On Hank Mobley's Soul Station (CD, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0001), instead of a two-horn frontline, there'…
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The new XRCD24 Blue Note reissues are probably the best versions of Rudy Van Gelder's master tapes I have heard—at least, they were through the BAT VK-55SE. Joe Harley and remastering engineer Alan Yoshida have done a superb job of eliminating that hard-left, hard-right, hole-in-the-middle soundstage that plagued the originals—and the crisp overtones of Al Harewood's cymbals and the deep bottom of George Tucker's bass emerge from their former murk with startling body and presence.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed, two-channel power amplifier. Tube complement: two 6H30, two 6SN7, two 6922, four 6C33. Maximum output power: 55Wpc into 8 ohms (17.4dBW). Frequency range: 8Hz–200kHz. Nominal voltage gain: 25dB into 8 ohms. Input impedance: 215k ohms.
Dimensions: 17" (435mm) W by 8" (205mm) H by 16" (410mm) D. Weight: 50 lbs (22.7kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 05504233.
Price: $5995. Approximate number of dealers: 46.
Manufacturer: Balanced Audio Technology Inc., 1300 First State Blvd., Suite A, Wilmington, DE 19804. Tel: (302) 999-8855. Fax…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Ayre Acoustics QB-9, Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 USB-S/PDIF converter, Bel Canto e.One DAC3 D/A converters; Apple Mac mini laptop computer with 2.52GHz Dual Core processor, 4GB RAM, Infrant Technologies NAS hard drive.
Preamplifiers: Aesthetix Calypso, Ayre K-1xe.
Power Amplifiers: Aesthetix Atlas, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Loudspeakers: Klipsch Palladium P-39F, Thiel CS3.7, Vienna Acoustics Klimt The Kiss.
Cables: USB: EntreQ Discover. Interconnect: Shunyata Research Cirrus-IC,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To perform the measurements on the Balanced Audio Technology VK-55SE, I mostly used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.
The VK-55SE has four output terminals for each channel, various pairs of which can be used to provide a feed from three different output-transformer taps: these are labeled "High (6–8 ohms)," "Med (4–6 ohms)," and "Low (3–4 ohms)." I performed a complete set of…
Not too many years ago, high-fidelity movement was being hailed from all quarters (and many halves) as a revolution. In the sense that it took the country storm, and made billions of dollars for many entrepreneurs during heyday, it was indeed a revolution. But now the public has grown tired of high fidelity and is turning other electronic diversions—video, video games, and computering. And what, as of this summer of 1982, do we have to show for the high-fidelity revolution?
What we have to show in 1982 is:
TV news broadcasts where roughly a third of the film clips sound as if…
A letter in response appeared in Vol.5 No.7:
The NonRevolution
Editor: It was with interest—and moderate sympathy—that I read the editorial, "The Revolution That Never Was," in your Vol.5 No.4. Particularly intriguing was the figure of 273% for distortion. A little research revealed that —273 degrees Celsius is the (rounded) figure for Absolute Zero. Perhaps, then, 273% is the figure for absolute distortion. Maybe it could be the name for a new magazine.
I was less sympathetic to your criticism regarding the listening public. A quarter-century of a wide variety of…
The Incredible String Band
Hannibal HNCD 4437 (CD only). TT: 45:15
The 5000 Spirits or The Layers of the Onion
Hannibal HNCD 4438 (CD only). TT: 50:06
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Hannibal HNCD 4421 (CD only). TT: 50:12
Wee Tam & the Big Huge
Hannibal HNCD 4802 (2 CDs only). TT: 87:49
Changing Horses
Hannibal HNCD 4439 (CD only). TT: 50:24
I Looked Up
Hannibal HNCD 4440 (CD only). TT: 41:30
All above: Joe Boyd, prod.; John Wood, eng. AAD.
Hannibal HNCD 4437 (CD only). TT: 45:15
The 5000 Spirits or The Layers of the Onion
Hannibal HNCD 4438 (CD only). TT: 50:06
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Hannibal HNCD 4421 (CD only). TT: 50:12
Wee Tam & the Big Huge
Hannibal HNCD 4802 (2 CDs only). TT: 87:49
Changing Horses
Hannibal HNCD 4439 (CD only). TT: 50:24
I Looked Up
Hannibal HNCD 4440 (CD only). TT: 41:30
All above: Joe Boyd, prod.; John Wood, eng. AAD.
This ultimate hippie band was perhaps the most lyrically sophisticated and musically daring…
There's a fantastic new two-SACD/CD set of a demonstration-quality live recording of a rather obscure work you really should get to know, not only for its own merits, but also for what I believe is its underappreciated but major influence on music and on popular culture. The piece is by 20th-century composer Arnold Schoenberg, but trust me—it's more than "listenable." It (or, at least, the music on the first disc) is beyond engaging; it is compelling—a revelation, even. The work is Gurrelieder (Songs of Gurre), Gurre being a castle in medieval Denmark that was the setting of a real-life…
My contention is that Gurrelieder provided the DNA for the sound-world of a major portion of the movie soundtracks (and a lot of the TV soundtracks) we grew up with, up to and including the original TV series Star Trek and Star Wars. The means of transmission could have been Erich Korngold and all the other composers who later turned to film, who came here from Austria and Germany either for career advancement or to flee persecution. The fully orchestrated version of Gurrelieder was premiered in Vienna in 1913. Korngold, a child prodigy who had already had an opera performed before Emperor…
I won't go on at length about the SCM 40's sound. The family resemblance to the SCM 11 was strong: it sounded like an excellent monitor speaker (which the SCM 11 is), except with more bass—and, for the price, unusually well-controlled, well-extended bass. I gather that some people hold to a stereotype that ATC speakers are for rock'n'rollers, by which I assume they mean large-scale dynamics, but also slammy bass and etched treble. Well, you can't prove that by me. Indeed, my sister-in-law listened to some Jane Monheit on the SCM 40s, then turned to me and said, "These speakers just sound '…