-menttocontinue,thoughweareconvincedyouwouldhavelikeditevenmoreifyouhadpaireditwith…” Or,moreentertainingly:“AllofusatDeadEndElectronicsareshockedanddisappointedatthe‘shortcomings’thatyoubelieveyoufoundinourproduct.Wedon’tunderstandhowyoucanhavecometothisconclusionwhenJMatHiFi UniverserateditCDPlayeroftheWeek,anditwonlastyear’sprestigiousEditorialGoferawardfromMonoWorld.Cancelallourads,ifwehaveany.” Whatdoyouthink?Isuspectnoneofthiswouldhelpyoudecidewhatyoushouldbuyforyourownsystem.Andlestweforget,thatisUHF’smission.

Is digital the future? I’vebeenhearingtheclaimsincethefirstdaysoftheCompactDisc.Ifyoudon’trememberthosedays,youhavebeensparedalotofpain.Thefirstplayerssufferedfrommassivephaseshiftthroughtheaudiblerange,andthecrudeoperationalamplifiersusedintheanalogstagesmadethesoundbrightandunnatural,yetthinatthesametime. Butthatwasalongtimeago.Digitaliseverywherenow,includingineverystep in thecreationof thismagazine (indeed, this isourfirst-evereditionproducedentirelydigitally,withno“analog”films).Formoreandmoremusiclovers,themusicsourceisneitheraturntablenoraCDplayerbutacomputer.Thetendencyisnotabouttobereversed. ButIcan’tsayIdeploreit.Thekeytobeinganaudiophileisnotsomuchwhattechnologyyouusebuthowyouuseit.TheiPod,thewaymostpeopleuseit,istheantithesisofthesearchforhighfidelity.Youdon’tgetclosertothemusicbythrowingawayfourfifthsofthealreadyincompleteinformation.Butthegoodnewsisthatyoudon’thaveto.Computersandportableplayers,usedwithmusicalpleasureinmind,reallycanbeamusiclover’sbestfriend. WhichiswhywehavenowaddedanAppleiPodtoourreferencesystems.Thatwillallowustotestrelevantaccessoriesandletyouknowwhattheycanforyou.WecanreviewalternativestotheiPod(wehearrumorstherearesome).Wecantellyouhowtoputtogetheradigital-basedsystemthatwillbeliterallymusictoyourears. Butofcoursethatisnotallthatwewilldo.You’llalreadyhavenoticedthatthisissuecontainsreviewsoftwoturntablesandcartridgesandfourphonopreamplifiers.Themessageofanaloghasbeentoldoften,butpossiblynotoftenenough.

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This is our original book, which has been read by thousands of audiophiles, both beginners and advanced. It’s still relevant to much of what you want to accomplish.It’s a practical manual for the discovery and exploration of high fidelity, which will make reading other books easier. Includes in-depth coverage of how the hardware works, including tubes, “alternative” loudspeakers, subwoofers, crossover networks, biamplification. It explains why, not just how. It has full instructions for aligning a tone arm, and a gauge is included. A complete audio lexicon makes this book indispensable. And it costs as little as $9.95 in the US and Canada (see the coupon).

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The World of High FidelityThis long-running best seller includes these topics: The basics of amplifiers, preamplifiers, CD players, turntables and loudspeakers. How they work, how to choose, what to expect. The history of hi-fi. How to compare equipment that’s not in the same store. What accessories work, and which ones are scams. How to tell a good connector from a rotten one. How to set up a home theatre system that will also play music (hint: don’t do any of the things the other magazines advise). How to plan for your dream system even if your accountant says you can’t afford it. A precious volume with 224 pages of essential information for the beginning or advanced audiophile!

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Iwasraisedinamusicalfamily,butalone among family members did notlearn an instrument professionally. Insomething like counterpoint, I wenttoward hi-fi instead, and could soontellyouaboutcomponents,brands,thetubesound,andsoon.AbitfurtheronIlearnedthathi-fienthusiasmisn’taboutnaming or reciting stats, but listeningpurely and simply. I was well on thewaytowardthekindofhi-fi-domyourmagazineisabout. Then, somewhere between l ifechoices,theriseofdigitalmaniaandtheexigenciesofreallifeonashoestring,Istarted losing thatway.Still true to itinprinciple,Istartedmakingcompro-mises,settlingfor“themeantime”untildoingsowastheroutine.Finally,hi-fihadbecomeautopiandream,somethingalwaysacrossanotherhorizon,ataleofanother lifetime. This one, like it ornot, isaboutscrapingrent,puttingoffthatdentalappointmentforyetanothermonth,andpluggingapairofportableearphonesintoanaginglaptoprunningWindowsMediaPlayer. ThenIhappenedacrossyourreprintofGerardRejskind’selegant1992articleThe Plot to Kill Hi-Fi(UHFNo.72),andwasremindedinonepasswhyitallmat-teredtomethen,andwhyitstillmattersnow.Ifhi-fiisacostlypursuit,thereisnobettertimethantighttimesforhearingthathi-fiisanidea,notaproduct,andthat ideas worth believing in are alsoworth fighting for; only fair-weatherpursuits are actually reserved for therich. On a practical note, I would stressthathi-fijoyisopentomodestincomes,thanksfirsttothewiderangeofproductsonthemarket,andsecondtothecompo-nentialnatureofhi-fi;onecanbuyintoitinmodestpiecesandthusplanforthemorecostlyamongthem,andyouenjoynewlevelsofsoundwitheveryupgrade.Thisflexibilitycreatesabundantwaysof

goingafterhi-fiearfirst,waysofbring-ing hi-fi utopias, step by sure-footedstep,backintoreallives.

TimBishaLONDON,ON

IjustfinishedyourarticleThe Plot to Kill Hi-Fi.Itgotmethinkingaboutmyexperience. IwasindoctrinatedintothehighendinWinnipeg,wherethereareonlyafewhighenddealers.Myfirstexposurewasatamass-marketdealerwhosoldlowandmid-fionthemainflooralongwiththetelephones,andhada“secret”highendroomdownstairs.Iwasstillquiteyoungthen,anditwasobviousthatIdidn’thavealotofmoney.Oncethesalesmanfoundthisoutheignoredme.Thewholefocuswasonselling,andifyouweren’tbuyingtheyweren’tinterestedinyou. OvertimeIendedupatatruehigh-enddealer.Theywerehappytoauditionequipment for you, but there was stillmoreemphasisonsellingthananythingelse. The listening rooms were over-crowdedwithequipmentandnotideal,but it was better than the box dealer.OverthecourseofayearorsoIpur-chasedsomeproductsfromthem,untilI found out about after-sales service.I tried to return a power conditionerthatsoundedgoodatfirstbutwaslessgoodafterafewweeks.Theyabsolutelyrefusedtotakeitback,andIendeduphavingtotradeitinandusethemoneytowardspeakercables.Thatwasthelasttimetheysawme. I finally found a small store thatsold and fixed audio gear. The ownerwastheonlypersoninthestore.Ithadtwogood listeningrooms.Theownerwashappytotalktomeabouthighendequipment,eventhoughItoldhimrightatthebeginningthatIcouldn’taffordtoupgrade.Ineverwouldhavebelievedthatover thenext threeyears Iwouldspendtensofthousandsofdollarsathis

storeanddevelopagreatfriendshipintheprocess.Itturnedoutthatthislittlestoremadetheirownhighendamplifiers.Theownerhadmebringinmyspeakers(luckilytheywereTotemmodel1’s)anddoacomparisonbetweenhischeapestamp and some others that were manytimesmoreexpensiveandhadreceivedglowingreviewsinpopularmagazines.Icouldn’tbelievehowobviousthedif-ferencewas!Ieventuallypurchasedoneoftheiramplifiers,andlatertradeditinforanampthathecustombuiltforme. Theowner,WayneStefanko,spenthourswithme,teachingmetousemyears to judge thequalityofaproduct.Hisloveofaudioisobviousandinfec-tious.Ididn’tgointohisstorethatdaytobuyanything,andhedidn’tcare.Hewashappytoeducateme,andtojusttalkabouthigh-endaudiowithsomeonewholovestolistentomusic.

RaySemadeniVICTORIA,BC

I’d just like to thank you for yourmagazineandfortheFree Advicesection.Bothhavebeenveryhelpfulinallowingmetogetthemostoutofmysystem. I especially love Gerard’s article,The Plot to Kill Hi-Fi,inwhichIrecog-nized myself in his description of theenthusiasmoftheearlyhi-fiproprietors,andhopetoonedayputittouseintheserviceofthiswonderfulhobby.

PerryHowellTHORNHILL,ON

Whyisitthatsomanyaudiomaga-zinesneverdoreviewsonB&Oproducts?Aretheyoverpricedproductsthatdon’tdeliverthegoods?Isitreversesnobberyonbehalfoftheaudiopressthatyou’renotbuyingatruehi-fisystembutbuyingintoalifestyle?Theircataloguecertainlylookslikeitis!Iwouldbeinterestedinknowingyourviewsonthissubject,asIplantobuyaB&O9000CDplayerandmatchitupwithaRoksanCaspianampandmyexistingBosespeakers.

NickThompson

Interestingly enough, Nick, our very first issue in 1982 had an article on technology developed by B&O, namely the Dolby HX Pro headroom extension system that is still used on some cassette decks. At that

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time, B&O made a phono cartridge that was widely reviewed as outstanding. Since then the company has shifted to — as you say — lifestyle products, with emphasis on features and design rather than musical fidelity. B&O does this sort of product per-haps better than anyone else in the world, but it’s not quite our thing.

Whatismusichighendreproductionthesedays?Two,five,sevenchannels,and nowI hear that nine channelsare being introduced. Is digital musicstreaming replacing disc playback?Are all of my two-channel qualitycomponents obsolete now,like a slowcomputer? IseethatyouhaveincludedaniPodinyoursecondreferencesystem.Isthatthewayofthefuture…compresseddigi-talfilessyntheticallyexpandedtosoundlike music through some electronicplaybacksystem?Ifanyonecanreason-ablypredictthefutureofhighendhomemusiclisteningIwouldreallyappreciatereadingtheiropinion.

DonaldSchererROCKYMOUNT,VA

Well, quality music playback has always been a niche market, and we don’t expect that to change. It’s true that channels seem to be proliferating like rabbits (James Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish in DieAnotherDay had a 12.1 channel system), but most serious music systems still mostly have two channels. As for our iPod, we are not loading it with music containing lossy compres-sion. Our message is that using convenient technology does not mean throwing away the music.

I’mwritingbecauseyou’replanningto test a transport/DAC pair. I have

gonebacktothisconfigurationmyselfand recently I tested Steve Nugent’sassertionthata1.5-metredigitalinter-connect sounds better on most gear.I wired up a 1-metre and a 1.5-metre75-ohmApogeeWydeEyeusingCanareRCAs and silver solder from you. MypalVaqarandIthenhadacarefullistenusingyourguidelines,firstonmyTEACT1/ApogeeDA-1000Epair,thenonhisThetaUniversal/KoraHermes. Youmightliketotrythistestyourself.It’saninterestingonebecausetheresultsrun counter to conventional wisdom,i.e. shorter is betterwith cables. Thesoundstageisbigger,instrumentsmoreclearlydefined,confusionisreduced. Steve Nugent is behind EmpiricalAudio,asyoulikelyknow,andwasoncean engineer for Intel. He now modsaudio gear and specializes in digital.Although IMHO he treads very closetopostinglimitsforself-promoters,hisadviceturnedouttobeperfectlycorrectinthiscase.

TobyEarpMONTREAL,QC

We were intrigued by this admittedly counterintuitive theory, and after reading your letter we ordered a 1.5 m version of the Atlas Compass digital cable, to give a listen. It appears to be true: the 1.5 m version did sound considerably better. At the same time, by the way, we tried the Atlas Opus cable, OCC wire and connectors, $335. We judged it the equal of our much more expensive Gold Starlight. We have samples of the 1.5 m version on order. We’ll be doing a blind test once it arrives.

Iwouldlovetoseeareviewofthisnew Qinpu integrated from CharismaAudio.IwouldbeveryinterestedinitssoundqualitycomparedtotheSimaudioI-5andVecteurintegrated. And I heard a new Moon I-7 inte-gratediscomingoutthisyear—welloutofmypricerangeI’msure.NotonlyistheQinpubeautifultogazeupon,butitlooksasifitwouldmakebeautifultunes.Butlookscanbedeceiving.

LloydSmithMALAGASH,NS

The Qinpu A-8000 MkII will be reviewed in our next issue, Lloyd.

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Seethelinkatleft.Youcangetthewholeissue,withallthetextintactandno

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anywhereintheworld.Andnowaitingforsnailmail!

I have what I think is the top model Musical Fidelity preamp (a 2002 model) and the Celeste 4150 amp. Since the signal is so small from a preamp, would I notice a difference in cables? I don’t mean to sound stupid here, I’m not talking about going from house wire to the Atlas Navigator, but from a fairly good quality cable (Luscombe silver audio cable which you’ve probably never heard of as they are made at a home near Brantford, Ontario). I would like to get all the music I can from my new Totem Mani-2’s which I dearly like. Do you think the Celeste is a proper amplifier for the Mani-2’s? What would you suggest?

David EberttDRAYTON, ON

We also like the Mani-2’s, David.Oddly, neither Totem nor Simaudiorecommends the current W-5 or W-3for use with the Mani-2’s, though wehaverunthemtogetherwithoutproblem(and with superb sound). We’ve beentoldofftherecordthatthecombinationcanworkfineifyoudon’toverdrivethespeakers…which means keeping theguests away from the volume controlattheNewYear’sEveparty.Sincethe4150istheancestoroftheW-3,thesamewouldbetrueofit,wewouldthink,andwewouldexpectittosoundverygoodwiththeMani-2’s.Bytheway,whenwefirsttestedtheMani-2’syearsago,wehadreceivednowarningsaboutamplifiers,andwebrokethem in using a 60-watt per channelRobertson4010(thesubsequenttestwasdonewith aYBAOne,however).Thecombination sounded wonderful andpresentednoproblems.

I currently have a Linn Genki CD player and am contemplating upgrading it. My preamp is a Linn Wakonda with switching power supply and built-in Kudos FM tuner.

My amplifiers are Meridian 557’s (I have two of the 557’s and use them in both bridged and vertical biamping hookups, depending on my “mood”). I want to maintain HDCD capability in the CD player, and the two other play-ers I’ve considered are the Linn Ikemi and Arcam FMJ CD23. Which would you recommend, if you would, and what type(s) of improvement(s) should I expect with either?

Paul KittingerHILLIARD, OH

Paul,westandbyourrecommenda-tionoftheLinnGenkiasoneofthebestplayersinitspricerange,oneofahand-fulwecancountamongourfavorites.IfyouwanttomaintainHDCDcapability,theonlysensibleupgradewecanseeistotheLinnIkemi.TheIkemiandtheGenkihaveidenticalcircuitryandpowersupplies,asyoumayknow,butdifferenttransports(aPhilipsonthelatter,Linn’sownontheformer),andthedifferenceshows up on a number of recordings,especiallyoneswithcomplexorchestra-tion.TheGenki,forallitsmanyquali-ties,sometimesexhibitsstrangeartifactson some recordings, and you’ll noticethemifyoudoadirectcomparisonwiththeIkemi.WiththediscontinuationoftheLinnCD12,theIkemiispossiblytheworld’sbestHDCDplayer. But did we remember to mentionthattheGenkiisoneofthebestplay-ers in itsprice range?Before steppinguptoaplayerthatwillcostyoudoubletheGenki’soriginalprice,youmaybereadyforapreamplifierupgrade.Sinceyour Genki is so compact, it may beto your advantage to take it with youto your favorite dealer and do somecomparisons.

I need your help once again. I have an Oracle Alexandria MkIII turntable with

an Alphason Delta arm and Sumiko Blue Point Special cartridge. I’ll be changing the subchassis, which is warped (Oracle is sending me a new one this week). Can the Alexandria take a better arm than the Delta? I’m thinking about an Alphason Xenon MCS or HR-100, or a Linn Akito, Ittok or Ekos. Do you have other suggestions? As you can guess, I’m looking primarily at the used market.

Marc-André St-OngeST-PASCAL, QC

It’sagreatwaytosave,Marc-André.OfcourseyouknowhowfondweareofAlphasontonearms, sincewestillusethe HR-100S that can be seen on thecoverofissueNo.11ofourmagazine.Toobadthecompanyhaspracticallydis-appeared...wesay“practically”becauseit’s still around, making equipmenttables.Sigh! The Delta was a rather basic arm.TheXenonwasalotmoreinteresting,andmightbeagoodmatchifyoucanactuallyfindoneatadecentprice.Onthe Linn side, the Ittok would be aninterestingchoice,andsinceitusesthesamemountasyourDelta,installationshouldpresentnoproblem.

I own a Linn 5103 and a Linn Ikemi powered by a Linn Klout through a pair of Verity Parsifal Encore speakers. I want SACD capability so I am considering selling the 5103, buying a Unidisk SC, and plugging the Ikemi into the SC (because I think the Ikemi does a better job with CDs than the SC does). I can’t afford the full boat Kisto/1.1 combo or even the 2.1, but I’m a bit nervous that I’m trading down in the preamp department if I swap the 5103 for an SC. Your thoughts?

Eric ParkerWESTON, MA

WehaveyettoheartheUnidiskSCwitheitherCDorSACD,Eric,thoughwehavesatthroughacoupleofdemosof movies with that unit. We rathershare your concern, and you may notwanttomakethatmoveunlessyoucanhearyour5103alongsideaUnidiskSC,andconfirmthatLinnhasshoehornedin a multi-channel preamp withoutcompromises.

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NearlyalltheadsinthisissuearealsoWeblinks.Clickonit,andyourown

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thetableofcontents(onpageone)andgorighttothearticle.

ButwhatimpressedusabouttheSCishoweasily it letsyousetupahometheatresystem,aprocessthathasbeenlinkedtoaworldwideepidemicofulcers.Youdon’tmentionhometheatre,how-

ever.Mayweinferthatitisnotinyourplans?Ifnot,yourchoiceofSACDplay-erswidens,anditmaynotbedesirabletosellyour5103.YoumaystillwanttokeepyourLinnIkemiplayer,however.

I’ve been flipping through past issues of UHF.For a budget of C$2,200 or less, and a 17’ x 12’ x 8’ room, I only see the follow-ing options: Castle Stirling 3, Reference 3a Dulcet, Vecteur Espace, ProAc Response 1sc or Tablette Reference 8 (aftermarket), Totem Rainmaker. What would be a good choice? Any other makes/models that you would suggest?

Alan ChanVANCOUVER, BC

Oh, we probably could, Alan, butyou’vealreadyroundedupsome likelysuspects.TheweakestchoicesonyourlistaretheTabletteandtheVecteur.Thestrongest,inroughlythisorder,aretheDulcet,theProAcResponse,theCastleStirling,andfinallytheRainmaker. YoucanseethattheDulcetisrightonbudget,butneitheritnortheother“bookshelf” speakers will sound any-whereneartheirbestwithoutfirstclassstands.Ifthestandsneedtofitintoyourbudgetaswell,youmightbebetteroffgoing down to the Rainmakers, andmatchingthemtoreallygoodstands.

Thanks for your hard work in producing this fine magazine! I can’t believe I managed to destroy my Goldring Elite MC cartridge, but I did. In my research of a replacement cartridge (I ended up with the same one, also recom-mended by my dealer), I discovered that there are such beasts as “mono” cartridges! Since approximately a third of our 1,000 records are mono, it begs the question whether spending the money on a new mono-specific cartridge is worthwhile. These older records are mostly good quality classical music recordings, sound very good even using the stereo cartridge, and are played frequently. At least stereo cartridges are backwards compatible, unlike most new technologies! Ortofon may make one and Lyra has two (the Helikon Mono, at $1500) but they’re not exactly commonplace and not cheap. To add to the expense, I would feel it necessary to purchase a second unipivot arm to make changeovers fast and reduce the risks of dam-aging expensive cartridges by Mr. Klutz.

Sean LeighlandBUCKINGHAMSHIRE, England

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tridgefor78rpmrecordings,sincetheyrequireaspecialstylusanyway.Amonocartridgeoffersnoparticularadvantageexcept for certain turntables afflictedwithlargeamountsofverticalrumble,to which mono cartridges are insensi-tivebutwhichaffectstereocartridges.What’s more, we would guess that amonocartridgewillbeofolderdesign,andwillprobablynotperformaswellasyourGoldring. Thereis,bytheway,aninexpensiveway to “force” mono sound, using aninterconnectwiththetwochannelscon-nectedtogether,somethingatechniciancanmakeupeasily.Putitbetweentape inandtape outonyouramporpreamp,andflipthetape/sourceswitchtoputsoundthroughit.Thatwillcancelanyverticalnoiseyourcartridgepicksup.ThatcanalsobeusedtocanceloutthedreadfulreverbaddedtothoseoldLPsthatwere“rechannelledforstereo.”

I have a question about choosing a car-tridge for my Rega Planar 3. The turntable was purchased used from a neighbourhood record shop, but I could tell by the Empire cartridge that it was getting on in years. So I ambled on down to the best hi-fi “salon” in Vancouver to purchase a replacement. Well, it was a dreadful experience. I chose the Rega Bias, since it was the entry level model, took it home and found there was no tip on the end of the stylus, just bare metal! Back I went for another one, which the retailer exchanged with no trouble. I get home, put it on the Rega and all seems well, until I notice a strange hum. Convinced I had a bum deck, I took it to a highly-respected repair shop, where I was told that the new cartridge was generating an electrical field that was interfering with the one produced by the Rega’s motor. As the tone arm moved to the center of the LP, the hum increased. He put on a Stanton 890, and there was no hum at all. I would like a good cartridge. Could you recommend one that will give good results?

Ian PickeringVANCOUVER, BC

Ian,weknowit’ssometimesdifficulttorecallthedetailsofatechnicalexpla-nationfroma(possibly)busytechnician,butyousaysomeoneatthestoretoldyouthat the cartridge was “generating an

electricalfield?”Wow! Technically, of course, phono car-tridgesdogenerateelectricalfields,butthey are so miniscule that a turntablemotorwouldn’tbeabletofinditwithoutamicroscope.Whatcanhappenisthatthe coils in the cartridge will pick uphum from the motor’s electrical field.As the arm swings toward the centreoftherecord,thecartridgegetsclosertothemotor.WehavenevertriedtheRegaBias(wehavereviewedwhatwasthenRega’stopcartridge,theExact,in

UHFNo.65).HoweverwethinkRega’sengineersaremuchtooexperiencedtoputoutacartridgethatwouldn’tworkwith their own turntable. Our guessis thatagroundwire fromthearmtosomewhere on the underside of theturntable isbusted.This isaneasyfixonceit’sfound.

I am shopping for a CD player, but lately some doubts emerge. I wanted to get a new CD player because my Micromega Stage 1 is getting quite old,

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and sometimes it does not detect the CDs I am feeding it. It gets annoying. My local reseller says my laser beam is probably getting very weak, and that on a Philips transport it can hardly be fixed. Should I believe him? Since I bought the Micromega ST1, I moved from a small carpeted apartment to a huge loft with concrete structure and vast windows. The sound of the ST1 in that environment always seemed thin, and the music lacks some warmth and depth, and the image is quite narrow. I thought that I should look for something less analytic, like a Myryad or a Rega Planet.

Philippe GauthierTROIS-RIVIÈRES QC

Philippe,ifyourreselleractuallytestedthe laser on your Micromega playerbeforegivingyouthatadvice,wewouldsay he is probably right. If he didn’t,hemayhavebeenhoping to steeryoutowardtheshelveswherethenewplayersarekept.Ifyourplayerisadecadeoldandhasneverbeencleaned,wearesurpriseditworksatall.Getagoodcleaningdisc,

suchastheMilty(avoidtheonesfromthedollarstores).Putitintotheplayerand follow the instructions. You mayneedmorethanonetreatment. That said, the Stage1 was not thesmoothestplayeronthemarketeveninitsday,anditmayindeedbetimeforanewone.Thechoicehasexpandedenor-mouslyoverthepastdecade.Perhapstheharshnessyouhearisnotentirelyduetotheacoustics.

I am in the process of constructing my own power bar, and have a few questions: 1) Is it a good idea to get a shielded wire to go between the wall and the duplex outlets? My local Home Depot doesn’t carry shielded in-wall wiring larger than 16 gauge, so if shielding is required I’ll need to hunt the wire down. 2) Is it possible to make a decent power cord for hi-fi equipment using the same in-wall home wiring you recommended for the power bar? I understand that this must be shielded, but are there any other electrical constraints that would keep a power cord made from such material from being as good

as a high dollar cord? 2b) Is there any requirement or phe-nomenon evident in the length of wire between the outlet and your amp that would benefit from the use of, say, multistranded silver conductor for this length, when the remainder of the wire between your outlet and the breaker box is regular thick copper Home Hardware-style wire? (I’m not being facetious…if there is such a phenomenon I would like to know about it and will buy accordingly.) 3) At some point I plan on taking elec-tronics courses and joining the ranks of the hi-fi constructors, but as a segue into that world I have become very intrigued by the Audionote Signature PQ kit 1. Have you had the opportunity to hear this kit? 4) If I do build this kit, I will need high- efficiency speakers, and I am wondering if you’ve heard the Audionote AN/E (the one based on the old Snell speakers) The philosophy behind this speaker design is to let the cabinet resonate at a certain frequency, which, in their words, allows it to act as a third driver and creates a warm sound in the same way as a guitar body fills out the sound of the guitar. Something doesn’t sit right with me about that.

Perry HowellTHORNHILL, ON

Norwithus,Perry,butwe’lltakethepowercordquestionfirst. Criticsofhighendtweaksoftenmakesardonicremarksconcerningthefactwefavorhighendshieldedpowercords,butthatthemuchlonger in-wallwiringischeap,andisusuallynotshielded,exceptforBXcable.Thisistrueofcourse,buttherealityisthatthein-wallwiringismuchfartherawayfromtheequipmentthantheequipment’sownpowercordsare.Thepresenceofdigitalequipmentinnearlyallmodernsystemsaddsdigi-talnoiseallover theplace,andpowercords are excellent antennas for bothtransmissionandreceptionofthisnoise.Incidentally,theshieldingalsoaddsabitofcapacitancetothecable,lettingitactlikeamildfilteragainstnoise…someofwhichmayactuallybegeneratedintheupstreamcables.Everylittlebithelps. Some other features of expensivepower cables may not add much ofanything.Therereallyaresilverpower

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Cheap subscriptions the electronic way!

Whatyou’rereadingrightnowisaPDFeditionofthemagazine,butthefreeonehasincomplete

articles,asyou’llsee,thoughnotallofthemhappily.ForC$4.30,taxesincluded,youcangetthe

completePDFcopy.Getthedetailsat:

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cables, and silver is certainly a betterconductor than copper, but in mostcasestheresistanceoftheconnectionsishigherthanthatofthewire. We’re sorry to say that we haven’theard the Audionote kit. The speakerwhosecabinetresonanceactsasathirddrivermadeussmile,however,becausethe same phenomenon is present ina lot of speakers with inadequately-damped cabinets, including all mid-fispeakers.But speakersarenotmusicalinstruments,andwe’renotcrazyaboutcomponentsthataddstufftothemusic,evenif themanufacturercharacterizesitas“warmth.”

I would like to thank you for including the article on audio recording in UHF No. 72. If nothing else, it pointed me towards the Audacity software, which has many features that I appreciate (data editing with the draw tool, for example). I have intended, for some time now, to transfer some of my vinyl col-lection to digital for archiving and to allow me to play it in locations where I don’t have access to a turntable. Since I began reading your publication,

I have been amused by many of your com-ments in the Feedback,FreeAdvice, and Stateof theArt columns. Your comment on waterfall diagrams a couple of months ago was particularly relevant, as I have been using (and occasionally writing software for) such applications for over 20 years. I tend to skim over waterfall diagrams in consumer audio publications, as I am never sure what they are trying to tell me or how they have calculated the results. These can change quite remarkably given slightly different analysis parameters. Waterfall diagrams are won-derful for analyzing patterns in data, but the format in which they are presented often limits the ability one has to resolve amplitude details. A good example of their use in pattern analysis is identifying different species of birds by analyzing their songs (the sonograph, a.k.a. the short-time Fourier transform). Unfortunately, I employ tools such as these for less romantic purposes, such as identifying wear in railway track. I also enjoy your advice — that’s what I buy audio magazines for. I am starting the process of assembling a secondary audio system for use in my home office. I already

have two systems: one that I use for serious listening and the other a mid-fi home theatre system. My primary system consists of a Clear-audio turntable, cartridge, and power supply, a modified Rega tonearm, a Primare phono preamp, a Musical Fidelity CD, a Linn tuner, an Anthem preamp, a Bryston amp, ProAc speakers, and a Linn subwoofer. I am quite pleased with this equipment and have enjoyed many a good moment with it. I find it somewhat sad to observe just how many recordings out there are just not executed very well. It makes the real gems that much more enjoyable. Given the quality of the recording equipment available today and the volume of quality technical informa-tion, poor or even indifferent quality sound is just not acceptable. My A/V system is less elegant and has been assembled for films. Most of the video side is from Sony, but I have found their recent offerings to be lower in quality — your Gossip&News column on Sony is very much on my mind. However, going up-market on the video side will have to wait. My Beta VCR hasn’t fallen to pieces yet! On the audio side, I have obtained

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good results by using two pairs of bookshelf speakers to handle the left, right and centre channels. The centre channel uses two speak-ers, separated slightly and oriented vertically. This avoids the lobing problems encountered with many of the horizontally-oriented D’Appolito designs and creates a pleasant soundfield. I employ dipoles on the surround channels to improve the ambience. Not a great system for listening to music through, but that’s what my main audio system is for. All of these ramblings bring me back to the audio system I am planning for my office. It will provide background music while I work, but I would like it to be a “listening quality” system for those moments when I want more than background sound. I would like a tube amp, preferably based on the EL-34. I am planning to use bookshelf speakers. They will have to be situated close to the wall, because of the confined space and the planned usage, so rear-ported speakers cannot be used. Because the room is quite small, I believe that I can use a modestly-powered ampli-fier — 25 watts or less. I would prefer an integrated amp over separate components. I

have limited experience in matching speaker sensitivity to amplifier power and room size, but I believe that if the speakers have a sensitivity of 90 dB or better I should obtain acceptable results. Of course, I am dependent on the reliability of published sensitivity fig-ures. I do not want to spend more than $2000 for the amp and speakers — a tightish budget that eliminates exotic flea-powered SET amps. Do you have any recommendations?

John NicksOTTAWA, ON

Choosing the amplifier looks easy,John. We would look at the Chinesecompany Antique Sound Labs, whoseAQ-1003 is just exactly what you’relookingfor:EL-34tubes,30wattsperchannel,andapricetagthatwillleavebudgetroomforreasonablespeakers. Speakers are slightly tougher. Bytheir very nature small speakers havelower sensitivity than larger speakers,andmanyofthemdohaverear-facingref lex ports, precluding placementagainstawall.EvenLinnandRega,wholongfavoredplacementnearawall,nowmake small speakers with rear ports.

This is going to be a problem if thespeakers need to be right against thewall,muchlessofaproblemifyoucanplacethematleastafewcentimetersoutfromthewall. Wenotethatyouhavedoubtsabouttheveracityofpublishedspeakersensitiv-ityfigures.Weshareyourdoubts,ifonlybecausethereisnoofficially-sanctionedmethod for measuring sensitivity, butthereislittlechoiceotherthanusingthefigureasaguide.Someofourfavoritesmall speakers have sensitivity ratingsof87dBor85dB(theLinnKatanforinstance),neitherofwhichseemstoindi-catesymbiosiswitha30wattamplifier.Thereareexceptions,happily.TheRegaR-1hasasensitivityof90dB,andtheVisonikDavid89dB.Wewouldexpectreasonable performance either near awall(15cmaway,say),orattachedtoanoff-wallsupport.

Can you give me a brief opinion on the Bryston 4B SST amp combined with the Bryston BP25 preamp. Are these very good in your opinion? Do you think they would be significantly better than my Rotel RB-

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1090 and RC-1090 amp/preamp, which are Stereophile Class B rated? I could get the Bryston combo for C$3800.

Yvon HusereauST-JOSEPH-DU-LAC, QC

Rotel is known for offering goodvalueatrelativelymoderatecost,Yvon.SoisBryston,wellupthequalityladder.Youwillgetanimprovement,wewouldexpect,butataconsiderablecost:$3800minuswhatevertheygiveyou,oryoucanget,fortheRotels.Wewouldseeaboutgetting a bigger bang for that money.Bytheway,doyouhaveagoodreasonto continue with a separate amplifierandpreamplifierratherthanoneofthegrowingnumberoffirstclassintegratedamplifiersavailablenow?

First I would like to say thank you for publishing a great magazine, and very useful website. I like the recent monthly specials and the current garage sale. Very tempting. My old Technics receiver — with built in phono preamp — recently went belly up, and has since been replaced with a NAD T743. I chose a receiver mainly for budget reasons,

and the fact I needed a tuner and headphone jack. The NAD also has an excellent learn-ing remote that can control all of my other equipment, including my Rega Planet. As well, my TV has only one video input, and I use the NAD for video switching.

