Panasonic Prism LX-1000 CD/LD player Page 2

Since the surround-sound setup currently in use with my video system is the modest (but nonetheless surprisingly effective) Atlantic Technologies Pattern system, I also played a few selected videodiscs—sound only, of course—over the audio system specified above, which was to be used in evaluating the LX-1000 as a CD player and transport. My preference for the analog tracks remained.

I should add, however, that the digital soundtrack on videodiscs will almost invariably have a greater low-end extension below about 35Hz (most analog tracks have little below 40Hz), and neither playback system used here—the Pattern especially—will really rattle the rafters much below that frequency. The digital tracks were also generally quieter, though this was almost never a significant advantage in actual use. I noted a rare tendency for brief, intermittent burbling sounds from the analog track of some discs, but this didn't happen often enough to be disturbing or to make me want to switch over to the digital track.

On to the feature attraction: How does the Prism stack up as a CD player? Anyone expecting from the Prism CD sound quality that sounds like an afterthought will be surprised. If the sound falls short of the state of the art in CD playback (it does), it still wouldn't be out of place in a high-end system. I've begun to expect certain sound qualities—positive and negative—from so-called 1-bit players, and I was not surprised by the Prism's sonic signature. It was easy to listen to, not offensive in any way, with a good sense of depth and three-dimensionality. The low end was deep and extended, the midrange slightly forward with believable sonic weight and timbre, and the high end reasonably detailed but just slightly soft and lacking the ultimate in inner definition and focus.

This last may be said, in fact, about its reproduction of much of the audible spectrum—there was a certain "lazy" quality to the presentation. Martin Colloms has referred in many of his reviews to "pace" and "rhythm" and I have little doubt—though I find the pace-rhythm metaphor too easily misinterpreted—that we are talking about the same thing here: in this case, a reduction of these qualities.

But while I've been disappointed in a number of 1-bit players for displaying this same characteristic, I found the Prism LX-1000 to have other qualities which more than compensated. Without direct comparison with a "faster"-sounding player, Clark Terry's Live at the Village Gate (Chesky JD49) sounded lively and open through the Prism, not obviously softened in any way. The reproduction of depth in this live recording was impressive. As it was on The Pugh Taylor Project (DMP CD-448), a quirky but stunningly recorded jazz recording, which also had fine clarity and a sharp attack—all without any hardness or harshness. Both of these recordings are inherently immediate, punchy, and sharply defined; if the Prism was subtracting any dynamics or punch, it was not at all obvious on either of them.

Further listening on a wide variety of recordings did, however, indicate a certain softness in the Prism's sound. The transient attacks on Jennifer Warnes's Famous Blue Raincoat (A&M YD 0100/DX3182) seemed subtly slowed—the sock of the kickdrum leading off "Bird on a Wire" and the tinkle of the bell-like sounds at the start of "Joan of Arc" lost, respectively, a bit of their leading-edge impact and sparkle. The same was also evident on Jay Leonhart's double bass on Salamander Pie (DMP CD-442).

But this same recording also demonstrated the Prism's finely balanced vocal reproduction. In fact, the Prism's midrange reproduction in general was liquid and palpable, with a believable sense of three-dimensionality and well-rendered vocal and instrumental timbres.

Though the Prism's low end definitely leaned to the soft and expansive rather than the fast and tight, it was nevertheless convincing and well extended. My notes on listening to well-recorded organ recordings noted "big instrument, big space," and while I commented that the Audio Research DAC1-18 (to which the Prism was briefly compared) bettered the Panasonic player in air, depth, and tautness, the Prism had more potent low-end extension.

When it came time for more detailed comparisons, I chose to face the Prism off against both the new California Audio Laboratories System 1 processor (using the latter's multi-bit Indus plug-in module) driven by the CAL Genesis CD player (used as a transport with CAL's Toslink fiber optic cable), and JVC's XL-Z1050TN. The former was chosen both for its multi-bit design and to see how the Prism player compares with a more expensive, dedicated high-end processor, the JVC because it was recently highly rated in CG's review of five modestly priced designs (Vol.15 No.2). The JVC is considerably less expensive than the Prism, but since the latter also includes extensive video capabilities, it seemed reasonable to expect that its natural competition in a CD-only player might be inherently less expensive. By "sandwiching" these two comparisons, I hoped that additional information about the "real" Prism would emerge.

Squaring the Prism off against the CAL did not overly flatter the less expensive Panasonic. Listening first to the Prism playing the Kronos Quartet's In Formation (Reference Recordings RR9CD) produced a tight, defined sound from this sharply focused Keith Johnson recording. Attacks were crisp, the overall balance convincingly real. Nothing was obviously out of place, with the possible exception of a trace of hardness to the percussion punctuating band 6, "Joan's Blue." Moving to the CAL System 1, however, was a distinct step up. Percussion was more dynamic, more detailed, and yet at the same time sweeter. There was a greater sense of air surrounding the individual instruments. While I had not been particularly troubled by any "slowness" in the sound of the Prism, the CAL clearly sounded "faster." Background hiss (likely originating from the analog master tape) was more apparent with the CAL, though not intrusive. The Prism appeared to be clearly less "driven," softer, less detailed and transparent; in short, it seemed to be retrieving somewhat less information. These impressions held up on other material. Danse Royale by Ensemble Alcatraz (Elektra Nonesuch 79240-2), an early-music compilation, was more open, spacious, and defined through the CAL combination. In comparison, the Prism just did not quite come to life.

