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Given a more generously forceful recording, the combination of Shindo SPU and Tavish Adagio did not disappoint; so it was when I listened to Charles Mingus's wonderful Oh Yeah (LP, Atlantic 1377), in which the composer and bandleader plays piano, sings, shouts, and leaves the bass playing to someone else: Doug Watkins, late of Sonny Rollins's Saxophone Colossus. I found the Adagio thoroughly satisfying—praise that isn't the least bit faint. Watkins's string bass had force and snap, especially in "Hog Callin' Blues"—and in that same number, the very present sound of Roland Kirk's tenor sax…
"Bass—the final frontier," declared Captain James T. Kirk. I have no doubt: The biggest problem in nearly every listening room is getting the bass to sound right. Today, we voyage to the frontier of bass response.
A Brief History of Time
Because my listening room is also a mastering room, it has to be as accurate as possible (see photo 1). The floor is a concrete slab, with solid-block wall construction and a cathedral ceiling 23' high at the rear—there are no floor-to-ceiling resonances. A bay window hidden behind the curtains disperses the lengthwise room mode by varying it…
"Blackbird," from my mastering of Cassandra Wilson's Silver Pony (CD, Blue Note 6297522), recorded and produced by the great John Fischbach, has a warm, liquid quality and Reginald Veal's deep, luscious Fender bass. Herlin Riley's snare drum should knock you in the chest. Without the AVAAs, I could easily detect a disturbing overhang in the back of the room, and the bass, up through the midrange, lost focus, beauty, and definition.
"Do You Remember," Jill Scott's seminal hip-hop/neo-soul hit from Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol.1 (CD, Hidden Beach 62137), was engineered…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Active electronic bass trap. Construction: MDF. One user control, required only for very reverberant rooms. Voltage: 115/230V, ±10% (50–60Hz). Power consumption: 50W maximum.
Dimensions: 19.9" (509mm) H by 16.5" (424mm) W by 11.7" (300mm) D. Weight: 28.6 lbs (13kg).
Finish: Black.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 11550002, 11550003, 11550004.
Price: $1999 each. Approximate number of dealers: Sold distributor-direct only. Warranty: 5 years.
Manufacturer: PSI Audio, Relec SA, Rue des Petits-Champs 11a+b, 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: DAC: 8-channel Cranesong Avocet monitor controller for 5.1-channel surround plus stereo bass.
Power Amplifiers: Lipinski Sound Mono Block L-301V.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Gem2.
Subwoofers: JL Audio Fathom f112 (stereo pair), each powered by dedicated 20 amp line, permitting 1500Wpc bass peaks with no power sag.
Cables: Interconnect (analog): Mogami low-capacitance OFC (balanced AES/EBU). loudspeaker: Mogami eight-conductor OFC, doubled 14 AWG, equivalent to 8 gauge.
Accessories: Surge-X series protectors with Surge-X…
At a Hi-Res Symposium presented by The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) on June 1 in Capitol's legendary Studio A in Hollywood, representatives from record labels, Sony, Capitol Studios, and The Recording Academy's Producers and Engineers wing discussed the future of high-resolution digital audio.
DEG Senior Director Marc Finer opened the presentation with a short welcome and an outline of the morning's agenda followed by a short from the heart speech by Blue Note President Don Was titled "The Importance of Hi-Res Music." Was outlined his emotional connection to and the importance in his…
Day One was press day, with only we ink-stained wretches (or at least the carpal-tunnel afflicted) invited to the party. By early evening (the show ran from 2PM to 8PM on press day) just about everyone who was anyone had already passed Go and collected their press badges, leaving the attendants little to do but screw up their courage for tomorrow's crowds of eager audiophiles.
Anyone who has ever stepped onto the convention-center floor at CES the day before opening has seen pre-show chaos. When you're not dodging forklifts you wonder if the show will ever be ready by the next…
There are two ways to make records. The relatively new way, one the Beatles often used, is to let every musician track his parts and then mix the whole thing together after the fact. Then there’s the old school approach of setting up your gear and everyone playing together live. In essence, recording a gig with the slight exception that today clams can be easily fixed later via Pro Tools. Both methods have their fans and detractors. Some genres of music, like the organ-driven, small combo funk of The New Mastersounds, just naturally lend themselves to one way of recording. Formed in 1999 by…
Press Day, Schmess Day. Some people were ready, some were not, and a few who said they were ready most definitely needed more time to work out the kinks.
"Why don't they make press day at the end of the show?" one exhibitor asked with a look of frustration. It's when everything is finally sounding its best."
"Yes," thought I. "But it's also when everyone is most worn out and wanting to go home."
Happily, by the time of the official show opening, everyone was more or less ready to get going. Nor was the Sixth annual The Home Entertainment Show Newport launched with the…
Silverline Audio's tiny SR7 loudspeaker punches above its weight. Rated down to 68Hz at -3dB, it's clearly bass light. But its 2.5" paper cone woofer and soft-dome tweeter work overtime to deliver. It's not without issues and sounded a bit pushy and cutting at times in the low to mid treble. The lack of deep bass to balance the top end certainly contributed to this.
I'm sure you can blow one up if you try. Using it to play Das Boot at reference level with no subwoofer will likely do the trick. But used with intelligence, it can solve more than a few problems—not the least of which is…