Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington
by Terry Teachout (New York: Gotham Books, 2013). 483 pp. Hardcover, $30.
According to Terry Teachout, Duke Ellington's story is one of "a somewhat better-than-average stride pianist largely devoid of formal musical training [who] managed to turn himself into a great composer." Ellington had ample help from his organization, which included the gifted composer and arranger Billy Strayhorn, who succinctly described his employer's modus operandi: "Each member of his band is to him a distinctive tone color and set of emotions, which he mixes with others…
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.—William Morris (1834–1896)
The Arts and Crafts movement, which took root in England in the late 1800s, was more than just a reaction to the poor working conditions and the soulless, shoddy, superfluously decorated wares associated with the early days of mass production. It was a rejection of Victorian attitudes toward class: of a mindset that promoted a chasm, in industry as in society, between the designer and the craftsman, the architect and the stonemason. Writer and designer William Morris,…
That last quality is especially relevant. While certain of the most expensive wares have a finite life—the car you drive, your kitchen appliances, perhaps even your computer and mobile phone and business suits—traditional consumer attitudes hold that most big-ticket items should be handed down from one generation to the next. Before mass production dominated the consumer marketplace, no one would spend a dime on a house, a piece of furniture, or even a set of tools without considering its potential as an heirloom. That was even truer of luxury goods, such as musical instruments, works of…
Were one in a whimsical mood, one could divide the history of hi-fi into the eras before and after Edgar Villchur (1917–2011), inventor of the sealed-box, air suspension (or acoustic suspension) bass-loading principle. It was Villchur's invention of the acoustic-suspension woofer that made possible affordable loudspeakers with deeper bass from a smaller cabinet (see Sidebar: "Sealed Boxes").
I don't know if hi-fi can claim any true Renaissance men, but Edgar Villchur is as close as anyone gets. As a student at New York's City College, he aspired to work as a theatrical set designer, and…
The SL mid/woofer, which debuted in 1998, was designed by ATC's founder, managing director, and head of engineering, Billy Woodman, who is also responsible for completing the industrial-design makeover. The speaker's tweeter and crossover are the work of R&D/transducer engineer Richard Newman.
The SCM19 v.2 measures 17.1" high by 10.3" wide by 11.7" D, and weighs 39 lbs. It's a handsome, solid, extremely hefty speaker available in satin-finished Cherry or Black Ash veneers. On the rear panel are two pairs of uninsulated binding posts for biwiring (jumpers provided). The SCM19s…
Sidebar: Sealed Boxes
I'm convinced that Villchur's acoustic-suspension "bookshelf" loudspeakers, beginning with the Acoustic Research AR-1 of 1955, were the key innovation that opened up hi-fi to apartment dwellers and to buyers of suburban tract houses who lacked the floor space required by the previous, larger mechanical-suspension loudspeaker designs. That floor-space factor became even more important with the widespread acceptance of stereo after 1956.
There being no free lunch, the tradeoff inherent in acoustic-suspension loudspeakers was and is low efficiency. Getting deep…
Magico's Alon Wolf will be appearing in person at The Audio Salon, Saturday June 14, from 3pm until 8pm. Alon's presentation will feature Magico's newest S-Series speaker, the S3 (above), which costs $22,600/pair, and a discussion about the technology behind the 10th Anniversary M Project.
The Audio Salon, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Unit F1, Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information, call (310) 863-0863.
Debussy: Reflets dans l'eau;
Stravinsky: Sonata, 1924;
Schoenberg: Six Little Piano Pieces;
Ravel: Sonatina
James Boyk, piano
Performance Recording PR-4 (LP). James Boyk, prod., eng. AAA.
Performance Recordings is the closest thing to a one-man label. James Boyk is president, A&R director, musical director, recording engineer, production manager, jacket notes author, and the star performer. He is also Artist in Residence and lecturer in music and engineering (specifically sound recording and reproduction) at Cal Tech. And he happens to be one of digital's most…
Dr. Alan Hill, president of Plasmatronics Inc., was previously employed by the US Government in laser research. His assignment: To increase the efficiency of lasers so that they could do something more impressive than produce holograms, mend leaky retinal blood vessels, and punch pinholes in steel blocks. Dr. Hill earned his keep, thus advancing laser technology a giant step closer to Star Wars, and then retired from government service to design. . . a loudspeaker?!!!?
How could laser research qualify someone to design a loudspeaker? The connection is really much more direct than it seems…
Sonic details are reproduced with clinical clarity, which is dandy with superb source material but a liability with the majority of recordings. Bass is deep, tight, and gut-shaking, and the seams between the drivers are virtually imperceptible—quite an accomplishment in view of the fact that two of them are cones, with appreciable inertial mass, while the other, widest-range one is completely massless (footnote 3). Without running any curves, we would guess the low end to be effectively flat to around 35Hz in a room of adequate proportions. (The one we listened in was not. The tightest,…