The new NAD does not have a phono preamp, and I do not want to lose my phono capabilities. My current table is a mid 80’s Dual CS515 with a Grado Green cartridge. Is this analog front end good enough to warrant the Rega Fono? For a third of the

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price, I can get a NAD PP-2. Are there any other phono stages in the $200 range that are worth listening to (Rotel, Creek), that would be a good match to my player? My main source is the Planet, and I only occasionally listen to my records. But when I do, I don’t want screech and excessive sibilance. Whatever outboard phono stage I select, I assume it will be better than the one I had in my previous Technics receiver.

Tim LeeneyGEORGETOWN, ON

Wehavehearda lotofphonopre-amps, Tim, at widely differing prices,andtheyfallmostlyintothreecatego-ries.Thecheapandcheerful,from$15to$150,arescreechyandopaque.Onesin the second category, perhaps $200to $500, are better, though not quitegood enough for the best turntables.Preampsinthetopcategory,from$900to$30,000(yes!)mayworkmagic. Wehaven’theardtheNAD,thoughwehavelistenedtoothersatlowerprices,

suchastheCreekandtheMusicalFidel-ity.WhatsurprisedusabouttheRegawasthatitcostslikethemiddlecategory,but sounds like the upper one. Thereare also several other phono preampsreviewedinthisissue.

Some months ago I sent you an e-mail saying that at long last I could burn my CDs with a Windows computer, with the use of a “Nero” burner. My jubilation did not last long. I found that, if the original CD has over 70 minutes of music, clicks and plops started thereafter regardless of the speed used, even at the slow 200x. The safe bet is 65 minutes maximum from the original contents. Can you tell me why?

Joseph ChoaCALGARY, AB

“Slow200x”speed?Wepresumeyoumean“20x,”andevensothatmaybetoofast for some blank CD-R discs. Youmighttryburningatreallylowspeedtoseewhetherthatfixestheproblem.Ifitdoes,andifyoucan’tenvisageburninga70minutediscin70minutes,itmayhelptolookforabetterbrandofdisc. Atone time,youmay recall,blankCDs were rated for 650Mb of data.Whensomesupposedlylonger“700Mb”discsappeared,weavoidedthembecausetheyhadpoorcompatibilitywithsomeplayers. Today, of course, there’s nochoice.Somerecentburners,bytheway,havethepossibilityofpausinginmid-burntoavoidrunningoutofdata.ButyourCD-burningsoftwaremustbeabletousethisfeature,anditmustbeturnedon:itwillhaveaniceintuitivenamesuchas “bufferunderrunprotection.”Notethat it does impose a performance hitwhenitactivates,whichmeansyou’llgetbestresultsifyourcomputerisn’tbeingdistractedbyothertasks.

I’ve been debating an upgrade to my source. I have a NAD 541i (one year old) hooked up to a Simaudio I-5080. I was curi-ous about your thoughts on better but older CD players versus newer cheaper ones. The player in question is a Copland 266 with upgraded K-DAC’s. It’s a 1998 model versus a year old NAD unit. Has technol-ogy been improved to a point where cheaper newer players such as the NAD are equal to

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higher end six-year old players? The other alternative is to wait a little bit longer and get a used Simaudio, or Classé player. I’m curious on your thoughts about the possibilities of buying older but better.

Paul BawcuttAJAX, ON

That’s often a good strategy, Paul,especiallywithhighly-developed tech-nologiesthatareadvancingslowlyifatall.That’snotalwaysthecasewithCDplayers,however.Rememberwhen,yearsago,weravedabouttheQuad67player,callingitthefirstaffordableaudiophile-gradeplayer?Westandbythat,butyousurewouldn’twanttobuyonetoday. Our guess is, however, that theupgradedCoplandwillbeattheNAD.

Saw your excellent article on passive pre-amps on the Internet. I’ve just put together a 4-way JBL system with alternating Marchand P41 passive preamp and vener-able Marantz 7C. Which is better? In the comments you made in evaluating the two amps I would suggest that messing with cables or other details would likely make

either sound “better.” Or worse. What I learned is that at this level it’s purely a sys-tems game, finding the synergy that creates the illusion you happen to prefer. The cable thing caught me totally by surprise since I hadn’t upgraded my system for two decades! I was astonished. Enjoyed your article. The Brits always have some unique, enjoyable insights — they obviously love their music!

Mike MannerDETROIT, MI

You’recertainlyrightthattweakinga good system can potentially makeit sound great, Mike. What we warnagainst, however, is the notion thattweakscanfixafundamentalproblem.Our approach is to make the systemsound good, and then tweak it, usingcables, anti-vibration pods, or magicspells.Itmaybeasystemsgame,butonlyonceyouhavethebasicsright.Goodasour reference systemsare,we’re aware that we could take somemeasures to improve them further.Howeverweneedtokeepoursystemsasversatileaspossible,sothatwecandrop

anyothercomponenttobereviewedintooneofthem,andhaveitwork.By the way, we’re Canadian ratherthanBritish,thoughwedoliketothinkofourselvesascitizensoftheworld!

I have always been listening to mostly CDs and I wonder if I am missing something by not including analog to my playback system. My equipment for the moment consists of all Balanced Audio Technology products: VK 60 amp, VK 5i preamp, VK 5D HDCD CD player, Monitor Audio Gold Reference 20, Alpha-Core Sapphire inter-connects, Transparent Super biwire cables, Tara Labs and Soundstring AC cables, all connected to a 20 amp dedicated outlet, and myriad tweaks. I am acquiring a Linn Sondek LP12 and a Musical Fidelity X-LPS V3 phono preamp. My question is: why do some purist still claim the superiority of analog compared to digital? Analog does not come cheap either. By the time you add the total of your turn-table, tone arm, cartridge, cleaning tools, preamp, interconnects, etc. (LPs aren’t cheap either), you can get an excellent universal player for the same price.

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www.hometheatercruise.com

Am I foolish in pursuing this, or is it worth every penny I am investing for my musical enjoyment? Illuminate me, O wise ones!

Nelson BorjeSURREY, BC

Nelson,weratherimaginethatyou’llfindthedifferencetobewellworthwhile.It’struethatatop-gradeanalogsystemcanbecostly,butsoisatop-gradedigitalsystem.Wewishitweren’tso,butitis.Whendigitalcameoutintheearly80’s,itsinferioritytoanalogwasevidenttoanyonewholovedmusic.Thesoundwashardandharsh,withglaringhighs,thinlows,andastereosoundstagelikeacrackinthewall.True,CDwascon-venient and noise-free, but absence ofnoisealsomeantabsenceofwhatmakesgoodmusicsoexciting.But time hasnotstood still. Half adecadeafterthelaunchoftheCD,ithadsoimprovedwethoughtwehadreachedthe limitsof themedium.Fortunatelywewerewrongaboutthat,andwekept onbeingwrong,asnew improvementscontinuedtosurpriseus.Butanaloghasn’tbeenstandingstilleither.YourLinnLP12willbeconsid-erablysuperior tooneyouwouldhaveboughtatthedawnofdigital.Therearemanywaysofexpressingtheadvantagesofanalog.OurownAlbertSimonsaysthat,withanalog,youneedmakelessofan effort to convince yourself you arehearingrealmusicians,andthatiswhytheexperienceislessstressful.Bytheway,thoughnewupscaleLPpressings are indeed expensive, themarket is full of used LPs selling attimesforpennies.Thestylusonagoodmoderncartridgecanplaypartsofthegroove that had never been touchedbefore. That’s the well-kept secret ofanalog.WeloveSACDstoo,butwehaveyettoseeoneatagaragesale.You’reinforatreat.Enjoy!

I’m short of ideas for a new preamp and amplifier. I have B&W 805 Nautilus speakers, Kimber speaker cables biwired, Linn Ikemi CD player, AudioQuest Viper interconnect cables (CD to amp), Passion I-11 tube amp, and Rotel RLC-900 line conditioner. UHF has commented on a few pieces

which I have acquired and I put a lot of trust in your wonderful magazine. I would like to stay with tube equipment or a mixture of tube and solid state, but I would like a few more watts.

Reg GagnonMONTRÉAL, QC

Reg,yourPassionI-11wasactuallybuiltbyAntiqueSoundLab,andunderitsownnameASLhasaplethoraoftubeamplifierswaymorepowerfulthantheI-11.TheMonsoonisoneyoumightcon-sider,or—forevenmorepower—theHurricanemonoblocks.Ofcourseyou’llalsoneedapreamp,andiftubesareokaytheretooyoumightlookattheoneweuse,theCoplandCTA-305.We note, though, that you have,in most respects, high-level gear, andyoumaybe ready for something trulyupscale.TheAudiomatRécital,reviewedin this issue, might be just the ticket.EventhesmallerAudiomatOpéra(UHFNo. 69) might surprise you. Jadis andVTLalsohave someexceptional tubeamplifiers.

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Atonetimeonecouldsaythatanycompetentaudioengineerwouldbefamiliarwithatleastthe basics of vinyl recording

production.Thiswastruebecause,fornearlyallrecordings,theLPwastheenduser’smedium. Ithasnotbeentrueforsomeyears,forreasonsIneedhardlydetail.Today’sengineers feel a much more urgentneed to study 5.1 channel surroundtechniquesthantolearntheblackartofputtingmusicintovinyl.Itisalsotrue,however, that even in the golden daysoftheLPmanyanengineerdidn’ttrulyunderstandhowthetaskcouldbebestcarriedout. IproposetopassthroughthedetailsofthecreationofanLP,andthentolookatsomeofthereasonsthat,whilesomemaysoundexcellent,othersdonot. The long playing record was bornin 1948. Though the 33⅓ rpm speedhad been used before, notably by BellLaboratories, it was CBS (Columbia)which first introduced this speed in acommercialproduct.Atthesametime,the material used was changed frombreakable shellac to “unbreakable”vinyl. The reason for the change, and

for the universal adoption of the LP(originally a CBS trademark) was notinitiallysoundquality.The235%dropin speed made it difficult to preservehighfrequencies,especiallyintheinnergrooves.NorwasthenewLPespeciallyquiet,sincevinyl,unlikeshellac,couldhold a static electrical charge, andwouldthereforepulldustfromtheair.Itdidhaveobviousadvantages,namelycompactness(theLPcouldholdover40minutesofmusic,nearlytriplethatofa78),andresistancetobreakage. Fortunately, continuing researchbroughtmajorenhancementstothenewLP,andonecouldarguethatitcontinuestoimprovetoday,wellpastitsputativetwilight.

The blank LP Though shellac as a distributionmediumdiedwiththe78,anotherhardmaterial, nitrocelullose, was ideal foractually cutting an LP. The hardnessallowscleangroovestobecut.Becausethe blank disc must be absolutely flat,blanks are actually made from alumi-num, precision-rolled, and covered bya mirrorlike layer of lacquer. Though

someblanksaretwo-sided,thebestones,intendedforprofessionalproduction,areone-sided. Blanklacquersdonotallsoundthesame,andatonetimetherewasmuchdiscussion as to which brand soundedbest.Todaythereislesschoice.Economybrands,onceusedbyradiostationstoputcommercialsondisc,havelongvanished,leavingonlythepremiumversions.

The machinery The turntable used to make therecording is not belt-driven as someaudiophiles might suppose, nor evenidler-drivenas earlier turntableswere.The drag from the cutting stylus isconsiderable, and to maintain speed agear-drivesystemisgenerallyemployed.A cutting turntable is less sensitive tovibration than a playback turntable,fortunately. The cutter head is notmountedinapivotedarm,sinceitmustcreate a groove rather than followingone. Instead, it is mounted in a lathe,whichatthestartoftheageoftheLP,was moved across the blank disc by a“leadscrew,”aprecisionthreadedrod. Therewas,however,agreatdealofdevelopmenttobedonebeforeperfect-ingtheLP. In order to be able to claim “highfidelity,” which was becoming a buzzword in the early 50’s not long afterthe launchof theLP, itwasnecessaryto extend the frequency range of themedium.Amethoddiscoveredearlyonwas the heating of the cutting stylus,sothatitwouldveryslightlysoftenthelacquer,thatsmallernuancesmightbecut.Atfirst the techniquewasappliedbyindividualmasteringengineers,whowouldwindafewturnsoffinemagnetwirearoundtheshankofthestylus,andconnectthewiretoasmalltransformerinordertoheatthewire.Shortlyafter,theheating featurewasdesignedrightintothelathes. The commercial version workedmuchbetter,becauseitallowedprecisecontrolofthestylustemperature.That,it turnedout,wascritical tomakingagoodsoundingLP. If thestylus is toocool the resulting LP will sound dullandlifeless.Ifitistoohot,theLPwillsufferfromticksandpopsthatcannotbeeliminatedbycleaning.

The Making of an LP

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Professional quality record latheshave long come with microscopes, toallow the mastering engineer to lookcarefullyatatestgroove(cutontoasparelacquer kept around for the purpose)There is a vacuum cleaning apparatusthatsucksupthechipoflacquerliftedby thecutting stylus, lest itballup inthestylus’spath.Thatthreadishighlyinflammable, and on some lathes it isimmediatelyimmersedinwater.

Equalization If the music signal were recordedwithflatfrequencyresponse,thelowfre-quencieswouldoverwhelmthesystem,whereasthehighswouldbelostinthesurfacenoise.Thissecondpointperhapsrequiresalittleexplanation. Thenoiseproblemcanbeexpressedin the following fashion. A musicaloctaveisatwo-to-onefrequencyinter-val.Thismeanstheintervalfrom100Hzto200Hzisanoctave,andtheintervalfrom7kHzto14kHzisalsoanoctave.Theseintervalsaremusicallyequivalent,buttheupperoctave,itisclear,containsfarmorediscretefrequencies,andwillthereforecontainmorenoise. WenowsitchtoLatin,andwewishwecouldsayit’srealLatin,butit’sfake.Of course theprintededitionhas thisarticlecomplete,asdoestheelectronicedition(theaddressiscasesensitive,sowatchthecapitalletters)::www.uhfmag.com/ElectronicEdition.html. Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eufaccummy num at volorperos amcorevel utpatin ver iure modip erate dolorsit adiam, quis acilit nulputat irit utluptat luptat laorercincil iustiss equat.Ilissectem et nis alisl in ulput lutpateminisit adit augiam, quat, vullutpatluptatum zzriurem augiam dolendipitlorer acilismod tat dolorem numsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi. Ullandrer ipisi. Ommodolore velullandrediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi.Irillamconsentnulla aut esentniametutpatatestruddelestrudmagnissenibheugueelit,si.

Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi.

Variable pitchquip ea faccum iure tat lummod tieconsedtatlorperoodessi.Irillamconsentnulla aut esentniametutpatatestruddelestrudmagnissenibheugueelit,si. Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummy

num nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzritvullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaorip.

Adjusting the cut Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eufaccummy num at volorperos amcorevel utpatin ver iure modip erate dolorsit adiam, quis acilit nulputat irit utluptat luptat laorercincil iustiss equat.Ilissectem et nis alisl in ulput lutpateminisit adit augiam, quat, vullutpatluptatum zzriurem augiam dolendipitlorer acilismod tat dolorem numsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi. Ullandrer ipisi. Ommodolore velullandrediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi.Irillamconsentnulla aut esentniametutpatatestruddelestrudmagnissenibheugueelit,si. Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisit

This head commandsthe pitch control

This head feedsthe cutter head

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lutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi.

15°

Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenis augait luptat lut ing ent alisnis nonsectem iuscidui tis nim zzrilitnullutnostodiametumdoloreroconumingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeugiam,vendit ipsuscillaoringendrersim zzriustisl eliquat illumsandit autlummy num nim ea augue magna addipit,conumzzriliquisl irilitacildolorsum dolore digna feu feugiam, sumeugiamet,quisimzzrillamveliscillum-modigna feu feui tat nim alis augiatecore dunt velismod ea am, sequipisnosto consenit lor sim diam, quame-tum zzriliqui blam dolore do commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummynimiuscildipitlobortiemodiamiusciliquatvoloborperitloreconsequissequat,cor-peraestrudtetietinisimvullutnullanvendremzzritvullaoreexeriuscilluptatpratvolumzzritlumquissitadipitaugaitvullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutveros autem nos nullaor ip eummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.

The stereophonic LP Ullandrer ipisi. Ommodolore velullandrediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi.Irillamconsentnulla aut esentniametutpatatestruddelestrudmagnissenibheugueelit,si. Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzritvullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnulla

feuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi.Eriliquisitpraestiodoloboriustisi.Ullandreripisi.Ommodolorevelullan-dre diam, quip ea faccum iure tatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi.Irillamconsentnulla aut esentniametutpatatestruddelestrudmagnissenibheugueelit,si. Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenis augait luptat lut ing ent alisnis nonsectem iuscidui tis nim zzrilitnullutnostodiametumdoloreroconumingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeugiam,vendit ipsuscillaoringendrersim zzriustisl eliquat illumsandit autlummy num nim ea augue magna addipit,conumzzriliquisl irilitacildolorsumdoloredignafeu.

Inner groove distortion Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorper

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iliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat.

Intheend,itwasattheplaybackendthattheinnergroovedistortionproblemwas largelysolved.Moderncartridges,especiallythosewithradicallymodifiedstylus shapes,have littleproblemwithinnergroovedistortion.

Digital delay Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat.

Half Speed Mastering Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ing

eraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisietummynimiuscildipit.

Direct metal mastering Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eufaccummy num at volorperos amcorevel utpatin ver iure modip erate dolorsit adiam, quis acilit nulputat irit utluptat luptat laorercincil iustiss equat.Ilissectem et nis alisl in ulput lutpateminisit adit augiam, quat, vullutpatluptatum zzriurem augiam dolendipitlorer acilismod tat dolorem numsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetat

lorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi.

Making the LP Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eufaccummy num at volorperos amcorevel utpatin ver iure modip erate dolorsit adiam, quis acilit nulputat irit utluptat luptat laorercincil iustiss equat.Ilissectem et nis alisl in ulput lutpateminisit adit augiam, quat, vullutpatluptatum zzriurem augiam dolendipitlorer acilismod tat dolorem numsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi.Deliriliquipeniatiselut landipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodiodunt.

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Touraj Moghaddam is the co-founder of Roksan, which made its reputation with a turntable two decades ago, though it now

makes a full range of products. Born in Iran (his company’s name is derived from Roksana, a Persian princess of Antiquity) and educated in London, Moghaddam has angered competitors by taking positions radically different from their own. At the same time, he has drawn an enthusiastic following.

UHF:Is there a way to sum up Roksan’s philosophy on turntables…or perhaps your philosophy on turntables?Moghaddam: Absolutely, yes. Rightfromthebeginning,whenIwantedtodesign a turntable, it took a while toknowwhatitsfunctionwas.I’maverysimple-mindedengineer,andifIdon’tknow what it is I’m supposed to do, Idon’treallyknowhowtogoaboutit. SothefirstthingIwanttodoisdefinetheproblem.ThenIknowhowtofindthesolutiontoit.UHF:That sounds fair enough. So what is the problem?Moghaddam: A record player’s job istomeasure thegroovewithrespect totime. I actually put that in the leafletthat went out with our first RoksanXerxes table in 1985. I had spoken toloads of manufacturers and designerstoaskthem,formyownbenefit,whatis the jobofa turntable.Nobodygavemeananswer. And it was pure coincidence that Icameacrossananswerthathadnothingtodowithturntables.AtthetimeIwasinvolved with an electrical engineer-ing project, though I’m a mechanicalengineer. They had a project for ahorizontalaxiswindturbine,togener-ateelectricity.Aboutfiveyearslaterwehadnearlyfinished,builtthething,putstraingaugesonit,runsometests,andIwroteasimulationprogram.Butafewmeasurementsdidn’tquitetallyup.Sowhatweweremeasuring andwhatwehad expected from the program weredifferent. Iwenttomythesissupervisor,and

said,maybe my equations are wrong, I’ve made a mistake.Andhesaidno,Ithinkeverythingyou’vedoneisright,butyoushould check to see whether you arereallymeasuringwhatyouthinkyouaremeasuring. ThenIgotabookonmetrology,andrightatthebeginning,inthepreface,itsaidthatyoucan’tmeasurethecircular-ityofsomethingusingcalipers,becausecalipersdefinejusttwopoints.Caliperscanmeasurethediameterofanobject,butcan’ttellyouiftheobjectiscircular.So if you take a multi-sided coin, likeour50pcoin,ortheCanadiandollar,ithasconstantdiameter,butitisn’tround.Caliperswilltellyouit’scircular,butit’snot.Acircleisdefinedbythreepoints,notbytwo.UHF:So how do you measure circularity?Moghaddam: You put the object insomething like a V-block. You have abockinthere.Yourotatetheobjectandwatchthebock.Ifitgoesupanddown,theobject’snotacircle. AndIwasreadingthis,andIlookedover at my turntable, which was play-ing, and I thought…bloody hell! It’s ameasuringmachine!It’sjustmeasuringthegroovewithrespecttotime. Now theproblem is that, if Iwanttomeasuresomething,Ineedtoknowwhereitis.Whentherecordisturning,I don’tknowwhere thegroove is, so Ican’tmeasureit.ButIhaveacoupleofadvantages.OneisthatIamturningthisthing,andbybuildingthebearing,sup-portassemblyanddrive,Icandefinetheaxisaboutwhichtherecordrotates.Thesecondadvantageisthat,unlikewitha

CD, the stylus needs to be in contactwiththegroove.Thatstylustipknowsexactlywherethegrooveis. ThephilosophybehindtheXerxes,myfirst turntable,wasto indexevery-thingonthemachine,andanymotionsinducedinthemachine,tobeinsym-pathywiththesetwopoints:thestylustipandtheaxisofrotation.UHF:Now this requires an extraordinary level of machining accuracy.Moghaddam: In the bearing yes,because if the bearing wobbles there’saproblem. Butyouknow,manypeopleconfuserigiditywithimmobility—theythinkif something is rigid it doesn’t move.Rigidityisinfactjustameasureofmove-ment.Whatisimportantishow muchitmoves,andatwhat frequency. Ifyou’vegotaturntablemovingatmaybeatenthofaHertz,whocares? Thefunctionofatone armistosup-port the cartridge and accommodatetherecord.Accommodatingtherecordmeansmovingfromtheoutsidetotheinside, andmovingup anddownwithanywarp,andbackandforthwithanyeccentricity.Thearmitselfdoesn’tknowwherethegrooveis,it’smerelytoldthatbythestylus,soitneedstomakethejobofthestylusaseasyaspossible. Ofcoursetherewillalwaysbeadif-ferentialbetweenwhere thecantileverwants the body of the cartridge to beand where the body of the cartridgeactually is. It’s always working with alittlebitofalag.Whatweneedtodoisreducetheamountofenergyrequired,andtoplacethefrequencyofthemove-mentsomewherethatisnotharmfultowhatwearetryingtomeasure.Soyoustayawayfrom8Hz,whichisthewarpfrequency, or 0.5Hz, which is that ofthe record eccentricity, otherwise thearm will start bobbing backwards andforward. So you work above or belowthosefrequencies,orbetweenthem. That’stheprincipleofourIntelligentCounterweight, which moves right inbetweenthosetwofrequencies.UHF:What about the motor?Moghaddam:Yougobacktothebasic

RendezvousWe sit down with the designer of the Roksan turntables, and discuss the black art of making a quality record player.

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questions: what is the function of themotor, what is the motor supposed todo?Ifyoudon’tknowthat,howcanyoudesignit? The function of the motor is tosupplyasufficientamountofenergyatafrequencysuchthattheplatter’sinertiawilldictateitsspeed,withoutitslowingdownover time. It’s likeabig tankofwater:youfillyourcupfromthebottom,andat the topyouput two limits: themotor must always pump in “water”withinarange,neverabovethat,neverbelowthis. WhentheXerxescameout,peoplewouldsay,whatisthis,it’ssuchasmallmotor,you’llhavedynamicsproblems.Buthaveyouevercalculatedtheamountofenergythestylusisactuallytaking?Whatdoyouneed,adieselgenerator? Imean,whatistheefficiencyofthesystem?Evenifyousayit’s20%efficient,10% efficient, how much energy doyouneed?It’snota lot.Andifyouletthemotordictatethespeed,you’vegota problem. The motor should be theslave of the platter, not the other wayaround.UHF:What about speed variations, then?Moghaddam: Yes, the platter will beslowingdownand speedingup,but atwhatfrequency?ItwillbeatafractionofaHertz.UHF:So it doesn’t matter?Moghaddam: Well, compare that toa suspended turntable, where the fre-quencyof the subchassis is4or5Hz.That turntable doesn’t know anythingbelow4or5Hz.UHF:Let’s pick up that point. You’ve never agreed with using a suspended subchassis.Moghaddam: Oh you can use it, butthenyou limit theabilityof the turn-table… If your measuring mechanismcan move at 5Hz, it can’t know whatis happening below that, because it ismovingitself. OntheXerxes,Itriedtomakethemass“seen”bythearmandtheplatterassmallaspossible,byplacingacutoutinthetopoftheplinth.Buttherotationalinertia that itsees is thatof theentireplate,whichis25mmMDFwithaden-sityofsome730kgpercubicmetre.It’stoostifftobedistorted,butatthesametimeitdoesn’tstoretoomuchenergy. Thebiggestproblemsofturntables

arefrominternally-inducedmotionratherthanexternal.UHF:Do external vibrations matter?Moghaddam: If that was what mat-tered,youcouldputtheturntablenextdoor, and it should sound amazing. Itdoesn’t. Nomechanical systemcanbeper-fect,butwhatyoudomustnotcontradictyour original statement of goal. Somepeople will decide to use an invertedbearing,forinstance,andIaskwhyaninvertedbearing.“Becausetheplatteris

morestable,”they’llsay.Wellyes,ifyousupportsomethingatitscentreofgravityit’sstable…if it doesn’t rotate.Assoonasitrotates,itbecomesagyroscope,andthenit’sleaststable.Now,withagyroscope,ifyouholditfarfromitscentreofgravityandyoutrytomoveit,itwillopposethemotion. Youhavetoaskwhethersomethinghelps or hinders your philosophy. Igenerallylookforsolutionsthatsolvealotofproblems.UHF:The Xerxes motor for instance?

We're blushing again!

Canadian distributor of world famous European audio productsBeyerdynamic, Creek, Cyrus, DNM, Eichmann

Epos, Isoblue, Ringmat, Soundcare, Visonik

www.europroducts-canada.com

“There’s not much to add when a speaker such as the M5 excels in the areas of midrange naturalness, detailed and delicate highs, perfectly reproduced transients, uncolored midbass, and a high-level dynamic presentation. To my ears, Mike Creek has designed a winner in the M5, and Epos has established a new benchmark.”

Robert J. Reina. Stereophile Magazine, April 2005.

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EACH ISSUE costs $6.49 (in Canada) plus tax (15.03% in Québec, 15% in NB, NS and NF, 7% in other Provinces), US$6.49 in the USA, CAN$10.75 elsewhere (air mail included). THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION (issues 7-19 except 11, 15, 17 and 18) includes 9 issues but costs like 5. For VISA or MasterCard, include your number, expiry date and signature. UHF Magazine, Box 65085, Place Longueuil, Longueuil, Qué., Canada J4K 5J4. Tel.: (450) 651-5720 FAX: (450) 651-3383. Order on line at www.uhfmag.com. Some recent back issues may be available electronically at www.magzee.com.

THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION:Issues No.7-19 (except 11, 15, 17 and 18, out of print): nine issues available for the price of five (see below). A piece of audio history. Available separately at the regular price.

No.72: Music from data: We look at ways you can make your own audiophile CDs with equipment you may already have, and we test a DAC that can give you hi-fi from your computer or iPod. We also review the new Audio Reference speakers, the updated Connnoisseur single-ended tube amp, a set of upscale Actinote cables, and Gershman’s Acoustic Art panels. We tell you how to tune up your system for an inexpensive performance boost. And much more.

No.71: Three small speaker: Reference 3a Dulcet, Totem Rainmaker, and a very low cost but surprising speaker from France. We do a complex blind cable test: five cables from Atlas, and one Wireworld cable with different connec-tors (Eichmann, WBT nextgen, and Wireworld). We test the McCormack UDP-1 universal player, the muRata super tweeters, plus the Simaudio I-3 amp and Equinox CD player. Paul Bergman reveals the philosophical differences behind two-channel stereo and multichannel. Plus two interviews, and much more.

No.70: How SACD won the war…or how DVD-A blew it. Reviews: Linn Unidisk 1.1 uni-versal player and Shanling SCD-T200 player. Speakers: Reference 3a Royal Vir tuoso, Equation 25, Wilson Benesch Curve, preview of muRata super tweeters. Other reviews: Simaudio W-5LE amp, the iPod as an audio-phile source. Plus: future video screens, the eternal music of George Gershwin, and two reports from Montréal 2004.

No.69: Tube Electronics: Audiomat Opéra , Connoisseur SE-2 and Copland CSA29 inte-grated amps, and Shanling SP-80 monoblocks. Also: Audiomat's Phono-1.5, Creek CD50, as well as a great new remote control, GutWire's NotePad antivibration device, and a music-related computer game that had us laughing out loud. And there’s more: Paul Bergman on the return of the vacuum tube, the Vegas 2004 report, and the story of how music critics did their best to kill the world’s greatest music.

No.68: Loudspeakers: Thiel CS2.4, Focus Audio FS688, Iliad B1. Electronics:Vecteur I-6.2 and Audiomat Arpège integrated ampli-fiers, Copland 306 multichannel tube preamp, Rega Fono MC. Also: Audio Note and Copland CD players, GutWire MaxCon power filter. And there’s more: all about power supplies, what’s coming beyond DVD, and a chat with YBA’s Yves-Bernard André.

No.67: Loudspeakers: A new, improved Reference 3a MM de Capo, and the awesome Living Voice Avatar OBX-R. Centre speakers for surround from Castle, JMLab, ProAc, Thiel, Totem and Vandersteen. One of them joins our Kappa system. Two multichannel amps from Copland and Vecteur. Plus: plans for a DIY platform for placing a centre speaker atop any TV set, Paul Bergman on the elements of acoustics, and women in country music.

No.66: Reviews: the Jadis DA-30 amplifier, the Copland 305 tube preamp and 520 solid state amp. Plus: the amazing Shanling CD player, Castle Stirling speakers, and a remote control that tells you what to watch. Also: Bergman on biwiring and biamplification, singer Janis Ian’s alternative take on music downloading, and a chat with Opus 3’s Jan-Eric Persson.

No.65: Back to Vinyl: setting up an analog

system, reviews of Rega P9 turntable, and phono preamps from Rega, Musical Fidelity and Lehmann. The Kappa reference system for home theatre: how we selected our HDTV monitor, plus a review of the Moon Stellar DVD player. Anti-vibration: Atacama, Symposium, Golden Sound, Solid-Tech, Audioprism, Tenderfeet. Plus an interview with Rega’s turntable designer, and a look back at what UHF was like 20 years ago.

No.64: Speakers: Totem M1 Signature and Hawk, Visonik E352. YBA Passion Intégré amp, Cambridge IsoMagic (followup), better batteries for audio-to-go. Plus: the truth about upsampling, an improvement to our LP clean-ing machine, an interview with Ray Kimber..No.63: Tube amps: ASL Leyla & Passion A11. Vecteur Espace speakers, 2 intercon-nects (Harmonic Technology Eichmann), 5 speaker cables (Pierre Gabriel, vdH , Harmonic Technology, Eichmann), 4 power cords (Wireworld, Harmonic Technology, Eichmann, ESP). Plus: Paul Bergman on soundproofing, how to compare components in the store, big-screen TV’s to stay away from, a look back at the Beatles revolution.

No.62: Amplif iers: Vecteur I -4, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista M3, Antique Sound Lab MG-S11DT. Passive preamps from Creek and Antique Sound Lab. Vecteur L-4 CD player. Interconnects: VdH Integration and Wireworld Soltice. Plus: the right to copy music, and how it may be vanishing. Choosing a DVD player by features. And all about music for the movies.

No.61: Digital: Audiomat Tempo and Cambridge Isomagic DACs, Vecteur D-2 transpor t. Speakers: Osborn Mini Tower and Mirage OM-9. Soundcare Superspikes. And: new surround formats, dezoning DVD players.

No.60: Speakers: Monitor Audio Silver 9, Reference 3a MM De Capo, Klipsch RB-5, Coincident Triumph Signature. Plus: a Mirage subwoofer and the Audiomat Solfège amp. Paul Bergman on reproducing extreme lows.

No.59: CD players: Moon Eclipse, Linn Ikemi and Genki, Rega Jupiter/Io, Cambridge D500. Plus: Oskar Kithara speaker, with Heil tweeter. And: transferring LP to CD, the truth on digital radio, digital cinema vs MaxiVision 48.

No.58: Amplifiers: ASL AQ1003, Passion I10 & I11, Rogue 88, Jadis Orchestra Reference, Linar 250. Headphone amps: Creek, Antique Sound Lab, NVA, Audio Valve. Plus: Foundation Research LC-2 line filter, Gutwire power cord, Pierre Gabriel ML-1 2000 cable. And: building your own machine to clean LP’s.

No.57: Speakers: Dynaudio Contour 1.3, Gershman X-1/SW-1, Coincident Super Triumph Signature, Castle Inversion 15, Oskar Aulos. PLUS: KR 18 tube amp. Music Revolution: the next 5 years. Give your Hi-Fi a Fall Tune-Up.

