Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Artis Baltic II "eyeball" had a high estimated voltage sensitivity of 90.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. Its impedance (fig.1) dropped to or below 4 ohms in the lower midrange and mid-treble but was otherwise quite high. The speaker should not, therefore, be difficult to drive, though its use of a series capacitor to roll off the lows below 80Hz results in a combination of 6.7 ohms magnitude and –45° electrical phase angle at 73Hz, which might tax underpowered amplifiers.
Fig.1 Cabasse Artis Baltic II, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/…
If there is one thing I've learned in almost 28 years (ouch) of audio writing, it's that audience reaction is fickle. Sometimes readers will swallow the most contentious pronouncements without indigestion, only to choke on throwaway lines you've invested with little importance. It just goes to confirm that human communication involves senders and receivers, and they aren't always in synchrony.
I was pretty certain, though, when I'd dotted the last i and crossed the last t of a piece for Hi-Fi News last October (published in the February 2005 issue), that it would elicit howls of protest…
If the signal appears not to be random, then a good way to visualize its underlying structure is to plot a graph of the autocorrelation coefficient vs time lag, as illustrated in fig.3. The first graph (a) shows the autocorrelation vs lag graph for pseudo-random noise. As with any signal, the autocorrelation coefficient is 1 at lag zero because the signal is exactly aligned with itself. At lags of 1 sample and greater, the coefficient falls to within a narrow band around zero, confirming that the signal is unstructured; ie, random. Compare this with the second graph (b), which shows the…
In cases where microphones are placed close to instruments and exposed to high SPLs, the problem of mike self-noise is significantly reduced. But in situations where mikes are placed well back from the performers, a reduction of mike self-noise might elicit sound-quality dividends. This isn't a subject I've looked into in any depth, but an array of microphone capsules might, with suitable post-processing of their signals, provide a workable solution, in the same way that paralleled transistors can be used in the input stage of a moving-coil preamp to reduce its noise level. Ten paralleled…
When I first heard about "Records To Die For," I had to laugh. "Desert Island Discs," maybe, but Records To Die For? Laying down your life for a record? World-class hyperbole. Throw yourself on a sword for a glob of petrochemicals? Not me. If your house was burning down, would you a) grab your child, b) grab your photos and other irreplaceable items (cats, loved ones, etc.), or c) grab your records? Gee, now that one made me think. In fact, the more I pondered, the closer these once-amusing examples came to my own life and its lamprey-like obsessions. When I moved to Santa Fe, for example…
Larry Archibald
LIKE AS A HART: Psalms & Spiritual Songs
Joseph Flummerfelt, Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Chesky CD138 (CD only). 1996. David Chesky, prod.; Norman Chesky, exec. prod.; Bob Katz, eng. DDD. TT: 75:01 I'm not generally one to recommend records from audiophile labels. To some extent that's because audiophile releases get a lot of attention in these pages without my contributions---but it's also because most audiophile CDs fail to capture my interest. I wouldn't go so far as JGH---"the better the recording, the worse the performance"---but I just…
Robert Baird
PROFESSOR LONGHAIR: Crawfish Fiesta
Alligator ALCD 4718 (CD only). 1980. Bruce Iglauer, Andy Kaslow, Allison Kaslow, Mac Rebennack, prods.; Freddie Breitberg, Skip Goodwin, engs. ???. TT: 42:35
Released on the day before his death in 1980, this disc is as close as anyone ever got to capturing Fess's live energy on tape. Everything clicked for this swan song: His voice was never better, his playing was sharp and imaginative, quick tempos and strict arrangements kept the sessions from dragging, the band was tight (with Dr. John on guitar, and a horn section of two…
Lonnie Brownell
THE SILOS: The Silos
RCA 2051-1-R (LP), 2051-2 (CD only). 1990. Peter Moore, Bob Rupe, and Walter-Salas Humara, prods.; Peter Moore and Peter Yianilos, eng. ???. TT: 41:01
I've had discussions with other serious listeners as to whether or not this is an "audiophile" album. If you see that genre as being populated by recordings of somewhat dubious musical content, but with flashy, impressive, and only occasionally really real-sounding voices and instruments, then you probably won't classify this as an audiophile album. However, if a record that sounds like a live…
Robert Deutsch
RAGTIME: The Musical
Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. 1996 Toronto Cast. Ted Sperling, cond.
RCA Victor 68629-2 (CD only). 1996. Jay David Saks, prod.; James P. Nichols, eng. DDD. TT: 62:07 In my full review of Ragtime, I called it my personal Recording of the Year, so I'd be less than consistent if I didn't also choose it as one of this year's R2D4s. The fact is, I still find Ragtime an exciting and at times profoundly moving work. Despite having listened to the CD at least a dozen times, I'm apt to find tears coming to my eyes during the reprise…
Michael Fremer
ANN ARBOR BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL 1972
Atlantic SD 2-502 (2 LPs only). 1972. Michael Cuscuna, Tunc Erim, prods.; Jimmy Douglass, prod., eng.; George Piros, mastering. AAA. TT: ca 84:00
Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Dr. John, Junior Walker, Bonnie Raitt (with and without) Sippie Wallace, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Luther Allison, Johnny Shines, Otis Rush, and Sun Ra & His Solar-Myth Arkestra---all recorded live outdoors by Jimmy Douglass and mastered by George Piros. Reissued on Seedee? I don't know. If it has been, get…
