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Music & anti-music
Editor: I was very pleased to read John Atkinson's comments on hi-fi and anti-hi-fi recordings in December's "As We See It." But many people with better hi-fi systems, or even so-called "audiophiles," are not always able to distinguish between musical and anti-musical recordings.

For example, a friend of mine with a decent system recently recommended Sting's new Brand New Day CD as a rather good recording. Listen to it, however, and after a few minutes you notice that the recording is…

I can still remember the "level wars" of the late '60s and early '70s, when every producer wanted his record mastered louder than the other guy. But now...every pop CD is "slammed" 'til the little LEDs don't move, from the downbeat to the fade. When you run the D/A outputs through a +4dBm system, you have to…

It was a revelation. Each time I popped in a familiar disc, I hoped to catch the UDP-1 out in some characteristic that would negatively distinguish it from what I've heard in the past. No such luck. The McCormack sounded as clean, balanced, and dynamic as all get-out. Violinist Andrew Manze's disc of Vivaldi…

Description: Universal multichannel disc player. Formats played: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, VCD, SVCD, MP3, MPEG. Decoders: Dolby Digital, DTS, MP3. S/PDIF digital outputs: TosLink, RCA. Analog audio outputs: 5.1- & 2-channel RCA jacks. Video outputs: Progressive or interlaced component (RCA), S-video, composite (RCA). Audio output: 2.0V RMS, all outputs. THD: 0.05%. Signal/noise ratio: 100dB, A-weighted. Frequency range: 4Hz–44kHz (DVD, Fs = 96kHz), 3Hz–88kHz (DVD Fs = 192kHz).
Dimensions: 19" (487mm) W by 3.5" (…

Two-Channel System).
Digital sources: Sony SCD-XA9000ES SACD/CD player, Theta Gen.VIII DAC.
Preamplifier: Sonic Frontiers Line-3.
Power amplifiers: Sonic Frontiers Power-3, Classé Omicron monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDVX. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Cheetah DBS, JPS Super-Conductor 2. Speaker: AudioQuest Mont Blanc DBS biwire. AC: JPS Aluminata.

Multichannel System).
Digital sources: Sony SCD-XA777ES SACD/CD player, Denon DV-5900 universal player.
Preamplifier: McCormack MAP-…

I looked only at the main left and right outputs. To my surprise, the McCormack offered a lower maximum output level from SACD than it did from CD or DVD-Audio: 1.99V vs 2.35V. This is a difference of almost 1.5dB, which, if not compensated for, will mess up any direct comparisons of SACD and DVD. In addition, the UDP-1's output inverts signal polarity, which will be a confusing factor in comparisons with other players. McCormack doesn't specify the output impedance; I measured 319 ohms across most of the audioband, this rising to 500 ohms at 20Hz. As long as the…

I was stunned when John Atkinson's measurements of the McCormack UDP-1 universal disc player showed that its digital playback of DVD-Audio and SACD discs was not significantly better than its playback of "Red Book" CDs. In fact, JA told me, the UDP-1's digital performance was not substantially different from that of a $150 Pioneer DV-578A-S universal player he'd bought for reference. But I'd been charmed by the UDP-1's sound, which I'd ascribed to the improved power supply for the audio stages and to McCormack's…

The phone call shocked me—a brickwall SFP (Scull French-Pass) filter usually restricts the flow of such products from moving beyond Jonathan Scull's JMlab-guarded gates. But here was Stereophile's senior editor making me the offer.

"YBA pig about it?" he acknowledged. "Franc-ly, I'd never have assigned it to you, but I've got some bigger fish to French fry this month."

De Gaulle of da guy!

A few weeks later, after clearing customs, two large, battered cardboard containers arrived looking like whatever…