No.56: Integrated amps: Simaudio I-5, Roksan Caspian, Myryad MI120, Vecteur Club 10, NVA AP10 Also: Cambridge T500 tuner, Totem Forest. Phono stages: Creek, Lehmann, Audiomat. Interconnects: Actinote, Van den Hul, Pierre Gabriel. Plus: Paul Bergman on power and current…why you need both

No.55: CD players: Linn CD12, Copland CDA-289, Roksan Caspian, AMC CD8a. Other reviews: Enigma Oremus speaker, Magenta ADE-24 black box. Plus: the DSD challenge for the next audio disc, pirate music on the Net, the explosion of off-air video choices.

No.54: Electronics: Creek A52se, Simaudio W-3 and W-5 amps. Copland CSA-303, Sima P-400 and F.T. Audio preamps (the latter two passive). Musical Fidelity X-DAC revisited, Ergo AMT phones, 4 line filters, 2 intercon-nects. Plus: Making your own CD’s.

No.53: Loudspeakers:Reference 3a Intégrale, Energy Veritas v2.8, Epos ES30, Totem Shaman, Mirage 390is, Castle Eden. Plus: Paul Bergman on understanding biamping, biwiring, balanced lines, and more.

No.52: CD p layers: A lchemist Nexus, Cambridge CD6, YBA Intégré, Musical Fidelity X-DAC, Assemblage DAC-2. Subwoofers: Energy ES-8 and NHT PS-8. Plus: Paul Bergman on reproducing deep bass, Vegas report, and the story behind digital television.

No.51: Integrated amps: YBA Intégré DT, Alchemist Forseti, Primare A-20, NVA AP50 Cambridge A1. CD players: Adcom GCD-750, Rega Planet. An economy system to recom-mend to friends, ATI 1505 5-channel amp, Bergman on impedance, why connectors matter, making your own power bars.

No.50: CD: Cambridge DiscMagic/DACMagic, Primare D-20, Dynaco CDV Pro. Analog: Rega Planar 9, Linn LP12 after 25 years. Also: Moon preamp, Linn Linto phono stage, Ergo and Grado headphones. Speaker cables: Linn K-400, Sheffield, MIT 750 Also: 15 years of UHF.

No.49: Power amps: Simaudio Moon, Bryston 3B ST, N.E.W. DCA-33, plus the Alchemist Forseti amp and preamp, and the McCormack Micro components. Also: our new Reference 3a Suprema II reference speakers, and a followup on the Copland 277 CD player. Plus: how HDCD really works.

No.48: Loudspeakers: JMLabs Daline 3.1, Vandersteen 3a, Totem Tabù, Royd Minstrel. CD: Cambridge CD4, Copland CDA-277. Also: An interview with the founder of a Canadian audiophile record label.

No.47: FM tuners: Magnum Dynalab MD-108, Audiolab 8000T, Fanfare FT-1. Speaker cables: QED Qudos, Wireworld Equinox and Eclipse, MIT MH-750. Parasound C/BD-2000 transport and D/AC-2000 converter. And: Upgrading your system for next to nothing.

No.46: Electronics: Simaudio 4070SE amp & P-4002 preamp, Copland CTA-301 & CTA-505, N.E.W. P-3 preamp. Digital cables: Wireworld, Audiostream, MIT, XLO, Audioprism, and Wireworld’s box for comparing interconnects. Also: YBA CD-1 and Spécial CD players. Yves-Bernard André talks about about his blue diode CD improvement.

No.45: Integrated amps: Copland CTA-401, Simaudio 4070i, Sugden Optima 140. CD: Adcom GDA-700 HDCD DAC, Sonic Frontiers SFD-1 MkII. Interconnects: Straight Wire Maestro, 3 versions of Wireworld Equinox. Plus: Yamamura Q15 CD oil, and “Hi-Fi for the Financially Challenged”.

No.44: CD players: Rotel RCD970BX, Counterpoint DA-10A DAC. Speakers: Apogee Ribbon Monitor, Totem Mite, more on the Gershman Avant Garde. Also: Laser-Link cable, “The Solution” CD treatment, AudioQuest sorbothane feet, Tenderfeet, Isobearings. Plus: Inside Subwoofers, and the castrati, the singers who gave their all for music.

No.43: The first HDCD converter: the EAD DSP-1000 MkII. Speakers: Gershman Avant Garde, Totem Mani-2 and Rokk, Quad ESL-63 with Gradient subwoofer. Plus: Keith O. Johnson explains the road to HDCD, and our editor joins those of other magazines to discuss what’s hot in audio.

No.42: Electronics: Spectral DMC-12 and Celeste P-4001 preamplif iers, amps and preamps from Duson. Also: Sonic Frontiers SFD-1 converter, power line f ilters from Audioprism, Chang, and YBA. Plus: Inside the preamplifier, and how the tango became the first “dirty” dance.

No.41: Digital: Roksan DA-2, EAD DSP-7000, McCormack DAC-1, QED Ref. Digit. Cables: Straight Wire LSI Encore & Virtuoso, Wireworld Equinox, van den Hul The 2nd & Revelation, Cardas Cross & Hexlink Golden, Transparent Music-Link Super & Music-Wave Super. Plus: Bergman on recording stereo.

No.40: Integrated amps: YBA Intégré, Rotel 960, Sugden A-25B, Sima PW-3000, Linn Majik, Naim NAIT 3, AMC CVT3030, Duson PA-75. Stereo: what it is, how it works, why it’s disappearing from records.

No. 39: Speakers: KEF Q50, Martin-Logan Aerius, Castle Howard, NEAR 40M, Klipsch Kg4.2. Plus: QED passive preamps, followup on the Linn Mimik CD player.

No. 38: CD players: Roksan Attessa, Naim CDS, Linn Mimik, Quad 67, Rotel 945, Micromega Model “T”. Plus: How the record industry will wipe out hi-fi, and why women have been erased from music history.

No.37: Electronics: Celeste 4070 and McIntosh 7150 amps, Linn Kairn and Klout. Plus: RoomTunes acoustic treatment, why all amps don’t sound alike, and how Pro Logic really works.

No.36: CD players: YBA CD-2, Linn Karik/Numerik, Sugden SDT-1, Mission DAD5 and DAC5, Audiolab 8000DAC, QED Digit, Nitty Gritty LP cleaner, Plus: an interview with Linn’s Ivor Tiefenbrun, and part 7 of Bergman on acoustics: building your own acoustical panels.

No.35: Speakers: Castle Chester, Mirage M-7si, Totem Model 1, Tannoy 6.1, NHT 2.3, 3a Micro Monitor, Rogers LS2a/2. Plus: Tests of high end video recorders, hi-fi stereo record-ings of piano performances of 75 years ago. Acoustics part 6: Conceiving the room.

No.34: Cables: MIT ZapChord & PC2, Monster PowerLine 2+, M1, M2 Sigma, Reference 2, Interlink 400 & MSK2, Straight Wire Maestro, Isoda HA-08-PSR, Audioquest Ruby & Emerald, AudioStream Twinax, FMS Gold & Black, NBS Mini Serpent. Acoustics 5: Diffusing sound. “The Plot to Kill Hi-Fi,” the much-reprinted article on audio retailing.

No.33: CD players: Spectral SDR-1000SL, Esoteric P-2/D-2, Micromega Duo.BS, Proceed PDT2/PDP2 and PCD2, MSB Silver, Esoteric CD-Z5000, Carver SD/A-490t. The future of audio, according to Linn’s Ivor Tiefenbrun. Acoustics part 4: Absorbing low frequencies.

No.32: The Audio Dream Book: Our 152-page guide to what’s out there. Acoustics part 3: Taming reverberation.

To see a list of older issues:http://www.uhfmag.com/Individualissue.html

Back Issues

Moghaddam: Yes, it’s on a bearing,that lets the motor body rotate backandforth.Thatkeepsthemotoralwayssynchronous.Itneverapproachesstall-ing,andatthesametimethebeltten-sioniskeptconstant.Ifanythingwantsto change the speedof themotor, thebody of the motor gives, rather thanthebeltstretchingandcontracting.Atthesametimeitletsyoustopandstartthe turntable quicker. And the motorcantransmitmostofitsnoisedowntotheplinth.UHF: Now let’s talk about the Radius 5 turntable. You began with a totally different design.Moghaddam: This is where I had todepart a little bit. I’d get told I couldusesuchandsuchmaterial,orsuchandsuchtechnique.ButIsaidthat ifIdiduse them, Iwouldn’tdo itonmybestturntable,butonacheaperone,becauseitwouldbecheapertomake. I hit a problem with the originalRadius, whose design was very muchbasedonthatoftheXerxes.Itneededaninnerplatter,anouterplatter,a24-polesynchronousmotordrivenfromagener-atedpowersupply,andarigid-bearingtonearm. TheTabriz tone arm is a lotmoreexpensive to manufacture than theNema, which is a unipivot arm. TheinnerandouterplattersontheoriginalRadius cost more to make than theacrylicplatterweuseontheRadius5.TheRadius3initslastversionhadanexternal DC supply and an internalgenerated motor drive module, and asynchronousmotor thatwould letyouchangebetween33and45speedselec-tronically.Itwasselling,withtheTabriztone arm, around£1100, and thatwassevenyearsago.Buteveryonewasaskingusforaturntablebelow£1000.Ofcourseitdidn’tstartlifeatthatprice…UHF: It always goes up in price as you develop it.Moghaddam: Exactly. It had a walladapter,itdidn’thaveanexpensivemotor,buteverythinggotmoreexpensiveaswewent.Iwentbacktothedrawingboardandcameupwithsomethingnotbasedon the Xerxes. You may not have thesame resolution, but the compromiseswe made will give the end user theenjoymentof themusic,andsufficient

frequency response, punch, dynamics,realism, thedifferencesamong instru-ments…all the things you like aboutgoodmusic,ifnotquiteatthesamelevelassomeotherdesigns. So we have a single platter, and a110voltmotorthat just locksontothemains frequency. Wedo have tomaketwodifferentpulleysfor60Hzcurrentand 50Hz current, but we don’t needa DC regulated supply. But we savedperhaps£150onthetonearmand£200ontherecordplayer,andanother£100onthepowersupply. Ofcourseitbenefitsfromthedevel-opmentand toolingcostsofourmoreexpensiveproducts.UHF:Let’s talk about materials. The trans-parent acrylic used in the most spectacular version of the Radius 5 looks great, but does it offer other advantages?Moghaddam: Acrylic has two advan-tagesandacoupleofdisadvantages.Onedisadvantageisthatit’sabastardtogetitperfect.Acrylicpanelscomewiththeirtopandbottomcoveredwithpaper toprotectthem.Webuythehighestgradesoitdoesn’thavetoomanybubbles,andthenwemachineit.Onceit’smachined,it’sonlythenweremovethepaper,andifthere’ssomethingintherewehavetoscrap it. Another disadvantage is thatit’snotcheap. Butoneadvantageisthat,onceyou’vemachineditandpolishedtheedge,youdon’thavetodoanythingelsewith it.Its mass and damping characteristicsare more than good enough for theapplication. Ontheplatterwehavetospendquitealot,becauseacrylicisnotparticularlystable, and if you break the surface itdistorts.Soithastobemachinedseveraltimesandallowedtostabilizeaftereachmachining.UHF:This is done in-house?Moghaddam: We don’t do any rawmanufacturing in-house. There arethreefactoriesthatdoprecisionmateri-alsforus.Oneofthemdoesveryhighgradebearingsforsatellites,andtheydosomeofourspindles.We’veworkedwiththesecompaniesnearly20years.We’vegotourowntoolroomintheirplace. Originally, I researched whichmachinescoulddotheprecisionworkIneeded,andIcontactedtheirmanufac-

turers andaskedwhat companies theysuppliedthesemachinesto. But you have to pick a companythat does a lot of this work, becauseotherwisetheyhavenoreasontokeeptheir machines up to date. But theseguysmanufactureforFormulaOne,foraerospace, for eye surgeons, for heartsurgeons.Theyneedtokeepabreastoftechnologyatalltimes. Andthey’rehappytoworkwithus,becausewhatweneedisactuallyachal-lenge.WhenIaskedthemtomaketheplatterfortheXerxes,Ispentmaybeamonthandahalfthere.They’dask,doyou really need that kind of precisionforaturntable?AndI’dsay,forgetwhatIneed,thisiswhatIwant…UHF:Just do it!Moghaddam: Yeah, but they actuallyloveit.UHF:Have you converted any of them to the audiophile mentality?Moghaddam: Sure. Quite a few ofthemareactuallyusingoursystems.Infactoneofthepartnersofoneofthesecompaniesisamusicianhimself,andhe’susingaXerxesinhissystem.

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The electronic edition…

Theadvantagesareobvious:it'scheaper(C$4.30foranissue,taxincluded),with

nowaitingforthepostman.Buthowdoesitwork?

Verysimply,anelectroniccopyisjustliketheoneyou’relookingatnow,except

thatallthearticlesarecomplete,andtherearen’tanydumbfloatingwindows

likethisone.Toopenit,youinstallaplug-intoyourcopyofAdobeReader.

Opentheissue,giveyourusernameandpasswordwhenyou'reasked,andthat’s

it.Fromthenon,theissuecanbeopenedonthatsamecomputerwithnopass-

word,onlineoroffline.

www.uhfmag.com/ElectronicEdition.html

For years, now, theMontreal show hasbeengettingbiggerand bigger, eclips-

ingallbutlargetradeshows,such as CES. This year itshrank. Oh, not enough tokeep it from being the big-gestand—intheviewofalotofexhibitorsandattend-ees—thebest. OfcoursewewerebackinourusualroomattheDelta,with the lineup you see atright: our Copland CTA-305tubepreamp,aVandenHulArrayS-1powerampli-fier, and the ASW Genius400 speakers reviewed inthis issue. InterconnectswerePierreGabriel,andthespeakers were biwired withAtlasIchorspeakercable. TheCDplayeron top is theHar-monix Reimyo, also reviewed in thisissue,butweplayeditonlyonthelastday,whenithadextrabreak-intime.WedidmostofourlisteningwithourLinnUnidisk1.1,justbelowit.Imustsayweenjoyedourownsound,andseveralvisi-torstoldusitwasourbestsoundinyears.ReineLessard(shownbelow),whoalsogottohearitalot,enjoyeditaswell. Our busy room notwithstanding, Ididgettimetotourmuchoftheshow.Iwashappytogettosee(andbrieflyyohear)thenewSimaudioW-8powerampI had missed in Vegas, with matchingpreamp and Andromeda player. YoumeanourW-5LEisobsolete? I spent some t ime l istening tothe Aurum system. This Newfound-land-based companyhas an integratedspeaker/amplification system, using adistinctamplifierforeachdriverof itsthree-wayspeakers.TheCDplayerisitsowndesigntoo.Youcanseethesetuponthenextpage.Thesound?Someoftheverybestoftheshow. I love unusual speakers, and therewereseveral.ThehugeOdaiko,shownonthenextpage,weredrivenby tubeamplifiers, plus Marchand electronic

crossovers,withaprettygoodsource…aLinn LP12. It sounded astonishinglygoodforsuchalargespeaker(sizeisnotalwaysaplus). Robert Lamarre of RL Acoustiquewasshowingaversionofitssingle-driverhornspeakerwithanoptionalspeakerconefromhemp.Perfectforlisteningto60’smusic?Imuchpreferthenon-hempversion,though. OneofthehitsoftheshowwastheAustrian WLM speakers: there wasboth a f loorstander and a bookshelfin theroomnextdoor.Thepricesarein five-digits, and if you look for anexplanation for the high price, suchas exotic technology or materials, youwon’tfindit.ButtheWLM’sweren’ta

hitfornothing.Thesoundwasstunning.We’llhavetofindoutmoreaboutthem!AndmyattentionwascaughtbyanewseriesofspeakersfromELAC. Their distinguishingcharacterist ic: Heil tweet-ers, like those on the Oskarspeakers.Perhaps the most dynamicspeakerattheshowwasthenewBlack Swan from GershmanAcoustics. Itneeds tobeseento be believed, actually. Themain part “docks” with thesubwoofer,butwithoutactuallytouching. It was being playedvery loud, but without loss inclarity.Interesting.I ran across Luke Manley,whodoesn’tusuallyattendtheMontrealshow.Hehadbrought

hiswonderfulSiegfriedtubeamplifierstoahugeroombookedbyanewMon-trealstore,Coup de Foudre.AlongwithAvalonDiamondspeakers,theysoundedfabulous,asalways.TheshowfeaturedanotherCDplayerfromShanling,atubeunitofcourse,butthereweretwomoregorgeouslinesoftubegearfromChina.ThebrandnamesareRaysonic,whichsoundsoccidental,andQinpu,whichdoesn’t.Weexpecttoreviewbothof these amplifiers inournextissue.Perhaps it was just me, but thereseemedtobefewerhometheatreroomsthis year. One of the most interestingwasthatofaCanadiancompanycalledGoo, which makes a two-stage paintthatcanbeusedtomakeavideoscreenfrom any flat surface. (The inevitableslogan:“allsystemsareGoo.”)Ontheevidence itworks admirably.The leastinteresting room was showing a “3-DSoundGenerator”tomakefivechannelsfrommono.Thatwouldviolatethelawsofphysicsifitworked,andofcourseitdidn’t,buttheroomwasoneofthemostawfulIcanremember,andatotalwasteofwhatIassumearescarceresources. Overtoyou,Albert,alongwithyourtwoguests.

Montreal 2005: Smaller, Potent!

by Gerard Rejskind

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ure

It was a fascinating experience toshare impressions with the samecompanions who had been alonglast year. Fascinating to see how

peopleevolveoverayear,howtheirlevelof confidence in appreciating musicalreproductionhasincreased.Nolongerintimidated by complex or imposingsystems, they went straight for themusic—andcheckednamesandpriceslater.Theirmemoriesoflastyear’sshowweresharp,theirexpectationshigh. MichaelandGaetan(atright)wereready and eager as we mingled with alargecrowdofsilentaudiophilesdriftingfromroomtoroom.Adoptingthehabitof seasoned visitors, glances becameournaturalwayofcommunication.Wetalked in the hallways and only whennecessary,whichmeansonlywhenmyguestslikedwhattheyheard,andonlywhentheywantedto—mostofthetimetheysaidlittle.Gaetanhadinvitedhisfriend Michel to join us. (Michel is aprofessorofmusicliteratureandwasagreatadditiontoourdiscussions). NaimwasplayingBig Daddy Kinsey BluesthroughitsSeries5system,includ-ingtheCD5Xplayer,withitsinnovativecurveddrawerandArivaspeakers.Thereproductionwas simpleand intimate,

and one word immedi-atelycametomind:ele-gant.Quiteacontrasthoweverwiththenext

room,wherealargestagewasflankedbyapairofNovaUtopiaBerilliumspeak-ers. Linked to YBA components suchastheYBAPassion1000poweramps,the YBA Passion 600 passive preampandtheX01EsotericCD/SACDplayer,

theyplayedmusicwithararesenseofauthority.IwantedtohearmyCDoftheSafriDuoofpercussionplayingwiththeSlovakPianoDuo.Thereisapieceon this Chandos recording calledAmerica Fantasywrittenin1994forthe Safri Duo, and another pianoduobycomposerKimHelweg.ThefinaleconsistsofvariationsonthesongAmericafromBernstein’sWest Side Storyandstartswithfoursetsofhandsclapping,changingtotwopianosandculminatinginafrenzyofpianoandpercussion.Howdiditsound?Riveting,andthepackedroom burst into spontaneousapplauseattheend. Michelwantedtohearexcerptsfrom Mahler’s Third Symphony(KentNaganoconductingontheElatuslabel)aCDhehadbroughtalong after attending a concertthe night prior, featuring thatsymphonywithNaganoconductingthe Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

“Whatthunderousimpact!”saidGaetanand Michel. “The space is immense,”theyadded,“andwecouldliterallyfeeltheweightofthemusic.”Michelnoticedhowthetympani’stimbrewaschangedfrom his live experience the eveningprior, attributing it to the recordingmethods.Bytheway,ifyoulikeMahler’sThird, this version is a must, and therecordingqualityisastounding. We entered another room, and wewere in the presence of a combinedSimaudioandDynaudiosystemfeatur-ingthenewSimaudiodesignssuchastheAndromedaCDplayerandpowersupply,theP-8controller,theP-8preampandtheimpressiveMoonW-8poweramp.Wecouldn’tgetoureyesoffthesuperbdesignsincludingtheblackpianofinishof the largeConfidenceC-4 speakers.They were playing a blues tune; ourattentionwassofocusedonthesinger’sremarkable3-DpresencethatIforgottoaskforthenameoftheCD. The wonder continued in anotherroomwiththelarge,superbly-finishedSonus Faber speakers (a StradivariHomage), playing Sting’s compositionMad About You from the The Living Sea soundtrack. After a while I heardMichael singing along. “I’m going to

Montreal 2005: Smaller, Potent! Two Future Audiophilesby Albert Simon

Photos:Below left: theOdaikospeakersystem.Below right:theAurumAcousticstubeamplifier,electroniccrossoverandCDplayer.

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check these speakers,” he said. TheywereappropriatelylinkedtoAyre’sCDplayer,preampandpoweramp. Onourwayoutwewitnessedafasci-natingdemonstrationonaTVscreenofa3-DnoisereductionsystembyAlgolithnamed Mosquito. Very convincingimprovementinsharpness,smoothnessandaddedimagerealism. My companions remembered quitevividly the ocean-blue trade mark ofChordcomponentstheyhadheardlastyear, and admired the CD transport(aptly called Blu), the DAC64 and theimposing pair of Chord SPM 6000mono amps. Conrad Johnson’s newAct2preampcontrolledeverything,andNeatMF7speakersgavethesystemits

voice.“Superbdefinition,”theysaid.Andsuddenly,inanotherwideopenspace,weallstoppedandstoodstill.Underlessthanfavorable conditions, to saythe least,wewatchedexcerptsoftwofilmsonalargescreen,withaverynaturalandsmoothimage provided by the EpsonPowerlite Cinema 200 projec-tor.Lotsofglancesandsmilesamongmycompanions.B a c k t o m u s i c a n dBeethoven’sViolinSonata(theKreutzer), an excellent versionby Anne-Sophie Mutter that

was proposed by Michel. It was a realtreat. Starting with McCormack elec-tronics(UDP-1UniversalDiscPlayer,RLD-1preamp,DNA225poweramp)and ending with ASW speakers, with

theneedfulpresenceofGutWirecablesandNotePads,thissystemthenhandled,with utmost ease, the tremendousimpactoftheJapanesetaikodrumgroupOndekoza,anewreleaseonJVC(xrcd)

titled Dotou Banri. No one said awordasthefloorshook,andsocksloosenedaboutourankles. An astonishing experimentawaitedusinanotherroom,featur-ingthe3AMMDeCapospeakersdrivenbyapairofAntiqueSoundLabMonsoontubemonoblocksandcontrolledbytheFlorapreamp,alsoby Antique Sound Lab. When wewalkedin,RyCooder’ssoundtrackfromParis, Texaswasbeingwonder-fullyplayedonaemmLabsCDSDmultiplayertransport(basedonEdMeitner’sinnovativework).MichaelthenaskedtolistentohisCDtitledMananara, featuringLouisBabinonthe trumpet. He really liked whathe heard, but what happened nextwasquiteunexpected.HeagreedtohavethatCDtreatedwitha“magicchip”fromJSMR,anditwasplayedagain.Wealllookedateachother.

Wow,whatadifference!“It’sasifaveilhasbeenlifted,”saidMichael.Wethentried the same procedure on Mahler’sThird andagainwegasped.“Listen tothebass,”saidMichel.“Andthestringsare so well separated,” added Gaetan.Wedon’tknowhowtoexplainitbutweallheardit,alongwitheveryoneelseintheroom. ThislastCDwasimmediatelytriedon the next system we approached, abeautiful combination of a Quad CDplayer, Quad II Forty tube amps, andlarge Wharfedale Opus 3 speakers.Michelwantedtohearthepowerfulcre-scendothatconcludesthesymphony,andhesuddenlyremarkedhowthemuffledsound of tympani he had complainedaboutearlierwasnowopenandairy.Weagreedbutcouldn’ttellifitwasduetoadifferentsystemor the“magicchip”treatment. No matter. We decided totryitagaininthenextroom,assoonaswesawthenewandimposingGershmanBlackSwanspeakers,premieredatthisshow. Linked to Linar’s preamp andpoweramp,theMahlerCDwasplacedinaMcCormackUDP-1Universalplayer.Whatweheardwassuperb.Gaetanwasstruckbythedefinition,especiallythedelicateseparationofthesoundsofthemassedstrings—andtherearetonsofmassedstringsonthisrecording. We spent a good deal of time inanother room featuring Neat Elitespeakers,aUKbasedLFDAudioDesignintegratedampandaNaimCDplayer.Michaelwasthrilledwiththeprecisionof Louis Babin’s trumpet, and Gaetanasked to listen to his CD of Bartok’sConcerto for Orchestra (a live recordingwith Boulez conducting). “The soundhas something like a human quality,”he said. “You can almost feel theheatinthehall.ItwasreportedlyveryhotinNew-Yorkcity,thedayofthatconcert,”headdedwithachuckle. He then pulled out a CD called

Photos:Above: the Totem room, with it sstretched-skinvideoscreen.Below:OfraandElyGershmanwiththeirnewly-patentedBlackSwanspeaker.

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Swedish Clavichords (a series of impro-visationsonthatrareinstrument),andafter listening intently he found thereproductionclosetolive.“Thisinstru-ment allows a direct contact with thestringsandisverydifficulttoreproduceaccurately,”hesaid.Heoughttoknow,becausehiswifeplaystheclavichord.IthenwantedtohearButterfly’s Day Out,alovelycompositionbyMarkO’ConnorfromtheAppalachia WaltzCD(whereheplays violin and mandolin with EdgarMeyer, bass, and Yo-Yo Ma, cello). Iknewhowthedifferentinstrumentsaddtheirvoicesoneatatime,inaslowtwirl,andtheydiditclearlyhere.“Theyreallyknowhowtoweave,”saidMichelwithasmile.A big surprise was the Highlandspeakers we saw and heard next.Designed in France and assembled inAsia,theAingelandOranappearedtoberemarkablevalues.“Guesshowmuchthesespeakersare,”Michaelexclaimedin ahissingwhisper, aswe listened toGershwin’sSomeone To Watch Over Me,sungbeautifullybySusannahMcCorkle.“Under$1000,”herevealed.Drivenby

aCambridgeinte-gratedamp,the

H i g h l a n d

Oran 4301 speakers were helped bythe Azur 640C CD player, also fromCambridge. Another room, another league, Ithought, as we settled in front of anarrayoflightsthatlookedlikeacityseenfromtheair,atnight,whenyourplaneapproaches the runway. Audio Aero’sbest, thePrestigeuniversalplayerandthe Prestige monoblocks, spread theirwarmglowingtubesbetweenAustrian-made WLM Lara speakers, includingthe Duo Twelve subwoofer. Mahler’sThirdfinalewastransformed.“Thebassregister(andthereisbassinthisrecord-ing) is so clear and so well defined,”startedMichel,“thereisabettersenseofspaceandbetterbalanceoverall.” “Listentothefinedetailinthebrass,”said Michael, “The sound is loud, butneveraggressive,”headded.Welookedateachotherasthetympaniwerestruckwith precision. “Fabulous,” concludedGaetan. I wanted to hear Canadian

mezzo Catherine Robbin singing anexcerptofPergolesi’sStabat Mater,anditwasindeedfabulous.WethenlistenedtoJessyeNormansingingaliedbyRichardStrauss and the last trackofMichael’sGladiator soundtrack, the hauntinglybeaut i f u l c los-ing theme sungby Lisa Gerrard.“Just there…youcanhearthebeau-t iful harmony,"said Michael. Weleft,reluctantly. We l i s tenedo n c e m o r e t ot hat l a s t piecein another roomwithadifferentyetfascinating sound

quality, featur-

ingMusicalFideli-ty’sA-5CDplayer,K W p r e a m p ,KW750powerampand power supplylinked to Moni-tor Audio’s GR60speakersandFB212subwoofer. PowercordswerebyRCAand speaker cableswere the flat Val-kyrja by Nordost.Aurum Acousticswasintroducingitslatest design, theIntegrisCDPpre-amplifier-player atthis show, and wewantedtohearwhatmusic sounded likethroughitandtheInte-gris 300B active speakers,a combinationof tubes and solid statepower amp technology. Louis Babin’strumpet was tried. Michael listenedquietly, nodding approvingly. Gaetansaid “It sounds like a new piece everytime we listen to it.” I suggested thatlayersseemedtohavedisappearedandallthatwasleftwas…simplicity.“Music,”correctedGaetan.Howtrue. Nagra tube components glowed inthenextroomwiththeiruniqueblendofsophisticatedtechnologyandrugged-ness. They played the finely-recordedFideliolabelCDsandSACDsthroughVerityAudioSarastrospeakers.WelikedsomuchwhatweheardfromtheNagraPLPpreampand4NagraVPApoweramps, thatGaetanwanted to listen tohisclavichordCD.Weweregratefulfor

Photos:Above left: Tri-Cell’s Vince ScalzittiwiththenewELAC310Classicspeaker(C$2100),withitsHeiltweeter.Above right:theupgradedVerityParsifalOvationspeaker.Below left:theNagraPMAmonoblockBelow right:theLinnroom,withthenewKomponentspeakers.

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thesplendidrendition. ThenextvisitbroughtustoaspaciousroomfeaturingthetopoftheAccentusspeakersline,theA-101,standingawayfromthewalls,over20feetapart.LinkedtoaChapterAudiopreampandpoweramp and the Fusion CD-64 player byTubeTechnology,thesespeakerswerestunning. Seeing the vast space theywereinmademewanttotrytheopeningtrackofChristy Live at the Point,calledWelcome to the Cabaret. The ambiancewas electrifying, the presence of themusiciansandthecrowdincrediblyreal.MichaelfollowedwiththelasttrackofGladiator,andIcouldseehimmakingapproval signs, absorbed in themusic.“They’reonmytopfivelist,”announcedGaetan,“Ireallylikethem”. I then triedaPuccini aria sungbysoprano Manon Feubel, and it floated

sweetly then roseinto the air in alarge crescendo.Themelancholicjazz of the ToddGustavsen Trio(t he Chang ing Places CD) fol-lowed, and welikedeverything:the music itself,thetimbresoftheinstruments andthe image andthespacecreatedright in front ofus.Afellowvisi-toraskedtolistento the organ onhis Fidelio CDLes Sept Paroles du Christ, and thenhe said casually,“That’show theorgan sounded

when it was recorded. I know, I wasthere.”

We saw Gerard on our visit toFabAudio.Weallstoodinalongroom far from the large speakerspaired with a set of Murata super

tweetersand,discreetlyhidingnearthebackcurtains,amightycustom-builtsubwoofer.And,boy,couldthose

speakers dig deep! The source was aTeacAudioUpgradesCDplayer.TheKVP10 preamp, and the Renaissance2KpowerampwerebothfromKorato.Impressivesenseofpower,greateaseofreproduction. Ialsowanttomentionaveryinter-estingencounterIhadwiththeRevela-tionAudioMistralspeakers.IheardGioAriasingingVangelis’Like a DreamontheS-6speakerandIreallylikedwhatI heard from the Naim CDX player,theExposurepreampandtheOdysseyStratosX2poweramp.However,atthe

endofthepiece,Iwastoldthatamajorelementwasmissing,TheSub5pairofsubwoofers,purchasedonthespotbyaTorontovisitor.Weunderstand. Our final stop was at a room withthenewVerityParsifalOvationspeak-ers , l i nkedto a pair of

pyramid-s h a p e dNagraPMApower amps and a Nagra preamp, themusic originating from the Verdi/Elgar/Purcell CD and SACD player.Wesatdownandrelaxedtothesmoothinterpretation of Fever. “The music isverydiscreet,”saidGaetan,“thespeakersjust disappear,and they don’tattractattentionto t hem-s e l v e s ” .H e w a sright, thesound justappearedinspace. I pulledo u t m yownCDofGianmariaT e s t a ’ sLampo, andwe f inished ourlistening marathon with anint imateperformancebythatwonderfulItaliansinger,songwriterandcomposer,sing-

inghisuniquesurrealpieceComete,accompanied by a small groupof magnificent musicians, wholingeredlongaftertheendofthesong,andafter thespotlightshad

dimmed.

Photos:Above left:theAntiqueSoundLabFlorapassive preamp, with its resistor-lessvolumecontrol.Lower left: The RL speaker with itshempconeAbove right: a prototype subwooferfrom Fab Audio, and the Qinpu tubeintegratedamp,C$1900Below: the newest tube digital playerfromShanling.Lower right: one of the astonishingWLMspeakers,andahitattheshow.

