Because, in its flight case, each Moon by Simaudio 888 amplifier weighs 300 lb, I drove my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), with its host PC, monitor, test loads, and cables, to Mikey's place, rather than try to get one to my place and down the stairs from the front door to my basement test lab. We manhandled one 888 onto a dolly and wheeled it into Mikey's garage, where I set up my gear. Because the outlets in his garage weren't up to the amplifier's current demands, we ran a long, heavy-duty extension cord to one of the 20A…
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Got the blues from too much real news about the fake news, and too much fake news about the real news? Harmonia Mundi's recent release of Franz Schubert's Octet (Oktett) in F, D803, on which violinist Isabelle Faust joins a superb ensemble of fellow period-instrument musicians, may be just the scream-saver that the doctor recommended.
In one of Schubert's many great compositional acts of transcendence, he wrote the joy-filled Octet in February 1824, right after his 27th birthday, when his health seemed briefly on the rebound. By the end of March, when his syphilis symptoms had returned,…
Arriving at David Smith's comfortable Queens apartment, he walks me into what was once a small dining room. Standing upright like a pair of wood-grained phone booths are the biggest speaker cabinets I've ever seen in anyone's home—anytime, anywhere. What?
Measuring a colossal 23" deep by 26" wide by 66" high, each 20 cubic-feet cabinet holds a vintage Altec 604E coaxial driver wired to a Mastering Lab crossover set in Smith's custom-built MLTL cabinets.
I step, or rather stumble, back into the room, fall into a chair and wonder, "How am I going to photograph these monsters?"
…
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos.4 & 5, The Swan of Tuonela, Tapiola
Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Deutsche-Grammophon 138 974 (LP, Symphony 4). Both symphonies reissued on CD (Deutsche Grammophon 457 748 2)
Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Deutsche-Grammophon 138 974 (LP, Symphony 4). Both symphonies reissued on CD (Deutsche Grammophon 457 748 2)
Magnificent, musically natural recordings with some of the deepest, fattest bass and richest, warmest orchestral sound that's been committed to recordings for many years. The discs are a shade more lucid than the tapes, but not much. Take your pick.—J. Gordon Holt
We who love recordings of massed voices have learned the hard way that some succeed in blending vocal clarity with acoustic resonance, while others deliver echo-muddied jumbles. Happily, some very fine choral recordings have come my way in the last six months. Along with John Atkinson's acoustically stunning engineering of recordings by the vocally gifted Portland State Chamber Choir and the all-male ensemble Cantus, these aural documents do composers proud.
In Teach Me Thy Statutes, 15 compositions by the prolific Pavel Chesnokov (1877–1944) receive devout performances by the…
Due to a number of recent unauthorized solicitations to high-fidelity manufacturers, distributors, and media-relations personnel for review equipment, we feel it necessary to post this policy reminder.
We have been alerted by several major brands that individuals misrepresenting themselves as freelance contributors for our magazines and their associated websites have either attempted or have succeeded in having review equipment sent to them. With theft of said equipment being the final result in some cases.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind brands that a "trust no…
The unsung sage who first observed that high-end audio is a solitary vice was probably not implying that audiophiles are antisocial; he was merely acknowledging the fact that a decent stereo stage is usually only audible from one place in the entire listening room—the so-called sweet spot. Stray from that spot, and the whole soundstage shifts to one side, spaciousness collapses, and images become vague and unstable. This is the antisocial aspect: only one member of a group can hear good stereo at any one time. (The gracious host at a listenfest will take a secondary seat, allowing his…
The loudspeakers themselves are only part of the dbx 1A system. Also supplied is an active controller, which makes the system immediately suspect for perfectionists, who prefer to have as little active circuitry in their system as possible. The fact that the controller has very little detrimental effect on the sound is likely to be of less importance than the fact that it does, in fact, introduce a small amount of veiling. A perfectionist might think about using the Soundfield 1-A without its controller, to get rid of its slight veiling tendency, but he can just forget about that. The…
Incidentally, the 1-As are very sensitive, which is a mixed blessing. While this does allow them to produce prodigious sound levels without taxing the amplifier or endangering the speakers, it also increases the likelihood that any hum originating between the preamp volume control and the power amp outputs will be raised to audibility.
Sound Quality
So, how well does the Soundfield 1A do what it's supposed to do?
Extraordinarily well. I found, in fact, that I could stand outside the lateral location of either speaker and still hear a balanced soundstage. In short, this is…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Three-way, shaped-directivity dynamic system, with active controller. Claimed frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±2dB. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended minimum amplifier power: 30Wpc.
Dimensions: 42" H by 14.5" W by 14.5" D (speaker); 17"W by 9" D by 1.75" H (controller). Weight: 80 lbs each speaker.
Price: $3000 for speakers and controller (1987); no longer available (2018).
Manufacturer: dbx, Newton, MA 02195 (1987); dBX a division of Harman International (2018), Harman Professional Solutions, 8500 Balboa…