Early last year, a shop here in Maine…
search
Conventional wisdom has it that you should listen to an audio component, preferably in your own system, before you decide to buy it. But who, these days, has the opportunity to do this consistently? Even an audition in the store isn't guaranteed; I have to drive two hours to get to the nearest dealer with decent customer service and a good inventory of interesting gear. And though he generally stocks a fairly wide range of components, like any dealer, he carries only a small sample of all the hi-fi gear that's currently, in principle, available.
To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.—Sir Isaac Newton, 1687
Just as applicable to business as it is to physics, Newton's Law of Motion goes a long way toward explaining the audio industry's ongoing slump. Consumers aren't slapping down their credit cards for new audio gear because they're going crazy for video. For the year ended last September 30, more than 2.4 million high-definition television sets of all kinds (rear-projection, CRT, LCD, plasma) were sold in the US—50% more than in the previous year, according to figures published in November by the research firm…
DELBERT McCLINTON: One of the Fortunate Few
Rising Tide RTD-53042 (CD). 1997. Gary Nicholson, Emory Gordy, Jr., Delbert McClinton, prods.; Russ Martin, Marc Frigo, engs. AAD? TT: 38:12
Performance ****
Sonics ****½
Rising Tide RTD-53042 (CD). 1997. Gary Nicholson, Emory Gordy, Jr., Delbert McClinton, prods.; Russ Martin, Marc Frigo, engs. AAD? TT: 38:12
Performance ****
Sonics ****½
The titles of Delbert McClinton's records are usually an accurate gauge of his mood, or at least how his career is going. Back in 1973 he was Subject to Change. Two years later he was a Victim of Life's Circumstances, in 1978 he got his Second Wind, and in 1979 he was a Keeper of the Flame. By 1992, ol' Delbert had Never Been Rocked Enough. And now, after a four-…
John Atkinson flapped his bushy eyebrows at me and smiled slyly. "Hey, J-10, why don't you do the Sony SCD-C333ES SACD carousel player for April?" Usually, when JA gets that look on his face, I seek shelter. The phone bripped suddenly in my office, but I knew it was too late. "Oooo-kay..." I smiled back, thinking of Stereophile's recent covers and the hubbub, bub, thick as it comes, that they'd produced. (See "Letters" in the February and March issues.)
As it happens, the Sony SCD-C333ES isn't this month's cover story—that honor goes to Chip Stern's take on Philips' multichannel…
I balanced the player as carefully as I do the Accuphase DP-100 transport—so that it was perfectly level atop the Bright Star Air Mass and sand-filled Big Rock combo. Why bother? Well, there's little doubt in my mind that, when contemplating the tuning/decoupling game, paying the most attention to the front-end, be it vinyl or a CD/SACD transport/player, yields the most immediate results. As sonic improvements are generally more easily discernible on the front-end, it may shock even the most jaded objectivist to keep on experimenting.
And for a mechanically spinning device, leveling just…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel SACD/CD player. Digital outputs (CD playback only): TosLink and RCA coax. Analog outputs: one pair single-ended RCAs. SACD section: Frequency response: 2Hz-50kHz, -3dB. Dynamic range: >103dB. Total harmonic distortion: <0.0015%. CD section: Frequency range: 2Hz-20kHz. Dynamic range: >99dB. Total harmonic distortion: <0.002%.
Dimensions: 17" (430mm) W by 5.5" (138mm) H by 16.125" (409mm) D. Weight: 23 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: none found.
Price: $1200. Approximate number of dealers: 259.
Manufacturer:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Forsell Air Force One turntable, van den Hul Grasshopper Gold cartridge.
Digital source: Linn CD12 CD player, dCS 972 D/D converter, dCS Purcell D/D converter, dCS Elgar Plus D/A converter, Accuphase DP-100/DC-101 SACD transport/processor.
Preamplifiers: Mark Levinson No.32 Reference, BAT VK-50SE, Conrad-Johnson Premier 16LS.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB 350MC and Linn Klimax Solo 500 monoblocks, Forsell Statement.
Loudspeakers: JMlab Utopia.
Cables: Digital: XLO The Limited RCA and AES/EBU. Interconnect: Cardas Neutral…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I have an admission to make: I have never used a carousel player of any kind. But to be able to load up the tray of the Sony SCD-C333ES with all the test CDs, CD-Rs, and one test SACD was such a boon while taking measurements that I began to muse on the possibility of Mark Levinson, Krell, or Wadia producing a carousel transport...nah, won't happen.
Getting the basics out of the way: The Sony's maximum output level at 1kHz was a hair under the "Red Book" standard, at 1.946V (CD) and 1.949V (SACD). It preserved absolute polarity, and the source impedance…
RAE & CHRISTIAN: Sleepwalking
GrandCentral/Studio K7 K7096CD (CD). 2001. Steve Christian, prod., eng.; Mark Rae, prod.; Rick Cowling, Graham Harwood, Howard Payne, Dejuana "DK" Richardson, Philippe Simonin, Eric Steinen, engs.; Mike Ball, Chris Owen, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 47:05
Performance ****?
Sonics ****
GrandCentral/Studio K7 K7096CD (CD). 2001. Steve Christian, prod., eng.; Mark Rae, prod.; Rick Cowling, Graham Harwood, Howard Payne, Dejuana "DK" Richardson, Philippe Simonin, Eric Steinen, engs.; Mike Ball, Chris Owen, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 47:05
Performance ****?
Sonics ****
There is nothing wrong with your stereo system. Do not attempt to adjust your equalizer. Rae & Christian are controlling the transmission. They will control the treble. They will control the bass. They can sharpen the focus from a soft ambient blur or to crystal-…
Not too long ago, the word "convergence" had everyone in the High End ready to duck'n'cover. Asia was on the ropes, and a shakeout was thinning the ranks of high-end audio manufacturers. Some US companies were marketing and selling most of their output to the Pacific Rim. The writing was on the wall: High-end was dead, and we'd all just better get used to listening to music on our computers.
Some audio dealers ran for cover in home theater. "Yeah, high-end is dead; home theater, that's the ticket! I can pay for the kid's braces and the Mercedes this way! No one cares about music anymore…