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100 Pages·2017·12.32 MB·English

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THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITY
MAY 1996
DC -I
DIGITAL
CONTgOLLER
TESTED
DUO SPEAKER
ALSO TESTED
New Product Showcase: Nitro Series- from Jensen)
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IF IT'S TOO LOUD.
audio gear. At finer audio stores. Call I -800 -67 -SOUND
YOU'RE TOO OLD.
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XX/IENSXEN"
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MAY 1996 VOL. 80, NO.5
THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITY
exicon SPECIAL OFFER 75
A/V Preamp/Processor TestMasters CD lets you be the judge in direct comparisons of HDCD, Sony
SBM, Apogee UV -22, 16 -bit digital, analog, and other recording methods.
and Platinum Audio
FEATURES
Speakers
MORE BASS IN LESS SPACE: A NEW APPROACH
TO SUBWOOFER DESIGN Matthew Polk 28
THE AUDIO INTERVIEW: MARK ISHAM John Diliberto 36
EQUIPMEN1 PROFiiLES
am-
LEXICON DC -1 /THX
A/V PREAMP/PROCESSOR Edward J. Foster 42
PARASOUND P/LD-2000 PREAMPLIFIER Bascom H. King 48
PLATINUM AUDIO DUO SPEAKER D. B. Keele,Jr 54
TECHNICS SE -A1000 AMP
AND SU -C 1000 PREAMP Edward J. Foster 62
AURICLES
CLASSÉ AUDIO CP-60 PREAMPLIFIER A. H. Cordesman 66
D E P :1 R T M E N T S
VAC RENAISSANCE SEVENTY/SEVENTYAMP
FAST FORE -WORD Michael Riggs 4 AND CPA MK II PREAMP A. H. Cordesman 68
LETTERS/ERRATUM 6 , C h
WHAT'S NEW 8
DYNACLEAR POSTMAN WRENCH,
AUDIOCLINIC Joseph Giovanelli 16
ALLSOP STRONGBOX CD BOX, AND
SPECTRUM Ivan Berger 20
DYNACO STEREO -80 AMPLIFIER rT-- 96
CODA: PETER W. MITCHELL 22
MONDO AUDIO Ken Kessler 24 Alpine
Car Speakers,
page 20
RECORDINGS
CLASSICAL 72
ROCK/POP 78
JAZZ & BLUES 84
Cover Photographer: Bill Ashe Studio
Cover Equipment: Lexicon DC-1/THX MV
Audio Alchemy
preamp/processor and Platinum Audio Duo speakers
Processor,
Audio Publishing, Editorial, and Advertising Offices, page 24
1633 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019 Au,DyiIchemy WOW! ~Mule* r eW.« hoax
Subscription Inquiries: 45
Phone, 303/604-1464; fax, 303/604-7455 ABuurdeiatu rr wean Noriv
More Than
Just Cable!'
Boiler
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CIRCLE NO. 11 ON READER SERVICE CARD
AUDIO
EDITOR -IN -CHIEF
Michael Riggs
ART DIRECTOR
hen I fantasize about having technology. It's intriguing to follow Cathy Cacchione
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR
gobs of free time (which I the line of thought and discovery that Linda Zerella
don't very often, because led them to a novel way of designing TECHNICAL EDITOR
Ivan Berger
I don't have time for that and building compact bandpass woofer MANAGING EDITOR
Kay Blumenthal
sort of thing), I occasionally systems optimized for deep bass
ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITORS
think about fooling around reproduction. They've come up with an Douglas Hyde, Scott Van Camp
with designing and building my own interesting solution to a set of problems DIRECTORY EDITOR
Tom Cannon, Jr.