Yet the Panasonic held its own within these limitations. It remained unflappable, not in any way out of place in this rather high-end system. Still, were it only a CD player, I would have to rate it very good but overpriced. The ability to play back videodiscs (and play them back superbly well) is not a throw-in feature; it does cost something.

In the second comparison, the Prism, in my judgment, ultimately bettered the JVC as a CD player, but neither dramatically nor consistently. Listening to the JVC first, my initial reaction was that it was a good player which, much as had the Prism, quite clearly shared many of the strengths and weaknesses I have begun to attribute to many 1-bit machines: clean and slightly soft, and no spit or sizzle in evidence, but missing a degree of focus and inner detail (not an insignificant loss, but not carried to an alarming degree either). There was, at the same time, a small degree of dryness to the top end which added enough crispness to the sound to keep the reduction of inner detail from becoming too obvious, and a slightly lean quality to the low end which also enhanced its subjective definition.

The latter was very apparent on Michael Murray's organ work in Franck's Fantaisie in A (Telarc CD-80096). The JVC came out on top in its reproduction of inner clarity here, but the Prism was the clear winner in low-end extension and weight. And though the latter was subjectively softer in sound than the JVC, it produced a more convincing sense of air and space.

While the JVC did produce the tighter, punchier sound—on Famous Blue Raincoat, for example, it did a better job in conveying the urgency and forward drive of the music—the Prism's superior sonic weight better reproduced the overall majesty of symphonic recordings. On Nordholm's Symphonic Fantasy and Symphony 5 (Kontrapunct 32005) the Panasonic provided the greater sense of depth (both LF and spatial) and power. Although the JVC sounded tighter overall, and more obviously detailed, the Prism won out in the reproduction of timbre; woodwinds, in particular, were just a bit too lean and lacking in liquidity through the JVC. The same, ultimately, proved true of voices.

The Prism won out here by virtue of its more fluid sound, but the JVC was by no means a poor second. The reference system used in the auditioning leans to coolness; through a system with a richer, warmer inherent sound, the JVC might well have edged out the Panasonic. And with the price difference figured into the balance, I would not choose the Prism on the basis of its CD performance alone. Your need (or lack of same) for its video features should be the deciding factor here.

And what about the Prism as a transport, using its digital output to drive an external processor? Recall that the LX-1000 is equipped only with a Toslink optical digital output. Using this for the digital feed, I drove the CAL System 1 processor (with the same Indus multi-bit plug-in module referred to previously). The digital link was CAL's own optical cable. For comparison, I again used the CAL Genesis CD player as a transport.

The Prism went about its job in a very respectable fashion, but in no way demonstrated any particular qualities which would add fuel to the fire indicating any sort of generic superiority of laserdisc players when used as CD transports. The Genesis outscored it in most respects, sounding cleaner, more liquid, less grainy. At first it appeared that the Prism-as-transport was retrieving more detail, but it soon became apparent that a slight added brightness from the Prism was the cause; the Genesis-as-transport was more fluid, less obvious, and more convincingly right. But the differences were in no way dramatic, leading me to speculate that the inherent quality of the digital output circuits may have been as much the deciding factor here as the transports themselves.

I should also mention one other aspect of the Prism's performance when used to play CDs, either as a stand-alone player or as a transport. It is comparable in mechanical operating noise to a good CD-only player. Some laserdisc players (particularly early models) were barely marginal in this respect. This is not a concern with the Prism.

Despite the above observations, the Prism definitely worked well as a transport. But I would not purchase it only to perform that duty.

One other matter should be addressed here as well: access time. When RH reviewed the Theta Data, he commented on how slow the startup and access time was on that machine, compared with a "real" CD player. The same is not true of the Prism, at least not to the same degree. It took about eight to nine seconds, beginning with an open, loaded drawer, for a CD to begin play in the Panasonic. The same test with two typical CD players resulted in startup times only two to four seconds faster. And the Prism skipped from track to track fairly rapidly—two or three seconds. While a bit slower than a dedicated CD player, its access speed is neither a serious drawback nor an annoyance.

Conclusions
The Prism, as a CD player, is sonically competitive with other good-quality 1-bit machines, but it sells for several hundred dollars more than most of them. The difference in price buys you an undeniably first-rate (with the caveats noted) videodisc player. Its CD playback certainly competes strongly with the players listed in Class C of Stereophile's "Recommended Components." It is rather expensive for this class, so I would hesitate to recommend it as a CD player or transport alone. But there's more involved here, and if you need a good CD player and a superb videodisc player in one package, the Prism is not likely to disappoint.

COMPANY INFO
Panasonic
One Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
(201) 348-7000
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