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But there's a pair of overalls in the chowder: I could consistently hear minor differences between the original and the copies made on the CDR880, and I could hear differences between copies made on the '880 and copies made on Stereophile's sample of the Meridian CDR. Big…

When CD was first developed, its protocols were codified in the Philips "Red Book," the book of specifications sent to CD licensees. CD-R and another technique, MO-R, were codified in the "Orange Book," which ensured compatibility with the Red Book standard. Therefore, CD-R and CD-RW discs have similar structures; the difference is in the details.

CD-R discs have a recording layer based on deformable dye with a reflectivity of 40–70%, while CD-RW discs have a phase-change recording layer boasting a reflectivity of 15–25%. Both types have an additional…

I doubt that SCMS is at all effective against piracy. For one thing, there are lots of professional CD recorders out there without SCMS; for another, pirates don't really care much about sound quality. By now, everyone knows someone who has bought a bootleg videotape of Titanic. Were any of them even watchable? (New York magazine reported that 30% of the pirated copies of Titanic that have been seized by the NYPD were blank.)

Nah, SCMS penalizes ordinary folks who want to record their own, legally purchased CDs for their personal reuse.

Phooey, I…

LP Playback: Linn LP12 turntable with Naim Armageddon Power Supply, Naim ARO tonearm, van den Hul Frog phono cartridge; and Linn LP12, Lingo, Cirkus, Ekos, Arkiv.
CD Playback: Arcam Alpha 9, Meridian 508.24, Audio Research CD2.
Phono Preamplifiers: Conrad-Johnson Premier Fifteen, Sutherland PH-2000, Naim Prefix.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research VT200.
Integrated Amplifiers: Arcam Alpha 10, Creek 4330R.
Loudspeakers: B&W Silver Signature, REL Studio II subwoofer.
Cables: Siltech and WireWorld Gold Eclipse III interconnects, and…

I performed a full set of measurements on the CDR880 as a CD player, followed by a selection of recorder tests, from both analog and digital inputs. The CDR880's maximum output was 1.9V RMS, almost 0.5dB below the standard 2V, sourced from a low output impedance of 200 ohms in the midrange and treble. Below 20Hz the source impedance rose to 622 ohms, which is still low. The output polarity was absolute-phase correct.

The CDR880 featured superb error-correction/concealment, playing through all the standard missing-data tracks on the Pierre Verany test CD…

Description: CD-R recorder with CD-rewrite capabilities and digital S/PDIF inputs/outputs (coaxial and optical). Recording: S/N Ratio: 90dB. Dynamic range: 95dB. THD: 85dB. Record sample rate: 44.1kHz for line input/output; 32–48kHz for coaxial or optical digital inputs (automatic sample rate conversion). Maximum analog input: 700mV RMS. Analog input impedance: 50k ohms. Playback: Frequency range: 20Hz–20kHz. S/N Ratio: 105dB. Dynamic range: 98dB. Line output voltage: 2V RMS. Power consumption: 15W. Operating temperature: 5–35°C.
Dimensions: 17" (435mm) W by…

Tuesday&#150Thursday, August 21–23, 7:30pm: In celebration of John Cage’s 100th birthday, The [kāg] ensemble will perform Kevin James’s 100 Waltzes for John Cage at the DiMenna Center, Mary Flagler Cary Hall (450 West 37th Street, New York).

Inspired by Cage’s 49 Waltzes for the Five Boroughs, for which a score was created by randomly selecting 147 locations on a…

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I was recently reunited with an old friend from high school. My best friend from high school, in fact. Our families got together, everyone got along, and as the dust of conversation settled toward the rug of companionable silence, talk turned to work. And when the inevitable happened, and my old friend and his wife—classical-music lovers both—asked how much a person had to spend these days in order to get a good music system, I answered their question with a question—a question that, crazily enough, just popped into my head:…

The great ragtime composer Scott Joplin had grander ambitions than just the magnificent miniatures for piano he's famous for. When he died, in 1917, he had spent much of the previous 10 years polishing and campaigning for his…