loudspeakers. It might also be fun to fool that bedevil all speaker designers-and ASSISTANT EDITOR/MUSIC
Michael Bieber
around making my own amplifiers or they're prepared to help you put ASSISTANT EDITOR/DIRECTORY
Gerald F. McCarthy
D/A converters or whatever, but speakers the principles to work for yourself. Like
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
seem more approachable-sort of like me, you may not be ready to build a D. B. Keele, Jr., David Lander, Edward M. Long
woodworking for audiophiles. And complete speaker system that you would CONTRIBUTING EDITORS/ARTISTS
Edward Tatnall Canby, David L. Clark, Anthony H. Cordesman,
every once in a while I run into an want anyone else to hear, but I suspect Ted Costa, John Diliberto, Frank Driggs, John Eargle,
Edward I. Foster, D. W. Fostle, John Gatski, Joseph Giovanelli,
application for which no commercially that with a little guidance most of us DaPwanu lJ oMnoieocr,, KJoenn WKe. sPsolesre, sB, Jaoscno Rm. HSa. nKki,n Jgo, hRno Sbuenrti eLro,ng,
Michael Tearson, Jon & Sally Tiven, Michael Wright
available speaker is really well suited. It could cobble together a dandy
V.P./GROUP PUBLISHER
would be nice to have the skill to whip subwoofer. See page 32 for details. Tony Catalano 212/767-6061
together custom speakers for those On a different do-it-yourself note, see V.P./ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Scott Constantine 212/767-6346
oddball installations. page 75 for information on getting a
GENERAL MANAGER Greg Roperti
It would have to be for that sort of copy of the comparison CD mentioned BUSINESS MANAGER Christine Z. Maillet
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Patti Burns
thing, however, and for the pure fun of last issue in "Digital Deliverance." On it PRODUCTION MANAGER Dana L. Rubin
PROMOTION COORDINATOR Dominique A. Leupi
it, since I don't kid myself that I would you'll find a single stereo microphone RESEARCH MANAGER Dru Ann Love
OFFICE MANAGER Aline J. Pulley
wind up with better -sounding speakers feed of a piano performance as rendered OPERATIONS MANAGER Sylvia Correa
AD COORDINATOR Linda Neuweiler
than I could buy off the shelf. I know by a variety of recording systems. Among
ADVERTISING
plenty of people who have spent most of them are an analog recording made on REGIONAL V.R/AD DIRECTOR, EAST COAST
Charles L. P. Watson 212/767-6038
their adult lives designing speakers for a 1 -inch tape deck with custom tube REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
Christine B. Forhez 212/767-6025
a living, who know much more about it electronics, a 20 -bit digital recording ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Penry Price 212/767-6077
MIDWEST ADVERTISING MANAGER
than I could hope to learn, and who still reduced to 16 -bit CD format via several Jerry Stoeckigt 312/923-4804
REGIONAL V.P./AD DIRECTOR, WEST COAST
sweat mightily over every new model. It different methods (including Sony's Bob Meth 213/954-4831
WESTERN MANAGER Paula Mayeri 213/954-4830
may be a lot easier to build a decent Super Bit Mapping and Apogee's NATIONAL RECORD LABEL SALES
MAG Inc. Mitch Herskowitz 212/490-1715
speaker than it used to be, thanks to UV -22), a straight 16 -bit recording, and CLASSIFIED AStDevVeE GRrTosIsSING 281020//449405--16809656
improvements in drivers and ready an HDCD recording. Hear for yourself
availability of reasonably priced, what all the fuss is about!
computerized measurement systems, CHAIRMAN Daniel Filipacchi
PRESIDENT, CEO, AND COO David J. Pecker
but greatness remains as elusive EXEC. V.P. AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Jean-Louis Ginibre
as ever. Speaker design is a labyrinth PRES., HACHETTE FILIPACCHI NEW MEDIA
Paul DeBenedictis
of trade-offs and compromises- SR. V.P./GLOBAL ADV. Paul DuCharme
SR. V.P./DIR., CORP. SALES Nicholas Matarazzo
engineering tempered by artistry. SR. V.P./CFO & TREASURER John T. O'Connor
V.P., GENERAL COUNSEL Catherine Flickinger
On the other hand, that's exactly what V.P., MFG. & DISTRIBUTION Anthony R. Romano
V.P., CIRCULATION David W. Leckey
makes talking to people who do it well so V.P., RESEARCH & MKTG. SERVICES Susan Smollens
V.P., COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS
interesting. What got me started on this Keith Estabrook
V.P., MAGAZINE DEVELOPMENT Marcia Sachar
line of thought was this month's feature V.P., DIR., CREATIVE SERVICES, CORP. SALES
Lynn Chaiken
by Matt Polk about the ins and outs of CREATIVE PRODUCTION DIR., GLOBAL MKTG.
