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For this review, I compared the EAD DSP-1000 and the Adcom GFA-700 with the Audio Alchemy DDE v3.0 HDCD decoder fed through its I2S bus by a DTI 2.0 digital jitter reduction unit.

Both standard and HDCD-encoded CDs were played on a Krell MD-1 turntable. For an overall collection of superbly recorded HDCD-encoded music, I used the HDCD Sampler Volume 2 (Reference RR-90CD), which includes classical, jazz, and a selection of three musical samples recorded with and without HDCD for comparison. A single 75 ohm digital-specific Silver Starlight coaxial cable was run…

Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: ¾"-dome tweeter, 8"-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 3.5kHz; first-order crossover to tweeter, second-order crossover to woofer. Frequency response: 49Hz–21kHz ±3dB. Sensitivity: 91dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Power handling: 125W RMS, 200W peak.
Dimensions: 10.5" W by 9.75" D by 15.5" H. Weight: 19 lbs each.
Serial numbers of units tested: 200537, 200538.
Price: $399/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 35 (1995). No longer available (2015).
Manufacturer:…

The DSP-1000's maximum output level when decoding a full-scale, 1kHz sinewave was a low 0.93V, more than 6dB below the standard output level of 2V. Because the DSP-1000 had been retrofitted with the PMD100 digital filter/HDCD decoder chip, I suspect that EAD left the analog stage gain alone and attenuated the signal 6dB in the digital domain with the PMD100 and accepted the low output level. This won't be a problem with most preamps, since 1V is still plenty of signal to drive a preamplifier. When comparing the DSP-1000 to other processors, however, be sure to…

Description: Digital/analog converter. Inputs: coaxial (BNC), Glass Optical (ST-connector) and TosLink, all consumer standard S/PDIF. Analog output: unbalanced on RCA jacks. Digital output: coaxial S/PDIF. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±0.1dB. THD: not specified. Amplitude linearity: >96dB (minimum). Phase linearity: ±0.1° (20kHz). Maximum HF Jitter (at 20kHz): >10 picoseconds RMS (all inputs). Filtering: Pacific Microsonics PMD100 oversampling with HDCD® decoding. Analog output voltage at 0dBFS: 2V RMS. Power consumption: 20W.
Dimensions: 17" W by 8…

Joe Pass: Virtuoso 4
Joe Pass, acoustic guitar
Pablo 2640-102 (2 LPs). 1983. Norman Granz, prod.; Dennis Sands, eng. AAA. TT: 82:92

This was the first straight-ahead jazz I ever bought: a gatefold double album of unaccompanied guitar, songs my parents knew called "standards." When I heard Pass's rubato meditation on "Lush Life," I wasn't sure it was jazz. In fact, it was Billy Strayhorn, whose thoroughly modern tonal palette I'd learn all about. But Pass, for me, was also Bebop 101, with the finest chord-melody conception and airtight…

Graham Parker: Heat Treatment
Mercury SRM-1-1117 (LP). 1976. Robert John Lange, prod., eng.; Dave Charles, Pete Kelsey, engs. AAA. TT: 35:41

Heat Treatment is Graham Parker's second and most upbeat album—or, more correctly, the one that comes closest to being upbeat. A friend once described it as "Graham Parker for beginners," a characterization that seems even more apt today, 35 years and 50 or so albums later. It's an engaging mix of up-tempo numbers and ballads, and Parker's edgy singing is served well by the Rumour's backup and Mutt…

Fleetwood Mac: Then Play On: Deluxe Edition
Rhino 8122796443 (CD). 1969/2013. Fleetwood Mac, prods.; Martin Birch, eng. ADD. TT: 69:43

First spotted in the mid-1970s in the girlfriend's parents' living room. I was immediately drawn to the exquisite cover. Turns out it belonged to her musically savvy older sister (who still works for a major record label). Bought a copy when I saw it contained "Oh Well," and quickly fell in love with every track on the album. This is the original bluesy Peter Green Fleetwood Mac, though on this album they stray…

Marina Rosenfeld: P.A./Hard Love
ROOM40 RM452 (LP/CD). 2013. Marina Rosenfeld, prod., eng. DDA/DDD. TT: 32:14

Marina Rosenfeld is an experimental turntablist and sound artist with a special interest in large-scale collaborative works. Her sound installation P.A. combined live and recorded voices, field recordings, and performances by cellist Okkyung Lee. P.A./Hard Love contains recorded elements of the installation and adds original vocals by Jamaican dancehall singer Warrior Queen (Annette Henry), and more cello from Lee, who coaxes from her…

It's no surprise that this all-Wagner CD from the most versatile tenor of the decade has received multiple accolades, including from my colleagues Robert Levine and Richard Lehnert. Released to commemorate the 200th anniversary of…

Ken Shindo, the Japanese audio designer whose electronics, loudspeakers, and accessories have influenced the parallel worlds of tube audio and analog audio, and who is shown above (right) with loudspeaker designer John DeVore, died late last month after a brief illness. He was 74.

A former design engineer for Matsushita, Ken Shindo inherited from his father an interest in recorded music and playback gear. In 1977, after years of devoting his spare hours to learning the sounds of different vacuum tubes and other vintage parts, Shindo-san struck out on…