Michael Metzger
STEVE EARLE: I Feel Alright
Warner Bros. 46201-2 (CD). 1996. Ray Kennedy, prod., eng.; Richard Bennett, prod. AAD? TT: 38:54 When, in 1995, Steve Earle returned from his self-imposed years of exile in the fogs of heroin and cocaine with Train A Comin', he didn't quite have his songwriting legs back under him. The comeback was complete a year later, however, when he released I Feel Alright. From the opening, snarling exuberance of the title track's slap at those who thought he would never again scale the heights he'd known in the late 1980s, you knew that not only…
Robert J. Reina
THE AMBOY DUKES FEATURING TED NUGENT: Marriage On the Rocks/Rock Bottom
Polydor 24-4012 (LP). 1969. The Amboy Dukes, prods.; Edwin H. Kramer, prod., eng. AAA. If we go back to that narrow two-year period, 1969-70, after Ted Nugent had finished creating catchy flower-pop with the original Amboy Dukes but well before he'd gotten into his trashy gonzo-metal guitar rock (even he admits that he had to sell out in order to eat), you'll find the Motor City bad boy leading a uniquely sophisticated quintet that churned out the most structured psychedelic rock of the '60s. On…
David Sokol
KIM RICHEY: Bitter Sweet
Mercury 314-534 255-2 (CD). 1997. Angelo, prod. ("I Know" prod. by John Leventhal); Peter Coleman, eng., mix. AAD? TT: 48:40 Kim Richey is best known as a singer's songwriter—her songs have been covered by Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Terri Clark, and other Music City hotshots. But she's a natural in the studio, and Bitter Sweet is the best of her three smart and excellent albums. Richey conveys hurt, heartache, and everyday conflict as well as anyone, and there isn't a more honest and convincing singer in country music. On top of that, the…
Sam Tellig
LOUIS ARMSTRONG: The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings
Louis Armstrong, cornet, vocal; Jimmie Noone, Don Redman, Jimmy Strong, clarinet; Johnny Dodds, clarinet, alto sax; Barney Bigard, Happy Caldwell, tenor sax; Mancy Carr, Eddie Condon, Johnny St. Cyr, banjo; Honore Dutrey, J.C. Higginbotham, Kid Ory, Fred Robinson, Jack Teagarden, trombone; Pete Briggs, tuba; Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang, guitar; Lil Hardin, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Joe Sullivan, piano; Carroll Dickerson, piano, leader; Luis Russell, piano, leader; Pops Foster, bass; Phil Barbarin, Warren "Baby" Dodds…
When I unpacked the review samples of Earthworks' Sigma 6.2 loudspeaker, I was reminded of a Pop Art exhibition I'd visited 30 years before, in London. Along with a stuffed drum kit and other of Claes Oldenburg's exaggerated-scale floppy sculptures, hanging from the Tate Gallery's ceiling was an enormous three-pronged, US-style AC plug made entirely of hardwood (footnote 1). Although the Sigma 6.2 is available in plain-Jane black MDF for $3500/pair, the optional solid-cherry cabinet, with its polished grain-streaked panels, has the same carved-from-solid, feel of the Oldenburg plug. I found…
The Sigma 6.2 had a slight tendency to brightness that was more apparent the farther away I sat, and made the speaker very revealing of recorded detail. I am leery of calling this analytical quality "accuracy"; strictly speaking, it is something that can be associated with a departure from a truly accurate tonal balance. Stereophile columnist John Marks refers to such speakers as being more "intelligible," a usage I think more appropriate. Certainly it is an essential quality in a studio monitor. I used the Sigma 6.2s while assembling Stereophile's Editor's Choice CD (STPH0016-2), due to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted, magnetically shielded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ring-radiator tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) plastic-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.1kHz (measured). Crossover slopes: 6dB/octave, first-order. Frequency response: 40Hz->40kHz, ±2dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Power handling: 150W continuous, 400W peak.
Dimensions: 16.75" (425mm) H by 9.5" (240mm) W by 15.5" (395mm) D. Weight: 32 lbs (14.5kg) each.
Finishes: Black MDF, blonde solid cherry.
Serial numbers of units…
Sidebar 2: System Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12/Cirkus/Trampolin/Lingo/Ekos/Arkiv LP player on a Sound Organisation table.
Digital sources: Mark Levinson No.31.5 CD transport; Mark Levinson No.30.6 D/A processor; dCS 972 upsampler; Ayre CX-7 CD player; Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player; Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player and Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD player.
Preamplification: Linn Linto phono preamp, Mark Levinson No.380S line preamp, Z-Systems rdp-1 digital control center (updated to handle 96kHz sources).
Power amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H and Lamm M2.1…
Sidebar 3: Measurements The Sigma 6.2 was of just-below-average voltage sensitivity, at an estimated 86dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, its impedance plot of magnitude and phase against frequency (fig.1), which stays between 7 and 8 ohms across much of the audioband with very little electrical phase shift, indicates that the speaker is an easy load for the partnering amplifier to drive. The impedance minimum at 43Hz indicates the tuning of the rectangular port, which in turn implies modest bass extension.
Fig.1 Earthworks Sigma 6.2, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed…
Along with speakers and their placement, the greatest influence on the sound of a music system are the acoustics of the room itself. With two-channel stereo, some reflections and reverberations are necessary in order to maintain the perception that one is listening in a real space. So, while many experts recommend having a "dead" end behind and near the speakers that absorbs most sound, few suggest such treatment for the rest of the room. With too few sonic reflections, the stereo image would narrow; without the aid of "room gain" to enrich the bass, the sounds of instruments and voices…