Jean Pierre Labatut
his company's new HVCD subwoofer SR. V.P./CORP. SALES, DETROIT H. E. (Bud) Allen
V.P., FINANCIAL OPERATIONS Margaret Carroll
AUDIO/MAY 1996
4
Discover the incredible sound
#4,076,098.
of patent.
(Co
Announcing the new B&W 600 Series.
B&W was the first company to pioneer the use of Kevlar® resonance and standing waves. Especially in critical mid-
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Now B&W brings Kevlar cone technology to a family We invite you to audition the new B&W 600 Series
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ducing the new B&W 600 Series. to surround sound, even an active subwoofer. For the
Why does Kevlar make such a big difference in sound name of a B&W dealer near you, call 1-800-370-3740.
reproduction? Because of its unique properties, this space- The difference is easy to see. And even easier to hear.
age, woven material virtually eliminates the effects of
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global jazz grooves (CD)
for info: 312.880.5379 fax tel [phone] fax [phone]
<staves®in teraccess.com> Listen and You'll See Kevlar is a registered trademark of Dupont
CIRCLE NO. 20 ON READER SERVICE CARD
LETTERS The belts finally stretched and glazed after
all this time. (I think I got my money's
worth with this deck; this was the first time
it needed repair.)
In my search for new belts, I found a
Ambisonic Boom?
nel surround systems that are designed to great source of replacement parts: MCM
Dear Editor: use a fixed number of speakers (Dolby Sur- Electronics (650 Congress Park Dr., Center-
Many years ago, the famous acoustician round, for example). Since real sources of ville, Ohio 45459-4072; 800/543-4330). The
Wallace C. Sabine noted man's primal need sound are more realistic than phantom company has a very good catalog.
to be enveloped by sound: "Since ancient ones, the more speakers, the better. C. Engebretsen
times, man has been fascinated by the The raison d'être of Ambisonics is 360° Hamilton Square, N.J.
echoes and reverberations of cathedrals and localization: The musicians are heard be-
caves." On this dawn of a new technological fore you, the audience behind, and ambi- Public Address, Addressed
age in surround sound, I applaud Daniel ence and reverberation all about. Indeed, it Dear Editor:
Sweeney's "Multichannel Music Recording: is ironic that although the high -end audio After reading Edward Tatnall Canby's
A View from the Console" (February). De- press rails against digital audio for not en- "Audio ETC" in the November 1995 issue, I
spite the apprehensions Sweeney expressed, coding ultrasonic information that might can offer only the highest accolade for his
I have no doubt that the industry ultimate- fall between 48 -kHz samples, it entirely observations about the sad state of public
ly will endorse discrete digital surround overlooks the fact that two -channel stereo sound systems.
sound: It is technologically feasible, it justi- reproduction itself is a grossly lossy system As a former installer of professional au-
fies more hardware sales, it justifies the because about 80% of the sound field is for- dio and sound -reinforcement systems for
rerelease of the entire classical and film saken. Not only is a performance space Houston's LD Systems, Inc., I am painfully
repertoire, it facilitates a new creative op- faithfully reproduced in Ambisonics, but aware of everything Mr. Canby wrote of,
portunity for producers and sound design- the timbre of the instruments is not com- and more; he was very kind in not stating
ers, and, finally, there is no room for im- promised, as happens in stereo because of just how poor most of these systems sound.
provement in two -channel stereo. Like it or the comb filtering produced by summing On numerous job sites, I was able to audi-
not, surround sound delivers more bang for the direct and reverberant sound fields. tion speakers from such well -respected pro
the buck. All else being equal, four (or Employing a Soundfield microphone manufacturers as Ramsa, Meyer, JBL, East-
more) loudspeakers are better than two. It's and a Nagra-D 20 -bit digital recorder, I ern Acoustic Works, and Turbosound. The
that simple. have been making Ambisonic recordings best among them were merely tolerable,
Despite its invention nearly 20 years ago, for more than two years. While these and the worst sounded downright nasty.
Ambisonics has remained obscure because recordings are not yet commercially avail- In fairness, it should be mentioned that
decoders have not been readily available for able, they have been praised by everyone pro manufacturers have substantially dif-
it. In order to sample a space ambisonically, who has heard them. When more sound en- ferent objectives from those of hi-fi manu-
a specially designed microphone, the Calrec gineers begin to record for multichannel facturers when they're designing speakers.