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The first thing we’ll tell youisthathavingtheplinthandsubchassis transparent isanoption.Youdon’tneedtohave

aturntablethatlooksthiscool.Butwe’retold that four out of five buyers ordertheRadius5exactlyliketheoneyouseeabove,andthatnewsdidnotcauseustofalloutofourchairs. As is usual with Roksan, the sub-chassisisnotsuspendedonsprings(seeour Rendezvous with designer TourajMoghaddaminthisissueforthedetailsofthedesigndecisions).Prettymuchthewholeturntableismadefromtranspar-entacrylic,includingtheplatterandthenon-detachableheadshellontheNimatonearm. The tonearm is aunipivotdesign,whichmeansithasasingleneedlebear-ingratherthandistincthorizontalandverticalbearings.Simplicityaside,thishasbuilt-inadvantages,suchasthefactthattheaxisofmovementinallplanesisthesame.Aunipivotarmisinherentlywobbly,however,andyouadjusttheazi-muth(sothatthecartridgeleansneitherleftnorright)byturningtheeccentriccounterweight. Getting both azimuthandstyluspressureisalittlefiddly.Andnudgingthepickupovertothecutyouwant toplay isfiddly too,because thewholearmrocksbackandforth.Roksansuppliesafingerholdthatisheldbythesamescrewsasthecartridge,butthat’sacompromise,andwedidn’tinstallit. Particularlyawkwardistheanti-skat-

ingsystem,becausetheweightactuallytouchestheplinthwhenthearmisinrestposition.Itgetspickedupwhenyou’reactuallyplayingarecording,ofcourse,butwewishbetter thinkinghadgoneintothisdetail. WhenyouswitchononeofRoksan’sother tables, you see the motor rotatebackandforthwhiletheplattergetstofullspeed.OntheRadius5,insteadofrotating,itactuallypivotsleftandright.Thisresultsinanoisyanddisconcertinglittle jerk when you switch the motoron,andthefirsttimeyoufigureyou’vedone something horribly wrong. Youhaven’t. Youchangespeedsbyselectingdif-ferentstepsonthemotorpulley.Thereare four steps, two of which are forcountries with 50Hz line frequency.Because thebelt isexposedyoumightassumeitmustbeeasytoinstall,butinfactwefounditfinicky.Itisaroundbelt,notflat,andittendstoslipofftheplatterwhenyou’reputtingiton.Indeed,itthenlooksasthoughitwilldropoffwhenyou

turnthemotoron,thoughfortunatelythatisn’tthecase.Evenso,initiallyweweredisconcertedtofindthatthespeedwas decidedly wavery. The reason: wehad inadvertentlymadeahalf twist inthebelt.Weremoveditandreinstalledit,andallwaswell. Bytheway,beforeinstallingthebeltwetreateditwithRubberRenue,whichimproves performance of new belts aswellasold. OurRadius5wassuppliedwiththeCorusBlackcartridge (C$450), shownbelow.Itisamovingmagnetcartridge,butunlikeothercartridgesofthispriceithasalinecontactstylus,theGygerII,which can dramatically reduce bothdistortionandsurfacenoise. Webeganthelisteningsessionwith76 Trombones from the Dallas WindEnsemble’sBeachcomberLP (ReferenceRecordingsRR-62).Wedidn’tgetpastthe first few measures before figuringoutthat… Ohwell,asyouknowwecan’tgiveawaythewholeissueandstayinbusiness,butthewholearticleisavailableinourprintandelectroniceditions. RIpitnumquissimnimzzriteugueexeradexercipit,quisi. Odiam zzrit, corpero odigna feufeugaitnullumverilitutpatemditloreroconsed et nit praessisisi te dolessectetatisitnummynullumzzrileugiamconseeufeuisduntnimdoluptatadiam,sumingeacommynosniscitemingetdelitwiscidunt vendipis exerosto cortisitvero cortisl init lutat wisit essim ventpratie tincipis diatincin ea consequitioeafaciblafacillaoredolestievenimvenimquamconse feumquatie faccumaccumsandipsustionhendremeafeugaitaut amenibh ea aliquisl diamnibheufeugiamquamzzrilluptatvelinvendrefaccum inci tat ad minismodio doloredionsenim quipis eugiamc ommodignismodoloboredoloborsisimzzriuremaliquaterocorefaciliquiexetautdignimzzritaugiam,venibhelitvenisnullanetwisalitutat,simdolorperaditnullutatefeumnumdiat.Xerodoercillamcommynummolo bortionsecte esting elit incibla feu faccumsan utem zzril iriureetpraesectemiriuremodoloreetversus-truddoodiaminget,sisi. Vulla feugiam doloreet am, con-sendit, con utatie magnim dolorem et

Roksan Radius 5

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amcoreet wiscin ut vullaor sit accumquat. Enimiuscilisimquatumsandreenibhessi bla feuguer aestisit num zzriuremolutedigniatumdolutecommodionse-quisl ulla corer ing er aliquis doloborerostodipitirilerilluptatuefeugiamconhenim ipsustrud delent autat ulputpatdoloraciexersimzzrildoloboremag-nibh et nos amconse feuis dunt alissedoloredoloreditlortinutvullanvenibheuisl iriustie feugiam, qui et lorperilitacingetumeuisdelitam,quametlam-cons equisiscin verostio consed er seddolortionetverautenitalisnitdeldipitlute del iriurerosto con ent venis numzzrit,si. Imvelitvullamirilisnitpratloremveraestiefeufaccumet,vendionsequitinuteersectefaccumsanditlorercillametwisnulputatuefeuitiemagnafacilullafacilit, coreet, quis niam irit iustinciblaam,sumquametat.Andignibheafaccumet,seminexeraestisalisletlor-perostislduntipeummodoluptatvelit,quisditwiscitionsequam,cortinullamillaaliquisnitnullamcommynulputpat

vullanvullamdeliquat,veniatuercinc-iduntaditvelisduitemiperilitalissectemagnacorsi. Amvolestodelitdoodipsustisl ius-trudeummynislutnullutwisiblamnon-sequisitatduisitat,quisnullamquametlutaditadmagnaaugiamet,sectemagnafeugiamconsendretetnonullaorperosaliquisimilutevenitpratamcommynosnulputveldiamconsequiexeratadessedminciduisnibhetveleniat,siserciduntlum nulla am dolore modoloreet ventnosto odolenim in er sed etuer seddoloborersetat.Utexelutpat.

Pate magnim vel dolut ver siscilitaliquissi. Acipersitet,quametexeroconseddigna con utat auguerit acin henimdolortiemagniamersequat.Isametuerciduisis nostie vullaoreet prat. Raestoetue faccummy nonse te dipit pratemzzrilluptatuemodolorsustruddolestiood dio cor iril ulla feugiatie vullandreetum dunt laor ilis am augait ver inhenditvolumzzriliseummynonsequamzzrit ut praesto eu faci erillamcommynullaoremvelullaorpercingestrudtisdelenit accum velismod molestis nimautaccumverautefacitiemodmagnafaciliquamconsectemveldelenimdolorseddocorsisalisciblanerodipitdeliquisaddoodolorperinerosnullaoremagnimvullummod minit nibh erat pratue teconullum vent wis augue dolut ad tataliquamet, quiscillam dolestrud eugaitelullandignimzzriliquam,quamconsedminimzzriuscilduntvulputemilisaditpratemesectecoreeterosaccumvulputvullametirillanvoloremagnacommo-dolutaliquisimzzriustoelutpatlumsanestocortiemincin.

Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eu fac-cummy num at volorperos amcore vel ut-patinveriuremodiperatedolorsitadiam,quisacilitnulputatiritutluptatluptatlaor-ercinciliustissequat.Ilissectemetnisalislinulput lutpateminisit adit augiam,quat,vullutpat luptatum zzriurem augiam dol-endipitloreracilismodtatdoloremnumsanerostion ver sis dolor acillam, ver se tatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdio dolent eu facip eu facincilit lut augueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi. Ullandreripisi.Ommodolorevelullan-drediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi.Irillam consent nulla aut esent niamet ut-patatestruddelestrudmagnissenibheugueelit,si.

—Albert Simon

Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorper-ciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat,corperosaciblaaugaitveliquisnostioerat-ismodtemvenitatveliustiniscingetipisi. Bor sit accum am, quatio odolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nosto con-

sequamnullacortietediamdoloremolumzzrilexerosnullutpatuecortisaugueriuremeraessectet, susto od modolut velismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatum eum vullut nonsequisl eu feufaccumnimnibhersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Del iriliquipeniatiselut landipit, sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocommolortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetuerau-gaitdeliquislutat.

—Gerard Rejskind

Unt laconulla facipit ipitalisautautetil ut dignisi etum vulla augait ipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnostodiametumdol-orero conum ing eraestis aliquam, coremduiblaore feugiam,vendit ipsuscillaor ingendrer sim zzriustisl eliquat illumsanditaut lummy num nim ea augue magna addipit,conumzzriliquislirilitacildolorsumdolore digna feu feugiam, sum eugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodigna feufeui tat nim alis augiate core dunt velis-modeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsim

diam,quametum zzriliqui blam dolore docommy nim quiscilisit autet wisi etummynim iuscil dipit lobortie modiam iuscili-quat voloborperit lore consequ issequat,corpera estrud te tie tinisimvullutnullanvendremzzritvullaoreexeriuscilluptatpratvolum zzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummy nostrud tem alit ullut verosautem nos nullaor ip eummod delesectemet ad dunt luptat. Agnibh ero ero dipislip etumsan henim venim dunt wis nullafeugue magnisisse conum do ea feugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quamquat aliquisse feum zzrilis num nosto corsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adiodunt dolenim digniat ing ea commodiatpratumm odolobo rpercin ent la feummynostoetercilisi. Eriliquisitpraestiodoloboriustisi.Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquatate consendipit, venim nosto consequamnulla cortie te diam dolore molum zzrilexeros nullutpatue cortis augueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodolut.

—Reine Lessard

CROSSTALK

Brand/model:RoksanRadius5Price:C$1800,plus$395forCoruscartridgeDimensions:43x37x10cmMost liked:Terrificlooks,terrificsoundLeast liked:Finickydrivebelt,scarystartupsoundVerdict: Shrewdcompromisesleadingtoabigpayoff

Summing it up… Goldring GR2

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Complete? Incomplete?

ThisreviewoftheRoksanRadius5isobviouslyincomplete.Thereviewof

theGoldringGR2thatfollowsiscomplete.Andthereviewsofthefourphono

stagesthatfollowareamixtureofcompleteandincomplete.

Asurprising number of musiclovers are snapping up veryexpensiveturntables (includ-ing us, with our new Linn

LP12), but there is just as obviously amarket for less expensive turntables.TherearepeoplewithsmallLPcollec-tionsthatwon’tbegrowing,andthereis another phenomenon too. Youngermusicloversarediscoveringthejoysofanalog,andareactuallyleapingfromtheiPodallthewaytotherecordplayer. ThatwaswhywewerehappytoseeGoldring bring out the GR1 (UHFNo.70),essentiallyaneconomyversionoftheRegaP2,onlycheaper.NowcomestheGR2,whichlooksratherlikeaP3,butwithanappealingpricetag.ItevencomeswithaGoldring1012cartridge,whichwouldsellfor$350separately. WehadaGoldringcartridgeofthesameseriesonthecoverofUHFNo.29manyyearsago,buttherehaveclearlybeen improvements. The 1012 comeswithaGygerIstylus,asimplifiedlinecontact stylus that can be expected toreduce problems from both groovedamage and surface noise. Like allmoving magnet pickups, the 1012 hasrelativelyhigh inductance,at570mH.A quick calculation indicates that theinductancewillrolloffthehighfrequen-cies, with the -3dB point at just over13kHz.Anythingoverthatis“broughtup”byaninternalresonance,asisusualin all but a handful of expensive MMcartridges (see MM versus MC on thenextpage).Incidentally,theinductance

oftheCoruscartridge intheprevioustestisidentical. LikeotherRegatables,thisonehasasimpleconstruction.ThesolidplinthisMDF,withlarge,softrubberfeet.Theplatter is also MDF, covered by a feltmat, and the small subplatter is fibre-glass. The motor uses power directlyfromthepowerline,andtheonlycontrolisanon-offswitch Like the P3, the GR2 has no useradjustments beyond that for styluspressure.Toswitchspeeds,youliftofftheplatterandchangethedrivebelttoa different pulley step. The cartridgeis already mounted (accurately, we’rehappytosay).YoumaywanttoignoreGoldring’s suggestion of keeping thecoverclosedwhilea record isplaying!

Indeed,wewishtheGR2wereavailablewithnocoverformaybe$10less. Weplaced theGR2onourTargetwall-mounted table of our Omegasystem,andproceeded to listen to thesame three recordings we had usedwith the Radius5 table, starting with76 Trombones. Whatwas immediatelyevidentwasthattheGR2,despitesomesuperficialresemblancetothecheaperGR1,isinatotallydifferentcategory.Farfrombeingaslightlyimprovedentryleveltable,itcouldbethedefinitivechoiceofmanyanaudiophile.Butlet’snotgetaheadofourselves. ThisrecordingoftheDallasWindSymphony is loaded with horsepower,andalotofthathorsepowerpouredoutof our speakers. Oh, not all of it, elsewhat’s a Heaven for? Still, there wasimpactonthepercussion,andthecym-balssoundedlikecymbalsandnotlikesomething a synthetizer would dreamup.Thepiccolo,whichcaneasilysoundlike a penny whistle with the wronggear,didsoundaboutright,withsomenuances.Itcertainlyheldourinterest. Itwasbynomeansperfect.Gerardcomplainedthatthehighswerealittle“zippy,” more “hi-fi” than natural,though not unpleasantly so. And therhythmseemedtogetconfusedtowardtheendofthepiece. EricBibb’sGospelBluespieceNeeded Timewasattractive.ReineandGerardfound Bibbs’ voice entirely natural,thoughAlbertwouldhavelikedatouchmorelowermidrange.Theguitarswereverygood,thedetailexcellent,andthistimetherhythmwasstrongallthewaythrough. “But I’d like smoother highs,” saidGerard.Asinthefirstpiece,themusicsometimesseemedjustalittletooloud,notbecauseitwasreallyloud,butbecauseof a minor problem in the highs.” Hewonderedwhethertheverticaltrackingmightbesettoohigh.Itdidn’tlookthatway, however, and anyway the heightofaRegaarmisnotadjustablewithoutdisassembly. Ourthirdandfinalrecording,Take the ‘A’ Train,wouldbeatoughtestfortheGR2’sabilitytodigoutextremebass.NotonlydoesRayBrown’shugeacousticbassmovealotofair,butinseveralcases

Goldring GR2

It’s actually a Rega, sure, but a Rega what?

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itcarriesthetune.Ifthebassiswrong,thepiececeasestomakesense. The turntable managed to makeperfectsenseofthemusic.TheweightofthebasswasnotwhatitwaswithourLinnLP12,butitwasn’tthineither.IfBrown’s bass work was less lyrical, welostnoneoftheartist’svirtuosity.GeneHarris’s piano had plausible timbrethroughmuchofitsrange,thoughnotatthetopofthescale.Wesuspectthatthe cartridge was having trouble withthosehigherfrequencies.

We finished up with the technicalevaluation.TheGoldring1012cartridgeand Rega-built arm worked quite welltogether,withacombinedresonanceof8Hz,theverybottomoftheacceptablerange.The1012trackedperfectlyallbutthreetracksonourImageHifitestdisc.Averyslightaudiblebuzzaccompaniedthe 80micron groove, growing muchmoreinsistentonthe90microngroove.The final 100micron groove threwthe cartridge right into thenext track(wesuspectfewreal-lifecartridgescannegotiatethistrack). The1012didfairlywellontheM&Korganrecording.The16Hzpipeaddedanoticeabletremolotothemelody,albeitlessseverethanwiththeRoksanCorus.Wejudgethatthecartridgeinthisarmwould track most normal recordingswithoutproblem. Don’tlettheoccasionalreservationswe’ve expressed take precedence overour feelings about this turntable: way,waymorethantheGR1,theGoldringGR2cancatapultyouintothemagicalworldof analog. It is, truth to tell, anamazingvalue,abarelyalteredversionofafamousturntableandtonearm.Themostnoticeablealteration:aprettygoodcartridgeforfree. Initspricerange,theGR2scoresabigwin.

This turntable has talent! Its numer-ous qualities can bring its owner years ofpleasure. I noted excellent spaciousnessandgooddepth, andplentyof finedetail.Iespeciallylikedthewarmvoiceitcanre-produce,nottomentionthenostalgichar-monicaand shiningbrass. It’sgot impact,flawlessrhythmandhealthyenergy. All these qualities overshadow theslightlyunfocusedimageandaminordefi-ciencyatthebottomend,whichaffectstheotherwise lyrical bass. The GR2 deservesconsideration for its fine behavior and itsaffordableprice.

—Reine Lessard

It feels so nice to listen to an afford-ableproductandbeenthusiasticaboutit.Ifyou’reusedtothesoundofCDs,you’llbe

surprisedattherefinementofdetailsfoundonyourLPsthroughthisturntable.You’llbe struck by the energy that surges fromlively-playedpiecesandamazedatthepin-point imaging that appears between andaroundyourspeakers. Yes,Ididfindsometimesthatthehighswantedtocreatefireastheysparkled,anditoccurredtomethatbassnotesdidn’tdigasdeepasIexpected.Butthoseimpressionsdidn’t last long. I remained involved inthe listening,constantlynoticingawealthof finely-etched sounds amid the layeredmusicallines.

—Albert Simon

This is a longway from the top turn-tables,butitsanequallylongwayfromeventhebetterentry-levelturntables,suchasits

GR1brandmate.Atthislevel,youstartfor-gettingthehardware,andyouconcentrateonsomething farmore important: theex-citing musicality that is in the grooves ofyourLPs. Thehighsarenotquiterightwiththisturntable, to be sure.That’s why at timesI thought the music was just a little tooloud…while at the same time, paradox-ically,Iwouldhavelikeditlouder,meaningmoreenergetic.Iwouldhavelikedanextrahalfoctaveatthebottomtoo. But don’t suppose for a moment thatthisturntablesoundsshrill,orthin,orlaidbackeither.Frankly,whatIheardfromthefirst60secondsofthefirstrecordingwasamostpleasantsurprise.Anditjustkeptongettingbetter.

—Gerard Rejskind

CROSSTALK

Brand/model:GoldringGR2Price:C$1095,includingcartridgeDimensions:44.3x35.5x7.3cm(notcountingremovablecover)Most liked:Goodbalance,excep-tionalenergyLeast liked:occasionalhardnessatthetopend.Verdict:Fortwicetheprice,alotmorethantwicethesound

Summing it up…

MM versus MC Are moving coil pickups really superior to moving magnet pickups? Manyaudiophilesbelievetheyare. Inanymagnetcartridge,thesignalcurrentisgeneratedbymovementofacoilinamagneticfield.Thisworkswhetheryoumoveamagnetnexttoacoil,oracoilnexttoamagnet.Buttheresultsarenotthesame.Tokeepmovingmasstoaminimum,whicheverofthetwoelementsdoesthemovingwillbemadesmaller.Ifthecoilmoves,anditissmall,itwillhavelowimpedance,andthereforeasmalloutputvoltage.Tomatchapreamp, itwillneedeitherextraamplificationoratransformer.Ifthemagnetmoves,andisthereforemadesmall,itisthecoilthatwillbelarge.Inthatcase,itsinductancewillactlikeafilter,rollingoffthehighs.Theusualworkaroundistoletthecantilever-stylusstructureresonateatahighpointintheaudiblerange,perhapsaround15kHz.Aresonanceseemsto“bringup”theresponsebystoringenergy.Notideal,butthat’showit’sfrequentlydone.

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Atonetimewedidn’tneedtoexplainwhataphonopreampdoes for a living andwhat iteats in winter, but we know

someaudiophilesaresomewhatalienatedfromanalog,soheregoes. Nearlyallaudiosourcecomponents(CDandDVDplayers,cassettedecks,tuners, satelliteboxes)havequitehighoutput,peakingat2voltsormore,andwithallfrequenciesatthesamelevel(wewish!). That is not true of a turntablecartridge. The volume level is muchlower,perhaps2millivoltsorsometimesaslittleas4microvolts.What’smore,theLPisnotrecordedwithallfrequenciesanywherenearequal.Highfrequenciesaregreatlyboostedsothattheyoverridethenoise(there’smorenoiseinthehighsthaninthelows)whereaslowfrequenciesareattenuated(seeThe RIAA Curveonpage39).Thephonopreamp,connectedbetweentheturntablesandanyoneoftheinputsonyourpreamporintegratedamp,mustboostthesignalbysome1000timesoreven10,000times.Itmustalsoreverse the recording equalization sothatallthefrequenciesemergeintheircorrectproportions. Eitherofthosetasksisdifficult,butdoingthembothatonceisadaunting

task that defeated the best efforts ofaudioengineersfordecades. Evenmoredauntingisthefactthatphono cartridges, unlike the typicalCDplayeroutputcircuit,behavequitedifferently with different circuit inputconfigurations.Foryears,phonoinputsthat would perform admirably withinstrumentswouldsoundhorriblewithcertain real-life phono cartridges, andnooneknewwhy. Thoseproblemshaveofcoursebeensolved…oratleastwehopetheyhave. These four phono preamps weretestedinourOmegasystemusingourLinnLP12turntable,withourAudiomatPhono-1.5asacomparison.

The CEC PH53 Thissilverboxwilllookfamiliartoyou ifyouhaveour last issue,becausethesimilar-lookingDA53converterwasonthecover.Thereisaseriesofcom-ponentsinCEC’s“53”series,includingaheadphoneamplifier. ThePA53istheonlyoneofthefourpreamps here tested to accommodatea moving coil cartridge, with its lowimpedance,andthereforeitslowoutputvoltage.Youselectthecartridgetypebyflippingtinyswitchesontheunderside

oftheunit.IfyouhaveanMCcartridge,youcanalsochoosetheloadresistanceandcapacitancethatwillbestmatchyourcartridge. Thereisafront-panelbuttontoallowyoutochoosehigherorlowergain.Alsoselectablefromthefrontisa“subsonic”filter,whichcanbesetforaslightoramoreradicalcutoffofverylowfrequen-cies.Perhapsitratesexplanation. Thoughwewould like tomaintainfrequencyresponsedowntozeroHertz,thatcanbedangerouswithaturntable.At one time, preamplifiers came withwhatwasbilledasa“rumblefilter,”alow-frequencycutoff thatcouldbeusedtorescueaturntablewithanaudibly-noisymotor or mechanism. Such turntablesvanishedintogaragesalesadecadeago,of course. The mainproblem today isrecordwarp. If anLP isnotperfectlyflat, as few are, it will generate a verylow-pitched signal as it goes around,typically at 8Hz or lower. The signalwon’tbedirectlyaudible,butitcancausetheconeofasmallwoofertoflapbackandforth,addinganunpleasanttremolotothemusic.The“subsonic”filtercutsthisspurioussignalrightout. By the way, the reason we put theword “subsonic” in quotes is that we

Four Phono Stages

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think CEC actually meant infrasonic,meaning below the range of humanaudibility.“Subsonic”means“travellingbelow the speed of sound.” We can,however, certify that thePH53 stayedwellbelowthatspeedduringtheentirelisteningsession. We began the session w ith apowerhouse piece for wind band, 76 Trombones,fromtheReferenceRecord-ings Beachcomber double LP (RR-62).Thehugeimpactofthemusicwascon-siderablyreduced,andafterafirstlistenwedecidedtotryitagainlouder.“Notbad,”concededReine,“andafterawhileyoustopthinkingaboutwhatitsoundedlikewithourreference.Whichisagoodthing,becausethere’sabigdifference.”Thedifferenceextendedtonearlyeveryaspect of this remarkable recording,whichhadlostsomeofitsexcellentdepthanditsremarkableclarity. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetie

tinisim vullutnullanvendremzzritvullaore exerius cilluptatpratvolumzzritlumquissitadipitaugaitvullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnulla feuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi. Eriliquisitpraestiodoloboriustisi.

Goldring PA-100 There’s less to the Goldring thanthereistotheCEC,andyouneedonlyaglancetoconfirmit.Itisaverysmallboxthattakesnosignificantshelfspace.Thepowersupply isa“wallwart.”Ofcoursethepriceisappropriatelylow,atC$240.Therearenosettings,sincethisisstrictlyamovingmagnetpreamp.ToadaptittoourGoldringExcelpickup,we added our Bryston TF-1 step-uptransformer(longdiscontinued,alas). TheGoldring isdeadquiet,whichwasthefirstofseveralpleasantsurprises.The next one came when we listenedagaintothe76 Trombonespiece.Well,whathadweexpected,really?After the sessionwith themuchmoreexpensive PH53, we had preparedourselvesforratherlimpperformance,withweakdynamicsandathinbottomend.Wemightevengetshrilltransients,

which theG o l d r i n g ’s

minimalistpack-aging seemed to

threaten.But Goldring knows

about upscale perfor-mance…you’ll have noted

that its best phono pickup is actuallyourreference!Asthebrassandpercus-sion of the Dallas Wind Symphonymarchedtowardus,weglancedateachotherwithdelightedsurprise.Thislittleboxwasproducingsoundthatcertainlycouldn’tbedescribedaslaidback!Themusichadlife,andtherewasplentyofimpacttoo.Therewasnooveremphasisofthehighs—indeedthedifficultpic-colocouldhavebeenabitbrighter.Thebottom end was deep, the transientsenergetic. If this is economy phonoperformance,bringiton! Notthat thePA-100willdriveourAudiomat reference preamp off themarket. The numerous instrumentsblended together somewhat, and thetrombones were a little confused. “Ithink there’s somecompression in thelows, too,” said Gerard, “but I reallydon’tcare.” OntheNeeded TimeGospelpiece,wedidnoticesomereductioninthelows.Notthatthisisashowpieceforsubwoof-ers or anything, but Eric Bibb’s voicenormally has considerable body, andtheguitars (especially thebottleneck),pluckedbassandpercussiondowanderinto the loweroctaves.Therewas justalittlelessofallthesethings.Still,wedon’twanttosuggestthatthispreampsounds thin. “There’s some reductionoflows,”saidAlbert,“butit’snotgreatenoughtoupsetthetonalbalance.” Indeed, that natural tonal balancemadetherecordinghighlyenjoyable.So

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didthediggingoutoffinedetail,evenfromtheverysoftpassagesthataresomeofthisrecording’sgreatestassets. Wewerealittleafraidofwhatwouldhappen to Ray Brown’s bass in Soular Energy, but once more we were in fora pleasant surprise. The instrumentseemedfullsize,anditstillhadexcel-lent impact. Its timbre was altered alittle, revealing more of the “woody”resonanceattheexpenseofthedeepestnotes.Still,itwassolidandexpressive,aswellastuneful.Thepianowasbrightwithoutgettingunpleasantlytinkly,andthere was never a trace of confusion.Reine would have liked a little morelowermidbasstobridgeagapbetweenthe piano and the bass, but we wereunanimousthatthisrelativelyinexpen-sivephonopreampwastoughtobeat.

Marchand Electronics LN106 Marchand (marchandelec.com) is amanufacturer of electronics productsthat sells directly through its catalogandofcoursetheInternet.Itsproductshaveasomewhatgeekybent,eschewingglitzy cosmetics in favor of low pricesand a somewhat tech-oriented lineupthatincludessuchesotericaaselectroniccrossovernetworks.We’repushoversforstufflikethis. But there’smore.Marchand is alsooneofthefewremainingpurveyorsofdo-it-yourself kits. Both this preampand the one that follows are availableassembledor,optionally,askits.Indeed,there are two different kits: a fairlysimple one for people who know howtouseascrewdriverandabasicsolder-ingiron,andamorecomplexonethatrequiressuchspine-chillingtechniquesas soldering components to fragilecircuitboards.Someassemblymanualsaredownloadable,thoughneitherphonopreampmanualislisted. Does building your own save youmoney? It certainly can. The LN106costsUS$295readytoplugandplay,butthesimplekitis$245,andthecomplexoneisjust$180. Thecircuit isbuilt intowhat lookslike a standard diecast accessory box(below), with jacks at either end. Thetop plate bears an illustration of theRIAA frequency response curve, withdroopingresponseattheverybottom,

whererecordwarpcancauseproblems.Notethat,aswiththeCEC,theword“subsonic”isusedinasensethatnotestpilotwouldunderstand. Since this is strictly an MM unit,weaddedourstep-uptransformerandconnected it between our Linn LP12andourCoplandpreamplifier.Webeganwith76 Trombones. Well,thisiscertainlyalivelypreamp,moresothantheCEC,andevenmorethantheGoldring.“Iwasreadytojointheparade!”criedReineenthusiastically.The large wind band delivers a lot ofimpact,especiallyinthisLPver-sion, and the LN106del iveredm o r er a w

energythaneitherofthepreviousphonopreamps.Italsodeliveredagoodstereoimageandatleastapassableamountofdepth. Italsodeliveredsomethingwewouldrathernothavehad,namelybrightness.The highs weren’t exactly aggressive,buttheywerealotmore“inyourface”thananythingwehadheardsofar.Thepiccolowasbrighttoo.“Thetrombonesare confused,” said Gerard, “and thecymbaldoesn’t sound like anycymbalI’veeverheard.”

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Howeversomerecordingsareeasierto reproduce thanothers,andtheLN106did very well with Eric Bibb’s Needed Time.Thetonalbalancewasverygood,despiteahintofleannessatthebottomend.Bibb’svoicewassuperblyclear,thetwoguitarsattractive,thepluckedbasssatisfyingly weighty. The rhythm wassure. “There’s really no problem withthisrecording,”saidGerard. The LN106 survived the thirdrecording,Soular Energywithconsider-able ease. In particular Ray Brown’sbasswasappropriatelythunderous,withsuperb rhythm and plenty of impact.Wecouldpractically “see”hisfingerssnappingbackthosethickstrings.ThatalonegavetheLN106apassingmark. Butitdidn’tgetanA,becauseonceagaintherewasaprobleminthehighs.Though Gene Harris’s piano soundedplausible enough, and its timbre wasattractive through much of its range,it got altogether too forward when itmoved up the scale. We might havetakenthatforgrantedinaCDplayer,butanalogshouldn’tbelikethat. In the end we weren’t unanimous.TheLN106,forabitmoremoneythantheGoldringPA-100,hasmoreenergy,butitisalsomoreforward,withamorefrequent incidence of unmusical arti-facts.Itgivesalittlemoreofwhatyou’relookingfor…butthat’saccompaniedbyalittlemoreofwhatyoudon’t.

Marchand LN108 ItlookslikeaslightlylargerversionoftheLN106,withabiggerpowerbrick.Thejacksareonthesideratherthantheends, for reasons that become evident

wheny o u

twirl the four screws and lift thelid. Andthereyouseethem:three12AX7twintriodes.Mostofthepowersupplyisinboardwiththetubes,complementingtheoutboardbrick. Ourphotoshowsitwiththelidoff,butyoumightbealarmedtonotethat,onceyoucloseitup,therearenoslotsallowing air to circulate. And after acouple of hours of operation the boxgets…ah, warm! Not scary warm, butdisconcertingallthesame. Thistubephonopreampis,likeallbuttheCEC,forMMonly.Itcosts$495fullyassembled,withthepricedroppingto$395oreven$295ifyouorderakit.ForthebenefitofCanadians,weshouldadd that Marchand, unlike many USvendors,iswillingtoshipbyairparcelpost.You’llneedtopaysalestaxesanda$5chargewhenthepackagearrives,butyouwon’tgetwhammedbyastronomi-calbrokeragefeeslikethosechargedbyFedExandUPS. WouldtheLN108’stubecircuitbeas quiet as the other phono preampshadbeen? Itwas.Weconnected it, ofcourseaddingourstep-uptransformer,andproceededtolisten.Andwequicklyreached an inevitable conclusion: wewere going to have more fun than atany timesincewehad leftbehindourreferencephonostage. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeuguerit

loretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzritvullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnullafeuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi. Eriliquisitpraestiodoloboriustisi.Bor sit accum am, quatio odolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulput

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nibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam.

Some conclusions Peraesectemdolorefaccumipitaugaitpratisaliquiscitemetadesendiamzzrillacoremoloreetpratullaorsumdoloremnislutwisdelitnisniam,volenimat.Utnisi.Vent utem zzriureetum verilis at. Utaliquissitatummodignimdoodminutloraddelit,ventutadiperciduitionumdignafaciduntlumverocommoddolesedtat diam zzril ulla augait ullandrerosnonsequ ismolortie feugue dolobore

et lut lorpercil ulput lor aute commynostis at, veldolortiemagniamconse-quisnonullaautedoloborevelinimverautpat utat in ut nulla autpat in venisnonseniscipitpratisitamvelenisciliquitat aciduisis aliscidunt lutpati nciduisl

do od et, venibh eraestinibh ex exeratinisnumdoloredelitutpratautedoloremagnaconsequamet,quiscitioconullaorsismoloreminvoloretat. Estrudtat.Emvoloremzzriuremodtatueeacommynulla.

Two of these units grabbed my atten-tionfortherightreasons(andtwoforthewrongreasons,butlet’sputthataside).TheMarchand LN108 has the dynamics andthesheermusicalitytochallengesomebet-ter-knownnames.Addittoyourturntable,andyou’llknowyou’rerighttohavevinylinyourlife. MyotherfavoriteistheGoldring.Itmaynothavethelivelinessoftheothers,includ-ingtheMarchandLN106,butitdoesn’tdoanythingannoying,whichmeansit’slisten-ablewithanydisc.What’smore,it’scheapenoughtointroducealotofnewmusiclov-erstothejoysofanalog.

