Historical

No-Holts-Barred: 25 Years of Stereophile

Edward T. Dell, Jr.  |  Jan 17, 1987

Editor's Introduction: 1987 sees Stereophile celebrating its 25th anniversary of continuous—if occasionally sporadic—publication. For an ostensibly "underground" publication to have survived so long is a tribute to the skills and enthusiasm of the magazine's founder and Editor, J. Gordon Holt. I thought it fitting, therefore, to ask a contemporary of Gordon's, Ed Dell (footnote 1), himself a respected publisher and editor, to pen an appreciation of the man who defined the world of subjective reviewing.—John Atkinson
Sat, 01/17/1987

Historical

Audio: The View From Outside Page 3

I have a confession to make: I play contrabassoon . . . for a living. Now to many this may not seem like such a sin, but within the musical community my instrument is viewed with about as much regard as the common garden slug. This perception is not completely unjustified; often being relegated to roles depicting monsters and evil, along with the occasional digestive grunt, helps perpetuate the general disdain for the contra. However, playing the lowest (non-keyboard) instrument in the symphony orchestra gives me a somewhat different perspective on things, not unlike that of a dwarf in a crowded elevator: a view from the bottom up. It's amazing just how much pitch and harmonic coloration there is down in the subbasement. And shoring up the foundation of the wind section, as well as being the true bottom of the orchestral sonority, can be very satisfying. Although playing an instrument with a limited repertoire can sometimes be disconcerting, it also has its advantages. During rehearsals, if I'm not required for a certain work, I can go out into the house for my own private concert, or stay put in the orchestra and get a sonic thrill that makes the IRS and WAMM systems sound like tin cans.
Sat, 11/29/1986

Historical

Audio: The View From Outside Page 2

I have a confession to make: I play contrabassoon . . . for a living. Now to many this may not seem like such a sin, but within the musical community my instrument is viewed with about as much regard as the common garden slug. This perception is not completely unjustified; often being relegated to roles depicting monsters and evil, along with the occasional digestive grunt, helps perpetuate the general disdain for the contra. However, playing the lowest (non-keyboard) instrument in the symphony orchestra gives me a somewhat different perspective on things, not unlike that of a dwarf in a crowded elevator: a view from the bottom up. It's amazing just how much pitch and harmonic coloration there is down in the subbasement. And shoring up the foundation of the wind section, as well as being the true bottom of the orchestral sonority, can be very satisfying. Although playing an instrument with a limited repertoire can sometimes be disconcerting, it also has its advantages. During rehearsals, if I'm not required for a certain work, I can go out into the house for my own private concert, or stay put in the orchestra and get a sonic thrill that makes the IRS and WAMM systems sound like tin cans.
Sat, 11/29/1986

Historical

Audio: The View From Outside

Lewis Lipnick  |  Nov 29, 1986

I have a confession to make: I play contrabassoon . . . for a living. Now to many this may not seem like such a sin, but within the musical community my instrument is viewed with about as much regard as the common garden slug. This perception is not completely unjustified; often being relegated to roles depicting monsters and evil, along with the occasional digestive grunt, helps perpetuate the general disdain for the contra. However, playing the lowest (non-keyboard) instrument in the symphony orchestra gives me a somewhat different perspective on things, not unlike that of a dwarf in a crowded elevator: a view from the bottom up. It's amazing just how much pitch and harmonic coloration there is down in the subbasement. And shoring up the foundation of the wind section, as well as being the true bottom of the orchestral sonority, can be very satisfying. Although playing an instrument with a limited repertoire can sometimes be disconcerting, it also has its advantages. During rehearsals, if I'm not required for a certain work, I can go out into the house for my own private concert, or stay put in the orchestra and get a sonic thrill that makes the IRS and WAMM systems sound like tin cans.
Sat, 11/29/1986

Reference

The Question of Bass / Bass Instruments & Frequencies Page 3

The Question of Bass: J. Gordon Holt
A few issues back, in Vol.9 No.3, I used "As We See It" to clarify what Stereophile writers have in mind when they use the term "transparency" in equipment reports. This time, I'll do the same thing for the performance parameters of bass reproduction.
Tue, 11/25/1986