Soundfield, is usually employed. The sound, Ambisonics, I believe, will be found First and foremost, pro speakers must be re-
Soundfield contains a tetrahedral array of to provide the most convincing and palpa- liable and highly efficient. They must en-
four supercardioid condenser capsules. The ble illusion of "being there." In the mean- dure extremely high power levels for hours
capsules' outputs are added and subtracted time, I welcome all surround sound enthu- on end, often in harsh environments-for
to produce omnidirectional, forward -facing siasts to join an Internet mailserve list instance, an outdoor jazz festival in the bru-
figure -eight, side -facing figure -eight, and called "sursound." You can e-mail me at tal heat and humidity of summer. The pro
upward -facing figure -eight patterns. This [email protected] and I will relay the manufacturer cannot even think about try-
enables both sound -pressure and direction- subscription information. ing to make a speaker sound good until
al information to be sampled at a single Surround sound may not be the real these requirements are met.
point in space. The full 360° horizontal thing, but, believe me, it's close enough to Canby's call for a new standard in public
sound field can then be reproduced by pretend! sound systems (i.e., multiple small speakers
means of no fewer than four loudspeakers
Jeffrey Silberman with delay operating at reduced volume lev-
(preferably identical) positioned in a sym- The Surroundworks els) brought to mind one of the most mem-
metrical layout-e.g., a rectangle, octagon, Mill Valley, Cal. orable and outstanding systems we in-
etc. (The representation of vertical infor- stalled, in the old St. Matthew's Lutheran
mation-i.e., the full spherical sound Nothing Like a Stiff Belt Church in Houston about three years ago.
field-necessitates a similar layout above Dear Editor: The church's gorgeous architecture and its
the listener.) Ambisonic decoders take into In reference to finding replacement parts traditional -minded parishioners precluded
account any number of loudspeakers and ("Letters," January), I recently had to re- the use of the usual speaker cluster hanging
their angular layout. In this respect, Am- place the drive belts in my Philips N4504 high above the stage. The solution was a
bisonics differs from the other multichan- reel-to-reel deck, which I bought in 1978. system exactly like Canby described.
AUDIO/MAY 1996
6
We mounted three small Ramsa speakers
tel Us Enlcrluin You!
under alternating rows of pews, equally
spaced across their entire length. The
speakers were positioned as far rearward
' 5=..y+a1
under the pews as possible, aimed up at the
Aa professional association
pew behind them. Every four rows of pews
of audio/video specialty stores,
(i.e., two rows of speakers) were set on a
PARA sets the standards for
different delay zone, each zone receiving a
high quality retail shopping.
longer delay time than the zone before it.
Member dealers know quality,
About 50 speakers were required to cover
service, and most of all, they
the entire sanctuary, which presented an in-
know music and home theater.
teresting challenge: Buying enough ampli-
fiers to run that many speakers would break
the church's budget! Fortunately, the solu-
tion proved relatively simple. Since the PARA Home Theater Specialists
speakers were only a few feet from the lis-
teners, each speaker required only a few Y PARA stores will take the time to ask about what you already own
and suggest home theater components that will integrate into your
watts to be driven at sufficient volume. We
current system.
connected the outputs of each amp to
Y PARA home entertainment professionals are educated to explain
heavy-duty 70 -volt transformers, and small
the newest technologies in clear, friendly language, helping you get
transformers at each speaker reverted the the best value for your money.
signal and delivered the correct wattage. Al-
Let us help you choose the system that's just right for you.
though this is the same method typically
used in driving multiple ceiling speakers in
office buildings and other commercial ap-
plications, it is usually frowned upon as a CALL 1-800 4 -PARA 94to find thePARAdealer nearest you! Professional AudioVideo Retailers Association
method of delivering high-fidelity sound.
However, since the system was going to be
used primarily for vocals, this proved not to
be a concern, and we were able to drive the
whole system-plus a couple of balcony
speakers-with only five stereo amplifiers.
The finished system was truly astound-
ing. I sat near the rear as a colleague read
from the podium. The sound seemed to
come from everywhere, completely filling
the room. It was exactly like his voice, only
louder. Now that's high fidelity, folks! Fur-
thermore, the volume level was very reason-
able and uniform at any seat in the house.