—Gerard Rejskind

SayyourecentlyupgradedyourpreampandnowyoustartlookinginthedirectionofLPs,wantingtodiscoverwhatallthefussisabout.Youpeekatthebackofthatwon-

derfulunittoconnectaturntabletoit,andyouremember thewordsyouheardat thestore:nobody uses that any more. What you need is an inexpensive waytodiscover theworldofanalogrecording,andsenseallitsrawenergyandwideopenstage. The Goldring PA-100 phono preampwouldbemyfirstchoice if Iwere inyoursituation.Itwouldleavemesomecashtoin-vestinabetterturntableormoreLPs.Afterawhile,however,youmaydecidetoexplorethefullpotentialofanalog,thinkingofup-gradingyourturntable.I’dstartwithatrialof the Marchand Electronics LN108 tubephonopreamp.Youmightjustbestunnedby the superb highs and the depth youwould get with your current source. Themidrange will sound richer, the bass willcarrymusicallthewaydown—andyou’llhaveamissioninlife,lookingthroughused

LPbinsineverytownyouvisit.—Albert Simon

Interesting, this opportunity to listentofourcomponentsthatdothesamething.Allfourofthesephonopreampshavewhatittakestopleaseanaudiophile,butweneedtopickafavorite.Easy…likepickingMissUniverse!Right! Yes, of course you’ll need to evaluatethevariouschoices,toseewhichonesmoveyou…alittleoralot.Forme,onestandsoutin particular: the Marchand LN108 tubepreamp. Whatmakesitstandout,Ithink,isthatlittle extra that turns mere reproductionintofidelity,talentintogenius,energyintopower,sentimentalityintoemotion,clarityinto transparency,virtuosity intomastery,andbeautyintosplendor.

—Reine Lessard

CROSSTALK

The RIAA Curve

Ifmusicwererecorded“flat”onanLP,thegroovescontaininglowfrequencieswouldploughrightintotheirneighbors,whereasthehighswoulddrowninthenoise.Thesolution:boostthehighssotheyriseabovethenoise,andthenreducethelows. Theproblem:thephonopreampneedsto“re-equalize”thesignal,asperthecurveshownhere,withnearly40dB(10,000times)betweenthetwoextremes.It’satoughtask,whichisonereasonnotallphonopreampsareequal.Bytheway,fewpreampsmaintainthecurveallthewayto20Hz,asshownabove.

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Is there life left in the Red BookCDstandard in the faceofhigh-res formats on one side (SACD,DVD-A, and possibly Blu-Ray),

anddownloadablecompressedmusicontheother?We'velongheardaboutthisplayer as a phenomenon: music loverslistentoacoupleofCDsonit,andtheyreachfortheirplatinumcards. And you do need a platinum cardto afford this machine, perhaps evenauraniumcard.Itspriceplacesitwellbeyond the range most people wouldcallaffordable,orevenluxurious.Yourbudget is none of our affair, however.Ourassignmentwastofindoutwhetherthe performance lives up to the pricetag. You might well conclude that it isgrossly overpriced if your dealer is soimprudentastoplayitforyouwhenitistoonew.ThatwasthewaywefirsthearditattheMontrealshow(seethereportelsewhere in this issue),wherewehadborrowed the player for our room. Itneededwellovera100hoursbeforeweheardsomethingweliked.Another200

hoursin,theReimyowastotallytrans-formed, and we began to understandwhatthefusswasabout. Harmonix is the brand name ofCombak Corporation, known amongotherthingsforvibrationcontrolacces-sories,andalsofortheinexpensiveACfilter long sold inourownAudiophileStore.Thecompany’santi-vibedevicesareinfactusedintheReimyo,andthebeautifully-crafted aluminum box isfromCombakaswell.Thetop-loadingtransportisfromJVC…butdon’tthinkabouttheJVCproductsfoundatSears.Rather, think of the K2 system JVCdevelopedforitsupscalexrcdrecordingsystem. The third partner was KyodoDenshi,known for itsprecisionmeas-uringinstruments,whichdidthebasic

designandhandledtheactualmanufac-turing.Cometothinkofit,whatisaCDplayer but a high precision measuringinstrument? It’sanattractivepackage,asthebestJapanese products can be. The frontpanel isnot reallydistinctive,but it iswell laidout.Wewish thefluorescentreadout were larger, but its brightnessmakes it easy to read from across theroom (you can dim it or turn it off ifyoudon’tshareourhungerforconstantfeedback). The player sits on some ofCombak’santivibrationfeet,andnotonthecheapOEMplasticfeetusedonmostplayers.Thetoppanelonourplayerwasmisadjusted,makingopeningthedraweratwo-handjob,thoughwe’retoldthat’seasy to fix. The brushed black chassiscoverisgorgeous,atleastuntilyougetfingermarksonit.Thejacksattherearareofgoodquality,andXLRbalancedconnectorsareincluded. Whatisnotincludedisapowercord.The reason is that the usual moldedcordwouldchipalotofqualityoffthesound,whereasapremiumcordwould

Harmonix Reimyo CDP-777

Reimyo is Japanese for “miracle.” And it’s not as off-the-wall as you might think.

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make this expensive playerevenhardertobudgetfor.Youwon’tbesurprisedtohearthatCombakrecommendsitsowncord, “available separately,”as they say at Toys’R’us. Wereviewed the player with aGutWireG-Clefcord. There is, by the way, adigitaloutputattherearoftheReimyo,andyoumightwonderwhowouldspendthiskindofloot on a player only to turnit into an upscale transport.Harmonixfiguressomepeoplewill, since it also makes theDAP-777 (US$5195), whichis—youguessedit—amatch-ingconverter. We set the player up nexttoourreferenceLinnUnidisk,and did some comparisons,starting with Norman DelloJoio’s Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn (Klavier K11138). Thewindbandsuiteopenswithanimpressivetympanisolowhichhasthesortofimpactyoudon’toftenhearfromaCD.YoudowiththeUnidisk. Wehopeyou’llwanttoreadtherestofourreviewofthisfascinatingplayer.It’s available in our printed issue, ofcourse,andinourelectroniceditionaswell. Exeratinventnisi.Rat.Emipisdolorsitalitvolenitullaorerilinvoloretatiemincieufaccummynullam,quatuefeu-giamcommynimexesefeufeumnullutvoloboremodolorevelisnumsanvolumnit am, quamcon sequipi smodignaconsequat,consedesemagniseufacitetatumsanhenisaugiatet,si. Minhenisldeliustionsequam,quamadion ulpute dolorper sectem dolorercipsumsandiatadiamvelutpatluptatalisnumilutet,sectecoreconseenimvelisldelutemingetuero consequibla corevenimdiamconulputet,veliquipsumsanvelislutpat. Ipis eugiam, sed te faccum am atisnonsed diam velismodipit prate dolor-perodoloremnibhenit,si. Pitatuersitniatloredelessendipiscinciduismododelenibhexexenitveliquitetdoloboretioodminciduntvenitlorefeugiatnitnumduitevelitwisisalisi.

Iquam, sum zzriurem zzriustrudminvelutat,quatemingersusciduiblacommynisi. Untut at, sent ametuer seeratum-sandre min utate dolor sim quam ipitalitwiseldiodoodipisiscilluptat.Utlaconumsandipelesedolenim ingeu feufacidunt loreveldiodolut invulputat,suscili smodipisis nulla feu facillumzzrilitadipitdolortiseaalisaciduismo-dipeliquisissitvelitlutatadignibhestiedolestodoloradipitpratevoloremincilluptationumdolessisnisamzzriureverilisnostisciblaoremverat.Guersiet,quamvelillaalisdolumveleacorperatnumdoloremagnafeugiam,consectemipitiperinisitatautlummynisdionsemodo-lortisl dolutat ueraess equismo loreetautetloboreconsequisat,sumnulputpatwis erci eraesto eugait praesequat. Utullaautetniametnisadmagnafacillamnitacipeniatinhenitexetpratlutetlorediamdolummodiam,velenitullafeuiscipestodeleniamquamconsequisditaccumaugueriuremagnisiseufacieramconsedmodolore magna autpatetum irit wisnimdolorsustieveldolortieconullam,sum quat. Duis nim quisse dolum do

consequipit nonsed modignibhet doloreet el exerit ent nullaconsevullamquametipit,quisitemquamconvulputpat. Nisnummodiatlutefaccumdoenit praestis at. Ut aliqui blaneuguerit vel exerci tie duipisaugiam velis aliquatie volo-bortinis at, susto od del iriureeuissitpraesequiblafaccumvelitdoleniam, consequisi tat. Cinullafeumsandipitiustodoodtisadiam iure faccum nim alisimdionum erit, cortie min ex esemoloborpercingeafaccumius-trudtemquismolututpatlutpat.Duipsus cillam, quam, quisdunt alit wis num dunt duisimveliquam euis num nonse delulputat.Utauguefaccumaccumnulputloreteexersisexeumsandipissim dolore min ent nim iperaessendignaautipeafaccummodolenis eugue mincilit laorevelissiblaoringentwisacitetemquissequip et volortion veniscilismodo lessit nim veniatumdunt adio odionse quismod exexerosnitaddipexetutpatuer

initutpatumiriuretemdoluptatlutpatetem volore enissectetum del ut pratacillandreet exer ipit alit augiam duisalit,summoddoodignaalitauguercillafacipsummoloboremduntlorerillafaciblaorperosalitatuemagnafaccummo-luteteditametumverosnostocoremnisauguevelestoodolobortisitislinimadioconsequisnumsandionsequatnummoditautluptat.Perooditpratvenimingenimnisaliquisaccumzzritwismoloremdeli-quat.Ututatutetisalisnullaorperostoodeteumquatemagniamcommoditinutetumaliquatiecommynonvulluptatlumnullamnostoditadionsenimverat,quitat.Utvelestrudmagnafacipiseum-sanditdipeuguevelissiminutatemingexea feugiam,quatedolutemadiamconsequatipsumsanutat. Commodoluptatueriustinutpatullafaccumsandredolessitat.Peripisitloreetiriuscilit,veldolesequat. Modoodeu feu feu facinimdignisnullutat. Onulput lore dolortio dolorer inhenimvercingeradtinisi. Volore tet lamcommy num quatet,sustisit utatis nis alismod tet, sequis

Harmonix Reimyo CDP-777

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eumsanhenimingelisalit ipitpratuercilit,voloreeugiat.Utaliquislutlortisnulputullafeumalitverostisimnostissiblaorperat,conullanvullaorinitwisimdionsed dolorem dunt landit doluptatuerili quatet lorper suscilla commoddiat, veliquam veliquisit aut veliquisislestoexerostoeugaitadetvoloremnon-sectetuminentautiuscileuguemodo-lenis del eriureet, con ute tio commyniationutpatuevelincilullamet,summynosnonseduntenimduntacillam,quip-ismodiamingexessequieufeuisnimeaconendremingetpraesequisamcoretietingeaautpratlafeuiblamdipissi. Nullaorperiuscillafeufaciblandiataliquatue ming euipit ulputem dolessendiamco nsectem iuscin euis exeroseugiateufaciblandrersisieugiamadipi-sciblamirit,commynisciduisnimnibhexeringesedetlamet,consectemzzrilitwisisi. Ip ercinim volorti smodoloborecommy non hendit lut ut ulputet adtem atueratis nos augiamcore te mingestrud eugiat verostrud ercilisi blaorevolobore tate te molut iureet esto ea

feummod dolummodo od del duiscilitnostocorsimveldolorevulputateconeaconsendioduntveldioeaconsequat.Duip eu feu faciliquat aliquisit eugaitnumsanhenitnosat.Utvelelitpratadduiscincillanditautpratamzzriureetineafaccumamdodoloboreet,veliquisimditpraesectevelessequitemvelersuscilut lortion ulluptat. Ut nostin volenimdelit,velirilitutvoloreveliquamcorperseniscitemagnitutet,velullaorperaessitadignafeuiseugueriuscilutvullaacillamconullutpatissectedolutpatalisi.

Agnim iure modo odolore mineu feum ent ulputpat, vulputpat nul-lamcommod doloreros adigna cortismodoloripisam,venissedtatnumsandioconsectecommoloreet,velit,susciduisldelullamautpatatissisnonsedexeless-endiamdoetvelessiminciduisnonsequisdoloreet venisim aut esto core minitinciduis adio odignis num zzrilit lumventautnonsedelendremnonutecorefeumquatemadeleuisisnitingetnul-laor alit amcon vendreet, sustrud euipeuipeugait,si. Odioestrudetvelesecteminvoluptatdignacorevullafeugiamzzrillacommodtat,si. Ci eugiametum zzriust incillutedolessit ineuguemagnaconseniat.Aneros nullam doloree tuerius cilisimvolumsaneugaitvoluptatieesseeteugueeugiam,velestrudmineufeugaitlumsanutpatiritilitautaugueconsequat. Lore magna coreet erit nonsendrefaccum ipsumsan ut dolobor susci temodolorsimzzriustrudmolorperaessiteugiatumnit,veliquisi. Irilitadignitaliquip.

Irillam consent nulla aut esent niametutpat at estrud delestrud magnissenibheugueelit,si. Et wisi blandipit utpatet, vel ullaorpercidunt nos amet amconsendiam velisitlutat,corperosaciblaaugaitveliquisnostioeratismod tem venit at vel iustiniscing etipisi. Bor sit accum am, quatio odolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nosto con-sequamnullacortietediamdoloremolumzzrilexerosnullutpatuecortisaugueriuremeraessectet, susto od modolut velismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatum eum vullut nonsequisl eu feufaccumnimnibhersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostie.

—Gerard Rejskind

Unt laconulla facipit ipitalisautautetil ut dignisi etum vulla augait ipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnostodiametumdol-orero conum ing eraestis aliquam, corem

duiblaore feugiam,vendit ipsuscillaor ingendrer sim zzriustisl eliquat illumsanditaut lummy num nim ea augue magna addipit,conumzzriliquislirilitacildolorsumdolore digna feu feugiam, sum eugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodigna feufeui tat nim alis augiate core dunt velis-modeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametum zzriliqui blam dolore docommy nim quiscilisit autet wisi etummynim iuscil dipit lobortie modiam iuscili-quat voloborperit lore consequ issequat,corpera estrud te tie tinisimvullutnullanvendremzzritvullaoreexeriuscilluptatpratvolum zzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummy nostrud tem alit ullut verosautem nos nullaor ip eummod delesectemet ad dunt luptat. Agnibh ero ero dipislip etumsan henim venim dunt wis nullafeugue magnisisse conum do ea feugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi.—Albert Simon

Irillam consent nulla aut esent niametutpatatestruddelestrud.

Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorper-ciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat,corperosaciblaaugaitveliquisnostioerat-ismodtemvenitatveliustiniscingetipisi. Bor sit accum am, quatio odolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nosto con-sequamnullacortietediamdoloremolumzzrilexerosnullutpatuecortisaugueriuremeraessectet, susto od modolut velismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatum eum vullut nonsequisl eu feufaccumnimnibhersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi. Putpat, velessim zzriure riureetad miniam, vel dolortie te dunt doloreet,quamquataliquissefeumzzrilisnumnostocor si ex erat wisisi blamcon sectem zzritadioduntdolenimdigniatingea. Eriliquisit praestio dolobor iustisi.Ullandrer ipisi. Ommodolore vel ullandrediam,quipea faccum iure tat lummod tieconsedtatlorperoodessi.

—Reine Lessard

CROSSTALK

Brand/model:HarmonixReimyoCDP-777Price:US$15,495Dimensions:43x38.5x12.7cmMost liked:OmmodolorevelullandreLeast liked:UntlaconullafacipitipitalisautautetilutdignisietumvullaaugaitVerdict:Henimvenimduntwisnullafeuguemagnisisseconum.

Summing it up…

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Complete articles…

No,ourcomptrollerwon’tletusgiveawaythewholemagazine,butthenexttwo

reviewsarecomplete,downtothelastword.

ItwasReinewhothrewdownthegauntlet. We had just ended ourlisteningsessionwiththeAudiomatOpéra, then the company’s top

amplifier (it’s on the cover of UHFNo.69). “How are they going to topthis?”sheasked.Sheprobablymeantitasarhetoricalquestion,buttheanswerwasn’tlongincoming:Audiomat’sownRécitalisbilledasofferingthreetimesthe sound of the Opéra for twice theprice. OfcoursetheRécitalwasnotreallybornofReine’schallenge,becauseitisinfacttheproductofagooddecadeofdevelopment.Audiomatisnotthesortofcompanythatletsitselfbeinfluencedbymarketingdeadlines.Orthatletsitselfberushed,either. Though ClassA tube amplifiersmostlyhavelowpower,theRécitalhasfour6550outputtubesoneachchannel,andshouldbeabletodrivenearlyany-thing.Thetubesareself-biasing,thoughtherearepotentiometersforfine-tuningafteratubechange.Thismeansopeningthe unit and poking voltmeter probesinside,andnon-techiesmaywanttoturntotheirdealersforthisadjustment. ThereisafamilylooktotheRécital,withaflawlessbrushedaluminumcasewehaveseenbefore,whichishowever

notableforbeingmorethanhalfametredeep!Itsitsonthreemachinedcones…awarningnot to leanononeof its rearcornerswhenyou’reconnectingacable.LikethemuchsmallerArpègeamplifier,ithasafrontpanelthatispartlytrans-lucent, lettingyousee theglowof thetubesifyoulisteninthedark.Thetwolargeknobsareforvolumeandsourceselectionrespectively.Inthecentreareswitchesforpowerandformuting. Muting can also be accomplishedfrom the remote control, which addsnofewerthanfourvolumebuttons,forrough and fine tuning. Unfortunatelytheremotedidn’tworkforus,becausetheinfraredphotocellisinsertedsofarbackinthepanelthatitwon’t“see”thecommandsunlessyouarewithin15°ofstraight on. Audiomat has been madeawareoftheproblem,andasolutionisintheworks. The rear panel is straightforward,with good input jacks and highly sat-

isfactoryoutputbindingposts.Indeed,there are two sets of binding posts toaccommodate biwiring. As with otherAudiomatamplifiers,thereisanoutputfortaping,butnotapeloop. Thebindingpostsprovideaccesstoboththe8ohmand4ohmtapsontheoutputtransformers.Aswe’veexplainedbefore, some audiophiles with 4ohmspeakers prefer to use the 8ohm tap,because the signal goes through onlyhalfasmuchofthewireintheoutputtransformer’s secondary winding. Bycuriosity,wedidaquicklistenusingbothoutputs, and theresultsastonishedus.The8ohmoutputsoundeddramaticallybetter,andwedecidedtodoourlisteningthatway. The amplifier’s imposing dimen-sionsandweightpromptedustomakeachangeinourOmegasystem.Insteadoftheglass-shelvedTargettablewehavebeen using for secondary components(suchasourcassettedeck),webroughtinasecondVecteurtableliketheoneourmajor components sit on. Even so, wewerewarnedthatputtingtheamplifieronitstopshelfcouldcompromiselow-bassperformance.Still,therewaslittlechoice,shortofsimplyputtingitonthefloor. WebeganthesessionwithoneofourfavoriteCDselections,oneofDvorak’sRomantic Pieces (Analekta FL23191),withitsflawlessemotionalrenditionbyviolinistJamesEhnes.WeallnotedthegreatsmoothnessofEhnes’violin,whosenotes flowed like a mountain stream,with the notes from Eduard Laurel’spiano falling like shiny pearls. Ehnes’total mastery of his Stradivarius camethrough wonderfully well, as did theexpressivenessofhisplaying. Wasthesounddifferentfromthatofourreference?Yes,andwesituatedthedifferenceintheverylowestfrequencies.Gerard thought theviolinhadamore“resinous”sound,andAlbertexpresseditadifferentway:theviolinsoundedless“woody.” Was it because of the table?Thatwouldbeconfirmedlater. Wecontinuedwithanotherfavorite,whichcanbecelestialorinfernaldepend-ingonwhatyouplayitthrough:Now the Green Blade Riseth(PropriusPRCD9093).WiththeRécital,thereproductionwastiltedallthewayovertocelestial.The

Audiomat Récital

It turns out the superb Opéra was not the end of the road after all

ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 43

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spacious-ness of t h ischoral recording,always vast , seemedeven larger, the illusion ofspace more convincing. Thevoices of the singers were smoothand lovely, well-detached from eachother, though— Albert noted— lessweighttothemalevoices.Whenallthesingers came in together, balance wasperfect,withbothwonderfultogether-nessandlifelikeseparationofindividualvoices.Thefinalcrescendo,sometimesshrillevenonbettergear,wassosmoothGerarddidn’trealizethepiecewasover.“Itseemedsoshort,”hesaid. We must report that we can’t tellyou a lot about the third recording,becausenoneofusfeltmuchlikewrit-ing.ItwasPaulineViardot-Garcia’ssongPlainte d’amour, sung by— or perhapswe should say recreated by— sopranoIsabel Bayrakdarian. This song, on amazurka by Chopin, does not invitemind-wanderingattheworstoftimes.WiththeRécital,Bayrakdarian’svelvetyandexpressivevoiceattainedasublimeplane.“Sheisherewithus,”remarkedGerard,“disturbinglyso.” Wecontinuedwith another femalevoice,EstherOfarim’sLa Vezina Catina.We knew this electrifying song backwhen we used the original LP, titledEsther. This time we played it from anew FIM SACD sampler, Audiophile Reference IV. In this case the singerwasnotintheroomwithus,ratherwewere projected into her world. “It’s sobeautiful it almost hurts,” commentedGerard. Indeed, Esther’s voice was at oncesmoothandclear,withthefinalsyllablesbeingparticularlyluminous.Theflaw-lessrhythmandthealmostscarydynam-icswowedus,asdidthesheerwarmthof

t hemiddle

voicetones.The image was

except ional. “Forsome rea son ,” s a id

Albert,“theorchestrasoundslouderthanitdidwithourown

amplifier, and that makes it seem alittleharder,butI’mprettysureitisn’ttheamplifier’sfault.” Weweregettingtheideathat,despitetheRécital’shighlysatisfyingdynamicheadroom,itwouldbeinreproductionof veryfinedetails that itwould trulydemonstrateofwhatitwascapable.Per-hapsourfavoriteharpselectionwouldbe particularly revealing. It’s CarlosSalzedo’s delicate and magnif icentVariations sur un thème ancien,playedbySusannMcDonaldonCaprice (KlavierK11133). Wewereright.ThoughMcDonald’sharpvirtuallyglowswithourreferenceamplifier,itgrewincandescentwiththeRécital.“Howcanitreproducenotessosoft without hiding anything?” askedReine. The clarity of the playing andthe precision and transparency addedanother layer of magic to a recording

that is no stranger to sorcery. In thismusictheharpdipstolowernotesthanyou’dexpect,andtheresonanceoftheinstrument was at once delicate andsatisfying. We pulled out another SACD, theoverture to Rossini’s Barber of Seville(Pentatone5186106). “This isRossiniat his best,” said Reine approvingly.Theoverallorchestralsoundwasbright,butinanaturalfashion,withthebrassinstruments especially lovely. Thestringswereenergeticyetsilky,andtheirpizzicato passage had some extra snap.Theentireorchestrasoundedrefined. WeendedthelisteningsessionwiththeRayBrowntrio’sTake the ‘A’ Train.We sometimes use the LP version ofthis exceptional recording, though inthis case we selected the high-resolu-tionDVD(Hi-ResHRM2011).Thisisatwo-sideddisc,witha24-bit/96kHzDVDversionononeside,andaDVD-Audio24/192versionontheotherside.Since our Linn Unidisk is a universalplayerwe selected the latter,firingupour little 7-inch black-and-white TVsowecouldhackourwaythroughtheDVD-Amenus. WouldBrown’s prodigious pluckedbasshavetheponderousimpactitdoeswith our own amplifier? Not quite,though its tone was magnificent. TheRécital through into stark relief thecomplextimbreofthehugeinstrument,anditdidthesamewithGeneHarris’piano.Therewasanotherchangethatismoredifficulttoputintowords,thoughbothReineandAlbertreferredtoitasintimacy. We were there, in the nightclub,andwiththesortoftableyouhavetotipthemaitred’acoupleoftwentiestoget. We wondered whether the slightlightnessinthebottomendreallycouldbe due to the amplifier being perchedon the third shelf of a stand, even asupremelygoodone.WelistenedagaintotheRayBrownrecording,andthenputtheRécitalrightonthefloor(ittooktwoofustogetittherewithoutbreakinganything).Yes,wecouldnowhearmoreextension in Brown’s bass, and moreimpact,thoughineveryotherwaythemusicsoundedthesame.Bigamplifierslikethisonereallydoneedtobeclosertotheplanet.

Brand/model:AudiomatRécitalPrice:C$14,900/US$12,200Dimensions:43x19.5x51cmPublished power:85to90watts/channel,pureclassANumber of inputs:5Most liked:MusicalitythatinvitesfewcomparisonsLeast liked:Nearlyunusableremotecontrol(butseetext)Verdict: NowhowwillAudiomattopthis?

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Weendedourlisteningsessionsjustassummertimemadealargetubeampimpracticalintheabsenceofcentralairconditioning,butwetookthetimefortechnicalreadings.Wehookedupourlarge 8ohm dummy load resistors totheRécital,anddidsomemeasurements,afterwarmingitupfor30minutesatonethird of its 90-watt per channel ratedpower. Atafrequencyof1kHz,theRécitalhad little difficulty meeting its prom-ised power, with 91.8watts before itclipped. It should be noted that well-designed tube amplifiers don’t runout of steam suddenly. They begin todistort, but typically theywill clipoff

thetopofthesignalwave10or20wattsfurther up. The Récital maintainedlow distortion to just below clipping. That wasn’t quite the case at thefrequency extremes. At 20kHz, clip-ping came at just over 92.5watts, butsome distortion of the waveform wasvisiblebeyond77watts(thoughofcourseharmonicsof20kHzareinaudible).At20Hz, noticeable distortion began at70.2watts,withclippingat80.7watts.Of course at such low frequencies theamountofironintheoutputtransformerisalimitingfactor.TheresultswiththeRécitalindicatethatattentionhasbeenpaidtothetransformerquality. Low-levelperformance(atjustover

athousandthofawatt)wasflawless,butthenthecontrarywouldhaveastonishedus. Crosstalk between adjacent inputswassolowwehaddifficultymeasuringit.Evenat20kHz itwas a superlative-79dB,andthatwasactuallytheworstreadingwesaw! TheRécitalisnotaboutpoweranddistortion, however, but about music.Theverybestamplifiersandpreamplifi-ersseemtoexistbeyondearthlyconfinesandopenawindowontothewondersofa musical performance. That a singleboxlikethisonecandothishelpsputitspriceintoperspective.Wecansaythatitscompetitorsarefew.

Here, we are in a different league,people, perhaps even a club so selective itmayhave justonemember.Thesheer sizeofthisunitshowsitmeansbusinessforanytypeofmusic, inanytypeofsetting.Andafteryouhearhowittransformsyourmu-sic,youmightwonderhowsuchagiantcanuncover so much, with such utter beauty,andraisetheperformanceleveloftherestofthesystem. Soisitperfect? “Havenofearofperfection,”saidDali,“you’llnever reach it.”Thusacomponentmay be sublime, as the Audiomat Récitalassuredly is,yetImaywishforstillmore,especiallybecauseitissogood.More?You’dprobably say so too if you had listened toit.Moreweightindoublebassesandorgan,morewoodresonanceinstringinstruments(butreadthefulltext)—andyetIlovedthesmooth,silkytransparentsoundthattrans-portedmetotheactualperformance,afewfeetawayfromthemusicians. Idon’tknowhowitcanachievethatandstillmaintainthelevelofclarityandfree-flowingnaturalsoundIexperiencedduringthis session. Actually, all Audiomat prod-uctsIhavelistenedtohavealwaysgonewaybeyond my expectations. This one provesagaintheunendingsourceoftheAudiomatteam’ssuperbtalent.

—Albert Simon

Ifindalllargetubeamplifiersscary,fortheir size, for theirprice, andalso for theblazing heat they give off. What’s scarieris thatnot thatmanyof them reward you

adequatelyforgivingthemthesortofsur-roundings inwhichthey(andyou)willbecomfortable. The Récital does, and it’s all but per-fectatit.Ithasallthepowerandheadroomyouarelikelytoneedinanythingshortofachâteau.Itisalwayssmoothandreassuring.And it gets the soundofprettymuchanyinstrument exactly right. Compare withlivemusic,andyou’llhearforyourself. This last is more of a trick than itsounds.Ifweweretoplayourlittlepackofrecordingsthroughanumberofcompetingamplifiers,mostwouldmakeuswincemorethanonce.TheRécitalnevercameclosetodoingthat.Myguessisitneverwould. Butthatisreallyonlypartofthestory.TheAudiomatRécitalisatruemusiclover’samplifier,anditscarcelymatterswhatkindofmusicyoulike.Whenyoufinallytireofwhatthisamplifiergivesyou,youwillknowyouhavebecomewearyoflifeitself.

—Gerard Rejskind

You need confidence to go up againstthe high-performance components thatmakeupourOmegareferencesystem.ButthenIdidlaunchthechallengewhenwere-viewedtheAudiomatOpéra,anditlooksasthoughthechallengewaspickedup.Icanseethemnow.We’ll show her we haven’t yet reached the end of our efforts to attain our ideal of excellence. I came out of the extraordinary eventthatwasthissessionheadoverheelsinlovewiththeRécital.Howtimeflew!HowoftenIputasidemynotestobaskintheintoxi-cation of the moment! For when music is

distilledwithsuchart, itbecomesthefin-estvintageyouwillchoosenottoresist.Socomeon,Reine, stripoffyourarmor,andconfess…bythetimeyougottothefourthpiece, you put aside your pen to abandonyourselftothemagicofthemoment. Let’slooktogetheratthevirtueswhichmaketheRécitaluniqueamongaudiocom-ponents. Thereistheimage,whichspreadsgen-erouslyintoeverydimension,toletthroughan abundance of effects and ornamentalnotes.Therearetheexceptionaldynamics.There are the enchanting timbres. Therearevoicesofoftentroublingbeautywhichattainthesublime.Therearemixedchoirswithharmoniesandcounterpointsthatarewonderfully reproduced, with words thatremaincleareveninpianissimopassages. Thereisimpact,verve,energy,life! Youwillnodoubtprotestthatthesamevirtues can be found in amplifiers fromotherdesigners,andyouwillberight.YettheRécital adds that little intangible je ne sais quoi marking the frontier where mereexcellencebecomestranscendence.Irejoicenotonlyfortheaudiophileswhowillenjoythis amplifier but also for the artists whowillbesowellservedbyit,foritiscapableofreconstitutingtheirmusicalmasteryandtheiremotionswithsomuchardorandpre-cision,andwithoutcheating. Therecomemomentsinlifewhenonemust make costly decisions, and chooseamongdiversetemptations.Whynotselectone that can give you years of happiness?Afterall,wehaveonelifetolive,andthen that’s it!

—Reine Lessard

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It is not precisely a surprise thatthe Audiomat Récital amplifierreviewed in the preceding pageswouldturnouttobeahandful.Nor

thatitwouldpushourconceptofwhataboxfulofelectronicpartscando forthemusicalexperience.ButAudiomat’sdistributor(andNorthAmericanmanu-facturer),Mutine,toldusthatifwereallywantedtoheareverythingitcoulddo,weshouldlistentoitwiththecompany’sbest digital-to-analog converter, theMaestro.Mutinerecommendsusing itwithaCECbelt-driventransport,whichwejusthappentoown.AfterthesessionwiththeRécitalwasover,wepluggedintheCEC/Maestrocombo,withanActi-note cable linking them, and listenedagaintothreeofthetestrecordingsthatareactualRedBookCDs. We began with the Dvorak violinpiece.Onceagain,JamesEhnes’violinsoundedsilkyandrealistic,muchas itdoes in real life (wedid in facthaveachancetohearhimafewdaysafterthelisteningsession).ThetimbresofboththeviolinandEduardLaurel’saccompa-nyingpianoweresuperb,andthebalancebetweenthemwasexcellent. But which version was better? Allthreeofuswrote thatquestion inournotes.Albertwastheonlyonetoprovideananswer,thinkingthatourreferencemight have the edge. The other twopanelistsreservedjudgement.Thiswas,nonetheless,agoodbeginning. Wecontinuedwiththeharprecord-ing,whichreallydidsounddifferentwiththeCEC/Audiomat combination.Was

itbetter?Reinethoughtso,givingtheMaestroextrapointsforthesubtletyofbothinstrumentaltimbreandtheactualplaying.“McDonald’shandsseemtobeplaying more together,” she said. Shefound the sound richer than with ourreferenceplayer,withthepowerfullownotesmore“woody.”Shealsofoundthe

soundbrighter,notintheusualdigitalsense,butasthoughtheharpwereplay-ingaquartertonehigher. Gerard agreed, noting the greatcoherenceofthecomplexpassages,theonesthatsoundasthoughtwomusiciansareatwork,andhepraisedtheoverallfinesse of the sound. “It’s in the nearsilences that you can really judge thisconverter,” he said. Albert found theresultmagnificent,butwasn’tsurewhichversionhepreferred. We ended with our challengingchoraldisc,Now the Green Blade Riseth.Reine chose to put her pen down andlisten. Was the final crescendo in theopeningpieceslightlyharderthanwithourreference?Gerardthoughtitmightbe,ifonlyalittle.“Itnearlyalwaysdoesharden up at the end,” he said, “butthe Récital made it sound so smoothtill the end.” Albert praised the tonalbeautyof therendition,andespeciallyappreciated the clarity and transpar-ence,whichallowedgloriousseparationof the choral voices. He would haveliked more substance to the organ inthe final crescendo, though he foundnothingtocriticizeinotheraspectsofthecrescendo. Wedidourusualreadingsonthetestbench.Thetoptraceshownatleftisofa100Hzsquarewave.There isminorringingthatisquicklydamped.OntheotherhandthetiltedtopindicatesthatAudiomat has not gone for maximumtopendextension.Thelowertraceisofa1kHzsinewaverecorded60decibelsbelow full level. It is close to perfect.Jitterwaslow. Thereisalottolikeinthisadmirableconverter. Not many audiophiles willconsider it truly affordable, but in anoddwayitofferstremendousvalue.TherecommendedCECTL51XtransportisamereC$1590,orUS$1290,afractionof what most upscale transports cost.PutonetogetherwiththeMaestroplusa decent digital cable, and you have aplayerthatcanchallengethestateoftheart.Dothemath. IfyouwanttoheareverythingthatthewonderfulRécitalcando,youwon’twantasourcelesscapablethanthisone.Socanyougetoneforlessmoney? As the Magic 8-Ball used to say,“signspointtono.”