Reference

The Question of Bass / Bass Instruments & Frequencies Page 2

The Question of Bass: J. Gordon Holt
A few issues back, in Vol.9 No.3, I used "As We See It" to clarify what Stereophile writers have in mind when they use the term "transparency" in equipment reports. This time, I'll do the same thing for the performance parameters of bass reproduction.
Tue, 11/25/1986

Reference

The Question of Bass / Bass Instruments & Frequencies

John Atkinson, J. Gordon Holt  |  Nov 25, 1986

The Question of Bass: J. Gordon Holt
A few issues back, in Vol.9 No.3, I used "As We See It" to clarify what Stereophile writers have in mind when they use the term "transparency" in equipment reports. This time, I'll do the same thing for the performance parameters of bass reproduction.
Tue, 11/25/1986

Reference

Zen & The Art of D/A Conversion Page 3

It has become accepted lore in audiophile circles that the 44.1kHz sampling rate adopted for Compact Disc is too low. Some writers have argued that, as a 20kHz sinewave will only be sampled about twice per cycle, it will not be reconstructed accurately, if at all.
Thu, 09/25/1986

COMMENTS
hollowman's picture
Submitted by hollowman on April 6, 2015 - 3:48am

(Correct me as necessary...)

The "low-pass filter" in JA's above discussion is not the "oversampling digital filter" (which is, in all reality, optional) nor is it the SAME as the output low-pass filter (e.g., analog, multi-pole).

Rather, the "low-pass filter" in JA's above discussion, is a mathematical (on-paper, or theoretical) concept of digital-to-analog RECONSTRUCTION.

To put it plainly, if all you had was a bare-bones DAC chip (take one of the first-generation CD players with a chip like Philips TDA1540) -- so, no oversampling -- the above discussion of "low-pass filter", and (sin x)/x curve and impulse response would STILL apply.

I think the confusion comes from the rather liberal way the term "reconstruction filter" is used. I.e., sometimes used as an alternate to oversampling (e.g, 4x, or 8x) ... as well as the textbook terminology (as JA notes above), or here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_filter

(Wiki seems to suggest that the RF can ALSO be the output analog filter, e.g., brick-wall, multi-pole, etc. AFTER the DAC chip)

Again I might stand well corrected!!

Pages

Reference

Zen & The Art of D/A Conversion Page 2

It has become accepted lore in audiophile circles that the 44.1kHz sampling rate adopted for Compact Disc is too low. Some writers have argued that, as a 20kHz sinewave will only be sampled about twice per cycle, it will not be reconstructed accurately, if at all.
Thu, 09/25/1986

COMMENTS
hollowman's picture
Submitted by hollowman on April 6, 2015 - 3:48am

(Correct me as necessary...)

The "low-pass filter" in JA's above discussion is not the "oversampling digital filter" (which is, in all reality, optional) nor is it the SAME as the output low-pass filter (e.g., analog, multi-pole).

Rather, the "low-pass filter" in JA's above discussion, is a mathematical (on-paper, or theoretical) concept of digital-to-analog RECONSTRUCTION.

To put it plainly, if all you had was a bare-bones DAC chip (take one of the first-generation CD players with a chip like Philips TDA1540) -- so, no oversampling -- the above discussion of "low-pass filter", and (sin x)/x curve and impulse response would STILL apply.

I think the confusion comes from the rather liberal way the term "reconstruction filter" is used. I.e., sometimes used as an alternate to oversampling (e.g, 4x, or 8x) ... as well as the textbook terminology (as JA notes above), or here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_filter

(Wiki seems to suggest that the RF can ALSO be the output analog filter, e.g., brick-wall, multi-pole, etc. AFTER the DAC chip)

Again I might stand well corrected!!

Pages

Reference

Zen & The Art of D/A Conversion

John Atkinson  |  Sep 25, 1986

It has become accepted lore in audiophile circles that the 44.1kHz sampling rate adopted for Compact Disc is too low. Some writers have argued that, as a 20kHz sinewave will only be sampled about twice per cycle, it will not be reconstructed accurately, if at all.
Thu, 09/25/1986

Pages

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