In essence, every benefit Canby claimed
could be realized by such a system was de-
livered in spades! As he stated, "...with dig-
ital well in hand and multiple channels eas-
It may be small. But the Bose® Acoustic Wave® music system is definitely an
ily available, the many -speaker system is
overachiever. The unit holds a compact disc player (or cassette), AM/FM
not a problem in present engineering
radio, and Bose's patented acoustic waveguide speaker technology. And pro-
terms. Those who haven't tried it, take duces a rich, natural sound quality comparable to audio systems costing thou-
note." Amen. sands of dollars. We know that's hard to believe. So we're ready to prove it.
Call or write now for our complimentary guide to this award -winning system.
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Because, like the system itself, it is only available _OSw
Katy, Tex.
direct from Bose.
Better sound through research
Erratum
Name Telephone
In D. W. Fostle's look at noise shaping Address
("19 Bits in a 16 -Bit Sack," March), Apogee City State Zip
Electronics was incorrectly referred to as Call 1-800-898-BOSE, ext. W380. ODre pmt.aCilD tDo:- WBo3s8e0 C, oFrrpaomriantigohna,m T,h Me MA o0u1n7t0a1in.9,168.
Apogee Sound. Audio regrets the error.
AUDIO/MAY 1996
7
TDK Cassette
As in TDK's original SA -X
WHAT'S NEW
high -bias (Type II) cassette, the
SA -X Limited has a dual -layer
formulation, with an upper
layer tuned for high -frequency
response and a lower layer
optimized for bass; response
ROTEL PREAMPLIFIER
is specified as 20 Hz to
20 kHz. Low noise and high
Unlike most current preamps, Rotel's output give it a dynamic range
RC -995 BX has a phono stage (plus six of 66.5 dB, expandable to
line -level inputs). The phono stage, more than 96 dB with Dolby S
made of discrete components, noise reduction. The cassette's
is switchable for use with MC or MM High Density SP-ARII shell also
cartridges. Other features include a feeds both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA uses dual -layer construction,
remote control and tape monitor facilities. jacks. Price: $899.90. to combat shell resonances
The high -current, low -impedance output stage For literature, circle No. 106 and vibration and to keep
modulation noise low.
Prices: 90 -minute, $5;
100 -minute, $5.50.
Using Naim's SFX 20 -bit digital signal For literature,
processing, the AV1 delivers phase -modified, circle No. 108
delayed signals for surround speakers. Like
many audiophile components, the AV1 has
separare volume controls for each channel.
Specifications include an A -weighted
S/N ratio of 96 dB, a THD + N level
of -88 dB, and a frequency range from
5 Hz to 22 kHz. Price: $3,300.
For literature, circle No. 107
Sm'Art
Designs MIIS MLi. LLB Lt.tL `L LiL ll s/"111 _ ___
CD Rack A new approach to an all -in -one while doubling as a stand for
home theater system, Mission's a TV and two other video components.
M -time incorporates two subwoofers, The Dolby Pro Logic decoder enables
Because polycarbonate,
a center -channel speaker, and you to balance channels automatically,
the plastic used in CD jewel complete home theater electronics using a supplied microphone.
boxes, transmits light, The amplifier section has
inputs for up to three stereo
Sm'Art Designs
A/V sources and one
incorporated colored filters audio -only source. (There's
over fluorescent bulbs in also a built-in AM/FM tuner
with 29 presets.) Separate audio
its unusual Ne-onn Display
signals can be distributed to two
Rax. Each unit is 10 inches zones; an infrared local remote
wide and 54 inches tall and an RF second -zone remote
are supplied. The nine channels
and holds 50 CDs; a
of amplification comprise two
double -sided, 100 -disc model 60 -watt subwoofer amps;
is available. The Ne-onn 100 watts each for the left, center,
and right front channels; and
is offered in black- or
40 watts per channel for the
white -painted metal or in two surround speakers and
maple, pine, or cherry wood for zone 2. Two communication
ports on the back panel allow
finish. Prices: single unit,
computerized testing at
$169.99 in metal, $299.99 the factory and will accept
in wood; double unit, $199.99 processors for Dolby AC -3 or
other discrete digital surround
in metal, $359.99 in wood.
systems. Price: $3,995.
For literature, circle No. 105 For literature, circle No. 109
AUDIO/MAY 1996
8