Audiomat Maestro

Brand/model:AudiomatMaestroPrice:C$8,590/US$6,990Dimensions:44.5x13.5x35.5cmMost liked:Coherence,delicacyoftimbresLeast liked:What…youwantustomakesomethingup?Allright,thebluelightsaren’tthesamehueasotherAudiomatlights.Happy?Verdict: Cansomethingofthispriceactuallybeabargain?

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Remember theoldgenerationExposures? Exposure andNaimhadacommonorigin,andthereforeasimilarconcept

ofhowanamplifiershouldsound.Onedifference,however,wasthatExposureproducts came in black project boxesthatlookedoddlyhome-made,and—inNorthAmericaatleast—theythencostmorethanthemarketwouldbear. But that’s the distant past. Pres-ent-day Exposure gear looks modernandattractive,withoccasionalguststoflashy. The products are still made intheUK,butthesuperhighpricesareathingofthepast. The2010Sisanaffordableintegratedamplifier, though it is not the bottomoftheExposureline.Thebasic2010israted at 50watts per channel, and the“S”version(theletterstandsfor“SuperPower”)at75watts.Itslayoutissimpleand functional, with two front-panelknobs for volume and input selection,plustheon-standbybutton.Thepanelitselfisaluminum,asistheentirecase,available either in black or, as in oursample,in“ExposureTitanium”(anoteto the folks at the agency: titanium isgrey in color). The “tape” position isintegrated with the other inputs. Thepanel’s clean lines are broken only bythelargewindowfortheremotecontrolsensor. Thejacksatthereararethequalityyou expect on products of this price.There are no binding posts, only setsof f lush jacks for bananas (which wepreferanyway).Theyaredoubleduptofacilitatebiwiringortheconnectionofasubwoofer.Wenotedwithapprovalthepresenceofapreamplifieroutput.Sincethe2010S series also includesapower

amplifier, youcaneasilyupgradeyoursystembysimplybiamplifying. Weinstalledthe2010SinourAlphasystem, where they drove our highlyefficient Living Voice Avatar OBX-Rspeakers. We connected our LinnUnidisk player and pulled out a set offourSACDsplusonefinalCD. The first was the new SACD ver-sion of our favorite choral recording,Now the Green Blade Riseth (PropriusPRSACD9093).Thisis,wecantellyouright off, the best-sounding recordingwehaveeverheardinthisformat…andit sure isn’t because the CD is tooshabby! Oh, you guessed it…this is one ofthe incomplete articles, available onlyin the print and electronic editions.WenowturnthingsovertoourLatinnon-scholar. Urefaccumniminutnulputpat.Utwissent ing exer sis autetum etummynumingetueralismodoloborperiuscitin vent prat. Ut ute commy nostincinciduntwisaliquitiemagnisitnulput-pat,sitvelitutaditadeldoluminhenimverilitloreetuetateminitvelutat,ventdolortio consectem vendreet, quisl ditpraesequat. Dipsum zzril iure estrudminutpratemodoloreconsequamquat,sit alit lobor susto odiamet incillametlamnullaoreminimzzritvelipsuscinitipetipeufeugiametwisdoloreveraessequat. Ut wiscil iusci blamcon sequisldoloreet loreet,volorat.La facipisautdel enit laortis amconsectet dolut aditlaoreetaliquipsustrudmingerametuecoreminutetuetisi. Odolorinimzzrildolorperciduntutemingerinimdoloreetinessi. Borsiexetdolorautatingessitullaautatineafeumdolorpercinhendipeum

quamnonsedetadionesefeugiamzzriteu feugait prat, commy nim in ullanhenimdolorperaestrudtetedolorsedolendipis nostin ex ea atet alit ute-tummy nullamconsed tat eratincipisnibh exerostrud tat nit wissecte moddolorillamdunteugiamet,versummy

nos nim nullaore modio dunt in ventpraestrud magna feum autat alit, quisnostruddelditnitvelitingetvelit,velexeripexerat,veliquatlametnisexercillacorperiliqui blam autpat. Duissis amdolum velenim veraessed magna faciblaautefeumsandremvelutpatvelingeumsan henibh esed euip euisl iriustisnonse consendre modip eliquam autlore etueros nonsecte mod tate versim iustrud dolore dolore do duismolorperoduiscipisitautvolesedduntnullutvulputatueeugiam,consecteminhenibhetvelilulputeconexeroconsectetalitadipit ipit, si tinger il et la faccum inhenim vent luptat. Modo exerostruddolesequam ing estrud deliquisit loretatisaliquat.Utloremnimdelinveliscilirilitatadeafaciblaorildolorersustodoersequatedoloremagnissiseumdoodtatioconvelutet,commoloborerilisautveliquam,siscildolenitullandioodmingelutalit,veniam,consenimdoloredelitiritnumatvolentalitnullutdoloreconum del delenisim dolestin ulluptatventacincieugaitveleuguefaccummodet utpatum ea feumsan dreriure com-modionseddit,si. Xerocommynullam,venimvelestrudeumiliquismodiamingestionseniam,sequat, se dolore do consequam, sitvelit velessis accummolumeldoluptat.Accumsan utet wisl dunt etum venteumsanveliquiscilitpratlandremagni-simadeliquisiblamnullacorevolorpercileuipisdoditilisaliquamdolessississequatetuer ipit in hendrer illa commododoloreconsefaccumeaacilisisisnummynimvolesectedoloreeumvoloretetutetaditluptataugueditnisdoloretemquisnimdoloripitwismoloboreveraessedetingeumsandremilulputaugaitutatueraesequatexerosamiliquisi. Accumduisnimexexet,consequat.Os nostrud molortionum iliquis duntniam, suscil eugait nulput lore volorincipis aliquatin henisim diam veldolesequameumzzriuscil illaat.Seeriuremnostocorerildoloboredipsustinulputat.

Exposure 2010S

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To ercilit ipsusci pissenit nullaoreminim diam auguerilla ad tatuerostoodoloborineufeuguetataugueraestinhenibh euisi tis niat ing exerat il esedtat.Emveraestrudmagnismodoloremerat.Duipisiscillamconummodoloreririliquatemquatemodminexelutveraddoloreconsequipeumquamipsumquamexestionsendrerosetlafaccummynostocoremvullandit,quisi. Oborpersustrudeacorinimduisi. Enibhexesedmingexeraesenibhelesectetlaoreveliritwisitatveldioduiscite duisl utat eugueros aut ent praes-sit wisit velessi er irit ercidunt aliquatnit, sim diamet accum init ut esequisldelutemauguemagnaconumnostionsequatumsandiametumvolorefeugiat.Adiam ea aliquip eliquisim dolortionsendiamconseeufeugueroeteldelutatiniatiritpraeseeleniametuedoconessed dolut nostio odip erostrud minulputlorat. Lorsi.Ipexerat,sequipit,sitaliquisnis nonsequamet nullumsan hendionsequis dunt alis nim zzriusci blaorecommododocortisdelutnisnullafeumestisitlutnostoodtetefeugiamiriuscitat,quipeafacipiscingeritvenit,venimvelenismodolutdolent lutemagna feu

feu feu feuisisim irillum velismodiooddolortietatvolortieteeuiseacom-modipitlafeugaitpratesecteminvullafaccumquat,veril ilitutdionsedexetdoconsequatwisdolorseditnosexexenim endre molobortin eugiam quateconsecte dolore tat, senibh er iurefaciduieuipsustodolorefeuguerciduntinullacoreet,quatingeugaitveldignafacincinisi. Ugue mincincinim atetum ipit nosduipsum sandigna feuisim alismodeniam,veleumilluptatalisamzzriuredui tat in ut ullandreet vullamcommynulputpat. Equismo doloreet, conul-

lutpatnullandreminhenimvullafacil-landio ea facinim et lobor sit nostionsequaminessequatisnisalitpraesedexersumnullaamnonulputautveritaditinimzzrilingestoeriustoodolorperat.Oloreeacommodmagnissi. Magnafacingeafeumsanditaugiam,quat. Pat adit, commy nostionsent deliustieeumiliquisieumingeufeuguetieminciliquat. Consectet, quis delit aut aliquissequamdeliquat,si. Ipsumzzrilisiteumsanelesecteeumnon ulla consent nibh euguero euguedolorem aut nos eu facip et augueros-tio odolobor irit lorerciduis deliquatloreraesse tat. Ut dolortionse tetuercipiscing ea facincidunt vel dunt eumnonsedmagnafacingexerodoluptat.Exet, veniscilla aliquat wisim quam nimiuscitisimnissi. Te te euguerit wisl ut iriliquametdunt et alit ametpraesseddoetummynon utpat praesed tat prat, conullumvelisduisdionutipsuscillafeufeugaitlafeumvelinveroconsedminheniatwisdigniscipsumdoloreet,conumquisautnitaliquatprat.Utlutipitipsumiustrudexestionveletiureetlanvelessequat.Sumsanvullaortinis.

Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eu fac-cummynumatvolorperosamcorevelutpa-tinveriuremodiperatedolorsitadiam,quisacilitnulputatiritutluptatluptatlaorercinciliustissequat.Ilissectemetnisalislinulputlutpateminisitaditaugiam,quat,vullutpatluptatumzzriuremaugiamdolendipitloreracilismodtatdoloremnumsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi. Ullandreripisi.Ommodolorevelullan-drediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi. Irillam consent nulla aut esent niametutpatatestruddelestrud.

—Reine Lessard

Untlaconullafacipitipitalisautautetilutdignisietumvullaaugaitipsuscipit,quat,

volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlut ing ent alis nis nonsectem iuscidui tisnimzzrilitnullutnostodiametumdoloreroconum ing eraestis aliquam, corem duiblaorefeugiam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynumnimeaauguemagnaaddipit,conumzzriliquislirilitacildolorsumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisimzzrillamvelisci llummodigna feu feui tat nim alisaugiatecoreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnosto consenit lor sim diam, quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredocommynimquis-cilisit autet wisi etummy nim iuscil dipitlobortie modiam iusciliquat voloborperitloreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisimvullutnullanvendremzzritvullaoreexeriuscilluptatpratvolumzzritlumquissitadipitaugaitvullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.

—Gerard Rejskind

Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eu fac-cummynumatvolorperosamcorevelutpa-tinveriuremodiperatedolorsitadiam,quisacilitnulputatiritutluptatluptatlaorercinciliustissequat.Ilissectemetnisalislinulputlutpateminisitaditaugiam,quat,vullutpatluptatumzzriuremaugiamdolendipitloreracilismodtatdoloremnumsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi. Ullandreripisi.Ommodolorevelullan-drediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi. Irillam consent nulla aut esent niametutpat at estrud delestrud magnissenibheugueelit,si. Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorp Ignisislingexentvolorsi.

—Albert Simon

CROSSTALK

Brand/model:Exposure2010SPrice:C$1495Dimensions:44x30x9cmRated power:75wattsperchannelNumber of inputs:5plustapeloopMost liked:Adiameaaliquipeliqui-simLeast liked:Equismodoloreet,conul-lutpatnullandreminhenimvullaVerdict: Utdolortionsetetuercipiscingeafacinciduntveldunteumnonsedmagna

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Ifyou’relikeus,youexpectGermanspeakerstobeunreasonablyexpen-sive.Heck,aGermancup of coffeeis unreasonably expensive by the

standards even of other Europeancountries.Thereisnoshortageofhigh-tech German speakers, but affordableones…that’sanothermatter. Not thateveryoneconsidersnearlyC$5000 to be affordable, but as we

shall see, these are good value. AndtheGenius400isonlyoneofawholefamilyofmodels,thoughitisthemostexpensive. The speaker is tall and slim, a lotdeeper than it is wide. The narrowprofileallowsabetterprojectionofthestereoimage,andthedepthgivesroomfora25cmside-mountedwoofer,portedattherear.ASWsaysthewoofersshould

faceinward(wedouble-checked,becausewehadourdoubts),whichmeansthat,ifyouinstallequipmentbetweenthem,itwillgetplentyrattled.Wewouldn’twanttopositionthemtooclosetoaturntable,orevenaTVset!WeshouldaddthattheGenius400mayactuallybeusedinsomehometheatresystems,sinceASWalsomakesacentrechannelspeaker. This is a three-way speaker. Thechromed panel at the front holds two12cm carbon fibre midrange speakersandatextiledometweeter.Anovalgrilleissupplied.Theusualadviceisnottousegrillesunlessyouhaveyoungchildren,because the performance hit is alwaysconsiderable.Accordingly,wesetthemup sans grilles in our Omega system.We quickly had second thoughts. Wethen recalled that, when we had usedtheASW’sattheMontrealshow,wehadleftthegrilleson.Why was that?Thisisnotasmalltweak.Withthegrilles,thetonality is wonderfully lifelike. Takethemoffandthespectralbalancegoeswayoff inwhatwe consider tobe thewrongdirection. Thebaseofthespeakerisboltedon,and there are nicely machined screw-in cones. They have no locking nuts,though,whichmeansthatifyouunscrewoneinordertolevelthespeaker,itwillbefreetowobble.Thefourgold-platedbinding posts (shown below), like thefront drivers, are mounted in a heavychromed plate. Those binding postsaren’t as good as they look, however,

ASW Genius 400

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and they won’t hold either spades orbarewirestight.Werecommendusingbananaswiththesebindingposts,orelsegettingbetterpostsinstalled(thesecondchoiceisthebetterone).Ourspeakerswerefinishedinaflawlesspianogloss,which adds a premium to the price ofthenaturalwoodfinishes. Oncewehadfiguredoutthethingabout thegrilles,wesetup thespeak-ers,initiallyinthesamepositionasourReference3aSupremaspeakers.Afterafirstlistenwepushedthembackslightly,butnottooclosetothewall,havingdueregardforthatlargeportintherear.Tomake theGenius400’s sound likeourspeakers,wedroppedthevolumebyjustover 1dB. That’s in line with ASW’ssensitivity rating for these speakerswhich,at93dB,is2dBhigherthanthatofours. WeusedfiveofourfavoriteLPsforthissession,and…wemayaswelltellyourightoffthatwehadagreattime.Andweinviteyoutoordereithertheprintedition or the inexpensive electronicedition,toseeforyourself. Etilitillafeufeugaitpraessemagnibh

eafaccummolorautullumsan-dreveldolortietatwisamveli-quatiodoloreroseuiblaorperoeu facin utatem del dolorperaesenimdelit laautatincinexesequat. Duisi te faccum docommy nim zzriuscip euipit,quislullafeugiam,sumzzritiri-uscipit,conumilutpat.Accuminhentam,veldelutvullafac-cumsandremoluptatuemagnaconsemagnimnimveradmodoet, commodigna alit do cor

sit inissenim dolor si bla aut luptatiodolorevelisaliquipislelullafeuguerilisiblaalitpraessectemduisnumipitnumzzriusto odignim acil doloreriusto delerit,susciblaorediat,ventpraessitatetadignaconsedditnonsequatveletnonutatio od tin et nulput dolestrud euiercil utpat. Ud tinit prate dolenibh exeuipisalisnumversitiritlafeuisnitalitdolutpat,suscildolortiooddolorseniam,vullafeugaitwislillumetauguersuscillaaugiamduisciduntiureconseminhentlam num adip et eugiat. Mod magnisiblan hendrer ilisci enim dionsectet,consenim do consequam, con ullaorperilitluptat,quatlutduisnosaddignislulla augiamcortin utpatin et la cortioodminverostievelisduntalislut loremagnacommynumdiam,siblafacinutlututaugiamduntluptatisdolesequamdoloremdolorefacilututatumexetditwis deliqua tinibh er sis alit velendredodoloripsumsanendipit,summoloremincipexeufeuiexeringerostiedionsetisisiteugaitalit,si. Ustruddeliquisam,velitluptat,quatam,seeugueripissequipexeripeugaitvenit,quiblaconullafeuisat.Utadtat.

Utlummodolorediamnonullacortinutullaorem iusci blaoreet, vullaor augueercingelitprat. Atemildolorsi.Pat.Utadersi. Udeuismoluptatemquisdelessectemesequam consent nisse faciliquat duntnimveratwisnostoodolumiriuredole-sequissisnibheumdionseetwisiesectefeugait vulputem velis nulla feugueroconum inim dipisci eros ad tat, con-sectemiureraessiet,voluptatemnitalisat.Duipitlacoreveradtetlutpat.Vul-lutemagna faccumzzritutat.Lumsanute minim et ilit wisl dolore consequisismodionhenismoditenimiritdoloredoloreetloremvenit,quipitatuemagnaatislulputvoloreetumalitauguerostrudeugait nullaoreet nulla feuis nostruddolorem exer suscil ut utat alit venibheugait at. Duismoluptat praessi blacommynisam,conullamet,quisdoditipexet,quatdolessitvelenisi. Ustisiblaoremoloretislipisitpraessevolortin henim augue min utate con-senim quipisim zzriusto consed eugaitnon volor iuscilis amconsequat. Utillandreminhentlaorsummynimiusciliriliritlortioexersitnullutpat. Emadipeleniminetiuremnulputetnimvenibhexetautecommynumvelingeufacipisexestocorefacilditveliquiessequis dolenim esequam consequaminitwisalisnullumdoloboremdolenimzzriustismodtionsedelullaacilisameratnit dolut illandiat. Ut auguera estinciliquat.Elerosaccumipitvenibhetumveraese feuguero consenibh enis ditnostoodolorefacipitinullanditvolorsetiedoluptat,quatetievolorsit,consen-dignafeugiamcommyniamvolorsisnoseuguetataugaitvullaorerciduntaditinvelessectetnullacorsi. Lutat.Utalit,quateconsequiscilislutpateduisdioodestissequatetueripissetiodolorperostrudduntdelestietioodeririurerosnisliriliquat. Molorperaessenimetprationveliquiestio conum enisis autpat, sim et entatummol umsandre elit loboreet, simvelitnonsedolorperitvelissimeummodmolentaliquat.Pisadiatemagnitpraestisdoloreet vulla core dunt autat accumzzriureetum zzriusto conse dignibherooderatumetumsanelitnonullamquat iniam, venit lutpat dolortis nisnismodiat dio dolobor sequipit veniat.Ectem nulland ionulla mcortie modit

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lutem el dipiscidunt aliquat uerostruddolutet, sequat lum quat. Wis accumvullamc ommodolorero consecte tiemodoleniatem iusciduisdolorpersequitedoloremilisi. Um veliqui te magna commodoodiatetuerseddiametlaorperaditnumexeuguemingexerciliquipissi. At ute min henim nos nulla feumdignisldipitesequamcorinexeriniset,consenim doloboreet lut utem ex elitnisi. Andreminutalissedtat,velessisentad tatum alisl utpat nullan volummodigniametincitefacileniametalitlaoretemvelutemipsummynullafacinciduntvoloboreetuercilisnisldoluptatwiseufeufaccuminheniatwissiscilluptatemdolutpat. Minvullumsandiam,conullutautat,simdelitiriteratatumnislulputpatuer-atuersuscipsustoeafeuguedipsummolorilutlutatdipsuscipisnimadmolumsanendremvolumdoluptat.Xersissiblan-dremametinullacommodtiemodoloripentwislendrerinciduisi. Accum init alisl dunt prat aut ipeuisadipitlutpatetiriureetvelenimautaliquametdelinvulluptat. Putefaccumquatvendionsenibhesto

od magna ad magnibh esenimvelitnostrudelesequipitdolessequatieet,si. Rat, quate consequat iustoexeroseriurerat.Duiersequisi.Nonvoloririt,quat,quamquameaconsequisitaddolesequisalitaliquisim nulpute mod molorefaccumsandre feugait nim incitemdelitessi. Iriustruddoetiustrudenimirilitnumnisleratalitnonsectemzzrit alit ad do consed estrud mingexercin cipsum zzrilit, cortisl dolor siblamzzritdoloremzzritwisldelit alis

ditexercipitvelessisimnulputat.Sismodolenit,consequipsumzzrilullaoredelutluptat, consecte commy num nismodminciduipsumzzrillanvelissedmagnit,venimdignibhendioeumzzriliquisdocommolore del exercing exerate eumquat volor ad modolore modo eugaitdolorefeumalisexerosalisnit,quisalitut wis aliscip eum in ex endio dipsustionsectecommynitpratuevelitpratuersequi er iusto dolore modolessenit nisametueroodercipitlaoremvelitaliquisnullan venim vercilit ad tationsentutatieminibheuguerc ilissitwismodiodel ullum et, vel delessed eugait non-sequissitnibheuieaalisitutnisdoloredolesevullafacilitipsumsanessenibhetiriustrudmolorero.

Bor sit accum am, quatio odolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nosto con-sequamnullacortietediamdoloremolumzzrilexerosnullutpatuecortisaugueriuremeraessectet, susto od modolut velismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatum eum vullut nonsequisl eu feufaccumnimnibhersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Del iriliquipeniatiselut landipit, sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocommolortinismodio dunt enim vel dolore tetueraugaitdeliquislutat.

—Albert Simon

Lutat, venis numsan velenit ex eu fac-cummynumatvolorperosamcorevelutpa-tinveriuremodiperatedolorsitadiam,quisacilitnulputatiritutluptatluptatlaorercinciliustissequat.Ilissectemetnisalislinulputlutpateminisitaditaugiam,quat,vullutpat

luptatumzzriuremaugiamdolendipitloreracilismodtatdoloremnumsanerostionversisdoloracillam,versetatwismoloreetumiuscincineafacinutatnosdiodolenteufacipeufacincilitlutaugueeaatemquat.Utvelutnullametuedoloretetueconummodoconsedtatetatlorerillanutpat.Accumditwisi. Ullandreripisi.Ommodolorevelullan-drediam,quipeafaccumiuretatlummodtieconsedtatlorperoodessi. Irillam consent nulla aut esent niametutpat at estrud delestrud magnissenibheugueelit,si.

—Gerard Rejskind

Untlaconullafacipitipitalisautautetilutdignisietumvullaaugaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlut ing ent alis nis nonsectem iuscidui tisnimzzrilitnullutnostodiametumdoloreroconum ing eraestis aliquam, corem duiblaorefeugiam,venditipsuscillaoringendrer

simzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynumnimeaauguemagnaaddipit,conumzzriliquislirilitacildolorsumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisimzzrillamvelisci llummodigna feu feui tat nim alisaugiatecoreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnosto consenit lor sim diam, quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredocommynimquis-cilisit autet wisi etummy nim iuscil dipitlobortie modiam iusciliquat voloborperitloreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisimvullutnullanvendremzzritvullaoreexeriuscilluptatpratvolumzzritlumquissitadipitaugaitvullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnullafeugue magnisisse conum do ea feugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortie.

—Reine Lessard

CROSSTALK

Brand/model:ASWGenius400Price:C$4900inmostfinishesDimensions:17x42x116.5cmSensitivity:93dBImpedance:4ohmsMost liked:XersissiblandremametinullacommodtiemodoloripentwislendrerinciduisiLeast liked:Sismodolenit,conse-quipsumzzrilullaorVerdict: Utillandreminhent

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WhatarethosetwolittleUFOs with the suspi-cious eyes? They aremagic boxes…able to

getyour sound fromhere towayoverthere. There’snothingunusualaboutthat,of course. Countless devices can takemusic from your computer or youriPodandbroadcastitovertoyouraudiosystem.Thedifferenceisthatallthoseotherdevices transmit signals thatarealreadydigital.TheBardOnedoesthesamethingwithanalogsignals. Sowhatisitfor? Sonneteer is a British companyknown for its digital amplifiers. TheBardOne modules have two projecteduses.Oneisasetupofamultiroommusicdistributionsystem.Thisisusuallydonewith cables in thewalls, but landlordshave been known to frown on heavydrilling through their real estate. Youcaninstallatransmittermoduleatyourmain system, feeding it from the tapeoutjacksofyouramporpreamp,andareceivermoduleineachroomwhereyouwantmusic.Youwillofcourseneedanamplifierandspeakersineachofthoseroomstoo.Theunitsoperateoneightdifferentchannels,selectedbyinternalswitches. That lets you operate morethanoneBardOnesystem…orvacatethechannelbeingusedbytheneighbors! Anotherapplicationishometheatre.Asurroundsystemrequireswiresrun-ningtothebackoftheroom,butwhatif you have doorways on each side oftheroom?Justconnectthetransmittermoduletotherearchanneloutputsonyourprocessor,andsetupthereceiverandastereoamplifieratthebackoftheroom. These little devices are not cheap,thoughunfortunatelytheylookit.The

plastic shells are light and not at allluxurious.Thepowersuppliesaresmallbricks.The jacks are the sortusedoneconomy products. And the two unitsaredistinguishableonlybythepresenceofacoloreddotliketheonesyougetinastationerystore.Notimpressive. That said, what other product doeswhatthisonedoes?Theunitscontainnot only a radio transmitter and areceiver, but also an ADC (analog-to-digital converter) and a DAC. Ifthe sound quality is good enough, wethought,theseunitsmightsolveaseriousproblem.Weconnectedthetransmitterto our Linn Unidisk reference player,andthereceivertoahigh-levelinputonourCoplandCTA-305preamplifier.WeshouldnodoubtaddthatthecablesweusedforthehookupcostwaymorethantheBardOneunits! We used two CDs, listening firstdirectly to our Omega system, andthenthroughtheBardOnes.Ofcoursethere would be a performance hit, astheremustbewitheventhebestdigitalconverters,buthowmuchofahit? We began with the Normal Dello JoioCDwehadusedwiththeReimyoplayersession.Wehadmixedreactions.Reinewasdisappointed,findingthatthecharacteristic timbres of the different

windinstrumentswerelargelylost.“It’sessentialtothismusic,”shesaid.Albertand Gerard, on the other hand, werepleasantly surprised by how much ofthemusicsurvived.“Everythingismoredistant,”concededAlbert,“andthere’salossofbothpresenceanddetail,butIwasexpectingalotworse.” Wewantedtoincludeafemalevoicein the test to see what would happento the often troublesome “S” sounds.We selected thewonderful jazz singerMargieGibson,singingSoft Lights and Sweet MusicfromherSay It With MusicCD.Thesongsurvivedamazinglywell,andthistimewewereunanimous.Yes,thesibilancewasrathertoonoticeable,butwehaveheardfarworsejustfromthewrongchoiceofcables.Thepianohard-enedupsomewhat,andthestereoimage,which is normally pinpoint-precise,was rather diffused and indistinct.Still,Gibson’svoiceremainedclearanddetailed. Duringthissession,thetwomoduleswerenotmore thana fewcentimetersapart, and we wondered what sort ofrangetheycouldoffer.Likesomecord-lessphones,theyusethe2.5GHzband,and could be expected to get similarcoverage.Theydid.WeconnectedthetransmittertoaCDplayerinourAlpharoom, and the receiver to the preampofourOmegasystem.Thetwoare inthesamebuilding,buttwofloorsapart.Performance was flawless. We shouldadd that, unlike analog transmissionsystems, this digital link is inherentlynoise-free.Youeitherhaveaconnectionoryoudon’t.Wedid. Sowhatdidwethink?ComparetheBardOnesystemtoevenacheapcable,and itdoesn’t shine,but that’snot thepoint.It’sforusewhereyoucan’tuseacable.Seenthatway,thesystemworksprettywell.Inamulti-roomsystem,theremoteampsandspeakersaremostlynotofagradethatrequiresmorethantheBardOnescandeliver.Andinallbutthemost expensive home theatre systems,they are plenty adequate for the rearchannels. We kept thinking there must be acompetingproductthatismoreafford-able,butifthereiswehaven’tfoundit.Sonneteer has identified a niche andfilledit.Andprettywelltoo.

Sonneteer BardOne

Brand/model:SoneteerBardOnePrice:C$499permoduleDimensions:12cmdiameter,2.5cmthickMost liked:GetsthesoundwhereitneedstogowithminimumdamageLeast liked:One-trickponywithaheavypricetagVerdict:Butifyouneedit,youneedit

Summing it up…

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For many consumers, “datacompression” began withthe“zip”protocolforsend-ing f iles through modem

connections,(orthe“sit”formatmorecommonlyusedbyMacowners).Andmorerecently,we’veallbecomeawareof MP3 (a contraction of “MPEGLayer 3”), the ubiquitous compressionmethodformusicfiles. Video isalsocompressed,however.WhenyouwatchaDVD,youarenotseeingexactlytheoriginaldatafromthedigitizedfilm.Ofcourseyouknowthatthe DVD medium has limited resolu-tion,thatofyourTVset.Theverticalresolutionis480lines.Butitmaynotbeasobviousthatwithin that resolutionmorecompression has been done. And it isonlythebeginning.Agreatdealofworkhasbeendonewith“codecs”(compres-sors-decompressors), in order to pushmoreandmoredatathroughanarrowpipeline.Theresearch ispromptedbytwodevelopments.Oneistheemergenceofhighdefinitionvideo for thehome.TheotheristhegrowingpopularityofvideocomingthroughtheverynarrowpipelineoftheInternet. Therearetwotypesofcompression,losslessandlossy. Theearlyzipandsitprotocolswerelossless,which is to say that all of thedatawaspreservedandcouldberecon-stituted. This was necessary becausecomputerprogramsdon’ttoleratelossofdata.Therearelosslesscodecsforaudioandvideotoo,buttheonesinmostusearelossy:some,andindeedmostofthedataisdiscarded.Whattodiscardistheheartofthecodecdesign.Itisagiventhatthehumaneyeorearwillnotseeorhearallofasignal.Ifjustthatpartofthesignalisdiscarded,therewillbenoperceptibledamage. That’s the theory. Need we addthat real-life codecs don’t meet thatstandard?

Compressing an image Imagineavideoimageofanoutdoorscene,withavastexpanseofbluesky.

Asthevideocamerascanstheblue,itassignsavaluetoeachpixeloftheimage.Even ifa lotofpixelshaveexactly thesamecolorvalue,thecolorinformationgetsrepeated.Clearlythatisredundant,andtheinformationcouldbestoredinmorecompactform. It’seasytoseehowthiscouldwork.Ifyouhave300pixelsinarowthatareblue,ittakeslessdatatosay“300-Blue”thantosay“Blue,Blue,Blue,Blue…”It

seemsevidentthatthisprocesscanbelossless,sincetheoriginalbluepixelscanbereconstitutedexactly. Buthowexactis“exactly”? The boundary between loss-less and lossy compression may

not be intuitively obvious. The300 pixels may all be blue, but that

doesn’tmeantheyhavepreciselythesamecolorandluminancevalue.Gettingtoodiscriminating about smalldifferencescangreatlyincreasetheamountofdatanecessary for perfect decompression.Let’ssaythat,aroundthemiddleofthepixelstring,thereisonepixelthatisaslightlydifferentblueoraslightlydif-ferentbrightness. Nowinsteadof“300-Blue,”wehaveperhaps “145-Blue, 1-OtherBlue, 154-Blue.” This takes more space in thepipeline,oronthestoragemedium,andifthecapacityisatapremium,youmaywant to avoid unnecessary shifts likethis. Butwhatdoesunnecessarymean? It’sobviousthattheveryvideopro-cess imposes its own compression onanimage,becauseeventhebestprofes-sionalvideocameracannotdiscriminatebetweencolorandluminancevaluesthatarebelowitsownresolutionlimits.Butperhapswewilljudgethatthehumaneyeitselfhasitsownresolutionlimits,andofcoursesodointermediateelements,suchasaTVset.Whyusebandwidthrecordingandtransmittingdetailsthatwillbelost? And so a compression system willincludeathreshold,belowwhichachangein color and/or luminositywillnotbetaken intoconsideration. If thediffer-ence between “Blue” and “OtherBlue”pixelsisbelowthechosenthreshold,wewillsimplygowiththe“300-Blue”data,andthesmalldifferencewilldisappear. Howdoweknowwhatthresholdtoselect?Thehigherthethresholdbeforewe consider two adjacent pixels to be

The Compression BluesCinema

Digital compression on video? You see it every time you pop a DVD into your player. But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet…

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different,thelessroomthedatawilltakeup.Ifthethresholdisnohigherthantheinherentresolutionlimitsofthecaptureandtransmissionsystem,thecompres-sioncanbeconsideredtobelossless.Ifthethresholdissethigherthanthelimitsofthesystem,thecompressionislossy.

Video artifacts Inthepictureusedonthepreviouspage, the sky is remarkably uniform.Thisisnotalwaysso.Let’spickanotherscenewithanalmostuniformsky.

Do you see what’s up in the sky,barelynoticeableatfirstglance?Takeacloserlook.

Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzrit

vullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnullafeuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureet

adminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi.

The MPEG systems Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisis

amconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzritvullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnullafeuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi. Eriliquisitpraestiodoloboriustisi.

The DTS system Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat.

This is the range the human eye can see

This is what atypical monitorcan show

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Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzritvullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnullafeuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Ilissi.Putpat,velessimzzriureriureetadminiam,veldolortieteduntdoloreet,quam quat aliquisse feum zzrilis numnostocorsiexeratwisisiblamconsectemzzrit adioduntdolenimdigniat ingeacommodiat pratumm odolobo rpercinentlafeummynostoetercilisi. Eriliquisitpraestiodoloboriustisi.

MPEG-4 Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat.Et wisi blandipit utpatet, vel ullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisit

lutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi.

Windows Media and the future Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Unt la conulla facipit ipit alis autautet il ut dignisi etum vulla augaitipsuscipit,quat,volumacipisitutlandrevelenisaugaitluptatlutingentalisnisnonsectemiusciduitisnimzzrilitnullutnosto diametum dolorero conum ingeraestisaliquam,coremduiblaorefeu-giam,venditipsuscillaoringendrersimzzriustisleliquatillumsanditautlummynum nim ea augue magna ad dipit,conum zzriliquisl irilit acil dolor sumdoloredignafeufeugiam,sumeugiamet,quisim zzrillam velisci llummodignafeu feui tat nim alis augiate coreduntvelismodeaam,sequipisnostoconsenitlorsimdiam,quametumzzriliquiblamdoloredo commynimquiscilisit autetwisi etummy nim iuscil dipit lobortiemodiam iusciliquat voloborperit loreconsequissequat,corperaestrudtetietinisim vullut nullan vendrem zzrit

vullaore exerius cilluptat prat volumzzrit lum quissit adipit augait vullafacipsummynostrudtemalitullutverosautemnosnullaoripeummoddelesectemetadduntluptat.Agnibheroerodipislipetumsanhenimvenimduntwisnullafeuguemagnisisseconumdoeafeugiam,quatietisduismolorperostoessi. Ignisislingexentvolorsi. Etwisiblandipitutpatet,velullaorperciduntnosametamconsendiamvelisitlutat, corperos aci bla augait veliquisnostioeratismodtemvenitatveliusti-niscingetipisi. Borsitaccumam,quatioodolorperiliquat ate consendipit, venim nostoconsequamnullacortietediamdoloremolum zzril exeros nullutpatue cortisaugueriuremeraessectet,sustoodmodo-lutvelismodmoloboreenibhexeugueritloretemniscilismodiatumeumvullutnonsequisl eu feu faccumnimnibh ersustrudminutlorsumnimipitnostiefeufeumnulputullaatulputullaconulputnibheniat. Deliriliquipeniatiselutlandipit,sisisamconutiritluptatisiteverostiocom-molortinismodioduntenimveldoloretetueraugaitdeliquislutat. Untlaconulla.

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Compact, portable, of modest appearance or richly orna-mented, it needed only a few chords to cross all borders and

spread, in a dreamlike promenade, a succes-sion of atmospheres from everywhere, each with its own accent. In a single evening it could transport you, as the musician wishes, to such varied places as the Orient, Europe, to the Islands, and across the Americas. Despite all, alas, it was snubbed by the more musically-oriented musicians and it received the cold shoulder from unconditional fans of Great Music. Yet, thanks to the musicians who have chosen it as their favorite means of expression, it has several times transmogri-fied. It is now an instrument for all musical styles. Since the mid 20th Century, it even exists in a concert version, able to play with-out embarrassment in the most select halls. Its harmonies emerge from CD players and turntables, and there is a rich treasury of works written specially for it by remarkable contemporary composers.

Its morphology These few pages cannot do theaccordionjustice,andforagoodreason.Unliketheviolin,whichremainsalmostunchanged since the days of Amati,

GuarneriandStradivari,theaccordionhasbeentransformednumeroustimes.IthasadoptedmanyfacesinitstravelsthroughGermany,Austria,France,Italy,Switzerlandandelsewhere.Somuchhasbeen written about the accordion thatnonecantrulyclaimitsinvention.Theaccordion,inshort,isthechildofall. This member of the great familyof wind instruments is held by strapsagainstthelowerchestofthemusician,whouseshisarmstosupportit,withthepossibleaidofhischinandlap.InthewordsofthegreataccordionistFancelli,he observes it with his eye and his ear, and he hears it with his heart. The button accordion can be dia-tonic(onebuttonproducingtwonotesdepending on whether the bellows ispushedordrawn,oritcanbechromatic(each button produces one note). Anaccordion with a piano keyboard isalwayschromatic.

Thesoundsourceof theaccordionisthefree reed,ametalstripanchoredatonlyoneendandthusfreetooscillateon both sides. A free reed vibrates toproducesoundwhenairfromthebellowsflowspastit.

Thebellowsistrulythelungoftheaccordion. The dynamics depend onit, as do the musical phrasing and theperformance itself.Theaccordioncanbecomparedtothehumanvoice,whichalsodependsonthreeelements:aflowofair(aspiration),anairreservoir(thelungs),andasourceofsound(thevocalcords). It’s easy enough to peek inside anaccordion.Toopenoneupforus,Clau-dioCavallo(showninthepictureonthenext page) needed only to remove thecleatsholdingthebellowstothewoodframe.

Inside the accordion the reeds aremounted on metal plates, which arethemselves mounted on reedblocks,whichareusuallyofwood,thoughtheymaybemetal,as intheRussianBayanaccordion.Onthereedblocksareaseriesof plates, each holding two identicalreeds,heldinplacebyeithernailsorwax.The French prefer nails, which makethesystemstifferandfavortheintensehigh-frequencyharmonicsofthemusettesound. Unusedreedsarekeptfromvibratingbyplasticorleatherstrips.Undereachreedisaslot.Thereed-plate-cellsystemiscalledavoice.

The Accordion

It has many names. Squeezebox. Musette. Irresistible.

by Reine Lessard

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Thereedsineachblockaretunedtoanindividualnote,withtheslotfashionedsoastoreso-nateattheappropriatefrequency.Thereedblocksthemselveshavelittleeffectonthesound.Ifwoodisoftenfavored,itisbecauseitiseasytowork. The sound board has thereedblocks on its side facingthe inside of the bellows, withthe valves and register stopson the outside. The chromaticaccordionisequippedwiththreerows of valves, and its case isthereforedeeper thanthatofapianoaccordion,whichhasonlytworows.In1929inStradella,MarianoDallapé invented the cassotto,a tone chamber inside the bel-lows. It gives extra amplitudeto lower middle tones, thusmakingtheinstrument’ssoundwarmerandmellower.Itseffecthas been compared to that ofthemuteonatrumpet,thoughinfacttheeffectofthemuteissomewhat different, reducingthe resonance chamber of thetrumpet, thus favoring higherfrequencies.Thecassottoismuchusedin jazz, though not in musette, whichrequiresabrightersound. Butletusgobacktothebeginning.

Minor causes, major effects Some 30 centuries ago someonein China was developing a sort ofmouth organ called a sheng, and cameup with the idea of the free reed. (AcopyoftheShengcanbefoundintheaccordionmuseum of Castelfidardo inItaly.)InEuropeintheearly1800’s,asthe Romantic revolution is gatheringmomentum, there is a search for newmusical instruments.The inventorsofthedayareverymuchinterestedinthefreereed.ResearchonitsuseiscarriedoninSt.PetersburgbyaphysicistnamedKratzenstein,theinventorofanautoma-ton that can simulate human vowelsounds.Itissaidthatheshowedashengto an organ maker named Kirschnik,whofoundawaytoincorporatethefreereedinhisinstruments. I’vealwaysthoughtthatcertainideas

seemtobe“intheair,”sothataninven-tionwillbeclaimedbyalmostsimultane-ousdiscoverers.Thatwasthecasefortheorgan,theharmonicaandtheaccordion.Thereiscertainlyasimilaritybetweentheshengandtheharmonica,thelatterinstrumentplayingamajorroleinthedevelopmentoftheaccordion. The tiny mouth organ is inventedin1821byaGermanadolescentnamedChristian Friedrich Buschmann, whonames it theaura. Itcontainssome15reeds and slots into which a musiciancanblowtomake thereedsvibrate. Itlookslikeatoyatfirstglance.Thesameyear,twoGermanclockmakersworktoimprove it, and subsequently a Bohe-mianviolinmaker,PaddyRichter,addsaspired notes, allowing the instrument

to sound two different notesper slot, tuning itdiatonicallytowhatwillbecomeknownasRichter tuning. The extraordi-nary sounds the instrumentscanproducemakeitaphenom-enalsuccess,anditspopularityspreadsfarandwide.Itbecomesthe link between the olderfamilyofreedinstrumentsandtheaccordion.There are, however, twosides to a coin. You can’t playtheharmonicaandsingat thesame time. Simultaneously,then, several inventors searchforwaysofmakingaportableinstrumentthatallowsasingertoaccompanyhimself.Thenewinstrument must be melodic,polyphonic and expressive,capable of adding panache toany festivities. In1829,onlyamonthapart,twoinventorsfileforapatent.The f irst is f iled by anAustrianofArmeniandescent,CyrilleDemian,whoalongwithhis two sons is an organ andpianomaker.HisAkkordionisasmallboxinsidewhichthereis

aseriesofmetalreedsandabellows.Itsfivekeyscanproducetwochordseach,whencethename,dependingonwhetherthebellows ispushed inordrawnout(this diatonic, “two tone” system issometimes called bisonic). The newinstrumentislightandmobile,andeasytoplay.InanagebeforeradioandTV,whensingingandrecitingarecommonpastimes,thenewinstrumentisaboonto music lovers. It will quickly evolveinto the familiardiatonicaccordionoftoday.ManufacturedinAustria,FranceandItalyfrom1860onwarditwillspreadacrosstheworld. A little more than a month afterDemian’spatentfiling,anEnglishphysi-cist,CharlesWheatstone,fileshisownpatentrequestforhissymphonium,abel-lows-driveninstrumentwhichbecomestheconcertina(nottobeconfusedwiththeGermanKonzertinaof1856,ances-tor of the Bandonion of tango fame.)Wheatstone’sconcertinahasahexagonalshape and has two independent key-boards but no predetermined chords.

Illustrations:Above: Claudio Cavallo of the Montrealstore Accordéon Excellence hefts a Beltunaaccordion.Facing page:MarioBruneauplaysamusettetuneinhishomenearDunham,QC

Is music still important?

AtUHF,ofcourse,wethinkthat’stheonlyreasontospendadimeonthis

fancystuff.Whichiswhyissuesofthemagazineincludeamajorarticleon

music.Likethisone.

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Each note sounds the samewhether the bellows is drawnorcompressed.Thisprecursoroftheconcertaccordiondrawsagreatdealofinterest,includingthatofnolessaluminarythanHectorBerlioz. AtfirstitisDemian’sAkkor-dion thatbecomes popular, inanagewhen— inmusicas inliteratureandart—emotionaleffect is deemed more impor-tantthanperformancedetails.Brought to France by immi-grants,Demian’sinstrumentisquicklyadoptedbytheFrench,some of whom dismantle itto see how it works. Seekingthe advice of musicians, theyrework its innards. Two yearsafteritsinitialinvention,thereis a French accordion methodnamed after Pichenot, whoequips his instrument with avalve switch to evacuate airfromthebellows.InParisandall around France, accordionclasses are organized, and themostdaringmusiciansplayevenMozartandRossini,arrangingtheirmusictosuitthepossibili-tiesofthelittleinstrument. Painters and craftsmen viewitheachothertoaddvisualembellish-mentstothisromanticinstrument,usinginlaidwoodandivory,keysofsculptedmother of pearl, and colorful bellows,alldecoratedwithpearlsandspangles.Theinstrumentbecomesaworkofartinitsownright.Initsformalwear,itiswelcomedintothesalonsofthenobilityand the haute bourgeoisie, especiallyonceKingLouis-Philippeacquiresoneforhimself.InParissocietyitisà la modetoownone. In1832inParis,professorandaccor-dion maker A.Reisner opens a work-shop dedicated to the development ofDemian’sinvention.Headdsamelodickeyboard, inwhicheachkeyproducesjustonesound.Hisromanticaccordioncanbeheardinthesalonsofthehighestsociety.Theveryfirstaccordionconcerttakes place on April 10, 1836 at ParisCity Hall. Reisner’s daughter Louiseintroducestheaccordiontotheworldof“serious”music,playingherownThème

varié très brillant. Without truly leaving theworldofParisiansalons,theaccordionspreadstothe countryside, becoming immenselypopularatcountrydances,bistros,wed-dings and even Church holidays. It iseverywhere.Itisaffordableandeasytolearn,withonehandplayingthemelodyand the other supplying completechords.Itwillbecomeanimportantfolkinstrumentaroundtheworld. Ironically it is its very ease of playthatwilllongkeepitoutofmusicschoolsand conservatories. It will ultimatelytriumphoverthereticenceof“serious”musicians,thankstocontinueddevelop-mentbybothmusiciansandaccordionmakers.FrenchaccordionmakerLéonDoucetpatentshisaccordéon harmonieux,ancestor of the chromatic accordion.Equippedwithtwobellows,itcansoundthesamenotewhetherthebellowsaredrawnorcompressed.Frenchaccordionmakingisunderway.

Otherinnovationsaretocome.In 1850, F.Walter places twoidentical reeds in the same voice,anideapickedup47yearslaterbySoprani. In 1852 Matthäus Bauerbuilds the first accordion with apianokeyboardforthemelody.Ontheleftside,buttonsarestillusedtoplaychords. In1898,inRoubaix,France,theFanfare des accordéonistes roubaisiensis created. Incorporated by thelocal prefect two years later, it isthe envy of other towns, whichhastentoformsimilarbands.Theenthusiasmofordinarypeopleforthe accordion is formidable. Yeteven if Tchaikovsky incorporatesanaccordioninhisSuite No. 2 in C Major,themusicacademiesremaincool.

The neverending story The taleof the accordion is anovel with countless marvelouschapters. Onceuponatime,inItaly,inalush valley through which flowedthe Musone river, there was afarmhouse. In that farmhouselived Antonio and Lucia Sopraniand their three children, Paolo,PasqualeandNicola.Onadayof

1863 that had begun like any other, apilgrim carrying a small nondescriptboxknockedatthedoorandaskedforshelter. The farm family, as affable asit was generous, hastened to welcomethe stranger. Once he had dined, theAustrianvisitorsatbythefireanddrewintriguingsounds fromhismysteriousbox. Now it so happened that Paolo,then19,hadlittleenthusiasmforfarm-ing but was fascinated by the musicproducedbythestrangeengine(whichwouldturnouttobeacopyofDemian’saccordion). Paolohadbutoneidea:learningtouseitandmakingoneforhimself.Didhebuytheinstrument,ordidthetravelerofferittothefamilyinthanksfortheirhospitality? However it happened, heopeneditup,studieditsworkings,andmodified them in often revolutionaryfashion. Thus was born the Italianaccordion. Paolo quickly became an excellent

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accordionist,andwiththehelpofhisbrothersandsomehiredhelp,in1864heopenedhisownfactory.Hiscuriosity,hisimaginationandwhattodaywewouldcallhisspiritof entrepreneurship allowed himto spread his commerce to theneighboring town of Loreto, acosmopolitan crossroads throughwhichpassedasteadystreamofpil-grims,travelingsalesmen,gypsies,tradesmenandbeggars. This tale, which might havebeen hatched by Andersen orHoffmann,setsuptheingredientsofasuccessstory.In1872Paoloopensa second factory in Castelfidardo, forordersarepouringinfromFranceandasfarawayastheAmericas,wheretheaccordion has been popularized byhomesickItalianimmigrants. By1890accordionfeverhasspreadacross Italy, and there is an explosionof prestigious factories destined toleave theirmarkonmusichistory,butit is inLoreto that isplanted the seedofaworldwidemovement.Continuinghisstringof innovations,PaoloadoptsF.Walter’snotionofplacingtwoidenti-calreedsinavoice,andin1897hepat-entsarevolutionarynewstateoftheartinstrument,thechromaticaccordion. Today,PaoloSoprani’sheirscontinuetheir research to make accordions ofunequalledquality,andtheircompanyissurelytheworld’sbest-knownaccor-dion maker. Most of its instruments,however, are destined for the exportmarket.Hundredsofthousandsoftheiraccordionsaresoldeachyearthroughouttheworld. NowbacktoFrance. In Brive, on a Sunday in1885, a young carpenter fromLimousin goes fishing with afriend, who brings along hisaccordion. Won over by thesound of the instrument thecarpenter, François Dedenis,saveshismoney tobuya low-costaccordionofhisown.Hisnew acquisition doesn’t stayin tune for long, promptinghimtoopenitupandrepairit.Flushedwiththisfirstsuccess,helauncheshisownaccordionfactory,whoseinstrumentswill

bebecelebratedthroughoutFranceandacrossEurope. As his commerce grows, Françoishiresapprenticesandorganizeseventstogethisinstrumentsknown.In1906,onachurchholiday,La maison Dedenissponsorsacontestforaccordions,viellesandcabrettes,withaDedenisaccordionasthefirstprize.ItiswonbypianotunerJean Maugein. Recognizing his talentand intelligence, Dedenis hires him.Maugein learns accordion repair andthenmanufacturing.Soexcellentishethata jealousDedenisfireshim…onlytofindinhimacompetitor.Wearein1919.Thiseventisonemoreproofthatasetbackcancarrytheseedsoffuturesuccess. BacktoItaly,thenFranceagain. In1904 in theplainsofPiedmont,

Domenico Cavagnolo determinestousehisexperienceworking forseveral local accordion makers tolaunchhisownplant.Heisbut20,and it is amusing to imagine hisfirst“factory.”Itconsistsofalargewoodentrayplacedupontheonlytableofthehousehold,uponwhicharelaidoutthetoolsofhistrade,andwhereheandhiswifeAngèlefashion the first instruments ofthefuturebrand.Atmealtimesthe“factory”istuckedunderneaththeconjugalbed. Despite these austere begin-

nings, it is here that is born the cele-bratedCavagnologrille,withitsintricatearabesques and its logo showing twodragonsandtwobirds.TheCavagnoloaccordionsareofgreatquality,andtheyaremarkedbycertaininnovations,suchas the ball-bearing valve that can bequickly disassembled, considered thebestdeviceforavoidingairlossthroughthekeyboard. The factory will not remain inPiedmont,however.In1923Domenicotravels to France to see what is donethere,andheissostunnedbywhathefindsthatheconcludesthatthefutureoftheaccordionisFrench.Hisdestinyissealed.Packinguphisfamilyandhisbag-gage,hesetsuphouseatVilleurbanne,whichwillbecomeaplaceofpilgrimageforaccordionistseverywhere. In1937Domenicodiesattheageof53.WorldWarIIslowsthecompany’sgrowth,butafterthewarhissonstakethehelm.Ermanohandlescommercialdevelopment while Pietro works to

developtheaccordionweknowtoday.The year 1965 is notableforthedeathofPietro,butalsoforthecreationoftheMajor-vox, the very first electronicaccordion.It is no coincidence thatthe arrival of the Italians—Piermaria, Crosio, Cavag-nolo— allow Paris to regainthepre-eminenceintheaccor-dion world that it had before1900.ItisalsothankstotheseItalians that Parisians createthebasisofwhatwillbecometheaccordéon musetteæsthetic.

Illustrations:Above: AcajunaccordionBelow: An Excelsior accordion in festivedress

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Rapid expansionAccordion factories spring up inGermany, Russia, throughout EasternEurope, Brazil, China, Korea andelsewhere. In the United States too,the accordion gains rapid popularity,brought to the New World by a waveof immigrants from Italy. Americansare especially attracted to the pianoaccordion, which arrives in 1909, andaccordionsalessooneclipsethoseofthepiano.Theretoo,artisanslearntomakethe instruments. The Excelsior Com-pany,foundedin1924byBarbattiandPancoti, is enormously successful, andin1950opensafactoryinCastelfidardobackinItaly. It is however to the Cajuns thatAmericansowemuchofthepopularityoftheaccordion.DeportedfromAcadia,inpresent-dayNovaScotia,byforceofarmstosuchplacesasLouisiana,theyhave little choice but to cultivate thetalents they brought with them, andtheybecomeexpertinanumberofareas.Theirloveofmusicleadsthemtoperfectthemakingofmusicalinstruments,andtheir violins and accordions will gainworldwidefame. InCanada,acongregationofUrsu-linenunsinQuebecCityreceivesnewsof Demian’s Akkordion and are impa-tienttoobtainone.TheUrsulinesareateachingorderwhichgivesamajorplacetomusicandtheartsintheeducationofyounggirls.Inthecongregation’sbooksforNovember1843,just14yearsafterthefirstAkkordion,wefindanamountfor the purchase of one of the instru-ments.Ordersforsevenoreightmoreinstrumentswillfollow. IttakeslittletimeforCanadianstoadopt the new instrument, and to setup theirownaccordion factories.Thefirst one was probably that of RochLyonnaisfrom1865to1880.Howeverit is forthequalityof itsaccordioniststhatCanadawillbenoted.Thebuttonaccordionwillsharethestagewiththeviolinandtheharmonicafortheplayingof reels, gigues andother folkdances.Canadians are excellent accompanists,but they also excel as soloists in theclassical repertoire. The 20th Centurysees several commercial recordings byCanadianaccordionists.ThegreatestoftheseisnodoubtAlfredMontmarquette

(1870-1944),andwestillspeaktodayofthe“Montmarquettesound.” In the mid-sixties the chromaticbass accordion becomes recognized inCanada.ThemostcelebratedvirtuosoofthisinstrumentiswithoutadoubtJosephMacerollo,whopremiereshisConcerto for Accordion and StringsatExpo67.Hesetsup theveryfirstaccordionclasseswithin a first rank Canadian musicinstitution. To him we owe the studyprogram in chromatic bass accordionatQueen’sUniversity(1970)andattheUniversityofToronto(1972). A century before, in 1870, a mannamed Beloborodoff designs the firstRussianchromaticaccordion.Hefoundsan accordion ensemble and publishesa self-teaching manual titled Bayann.His instrument will be adopted by allaccordionists. Attheturnofthecenturythedia-tonicaccordionyieldstothechromaticaccordion.Thoughmostaccordionsarenow Italian, several major accordionmakerschooseParis,andthatiswhereoccurs, from 1900 to 1924, the crazefor accordéon musette. Suddenly everyaccordionistwantstocometoParis,andtheinstrumentreachesitspeakofpopu-larity. From about 1904, the Hohnercompany of Trossigen in Germanybeginsbuildingdiatonicaccordions.

In1908,themastercraftsmanSter-logov and the celebrated accordionistOrlansky-TitarenkocreatetheRussianconcertaccordion,achromatic instru-menttheycall thebayan.ThenameisthatofaRussianpoetofthe16thCen-tury,thoughitmightactuallybethatofa Russian singer-storyteller of similarname.

The first concert accordion Theaccordionreachesitsapogeeatthestartofthe1950’s.ThefirstyearofthedecadeItalyexportsnearly200thou-sandinstruments,andthenumberwillgrowtonearlyamillionayearbeforethedecadeisup. Yettheaccordionremainsbannedasaseriousinstrumentintheconservato-ries,fortheastonishingreasonthatitistooeasytoplay,becauseitcanproducea four-note chordbypressing a singlebutton.This judgementwillnot standforever. Even earlier in the century, therehadbeenmodificationstotheleft-handkeyboardwiththeverygoalofmakingthe accordion a “serious” instrument.Around 1950, the Parisian musician,musichistorianandprofessorofaccor-dionPierreMonichoncreatesthehar-monéum.(heisshownabovewithMarioBruneau,left,whoholdsan1830Demian

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accordion, and his wife, singer MarieCardinal, right). Monichon replacesthechordbuttonsforthelefthandwitha melodic keyboard just like the onefor therighthand. Itquicklybecomesknownsimplyastheconcert accordion. Monichon’sbrilliant student,AlainAbbott, is the first to play a concertaccordion at the Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris. He later foundsFrance’sfirstconcertaccordionschool,and he and his fellow composers givetheinstrumentitsfirstoriginalFrenchconcertrepertoire. On a technical level, the concertaccordion is a chromatic bass instru-mentwithidenticalkeyboardsforeachhand.It is the left-handkeyboardthatdistinguishes it from the chromaticaccordion,inwhichthelefthandservesonly for accompaniment. This instru-ment, theproductofyearsofresearchandexperimentation,finallymeetsthestandards of certain musical domainslongclosedtotheaccordion. Yet it is at this very period, whenthe accordion is in its golden years,thatthehurricaneofrock’n’rollbeginstoblow.Theeffectontheaccordioniscatastrophic, for from one day to thenext it comes to symbolize music of abygoneera.Forarisinggeneration,theaccordion that has been the joy of somanyballsandcelebrationsisobsolete.Initsplaceistheguitar…andespeciallytheelectricguitar.

The accordion for all The instrument is easy enough tolearn. A beginner who aspires to playpopular music can easily learn to playbyear.Ifreadingascoreisbeyondhim,hecanstillmanageifhehasanysortofauditorymemory.Tolearnmorecom-plex music, he will hang around moreexperienced musicians who can teachhimthebasics:thekeyofGfortherighthand, the key of F for the left. Thereare therefore two distinct movements:popularmusicand“learned”music.Thenumber of accordionists who wish totakeontheclassicsgrowsapace. InRoubaix,inFrance,in1936takesplace the first international accordioncompetition, with an initial subsidyfromthecityfathers.Connoisseursaresurprisedtohearextraordinaryplaying,

despiteobligatorypiecesadaptedfromthepiano.Mostwarmlyapplaudedaremusiciansundertheageof14,whoarepraisedforplayingairsfromtwopopularoperas. The competition becomes anannualevent,atleastuntilthewarcutsitshort. YetaftertheLiberationtheaccordionregainsitsplaceofhonorinallthecafésandbrasseriesofthetown.Andin1956,facedwiththetidalwaveofrock,Rou-baixoffersitsbiggestcompetitionever:300 competitors in seven categories,whomustfollowademandingprogram,including sight reading and the play-ing of works full of difficulties. Littleby little, initiatives such as this attaintheirgoal,bringingtheaccordionbacktoaprivilegedposition in themusicalconstellation.In1968,theworld’smostfamousmusicprize,theGrand Prix de Rome,isgiventocomposerandprofessorAlainAbbott,whomIhavealreadymen-tioned.Heisofcourseanaccordionist. Britain had accordion clubs from1930 on, and accordion bands as well.In1935wasfoundedtheBritishCollegeof Accordionists, offering diplomas inteachingandinterpretation.Thereareothermajorschoolsteachingaccordion,includingtheRoyalAcademyofMusic. IwanttomentionatleastoneGreatBritain’sgreataccordionists,RayBodell.At the age of 17 he earned a diploma

fromtheBritishCollegeofAccordion-ists, followed by other degrees and afellowship recognizing his researchontheaccordionineducation.HewasthefirsttowinthequadruplecrownofcompetitionsorganizedbytheNationalAccordionOrganization.Thelistofhissuccessesgoeson.

The accordion in jazz Inthefirsthalfofthe20thCenturytheaccordéon musettetakesonjazztones,under the influence of Gypsy guitar-ists, including the immortal DjangoReinhardt. Yet, though accordionistshave long drawn on the inspirationof Afro-American rhythms, the jazzworldpayslittleattention.TheearliestreferencetotheaccordioninAmericanjazz can be found in the memoirs ofpianistJellyRollMorton.Hementionsan accordion orchestra conducted byNewOrleansdrummerBenPeytonattheendofthe19thCentury.Thereareaccordionistswhoplayragtime,suchastheItalian-AmericanPietroDeiroandhissonGuido.Thislast,avirtuosomusi-cian,composerandprofessor,wasoneofthefirststarsofthepiano-accordion.Musicians like him will make careersasstudiomusicians,andevenplaywithsuchbandleadersasDukeEllingtonandJimmyDorsey. Yetnonelefthismarkonjazzbefore1940.ThatyearthejazzaccordionfindsaseriousrepresentativeinthepersonofArtVanDamme,whoastonishesallbyhisnew jazzy sound andhis incompa-rablevirtuosity.Hewillevenformhisownquintet,backedbythevibraphone,guitar,bassanddrums. In 1944, after the arrival of Alliedliberation armies, there is a new loveaffairbetween jazz and the accordion.Majormusicians,suchasGallianoandthe deathless accordionist and bande-onistAstorPiazzola,begintomarryjazzrhythms to, respectively, musette andthetango.RichardGallianowillinventtheNewMusette,ahybridofmusette,jazzandthejava,andPiazzolawillcreatethe tango Nuevo. The astonishing loveaffairwillcontinue.

The apogee Thepromotionoftheaccordionbyvirtuososandorchestraconductorspays

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unexpecteddividends.Thegreatsofthemusical world, condescending at first,growtoadmirethis instrumentwhichnowinspires“serious”composers.Theinstrument is everywhere: the media,thestreet,thesubway,theconcerthall,eventhesymphonyorchestra.Thisnewcenturyhasseenanincreasingnumberofchambermusicensembleswithatleastoneaccordion. Theaccordionsmostoftenseenandheard are the diatonic, the chromaticassociated with the musette style, thebayan, a chromatic accordion favoredinRussia,thepiano-accordionpopularintheAmericas,andtheconcertaccor-dion used for the classics. We shouldalso mention the bandonion, a directdescendantoftheconcertina,knownforitsroleinthetango.

Aconcertinaisshownabove.Suchalovelyobject!Itcouldbeajewelcase,orevenahatbox.WhenIsawoneIwantedtoholditinmyhands,andindeedmanycollectors buy one for its appearanceeveniftheydon’tplay. Thenthere is theelectronicaccor-dion,whosesoundsaregeneratedarti-ficially.Thebellowsnolongersuppliestheairflow,andisusedonlytocontrolvolume.Amodernelectronicaccordionismatedtoacontrolboxthatcanselectsampledsounds,anditsMIDIconnectorcan plug right into a computer. Withsuch an instrument, an accordionistbecomestrulyaone-manband,abletosimulateanorchestraof30to40musi-

cians. It is lighter too, weighing some6kgratherthantheusual13kgormoreofanacousticalinstrument.

Musette-cabrette-guinguette The words evoke countless imagesandemotions.Shadycharacters,girlsofthestreet,freedom,joie de vivre,poetry,nostalgia,free-flowingwine. The muset te of Paris and theguinguettes surrounding the city canjustify their own chapter. The story Iwant to tell you is a robust one fromthe start, marked by fights betweenthe Auvergnats and their cabrettes ormusettes,asortofimprovedbagpipe,andtheItaliansandtheiraccordionsontheotherside,allvyingforthefavorofthepublic. Themusette,orcabrette,existedlongbefore the accordion. It was equippedwithabagorairreservoir,madeofgoatskinorcabri.Yetinthebeginningtherewere two distinct instruments. Thehighly-decoratedchabretteofLimousinisplayedbyblowing,whereasthecabretteofAuvergneisequippedwithabellows,placedundertherightarmsothatitcanbepumpedwitharapidarmmovement.InAuvergnetheyheldbals musetteinthe13thCentury! In those days cities were enclosedwithinwalls to repel invaders,but thewalls also served to increase a city’sfinances.Toenterthewalledcitytodobusiness,youpaidatax. AndsotheAuvergnats,whotradeincoalbutalsohaveaknackforbusiness,setupcafés-charbonoutsidethewallsofParis.Theysellcoffeethere,ofcourse,but also wood and coal, making thesethe first duty-free shops. Since themerchandiseisnottaxed,theyalsoofferwine from grapes that proliferate justoutsidethecity,whitewineofdubiousqualitycalledguinguet.Thewinelendsits name to the balls organized in theback rooms of these cafés, still calledguinguettestoday,andaspopularaseverwithtourists. From1880to1900thereisabattlewithout quarter in the Bals musette ofthe11tharrondissement.Ononesidearethe Auvergnats with their musette orcabrette,andontheothersidetheItal-ianswiththeiraccordions.ThevendettaendswithaRomeo-and-Julietwedding

betweenthedaughterofthecelebratedcabrettisteBouscatelandthedaughterofanItalianaccordionist. Weknow,ofcourse,thattheaccor-dioncameouttheeventualwinner,butthemusetteleftusitsnametodescribea musical style that is quintessentiallyFrench. “Urban folkmusic is a rarity,” saysMario Bruneau, an accordionist whopromotes musette through his mul-timedia conferences, and graciouslyservedasan important source for thisarticle.“Folkmusicistraditionallyrural,becauseitisassociatedwithpeasantsandthepopularvillagecelebrations.AlongwiththetangoofBuenosAiresandtheBossa Nova of Bahia, the musette ofParisisoneoftherareformsofurbanfolkmusictohavesurvivedthetestoftime.It isaworldlegacy,anditseemstomeitisimportanttopreserveit.”

The accordion today Theaccordionisnolongerthepoorman’spiano.Itisofimposingsize,andunlikethepianoitiseminentlyportable.It suitsall repertoires fromfolkmusicthroughtheclassics,nottomentionjazz,pop,rockandGypsymusic.Forthosewho wish to explore the instrument’spopularity, there are major events,such as the annual Carrefour mondial de l’accordéon de Montmagny inCanada,and the Rencontre internationale de l’accordéon de ChartresandthePrintemps de l’accordéon, both in France. Tens ofthousandsofmusiciansandmusicloversconverge on these events, which areaccompanied by international coursesinmusicandtraditionaldance. Indeed, there are accordion com-petitions the world over, an excellentspringboard for young artists lookingfortofurthertheirstudies. Theaccordiontodayhasthekeystouniversitiesandconservatories.Masterclasses and workshops at all levels arelegion.There isan increasingnumberof accordionists invited to play withsymphony orchestras, for more andmorecomposersincludetheaccordioninconcertosandotherworks. WhenyoutravelbyMétroinMon-treal,WashingtonorinParis,listen!Youmayhearasublimeaccordionistplayingjustforyou.

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Brahms LiederMarie-NicoleLemieuxAnalektaAN29906Lessard:Whatcanoneaddtoallthathasbeen said ofBrahms?ThisdeeplyRomanticcomposerwasacontemporaryof Wagner, Mahler and Schoenbergwithouttrulybeinginfluencedbythem.Fromamodestbackground,hewasoneday befriended by Robert Schumann,whowasdazzledbyhistalentasacom-poserandlaunchedhimintothemusicworld. He developed, under dramaticcircumstances,afriendshipwithClaraSchumann,oneofthegreatpianistsofherdayandwifeofRobert. If there is a part of his repertoirewhichcanacquaintuswithhisprofoundsensitivity,albeitinquiteclassicalform,it is in these folk-tinged song cycles.Someofthemmayevenhaveautobio-

graphicalroots,thoughhowcanwebesure? The disc begins with the Opus86cycle, which includes si x songs,including two that are consideredthe peak of Romantic lieder: Thereseand Feldeinsamkeit. It is an emotionalmoment, enchanting from the firstnotes. The set is followed by a nine-songcycle,Opus69,andthetwo-songOpus91. This superb recording endswithnothinglessthantheOpus121Vier ernste Gesange.Brahmswroteitin1896,drawingonMartinLuther’stranslationof theBible, treatingof thedestinyofmanandbeast,ofdeathandlove. Thedivinemezzo-contraltoMarie-Nicole Lemieux, who possesses oneofCanada’sfinestvoices,putsintoherperformanceofthesesongsacontagiousemotion, deploying a wide range ofnuances and modulations that touchyou to the quick. She is accompaniedby two seasoned musicians. PianistMichaelMcMahonshowsoffhistechni-calexcellence,allthewhileembracingthe singer’s sensitivity. Violist NicolòEugelmi,inmuchdemandasbothcham-bermusicianandaccompanist,addshisvelvetysounds. Icansayonlygoodthingsaboutthis

recording, done at the excellent sallePierre-MercureinMontreal.

English FancyMasquesAnalektaAN29905Lessard:MasquesisaMontreal-basedtheatricalgroupthatisinmuchdemandafter ten years of existence. Its fivetalentedperformers,ablyledbyOlivierFortin,includeonesinger,andspecial-izesinvocalandinstrumentalmusicofthe17thand18thCenturies. Thisrecordingisasuperbanthologyof music by Henry Purcell, ThomasCampion and John Jenkins, Englishcomposers who have left their markandevenbecomeicons.IntheBaroqueperiod theatrical performances weregiven at courts throughout Europe,actingasvehiclesforlyricpoetry.These“court masques” were inspired by the

Software Reviewsby Reine Lessard,Albert Simon and Gerard Rejskind

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commedia dell'arte.Performinginthesemasqueswasavarietyofartists:actors,poets, singers, musicians, composers,jugglers and acrobats. They generallyworemasks,andoftenthespectatorsdidtoo.ThetraditionofthemasquebeganinItaly,wheretroupeswouldtourpublicsquaresandcastlecourtyards,andspreadthroughoutEurope, reachingEnglandunderHenryVIII. Fromthefirstmeasures,therichandamplevoiceofShannonMercerpinnedmetomychair.Ithoughtthatwithsuchan opening surely the entire albumwouldbeadelight,andIwasn’twrong.The songs are inserted among severalmasterfully-performed instrumentalpieces. Ensembles that suit their name inthat they trulyplay together arenot ascommonasonewouldthink.Masquesis,anddoes. English Fancy deserves recommen-dation not only because of the musicitselfbutalsoforitssonicquality.Itwasrecorded with great care at the Saint-Augustin church in Mirabel, north ofMontreal,whichhasseenanumberoffirstrateAnalektarecordings.

BarbarossaLesjongleursdelaMandragoreFidelioFACD015Simon: It was a sunny afternoon. Iclosedthedrapesand,inthedimlightadooropenedbetweenmyspeakersandIenteredthe12thCentury.Muchmoreeffectivelythanimages,soundcanbringmemories back to life and carry us tofarawaytimes. Barbarossa refers to the time ofFriedrichIofGermanywhoruledoverakingdomreachingfromtheNorthSea

to the Mediterranean until his deathin1190.Severalofthepiecesarefromthe original Carmina Burana Germanmanuscript,thereisanIcelandictradi-tionalpiece,andanexcerptoftheLaonManuscriptdating fromtheFranceofaround930. None of these, however, preparesyou for the presence of the multital-entedgroupcalledLesJongleursdelaMandragore(“theMandrakejugglers”).Infusedwithanuncannyenergyandjoy,theyrecreatetheatmosphereofmedievaltimes,blendingsuperbvoicesandinstru-ments, giving life to dusty and brittletexts. Interestingly, an Oud (rhymeswith food), the direct ancestor of theEuropeanlute,isusedbyAndrewWells-Oberegger,andhisplayingisrefinedandexpressive.Themidrangesoundoftheinstrument (mostly midrange) is richlymodulated.FrançoisTailleferisawizardwithpercussioninstruments,especiallythelargeduffandsmallerdarbuka.Allthoseinstruments,ofPersianorTurkishorigin,wereintroducedtoEuropebytheMoorsthroughSpain,andbroughtbackwiththereturnoftheCrusaders.

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It becomes fascinating to hear theflavorofthoseEasternsoundscombinedwith those of the Taverso (woodenflute), the Cittern and Hurdy-Gurdy(alsoknownastheWheelFiddle).Don’tmissthegreatduffsoloontrack2andthe lovely composition by HildegardeVonBingenontrack3; watchfortheintricate harmonies of the flute withIngried Boussaroque’s warm soprano,and see how her voice rises, pure as aflame,floatingawayattheend. On track 4, the traditional Icelan-dic instrumental piece sounds almostmodernwithitsoudandduffduo.Listencarefully as the percussion builds andrisestoafrenzy,andlater,ontrack8,acompositionbyAdamdelaHalle.You’llbe surprised by the bass impact, justbefore the male voices appear in 3-D.Suddenly,muchtoosoonitseems,withwhatsoundslikeadistantbellinthefog,themusicstops.Islowlywalkedoverandopenedthedrapesagain. RenéLaflammeofFideliohasdonea magnificent recording job with thisensemble.Thehigh,deepspaceofthechurchwhereittookplaceandthenatu-

ralsoundofvoicesandinstrumentsaresweetlyreproducedusingtheXtractHDprocess,avoidingmostcomputermanip-ulation.Theyevendesignedtheirownwood sphere microphone system andinstalleditinabinauralconfiguration,asyou’llseeontheCDbackcoverphoto.(For more photos of the recording session, see www.fidelioaudio.com.)

Blues for the Saxophone ClubMonteiro,Young,HoltJ-J-Jazz26-1084-78-2Rejskind:JeremyMonteiroisajazzpia-nistfromSingaporewhohasplayedwithvirtuallyeveryonewhoisanyoneinUSjazzcircles.InthisSingaporerecordingputtogetherbetween1988and1990,heplays alongside legendary saxophonistErnieWattsontwoselections.Andthosearen’teventhebesttracks! Monteiro is knownas “thekingofswing” back home, and you can hearwhy. His piano sets up irresistiblerhythm, backing impressive solos byMonteirohimselfandbybassistEldeeYoung.Thisisn’tlaidbackswing.Thesemusiciansgoatitwithenergy! The recording adds to the energy.Thesoundisclearandalmostexplosivelydynamic,yetwithouttheedginessyoufind on some recordings. This is anHDCD-encoded recording, thoughthere is no trace of the logo in eitherbookletordisc. Energyaside,Monteirohasanearforatune.InFalling in Love With Lovethereare those robust solos, but Monteiroalways returns to the famous melody,andclearlylovesit.Notthatitisaloneincarryingtunes.InMy Foolish Heart it’sErnieWatts’saxophone,andinSurrey

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With the Fringe on Topit’sthebassandO’DonelLevy’sguitar. There’sasurpriseonthefinaltrack,which is the Louis Armstrong classicWhat a Wonderful World. The melodyis carried by Eldee Young’s bass, withstrong backup from Monteiro, butYoung also sings the lyrics. It’s a bitjarringbecauseit’sunexpectedafterfivelonginstrumentaltracks,butitworkedforme. A fine recording, this, with goodmusic,fineplaying,andarecordingthatishauntinglyrealistic.

Only Trust Your HeartMonteiro/FishmanJazznote170702-03-2Rejskind: Here’s Monteiro again, 15years later, playing in Long Beach,California, on a different label (withtheHDCDlogoexplicitlyfeaturedthistime),inamuchsmallerensemble:justhimandsaxophonistGregFishman. Fishman is from Chicago, and hasseveral albums behind him, as wellas concerts with some of the greatestmusiciansofhisday,andseveralbooksontheory.HeisespeciallydrawntoBra-zilianmusic,butwhenhemetMonteiroonanAsianconcerttourthattookhimto Singapore, he found someone whowasonhisownwavelength.Hencethisrecording. This is very much Fishman’s CD,with his sax leading improvisations ofsuchstandardsasI can’t Get Started, These Foolish Things andMy Funny Valentine.Monteiro is the accompanist, and hefollows Fishman’s complex improvswitheaseanddexterity.Theemphasisisnotsomuchonthefamoustunesasonthetonalinterplaybetweensaxandpiano.Fishmanisclearlyinlovewiththe

soundofhisinstrument,andthatloveiscontagious. The recording is intimate, as isappropriate with just two musicians.Wearesittingclose,sothatwecanheareverychiffofairfromthesax,muchasFishman would have heard it himself.The HDCD sound is detailed anddynamic,withoutstrainoredginess.

Bergsten & Nordahl play Lars GullinGunnarBergsten/PeterNordahlPropriusPRCD2001

Lessard:Ifyoulikejazz,ifpianomusicmakesyouhappy,andiftherich,deepandoftensensualsoundofthesaxophonegivesyouchills,you’lllovethisrecordingofbaritonesaxandpiano. LarsVictorGullin(1928-1976)wasoneofSweden’sgreatestjazzandbebopmusicians. His reputation was inter-national, and he was widely regardedas a genius. SaxophonistBergsten andpianist Nordahl play his music withsucheloquence thatGullinwas surelytheiridol.Someofthepiecesareonthelyrical side, speaking to the emotions,whereasotherschallengethevirtuosityofthetwomusicians. Propriusmaintainsitsreputationforexcellence,asmuchforwhathappensinthecontrolroomasforthemusiccre-atedinthestudio.LikeotherPropriusproductions,thisonehaswhatittakestodelightthedemandingaudiophile. Asforme,Ilistenedtoitwithdelight,throughout these 10 tracks, all hits intheirdayandstillhitstoday.Soturnthelightsdownlow,andunplugthephone.Youwon’tbewastingyourtime!

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John Campbell at MaybeckJohnCampbellConcord JazzCCD-4581Rejskind:StartthefirsttrackandJohnCampbellbeginstoworkmagiconthepianokeys.It’shardtokeepyourbodystillwhenyoulistentothis!Nodrums,no bass, just Campbell and a YamahagrandpianoonthestageoftheMaybeckRecital Hall in Berkeley. Oh, and anaudience,butthosepeoplesurearequietwhile Campbell is playing! Are theyholdingtheirbreath,orwhat? ThisisoneofalongseriesofCon-cord Jazz albums of solo pianists atMaybeck: Dick Hyman on disc3 andMarianMcPartlandondisc9.Somearefamiliar to connoisseurs: Gerry Wig-gins, or Gene Harris. And Campbelltoo.Heplayedextensivelywith singer

Mel Torme, he was the pianist of theTerryGibbs-BuddyDeFrancoquintet,andhealsoplayedwithStanGetz,butwhoishereally? On this CD’s tracks is proof afterproofthatCampbellhasacommandofhisinstrumentandofthemelodiesthatheplays.Heattackshisvariationsinthemostnaturalandunself-consciouswaypossible.Inshort,hemakesitsoundasthougheachofthesetuneswaswrittenthewayheplaysit.Andoh,howheplays!Thestartingkeyofeachsongisjustthat:astartingpoint.It’sthesamethingwithrhythm.It’sinfectiousinthisalbum,butheshiftsagainandagain,withaccelera-tionandsyncopation,andhemakesitallsoundright. Hegiveshimselfplentyofroomfordevelopment.AftertheshortandcatchyJust FriendsthatopenstheCD,hegoesintolong-formvariationsonInvitation,which runs nine minutes, and Emily,which is almost as long.Neither is toolong,andthefamiliarDarn That Dreamisevenlonger. The length and the complexity ofthevariationscanmeanthattheoriginalmelodyissubmerged,nevertobefoundagain, but Campbell doesn’t let thathappen. On Darn That Dream, evenhisheavilysyncopatedpassagesremainamazingly lyrical. It’s the same storywithsuchmelodicstandardsasEasy to Love, The Touch of Your Lips, and You

and the Night and the Music.Andyethetakesastonishinglibertieswiththatlastone,surroundingthemelodyfromthestartwithtrillsandrhythmicvariationsyou’veneverheardbefore. The performance was recorded adozenyearsago,andaswasprettymuchusual for Concord Jazz, the sound isexemplary.Highlyrecommended.

Candido & Graciela: InolvidableC.Camero/G.GrillePérezCheskyJD249Lessard:They’rebold,thoseCheskys,andtheirboldnesssometimesleadsthemtosensationalfinds.Thankstothemwecanhearthesetwosuperstarsofaperiodthatisunfortunatelyfarbehindus. It was in the 40’s that was born afascinating blend of two styles, Afro-Cubanmusicandjazz.Somemarriage!What a success the artists of the dayhad throughout the world! But theseartistswere forgottenafter theCubanrevolution,whentheirhomelandbecameisolated,andtheycouldmeetneitherathomenorabroadtoperformorrecord. In 1999 the film The Buena Vista Social Club, featuring these old-timesingers and musicians, many of themnow in their 80’s or even their 90’s,arrived like a bombshell. Filming wasdone in Havana, and at concerts else-where,fromNewYorktoAmsterdam. That’sasmuchexplanationasIintendtogiveinordertoinviteyoutolistentothissublimecouple,whohave lived inNew York for decades. PercussionistCandidoCamerois82now,andsingerGracielaGrillePérezisnotfarfrom90.Icantellyourightoffthattheyhavelostnotoneiotaoftheirardorofyesteryear.Surroundedbyasensationalband,theygiveanextraordinaryperformance.Ican

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echo what David Chesky says of Gra-ciela,thatmanyayoungsinger“wouldkilltohavesuchavoice.”Youneedtohearthisvoice,withnotraceoftremororhoarseness,withclarityandadynamicrangethatleavesoneastonished. Onesuccumbstoboththerhythmsand the emotionof this album, whichopens with Tu Supieras, a song aboutthe pain of love, sung with exemplaryexpressiveness. The tracks that followlead you into moods that vary fromlanguorous to sensuous to rhythmicto danceable. Candido’s congas areomnipresent,butthereisplentyofroomforother,flawless,percussionaswellasviolinandflute.Itisspellbinding. Unforgettable.Inolvidable.Thetitlecouldn’tfitbetter. Thesoundonthisco-productionofDavidCheskyandNelsonGonzales,isbeyondreproach.

X&YColdplayEMI094631128028Rejskind: No booklet picture here,because the front is plain black. X&Yisdestinedtobeknownas“TheBlackAlbum,”justastheBeatles’blank-sleevedLPisstillcalled“TheWhiteAlbum.” Thecolorisn’ttheonlyBeatleinflu-ence.Coldplayisbilledinsomequartersas“theworld’sbestband,”andyoudon’tneed to be a music historian to knowwhat band that appellation was onceapplied to. On Fix You Chris MartinleapsfromoneoctavetoanotherthewayJohnLennonusedtoaboutthetimeofMagical Mystery Tour.AndwhenWhat If begins, it sounds as though it couldturnintoaremakeofLennon’sImagine,though actually it’s a love song. TheendingisalsomiddleperiodBeatles.A Message gave me the same impression.The title song could have come fromYellow Submarine.Andsoitgoes. Forwhatit’sworth,bytheway,sev-eralotherreviewersI’vereadhearmoreinfluences from U2 than the Beatles,thoughIshouldaddthatthisclaimraisesthebloodpressureofsomeU2fanstoemergencyroomreadings. Onanon-emotionallevelIcanthinkofalotofreasonstopraisethisalbum.Martin and his colleagues really arepretty good songwriters, turning out

moreappealing licks thanmostof therunnersupinthat“world’sbestband”race. Martin’s voice is appealing, withexceptionalflexibility.Theproductionis slick. So why don’t I like it more?Perhapstheslicknessitselfisthereason.There’salotofsoundonthisCD,butitiscarefullychanneledawayfromthefre-quencyextremes,withtonalbalancethatisalmostbutnotquiteright,asthoughithadbeenequalizedtosoundokayona poorly-chosen monitor. Instrumentsand synth effects are switched in morethanpannedin.AfterawhileIfeltkindofjerkedaround. TheexceptionisTill Kingdom Come,ahiddentrackthatislessslickthanany-thingelseonthealbum,andseemsalotmorereal.Itevensoundsmorelifelike. Theonlywaythebookletcouldbemore of a wastes of trees would be ifit had more pages. The band picturescan barely be deciphered, and mostof the pages are covered with coloredrectangles,whichareapparentlybinarycodespellingoutthe“X&Y”title.Theprintisvirtuallyunreadable,includingEMI’s warning against unauthorizedcopying— the company may be play-ing with fire here. Looking for moreinformation?GototheColdplayWebsite,anddiscoverthatyou’llneedtopartwith personal information before youcanfindoutmuch.Anddon’texpectlyricsoranythinglikethat! I should add a word about thecopy protection. I read the other dayof a purchaser who found he couldn’ttransferthemusictohisiPod,andtriedunsuccessfully to get his money back;he wound up leaving the CD on thecounterandwalkingaway.Heshouldn’thave,becausethishas“classactionsuit”writtenalloverit.IGoogled“Coldplay”and“copyprotected,”andIgot325,000links! “Protecting” music in this way isbrain dead. By the way, on a PC youholddownShiftwhileopeningtheCD;onaMac,iTunesrippedthedisctomyiPodwithouteventhat.TheentireCDisavailablethroughBitTorrentandotherP2Pservicesdespitetheprotection.MyguessisthattheguywholefthisCDonthecounterwenttogetthemusicontheNet.MemotoEMI:isthisreallywhatyou’reafter?

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ofthemareavailablefromourAudiophileStore(that’sthecaseofAnalekta,

Proprius,JazzNoteandJ-J-Jazz,forinstance).Othersareavailablefromother

sources,includingyourlocalrecordstore.

CanadahaslonghaditsownsatelliteTV service— two of them in actualfact—and they were late in coming.While the CRTC (the governmentagencythatregulatesbroadcastingandother communications) was dithering,severalhundredthousandCanadianshaduseddummyUSaddressestoconnectuptheirgreymarketAmericandishes. Much the samehashappenedwithsatellite radio. Canadian over-the-airstations operate under a system ofregulations that maintain a certainpercentage of Canadian music on theairwaves,and—inthecaseofstationswithFrench-languagelicenses—fran-cophone artists. Satellite radio wouldfacesimilarregulations. Inthemeantime,thousandsofCana-dianshavebeeninstallingXMorSiriusreceiversintheircars,usingaUSaddressto register and receive radio from thesky.PercentageofCancon:zero,otherthanwhateverwaspopularintheUS. There was pressure on the CRTCtoact.StandardBroadcastingandXMhadappliedforalicense.SohadSiriusand the CBC. And just to confusethings a little, a thirdgroupofferedasatellite-likeservicethatwouldactuallyuseterrestrialtransmitters,atleastuntilsatellite space could be found. WhichwouldtheCRTCfavor? Theagencystunnedthebroadcast-ing community by saying yes to all three. They could all proceed, underof course certain conditions. EachwouldneedtohaveaminimumofeightCanadian-produced channels, and itcouldbroadcastonlynine foreign (i.e.American)channelsforeachCanadianchannel.Atleast2.5%ofchannelsmustbefrancophone.Iseverybodyhappy? Well,noinfact. IntheUS,bothSiriusandXMhave

beenbleedingmoney, and indeed thatiswhytheywereeagertopickupmoresubscribersbyexpandingintoCanada.But if the competition gets the sameprivileges,theadvantageislessevident.As for the terrestrial group, it hadn’tanticipatedcompetingwith two“real”satellite services, and is thinking ofdroppingout. Oh, and the regular broadcasters,other thanStandardBroadcasting, arescreaming too, because they are stillstuckwithmorestringentCanconregu-lations.AndADISQ,whichrepresentsQuebecrecordlabels,isunhappyaboutthat2.5%francophonefigure. For all of those reasons, the inter-estofall thesecompaniesseemstobewaning.So isours.Lestwe forget,alltheseservicesuselossycompression!

RadioShack(orRadioShackastheynowspellit)hasbeenafamiliarbrandin Canada since the 70’s. Now that’schanged…fornowatleast. The Canadian licensee of RadioShackwasacompanycalledInterTAN.Lastyear,InterTANwasboughtbyaUSchain,CircuitCity,whichathomeisaRadio Shack competitor. Radio Shackrespondedbypullingtherights totheRadioShackbrandbyInterTAN. Theresultisthat,sinceJune,Cana-dianRadioShackstoreshavebeencalledsomethingelse,namely“TheSourcebyCircuitCity.” Saywhat?Wefigurethefocusgroupmusthavebeendrunk! At one time, Radio Shack carriedonly itsownbrands:Realistic,Archer,Micronta, etc. For years, though, itsstoreshelveshavebeenfilledwithgearfrom other companies, from Sony toPanasonic.That’sstillthecase,thoughthehousebrandsarenowNexxTechandCentrios. In the meantime, the Radio Shackparentcompanydoesn’twantitsbrandtodieout,andsaysitwillopenitsownstoresinCanada.ThenameofitsnewCanadian Web site, radioshackisback.ca,saysthatJuly1stwas“agreatdayforRadioShack.” We figure that if goingfrom900storestozeromakesthedaygreat, thechargeof theLightBrigadewasagreatsuccess. Butofcoursethecompanyhasplans,intendingtoopencompanystoresandattempttolureTheSourcefranchiseesback to the original banner. In themeantimethetwoparentcompaniesaresuingeachother. Here’s one bit of good news. Wealways liked the fact thatRadioShackhadalittlesectionforelectronicparts,soyoucouldscoopupapilotlightoracondenserifyouneeded.TheSourcehaskeptthesection.

Reference Recordings has longbeenoneofour favorite record labels.Theaudioandartisticqualitiesarethemainreason,andthefactthepeopleatRR were sonicedidn’thurt. The badnews of 2003 is that RR was boughtby Dorian, another legendary recordcompany whose inept managementhadprettymuchcrippledit.Theworsenewsof2004wasthatDorianfiledforbankruptcy.RRwasalsogone,needlesstosay. Butholdon!Dorianhadneglectedadetail,namelypayingforthecompanyithad“bought.”Theformerownerswenttocourtandgotthecompanyback. SoMarciaMartinisbackatthehelm,seconded by Janice Mancuso and (weassume)KeithO.Johnson. We’re looking forward to the nextreleases.

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The future of this famous BritishbrandMissionhaslongbeenuncertain.Its founding company morphed intoNXT, inventor and builder of thosef lat panel speakers that are used foreverything from background musicto computer sound. It now has a newhome. The buyer is Chinese, the Inter-national Audio Group. IAG has beencollectingBritishaudiobrands:Wharfe-dale, Quad, Leak, Audiolab, etc. Thecompany says itwill keep theproductlineupthesame,buttheremaybeshort-ageswhile…etc. In themeantime, theone-timeUShighendspeakerbrand,BostonAcous-tics, has been snapped up by D&MHoldings,theparentcompanyofDenonandMarantz,aswellasMcIntoshLabs,ReplayTVandRio.

ApplauseAudio. . . . . . . . . . .13ArtechElectronics . . . . . . . 10,37ASW . . . . . . . . . . .Cover2,64AudioDreamDistribution. .Cover3Audiomat . . . . . . . . . . .Cover3Audiophileboutique.com. . .Cover3Audiyo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14BCAcoustique. . . . . . . .Cover3BluebirdMusic . . . . . . . . . . .67BlueCircle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6CharismaAudio...........8CPUsed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56DiamondGroove. . . . . . . . . .65DivergentTechnologies. . . . . .11Eichmann. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Entre’acte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6EuroproductsInternat.. . . 9,23,56EverestAudio. . . . . . . . . . . .64FabAudio. . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Furutech . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Goldring . . . . . . . . . . .Cover2HarmonicMarketing. . . . . . . .14HiFiFoFum. . . . . . . . . . . . 8HomeTheaterCruise. . . . . . .16TheHouseofSounds . . . . . . .66Isoclean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68JusticeAudio. . . . . . . . .Cover2JustMayAudio . . . . . . . .Cover2MagZee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6MarchandElectronics. . . . . . .25Michell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Moon. . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover4Mosscade . . . . . . . . . . .Cover3muRata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Mutine . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover3NaturalFrequencyAudio . . . . .66Orelle . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover3OzEnterprises. . . . . . . . . . .69QuincetonCorporation. . . . . .68Raysonic...............15Reference3a . . . . . . . . . . . .11Shanling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Simaudio . . . . . . . . . . .Cover4SignatureAudio...........65Soundstage. . . . . . . . . . . . .17Spendor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10TotemAcoustic. . . . . . . .Cover4UHFBackIssues. . . . . . . . . .24UHFBooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4UnitySpeakers . . . . . . . . . . .69Vertigo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Been wondering why radio soundssocrappy?WespottedaclueinapressreleasefromtheCanadianAssociationofBroadcasters. TheCABurgesthegovernmenttohurryupwithrevisionstocopyrightlaw,toallowthemanexemptionfrompayingfeestorecordcompaniesfortransferringmusicfromoneformattoanother. What’s this about?Well,nearlyallstationsnowrunmusicfromcomputerharddrives…but,accordingtotheCAB,asmuchas75%ofnewmusicthisyearisbeingsenttothestationsnotonCD,butinMP3format. We’veheardarumorradioisdying.Ifitis,it’sfromaseriesofself-inflictedwounds.

If you own a digital player withHDCDdecoding,younodoubtknowthatmainstreamrecordcompaniesarelessthanconscientiousaboutaddingtheHDCDlogototheirdiscs.Ofcourse,you can always get a listing from thehorse’smouth:www.hdcd.com. Or at least you could. Microsoftbought the HDCD process five yearsago,andhasclearlylostinterest.Thesiteisstillup,butnorecordingsarelisted. Thereisaworkaround,however:the“WaybackMachine,”whicharchivestheWeb.Gotohttp://web.archive.org,andenterthehdcd.comaddressinthefield.You’llbeofferednumerousdatesyoucanchoose.Pickthelastone,November27,2004,andyou’llseeanoperableversionofthesite,withworkinglinks. Foramoreup-to-datelisting,albeitalesscompleteone,ThomasBergmanhasputuphisowninSweden,atwww.hdcd.se.Goodhunting!

We’re used to outrageous audioclaims from computer gurus, becausethesepeoplemostlyhavepassionsotherthan music. Now comes such a claimfromtwohithertorespectedaudiomen.It’senoughtomakeonecry. The two men are Richard Burwenand Mark Levinson. In conjunctionwithacertainDanielHertz(predestinedname?), they’vebroughtout aproductcalledtheBurwenBobcat.Theclaimforitisthesortofthingweexpecttoreadinoneofthosespamsthatasksforhelpin transferring millions from Nigeria:“Burwen Bobcat makes CD, DVD,andMP3soundequaltoorbetterthananalogandSACD.” ThoughHertz’sWebsiteshowstheBobcatasabox,itisinfactaplug-inforWindowsMediaPlayer10.Theplug-inmustbeusedwithHertz’sownModelOneUSBDAC,which“hasbeencare-fullyengineeredandtunedbyeartogiveyouthefullbenefitofBurwenBobcat.”

Yes,right.Nowifyou’llexcuseus,wehavetoe-mailourbankaccountnumberto this former government official inLagos…

Sold and Sold Finding HDCD

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SometimesIgettothinkingthathighendaudioisjustanobscureniche,cutofffromnormallife.Andespeciallynormaleconomic

life,consideringtheprices.AndthenIglanceatthebusinesspages,andguesswhat!Theproblemsfacedbyhighendaudiopeoplearemuchlikethosefacedelsewhere. Takebeerforinstance. Here’s the story that jumped outatme.Lastyeartherewasamergeroftwolargebreweries,oneCanadianandtheotherAmerican.ThetwobreweriesusedtobecalledMolsonandCoors,andarenow (inevitably)knownasMolsonCoors.Farbeitfrommetopourcoldwater(orbeer)oneitherthemergerorthebusinesssenseofthenewmanage-mentteam,butit ismydutytoreportthat,inCanada,atleast,I’veoftenhearditsproductsreferredtoas“mid-fi”beer.Wehavethebeginningofalinkhere. Let’s explore the link further. Inthe months following the merger, thebeer analysts (who knew there weresuch things, and what courses do youhave to take to become one?) broughtout dark predictions on the future ofbeer in general and Molson Coors inparticular. The reason? It seems beersaleshavegoneflat(sorry,butthesewordplaysarealloverthebusinesscolumns).Andthereasonthey’vegoneflatisthatthepopulationsoftheaffluentcountriesaregettingolder,andit’smainlyyoungerpeoplewhoputawayalotofthebeersoldeachyear. Soundfamiliar?Whatwehavehereisthegreyingofthebeermarket,whichhas a definite resemblance to what isallegedtobethegreyingoftheaudio-philecommunity.Inbothcases,thefansaregettingolderandare(presumably)not getting replaced. Perhaps thereare some lessons to be learned here.Andasweshallsee,thelinksgetmoreinteresting. So here’s this new huge MolsonCoorsbrewery,havingtroubleexpand-ingitsmarket,itssharepricestankingbecause of bad-mouthing by the ana-lysts,andwhatdoesitdo?Itgoesshop-

ping,buyinganothercompany.Doesitchooseacompanyinsomeotherlineofbusiness,soitcandiversifyandnotkeepallitseggsinanunsteadybasket?No,thatwouldmaketoomuchsense.Itbuysanotherbrewery. Butthisisn’tquitelikethemergerofthetwo“mid-fi”breweries.Thetargetof Molson Coor’s acquisitive eye isCreemore,anupscalemicrobreweryinOntario.Itcouldbeahintofwhatcouldhappeninhi-fi. Here’s what seems to be the com-pany’svision.Allright,fine,thechug-a-luggers are older now, and they areno longer making the automatic linkbetweenthefactthatthereare24beerina caseand24hours inaday.Someof them have graduated to merlot, orto port, but others are simply buyingbetterbeers.They’vegota littlemoremoney,andthey’venoticedthatnotallbeerstastethesame(presumablyallthatcollegetrainingpaidoff). So what are they drinking? Well,overthepasthalfdecade,whilethebigbreweriesweretryingtokilleachother

offwitheconomybeersthattastedlikethe colored water in apothecary win-dows,theylostmarketsharetothesmallindependent breweries. Molson Coorshastriedtomakethisupbydistribut-ing famous international brands, suchasHeinekenandStellaArtois,butalotofitsmoneythenflowsrightoutofthecountry.Whynotmakegourmetbeerrighthere:ifyoucan’tlick’em,buy’emout! The mid-fi audio and video com-panies are suffering from the samesyndrome as Molson Coors. A beerpricewar isamereskirmishalongsidethatwagedbymakersofDVDplayersandloudspeakers.Evenifyoucanactu-ally snatch some market share from acompetitor— which these days is noteasy—thedroppingpricesmean thatyou’resellingmoreandmorebutearninglessthanless.LastSpring,theanalystshavebeeneverybitasroughonSonyastheyhaveonMolsonCoors. Thehighendaudioandvideocom-paniesareofcoursethemicrobrewersofthehomeentertainmentworld.Compa-nieslikeLinnandJadisandAudiomatandSimaudioaresellingtopeoplewhoused to own Sony and Panasonic andNADwhentheywereintheir20’s.Whathappenedastheirhairwasturninggreyisthattheygotintoahighertaxbracket,anddevelopedwhatisnolongerabeertaste. Ofcoursethecomparisonsbetweenbeer and audio-video are not perfect.You’renotseeingSamsungbuyingoutRega, or Kenwood grabbing Roksan.Therealityis,however,thatrealgrowthwillbe found inupscaleproducts,notintheincreasinglycommoditizedmid-fi products and their dropping profitmargins. That should cheer up the worrywartsatthehighendcompanies.Likethe microbreweries they’re not reallygettingrich,becausetherearesomanyofthem,andthewealthhastobeshared.On the other hand, they’re sittingsquarely where the growth is. Here’sto them…with something better thanmid-fibeer.

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